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Celebration of life in April for John Rice Irwin

Posted at 5:25 pm January 27, 2022
By Oak Ridge Today Staff Leave a Comment

John Rice Irwin, founder of the Museum of Appalachia in Norris, plays the mandolin in this photo by Linda Gunderson.

A celebration of the life of museum founder John Rice Irwin will be held in April at the Museum of Appalachia in Norris. The celebration of life is scheduled to begin at 2 p.m. Sunday, April 24.

Irwin was a cultural historian and founder of the Museum of Appalachia, among other notable achievements.

Irwin died Sunday, January 16, in Clinton. He was 91.

He was born on December 11, 1930, in Union County, Tennessee.

“While Irwin was still a toddler, his family was forced to move from their farm to make way for the flooding of Norris Lake and the construction of Norris Dam,” his obituary said. “They first settled in Robertsville (in Oak Ridge), but the Manhattan Project forced them to move yet again, this time to the Bethel Community.”

Irwin’s obituary said he was captivated by the rich cultural history of East Tennessee and its people for as long as he could remember.

“As a young boy, he would sit at the feet of his grandmother, Ibbie Jane Rice, and grandfather, Marcellus Moss ‘Sill’ Rice, and listen intently to their stories of the past,” the obituary said. “Sill took notice of his grandson’s fascination and said to him, ‘you ought to keep the old-timey things that belonged to our people and start you a little museum sometime.’ It was this advice that would ultimately inspire Irwin to create the Museum of Appalachia.”

[Read more…]

Filed Under: Community, Crafts, Entertainment, Front Page News, History, Museums, Music, Top Stories Tagged With: Alex Haley, Anderson County, Appalachia pioneer history, Appalachian artifacts, Appalachian life, cultural history, East Tennessee, John Rice Irwin, Lamar Alexander, Museum of Appalachia, Southern Appalachia

Snow likely in region today

Posted at 7:15 am February 20, 2020
By John Huotari Leave a Comment

Image courtesy National Weather Service in Morristown

Rain and snow are possible in the region today, including parts of East Tennessee and southwest Virginia, but in Oak Ridge, little or no snow is expected to accumulate, according to the National Weather Service in Morristown.

“Still a good bet that most people will still see snow in the air today,” the NWS said at about 5 a.m. Thursday.

Significant accumulations are likely only in higher areas, with three to five inches near the Great Smoky Mountains, two to three inches elsewhere in the Tennessee mountains, and a half inch or less most likely in the Tennessee Valley, the NWS said.

[Read more…]

Filed Under: Slider, Weather, Weather Tagged With: East Tennessee, National Weather Service, NWS, Oak Ridge, snow

Earthquake of 3.8 magnitude reported in East Tennessee

Posted at 2:24 pm January 20, 2020
By John Huotari Leave a Comment

Image courtesy U.S. Geological Survey

Note: This story was last updated at 3:35 p.m.

An earthquake of 3.8 magnitude was reported in East Tennessee on Monday afternoon.

The earthquake was felt in Oak Ridge at about 2:12 p.m. Monday, where it rattled homes and windows.

It was centered in Campbell County about one kilometer east of Fincastle, Tennessee, northeast of LaFollette, which is northeast of Oak Ridge, at a depth of about 35.4 kilometers, according to the U.S. Geological Survey.

[Read more…]

Filed Under: Federal, Front Page News, Government, Top Stories, Weather Tagged With: Campbell County, earthquake, East Tennessee, Oak Ridge, U.S. Geological Survey

Arctic front brings snow to East Tennessee; some schools closed, delayed

Posted at 7:52 am November 12, 2019
By John Huotari Leave a Comment

Snowfall Forecast Nov 12 2019
A snowfall forecast map by the National Weather Service in Morristown at 3:36 a.m. Tuesday, Nov. 12, 2019. (Image courtesy NWS Morristown)

An Arctic front brought snow to East Tennessee early Tuesday morning, and some schools will be closed or start later than normal.

A small amount of snow fell in Oak Ridge, maybe a half-inch or so. Oak Ridge Schools are operating on normal schedules.

Anderson County Schools and Clinton City Schools are both closed due to road conditions.

Roane State Community College campuses are opening at 10 a.m. local time.

The forecast for the Knoxville area called for a 50 percent chance of snow before 10 a.m. Tuesday. Conditions were expected to be cloudy, then gradually becoming mostly sunny, with a high near 33.

The temperature is forecast to drop to about 16 degrees overnight Tuesday night before warming about 10 degrees on Wednesday.

The National Weather Service said widespread record cold is spreading from the Plains eastward toward the East Coast.

