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Schools consider revised outsourcing proposal for substitute teachers

Posted at 12:31 am March 19, 2014
By John Huotari 2 Comments

Oak Ridge Board of Education

An outsourcing proposal strongly opposed by teaching assistants last month has since been revised to include only substitute teachers at Oak Ridge Schools. It will be considered by the Oak Ridge Board of Education on Monday.

An outsourcing proposal strongly opposed by teaching assistants last month has since been revised to include only substitute teachers at Oak Ridge Schools.

The new proposal to use Professional Educational Services LLC, or PESG, of Nashville, to provide substitute teachers will be considered by the Oak Ridge Board of Education during a Monday evening meeting.

The outsourcing proposal began as an attempt to help the school system comply with the reporting requirements of the Affordable Care Act and to avoid potentially large fines of up to $1.2 million for errors that might be made in following the new federal health care law. [Read more…]

Filed Under: Education, K-12, Top Stories Tagged With: ACA, Affordable Care Act, health care law, health insurance, Oak Ridge Board of Education, Oak Ridge Schools, outsourcing, PESG, Professional Educational Services LLC, substitute teachers, TA, teaching assistants

Shutdown ends: Oak Ridgers relieved, but frustrated with Congress

Posted at 11:32 am October 21, 2013
By John Huotari Leave a Comment

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…]

Filed Under: Business, Federal, Government, Oak Ridge, Oak Ridge National Laboratory, Top Stories, U.S. Department of Energy, Y-12 National Security Complex Tagged With: Affordable Care Act, B&W Y-12, Barack Obama, Bob Corker, Chuck Fleischmann, Chuck Spencer, Congress, Dean Russell, Dean's Restaurant and Bakery, debt ceiling, Democrats, DOE, federal government, funding, furloughs, government shutdown, health care law, IIa, Information International Associates, John J. Duncan Jr., Kelly Callison, Lamar Alexander, Lynn Randolph, medical device tax, Oak Ridge, Oak Ridge National Laboratory, Obamacare, orderly shutdown, ORNL, Republicans, Scott DesJarlais, shutdown, spending, Thom Mason, Tom Beehan, U.S. Department of Energy, U.S. Environmental Protection Agency, White House, workers, Y-12 National Security Complex

ORNL prepares for possible temporary shutdown, unpaid furloughs

Posted at 10:08 pm October 7, 2013
By John Huotari Leave a Comment

Oak Ridge National Laboratory Central Campus

Officials at Oak Ridge National Laboratory, pictured above, are preparing for a possible temporary shutdown and unpaid furloughs in case Congress is unable to pass a federal spending bill. (Courtesy Oak Ridge National Laboratory/U.S. Dept. of Energy)

Oak Ridge National Laboratory has enough funding to continue operating through this month and into November, but officials are preparing for a possible temporary shutdown and unpaid furloughs, Director Thom Mason told employees Monday.

The potential shutdown of ORNL would be triggered by Congress’ failure to pass a spending bill in the fiscal year that began Tuesday, Oct. 1. The federal government has already partially shut down, and the Y-12 National Security Complex started an “orderly shutdown” Monday.

Before the Sept. 30 end of the last fiscal year, the U.S. Department of Energy had told federal employees to continue reporting for work in the new fiscal year unless there is a lapse in appropriations and all available money is spent. And Mason told employees of UT-Battelle, which manages the lab, to report to work starting Oct. 1, even if the government shut down, because ORNL had enough funding to continue operating. [Read more…]

Filed Under: Federal, Government, Oak Ridge National Laboratory, Top Stories, U.S. Department of Energy Tagged With: Affordable Care Act, appropriations, Barack Obama, carryover funds, Congress, Democrats, federal employees, federal shutdown, fiscal year, furloughs, health care law, House, individual mandate, Oak Ridge National Laboratory, Obamacare, ORNL, Republicans, Senate, shutdown, spending, Thom Mason, U.S. Department of Energy, unpaid furloughs, UT-Battelle, Y-12 National Security Complex

Health Insurance Marketplace opens Tuesday

Posted at 5:47 pm October 1, 2013
By Oak Ridge Today Staff 1 Comment

Kathleen Sebelius

Kathleen Sebelius

The new Health Insurance Marketplace set up by the Affordable Care Act opened Tuesday, and Tennessee residents can apply for coverage, compare plans, and enroll at HealthCare.gov.

