Oak Ridge Today

ORAU-managed beryllium lab has zero test errors in 2013

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ORAU Beryllium Lab

ORAU-managed beryllium lab has zero test errors in 2013. Managed for DOE, lab personnel processed nearly 4,100 beryllium lymphocyte proliferation tests without a single error.
(Photo courtesy ORAU)

For the second time in recent years, the Beryllium Testing Laboratory managed by Oak Ridge Associated Universities ended a year of testing without a single error, a press release said.

ORAU manages the Oak Ridge lab for the U.S. Department of Energy. The lab processed nearly 4,100 beryllium lymphocyte proliferation tests, or BeLPTs, in 2013, the press release said. The laboratory is one of only three in the United States that can perform the BeLPT.

The BeLPT is a blood test used to identify individuals at higher risk of developing Chronic Beryllium Disease, a chronic disease that scars the lungs, making it more difficult for oxygen to transfer into the bloodstream. The test examines how a lymphocyte, which is a type of disease-fighting blood cell in a person’s body, reacts to beryllium and can determine if an individual is developing an immune response to beryllium. [Read more…]

Clinton woman charged with attempted murder after shooting at husband

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Cheryl Ann Freels

Cheryl Ann Freels

Note: This story was updated at 3:10 p.m.

A Clinton woman has been charged with attempted first-degree murder after she allegedly shot at her husband with a 9mm handgun Sunday night, authorities said.

Cheryl Ann Freels, 32, of 226 North Slope Lane, allegedly tried to fire a second time, but the gun jammed, according to arrest warrants filed in Anderson County General Sessions Court. Freels’ husband was able to take the gun from his wife after it jammed and leave the home with his juvenile son.

Her husband told Anderson County Sheriff’s Department Deputy Samuel Ogburn that he had been watching television in the upstairs living room when he saw his wife standing with the handgun pointed at him. He said his wife fired at him after he stood up. He said he was able to move out of the way of the gun, and the round hit the wall behind him, according to the warrants. [Read more…]

Council member asks for removal of city board member over e-mail ‘contempt’

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Oak Ridge City Council

Pictured above, the Oak Ridge City Council on Monday will consider removing housing board member Joe Lee, not pictured, because of a critical e-mail he wrote after a 4-3 vote on the controversial traffic camera contract in March.

Note: This story was last updated at 2:30 p.m.

An Oak Ridge official wants the City Council to consider removing Joseph Lee from a city housing board because of his criticism—she called it contempt—for the council members who voted against renewing the controversial traffic camera contract in March.

The City Council will consider removing Lee, who serves on the Oak Ridge Board of Building and Housing Code Appeals, during a Monday, April 14, meeting.

“I was not at all surprised by the 4-3 vote,” Lee wrote in a March 28 e-mail to Council member Anne Garcia Garland, who made the request to consider removing him on Monday. “After all, it was not about safety or the money, it is about the votes. Take the fact that your entire campaign to be elected to city council and combine that with the nut jobs that you are aligned with and cater to, it has been obvious for a very long time that we were never going to hear the end of your whining until you got another shot at this issue. [Read more…]

ORAU Annual Report highlights impact of early career researchers on U.S. scientific mission

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Jason Hayward

Jason Hayward, who has a doctorate in nuclear engineering from the University of Michigan, holds a high-resolution instrument, which is part of his research to benefit facilities like Oak Ridge National Laboratory’s Spallation Neutron Source. (Photo credit: University of Tennessee)

With U.S. falling behind China and India in numbers of STEM graduates, strengthening U.S. scientific talent is critical, according to report

Jason Hayward is applying his nuclear engineering research expertise to develop the next generation of high-resolution instruments for facilities like Oak Ridge National Laboratory’s Spallation Neutron Source.

Hayward, who has a doctorate in nuclear engineering from the University of Michigan, hopes his work will eventually help curtail the spread of nuclear weapons and assist in identifying viable alternative energy sources. Hayward is an assistant professor of nuclear engineering at the University of Tennessee, a joint faculty member with ORNL’s Nuclear Security and Isotope Technology Division, a U.S. Department of Energy research award recipient, and a participant in the Higher Education Research Experiences Program.

