Oak Ridge Today

Neutron production at ORNL’s SNS reaches design power level

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The Spallation Neutron Source at Oak Ridge National Laboratory has reached its operational power design level by running a neutron production cycle at 1.4 megawatts, the lab said Tuesday, Nov. 27, 2018. (Photo courtesy ORNL)

The Spallation Neutron Source at Oak Ridge National Laboratory has reached its operational power design level by running a neutron production cycle at 1.4 megawatts, the lab said Tuesday, Nov. 27, 2018. (Photo courtesy ORNL)

 

The Spallation Neutron Source at Oak Ridge National Laboratory has broken a new record by ending its first neutron production cycle in fiscal year 2019 at its design power level of 1.4 megawatts.

Higher power provides more neutrons for researchers who use the facility to study a wide range of materials, an ORNL press release said. The achievement marks a new operational milestone for neutron scattering in the United States and opens the door to studying significantly smaller materials with greater complexity, the press release said.

“The operation of SNS at 1.4 megawatts this cycle has been an outstanding achievement,” said Paul Langan, associate laboratory director for neutron sciences. “It reflects on the maturity of our facility and the high level of technical excellence of our engineering, operational, and scientific staff.”

The power increase was enabled by the combination of extensive improvements to the linear accelerator, including the recent replacement of the radio frequency quadrupole—the first accelerating structure of the accelerator’s frontend assembly, as well as improvements to the liquid mercury target. [Read more…]

CTF: 53 grams of suspected meth found in hotel room search

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Bobby M. Baucum

Bobby M. Baucum

 

About 53 grams of suspected crystal methamphetamine were found during a hotel room search in Clinton in October, authorities said.

Bobby M. Baucum, 47, of Knoxville, was arrested after the search, which was led by the Seventh Judicial District Crime Task Force of Anderson County, according to Anderson County court and jail records. Baucum was charged with possession of schedule II drugs (methamphetamine) for sale and possession of drug paraphernalia.

Baucum had been using a hotel room at the Red Roof Inn and Suites on Buffalo Road in Clinton, according to affidavits filed by Jonathan Wilson of the Seventh Judicial District Crime Task Force. Officers, who had a search warrant, searched the room on October 3, the affidavits said.

The search of the hotel room found the roughly 53 grams of suspected meth and a digital scale and plastic bags, Wilson said in the affidavits. [Read more…]

UT-Battelle will provide ORNL security starting in December

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Oak Ridge National Laboratory Sign

Photo by ORNL

 

Starting in December, Oak Ridge National Laboratory and Y-12 National Security Complex will both manage their own security forces to protect their sites.

Y-12 has been managing its own protective force for about six years, ever since a former contractor, B&W Y-12, terminated a contract with WSI Oak Ridge after a security breach at the 811-acre plant. The current Y-12 contractor, Consolidated Nuclear Security LLC, confirmed this month that it has been responsible for security and security police officers since it began managing and operating the plant in July 2014.

On Friday, UT-Battelle, which manages and operates ORNL for the U.S. Department of Energy, said it is assuming responsibility for providing protective force services at the laboratory starting December 30. That’s when a new security contractor will take over at some federal sites in Oak Ridge.

ORNL Media Relations Manager Morgan McCorkle said about 90 employees who have been providing security services at ORNL under a contract with National Strategic Protective Services LLC will transition from NSPS to UT-Battelle. [Read more…]

Winter Farmers’ Market opens Saturday

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There are more than 30 vendors each week at the Winter Farmers' Market at St. Mary's School gym in Oak Ridge. (Photo courtesy Winter Farmers' Market)

There are more than 30 vendors each week at the Winter Farmers’ Market at St. Mary’s School gym in Oak Ridge. (Photo courtesy Winter Farmers’ Market)

 

Anderson County’s largest market accepts SNAP, offers educational programs for children and adults

The Winter Farmers’ Market by Grow Oak Ridge opens for its third season on Saturday, December 1, from 10 a.m. to 1 p.m., at 323 Vermont Avenue (St. Mary’s School gym) in Oak Ridge. It is open each Saturday, December through February, except for December 29.

