OAK RIDGE, Tenn. (AP) — The nation’s new energy secretary said Monday that a breach in security at the Y-12 nuclear weapons plant was unacceptable and he’s taking steps to make sure it isn’t compromised again.
Ernest Moniz, who was sworn in last month, made the Oak Ridge National Laboratory his first official trip in office. Later in the day he planned to visit the Y-12 National Security Complex, which was broken into by a nun and two other protesters last year.
“Clearly this was an unacceptable breach of security,” Moniz told reporters after a brief tour of the lab’s $1.4 billion Spallation Neutron Source facility.
“With or without the Y-12 incident, safety and security are essential core elements of our mission. I’m in discussion in the department, in the administration and in the Congress right now, talking about how we will move forward on some organizational changes.”
Sister Megan Rice and protesters Michael Walli and Greg Boertje-Obed were convicted last month of sabotaging the plant and damaging federal property. The facility has had a hand in making, maintaining or dismantling parts of every nuclear weapon in the country’s arsenal.
Federal authorities alleged they used bolt cutters last July to cut through fences and spent about two hours inside, splashing human blood on the walls of fortress-like Highly Enriched Uranium Materials Facility and painting phrases on its walls like: “Woe to the empire of blood.”
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LOUISVILLE, Ky. (AP) — Anglers won their fight Monday to preserve access to prime fishing spots below dams along the Cumberland River in Kentucky and Tennessee, catching the attention of Congress and now President Barack Obama.
Obama signed into law a bill imposing a two-year moratorium on the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers from erecting barriers to prevent fishing in the popular tailwaters near dams along the Cumberland and its tributaries. The legislation, called the Freedom to Fish Act, was sponsored by lawmakers from both states.
“It’s a winning day for all those who love to fish in those areas,” Livingston County Judge-Executive Chris Lasher said.
The measure was seen as a short-term solution while lawmakers from both states push for a permanent ban on putting up barriers in those areas. Legislation that includes the permanent moratorium on such fishing restrictions along the Cumberland is pending in the U.S. House.
Fishing enthusiasts, backed by local officials, attended rallies and meetings and contacted members of Congress to express outrage at the Corps’ proposal to add restrictions near the dams. The Corps said the purpose was to enhance boating safety. It looked at placing steel cable anchored with buoys across the water to seal off access near the dams.
The restrictions would have cut off places where anglers have reeled in big catches for decades in a region known as a recreational haven.
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NASHVILLE, Tenn. (AP) — A yearlong celebration of Johnny Cash’s legacy will come to an end this week with the issue of a new postal stamp and free public concert.
The new Johnny Cash Forever stamp goes on sale Wednesday and to celebrate Cash’s son, John Carter Cash, and several friends and family members will gather at Ryman Auditorium. The stamp is based around a promotional shot for the 1963 album “Ring of Fire: The Best of Johnny Cash.” To Cash it looks like a 45 or 78 RPM record cover and is unlike the usual offerings — matching his father’s legacy.
“It just truly embodies my father’s spirit, who he was,” Cash said. “It’s different. That’s one thing: It stands out to me as being unique. It’s very commanding when you see the stamp.”
Wednesday’s concert features Cash family members, including the late singer’s brother and sister, Tommy Cash and Joanne Cash Yates, and friends Randy Travis, Marty Stuart, Larry Gatlin and The Oak Ridge Boys. Jamey Johnson and The Roys also are scheduled to perform.
The limited-edition stamp, part of the U.S. Postal Service’s Music Icon Series, will be on sale at the concert and at the Country Music Association Festival later this week.
A decade after his 2003 death, Cash remains a popular figure with million-dollar sales. A celebration of what would have been his 80th year started last spring and efforts to preserve his legacy continue in Nashville and his birthplace in Arkansas. The Johnny Cash Museum formally opened in downtown Nashville last week and efforts are underway to save Cash’s childhood home in Dyess, Ark.
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KNOXVILLE, Tenn. (AP) — Regal Entertainment Group is installing new equipment in its theaters that will help people with vision or hearing impairments enjoy the movies.
The Knoxville News Sentinel reports (http://bit.ly/13fHt43http://bit.ly/13fHt43 ) that this summer Regal will begin providing eyeglasses that use holographic technology to project closed-captioning at about 6,000 screens across the country.
Randy Smith, the CEO of Knoxville-based Regal, said the technology is the closest thing to complete access for sight- and hearing-impaired patrons the industry has ever had.
“For the first time since the talkies, the deaf and blind can go see any feature at any show time at any theater that is outfitted with this type of technology,” Smith said.
The glasses weigh three ounces and can be adjusted so the viewer can set the distance to the subtitles. The captions appear to float in front of the view in the direct line of sight to the screen. The system also includes headsets for hearing impaired people who don’t wear hearing aids.
Among those the company tested the technology on is Smith’s 23-year-old son, Ryan, who is deaf.
