Oak Ridge Today

Oak Ridge city manager hires assistant

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Bruce Appleton

Bruce Applegate

Oak Ridge City Manager Mark Watson has hired an assistant.

Bruce M. Applegate Jr. will help the city manager plan, organize, develop, coordinate, maintain, and direct the overall operations and activities of the city, a press release said. He will help provide supervision for special projects and task forces, and participate in the recruitment and promotion of new and existing businesses and industries. In addition, he will assist in developing, planning, and implementing goals and objectives for the city. Applegate’s employment will become effective December 1.

“I am excited to join the staff of the City of Oak Ridge,” Applegate said. “I am eager to begin working with the city staff to address the upcoming projects aimed at bettering the community. The variety of tasks will give me an opportunity to engage with both city officials and community members to appropriately create solutions to meet Oak Ridge’s needs. I feel fortunate to be joining the city, and look forward to demonstrating my appreciation through hard work….Having gone to school in Oak Ridge, I relish the opportunity to give back to a city that has given to me.” [Read more…]

Roane Alliance expands Chamber program, hires two, adds member benefits

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Paulette Ray

Paulette Ray

The Roane County Chamber of Commerce now has two full-time employees, bringing more attention to members and adding member benefits through additional products and programs, a press release said.

Paulette Ray, director of Chamber operations, has returned to the Alliance to work “hand-in-hand with businesses to help them grow and succeed,” the press release said. Ray previously worked as the Chamber membership coordinator from 2007 to 2009 and has continued to work with the Alliance as a volunteer while running her own business, South Eastern Clogging Company, a dance and exercise studio in Kingston, which she owned for 28 years. A graduate of the Tennessee Chamber of Commerce Executives, she has also completed her first year of Institute for Organizational Management, and is a 2009 graduate of Leadership Roane County.

Ray is a longtime resident of Roane County, a 1990 graduate of Roane County High School, and she attended Roane State Community College. In her spare time, she continues to teach, judge, and choreograph clogging and is also a ZUMBA fitness instructor in the county. She resides in Kingston with her husband, Daniel, along with four of their five children. Ray also has a married daughter living in Ft. Bragg, North Carolina, with her husband who is currently serving in the Army. [Read more…]

Guest column: Y-12 wants to have best security in nation’s nuclear weapons enterprise

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Chuck Spencer

Chuck Spencer

Note: This is a copy of a message that B&W Y-12 President and General Manager Chuck Spencer sent to employees July 25 regarding the one-year anniversary of the July 28, 2012, security breach at the Y-12 National Security Complex.

General Manager’s Message: One-Year Anniversary of Security Event

One year ago this coming Sunday (July 28), three individuals trespassed at the Y-12 National Security Complex, damaged government property, and interfered with our ongoing national defense operations. While the security breach was unacceptable, the intruders did not come close to accessing any nuclear materials. Since that time, B&W Y-12 has worked closely with the National Nuclear Security Administration to make numerous changes in security and operations. I want to thank each and every one of you for your role in those improvements. I also want to highlight those improvements specifically and talk a little about our path forward. [Read more…]