Latest news with #BillLee
Yahoo
3 days ago
- Business
- Yahoo
New uranium enrichment facility to bring nuclear advancement to Oak Ridge
OAK RIDGE, Tenn. (WATE) — Governor Bill Lee and Senator Marsha Blackburn were in East Tennessee Thursday, celebrating a new multi-billion dollar uranium enrichment facility that is coming to Oak Ridge. The development is called Project IKE, and is set to bring one of the largest uranium enrichment facilities in the country to an area already well-known for its contributions to nuclear power. State and local leaders joined the Orano group as they announced they will be opening offices in the area and will soon begin construction on the new facility. 'In my opinion, Orano will continue to add to the legacy of greatness and accomplishments, not only in Oak Ridge, but in our state,' said Oak Ridge Mayor Warren Gooch. Man charged after brother fatally stabbed, dog drowned in Sevier County Local leaders like Anderson County Mayor Terry Frank said this will put Oak Ridge back on the map 'In terms of what it means for our area, it just means prosperity, increased growth, a lot of good things for the people who live and work here,' said Frank. While the development will bring over 300 jobs to Oak Ridge and its surrounding counties, state leaders stressed how it will also help meet America's need for more nuclear energy. 'America is learning that we are staring down the barrel of an energy crisis in this country, that is in part being created, in a good way, because of the advancement of AI technology,' said Governor Bill Lee. 'We cannot afford to lose the war, and in order to do that, we cannot afford to lose the energy battle, and in order to win that battle, we have to be leaders in the nuclear energy going forward.' Leaders like Governor Lee and Senator Marsha Blackburn said companies like Orano will push the US in the right direction. 'Because of what we have with Oak Ridge and with TVA, there is no excuse for us not to lead the way,' said Blackburn. Inspector finds off temperatures, no sanitizer at Chinese restaurant in Morristown With this new uranium enrichment facility, Frank added it will be an investment not only in nuclear energy, but also in the community it is built in. 'Its drawing national attention, It's drawn international attention, other companies are saying, you know what? We need to take another look here,' she said. 'We're getting more locations, a lot of industry interest, so it's really been a spark.' While the event was for the opening of the offices in Anderson County, the uranium enrichment center will be located in Roane County. According to Orano, operations at the facility won't start for a while, but they say they could begin in the early 2030's. Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.
Yahoo
4 days ago
- Business
- Yahoo
$3.2M from state to be released after July 1 for Scarboro 85 Monument in Oak Ridge
The Tennessee General Assembly voted in April to approve $3.2 million primarily for funding the construction of the Scarboro 85 Monument in A.K. Bissell Park in Oak Ridge. The funds will be released after July 1 when the state's new fiscal year starts. According to a news release, $2.7 million will be spent to update the completed initial design of the monument and to cover the cost of the construction. The remaining state funding of about a half of a million dollars will finance a program of national public education, tourism development and Black heritage preservation related to the historic Scarboro 85 desegregation of the first two public schools in Oak Ridge and in the Southeast, starting on Sept. 6, 1955. The two schools the 85 Scarboro students attended were Oak Ridge High School and Robertsville Junior High School. Both the city of Oak Ridge and Anderson County have donated $125,000 each to the project, and another $200,000 has been raised through private donations. Additional donations to this effort can be made through the website. 'We thank the Tennessee State Legislature for approving the recommendation of Gov. Bill Lee to fund our monument that will honor the people in Oak Ridge who helped open the modern civil rights era,' said John Spratling, an award-winning educator and chairman of the Scarboro 85 Monument Celebration Committee. 'The new monument will honor 85 brave young Black Tennessee students from Scarboro in Oak Ridge who became the very first to desegregate two all-white public schools in the Southeastern United States. This year is the 70th anniversary of that game-changing civil rights event.' Spratling said the next step will be 'to confirm our estimate for construction costs with a local construction contractor who knows the local costs of construction materials and labor in our area. To do this, we must first receive the state funds needed to hire a construction contractor. We understand that the Tennessee State Historical Commission will be responsible for disbursing the state funds.' He said it has not been determined whether the city of Oak Ridge or another entity 'will procure a construction company. We are actively working on this issue. We estimate that about a year and a half will be required to complete the project, once we have received the state money and obtained a construction contractor.' Spratling emphasized that the committee hopes to expedite the process for completing the project. 'It's obviously urgent to complete the monument as soon as possible so that the surviving Scarboro 85 students can be honored in person,' he said. 