Oak Ridge Today

Pet drive, adoption fair at Animal Shelter on Saturday

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Oak Ridge Animal Shelter

The Oak Ridge Animal Shelter on Belgrade Road is pictured above.

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Shizzy’s Doggy Haven in partnership with the Oak Ridge Animal Shelter are sponsoring a pet drive and adoption fair on Saturday. All donations from the event will go directly to the animal shelter.

Spring has sprung and that means the shelter is full of puppies, kittens, adult dogs, and cats that are looking for their new home. Drop by for some puppy love and a chance to adopt your new best friend! We will also have lots of silent auction items available including a grill donated by Home Depot.

We have amazing door prizes available from local sponsors and all you need to do to enter is bring an item the shelter desperately needs to continue to run efficiently. The shelter’s needs are blankets, towels, dog beds, crates and cages, cat carriers, dish soap, (he) laundry soap, cleaning supplies, dog food (wet and dry), puppy and kitten food, cat litter, newspapers, toys, stuffed animals, collars, leashes, and most of all YOU! [Read more…]

In budget talks, school board considers smaller rollout of technology initiative

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Oak Ridge Board of Education

The Oak Ridge Board of Education asked for a smaller rollout of a technology initiative in budget talks that will resume Wednesday evening. (File photo)

The Oak Ridge school board devoted most of its Tuesday night meeting to reviewing the proposed budget for next year, but members haven’t voted on it yet. Instead, the board has asked school administrators to bring back a budget that has a smaller rollout of a technology initiative known as 1:1, and the discussions will resume Wednesday evening.

The board agreed that the 1:1 integration is necessary, but they had reservations about how exactly to roll out the electronic devices to students. Several board members said they support the addition of the new technology, but they are unable to completely stand behind the changes because of the costs.

Board members spent nearly two hours going through expenditures Tuesday and discussing the changes they thought were needed before they would feel comfortable sending the budget to the Oak Ridge City Council.

“It includes some things that I’m not sure I’m ready to support,” said board member Jenny Richter. She suggested implementing a rollout among a smaller number of students at first so that “we can learn from our own experience and meet the whole thing halfway.” She said she could support the budget with modifications to the technology initiative. [Read more…]

Oak Ridge Schools honor Memorial Day by participating in ‘Jeans for Troops’

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Submitted by Oak Ridge Schools

The Oak Ridge School District honored Memorial Day and the men and women who have died defending our country by raising funds for military veterans and their families.

On May 22, teachers took part in the 2014 “Jeans for Troops” fundraising drive benefiting the GI Go Fund, a nonprofit organization that helps veterans returning home find employment, go to college, access their health care and financial benefits, and link to housing.

During the drive, which has schools and companies from all across the country participating in, Oak Ridge Schools gave their employees the opportunity to wear jeans to work in exchange for a $5 donation to the GI Go Fund.

“For generations, America’s teachers have been responsible for educating America’s children,” said GI Go Fund Executive Director Jack Fanous. “They have always been individuals that mothers and fathers could rely on to set a positive example for their children. This Memorial Day, teachers around the country have set the example to our nation’s children that this holiday is more than just the first weekend of summer, and more than the year’s first barbecue. It is a day to remember the men and women who have fought and died to preserve our liberties, our freedoms, and the American way of life.” [Read more…]

Anderson Chamber announces ‘Tribute to Business’ award winners

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Oak Ridge High School String Quartet

Rising juniors from the Oak Ridge Schools Orchestra Program will be providing live music for the Anderson County Chamber of Commerce’s 3rd Annual Tribute to Business on Friday, June 6, at the Museum of Appalachia. From left to right are Megan Peters, cello; Brittany Rowe, violin; Evelyn Pieper, violin; and Lucas Potter, viola.

The Anderson County Chamber of Commerce has announced its Tribute to Business Awards, and they will be honored during a June 6 celebration at the Museum of Appalachia.

