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[] | 2016-08-31T02:50:00 | null | 2016-08-30T00:00:00 | ELIZABETHTON — The popular Taste of Carter County sponsored by Security Federal Bank will once again be held at Citizens Bank Stadium on the campus of Elizabethton High School. | http%3A%2F%2Fwww.johnsoncitypress.com%2FLocal%2F2016%2F08%2F30%2FTaste-of-Carter-County-offers-diners-tasty-treats.html.json | http://www.johnsoncitypress.com/image/2016/08/30/x720_q60/Taste-of-Carter-County.jpg | en | null | Taste of Carter County offers diners tasty treats | null | null | www.johnsoncitypress.com | Diners will once again be able to sample some of the most popular entrees from several Carter County restaurants. The annual event benefits the Elizabethton High School Athletic Parent Organization and the Betsy Band Boosters.
The Taste of Carter County allows restaurants and eateries to come together and offer small samples of their best food and perhaps highlight new menu items. Diners get the chance to try the fare of restaurants they are not familiar with and enjoy some of their favorites dishes at the same time.
“Security Federal is a second-year sponsor of the event and we are proud to have them support our local community with their involvement,” said Tonya Stevens, Elizabethton/Carter County Chamber of Commerce executive director.
While the EHS APO and Betsy Band Boosters will benefit from proceeds of this year’s event, Stevens said the application process will be open for nonprofits to apply for the 2017 event in late spring.
Tickets are $20 per person and will be available at Elizabethton High School’s home football games in September.
Tickets also will be available at the EHS athletic office, the Elizabethton/Carter County Chamber of Commerce, Security Federal Bank locations, band boosters and the EHS APO. Only 500 tickets are available.
Participating restaurants include: Beef O’Brady’s, Bojangles, Chick-fil-A, City Market, Fatz, Ingles, Lakeo, Ole Barn Restaurant, Pizza Hut, Primo’s, Shirley’s, The Southern Restaurant, Sugar Love Bakery and Café, Tweetsie Treats and Zaxby’s. | http://www.johnsoncitypress.com/Local/2016/08/30/Taste-of-Carter-County-offers-diners-tasty-treats.html | en | 2016-08-30T00:00:00 | www.johnsoncitypress.com/97a6ff844bf03c407dcd3d0df0ba179cbfea98d1ad9523c6b3377c9556960b43.json |
[] | 2016-08-30T00:49:18 | null | 2016-08-29T00:00:00 | JERSEY CITY, N.J. (AP) — It’s been the driving issue of Donald Trump’s campaign. Build a wall along the southern border. Make Mexico pay for it. And expel | http%3A%2F%2Fwww.johnsoncitypress.com%2FNews%2F2016%2F08%2F29%2FSuddenly-unsure-on-immigration-Trump-trying-to-clear-it-up.html.json | http://www.johnsoncitypress.com/image/2016/08/29/x720_q60/Campaign-2016-Trump-40.jpg | en | null | Suddenly unsure on immigration, Trump trying to clear it up | null | null | www.johnsoncitypress.com | Ten weeks before the election, however, buffeted by conflicting advice from aides and advisers, Trump has seemed to be in full indecision mode.
At a Fox News town hall tall taping last week, in the face of pressing questions, he proceeded to poll the audience at length on the fate of an estimated 11 million people.
Trump is now planning a major speech Wednesday, during which he’s expected to finally clarify his stance. Supporters are hoping for a strong, decisive showing. But for critics, many already disposed to vote against him, his wavering on what has been his signature issue seems like a warning that he’s unable to handle a central element of any president’s job — making decisions.
It also underscores how little his Republican campaign has invested in the nitty-gritty of outlining what he would do as president, especially when compared with the more detailed plans of his Democratic rival, Hillary Clinton.
“It’s just puzzling,” said Lanhee Chen, who has served as a policy adviser to several Republican presidential candidates. “This is the issue on which he rose to prominence in the primary and the issue on which he continues to stake much of his campaign.”
From the start, Trump has never been the kind of candidate to pore over thick policy books.
Indeed, he has mocked Clinton on the subject.
“She’s got people that sit in cubicles writing policy all day. Nothing’s ever going to happen. It’s just a waste of paper,” he told Time Magazine in June. “My voters don’t care and the public doesn’t care. They know you’re going to do a good job once you’re there.”
To date, Trump’s campaign has posted just seven policy proposals on his website, totaling just over 9,000 words. There are 38 on Clinton’s “issues” page, ranging from efforts to cure Alzheimer’s disease to Wall Street and criminal justice reform, and her campaign boasts that it has now released 65 policy fact sheets, totaling 112,735 words.
“I’ve laid out the best I could, the specific plans and ideas that I want to pursue as your president because I have this old-fashioned idea,” Clinton said during a recent speech in Colorado. “When you run for president, you ought to tell people what you want to do as their president.”
Trump’s new campaign manager, Kellyanne Conway, has said she’s pushing her boss to get more specific. Yet his positions on a host of issues remain vague at best.
For example, while Trump has slammed the Common Core education standards and touts the benefits of local control of education, he has no formal, detailed plans for improving public schools. He talks about student loan debt and the increasing costs of higher education, but has yet to propose solutions. He has teased plans to make childcare more affordable, but has missed his own deadline for unveiling them.
Until recently, however, there has been no doubt about where Trump stood on illegal immigration. The wall was going up — Mexico would have to pay — and those estimated 11 million people living in the country illegally were going to have to leave.
But over the summer, Trump began suggesting in closed-door conversations with Hispanic leaders that he might be open to softening his stance. On August 20, he convened round table of Hispanic lawmakers and business leaders, and left some with the same impression. The day after, campaign manager Conway said his position on deportations was “to be determined.”
Trump’s supporters say questions about his recent waffling are overblown. His running mate, Mike Pence, describes him as “a CEO at work” as he consults with various stakeholders.
“You see someone who is engaging the American people, listening to the American people,” Pence told CNN on Sunday. “He is hearing from all sides.”
But Stephen Moore, a conservative economist who has worked with Trump to shape his tax and economic plans, says the vagueness on Trump’s economic policies was by design.
“We want to talk about the big visionary stuff. We don’t want to have a big debate about this loophole, that loophole,” he said. “This is a campaign, it’s not a write-up of a tax bill in the Ways and Means Committee.”
Ari Fleischer, a White House press secretary under George W. Bush, says the confusion that now exists about Trump’s plans for immigration underscores “the risk in electing someone whose candidacy is based on his personality and image, as opposed his experience and policy knowledge.”
While a Trump could succeed as president as a “big picture, set the tone, drive the direction and move the government” kind of leader, Fleischer said that would require him to surround himself with a knowledgeable and capable staff.
“But the lesson in how he’s run his campaign — and frankly in how he’s run his businesses — doesn’t give you confidence that he would surround himself with a lot of capable people,” he said.
In addition, Chen said a President Trump arriving at the White House without detailed plans could be limited in how much he might achieve, since a new president’s power is at its apex early on.
“If you’re not able to hit the ground running, chances are you’re going to run into serious resistance if you sit there studying something for the first 100 days,” he said.
Follow Jill Colvin on Twitter at: http://twitter.com/colvinj | http://www.johnsoncitypress.com/News/2016/08/29/Suddenly-unsure-on-immigration-Trump-trying-to-clear-it-up.html | en | 2016-08-29T00:00:00 | www.johnsoncitypress.com/563b07dac846788fe3a7f45079317d9594ab47810520b8deeebe86acb633269b.json |
[] | 2016-08-30T16:49:52 | null | 2016-08-30T00:00:00 | A federal prisoner with a violent past escaped from the Washington County Detention Center this morning.
The Washington County Sheriff’s Office said in a release | http%3A%2F%2Fwww.johnsoncitypress.com%2Flaw-enforcement%2F2016%2F08%2F30%2FDangerous-federal-prisoner-escapes-from-Washington-County-Detention-Center.html.json | http://www.johnsoncitypress.com/image/2016/08/30/x720_q60/England-jpg.jpg | en | null | 'Dangerous' federal prisoner escapes from Washington County Detention Center | null | null | www.johnsoncitypress.com | The Washington County Sheriff’s Office said in a release authorities were actively searching for Timothy Eugene England and investigating how England escaped from the facility.
England, 37, was in federal custody awaiting trial on charges of bank robbery and violating his federal supervised release.
England is white, stands about 5 feet 8 inches tall and weighs 145 pounds. He was last seen wearing his burgundy prisoner suit. England is known to have local ties throughout East Tennessee, but specifically in Northeast Tennessee and Blount County.
England has a history of violence and should be considered dangerous. If anyone sees or encounters him, do not approach him and call 911 immediately, the sheriff’s office said.
"We are working together with the Washington County Sheriff’s Office and the FBI, as well as other local agencies to make the apprehension of this fugitive a top priority” Jimmy Fowler, U.S. Marshal for the Eastern District of Tennessee, said in the release.
For more information, contact the United States Marshals Service at (423) 638-3391 or (865) 545-4182. Additional information about the U.S. Marshals may be found at http://www.usmarshals.gov.
The Sheriff’s Office has called a 1:30 p.m. news conference to discuss the escape with media. Keep visiting JohnsonCityPress.com for more information as it develops. | http://www.johnsoncitypress.com/law-enforcement/2016/08/30/Dangerous-federal-prisoner-escapes-from-Washington-County-Detention-Center.html | en | 2016-08-30T00:00:00 | www.johnsoncitypress.com/42c76ec9aab86cbc5487a9417f64d3c64d3acdc0fa9a78a4c7b95f10ea4242c6.json |
[] | 2016-08-26T13:07:22 | null | 2016-08-25T00:00:00 | It’s the season opener, a rivalry, and both teams are starting afresh at the quarterback position.
The old coaching adage of “least mistakes | http%3A%2F%2Fwww.johnsoncitypress.com%2FSports%2F2016%2F08%2F25%2FCyclones-invite-Hilltoppers-for-rivalry-renewal.html.json | http://www.johnsoncitypress.com/image/2016/08/25/x720_q60/QBs-jpg.jpg | en | null | Cyclones invite Hilltoppers for rivalry renewal | null | null | www.johnsoncitypress.com | The old coaching adage of “least mistakes wins” will likely apply.
Science Hill makes it first-ever trip to Citizens Bank Stadium to renew a long-standing series with Elizabethton. Kickoff is set for Friday night at 7:30.
“There’s pregame jitters, and getting substitutions on the field, and special teams, so the first game has the potential for mistakes,” said Science Hill head coach Stacy Carter. “You will see some mistakes. It will be whoever plays best under that pressure. But I think both teams are on the same playing field.”
Science Hill has won six in a row, and 12 of the last 13 meetings between these teams.
Although both quarterbacks enter the season as starters for the first time, the contrast at that position couldn’t be much more striking. Science Hill has turned the controls of its offense over to 5-foot-8, 145-pound junior Jaylan Adams, a dual-threat guy with plenty of speed. If something isn’t there, he may create it in a flash.
Meanwhile, Cyclones’ head coach Shawn Witten counters with 6-6, 215-pound sophomore Carter Everett. He’s not only tall, but has a strong arm. Unlike Adams, the pocket is his home base.
But the Cyclones can mix and match at signal-caller and get a similar look to what Science Hill offers. Corey Russell, a 5-11, 165-pound sophomore, will also take some snaps.
“(Everett) is tall and throws it well,” said Carter. “He seems to have a really strong arm. And they also have the little running back (Russell), who had a great game against us last year. Sometimes he will come to quarterback in the wildcat formation. Shawn does a great job with his scheme on offense.”
Even though the quarterback position draws interest, both teams are very strong at running back. Elizabethton boasts Russell along with seniors Jacob Turner and Logan Norman. Science Hill counters with King Russell and Colby Martin.
Each team also has threats at receiver and tight end positions, but when this game is said and done it will likely have been decided in the trenches. Elizabethton is big on both sides of the ball, and the Hilltoppers expect to be rock solid with their offensive line.
“They have size up front, and their nose man is a huge kid with a big motor,” said Carter. “They run a 3-4 front and a four-man front, so it’s almost two different defenses. And (assistant) Stan (Ogg) does a good job mixing in both of them.
“For us, we’re big up front. The offensive line, I would say, is the big strength on our team this year.”
That strength is what makes Science Hill different these days, said Witten.
“I think the physicality they’ve gotten since Stacy has been there has really put them up in the elite group,” said Witten. “It’s going to be a tough contest. It should be on both sides of the ball. The key will be who will win the game up front.”
One of Elizabethton’s biggest challenges will be dealing with Science Hill’s number of athletes.
“They have so many weapons, and they can spread the football around,” said Witten. “Multiple guys can beat you. You can’t focus on two or three guys.”
Witten said he thinks the early part of the game will be critical for his team.
“The first quarter is big,” said Witten. “We’ve got to win the first quarter and get the game into the fourth quarter.
“We felt like we hung around last year, and that gave us some confidence. The thing we’ve got to do on defense is tackle. Last year we had them and didn’t make the tackle. It will come down to making plays, and not so much the Xs and Os.”
Science Hill has its own nice stadium, but playing at Citizens Bank Stadium will be a neat thing, said Carter.
“What a great place,” he said. “It’s amazing to have two places like this so close together, their stadium and our stadium. It’s just how important football is to our area. I think it’s exciting for them and exciting for us.”
Witten said this is like a second stadium opener.
“It’s probably more exciting for this game than the opener last year,” said Witten. “There’s nothing like playing Science Hill over here. There’s nothing like that challenge. I think it is probably the only game on our schedule where we’re the underdog. We’ve been working all summer, and we’ve been preparing for these guys for a long time. Our guys are extremely excited.” | http://www.johnsoncitypress.com/Sports/2016/08/25/Cyclones-invite-Hilltoppers-for-rivalry-renewal.html | en | 2016-08-25T00:00:00 | www.johnsoncitypress.com/df0e93784b4e940d486405b81fd87d8ad7295ea78d78f9ba61c4e81f4e078c94.json |
[] | 2016-08-28T04:49:14 | null | 2016-08-28T00:00:00 | BLUEFIELD, Va. — A night after clinching a spot in the upcoming Appalachian League playoffs, the Johnson City Cardinals came out on the short end of a slugfest against the | http%3A%2F%2Fwww.johnsoncitypress.com%2FBaseball%2F2016%2F08%2F27%2FWalkoff-single-lifts-Bluefield-over-Cards.html.json | http://www.johnsoncitypress.com/image/2016/08/28/x720_q60/Cards-jpg-32.jpg | en | null | Walkoff single lifts Bluefield over Cards | null | null | www.johnsoncitypress.com | Jesus Severino came through with a walk-off RBI single in the bottom of the ninth to life the Jays (35-27) to a 9-8 victory over the Cards (37-26). The two teams ended up with a combined 28 hits in the back-and-forth contest.
After falling behind 8-6 in the bottom of the eighth, Joshua Lopez came through with a two-run homer in the top of the ninth to tie the game at eight. But Severino's big hit off Johnson City reliever Anthony Shew spelled the end of the line for the Cards.
Andrew Knizner homered twice for Johnson City and drove in three runs. Knizner finished 4-for-4 and now has six home runs on the season. Lopez had a pair of hits for Johnson City while Hunter Newman drove in two runs and Luis Bandes connected on a solo homer.
The two teams will continue their series tonight at 6:05. | http://www.johnsoncitypress.com/Baseball/2016/08/27/Walkoff-single-lifts-Bluefield-over-Cards.html | en | 2016-08-28T00:00:00 | www.johnsoncitypress.com/a8b7dc46eec70cd860f375a485b1436cb4a32df27737c1bfc357b1f94f25ffe5.json |
[] | 2016-08-28T04:49:03 | null | 2015-07-21T00:00:00 | WETS-FM plays quietly on my bedside radio all night. Recently I woke in the early hours to hear an arresting bit of information. Behavioral | http%3A%2F%2Fwww.johnsoncitypress.com%2FEditorial%2F2016%2F08%2F28%2FIt-s-no-contest-Hillary-is-the-most-qualified.html.json | http://www.johnsoncitypress.com/image/2015/07/21/x720_q60/Community-Voices.jpg | en | null | It's no contest: Hillary is the most qualified | null | null | www.johnsoncitypress.com | Their conclusion should be astonishing but, given the phenomenon of Trump supporters, it wasn’t. Facts often as not intensified the unease.
I have admired Hillary Clinton since she was First Lady. Since her college days, she’s fought for our shared passions — affordable health care for all, children and women’s issues, the arts and humanities, public education and the wide spectrum of social and environmental justice concerns. She’s brilliant and one of the most accomplished and competent human beings on the planet.
I well understand why she’s long represented a threat to the Republican party’s hopes for the White House and why their efforts to discredit her are persistent and long standing. I understand the increasingly virulent language of late, given the unfit, unprepared, embarrassing candidate the GOP finds itself forced to embrace.
After hearing the BBC program snippet, I understand those on the right’s desperate need to cling to the debunked manufactured Benghazi conspiracy and why they have escalated their language to brand Hillary as “killer,” replacing the milder charge of dereliction of duty as secretary of state. It’s ironic, but true that truth often drives the desperation to cling to untruth.
I watched the 13-hour Benghazi congressional hearing and couldn’t have been prouder of Hillary Clinton, who never lost her composure, never faltered in her answers, was more in control of the procedure than her questioners and effectively leveled her accusers. I have never seen a more dazzling display of intelligence, competence and character. Then to have U.S. Rep. Trey Gowdy, the Republican committee chair, admit to the press after the hearing that, of course, the purpose of the hearing was political and to lessen Hillary’s stature (much to the consternation of his Republican colleagues).
He admitted that their pre-hearing investigations had turned up no evidence to implicate Hillary for incompetence or wrong-doing. That the pre-hearing cost to taxpayers was a whopping $7 million seemed not to matter and further exposed the hypocrisy of the legislators, the same bunch who had refused and still refuse to fund adequate protection for all our embassies, Benghazi included.
The hearing is archived and available for viewing in case any local critic is interested in what I consider necessary homework. Facts ought to matter which means the Benghazi conspiracy should already have evaporated into the netherworld where it belongs.
The far right treatment of the Clinton Global Initiative will likely become as bizarre a political football as Benghazi has been, with equal disregard for fact and context. I’ve long been in awe of the CGI and, for what it’s worth, here’s what I know.
I recently watched a prequel to the annual conference of the Clinton Global Initiative (Sept. 19-21), which featured former Presidents JImmy Carter and Bill Clinton discussing their signature post-presidential work. I couldn’t be prouder that they both chose in their own ways to use their standing to effect a better world.
Most applaud The Carter Center for its partnering with Habitat for Humanity, global disease prevention and control, support for education, monitoring elections and more. The equally inspiring work of the CGI is not so well known.
Bill Clinton established the organization in 2005. It convenes hundreds of global leaders, be they heads of state, heads of foundations and non-governmental agencies, Nobel Prize laureates, CEOs, major philanthropists, and members of the media, and acts as a clearing house for inspiring and implementing ideas for solving the world‘s most pressing problems.
It has made more than 3,500 commitments and improved the lives of over 430 million people in more than 180 countries. They provide micro-loans, dig wells, improve education availability, build hospitals and train doctors — whatever projects brilliant minds in concert can devise. They’re ready to respond to crises, like the tsunami devastation of the fishing industry in Bangladesh. Fisherman who lost their boats were supplied new, outfitted ones along with a cell phone for contacting the regulating board for up-to-date wholesale fish prices to protect them against unscrupulous buyers who’d exploit their vulnerability.
The CGI University operates on the same model but with college and university students who are provided funding to devise and implement their own generation-specific projects. This year’s conference hosted 250 students from 80 countries and resulted in 900 new commitments to action.
The CGI is a huge organization and if there weren’t hitches it wouldn’t be a human endeavor. I’ve no doubt the current kerfluffle will resolve itself, particularly if the vultures allow it to be no more nor no less than it is.
