Oak Ridge Today

Harvest Hike on Saturday postponed due to weather

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Wet Days Oct. 2, 2015

Image courtesy National Weather Service in Morristown

 

The Harvest Hike scheduled for Saturday, October 3, on Melton Lake Greenway has been postponed due to weather.

Officials said the National Weather Service in Morristown has issued flood advisories for East Tennessee starting Saturday morning with a 90 percent chance of heavy rain throughout the day and Sunday.

“We are postponing the Harvest Hike and will set a reschedule date next week,” officials said.

The hike is sponsored by the City of Oak Ridge Wellness Committee and Oak Ridge Schools Coordinated Health.

Jefferson Middle wins city championship in 52-0 blowout over Robertsville

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Jefferson Middle Isaiah Johnson and Robertsville Middle Keyon Porter on Oct. 1, 2015

Isaiah Johnson (20) of Jefferson Middle School returned a Robertsville Middle School punt for a touchdown to give the Eagles a 24-0 lead at 4:05 in the first quarter. Here is being pursued by Keyon Porter (1) of Robertsville Middle School. Johnson also returned an interception a few minutes earlier for a touchdown in the first quarter of a 52-0 win over the Rams on Blankenship Field on Thursday, Oct. 1, 2015. (Photo by John Huotari/Oak Ridge Today)

 

Five Jefferson Middle School football players scored touchdowns, and Eagles quarterback Jack Replogle ran for two and threw for one during a 52-0 blowout city championship win over Robertsville Middle School on Blankenship Field on Thursday.

Replogle wasn’t the only Eagle to score two touchdowns. Isaiah Johnson also had two. He returned an interception for a touchdown a few minutes into the first quarter, and he returned a punt for a TD about two minutes after that, giving Jefferson a 24-0 lead at 4:05 in the first quarter.

Three other Eagles scored touchdowns during the annual city championship on Thursday: Jonathan Ellis, Carson Hope, and Mitchell Gibbons. [Read more…]

Eagle Bend Manufacturing expanding in Clinton, investing $55M, adding 127 jobs

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Anderson County Animal Shelter Eagle Bend Donation

Ed Steinebach, right, general manager for Magna International’s Eagle Bend Manufacturing plant  in Clinton, is pictured above at an Anderson County Commission meeting in July. (Photo by John Huotari/Oak Ridge Today)

 

Eagle Bend Manufacturing, an auto parts manufacturer, is expanding its operations in Clinton, investing $54.9 million, and creating 127 new jobs, officials said Thursday.

It’s the company’s second expansion in just over three years. The expansion was announced Thursday by Tennessee Governor Bill Haslam and Economic and Community Development Commissioner Randy Boyd.

“We want to thank Eagle Bend Manufacturing for choosing to reinvest in Tennessee and creating these new jobs in Anderson County,” Haslam said. “Tennessee continues to be a global leader in automotive manufacturing, thanks in large part to the strong network of suppliers located around the state, and today’s announcement supports our goal of becoming the No. 1 location in the Southeast for high quality jobs.”

Eagle Bend Manufacturing produces major body structures and assemblies for the automotive industry. Officials said the expansion will allow the company to add a new building to its facility, making room for additional equipment to meet demand. [Read more…]

Police: Driver caught after fleeing from two-car crash on Waddell

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Waddell Circle Crash Car Sept. 30, 2015

Police say the driver of this white four-door car fled but was caught quickly after a two-vehicle crash on Waddell Circle late Wednesday afternoon, Sept. 30, 2015. (Photo by John Huotari/Oak Ridge Today)

 

Police said the driver of a car that slammed into a parked pickup truck on Waddell Circle on Wednesday afternoon fled after the two-car crash but was caught quickly.

The crash was reported at about 4:50 p.m. at 161 Waddell Circle.

Chris Townsend, who lives on Waddell Circle, said he was walking upstairs when he heard the sirens. He was on his way to his sister’s house across the street.

He made it as far as his porch when he said he saw a white four-door car driving fast down the street. The car tried to make the righthand curve on the wet, narrow one-way residential street, but it wasn’t able to, Townsend said. [Read more…]

Tech initiative starts with laptop distribution at JMS, RMS in October

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Students in sixth grade at Jefferson Middle School and seventh grade at Robertsville Middle School will receive Lenovo laptops in October. It’s the first phase of the Oak Ridge Schools’ AccessOR digital technology initiative and the initial student device rollout.

