FROM THE RADIO NEWS DEPARTMENT

Sullivan County Schools May Be The First School System In The State To Have An Approved Memorandum Of Understanding From The New Collaborative Conferencing Process. The Subject Of The M.O.U. Was Grievance Procedures For Employees And Saw No Major Changes Except A Final Appeal To A Neutral Third Party. It Addresses How Teachers Can Be Disciplined For Things Such As Habitual Tardiness As Well As Defines The Process For Principals And Other Administrators To Handle Things Such As Bus Duty That Go Beyond The Prescribed Seven-Hour, 15-Minute Teacher Day. Teachers Can Receive A Verbal Reprimand, Written Reprimand, Written Warnings And In Theory A Termination Of Employment.

A Johnson City Man Is Behind Bars For Allegedly Stealing Copper. 57 Year Old Arnold Ebalo Is Charged With Theft Of Property Under 500 Dollars, Vandalism, And Aggravated Criminal Trespassing. When Johnson City Police Were Attempting To Check Out A Suspicious Man Inside A Fenced Lot, Abalo Reportedly Ran, And Was Apprehended A Short Distance Later. He’s Accused Of Stealing Copper From The Heat Pumps At A Local Business. Ebalo Is Currently Being Held In The Washington County Detention Center Under A 7-Thousand Dollar Bond. He Will Appear In Court Soon.

As The Calendar Turns To December, Gas Prices At The Pumps Continue To Decline. The National Average Price For A Gallon Of Regular Self-Serve Gas Has Dropped Three Cents This Week To $3.40. While Gas Prices In 2012 Have Been Consistently High, Prices At The Pump Never Reached The Highs Seen In 2008 When The All-Time Record Of $4.11 Per Gallon Was Set.

Virginia’s fall fire season is being extended until Dec. 10 because of dry conditions. John Miller with the Department of Forestry says the agency doesn’t expect a significant break in the rainfall pattern. Conditions will be evaluated weekly to determine whether additional extensions are needed. The fall fire season was scheduled to end Nov. 30. The Department of Forestry says 73 fires burned 1,133 acres in November.

Kingsport Police Say An Elderly Woman Died After Being Struck By A Vehicle Near West Stone Drive. 83 Year Old Latrice Ormond Was Killed Just Before Noon Monday After She Started To Cross Fairview Avenue Near The Entrance To Walgreens. After Getting Off A Transit Vehicle, The Woman Reportedly Stepped Into The Path Of A Truck Being Driven By 21 Year Old Harley Albright. The Impact Caused Ormond To Fall To The Ground. She Died Later At Holston Valley Hospital. The Investigation Is Ongoing And No Charges Are Expected To Be File In The Crash.

For Profit Door-To-Door Peddling Could Soon Be A Thing Of The Past In Church Hill. City Leaders Are Going To Hear A Proposed Ordinance That Would Either Prohibit Or Restrict Peddling. The Move Comes After Recent Complaints About An Ohio Company Selling Cleaning Products Door-To-Door. The Ordinance Will Not Affect Non-Profit Organizations Such As The Girl Scouts Or Boy Scouts. The Proposal Will Be Heard At Next Month’s Meeting.

The Virginia Department of Transportation already has dipped into its $145 million snow removal budget for this year. VDOT says it spent nearly $3.3 million to clear roads after Superstorm Sandy dumped up to two feet of snow in parts of the state last month. Last winter, the state spent only half of its $126 million snow removal budget because the season was so mild. The balance was spent on highway maintenance. December is starting out unseasonably warm, but VDOT is getting ready for more nasty winter weather. The agency says it has access to nearly 4,000 pieces of equipment for snow and ice control, along with 340,000 tons of salt, 95,000 tons of sand and a large supply of chemicals and treated abrasives.

Retail Sales In The Tri Cities Area Slipped In The Third Quarter Of 2012. That According To The Latest Retail Sales Report Issued By East Tennessee State University. From July To September, Retail Sales Numbers Dropped By 2.2 Percent In Kingsport And By 1.5 Percent In Johnson City. Sales Grew Slight In Bristol By 1.9 Percent. ETSU Economist Dr. Steb Hipple Noted That Retail Sales Had Been Growing As The Region’s Job Market Improved.

The Sullivan County Sheriff’s Office Has Two Large Seized Items Its Auctioning Off Online. Bids Are Being Taken On Two Mobile Homes Through December 19th On Govdeals.Com. The Trailers Were Seized Last November In Bluff City After A Drug Bust Of An Indoor Marijuana Growing Operation. The Online Auction Proceeds Will Be Returned To The Vice And Narcotics Division Of The Sheriff’s Office To Help Support Investigation Of Drug Crimes In The County.

A Bristol Tennessee Man Is Expected To Recover After Being Struck By A Train Over The Weekend. 50 Year Old Paul Goodman Was Hit By The Norfolk-Southern Locomotive Yesterday Afternoon At The Intersection At Melrose And 4th Street. Witnesses Told Police, Goodman Was Walking Along The Tracks When He Was Struck. Police Have Charged Goodman With Criminal Trespassing.