FROM THE RADIO NEWS DEPARTMENT

The Church Hill Board Of Mayor And Alderman Has Approved On First Reading, It’s 2012-13 Fiscal Year Spending Plan Without Having To Raise Any Property Taxes. The Tax Rate Will Remain The Same At $1.10 Per $100 Of Assessed Property Value. The Budget Presented To City Leaders Has A 30-Thousand Dollar Surplus.

The Washington County Tennessee Commission Chairman Could Soon Be Getting A Payraise. The County Commission’s Budget Committee Voted Last Night To Increase The Monthly Pay Of Greg Matherly From $50 A Month To $500 Per Month. As It Stands Now, Matherly, A Lieutenant With The Washington County Sheriff’s Office, Has Been Taking Paid Vacation Days Off To Perform His Duties. It Will Now Be Up To The Full Commission To Approve The Increase.

A Washington County Tennessee Woman Is Accused Of Robbing A Lady Who Had Been Under Her Care. 45 Year Old Lynn Siebert Is Charged With Theft Over 500 Hundred Dollars And Theft Under 500 Hundred Dollars. Martha Collins Had Reported Several Items Being Stolen In Two Incidents From Her Home. Siebert’s Boyfriend, Danny Hubbard, Allegedly Found The Stolen Items At The Home He Shared With Siebert. She’s Expected To Appear In Court Soon.

The Washington County Virginia Sheriff’s Office And The Abingdon And York Masonic Lodges Have Joined Forces To Help With Child Safety. Fingerprinting And Child Identification Packages Will Be Available During This Year’s Plum Alley Day Later This Month. A Child Identification Booth Will Be Set Up At The Residence Of Kenny And Doris Shuman On West Valley Street In Abingdon. Banners Will Be Displayed To Help Identify The Location. This Year’s Plum Alley Day Is May 26th.

Tennessee is one of six states that will share in more than $181 million in federal health care grants. The U.S. Department of Health and Human Services announced the grants, saying Tennessee will receive $4.3 million to use in establishing Affordable Health Care Insurance Exchanges. The funds are part of the Affordable Care Act.

This Upcoming Fiscal Year’s Spending Plan For Hawkins County Includes Some Major Purchases But Doesn’t Appear To Include Any Increase In The Property Tax Rate. The County Commission Is Looking At The Purchase Of Up To 35 Patrol Cars To Replace Sheriff Ronnie Lawson’s Aging Fleet. County Mayor Melville Bailey Said The Balance Of The Spending Plan Hinges On Whether The County School System Can Resolve A Reported 2.2 Million Dollar Deficit Without Asking The County For Additional Funds. As It Stands Now, The County Could End The Current Fiscal Year With A Surplus Of Over 2.5 Million Dollars.

A Sullivan County Grand Jury Has Indicted A Kingsport Man Accused Of Threatening A Woman At Gunpoint. 39 Year Old Dewayne Lipson Is Charged With Aggravated Assault. It Stems From An Incident That Occurred Following An Argument Between Lipson And A Female Neighbor Regarding A Dispute Concerning A Matter Between Their Children. Lipson Allegedly Threatened To Shoot The Woman If She Called Police Regarding The Issue And Then Pointed A Pistol At Her. He’s Expected To Appear In Court Soon.

Former Hawkins County Assistant District Attorney General Doug Godbee Has Filed An Appeal With The Tennessee Court Of Appeals In Knoxville Concerning His Denial Of Pretrial Diversion. Godbee Was Indicted Last Year On One Count Of Official Misconduct In Connection To Sex For Leniency Allegations Made In 2010 By Nine Female Drug Defendants Or Their Mothers. Godbee’s Criminal Case Remains On Hold Until The Appellate Court Makes A Decision.

Four Tri Cities People Have Been Indicted In Federal Court In Greeneville For Methamphetamine Manufacturing Conspiracy. 29 Year Old Brandy Church Of Mountain City Along With 29 Year Old Sara Farthing, 38 Year Old Penny Ward, And 36 Year Old Minnie Taylor, All Of Carter County, Are Charged With Conspiracy To Manufacture 50 Grams Or More Of Meth, Conspiracy To Distribute Meth, And Possession Of Equipment, Chemicals, And Products Which May Be Used To Manufacture Meth. If Convicted, Each Faces Up To Ten Years In Prison And A 10-Million Dollars Fine.

