Tennessee
‘Novel’ deal puts $42M into Tennessee accounts for Manhattan Project cleanup projects
Low Intensity Test Reactor demolished at Oak Ridge National Laboratory
The reactor is the second to be torn down at the lab’s central campus by the Oak Ridge Office of Environmental Management and UCOR (Courtesy of UCOR).
Department of Energy
After 15 years of negotiations between the state of Tennessee and the U.S. Department of Energy over the price tag of environmental damages stemming from the Manhattan Project in Oak Ridge, the two have signed a $42 million agreement to pay for restoration projects.
The money, set to be deposited by the Department of Energy into a Tennessee state account over the next several years, will be given to nonprofits and public entities to fund projects like building public trails and planting native species.
“The city is putting together a list of projects and will be applying for funding,” Oak Ridge City Manager Randy Hemann said. “We have no shortage of projects.”
The projects, which could receive millions of dollars each, must fall into one of five categories: habitat creation, habitat restoration or enhancement, habitat preservation, groundwater or recreation. Eligible projects cover Anderson and Roane counties, as well as parts of Loudon and Knox counties.
The agreement is part of a process to restore Oak Ridge and surrounding waterways to the state there were in before the Department of Energy released contaminants, including radioactive waste, while enriching uranium for the first atomic bomb. The $42 million helps the federal government settle its liabilities.
Energy Department redirects Tennessee funds
The Oak Ridge Reservation, a federally owned tract of 32,260 acres that includes Oak Ridge National Laboratory and the Y-12 National Security Complex, was designated a Superfund site by the Environmental Protection Agency in 1989.
Trustees to negotiate the damages owed to the state are:
- Tennessee Department of Environment and Conservation
- Tennessee Valley Authority
- U.S. Department of Energy
- U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service on behalf of the U.S. Department of the Interior
Representatives of the trustees sit on a council that will select projects.
The council put together a novel plan to settle the disagreement between the state and the DOE shortly after Gov. Bill Lee took office.
What makes the plan unique is the source of the $42 million, said Jay Mullis, manager of the Oak Ridge Office of Environmental Management.
Half of the money has already been given from the DOE to Tennessee through an agreement dating back to the 1990s. The DOE agreed to give the state $1 million each year in a perpetual care fund for the landfill it uses in Oak Ridge today. Typically, the state would use the fund to care for the landfill after it closes, Mullis said.
But the state will not bear the responsibility to care for the DOE’s landfill, set to be replaced in 2029, so the money has accrued with no clear purpose.
Now, it will be repurposed for restoration projects after the DOE agreed to match the funds.
“I had to put a decent amount of pressure on the DOE feds at headquarters to move this along, because it was so novel,” Mullis told Knox News. “Bureaucracies hate anything that’s novel. But if we’re going to get anything novel done, Oak Ridge is the place to do it.”
How Oak Ridge compares to other Manhattan Project sites
Between the 1940s and 1970s, the DOE buried around 6 million cubic feet of radioactive and other waste in shallow burial sites. It also discharged waste directly into the East Fork Poplar Creek. Since 1986, when remedial activities began, it has removed contaminated soil into landfills and cleaned up waterways.
Cleanup leaders in Oak Ridge, who direct part of the largest environmental cleanup project in the world, often tout their work as the most efficient, innovative and cost-effective of all Manhattan Project sites.
Other sites, particularly the quagmire of radioactive waste in Hanover, Washington, have spent tens of millions of dollars just assessing environmental damages.
The Oak Ridge Office of Environmental Management and its cleanup contractor UCOR tore down all buildings at the K-25 site, once home to the world’s largest building, and will finish cleaning its soil of radioactive material this year.
They also have found unique ways to reuse radioactive material, like giving a Cold War-era generator to a company that will reuse it to create power in the deep sea and space.
Mullis and Tennessee Department of Environment and Conservation Commissioner David Salyers held a signing ceremony in Oak Ridge for the new agreement July 11.
“This funding will protect the natural resources in the area as well as go toward outdoor recreational opportunities for Tennesseans, creating a more balanced and healthy environment for all,” Salyers said in a press release.
DOE to host public meetings on the application process
The first phase of the restoration process focused on the Watts Bar Reservoir. To compensate for damage to the waterway, the DOE established the Black Oak Ridge Conservation Easement in 2009, a 3,000-acre natural habitat and recreational area managed in partnership with the Tennessee Wildlife Resources Agency.
The second phase, focused on other Oak Ridge land and the Clinch River, will be restored through community projects funded by the agreement. The projects are separate from the DOE’s risk-based cleanup, such as demolition of Manhattan Project-era nuclear reactors.
