Oak Ridge Today

Oak Ridge Chamber has candidate events April 10, April 22

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Oak Ridge Chamber of Commerce

The Oak Ridge Chamber of Commerce is pictured above.

The Oak Ridge Chamber of Commerce is hosting a series of events to allow voters to meet candidates and hear where they stand on issues of importance to the community, a press release said. The first session will be held Thursday, April 10, at 7:30 a.m. at the chamber.

The Chamber will host candidates for the office of Seventh District chancellor and Juvenile Court judge at Thursday’s event, the press release said. Chamber members and the public are invited to attend.

The following candidates have confirmed their plans to be in attendance: [Read more…]

Retired Air Force general confirmed as NNSA administrator

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Retired Lt. Gen. Frank G. Klotz of the U.S. Air Force is pictured above in a Sept. 16, 2009, speech. (U.S. Air Force photo/Scott M. Ash)

Retired Lt. Gen. Frank G. Klotz of the U.S. Air Force is pictured above in a Sept. 16, 2009, speech. (U.S. Air Force photo/Scott M. Ash)

Acting Administrator Bruce Held returns to associate deputy secretary position

The U.S. Senate on Tuesday confirmed a retired U.S. Air Force general as the administrator of the National Nuclear Security Administration, which oversees the nuclear weapons work at the Y-12 National Security Complex and other federal sites.

Retired Lt. Gen. Frank G. Klotz is also the Energy Department’s under secretary for nuclear security.

Acting NNSA Administrator Bruce Held will return to his position as associate deputy secretary, a press release said.

“Lt. Gen. Klotz’s confirmation comes at a critical point for the National Nuclear Security Administration,” Energy Secretary Ernest Moniz said. “His breadth of military and national security leadership experience makes him uniquely suited to lead the NNSA, fulfilling its commitments to the management and security of the nation’s nuclear weapons, nuclear nonproliferation, naval reactor programs, and nuclear and radiological emergency preparedness efforts. [Read more…]

Simple driving tips can save gas, money, ORNL study says

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Oak Ridge National Laboratory Sign

Oak Ridge National Laboratory

People who pack their cars and drive like Clark Griswold in National Lampoon’s “Vacation” pay a steep penalty when it comes to fuel economy, according to a report by Oak Ridge National Laboratory.

For the study, researchers tested a sport utility vehicle and a compact sedan with various configurations, including underinflated tires, open windows, and rooftop and hitch-mounted cargo. The SUV, a 2009 Ford Explorer with a 4-liter V6 engine, was also tested while towing an enclosed trailer. The researchers tested the vehicles at a variety of speeds with the different configurations. While the findings were not unexpected, they serve as a reminder of how drivers can save money by taking simple measures.

“There is fuel economy information and advice available for vehicle maintenance and carrying loads that is quite good, but very little published data to back it up,” said John Thomas, a co-author of the study and member of ORNL’s Energy and Transportation Science Division. “Certainly, suitcases strapped to your car’s roof and trying to keep up with a speeding Ferrari will adversely affect your gas mileage.”

Among the more notable findings was that using a rooftop cargo box with the SUV decreased fuel economy from 24.9 mpg at 60 mph to 22.9 mpg—a drop of 9 percent. The compact sedan, a 2009 Toyota Corolla with a 1.8 liter four-cylinder engine, also suffered as its fuel economy dipped from 42.5 mpg at 60 mph to 33 mpg, or 22 percent, when hauling the rooftop cargo box. [Read more…]

Highway 116 improvements still planned, schedule uncertain

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Information from WYSH Radio

Following up on a story we first brought you last year, the state is still in the planning stages of making safety improvements to an 11-mile stretch of Highway 116 in Anderson County from Frost Bottom to the Campbell County line.

A safety audit conducted in 2012 by state and local officials showed that in some spots, lanes are too narrow, in others there are no guardrails, and in still other areas, the shoulder is actually less than a foot wide. Slope stability issues were also blamed for some cracking and uneven settling of the pavement. Some spots that have been resurfaced do not have pavement markings and in other areas, rock outcroppings and other hazards are “too close to the roadway for comfort.”