[Read more…]

Filed Under: Slider, Weather, Weather Tagged With: Anderson County Schools, Arctic front, Arctic Storm, Clinton City Schools, East Tennessee, National Weather Service, NWS, Oak Ridge Schools, snow

Secret City Weather has new website

Posted at 11:54 am July 1, 2019
By Brandon Bonds Leave a Comment

Secret City Weather launched a new website on Sunday evening, which is now available at www.SecretCityWeather.com.

The new website replaces the former SecretCityWx.weebly.com, which will remain active for the foreseeable future, a press release said.

“The new website makes it easier to find local weather content for the East Tennessee area and adds to our growing portfolio of social media platforms that we use to publish local weather conditions, forecasting, and analysis,” said Brandon Bonds, owner of Secret City Weather. [Read more…]

Filed Under: Business, Front Page News, Oak Ridge, Weather Tagged With: Brandon Bonds, East Tennessee, Secret City Weather, weather, weather forecasting

Map: How common are earthquakes in the area?

Posted at 7:10 pm January 6, 2019
By John Huotari Leave a Comment

The recent 4.4 magnitude earthquake near Decatur that was felt in Oak Ridge, and other reported earthquakes since then, made us wonder: How common are earthquakes in the area?

Minor earthquakes, those that can’t be felt, are fairly common, according to a customized search of data available through the U.S. Geological Survey.

There were 247 earthquakes in a roughly three-year period in an area outlined by a custom-drawn map that includes much of East Tennessee and part of western North Carolina.

But with one exception, all of the earthquakes were 3.0 magnitude or less. Earthquakes that weak are generally not felt. [Read more…]

Filed Under: Federal, Front Page News, Government, Science, Weather Tagged With: earthquake, East Tennessee, Oak Ridge, U.S. Geological Survey, USGS

DA Clark to discuss Neo-Nazism in East Tennessee on Tuesday

Posted at 4:26 pm May 14, 2018
By Oak Ridge Today Staff Leave a Comment

Dave Clark

Dave Clark

Seventh Judicial District Attorney General Dave Clark will discuss Neo-Nazism and the root causes of its rise in East Tennessee on Tuesday, a press release said.

Clark, the DA in Anderson County, will be the speaker at Lunch with the League at noon Tuesday.

His general topic will center on Neo-Nazism, and the root causes of its rise in East Tennessee, the press release said.

The meeting will be held from 11:45 a.m. to 1 p.m. Tuesday in the Social Hall of the Oak Ridge Unitarian Universalist Church, located at 809 Oak Ridge Turnpike. [Read more…]

Filed Under: Anderson County, Anderson County, Courts, Federal, Government, Police and Fire Tagged With: Dave Clark, East Tennessee, League of Women Voters of Oak Ridge, Lunch with the League, Neo-Nazism, Oak Ridge Unitarian Universalist Church, Seventh Judicial District Attorney General

Anderson County residents among 44 indicted in meth distribution conspiracy

Posted at 8:28 pm March 26, 2018
By John Huotari Leave a Comment

A group of Anderson County residents was part of an alleged methamphetamine distribution ring that involved 44 people and a conspiracy to distribute 50 grams or more of methamphetamine in East Tennessee and elsewhere, federal officials said Monday.

A 30-count indictment was returned against the 44 people by a federal grand jury in Greeneville in East Tennessee on January 9. Among those indicted were nine residents of Clinton, Oliver Springs, Powell, and Rocky Top, according to a press release from the U.S. Department of Justice’s Eastern District of Tennessee on Monday. There were also four Knoxville residents indicted and a dozen in Bristol and Kingsport in upper East Tennessee, among other defendants in Tennessee, Georgia, and Virginia.

Anderson County Sheriff’s Department, Clinton Police Department, Oak Ridge Police Department, Oliver Springs Police Department, and Seventh Judicial District Crime Task Force in Anderson County were among the agencies that helped with the investigation, the press release said.

