Oak Ridge Today

Anderson County homeless counted Jan. 28, training on Thursday

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An annual 24-hour count of the homeless in Anderson County is scheduled for Jan. 28, and the first of two hour-long training sessions is Thursday morning.

The Point in Time Count is organized by TORCH, and the count is used by Congress to determine funding for the area.

Those who volunteer for the PIT count must attend a one-hour training session that will teach them how to fill out the homelessness survey and provide input on where homeless families might be located.

Thursday’s training session is from 10-11 a.m. at the TORCH office, which is at 320 Robertsville Road, Suite 5, in Oak Ridge. There is a second training session from 6-7 p.m. Thursday, Jan. 23. Volunteers will be signing up for a three-hour volunteer time slot at the training sessions. [Read more…]

City move could add another police officer to Oak Ridge Schools

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Oak Ridge High School

The number of reported crimes is down at Oak Ridge High School since police officers were given office space there in August, and a move recommended by city administrators could add another school resource officer in the Oak Ridge school system.

The number of reported crimes is down at Oak Ridge High School since police officers were given office space there in August, and a move recommended by city administrators could add another school resource officer in the Oak Ridge school system.

It’s part of a program to improve student safety and use law enforcement to reduce unacceptable student behaviors, Oak Ridge City Manager Mark Watson and Police Chief Jim Akagi said.

Oak Ridge Schools now have one school resource officer, or SRO. There have been discussions about adding more officers, especially since the massacre at Sandy Hook Elementary School in Newtown, Conn., in December 2012, but funding has been an obstacle.

On Monday, the Oak Ridge City Council will consider a resolution that would allow the Oak Ridge Police Department to hire an extra police officer, exceeding its authorized personnel staffing levels, in order to assign an existing police officer as an SRO. There have been proposals to add more—in December, City Council member Trina Baughn proposed one at each of the city’s two middle schools—but Watson and Akagi are recommending one additional officer now. [Read more…]

Report: AC money spent on part-time fiscal analyst was unauthorized

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Terry Frank

Terry Frank

The money spent on a part-time fiscal analyst hired one year ago by Anderson County Mayor Terry Frank was an unauthorized expenditure, a new state report said.

The Anderson County Commission had twice denied funding for the position, and the budget account for the position contained no money, said the annual financial report, which was prepared by the county’s Accounts and Budget Office and independent state auditors.

The report said the use of county revenues from such sources as taxes, county aid funds, and fines must be approved by county legislative bodies.

“Management failed to hold spending to the limits authorized by the County Commission, which resulted in unauthorized expenditures,” said the report, which is available on the Tennessee Comptroller’s website. [Read more…]

Guest column: ‘Tis the season of giving

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By Charles, Edwena, Rebecca, and Nicholas Crowe

United Way of Anderson County’s 2013-14 Campaign Chairing Family

As the holidays are upon us, we are reminded of how fortunate we are and become increasingly aware of how many others do not share our good fortune. Donors are inundated with requests for food, spare change, and gifts to make the holidays brighter for those who are struggling. It is a season of giving, so to speak, but what happens when the calendar strikes January? Back to work, back to school, and back to our routines, but the needs are still there for many in our community. There are still more than 50 percent of children on reduced lunch programs in our schools, there are still families visiting emptying food pantries, and working poor who make every effort to support their families and still have to choose between paying the electric bill or the rent. United Way of Anderson County works to mobilize the caring power of our community to create lasting change.

UWAC had to reduce funding to our partner agencies by $200,000 last year. These agencies do a phenomenal job of leveraging their allocations and running their programs so efficiently, doing more with less. A dollar a week in our pocket doesn’t seem to go very far, but $1 a week invested in the Green Thumb Garden Program run by Second Harvest Food Bank can provide gardening supplies to grow $1,400 of food for three families, fresh produce that is not often found on pantry shelves. Ten dollars a week can provide emergency food, clothing, and shelter by American Red Cross for a family of three in a time of crisis. Each year, a team of more than 30 community volunteers closely audits the agencies and programs requesting funding. Your friends and neighbors make certain your dollars are being efficiently invested. [Read more…]

Letter: Healthy Start to kick off fall campaign, seeks donations

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To the Editor:

After 15 years, with its continued mission of preventing child abuse and neglect in Anderson County, Healthy Start continues to support our families and is regarded as a model program. Healthy Start of Anderson County is funded solely through contributions from within Anderson County.

As part of its mission to prevent child abuse and neglect in Anderson County, Healthy Start seeks to support new parents toward a positive future, as well as enhancing their child’s development. Evidence shows that 98 percent of Healthy Start babies are at their age-appropriate developmental level, and 100 percent have well-baby checks and age appropriate immunizations.

Currently, however, the demand for Healthy Start services outpaces the ability to provide them because of funding limitations. [Read more…]

Guest column: Legal battle between county mayor, sheriff must be resolved immediately

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Myron Iwanski

Myron Iwanski

Note: This is a copy of an Oct. 9 e-mail that Anderson County Commissioner Myron Iwanski sent to the other commissioners and county officials. The sheriff’s salary lawsuit against the county mayor was not discussed during the Oct. 21 County Commission meeting, as Iwanski had hoped, but it is scheduled to be considered during a special meeting this evening.

I am very concerned that the legal battle between the mayor and sheriff has not been resolved. This battle will have huge impacts on our budget this year and in future years. I have asked that this item be placed on the agenda for the Operations Committee meeting, and I would like to see it discussed by the full County Commission at its next meeting.

Costs continue to mount in this legal battle. If the large attorney fees are included with the cost for staff time to prepare all the documents and evidence being demanded, I believe this case could end up costing the county hundreds of thousands of dollars.

