FROM THE RADIO NEWS DEPARTMENT

The Unicoi County Commission Is Seeking Options For Repairing Flooding And Leaking Issues At The County Jail. The Roof Of The Jail Above The 911 Dispatch Center And Sheriff’s Department Offices, Is Experiencing Leaking Problems. Inmates Are Also Causing Flooding Problems In The Jail By Stopping Up Drains And Commodes. Engineers With Tysinger, Hampton And Partners Were Brought In To Assess The Situation And They In Turn Called In Spirit Architecture. The Recommendation Was Made Tor Elocate The 911 And Sheriff’s Department Offices. County Leaders Are Expected To Discuss Ideas And Options Further At Their Next Meeting.

Tusculum College Has Announced It Has Received Nearly 264-Thousand Dollars In Grant Money From The Bluecross/Blueshield Of Tennessee Health Foundation. The Money Will Be Used To Install A Simulation Laboratory For Nursing Program. The Lab Will Allow Nursing Students To Examine Two Simulated, Computerized Model Humans To Practice Real-Life Response To Emergency Health Situations.

A Rogersville Man Accused Of Trading A Computer And Hard Drives Containing Child Pornography Is Behind Bars. 53 Year Old Gary Wright Is Charged With Sexual Exploitation Of A Minor. Wright Gave A Man A Computer And Three Hard Drives In Exchange For Helping Him Move From Hawkins County. Nearly 124 Images Of Juvenile Females Were Allegedly Discovered On The Equipment. Wright Waived His Preliminary Hearing In Hawkins County Sessions Court. He’s Being Held On 20-Thousand Dollars Bond In The County Jail.

Authorities In Tennessee Are Investigating Bomb Threats That Forced The Evacuation Of 24 Courthouses Across The State, Including Ones In Carter And Greene Counties. Bristol Tennessee Police Sent A K-9 Officer To Elizabethton To Check That Courthouse For Bombs Which Turned Up Nothing. Tennessee Emergency Management Agency Spokesman Jeremy Heidt Said There Were Seven Courthouse Threats In West Tennessee, Four In Middle Tennessee And 13 In East Tennessee. No Bombs Were Have Been Found At Any Of The Locations. The Threats Were Made By Telephone To Court Clerk Offices.

The State Has Rested Its Case In Washington County Tennessee Criminal Court In The Trial Of A Johnson City Man Accused In The Death Of His Two Year Old Son. 29 Year Old Christopher Mitchell Is Charged With Felony First Degree Murder And Aggravated Child Neglect. He Pled Guilty To Tampering With Evidence And Identity Theft. His Young Child, Jacob Mitchell Was Able To Get A Hold Of A Loaded Gun And Accidentally Shoot Himself. Jurors Watched A Taped Interview Between Mitchell And Johnson City Investigators On Tuesday. In That Interview, Police Told Mitchell His Son Would Not Have Physically Been Able To Reach The Gun, A Claim He Vehently Denied. The Defense Will Begin Its Case Later This Morning. Mitchell Pled Guilty In Federal Court To Being A Felon In Possession Of A Firearm. He’s Serving A 15 Year Sentence. If Convicted On The State Charges, Mitchell Is Looking At Life In Prison.

As The Deadline For Property Taxes Draws Near In Kingsport, The Hours At The Customer Service Center Have Been Extended To Allow Residents A Chance To Get Their Bills Paid. This Week Only, The Customer Service Center In City Hall Will Be Open 7:30am To 6pm. City Taxes For 2012 Are Due By November 30th. Questions Regarding Taxs Should Be Directed To The Customer Service Center At 229-9418.

The Busiest Travel Weekend Of The Year Claimed 13 Lives In Virginia. According To Virginia State Police, The Number Is Up From The Two Previous Years During The Thanksgiving Holiday Period. Of The 13 Fatalities Killed In Traffic Crashes This Year, Three Were Pedestrians, One Was A Motorcyclist, And Two People Died In One Crash. Alcohol Was Factor In At Least Three Of The Wrecks. Five Of The Fatalities Involved People Who Were Not Wearing Seatbelts.

A Greeneville Woman Has Been Arrested After She Allegedly Attacked Four People With A Scalpel. It Happened At The Greene County Health Department. 30 Year Old Jada Short Is Facing Several Charges Including Aggravated Assault. The Charges Stem From The Alleged Incident In Which Short Became Disruptive While Request Services. She Reportedly Ran From Police After The Attacks. Short Was Tazed And Taken Into Custody. She Will Appear In Court Soon.

