Oak Ridge Today

B&W restructures government ops; former Y-12 manager the COO of one group

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Chuck Spencer

Chuck Spencer

CHARLOTTE, N.C.—The Babcock and Wilcox Co. has announced a restructuring of its government operations.

Effective immediately, the Babcock and Wilcox Nuclear Operations Group Inc., or NOG, its subsidiary operations at Nuclear Fuel Services, and the Babcock and Wilcox Technical Services Group Inc., or TSG, will operate under a single leader, naming Peyton S. “Sandy” Baker as president and chief operating officer, a press release said.

Charles G. “Chuck” Spencer, the former president and general manager of the Y-12 National Security Complex, will serve as chief operating officer of TSG, leading the business’ day-to-day operations, a press release said.

And Kenneth R. Camplin has been named vice president and chief business development officer for B&W’s government operations. Camplin and Spencer will both report to Baker, the release said. [Read more…]

Teen confesses to starting Linden car fire, police say

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Linden Elementary School Car Fire

An Oak Ridge teenager has confessed to starting a car fire at Linden Elementary School on March 8, and police are investigating other fires near the school that could be linked to the vehicle arson, authorities said Monday. (Photos by Tom Scott)

Note: This story was updated at 7:35 p.m.

An Oak Ridge teenager has confessed to starting a car fire at Linden Elementary School on March 8, and police are investigating other fires near the school that could be linked to the vehicle arson, authorities said Monday.

Jovon Brooks, 18, was identified through a combination of video surveillance tapes from Linden, independent information that the suspect could be an Oak Ridge High School student, and the work of Oak Ridge Police Department school resource officers and the Criminal Investigations Division, a press release said.

ORPD school resource officers reviewed video surveillance tapes from Linden Elementary School, and they showed a young man walking toward the car with a brick in his hand, the press release said.

“The Criminal Investigations Division then developed independent information the suspect was possibly an Oak Ridge High School student, which allowed school resource officers to positively identify the suspect as Jovon Brooks, 18 years of age,” the release said. “(He) resides in the neighborhood surrounding Linden school. Detectives interviewed Mr. Brooks, who confessed to starting the fire.”

[Read more…]

Nuclear arms consortium that includes ORNL receives $25 million grant from NNSA

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Oak Ridge National Laboratory Sign

Oak Ridge National Laboratory Sign

WASHINGTON, D.C.—A research and development consortium led by the University of Michigan has received a $25 million grant for nuclear arms control verification technologies, including nuclear safeguards effectiveness.

The consortium includes Oak Ridge National Laboratory.

The grant was announced on Monday by the National Nuclear Security Administration’s Office of Defense Nuclear Nonproliferation Research and Development. The consortium will receive $5 million per year for five years, a press release said. The award is in response to a funding opportunity announcement issued in May 2013.

“Nuclear arms control verification technologies provide tools to support and improve the ability of the U.S. government to monitor compliance with nuclear arms control commitments and treaty obligations,” the press release said. “Nuclear safeguards support the International Atomic Energy Agency’s mission to monitor the Nuclear Nonproliferation Treaty and the commitments of signatory countries to refrain from developing new nuclear weapons. Other work under the consortium will include efforts in geophysical modeling for the detection of underground nuclear detonations to support test monitoring.” [Read more…]

Anderson County Republicans also have April 8 candidate forum

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The Anderson County Republican Party will have an April 8 forum for GOP candidates running for county offices in the May 6 primary election.

The forum starts at 7 p.m. Tuesday, April 8, at the Midtown Community Center in Oak Ridge. It’s expected to last about two hours, a press release said.