More importantly, no matter which side prevails in this case, I fully expect we will be told by Tennessee Corrections Institute and/or the federal courts that we must fund the jail. As we wait for this legal case to be resolved, nothing is being done toward bringing in the federal inmates we need to help provide the funds we need to operate the jail in future. This will likely mean that we will be forced into a tax increase next year. This could have been avoided had this case been worked out and we instead focused on getting the revenue we need to operate the jail. [Read more…]

New director named at Climate Change Science Institute at ORNL

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Jack Fellows

Jack Fellows

Jack D. Fellows, who oversaw a $110 billion federal science portfolio under two U.S. presidents and co-founded the U.S. Global Change Research Program integrating all federal Earth system science research programs, has been appointed director of the Climate Change Science Institute at Oak Ridge National Laboratory.

Martin Keller and Jeff Nichols, leaders of the Energy and Environmental Sciences Directorate and the Computing and Computational Sciences Directorate respectively, announced Fellows’ appointment.

“Jack Fellows is a welcome addition to our climate change science program,” said ORNL Director Thom Mason. “His extensive experience in directing research and education programs, most recently as vice-president for the University Corporation for Atmospheric Research, will be particularly valuable as CCSI moves forward in its work of advancing the understanding of the Earth system, describing the consequences of climate change, and evaluating and informing policy on the potential outcomes of responses to climate change.” [Read more…]

Shutdown ends: Oak Ridgers relieved, but frustrated with Congress

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Dean's Restaurant and Bakery

Dean Russell, co-owner of Dean’s Restaurant and Bakery in Jackson Square, has put up a sign expressing frustration with Congress over the government shutdown. Pictured above are restaurant servers Cassandra Prater, right, and Andy Tatum.

The end of the government shutdown last week brought relief to Oak Ridge, especially at the Y-12 National Security Complex, where up to about 3,600 workers were expected to be furloughed starting last Thursday unless a deal was reached.

Chuck Spencer, general manager of B&W Y-12, which manages and operates Y-12, told workers on Thursday that a shutdown to minimum staffing had been averted and the furloughs would no longer be necessary. There had been reports that only about 900 workers might have remained starting today.

Spencer said the nuclear weapons plant, which started an orderly shutdown two weeks ago on Monday, Oct. 7, will begin planning to resume normal operations.

Normal operations resumed at Oak Ridge National Laboratory on Thursday, Director Thom Mason said in a message to staff. ORNL had enough funding to continue operating through October and into November, but officials had started preparing for a possible temporary shutdown and unpaid furloughs in case the shutdown continued.

Oak Ridge residents remained frustrated even after Congress and the White House reached a last-minute, short-term spending agreement late Wednesday night that averted the shutdowns and furloughs, just hours before a deadline to raise the nation’s debt ceiling and after some local businesses had already reported that the shutdown had affected their operations. [Read more…]

Great Smoky Mountains National Park open again

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Cades Cove in the Fall

Cades Cove in Great Smoky Mountains National Park is pictured above in the fall of 2010.

Information from WYSH Radio

Great Smoky Mountains National Park officially reopened on Thursday, Oct. 17, under federal funding.

The park had been closed for the first two weeks of October during the peak fall tourist season due to a lapse in Congressional appropriations.

The park and its facilities had originally reopened to the public on Wednesday, Oct. 16, due to the donation of funds from the states of Tennessee and North Carolina, who worked in partnership with Blount and Sevier counties. Their funding would have allowed the park to stay open for five days. [Read more…]

Congressman: House votes to fully fund Y-12 during government shutdown

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U.S. Representative Chuck Fleischmann

Chuck Fleischmann

Note: This story was last updated at 5:22 p.m.

The federal government remains shut down over a funding dispute, but the U.S. House of Representatives passed a bill Friday morning that would fully fund the Y-12 National Security Complex and other security functions, Congressman Chuck Fleischmann said.

Fleischmann, a Tennessee Republican whose district includes Oak Ridge, called it a matter of national security. Y-12 is one of the nation’s nuclear weapons plants, but it started an “orderly shutdown” on Monday because Congress has failed to pass a spending bill in the fiscal year that started Oct. 1.

Fleischmann expressed concern about the shutdown in a speech on the House floor. [Read more…]

With shutdown looming, DOE expects to keep operating for now

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U.S. Department of Energy Forrestal Building

With a potential government shutdown looming, U.S. Department of Energy employees are expected to continue working unless there is a lapse in appropriations and all available money is spent. Pictured above is DOE’s Forrestal Building in Washington, D.C. (Photo courtesy DOE)

Although a federal government shutdown is looming, the U.S. Department of Energy expects federal employees to continue reporting for work unless there is a lapse in appropriations and all available money is spent.

“Each component of DOE will continue to operate until prior year balances for funding of federal employees is exhausted,” DOE said in a guide posted on its website. “Their operations under those circumstances will be somewhat modified. For example, travel will generally be curtailed. DOE has some limited transfer and reprogramming authority, which may enable DOE to extend the number of days of funding available in some limited cases.”

The guide said operations will stop once prior-year balances have been spent at most DOE facilities. There would be exceptions for functions related to the safety of human life and protection of property. [Read more…]

Literacy grant applications now available from Altrusa, Breakfast Rotary

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Applications are now available for about $17,000 worth of literacy grants awarded by Altrusa International of Oak Ridge and the Oak Ridge Breakfast Rotary Club.

The grants are used to help improve literacy in Oak Ridge and Anderson and Roane counties, and they will be awarded to selected recipients. Applications and award criteria may be found on the Altrusa International website or Oak Ridge Breakfast Rotary Club website. Hard copies are also available at the Oak Ridge Public Library.

Applications must be submitted by Nov. 1.

[Read more…]