FROM THE RADIO NEWS DEPARTMENT

Kingsport Police Have Arrested To City Residents On Various Drug Charges. Rashad Sanders And Ramona Eugene Are Charged With Possession Of Crack Cocaine For Resale, Possession Of Schedule Four Drugs, Possession Of Marijuana, Possession Of Drug Paraphernalia, And Maintaining A Dwelling Where Narcotics Are Used, Sold, Or Stored. The Charges Stem A Seach Of An Apartment On Kent Street. Inside The Home Police Reportedly Found 60 Grams Of Crack Cocaine With A Street Value Of 6-Thousand Dollars, Items Used To Package Crack Cocaine For Resale, In Addition To Marijuana And 3-Thousand Dollars In Cash. Sanders And Eugene Were Transported To The Kingsport City Jail. They Will Be Arraigned Later This Week In Kingsport Sessions Court.

A Police Chase Has Resulted In Two Chattanooga Residents Being Arrested In Connection With The Robbery Of A Johnson City Restaurant. It Happened Monday Night At Little Caesars On North Roan Street. 26 Year Old Martell Jones And 27 Year Old Ledarious Owens Are Each Charged With Aggravated Robbery. Johnson City Police Lt. Unicoi County Authorities Used Spike Strips To Stop The Vehicle. Jones And Owens Are Currently In The Unicoi County Jail Awaiting Charges In Both Unicoi County And Madison County, North Carolina.

Legislation to toughen the penalties for texting while driving in Virginia is on its way to Gov. Bob McDonnell’s desk. Without debate, the Senate voted 28-12 to pass a House bill increasing the fine for a first offense from $20 to $250. The fine for a second or subsequent offense would go up from $50 to $500. The legislation also changes texting while driving to a primary offense, allowing police to stop and ticket offenders. Currently it’s a secondary offense, which means drivers can only be cited if they’re stopped for another violation such as speeding.

An Apparent Case Of Target Practicing At A Kingsport Residence Has Resulted In Three People Being Placed Under Arrest. Christopher Delp, Joshua Quillen, And A Juvenile Were Each Charged With Four Counts Of Aggravated Assault. The Charges Stem From An Investigation After Police Responded To A Call Of Shots Being Fired At A Beechwood Road Home. The Suspects Had A Rifle, A Shotgun, And A 9 Mm Pistol. Delp And Quillen Were Taken To The Sullivan County Correctional Facility, While The Juvenile Was Transported To The Johnson City Juvenile Detention Center. A Court Date Is Pending.

Spring fire season is under way and Virginia’s burning law is in effect. Burning is prohibited before 4 p.m. if the fire is within 300 feet of woodland, brushland or fields that contain flammable materials such as dry grass. Violators face up to a $500 fine. Anyone who allows a fire to escape is liable for any property damage, along with the cost of suppressing the fire. The spring fire season began Feb. 15 and runs through April 30. The Virginia Department of Forestry says a major cause of wildfires is the burning of leaves, yard waste or trash.

Renovations Are Set To Get Underway In Several Months At A Downtown Johnson City Facility That Will Soon Host College Classroom Space. Bids For Contractors To Renovate The Downtown Centre On East Market Street Could Begin In The Next Few Months To Prepare For Northeast State Community College To Locate A Teaching Site There. Northeast State Officials Hope The Work Will Be Finished In Time For The 2014 Spring Semester.

The Washington County Tennessee Regional Planning Commission May Soon Undergo A Major Change. County Mayor Dan Eldridge Is Expected To Present A Resolution To The County Commission February 25th That Reduces The Membership On The Planning Commission From 15 To Nine, Including Reducing The Number Of County Commissioners On That Body From Six To Four. Eldridge Said The Proposed Change Comes In Response To Concerns Expressed From Builders And Developers.

