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A BRISTOL TENNESSEE PHARMACEUTICALS COMPANY IS REPORTING A NOT-SO-GOOD FIRST QUARTER. KING PHARMACEUTICALS HAD A NET LOSS OF 11 MILLION COMPARED TO NET EARNINGS OF 86 MILLION IN THE FIRST QUARTER A YEAR AGO. JOE SQUICCIARINO IS THE COMPANY’S CHIEF FINANCIAL OFFICER……

THAT REPRESENTS A DECREASE OF THREE MILLION DOLLARS IN TOTAL REVIEWS FROM A YEAR AGO. COMPANY CHAIRMAN, PRESIDENT AND CEO BRIAN MARKISON, TALKS ABOUT THE STATUS OF APPROVAL FOR ONE OF THEIR NEW DRUG APPLICATIONS…..

KING IS A VERTICALLY INTEGRATED BRANDED PHARMACEUTICAL COMPANY.

A proposal that would prevent a jail facility from being decertified is headed to the governor for his consideration. The measure sponsored by Republican Rep. David Hawk of Greeneville unanimously passed the House Monday evening. The companion bill was unanimously approved by the Senate last month. The proposal would prohibit the Tennessee Corrections Institute from decertifying a jail facility based on square footage of a jail cell if the measurement meets the requirements of the American Correctional Association’s Manual of Correctional Standards. Gov. Phil Bredesen spokeswoman Lydia Lenker says the governor will review the legislation once it reaches his desk.

A TWO VEHICLE ACCIDENT IN RUSSELL COUNTY VIRGINIA OVER THE WEEKEND HAS CLAIMED THE LIFE OF A HONAKER WOMAN. ACCORDING TO THE VIRGINIA STATE POLICE 60 YEAR OLD BARBARA JOANN MEADOWS WAS KILLED SATURDAY ON STATE ROUTE 80 BETWEEN ROSEDALE AND HONAKER. AUTHORITIES SAID A VEHICLE WAS TRAVELING WESTBOUND ON ROUTE 80 WHEN IT CROSSED THE CENTER LINE AND STRUCK MEADOWS’ VEHICLE HEADON. POLICE SAID WINTRY WEATHER AND ICY ROADS ARE BEING BLAMED ON THE CRASH.

A SUSPENDED UNICOI COUNTY PHYSICIANS ASSISTANT CONVICTED OF FORGERY HAS BEEN SENTENCED. 57 YEAR OLD RANDALL DIXON PLED GUILTY IN OCTOBER TO FORGERY. A JUDGE ORDERED DIXON TO SPEND 15 DAYS IN JAIL FOLLOWED BY FOUR YEARS OF PROBATION. HE OPERATED THE ERWIN CLINIC ON NORTH MAIN AVENUE FROM DECEMBER 2005 AND AUGUST 2006 WITHOUT A SUPERVISING PHYSICIAN MONITORING HIS PRACTICE OR PATIENTS. DURING THAT TIME, DIXON SIGNED DR. JAMES MORGAN’S NAME NEARLY 16 TIMES WITHOUT PERMISSION. A JUDGE ORDERED DIXON TO SPEND 15 DAYS IN JAIL FOLLOWED BY FOUR YEARS OF PROBATION.

IT’S THE NAME GAME. KINGSPORT POLICE ARE UNSURE OF THE REAL NAME OF A SHOOTING SUSPECT IN THE MODEL CITY. AUTHORITIES HAVE BEEN SEARCHING FOR SHAMARKUS MASON SINCE OCTOBER FOLLOWING A SHOOTING INCIDENT A LEE APARTMENTS THAT LEFT A YOUNG GIRL AND ANOTHER MAN INJURED. MASON FAILED TO SHOW UP FOR HIS COURT DATE. POLICE FOUND MASON LAST WEEK AT THE SULLIVAN COUNTY JAIL. THEY KNEW HE HAD ALIASES BUT THAT DIDN’T KNOW THAT HE HAD ALREADY BEEN CAPTURED BY U.S. MARSHALS UNDER THE NAME SHAMARKUS MORELAN. MASON IS CHARGED IN KINGSPORT WITH ATTEMPTED FIRST DEGREE MURDER, POSSESSION OF A FIREARM BY A CONVICTED FELON AND POSSESSION OF COCAINE WITHIN A THOUSAND FEET OF A SCHOOL. HIS TWO IDENTITIES MADE IT DIFFICULT FOR SULLIVAN COUNTY AUTHORITIES TO CONFIRM HE WAS BACK IN CUSTODY. MASON HAS A PRELIMINARY HEARING SET IN GENERAL SESSIONS COURT ON FEBRUARY 5TH.

