Oak Ridge Today

ACSD investigates home invasion report

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Information from WYSH Radio

The Anderson County Sheriff’s Department is investigating a home invasion robbery reported to them Thursday at a home on Queen Street in Powell.

The incident occurred at around 4 a.m. The suspects were reported to be wearing ski masks, and they allegedly demanded pain medication and money at gunpoint. The victim said that one of the culprits fired a weapon inside her the home before the suspects left with an undisclosed amount of cash.

No one was hurt in the incident.

Man killed trying to cross busy road

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Information from WYSH Radio

A 52-year-old Knoxville man was killed Saturday night while trying to cross Clinton Highway on foot.

The Knoxville Police Department said that Ricky Atchley had been trying to cross the highway near Tremont Drive at around 7:30 p.m. Saturday when he stepped into the path of a motorcycle ridden by 63-year-old Robert Chastain of Clinton.

Atchley died at the scene, while Chastain was taken to the University of Tennessee Medical Center for treatment of injuries described as non-life-threatening.

Clinton man among those honored for helping wounded vets

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Information from WYSH Radio

Josh Callihan of Maryville and Buzz Buffington of Clinton have been awarded regional honors by Project Healing Waters Fly Fishing for wounded and disabled veterans—Callihan as Tennessee Valley Region Participant of the Year and Buffington as Tennessee Valley Region Volunteer of the Year.

Both men have been active since the start of the year-old Knoxville Chapter of PHWFF, a nonprofit organization dedicated to the emotional and physical rehabilitation of wounded and disabled military veterans through fly fishing. [Read more…]

Oak Ridge Today working limited hours Christmas Eve, closed Christmas

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Oak Ridge Today will be working fewer hours on Christmas Eve, and we will be closed Christmas Day to enjoy the holiday.

We may publish a few more stories today (Tuesday) and then return to our regular schedule on Thursday.

Merry Christmas and Happy Holidays to all!

ORNL to lose 189 workers through voluntary separations by Dec. 31

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Oak Ridge National Laboratory Central Campus

The Oak Ridge National Laboratory’s central campus is pictured above. (Courtesy Oak Ridge National Laboratory/U.S. Dept. of Energy)

One hundred eighty-nine employees at Oak Ridge National Laboratory will go off the payroll at the end of this month as part of a workforce reduction announced in September.

ORNL had received permission to reduce its staff by up to 475 employees, but in September, officials said they hoped they wouldn’t have to make that many cuts.

The voluntary separation program, or VSP, was part of the lab’s response to federal budget pressures. ORNL has also implemented other belt-tightening measures during the past few years. [Read more…]

DOE, UT-Battelle could negotiate five-year contract extension at ORNL

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Oak Ridge National Laboratory Central Campus

The Oak Ridge National Laboratory’s central campus is pictured above. (Courtesy Oak Ridge National Laboratory/U.S. Dept. of Energy)

The U.S. Department of Energy and UT-Battelle could negotiate a five-year contract extension at Oak Ridge National Laboratory, officials said Thursday.

The current contract ends in March 2015. If granted, the extension would allow UT-Battelle to manage the lab though 2020. UT-Battelle is a nonprofit partnership between the University of Tennessee and Battelle Memorial Institute.

U.S. Rep. Chuck Fleischmann, a Tennessee Republican, announced the potential contract extension during a special holiday meeting of the East Tennessee Economic Council on Thursday. ETEC had asked DOE to not rebid the contract—but extend it instead, Fleischmann said.

The congressman said the negotiations over a possible extension were based on a “job well-done” at the premier lab. [Read more…]

Report: AC money spent on part-time fiscal analyst was unauthorized

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Terry Frank

Terry Frank

The money spent on a part-time fiscal analyst hired one year ago by Anderson County Mayor Terry Frank was an unauthorized expenditure, a new state report said.

The Anderson County Commission had twice denied funding for the position, and the budget account for the position contained no money, said the annual financial report, which was prepared by the county’s Accounts and Budget Office and independent state auditors.

The report said the use of county revenues from such sources as taxes, county aid funds, and fines must be approved by county legislative bodies.

