Oak Ridge Today

Woman charged with aggravated kidnapping

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An Oak Ridge woman has been charged with aggravated kidnapping after she allegedly closed a door on a Clinton woman attempting to leave a North Jefferson Circle home during a “verbal disturbance” last week, and struck the woman around the neck and face, authorities said.

Brittany L. Hagen, 25, reportedly went to the North Jefferson Circle home at about 5 p.m. Friday, Dec. 28, and contacted a resident about the child they had together, according to an affidavit filed in Anderson County General Sessions Court. The man allegedly told Hagen she needed to leave, but she did not, the affidavit said.

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Judge recommends against dismissing Y-12 protester charges, says weapons work not a war crime

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Transform Now Plowshares

The three anti-nuclear weapons activists pictured above allegedly cut through fences and vandalized a high-security building at the Y-12 National Security Complex in July and now face federal charges of property destruction, property depredation, and injuring national defense premises. From left to right the three are Michael R. Walli, Megan Rice, and Greg Boertje-Obed. (Submitted photo)

The charges against three protesters accused of breaking into the Y-12 National Security in July should not be dismissed, a federal judge recommended Wednesday.

U.S. Magistrate Judge C. Clifford Shirley Jr. said the three anti-nuclear weapons activists—Greg Boertje-Obed, Megan Rice, and Michael Walli—have argued that the charges must be dismissed because the production, processing, and storage of nuclear weapons at Y-12 is illegal under United States and international law.

The defendants also contend that the production and continuing threat of the use of nuclear weapons is a war crime and violates international law, Shirley said in a 20-page report and recommendation filed in U.S. District Court in Knoxville on Wednesday.

“The defendants assert that their nonviolent actions to expose and disarm symbolically nuclear weapons were legal, reasonable, and justified,” Shirley said. “Thus, they conclude that laws designed to protect property, such as the statutes charges in the instant case, cannot be applied in such a way that they abrogate the federal and international laws of war.”

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Rock to Bach Music Festival returns to Oak Ridge Jan. 26

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Rock to Bach Music FestivalImagine Bach, Beethoven, and Brahms walking one way as they pass the Beatles walking in the other direction.

That’s the mental image you might have if you attend Oak Ridge’s third Rock to Bach Music Festival on Saturday, Jan. 26, at Pollard Auditorium.

“Rock to Bach” is an all-day music festival presented by the Oak Ridge Civic Music Association as a benefit for ORCMA music organizations, such as the Oak Ridge Symphony Orchestra and Chorus.

More than a dozen groups will perform rock, pop, blues, bluegrass, folk, jazz, gospel, Big Band, swing, klezmer, and classical music.

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DOE manager discusses Oak Ridge Reservation at Jan. 10 meeting

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Larry Kelly

Larry Kelly

Larry Kelly, manager of the U.S. Department of Energy Oak Ridge Office, will be the featured speaker on Thursday, Jan. 10, at a joint meeting of two local nonprofit organizations. His speech is titled “Managing resources on the Oak Ridge Reservation in a changing environment.”

The talk is sponsored by Advocates for the Oak Ridge Reservation and the Oak Ridge Heritage and Preservation Association. It starts at 7 p.m. Jan. 10 at the Midtown Community Center Wildcat Den, and it is open to the public.

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Roane State hosts information meetings for new mechatronics program

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Factory Manufacturing

Technicians trained in mechatronics work with high-tech robotic equipment. (Photo courtesy of Anne Arundel Community College)

Roane State Community College is hosting information meetings about a new certificate program that will train students to become technicians who operate, maintain, and repair high-tech automated manufacturing systems.

Anyone interested in the one-year mechatronics program is invited to attend information meetings on Thursday, Jan. 3, at the college’s Oak Ridge campus; Tuesday, Jan. 8, at the college’s Loudon County campus in Lenoir City; or on Thursday, Jan. 10, at the Clinton Higher Education and Workforce Training Facility.

The information sessions will be held at 10 a.m., 2 p.m., and 6 p.m. each day. Interested students only need to attend one of the sessions.

The program begins Tuesday, Jan. 22, at the Clinton Higher Education and Workforce Training Facility.

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WYSH: Clinton zoo needs Christmas trees for critters

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Information from WYSH Radio

The Little Ponderosa Zoo and Rescue in Clinton will accept live Christmas trees for animals.