Here are the people that were indicted in the alleged methamphetamine distribution conspiracy: [Read more…]

Filed Under: Anderson County, Clinton, Front Page News, Knoxville, Oak Ridge, Oliver Springs, Police and Fire, Rocky Top, Top Stories, U.S. Tagged With: 30-count indictment, Anderson County, Anderson County Sheriff's Department, Christal Gale Bean, Clinton Police Department, conspiracy to distribute 50 grams or more of methamphetamine, Crystal Mcguire, David Alan Emery, David Dunlap, East Tennessee, Eastern District of Tennessee, Elizabeth Jean Patterson, federal grand jury, firearms charge, Gerald Brummett, J. Gregory Bowman, Kristen Perkins, Larkin Henry Hensley, Lashawn Johnson, Leon Jordan, Leslie William Steelman, meth, meth distribution, meth distribution conspiracy, methamphetamine, methamphetamine conspiracy, methamphetamine distribution, methamphetamine distribution ring, Mitchell Chadwick Dorris, Oak Ridge Police Department, OCDETF, Oliver Springs Police Department, Organized Crime and Drug Enforcement Task Force, possession of a firearm in furtherance of a drug trafficking crime, Randall Wood, Robert M. Reeves, Seventh Judicial District Crime Task Force, Stacy Jo Ferguson, U.S. Department of Justice, U.S. District Court

More on Clinton schools’ decision to close on Eclipse Day

Posted at 12:15 pm August 16, 2017
By Oak Ridge Today Staff Leave a Comment

Information from WYSH Radio

As you are no doubt aware, there will be a total solar eclipse on Monday, August 21, with the path of totality expected to pass over East Tennessee. Several area school systems will be closed that day, including those in Anderson County and the city of Clinton.

Originally, the school system had planned to keep schools open and allow parents to join their students to view the eclipse with their teachers to take advantage of the unique educational opportunity, but that has changed over the past week or so, as Director of Schools Kelly Johnson explained Wednesday morning, with many parents citing safety concerns associated with viewing an eclipse and a desire to have more of a role in determining the level of their student’s involvement. [Read more…]

Filed Under: Education, Front Page News, K-12 Tagged With: Anderson County, Clinton, Clinton City Schools, East Tennessee, Kelly Johnson, solar eclipse, total solar eclipse

UCOR awards 25 mini-grants for local school projects

Posted at 11:00 am May 16, 2017
By Oak Ridge Today Staff Leave a Comment

URS | CH2M Oak Ridge LLC (UCOR) on Monday, May 15, 2017, announced 20 winners from five East Tennessee counties in the 2017 UCOR Education Mini-Grant Program, which recognizes and supports excellence in teaching. (Photo courtesy UCOR)

URS | CH2M Oak Ridge LLC (UCOR) on Monday, May 15, 2017, announced 20 winners from five East Tennessee counties in the 2017 UCOR Education Mini-Grant Program, which recognizes and supports excellence in teaching. (Photo courtesy UCOR)

 

URS | CH2M Oak Ridge LLC (UCOR) on Monday announced 20 winners from five East Tennessee counties in the 2017 UCOR Education Mini-Grant Program, which recognizes and supports excellence in teaching.

Awarded annually since 2012, grant funds assist classroom teachers in developing specific projects or curricula, focusing primarily on science, technology, engineering, and math (STEM), a press release said.

“One of UCOR’s primary objectives is to support and encourage education initiatives,” said Ken Rueter, UCOR president and project manager. “The UCOR Mini-Grant Program enables teachers to enhance their students’ educational experiences. Selected projects funded by our program give students a greater insight into the essential STEM subjects in fun and exciting ways.”

Applications were screened and awardees selected using a blind process that prevented members of the selection panel from knowing the names of the teachers or the schools. Schools in Roane, Anderson, Loudon, Knox, and Morgan counties were eligible to submit proposals. [Read more…]

Filed Under: Education, Front Page News, K-12, Top Stories, U.S. Department of Energy Tagged With: 2017 UCOR Education Mini-Grant Program, East Tennessee, Ken Rueter, mini grants, school projects, science technology engineering and math, STEM, UCOR, UCOR Mini-Grant Program, URS-CH2M Oak Ridge LLC

Trees fall, roads flood, driver escapes floodwaters as rains continue

Posted at 7:16 pm April 23, 2017
By John Huotari 2 Comments

Airport-Road-Flooding-Oliver-Springs-Storms-April-22-2017

The driver was reported to have made it out of floodwaters before emergency responders arrived on Saturday afternoon, April 22, 2017, but her black Nissan Altima remained partially submerged on Airport Road near Oliver Springs on Sunday. (Photo by John Huotari/Oak Ridge Today)

 

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

Roads flooded and trees fell—sometimes on homes, power lines, and roads—as rain continued to fall in East Tennessee on Sunday. One driver was reported to have escaped from her car in floodwaters on Airport Road near Oliver Springs on Saturday afternoon, but the black Nissan Altima remained partially submerged in the water on Sunday.

