The Tennessee Division of Forestry said Tuesday that the Windrock Mountain fire that began Thursday is controlled.
On Tuesday afternoon, the size of the affected area was 328 acres with a containment percentage of 95 percent.
Representatives from state forestry were still at the fire site to monitor it, officials said.
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The Rocky Top wildfire that started last week and emitted smoke visible for miles had burned 397 acres and was 100 percent contained by mid-morning Thursday, according to the Tennessee Division of Forestry.
In a press release, Anderson County officials said forestry crews remained at the site to continue clearing lines of leaves that have fallen to the ground. Falling leaves that could cross fire lines was one of the main concerns of state officials.
The fire was reported off Scott Brogan Lane at about 6 p.m. Saturday. That road is across Lake City Highway from Lake City Middle School, south of downtown Rocky Top. Forestry crews estimated that they cut roughly 5.1 miles of fire line around the fire since it was reported.
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The wildfire burning near Rocky Top has grown to an estimated 210 acres and is still 75 percent contained, officials with the Tennessee Department of Forestry said Tuesday.
“Forestry is back on scene this morning,” Anderson County Emergency Management Agency Director Brice Kidwell said Tuesday morning. “They are working to reinforce and clean up the lines they’ve dug over the last few days.”
Kidwell said the Division of Forestry had indicated they planned to do more “back burning” Tuesday to try to fully contain the wildfire that was first reported just after 6 p.m. Saturday. Because of the planned back burning, residents could see more smoke and hazy skies later Tuesday, he said.
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Consolidated Nuclear Security presented the small business of the year award to Master Machine Incorporated during a recent Partners in Excellence supplier outreach event. The Chattanooga-based business focuses on machining, weld fabrication, and engineering services.
MMI has been a supplier to Consolidated Nuclear Security for more than five years, starting with Y-12 National Security Complex and adding the Pantex Plant in 2022.
“Master Machine consistently demonstrates the ability to identify and implement manufacturing methods needed to address complicated projects,” said Rick Hillert, senior director of Supply Chain Management. The company also made $1 million in plant and equipment improvements to address tool needs for CNS, a press release said.
The company, which celebrates its 30th anniversary this year, was nominated by Roger Aigner, subcontract technical representative for Packaging and Transportation Engineering at Y-12. In his nomination, Aigner noted: “They are professional, capable, and a pleasure to work with. They understand the CNS mission and are well deserving of this award.”
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Twenty-three professional comedy groups and three local high schools will perform at the Secret City Improv Festival in Oak Ridge this weekend.
The festival is scheduled Friday, October 6, and Saturday, October 7, at the Historic Grove Theater.
It’s the third year in a row that the festival has been in Oak Ridge.
The festival consists of eight unique performances featuring 23 professional improv comedy troupes, three local high schools, and workshops and masterclasses with experienced improvisers from across America, a press release said. The Secret City Improv Festival will feature comedy improv troupes from 15 cities representing 10 states this year.
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The Spallation Neutron Source at Oak Ridge National Laboratory—already the world’s most powerful accelerator-based neutron source—will be on a planned hiatus through June 2024 as crews work to upgrade the facility.
Much of the work—part of the facility’s Proton Power Upgrade project—will involve building a connector between the accelerator and the planned Second Target Station at SNS, a press release said. When complete, the PPU project will bring the accelerator up to 2.8 megawatts from its current record-breaking 1.7 megawatts of beam power.
Workers will add about 3,000 square feet of concrete tunnel, the “stub,†which will integrate with an existing tunnel. Construction tasks include associated structures, roofing, geomembrane liner, tunnel waterproofing, electrical, fire alarm, ventilation systems, and controls.
“The construction crews have performed all of the excavation work and are transitioning to tunnel base and wall construction,†said ORNL’s Mark Champion, PPU project manager.
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Officers are searching in Virginia for a suspect in a fatal shooting in Anderson County on Tuesday.
