FROM THE RADIO NEWS DEPARTMENT

If You Use Tobacco Products, No Need For You To Apply For A Job With Mountain States Health Alliance. As Of March 1st, A New Hiring Policy At The Healthcare System Says They Will Not Hire Individuals Who Use Tobacco Or Nicotine Products. Director Of Human Resources Debbie Dover Said It’s A Step Toward Creating A Culture Of Higher Wellness In The Communities They Serve. If An Applicant Tests Positive For Nicotine During The Hiring Process, That Person Will Be Allowed To Apply Again In Six Months.

Every Year, 800-Thousand Children Go Missing And/Or Exploited In The United States. Although Every 9-1-1 Call Center Has In Place Basic Policies And Training Procedures, Bristol Tennessee’s 9-1-1 And Police Center Have Incorporated The Best Practices In Its Policies By Becoming Part Of The 9-1-1 Call Center Partner Program.

A Washington County Virginia Man Is Behind Bars Facing Numerous Felony Charges. 43 Year Old Hursel Elkins Is Charged With Rape And Taking Indecent Liberties With A Child. The Charges Stem From An Investigation Conducted By The Washington County Sheriff’s Office Into Allegations Of Sexual Offenses Against Elkins. The Offenses Are Alleged To Have Occurred Between 2009 And 2012. Elkins Is Being Held At The Southwest Virginia Regional Jail In Abingdon Without Bond. A Bond Hearing Is Set For Thursday.

Healthcare Reform Has Raised Countless Questions Among Patients And Providers In The Two Years Since The Legislation Became Law. To Help Area Employers Better Understand The Requirements Of The Patient Protection And The Affordable Care Act, Wellmont Health System Is Hosting And Interactive Forum For Business Owners. The Forum Will Be Held On Friday, February 8th From 9 To 11:30 Am In The Monarch Auditorium At Bristol Regional Medical Center. The Forum Is Free And Open To The Public.

Testimony Will Resume Wednesday Morning In Washington County Tennessee Criminal Court For A Man Accused Of Killing His Ex-Wife’s Boyfriend. 51 Year Old James Henry Allen Is Charged In The May 2010 Shooting Death Of Richard Carter At A Home In Fall Branch. Authorities Claim Allen Waited In The Dark Outside The Home And Allegedly Fired A Shotgun Through The Front Door As Carter Looked Out. Allen Is Being Held On A 200-Thousand Dollars Bond. If Convicted, He Faces Life In Prison.

A Local Congressman Has Reintroduced Legislation Which Seeks To Create A National Memorial Honoring Service Men And Woman Who Served And Died In Operation Desert Shield And Desert Storm. Representative Phil Roe, A Johnson City Republican, Said Service Members Who Have Fought On The Front Lines To Protect This Nation Deserve Our Gratitude And Utmost Respect. No Federal Funds Will Be Spent To Build The Memorial. Dr. Roe Said He Looks Forward To Ensuring The Memorial Is Built.

The Johnson City School Board Is Trying To Increase Safety On Its School Campuses. The Board Has Approved A Motion Asking The City To Fund The Addition Of Six School Resource Officers. This Would Put An SRO In Every Elementary And High School In The District. The Cost To Do So Is About 90-Thousand Dollars Per SRO, Per Year. State Representative Matthew Hill Is Proposing Legislation That Splits The Cost Between The State And City.

Property Owners Along West Market Street In Johnson City Could Soon Be Facing Another Layer Of Zoning Restrictions And Standards. The Johnson City Planning Division Has Proposed A Design Overlay District Be Established In An Area That Includes All City Right-Of-Ways On West Market Between State Of Franklin And Claude Simmons Roads. The Goal Is To Establish Higher Environmental, Aesthetic And Design Standards.

Two Greeneville Men Have Been Arrested On Felony Drug Charges. 27 Year Old Robert Jack Edwards And 21 Year Old Khary Price Are Each Charged With Felony Possession Of A Schedule Six Drug For Sale Or Delivery Along With Possession Of Drug Paraphernalia. The Pair Was Arrested Following An Investigation At An Apartment On Mason Street. When Officers Arrived, Edwards Reportedly Attempted To Conceal A Bag Of Marijuana By Throwing It Into A Bathroom To Avoid Detection. Price Allegedly Had Four Wrapped Bags Of Pot In His Possession And Another Inside The Leg Of His Pants. He Also Allegedly Had Some Digital Scales. Bond For Edwards Is 21-Thousand Dollars, And 11-Thousand For Price. Both Will Appear In Court Later This Week.

A Hawkins County Grand Jury Has Indicted A Former Firefighter Accused Of Making A Prank Call To 9-1-1. 20 Year Old Kevin Boyke Is Charged With Felony Filing A False Report. He’s Accused Of Calling 9-1-1 July 14th And Reporting A Fire On Heck Branch Road. Four Trucks And 11 Members, Including Boyke, Responded To The Call. When Questioned Later About The Incident, He Allegedly Admitted To Making The Call Because He Thought It Would Be Fun. He’s Expected To Have A Court Date Set Soon.

