Photo courtesy City of Oak Ridge
The Oak Ridge Civic Center Recreation Building will be closed to the public on Wednesday, January 25, and Thursday, January 26, for an Electric Department training event.
As a reminder, the Senior Center will also be closed between Monday, January 23, and Saturday, January 28, as it transitions to the Civic Center Recreation Building. The Senior Center will reopen Monday, January 30, at the Civic Center. [Read more…]
ORNL’s Yang Song (seated), Dale Hensley (standing left), and Adam Rondinone examine a carbon nanospike sample with a scanning electron microscope. (Photo by Oak Ridge National Laboratory)
In October, Oak Ridge National Laboratory announced that scientists had developed an electrochemical process that uses tiny spikes of carbon and copper to turn carbon dioxide, a greenhouse gas, into ethanol.
This month, Oak Ridge Today asked if the process using the very small catalysts could be used on a large scale to convert carbon dioxide in the atmosphere into ethanol, and if that might be used to combat climate change.
Here is the response from researcher Adam Rondinone, lead author of a team’s study published in ChemistrySelect:
“If we are successful, then yes, this process will take us a little bit closer to the goal of mitigating climate change. But many other technologies and changes will also be needed, because of the scale of the problem. Also, this technology is more focused on what to do with CO2 (carbon dioxide) once it has been captured. While it could feasibly be coupled to a capture mechanism for extracting CO2 from the air, it will more likely be used to intercept and recycle emissions from point sources like power plants. Ultimately, it will just be one solution out of many that we will need to implement in order to prevent serious climate changes.” [Read more…]
Oak Ridge Police Department officers started a memorial with stuffed animals on Saturday morning for a child killed in a fatal crash at Emory Valley Road and Lafayette Drive on Friday evening, Jan. 13, 2017. (Photo by John Huotari/Oak Ridge Today)
Note: This story was updated at 4 p.m.
The Oak Ridge Police Department has identified the adults injured in a fatal two-vehicle crash on Friday evening, although the cause hasn’t been determined yet.
The crash killed a three-year-old boy. It was reported at about 5:20 p.m. Friday at Emory Valley Road and Lafayette Drive in central Oak Ridge. It involved a total of 11 people, including three juveniles.
Besides the three-year-old who died, five other people who were in an SUV that ended up near a stoplight pole on the northeast corner of the intersection were injured and taken by ambulance to the University of Tennessee Medical Center in Knoxville. The five injured included four adults and one child. One of the adults was released from the hospital over the weekend, the City of Oak Ridge said.
The names of the juveniles involved in the crash are not being released, the City of Oak Ridge said in a press release. The occupants of the SUV were: [Read more…]
Oak Ridge Police Department officers started a memorial with stuffed animals on Saturday morning for a three-year-old child killed in a fatal crash at Emory Valley Road and Lafayette Drive on Friday evening, Jan. 13, 2017. (Photo by John Huotari/Oak Ridge Today)
One adult passenger injured in a fatal two-vehicle crash in Oak Ridge on Friday has been released from the hospital, a city official said Saturday. And Oak Ridge Police Department officers started a memorial at the crash site, leaving stuffed animals there Saturday morning.
The fatal crash was reported at about 5:15 p.m. Friday at the intersection of Emory Valley Road and Lafayette Drive. Police said the crash killed one three-year-old child and injured another child, and it also injured four adults. The five people who were injured and the child who died were all taken by ambulance to the University of Tennessee Medical Center in Knoxville, a Level I trauma center. All six had been in the same vehicle, an older model dark-colored or black sport utility vehicle.
On Saturday, Sarah Self, spokesperson for the City of Oak Ridge, said one of the adult passengers was released from UT Medical Center.
The condition of the other injured patients (three adults and one child) was not available, Self said.
Five people in the second vehicle involved in the crash, a newer silver Volkswagen sedan, were not injured, Self said. There were four adults and one child in that car. [Read more…]
A three-year-old died and five other people were taken to a trauma center in Knoxville after a two-vehicle crash in Oak Ridge at Emory Valley Road and Lafayette Drive on Friday evening, Jan. 13, 2017. (Photo by John Huotari/Oak Ridge Today)
Note: This story was last updated at 1 p.m. Jan 16.
A three-year-old died and five other people were taken to a trauma center in Knoxville after a serious crash in Oak Ridge on Friday evening, authorities said.
The fatal two-vehicle crash involved 11 people. It was reported at about 5:15 p.m. Friday at Emory Valley Road and Lafayette Drive.
Those taken by ambulance to the University of Tennessee Medical Center in Knoxville, a Level 1 Trauma Center, were four adults and two children. One of those children is the three-year-old who died (the child was initially reported to be four). The four adults and two children were all in one vehicle, an older model dark-colored or black sport utility vehicle, or SUV.
Five people in a second vehicle—four adults and one child—were reported to not have injuries, according to the City of Oak Ridge. [Read more…]
The intersection of Lafayette Drive and Emory Valley Road was closed Friday evening, Jan. 13, 2017. after a serious crash that required multiple ambulances. (Photo by John Huotari/Oak Ridge Today)
Note: This story has been updated. Please see newer story here.
The intersection of Emory Valley Road and Lafayette Drive is closed as authorities investigate a serious crash Friday evening.
There were, at one point, four ambulances at the crash site, although it’s not clear if they were all used. The Oak Ridge Fire Department and Oak Ridge Police Department both responded.
The crash was reported at about 5:15 p.m. Friday. [Read more…]
A man surrendered to Oak Ridge police after allegedly holding a 9-year-old girl hostage on Norton Road for about 1.5 hours on Thursday, Jan. 12, 2017. (Photo by John Huotari/Oak Ridge Today)
Note: This story was last updated at 10:15 p.m.