“For the first time ever, today all Americans can begin shopping for quality health coverage that is affordable, and not be denied or charged more because they have a pre-existing condition,” the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services said in a press release.

The HHS said the Health Insurance Marketplace will allow uninsured Americans and their families to purchase health insurance in one place. Coverage begins as early as Jan. 1, 2014, for people enrolling by Dec. 15, 2013. Open enrollment closes March 31. [Read more…]

Filed Under: Federal, Government, Health, Top Stories Tagged With: Affordable Care Act, health care law, health coverage, health insurance, health insurance marketplace, health plans, HealthCare.gov, HHS, Kathleen Sebelius, SHOP, Small Business Health Care Tax Credit, Small Business Health Option Program, small employers, Tennessee, U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, uninsured

During fiscal showdown, three Tennessee legislators support delay in health care law

Posted at 8:28 pm September 30, 2013
By John Huotari 11 Comments

U.S. Senator Lamar Alexander

Lamar Alexander

U.S. Senator Bob Corker

Bob Corker

Three U.S. legislators from Tennessee said they want to keep the government open but want to either delay the individual mandate in the new health care law or not fund it.

The federal fiscal year ends at midnight Monday, and the Affordable Care Act takes effect Tuesday. Critics call the controversial health care law “Obamacare,” and it’s at the heart of the federal fiscal feud.

House Republicans have proposed delaying the law’s individual mandate for one year, repealing a medical device tax that would help pay for the law, and keeping the government open. But Senate Democrats and President Barack Obama have rejected attempts to tie the government spending measure to attempts to change the health care law. [Read more…]

Filed Under: Federal, Government, Top Stories Tagged With: Affordable Care Act, Barack Obama, Bob Corker, Chuck Fleischmann, Congress, Democrats, fiscal feud, fiscal year, government shutdown, health care law, House, individual mandate, Lamar Alexander, medical device tax, Obamacare, Republicans, Senate

With shutdown looming, DOE expects to keep operating for now

Posted at 12:45 pm September 30, 2013
By John Huotari Leave a Comment

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…]

Filed Under: East Tennessee Technology Park, Federal, Government, National Nuclear Security Administration, Oak Ridge National Laboratory, Oak Ridge Office, Office of Scientific and Technical Information, Top Stories, U.S. Department of Energy, Y-12 National Security Complex Tagged With: appropriations, Barack Obama, Congress, Democrats, DOE, federal employees, funding, furloughs, government shutdown, health care law, House, medical isotope, National Nuclear Security Administration, naval reactors, non-proliferation, nuclear weapons, Oak Ridge National Laboratory, ORNL, Republicans, Senate, shutdown, Thom Mason, U.S. Department of Energy, UT-Battelle

Obama administration delays employer health care mandate until 2015

Posted at 9:52 pm July 2, 2013
By John Huotari 10 Comments

Mark Mazur

Mark Mazur

Responding to business concerns, the Obama administration announced Tuesday that it would delay until 2015 the new health care law’s mandate that employers provide workers with health insurance.

New reporting requirements of the Affordable Care Act will also be delayed a year. Questions about the new employer mandate and reporting requirements have been a concern for businesses across the nation, including in and around Oak Ridge.

“We have heard concerns about the complexity of the requirements and the need for more time to implement them effectively,” said Mark J. Mazur, assistant secretary for tax policy. Mazur made the announcement on the U.S. Treasury Department’s website. [Read more…]

Filed Under: Business, Federal, Government, Top Stories Tagged With: Affordable Care Act, businesses, employer mandate, health care, health care law, individual mandate, insurance, Lamar Alexander, mandate, Mark Mazur, Obama, Obamacare, reporting requirements, Treasury

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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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