The commissioner of the Tennessee Department of Children’s Services has resigned amid scrutiny of how her agency was handling cases of children who died after investigations of abuse and neglect. Gov. Bill Haslam announced in a news release that Kate O’Day had decided to resign because of concerns that she had become the focus of attention rather than the children the agency is meant to serve. The Republican governor last week defended O’Day’s leadership, even after the agency told a federal judge it couldn’t say with any certainty how many children died while in its custody.

A Lockdown At A Greene County School Has Been Lifted. Chuckey Doak High School Was Placed On Lockdown Tuesday Morning Following An Anonymous Phone Call Reporting A Student Intended To Bring A Weapon To The School. The Call Came In To The Greene County Sheriff’s Office. Deputies Have Located The Caller And The Individual Refused To Provide The Name Of The Student Allegedly Planning To Bring The Weapon. As A Precaution, All Other County And Greeneville City Schools Were Placed On A Modified Lockdown. No Weapon Was Found. Law Enforcement Is Conducting An Investigation Into The Incident.

Carter County School Leaders Are Reviewing A Study Put Together By The County’s Long Range Facilities Team That Suggests Consolidating From 16 Schools Down To 9. The Study Is Based On Population Projections, Financial Growth And Annexation Plans. The Plan Calls For The System’s Four High Schools To Be Consolidated Into One Central School In The Hampton Area. Elementary Students Would Be Consolidated Into Five Schools And Five Of The Existing Elementary Schools Would Close. School Leaders Are Still Reviewing This Plan Before Making Any Decisions.

A Two-Day Underage Beer Sales Sting In Hawkins County Has Resulted In 17 Businesses Being Cited For Allegedly Selling Beer To A Minor. Sheriff Ronnie Lawson Said His Office Was Contacted By The State’s Alcoholic Beverage Commission For Assistance In An Investigation. He Said Employees Of Businesses Who Sell Alcohol Have Been Cited And Will Appear In General Sessions Court For Sale Of Alcohol To A Minor. According To The Sheriff, The Control Of Underage Sale Of Alcohol Is The Most Important Tool Law Enforcement And The Community Have In Deterring Anyone Under The Age Of 21 From Obtaining Alcohol.

Attention All Chocolate Lovers. Kingsport Is The Place To Be On Saturday For The 2013 Chocolate Festival With The Proceeds Benefitting Make-A-Wish Of East Tennessee To Ensure The Dreams Of Area Children With Life-Threatening Illnesses Become A Reality. The Chocolate Festival Will Be Held From Nine Am To Three Pm On Saturday At The Meadowview Convention Center In Kingsport. Tickets Are Fifteen Dollars In Advance And Twenty At The Door. The Chocolate Festival Is Hosted By The Fifty Plus Senior Expo Also Going On At The Convention Center On Saturday.

Jury Selection Is Underway Today In Washington County Tennessee Criminal Court In The Trial Of A Man Accused Of Killing His Ex-Wife’s Boyfriend. 51 Year Old James Henry Allen Is Charged In The May 2010 Shooting Death Of Richard Carter At A Home In Fall Branch. Authorities Claim Allen Waited In The Dark Outside The Home And Allegedly Fired A Shotgun Through The Front Door As Carter Looked Out. Allen Is Being Held On A 200-Thousand Dollars Bond. If Convicted, He Faces Life In Prison.

The Hawkins County Sheriff’s Office Is Continuing To Search For A Female Who Allegedly Robbed An Elderly Woman In Her Home. The Suspect Broke Into The Bulls Gap Home Of 86 Year Old Louise Howard And Demanded Money. The Woman Attempted To Defend Herself Using A Gun. A Shot Was Fired But No One Was Hurt. The Suspect Managed To Take The Weapon Away From Howard And Flee. Anyone With Information On This Incident Should Call The Hawkins County Sheriff’s Office.

A Tennessee Highway Patrol Major From Our Area Has Been Promoted To Supervisor Of Department’s Field Operations. Dean Hurley Is Now Lt. Colonel For The Highway Patrol. Hurley Is From Washington County Tennessee And Has Been With The Agency Since 1977. Hurley Will Continue Emphasis On Training And Help Ensure Troopers In The Field Function To The Best Of Their Abilities.

Sullivan County Educational Leaders Have Approved A Motion To Look Into Rezoning The School District. The Idea Was Proposed By Director Of Schools Jubal Yennie To Create Greater Efficiencies By Alleviating Overcrowding At Some Schools And Under Utilization Of Others. All Schools That Are At 90 Percent Capacity Will Be Reviewed. The Board Will Be Considering The Operational Capacity Of The Buildings, Actual Enrollment And Projected Enrollment. Such Rezoning Must Be Approved By The School Board By The End Of March If They Are To Take Effect The Following School Year.