Oak Ridge Today

Register for ORICL courses, trips by May 15

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ORICL Trip

On an ORICL-sponsored trip to Chattanooga during the winter-spring term, Carolyn Krause, left, Richard Wright, Murray Martin, and Pat DeRoos enjoy the trip along the Tennessee River in a catamaran. (Submitted photo)

Would you like to know how to develop an estate plan, protect your life’s savings from investment mistakes, take better photos with a digital camera, and control the growth of kudzu?

If so, you may want to consider becoming a member of the Oak Ridge Institute for Continued Learning, or registering for summer classes and trips if you already are.

The summer semester of ORICL starts June 10 and ends Aug. 9. The early registration deadline is May 15. [Read more…]

Water Safety Instructor’s Class starts Wednesday

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The Oak Ridge Recreation and Parks Department is offering an American Red Cross Water Safety Instructor class starting Wednesday. [Read more…]

Oak Ridge City Aquatic team has signups Monday

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The Oak Ridge City Aquatic team has its annual signup session at the Oak Ridge Civic Center on Monday.

The signup starts at 6 p.m. Monday in the A/B room at the Civic Center. Team suits will be available for sizing and ordering, and the coaches will be there to answer questions, a press release said. [Read more…]

UT Arboretum Society has MOTHer’s Night Out today

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Tiger Moth

Tiger Moth

The University of Tennessee Arboretum Society has its fourth annual MOTHer’s Night Out at 7:30 p.m. today.

The event will allow visitors to learn about moths and other nocturnal insects. It will be led by naturalist Kris Light.

“Bring your camera, your friends, and your kids as well as a magnifying glass, a flashlight and a desire to learn about these fascinating critters,” a press release said. [Read more…]

Federal judge orders Y-12 protesters jailed until September sentencing

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Y-12 Plowshares Protesters

Pictured above are the three anti-nuclear weapons protesters who broke into the Y-12 National Security Complex and vandalized a uranium storage building on July 28. From left, they are Michael Walli, Megan Rice, and Greg Boertje-Obed.

The three protesters who broke into the Y-12 National Security Complex in July and vandalized a uranium storage building must stay in jail until they are sentenced Sept. 23, a federal judge said Friday.

The three protesters—Greg Boertje-Obed, 57; Megan Rice, 83; and Michael Walli, 64—had sought to be released until their sentencing hearings this fall. They each face up to 30 years in prison.

But U.S. District Judge Amul R. Thapar denied that request in a four-page order filed late Friday afternoon. [Read more…]

About 100 people evacuated after pickup ruptures apartment gas line

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Broadway Apartments Gas Leak

The Broadway Apartments on East Madison Road were evacuated Friday morning after a pickup truck rolled down a small hill and ruptured a two-inch gas line. (Photo by Tom Scott)

Emergency workers started evacuating about 100 people at an apartment complex and day care center on Friday morning after a pickup truck ruptured a two-inch natural gas line in central Oak Ridge.

The apparently unoccupied pickup truck, which might have popped out of gear, rolled down a small hill at Broadway Apartments on East Madison Road and into a gas meter, which was attached to the gas line, Oak Ridge Fire Chief Darryl Kerley said.

“It made a pretty significant leak,” he said. [Read more…]

Frank proposes cuts in county property tax rate, law director’s budget

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Terry Frank

Terry Frank

Note: This story was last updated at 9:46 p.m.

Anderson County Mayor Terry Frank on Wednesday proposed cutting the property tax rate by 1.62 cents and reducing the county law director’s budget by 16.5 percent.

It would be a $52,069 decrease in the budget of Anderson County Law Director Jay Yeager, who said he would have to lay off one of his two staff members.

Frank proposed reducing the property tax rate by 1.62 cents through a restructuring of the Alternatives to Incarceration Program, a relatively new program that lost its director in March. [Read more…]

Two ORNL researchers, two joint faculty receive DOE early career awards

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DOE Early Career Awards

Pictured from top left, clockwise, are Valentino Cooper, Gaute Hagen, Matthias Schindler, and Jason Hayward. They are 2013 awardees in the U.S. Department of Energy’s Early Career Research Program. (Submitted photo)

Materials science and physics research led by early career Oak Ridge National Laboratory scientists received a boost this week from the U.S. Department of Energy’s Office of Science Early Career Research Program.

The program, now in its fourth year, is designed to bolster the nation’s scientific workforce by providing support to exceptional researchers during crucial early career years when many scientists do their most formative work. This year’s 61 awardees were selected from a pool of 770 university- and national laboratory-based applicants.

“This highly competitive program is a well-deserved recognition for early-career scientists who are launching their own research programs,” ORNL Director Thom Mason said. “We are delighted that four of this year’s awards are going to researchers associated with ORNL.” [Read more…]

Roane Chamber has home, garden show Saturday

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The Roane County Chamber of Commerce is having its 7th annual Home and Garden Show on Saturday at the Expo Center at Roane State Community College’s Harriman campus. The theme this year is “Go Green and Save Money!”

There will be booths and displays from home improvement products and services, gardening displays, gardener and hardware demonstrations, and arts and crafts. [Read more…]

Community Orchestra concert Saturday features founder, English composers

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Oak Ridge Community Orchestra

Oak Ridge Community Orchestra

The Oak Ridge Community Orchestra has a free concert Saturday featuring the music of three British composers from the 19th and 20th centuries, and one 21st century Oak Ridge composer—Nancy England.

England founded the ORCO 20 years ago, and she is still with the orchestra today, playing cello. The English composers featured at Saturday’s concert are Ralph Vaughan Williams, Gustav Holst, and Edward Elgar, a press release said.

The concert starts at 2 p.m. in the sanctuary of the First Baptist Church of Oak Ridge, at the corner of the Oak Ridge Turnpike and Lafayette Drive. “Admission is free, but modest donations at the door to support the orchestra’s routine operating expenses will be appreciated,” the release said. [Read more…]

WYSH: Kingston man jailed by OSPD on drug, weapons charges

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Information from WYSH Radio

A Kingston man was arrested on several drug and weapon charges Tuesday after a traffic stop in Oliver Springs.

An Oliver Springs Police Department officer pulled over a pickup driven by Glen Long Jr. of Kingston for a broken taillight at around 3:30 pm Tuesday at the intersection of Winter Gap and Main Street. The officer reported that Long appeared to be very nervous while speaking with him and that he could smell the odor of freshly-smoked marijuana coming from the cab of the truck. [Read more…]

Clinton budget: no tax hike

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Information from WYSH Radio

The Clinton City Council held its budget workshop on Monday, and as presented, the proposed budget for Fiscal Year 2013-2014 is balanced with no property tax increase for city residents.

The budget leaves the property tax rate at 76 cents per $100 of assessed value while providing 2 percent pay raises for city workers and taking into account projected increases of between 5 and 20 percent in employee-related and liability insurance. [Read more…]