Oak Ridge Today

Pelizzari joins DA’s office

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Attorney and prosecutor Brandon Pelizzari, left, is pictured with Seventh Judicial District Attorney General Dave Clark. (Submitted photo)

Attorney and prosecutor Brandon Pelizzari will join the Seventh Judicial District Attorney General’s Office in Clinton on December 1. He will be an assistant district attorney general.

“Brandon is an experienced attorney and prosecutor,” District Attorney General Dave Clark said in a press release. “I am thrilled to add his experience and talent to the office.”

Pelizzari joins the Clinton office after having been a prosecutor of driving under the influence violations in the Eighth Judicial District, mostly assigned to Campbell County, for the past several years, the press release said.

“In addition to his professional skill, Brandon brings familiarity with our community,” Clark said. “As a native Anderson Countian who lives in our community, he will literally be coming home.”

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Ten ORNL scientists among world’s most highly cited researchers

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Oak Ridge National Laboratory (Submitted photo)

Ten scientists from Oak Ridge National Laboratory are among the world’s most highly cited researchers, according to a bibliometric analysis conducted by the scientific publication analytics firm Clarivate. 
 
The annual list identifies researchers who demonstrated significant influence in their field through the publication of multiple highly cited papers during the last decade. These researchers authored publications that rank in the top 1% by citations for field and publication year in the Web of Science citation index. 
 
“Researchers at ORNL are leading the advancement of scientific knowledge in multiple fields,” ORNL Director Thomas Zacharia said in a press release. “This recognition demonstrates that the laboratory and our scientists are engaged in cutting-edge research and development to solve some of the world’s biggest challenges.” 
 
The ORNL scientists listed are:

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Gaddis: 48 years, a state championship, 300+ wins

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Oak Ridge Coach Joe Gaddis talks to the Wildcats football team after a 42-6 win over Clinton on Blankenship Field on Friday, Oct. 13, 2017. It was Gaddis’ 300th coaching win. (File photo by John Huotari/Oak Ridge Today)

After 48 years coaching, a state championship, and more than 300 wins, Oak Ridge football coach Joe Gaddis is retiring.

On Tuesday, Gaddis, who has the most wins of any Oak Ridge coach and is among the top in the state, said he made the decision to retire during the past few weeks.

“I think coaches just know when it’s time,” he said. “You just kind of know.”

Oak Ridge High School Principal Garfield Adams said Gaddis has an overall record of 334 wins and 146 losses, and he is one of only three active coaches in the state of Tennessee with 300 wins.

“At Oak Ridge High School, Coach Gaddis holds a record of 196 wins and 58 losses, making him the winningest coach in Oak Ridge history and the eighth winningest coach in Tennessee football,” Adams said.

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Updated: Mask mandate terminated at Oak Ridge Schools

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Bill Lee

Note: This story was last updated at 7 a.m. Nov. 16.

The face mask mandate at Oak Ridge Schools has been terminated in response to new state legislation signed into law by Tennessee Governor Bill Lee.

Medicaid expansion forum, part 2, is Tuesday

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The second part of a forum about Medicaid expansion will be online at lunchtime Tuesday, featuring two legislators who have supported Medicaid expansion.

The legislators are Tennessee Senator Richard Briggs, a physician, and Representative Gloria Johnson, a retired educator.

The virtual forum is scheduled to start at noon Tuesday, November 16. You can register at https://us02web.zoom.us/meeting (learn more here).

Here is the Tuesday agenda:

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Christmas Stroll in downtown Clinton

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A Clinton Christmas Stroll this month will feature photos with Santa and Mrs. Claus, horse-drawn carriage rides, food trucks, a nativity scene, and a silent auction to benefit the Education Foundation.

“Additionally, the brick-and-mortar shops will be staying open late for shopping on this Small Business Saturday,” a press release said.

The Christmas Stroll, a new event, is scheduled from 5 to 9 p.m. Saturday, November 27, in Historic Downtown Clinton.

The live nativity scene will be held in the Hoskins Park on Market Street. It will feature live animals, caroling, cookies and cider, and a kid’s craft. The horse-drawn carriage rides are $20 per family, and the carriage can hold up to six people at a time, the press release said. The ride will start on Freddy Fagan Way and go behind Shabby Remakes and then circle around down Market Street.

