Oak Ridge Today

Nature walks scheduled on Oak Ridge Reservation

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Narrow leaved spring beauties are found on the Oak Ridge Reservation. (Submitted photo)

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On the U.S. Department of Energy’s Oak Ridge Reservation, located in East Tennessee, more than 1,100 vascular plants, 72 fish, 34 mammals, and more than 200 bird species have been observed.

This year, the public is invited to nine nature walks designed to highlight not only the rich flora and fauna diversity of the reservation, but also to demonstrate the work being done to sustainably manage and conserve this resource. Walks will take place on several locations across the Oak Ridge Reservation beginning in late winter through mid-summer. No pets, please.

Reservations for the following events must be made in advance by noon the Thursday prior to each walk by contacting Tracy Clem at (865) 574-5151 or [email protected]. More information about these walks is available by contacting Trent Jett at (865) 574-9188 or [email protected].

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No damage reported on Oak Ridge Reservation after earthquake

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The Y-12 National Security Complex is pictured above. (Photo courtesy CNS Y-12)

No damage was reported on the Oak Ridge Reservation after a 3.8 magnitude earthquake was reported about 30 miles northeast of Oak Ridge on Monday, January 20.

The earthquake was felt in Oak Ridge and other communities, and it vibrated homes and windows here. The earthquake was reported by the U.S. Geological Survey.

Two lower magnitude 2.4 and 2.8 earthquakes were also reported on Sunday, January 19, and Tuesday, January 21, respectively, the Defense Nuclear Facilities Safety Board said in its most recent report.

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ORISE to host virtual career fair for ORNL internships, fellowships, research associates

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Part of the ORAU campus in central Oak Ridge is pictured above on May 29, 2017. (Photo by John Huotari/Oak Ridge Today)

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The Oak Ridge Institute for Science and Education will host a virtual career fair on Thursday, February 20, from noon to 3 p.m. Eastern time to highlight the paid internships, fellowships, and research associate programs available to college students and recent graduates at Oak Ridge National Laboratory.

During this time, attendees can interact with ORNL scientists, researchers, recruiters, and staff, as well as ORISE program representatives. They also can learn more about the different directorates, or major focus areas, that make up ORNL, such as Computing and Computational Sciences, Energy and Environmental Sciences, Neutron Sciences, Nuclear Science and Engineering, and Physical Sciences.

“The ORISE Virtual Career Fair provides a unique and exciting opportunity for university-level students and postgraduates to investigate internships, fellowships, and research associate programs available at Oak Ridge National Laboratory,” said ORISE Workforce Development Director Craig Layman. “Representatives from ORNL and ORISE will be on hand to chat with the virtual attendees.” [Read more…]

Family Justice Center to be discussed Tuesday

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Melissa-Miller-Dave-Clark
Pictured above are Melissa Miller and District Attorney General David Clark when Clark signed the grant acceptance form enabling Anderson County to establish the Family Justice Center. (Submitted photo)

The Lunch with the League program on Tuesday, February 18, will feature Melissa Miller, site coordinator of the new Anderson County Family Justice Center, and Detective Wendy Zolkowski of the Oak Ridge Police Department.

The Anderson County Family Justice Center will open in July 2020, a press release said.

“Miller and Zolkowski are working together to set up a world-class center that will provide a combination of services and interventions available in one location to help victims of child abuse, elder abuse, and domestic violence,” the press release said. “The Center will help victims break the cycle of violence and become thriving survivors by providing access to onsite professionals who will assist them in making this transition. The Center will be a free and confidential resource for clients.”

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Free backyard mushroom workshop Saturday at Winter Farmers Market

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Geordie Schmidt
Geordie Schmidt of Oak Ridge holds a giant wine cap mushroom, grown in a mulch bed in his family’s backyard. Geordie’s father, Jason Schmidt, will be hosting a free workshop at the Winter Farmers’ Market on Growing Backyard Mushrooms, Sat., Feb. 15, 2020, at 11 a.m. The market is open 10 a.m. to 1 p.m., in the gym at St. Mary’s School, 323 Vermont Ave., Oak Ridge. (Submitted photo)

The Winter Farmers’ Market will offer a free workshop about “Growing Backyard Mushrooms” on Saturday, February 15, at 11 a.m. at the Winter Farmers’ Market, which is in the gym at St. Mary’s School at 323 Vermont Avenue in Oak Ridge. The market is open 10 a.m. to 1 p.m. Saturdays, and the workshop is in the back room of the market.

“Oak Ridge is a great place to grow mushrooms,” said Jason Schmidt, who will be presenting the workshop. “They don’t need a lot of room, and they love shady, wooded areas, which we have in abundance.”

Participants will be able to sign up for a “Mushroom Inoculation Station” offered March 7, in which they can make their own shiitake mushroom log at the market.

The Winter Farmers’ Market features 30 local farmers, bakers, and artisans, and it is open every Saturday through March 28. 

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K-25 History Center has grand opening this month

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The K-25 History Center will have a grand opening ceremony on Thursday, February 27.

The ceremony, which will include a ribbon-cutting, is scheduled for 10:30 a.m. Thursday, February 27, at 652 Enrichment Street in west Oak Ridge.

The K-25 site, now known as Heritage Center, was built during World War II to help enrich uranium for the top-secret Manhattan Project, a federal program to build the world’s first atomic bombs. K-25 helped enrich uranium for “Little Boy,” a nuclear weapon dropped over Hiroshima, Japan, on August 6, 1945, shortly before the end of World War II.