The Tennessee Department of Transportation has recommended paving the entire stretch of Highway 116, widening the shoulders in some places, and adding guardrails, pavement markings, and signage to the roadway as part of the effort to make the road safer. TDOT says that it will also reduce the speed limit on that sometimes-dangerous stretch of road to 35 miles per hour. [Read more…]

Anderson County to be awarded $64K in tobacco settlement money

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John Dreyzehner

John Dreyzehner

Tennessee Health Commissioner John Dreyzehner will join other state and local officials on Friday, April 11, at the Anderson County Health Department in Clinton to present $64,600 in funding as part of the Tennessee Tobacco Settlement Program.

Each county in Tennessee will receive funding during this three-year program to reduce the burden of tobacco use in the state. All counties are challenged to set goals and select one or more projects that address three topics: eliminating smoking during pregnancy, reducing infants’ and children’s exposure to second-hand smoke, and preventing child and adolescent tobacco use. Anderson County will implement first-year projects targeting each of these three focus areas.

Funding from the Tobacco Settlement was provided to the Tennessee Department of Health for fiscal years 2014-16 to address the state’s high rate of tobacco use and prevent expensive related medical costs. The plan to distribute $15 million over three years has been generated with input from all 95 counties. This plan includes a variety of projects to target behaviors designed to protect the health of Tennessee’s most vulnerable populations: unborn babies, pregnant women, and children.

ASAP helps Anderson County students ‘Kick Butts’

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ASAP of Anderson County Kick Butts Day

Kick Butts Day is a national day of activism that empowers youth to stand out, speak up, and seize control against tobacco. This year, national Kick Butts Day was March 19, which Anderson County students celebrated the week of March 24 due to Spring Break.

Through partnerships between Anderson County Coordinated School Health, Clinton City Coordinated School Health, Oak Ridge Coordinated School Health, the Anderson County Health Department, and Allies for Substance Abuse Prevention (ASAP) of Anderson County, this Kick Butts Day was an amazing success, a press release said.

“We were very excited to partner with other school systems and organizations for Kick Butts Day,” said Kim Guinn, ACS coordinated school health director. “By working together, we were able to make a larger impact on our community. We all want to accomplish the same goal and see our students choose not to use tobacco.” [Read more…]

Oak Ridge loses first Battle of Solway Bridge, but coach vows victory next year

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Hardin Valley High Jump

Hardin Valley won the trophy in the Battle of the Solway Bridge with Oak Ridge on Tuesday, but Oak Ridge Coach Allen Etheridge is already planning a victory next year.

Oak Ridge coach vows victory next year; Tuesday’s results posted below

Hardin Valley Academy won the trophy at the first Battle of the Solway Bridge track meet in Oak Ridge on Tuesday, but Wildcats Coach Allen Etheridge is already planning a victory at the second annual event.

“We’re planning two victory laps at HVA next year!” Etheridge joked in a Wednesday morning e-mail.

The Battle of the Solway Bridge at Ben Martin Track on Tuesday pitted two track powers against each other one-on-one.

“We will line up our best people in our best events against theirs,” Etheridge said before the meet. On Tuesday, Etheridge said dual meets like the Battle of the Solway Bridge are unusual. Most track meets feature five to 25 teams and sometimes more. [Read more…]

Republican forum: Issues range from jobs, retail to drug courts, trial experience

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Anderson County Republican Party Forum

Anderson County Mayor Terry Frank, center, gives an opening statement during a Tuesday night candidate forum for Republican Party candidates. Also pictured are Anderson County Commissioner Zach Bates, left, who is challenging Frank in the May 6 GOP primary, and Oak Ridge Police Department Officer Randy Myers, one of two Republican candidates for sheriff.

Note: This story was last updated at 11:45 a.m.

The starkest differences between any candidates at a Tuesday night Republican Party forum might have emerged in the race for Anderson County chancellor, where candidates Michael Farley and Nicki Cantrell clashed on questions of trial experience and whether the Chancery Court should ever be used to hear criminal cases.