The shooting was reported on Moores Gap Road in Heiskell, east of Clinton near Interstate 75, according to the Anderson County Sheriff’s Office.
Later, a police chase was reported at about 3 p.m. Tuesday in Claiborne County, and it ended in Ewing, Virginia, when the alleged suspect ran into the woods, law enforcement officers said.
“The Lee County (Virginia) Sheriff’s Office continues to aid the Anderson County (Tennessee) Sheriff’s Office; Claiborne County, Tennessee (authorities), and the U.S. Marshals Service in attempting to locate and apprehend fugitive Jason Dockery, a suspect in an Anderson County, Tennessee, homicide and wanted for violations of probation for aggravated assault in Tennessee,” Lee County Sheriff Gary Parsons said in an update provided by the Anderson County Sheriff’s Office.
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On Thursday, Oak Ridge will host a movie premiere of “Oppenheimer,” a movie about physicist J. Robert Oppenheimer and his team of scientists who helped build the world’s first atomic bombs during World War II. Oak Ridge was part of the top-secret project to build those bombs.
The movie will be shown at 7 p.m. Thursday, July 20, at Cinemark Theater.
“Explore Oak Ridge is thrilled to present the premiere of ‘Oppenheimer, a movie that not only entertains but also pays tribute to the remarkable history of our city and the Manhattan Project,” said Katy Watt, president of Explore Oak Ridge. “This event celebrates Oak Ridge’s contributions to science and innovation, and we are honored to showcase our community’s heritage on the silver screen. Everyone is invited to an evening filled with drinks, popcorn, and a deep sense of pride as we honor the enduring spirit of our remarkable community and the remarkable history that defines us.”
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Progressive bluegrass musician Sam Bush will headline ORNL Federal Credit Union’s second Summer Sessions concert in Oak Ridge on Saturday, July 8. North Carolina-based Yarn will open for Bush. The concert is free.
Bush is from Bowling Green, Kentucky, but he is not your traditional bluegrass musician, a press release said.
“Popularly known as the King of New Grass, he bought his first mandolin at the age of 11, and by the time he was a teenager, he was a champion fiddler,” the press release said. “Bush knew early on that traditional country or bluegrass was not the music he wanted to play. He incorporates a variety of genres into his songs and his style is sometimes shunned by traditionalists, but welcomed by ‘long-hairs and hippies.'”
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Oak Ridge’s annual fireworks show is scheduled to being at dark Tuesday, around 9:45 p.m. on Independence Day, July 4. There will be music before the show.
The celebration, which is sponsored by the City of Oak Ridge, will be at Alvin K. Bissell Park in central Oak Ridge.
The Oak Ridge Community Band will perform prior to the fireworks. The concert is free, but donations are accepted by the band to help cover the cost of equipment and other expenses, a press release said. The music is expected to begin at 7:30 p.m.
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A standing-room-only crowd attended the grand re-opening celebration of renovations to the East Wing of the Oak Ridge Public Library on Tuesday.
The renovations include a brand-new Children’s Room and bathrooms that meet Americans with Disability Act standards.
The projects were made possible through a combination of funding from the City of Oak Ridge, a Support Grant to Local Governments, and the Friends of Oak Ridge Public Library administering a bequest (a personal property gift) on behalf of Jerry Kinnamon.
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The Lavender Festival has expanded. Here is a schedule of musicians and presentations, and information about additional events.
The free festival, the 23rd Jackson Square Lavender Festival, is scheduled from 8 a.m. to 4 p.m. Saturday, June 17, in Jackson Square. Since 1999, the Lavender Festival has been held the third week of June, which is when the lavender is in bloom in Tennessee. In addition to several local lavender farms, the festival features 150 artisan and food vendors, live music, informative presentations, and free children’s activities.
For information about vendors, parking, road closures, children’s activities, and more, visit www.JacksonSquareLavenderFestival.org. The festival is “rain or shine,” a press release said.
Here is what is new this year:
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