FROM THE RADIO NEWS DEPARTMENT

The Unicoi County School System Has A New Automated Alert System In Place. It Recently Contracted With White Plains New York Based K12 Alerts To Implement The New System. It Will Be Used To Quickly Notify Parents Of Students And System Educators And Staff Of Urgent School-Related Information. The Notifications Are Sent To Any Internet-Enabled Device, Smartphone Or Computer Via Voice Messaging, Email Or Text. Anyone Interested In Receiving Alerts Can Register By Visiting K12alerts.Com Slash Portal Slash Unicoi County Schools.

Both The Scott County School Board And The Board Of Supervisors Are Moving Forward This Year Without Changing Their Current Chairmen. James Jessee Was Chosen By Board Members To Serve His Fifth Year As School Board Chairman While Danny Mann Will Serve A Second Straight Year As Chairman Of The Scott County Board Of Supervisors.

A new law requiring the real-time tracking of pseudoephedrine purchases does not seem to have decreased methamphetamine production in Tennessee. Beginning in January 2012, pharmacists were required to use a database to track sales of the over-the-counter drugs used to produce meth. Pseudoephedrine is the main drug but there are others. Despite the database, a report from the Comptroller’s Offices of Research and Education Accountability found meth lab incidents between January and September 2012 were 6 percent higher than during the same period in 2011.

A Kingsport Man Accused Of Abusing And Raping His Six Year Old Child Pleaded Not Guilty In Sullivan County Criminal Court. Shawn Lee Wray Entered The Plea To Aggravated Child Rape And Aggravated Child Abuse Charges. Police Said The Child Sustained A Severe Skull Fracture And Injuries Indicative Of Sexual Abuse. Wray Is Being Held Without Bond For A Probation Violation. He’s Set To Return To Court In March.

High School Juniors And Seniors Who Are Wanting To Experience What College Is Like Can Do So Next Week At King College. The Bristol Tennessee School Will Be Hosting “King For A Day,” A Day-Long Event That Gives Students And Their Families The Royal Treatment And The Opportunity To Talk With Various College Representatives About The Admissions Process, Financial Aid, Student Life, And More. Registration Is Open From 8 Am To 8:45 On Monday, January 21st. To Attend The Event, Contact The Admissions Office At 800-362-0014.

Hawkins County 911 Dispatchers Will Soon Undergo New Training To Become Certified Communicators For Fire, Police And Rescue Personnel During Emergencies Such As The Sandy Hook Elementary Massacre. Beginning Next Week, Dispatchers Will Begin Taking The “Active Shooter” Training. The Class Teaches Them How To Handle Active Shooter Calls, What Their Priorities Are As Dispatchers And How They Need To Dispatch Out The Agencies Involved.

A Traffic Violation Stop In Washington County Tennessee Has Led To The Arrest Of An Armed DUI Offender. 35 Year Old Jason Marcum Is Charged With Speeding, Driving Under The Influence First Offense, Possession Of A Handgun, And Reckless Endangerment. Deputies Allegedly Observed Marcum Speeding And Crossing The Centerline On Roscoe Fitz Road And Gray Station Road. After Stopping His Vehicle, Deputies Found A Loaded 9 Mm Handgun, Holster, And Prescription Medication. Marcum Is Currently Being Held In The Washington County Detention Center Under A 22-Thousand Dollar Bond. He Will Appear Soon In Sessions Court.

The Elizabethton City Council Has Approved A Plan To Pay 160-Thousand Dollars In Operating Debts For The City-Owned Municipal Golf Course. The City Just Learned Of The Financial Deficit. In Turn, The Golf Course Board Must Submit A Short-Term And Long-Term Plan By Next Month To Improve Finances.

A Single Vehicle Crash In Unicoi County Has Claimed The Life Of A Unicoi Woman. It Occurred Yesterday Along Highway 107 In The Limestone Cove Area. 73 Year Old Betty A. Johnson Was Killed In The Wreck. Police Said Johnson Ran Off The Right Side Of 107 Into A Ditch. She Overcorrected, And The Car Flipped When It Got Back On The Road, Landing On Its Top. The Tennessee Highway Patrol Is Investigating The Crash.

A Local Health Care System In The Tri Cities Is Now Offering Benefits To Medicare Patients. Wellmont Integrated Network Was Chosen By The Federal Government As One Of 106 New Accountable Care Organizations In Medicare. Medicare Is A Federal Program Aimed At Creating Affordable Health Care For People 65 Or Older. Doctors Say Working With Medicare Doesn’t Limit The Patients To Just Seeing Wellmont Physicians.