In the race for sheriff, Republican candidates Anthony Lay and Randy Myers agreed on one key question: No federal inmates should be housed at the Anderson County jail.

In the race for mayor, Terry Frank, the incumbent, said she had presided over one of the few—and possibly the only—tax cut in Anderson County history, while her opponent, Commissioner Zach Bates, said the county’s biggest economic challenge is “retail leakage.” [Read more…]

Without Republicans, little opposition, few questions at League forum

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David Dunkirk and J. Michael Clement

David R. Dunkirk, left, and J. Michael Clement, Democratic candidates for Juvenile Court judge in the May 6 Anderson County primary election, answer questions during a candidate forum hosted by the League of Women Voters of Oak Ridge on Tuesday. (Photo by Sara Wise)

Note: This story was last updated at 9:10 a.m.

There was little opposition and only a few questions at a Tuesday night candidate forum sponsored by the League of Women Voters of Oak Ridge.

All of the Democratic candidates were at the League forum, which was held in the Pollard Auditorium at Oak Ridge Associated Universities.

But most of the Republican candidates were a few blocks away at their own forum, and none of them attended the League forum. Still, many sent representatives to speak on their behalf.

The dueling forums were held with less than a month remaining before the May 6 primary election. Most of the competition is on the Republican side, with more than one GOP candidate for mayor, sheriff, chancellor, and Juvenile Court judge. The only contested Democratic race is for juvenile judge. [Read more…]

Oak Ridge teachers, principals request 2.5 percent pay raise

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Mike Haygood of Oak Ridge Education Association

Mike Haygood, left, co-president of the Oak Ridge Education Association, tells Oak Ridge school board members during a March 24 meeting that teachers are requesting a 2.5 percent salary increase.

Oak Ridge teachers, staff members, and principals have requested a 2.5 percent salary increase in the next school year.

The requests could be considered as part of the budget discussions for the fiscal year that starts July 1.

The Oak Ridge Education Association said the consumer price index has increased 2.38 percent on average each year during the past decade. Meanwhile, the annual salary increase for school staff members has averaged 1.5 percent.

Teachers have not had a pay increase for several years, said Mike Haygood, OREA co-president.

“Some type of salary increase is long overdue,” he told members of the Oak Ridge Board of Education during a March 24 meeting. [Read more…]

Oak Ridge resident Don Bell running for Anderson school board

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Don Bell

Don Bell

Oak Ridge resident Don A. Bell is running for the District 7 seat on the Anderson County Board of Education. District 7 includes Highland View, Glenwood, and Pine Valley in Oak Ridge.

Bell is a longtime Oak Ridger and a 1974 graduate of Oak Ridge High School, the candidate said in a press release. He retired from the Oak Ridge school system in 2013. He had worked in the maintenance and operations division at Glenwood Elementary School.

Bell served on the board of directors of Oak Ridge Schools Federal Cedit Union for seven years and as vice chairman for three years. He also served on the Superintendent’s Search Committee to appoint the principal for Glenwood Elementary and was on the supervisory committee of the Tennessee Members First Federal Credit Union.

In the press release, Bell said he looks forward to meeting his constituents and hopes to use his experience to serve the Anderson County school system.

Y-12 security project completed $20M under budget, ahead of schedule

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Y-12 National Security Complex Scarboro Road Entrance

The Scarboro Road entrance to the Y-12 National Security Complex is pictured above.

A security improvement project at the Y-12 National Security Complex was completed ahead of schedule and about $20 million under budget, federal officials announced Monday.

The National Nuclear Security Administration’s Security Improvement Project upgraded security at Y-12 by replacing existing alarm stations and access control systems with Argus, a comprehensive security system developed by Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory, a press release said. The SIP came in about $20 million under the original $72 million budget.

“Maintaining a safe and secure deterrent is one of NNSA’s most important responsibilities,” said NNSA Acting Chief of Defense Nuclear Security Michael Lempke. “SIP is a continuation of NNSA’s goal to use the best, most modern security technology to keep the nation’s nuclear weapons and material secure.” [Read more…]