A man who had allegedly taken a nine-year-old girl hostage and was armed with a rifle when police responded to a family disturbance peacefully surrendered to Oak Ridge police officers after about 1.5 hours of negotiations on Thursday, authorities said.
The child was rescued, and the armed suspect was taken into custody, the Oak Ridge Police Department said.
No injuries were reported after the man, later identified as Robert Foreman, 36, of Oak Ridge, surrendered. Part of New York Avenue was closed Thursday evening as officers negotiated with Foreman and set up a perimeter.
Foreman’s relationship to the girl wasn’t immediately clear Thursday. His motive also wasn’t clear. [Read more…]
The Tennessee Centennial Golf Course is pictured above in Oak Ridge on Thursday, Dec. 10, 2015. (Photo by John Huotari/Oak Ridge Today)
The Oak Ridge City Council agreed in a 5-2 vote on Monday to provide $120,000 to continue operating the Tennessee Centennial Golf Course, which the city owns in east Oak Ridge off Edgemoor Road.
The request this year was smaller than it was in 2015, when Council approved a $325,000 transfer, but the golf course is still short of money needed to operate, despite all marketing efforts, Oak Ridge City Manager Mark Watson told City Council members in a memo before Monday’s meeting.
Most of the $120,000 in funding—or $70,024 of it—will be used for accounts payable. The rest will be used for cash flow and salaries, Watson said.
“The slow winter season now requires funding to pay necessary costs and salaries through the winter quarter (January-March 2017),” Watson said. [Read more…]
Mickey Blazer, left, executive vice president of operations for K-VA-T Food Stores Inc. in Knoxville and Chattanooga, is pictured above with store manager Joe Fahy, center, and Joe Greene, district manager, at the expanded Food City grocery store in Oak Ridge on Wednesday, Jan. 4, 2017. (Photo by John Huotari/Oak Ridge Today)
The Food City in Oak Ridge has expanded. It’s now one of the larger stores of its type.
Food City and Oak Ridge Chamber of Commerce officials celebrated last week with ribbon-cutting and flag retirement ceremonies.
Among the new, expanded, or renovated sections are a bakery, deli, and cafe; a specialty cheese section and salad bar; a wellness center, pharmacy, and natural section; a wine section and growler station for beer on tap to go; and drive-through pharmacy and Gas ‘N Go.
During the 10-month expansion project, the Food City store added 11,200 square feet using vacant space formerly occupied by H&R Block and Sally Beauty Supply, Food City officials said. [Read more…]
Roads in Oak Ridge were mostly clear after snow on Friday night and Saturday morning, Jan. 6 and 7, 2017, but a few snowy spots remained. Pictured above is Orange Lane in north Oak Ridge. (Photo by John Huotari/Oak Ridge Today)
Main roads in Oak Ridge were mostly clear after a snowstorm on Friday night and Saturday morning, but a few snowy spots remained on side streets.
Main streets such as Oak Ridge Turnpike and Illinois Avenue appeared to be completely clear. Heavily traveled secondary roads such as Tennessee Avenue, New York Avenue, Georgia Avenue, Rutgers Avenue, and Outer Drive appeared to be mostly or completely clear. The few snow-covered spots appeared to be mostly on side streets that aren’t as heavily traveled, such as Orange Lane and Orchard Lane in north Oak Ridge.
Much of the snow that fell Friday night and Saturday morning appeared to have melted, including on the hillside next to Blankenship Field that is often used for sledding after snow falls.
The National Weather Service isn’t forecasting any more snow until Tuesday, when there is a slight chance of rain and showers. [Read more…]
More snow fell in Oak Ridge on Friday night, and parts of many roads, including Pellissippi Parkway going into Knox County, were slippery. Pictured above is South Illinois Avenue at Weigel’s gas station and convenience center just before midnight on Friday, Jan. 6, 2017. (Photo by John Huotari/Oak Ridge Today)
More snow fell in Oak Ridge on Friday night, and parts of many roads, including Pellissippi Parkway going into Knox County, were snow-covered and slippery.
Before midnight Friday, sections of roadway were clear on Oak Ridge Turnpike and Illinois Avenue in central Oak Ridge, but many side streets, including heavily traveled roads like Tennessee Avenue and New York Avenue, were covered by a layer of snow. Other snow-covered roads included Tulane and Rutgers avenues, and Providence and Robertsville roads.
The National Weather Service in Morristown advised people to stay off the roads, unless travel is absolutely necessary. [Read more…]
Snow will move into the area later Friday evening and night (Jan. 6, 2017), and this map shows the current forecasted snowfall totals expected. Snowfall accumulations will be greatest along the Northern Plateau of East Tennessee and the Cumberland mountains of Southwest Virginia. With surface temperatures below freezing, snow will accumulate on untreated roads. This may result in in negative travel impacts to motorists. (Image courtesy National Weather Service in Morristown)
Note: This story was last updated at 11:15 a.m. Jan. 6.
A few inches of snow are possible in the Knoxville area from Thursday through Saturday, according to the National Weather Service in Morristown.
The potential snowfall ranges from 1.7 inches in Norris to 3.0 inches in Knoxville from Friday to Saturday morning, the NWS said.
The forecast calls for a possible 2.2 inches in Kingston, 1.6 inches in Wartburg, 3.7 inches in Maryville, and 5 inches in Gatlinburg.
A winter weather advisory was in effect from 7 p.m. Thursday to 7 a.m. Friday.
Then, a winter storm watch is in effect from 1 p.m. Friday to 7 a.m. Saturday. [Read more…]