A Northeast Tennessee Lawmaker Has Been Indicted On A Felony Charge. A Greene County Grand Jury Has 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 Is Innocent And Claims His Wife Had Been Holding A Gun. Hawk Is Set To Be Arraigned On Friday.

The Wife Of A Former Hawkins County Sessions And Juvenile Court Judge Has Been Ordered To Pay More Than 63-Thousand Dollars In A Civil Lawsuit Filed Against The Couple Last Year. Doris Colleen Burns Filed A Suit Against Judge James Taylor And His Wife, Julia In December Of Last Year. In That Suit, Taylor Had Allegedly Borrowed 65-Thousand Dollars From Her, Who Was His Client In Pending Civil Litigation. The Note Was Reportedly Co-Signed By Julia Taylor.

An Execution Date Has Been Set For A Southwest Virginia Inmate Charged In The Murder Of Two Other Inmates. Robert Gleason Is Accused In The Death Of Cellmate Harvey Watson, Jr. In 2009 While He Was Serving A Life Sentence At Wallen’s Ridge State Prison In Wise County Virginia. He Also Killed Inmate Aaron Cooper In 2010 After Being Transferred To Red Onion State Prison. Gleason Has Vowed To Keep Killing Unless He’s Put To Death. He’s Set To Be Put To Death On January 16th, 2013. Gleason Has Chosen To Die By Electrocution.

Elizabethton Leaders Will Be Searching For A New City Manager Soon. Fred Edens Informed City Council Yesterday Of His Intentions To Leave. Edens Apparently Has Indicated He Wants To Spend More Time With Family. He Has Been On The Job For Five Years. His Last Day Will Be January 4th. Meanwhile, Two Newly Elected City Council Members Were Sworn In Last Night.

The Jonesborough Board Of Mayor And Aldermen Has Decided To Approve Plans To Build A New 25-Thousand Square Foot Senior Center. This Is Something That Has Been Discussed For Nearly 20 Years. The New Facility Will Have Two Different Levels With Several Amenities, Including A Dining Area, An Exercise Room As Well As A Parlors And Game Rooms. Bids For The New Senior Center Will Be Taken Soon With Construction Expected To Get Underway After The First Of Next Year.

Work Is Progressing On Kingsport’s Aquatic Center. Frank Brewer, The City’s Head Project Manager On The Facility Said Work Is Expected To Completed On Time. The 50-Thousand Square Foot Facility Will Include Indoor And Outdoor Pools And Water Features. It’ll Be Co-Located With The New YMCA Wellmont Center. The Estimated Cost Of Both Facilities Is 26.3 Million Dollars. The Aquatic Complex Is Expected To Be Operational By Summer Of Next Year.

Testimony Will Resume This Morning In Washington County Tennessee Criminal Court In The Trial Of A Johnson City Man Accused In The Death Of His Two Year Old Son. 29 Year Old Christopher Mitchell Is Charged With Felony First Degree Murder And Aggravated Child Neglect. He Pled Guilty To Tampering With Evidence And Identity Theft. His Young Child, Jacob Mitchell Was Able To Get A Hold Of A Loaded Gun And Accidentally Shoot Himself. Mitchell Pled Guilty In Federal Court To Being A Felon In Possession Of A Firearm. He’s Serving A 15 Year Sentence. If Convicted On The State Charges, Mitchell Is Looking At Life In Prison.

Norton Virginia Police Have Arrested A Man In Connection With The Shooting Last Week Of A City Woman. It Happened On November 21st At Green’s Mobile Home Park. Officers Found 18 Year Old Jahnae Foster In A Back Bedroom, Suffering From A Bullet Wound To The Head. As A Result Of The Investigation, The Shooter Was Identified As 21 Year Old Melquan Shabazz Huntley. He Was Arrested Yesterday Morning And Charged With Unlawful Discharge Of A Firearm And Unlawful Shooting Of A Person In The Commission Of A Felony. Authorities Said Foster Remains In An Area Hospital But Is Improving. Huntley Will Appear In Wise County General District Court Soon.

The Case Against Two East Tennessee State University Basketball Players Has Been Reset In Washington County Tennessee General Sessions Court. Sheldon Cooley Is Charged With Possession Of Drug Paraphernalia While, Marcus Dubose Is Charged With Possession Of Schedule Six Drugs For Resale And Possession Of Drug Paraphernalia. The Two Were Charged Last Week After The First Judicial Drug Task Force Was Called About A Suspicious Package Delivered To An ETSU Post Office Box. The Package Allegedly Contained A Quarter Pound Of Marijuana Buds. Both Are Suspended Indefinitely From The Basketball Team. They Will Appear Back In Court December 20th.