Here are some specific plans, according to Oak Ridge Schools:

  • Students will be receiving the Lenovo Yoga 11e as well as a charger, protective sleeve, and insurance for each device. Lenovo calls the Yoga 11e a convertible laptop or durable multimode laptop that can be used as a laptop, tablet, tent, or stand.
  • The laptops will be etched with the Oak Ridge Schools’ logo and address.
  • The initial October rollout will include the sixth grade at Jefferson Middle School and the seventh grade at Robertsville Middle School. The choice of these grade levels came about from principals discussing the opportunity with their staffs, and it benefits Oak Ridge Schools as a whole to have teachers building out and sharing digital curricula in two grade levels.
  • The orientation/device distribution will take place from 5-8 p.m. October 20 at Robertsville Middle School and October 22 at Jefferson Middle School.
  • The kick-off will include:
    • policy/procedures/insurance discussion from school administrators,
    • digital citizenship talk from teachers about creating safe online environments for students,
    • device registration and roll out,
    • device testing with support of school staff, and
    • a question and answer session.
  • Students and parents will receive and sign a procedures and expectations document before receiving a device.
  • After learning from the initial rollout, Oak Ridge Schools plan to distribute devices to the rest of the middle school grade levels after winter break.

Copyright 2015 Oak Ridge Today. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.

Signing ceremony for Manhattan Project park on Nov. 10 in DC

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Hanford B Reactor

The Hanford B Reactor (Photo courtesy Atomic Heritage Foundation)

 

By Atomic Heritage Foundation

The birthday of the Manhattan Project National Historical Park, which includes Oak Ridge, is now set for November 10, 2015.

While the Manhattan Project National Historical Park Act became law on December 19, 2014, the Act requires that the Departments of Energy and Interior reach an agreement within a year of enactment on their respective roles in implementing the new park. At that time, the park will be officially established.

We understand that the Departments of Energy and the National Park Service leaders are close to an agreement. Secretary of Energy Ernie Moniz and Secretary of Interior Sally Jewell are scheduled to have a signing ceremony on Tuesday, November 10, in Washington, D.C.

The Manhattan Project Park Act passed after the National Park Service’s Fiscal Year 2016 budget was in place, so the funds available in 2016 for NPS’s work on the park are limited to $180,000.

NPS Associate Director Victor Knox talked about 2016 as a transitional year for the new park, as the Park Service assumes management and focuses on how best to interpret the story of the Manhattan Project. The Department of Energy and its laboratories have been funding a variety of activities this year and have developed a five-year budget plan for restoring and providing public access to its historic assets. [Read more…]

ORHS Marching Band brings ‘The Music of Bond’ to winners circle at Karns, Maryville

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ORHS Wildband Brass on Sept. 26, 2015

The Oak Ridge High School WildBand performs at the Karns Marching Invitational on Saturday, Sept. 26, 2015, when they won overall top scoring band. (Photo by Julio Culiat)

 

By Merny Hughey

Congratulations to the Oak Ridge High School Marching Band for winning back to back as the overall top scoring band at the Maryville and Karns Marching Invitational events this month.

Under the direction of Spence Milligan, Mike Spirko, Josh Bibbs, and Sean Greene, with music arranged by Mike Spirko, the students have brought “The Music of Bond” to the winners circle two Saturdays in a row as well as to the Wildcat football games.

From the tuxedo show shirts to our very own James Bond, the band is not only performing difficult music to the beat of our talented percussion section, but also enhancing the iconic Bond music with dance, color, and story from the Color Guard.

The WildBand won the high music score at these first two competitions as well as top scores for Drum Major, Percussion, and Color Guard against other very talented bands that have more practice time due to scheduling. [Read more…]

Female driver escapes car after it goes down embankment at Clinch River

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Car in Clinch River on Sept. 28, 2015

There were no immediate reports of injuries, and the driver reportedly escaped when this car went off Melton Lake Drive and down an embankment into the Clinch River on Monday, Sept. 28, 2015. (Photo by John Huotari/Oak Ridge Today)

 

There were no immediate reports of injuries, and the driver appeared to escape when a small car went off Melton Lake Drive and down an embankment at the Clinch River on Monday night.

The single-vehicle crash was reported at 10:47 p.m. Monday. The female driver was able to reportedly escape from the vehicle, which was said to be partially submerged.

