Community Corner

🌱 What Beta-4’s demolition means for Y-12’s future in Oak Ridge

Make time for Hops for Hounds Beer Festival on the Oak Ridge Patch calendar

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Greetings Oak Ridge! We're your go-to source for what's happening in town. Read on to get plugged in! ☕️️

In today's newsletter:

  • What Beta-4's demolition means for Y-12's future in Oak Ridge
  • How will TVA's new Clinch River reactor reshape power near Oak Ridge?
  • First small reactor near Oak Ridge cleared—what happens next?

Also on today's calendar: Hops for Hounds and 9 more events.

Today's riddle: What do you call a belt that is made of watches? 🤔 (Answer below!)

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Weather forecast:

  • Thursday: Partly sunny and very warm, with a high of 88 and low of 65 degrees. 🌶 Hot!
  • Friday: Humid; a stray p.m. t-storm, temps: high: 86, low: 70.
  • Saturday: Showers and a heavier t-storm, with a high of 76 and low of 67 degrees.

📰 News we're reading

1. DOE contractors recover equipment from Y-12 legacy facility ahead of demolition (exchangemonitor.com) — Cleanup crews at Oak Ridge's Y-12 National Security Complex are stripping reusable equipment from the massive Beta-4 building as they prepare the aging uranium facility for demolition. The project reduces environmental and safety risks in Oak Ridge while freeing up valuable space and parts to support dozens of NNSA facilities, shaping how this key federal site will be used in future national security missions.
   

2. NRC Construction Permit to TVA for BWRX-300 (neutronbytes.com) — Oak Ridge-area readers should know TVA has secured a key federal construction permit for the first BWRX-300 small modular reactor at the Clinch River Nuclear Site near town, a major step toward new local nuclear generation. The article explains what this permit allows, outlines plans for up to four units, and highlights how the project could influence regional power supply, jobs, and future SMR deployments nationwide.
   

3. Snap! -- Moonbots, Fast Food Internet, Small Reactor (spiceworks.com) — For Oak Ridge residents, the standout item in this tech roundup is that TVA has received federal approval to build a BWRX-300 small modular reactor at its Clinch River site near town. While the newsletter also covers topics like NASA robots and fast‑food Wi‑Fi, this reactor decision could significantly influence future local energy infrastructure and economic activity.
   

4. Trash to Treasure? Turning Plastic into Gasoline (yoursurvivalguy.com) — Scientists at Oak Ridge National Laboratory have devised a molten-salt process that can turn common polyethylene waste, like bags and cutting boards, into gasoline- and diesel-like fuels. While the work has global implications for energy and recycling, it also highlights cutting-edge innovation happening right in Oak Ridge, potentially shaping future clean-tech jobs and research partnerships in the community.
   

5. DOE Funds $29.5M for 17 Mining Tech Projects at 12 National Labs (indexbox.io) — A new $29.5 million Department of Energy package will fund 17 mining-technology projects at national labs, including an Oak Ridge National Laboratory effort to use mobile robots to rapidly map underground mines and locate mineral deposits. For Oak Ridge residents, this underscores the lab's growing role in critical-minerals research and could help attract future high-tech investment and specialized jobs to the area.
   

📸 Around Oak Ridge

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💬 Chatter

What your neighbors are talking about on social media

  • It's been a busy month for the Oak Ridge Fire Department!
    Earlier this month, Engines 2, 3, 1, Tower 20, Rescue 30, and the Battalion Chief responded to a reported structure fire on Tacoma Road. Engine 2 and… (Nextdoor )
  • Walmart delivered an item to Riverview drive in Oak Ridge.
    If it made it to your house with my name on it, let me know. (Nextdoor Rivers Run)
  • Bojangles' Restaurants, Inc. posted a job opening for Bojangles Shift Manager - Oak Ridge, TN - 919 in Oak Ridge. Apply here.
  • Food City Supermarket posted a job opening for Food Service Associate in Oak Ridge. Apply here. You can search for other jobs near Oak Ridge here.

Ok Oak Ridge! So now you're in the loop about what's happening today. Thanks for reading, and see you in your inbox next time! Oh -- and if you like what you're reading, invite a friend to Patch AM!

-- The Patch AM Team

P.S. The answer to today's riddle: A waist of time. (Thank you Martin L. for sending it in!)
Got a good riddle for PatchAM? Submit it here!

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