FROM THE RADIO NEWS DEPARTMENT

Many Area Roadways Continue To Be Closed Following The Aftermath Of Torrential Downpours And High Area Of Water. Some Homeowner Were Evacuated Near Hampton In Carter County. Many Area Schools Were And Will Continue To Be Affected While The Water Begins To Recede. However, More Localized Flooding Is Expected To Continue For A While. 27 Roads In Greene County Had To Be Closed At One Point. Dozens Of Roads Throughout The Area Could Be Closed For Some Time. If You Have To Be Out And About, Officials Warn To Turn Back If You Encounter High Water And Flood Prone Areas.

Virginia Department Of Transportation Crews Are Monitoring The Current Conditions In Southwest Virginia In Flood Prone And Low Lying Areas. Michelle Earl With VDOT Advices Drivers To Be Alert For Tree Limbs And Other Debris In The Roadway. If You Come Across A Flooded Road That Is Not Barricaded, Turn Around Use An Alternative Route.

Two Abingdon Men Are Behind Bars In Connection With Two Separate Break-Ins. 20 Year Old James Dylan Holmes And 22 Year Old Charles David Black Are Charged With Breaking And Entering. The Pair Is Accused Of Breaking Into The Wildflower Baker And Pizza Plus, Both On The Lee Highway In Abingdon. Holmes And Black Are Being Held In The Southwest Virginia Regional Jail In Abingdon Under A 3-Thousand Dollar Bond Each.

A Kingsport Man Was Killed And Another Person Injured Following An Wreck On East Industry Drive. The Accident Happened Tuesday Morning Near Wilcox Drive. A 2010 Pickup Truck Crossed The Center Line In A Curve Of The Roadway And Crashed Headon Into A Peterbilt Truck. The Pickup Truck Driver, Benjamin Williams, Died In The Wreck. The Driver Of The Peterbilt Truck, Edward Waterman Of Hiltons Virginia, Was Treated For Minor Injuries. No Drugs Or Alcohol Are Suspected On Either Driver. The Investigaton Is Ongoing.

The Jonesborough Board Of Mayor And Alderman Has Voted To Accept An Amendment To Its Contract With Redflex Traffic Systems. With The Change, The Town Will Keep Half Of All Revenues Generated By It’s Cameras. Town Administrator Bob Browning Said Traffic Violations And Serious Accidents Have Declined Dramatically Since The Town Activated The Cameras Four Years Ago.

Republican Gov. Bill Haslam says he wants to set Tennessee on a path toward boosting college graduation rates from 32 percent to 55 percent by 2025. Haslam said in a release that he has appointed Randy Boyd, chairman of wireless pet fence maker Radio Systems Corp., to help further that goal as his top higher education adviser. Haslam said Boyd will join a working group tasked with finding ways to tackle what the governor called the “iron triangle” of affordability, access and quality issues for public colleges and universities in Tennessee.

The Washington County Tennessee Board Of Education Is Seriously Considering Installing Global Positioning Tracking Systems To The County’s Bus Fleet. The Move Comes Following A September Crash Of A County School Bus That Injured 27 Students. The Devices Would Record Detailed Information About Maintenance, Route Planning, Speed Monitoring, On-Board Diagnostics, Audible Alerts For Drivers And Driver Behavior. It Would Cost The County Nearly 47-Thousand Dollars For 100-Plus Buses. That Would Include The Hardware, Software And Training. The Proposal Is Expected To Be Made Before The Safety Committee Next Week.

Work on the first phase of a $30 million water project in Washington County Virginia is expected to be completed within the next month. The six-year project is replacing aging pipes that have corroded. Washington County Service Authority general manager Robbie Cornett says the pipes account for about 86 percent of the water system’s repaired leaks. Cornett tells the Bristol Herald Courier that pipes in Glade Springs, Abingdon and the west and centrals of the county are being replaced in the first phase. The project is funded primarily by a federal grant.

A Federal Judge Has Denied A Motion To Postpone The Wednesday Execution Of Former Wallens Ridge And Red Onion State Prison Inmate Robert Gleason, Jr. Gleason Murdered A Fellow Inmate, Harvey Watson On May 8th,2009 And Hid His Body From Corrections Officers For Hours. Gleason Was Moved To Red Onion. There On July 28th, 2010, He Killed Aaron Cooper In A Recreation Area In Front Of Fellow Inmates.

Longtime East Tennessee State University Athletic Director Dave Mullins Is Stepping Down. He Announced Yesterday That He Will Retire And Take On A New Role Working Alongside ETSU President Dr. Brian Noland To Help Grow Athletics Financially. Mullins’ Last Day As ETSU Ad Will Be In June. Former VCU Athletic Director Richard Sander Will Serve As ETSU Interim Ad During The Transition Period.

The Washington County Tennessee Sheriff’s Office Is Continuing To Search For A Bandit That Held Up A Gray Eatery. It Happened Yesterday Morning Shortly Before Noon At Subway On Bobby Hicks Highway. A White Male Entered The Business, Brandished A Weapon And Demanded Money From The Employee. An Undetermined Amount Of Cash Was Taken. The Robber Is Described As 5-9 To Six Feet Tall, 160 Pounds Wearing A Brown Carhart Jacket With A Hood And A Blue Baseball Cap With A “B” On It. The Suspect Also Is Described As Wearing Wire Rim Glasses And A Reddish Goatee Type Beard. Anyone With Information Should Contact Police.

The Sullivan County Sheriff’s Office Is Investigating The Discovery Of A Homemade Explosive Device Found Inside A Mailbox Of A Home Along Muddy Creek Road. An 81 Year Old Male Resident Was Checking His Mail Saturday When He Discovered The Device. He Threw It Down In A Ditch At The End Of His Driveway And Called Police. The Device Turned Out To Be B-B Pellets Wrapped In Tape With A Plastic Shot Shell Containing Black Powder With A Fuse. The Fuse Had Been Lit, But Had Gone Out. Anyone With Information Is Asked To Call The Sullivan County Sheriff’s Office.

The Johnson County Sheriff’s Office Is Continuing To Search For A Missing Elderly Man. 82 Year Old Harry Rosenberg Was Last Seen Sunday In The Laurel Bloomery Community. He Reportedly Went For A Walk But Never Returned Home. Anyone With Information Should Call The Johnson County Sheriff’s Office.

The Washington County Virginia School Board Plans To Name A New Superintendent Of Schools This Evening. The Announcement Is Set At Administration Headquarters In Abingdon. The New School Leader Will Replace Jim Sullivan Who Came Out Of Retirement To Take The Job In 2011. The Meeting Is Set For Six Thirty This Evening.

Work could begin next month on restoration and renovation of the century old Carolina, Clinchfield and Ohio Railroad Depot in Johnson City. Developer Greg Cox has said the old depot is in relatively good condition, despite needing substantial roof repair. It will become a location of Ashville, N.C.-based Tupelo Honey Cafe. Final plans for the renovation will be presented at the end of the month to the city’s Historic Zoning Commission. A security fence and a construction trailer have been set up at the depot, which was built in 1909.