The cause of the crash wasn’t immediately available Monday night. [Read more…]

Photos: Jackson Square fountain operating, benches installed

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Jackson Square Bench and Fountain Sept. 28, 2015

The $1 million renovation of the Jackson Square parking lot includes an interactive fountain, brick-like stone pavers, and new benches, landscaping, and lights. The fountain was operating on Monday, Sept. 28, 2015. (Photo by John Huotari/Oak Ridge Today)

 

The new interactive fountain at Jackson Square was operating on Monday. It’s part of a $1 million renovation of the Jackson Square parking lot. The work was mostly funded with a Tennessee Department of Transportation grant.

Construction started in January and, according to the most recent publicly announced schedule, was expected to be substantially complete by September 15.

The renovation includes a reconfigured parking lot, landscaped pedestrian plaza with parking, the interactive fountain, stone pavers, curbing, asphalt paving, utilities, new lights, benches, sidewalks, and upgrades under the American with Disabilities Act.

It’s the first major renovation at Jackson Square, the city’s original town center, in 70 years. The $741,609 TDOT Enhancement Grant was awarded to the city in June 2012.

There had been some concerns this summer among business owners, city officials, and residents about delays in the project. But the frustrations seemed to ease, at least publicly, after the fountain arrived in August.

The work appeared to be mostly done on Monday, September 28. Here are photos from Jackson Square on Monday.

Jackson Square Fountain Sept. 28, 2015

The $1 million renovation of the Jackson Square parking lot includes an interactive fountain, brick-like stone pavers, and new benches, landscaping, and lights. The fountain was operating on Monday, Sept. 28, 2015. (Photo by John Huotari/Oak Ridge Today)

[Read more…]

Radioactive components removed from former reactor at ORNL

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Group Photo Radioactive Components Reactor Pool

Federal and contractor employees who worked on the project to remove irradiated components from a reactor pool gather to watch the transport of the shipment offsite for disposition. (Photo courtesy DOE Office of EM)

 

Water was found seeping from a pool at a former reactor at Oak Ridge National Laboratory one year ago, and in August, workers removed four irradiated components from the pool that produced about 96 percent of the radiation, federal officials said Thursday.

The four irradiated components weigh about 200 pounds each, said the U.S. Department of Energy Office of Environmental Management, or EM.

Water was found seeping from the reactor pool at the Oak Ridge Research Reactor during a routine inspection in September 2014. The facility, also known as Building 3042, is one of hundreds of Manhattan Project and Cold War-ear structures across the Oak Ridge Reservation monitored by the Oak Ridge Office of EM.

Nuclear research had not been conducted at the facility since 1988, but it still contained the highly irradiated components from those operations. The leak was causing the pool to lose the water that served as a protective, shielding agent for the irradiated components, officials said. [Read more…]

New Goodwill store now open

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Goodwill Staff, Business Leaders, Oak Ridge Chamber on Sept. 18, 2015

The Oak Ridge Chamber of Commerce organized a ribbon-cutting ceremony for the new Goodwill store on Emory Valley Road on Friday, Sept. 18, 2015. (Photo by John Huotari/Oak Ridge Today)

 

The new Goodwill store on Emory Valley Road opened on Friday, September 18.

The new store replaces the former Oak Ridge Goodwill, which was located on South Illinois Avenue.

There was a ribbon-cutting ceremony for the new store on Friday, September 18.

“The new location…will provide a brighter shopping space with a significantly larger center for job training efforts,” the company said.

Executives said the new store, located at 697 Emory Valley Road, next to the new Hank’s Market, will continue to receive and sell donations of gently used clothing and household goods. Proceeds from the sale of goods in this and other Goodwill stores will fund job training programs and employment opportunities for people with barriers to employment in and around Oak Ridge, a press release said. [Read more…]

Two Lady Hawks combine for 10 shots, three goals in 4-1 win over Oak Ridge

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Hardin Valley Paige Hewitt and Lady Wildcats Katie Welsh Sept. 23, 2015

Paige Hewitt (14) of Hardin Valley had five shots and two goals against Oak Ridge on Wednesday, Sept. 23, 2015. Above, Katie Welsh (5) of the Lady Wildcats defends against Hewitt, left, in a 4-1 win for Hardin Valley in Oak Ridge. (Photo by John Huotari/Oak Ridge Today)

 

Two Hardin Valley girls combined for 10 shots and three goals in a 4-1 win over the Lady Wildcats in Oak Ridge on Wednesday.

Paige Hewitt had five shots and two goals for Hardin Valley, and Gabby Powers had five shots and one goal.

Reagan Ely also scored for the Lady Hawks.

Macy Barclay had the lone goal for Oak Ridge (11-3, 4-1 District 3-Class AAA). [Read more…]