These charts show the number of COVID-19 cases, deaths, and hospitalizations reported by month in Anderson County from March 2020 through June 2021. (Data from Tennessee Department of Health/Charts by Oak Ridge Today)
The COVID-19 case rate remains low in Anderson County. The county continues to report about one new case of COVID-19 per day.
The positivity rate, the percentage of patients who test positive for COVID-19 out of those tested each day, also remains below 5 percent, in line with World Health Organization guidelines.
Anderson County reported 37 new cases of COVID-19 in June, an average of a little more than one new case per day. There were three hospitalizations and three deaths, according to data published by the Tennessee Department of Health.
Lewis Ridenour, an Oak Ridge police officer, is running for Anderson County Circuit Court clerk.
Ridenour is a former chief deputy of the Anderson County Sheriff’s Department. He is an Anderson County native who lives in Andersonville with his wife of 25 years, Pam, a press release said.
In the press release, Ridenour said he pledged to bring integrity, public service experience, sound judgement, and knowledge to the office.
Ridenour has served with the Oak Ridge Police Department since 2008, the press release said. His current assignment for the past seven years has been as liaison to the U.S. Department of Energy.
The planned Mercury Treatment Facility at the Y-12 National Security Complex in Oak Ridge. (Image courtesy UCOR/U.S. Department of Energy Oak Ridge Office of Environmental Management)
The biggest change for a water discharge permit drafted for the Y-12 National Security Complex is the construction and operation of a Mercury Treatment Facility, a state official said Tuesday.
The mercury treatment facility, which is under construction and could begin operating next year, is expected to capture and treat most of the mercury released as old, unused mercury-contaminated buildings, equipment, and soils are demolished and removed, especially on the west side of the nuclear weapons production site.
Millions of pounds of mercury were used at Y-12 in the 1950s and early 1960s to produce nuclear weapons parts. Roughly 60,000 pounds is estimated to remain in buildings and equipment, and an unknown amount was released into soils and sediments. About 1.3 million pounds is unaccounted for. Mercury is a top pollutant of concern on the federal Oak Ridge Reservation.
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The planned Mercury Treatment Facility at the Y-12 National Security Complex in Oak Ridge. (Image courtesy UCOR/U.S. Department of Energy Oak Ridge Office of Environmental Management)
The biggest change for a water discharge permit drafted for the Y-12 National Security Complex is the construction and operation of a Mercury Treatment Facility, a state official said Tuesday.
The mercury treatment facility, which is under construction and could begin operating next year, is expected to capture and treat most of the mercury released as old, unused mercury-contaminated buildings, equipment, and soils are demolished and removed, especially on the west side of the nuclear weapons production site.
The planned Mercury Treatment Facility at the Y-12 National Security Complex in Oak Ridge. (Image courtesy UCOR/U.S. Department of Energy Oak Ridge Office of Environmental Management)
The biggest change for a water discharge permit drafted for the Y-12 National Security Complex is the construction and operation of a Mercury Treatment Facility, a state official said Tuesday.
The mercury treatment facility, which is under construction and could begin operating next year, is expected to capture and treat most of the mercury released as old, unused mercury-contaminated buildings, equipment, and soils are demolished and removed, especially on the west side of the nuclear weapons production site.
Millions of pounds of mercury were used at Y-12 in the 1950s and early 1960s to produce nuclear weapons parts. Roughly 60,000 pounds is estimated to remain in buildings and equipment, and an unknown amount was released into soils and sediments. About 1.3 million pounds is unaccounted for. Mercury is a top pollutant of concern on the federal Oak Ridge Reservation.
The rest of this story, which you will read only on Oak Ridge Today, is available if you are a member: a subscriber, advertiser, or contributor to Oak Ridge Today.
The sign at the main entrance to the Y-12 National Security Complex is pictured above on Sunday, Aug. 6, 2017. (File photo by John Huotari/Oak Ridge Today)
The waste shipped from the Y-12 National Security Complex that violated a solid waste permit in Nevada included small volumes of pressurized, non-flammable gases and an energetic material, but the shipments did not pose a safety risk, the U.S. Department of Energy said Thursday.
“These items were contained within a sealed, thick steel assembly that was disposed within a large metal box,” DOE said in response to questions. “Though the presence of these internal items were not known at the time of disposal, they do not pose any safety risk because the inner assembly is capable of containing any release of the small volumes of pressurized gases and the energetic material.”
The Department of Energy and the State of Nevada resolved regulatory actions related to the unauthorized shipments of the classified low-level radioactive waste in June. Oak Ridge Today reported about the settlement agreement on Wednesday, and the Nevada Division of Environmental Protection announced the agreement on Thursday. DOE also responded to questions about the shipments on Thursday, and the responses are included here.
