FROM THE RADIO NEWS DEPARTMENT

Liberty Bell Middle School In Johnson City Is Closed Today Due To A Water Main Break. It Happened Overnight And Crews Are Working To Fix It And Get Things Back To Normal.

One Person Is In Custody And Another Hospitalized Following A Stabbing In The Parking Lot Of A Coeburn Supermarket. It Happened At Food City On Front Street West. The Victim Was Stabbed In The Chest And Remains In Stable Condition At An Area Hospital. Police Said A Man Standing In The Parking Lot Wednesday Night Waved Down The Off-Duty Food City Employee. As Soon As The Employee Opened His Door, The Man Mumbled Something And Pulled Out A Knife. The Attacker Is Charged With Malicious Wounding, Attempted Robbery And Possession Of A Firearm By A Convicted Felon. No Names Are Being Released At This Time Until A Motive Can Be Established.

The Postmaster At East Tennessee State University Has Been Fired. Harvey Byerley Was Let Go After Allegedly Opening A Suspicious Package Addressed To A Student. When Questioned About The Incident, Byerley Defended His Actions Claiming He Was Authorized To Open The Package Based On Guidance From A Former Postal Employee. Upon Further Review, A Postal Inspector Determined His Action Was A Clear Violation Of Federal Law.

A Sullivan County Grand Jury Has Indicted Woman In Connection With The Traffic Death Of A Retired Tennessee State Trooper. Jamie Mcclain Is Charged With Vehicular Homicide In A June Crash On Highway 75 In Blountville That Claimed The Life Of 62 Year Old Barry Myers. Investigators Claim Mcclain’s Vehicle Crossed The Center Line And Struck A Pickup Truck.

A Norton Virginia Woman Who Was Found Shot In The Head Last Week Has Died And A New Charge Has Been Filed Against The Shooter. 21 Year Old Melquan Huntley Is Now Facing A Charge Of Involuntary Manslaughter In Addition To Unlawful Discharge Of A Firearm And Unlawful Shooting Of A Person In The Commission Of A Felony. Huntley Was A Football Player For UVA-Wise Until His Dismissal This Week From The Team. He’s Accused Of Shooting 18 Year Old Jahnae Foster In The Head Last Wednesday At A Home In Green’s Mobile Home Park.

The Man Convicted Of Four Counts Of First Degree Murder And Other Charges For His Role In A 2005 Kingsport Robbery And Double Murder Has Been Sentenced To Two Life Sentences In Sullivan County Criminal Court. 37 Year Old Jawaune Massey Was Convicted Of His Part In The Fatal Shootings Of Jeffrin Noland And Terrence Alexander Inside The Former Sole’ Candle Shop On November 18th, 2005. Massey Was Also Involved In A Cocaine Distribution Ring. The Sentences Are To Run Consecutively. A March 8th Court Date Has Been Set For Massey To Seek A New Trial.

The American Red Cross Will Be Hosting A Special Blood Drive On Monday In Johnson City. An Old Fashioned Holiday Celebration Is Set To Take Place From Noon Until Six Pm At The Johnson City Blood Donation Center On Sunset Drive. Donors Will Be Eligible For A 1-Thousand Dollar Gift Card. In Addition, Canned Food Donations Will Be Accepted On Monday At The Blood Donation Center. The Food That’s Collected Will Go To The Second Harvest Food Bank Of Northeast Tennessee.

A 31 Year Old Kingsport Man Convicted Earlier This Year On A Federal Child Pornography Charge Will Spend The Next 10 Years In Prison. Michael Noble Jr. Was Ordered To Serve 10 Years In Prison Followed By 20 Years Of Supervised Release. Noble Was Convicted In May Of This Year Of Possession Of More Than 23-Hundred Pictures And Six Videos Containing Child Pornography.

The King College Of Nursing In Bristol Tennessee Has Been Re-Accredited. The Reaffirmation Follows An On-Site, Regularly Scheduled, Evaluation Process Back In March From The Commission On Collegiate Nursing Education. According To Dr. Johanne Quinn, Dean Of King’s School Of Nursing, Their Program Of Study Is A Quality Program That Promotes Caring Relationships And Critical Thinking.

Healthcare Jobs In Our Region Are On The Rise By Nearly 50 Percent. According To The King Institute For Regional Economic Studies At King College’s School Of Business, Employment In Health Care Rose About 48 Percent In The Tri-Cities Between 2002 And 2011. The Average Annual Wage For Health Care Employees Is About 50-Thousand Dollars. Figures Show The Health Care Industry Supports The Creation Of Over 15-Hundred Jobs Each Year In The Tri-Cities. The Report Can Be Viewed At Kires.King.Edu

A Northeast Tennessee Lawmaker, Who’s Been Indicted On A Felony Charge, Is Set To Appear In Court Later Friday To Be Arraigned. A Greene County Grand Jury Charged State Representative David Hawk Of Greeneville With Felony Reckless Endangerment. The Charge Stems From An Assault Reported By His Wife Earlier This Year. Hawk’s Wife, Crystal, Told Officers Her Husband Struck Her In The Face At Their Home On March 18th. The Lawmaker Says He’s Innocent And Claims His Wife Had Been Holding A Gun.