Hillary goes about her work expertly and respectfully and gains the regard of those who work with her. Donald Trump is the disgrace who had trouble filling the speaker slots at his own embarrassing convention. This is in no way a question of the lesser of two evils.
Jennie Young of Elizabethton is a retired langauge arts teacher. | http://www.johnsoncitypress.com/Editorial/2016/08/28/It-s-no-contest-Hillary-is-the-most-qualified.html | en | 2015-07-21T00:00:00 | www.johnsoncitypress.com/0a25445822d3b641ebbed8b93484a89e3b6f8352583bc2510d7f34bc2b29ccd6.json |
[] | 2016-08-27T18:48:36 | null | 2016-08-27T00:00:00 | NASHVILLE - Julia Baumgardner Cross, 92, Nashville, TN passed away August 23rd at McKendree Village.
Born August 1923 in Bristol, TN, she was the seventh child of John | http%3A%2F%2Fwww.johnsoncitypress.com%2FObituary%2F2016%2F08%2F27%2FJulia-Baumgardner-Cross.html.json | http://www.johnsoncitypress.com/image/2016/08/27/x720_q60/Cross-jpg.jpg | en | null | Julia Baumgardner Cross | null | null | www.johnsoncitypress.com | Born August 1923 in Bristol, TN, she was the seventh child of John Dixon and Bessie Kegley
Baumgardner. Julia was educated in the Bristol public school system, graduated from Virginia
Intermont College and received her B.S. from the University of Tennessee at Knoxville in 1946.
She was first employed as the secretary to the president of Virginia Intermont College from
1946 to 1949. In 1949 she married Dr. Ralph E. Cross and they had three children, William,
Charles, and Julianne.
In 1966 Julia made Nashville her home with her two sons, where she began work at the
Methodist Publishing House as a secretary and editorial assistant. In 1969 she then went to
work for the U.S. District Court of Middle Tennessee in the clerk's office. By 1974 Julia had risen
to the rank of courtroom deputy and then chief deputy in the clerk's office. In 1978 she became
the first woman to be appointed the Clerk of the U.S. District Court of Middle Tennessee,
faithfully serving until 1984. She pioneered women’s involvement in many civic organizations
within Nashville. Julia was the first woman to be asked to join the Nashville City Club. After
retiring from the Federal Government, she worked at Vanderbilt Hospital patient services. Upon
returning to the the tri-cities area, she volunteered her time to the Crumley House.
Julia was devoted to her family and friends. She lived her life with grace and courage; she loved
her gardens and had an encyclopedic knowledge of flowers, especially Iris’. An accomplished
bridge player, she loved to entertain her many friends with graciousness and a quick wit. She
had a ready smile until the end.
Julia is survived by her son Charles and two grandchildren, Bonnie and Martin.
Visitation will be at 10:00 am with an 11:00 am service to follow in the chapel of St. John’s
Episcopal Church, 500 N Roan St., Johnson City, TN 37601. Interment will follow in Monte Vista Memorial Park.
In lieu of flowers please make donations to The Crumley House, 300 Urbana Rd., Limestone,
TN 37681. Memories and condolences may be shared at www.appfh.net. Appalachian Funeral Home & Cremation Services, Johnson City, is serving the Cross family. (423)928-6111 | http://www.johnsoncitypress.com/Obituary/2016/08/27/Julia-Baumgardner-Cross.html | en | 2016-08-27T00:00:00 | www.johnsoncitypress.com/7c9ef208c0f969b050ead2a3556c0431190e96c96703826950e937a7e4d43472.json |
[] | 2016-08-29T02:49:04 | null | 2016-08-29T00:00:00 | When organizers planned Shakespeare in Founders Park last year, they thought it’d be a one-time show, or maybe something they’d do once every few years. | http%3A%2F%2Fwww.johnsoncitypress.com%2FNews%2F2016%2F08%2F28%2FShakespeare-in-Founders-Park-wraps-up-second-season.html.json | http://www.johnsoncitypress.com/image/2016/08/29/x720_q60/Shakespheare.jpg | en | null | Shakespeare in Founders Park wraps up second season | null | null | www.johnsoncitypress.com | But after an outpouring of community support, the group came back for a second year to perform a lesser-known Shakespeare play, and the future is looking bright for Shakespeare in Founders Park for years to come.
Assistant Director Lynnea Hunter said that after this year, the organization will chase a nonprofit status, and perhaps even build an educational foundation to Shakespeare in Founders Park.
“It’s definitely something we wanted to do, it was something that we thought would be fun and we ended up having all this outpouring and all this community support,” Hunter said. “And after last year people kept asking us ‘When are you going to do the next show?’ ”
This year’s production, “The Winter’s Tale,” drew a hefty crowd for the final performance Sunday evening. Dark clouds loomed and thunder threatened the beginning of the play, but the show went on for the audience to enjoy.
The outside performances bring their own charm to the table, but they’re not without their challenges too. Weather is always a concern, Hunter said, whether its under the threat of rain or heat. But the outside venue also allows for audiences to bring their own snacks and picnic for the family-friendly event.
“It’s a lot of fun, and we love it,” Hunter said.
Shakespeare in Founder’s Park is completely volunteer run, and operates on donations. For more information on the organization and future productions, visit www.shakespeareinjc.org.
Email Jessica Fuller at jfuller@johnsoncitypress.com. Follow Jessica on Twitter @fullerjf91. Like her on Facebook at www.facebook.com/jfullerJCP. | http://www.johnsoncitypress.com/News/2016/08/28/Shakespeare-in-Founders-Park-wraps-up-second-season.html | en | 2016-08-29T00:00:00 | www.johnsoncitypress.com/dcd1c6d627393cb15fed0f5862ae63ad4cde9713ca15d4a7f0e05b058f893153.json |
[] | 2016-08-29T22:49:16 | null | 2016-08-29T00:00:00 | BRISTOL — In just seven days, Bristol Motor Speedway has been converted from NASCAR’s most popular track to the world’s largest football stadium. | http%3A%2F%2Fwww.johnsoncitypress.com%2FSports%2F2016%2F08%2F29%2FTurf-is-down-for-the-Battle-at-Bristol.html.json | http://www.johnsoncitypress.com/image/2016/08/29/x720_q60/20160829-115949-jpg.jpg | en | null | Turf is down for the Battle at Bristol | null | null | www.johnsoncitypress.com | The final piece of field turf was turned over Monday afternoon and a second goalpost was installed as BMS is set to host the Pilot/Flying J Battle at Bristol between the University of Tennessee and Virginia Tech on Sept. 10.
With the most visible portion of the project finished, crews have started on the detail work with the game just 12 days away.
“We installed the field base, a finish layer, a pad along with the astroturf,” BMS general manager Jerry Caldwell said. “The goalposts have gone in and the hash marks are curing over the next 24 hours. This week, you will see 360,000 pounds of material going down on the field with 180,000 pounds of sand they will be working in.”
The turf is the same kind used at Science Hill’s Kermit Tipton Stadium. It has more of a grass feel than some of the other artificial surfaces used at local high school fields.
Extra scaffolding and seating have been put up on the race track’s front stretch and back stretch with the work about 90 percent complete. Those seats will be needed with an NCAA record crowd in excess of 155,000 expected to be on hand for the game.
According to Caldwell, the game is sold out except for a few premium seats.
While not open to the media on Monday, lockers have been installed in two of the track’s infield buildings. Only cosmetic work remains before they are fully converted into locker rooms.
Other work around the BMS property includes signage and putting up tents for the different functions surrounding the game.
With the big event only days away, Speedway Motorsports CEO Marcus Smith recalled when it was simply an idea bounced around between his father, Bruton, the track owner, former BMS President Jeff Byrd, Caldwell and himself two decades ago.
“Twenty years ago, this was a pipedream,” Smith said. “Here we go, having a football game right on our heels. My first impression was just, “Wow.” I’ve seen pictures. I’ve been getting updates and I’ve followed along on the camera they’ve got going and it’s been exciting. But to be here in person, it’s really phenomenal.”
Smith added that his father has not been able to stop talking about the game and has plans to arrive in the area next Wednesday..
Caldwell added there are several events scheduled around the game with Johnson City hosting a kickoff for the tailgate party next Thursday and Bristol having a downtown party on Friday night.
That same night, BMS has a concert with Kenny Chesney, The Band Perry and Old Dominion.
ESPN’s College GameDay will broadcast from the speedway starting at 9 a.m. on Saturday morning.
As for the game itself, ABC college football broadcaster and former N.C. State quarterback Jerry Punch was on hand for Monday’s event. He gave a preview of the matchup between the Vols and Hokies.
“You’ve got Tennessee ranked No. 9 in the country,” Punch said. “This is the season (Coach) Butch Jones has been waiting on with 17 returning starters. They’re predicted to win the SEC East and could they be a wild-card for the college football championship?
“You’ve got a new coach at Virginia Tech in Justin Fuente. Then you have Bud Foster, one of the most respected defensive coordinators, who has been there 30 years. Look at what Fuente has done everywhere he’s been like TCU and Memphis. Two years ago, Virginia Tech shocked Ohio State and gave them their only loss of the season.
“People in our business believe this is going to be a very good football game. I think it’s going to be a wide-open, high-scoring affair with a lot of excitement on a historic night for college football.” | http://www.johnsoncitypress.com/Sports/2016/08/29/Turf-is-down-for-the-Battle-at-Bristol.html | en | 2016-08-29T00:00:00 | www.johnsoncitypress.com/0d067c5e5195df9abb2c0434195a615867f778da4a25e8a4594fecc8ebf5ed6e.json |
[] | 2016-08-26T13:11:27 | null | 2015-07-10T00:00:00 | The Johnson City Public Building Authority hopes to save the city more than $700,000 by refinancing $7.9 million in borrowing for construction of the Millennium Centre.
At | http%3A%2F%2Fwww.johnsoncitypress.com%2FBusiness%2F2016%2F08%2F24%2FBuilding-Authority-votes-to-refinance-Millennium-Centre-debt.html.json | http://www.johnsoncitypress.com/image/2015/07/10/x720_q60/316c2ab02c1dbf83c43410035fc6f794-jpg.jpg | en | null | Building Authority votes to refinance Millennium Centre debt | null | null | www.johnsoncitypress.com | At the authority’s regular August meeting Wednesday, the governing board unanimously approved a resolution to issue new bonds, which will allow the city to take advantage of lower interest rates.
Authority board member Mike Eddy, a certified public accountant, said the move to refinance was “a win-win situation for everyone,” which will save Johnson City approximately $735,000.
Johnson City pays the principal and interest on funding for the construction of the Millennium Centre and its accompanying parking garage through lease payments to the Public Building Authority, which is tasked with managing the facility.
The new payment structure won’t alter the timeline for repaying the debt, expected to be through 2022, but does provide 9 percent savings over the 2006 bonds.
Part of the resolution approved Wednesday lowers the rent payments in the agreement with the city to reflect the new principal and interest payments.
City Director of Finance Janet Jennings told the PBA the city appreciated the time board members spent working out the details of the resolution and refinancing.
“This will be a good thing for taxpayers,” she said.
The City Commission is expected to consider a similar resolution at its Sept. 1 meeting to approve the changes to the lease agreement.
Washington County Economic Development Council CEO Mitch Miller also told PBA members Knoxville’s CHM Development was still considering potential designs for building on the access-challenged Lot 8 on State of Franklin Road across from East Tennessee State University.
Over the years, several potential developers have expressed interest in the property, but lack of a direct driveway from State of Franklin has led to the deals crumbling.
Miller said CHM has not made a formal offer, but said their interest looks “very positive” so far.
“We’re all well aware of the access issues at that site, and it seems this company is still willing to move forward,” PBA Chairman Jon Smith said. “We’ve gone through this routine time and time again, but it’s looking better this time.”
Miller said he expects an offer for the property in then next couple of months.
Email Nathan Baker at nbaker@johnsoncitypress.com. Follow him on Twitter at @jcpressbaker or on Facebook at facebook.com/jcpressbaker. | http://www.johnsoncitypress.com/Business/2016/08/24/Building-Authority-votes-to-refinance-Millennium-Centre-debt.html | en | 2015-07-10T00:00:00 | www.johnsoncitypress.com/bd8235ebc1018080db084d3582686bd0c6ee9dad5c71253f5fa8a03973218ae4.json |
[] | 2016-08-27T02:48:11 | null | 2016-08-26T00:00:00 | UNICOI — The Joint Economic Development Board of Unicoi County voted Friday to join Washington and Carter counties in the newly created Northeast Tennessee Regional Economic | http%3A%2F%2Fwww.johnsoncitypress.com%2FLocal%2F2016%2F08%2F26%2FUnicoi-County-joins-regional-economic-development-partnership.html.json | http://www.johnsoncitypress.com/image/2016/08/26/x720_q60/Unicoi-Co-EDB-1.jpg | en | null | Unicoi County joins regional economic development partnership | null | null | www.johnsoncitypress.com | The unanimous vote taken during the board’s quarterly meeting at the Unicoi Visitors and Tourist Information Center included approval of a $75,000 18-month commitment to participate in the new three-county partnership.
For that investment, Mitch Miller, executive director of the Washington County Economic Development Council, which is spearheading formation of NETREP, said the partnership would provide assistance with asset development and marketing, grant applications, website and social media development and other help to “make great things happen” in Unicoi County.
Miller pointed to Unicoi County’s “wealth of natural beauty” as an asset the partnership could help develop and market for the benefit the county and the entire region.
He said improvement of the road to Unaka Mountain’s popular “Beauty Spot” and marketing of the Morgan Insulation industrial property in Erwin are development opportunities the partnership would like to take part in.
And he cited a 23 percent increase in tax revenue in downtown Johnson City and Washington County’s 5.3 percent unemployment rate as just two examples of accomplishments in which the staff of the Washington County Economic Council that will run the new regional partnership has played a role.
Unicoi County Mayor Greg Lynch, Unicoi Mayor Johnny Lynch and Lee Brown, chair of the JEDB-UC and president of Erwin Utilities, all recommended the partnership, with Brown saying, “Over time, there has been a collaboration between the counties but no structured organization. This is the structured organization This is a starting point.”
Erwin Mayor Doris Hensley, who previously served as part-time director of the JEDB-UC, said the regional partnership is “a great opportunity” and something the JEDB-UC has pursued for the past eight years.
Hensley said the board’s executive director and sole employee, Tish Oldham, is “just one person” and is in need of the staff that the regional partnership will provide. “$75,000 for the next year-and-a-half is money well spent,” Hensley said.
Oldham, who is employed by East Tennessee State University’s Office of Community Outreach to serve as JEDB-UC’s executive director, will vacate the director’s position with the Dec. 31 expiration of ETSU’s contract with board.
Brown said ETSU recently notified the board that when three-year contract ends it will shift Oldham’s focus away from administration of the JEDB-UC to other projects in Unicoi County. The good news, Brown said, is that Oldham will remain in the county for the next two years and will be available to assist the board through the transition in its administration.
The board agreed to begin a search for Oldham’s replacement with the appointment of an executive director search committee.
In one of her last reports to the board, Oldham gave an update on what she called an “unprecedented” wave of eight grant and assistance program applications recently approved for the county.
The grants also include:
• A $300,000 TVA Invest Prep grant to demolish the dilapidated Morgan Insulation industrial site located on the downtown gateway at Exit 37 of Interstate 26;
• A $50,000 USDA Rural Business Enhancement grant for consultation on the development of land use plans for the county’s interstate exits and downtown gateways, and planning for agri-business and agri-tourism opportunities related to the county’s heirloom apple crop;
• A $1,000 TVA Economic Development grant for planning and implementation of opportunities available through the Main Street Community organization;
• A Select Tennessee Property Evaluation program to analyze potential industrial sites in preparation for future development grant applications;
• A Tennessee Three-Star activity plan program required for Community Development Block Grant, Fast Track and other development incentive programs;
• A $10,000 Tennessee Three-Star grant for financial management training for Unicoi County and the towns of Unicoi and Erwin;
• A $20,000 Tennessee Tourism Enhancement grant for an electronic way-finding kiosk; and
• A $3,440 Tennessee Arts Commission grant for a fiddlers convention in Flag Pond to be conducted in conjunction with Rocky Fork State Park.
“A lot of this is consulting, but you add these all up and it’s a lot of money,” Oldham said.
Adding to the grant awards, Brown announced Erwin Utilities this week received notice that the town has been selected to take part the the Environmental Protection Agency ‘s Cool & Connected broadband planning assistance program for communities impacted by the decline of the coal industry.
Through participation in the strategic broadband planning program, Brown said the town will be able to apply for second phase funding for the construction of broadband systems to attract more young professionals, entrepreneurs, tourists and others to the community.
“Right now is probably the brightest time in the past several years in our community,” Brown said. “So many pieces are coming together to help our community. It’s exciting times.”
Email Sue Guinn Legg at slegg@johnsoncitypress.com. Follow her on Twitter @sueleggjcpress. Like her on Facebook at facebook.com/sueleggjcpress. | http://www.johnsoncitypress.com/Local/2016/08/26/Unicoi-County-joins-regional-economic-development-partnership.html | en | 2016-08-26T00:00:00 | www.johnsoncitypress.com/4b08a14cc371f5ec1d6b8ddba9d7ae66e858d04267653ac61c965a491ce74a70.json |
[] | 2016-08-26T22:48:05 | null | 2016-08-26T00:00:00 | ANCHORAGE, Alaska — Alaska’s largest city is home to more than 300 grizzly and black bears and now more than a dozen multicolored ones.
Life-size bear | http%3A%2F%2Fwww.johnsoncitypress.com%2FEntertainment%2F2016%2F08%2F26%2FColorful-bear-statues-spring-up-in-Alaska-s-largest-city.html.json | http://www.johnsoncitypress.com/image/2016/08/26/x720_q60/Parade-of-Bears.jpg | en | null | Colorful bear statues spring up in Alaska's largest city | null | null | www.johnsoncitypress.com | Life-size bear statues painted by city artists, part of “Bears on Parade,” are popping up as they’re completed. They’re part of a continuing effort to raise awareness that if you live in Anchorage, you live near bears.
“The whole point of this was to engage in conversation about bears and their habitat — the food that they eat, where they live,” said Brenda Carlson, who helped organize the program.
Carlson is visitor services director for Visit Anchorage, the city tourism marketing group. She’s also a member of the state Department of Fish and Game’s Anchorage Bear Committee, dedicated to bear conservation in the municipality.
The city covers 1,958 square miles but people occupy only about 204 square miles, according to the department. The rest of the city includes national forest, a state wildlife refuge, 55 to 65 grizzlies and 250 to 350 black bears.
Bears can be deadly if they’re surprised. To minimize maulings, the committee tries to educate people about how to live with bears.
“Not all bears eat salmon,” Carlson said. “Some eat berries, depending on where they are. We really wanted it to spark conversation about the bears.”
The committee also wanted to coordinate the statues’ installation with a summer conference of 700 international bear scientists brought to Anchorage by the International Association for Bear Research & Management.
Carlson reached out to America’s Fiberglass Animals of Seward, Nebraska, which has helped create more than 300 public art projects with fiberglass sculptures.
Fifteen bears arrived by flatbed truck looking like polar bears — completely white. Sponsors paid either $1,750 or $3,000 for bears. So far 13 have been painted, sealed and erected.
Artists received loose instructions. The adornment had to be family friendly and reflect the beauty of Alaska, Carlson said. One bear has a birch forest painted on its side. Others are painted with rivers, wildflowers or northern lights. A bear sponsored by an ice cream shop added a tongue that appears to be licking ice cream off the bear’s face.
“I love that tongue,” Carlson said, and it could fit into the theme of what a bear should not eat — human food.
“Make sure your trash is put away, because that trash bear will be a problem,” she said.