A MAN ACCUSED OF VICIOUSLY ATTACKING A WOMAN AS SHE JOGGED IN UNICOI COUNTY HAS BEEN ARRAIGNED. 21 YEAR OLD BRADLEY SNEED IS CHARGED WITH ATTEMPTED RAPE AND AGGRAVATED ASSAULT. THE INCIDENT OCCURRED IN A NEIGHBORHOOD ON MEADOWVIEW LANE WHERE THE VICTIM REPORTEDLY EXERCISED AND WALKED IN ON A REGULAR BASIS. POLICE SAY SNEED ALLEGEDLY TACKLED THE WOMAN FROM BEHIND, KNOCKING HER INTO A DITCH. HE THEN REPORTEDLY PULLED HER THROUGH A FENCE AND BEGAN CHOKING HER, AND TOLD HER HE WAS GOING TO RAPE HER. SNEED HAS A PLED DEADLINE SET FOR MARCH 6TH, 2009.

SCOTT COUNTY VIRGINIA IS HOPING TO ADD HUNDREDS OF NEW JOBS TO THE AREA IN A TIME WHEN THE NATION IS SUFFERING FROM HIGH UNEMPLOYMENT. ONE BUSINESS THAT IS LOOKING TO ADD MORE WORKERS IS DUFFIELD RESULT CALL CENTER, WHICH NEEDS ABOUT 30 NEW EMPLOYEES. ONCE THE HOLSTON MEDICAL GROUP COMPLEX IS FINISHED, SEVERAL MORE JOBS WILL BE ADDED. SCOTT COUNTY LEADERS COULDN’T BE MORE HAPPY THAN RIGHT NOW TO SEE THE NEW JOBS COMING TO THE AREA AS WELL AS SEEING THE POPULATION IN THE COUNTY RISE TO NEARLY 24-THOUSAND PEOPLE.

A lawsuit accusing the outgoing Scott County Virginia registrar of using her office to retaliate against a political foe has been dismissed. A trial had been scheduled in the civil case against Willie Mae Kilgore last week. Mary Lane, wife of the Democratic candidate for sheriff in 2003, had claimed that Kilgore removed her from the voter rolls by falsely claiming she was a felon. Kilgore’s attorney said she was relying on incorrect information from the sheriff and state records. Attorneys declined to discuss in detail how the case was resolved. It was dismissed at Lane’s request. Kilgore plans to retire Dec. 15. She is the mother of former Attorney General Jerry Kilgore and his identical twin brother, Republican Del. Terry Kilgore of Scott County.

LEBANON VIRGINIA WILL BE LOSING ABOUT 100 JOBS. OFFICIALS AT THE IAC PLANT WILL BE HANDING OUT PINK SLIPS LATER THIS MONTH. THIS MARKS THE SECOND ROUND OF LAYOFFS AT IAC IN ABOUT A YEAR. THE PLANT MANUFACTURES AUTO PARTS AND IS A MAIN SUPPLIER FOR GM. OFFICIALS SAY IF AUTO SALES CONTINUE TO PLUMMET, ANOTHER ROUND OF LAYOFFS WOULD NOT BE OUT OF THE QUESTION.

AN 18 YEAR OLD KINGSPORT TEEN THAT PLED GUILTY IN SEPTEMBER TO RECKLESS HOMICIDE IN A CRASH LAST YEAR THAT KILLED HIS FRIEND, HAS HAD THE REMAINDER OF HIS SENTENCE SUSPENDED. JUDGE LYNN BROWN PLACED AARON DECKER ON 12 MONTHS OF PROBATION. DECKER WAS ACCUSED IN A CRASH IN OCTOBER 2007 ON INTERSTATE 26 THAT KILLED 17 YEAR OLD JESSICA JOHNSON. AUTHORITIES SAID THE CAR STRUCK A GUARDRAIL, ROLLED AT LEAST ONCE, EJECTING JOHNSON THROUGH THE SUNROOF. ANOTHER PASSENGER RECEIVED MINOR INJURIES. DECKER HAS BEEN RELEASED FROM CUSTODY TO BEGIN SERVING HIS PROBATION. THE VICTIMS FATHER SAID HE HOPES DECKER CAN BE REHABILITATED.