At issue were 33 waste packages in 10 shipments from Y-12 to the Nevada National Security Site northwest of Las Vegas between January 2013 and December 2018. The shipments, which were quickly suspended, received publicity in July 2019 after Dan Brouillette, who was then deputy energy secretary, informed Nevada Governor Steve Sisolak about them. At the time, Nevada officials were already in a dispute with DOE about a half-ton of plutonium shipped to NNSS from the Savannah River Site in South Carolina.
The rest of this story, which you will read only on Oak Ridge Today, is available if you are a member: a subscriber, advertiser, or contributor to Oak Ridge Today.
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Oak Ridge Today P.O. Box 6064 Oak Ridge, TN 37831
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The sign at the main entrance to the Y-12 National Security Complex is pictured above on Sunday, Aug. 6, 2017. (File photo by John Huotari/Oak Ridge Today)
The waste shipped from the Y-12 National Security Complex that violated a solid waste permit in Nevada included small volumes of pressurized, non-flammable gases and an energetic material, but the shipments did not pose a safety risk, the U.S. Department of Energy said Thursday.
“These items were contained within a sealed, thick steel assembly that was disposed within a large metal box,” DOE said in response to questions. “Though the presence of these internal items were not known at the time of disposal, they do not pose any safety risk because the inner assembly is capable of containing any release of the small volumes of pressurized gases and the energetic material.”
The sign at the main entrance to the Y-12 National Security Complex is pictured above on Sunday, Aug. 6, 2017. (File photo by John Huotari/Oak Ridge Today)
The waste shipped from the Y-12 National Security Complex that violated a solid waste permit in Nevada included small volumes of pressurized, non-flammable gases and an energetic material, but the shipments did not pose a safety risk, the U.S. Department of Energy said Thursday.
“These items were contained within a sealed, thick steel assembly that was disposed within a large metal box,” DOE said in response to questions. “Though the presence of these internal items were not known at the time of disposal, they do not pose any safety risk because the inner assembly is capable of containing any release of the small volumes of pressurized gases and the energetic material.”
The Department of Energy and the State of Nevada resolved regulatory actions related to the unauthorized shipments of the classified low-level radioactive waste in June. Oak Ridge Today reported about the settlement agreement on Wednesday, and the Nevada Division of Environmental Protection announced the agreement on Thursday. DOE also responded to questions about the shipments on Thursday, and the responses are included here.
At issue were 33 waste packages in 10 shipments from Y-12 to the Nevada National Security Site northwest of Las Vegas between January 2013 and December 2018. The shipments, which were quickly suspended, received publicity in July 2019 after Dan Brouillette, who was then deputy energy secretary, informed Nevada Governor Steve Sisolak about them. At the time, Nevada officials were already in a dispute with DOE about a half-ton of plutonium shipped to NNSS from the Savannah River Site in South Carolina.
The rest of this story, which you will read only on Oak Ridge Today, is available if you are a member: a subscriber, advertiser, or contributor to Oak Ridge Today.
The City of Oak Ridge has named Ardo Ba as its new electric director.
Ba, who previously served as Oak Ridge Electric Department’s electric operations manager, has served as interim electric director since former Director Jack Sugg’s promotion to deputy city ,anager in March. Ba begins this role immediately.
“I’ve been with the Oak Ridge Electric Department since 2009, when I started as an electrical project manager,” Ba said in a press release. “We have a great group of people working together to keep the lights on and life running, and I am ready to move our department forward as its next director.”
Ba was promoted to electric operations manager in 2017. In that role, he directed and managed Electric Department crews, including contract crews. He made sure departmental staff were up to date on training and ensured compliance with all safety-related practices, laws, and regulations, the press release said.
The sign at the main entrance to the Y-12 National Security Complex is pictured above on Sunday, Aug. 6, 2017. (File photo by John Huotari/Oak Ridge Today)
On Thursday, Nevada announced details of the settlement agreement with the U.S. Department of Energy over low-level radioactive waste that was incorrectly identified and shipped from Y-12 National Security Complex in Oak Ridge to DOE’s Nevada National Security Site northwest of Las Vegas between 2013 and 2018.
Paddle with a ranger on the Clinch River in Oak Ridge on Thursday evening, July 8, 2021. (Photo submitted by National Park Service)
You can paddle back in time to visit the historic Freels Bend Cabin and enjoy the beauty of the Clinch River this evening (Thursday, July 8) in Oak Ridge, a press release said.