“This year’s election is especially important for Anderson County’s future,” said Aaron Wells, chairman of the Anderson County Republican Party. “A forum will provide an excellent opportunity to showcase our great candidates and the Republican vision for the county. We invite folks to join us for what should be an interesting and informative evening. ”

The Republican Party forum is scheduled at the same time and the same night as a candidate forum organized by the League of Women Voters of Oak Ridge. The League forum is for both Democratic and Republican candidates in the May 6 primary elections. It’s not clear yet if either event might be rescheduled to allow Republican candidates to attend both. [Read more…]

Habitat for Humanity volunteers install three roofs in March

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Habitat Volunteers on Lake City Roof

Student volunteers for Habitat for Humanity of Anderson County help install a roof in Lake City. (Submitted photos)

Two families and the Holiday Bureau have new roofs this month, thanks to volunteers from two different colleges and local men that routinely volunteer for Habitat for Humanity of Anderson County, a press release said.

The first week of March, a group of students from the Milwaukee School of Engineering came to Oak Ridge as part of Habitat for Humanity’s Collegiate Challenge program. The students were housed at First Baptist Church of Oak Ridge. First Baptist shared their facilities for four weeks in a row with four different groups.

The Holiday Bureau has a bicycle storage shed, measuring 16 feet x 78 feet, that had a very old and leaky roof. Now, the shed has a new roof, and it only took the students four days, the press release said. Tim Marcum, HFHAC’s chief operating officer, coordinated this project in an effort to help another nonprofit. [Read more…]

2013 record-breaking year for Roane County and Roane Alliance

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Leslie Henderson

Leslie Henderson

Submitted by Roane Alliance

$150 million worth of new development opened

KINGSTON—To The Roane Alliance—and to many across Roane County—2013 will be remembered as one of the busiest years ever, with record-setting activity in major grand openings, business expansions, and in state-wide, national, and international recognition and awards.

“Most impressive were grand openings of more than $150 million worth of new development projects,” said Leslie Henderson, president and chief executive officer of The Roane Alliance, “including the new $76 million hospital in Midtown, the $35 million carbon fiber manufacturing research facility in Oak Ridge, and the $40 million Volkswagen 460,000-square-foot distribution facility along I-40 in east Roane.”

Henderson said in the report that in 2013 Roane County also saw records set in numbers of announced expansions of existing industry and also in a record number of recognitions and awards for Alliance programs’ accomplishments. [Read more…]

Oak Ridge Today headlines restored

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Oak Ridge Today experienced some technical difficulties while performing routine maintenance this weekend.

During this period, story headlines and meta data (author, publication date, and number of comments) did not display on posts and on the home page. All other content continued to display.

We were able to resolve the issue, and headlines and meta data have been restored.

We apologize for any inconvenience, and thank you for reading Oak Ridge Today.

AC Water Authority completes Lake City project; Park Road extension almost done

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Lake City Water Authority

Officials with the Anderson County Water Authority, Lake City, and Anderson County governments gather at the new waterline extension valve control station in Lake City. (Photo courtesy of Anderson County government)

CLINTON—The Anderson County Water Authority has completed a water line extension project near the Lake City Industrial Park and is nearing completion of the five-mile water line extension on Park Road in Andersonville, a press release said.

Representatives of the Water Authority and government officials from both Anderson County and Lake City recently gathered to celebrate the completion of the water line extension. The water line extension and control valve station in front of the nursing home was part of the effort to provide increased water pressure to that area.

The Lake City project included installing between 700 feet and 1,000 feet of new six-inch water pipe off an existing eight-inch line and the valve control station, according to Jack Shelton, ACWA board member.

“It’s an exciting time for Lake City as we are striving to improve our water distribution system for our town,” said Andrew Howard, a Lake City Council member. “Lake City is very proud of our Water and Sewer Department as well as Anderson County Water Authority. Our own Water and Sewer Superintendent, Travis Thrasher, worked closely with ACWA to strive to provide efficient services to our community. We are thankful to be a part of community utilities that are able to work together closely.” [Read more…]

Forum for Anderson County primary candidates on April 8

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The League of Women Voters of Oak Ridge has an April 8 forum for candidates in the May 6 Anderson County Democratic and Republican primary elections. The forum will be held from 7-9:30 p.m. Tuesday, April 8, in the Pollard Auditorium.