He and many other early career researchers are participating in fellowships and internships managed by Oak Ridge Associated Universities with DOE and other federal agencies, and they are the main focus of ORAU’s “2013 Annual Report,” which has just been released. [Read more…]

Battle of the Solway Bridge track meet in Oak Ridge on Tuesday

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Ben Martin Track

The Ben Martin Track at Oak Ridge High School is pictured above.

Oak Ridge will host the first annual Battle of the Solway Bridge at the Ben Martin Track on Tuesday.

“This dual meet against Hardin Valley Academy pits two track powers against each other 1-1,” Oak Ridge Coach Allen Etheridge said. “We will line up our best people in our best events against theirs.

“There’s a gaudy 36-inch trophy for the winner.”

The field events start at 5 p.m., and track events begin at 6 p.m.

Voters can meet candidates for contested Anderson County offices on April 15

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Democracy for East Tennessee

From left to right, DFET members Charles Jones, Joan Cassens, and Tom Burns review the 2014 Anderson County primary ballot while planning a “meet the candidate” event. (Submitted photo)

Democracy for East Tennessee has organized an April 15 event that will allow Anderson County voters the chance to meet candidates for four county offices before the May 6 primary election.

The four contested races are for Anderson County mayor, sheriff, chancellor, and Juvenile Court judge. Other offices on the primary ballot are not contested.

The “meet the candidates” event is scheduled from 6-7:30 p.m. Tuesday, April 15, in the Oak Ridge Civic Center’s A/B Room.

“Democracy for East Tennessee is sponsoring this event so citizens of Anderson County can become better acquainted with the candidates for four Anderson County offices before the primary election on May 6,” the organization said in a press release. [Read more…]

Get your clearance for Casino Night 2014: Secrets, science, and swing

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MMC Casino Night

By Methodist Medical Center

Shhhhh! Can you keep a secret? The year is 1943; the town, unmarked on any map, is nestled between river and ridge and full of mystery, matchmaking, and mud.

Join the Methodist Medical Center Foundation for an old-fashioned evening honoring the early days of Oak Ridge at Casino Night 2014: Secrets Science and Swing on Saturday, April 26, at 6:30 p.m. in the New Hope Center at Y-12.

Swing to the live music of Soul Candy and the Traffic Jam, feast in the officers’ dining hall, visit the PX auction where you’ll find some “can’t-miss deals,” and enjoy the gaming tables with your friends.

Tickets are $75 per person or $125 per couple. Profits from Casino Night will benefit the Hospitality Houses of Methodist Medical Center, which provide free, temporary lodging to cancer patients and their families who must travel for treatment at Methodist Medical Center, as well as others seeking long-term treatment as space allows. The houses have been serving the patients of Methodist Medical Center since 1997. Now, so that these houses may always be available to those who need them, the Foundation is establishing a $1.5 million endowment to support the Hospitality Houses in perpetuity. [Read more…]

City board to consider demolition of homes on Wade Lane, West Outer Drive

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An Oak Ridge board on Thursday will consider ordering the demolition of five homes that could be bought by the city. The homes are at 105 Waddell Place, 101 and 117 Wade Lane, and 335 and 363 West Outer Drive.

The homes on Wade Lane and West Outer Drive are owned by Carden Rentals Limited Partnership. The Waddell Place house is owned by Rex Gass. The owners are interested in selling the properties to the city, the municipal staff said.

The Gass property is a vacant single-family dwelling, and the Carden homes are vacant multi-family residential units.

The city staff has recommended that the Oak Ridge Board of Building and Housing Code Appeals declare the homes unfit for human occupation or use, and order them demolished within 90 days to possibly allow the city to acquire them. The board meets at 3 p.m. Thursday in the Municipal Building Training Room. [Read more…]

Most Anderson commissioners seek re-election, six running in District 7 in OR

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Anderson County Courthouse

The Anderson County Courthouse on Main Street in Clinton is pictured above.