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Covenant Health will comply with COVID vaccine mandate

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Methodist Medical Center Main Entrance
Methodist Medical Center of Oak Ridge is pictured above.

Covenant Health is among the hospital organizations in the Knoxville area that will comply with the COVID-19 vaccine mandate for facilities that participate in the Medicare and Medicaid programs.

The hospitals announced on Thursday that they plan to comply.

“On November 4, the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS) issued a COVID-19 vaccination mandate for health care facilities that participate in Medicare and Medicaid programs to protect health care workers, patients, families, and visitors from COVID-19,” a press release said. “CMS is very clear that non-compliance with this mandate will result in severe penalties to hospitals, up to and including exclusion from participation in Medicare.”

Covenant includes Methodist Medical Center of Oak Ridge and other local health care facilities.

Other organizations planning to comply with the vaccine mandate include Blount Memorial Hospital, East Tennessee Children’s Hospital, Sweetwater Hospital Association, and The University of Tennessee Medical Center.

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General Fusion locating U.S. headquarters in Oak Ridge

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General Fusion Corporation will locate its U.S. headquarters in Oak Ridge as the company advances plans for a commercial pilot plant, Tennessee officials and company executives announced Wednesday.

The headquarters decision was announced Wednesday by Tennessee Governor Bill Lee, Department of Economic and Community Development Commissioner Bob Rolfe, and General Fusion Corporation executives.

General Fusion Corporation is based in Vancouver, Canada. The company says fusion could provide a carbon-free power source that would meet the growing global energy demand while fighting climate change.

The U.S.-based subsidiary of General Fusion Incorporated will initially invest $539,000 and create 20 new jobs in Anderson County during the next five years, a press release said. It’s the first private fusion company to establish an office in Tennessee, General Fusion said. The new headquarters in Oak Ridge will be near Oak Ridge National Laboratory, a science and energy lab that is home to the U.S. ITER program. ITER is an experimental fusion device being built in southern France through an international collaboration and planned to be the first such device to produce net energy.

In Oak Ridge, General Fusion said it will collaborate with “world-leading fusion scientists and tap into key engineering talent.”

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Divers find vehicle linked to missing person

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Divers found a vehicle in Melton Hill Lake on Wednesday afternoon that has been confirmed to be linked to a missing person case from July 2005, Miriam Ruth Hemphill, the Oak Ridge Police Department said.

The ORPD said the car was pulled out of the water Wednesday evening, and the investigation continues.

“There is no confirmation of a body being in the vehicle,” the ORPD said Wednesday evening. “Crews will not be able to access the inside of the vehicle tonight.”

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Free community Thanksgiving Dinner on Nov. 25

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Everyone is invited to a free community Thanksgiving Dinner on Thursday, November 25, a press release said.

“This year, however, our program has been modified out of consideration for social distancing as follows,” the press release said:

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City receives grant for water plant landslide

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Pictured above is the landslide next to the access road to the Oak Ridge Water Treatment Plant on Pine Ridge, above the Y-12 National Security Complex, on Saturday night, February 23, 2019. (File photo courtesy CNS Y-12)

The City of Oak Ridge has received a $17,389 grant to cover some costs associated with a landslide at the access road to the water treatment plant above the Y-12 National Security Complex in 2019.

The estimated costs of the repairs are $384,444, Oak Ridge Public Works Director Patrick Berge said in a memo to City Manager Mark Watson.

The city began talking to the Federal Emergency Management Agency immediately after the landslide, and the discussions included potential future reimbursements, Berge said. The $17,389 partial reimbursement is through the Tennessee Emergency Management Agency.

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Cherokees ends Wildcats’ season

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Oak Ridge senior Jacob Berven blocked a punt inside the McMinn County 10-yard line, giving the Wildcats a chance to tie the football game with about two minutes remaining.

But Oak Ridge was unable to convert that blocked punt into a score, and the Wildcats’ season ended in a 24-17 first-round playoff loss to the Cherokees on Friday. The Wildcats were unable to score when McMinn County stopped Oak Ridge quarterback Hayden Tarwater two yards short of the end zone on a fourth-and-goal play with 3.2 seconds left.

The season-ending defeat came a week after the Wildcats played their best game, a 48-21 win over region rival Campbell County.

Oak Ridge got credit for not giving up this season, even in the final minutes, despite their 3-8 losing record.

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