'Tragically, there are only about a dozen of the 85 students left.' The monument has been designed by a nationally known architecture firm called demian\wilbur\architects. It will feature 85 'Pillars of Courage' surrounding a central plaza of 'Healing and Hope.' The monument will also include lighted footsteps approaching it from both sides, symbolizing the Black and white communities that came together to make possible the historic desegregation. Spratling said, "The monument architects have gone to great lengths to ensure the monument's design and content reflect the views of the 85 students, Scarboro residents, the Oak Ridge public and local community leaders.' The monument design, which was officially unveiled in 2023, has been featured in a variety of local newspaper stories and highlighted at numerous public events. On March 28, at the 'Lunch with Legislators' event hosted by the League of Women Voters of Oak Ridge, Tennessee Lt. Gov. Randy McNally of Oak Ridge responded positively to the public request for state funds for the monument project by Rose Weaver, long-time Scarboro historian and co-chair of the Scarboro 85 Monument Celebration Committee. 'This monument will be a shining tribute to these true pioneers of the civil rights movement,' McNally said. 'I am hopeful this honor will serve to further secure the rightful place of the Scarboro 85 as one of the most critical and pivotal groups in the historical struggle for civil rights.' 'We really appreciate the support from Gov. Lee, Lt. Gov. McNally, the Tennessee State Legislature and the people of Tennessee in recognizing these wonderful pioneers,' Weaver said. Spratling added that the committee is 'still fundraising because our original goal is $4.2 million.' He noted that the completion of the monument will include contributions made by students in teacher Mark Buckner's Wildcat Manufacturing program at Oak Ridge High School. Spratling said efforts will be made to spread the Scarboro 85 story nationwide through professional marketing and promotion in the hope of attracting tens of thousands of visitors a year to the monument, providing an additional economic boost to the Oak Ridge area. For more information, contact Spratling, a teacher and coach at Robertsville Middle School, at jspratling@ or Weaver, currently the poet laureate of Oak Ridge, at rs_wvr@ This article originally appeared on Oakridger: $3.2M from state to be released after July 1 for Scarboro 85 Monument
Epoch Times
4 days ago
- Epoch Times
Tennessee Creates Domestic Abuse Registry Named After Murdered Deputy
Tennessee Gov. Bill Lee signed Savanna's Law this week, creating a first-of-its-kind domestic violence registry in the state for individuals convicted multiple times of offenses against domestic abuse victims. The law is named in honor of Robertson County Deputy Savanna Puckett, who was
Yahoo
5 days ago
- General
- Yahoo
Governor Lee signs Savannah Grace Copeland Act aimed at increasing funding for child advocacy
POWELL, Tenn. (WATE) — Tennessee Governor Bill Lee signed the Savannah Grace Copeland Act on Wednesday May 21, seeking to increase state funding for child advocacy. The act requires that if the state's general fund grows by at least one percent, the state has to increase the funding for the contracts of child advocacy centers in each judicial district by three percent. Gov. Lee signs 'Savanna's Law,' creating habitual domestic violence offender registry and honoring Robertson Co. deputy It additionally says that the Department of Children's Services has to increase contracts for child advocacy centers to a base rate of $127,855.98 and forensic child interviewer contracts to a base of $85,000 per contracted interviewer. Finally, the bill would require the funds given to the advocacy centers to be used according to a specific formula. The bill is named after a 13-year-old Powell girl who was murdered in October 2024. Her father has encouraged the legislature to work on increasing access to mental health. Tennessee bail bond agents warn of scammers posing as legitimate agents The bill passed the House and Senate earlier this year and is scheduled to go into effect on July 1. 6 News' Lori Tucker and Attorney Greg Isaacs discussed the bill in April. Copeland's father also spoke to 6 News after his daughter's death. Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.
Yahoo
5 days ago
- General
- Yahoo
Gov. Lee signs ‘Savanna's Law,' creating habitual domestic violence offender registry and honoring Robertson Co. deputy
NASHVILLE, Tenn. (WKRN) — A bill honoring a Robertson County Sheriff's Deputy was signed into law by Gov. Bill Lee Tuesday. MARCH: Tennessee could create registry for habitual domestic violence offenders in honor of slain Robertson Co. deputy 'Savanna's Law' creates a public registry of domestic violence offenders. After an offender's second conviction, their name, photo and the date and county of their convictions would be placed on the registry — and that information would stay on the registry for anywhere between two and 20 years. The legislation is named after Savanna Puckett, who was murdered at her Springfield home in 2022. Her mother, Kim Dodson, pushed for the law's passage and testified before lawmakers on the issue. 'Savanna was shot nine times. Yes, nine times and her house was intentionally set on fire. She was stalked and very afraid at times to even stay by herself,' Dodson told lawmakers in 2024. 'Not only did we lose Savanna, he also suffocated her dog.' On Tuesday, the Robertson County Sheriff's Office celebrated the signing in a Facebook post. 'Savanna dedicated her life to protecting members of our community,' the post reads, in part. 'Though she was taken from her family and Sheriff's Office family too soon, her legacy lives on in protecting domestic violence victims for the state of Tennessee.' Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.
