Oak Ridge Today

Sequester scenarios: DOE contractors in Tennessee could furlough 1,400, lose $90 million

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Daniel B. Poneman

Daniel B. Poneman

The federal funding cuts that went into effect March 1 could result in 1,400 furloughs or layoffs for U.S. Department of Energy contractors in Tennessee, an official said this week. The furloughs could start as early as April 1.

There could also be spending reductions of about $90 million for DOE contractors in the Volunteer State, DOE Deputy Secretary Daniel B. Poneman said in a March 5 letter to Tennessee Gov. Bill Haslam.

Funding for contractors at the Y-12 National Security Complex in Oak Ridge could be cut by roughly $41 million, and more than 1,000 contractor employees could be furloughed, Poneman said.

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Meth lab bust includes 90 pounds of ammonia, 700 coffee filters, acid, fuel

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Anderson County authorities serving a warrant at a mobile home on Becks Lane in Claxton on Monday found an alleged methamphetamine laboratory that included 90 pounds of anhydrous ammonia, 700 coffee filters, two gallons of muriatic acid, and more than a gallon of Coleman fuel, as well as a white substance that tested positive for meth, records said.

Ingredients and equipment that could be used to make meth were scattered around the home, including in a shed near the back of the home, in a 1996 Buick, and under a motor home in the driveway, according to an Anderson County Sheriff’s Department report. Authorities detected the “distinct odor” of anhydrous ammonia at several places near the home, Anderson County Sheriff’s Department Investigator Jason D. Leach said in the report.

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Rotary International president visits Oak Ridge for peace forum

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Sakuji Tanaka

Sakuji Tanaka

When Rotary International President Sakuji Tanaka of Japan visits Oak Ridge on Friday and Saturday, he will talk about and hear innovative ideas on how to achieve peace through service.

On Friday, Thom Mason, director of Oak Ridge National Laboratory, will give Tanaka a tour of ORNL. At 3 p.m., the RI president will tour the Secret City Commemorative Walk built by the Rotary Club of Oak Ridge. City Manager Mark Watson, who is president-elect of this Rotary club, will present a gift to Tanaka, who will make some remarks.

At 3:45 p.m. Tanaka will then visit the International Friendship Bell, where he will be welcomed by Oak Ridger Jack Bailey, district governor of RI District 6780, which encompasses 65 clubs in East Tennessee. Shigeko Uppuluri will present a history of the bell and give a bell replica to Tanaka, who will make remarks and ring the bell.

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Saturday concert features music by two Tennessee composers, dulcimerist


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Stephen Seifert

Stephen Seifert

Dan Allcott has been conducting research—and two professional orchestras: the Bryan Symphony Orchestra in Cookeville and Oak Ridge Symphony Orchestra.

He has been studying the life and music of composer Charles Faulkner Bryan, a native of McMinnville who died in 1955 at the young age of 44. The Cookeville orchestra is named after him.

Accompanied by ORSO, the Oak Ridge Chorus on Saturday will sing “The Bell Witch,” a cantata written by Bryan in 1947 while studying with Paul Hindemith at Yale University. The concert will start at 7:30 p.m. at the Oak Ridge High School Performing Arts Center.

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Oak Ridge police identify Kmart robbery suspect

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The Oak Ridge Police Department has identified a robbery suspect who allegedly stole $56 in cash and 387 oxycontin pills from the Kmart pharmacy last week.

The suspect has been identified as Jeramiah Frederick Webb, 35, of Morgan County, ORPD Lt. Robin Smith said Wednesday. Webb’s last known address was in Lancing, Smith said.

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Roane Chamber and SBDC announce business entrepreneur workshops

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The Roane County Chamber of Commerce and the Tennessee Small Business Development Center at Roane State Community College have joined together to offer three free workshops for entrepreneurs who are considering or have recently started their own business.

The two-hour workshops are scheduled for March 7, March 21, and April 11, from 1-3 p.m. at The Roane Alliance.

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ORNL’s Reeves wins microscopy society’s outstanding technologist award

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Shawn Reeves

Shawn Reeves

Oak Ridge National Laboratory’s Shawn Reeves has been awarded the 2013 Outstanding Technologist Award in Physical Sciences from the Microscopy Society of America.

She is a member of the microscopy group in ORNL’s Materials Science and Technology Division.

Reeves, a Lenoir City resident, will receive the award during the plenary session of the Microscopy and Microanalysis Annual Meeting in Indianapolis this summer.

Oliver Springs contestant impresses ‘American Idol’ judges again

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Information from WYSH Radio

Janelle Arthur of Oliver Springs had another strong performance on Tuesday night’s edition of “American Idol.”

Arthur, one of the last 10 women remaining in the competition, impressed the judges with what they call her “traditional country voice” and prompted Mariah Carey to label her “America’s Sweetheart.”

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Snow blankets Oak Ridge, more possible in region today

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March Snowfall in Oak Ridge

A light layer of snow blankets the ground at A.K. Bissell Park on Wednesday morning.

A light layer of snow blanketed Oak Ridge on Wednesday morning, and forecasters said regional snow showers and windy conditions will continue through this evening.

The National Weather Service in Morristown said the heaviest snowfall will occur along the mountains of southwest Virginia and east Tennessee.

Winter storm warnings and winter weather advisories are in effect for much of the Ohio River valley and mid-Atlantic states, as well as for parts of the southern Appalachians.

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Five mercury cleanup projects wrapped up in February

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Mercury-contaminated Tank Cleanup

Workers load a mercury-contaminated tank onto inspection saddles. (Image courtesy of U.S. Department of Energy/UCOR)

Five mercury projects being performed under the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act were completed in February, with URS-CH2M Oak Ridge LLC, or UCOR, issuing the final reports.

The projects ranged from planning new facilities and planning for cost-effective disposition of mercury-contaminated media, to removing old, abandoned tanks containing mercury. All are part of getting ready for an upcoming major focus on mercury cleanup at the Y-12 National Security Complex.

In the area of Y-12 known as the West End Mercury Area, or WEMA, multiple facilities produced a lithium isotope fundamental to the development of the hydrogen weapon. Mercury was used in that process. In those facilities, various amounts of mercury are present in the process pipes and equipment, drains and sumps, soil surrounding the facilities, storm sewers, and stream sediments.

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Trio arrested after alleged beating in barricaded home

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An Oliver Springs man and two Clinton men charged with kidnapping and false imprisonment after an alleged beating in a barricaded home in Oliver Springs have court hearings Thursday.

The three were arrested after the Oliver Springs Police Department responded to a report of a person being held against their will and beaten in a Ridgeview Drive home at about 11:30 p.m. Saturday, Feb. 23.

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Eight firms show interest in designing ETTP museum

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ETTP After Cleanup

An artist’s rendering of what the East Tennessee Technology Park could look like after cleanup and historic preservation activities are completed. (Image courtesy of U.S. Department of Energy/UCOR)

The pre-qualification window for companies to bid on the professional site design for a museum at the East Tennessee Technology Park closed in February. Eight firms that specialize in museum planning and exhibit design responded to the pre-qualification request.

Planning for the museum is one of several activities under way to commemorate ETTP’s history, including a history center located on the second floor of the Oak Ridge Fire Station and an observation tower overlooking the K-25 Building footprint.

The museum will house artifact and historic materials removed from the K-25 Building, which was built during World War II as part of the top-secret Manhattan Project, a federal program to build the world’s first atomic weapons. The building and ETTP, often referred to as the K-25 site, were also used to enrich uranium after the war.

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