Oak Ridge Today

Oneida man gets three-month prison sentence for plot to extort B&W Y-12

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Y-12 Aerial Photo June 2012

The Y-12 National Security Complex in Oak Ridge is pictured above in June 2012. (Photo courtesy NNSA)

 

A 25-year-old Scott County man was sentenced to serve three months in prison on Monday after he pleaded guilty in July to charges that he tried to extort Babcock and Wilcox Y-12 LLC, the former managing and operating contractor at the Y-12 National Security Complex in Oak Ridge.

Adam Winters, 25, of Oneida received the sentence in U.S. District Court in Knoxville on Monday, U.S. Attorney William C. Killian said in a press release. After he is released from prison, Winters will be supervised for one year by U.S. Probation.

Killian said Winters, who had appeared on the television reality show “The Millionaire Matchmaker” in February, pleaded guilty in July to transmitting communications containing threats to injure the reputation of B&W Y-12 in interstate and foreign commerce, with intent to extort money and other things of value from the corporation. Winters admitted that he emailed Babcock and Wilcox and attempted to email the vice president of the United States regarding copies of slides that he possessed that contained information he believed would injure the reputation of Babcock and Wilcox. That May 8 email reportedly referred to slides of evidence from nuclear testing. [Read more…]

Lady Wildcats sweep CAK, West at home

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By Coach David Scott

The Oak Ridge Lady Wildcats swept a pair of games against CAK and West on Saturday at the Oak Ridge High School Arena.

The Lady Wildcats defeated CAK 84-71 in their first basketball game of the day. The Lady Wildcats were led in scoring by freshman post Mykia Dowdell with 17 points, and freshmen Destiny Kassner, who is returning from a lengthy bout of illness, with 14 points, including three three-pointers. Junior captain Caelyn Thompson had 12 points, and finishing out the balanced scoring were Amara Howard and Jasmine Hembry with eight each and Courtney Ellison, a sophomore point guard, who had seven.

The Lady Wildcats had a five-point lead after one quarter, and the game was tied at 40 at the half. The Lady Wildcats exploded for 24 third-quarter points and pushed out to an 11-point lead. Ellison had seven points to help the Lady Wildcats take their first win of the year. [Read more…]

UT study: Percentage of uninsured in Tennessee at its lowest in a decade

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KNOXVILLE—The percentage of uninsured Tennesseans is at its lowest rate in a decade, according to a report released Monday by the University of Tennessee in Knoxville.

The report shows that 7.2 percent of Tennessee’s 6.5 million residents are uninsured, a 25 percent decrease from last year. The report also shows that 2.4 percent of children in the state are without insurance, a 35 percent decrease from last year.

The findings are included in “The Impact of TennCare: A Survey of Recipients 2014,” prepared by UT’s Center for Business and Economic Research, or CBER. The report’s authors are Angela Thacker, CBER research associate, and LeAnn Luna, CBER associate professor.

The declines coincide with the establishment of the Health Insurance Marketplace, which was put into place in early 2014 through the Affordable Care Act. The act also has had an impact on the state’s Medicaid program, TennCare, which has experienced the third highest new enrollment in its 20-year history. [Read more…]

Chamber’s Christmas Parade to be held Saturday, December 13

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Santa in Oak Ridge Christmas Parade

Santa Claus and helpers ride on an Oak Ridge fire truck during the 2013 Christmas Parade. (Photo by D. Ray Smith)

 

The annual Christmas Parade organized by the Oak Ridge Chamber of Commerce is scheduled for Saturday, December 13. This year’s theme is “Holiday Homecoming,” and it promises to provide spectators with plenty of music, lights, and beautiful floats, a press release said.

More than 80 businesses and community organizations have already registered their entries for the parade. Sponsors of this year’s parade are Mullins Wealth Management and The Cowperwood Company.

The parade will start at 6 p.m. December 13, and it will begin at Corporate Center, on the corner of Lafayette and Laboratory Road. From there, the parade will travel down Lafayette to the Oak Ridge Turnpike. It will continue west on the Turnpike to Oak Ridge High School. The judge’s stand will be located in front of the Chamber. [Read more…]

Yager Chili Supper, Silent Auction set for Nov. 21

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Ken Yager

Ken Yager

The 21st annual Chili Supper and Silent Auction sponsored by State Senator Ken Yager, a Harriman Republican, has been set for Friday, November 21, at Roane State Community College in Harriman. The fundraiser will take place from 5 to 7 p.m. EST, and proceeds from the silent auction will be donated to a local nonprofit organization, this year the Boys and Girls Club.

