Oak Ridge Today

JMS FIRST Lego League teams win first-place awards at regional championship

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The Jefferson Middle School FIRST Lego League Atomic Eagles, JMS Master Builders, and their coaches and mentors are pictured above. From left are Iliana Spence, Thomas Proffen, Alex Shanafield, Jeff Thomson, Amelia Thomson, Klara Proffen, Henri Scott, Mack Patrick, Holly Hensberry, Bethany Marshall, Thora Spence, Jessica Mohr, Levi Parish, Lexie Scott, Janie Shanafield, and Harold Shanafield. (Submitted photo)

 

The Jefferson Middle School FIRST Lego League teams competed at the East Tennessee Regional Championship on February 13 in Cookeville.

The Atomic Eagles received the first-place Robot Strategy and Innovation Award.

The JMS Master Builders received the second-place Robot Performance Trophy and the first-place Champions Trophy. The JMS Master Builders have been invited to go to St. Louis to participate in the World Festival in April.

The Atomic Eagles are coached by Janie and Harold Shanafield and mentored by Thomas Proffen. The JMS Master Builders are coached by Lexie Scott and coached/mentored by Jeff Thomson.

Copyright 2016 Oak Ridge Today. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.

Oak Ridge teacher to receive Geography Teacher of the Year Award

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Brian Smith, seventh-grade social studies teacher in Oak Ridge, will receive the 14th Tom and Stella Mullane Geography Teacher of the Year Award during the 2016 Tennessee Council for the Social Studies Annual Conference at the Cool Springs Marriott in Franklin on Friday, March 11. (Submitted photo)

 

An Oak Ridge teacher will receive a Mullane Geography Teacher of the Year Award in March.

Brian Smith, seventh-grade social studies teacher in Oak Ridge, will receive the 14th Tom and Stella Mullane Geography Teacher of the Year Award during the 2016 Tennessee Council for the Social Studies Annual Conference at the Cool Springs Marriott in Franklin on Friday, March 11.

The Mullane award is bestowed for superior achievement in the teaching of geography in the social studies in grades 7-12, a press release said. The award carries a $500 cash prize.

Smith has been informed that he will be this year’s recipient of the Mullane Teacher of the Year award for the outstanding work he does, ensuring that geography is a daily part of instruction in the Oak Ridge school system, the press release said. [Read more…]

Oak Ridge Schools supervisor receives state Pioneer Award

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Holly Cross, center, career and technical education supervisor at Oak Ridge Schools, has received a Pioneer Award from the Tennessee Department of Career and Technical Education. Presenting the award at right is Danielle Mezera, assistant commissioner of education in the Tennessee Department of College, Career, and Technical Education. (Submitted photo)

 

Holly Cross, career and technical education supervisor at Oak Ridge Schools, has received a state Pioneer Award.

The Pioneer Award is granted by the Tennessee Department of Career and Technical Education, or CTE, to recognize CTE directors who have demonstrated extraordinary leadership in their home county and at the state or national level, a press release said. In order to receive this award, the CTE director should have five years or less experience as the CTE director.

Cross was named the the 2015-16 recipient of the state Pioneer Award.

Here are some highlights of accomplishments that contributed to the granting of this award, according to information provided by Oak Ridge Schools: [Read more…]

Jefferson’s Master Builders St. Louis-bound as LEGO champions

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Members of Jefferson Middle School’s Master Builders are, from left, Amelia Thomson, Iliana Spence, Henry Scott, Jessica Mohr, and Thora Spence. Not pictured is Andrew Brady. (Submitted photo)

 

Jefferson Middle School’s Master Builders are bound for St. Louis in April after they won the Champions Award as the overall winner of the FIRST LEGO League Tournament held February 13 at Tennessee Tech University in Cookeville.

By virtue of their victory, the Master Builders have qualified to travel to St. Louis in April representing East Tennessee in the FIRST LEGO League World Championships, a press release said.

The Master Builders are the second team from Jefferson during the past two years to win the Champions Award. The Atomic Eagles were Champions Award winners a year ago. [Read more…]

Consolidated Nuclear Security has more leadership changes

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Michelle Reichert

Michelle Reichert

The company that manages and operates the Y-12 National Security Complex in Oak Ridge and Pantex Plant in Amarillo, Texas, has announced two more leadership changes.

Effective Monday, Michelle Reichert became the deputy enterprise manager for Consolidated Nuclear Security LLC, or CNS. She will report directly to CNS President and Chief Executive Officer Morgan Smith.

Todd Ailes is succeeding Reichert as the Pantex site manager.

Operating primarily out of CNS offices at Pantex, Reichert will share leadership responsibilities with Smith, focusing on communications with employees, customers, and other key stakeholders, a press release said. Reichert will also coordinate integration activities between the two sites to ensure they are aligned in the best interest of CNS and the NNSA. [Read more…]

ORPD accepting applications for Citizens Police Academy

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Oak Ridge Police Department Cars

The Oak Ridge Police Department is accepting applications for the next Citizens Police Academy, which will begin on Thursday, March 17, and run through May 19.

The Citizens Police Academy allows residents to learn how the Oak Ridge Police Department is organized and how it functions. It also gives an improved understanding of the challenges in serving and protecting the community, a press release said.