The Former Hiltons Virginia Postmaster Has Been Ordered To Spend Time Behind Bars For Taking Money From Her Place Of Employment. 56 Year Old Cynthia Landore Plead Guilty In February To One Count Of Embezzlement Of Postal Funds And One Count Of Embezzlement Of Public Property. She Admitted To Embezzling Approximately 30-Thousand Dollars By Unlawfully Converting Funds From The Sale Of Money Orders And Stamps For Her Personal Use. Landore Was Sentenced To Twelve Months And One Day In Federal Prison.

Last Year In The United States, 166 Police Officers Died In The Line Of Duty, And Already This Year, 37 Have Been Killed. That Number Includes 9 Sullivan County Deputies Who Sacrified Their Lives. A Sullivan County Sheriff’s Office Fallen Officer Memorial Is Set For Friday Beginning At 10 Am At The Sullivan County Sheriff’s Office In Blountville

So Just What Is The Economic Impact Of East Tennessee State University On The Tri Cities-Southwest Virginia Region? According To Etsu Economist Dr. Steb Hipple, It Tops 683 Million Dollars. The Impact On Household Income Is 253 Million Dollars, And 5,261 Full-Time Jobs Are Created. A Similar Study Hipple Conducted In 2001 Showed That The Johnson City School’s Economic Impact At That Time Was 328 Million Dollars.

The Jonesborough Board Of Mayor And Alderman Has Voted To Alow Beer To Be Sold During This Year’s Jonesborough Days Festival. Beer Will Only Be Sold And Consumed On Property In Front Of The Old Parson’s Table Restaurant. Police Will Be Monitoring That Area. Mayor Kelly Wolfe Said The Offering Of Beer Could Help Bring In More Tourists To The Festival.

A Former Hawkins County Sheriff’s Office Narcotics Detective Who Was Shot This Week Has Been Released From The Hospital. Brad Depew Sustained A Gunshot Wound To The Back Or Side Monday Afternoon. Authorities Said Depew And His Wife, Loretta Claimed It Was Accidental But An Investigation Revealed She Allegedly Pulled The Trigger. No Charges Have Been Filed At This Time As The Tennessee Bureau Of Investigation Continues To Probe The Incident. Meanwhile, Depew Is Facing Multiple Burglary And Theft Charges For Allegedly Taking Drugs Out Of An Evidence Locker At The Sheriff’s Office In March And April Of Last Year.

Johnson City Police Are Investigating A Report Of An Armed Robbery. It Happened Downtown At The Corner Of North Roan And King Streets. The Victim, Who Is Blind, Told Police He Was Sitting On A Bench At The Intersection When A Man Approached Him, Brandished A Gun And Demanded A Ring And Cash. The Suspect Fled With Jewelry And Cash. The Incident Remains Under Investigation.

The Kingsport Board Of Mayor And Alderman Has Approved On First Reading, Two Small Annexations. The Acquisition Includes Property On Emory Church Road And Grandview Court. The Annexation Will Bring Four Homes Into The City And Will Generate An Additional Tax Revenue Of Just Over 23-Hundred Dollars Each Year. The Move Comes At The Request Of The Homeowners. A Second And Final Reading Is Expected By The BMA June 5th.

The Financially Struggling Unicoi County Memorial Hospital Is Receiving A Financial Boost From The Town Of Erwin. The Town’s Board Of Mayor And Alderman Has Approved 800-Thousand Dollars In Temporary Funding. The Money Will Be Used To Help Cover Operational Expenses. The Hospital’s Financial Crunch Is Being Blamed On The Current Economic Climate, Under-Utilization Of The Hospital, Consistently Decreasing Reimbursements From Insurance Providers And A Mandate From The Government To Upgrade To An Electronic Medical Records System.

The Tennessee Valley Authority is increasing its fuel adjustment charge by 0.7 percent in June. A typical household power bill will rise 80 cents for the same amount of use. TVA spokesman Scott Brooks said the mild winter that was beneficial to customers allowed the federal utility to credit some of the savings to the monthly fuel charge in February, March and April. Those savings have been used up so the fuel charge for June is more reflective of TVA’s actual costs for producing electricity.