Authorities Have Made A Fourth Arrest In A 2011 Johnson City Murder Investigation. Anthony Phillips Made An Appearance In Washington County Criminal Court On Unrelated Charges And Was Served With A Presentment Charging Him With Felony First Degree Murder In The Death Of Gary Couch. Couch’s Body Was Found On Quarry Road In July Of 2011. The Greene County Man Had Been Shot To Death. Three Other People Are Also Charged In Phillips’ Death – Justin Stratton, Ginger Holtsclaw, And Ashley Harold. Phillips Being Held In The Washington County Detention Center Under A 100-Thousand Dollar Bond.

Flu activity has declined in Virginia but it remains widespread. The most recent state flu surveillance report shows less than 4 percent of outpatient visits were for flu-like illness. That’s down from 7 percent to 10 percent of outpatient visits about six weeks ago. The Richmond Times-Dispatch reports that flu activity has been widespread in Virginia for nine weeks.

The Scott County Sheriff’s Office Is Treating The Death Of A Dungannon Woman As A Homicide. The Body Of 57 Year Old Mary Karthryn Darnell Was Found Sunday Morning By A Motorist Next To A Creek That Runs Along Ohio Street In Dungannon. The Cause Of Death Hasn’t Been Determined At This Time, But Her Body Is Set To Undergo An Autopsy Today At The Medical Examiners Office In Roanoke. The Suspicious Death Is Being Treated As A Homicide Unless No Foul Play Can Be Determined.

A Three Month Long Undercover Drug Investigation In Unicoi County Has Led To 19 People Being Indicted. Sheriff Mike Hensley Said The Probe Called “Operation Lifesaver” Targeted Prescription Drug Abuse. One Location On Love Station Road Is Believed To Have Been Used As A Drug House For Several Months. All Defendants Will Be Arraigned In Criminal Court Soon.

The B. Carroll Reece Museum at East Tennessee State University is close to reopening after a two-year, $1.7 million renovation project. Museum director Teresa Hammons says the renovation required the entire 20,000 artifact collection and all of the office to be packed up and moved to the school’s Valleybrook Campus in Sullivan County. Among the changes made during the renovation were an update of the museum’s database and the installation of a new HVAC system. The schedule when the museum opens again will be 10 a.m. until 4 p.m. on Tuesdays, Wednesdays and Fridays. On Thursdays, the museum will be open from 10 a.m. until 6 p.m. The museum will also be open on Saturdays from 10 a.m. until 3 p.m.

A Former Belk Employee In Johnson City Accused Of Stealing From The Business Is Being Held In Jail. Julia Wilson Is Charged With Theft Of Property Over A Thousand Dollars. She Allegedly Embezzled 67-Hundred Dollars By Using Belk Merchandise To Make False Returns And Placing The Return Amounts Onto Gift Cards Which She Allegedly Used Over The Past Four Months. She Is Set To Appear In General Sessions Court This Afternoon.

Scott County Virginia Prosecutors Are Hoping To Take Jury Members To The Alleged Crime Scene During An Upcoming Murder Trial. 60 Year Old Charlie Joe Ramey Of Bristol Tennessee Is One Of Two People Charged With Murder In Connection With The Christmas 2011 Shooting Death Of Gregory Hale At A Home In Nicklesville. Commonwealth Attorney Marcus Mcclung Has Said He Filed The Jury View Motion Because He Felt A Visit To The Alleged Murder Scene Would Provide Important Context For Jurors Once They Are Selected. Ramsey’s Defense Attorney Plans To Oppose Mcclung’s Request During A Motions Hearing Tomorrow In Circuit Court. The Alleged Gunman, Daniel Norris Is Also Facing Trial In Scott County. Both Men Are Being Held Without Bond.

One Local Tennessee Legislator Hopes To Increase Seat Belt Punishment. State Representative Tony Shipley’s Bill Would Increase Fines For Violators Of The Seat Belt Law And Give The Extra Money To Children’s Programs And The Division Of Vocational Rehabilitation. The Legislation Would Raise The Fine For A First Offense Violation From Ten To 50 Dollars, While A Second Violation Would Move From 20 Dollars To 75.