Oak Ridge Today

Work begins on major Roane State expansion, new building

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Roane State Construction

Site work has begun for the new Health Sciences and Technology Building at Roane State’s Oak Ridge campus. (Photo courtesy of RSCC/Aerial Innovations of Tennessee)

After years of planning and fundraising, work has begun on a major expansion of the Roane State Community College campus in Oak Ridge.

The $13.8 million project will feature a new three-story Health Sciences and Technology Building.

Land has been cleared for the 64,000-square-foot building, and drilling for geothermal wells has started, a Roane State press release said.

It said the building’s foundation will be “under way and out of the ground” in mid-October. Work on the building could be complete by January 2014.

Roane State’s Oak Ridge campus opened in 1999. Originally designed for 1,800 students, the campus now has about 2,500 students, the press release said.

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Third Y-12 protester has detention hearing today, trial rescheduled

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Greg Boertje-Obed

Greg Boertje-Obed

The third protester who has remained in jail since a July 28 security breach at the Y-12 National Security Complex has a detention hearing at 2 p.m. today in U.S. District Court in Knoxville.

Greg Boertje-Obed had previously waived his right to a detention hearing, and he has remained jailed in Blount County. The other two anti-nuclear weapons activists, Megan Rice and Michael R. Walli, were freed Aug. 3.

Meanwhile, U.S. Magistrate Judge C. Clifford Shirley has rescheduled the trial of the protesters to Feb. 26, 2013. The case will be tried before U.S. District Judge Thomas W. Phillips.

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Anderson DA: Deputies acted appropriately in February shooting

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The Anderson County District Attorney’s Office has completed its investigation into the officer-involved shooting that left two Indiana residents dead in February, according to WYSH Radio in Clinton.

The investigation determined that Anderson County deputies Jonathan Bryant and J.D. Powell acted appropriately in the Feb. 29 incident, which began with a gas theft in Lake City, WYSH said.

Killed in the exchange of gunfire at the intersection of Old Emory Road and Blockhouse Valley Road were Shanna Lee Richardson and Michael Baker of Indiana.

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Council approves Weigel’s rezoning

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Weigels Rezoning

The Oak Ridge City Council has approved a rezoning for a Weigel’s on South Illinois Avenue in the first of two readings.

The Oak Ridge City Council has approved a rezoning that could allow a Weigel’s on South Illinois Avenue.

Council approved the rezoning in a 6-1 vote during the first of two readings on Monday. It will be considered during a second and final reading on Oct. 10.

The rezoning would allow the proposed gas station and convenience store on a 1.5-acre parcel south of TNBank. The 3,900-square-foot store could open by 2013.

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B&W Y-12 considering what information to release from ‘show cause’ response

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Note: This story was updated at 9:10 a.m.

Monday was the deadline for B&W Y-12 to respond to an Aug. 10 “show cause” letter from the National Nuclear Security Administration. That letter, which followed a July 28 security breach, gave the company 30 days to explain why its contract should not be terminated.

B&W Y-12 did not immediately release its response Monday.

“B&W Y-12 is determining whether we’ll be able to release information contained in the response,” the company said in a statement. “Additionally, it’s only appropriate to allow NNSA some time to consider the document before any content is released to the public.”

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Former nuclear safety chief back at Y-12 as temporary COO

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Joe Henry

Joe Henry

Joe Henry, the former chief of nuclear safety operations at the Y-12 National Security Complex, is returning to temporarily serve as chief operating officer.

B&W Y-12 announced the appointment today.

The new position has been created to aid the plant’s president and general manager in overall site management, focusing in particular on operations, a press release said.

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Oak Ridge Today affected by apparent attack on GoDaddy

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Oak Ridge Today was one of many websites knocked offline on Monday by an apparent attack on GoDaddy, the major web host and domain registrar.

During the outage, Oak Ridge Today was unable to add posts or access its administrative functions or e-mail services. However, it seems that some readers were still able to use the website.

We apologize for any confusion this might have created, and we appreciate your patience and understanding.

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City could return $480,000 railway museum grant

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If the City Council agrees, the city manager could ask the state to take back a decade-old grant that was supposed to help build a railroad museum in Oak Ridge.

The $480,000 grant could be used to help build the Southern Appalachia Railway Museum at the former K-25 site in west Oak Ridge, a project estimated to cost about $1.25 million.

The Oak Ridge City Council agreed to apply for the grant in 2000, and state officials have now set a last-chance Nov. 1 deadline for an authorization to proceed on the 5,000-square-foot project, City Manager Mark S. Watson said in a memo.

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Council considers Weigel’s rezoning tonight

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Weigels Rezoning

The Oak Ridge City Council will consider a rezoning for a Weigel’s on South Illinois Avenue during a meeting at 7 p.m. today.

The Oak Ridge City Council will consider a property rezoning tonight that could allow a Weigel’s on South Illinois Avenue.

The rezoning would allow the proposed gas station and convenience store on a 1.5-acre parcel south of TNBank. The 3,900-square-foot store could open by 2013.

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Centennial golf bunkers could be renovated for $128,000

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Twenty-nine bunkers, or sand traps, could be renovated at Centennial Golf Course for $128,000 under a resolution to be considered by the Oak Ridge City Council tonight.

The Golf Course Fund would be used to pay for the repairs at the city-owned golf course. The work would be done by First Place Finish Inc. of Oak Ridge, with help from Signet Golf Associates.

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Smith seeks re-election in November

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Ellen Smith

Ellen Smith

Oak Ridge City Council member Ellen Smith has announced she is seeking re-election in November.

An environmental scientist, Smith was first elected to City Council in 2007. She is one of three incumbents seeking to keep their seats in the Nov. 6 election.

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Roane State documentary honored

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Roane State Documentary

The award-winning film “Roane State: 40 Years of Class” is available on Roane State Community College campuses.

A documentary commemorating Roane State Community College’s 40th anniversary has received two prestigious honors.

Roane State alumnus Keith McDaniel of Secret City Films in Oak Ridge wrote and directed “Roane State: 40 Years of Class.” The documentary received second-place honors in the 33rd annual Telly Awards and a third-place award from the Tennessee College Public Relations Association.

The film was honored in the Telly Awards’ film/video category. The Telly Awards was founded in 1979 and is the premier award honoring outstanding local, regional, and cable TV commercials and programs, video and film productions, and online commercials, video and films. The contest includes nearly 11,000 entries from across the country and outside the United States.

The documentary was also honored in the TCPRA’s college promotional video category. Roane State was the only community college to receive an award in the TCPRA contest.

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