There appeared to have been at least 10 reports of fallen trees in Oak Ridge during the severe thunderstorms that started Saturday afternoon and continued with rain showers on Sunday. Most of those trees were reported to have fallen on homes, power lines, across roadways, or on personal property such as an automobile. There were five reports of fallen trees between about 3 and 4:30 p.m. Sunday, including a tree that fell across both lanes of Melton Lake Drive near Calhoun’s restaurant, causing a temporary closure of that two-lane road.

There were more reports of trees that had fallen but not damaged anything.

Large trees are falling due to excess rain, the City of Oak Ridge said Sunday. Electric crews have been out all night, and backup is on the way, the city said, but it may be tomorrow (Monday, April 24) before all power is back.

At various times on Sunday, there were reports of flooding or flood watches across Oak Ridge, including on Vermont Avenue, near Heritage Center (the former K-25 site), on California Avenue, and at Jefferson Avenue and North Jefferson Circle.

There were also reports of trees down and road closures in Clinton. Briceville Highway was reported to be closed in Briceveille due to sinking pavement on Sunday afternoon. Earlier Sunday, State Route 71 in Anderson County was closed for several hours at Norris Dam State Park because trees were blocking the road, according to the Tennessee Department of Transportation.

Some school districts have announced they will be closed Monday. Roane County Schools said it will be closed due to “concerning road conditions throughout the county.” Anderson County Schools said it will be closed because of dangerous conditions with flooded roads and trees being down.

The National Weather Service in Morristown said a record for daily rainfall was set at Knoxville Mcghee Tyson Airport on Sunday. The NWS said 1.89 inches had fallen as of 5 p.m. Sunday, breaking the old record of 1.63 inches in 1977.

[Read more…]

Filed Under: Anderson County, Norris, Oak Ridge, Oliver Springs, Police and Fire, Police and Fire, Slider, Weather Tagged With: Airport Road, Anderson County Schools, Briceville Highway, City of Oak Ridge, Clinton Highway, Clinton Utilities Board, Darryl Kerley, Darwin "T.C." Davis Sports Complex, East Tennessee, fallen trees, flooding, floodwater, Kenneth Morgan, Lookout Avenue, Midway Drive, National Weather Service, Nicholas Jones, Oak Ridge, Oak Ridge Fire Department, Oliver Springs, Oliver Springs High School, Oliver Springs Police Department, rain, road closures, Roane County schools, Sarah Carrie Hunter, State Route 71, Tennessee Department of Transportation, Windrock Road

Fast-moving weather system could bring snow to East Tennessee

Posted at 10:50 am January 5, 2017
By John Huotari Leave a Comment

Image courtesy National Weather Service in Morristown

A fast moving clipper will push across the southern Appalachian region late this afternoon through Friday morning. Rain showers will change to snow across Southwest Virginia this evening and snow showers will continue to spread across the area overnight. Snowfall accumulations will be greatest along the Northern Plateau of East Tennessee and the Cumberland mountains of Southwest Virginia where 1 to 3 inches are possible. Elsewhere, up to 1 inch of snow is expected across valley locations, before tapering off around sunrise Friday morning. With surface temperatures below freezing, snow will accumulate on untreated roads. This may result in in negative travel impacts to motorists, especially during the Friday morning commute. (Image courtesy National Weather Service in Morristown)

 

Note: This story was updated at 11 a.m.

A fast-moving weather system could bring snow to East Tennessee as it pushes across the southern Appalachian region late Thursday afternoon through Friday morning, forecasters said.

Rain showers will change to snow across Southwest Virginia on Thursday evening, and snow showers will continue to spread across the area overnight, according to the National Weather Service in Morristown. Snowfall accumulations will be greatest along the Northern Plateau of East Tennessee and the Cumberland mountains of Southwest Virginia, where one to three inches are possible.

Elsewhere, up to one inch of snow is expected across valley locations, before tapering off around sunrise Friday morning. [Read more…]

Filed Under: Front Page News, Slider, Weather, Weather Tagged With: City of Oak Ridge, East Tennessee, National Weather Service, Oak Ridge, snow, snow showers, winter weather advisory, Winter Weather Plan

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Classifieds

Availability of the draft environmental assessment for off-site depleted uranium manufacturing (DOE/EA-2252)

The U.S. Department of Energy (DOE) National Nuclear Security Administration (NNSA) announces the … [Read More...]

Public Notice: NNSA announces no significant impact of Y-12 Development Organization operations at Horizon Center

AVAILABILITY OF THE FINAL ENVIRONMENTAL ASSESSMENT FOR THE OFFSITE HOUSING OF THE Y-12 DEVELOPMENT … [Read More...]

ADFAC seeks contractors for five homes

Aid to Distressed Families of Appalachian Counties (ADFAC) is a non-profit community based agency, … [Read More...]

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