Opening day features hourly door prizes and a free drawing for $20 in market tokens at noon, a press release said.

This is the largest farmers’ market in Anderson County, with 44 vendors on roll, and 35 most weeks in December, according to market director Rebecca Williams.

“The gym is filled and we have a waiting list in December, and even in January and February, we will have close to 30 local producer-vendors each week,” Williams said. “All of them must make, bake, or grow what they sell within 150 miles of Oak Ridge.

“Our farmers grow all year long, so you will see produce, pasture-raised beef, pork, and tilapia, local honey, free-range eggs, and fresh flowers and plants. Plus we have artisan food vendors bringing breads and pastries, jams and jellies. Food trucks will serve coffee, brunch, and lunch. And, our crafters offer unique handmade holiday gifts such as pottery, textiles, wood made items, bath and body products, and more.” [Read more…]

Knoxville TV stations offer unique experiences for Children’s Museum Gala Auction

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Frank Murpjy, of WNOX radio, will emcee the Children's Museum Gala Friday, Nov. 30, 2018. (Submitted photo)

Frank Murpjy, of WNOX radio, will emcee the Children’s Museum Gala Friday, Nov. 30, 2018. (Submitted photo)

Celebrate Oak Ridge’s 75th birthday at Children’s Museum Gala

Knoxville’s three local TV stations are offering opportunities to shadow a meteorologist, be a news anchor in a mock news cast, and tour a haunted mansion, as auction experiences up for bid during a Gala on Friday at the Children’s Museum of Oak Ridge.

The Children’s Museum is hosting its 17th annual Gala, a museum benefit with the theme “Oak Ridge at 75: A Night of Nostalgia,” at 6 p.m. Friday at the Museum, 461 West Outer Drive.

Guests will have a chance to bid on an exclusive offer to shadow WBIR-TV Todd Howell, the station’s chief meteorologist since 1996, for a day.

At WVLT-TV, after a station tour and catered lunch with news anchors Ted Hall or Amanda Hara, or both, the winning bidder will read actual news scripts on the news set with anchors during a mock news cast that will be recorded and sent to the winner. [Read more…]

Reactor shutdown affects experiments, isotope production at HFIR

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The High Flux Isotope Reactor vessel at Oak Ridge National Laboratory resides in a pool of water illuminated by the blue glow of the Cherenkov radiation effect. (Photo courtesy ORNL)

The High Flux Isotope Reactor vessel at Oak Ridge National Laboratory resides in a pool of water illuminated by the blue glow of the Cherenkov radiation effect. (Photo courtesy ORNL)

 

Experiments and isotope production have been affected, but employees are still able to carry out their normal duties at the High Flux Isotope Reactor as the U.S. Department of Energy investigates a slightly elevated radiation level in HFIR’s primary cooling system.

The High Flux Isotope Reactor, which is used for research and isotope production, is at Oak Ridge National Laboratory.

In a response to questions on Wednesday, ORNL Communications Director David Keim said the slightly elevated reading in the primary cooling system was well below alarm levels.

“The HFIR operators promptly responded to the reading and placed the reactor in a safe condition,” Keim said. [Read more…]

Gooch, Chinn re-elected as mayor, mayor pro tem

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Warren Gooch

Warren Gooch

Oak Ridge Mayor Warren Gooch and Mayor Pro Tem Rick Chinn were re-elected to two-year terms during a special City Council meeting on Tuesday.

In Oak Ridge, the seven-member City Council selects two of its members to serve as mayor and mayor pro tem after each municipal election every two years. The mayor pro tem serves in the mayor’s absence.

Gooch was the only candidate for mayor on Tuesday. Gooch was re-elected November 6, and he is serving his second four-year term as a City Council member and third two-year term as mayor.

Chinn was also re-elected to a second four-year term City Council on November 6, and he is serving his second two-year term as mayor pro tem. [Read more…]

Updated: Man shot in leg while allegedly trying to steal trailer

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Note: This story was updated at 8:55 p.m.