“The goal of the Citizens Police Academy is to create well-informed citizens who have an enhanced understanding of the Police Department and how it serves the City of Oak Ridge,” the press release said.

The academy requires a 10-week commitment from participants, and it will be held one night a week, on Thursdays beginning at 6 p.m. and ending at 9 p.m. [Read more…]

Clinton Police Department asks for help locating missing juvenile

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Alexis Maynard

Note: This story was updated at 4 p.m.

The Clinton Police Department is asking for help locating a missing juvenile.

“If you have any information as to the whereabouts of 17-year-old Alexis Maynard, please contact Detective Sergeant Danielle Alexander at (865) 457-3112,” the CPD said in a notice posted on its website on Tuesday and also on Facebook.

Maynard may be in the company of a white male, 18-year-old Dylan Legon, and she could be in the area of Ashland City or Nashville, Tennessee, the CPD said.

She is approximately 5 feet, 3 inches and 110 pounds, with blue eyes. She was last known to have brown hair, the CPD said. [Read more…]

AC mayor has public forum on financial management change on Tuesday, Feb. 16

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Terry Frank

Anderson County Mayor Terry Frank has scheduled a Tuesday evening public forum on a proposed change in the county’s financial management system.

The public forum will start at 6 p.m. Tuesday, February 16, in Room 312 of the Anderson County Courthouse in Clinton.

The mayor has issued a notice of veto to Anderson County Commission on the proposed change to the 1981 Act. The Tuesday forum comes before a County Commission vote on Monday, February 22.

See the mayor’s column on the proposed change here.

More information will be added as it becomes available.

Copyright 2016 Oak Ridge Today. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.

Lunch today: ORNL Climate Change Science Institute, impact of climate on society

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Melissa R. Allen, post-doctoral research associate, Computational Science and Engineering Division at ORNL (Submitted photo)

Joseph Kennedy and Melissa Allen of Oak Ridge National Laboratory will discus the lab’s Climate Change Science Institute and the impact of climate on society during a lunchtime meeting today (Tuesday, February 16).

Kennedy and Allen will be the guest speakers at the Lunch with the League. Kennedy is a postdoctoral research associate and computational glaciologist at the Institute. Allen is a post-doctoral research associate in the Computational Science and Engineering Division. 

Presented by the League of Women Voters of Oak Ridge, the program will be held at 11:45 a.m. Tuesday in  the Social Hall of the Oak Ridge Unitarian Universalist Church, located at 809 Oak Ridge Turnpike. The public is invited, and no reservations are necessary. Lunches are provided on a first-come basis for $8 or you may bring your own. Coffee and tea are provided.

Also at the meeting, there will be a formal announcement and details of an ORNL CCSI and a League partnership on climate change issues, a press release said. League member Chris Iversen, who leads the climate change action group for the LWVOR, has been working extensively with ORNL to develop this partnership. ORNL is already working with the city of Knoxville on similar partnership. [Read more…]

Woman escapes kitchen fire, taken to hospital; dog rescued

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A resident of a Scarboro home escaped a kitchen fire on Sunday night, Feb. 14, 2016, and firefighters and police officers rescued a dog from the home. (Photo by John Huotari/Oak Ridge Today)

 

A resident of a Scarboro home escaped a kitchen fire on Sunday night, and firefighters and police officers rescued a dog from the home.

The kitchen fire was reported at 7:12 p.m. Sunday at 247 South Benedict Avenue. Firefighters were able to extinguish it within about 10 minutes or less.

Marie Woolin, a resident who was home alone at the time, was outside when firefighters arrived, Oak Ridge Fire Department Chief Darryl Kerley said. Neighbors helped her to a car, and she was later taken by ambulance to Methodist Medical Center of Oak Ridge for evaluation. She was released later Sunday night, Kerley said.

The fire appears to have started on a stove and to be cooking-related, Kerley said. It was reported to have caused significant damage to the kitchen, where it burned cabinets, and there was reported to be smoke and water damage in the rest of the house. [Read more…]

CPD: Missing Clinton teenager located; she is safe, has returned home

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The Clinton Police Department is searching for a missing 14-year-old, Cassandra Faye Moore.

 

The 14-year-old Clinton girl reported missing on Thursday has been located, and she is safe and has been been returned to her home, authorities said.

The Clinton Police Department posted the update about Cassandra Faye Moore on its Facebook page. Moore had been last seen in the early morning hours on Thursday, February 11, according to authorities.

Swift rescue by nephew saves life of Clinch River fisherman

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TWRA logo for news release

Note: This story was last updated at 8:50 p.m.

NORRIS—A fisherman who fell overboard on the Clinch River below Norris Dam on Sunday afternoon has his nephew to thank for quick action that undoubtedly saved his life, officials said.

Cecil Branscom, 70, of Dublin, Virginia, and his nephew Scott Branscom, 48, of Knoxville, launched their boat at Peach Orchard Access Area on the Clinch River on Sunday afternoon and headed upstream toward Norris Dam. When they reached the weir dam at around 2 p.m., they prepared to begin fishing when the boat’s engine hit a rock in the water, sending Cecil overboard from the front of the vessel into 48-degree water.

Scott Branscom managed to get his uncle back into the boat. Cecil Branscom was wearing several layers of clothing that was saturated from the frigid water, and he was not wearing a life jacket, the press release said. [Read more…]