FROM THE RADIO NEWS DEPARTMENT

Tennessee had more tornadoes than usual in 2012, but they caused fewer deaths. Data from the National Weather Service shows 34 recorded tornadoes statewide last year – 20 of them occurring in March. NWS meteorologist Bobby Boyd in Nashville said the average year brings 21 tornadoes in Tennessee, based on data from 1981-2010. There is an average of five tornado-caused deaths per year. In 2012, three people were killed. The year with the largest number of tornadoes was 2011, when 113 of them struck, killing 34 people.

The Tennessee Department Of Transportation Will Only Display Te State’s Highway Fatality Rate On Fridays Starting This Year. This After Months Of Running The Numbers Daily On Digital Message Boards Across The State. State Officials Started Displaying The Running Daily Tally Last April After Seeing A Sharp Increase In Fatalities In The First Quarter Of 2012. Since Then, Officials Believe The Public Message Has Been Successful. Meanwhile, TDOT Will Continue To Run Safety Messages On Other Days That Target Issues Like Testing While Driving, Drowsy Driving, And Driving Under The Influence.

Kingsport Educational Leaders Are Going To Rebid The Legion Center Renovation Project. The Last Attempt To Bid The Project Out Resulted In The Lowest Bid Coming In More Than A Quarter Of A Million Dollars Higher Than The Estimate. Proposed Changes In The Rebidding Process Would Cut Just Over 265-Thousand Dollars From The Estimated Cost Of 548-Thousand Dollars For The Project. Educational Leaders Want To Renovate The Legion Center To House The Dobyns-Bennett ROTC Program, Which Will Free Up More Classroom In The High School.

Two People Facing Charges For Allegedly Exchanging Gunfire With A Tennessee Highway Patrol Trooper Appeared In Court Friday. 20 Year Old Dakota Kitzmiller Is Behind Bars Under A 121-Thousand Dollar Bond. A Passenger In His Vehicle, Jennifer Russell Is Facing Charges As Well. The Incident Began Thursday Morning Following A Call Around Three AM On Interstate 81 Of Someone Being Tailgated Near Exit 57.It Continued Onto Hog Hollow Road Following A Tennessee Highway Patrol Trooper Attempting To Stop Kitzmiller’s Vehicle. Gunshots Were Exchanged Between The Suspects In The Car And Trooper Jeff Appleba. Three Handguns Were Reportedly Recovered From Kitzmiller’s Vehicle. No One Was Reportedly Shot Or Injured In The Incident. The Investigation Is Continuing.

The Tennessee Highway Patrol arrested 96 individuals on suspicion of impaired driving in counties participating in the “No Refusal” enforcement effort over the New Year’s holiday period from December 28 through January 1. Ten of those arrests were made in Greene County, the second-highest total of the 16 counties that participated in the special DUI enforcement. The 10 arrests in Greene County ranked second to the 31 arrests made in Hamilton County. The “No Refusal” law allows law enforcement officials to seek search warrants for blood samples in cases involving suspected impaired drivers. The goal is to deter impaired driving and reduce fatal crashes on Tennessee roadways.

A Fourth Person Has Been Arrested In Connection With A Home Invasion Robbery Earlier This Week In Carter County. It Happened At A Home On Hillside Drive. Sheriff Chris Mathes Said Crystal Barnes Was Apprehended Yesterday. Gary Hammonds, Ashley Norris And Robert Goines Are In Custody As Well In Connection With The Robbery. The Four Allegedly Robbed A Man Of His Wallet And Large Amount Of Cash Before Fleeing. Three Young Children Were In The Home At The Time Of The Incident. The Four Remain Behind Bars.

An Illinois-based company says it is recalling one lot of Food Club Chocolate Chunk Brownies Mix distributed to stores in three states from a warehouse in southwestern Virginia. Gilster-Mary Lee Corp. said that packaging does not list walnuts among the ingredients. People who have an allergy or extreme sensitivity to walnuts run the risk of a serious reaction if they consume the product, although the company says no illnesses have been reported. Food City carries the Food Club brand in its stores. The 14.25-ounce packages and the cartons they were packed in have a “best by” date of Nov. 23, 2013. They were distributed in Virginia, Tennessee and Kentucky.

A Kingsport Woman Accused Of Abusing Her Daughter Is Behind Bars. 48 Year Old Tammy Catron Is Charged With Aggravated Assault. The Charges Stem From An Investigation Into A Child That Was Brought To Franklin Woods Hospital In Johnson City December 26th. The Juvenile Had Suffered Several Wounds Including Small Lacerations On A Cheek, A Bruise, As Well As Two Burns Near Her Mouth, Nose And Chin. Catron’s Expected To Appear In Court Soon.

In Light Of The Recent Shooting Massacre At A Connecticut School, Hawkins And Sullivan County Educational Leaders Are Considering Putting More Police Officers In Schools. Hawkins County Is Looking At Placing An Officer In Every School, Which Would Cost Upwards Of 725-Thousand Dollars Each Year. Currently, The Hawkins County Sheriff’s Office Has A Full-Time School Resource Officer At The Rural K-12 Clinch School And One Each At Volunteer And Cherokee High Schools. School Leaders There Are Looking Into Putting An Officer In All 19 Hawkins County Schools. Meanwhile, Sullivan County School Officials Are Expected To Discuss Adding More Sro’s To It’s School System Next Week.

The Third General Sessions Court Judge In Washington County Tennessee Is Expected To Start Work This Morning. Johnson City Attorney Don Arnold Was Appointed To The Bench By The Washington County Tennessee Commission. He Is A Former Assistant District Attorney And A Former Mayor Of Johnson City.

The Investigation Is Continuing Into The Shooting Death Of A Norton Police Officer. 62 Year Old Roger Cooke, A 14 Year Veteran Of The Department And Police Captain, Died After Suffering A Gunshot Wound At His Home Christmas Night. Authorities Believe The Injuries Were Caused By A Possible Accidental Discharge Of A Firearm. Norton Police Chief James Lane Said Cooke Had Gone To Check Why Lights Had Gone Out At His Home When The Shooting Occurred.