“The chili supper and silent auction is truly a community event and an opportunity to raise needed funds for a good cause,” Yager said in a press release. “No speeches and great chili make it a perfect event to see old friends and make new ones.”

One attraction is the use of local and state officials as “celebrity servers,” the press release said. This year, the celebrities include Majority Leader Mark Norris, senators Becky Duncan Massey and Mike Bell, and Department of Children’s Services Commissioner Jim Henry. Sheriff Jack Stockton and local mayors are expected to serve as well. [Read more…]

Driver escapes before train hits pickup on railroad tracks

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Pickup Truck and Train Crash on Dutch Valley Road

The driver escaped from this pickup truck before it was hit by a train on railroad tracks alongside Dutch Valley Road in Marlow on Sunday afternoon. (Photos by Tom Scott)

 

A driver was able to escape from a pickup truck before it was hit by a train on railroad tracks alongside Dutch Valley Road in Marlow on Sunday afternoon, a fire official said.

The Chevrolet S-10 pickup had apparently hit the ditch alongside Dutch Valley Road, went airborne, and landed on the tracks, where it was stuck, said Stephanie Fox, assistant chief for the Marlow Volunteer Fire Department.

It wasn’t immediately clear how much time elapsed before the truck was hit by the train near Smith Road. The crash was reported at about 2:50 p.m. Sunday. [Read more…]

Goal-line stop saves Wildcats’ win, sends Oak Ridge to Class 5A quarterfinals

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Oak Ridge Wildcats Tommy Kaczocha and Cleveland Blue Raiders

Oak Ridge safety Tommy Kaczocha (4) tackles Cleveland wide receiver Isaiah Beaty (10) in a 10-6 second round Class 5A playoff win at Blankenship Field on Friday night. Kaczocha, a senior, had five tackles, two assists, an interception, and a blocked pass. Also pictured is junior linebacker Adam Manookian (35), who led the Wildcats with eight tackles and 10 assists. (Photos by Julio Culiat) 

 

Note: This story was last updated at 2 p.m.

The whole season boiled down to these last four plays. Down by only four points, Cleveland had the football on a first-and-10 at the Oak Ridge 11-yard line with 1:17 left to play.

The Wildcats were ahead 10-6, but the Blue Raiders only needed a touchdown to take the lead—and end Oak Ridge’s season in the second round of the Class 5A playoffs.

But a crucial goal-line stop at Blankenship Field on Friday night preserved the win for the undefeated Wildcats. They now move on to the quarterfinals, playing against Rhea County at home next Friday and setting up a showdown between two 12-0 teams. [Read more…]

TSSAA approves football regional realignments for 2015, 2016

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Information from WYSH Radio

On Thursday, the Tennessee Secondary School Athletic Association Board of Control finalized its realignment of the state’s high school football teams, and there are plenty of changes affecting local teams.

The state’s new Class 6A will be made up of the 31 largest schools in the state by enrollment, except for Maryville, which successfully petitioned the state to move from 5A to 6A. All 32 6A teams will qualify for the postseason, while the remaining Division I classifications will send the top four finishers in each region to the postseason.

The realignment will remain in effect for at least the next two academic years, beginning in 2015.

Locally, the Clinton Dragons are in the new Region 3-5A with Campbell County, Oak Ridge, Farragut, Karns and Lenoir City. Anderson County has moved to Class 4A and will play in Region 2 with Fulton, Carter, Catholic, Central, and Union County. The list of regions served by this radio station is below, with local teams in italics. [Read more…]

Alexander: World’s fastest supercomputer will again be at ORNL

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Summit Supercomputing Press Conference

U.S. Rep. Chuck Fleischmann, second from left, a Tennessee Republican, at a Friday morning press conference at the U.S. Capitol in Washington, D.C., with Energy Secretary Ernest Moniz, right; Senator Lamar Alexander, a Tennessee Republican, center; and representatives Bill Foster and Dan Lipinski. (Submitted photo)

 

U.S. Senator Lamar Alexander

Lamar Alexander

Note: This story was last updated at 11:25 a.m.