A man was shot in the leg early Tuesday while attempting to steal a utility trailer and rail buggy in Anderson County, authorities said.

The shooting was reported at about 2:19 a.m. Tuesday when two men tried to steal the utility trailer and hook it up to a vehicle on Sulphur Springs Road, said Tyler Mayes, director of administrative services for the Anderson County Sheriff’s Department.

The property owner told Deputy Randy Seay, that after hearing noises, he and his son went outside and saw a dark vehicle backed up to their utility trailer, which was loaded with a rail buggy. The property owner noticed two people, later identified as Bret Weaver, 40, and Joey Seiber, 27, trying to hook up the trailer to their vehicle, Mayes said in a media release. [Read more…]

Council to elect mayor, mayor pro tem; discuss DOE landfill

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The four Oak Ridge City Council members re-elected on November 6 will be sworn into office during a special meeting this evening (Tuesday, November 27).

Council will then choose two of its members to serve as mayor and mayor pro tem. The mayor and mayor pro tem, who serves in the mayor’s absence, serve two-year terms. Under the City Charter, they are chosen by Council after each municipal election every two years.

Oak Ridge City Council member Warren Gooch, who has served two terms as mayor, has announced he will seek to be appointed to a third two-year term.

So far, no one else has publicly announced an interest in serving as mayor. [Read more…]

ORNL investigating elevated radiation in HFIR cooling system

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The High Flux Isotope Reactor vessel at Oak Ridge National Laboratory resides in a pool of water illuminated by the blue glow of the Cherenkov radiation effect. (Photo courtesy ORNL)

The High Flux Isotope Reactor vessel at Oak Ridge National Laboratory resides in a pool of water illuminated by the blue glow of the Cherenkov radiation effect. (Photo courtesy ORNL)

 

Oak Ridge National Laboratory is investigating an elevated radiation level in the cooling system at the High Flux Isotope Reactor, a research reactor that also produces isotopes.

Workers were bringing HFIR back online on Tuesday, November 13, after a planned outage when the elevated radiation level was detected in the cooling system, according to information provided by David Keim, ORNL communications director.

“HFIR operators decided to shut down the reactor in order to investigate and determine what happened,” Keim said. “The plant is in a safe condition.” [Read more…]

Man apprehended after barricading himself, falling through ceiling

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A man who barricaded himself in a house in Anderson County on Wednesday was apprehended after he fell through a ceiling as officers tried to remove him, authorities said.

The incident started just after 5 p.m. Wednesday. An Anderson County Sheriff’s Department officer who was patrolling the area spotted the subject, William Sharp, in the yard at 388 Boyer Road in Andersonville, according to a statement from Tyler Mayes, director of administrative services for the Sheriff’s Department.

The officer knew that Sharp had an active violation of probation warrant in Union County, the statement said.

“When the officer pulled into the residence to make contact with the subject, he ran into the home and barricaded himself inside the attic,” the statement said. “Mr. Sharp was the only subject barricaded in the home.” [Read more…]

Oak Ridge asks for public input on draft City Blueprint Plan

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The Oak Ridge Community Development Department is continuing the Oak Ridge City Blueprint effort in 2018 with community meetings planned through the month of March. (Photo courtesy City of Oak Ridge)

The Oak Ridge Community Development Department is asking citizens for feedback on the first draft results of the City Blueprint Plan. (Photo courtesy City of Oak Ridge)

 

The Oak Ridge Community Development Department is asking citizens for feedback on the first draft results of the City Blueprint Plan.

Blueprint is a citywide plan for the future of Oak Ridge, a press release said. The formation of the plan is led by the Oak Ridge Municipal Planning Commission with input and involvement from the entire community, including residents, businesses, and property owners. Generally, a citywide plan prepares for future population change or growth and its anticipated impacts in order to ensure that the city can achieve desired goals for the built environment, community services, economic health, and quality of living, the press release said.

When the Blueprint process began in January 2017, more than 500 people turned out to share their ideas about our City’s direction. Since that time, the planning team has completed the following: [Read more…]