Oak Ridge Today

Celebrating Obama’s inauguration, King’s birthday

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John Hamilton Sings with Collizjion

John Hamilton, center, sings with Knoxville band Collizjion at a Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. Day celebration at the Midtown Community Center in Oak Ridge on Monday. Also pictured, from left, are Xzavian Wrushen, Taylor Warren, Mackcell Rodgers, and Brandon Anderson.

As millions of people across the country watched the inaugural ceremony for President Barack Obama, many others celebrated the birthday of Martin Luther King Jr.

Ceremonies in the past week to honor the slain civil rights leader included a Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. Day celebration on Monday at the Midtown Community Center.

It was sponsored by Methodist Medical Center of Oak Ridge, and it included music, a brief presentation on King’s life and work, and remarks by Connie Martin, MMC vice president and chief support officer.

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See Oak Ridge mayor play at Rock to Bach Music Festival

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Ridge City Ramblers

Members of the Ridge City Ramblers, who will play at the Rock to Bach Music Festival, are, from left, Gary Coleman, Mary Tuskan, Scott Linn, Abbie Hoerner, Oak Ridge Mayor Tom Beehan and Steve Reddick. (Submitted photo)

Not every city has a mayor who plays a banjo in a band.

Oak Ridge does.

Mayor Tom Beehan and five other musicians are members of The Ridge City Ramblers. The band will perform at Oak Ridge’s third Rock to Bach Music Festival on Jan. 26 at the Oak Ridge Associated Universities Pollard Auditorium.

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Q&A: John Eschenberg on Uranium Processing Facility at Y-12

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Uranium Processing Facility

The proposed Uranium Processing Facility at the Y-12 National Security Complex. (Image courtesy of B&W Y-12)

The following is an edited version of a question-and-answer session with John Eschenberg, federal project director for the proposed Uranium Processing Facility at the Y-12 National Security Complex. Federal officials said last fall that the UPF could be larger than originally planned to make sure all the building’s equipment fits inside.

Q: What is the status of the UPF redesign?

A: UPF is currently at 66 percent of design completion. Once 90 percent design completion is achieved, we will submit a Critical Decision-2 (CD-2) package to headquarters for approval that will contain the complete cost and schedule baseline for UPF. This process, which involves both an independent cost estimate and an external independent review, will likely take several weeks to complete.

The cost range for UPF is unchanged: $4.2 billion-$6.5 billion.

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Free community meal at Unitarian Universalist Church on Friday

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The Oak Ridge Unitarian Universalist Church has a free community meal on Friday, and nurses from the Free Medical Clinic of Oak Ridge have volunteered to give flu shots to those in need, a press release said.

Free coats and blankets will also be available on a first-come, first-serve basis due to a limited supply.

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State legislators, county mayor tour ORNL

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Kelly Beierschmitt and Terry Frank at ORNL

Kelly Beierschmitt, Oak Ridge National Laboratory associate lab director for neutron sciences, talks with Anderson County Mayor Terry Frank in the target building at the Spallation Neutron Source. (Photos courtesy of ORNL)

Five Tennessee legislators and Anderson County Mayor Terry Frank recently toured Oak Ridge National Laboratory.

Frank toured the Spallation Neutron Source, the Consortium for Advanced Simulation of Light Water Reactors, and the Oak Ridge Leadership Computing Facility. She had a briefing from Thom Mason on the modernization of ORNL as well as the lab’s regional economic impact, a lab statement said.

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Monthly ‘Breakfast with Legislators’ starts Jan. 28

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Randy McNally

Randy McNally

John Ragan

John Ragan

This year’s monthly “Breakfast with the Legislators” starts Monday, Jan. 28.

The series is held at the Oak Ridge Civic Center on the last Monday of each month while the Tennessee General Assembly is in session each year. It’s sponsored by the League of Women Voters of Oak Ridge, and it gives residents a chance to meet local representatives and ask questions about legislative issues.

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Anderson County Commission, School Board plan security workshop

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The Anderson County Commission and School Board have scheduled a workshop next month to discuss security concerns.

The workshop starts at 6 p.m. Feb. 7 in Room 312 of the Anderson County Courthouse. The courthouse is located at 100 N. Main St. in Clinton.

Former Roane State basketball star honored for Hall of Fame induction

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Bernadette Mattox

Bernadette Mattox

Bernadette Mattox, a star basketball player at Roane State Community College in the 1970s who has had a ground-breaking and successful coaching career, will be honored at the college’s Jan. 26 basketball games for her induction into the Tennessee Community College Athletic Association Hall of Fame.

Roane State’s women play Dyersburg State at 2 p.m. on Saturday, Jan. 26, and the men follow at 4 p.m. Games are held in the gym at the college’s Roane County campus in Harriman. Mattox will be honored at halftime of the men’s game.

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Two City Council members appointed to National League of Cities committees

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Oak Ridge City Council

The Oak Ridge City Council is pictured above. Anne Garcia Garland is pictured at left and David Mosby is at right.

Two Oak Ridge City Council members have been appointed to key National League of Cities committees, a city press release said.

National League of Cities President Marie Lopez Rogers has announced the appointment of Oak Ridge City Council member Anne Garcia Garland to the National League of Cities 2013 Community and Economic Development Steering Committee, and the re-appointment of Council member David Mosby to the Energy, Environment, and Natural Resources Steering Committee, the press release said.

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Free genealogy workshop to be offered at Clinton Library

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Clinton Public Library has partnered with two members of the Pellissippi Genealogical and Historical Society to offer a four-part genealogy workshop entitled “Genealogy 101: The Basics.”

Conducted by society members Stephanie Hill and Emily Haverkamp, sessions are scheduled for four Tuesdays: Jan. 29, Feb. 5, Feb. 12, and Feb. 19, from 6-8 p.m. There is no charge for the workshop.

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Free small business seminar on Jan. 31

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The Tennessee Small Business Development Center and Oak Ridge Chamber of Commerce are having a free workshop on Jan. 31 for small business owners and entrepreneurs who want a better understanding of how to start a new business.

The workshop will include information on business organization, licenses and  planning; tax requirements; and financing options, with additional discussion about Small Business Administration loan guarantee programs.

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Last-minute steal seals deal for Karns

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Oak Ridge and Karns Basketball

The Oak Ridge Wildcats lost a close, high-scoring game to the Karns Beavers in Oak Ridge on Friday night. Karns won 84-81.

It was a high-scoring game with many lead changes, but a last-minute steal by Karns essentially sealed the deal.

The Oak Ridge Wildcats were ahead of the Karns Beavers 81-80 with less than a minute to play at Wildcat Arena on Friday night.

But shortly after missing two free throws and with about 30 seconds remaining, Karns (17-4, 9-2) stole the ball from Oak Ridge (17-4, 7-4) and scored.

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