Oak Ridge National Laboratory will have the world’s fastest next-generation supercomputer, U.S. Senator Lamar Alexander announced at a Friday morning press conference with U.S. Energy Secretary Ernest Moniz.

Alexander, a Tennessee Republican, said the new computer will provide five times the performance of Titan, the current system, and support advanced scientific and materials research to improve economic and national security.

The “next-generation hybrid supercomputer” will be called Summit, and it will be delivered in 2017, the senator said.

“Once again the world’s fastest computer will be in the United States, and once again it will be at Oak Ridge,” Alexander said. “Supercomputing has helped Tennessee become a center for advanced manufacturing with the arrival of new companies, including several in the auto industry, creating thousands of good-paying jobs. Tennessee can continue to thrive and create many more good jobs with the use of this new supercomputer.” [Read more…]

Four workers evaluated, released after electrical fire at Toxco

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Oak Ridge Fire Department Fire Engine at Toxco

The Oak Ridge Fire Department responded to a small, intense electrical fire on Thursday morning at Toxco, a company that processes low-level radioactive waste. The fire was in a one-story metal building at the back of the company’s site on Flint Road.

 

Four workers were evaluated for minor respiratory issues and released after a small, intense electrical fire was reported at a company that repackages low-level radioactive waste in central Oak Ridge on Thursday morning, authorities said.

The fire at Toxco Materials Management Center on Flint Road was reported at about 11:03 a.m. Thursday. It was in a large one-story metal building at the back of the site, said Marty Griffith, Oak Ridge Fire Department battalion chief.

Electrical equipment inside the building was on fire, and the only way to put it out was to disconnect power, which the Oak Ridge Electric Department did, Griffith said. He said the area where the fire occurred is used to repackage waste, and it is fed by 440 volts of electricity.

Once the power was disconnected, firefighters were able to put out the fire with fire extinguishers. [Read more…]

Board orders demolition of Tyrone Road building, but Magic Wok excluded

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Wender Building

A city board on Thursday ordered the demolition of this building on East Tyrone Road within 30 days. The Magic Wok restaurant, which is in a separate diner on the western side of the building, is not affected.

 

Note: This story was last updated at 12:55 p.m. Nov. 14.

Despite a plea for another extension, a city board on Thursday ordered that a commercial building on East Tyrone Road be demolished within 30 days. The demolition order does not apply to the popular Magic Wok restaurant, which is in a separate diner on the western side of the building.

The Oak Ridge Board of Building and Housing Code Appeals had previously given the building owners more time to develop a repair or demolition plan, including a five-month extension in June. At Thursday’s meeting, board members suggested they hadn’t seen enough work take place since then.

“I’m seeing very little progress,” said board member Joe Lee, who made the motion to demolish within 30 days, which is what the city staff had requested. “This has been an ongoing issue for a decade or more.”

The city staff said the partially occupied commercial structure has been declared unfit for human occupation or use because of code violations, and a demolition deadline expired Thursday. The staff said the estimated cost of repairs exceeds 50 percent of the building’s value, which is an important benchmark for issuing a demolition order. The staff has said the building is in a state of disrepair, lacks adequate fire and panic exits, and the roof and interior have not been adequately maintained for several years.

The motion to demolish the building at 123 and 135 East Tyrone Road was approved in a 6-0 vote on Thursday. Voting in favor of that motion were Chair Bruce LeForce, Vice Chair Philip Nipper, Secretary Amy Seiber, Lee, and board members Phil Yager and Leonar Vaughen. Board member Aaron Wells was not present. [Read more…]

Discount offered for Secret City 5k, Half Marathon

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Oak Ridge Convention and Visitors Bureau-logo

The Oak Ridge Convention and Visitors Bureau is offering a limited-time discount to the next 100 runners who register for either the Secret City 5k or the Secret City Half Marathon to be held November 29 and 30. With a few weeks left before the race, runners and walkers are encouraged to lace up their running shoes and sign up soon to participate in one of these great family-friendly athletic events in Oak Ridge.

Runners who take advantage of this discount are eligible for $10 off the Half Marathon using coupon code SPY10 or $5 off the 5k using coupon code SPY5. This discount expires on or before November 15. [Read more…]