“Management failed to hold spending to the limits authorized by the County Commission, which resulted in unauthorized expenditures,” said the report, which is available on the Tennessee Comptroller’s website. [Read more…]

Picture: Christmas lights on Newberry Circle

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Christmas Lights on Newberry Circle

A home on Newberry Circle is decorated with Christmas lights. (Photo courtesy David Nelson)

Oak Ridge Today reader David Nelson sent us a picture of his home at 119 Newberry Circle decorated with Christmas lights. Thank you, David.

If you have pictures of a house that you think we should feature, you may send your photo(s) to news@oakridgetoday.com. Thank you for reading Oak Ridge Today.

Oak Ridge city manager being considered for job in Texas

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Mark Watson

Mark Watson

Oak Ridge City Manager Mark Watson is being considered for a job in Texas, three council members confirmed Thursday evening.

Watson is a finalist for a city manager position, and a decision could be made in January, Oak Ridge Mayor Tom Beehan said.

The mayor said he hopes Watson, who started here in August 2010, stays in Oak Ridge.

“Mark Watson has been an outstanding city manager,” Beehan said. “He was a great hire.” [Read more…]

DOE, UCOR demolish last piece of K-25, once the world’s largest building

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K-25 Building Demolition Final

The last section of the former K-25 Building in west Oak Ridge was demolished on Thursday.

It was once the world’s largest building under one roof, built by the U.S. government in less than two years as part of a top-secret race to build the world’s first atomic bombs during World War II.

Officials say it also helped win the Cold War.

But five years after demolition started, the K-25 Building is gone. Officials, workers, and invited guests watched the last section of the giant building crash to the ground on Thursday.

The mile-long, U-shaped K-25 Building enriched uranium through a process called gaseous diffusion. It was the largest facility in the U.S. Department of Energy complex. Debris shipments are expected to be completed in the spring of 2014.

The $1.1 billion project is under budget and ahead of schedule. [Read more…]

Four students found with drugs, hatchet, ski mask, ORPD says

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Oak Ridge High School

Oak Ridge High School is pictured above.

A 14-year-old male who refused to go to school on Wednesday possessed a tactical load bearing vest, and four students detained Thursday, including one adult student, were found near Oak Ridge High School in a car that contained drugs, a ski mask, and a hatchet, authorities said.

The news comes less than one day after the Oak Ridge Police Department announced it seized a stolen, loaded gun from the car of a student who had allegedly caused a disturbance at Oak Ridge High School and said a knife had been seized from a student during an altercation on a school bus.

In a Thursday morning press release, the ORPD said officers responded to a report of an unruly juvenile at a home on Baypath Drive at about 7:30 a.m. Wednesday.

“When officers arrived, they met with the mother and older sibling of a 14 year-old juvenile male who had refused to go to school,” the press release said. “Officers interviewed the juvenile and noted he was in possession of a tactical load bearing vest. Officers ultimately assisted in transporting the juvenile to the Methodist Medical Center emergency room for an evaluation, as well as coordinating with Juvenile Court authorities and referring the incident to DCS for follow-up. No criminal charges were filed. However, the investigation remains ongoing, and no further details will be released at this time.” [Read more…]

AMSE’s operating contract with for-profit could be replaced by nonprofit

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American Museum of Science and Energy

The American Museum of Science and Energy on South Tulane Avenue in Oak Ridge is pictured above.

The contract with the for-profit company that runs the American Museum of Science and Energy will change from quarterly to monthly starting Jan. 1, and a museum expert could be hired on an interim basis to assess the museum, its place in the community, and a logical new operating structure.

The museum is now funded by the U.S. Department of Energy at a cost of about $1.5 to $1.6 million per year, said David Keim, communications director at Oak Ridge National Laboratory. Revenues from the gift shop, admissions, and programs add up to about $300,000 per year.

But officials have long said that the department should not be operating the museum.

“It’s always been a government-funded operation,” Keim said. But, “DOE is not in the museum business.”

In June, a group of museum directors brought to Oak Ridge from around the country recommended that the museum be run by a community-based nonprofit organization—not DOE and not a for-profit company, Keim said. [Read more…]