FROM THE RADIO NEWS DEPARTMENT

Unicoi Memorial Hospital Leaders Are Working To Pay Vendors Owed Money For Providing Services And Products To The Hospital. During A Board Meeting This Week, The Hospital Board Of Control Was Asked To Authorize Its Chairman To Seek A 1.5 Million Dollar Line Of Credit To Pay Vendors That Are Owed Money. Hospital Leaders Unanimously Voted To Approve The Measure. Meanwhile, Work Is Continuing On Accepting An Acquisition Proposal From Either Mountain States Health Alliance Or Wellmont Health System.

The Fall Branch District Of The Tennessee Highway Patrol And First Judicial District Attorney Tony Clark Will Once Again Be Enforcing The “No Refusal” Campaign During The Thanksgiving Holiday Period. The “No Refusal” Law Allows Law Enforcement Officials To Seek Search Warrants For Blood Samples In Cases Involving Suspected Impaired Drivers. The Campaign Is The Result Of An Increase In Impaired Driving And Fatal Crashes That Have Occurred In 2012.

The Legion Pool In Kingsport Won’t Likely Be Opening Up Anymore. The City’s Parks And Recreation Advisory Board Is Recommending The Pool Be Immediately Closed And Demolished As Soon As Possible. The Opinion Was Born From A Request Made By Mayor Dennis Phillips Four Months Ago When He Asked City Staff To Consider Whether Legion Pool Should Remain Open After The Aquatic Center Opens. This Year, The Pool Leaked 8.7 Million Gallons, Which Is Enough To Have Filled The Pool 17 Times.

Johnson City Police Have Arrested A Man Who They Say Was Racing Another Vehicle When He Crashed Into A Third Car. 19 Year Old Danny Hernandez Is Charged With Reckless Endangerment Along With Several Drug Charges. He’s Accused Of Driving Very Fast When His Car Rear Ended Another One On West State Of Franklin Road. Hernandez Is Being Held In The Washington County Detention Center Under A 12-Thousand Dollar Bond.

A New Satirical Art Exhibit About Our Nation’s 17th President Is On Display In Greeneville. From Now Until January 31st, The Andrew Johnson National Historic Site Visitor Center On North College Street Will Showcase The Exhibit Which Features Five Political Cartoons From Andrew Johnson’s Last Year As President. Born In Raleigh, North Carolina, Johnson And His Family Moved To Greeneville Tennessee Where He Operated A Tailoring Shop And Also Served As Alderman And Mayor Of The Town. The Public Can View The Exhibit From Nine Am To Five Pm Daily.

The Number Of People Killed In Drunk Driving Crashes Over The Thanksgiving Holiday Increases Substantially. Mothers Against Drunk Driving Urges Adults To Plan Ahead For A Sober Designated Driver If They’re Going To Drink Alcohol. In Addition, There’s A Troubling Trend Of Drunk Driving Fatalities In The Early Morning Hours Of Thanksgiving Thursday, Following What’s Becoming Known As “Blackout Wednesday, A Time When People Who Are Home For The Holiday Are Choosing To Celebrate With Excessive Amounts Of Alcohol.

The Carter County Commission Has Approved A One Year Contract With The County Rescue Squad. The Accord Will Grant The Squad One-Year Of Exclusive Rights To Operate An Ambulance Service In The County. Richard Norris, The Squad’s Attorney, Said This Is Not What The Squad Wanted And That The Organization Had Originally Requested Four Years On The Contract.

The Virginia Department of Transportation is making it easier for Thanksgiving travelers to reach their destinations. Most lane closures on major highways will be suspended from noon Nov. 21 until noon Nov. 26. However, long-term construction zones will remain. The agency says it also has created and posted online maps showing expected periods of heavy traffic on interstates. Travelers likely will encounter the heaviest congestion on Nov. 25 in the afternoon and evening.

Christmas In Olde Jonesborough Will Kick Off On Saturday With The Lighting Of The Tree At Six P.M.. The Large Frasier Fir, Located At Courthouse Square Downtown, Will Be Ceremoniously Lit And Lead Tennessee’s Oldest Town Into The Christmas Season. Old Saint Nick Will Be In Attendance In His Sleigh For Pictures And Visits With Children. Musical Entertainment Will Be Provided By The Madrigal Singers From David Crockett High School And A Christmas Story Will Be Told By A Local Stoyteller.

A Forest Fire On Short Mountain In Hawkins County Is Burning Out Of Control. So Far, Nearly 22-Hundred Acres West Of Rogersville Have Burned. Hawkins County Emergency Management Agency Director Gary Murrell Said There Are Nearly 2-Thousand More Acres On The North Side Of The Mountain That Are In Danger Of Going Up In Smoke. Fire Crews Worked Through The Night Last Night To Protect Structures And Holding The Clouds Creek Line. As Of Last Night, No Homes Or Structures Had Burned. Due To The Lack Of Rain And Equipment, The Blaze Is Going To Be Fought With Bulldozers, Rakes And Manpower.

Sullivan County Leaders Are Endorsing A Resolution To Ask The Tennessee Department Of Transportation To Four-Lane An 8-Mile Stretch Of State Route 126 From East Lawn Cemetery To Exit 66 Of Interstate 81. County Mayor Steve Godsey Said The Resolution Is Just A Recommendation To Be Carried To Nashville And Presented To TDOT To Let Them Know How Important This Is To The County. He Also Expects Kingsport City Leaders Will Do The Same.