Candidates facing an opponent in the primary election have been invited to make an opening statement, participate in a question-and-answer session, and finish with a closing statement. Candidates with no opponent in the primary election but facing an opponent in the general election have been invited to make a short presentation. Candidates with no opponent in either the primary election on May 6 or the general election on Aug. 7 will be introduced. After the last candidate has spoken, the audience will be invited to join the candidates for additional discussion and greetings.

The May 6 election involves 14 Anderson County officials: chancellor, circuit court clerk, county clerk, county mayor, criminal and circuit court judge, district attorney general, general sessions judge I, general sessions judge II, juvenile court judge, public defender, register of deeds, road superintendent, sheriff, and trustee. [Read more…]

K-25: Large, flat, close to ORNL, interstate—good for economic development

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Gov. Bill Haslam Visits ETTP/K-25

Sue Cange gives Gov. Bill Haslam, right, an update on the almost-completed demolition of the mile-long, U-shaped K-25 Building. Cange is deputy manager of the U.S. Department of Energy’s Office of Environmental Management. Also pictured are Leo Sain, left, president of cleanup contractor UCOR, and Jeff Tucker, UCOR deactivation and decommissioning manager.

It was built during World War II to help enrich uranium for the world’s first atomic bombs. Then, it helped win the Cold War. Now, the former K-25 site in west Oak Ridge presents a giant opportunity for economic development in Tennessee, Gov. Bill Haslam said during a tour last Friday.

“We have a real interest in what happens here,” Haslam said in a short meeting with reporters before getting a brief update on the demolition of the former mile-long, U-shaped K-25 Building, which was once the world’s largest building under one roof.

The governor said the K-25 site, now known as East Tennessee Technology Park or Heritage Center, has 2,000 flat acres with infrastructure already in place, including roads and rails, and it’s three miles from Interstate 40 and seven miles from Oak Ridge National Laboratory, the U.S. Department of Energy’s largest science and energy laboratory.

“We don’t have that opportunity in a lot of places,” Haslam said. “Finding 2,000 flat acres in East Tennessee is virtually impossible.” [Read more…]

U.S. House candidate Wamp launches RV tour in Third District

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Weston Wamp RV

Weston Wamp, a Republican candidate for the U.S. House of Representatives, has launched an RV tour of East Tennessee’s Third District. The campaign visited Oak Ridge on Friday morning.

Weston Wamp, a Republican candidate for the U.S. House of Representatives, has launched an RV tour of East Tennessee’s Third District. The campaign stopped in Oak Ridge on Friday, the fifth day of the tour.

The recreational vehicle—its exterior painted with red, white, and blue campaign slogans, and blue and green mountain vistas—will serve as a rolling campaign headquarters, hotel, and billboard, Wamp said during a Friday morning stop at Roane State Community College.

“I call it our seven-ton commitment to bringing Congress home,” Wamp said. “I hope that it ends up being iconic.”

The RV will make stops at events ranging from baseball games to pancake breakfasts in cities from Athens and Sweetwater in the south to Oneida and Oliver Springs in the north. The campaign will spend three nights a week on the road, generally staying outside of the Chattanooga area, where Wamp lives. The goal is to stay in virtually every incorporated town before the Aug. 7 primary. [Read more…]

Clinton police solve more cases as crime falls

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Clinton Police Chief Rick Scarbrough

Rick Scarbrough

The percentage of crimes solved by Clinton Police Department officers and detectives was up in 2013, while the total number of crimes was down, authorities said.

“The numbers are moving in the right direction…and that’s good news for everyone in Clinton,” CPD Chief Rick Scarbrough said.

CPD cleared nearly half of the reported crimes in 2013, according to Tennessee Bureau of Investigation crime statistics, a press release said. The Clinton Police Department’s percentage of crimes cleared is up about 5 percent from 2012 numbers and is higher than most other area agencies.

“That means our officers are solving more cases,” the press release said. A total of 888 substantial offenses were reported to the Clinton Police Department in 2013. That number is down from 1,116 reported in 2012.  [Read more…]