Participants will learn more about the Manhattan Project as well as its impact on Oak Ridge and the surrounding areas, the press release said. The Manhattan Project was a top-secret federal program to build the world’s first atomic weapons during World War II. Oak Ridge was part of the project. Only a few pre-war structures remain in the city, including Freels Bend Cabin.
“Together, we will visit the cabin, which was built and then remodeled during the 1800s by the Freels family of Anderson County,” said the press release from the National Park Service. “It has maintained its historical significance all these years and now resides on Department of Energy property.”
The sign at the main entrance to the Y-12 National Security Complex is pictured above on Sunday, Aug. 6, 2017. (File photo by John Huotari/Oak Ridge Today)
The U.S. Department of Energy, National Nuclear Security Administration, and Nevada environmental regulators have agreed to a settlement after classified low-level waste shipped west from the Y-12 National Security Complex allegedly violated waste acceptance criteria at the Nevada National Security Site northwest of Las Vegas, according to documents posted online.
The waste shipments from Y-12 received significant publicity in news stories in 2019 after Nevada Governor Steve Sisolak demanded answers from the U.S. Department of Energy about what were described as unapproved waste shipments. The shipments were incorrectly labeled, according to a letter sent that summer to former Energy Secretary Rick Perry by Sisolak and U.S. senators Catherine Cortez Masto and Jacky Rosen. Sisolak said he learned about the shipments from Y-12 to Nevada from Dan Brouillette, who was then deputy energy secretary.
Waste shipments from Y-12 were suspended that July. They remained suspended for almost two years. Shipments of low-level waste resumed in May this year, according to the Defense Nuclear Facilities Safety Board. Work continues to obtain approval to dispose of weapons-related material, the DNFSB said.
The settlement agreement, which was signed in June, addresses reimbursement and factual findings, and it includes, as an attachment, information about how the shipments from Y-12 allegedly violated waste acceptance criteria at NNSS.
The rest of this story, which you will read only on Oak Ridge Today, is available if you are a member: a subscriber, advertiser, or contributor to Oak Ridge Today.
If you prefer to send a check, you may do so by mailing one to:
Oak Ridge Today P.O. Box 6064 Oak Ridge, TN 37831
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The sign at the main entrance to the Y-12 National Security Complex is pictured above on Sunday, Aug. 6, 2017. (File photo by John Huotari/Oak Ridge Today)
Note: This story was last updated at 2:40 p.m.
The U.S. Department of Energy, National Nuclear Security Administration, and Nevada environmental regulators have agreed to a settlement after classified low-level waste shipped west from the Y-12 National Security Complex allegedly violated waste acceptance criteria at the Nevada National Security Site northwest of Las Vegas, according to documents posted online.
The sign at the main entrance to the Y-12 National Security Complex is pictured above on Sunday, Aug. 6, 2017. (File photo by John Huotari/Oak Ridge Today)
The U.S. Department of Energy, National Nuclear Security Administration, and Nevada environmental regulators have agreed to a settlement after classified low-level waste shipped west from the Y-12 National Security Complex allegedly violated waste acceptance criteria at the Nevada National Security Site northwest of Las Vegas, according to documents posted online.
The waste shipments from Y-12 received significant publicity in news stories in 2019 after Nevada Governor Steve Sisolak demanded answers from the U.S. Department of Energy about what were described as unapproved waste shipments. The shipments were incorrectly labeled, according to a letter sent that summer to former Energy Secretary Rick Perry by Sisolak and U.S. senators Catherine Cortez Masto and Jacky Rosen. Sisolak said he learned about the shipments from Y-12 to Nevada from Dan Brouillette, who was then deputy energy secretary.
Waste shipments from Y-12 were suspended that July. They remained suspended for almost two years. Shipments of low-level waste resumed in May this year, according to the Defense Nuclear Facilities Safety Board. Work continues to obtain approval to dispose of weapons-related material, the DNFSB said.
The settlement agreement, which was signed in June, addresses reimbursement and factual findings, and it includes, as an attachment, information about how the shipments from Y-12 allegedly violated waste acceptance criteria at NNSS.
The rest of this story, which you will read only on Oak Ridge Today, is available if you are a member: a subscriber, advertiser, or contributor to Oak Ridge Today.
Upper East Fork Poplar Creek is pictured above at the Y-12 National Security Complex in Oak Ridge on Friday, May 22, 2020. (Photo by John Huotari/Oak Ridge Today)
More than 4,000 fish and crayfish were killed by chlorinated water and mercury at the Y-12 National Security Complex in two series of incidents in 2018 and 2021.