The statues arrived too late for the early summer bear conference but some scientists will benefit. The committee is donating nearly $8,000 from statue sponsorships to the next bear conference for scientists’ expenses. | http://www.johnsoncitypress.com/Entertainment/2016/08/26/Colorful-bear-statues-spring-up-in-Alaska-s-largest-city.html | en | 2016-08-26T00:00:00 | www.johnsoncitypress.com/54463fa840d483a85093f5cb0bcdc1911b0dbd9d5f9b7244a5c6a4cb3aa80fd0.json |
[] | 2016-08-27T04:48:24 | null | 2016-08-27T00:00:00 | The Johnson City Cardinals are headed back to the playoffs.
DeAndre Asbury-Heath's sacrifice fly in the 10th inning gave the Cards the winning run in a wild 8-7 | http%3A%2F%2Fwww.johnsoncitypress.com%2FBaseball%2F2016%2F08%2F26%2FCards-clinch-playoff-berth.html.json | http://www.johnsoncitypress.com/image/2016/08/27/x720_q60/Cards-JPG-31.jpg | en | null | Cards clinch playoff berth | null | null | www.johnsoncitypress.com | DeAndre Asbury-Heath's sacrifice fly in the 10th inning gave the Cards the winning run in a wild 8-7 victory over the Bristol Pirates Friday night at TVA Credit Union Ballpark.
Johnson City earned a postseason berth despite committing seven errors.
Bryce Denton's two-run double in the bottom of the 10th inning tied the game at 7-7 after the Cards appeared to have thrown it away with shoddy defense in the top of the inning. Denton also hit a two-run homer in the seventh to begin an earlier rally.
The victory clinched at least second place in the Appalachian League's West Division for Johnson City. The top two teams in each division make the postseason.
The Cards appeared ready to wait another night before clinching after falling behind 3-0 as Victor Fernandez's two-run homer had keyed a three-run third for the Pirates.
Then Johnson City's fortunes took a turn for the better in the seventh. Denton's two-run homer cut the deficit to one, and J. R. Davis and Shane Billings hit conscutive run-scoring singles to give the Cards their first lead of the night. Billings later scored on a passed ball, making it 5-3.
As the Cards were within two outs of clinching, Bristol's Yoel Gonzalez tied it up with a two-run double in the ninth inning. Bristol's rally came thanks to four Johnson City errors in the 10th inning.
Four Johnson City pitchers combined for 14 strikeouts.
Next up for Johnson City is trying to claim the division championship. With six games to go, they hold a three-game lead on second-place Elizabethton. Greeneville is in third, four games behind Elizabethton for the final playoff spot.
The Cardinals will be trying to win the Appalachian League championship for the 10th time. Included in that total are titles in 2010, '11 and '14.
The playoffs begin on Saturday, Sept. 3. | http://www.johnsoncitypress.com/Baseball/2016/08/26/Cards-clinch-playoff-berth.html | en | 2016-08-27T00:00:00 | www.johnsoncitypress.com/8cdb75545f9c8a8950cb126f105b10fd7fe8c45a7966964736c68173c1bf911f.json |
[] | 2016-08-26T13:15:01 | null | 2016-08-24T00:00:00 | NEW YORK — A Mississippi firefighter who received the world’s most extensive face transplant after a burning building collapsed on him said Wednesday that he feels like | http%3A%2F%2Fwww.johnsoncitypress.com%2FFire-EMS%2F2016%2F08%2F24%2FBurned-firefighter-feels-normal-again-after-face-transplant.html.json | http://www.johnsoncitypress.com/image/2016/08/24/x720_q60/APTOPIX-Face-Transplant.jpg | en | null | Burned firefighter feels normal again after face transplant | null | null | www.johnsoncitypress.com | Patrick Hardison, 42, said he can now eat, see, hear and breathe normally, thanks to last year’s surgery. He has a full head of hair and hits the gym twice a week.
“Before the transplant, every day I had to wake up and get myself motivated to face the world,” Hardison told reporters at NYU Langone Medical Center. “Now I don’t worry about people pointing and staring or kids running away crying. . I’m happy.”
Hardison was a volunteer firefighter in Senatobia, Mississippi, when a building collapsed on him in 2001. He had 71 reconstructive surgeries before the transplant.
While there have been nearly 40 face transplant surgeries since 2005, Hardison’s was the first to include a scalp and functioning eyelids. Doctors have since fixed up some features and removed his breathing and feeding tubes.
Hardison has no scars on his face, and although he resembles his old self, some of his features are different. His eyes are smaller and his face is rounder, but he still has sandy brown hair.
“I don’t get up and look in the mirror and focus on that,” he said. “I get up and just go along with my day.”
The divorced father of five said one of the best moments of his life was seeing his children for the first time after the August 2015 surgery. Four of his children attended the news conference.
His 21-year-old daughter, Alison, said she cried after seeing him because she was so relieved.
“I walked into the room and I was just speechless,” she said. “He gave me a hug and our cheeks touched, and his cheeks were kind of warm, and that was something I hadn’t felt in 14 years.”
She said her father “wasn’t normal on the inside” before the surgery.
“He was very unhappy,” Alison Hardison said. “Now he’s happy with himself and happy with life.”
Patrick Hardison can finally drive and live independently thanks to his new field of vision. Previously, he could see only through “pinholes” because doctors had sewed his eyelids partially shut to protect his eyes, he said.
Eduardo Rodriguez, chairman of Langone’s plastic surgery department, said Hardison has not had any issues with transplant rejection, which is due to his medications, his children and his strength.
“He’s a remarkable individual,” Rodriguez said.
The surgery is estimated to cost about $1 million, according to NYU, but the hospital covered the cost. Rodriguez was recently awarded $2.5 million from the Defense Department to continue face transplant research.
Hardison said he hopes to meet this fall with the family of his donor, a 26-year-old artist who died in a bike accident in Brooklyn.
“I’d like to say that I’m the same old Pat, but that would not give enough credit to the amazing journey I have gone through this past year,” Hardison said. “The road to recovery has been long and hard, but if I had to do it again, I’d do it in a heartbeat.” | http://www.johnsoncitypress.com/Fire-EMS/2016/08/24/Burned-firefighter-feels-normal-again-after-face-transplant.html | en | 2016-08-24T00:00:00 | www.johnsoncitypress.com/1c523353cd5048303fdeb4ce5ca1f0c498d3c45d2074182a68ee6ab09d1bd9e3.json |
[] | 2016-08-26T13:14:33 | null | 2016-08-24T00:00:00 | JOHNSON CITY - On a beautiful morning, August 23, 2016, Janet Sue Rogers, 50, of Johnson City, left this earth, joining her Heavenly Father to walk the streets of gold. She spent the | http%3A%2F%2Fwww.johnsoncitypress.com%2FObituary%2F2016%2F08%2F24%2FJanet-Sue-Rogers.html.json | http://jcweb.libercus.net/image/2016/08/24/x720_q60/Rogers-jpg.jpg | en | null | Janet Sue Rogers | null | null | www.johnsoncitypress.com | She was preceded in death by her father, David Rogers; sister, Pamela Kay Rogers; maternal grandparents, Smith and Callie Gilbert; and paternal grandparents, T.E. and Laura Rogers.
Janet is survived by her mother, Judith Rogers; brother, Dwight Rogers (Dale); sister, Lisa Gilmore (Jim); nieces, Dana, Emily, Holly and Ashley; and very special friend and personal assistant, Tammi Reid.
A special thanks to Mountain States Hospice and Dr. Elnora Spradling for their love and care.
The family will receive friends on Friday from 5-7:00 pm at Hamlett-Dobson Funeral Home, Kingsport. A celebration of life will follow at 7:00 pm with Pastor Tim Nelson officiating.
A graveside service will be held on Saturday at 11:00 am at East Tennessee Cemetery. Family and friends will serve as pallbearers.
Please visit www.hamlettdobson.com to leave an on-line condolence for the family.
Hamlett-Dobson Funeral Homes, Kingsport is serving the family of Janet Sue Rogers. | http://www.johnsoncitypress.com/Obituary/2016/08/24/Janet-Sue-Rogers.html | en | 2016-08-24T00:00:00 | www.johnsoncitypress.com/cd7ce3aa41af38375041a76b092c0fd9b94c1340acf6abd6e404aed21d73e493.json |
[] | 2016-08-28T04:49:18 | null | 2016-08-28T00:00:00 | For the past month, Jupiter has been sinking lower and lower with respect to the western horizon in the evening twilight.
Jupiter might be spotted during the first week of | http%3A%2F%2Fwww.johnsoncitypress.com%2FBlog%2F2016%2F08%2F28%2FJupiter-leaves-the-evening-sky.html.json | http://www.johnsoncitypress.com | en | null | Jupiter leaves the evening sky | null | null | www.johnsoncitypress.com | Jupiter might be spotted during the first week of September, low in the sky in the bright twilight 20 minutes after sunset, but it will be difficult to see without optical aid. Jupiter moves behind the sun at superior conjunction on Sept. 26. Meanwhile, the brightest of the planets as seen from earth, Venus, slowly increases altitude in the western sky over the month as the evening twilight begins to fade, however it still remains low in the sky. Venus sets about an hour after sunset during this month.
Planet Mars continues its relatively rapid motion across the sky during this month, increasing its separation from planet Saturn and the red supergiant star Antares. These 3 celestial objects appear in the southwest sky during the evening hours, with Mars being the brightest of the three.
Note however that the brightness of Mars noticeably fades throughout the month as the earth continues to race ahead of the red planet. On Sept. 19, the distance between earth and Mars reaches 1 astronomical unit, the average distance that the earth orbits the sun.
For you early risers, Mercury can be spotted above the eastern horizon during the last two weeks of the month. The solar system’s innermost planet brightens throughout this time period and gains altitude.
By the end of the month, Mercury rises about 1½ hours before sunrise just prior to morning twilight. This marks the best morning apparition for Mercury during 2016.
The sun crosses the autumnal equinox on the celestial sphere at 10:21 a.m. on Sept. 22, marking the start of the fall season. When the sun is located at one of the equinoxes, it lies directly over the earth’s equator.
The moon will be at full phase at 3:05 p.m. Sept. 16. Since this full moon is only 6 days from the autumnal equinox, it is officially designated as the “Harvest Moon.”
This is the name given to the full moon that occurs closest to the autumn equinox. In two years out of three, the Harvest Moon comes in September, but in some years it occurs in October. It is named this since at the peak of harvest, farmers can work late into the night by the light of this moon.
The first free public astronomy open house at the ETSU Powell Observatory of this season will occur on Saturday, Sept. 10 from 8-10 p.m. At these open houses, the public can view objects in the sky through telescopes and hear talks by faculty of the Physics and Astronomy Department.
Note that the open houses are canceled if the sky is cloudy. Further information about these open houses and directions to the observatory can be found on the web at http://www.etsu.edu/cas/physics/observatory/default.aspx.
This month’s Night Sky was written by Dr. Donald G. Luttermoser, chairman of the Department of Physics and Astronomy at ETSU. He can be reached at lutter@mail.etsu.edu. Astronomy-related information for the public, including a link to the ETSU Powell Observatory, can be found at http://www.etsu.edu/cas/physics by selecting the Public Outreach pull down menu at the top of that web page. | http://www.johnsoncitypress.com/Blog/2016/08/28/Jupiter-leaves-the-evening-sky.html | en | 2016-08-28T00:00:00 | www.johnsoncitypress.com/1e25b451dbd55a0522be04b685da578f9f8464a8c09285afb3d503eee9f6a476.json |
[] | 2016-08-31T02:49:55 | null | 2016-08-31T00:00:00 | ELIZABETHTON — Labor Day has another meaning for many health care workers and birth professionals.
That’s why obstetricians, midwives, doulas and other | http%3A%2F%2Fwww.johnsoncitypress.com%2FHealth-Fitness%2F2016%2F08%2F30%2FMaternity-Fair-to-answer.html.json | http://www.johnsoncitypress.com/image/2016/08/31/x720_q60/Carter-County-Maternity-Fair.jpg | en | null | Maternity Fair to answer expectant moms' questions | null | null | www.johnsoncitypress.com | That’s why obstetricians, midwives, doulas and other experts will be gathering at the Covered Bridge Park on Monday, Sept. 12, at 11 a.m. for the 2016 Maternity Fair.
It will be a time for expectant mothers to have their questions answered by the birth professionals. There will also be other activities offered throughout the event, as well as vendors.
The event is sponsored by the University of Tennessee Extension Service in Carter County, the Elizabethton/Carter County Public Library, Babe Breastfeeding Coalition, Southern Appalachian BirthNetwork, Angie Neis Midwifery Services and others.
The Carter County event is just one of many birth rallies being held all across the United States, Canada and Mexico as part of an international movement.
According to the Improving Birth website, the movement is not about “natural birth vs. medicated birth. It’s not about hospital birth vs. homebirth or birth center birth. It’s about women being capable of making safer, more informed decisions about their care and that of their babies, when they are given full and accurate information about their care options, including the potential harms, benefits, and alternatives. It’s about respect for women and their decisions in childbirth, including how, where, and with whom they give birth; and the right to be treated with dignity and compassion.” | http://www.johnsoncitypress.com/Health-Fitness/2016/08/30/Maternity-Fair-to-answer.html | en | 2016-08-31T00:00:00 | www.johnsoncitypress.com/baacdc132a47d317fefd4e7d7134f25f2ae924c05478799346b85920e6800ed8.json |
[] | 2016-08-27T02:48:12 | null | 2016-08-27T00:00:00 | Some would say winning a demolition derby involves at least some luck.
But that’s tough to say with Carl Hoilman.
For the second straight year, | http%3A%2F%2Fwww.johnsoncitypress.com%2FLocal%2F2016%2F08%2F26%2FBrothers-win-back-to-back-Demolition-Derby.html.json | http://www.johnsoncitypress.com/image/2016/08/27/x720_q60/DSC-0464-JPG.jpg | en | null | Johnson City man wins demolition derby for second consecutive year | null | null | www.johnsoncitypress.com | But that’s tough to say with Carl Hoilman.
For the second straight year, Hoilman won the first of two heats during Friday’s demolition derby at the Appalachian Fair.
“I was just trying to hit anything and everything I could,” said Hoilman, who’s from Johnson City.
He admitted his head was ringing a bit from several harsh collisions as he climbed from the No. 21 Honda Civic’s driver’s-side window.
But a smile soon spread across his face as he left the track with the first-place purse.
Hoilman’s Civic and the No. 9 car were the final two vehicles running out of approximately 10 competitors. Hoilman initially had the No. 9 pinned against a group of stopped cars, but his prey eventually escaped.
After one of the No. 9 car’s tires peeled off the rim, Hoilman positioned him against a barricade and plowed into him with the rear end of his car to finish him off.
Each competitor drew a number before the derby and was assigned a four-cylinder car to drive.
Every car had the gas tank relocated to the backseat, the battery moved to the floorboard, a reinforced driver’s side door and a hole cut in the hood in case of a fire.
Carl Theobald,from Surgoinsville, competed in his third demolition derby on Friday.
“Me and a bunch of guys from work usually do it and it’s a lot of fun,” Theobald said. “It’s just a heart-pounding rush. There’s so many cars out there going every which way. It’s just a lot of fun.”
Roan Mountain native Scotty Johnson, who’s a regular competitor in demolition derbies around the region, finished the contest fourth in his No. 24 car.
Johnson said his strategy involves protecting his car’s front and tires.
Tennessee Slammers and Bangers hosted the demolition derby for the 26th consecutive year in front of a massive crowd, but the demolition derby wasn’t the only event at Friday’s Appalachian Fair that drew a large crowd.
A decent crowd showed up for the “So You Think You Can Dance” contest at the Museum Stage prior to the derby, and the MercyMe concert at 8 p.m. was nearly sold out with more than a thousand attendees.
Saturday’s Appalachian Fair will also feature a demolition derby at 8 p.m., but the competitors will enter their own vehicles.
Email Zach Vance at zvance@johnsoncitypress.com. Follow Zach Vance on Twitter at @ZachVanceJCP. Like him on Facebook.com/ZachVanceJCP | http://www.johnsoncitypress.com/Local/2016/08/26/Brothers-win-back-to-back-Demolition-Derby.html | en | 2016-08-27T00:00:00 | www.johnsoncitypress.com/83ca22d8106853155b26978eeb4e8f3a6073919bc52fe8f153bd8012244a0ad4.json |
[] | 2016-08-26T13:05:59 | null | 2016-08-25T00:00:00 | It seems that eye in the sky is pretty sharp.
The crew of a Tennessee Highway Patrol helicopter flying over Unicoi County Thursday spied a pair of marijuana fields, | http%3A%2F%2Fwww.johnsoncitypress.com%2FLocal%2F2016%2F08%2F25%2FSheriff.html.json | http://www.johnsoncitypress.com/image/2016/08/25/x720_q60_ca0,236,1802,1941/Unicoi-County-Marijuana-bust.jpg | en | null | Sheriff: $468K worth of marijuana plants seized in Unicoi Co. | null | null | www.johnsoncitypress.com | The crew of a Tennessee Highway Patrol helicopter flying over Unicoi County Thursday spied a pair of marijuana fields, leading to the seizure of nearly 300 plants, according to Sheriff Mike Hensley.
The sheriff said the 293 marijuana plants were seized in the Ernestville community of the county.
Hensley said the street value of each plant is approximately $1,600, which would total approximately $468,000.
“They were about 75-percent mature,” Hensley said. “The plants ranged from 7 to 8 feet tall and were hidden in a good secluded area.”
The marijuana plants were spotted from the helicopter in two separate areas. Hensley said he believed two different owners managed the fields and were not related.
Narcotics and drug task force officers removed the plants and burned them.
Hensley said no one has been arrested, and the investigation is ongoing. | http://www.johnsoncitypress.com/Local/2016/08/25/Sheriff.html | en | 2016-08-25T00:00:00 | www.johnsoncitypress.com/1a51ae909311e5b23ba5c6e0cd8495685ba43353b5f6e753352e284b78ad75eb.json |
[] | 2016-08-28T02:48:46 | null | 2016-08-28T00:00:00 | Freshman Kellee Geren was named the MVP of the Milligan College Mountain Madness volleyball tournament as the Buffs moved to 6-2 on the season by going undefeated while hosting the two-day | http%3A%2F%2Fwww.johnsoncitypress.com%2FVolleyball%2F2016%2F08%2F27%2FMilligan-volleyball-runs-win-streak-to-five.html.json | http://www.johnsoncitypress.com/image/2016/08/28/x720_q60/Kellee-Geren-JPG.jpg | en | null | Milligan volleyball runs win streak to five | null | null | www.johnsoncitypress.com | On Saturday, the Buffs swept past Middle Georgia College 25-21, 25-17, 25-12 and the University of Pikeville 25-13, 25-23, 25-21. Milligan freshman Julie Dockery earned a spot on the all-tournament team thanks to her strong play.
"This was an awesome weekend and I'm excited that we not only won our tournament but more impressed that we were able to go 3-0 with every team we played," Milligan coach Doneva Bays said. "I think it shows maturity and discipline in our team, and we had much improved efforts from our opening weekend."
Geren had 107 assists in the tournament and Dockery had 16 kills. Marissa Langford had 34 kills over the course of the tournament while Samantha Bruinius added 33. Grace Ann Moorhouse chipped in defensively with 46 digs and Alyssa Rupert had 36.
Milligan will play its Appalachian Athletic Conference opener at home on Tuesday night against Union College, the defending AAC tournament champion.
— — —
The women's soccer team opened the season in style with a 13-0 whitewashing of Brewton-Parker College in Mount Vernon, Georgia.
Freshman Bekah Cundiff hit the ground running by recording a hat trick in her debut. Cundiff scored a pair of goals in the first 25 minutes of the contest. Sami Joy added a goal of her own a minute after Cundiff's second goal to put the Buffs up 3-0, and the rout was on. Cundiff's third goal put Milligan up 5-0.
Amy Long added a pair of goals for the Buffs while Rebecca Buchanan, Christine Hardin, Taylor Freeman, Dharma Fawbush, Caroline Ford and Venessa Quinones notched a goal apiece.