Nonprofits and public entities that want to apply for funding can find more information about the grant application process in a draft procedure document.
The state will receive public comments at ORRrestoration@tn.gov until Aug. 12.
The trustee council will post the final document online later this summer and will host public meetings in the community to help organizations understand the application process.
Oak Ridger news editor Donna Smith contributed to this reporting.
Daniel Dassow is a growth and development reporter focused on technology and energy. Phone 423-637-0878. Email daniel.dassow@knoxnews.com.
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Tennessee
Time Wellness Centers Announces Expansion of Mental Health Treatment Services in Tennessee
Chattanooga, TN, United States, 8th Dec 2025 – Time Wellness Centers has announced the expansion of its statewide program for Mental Health Treatment Tennessee, designed to address the increasing demand for licensed, structured mental health care. As outlined by Time Wellness Centers, the initiative expands inpatient and residential treatment capacity across Tennessee, aligning with efforts to provide standardized, clinically supervised mental health services.
The expanded framework consists of integrated, person-centered care that addresses a range of conditions, including mood disorders, anxiety, depression, trauma-related symptoms, and co-occurring substance use disorders. The model integrates clinical therapy, psychiatric oversight, and continuous care within a structured treatment environment designed to support long-term mental health stabilization, as per the Tennessee mental health facilities’ media contact person.
According to Jessica Gerstein, Executive Director of Time Wellness Centers, “access to appropriate care can significantly influence outcomes for individuals facing mental health challenges. Our goal is to guarantee that people in Tennessee have access to high-quality, regulated care in structured, encouraging environments.”
Data from the Tennessee Department of Mental Health and Substance Abuse Services indicate that more than one in five adults in the state experience a mental health condition annually, reflecting a steady rise in the demand for regulated inpatient mental health facilities in Tennessee.
Time Wellness Centers’ Residential Mental Health Facilities Tennessee approach incorporates step-down and aftercare planning to support ongoing rehabilitation upon release, going beyond short-term stability. According to the information provided by Gerstein, each treatment plan is created in collaboration with certified therapists, psychiatrists, and support personnel to guarantee that each participant receives customized, data-driven therapy.
“Our approach combines an established therapeutic community with clinical expertise,” stated Clinical Director, Erricka Hill. “It’s about giving clients both structure and compassion, enabling them to overcome the difficulties that frequently accompany mental health recovery while keeping an eye on clinical advancement and long-term wellness.”
According to Time Wellness Centers, the expansion involves developing partnerships with local healthcare providers and referral networks to promote coordination and continuity in patient care.
Allie Hinchman, Director of Business Development, stated, “Collaboration remains at the heart of our approach as we continue to develop programs across Tennessee. We’re assisting in bridging the gap between crisis intervention and sustainable recovery by closely collaborating with referring professionals, hospitals, and community organizations.”
Time Wellness Centers reports that its licensed facilities employ credentialed professionals who deliver a range of clinical and supportive services, including cognitive-behavioral therapy, dialectical behavior therapy, and medication management.
About Time Wellness Centers
Time Wellness Centers is a licensed organization offering clinically supervised inpatient and residential care for adults across Tennessee. The organization’s interdisciplinary teams help persons with mental health and co-occurring disorders by providing clinically supervised care in controlled settings. To guarantee uniform, controlled treatment delivery, Time Wellness Centers complies with recognized clinical norms and state licensing requirements.
Media Contact
Organization: Time Wellness
Contact Person: Tori Skene
Website: https://timewellnesscenters.com
Email: information@twchcm.com
Contact Number: +14234136195
Address:1635 Chestnut Street, Chattanooga, TN 37408, United States
City: Chattanooga
State: TN
Country:United States
Release id:38703
View source version on King Newswire:
Time Wellness Centers Announces Expansion of Mental Health Treatment Services in Tennessee
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Tennessee
Illinois Basketball Grades: Evaluating the Illini Against Tennessee
No. 14 Illinois put together perhaps its best and most complete performance – and certainly its most compelling half – of the season Saturday in Nashville in a 75-62 win over No. 13 Tennessee. It amounted to not only a measure of revenge after Illini losses to the Vols in each of the past two seasons but also proof positive that this team has the ability to take down top teams in more ways than one.