The deer, goats, camels, donkeys, and emus (among others) love the greens, and the porcupines eat the trunk. And tigers love to play with the trees.

The nonprofit Little Ponderosa Zoo is are open for winter hours Saturday and Sunday from 10-4 p.m., but workers are available to accept trees any day this week if you call (865) 457-5536. Trees will be accepted any time up to Jan. 15. Live wreaths and garland will be accepted, but brush will not be.

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Anderson County Courthouse phone system working again

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The phone system at the Anderson County Courthouse began working again at about 2:25 p.m. today.

The system had been down earlier today due to a reported cut in a fiber optic cable between Knoxville and Chattanooga.

Most Internet connections had also been down, said Leean Tupper, assistant to Anderson County Mayor Terry Frank.

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Telephones, Internet down at Anderson, Clinton government offices

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A reported cut in a fiber optic cable between Knoxville and Chattanooga has knocked out telephone service and most Internet connections at the Anderson County Courthouse in Clinton.

Workers are unable to call from the building, and residents are unable to call in, said Leean Tupper, administrative assistant to Anderson County Mayor Terry Frank.

“We apologize, but we’re waiting on our phone provider to fix the problem,” Tupper said early Wednesday afternoon.

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Government contracting seminar for small business owners

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Small business owners can learn more about doing business with the government during a Jan. 15 seminar at the Oak Ridge Chamber of Commerce.

The free seminar, scheduled from 9 a.m. to noon Jan 15, is being offered by the Tennessee Small Business Development Center and Oak Ridge Chamber of Commerce.

The featured speaker is Paul Middlebrooks, marketing consultant at the University of Tennessee Center for Industrial Services. The program is designed to introduce business owners and managers to the diversity of government purchasing.

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House also passes ‘fiscal cliff’ deal, but Tennessee representatives oppose it

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U.S. Representative Chuck Fleischmann

Chuck Fleischmann

Less than 24 hours after the U.S. Senate overwhelmingly approved it, the U.S. House passed legislation late Tuesday night to avoid the so-called “fiscal cliff,” but seven Tennessee Republicans and one Democrat opposed it.

The bill, which now goes to President Barack Obama for his signature, averts income tax increases for most Americans and temporarily delays large across-the-board spending cuts to defense and domestic programs.

However, the Associated Press reported most Americans will still end up paying more federal taxes in 2013 because the legislation did not renew a temporary 2 percent cut in the payroll tax. That reduction was worth about $1,000 to a worker making $50,000 a year.

U.S. senators Lamar Alexander and Bob Corker, both Tennessee Republicans, voted for the bill in the Senate, where it passed 89-8 early Tuesday morning. Alexander and Corker said the legislation, reached after weeks of negotiations between the White House and Congress, “rescues” 99 percent of Americans from a tax rate increase.

But all seven Tennessee Republicans in the U.S. House, including Rep. Chuck Fleischmann, voted against it. The vote in the House was 257-167.

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Pittsburgh Paints moving to Fairbanks Road

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Pittsburgh Paints

Pittsburgh Paints is moving from Melton Lake Drive to Fairbanks Road.

Pittsburgh Paints is moving from Melton Lake Drive to Fairbanks Road, developer and commercial landlord Rick Chinn said Friday.

The new store will be located where the former Atomic City Sports Bar used to be.

Chinn said the new Pittsburgh Paints store has a Feb. 1 occupancy date.

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Alexander, Corker vote for ‘fiscal cliff’ deal

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U.S. Senator Lamar Alexander

Lamar Alexander

U.S. Senator Bob Corker

Bob Corker

U.S. senators Lamar Alexander and Bob Corker voted in favor of a “fiscal cliff” deal early Tuesday morning that would allow tax rates to rise only for wealthy Americans while temporarily suspending sweeping federal spending cuts.

The deal was approved 89-8 in the U.S. Senate but still has to be passed by the House. Approval there is not guaranteed.

The agreement would raise tax rates for individuals who earn more than $400,000 and couples with incomes of more than $450,000. It would also extend unemployment insurance for another year and temporarily delay $110 billion in across-the-board spending cuts to military and domestic programs.

Alexander, a Tennessee Republican, released a statement after the 1:39 a.m. vote early Tuesday, New Year’s Day. The vote could help the nation avert the so-called “fiscal cliff,” a package of automatic across-the-board spending cuts and tax increases scheduled to start going into effect this month.

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