The Buffs will play on the road again next Saturday at Bob Jones University.
— — —
Faulkner University scored a goal in the opening seconds and went on to beat the Milligan men's soccer team 3-1 in the Buffs' season-opener.
After George Redwin stunned Milligan with a goal in the first minute, Renan de Souza added a pair of goals to pad the Eagles' lead. Ryan Reilly scored Milligan's only goal of the day.
The Buffs return to action on Monday with a road match at Cumberland University. | http://www.johnsoncitypress.com/Volleyball/2016/08/27/Milligan-volleyball-runs-win-streak-to-five.html | en | 2016-08-28T00:00:00 | www.johnsoncitypress.com/6ea32828adaa1289d8f5b1c2e48581b8bc5801f457a12b01c5f8c4a7ef32821d.json |
[] | 2016-08-28T04:49:00 | null | 2016-08-23T00:00:00 | It’s hard to imagine a more admirable and important endeavor than helping the women of East Tennessee who need it most.
But doing so by highlighting the artwork | http%3A%2F%2Fwww.johnsoncitypress.com%2FCommunity%2F2016%2F08%2F28%2FJourneys-of-Women-Art-Show-For-women-by-women.html.json | http://www.johnsoncitypress.com/image/2016/08/23/x720_q60/Journeys-of-Women-Art-Show-2.jpg | en | null | Journeys of Women Art Show: For women, by women | null | null | www.johnsoncitypress.com | But doing so by highlighting the artwork of the some of region’s best artists, makes it reach a brand new level. That’s exactly what the nonprofit Women’s Fund of East Tennessee has done and is doing with their upcoming fourth Journeys of Women Art Show. The women-focused event will be held at Jonesborough’s McKinney Center from September 9-17, and open to the public during those dates.
During those dates, the public can purchase these works of arts that span various artistic mediums. A massive portion of those sales will go directly to the organizations in East Tennessee that help transform the lives of low-income women and girls here.
In the past four years, more than $300,000 of grant money has been awarded by the Women’s Fund in the direction of groups like Tusculum College, Red Legacy and the Boys and Girls Club of Elizabethton. These are just three examples of the 25 recipients over that four-year duration.
This year’s exhibits will feature pieces put together using oil and acrylic paints, as well as fiber, mixed media and photography, among other.
Jonesborough’s Sharon Squibb shared her thoughts on being a part of this art show, which is locally-focused. She explained her individual journey.
“I feel blessed,” she said. “Each of my days is a day spilling over with color and song and the joy and challenge of being an artist and a teacher. My personal trek led me from my childhood in Johnson City to art school in Knoxville and Cincinnati, then on to New York where I was an art and antiques book editor. Along the way, I discovered the joy of singing and performing. Years later I returned home again to settle among those in the educational arena. I draw, paint, and sculpt. I sing and dance. I teach. I can’t imagine a more fulfilling life. And, I live in Jonesborough.”
Squibb is joined by many other artists, who all have their own stories and journeys, all of which will be represented in the artwork they’ve shared. Other artists included in the show will be Theresa Markiw, Bennette Rowan, Misty Dempsey, Chasidy Hathorn, Deborah Bryan, Sheryl Daniels, Marianne Gubler, Tina Collison, Dottie Price, Coralie Tweed, Linda Loffman, Margaret Carr, Nancy Jane Earnest, Mary Nees, Fredda Roberts, Fran Rathburn, Becky Chapman, Peggy Root, Melinda Tweed, Carolyn Tomko, Judith Flohr, Nancy Fischman and Leslie Davis.
It will be a juried art show.
The board of the Women’s Fund foundation is made up of 21 dynamic, professional women, all committed to lifting up those who especially need assistance. Carol Transou, Cynthia Burnley, Judy Ingala and Nita Summers are credited with being the founders of the Women’s Fund, shaping its goals and mission to serve these women.
The work of these passionate women was honored in 2015 as being named “Foundation of the Year” by the Great Smoky Mountain Association of Fundraising Professionals. That organization is endorsed by Gov. Bill Haslam for work on violence against women.
With the upcoming art show, the foundation believes they’re holding to their vision that “every woman is self-sustaining. And we believe that when you invest in a woman, you invest in a family, a community, and ultimately a region. By helping women and girls, we create better communities for all of us.”
Email Tony Casey at tcasey@johnsoncitypress.com. Follow Tony Casey on Twitter @TonyCaseyJCP. Like him on Facebook at www.facebook.com/tonycaseyjournalist. | http://www.johnsoncitypress.com/Community/2016/08/28/Journeys-of-Women-Art-Show-For-women-by-women.html | en | 2016-08-23T00:00:00 | www.johnsoncitypress.com/d63eabe7abb3ea1b2210e1ea3632a69b3df81a2848f5d3c8e29a509eb8e68508.json |
[] | 2016-08-28T04:49:11 | null | 2016-08-28T00:00:00 | Some say it was an act of God. Others claim it was a political conspiracy. Fair officials blamed it on a faulty latch.
Whatever the cause, it was exactly 12:17 p.m. on | http%3A%2F%2Fwww.johnsoncitypress.com%2FBlog%2F2016%2F08%2F28%2FHogwash-Raymond-contracts-case-of-swine-flew.html.json | http://www.johnsoncitypress.com | en | null | Hogwash: Raymond contracts case of swine 'flew' | null | null | www.johnsoncitypress.com | Whatever the cause, it was exactly 12:17 p.m. on Wednesday, August 26, 1998, when no fewer than 11 full-sized, potentially prize-winning pigs escaped Livestock Barn B and stampeded straight toward the entrance to the Spring County Fair Pavilion.
Raymond Cooper, making a surprise live appearance at the fair to host “Renderings with Raymond,” was deeply engrossed in his opening monologue concerning the corruption of “so-called Mayor Dick Bland” and his “dirty” administration.
“I assure you,” Raymond shouted into his microphone while dozens of adoring fans looked on, “I am going to stand tall with the good folks of the Valley and clean up the mess that my alleged opponent has created!”
Then, bowing his head, his mouth almost touching the microphone, he continued, “And I want to express my humble gratitude to the Good Lord above, who has bestowed so many blessings upon my candidacy.”
The last thing anyone remembered hearing before the ensuing onslaught was Marvin Walsh shouting, “Amen!”
At least one observer later told Iris Long, editor of The Hometown News, it reminded her of a rushing flood. Still others compared it to a scene from Braveheart, when Mel Gibson, playing the role of William Wallace — a 13th-century Scottish warrior who led the Scots in the First War of Scottish Independence against King Edward — followed by a hoard of screaming warriors, attacked the British army with blazing precision.
Iris Long, on hand to photograph Mayor Bland greeting fair-goers as part of the opening festivities, could barely believe what she was seeing. She seemed to be one of the few in the audience not suprised by Cooper’s appearance. It was just the type of thing she had come to expect from him.
In her five decades of jouralistic experience, however, nothing had prepared her for what was taking place in front of her eyes.
As the crowd rushed away from the path of the charging swine, Raymond Cooper could scarcely believe his own eyes. As if in a trance, he stood frozen as the sows moved ever closer.
The swarming pigs seemed to take aim at Raymond, as if guided by some external force. Charging closer still, they moved directly toward Cooper, knocking him to the ground in their stampede.
Not one to let an opportunity such as this escape, Mayor Bland quickly rushed over to Raymond, who was covered in dirt and hoofprints. Extending his hand to lift Cooper from the ground, the mayor paused momentarily.
“I knew that my opponent was skilled in slinging mud,” Bland bellowed. “But I had no idea he was so adept at wallowing in it.”
Iris focused her trusty Nikon at the two men: Cooper, still barely rising off the ground, and Bland, smiling giddily as he lifted Raymond to his feet.
We rarely saw Raymond Cooper dumbstruck in 1998. For a moment, though, those reassembled stood in silence, wondering if their champion was uncharacteristically at a loss for words.
Finally steady on his feet, Raymond spoke words only he could devise at such a moment. “I find it mighty interesting that my opponent just happened to be so close when those pigs were released from their secured pens.”
Bland started to respond, but Cooper cut him off.
“I also find it peculiar,” looking toward Iris Long, “that the principal representive of the elite media just happens to be here as well.”
Iris could barely believe her ears. He was doing it again. Raymond Cooper was going to convince his supporters this was planned all along by the powers and principalities aligned against him.
Turning to leave, Iris heard Beatrice Justice, standing behind her, mumble something.
“Matthew 7:6,” Beatrice said, then repeated, “Matthew 7:6.”
Writer Kevin Slimp is a Johnson City native known for his expertise in publishing technology. “The Good Folks of Lennox Valley” is fictionally based on people he has met in years of travel. Contact him at lennoxvalley@kevinslimp.com. For more on “Lennox Valley,” go to www.lennoxvalley.com. | http://www.johnsoncitypress.com/Blog/2016/08/28/Hogwash-Raymond-contracts-case-of-swine-flew.html | en | 2016-08-28T00:00:00 | www.johnsoncitypress.com/55005c19d7de6ff0d559667fa13e40f728371b5e0ab3d7d24b012e4c18a5dc1d.json |
[] | 2016-08-28T00:48:46 | null | 2015-06-24T00:00:00 | There’s a chance members of the Animal Control Board met the new leaders of the Washington County-Johnson City Animal Shelter Saturday morning.
But only time | http%3A%2F%2Fwww.johnsoncitypress.com%2FLocal%2F2016%2F08%2F27%2FBoard-interviews-5-candidates-for-two-managerial-animal-shelter-positions.html.json | http://www.johnsoncitypress.com/image/2015/06/24/x720_q60/d63a0a897e1ceaceb9720650fdd2b6b3-jpg.jpg | en | null | Board interviews 5 candidates for two managerial animal shelter positions | null | null | www.johnsoncitypress.com | But only time will tell.
Two candidates interviewed for the executive director position and three others were vying for the operations manager job.
“I thought we had some excellent candidates. I was very impressed with all five of them. They all brought different skills,” Board Chairman Gary McAllister said.
During a meeting earlier this month, the Board voted to split the director role into two positions after nearly 10 months of searching and interviewing failed to turn up the right candidate.
“Now that we divided it up, they can bring a special skill set,” McAllister said.
Board member Linda Bearfield added, “I think it was a very positive thing to break it up. I think it’s necessary for a shelter this size.”
Many of the questions directed to the candidates involved collaboration between the two positions, with the director focusing on fundraising efforts and the operations manager working on day-to-day work.
“Will you have a problem working with an executive director who has had no previous experience in an animal shelter?” was one of several questions directed towards each manager candidate.
The three are Johnson City resident Tammy Davis, Erwin resident Tiffany Swinehart and Telford resident Wayne Thomas.
Thomas has worked 11 years at the Animal Shelter and is the current senior animal control officer. From observations over the years, Wayne suggested cross-training employees and a more customer-oriented atmosphere.
Swinehart has previously served as the director of operations for the Unicoi County Animal Shelter and holds a degree in animal science.
Davis also earned a degree in animal science and served as a veterinary assistant at the Appalachian Animal Hospital.
Johnson City residents Wendy McIlquham and Cara Ledbetter were the two applicants for the executive director position. Each brought plenty of business experience, but neither had worked in an animal shelter before.
Both candidates suggested more social media interaction and a revamped website to attract more visitors to the shelter. Placing an employee at the door to greet and tour customers around the shelter was another suggestion.
McIlquham has experience operating and managing 20 employees at the Mattress Firm franchise in Johnson City. She’s also been the vice president of marketing for a local flooring company and previously worked overseas in Australia and England.
Ledbetter is the current executive director for the American Cancer Society and cited considerable fundraising experience.
“We have to raise three times our salaries,” Ledbetter said during her interview.
“I think within my first six months here we would be in the process of organizing our first big fundraiser.”
Former director Debbie Dobbs officially retired on Jan. 14 after a 21-year career at the animal shelter. She’s working on an interim basis until the position is filled.
The Board will meet again next week to continue discussions about the candidates.
Email Zach Vance at zvance@johnsoncitypress.com. Follow Zach Vance on Twitter at @ZachVanceJCP. Like him on Facebook.com/ZachVanceJCP | http://www.johnsoncitypress.com/Local/2016/08/27/Board-interviews-5-candidates-for-two-managerial-animal-shelter-positions.html | en | 2015-06-24T00:00:00 | www.johnsoncitypress.com/1662b764da7c55ba015b4de698d3166bf58397372bfd0d96d5b38f8d0041a39a.json |
[] | 2016-08-31T00:49:56 | null | 2016-08-30T00:00:00 | MENDOTA, Calif. (AP) — Many California farmworkers who make up the backbone of the nation’s No. 1 agricultural state on Tuesday were praising historic legislation that | http%3A%2F%2Fwww.johnsoncitypress.com%2FNews%2F2016%2F08%2F30%2FCalifornia-farmworkers-on-edge-over-historic-overtime-bill.html.json | http://www.johnsoncitypress.com/image/2016/08/30/x720_q60/Farmworker-Overtime.jpg | en | null | California farmworkers on edge over historic overtime bill | null | null | www.johnsoncitypress.com | If signed into law by Gov. Jerry Brown, a new overtime bill would put California at the forefront nationally of farm labor pay and mark a victory in the fight to improve farmworkers rights in the decades old movement launched by Cesar Chavez, the legendary co-founder of the National Farm Workers Association who fought for higher farm worker pay.
Brown, a Democrat, has not said whether he will sign the law that would be the first of its kind for the United States.
Florentino Reyes, 48, has been picking tomatoes and working a wide variety of crops in California’s fertile Central Valley for more than two decades and says he could make another $60 weekly. That would give him more purchasing power to buy better food and clothes for his wife and three children and ease his stress over paying down bills.
“For me, it’s discrimination,” said Reyes, finishing up a day harvesting green tomatoes near the town of Mendota.
But other farmworkers are nervous about California farmers’ claims that the higher overtime pay could hurt them economically and outprice California products from the marketplace in favor of crops grown in other states and countries.
Gonzalo Najera, who drives a tractor on Salinas Valley’s lettuce, carrots and broccoli fields, said some farmers are saying the extra overtime payments could drive them out of the state, but he doesn’t buy the argument.
“The growers can’t leave,” Najera said. “They can’t take their dirt with them.”
The 35-year-old father of four also has parents back in Mexico, who rely on money he regularly sends. He earns about $33,000 a year and said he has worked seven days a week since March this year. The added overtime pay he expects to receive will correct a longstanding injustice so farm workers are no longer treated as second class California employees, Najera said.
Under the current law, California employers must pay time-and-a-half to farmworkers after 10 hours a day or 60 hours a week. Lawmakers in Sacramento on Monday sent the legislation to Brown that would give them overtime after eight hours in a day or 40 hours a week. It is backed by the United Farm Workers, which Chavez helped found in 1962, more than three decades before his death.
Farmers vehemently oppose it, and third-generation almond and olive farmer Pat Ricchiuti said approval by Brown could prompt him to cut his workers’ take-home pay by as much as 33 percent. The Fresno Country farmer says he and others he know would respond by limiting crews to eight hours by finding other workers and increasing their use of farm machinery.
“It is really, really sad,” he said. “The only people getting hurt in this are the workers.”
Ricchuiti argued that farming shouldn’t be compared to other industries, because it is seasonal, susceptible to unpredictable weather and the availability of water, a scarce resource in drought-stricken California, he said. Each of these limit when he needs workers to certain times of the year, he said.
Farm worker Juan Valencia, 39, who raises calves on a Fresno County dairy, said he often works more than 60 hours weekly and gets overtime but fears his boss might cut him to 40 hours — making it hard for him to support his wife and two young children.
“They make it sound pretty. It’s not going to be pretty at all,” said Valencia, who earns about $32,000 a year. “I’m going to have to look for another job.”
Reyes, the tomato picker, said the farmers’ claims are political heat aimed at trying to prevent Brown from giving him the same pay protections that the rest of California’s hourly workers have.
“We’ve been waiting for this change,” he said. | http://www.johnsoncitypress.com/News/2016/08/30/California-farmworkers-on-edge-over-historic-overtime-bill.html | en | 2016-08-30T00:00:00 | www.johnsoncitypress.com/e27da500b7a50a7cab75ae6d1c1331d7b09ec4c4a3f0eef16af87bf64aa0e0c1.json |
[] | 2016-08-28T02:48:48 | null | 2016-08-28T00:00:00 | GREENEVILLE — Tyler Wells came through with another stellar start to help the Elizabethton Twins pick up a crucial 1-0 Appalachian League victory over the Greeneville Astros on | http%3A%2F%2Fwww.johnsoncitypress.com%2FBaseball%2F2016%2F08%2F27%2FTwins-edge-past-Greeneville-to-notch-Appy-League-win.html.json | http://www.johnsoncitypress.com/image/2016/08/28/x720_q60/E-Twins-jpg-34.jpg | en | null | Twins edge past Greeneville to notch Appy League win | null | null | www.johnsoncitypress.com | Wells (5-2) turned in six scoreless innings, allowing just two hits and two walks. Colton Davis contributed two shutout innings before Patrick McGuff came on in the ninth and retired the Astros in order to record his ninth save of the season.
In terms of offense, the Twins (35-28) got all they needed on a sacrifice fly to center by Ariel Montesino in the top of the fifth that scored Caleb Hamilton with the only run of the game.
Patrick Sandoval (2-3) was the hard-luck loser for Greeneville. Sandoval allowed just one run on four hits in five innings. Diongenes Almengo came on and threw four hitless innings of relief for Greeneville (30-33), but the Astros were unable to manufacture any offense.
The two teams will continue their three-game series on Sunday at Pioneer Park at 6 p.m. | http://www.johnsoncitypress.com/Baseball/2016/08/27/Twins-edge-past-Greeneville-to-notch-Appy-League-win.html | en | 2016-08-28T00:00:00 | www.johnsoncitypress.com/8916061f68d1e5eb7e834f6c9b65cb30c0f99721cd7ef895923bfb72a795cf90.json |
[] | 2016-08-30T02:49:19 | null | 2016-08-29T00:00:00 | The ETSU football team released its depth chart for Saturday night’s season opener at Kennesaw State. | http%3A%2F%2Fwww.johnsoncitypress.com%2FSports%2F2016%2F08%2F29%2FETSU-depth-chart.html.json | http://www.johnsoncitypress.com/image/2016/08/29/x720_q60/Untitled-1-jpg-2.jpg | en | null | ETSU depth chart | null | null | www.johnsoncitypress.com | ETSU depth chart
The ETSU football team released its depth chart for Saturday night’s season opener at Kennesaw State. | http://www.johnsoncitypress.com/Sports/2016/08/29/ETSU-depth-chart.html | en | 2016-08-29T00:00:00 | www.johnsoncitypress.com/e97b293e449d76f3149f0a631ed4d48429c1648d2aeb99f65c4eafc06ae0cdc6.json |
[] | 2016-08-26T22:48:08 | null | 2016-08-26T00:00:00 | DETROIT — The U.S. is seeking to forcibly limit how fast trucks, buses and other large vehicles can travel on the nation’s highways.
A new proposal | http%3A%2F%2Fwww.johnsoncitypress.com%2Flaw-enforcement%2F2016%2F08%2F26%2FUS-wants-to-force-lower-speeds-on-truck-and-bus-drivers.html.json | http://www.johnsoncitypress.com/image/2016/08/26/x720_q60/Truck-Speed-Limit.jpg | en | null | US wants to force lower speeds on truck and bus drivers | null | null | www.johnsoncitypress.com | A new proposal Friday would impose a nationwide limit by electronically capping speeds with a device on newly made U.S. vehicles that weigh more than 26,000 pounds. Regulators are considering a cap of 60, 65 or 68 mph, though that could change. Whatever the speed limit, drivers would be physically prevented from exceeding it. The proposal does not force older heavy vehicles to add the speed-limiting technology, but regulators are still considering it.
The government said capping speeds for new large vehicles will reduce the 1,115 fatal crashes involving heavy trucks that occur each year and save $1 billion in fuel costs.
