FROM THE RADIO NEWS DEPARTMENT

A Meth Lab Bust In Washington County Virginia Has Netted The Arrest Of Five Suspects. Anthony Harless Of Glade Spring And Saltville Residents Bradley Wright, William Eastridge, Tammy Eastridge, And Amanda Walden Are Facing Numerous Charges Including Manufacturing Meth And Conspiracy To Manufacture Meth. The Arrest Stems From The Execution Of Search Warrant At An Apartment On Brumley Gap Road In Abingdon. A Search Turned Up A Quantity Of Meth And Components Used In The Manufacturing Of Meth. Three, One-Pot Labs Were Seized During The Search. A Court Date For The Suspects Is Pending.

The sinkhole won. Unicoi County has closed an elementary school. The county school board voted unanimously to permanently close Love Chapel Elementary School after receiving an engineering report on the school ground. After the vote, Director of Schools Denise Brown said the county can’t send students back into an unsafe environment. A passer-by spotted the sinkhole Aug. 18 and notified authorities. The chasm turned out to be 120 feet deep and grew to 25 feet in diameter. Students were assigned to different schools and Love Chapel remained closed.

A Kingsport Woman Who Works As A Cleaning Woman Has Been Charged With Taking Items From Her Clients For The Second Time In Six Week. 26 Year Sarah Ann Crawford Is Accused Of Allegedly Cleaning Out A Client’s Stash Of Jewelry Worth Over 9-Thousand Dollars. She Was First Arrested By The Sullivan County Sheriff’s Office On January 2nd And Charged With Felony Theft. She Allegedly Took About 5-Thousand Dollars In Jewelry From The Client’s Home. Once Again, Crawford Is Facing Felony Theft Charges For Allegedly Taking Valuables From A Silver Court Residence.

The Kingsport City School System May Consider Going To A Self-Insured Health Insurance Program. The Move Would Be A Way To Increase Benefits And Save Money For The Employees And The School System As Well As Allow Employees Access To A Free Medical Clinic City Leaders Are Considering. The Program Would Be Operated By A Traditional Health Insurance Company Hired Solely For Its Management Service. The Idea Is Expected To Be Discussed Further And More Details Provided Before Any Decisions Are Made On The Matter.

An Elizabethton Man Is Facing Numerous Charges After Police Say He Was Responsible For Three Separate Hit And Run Incidents In The Area Of G Street. Felipe Borquez Is Charged With Driving Under The Influence, Vehicular Assault, Leaving The Scene Of An Accident With Injury, And Assault On A Police Officer. Borquez Was Transported To The Carter County Jail. He Will Appear In Court Soon.

Carter County Mayor Leon Humphrey Has Created A Resolution Targeting Federal Gun Resolution. Humphrey Will Make A Presentation To The Carter County Commission Tuesday To Defend The Rights Of Carter Countians To Keep And Bear Arms. In His Resolution, He Identifies His Support And Calls On The State To Nullify Any Federal Regulation That Would Restrict Those Rights.

Over The Last Few Weeks, The Sullivan County Sheriff’s Office Has Received Numerous Calls From Residents With Questions Concerning A Sweepstakes Scam. The Most Common Scam Involves Thieves Pretending To Be With Publishers Clearing House. According To Sheriff’s Spokeswoman Leslie Earhart, Residents Have Reported Being Contacted By Phone, Mail, And Through Email. She Adds If Someone Contacts You about Winning A Prize And Requests You Send Money Back In Return For Any Reason, It’s Not Legitimate.

A Soft Lockdown At Two Washington County Tennessee Schools Is Over. Officials With The Johnson City School System Said The Soft Lockdown Was Put In Place On Friday At Science Hill High School And Liberty Bell Middle School. A Soft Lockdown Means There Is No Eminent Threat. The Operation Is Only A Precaution. Johnson City Police Chief Mark Sirois Said A Burglary That Involved The Theft Of Some Firearms In The Area Prompted The Soft Lockdown.

Tazewell County Virginia Authorities Believe They Have Solved A Four Year Old Double Murder At A Pizza Shop In Claypool Hill. 32 Year Old Christopher Dean Looney Is Charged With Two Counts Of Capital Murder In The Killing His Parents, Harvey And Valarie Looney. It Happened Shortly After The Couple Closed Up The Pizza Plus In Tazewell For The Night. They Were Found Dead Inside The Business. Looney Was The Couple’s Only Child. He’s Being Held In The Southwest Virginia Regional Jail In Tazewell. Prosecutors Can Seek The Death Penalty But Haven’t Decided At This Time.

East Tennessee State University Has Received A Financial Boost Aimed At Helping Establish A Fine And Performing Arts Center. Jim Martin Has Given The University A 3-Million Dollar Gift. That Money Will Help The College Get Closer To The 38-Million Dollars Needed For That Facility. Governor Bill Haslam Has Made A Proposal In His 2013-14 Budget To Recommend Approval For ETSU To Use 1.5 Million Dollars To Begin Planning For The Arts Center. The University Will Be Required To Fund 25 Percent Of The Project.

A Former East Tennessee State University Basketball Player Has Had A Drug Charge Against Him Dropped While The Case For Another Former Player Is Headed Before A Washington County Tennessee Grand Jury. Sheldon Cooley Had Been Charged With Drug Paraphernalia, But During A Court Hearing Yesterday, A Judge Dismissed The Charge. The Case Against Marcus Dubose, However, Will Move Forward. The Charges Stem From An Incident In Which A Postal Inspector Executed A Federal Search Warrant On A Package Addressed To Dubose. Nearly 11-Thousand Dollars In Cash Was Inside That Package. Dubose Will Now Face A Grand Jury March 11th.