Oak Ridge Today

Federal, contractor officials celebrate UPF site readiness work on Friday

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Frank Klotz

Frank Klotz

Federal officials and contractors will celebrate the completion of site readiness work for the multi-billion dollar Uranium Processing Facility at the Y-12 National Security Complex on Friday morning.

The UPF site readiness work includes a Bear Creek Road extension and the creation of a haul road.

“Site readiness is the first major step for UPF, a project essential for supporting our nation’s uranium mission,” a media advisory said. “Completion of this stage of the field work to prepare for building UPF signifies a move forward toward the National Nuclear Security Administration’s commitment to complete UPF and move out of the aging 9212 facility.”

The Friday morning celebration starts at 10 a.m. The media has been invited to attend. [Read more…]

Gov. Haslam, state to make ‘significant’ economic announcement in OR Friday

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Bill Haslam during Presidential Visit at Pellissippi State

Governor Bill Haslam is pictured above during a visit by President Barack Obama at Pellissippi State Community College on Friday, January 9. (File photo by Rob Welton)

Tennessee Governor Bill Haslam and the state will make a significant economic development announcement in Oak Ridge on Friday afternoon, officials said.

The announcement—which will also include other federal, state, and local officials—is scheduled for 1 p.m. Friday, March 13, at the former Theragenics Building at Horizon Center.

Details of the announcement have not been released. [Read more…]

Former jailer indicted on charge of assaulting an inmate

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Dustin McCoig

Dustin McCoig

A former corrections corporal with the Anderson County Sheriff’s Department has been indicted by the Anderson County Grand Jury on an assault charge after allegedly hitting an inmate, authorities said Wednesday.

Joshua Bryant, a prisoner at the jail, alleged that he was struck by the former corporal, Dustin McCoig, on October 22, 2014, while he was an inmate and while McCoig was at work and on duty at the Anderson County Detention Facility in Clinton, District Attorney General Dave Clark said in a press release.

Bryant and his family reported the incident, and an internal affairs investigation was launched, Clark said. The Sheriff’s Department presented the case to Clark, who in turn presented it to the Grand Jury on March 3. [Read more…]

Former nurse indicted on false report charge in prisoner death

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Billy Joe Brockman

Billy Joe Brockman

A former nurse at the Anderson County Detention Facility has been charged with filing a false report in the death of a prisoner in July 2014, authorities said.

An autopsy revealed that the prisoner, Christopher C. Sullivan, died accidentally from a combination of alcohol and morphine, Anderson County District Attorney General Dave Clark said in a press release.

An indictment against the former nurse, Billy Joe Brockman, 49, of Clinton, “indicates that he unlawfully reported to Anderson County Sheriff’s Department investigators that he had measured and recorded the vital signs of Christopher C. Sullivan while knowing that he had, in fact, not measured or recorded the information,” Clark said. [Read more…]

Sheriff: Two arrested on child sexual abuse offenses

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Gerald Wayne Condon

Gerald Wayne Condon

Two East Tennessee men have been arrested in separate, unrelated cases of child sexual abuse after indictments by the Anderson County Grand Jury, authorities said Wednesday.

Gerald Wayne Condon, 44, of Maryville, and Roger Dale Lindsay, 50, of Clinton, were charged after two investigations by the Anderson County Sheriff’s Department Criminal Investigations Unit.

Condon was indicted on 25 counts of child sexual abuse offenses on one underage victim that occurred during the last four years, Sheriff Paul White said in a press release. Condon was arrested on Tuesday, March 10, and has been released after posting $100,000 bond. [Read more…]

Volunteers needed to help clean up Norris Lake

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The Norris Lake Project Team is looking for volunteers to help with the fifth biannual Five County Norris Lake Cleanup on March 28 from 9 a.m. to 1 p.m.

“Since 2011, volunteers from the counties surrounding Norris Lake have picked up over 15 tons of trash,” said Stephanie Wells, director of the Anderson County Tourism Council. “We continue to conduct two cleanups each year because Norris Lake is not only a recreational destination for residents and visitors, it is an economic driver for all five counties and we need to protect its shorelines.”

There will be several launch points in each of the five counties and numerous locations that volunteers can help by picking up and properly disposing of in trash. [Read more…]

Roane State offers healthcare training

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Roane State Community College is offering a variety of healthcare training courses at the Clinton Higher Education and Workforce Training Facility.

  • Certified Phlebotomy Technician (CPT), March 24-May 21, Tuesdays and Thursdays, 1-4 p.m. or 6:30-9:30 p.m.—$550
  • Certified ECG Technician (CET), March 23-May 13, Mondays and Wednesdays, 1-4 p.m. or 6:30-9:30 p.m.—$400

[Read more…]

Walk for Parkinson’s research on April 25

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The Parkinson’s Disease Support Group of East Tennessee (PK Hope Is Alive) will host its fourth annual walk to raise funds for Parkinson’s Disease research on Saturday, April 25.

The walk will be held at A.K. Bissell Park at the Oak Ridge Civic Center. Registration at the Pavilion will start at 9 a.m. The walk will take place between 10 a.m. and noon.

PK Hope Is Alive has raised an average of $20,000 in each of its three previous walks. [Read more…]

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Fourth-quarter comeback not enough as Wildcats fall to Mustangs in state quarterfinal

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

After falling behind by 12 points, Oak Ridge narrowed the Memphis East lead to two in a fourth-quarter comeback sparked by junior Darel Middleton, but it wasn’t enough as the Wildcats lost to the Mustangs in a state quarterfinal game in Murfreesboro on Wednesday.

It’s the end of the season for the Wildcats (29-4), who played their last game with senior Ted Mitchell.

Sophomore Tajion Jones hit four three-pointers for Oak Ridge in the BlueCross Basketball Championship game at Murphy Center at Middle Tennessee State University. Three of those were in the first two quarters, and they helped give the Wildcats a 30-28 lead at halftime. [Read more…]

K-25 historic preservation the subject of Thursday lecture

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K-25 Footprint

A view of the K-25 footprint. (Image courtesy Oak Ridge Heritage and Preservation Association)

 

The project to preserve the history of the former K-25 Building, once the world’s largest building under one roof, will be discussed during a Thursday evening lecture in Oak Ridge.

It’s the opening of the 18th Annual Dick Smyser Community Lecture Series. It’s jointly sponsored by Friends of ORNL and the Oak Ridge Heritage and Preservation Association.

The presentation will provide an update on the K-25 historic preservation efforts by the U.S. Department of Energy Environmental Management, a press release said. [Read more…]

Learn more about Main Street Oak Ridge during joint meeting Monday

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Main Street Oak Ridge Belk on March 2, 2015

The Belk store at the Oak Ridge City Center, which could be redeveloped as Main Street Oak Ridge, is pictured above.

 

There will be a presentation on Main Street Oak Ridge, the redevelopment of the former Oak Ridge Mall, during a Monday evening meeting.

The joint meeting will include the Oak Ridge Municipal Planning Commission and the Traffic Safety Advisory Board. It starts at 5:30 p.m. Monday, March 16, in the Oak Ridge Municipal Building Courtroom.

The presentation will be given by Crosland Southeast, the North Carolina company that has proposed the redevelopment, and Cannon and Cannon Engineering. [Read more…]