While the news is being welcomed by some safety advocates and non-professional drivers, many truckers say that such changes could lead to dangerous scenarios where they are traveling at much lower speeds than everyone else.
The rule has been ensnared in a regulatory maze in the decade since the nonprofit group Roadsafe America issued its first petition in 2006. The group was founded by Atlanta financial adviser Scott Owings and his wife Susan, whose son Cullum was killed by a speeding tractor-trailer during a trip back to school in Virginia after Thanksgiving in 2002. The nonprofit was later joined by the American Trucking Associations, the nation’s largest trucking industry group.
Owings said he will continue to push NHTSA to force older heavy vehicles to limit their speeds.
“We are dismayed and outraged to learn the proposed rule will be for newly manufactured trucks and will not apply to the millions of trucks with which we continue to share the roads today,” he said.
NHTSA said retrofitting vehicles made after 1990 with the speed-limiting technology could be too costly, and it is still seeking comments and additional information. NHTSA said it could cost anywhere from $100 to $2,000 per vehicle, depending on when the vehicle was made. Changes to some engines could also be required, increasing the costs, NHTSA said.
The government agencies involved will take public comment for 60 days, then determine the final limit and decide if the regulation should be put in place.
To James Chapman, a big rig driver from Spartanburg, South Carolina, 68 mph would be the best option and he’d accept 65. But 60 would be too big of a difference from cars that go 75 or more.
“To me it would be a safety hazard unless it slowed everybody else down,” he said while refueling his truck Friday along interstate 75 near Findlay, Ohio.
The agencies said that limiting the speed of heavy vehicles to 60 mph could save as many as 498 lives annually. Limiting it to 65 mph could save as many as 214 lives, and limiting it to 68 mph could save as many as 96.
The agencies said the proposal is based on available safety data and the additional benefit of better fuel economy. The cost would be minimal because all of the 3.6 million big rigs on U.S. roads have speed-limiting devices installed already, but some don’t have the limits set, according to agency documents.
But Norita Taylor, spokeswoman for the 157,000-member Owner Operator Independent Drivers Association, said her group has opposed the speed limiters because they create dangerous interactions between vehicles as faster cars slow down for trucks. “Differentials in speed increase interactions between vehicles, which increases the likelihood of crashes,” Taylor said.
Yet there is another compelling reason to limit truck speeds. An investigation last year by The Associated Press found that 14 states have speed limits for big trucks that are equal to or higher than their tires were designed to handle. Most truck tires aren’t designed to go faster than 75 mph, and tire manufacturers say traveling faster than that can cause tires to fail and blow out, creating safety issues.
Most of the states with the higher speed limits are west of the Mississippi River. Of the 14, five have speed limits of 80 mph or more and allow trucks to exceed the capability of their tires. NHTSA has said the speed limiters should take care of the discrepancy between state speed limits and truck tire capabilities.
Most of the states with speed limits of 80 or above either didn’t know about the truck tire speed ratings or didn’t consider them. States set their own speed limits, having been given sole authority to do so by Congress in the mid-1990s.
AP Business Writer Joseph Pisani contributed to this story from New York. | http://www.johnsoncitypress.com/law-enforcement/2016/08/26/US-wants-to-force-lower-speeds-on-truck-and-bus-drivers.html | en | 2016-08-26T00:00:00 | www.johnsoncitypress.com/3aad23deb1a2ca1cd91d9c95b0c4b6740cfa995d189e63c869bd8b3f786f3739.json |
[] | 2016-08-31T00:49:57 | null | 2016-08-30T00:00:00 | HAMPTON — Last week, the Tennessee Department of Education recognized the performance of the students of Hampton High School in state and national technical competition during this | http%3A%2F%2Fwww.johnsoncitypress.com%2FEducation%2F2016%2F08%2F30%2FBulldogs-excel-in-state-and-national-technical.html.json | http://www.johnsoncitypress.com/image/2016/08/30/x720_q60/Bulldog-competitors-1.jpg | en | null | Bulldogs excel in state and national technical competition | null | null | www.johnsoncitypress.com | Tracy Whitehead, SkillsUSA state adviser, traveled from Nashville to Hampton on Aug. 24 to recognize the Hampton SkillsUSA Chapter as the Most Outstanding Chapter in Tennessee in Division II. In addition to the bragging rights, the school also has the first entry in a new permanent plaque that will be displayed in its halls during the chapter’s reign as the best in the state.
Daniel Arnett, teacher of the school’s architectural and drafting programs, praised his students for not only being named the most outstanding SkillsUSA chapter in the state, but also for outstanding performances in back-to-back national competition with SkillsUSA and the Technology Student Association. Several state championships were won by Arnett’s students this summer. The national competition included about 1,500 top students from around the nation.
The state champions and other high performers from Hampton in SkillsUSA include:
• John Cole was state champion in architectural drafting. He finished 12th in the national contest. He also finished second in architecture drafting in the state TSA competition. Cole is now a student in the inaugural engineering class at Milligan College this fall.
• Ryan Kelly is state champion in technical drafting. He finished 27th in national competition. He is a senior at Hampton this year.
• Ian Kelly, who is the twin brother of Ryan, was state champion in jobs skills. He finished 11th in national competition. in the state TSA competition, he was state champion in architectural drawing, beating out Cole for the top spot.
• Alex Marlow and Philip Arrignton were state champions as a team in additive manufacturing. They finished 13th in the nation. Marlow also finished second in the state in 3D computer assisted drawing engineering. In the state TSA competition, he finished third in 3D CAD engineering. He is now a freshman at Northeast State Community College. Arrington is a senior at Hampton this year.
• Arrington’s twin sister, Allison Arrington was TSA state champion in technical sketching and application. Also in TSA state competition, Allison joined with Darryl Hitechew and Dakota Pierce to form the team that finished second in the technology quiz bowl.
• Ellie Campbell was state champion in first aid/CPR. She placed 15th in the nation. She is now attending the University of Tennessee.
• Brooklynn Ashley was state champion in dental assisting. She is a senior at Hampton this year.
• Kame Phillips finished second in the state in job interview. He is now attending the University of Tennessee.
• Austin Boling finished third in the state in medical terminology. He is now a senior at Hampton.
• Caitlin Carrico also competed in the state competition in related technical math. She is now attending Northeast State Community College.
Hampton had four student receive Mike Rowe Scholarships. They are: Alex Marlow, Ryan and Ian Kelly and Philip Arrington. The four recipients tied Hampton with Adairsville, Ga., and Oxford Hills Technical School in Norway, Maine, for the most winners in the nation in the high school division.
Arnett said he was proud of his students’ academic accomplishments, but was also proud of a recent demonstration of the practical application of the material he has taught them. Recently, one of the school’s custodians complained that the same part kept breaking on one of the school’s vacuum cleaners. Arnett said the students used 3-D drawing to design a stronger and more reliable part that also worked in the vacuum cleaner.
Carter County Director of Schools Kevin Ward expressed his appreciation of the students. “I am very pourd of them and the entire career technical education program,” Ward said. “This is a big accomplishment for the students, the students and teachers.” | http://www.johnsoncitypress.com/Education/2016/08/30/Bulldogs-excel-in-state-and-national-technical.html | en | 2016-08-30T00:00:00 | www.johnsoncitypress.com/6ffc446afbccf7a759ff874c1cf684df0cab3342383b6e6db6682de32977d511.json |
[] | 2016-08-30T00:49:20 | null | 2016-08-30T00:00:00 | RICHMOND, Va. (AP) — A Virginia school board urged the U.S. Supreme Court on Monday to weigh in on whether a transgender male must be allowed to use the boys bathroom at his high | http%3A%2F%2Fwww.johnsoncitypress.com%2FEducation%2F2016%2F08%2F29%2FSchool-asks-high-court-to-hear-transgender-bathroom-case.html.json | http://www.johnsoncitypress.com/image/2016/08/30/x720_q60/bathroom-jpg.jpg | en | null | School asks high court to hear transgender bathroom case | null | null | www.johnsoncitypress.com | The Gloucester County School Board wants the justices to review a decision from the 4th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals, which said the board’s policy barring 17-year-old Gavin Grimm from using the restroom that matches his gender identity violates Title IX, a federal law that prohibits discrimination in schools.
At issue is whether the courts should defer to an U.S. Department of Education rule that says transgender students in public schools must be allowed to use restrooms that correspond with their gender identity. In its April ruling, the 4th Circuit said the federal judge who previously rejected Grimm’s Title IX discrimination claim wrongly ignored that department rule.
The school board said in its filing Monday that Grimm’s case provides an excellent vehicle for “resolving once and for all the current nationwide controversy” over transgender bathroom access. It argues the 4th Circuit was wrong to defer to education department’s interpretation of the law, which for years has allowed schools to provide “separate toilet, locker rooms and shower facilities on the basis of sex.”
“For decades our nation’s schools have structured their facilities and programs around the idea that in certain intimate settings men and women may be separated ‘to afford members of each sex privacy form the other sex,‘” the school board said in its petition. “The 4th Circuit’s decision turns that longstanding expectation upside down.”
Josh Block, an attorney with the American Civil Liberties Union who represents Grimm, said the teen’s lawyers look forward to filing their response.
“We hope the court denies review and allows Gavin to finally start using the boys’ restroom again,” Block said in a statement.
While Grimm won at the appeals court level, he will still be barred from using the boys restroom when he returns to Gloucester High School for his senior year next week. The Supreme Court ruled earlier this month that the school board can require Grimm to use a private restroom until it decides whether to intervene in the case, which will likely happen sometime this fall.
Four of the nine justices must agree for the court to accept a case, and only about 100 of the thousands of cases the justices are asked to review each year are heard.
Follow Alanna Durkin Richer on Twitter at https://twitter.com/aedurkinricher. Her work can be found at http://bigstory.ap.org/journalist/alanna-durkin-richer . | http://www.johnsoncitypress.com/Education/2016/08/29/School-asks-high-court-to-hear-transgender-bathroom-case.html | en | 2016-08-30T00:00:00 | www.johnsoncitypress.com/b780d8aa6f44381d1446d82c8eb1735214a8dcac378bc4d6f6942058cc61c77e.json |
[] | 2016-08-26T13:11:10 | null | 2016-08-24T00:00:00 | The students are back on campus and the fall sports schedule is getting ready to hit full swing at Milligan College.
As a matter of fact, the volleyball team is already | http%3A%2F%2Fwww.johnsoncitypress.com%2FSports%2F2016%2F08%2F24%2FMilligan-notes-19.html.json | http://www.johnsoncitypress.com/image/2016/08/24/x720_q60/Print-44.jpg | en | null | Geren hits ground running with volleyball team | null | null | www.johnsoncitypress.com | As a matter of fact, the volleyball team is already four matches into the season after a busy three-day flurry of action. The Buffs split a pair of matches on Saturday before falling to Keiser University on Sunday and beating Point Park University on Monday to get off to a 2-2 start heading into a home match against Talladega College this Friday.
The big story for the Buffs early has been the play of freshman setter Kellee Geren, who is taking over for three-year starter Jessica Davenport. Milligan coach Doneva Bays is impressed with the way the freshman from Cleveland, Tennessee, has hit the ground running.
“Kellee has done a phenomenal job to this point,” Bays said. “The biggest thing I like about Kellee is her competitiveness. She has a grit about her that’s hard to teach and you can’t get that out of people unless they have it.”
Bays said that Geren, who attended the same high school as Davenport, showed up with the same skill level Davenport arrived on campus with, which should bode well for Geren and the Buffs. But Geren isn’t the only freshman who’s made an impact right away. Julie Dockery, a middle hitter from Gate City, and Alyssa Gibson, a middle blocker from Kingsport both had an impact on the opening weekend with Marissa Langford out of the lineup following a concussion.
Early on, Bays said she wants her team to take care of business at home and hold their own on the road as the Buffs develop some chemistry.
“We’re there every day,” Bays said of Steve Lacy Fieldhouse. “It’s just a comfort. They’re very familiar with the court and surroundings are a lot of it, so I feel we will fare very well at home.”
— — —
The men’s soccer season will kick off this Saturday with a home match against Faulkner University.
But a pair of Buffs got a head start over the summer while playing with the Tri-Cities FC Otters. Junior goalkeeper Nick Smith and senior midfielder Ryan Reilly both got some valuable experience with the team, which played some tough competition.
“They’ve seen a high speed of play day in and day out that they probably won’t see through most of the rest of the year,” said Milligan coach Adam Laney. “Another big piece is that they’re fit because they’ve been playing games.”
Reilly and Smith will join a very experienced core of players who should make the Buffs a formidable force in the Appalachian Athletic Conference this season. Smith will be expected to step up his play in the goal and newcomer Luis de la Torre will also play a key role for Milligan, which hopes to use a cerebral approach this season.
“My history here is that we’ve had very athletic guys who can overcome mistakes through sheer speed or athleticism,” said Laney. “This year, we’ve got guys who are more soccer players than athletes.”
— — —
The women’s soccer team will also get their season started this Saturday, hitting the road to play Brewton-Parker College in Georgia.
Milligan coach Lisa Buckley has a young team and expects a few freshmen to make an immediate impact as long as they can adjust to the demands of the college game.
“They’ve been able to rely on athleticism until this point, and now we’re requiring them think through the game and play a much more thinking game than they have before,” Buckley said.
Bekah Cundiff and Dharma Fawbush are two of the freshmen expected to give the Buffs an immediate punch on the offensive end. Cundiff, a forward from Toledo, Ohio, is a physical player who will act as a facilitator while Fawbush, a forward from Jefferson County, is a proven goal scorer.
On the defensive end, junior centerback Sami Joy and senior goaltender Charlotte Stephens are expected to be rock-solid after earning second-team all-conference honors last season.
— — —
The Milligan athletic department recently announced that it will partner in a clothing drive with Good Samaritan Ministries during this academic year.
All 24 of Milligan’s athletic teams will collect clothing throughout the year with each team doing a major collection at least once per semester. These items will go towards supporting Good Samaritan’s Stand Down initiative to keep homeless men and women in the community clothed. | http://www.johnsoncitypress.com/Sports/2016/08/24/Milligan-notes-19.html | en | 2016-08-24T00:00:00 | www.johnsoncitypress.com/4bb505cf4579d85b53ed4f87c1f1d7801997dd34e82d36a7a580889ffe45fa41.json |
[] | 2016-08-26T13:02:41 | null | 2016-08-26T00:00:00 | ELIZABETHTON — Hitting, pitching and fielding, it was a rough night all the way around for the Elizabethton Twins on Thursday at Joe O’Brien Field.
The | http%3A%2F%2Fwww.johnsoncitypress.com%2FSports%2F2016%2F08%2F25%2FRoyals-shut-out-E-Twins.html.json | http://www.johnsoncitypress.com/image/2016/08/26/x720_q60/E-Twins-jpg-32.jpg | en | null | Royals shut out E-Twins | null | null | www.johnsoncitypress.com | The Twins fell to the Burlington Royals 11-0 on a night when they were trying to keep pace with the Johnson City Cardinals in the Appalachian League West Division standings.
Elizabethton (33-28) had six hits, all singles. They went 0-for-7 with runners in scoring position and left nine runners stranded.
On the mound, Twins pitchers gave up 16 hits. Starter Jose Martinez (1-5) was rocked early, giving up eight hits and eight runs over the first four innings.
The Twins didn’t help themselves in the field either. They committed four errors in the loss to the Royals, leaders of the East Division. | http://www.johnsoncitypress.com/Sports/2016/08/25/Royals-shut-out-E-Twins.html | en | 2016-08-26T00:00:00 | www.johnsoncitypress.com/8c5b9f0d68495fefe8c63ba0f4ff3b9c91f1ff48a1786e77059102e32a8a689c.json |
[] | 2016-08-26T13:13:23 | null | 2016-05-20T00:00:00 | Gray resident Danny Sells said Wednesday a state agency’s approval won’t end the battle over a proposed addiction treatment clinic in his community. | http%3A%2F%2Fwww.johnsoncitypress.com%2FLocal%2F2016%2F08%2F24%2FCON-for-Gray-addiction-treatment-clinic-approved.html.json | http://www.johnsoncitypress.com/image/2016/05/20/x720_q60/GrayMethadone1.jpg | en | null | CON for Gray addiction treatment clinic approved | null | null | www.johnsoncitypress.com | “I’ve specifically said that if this clinic is forced upon us, that we will not accept it in our community,” Sells said, noting the Citizens to Maintain Gray opposition group will continue to fight the plan.
The Tennessee Health Services and Development Agency voted 8-0 Wednesday to grant a certificate of need for Mountain States Health Alliance and East Tennessee State University’s jointly operated addiction treatment clinic on Wednesday.
Sells said he was surprised only two questions were raised by board members before voting on the measure.
“We raised a lot of issues and a lot of reasons (the board) should actually be asking questions and more specificity about the application,” Sells said. “I find it odd that it was (a unanimous vote) for as weak as this application is ... I think they knew they had this thing won before they even came down (to Nashville).”
Sells and county commissioners Bryan Davenport and Mark Larkey spoke against the clinic’s location on Gray Commons Circle. HSDA Board member Joe Grandy, who is also a Washington County commissioner, was among those who voted to approve the application at the Nashville meeting.
“ETSU and Mountain States Health Alliance were asked by area leaders to provide this service because of the need in our region. Today, the State officially agreed with that assessment through a unanimous vote of the Health Services Development Agency. As community-based organizations, ETSU and Mountain States are steadfast in our commitment to this community and our region,” said a joint statement from ETSU, Mountain States and Frontier Health.
“While it is regrettable this need exists, we have a responsibility to lead when it comes to the health and well-being of our community,” the statement continued. “We take this responsibility seriously, and pledge to meet this need responsibly and with the local accountability that comes with the nature of our institutions.”
Robert Pack, director of the clinic; Lindy White, CEO of Woodridge and Franklin Woods hospitals; and Dr. Randy Jessee, senior vice president of specialty services at Frontier Health, were among those who spoke in favor of the application.
Three residents in the healthcare field also spoke in opposition to the application concerning the impact of its location, specifically relating to the clinic’s proximity to schools.
“Dozens” of public comment letters opposing the clinic were submitted to the HSDA board prior to the vote, according to HSDA legal counsel Jim Christoffersen.
On Sept. 1, the Johnson City Commission will vote on the first reading of a rezoning request for the property at 203 Gray Commons Circle to be designated as a medical services district.
“I’m hoping that at least we can feel like there was some willingness to hear our concerns of this rural community,” Sells said.
Sells said the opposition group would not meet before the first reading, but would likely meet before the second reading, which includes a public comment session, on Sept. 15.
The Board of Zoning Appeals will also need to grant a special exception before the clinic can operate.
Email Zach Vance at zvance@johnsoncitypress.com. Follow Zach Vance on Twitter at @ZachVanceJCP. Like him on Facebook.com/ZachVanceJCP | http://www.johnsoncitypress.com/Local/2016/08/24/CON-for-Gray-addiction-treatment-clinic-approved.html | en | 2016-05-20T00:00:00 | www.johnsoncitypress.com/70d6bbd91fea334ce8c3bc93e648838c976b196bedeb2f128f19bca24865ac93.json |
[] | 2016-08-26T22:48:06 | null | 2016-08-26T00:00:00 | With all due respect to Johnson City’s recreation and entertainment offerings, there’s nothing comparable to the cavernous playground for the young at heart set to open | http%3A%2F%2Fwww.johnsoncitypress.com%2FLocal%2F2016%2F08%2F26%2FSpacious-bounce-house-set-to-open.html.json | http://www.johnsoncitypress.com/image/2016/08/26/x720_q60/QUANTUM-LEAP-5.jpg | en | null | Spacious bounce house set to open | null | null | www.johnsoncitypress.com | We report; you decide.
Entrepreneurs Dan and Leah Bolton are about to open their new 41,000-square-foot Quantum Leap Trampoline Sports Arena at 117 W. King St.