Some of that is reflected in who stepped up and aced their personal performances, which we detail in our player grades below. As always, these are single-game, subjective evaluations of individual on-court production:
Welcome back, Tomi. Oh, how the Illini missed you. With 16 points on 7-for-13 shooting (including two threes) and a team-best plus-17 plus-minus figure, Ivisic put up mostly excellent numbers – save for a so-so night on the boards (five). But for the first time this season, he was the engine that drove Illinois’ offense. We’ve said it many times before, and we’ll say it (at least) once more: The Illini are at their best playing through Ivisic, and on Saturday he was finally healthy and fit enough to make it so.
Two points and not a single shot from the field in 26 minutes? What are you doing out there, Ben? The answer: everything else. Between his hounding defense, shoulder-banging rebounding and relentless hustle plays, Humrichous arguably did more to help Illinois win than any other player who hit the floor. If he can ba;ance that with a couple of made threes each game, he’ll be in the mix for Big Ten Sixth Man of the Year.
Wagler finally broke through against a top opponent, and he seemed to be solving the puzzles that had perplexed him only a week or two ago in real time against Tennessee. It helps when the long ball is falling (4-for-11), but Wagler also added eight rebounds against a hulking Volunteers group and led the Illini with five assists (against zero turnovers).
Boswell did a lot of really valuable Boswell things – examples: got downhill to create shots on offense, locked up on defense – but his perimeter shot wasn’t falling. An 0-for-3 performance from three isn’t a backbreaker (especially from him), but a 3-for-6 showing from the free-throw line could have been a difference-maker on another night.
It’s a luxury for 14 points (2-for-4 on threes), six rebounds (including five offensive), two assists and a block from a freshman to be a mildly frustrating performance, but Mirkovic still toggles between trying to do too much and disappearing for stretches.
Big Z is never going to be a truly dynamic defender, but he has to be more than just a jump shooter and shot blocker for Illinois. And on Saturday, he was only half that. Zvonimir hit two big threes, but he had three fouls, only one rebound and a team-worst minus-4 plus-minus in nine minutes.
Stojakovic never gained any offensive traction against Tennessee (five points on 2-for-5 shooting), in part because he’s still figuring out exactly how and where he can fit in on a nightly basis. He made himself playable with a pair of blocks and a pair of steals, but needs to be more active on the boards (two in 21 minutes).
In seven mostly uneventful minutes, Davis knocked down his only shot attempt (a three) and grabbed a defensive rebound, while taking nothing off the table. But Tennessee’s size and muscle make him a target on defense, which mostly kept him off the floor.
When three missed shot attempts and a turnover in six minutes are the extent of your contributions, you feel grateful to receive an “incomplete” grade. It wasn’t Petrovic’s night (or matchup), and Wagler’s strong play made his minutes optional.
Tennessee
Tennessee Bowl Projections: Pair of ESPN Reporters Agree on Vols’ Projected Destination | Rocky Top Insider

With the conference championship slate of games in the books, bowl game selections are right around the corner. This includes Tennessee football, which has been tied to multiple bowls after finishing the 2025 season 8-4 (4-4 SEC).
According to ESPN on Sunday morning, both Kyle Bonagura and Mark Schlabach are in agreement. The pair has the Vols headed to Tampa to play Iowa in the ReliaQuest Bowl. The game is scheduled for Dec. 31 at noon ET on ESPN.
While Tennessee is waiting on its selection, most of the Big Ten know where it is headed. According to a report from On3’s Brett McMurphy, Michigan will play in the Citrus Bowl, Iowa will play in the ReliaQuest Bowl and Illinois will play in the Music City Bowl. The SEC is the other conference tie-in for those three games. McMurphy projects UT to play in the Music City Bowl against the Illini.
More From RTI: Tennessee Bowl Projections: Where the Vols Land in Post-SEC Championship Projections
If ESPN is correct and Tennessee and Iowa meet in the ReliaQuest Bowl, it’d be the second time in three years that the pair square off in a Florida bowl game. In 2023, after the Vols also finished 8-4, the two played in the Citrus Bowl. Tennessee won that matchup 35-0 behind MVP Nico Iamaleava.
All-time, the Vols are 3-1 against the Hawkeyes. Tennessee lost the first meeting in Atlanta in 1982, but claimed neutral site wins in 1987, 2014 and, most recently, 2023.
Tennessee has played in the ReliaQuest Bowl, previously named the Outback Bowl and Hall of Fame Bowl, four times since it began in 1986. In 1993, UT defeated Boston College 38-23. In 2007, the Vols fell to Penn State 20-10. However, Tennessee returned the following season, beating Wisconsin 21-17 in 2008. The most recent appearance was in 2016, when UT won 45-6 over Northwestern.
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