A Greeneville Man Has Been Ordered To Spend Time Behind Bars On Drug Charges. 35 Year Old Frankie Crum Was Convicted Of Participating In A Conspiracy Responsible For The Distribution Of Large Quantities Of Oxycodone And Marijuana In Northeast Tennessee. Crum And His Cousin Would Go To Various Pain Clinics Across The Southeast Region To Illegally Obtain Oxycodone Pills And Then Transport Them Back To The Greeneville Area And Sold. Crum Was Sentenced To 100 Months In Federal Prison.

A Facebook-Related Murderer Being Held In The Johnson County Jail Will Be Housed In A Prison While He Awaits His Trial. A Judge Made The Decision To Move Marvin Potter, Jr. Due To Serious Medical Problems. In A Prison, Those Problems Can Be Better Addressed. Potter And Jamie Curd Are Charged With Two Counts Of Murder In The Killing Of Billy Payne Jr And His Girlfriend, Billie Hayworth In January 2012. Both Men Are Charged In The Killings That Occurred Following A Feud That Erupted After Potter’s Daughter Was De-Friended On Facebook. The Two Men Are Scheduled To Appear In Court Friday For A Hearing And Have A Trial Date Set In April.

Candlelight, Music, And Caroling On The Courthouse Lawn Are On Tap On Saturday In Downtown Greeneville. Beginning At 4:45 Pm, Piano Students Will Be Performing Holiday Classics. Tusculum View Chorus Will Sing Starting At 5:30 Pm As The Crowd Joins In To Sing More Holiday Classics. The Town Hall Tree Will Be Lit Around 6:20 In The Evening. The Wall Of The Dixie Cleaners Building Will Become A Giant Outdoor Movie Screen Where “The Year Without A Santa Claus” Will Be Shown Beginning At 6:30 Pm. Area Churches Will Be Open As Will The Andrew Johnson Homestead, With The Children’s Community Choir Performing At 7 Pm.

Numerous Drug Suspects Have Been Indicted By A Carter County Grand Jury. As A Result, 30 People Are Facing Charges As The Result Of A Drug Roundup Termed Operation “Street Sweeper” Which Targeted Methamphetamine Traffickers In The Region. Sheriff Chris Mathes Said 18 Of The Suspects Are In Custody After Deputies Conducted Early Morning Raids Throughout Carter County. Deputies Seized Three Active Meth Labs During The Roundup.

With The Holidays Upon Us, Kingsport Police Remind Residents That Thieves Are Out There Waiting To Steal. Police Spokesman Tom Patton Says There Are Two Simple Steps That Can Keep You From Becoming A Victim – Lock Your Doors And Keep Valuables Out Of Plain Sight. According To Patton, There’s Been A Spike Recently In The Number Of Burglaries In Kingsport.

The Russell County Virginia Sheriff’s Office Along With The Tazewell County Sheriff’s Department Are Investigating An Early Morning Shooting In Honaker. It Happened Around One O’clock. Authorities Said One Person Was Shot In The Neck Area And Taken To Clinch Valley Medical Center In Richlands. No Names Or Details Are Being Released At This Time. One Suspect Is Being Questioned At This Time And More Information Is Expected To Be Released Later Today.

The Unicoi County Memorial Hospital’s Board Has Made Its Decision Regarding Who Will Run The Facility In The Future. The Board Voted In Favor Of Joining Mountain States Health Alliance. The Decision Was Announced Despite One Board Member Adamantly Opposing The Move, Saying The Hospital Group Already Controls Too Much Of The Region’s Healthcare From Johnson County To Washington County And Beyond. Members Of The Community Crowded The Erwin Municipal Building, Many Holding Up Signs In Favor Of Wellmont Health System.

Two Johnson City Men Are Behind Bar Facing Felony Charges. 18 Year Old Thomas Garrett Workman And Tonio Alberto Regalado Are Each Charged With Being In Possession Of Marijuana For Resale. The Charges Stem From A Search Of Their Princeton Road Residence In Which Police Discovered About 64 Grams Of Marijuana, A Loaded Pistol, Drug Paraphernalia, Several Boxes Of Ammunition, Several Plastic Baggies, And Over 5-Thousand Dollars In Cash. Workman And Regalado Were Transported To The Washington County Detention Center. They Will Appear In Sessions Court Soon To Be Arraigned.

For The Second Time In Less Than A Week, The Washington County Virginia Sheriff’s Office Has Seized An Operational Meth Lab. Acting On A Tip, Deputies Went To The Super 8 Motel In Glade Spring Where They Found 39 Year Old Howard Edward Wilson, Jr. Of Glade Spring. He Was Served With A Warrant For A Probation Violation Stemming From A Previous Conviction For Possessing And Manufacturing A Controlled Substance. Wilson Was Also Charged With A Single Count Of Manufacturing Meth As A Result Of The Seizure. He’s Being Held Without Bond In The Southwest Virginia Regional Jail In Abingdon. Wilson Is Set To Be In Court Later Today On The Probation Violation Charge, With Another Court Date Scheduled For December 17th In The Washington County General District Court.