“We’re trying to be agile and add new things,” Dan Bolton said. “We don’t want anybody sitting around. The city has been very supportive, and the community’s really showing an interest.”
The Kingsport couple bought the former Giant Wholesale Grocery East Coast distribution center earlier this year and revamped the building into an indoor physical funhouse for all Johnson Citians, young and old.
“The upgrades have gone very well — I don’t think we’re going to have to drag anybody in,” he said.
Employees are being trained and sessions conducted with members of the community to work out the kinks. The well-worn exterior brick remains, but the interior is colorful, to say the least.
A large image of Albert Einstein — the one which captures the physicist sticking out his tongue -- is painted above the entrance to the trampoline and dodgeball section. This area includes a “battle beam” where cushioned weapons are used to knock opponents into a foam pit and a trapeze.
It’s not your run-of-the-mill recreation center.
A 25,000-square-foot section is literally wall-to-wall trampolines manufactured and installed by Georgia-based Fun Spot. About 50 fully padded trampolines are elevated three feet off the ground, as are several “runs” — 40-foot long sections similar to those used by gymnasts, but these will be trampoline material. Also, people don’t have to worry about bouncing into hard walls. Instead, angled trampolines will serve to bounce them back.
Dodgeball also is available — dodgeball played on trampolines. An adjoining space offers an arcade and giant inflatable goodies including “Obstacle Island,” a bounce house, and a large super-spongy dump truck from which people can slide from its backside.
Remember, none of the fun is age-specific.
Visitors will walk in, be greeted and directed to kiosks where they identify themselves and sign a waiver. Then it’s past the front desk over which astronaut Neil Armstrong’s famous quote is painted: “That’s one small step for man, one giant leap for mankind.”
Food and snacks are available on the first floor. Visitors also can keep track of their children or just enjoy the view from a second-floor mezzanine, which features comfortable couches and tables and chairs.
The Boltons closed their Leaping Lizards Family Entertainment Center in Kingsport and decided to go all in at Quantum Leap.
“It’s a destination point for people all over the region, and a large part of our decision to come here was because downtown is being developed,” said Leah Bolton. “I think we’re going to help extend downtown toward this direction. Johnson City doesn’t have a big entertainment center like this.”
There also is a 5,000-square-foot area that once was used for cold storage. The Boltons say they are considering their options for this space, which could include a stand-alone restaurant/bar.
There currently is room for 40 on-site parking spaces, and the Boltons have secured an agreement to rent another 36 spaces from an adjacent property owner, bringing the total to 94. They also plan to install bicycle racks that would equal in size about 16 parking spaces.
For information about hours, availability and news, go to www.facebook.com/quantumleaptsa or call 423-928-5327.
Email Gary Gray at ggray@johnsoncitypress.com. Like Gary B. Gray on Facebook at www.facebook.com/garybgrayjcp. Follow him on Twitter @ggrayjcpress. | http://www.johnsoncitypress.com/Local/2016/08/26/Spacious-bounce-house-set-to-open.html | en | 2016-08-26T00:00:00 | www.johnsoncitypress.com/5b0ecf8763a35e78856aed10a0b36dbc37f90e634036a64491f50d0d20ed03b0.json |
[] | 2016-08-29T04:49:03 | null | 2016-08-27T00:00:00 | East Tennessee State University’s George L. Carter Railroad Museum and the George L. Carter Chapter of the National Railway Historical Society have a few seats remaining for a two- | http%3A%2F%2Fwww.johnsoncitypress.com%2FArt-Culture%2F2016%2F08%2F29%2FSeats-remain-for-ETSU-Carter-Railroad-Museum-s-two-night-fall-train-excursion.html.json | http://www.johnsoncitypress.com/image/2016/08/27/x720_q60/durbin-rocket-old-number3-jpg-1.jpg | en | null | Seats remain for ETSU Carter Railroad Museum’s two-night fall train excursion | null | null | www.johnsoncitypress.com | On the day of the excursion, passengers should arrive at ETSU’s parking lot 22a on Go Bucs Trail by 6:15 a.m. for check-in and loading. There are no refunds for those who miss the bus. The motor coach will drive to Elkins, West Virginia, where passengers will check into the Holiday Inn Express before going to dinner and evening entertainment at the Gandy Dancer Dinner Theatre.
Sunday morning includes traveling to Cass Scenic Railroad State Park to ride the Cass Scenic Railroad. The original railroad was established in 1901 to bring timber to a mill, and some of the same locomotives are in operation in the park today. A ride up Bald Mountain includes a stop at Whittaker Station to see an outdoor display of vintage logging equipment before heading to Old Spruce to transfer to the Cheat Mountain Salamander for a ride back to Elkins, with a stop at High Falls of the Cheat before returning to the hotel.
On Monday morning, after a bus ride to Durbin, West Virginia, passengers will board the Durbin Rocket, powered by a rare Climax engine built in 1910. The 10.5 mile ride takes about 2.5 hours.
After disembarking, passengers will have lunch at a local restaurant and journey back to Johnson City.
A fee of $450 for double occupancy includes the bus ride from and return to Johnson City, all train fares, the dinner theatre, a hobo lunch on the Cheat Mountain Salamander, a buffet dinner at the Railyard Restaurant on Sunday night and two hot continental breakfasts at the hotel.
Ticket order forms and liability waivers can be picked up at the Carter Railroad Museum on Saturdays from 10 a.m.-3 p.m. or printed by visiting www.memrr.org, choosing NRHS News and then Ticket Order Form or by going to the excursions section at www.glcarternrhs.com and printing ticket order and waiver forms.
Checks or money orders should be made payable to George L. Carter Chapter, NRHS, and mailed, along with the ticket request and liability waiver forms, to George L. Carter Chapter, NRHS, 519 Headtown Road, Jonesborough, TN 37659.
The groups reserve the right to cancel if the trip has too few participants. For further information, contact Charlene McLeod at 386-717-2925 or chardanmcleod35@comcast.net. | http://www.johnsoncitypress.com/Art-Culture/2016/08/29/Seats-remain-for-ETSU-Carter-Railroad-Museum-s-two-night-fall-train-excursion.html | en | 2016-08-27T00:00:00 | www.johnsoncitypress.com/c1f7da7d66edcd59af666a52abbd6cec49e36d8202373388647f7fe9c3077c80.json |
[] | 2016-08-26T20:48:09 | null | 2016-08-26T00:00:00 | MARYVILLE, Tenn. — A police officer responding to a dispute between a father and son in eastern Tennessee was shot to death after helping get the elder man to safety, authorities | http%3A%2F%2Fwww.johnsoncitypress.com%2FLocal%2F2016%2F08%2F26%2FOfficer-shot-in-neck-after-protecting-a-father-from-his-son.html.json | http://www.johnsoncitypress.com/image/2016/08/26/x720_q60/Maryville-Police-Department.jpg | en | null | Officer shot in neck after protecting a father from his son | null | null | www.johnsoncitypress.com | Maryville Police Officer Kenny Moats and a colleague came under fire as they were taking cover and waiting for backup after responding to a call to intervene in a domestic dispute involving a man with a gun.
They were about 70 yards from the home when the son fired from a garage, fatally striking Moats in the neck just above his bulletproof vest, the Blount County Sheriff’s Office said.
Brian Keith Stalans, 44, was arrested and charges were pending Friday. Jail records did not indicate whether Stalans has an attorney.
The shooting happened during Thursday’s second domestic disturbance call at the home. Sheriff James Berrong said officers lacked probable cause to arrest the suspect earlier in the day, despite the fact that he was under a protective order elsewhere in the state and had triggered a warning in the federal law enforcement database.
“He had an active order of protection from Sullivan County. They had flagged him to be a dangerous individual in the NCIC. That’s all I can say,” the sheriff said.
“While we would like to turn the clock back and erase this, the officers have to make decisions within the guidelines of the law,” Berrong added. “And they did that.”
The second call, in the afternoon, included more reports of violence, and the involvement of a firearm.
Berrong declined to comment on whether Stalans had the gun legally. Tennessee law requires people who have had orders of protection filed against them to turn their guns over to someone else within 48 hours.
Moats was a 32-year-old father of three young children, and a nine-year department veteran. After spending much of his time as motorcycle officer, he was assigned to a drug task force in May.
“We know this tragedy will bring our community closer together and that will be a lasting legacy of Officer Moats,” said Maryville Police Chief Tony Crisp.
Moats is Tennessee’s second law enforcement officer killed on duty this month. Special Agent De’Greaun Frazier was shot to death on Aug. 9 during an undercover drug buy for the Tennessee Bureau in Jackson.
“Words alone cannot express the bravery of these professionals or the loss to their families and the communities they served,” said U.S. Attorney Nancy Harr. | http://www.johnsoncitypress.com/Local/2016/08/26/Officer-shot-in-neck-after-protecting-a-father-from-his-son.html | en | 2016-08-26T00:00:00 | www.johnsoncitypress.com/6dfb0c4923e42b1dea64f299fee96dafa94b0be344f66b6ad0347854b04d8015.json |
[] | 2016-08-30T00:49:16 | null | 2016-08-29T00:00:00 | SAN FRANCISCO (AP) — From the White House to San Francisco police union headquarters and the Veterans of Foreign Wars, Colin Kaepernick’s name came up Monday as his | http%3A%2F%2Fwww.johnsoncitypress.com%2FNews%2F2016%2F08%2F29%2FKaepernick-s-decision-to-sit-through-anthem-scrutinized.html.json | http://www.johnsoncitypress.com/image/2016/08/29/x720_q60/Packers-49ers-Football-3.jpg | en | null | Kaepernick's decision to sit through anthem scrutinized | null | null | www.johnsoncitypress.com | And many aren’t thrilled with the quarterback’s strong words about why he is doing it: To instigate change and challenge authority when it comes to race relations and what he considers police brutality.
Even his former coach, outspoken Michigan leader Jim Harbaugh, chimed in from afar in disagreement.
Martin Halloran, the San Francisco Police Officers Association president, sent a letter Monday to NFL Commissioner Roger Goodell and 49ers CEO Jed York denouncing Kaepernick’s “ill-advised” statements and a naiveté “and total lack of sensitivity” toward police, along with an “incredible lack of knowledge” about officer-involved shootings.
White House spokesman Josh Earnest said he was confident President Barack Obama is aware of Kaepernick’s actions but hadn’t spoken directly with the president about it.
AP NFL website: www.pro32.ap.org and www.twitter.com/AP_NFL | http://www.johnsoncitypress.com/News/2016/08/29/Kaepernick-s-decision-to-sit-through-anthem-scrutinized.html | en | 2016-08-29T00:00:00 | www.johnsoncitypress.com/a334d97df6ab5bfdc9055929444cc41ada2029d159cbf2bd2aa1e6b2d5ed48c5.json |
[] | 2016-08-27T04:48:14 | null | 2016-04-20T00:00:00 | DEAR ABBY: I'm 15 and my parents won't let me date. I try to talk to them about it often, but they are convinced I'm going to get hurt or lose my virginity. I think I'm old | http%3A%2F%2Fwww.johnsoncitypress.com%2FAdvice%2F2016%2F08%2F27%2FGirl-who-wants-to-date-might-start-first-with-small-groups.html.json | http://www.johnsoncitypress.com/image/2016/04/20/x720_q60/Dear-Abby-1.jpg | en | null | Girl who wants to date might start first with small groups | null | null | www.johnsoncitypress.com | What can I do to ease my parents into the idea of letting me date him? We have been together for almost two years — not dating — just seeing each other at school. We talk by texting. I want to be with him outside of school. Any ideas? — READY TO DATE
DEAR READY: Like any other “skill,” being able to date successfully takes practice. I'd compare it to riding a bicycle. You don't just get on and pedal off — it happens in stages.
It is obvious that your parents don't want “their little girl” to get hurt, and trust me, on some level you will always be their little girl. But for you to become socially capable/adept, you should be able to start dating in groups. That's how you will learn to handle yourself and the young men with whom you will interact. These lessons are important to learn at your age so you won't be at a disadvantage when you are older. Perhaps this would be a persuasive argument when talking to your parents.
DEAR ABBY: I met my girlfriend a year ago and we are hopelessly in love. She has two beautiful boys, as do I, from a previous marriage. Recently, we moved in together in the house I owned after my divorce from my first marriage.
The problem is we argue every other day about things large and small. The biggest problem is her 6-year-old. She gives him no discipline. If I try to administer it, she has a fit and we argue.
Because she gave up her apartment so she and her children could move in with me, I would never want them to leave. We love each other, but we are both miserable. What should we do? — LADY WITH THE BLUES IN FLORIDA
DEAR LADY: It's time for you and your girlfriend to agree to mediation so you can reach a compromise about your parenting styles. Start now, because if you don't begin seeing eye to eye, I guarantee that you'll both STAY miserable, and it will undermine your relationship.
DEAR ABBY: We have a co-worker issue and need your opinion on the best way to handle it. We have an all-inclusive policy about lunch. Anyone is welcome to come along.
The problem is one guy who is never satisfied with his food. Never! He always complains, and we suspect he does it so his food will be “comped” (which it has been before). It has reached the point that we no longer want him with us. What's an appropriate way to handle this? — THE LUNCH BUNCH IN TEXAS
DEAR LUNCH BUNCH: The way to handle it is for one person who is closest to this co-worker to have a private talk with him and tell him that if he doesn't stop complaining, he will no longer be welcome to join you because he has embarrassed every member of “the lunch bunch.”
Dear Abby is written by Abigail Van Buren, also known as Jeanne Phillips, and was founded by her mother, Pauline Phillips. Contact Dear Abby at www.DearAbby.com or P.O. Box 69440, Los Angeles, CA 90069. | http://www.johnsoncitypress.com/Advice/2016/08/27/Girl-who-wants-to-date-might-start-first-with-small-groups.html | en | 2016-04-20T00:00:00 | www.johnsoncitypress.com/83164783c9f2f97322bf787813729e90aaf7139415cde59bb6daf660e0423d99.json |
[] | 2016-08-26T13:14:52 | null | 2016-08-24T00:00:00 | JOHNSON CITY - Mildred M. Green, 75, 116 Milligan Avenue, Johnson City passed away Wednesday, August 24, 2016 at her residence. She was a native and lifelong resident of Johnson City and was | http%3A%2F%2Fwww.johnsoncitypress.com%2FObituary%2F2016%2F08%2F24%2FMildred-M-Green.html.json | http://www.johnsoncitypress.com/image/2016/08/24/x720_q60/Green-jpg.jpg | en | null | Mildred M. Green | null | null | www.johnsoncitypress.com | Survivors include seven children, Larry Sanders of Johnson City, Wanda Owens and husband, Chris of Morrison, TN, Phyllis Hooks, Bobby Green Jr., Rachel Estep and husband, Wes, Dale Green and wife, Heather and Richard Green and wife, Renee all of Johnson City; nineteen grandchildren; seventeen great-grandchildren; one great-great-grandson; also several nieces and nephews.
Funeral services for Mrs. Green will be conducted at 7:00 PM Friday, August 26, 2016 in the East Chapel of Appalachian Funeral Home, 800 E. Watauga Avenue, Johnson City with Pastor Lenny Smith officiating. The family will receive friends at the funeral home from 5:00 PM until the service hour. Graveside services will be held at 12:00 noon Saturday, August 27, 2016 in the Roselawn Memory Park. Grandsons will serve as pallbearers. For those attending this service you are asked to meet at the funeral home by 11:30 AM to go in procession to the cemetery.
Condolences may be made online at www.wadugger.com. Arrangements by Woodall-Anderson and Dugger Funeral Home, 108 W. Watauga Avenue, Johnson City. 423-928-2245 | http://www.johnsoncitypress.com/Obituary/2016/08/24/Mildred-M-Green.html | en | 2016-08-24T00:00:00 | www.johnsoncitypress.com/76385255e44fd4886c1e19ccad036ed97ea72a23dcc75c9a5577f82746e279d6.json |
[] | 2016-08-26T13:07:51 | null | 2016-08-25T00:00:00 | JOHNSON CITY - THOMAS RAY VINCENT “RICKY” SAYERS of Johnson City, born October 5, 1954 entered into eternal rest on August 22, 2016 after a lengthy illness at his home. | http%3A%2F%2Fwww.johnsoncitypress.com%2Ffrontpage%2F2016%2F08%2F25%2FThomas-Ray-Vincent-Ricky-Sayers-THE-LEGEND-RICKY.html.json | http://www.johnsoncitypress.com | en | null | Thomas Ray Vincent “Ricky” Sayers “THE LEGEND RICKY” | null | null | www.johnsoncitypress.com | He leaves to morn his passing three sons: Henry Sayers (New York), Thomas Darmel Thomas (Three Rivers, Texas) and Shavonn “Eric” Sayers (Anitra) (Johnson City, TN) three daughters: Shanna Lee Whitaker (Greg) (Elizabethton, TN), Loyita Darice “Bebop” Sayers (Asheville, NC) and his heart Shaneea “NA NA” Sayers (Johnson City, TN) one great aunt: Ruth Goddard five brothers: Walter Sawyers (San Antonio, TX), James Locke (Johnson City, TN), Douglas “DOUG” Smith (Cheryl) (Baton rough, LA) , Shonathan Hale (Seattle, WA) and Kelly Hale (Johnson City, TN) four sisters: Susan Dianne Sayers (Chesapeake, VA), Jeanne Jackson (Plez) (Hutchins, TX), Deborah Jamison (Leonard) (Delaware) and Toria Hale (Johnson City, TN) eight grandchildren: Kendall Murray, Allissia Ettison, Amauary Finley, Avante “TEY” Finley, Alan Whitaker, Austin Whitaker, Jaden Matthews and Ayerianna Whitaker one great grandchild: Raelyn Murray. He also leaves to mourn his passing several nephews, nieces, cousins and a host of friends.
Special Thanks to: His Two Brothers: William “SNAKE” Spurgeon (Janice) and Ronnie Bolden (Pam), FRESENIUS, MISSION HEALTH DEPTMENT OF LIVER AND KIDNEY, NHC HEALTHCARE, WELMONT HEALTH ASS., CARIS HOSPICE HEALTHCARE SERVICES LINCARE and HOMEHEALTHCARE SUPPLIES.
SERVICES TO BE HELD 1:00pm August 27, 2016 AT ST. PAUL AFRICAN METHODIST EPISCOPAL ZION CHURCH 201 WELBOURNE STREET, JOHNSON CITY, TN. The family will receive friends from 12:00pm to 1:00pm prior to the service at the church. Burial will follow at the Fairview Cemetery in Jonesborough, TN.
Professional services provided by Birchette Mortuary Inc., 219 E. Millard St. Johnson City, TN 423-926-6013. www.birchettemortuary.com | http://www.johnsoncitypress.com/frontpage/2016/08/25/Thomas-Ray-Vincent-Ricky-Sayers-THE-LEGEND-RICKY.html | en | 2016-08-25T00:00:00 | www.johnsoncitypress.com/f31c5ac4eb55b7b5c8487503b61a2164ce05b8ceda5f856ddae2dfa4ab5d3283.json |
[] | 2016-08-26T13:14:21 | null | 2016-08-24T00:00:00 | AMATRICE, Italy — A devastating earthquake rocked central Italy early Wednesday, collapsing homes on top of residents as they slept. At least 38 people were killed in hard-hit | http%3A%2F%2Fwww.johnsoncitypress.com%2FWorld%2F2016%2F08%2F24%2FAt-least-38-dead-as-strong-earth-quake-rocks-central-Italy.html.json | http://www.johnsoncitypress.com/image/2016/08/24/x720_q60/APTOPIX-Italy-Quake.jpg | en | null | At least 38 dead as strong earth quake rocks central Italy | null | null | www.johnsoncitypress.com | “The town isn’t here anymore,” said Sergio Pirozzi, the mayor of Amatrice.
The magnitude 6 quake struck at 3:36 a.m. (0136 GMT) and was felt across a broad swath of central Italy, including Rome, where residents felt a long swaying followed by aftershocks. The temblor shook the Lazio region and Umbria and Le Marche on the Adriatic coast.