There are six candidates running for Anderson County Commission in District 7 in Oak Ridge in August, and a Democrat has joined the race for Tennessee House of Representatives in the 33rd District.

Meanwhile, an Independent, Bradley S. Rickett, has joined the race for Anderson County mayor, competing against Democrat Jim Hackworth and the winner of the May 6 Republican primary, either the incumbent, Terry Frank, or her challenger, Commissioner Zach Bates.

Fourteen of the 16 Anderson County commissioners are seeking re-election to a four-year term. But Bates, from District 4 in the Lake City area, is not. And neither is Commissioner John Shuey. Shuey is one of two commissioners in District 7, which includes the Glenwood, Highland View, and Pine Valley precincts in Oak Ridge.

District 7 is the most competitive in terms of number of candidates. In addition to the incumbent, Jerry Creasey, other candidates include Jimmy Bouchard, Michael Marsh, Denny Phillips, Kevin Rice, and Theresa Scott.

District 3—which includes Andersonville, Fairview, Glen Alpine, and Norris—has five candidates, including the two incumbents, Steve Emert and Dusty Irwin. The other three candidates are Josh Anderson, David Farmer, and Philip Warfield. [Read more…]

Senate approves Lake City’s name change to Rocky Top

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Lake City Council Approves Rocky Top Name Change

The Lake City Council votes 4-0 in November to change the town’s name to Rocky Top, and Rep. John Ragan said he had draft legislation to approve the name change to introduce in the Tennessee General Assembly. (File photo)

WYSH Radio/Oak Ridge Today

A bill that will allow Lake City to officially change its name to Rocky Top was unanimously approved in the Tennessee Senate on Thursday, three days after the state House of Representatives also unanimously voted to support the measure.

Lake City Council members approved the name change, seen as a vital first step toward developing a Rocky Top theme park in the former coal mining town, in November. The bill will now go to Gov. Bill Halslam’s desk for his signature, then the Lake City Council must ratify it by a two-thirds majority.

The name change is seen as a necessary first step toward turning the former coal mining town into a tourist destination, taking advantage of its two exits off of I-75. Plans call for an interactive 3-D theater, a restaurant, a water park and a hotel, as well as other attractions. [Read more…]

AC man pleads guilty in assault, kidnapping case

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Information from WYSH Radio

On Thursday, a Clinton man pleaded guilty to charges that he threatened a woman with a knife and held her against her will in November.

Eric Jason Lawson, 31, pleaded guilty to a charge of aggravated assault and a reduced charge of attempted aggravated kidnapping and was sentenced to six years in prison on each count, to be served concurrently. As a multiple offender, he will have to serve at least 35 percent of his sentence before becoming eligible for parole.

The incident occurred in November 2013, and the victim told authorities that Lawson had threatened her with a knife, locked her in a bedroom and a bathroom, and forced her to crawl under a bed. At one point, the woman escaped the home only to be caught by Lawson, who reportedly showed her the knife and said, “This is what I will kill you with.”

Lightning strike may have caused house fire on Graceland Road

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Graceland Road Fire

A lightning strike may have caused a house fire on Graceland Road on Thursday morning. (Photos by Tom Scott)

A Thursday morning fire possibly started by a lightning strike likely destroyed a home in west Oak Ridge and caused a few hundred thousand dollars in damage, authorities said.

The residents of the home at 118 Graceland Road knew their home had been hit by lightning at about 4:30 a.m. Thursday, Oak Ridge Fire Department Chief Darryl Kerley said. They heard the strike and found siding blown off the side of their house. They used a ladder to climb on the roof and check the home. Then, they re-checked it later before the man who lived there went to work.

But at about 7:45 a.m. Thursday, neighbor Chris Wetherall reported the roof of the house was on fire. The female resident, Yvonne McClellan, remained asleep inside, Kerley said.

Wetherall went to the burning home and banged on the door until McClellan woke up and answered the door, Kerley said. Wetherall moved a pickup truck out of the home’s garage and turned off the power. He took McClellan next door to his house, where she was evaluated by the fire department and Anderson County Emergency Medical Services. [Read more…]