After the war, K-25 enriched uranium for nuclear weapons and commercial nuclear power plants through the Cold War. The site was shut down in the mid-1980s, and it is being cleaned up and converted into a private industrial park. The site’s large uranium enrichment buildings have been demolished and so have many of the support buildings. Most of the cleanup is expected to be completed this year.

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Motorsports park proposed at Horizon Center

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The Horizon Center off Highway 58 in west Oak Ridge is pictured above in this image published by the Oak Ridge Industrial Development Board.

A motorsports park that could cost more than $50 million and cover more than 300 acres has been proposed at Horizon Center in west Oak Ridge.

The Oak Ridge City Council is expected to consider a resolution expressing support for and interest in the project on Monday evening. The development of the test track and research facility could be on three lots at Horizon Center: parcels 5, 6, and 7. The project could include about 327 acres total.

If the resolution is approved Monday, it would be sent to the Oak Ridge Industrial Development Board. The project could then be reviewed by the IDB, which could consider whether to sell the property. The IDB has contacted Oak Ridge City Manager Mark Watson’s office to determine City Council’s interest in the project, according to the agenda for Monday’s meeting.

H.E. Bittle III of Hardin Valley Land Partners told Oak Ridge officials in a February 2 letter that the planned motorsports park would have a road course “suitable for FIA (Federation Internationale de L’Automobile) sanctioned events, such as Formula E, Indy Car, IMSA, NASA, and other sanctioning bodies.”

Besides the race course, the motorsports park would have an amphitheater with a mix of permanent and lawn seating for more than 7,000 people, similar to the Ascend Amphitheater in Nashville, Bittle said.

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Flooding causes road, school closings

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The rain that continued to fall in East Tennessee on Thursday, Feb. 6, 2020, has led to school and road closures. Pictured above, floodwaters from East Fork Poplar Creek fill a basin near the intersection of Oak Ridge Turnpike and Illinois Avenue.

The rain that continued to fall in East Tennessee on Thursday has led to school and road closures.

The National Weather Service in Morristown said Oak Ridge received an estimated 4.47 inches of rain between 5 a.m. Tuesday, February 4, and 5 a.m. Thursday, February 6.

Image courtesy National Weather Service in Morristown

Anderson County Schools are closed Thursday due to the continued threat of flooding.

The Oak Ridge Police Department said Thursday morning that the intersection of Jefferson Avenue and North Jefferson Circle is closed due to flooding.

And the ORPD said drivers should use caution on State Route 95/Oak Ridge Turnpike between Imperium Drive and Southwood Lane. Traffic is down to one lane due to flooding, the ORPD said.

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U.S. Census seeking workers in Anderson County

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The U.S. Census Bureau is seeking census takers in Anderson County for this year’s census.

Larry Carignan, a recruiter for the census in Anderson County, will be at the Anderson County Courthouse in Clinton on two dates this month to answer questions and help anyone who might be interested in applying to work as a census taker, a press release said.

Carignan will be at the Courthouse from 9 a.m. to 1 p.m. on Tuesday, February 4, and Thursday, February 13, to recruit potential workers for the federal census in Anderson County. He will be set up next to the Courtesy Booth on the Courthouse’s first floor near the elevators.

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Big Ed’s Pizza celebrates 50 years today

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Big Ed's Pizza
The front of Big Ed’s Pizza is pictured above in October 2013. (File photo by John Huotari/Oak Ridge Today)

Big Ed’s Pizza, Oak Ridge’s most well-known restaurant, is celebrating 50 years on Monday, February 3.

Special merchandise will be available for sale, including 50th anniversary limited editions of Big Ed’s Pizza beer mugs and shirts, a press release said, and there will be free cake from Oak Ridge bakery Sassy Pants Sweets and Treats.

The Big Ed’s staff will be wearing a special “1970” shirt in observance, the press release said.

The festivities start at 11 a.m. Monday.

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AC Commission schedules public hearing on TVA request for landfill at Bull Run

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The Tennessee Valley Authority’s Bull Run Fossil Plant is pictured above in Claxton on Monday, Aug. 27, 2018. (Photo by John Huotari/Oak Ridge Today)

The Anderson County Commission has scheduled a public hearing to discuss a request from the Tennessee Valley Authority to build a 60-acre landfill on the Bull Run Fossil Plant site in Claxton.

The hearing is scheduled to start at 4 p.m. Tuesday, February 18, in Room 312 of the Anderson County Courthouse at 100 North Main Street in Clinton.

The proposed new landfill is known Site J, and it has been characterized as a three-cell unit capable of holding eight to nine million cubic yards of coal combustion residuals, according to a public hearing notice.

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Roane State Foundation wins $6,000 grant from CNS Y-12

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Making the grant presentation, from left, are Robert Keen, chair of the Y-12 Employment Investment Advisory Committee; Scott Niermann, executive director of the Roane State Foundation; Teresa Duncan, Roane State vice president of workforce development and director of the college’s Oak Ridge Branch Campus; Meghan Lovelace, committee secretary; Mike McClamroch, East Tennessee Foundation president and CEO; and Amy Wilson, CNS senior director of transformation. (Photo by Roane State Community College)

The Roane State Foundation has won a $6,000 grant from the CNS Y-12 Community Investment Fund to help adult students in the community college’s programs in computer science, cybersecurity, and mechatronics, a press release said.

CNS operates the Y-12 National Security Complex in Oak Ridge, and the contractor established the fund through the East Tennessee Foundation in 2014 as part of its commitment to Oak Ridge and the surrounding communities.

Officials said the grant will fund scholarships to help students pay for industry-recognized certifications. Those certifications are important tools for graduates to pair with their college degree to demonstrate to employers they have the skills and documentations that often allow graduates to earn higher wages when going to work, the press release said.

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