Premier Matteo Renzi planned to head to the zone later Wednesday and promised: “No family, no city, no hamlet will be left behind.”
The hardest-hit towns were Amatrice and Accumoli near Rieti, some 100 kilometers (80 miles) northeast of Rome, and Pescara del Tronto further east. Italy’s civil protection agency said the preliminary toll was 38 dead, several hundred injured and thousands in need of temporary housing, though it stressed the numbers were fluid.
The center of Amatrice was devastated, with entire buildings razed and the air thick with dust and smelling strongly of gas.
Rocks and metal tumbled onto the streets and dazed residents huddled in piazzas as some 39 aftershocks jolted the region into the early morning hours, some as strong as 5.1.
“The whole ceiling fell but did not hit me,” marveled resident Maria Gianni. “I just managed to put a pillow on my head and I wasn’t hit luckily, just slightly injured my leg.”
Another woman, sitting in front of her destroyed home with a blanket over her shoulders, said she didn’t know what had become of her loved ones.
“It was one of the most beautiful towns of Italy and now there’s nothing left,” she said, too distraught to give her name. “I don’t know what we’ll do.”
As daylight dawned, residents, civil protection workers and even priests began digging out with shovels, bulldozers and their bare hands, trying to reach survivors. There was relief as a woman was pulled out alive from one building, followed by a dog.
“We need chain saws, shears to cut iron bars, and jacks to remove beams: everything, we need everything,” civil protection worker Andrea Gentili told The Associated Press. Italy’s national blood drive association appealed for donations to Rieti’s hospital.
The devastation harked back to the 2009 quake that killed more than 300 people in and around L’Aquila, about 90 kilometers (55 miles) south of the latest quake. The town sent emergency teams Wednesday to help with the rescue.
“I don’t know what to say. We are living this immense tragedy,” said the Rev. Savino D’Amelio, a parish priest in Amatrice. “We are only hoping there will be the least number of victims possible and that we all have the courage to move on.”
Another hard-hit town was Pescara del Tronto, in the Le Marche region, where the main road was covered in debris. The ANSA news agency reported 10 dead there without citing the source, but there was no confirmation.
Residents were digging their neighbors out by hand since emergency crews hadn’t yet arrived in force. Photos taken from the air by regional firefighters showed the town essentially flattened; Italy requested EU satellite images of the whole area to get the scope of the damage.
“There are broken liquor bottles all over the place,” lamented Gino Petrucci, owner of a bar in nearby Arquata Del Tronto where he was beginning the long cleanup.
The Italian geological service put the magnitude at 6.0; the U.S. Geological Survey reported 6.2 with the epicenter at Norcia, about 170 kilometers (105 miles) northeast of Rome, and with a relatively shallow depth of 10 kilometers (6 miles).
“Quakes with this magnitude at this depth in our territory in general create building collapses, which can result in deaths,” said the head of Italy’s civil protection service, Fabrizio Curcio. He added that the region is popular with tourists escaping the heat of Rome, with more residents than at other times of the year, and that a single building collapse could raise the toll significantly.
The mayor of Accumoli, Stefano Petrucci, said six people had died there, including a family of four, and two others. He wept as he noted that the tiny hamlet of 700 swells to 2,000 in the summer months, and that he feared for the future of the town.
“I hope they don’t forget us,” he told Sky TG24.
In Amatrice, the Rev. Fabio Gammarota, priest of a nearby parish, said he had blessed seven bodies extracted so far. “One was a friend of mine,” he said.
Pirozzi estimated dozens of residents were buried under collapsed buildings and that heavy equipment was needed to clear streets clogged with debris.
A 1997 quake killed a dozen people in central Italy and severely damaged one of the jewels of Umbria, the Basilica of St. Francis in Assisi, filled with Giotto frescoes. The Franciscan friars who are the custodians of the basilica reported no immediate damage from Wednesday’s temblor.
Pope Francis skipped his traditional catechism for his Wednesday general audience and instead invited pilgrims in St. Peter’s Square to recite the rosary with him. | http://www.johnsoncitypress.com/World/2016/08/24/At-least-38-dead-as-strong-earth-quake-rocks-central-Italy.html | en | 2016-08-24T00:00:00 | www.johnsoncitypress.com/12bdcde572c6bdc2cd4f434dcd0d1c70cb7ba98c8653c33818446140b1636e81.json |
[] | 2016-08-30T02:49:21 | null | 2016-08-29T00:00:00 | We’ve still got 124 days left in the year, but data is showing that 2016 could shape up to be the warmest year on record. | http%3A%2F%2Fwww.johnsoncitypress.com%2FNation%2F2016%2F08%2F29%2FLocal-international-data-point-to-2016-being-warmest-year-on-record.html.json | http://www.johnsoncitypress.com/image/2016/08/29/x720_q60/climate-trend.jpg | en | null | Local, international data point to 2016 being warmest year on record | null | null | www.johnsoncitypress.com | The National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration reports that so far, 2016 has the highest (and warmest) anomalies of the seven warmest years on record by about 1 degrees Celcius, wrapping up for an exceptionally warm year for most of the globe. According to NOAA, 10 out of the 16 top warmest years on record have been within the last 10 years and if trends continue, 2016 could join them.
The National Weather Service of Morristown has been collecting data since 1938, and local data shows that the area is following global trends — averages for this year so far are hovering at 59.6 degrees Fahrenheit. That’s a full degree more than 1990 and 2012, which hold the next-highest average for the area at 58.2 percent.
NWS meteorologist Jessica Winton said the warm trends are looking to continue during autumn, with a predicted 1 degree rise in the average for September through November. Winter is looking to be about average or a little above average, and drier than normal until about February, Winton said.
“It'll be interesting to see if this year actually does break the record,” she said.
A strong El Niño this season pushed temperatures above average, but Winton said no extreme snows or rains are predicted for our area for the remainder of the year. The region should begin cooling off as we head into autumn, and temperatures this week will come down to an average of 87 on Wednesday with high humidity.
Email Jessica Fuller at jfuller@johnsoncitypress.com. Follow Jessica on Twitter @fullerjf91. Like her on Facebook at www.facebook.com/jfullerJCP. | http://www.johnsoncitypress.com/Nation/2016/08/29/Local-international-data-point-to-2016-being-warmest-year-on-record.html | en | 2016-08-29T00:00:00 | www.johnsoncitypress.com/1a5d3125b26f0f6b793b745f4f121e9811c5366d9ca361318d533fcc3104b2a8.json |
[] | 2016-08-26T13:11:55 | null | 2016-08-24T00:00:00 | When Science Hill rolls into town Friday, Elizabethton will greet the Hilltoppers with a mixture of confidence, excitement, and respect.
It’s not the playoffs | http%3A%2F%2Fwww.johnsoncitypress.com%2FSports%2F2016%2F08%2F24%2FElizabethton-players-excited-about-facing-Science-Hill-challenge.html.json | http://www.johnsoncitypress.com/image/2016/08/24/x720_q60/Turner-Norwood-jpg.jpg | en | null | Elizabethton players excited about facing Science Hill challenge | null | null | www.johnsoncitypress.com | It’s not the playoffs — just one of the best high school football rivalries in Northeast Tennessee — but for the Cyclones it basically amounts to a playoff practice game.
“It is like (playoff) practice because we hope to play a similar opponent in Alcoa late in the playoffs,” said senior running back Jacob Turner. “And they run a similar offense to Science Hill. So yes it is like practice for the playoffs.”
Since it’s the season opener and a non-conference game, the contest that kicks off at 7:30 p.m. has no bearing on the postseason. But looking at Elizabethton’s schedule, the Cyclones won’t face this kind of talent and athleticism — Science Hill is a Class 6A school with over 2,000 students — unless they go deep into the Class 3A playoffs.
“The community has been very vocal and wants us to win this game big time because we haven’t in seven years,” said Cyclones’ senior defensive end Alex Norwood. “So we are definitely treating it like a practice playoff game because we won’t see this high of a caliber of team until playoff time. It will be a close game, and we will get those close-game experiences.”
Although winning is first and foremost in the minds of the players, Turner said they know it will take an exceptional effort.
“It will be a great challenge for our team,” said Turner. “I have a lot of respect for them, coming from Johnson City. And I know what type of program Coach (Stacy) Carter has built since he’s been there. And that’s a lot of winning seasons. It has been a great program since he has been there.
“But we have a lot of great athletes, and a great mix of young and old. It will be a challenge, but we’ve worked hard for this all summer and we are ready to take them on.”
One thing Turner said everybody can count on is a big crowd.
“This game is a big rivalry, and we plan for it to be a big turnout,” said Turner.
It will be Science Hill’s first trip to Citizens Bank Stadium, and that adds to the excitement as well.
“Definitely because we all know how big this game is for us and the community,” said Norwood. “The stadium will be filled with fans, and when they get loud it will hype us even more.”
And while the winner won’t get any league advancement, there’s still plenty at stake.
“It’s fun, especially for bragging rights,” said Norwood. “They’re just 15 minutes down the road from us, and most of us know each other pretty well. It will be a fun game either way.” | http://www.johnsoncitypress.com/Sports/2016/08/24/Elizabethton-players-excited-about-facing-Science-Hill-challenge.html | en | 2016-08-24T00:00:00 | www.johnsoncitypress.com/a75b0239492e8db6bbc02608eaf74de9c6980137d48b36ffdc8319f94f4952ed.json |
[] | 2016-08-26T13:14:27 | null | 2016-04-20T00:00:00 | DEAR ABBY: My best friend, “Kate,” approached me on a matter I'm uncomfortable with. For the last 12 years we have laughed, cried, consulted on everything we struggle | http%3A%2F%2Fwww.johnsoncitypress.com%2FAdvice%2F2016%2F08%2F24%2FProposition-reveals-secret-side-of-woman-s-best-friend.html.json | http://www.johnsoncitypress.com/image/2016/04/20/x720_q60/Dear-Abby-1.jpg | en | null | Proposition reveals secret side of woman's best friend | null | null | www.johnsoncitypress.com | Recently, Kate, her husband and I were on an outing when they mentioned a menage a trois. It was obvious to me that they have done this before. Kate has been my closest friend for years, but I realize now there's a side to her I never knew.
My resistance to their suggestion seems to have had no effect on her, yet I'm wrestling with my feelings. I'm trying to ignore this and maintain the friendship we had before, but it has been difficult. I wish I had never known, but now that I do, I need help sorting it out. — MISSING MY BEST FRIEND
DEAR MISSING: How do you feel about the concept of open marriage? Do you approve? Disapprove? When Kate invited you into her marriage — which is what she and her husband did — the dynamic of your longtime friendship was changed. If you still felt the same about her, you wouldn't be writing to me.
If you can get past this, you can still be friends. But on some level your relationship will never be as it was before she crossed that boundary.
DEAR ABBY: I recently moved in with “Tim,” a man I have been dating for more than a year. We're very much in love and plan to be married one day. My problem is he keeps getting phone calls from old girlfriends. This morning someone called, but hung up when I picked up the phone.
Until now, I have trusted Tim completely. Now I'm afraid perhaps we acted too soon in moving in together.
Tim has always remained friends with all of his girlfriends after their relationships ended. He says they are nothing more than friends now. I think he should have finalized his previous romances before I moved in. I believe he should take the initiative in contacting these women and ask them to respect our relationship by not calling.
How can I handle this without giving him an ultimatum? — UPSET IN SEATTLE
DEAR UPSET: If, after one hang-up, you are questioning Tim's commitment to you, you're being unfair. It's possible the hang-up was a wrong number or a telemarketing call, and nothing more.
Ask yourself what it is about a hang-up on the telephone that has made you feel so vulnerable. You knew after you had dated Tim for a while that he's the type of person who maintains friendships after the romance fizzles. Relax! And remember the person he invited to share the nest and build a future with was YOU.
DEAR ABBY: Since my husband and I were married two years ago, my relatives have been asking when we are going to have kids. I know they mean well, but these relatives all have a tendency to talk among themselves once they find juicy gossip to circulate.
I am now pregnant with our first child. I have asked my immediate family to keep the happy news to themselves and let the others find out later in my pregnancy or after the birth of my child.
How do we respond to these nosy, gossipy relatives when they ask, “Why didn't you tell us sooner?” — STAYING MUM FOR NOW
DEAR STAYING MUM: The answer is, “Because we wanted to keep it private.”
Dear Abby is written by Abigail Van Buren, also known as Jeanne Phillips, and was founded by her mother, Pauline Phillips. Contact Dear Abby at www.DearAbby.com or P.O. Box 69440, Los Angeles, CA 90069. | http://www.johnsoncitypress.com/Advice/2016/08/24/Proposition-reveals-secret-side-of-woman-s-best-friend.html | en | 2016-04-20T00:00:00 | www.johnsoncitypress.com/c19c055c05c4278d8a1bf2719aeff3edc1251593a5977cc75fa173c863f06f83.json |
[] | 2016-08-30T20:49:53 | null | 2015-08-20T00:00:00 | GREENEVILLE — An investigation into a distribution ring that brought crack cocaine into Johnson City has resulted in the convictions of 10 people in Tennessee, South Carolina and | http%3A%2F%2Fwww.johnsoncitypress.com%2FCourts%2F2016%2F08%2F30%2F10-sentenced.html.json | http://www.johnsoncitypress.com/image/2015/08/20/x720_q60/Courts.jpg | en | null | 10 sentenced from Johnson City crack cocaine ring | null | null | www.johnsoncitypress.com | The U.S. Attorney’s Office said the conspiracy was responsible for the distribution of multi-kilogram quantities of crack cocaine throughout Johnson City. The ring procured both powder cocaine and crack cocaine from suppliers in New York, North Carolina and elsewhere. The contraband was then taken to Tennessee, where facilitators, couriers and distributors collaborated to sell the drugs throughout Northeast Tennessee.
A total of 21 people have been charged in the investigation, and nine of those have been sentenced. Among them were four Johnson City residents along with men from Jonesborough and Kingsport:
• Narvell Kentez McDermott, 30, Johnson City, 34 months.
• Arlando Carroll Story, 28, Johnson City, 108 months.
• Ernest Brandon Weaver, 29, Johnson City, 42 months.
• David Keith Workman, 37, Johnson City, 120 months.
• Nickerson Jean-Baptiste, 28, Kingsport, 70 months.
• Rashad El-Amin Feggans, 39, Jonesborough, 156 months.
Also sentenced were:
• Antione Leroy Bishop, 33, Spartanburg, South Carolina, 57 months.
• John Robert Lovitt, II, 32, Ayden, North Carolina, 135 months.
• Brandon Gustavious Porter, 33, Charlotte, North Carolina; 37 months.
The most recent conviction occurred Monday when U.S. District Judge J. Ronnie Greer found Thomas Lee Newman Sr., also known as “Tree,” 37, Pittsfield, Massachusetts, guilty of conspiracy to distribute and to possess with the intent to distribute 280 grams or more of a mixture and substance containing a detectable amount of cocaine base (crack). Newman also was convicted on two counts of possession with intent to distribute cocaine base; and one count of distribution of cocaine base.
Sentencing is set for Nov. 14 in U.S. District Court. Because of his extensive criminal record, Newman faces a mandatory term of life imprisonment. Federal sentences are not parolable.
The remaining defendants are either awaiting sentencing or pending trial.
The multiyear investigation was the product of a partnership between the Narcotics Unit of the Johnson City Police Department and the FBI. | http://www.johnsoncitypress.com/Courts/2016/08/30/10-sentenced.html | en | 2015-08-20T00:00:00 | www.johnsoncitypress.com/614be7a08d31e2cbc8988ffbbcc19bc2cde70e9761931b11c367fc252ffbec1a.json |
[] | 2016-08-26T13:14:54 | null | 2016-08-24T00:00:00 | Only a few planks of wood were left standing at 260 Furnace Road after a fire ravaged the empty home Tuesday night.
Four different local fire stations — Watauga, | http%3A%2F%2Fwww.johnsoncitypress.com%2FFire-EMS%2F2016%2F08%2F23%2FFire-destroys-empty-Johnson-City-home.html.json | http://www.johnsoncitypress.com/image/2016/08/24/x720_q60/FurnaceFire.jpg | en | null | Fire destroys empty Johnson City home | null | null | www.johnsoncitypress.com | Four different local fire stations — Watauga, Central, Johnson City and Gray — responded to a structure engulfed in flame at about 8:30 Tuesday. Watauga Assistant Fire Chief Keith LaFleur said he could see the smoke long before arriving on scene, and arrived to find the building swallowed by the fire.
“It was a pretty intense fire when we got here,” he said.
He said no one was in the building at the time of the fire, and no one was hurt.
The residence rests right on the edge of city limits, which is why so many stations responded. And with at least 20 firefighters on the scene, LaFleur said that’s part of the reason the fire could be handled so quickly.
A woman who identified herself as the property owner, and who didn’t wish to be named, said the building was a modified mobile home that she had planned on selling soon. She added that no one had lived in the home for more than four years, and no utilities were connected at the time of the fire.
She said she wasn’t sure what could have caused the fire.
LaFleur said the cause of the fire is under investigation.
Editor’s note: An earlier version of this story listed the address of the mobile home as 206 Furnace Road.
Email Jessica Fuller at jfuller@johnsoncitypress.com. Follow Jessica on Twitter @fullerjf91. Like her on Facebook at www.facebook.com/jfullerJCP. | http://www.johnsoncitypress.com/Fire-EMS/2016/08/23/Fire-destroys-empty-Johnson-City-home.html | en | 2016-08-24T00:00:00 | www.johnsoncitypress.com/49a1f8e5f0070726cf6896ea3f36cbb2281e238ee125a63e6733c0cf0d917e16.json |
[] | 2016-08-29T18:49:17 | null | 2016-08-29T00:00:00 | In an attempt to address one of American democracy’s biggest problems – low and unequal participation that leads to low levels of engagement beyond college – | http%3A%2F%2Fwww.johnsoncitypress.com%2FEducation%2F2016%2F08%2F29%2FETSU-aims-to-improve-student-participation-in-elections.html.json | http://www.johnsoncitypress.com/image/2016/08/29/x720_q60/ETSU-Votes.jpg | en | null | ETSU aims to improve student participation in elections | null | null | www.johnsoncitypress.com | “SoCon Votes” aims to capitalize on existing rivalries among schools to transform student voting engagement into a contest to be tracked by a national voting organization.
East Tennessee State University, along with each of the conference’s nine participating institutions, has formed a team of students, faculty and staff to compete in four rounds. After each round, a panel of voter engagement advisers will rank the teams based on a rubric.
“The rubric will consist of certain criteria, like get-out-the-vote efforts, ballot access, voter knowledge and more,” said Mercer University senior Joey Wozniak, who developed “SoCon Votes” with a grant from the Knight Foundation Fund at the Community Foundation of Central Georgia. “Theoretically, schools will come up with innovative ways to reach out to students in those specific areas.”
In the first round, teams sign up for the National Study of Learning, Voting, and Engagement (NSLVE), which offers colleges and universities the opportunity to learn student registration and voting rates. Teams will be judged based on their institution’s voter turnout for the 2012 election. ETSU received its report in July and plans to build upon this information to improve student voter registration and participation this fall.
In the second round, teams create a playbook designed to increase voter engagement for the 2016 election and are judged based on the composition of their plans, while in the third round, teams will put their playbooks into action and be judged based upon how successful they were in implementing their plans.
The championship round will be judged based upon NSLVE reports for the 2016 election, with awards going to the teams with the highest and most improved undergraduate voter turnouts.
“This can be an effective method of taking the competitive nature all students have for their institution and converting it into action that benefits the democratic process,” said John Iamarino, commissioner of the Southern Conference. “We’re proud that the SoCon can play a role in encouraging student voter turnout.”
ETSU has created its playbook and named its program “ETSU Votes,” with numerous activities planned for the months leading up to the 2016 presidential election in November.