Here are the winners:

  • Small Business—Samuel Franklin,
  • Mid-Sized Business—All Occasion Party Rentals,
  • Large Business—Techmer PM,
  • Woman-Owned Business—Temp Systems Inc., and
  • Lifetime Achievement Award—The Fox Family. 

“Everyone is invited to join us in honoring these businesses for their contribution to the economic growth of Anderson County,” a press release said.

The Friday, June 6, celebration will start at 6:30 p.m. with valet parking, social hour, photos, and live music, the press release said. Dinner on the Lawn begins at 7:30 p.m. with a brief live auction and awards ceremony. The Museum of Appalachia is at 2819 Andersonville Highway near Norris. [Read more…]

K-25 demolition project receives American Nuclear Society award

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K-25 Building Demolition March 2014

Demolition work at the K-25 Building in west Oak Ridge is complete, and cleanup work is expected to be complete this summer.

 

The successful demolition of a former gaseous diffusion facility in Oak Ridge has been honored by the American Nuclear Society.

The American Nuclear Society’s Decommissioning and Environmental Services Division selected the K-25 demolition project to receive its Project Excellence Award. The K-25 building, located at East Tennessee Technology Park, was built as part of the Manhattan Project in the 1940s. The facility was shut down in 1964 after two decades of producing enriched uranium for defense and commercial purposes. As the massive, mile-long building began deteriorating, its demolition was considered one of the highest priorities for the environmental cleanup program in Oak Ridge.

UCOR, the U.S. Department of Energy’s cleanup contractor in Oak Ridge, completed the demolition project on Dec. 19, 2013. The demolition was completed ahead of schedule and under budget.

UCOR is a partnership between URS and CH2M Oak Ridge LLC. [Read more…]

UT nuclear engineering students awarded scholarships, fellowships through DOE program

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One undergraduate scholarship goes to Oak Ridge student

KNOXVILLE—Several University of Tennessee students in the College of Engineering’s Department of Nuclear Engineering in Knoxville received a nice start to the summer as Nuclear Energy University Programs announced its most recent award recipients, with UT netting nine undergraduate scholarships and three graduate fellowships.

Sponsored by the U.S. Department of Energy’s Integrated University Program, undergraduate winners receive a $5,000 scholarship, while the graduate fellowship winners receive $50,000 annually over three years, as well as $5,000 toward summer internships at national laboratories or other approved locations.

The undergraduates include Mikah Rust of Oak Ridge. [Read more…]

School officials not in favor of budget cuts, but some could support tax hike

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Oak Ridge Board of Education

The Oak Ridge Board of Education and school administrators are pictured above during a meeting earlier this year. (File photo)

Note: This story was updated at 12:15 p.m.

Oak Ridge school officials made it clear last week that they’re not in favor of budget cuts, and at least a few suggested they might support a property tax rate increase to prevent reductions in staff and programs.

Earlier this month, the Oak Ridge Board of Education was presented three different budget options to start the annual fiscal discussions. One is known as the “Losing Students, Families, and Staff” budget; the second is known as the “Retaining Students, Families, and Staff” budget; and the third is known as “Attracting Students, Families, and Staff.”

The presentations outline a range of potential cuts including reducing nursing jobs and teaching positions; eliminating the Family Resource Center, elementary strings program, and preschool transportation; and increasing class sizes and stretching the student walk zone to one mile. They also include a range of potential benefits, including starting a digital technology initiative known as 1:1, hiring technology personnel, adding special education and custodial staff, and giving employees a 2 percent pay raise. [Read more…]

Council to discuss Friendship Bell repairs, National Park designation

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Oak Ridge City Council

The Oak Ridge City Council is pictured above during an August 2013 meeting. (File photo)

The Oak Ridge City Council will discuss possible repairs to the structure housing the International Friendship Bell at Alvin K. Bissell Park as well as a potential National Park Service designation during a non-voting work session this evening (Tuesday evening).