The rest of this story, which you will read only on Oak Ridge Today, is available if you are a member: a subscriber, advertiser, or contributor to Oak Ridge Today.
If you prefer to send a check, you may do so by mailing one to:
Oak Ridge Today P.O. Box 6064 Oak Ridge, TN 37831
We also have advanced subscription options. You can see them here.
We also accept donations. You can donate here. A donation of $50 or more will make you eligible for a subscription.
Thank you for reading Oak Ridge Today. We appreciate your support!
Upper East Fork Poplar Creek is pictured above at the Y-12 National Security Complex in Oak Ridge on Friday, May 22, 2020. (Photo by John Huotari/Oak Ridge Today)
More than 4,000 fish and crayfish were killed by chlorinated water and mercury at the Y-12 National Security Complex in two series of incidents in 2018 and 2021.
The rest of this story, which you will read only on Oak Ridge Today, is available if you are a member: a subscriber, advertiser, or contributor to Oak Ridge Today.
If you prefer to send a check, you may do so by mailing one to:
Oak Ridge Today P.O. Box 6064 Oak Ridge, TN 37831
We also have advanced subscription options. You can see them here.
We also accept donations. You can donate here. A donation of $50 or more will make you eligible for a subscription.
Thank you for reading Oak Ridge Today. We appreciate your support!
Upper East Fork Poplar Creek is pictured above at the Y-12 National Security Complex in Oak Ridge on Friday, May 22, 2020. (Photo by John Huotari/Oak Ridge Today)
More than 4,000 fish and crayfish were killed by chlorinated water and mercury at the Y-12 National Security Complex in two series of incidents in 2018 and 2021.
The first series of incidents was likely caused by the release of mercury while crews were cleaning up and removing equipment at the Alpha-4 Building on the west side of Y-12, according to scientists and officials. Alpha-4 is the most contaminated of the four major mercury-contaminated buildings at Y-12. Millions of pounds of mercury were used at Y-12 decades ago to produce nuclear weapons parts. Removing mercury-contaminated buildings, equipment, and soil remains one of the top challenges of cleaning up the Oak Ridge Reservation.
Upper East Fork Poplar Creek is pictured above at the Y-12 National Security Complex in Oak Ridge on Friday, May 22, 2020. (Photo by John Huotari/Oak Ridge Today)
More than 4,000 fish and crayfish were killed by chlorinated water and mercury at the Y-12 National Security Complex in two series of incidents in 2018 and 2021.
The rest of this story, which you will read only on Oak Ridge Today, is available if you are a member: a subscriber, advertiser, or contributor to Oak Ridge Today.
A Chicken Salad Chick restaurant is being built where Long John Silver’s used to be on Oak Ridge Turnpike. The new restaurant, expected to open soon, is pictured above on Sunday, July 4, 2021. (Photo by John Huotari/Oak Ridge Today)
The new restaurant is being built where Long John Silver’s used to be on Oak Ridge Turnpike.
The menu at Chicken Salad Chick includes chicken salads, pimento cheese, sandwiches, soups and salads, and more. You can access the restaurant and catering menus here.
The City of Oak Ridge has explained the need for space between garbage and recycling bins at the curb under a new contract with Waste Connections, the trash collector.
New blue 95-gallon garbage cans have been dropped off at Oak Ridge homes. The city and Waste Connections have asked residents to place the carts at least five feet away from other objects such as mailboxes and cars, avoid placing them under trees and power lines, and keep garbage and recycling containers at least three feet apart.
In a short video posted by the city, the garbage cans are shown being picked up by a hydraulic arm and dumped into a Waste Connections truck.
Anderson County Criminal Court Judge Don Elledge is pictured above on Monday, Sept. 9, 2019. (File photo by John Huotari/Oak Ridge Today)
Seventh Judicial District Circuit Court Judge Don Elledge retired Wednesday, the end of June, after 16 years on the bench. The Seventh Judicial District is Anderson County. The Circuit Court hears both civil and criminal cases.
Elledge hadn’t aspired to be a judge, but when a vacancy opened up, he was encouraged to apply by others in the community, Tennessee Courts System said in a story about Elledge’s retirement.
“He was successful, and Governor Phil Bredesen appointed him to the bench in September 2005,” the story said. “Judge Elledge did not fully know at the time that he was about to embark on the most rewarding journey of his professional life.”
Since his appointment, Elledge has won election to the circuit court bench twice, in 2006 and in 2014. Stepping down now, a year before his term is up in 2022, was not something that he ever intended to do, Tennessee Courts said.
If it were possible, he would continue in court for another year, even at nearly 72 years old, the story said. However, health issues are forcing him to slow things down a bit and step away from the bench.