The meeting starts at 7 p.m. in the Multipurpose Room at the Central Services Complex on Woodbury Lane.

See the agenda here.

More information will be added as it becomes available.

Memorial Day ceremony honors 181 Anderson County residents who died in conflicts

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Anderson County Memorial Day Wreath-laying

From left, Anderson County Veteran Services Director Leon Jaquet, Mayor Terry Frank, and Tennessee Rep. John Ragan take part in a Memorial Day wreath-laying ceremony on Monday at the Anderson County Courthouse in Clinton.

 

CLINTON—More than 100 Anderson County residents have died in conflicts from the Revolutionary War more than 200 years ago to the ongoing war on terrorism and battles in Afghanistan, a county official said during a Memorial Day ceremony on Monday.

Those 181 heroes are remembered and their names inscribed on the Veterans Memorial at the Anderson County Courthouse in Clinton, Veteran Services Director Leon Jaquet said.

“We gather here today in remembrance of our nation’s heroes, especially our county’s heroes who have paid the ultimate sacrifice in support of this nation’s agenda throughout the world,” Jaquet said. “Our fathers, mothers, brothers, sisters, sons, and daughters who served this country to protect our freedoms and wrote that final check with their lives in support of freedom and democracy.”

Jaquet recognized guests at Monday’s ceremony, including Glen and Amy Morris, parents of Staff Sgt. Daniel Morris, who was killed in Iraq in 2006, and Gerald and Kathy Hovater, parents of Cpl. Jason Hovater, who died in Afghanistan in 2008.

“We remember the 1.3 million Americans who have made the supreme sacrifice during this nation’s wars, from the Revolutionary War to the continued War on Terrorism and Afghanistan,” Jaquet said. [Read more…]

Two TWRA officers slightly injured but safe after Norris Lake boating accident

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By Tennessee Wildlife Resources Agency

SPEEDWELL—Because they wore their life jackets, two Tennessee Wildlife Resources Agency officers are slightly injured but safe after a single-vessel boating accident on Norris Lake on Friday.

Officers Jerry Short and Harrison Cornett were on patrol on Norris Lake around 10:30 p.m. last night (Friday night) near Blue Springs Dock when they apparently struck a large piece of floating debris. The impact caused both officers to be ejected from the vessel and into the water. Short was able to swim back to the vessel and use the radio to contact the TWRA dispatcher and other wildlife officers for assistance.

Both officers sustained minor injuries and were transported to Claiborne County Hospital in Tazewell. They have been treated and released. [Read more…]

Temptations Revue concert to kick off Blankenship fundraising campaign

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Temptations Nate Evans Theater

 

An August concert by the Temptations Revue will kick off the fundraising campaign to revitalize Blankenship Field and Jack Armstrong Stadium into a world-class facility, organizers said.

The Aug. 9 concert will be in the Oak Ridge High School Auditorium. It’s sponsored by the Oak Ridge Quarterback Club.

The show starts at 7:30 p.m. Aug. 9, and tickets must be purchased online. They went on sale to the public on Thursday.

All proceeds will be directed to the revitalization effort to revamp Blankenship Field/Jack Armstrong Stadium. [Read more…]

Anderson Sheriff taking part in Click It or Ticket, sobriety checkpoint

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Click It or Ticket Day and Night

The Anderson County Sheriff’s Department will take part in the Click It or Ticket-National Seat Belt Enforcement Mobilization by conducting saturation patrols during this Memorial Day holiday period, a press release said.

A sobriety checkpoint will also be held the evening of Friday, May 23, on Tri-County Boulevard in Oliver Springs. This will be a multi-agency effort sponsored by the Oliver Springs Police Department and the Governor’s Highway Safety Office.

The Click It or Ticket-National Seat Belt Enforcement Mobilization runs from May 19 through June 1, the press release said. [Read more…]