ETSU is carrying out its game plan in two phases, according to “ETSU Votes” Team Leader Dr. Carla Warner, director of Adult, Commuter and Transfer Services.
Phase one, focusing on voter registration, is under way and will extend through Oct. 11, which is the deadline to register to vote in Tennessee. Phase two will focus on educating students about the logistics of voting, including poll locations, absentee and early voting, and whether students from out of the area must return home to vote.
A voter registration table was part of many of ETSU’s Welcome Week activities (Aug. 22-27). An “ETSU Votes” website has been created (www.etsu.edu/etsuvotes) to provide information and helpful links on voter registration in Tennessee and other states. In addition, Facebook (www.facebook.com/etsuvotes) and Twitter (@ETSUVotes) accounts have been established.
Several activities slated for September include a Voter Registration Kick-Off on Sept. 6, followed by weekly dialogue sessions on various constitutional issues in celebration of Constitution Day (Sept. 17), presidential and vice presidential debate watch parties, and more. The month will culminate in a National Voter Registration Day Celebration on Sept. 27.
October’s “ETSU Votes” events include a faculty panel discussion and another debate watch party leading up to an election results watch party on Nov. 8.
Wozniak outlined his plan for “SoCon Votes” to student affairs professionals representing the conference institutions in Asheville, North Carolina, on March 4 and received overwhelming support.
“The various schools from around the conference were very positive about the concept, and instantly committed to making this part of our upcoming initiatives,” said Dr. Douglas Pearson, vice president for Student Affairs at Mercer. “It is great to see student civic engagement given such a prominent place at our institutions and in our conference.”
Wozniak publicly presented “SoCon Votes” for the first time as a panelist at the Campus Compact 30th Anniversary Conference, the premier gathering for civic engagement professionals in the nation, in Boston on March 22. | http://www.johnsoncitypress.com/Education/2016/08/29/ETSU-aims-to-improve-student-participation-in-elections.html | en | 2016-08-29T00:00:00 | www.johnsoncitypress.com/51f06f50bbd1929ce6964c1bb7cd886d0a65a521225a22c8e556ba59ac415fc7.json |
[] | 2016-08-30T20:49:56 | null | 2016-08-30T00:00:00 | A 40-bed local living center will no longer be providing housing to senior centers in two months time.
The Lexington Senior Living at 114 W. Fairview Ave. will cease | http%3A%2F%2Fwww.johnsoncitypress.com%2FLocal%2F2016%2F08%2F30%2FBank-will-cease-operations-at-The-Lexington-senior-center.html.json | http://www.johnsoncitypress.com/image/2016/08/30/x720_q60/The-Lexington-at-Johnson-City.jpg | en | null | The Lexington to close Oct. 31 | null | null | www.johnsoncitypress.com | The Lexington Senior Living at 114 W. Fairview Ave. will cease operations on Oct. 31, according to a news release from TruPoint Bank, the owner of the facility.
Residents and employees were notified about the closing during a meeting on Aug. 24. The senior center currently employs 20 people and houses 24 residents.
“Unfortunately, new ownership has not been secured and we are faced with this very difficult decision,” Barry Elswick, TruPoint CEO and president, said in the release. “We had worked toward and hoped for a very different outcome.”
A Johnson City man, who wished to remain anonymous, was about to pay his deposit when he was notified that The Lexington was going to close.
“We hadn’t even made the deposit, yet, but (the employees) were super, super nice,” the prospective renter’s daughter said.
“I think it was a shock to them that it was closing. He was just disappointed. He had tried to rent and we had already picked out the room and everything. We were getting ready to sign the papers and they said they were sorry and explained that they were closing.”
For two years, TruPoint Bank has funded operations and major capital repairs at the Lexington, the new release said.
“After learning of the owners plans to shut the doors immediately in the spring of 2014, TruPoint Bank began working diligently behind the scenes, trying to avoid an abrupt closure of the Lexington,” Elswick said.
“For two years, the bank’s strategy has been twofold: we’ve sought to market the facility to grow the resident population while simultaneously seeking new ownership.”
In May 2014, TruPoint Bank began funding monthly operations after residential rent payments were insufficient, Elswick said.
Since then, the bank has funded new parking spaces, as well as repairs to elevators and boilers. TruPoint also hired a contractor to demolish old portions of the former Memorial Hospital facility.
The market appraisal of the property was estimated to be $3.14 million dollars in 2014, according to state records.
The building originally opened in 1921 as the Appalachian Hospital. In 1951, a new building was erected behind the original one and named the Memorial Hospital. The hospital closed in 1980 when operations moved to the Johnson City Medical Center. The center had previously been known as the Asbury Center.
According to the release, the bank will assist residents with the cost of finding new or interim housing.
“TruPoint Bank is a community bank fully-committed to those we serve. Whether working to keep the doors of the Lexington open — as we have done for the last two years — or working just as diligently to relocate existing residents, we’re committed to doing what we can to the very best of our ability,” Elswick said in the release.
Email Zach Vance at zvance@johnsoncitypress.com. Follow Zach Vance on Twitter at @ZachVanceJCP. Like him on Facebook.com/ZachVanceJCP | http://www.johnsoncitypress.com/Local/2016/08/30/Bank-will-cease-operations-at-The-Lexington-senior-center.html | en | 2016-08-30T00:00:00 | www.johnsoncitypress.com/d4324b5f9e12cbb1c27b58b102f309979afde8479cc1979a8f7d80252cd01d5e.json |
[] | 2016-08-26T13:00:25 | null | 2016-08-25T00:00:00 | Pittsburgh Steelers linebacker James Harrison and Green Bay Packers defensive players Clay Matthews and Julius Peppers met this week with NFL investigators looking into allegations linking | http%3A%2F%2Fwww.johnsoncitypress.com%2FFootball%2F2016%2F08%2F25%2FHarrison-Matthews-Peppers-talk-PEDs-with-NFL-investigators.html.json | http://www.johnsoncitypress.com/image/2016/08/25/x720_q60/NFL-PEDs-Investigation-Football-1.jpg | en | null | Harrison, Matthews, Peppers talk PEDs with NFL investigators | null | null | www.johnsoncitypress.com | Matthews and Peppers met with league representatives on Wednesday, while Harrison did so on Thursday, according to the NFL Players Association.
Last week, the league threatened Harrison, Matthews, Peppers and free agent Mike Neal with indefinite suspensions if they did not meet with investigators. All of them were mentioned in an Al-Jazeera television interview with Charlie Sly, who worked as an intern at an anti-aging clinic. In the December report, Sly made claims of PED use by several athletes, including Harrison, Peyton Manning and the three others, but later recanted his claims.
The since-retired Manning was cleared after a separate NFL investigation in which he granted interviews and provided all records sought by league investigators.
The league’s deadline for cooperation from the four current players was Thursday. The NFL first notified the four on Jan. 11 about the investigation into the Al-Jazeera report.
NFLPA attorney Heather McPhee sent a letter to the NFL last week accusing it of trying to “bully and publicly shame” Harrison without offering evidence beyond a brief mention in the Al-Jazeera interview. McPhee’s letter said Harrison would meet with the NFL at 5 p.m. Aug. 30 at the team’s facility, and would only discuss the portion of the Al-Jazeera interview that mentioned the 14-year veteran.
But Harrison agreed to take the meeting before the NFL’s deadline, and so did Matthews and Peppers.
Harrison is a longtime leader for the Steelers who won NFL Defensive Player of the Year honors in 2008. Matthews and Peppers are key cogs in the Packers’ defense. Neal spent the past six seasons with Green Bay. | http://www.johnsoncitypress.com/Football/2016/08/25/Harrison-Matthews-Peppers-talk-PEDs-with-NFL-investigators.html | en | 2016-08-25T00:00:00 | www.johnsoncitypress.com/c8128f6470a234cb846296ee2b69c0b83e7ec62def6ad71207adc138660220aa.json |
[] | 2016-08-29T20:49:18 | null | 2016-08-29T00:00:00 | KINGSPORT — A Kingsport man was arrested for assault after punching a Kingsport Area Transit Service manager who planned to confront him about his personal hygiene, according to a | http%3A%2F%2Fwww.johnsoncitypress.com%2Flaw-enforcement%2F2016%2F08%2F29%2FBody-odor-complaint-leads-to-assault-on-Kingsport-transit-manager.html.json | http://www.johnsoncitypress.com/image/2016/08/29/x720_q60_ca208,104,658,664/Gene-Chrisinger.jpg | en | null | Body odor complaint leads to assault on Kingsport transit manager | null | null | www.johnsoncitypress.com | Kingsport Police Officer Jim Clark arrived at the KATS Bus terminal Friday morning to work the bus overtime detail when the manager of KATS approached him. The manager advised the officer he needed to speak with a man about his personal hygiene.
The manager informed Clark he had received complaints from one of the bus drivers concerning the man's body odor, which was bothering passengers who rode the bus that day.
The pair approached the man, identified as Gene Chrisinger, 79, and the manager said he needed to speak with him.
More about the alleged body odor assault from the Kingsport Times-News. | http://www.johnsoncitypress.com/law-enforcement/2016/08/29/Body-odor-complaint-leads-to-assault-on-Kingsport-transit-manager.html | en | 2016-08-29T00:00:00 | www.johnsoncitypress.com/97dc573a1f4ec358e457f992b4aaa5fed38f0f8cefb38e39818e1250b1b793d5.json |
[] | 2016-08-26T13:10:50 | null | 2016-08-24T00:00:00 | Freedom Hall Civic Center’s new padded seating — along with other major renovations and new construction at the 42-year-old facility — should be in place for | http%3A%2F%2Fwww.johnsoncitypress.com%2FLocal%2F2016%2F08%2F24%2FFreedom-Hall-seat-replacement-renovations-on-track.html.json | http://www.johnsoncitypress.com/image/2016/08/24/x720_q60/freedom-hall-2.jpg | en | null | Freedom Hall seat replacement, renovations on track | null | null | www.johnsoncitypress.com | The facility’s 528 telescopic seats, which extend outward for closer views, already have been installed. Freedom Hall’s 5,437 fixed seats brings to 5,965 the total number of cushioned, body-friendly human holders.
East Tennessee State University basketball fans also will be glad to know the seating contract calls for the job to be done in advance of the team’s November appearances.
“I’ve heard nothing but positive comments from the ETSU president (Brian Noland), and they are very excited about this complementing what they want to do,” said Charlie Stahl, Johnson City assistant city manager. “I’ve also had a lot of people contact me, and they recognize the importance of the improvements. No one has questioned the need.”
Steve Ward and Associates, in conjunction with Michigan-based Irwin Seating, removed the well-worn golden oldies in June. Johnson City’s Sirco, which specializes in the installation and repair of telescoping bleacher systems, now has workers hustling to properly plant the new black padded seats.
In April, city commissioners added and subtracted options on a bid to replace the center’s arena seats. In the end, the choice was to replace all arena seats with three-quarter-inch padding on the backs and 4-inch padding on the seat bottoms at a cost of about $1.6 million.
“New padded seats, additional restrooms, a new elevator, new heating and air conditioning, new arena hand railing,” said Bobbie Shirley, the center’s box office manager, while wearing a bright pink hard hat and pink glasses.
Last year, commissioners earmarked more than $11.5 million to upgrade the venue. The installation of a new $6.7 million HVAC system, begun in January, is about to wrap up.
Bristol-based BurWil Construction won a $3.2 million bid to perform the re-roofing, renovation of existing restrooms, the addition of new restrooms and other improvements, including a new sound system replacement and installation of a handicapped/freight elevator.
New hand railing is being installed throughout the arena while the new seats are going in. The center also is getting four new women’s restrooms and two new family restrooms. Two large women’s restrooms and one small women’s restrooms will be renovated, as well as one men’s restroom and a staff restroom.
The backstage bathrooms and showers will be renovated, as will one girl’s and one boy’s bathroom in the school dining area. The Freedom Hall Pool restrooms, dressing rooms and showers also will be completely redone.
Additional ductwork in the pool area is among 10 approved projects aimed at fixing leaking ductwork damaged by chlorine. New ductwork in the pool locker room area also is on tap, as well as replacement of gas boilers and ceiling repair.
“The contractors, architect and Freedom Hall staff meet regularly to stay on top of what’s going on,” Stahl said. “Students (Science Hill) still are using the auxiliary gymnasium and dining room, but these areas are separated from construction areas.”
Last week, city commissioners also approved using $166,000 from contingency funds within BurWil’s contract to replace the center’s entire fire alarm system.
Email Gary Gray at ggray@johnsoncitypress.com. Like Gary B. Gray on Facebook at www.facebook.com/garybgrayjcp. Follow him on Twitter @ggrayjcpress. | http://www.johnsoncitypress.com/Local/2016/08/24/Freedom-Hall-seat-replacement-renovations-on-track.html | en | 2016-08-24T00:00:00 | www.johnsoncitypress.com/63fb85acbbe7d56ba09406cd9b68306cc1f234850f2d336933f980798a4a15fd.json |
[] | 2016-08-31T00:49:54 | null | 2016-08-30T00:00:00 | HARDAN, Iraq (AP) — Peering through binoculars, the young man watched as Islamic State extremists gunned down the handcuffed men and then buried them with a waiting bulldozer. For | http%3A%2F%2Fwww.johnsoncitypress.com%2FNews%2F2016%2F08%2F30%2FAP-documents-72-mass-graves-left-by-IS-militants.html.json | http://www.johnsoncitypress.com/image/2016/08/30/x720_q60/Islamic-State-Mass-Graves-15.jpg | en | null | AP documents 72 mass graves left by IS militants | null | null | www.johnsoncitypress.com | The five graves arranged at the foot of Sinjar mountain hold the bodies of dozens of minority Yazidis killed in the Islamic State group’s bloody onslaught in August 2014. They are a fraction of the mass graves Islamic State extremists have scattered across Iraq and Syria.
In exclusive interviews, photos and research, The Associated Press has documented and mapped 72 of the mass graves, the most comprehensive survey so far, with many more expected to be uncovered as the Islamic State group’s territory shrinks.
In Syria, AP has obtained locations for 17 mass graves, including one with the bodies of hundreds of members of a single tribe all but exterminated when IS extremists took over their region.
For at least 16 of the Iraqi graves, most in territory too dangerous to excavate, officials do not even guess the number of dead. In others, the estimates are based on memories of traumatized survivors, Islamic State propaganda and what can be gleaned from a cursory look at the earth.
Still, even the known numbers of victims buried are staggering — from 5,200 to more than 15,000.
Satellites offer the clearest look at massacres such as the one at Badoush Prison in June 2014 that left 600 inmates dead. A patch of scraped earth shows the likely site, according to exclusive photos obtained by the imagery intelligence firm AllSource Analysis and shared with AP.
On Sinjar Mountain, Rasho Qassim drives daily past the mass grave in Hardan that holds the bodies of his two sons.
The sites are roped off and awaiting the money and the political will for excavation. The evidence they contain is scoured by wind and baked by sun.
“We want to take them out of here. There are only bones left. But they said ‘No, they have to stay there, a committee will come and exhume them later,‘” said Qassim, standing at the flimsy protective fence.
IS made no attempt to hide its atrocities. But proving what United Nations officials and others have described as an ongoing genocide will be complicated as the graves deteriorate. The Islamic State group targeted the Yazidis for slaughter because it considers them infidels. The Yazidi faith has elements of Christianity and Islam but is distinct.
“There’s been virtually no effort to systematically document the crimes perpetrated, to preserve the evidence,” said Naomi Kikoler, who recently visited for the Holocaust Museum in Washington, D.C. The graves are largely documented by the aid group Yazda.
Following the release of the AP research, the State Department noted that it is providing assistance to Iraqi authorities for the investigation of mass graves.
“Sadly, we anticipate that additional mass graves will be discovered as additional lands are liberated from Da’esh,” State Department spokesman John Kirby said in a statement, using the Arabic acronym for the Islamic State group.
Through binoculars, Arkan Qassem watched it all. His village, Gurmiz, overlooks Hardan and the plain below. When the jihadis swept through, everyone in Gurmiz fled up the mountaintop. Then Arkan and nine other men returned with light weapons, hoping to defend their homes.
The first night, a bulldozer’s headlights illuminated the killing of a group of handcuffed men. Then the machine plowed over their bodies.
Over six days, the fighters killed three more groups — several dozen each, usually with hands bound. Once, the extremists lit a bonfire, but Arkan couldn’t make out its purpose.
Two years later, the 32-year-old has since returned home, living in an area dotted with mass graves.
“I have lots of people I know there. Mostly friends and neighbors,” he said. “It’s very difficult to look at them every day.”
Nearly every area freed from IS control has unmasked new mass graves, like one found near a stadium in Ramadi. The graves are easy enough to find, most covered with just a thin coating of earth.
“They are beheading them, shooting them, running them over in cars, all kinds of killing techniques, and they don’t even try to hide it,” said Sirwan Jalal, the director of Iraqi Kurdistan’s agency in charge of mass graves.
No one outside IS has seen the Iraqi ravine where hundreds of prison inmates were killed. Satellite images of scraped dirt along the river point to its location, according to Steve Wood of AllSource. His analysts triangulated survivors’ accounts and began to systematically search the desert according to their descriptions of that day, June 10, 2014.
The inmates were separated by religion, and Shiites had to count off, according to accounts by 15 survivors gathered by Human Rights Watch.
“I was number 43. I heard them say ‘615,‘ and then one ISIS guy said, ‘We’re going to eat well tonight.‘ A man behind us asked, ‘Are you ready?‘ Another person answered ‘Yes,‘ and began shooting at us with a machine-gun,” according to the Human Rights Watch account of a survivor identified only as A.S. The 15 men survived by playing dead.
Justice has been done in at least one IS mass killing — that of about 1,700 Iraqi soldiers who were machine-gunned at Camp Speicher. On Aug. 21, 36 IS militants were hanged for those deaths.
But justice is likely to elude areas still under IS control, even when the extremists film the atrocities themselves. That’s the case for a natural sinkhole outside Mosul that is now a pit of corpses. And in Syria’s Raqqa province, where thousands of bodies are believed to have been thrown into the al-Houta crevasse.
Hundreds of mass graves are believed to be in areas that can only be explored when fighting stops. So far, at least 17 are known, in the list put together from AP interviews with activists, fighters and residents in former IS strongholds.
Some of the worst are in Deir el-Zour province. There, 400 members of the Shueitat tribe were found in one grave, just some of the up to 1,000 tribesmen believed to have been massacred by IS, said Ziad Awad, the editor of the local publication, The Eye of the City, who is documenting the graves.
“This is a drop in an ocean of mass graves expected to be discovered in the future in Syria,” said Awad.
Butler reported from Washington. Associated Press writers Balint Szlanko and Salar Salim in Irbil, Iraq; Sinan Salaheddin in Baghdad; Zeina Karam and Philip Issa in Beirut, and Maya Alleruzzo in Cairo contributed to this report.
Read previous stories in AP’s occasional series “Islamic State: A Savage Legacy” at www.ap.org/explore/a-savage-legacy/ | http://www.johnsoncitypress.com/News/2016/08/30/AP-documents-72-mass-graves-left-by-IS-militants.html | en | 2016-08-30T00:00:00 | www.johnsoncitypress.com/4c9703ceb73e5f4299c96ddc0743f13e56b26dad2086b1e5a046aa5ba731e94a.json |
[] | 2016-08-28T00:48:45 | null | 2016-08-27T00:00:00 | The student section on the visiting side of Carl Matherly Stadium was hopping during Daniel Boone’s season-opening road win over Sullivan South back on August 19. | http%3A%2F%2Fwww.johnsoncitypress.com%2FFootball%2F2016%2F08%2F27%2FFlannigan-goes-from-spectator-to-gridiron-hero-in-six-days.html.json | http://www.johnsoncitypress.com/image/2016/08/27/x720_q60/image-jpeg-738.jpg | en | null | Flannigan goes from spectator to gridiron hero in six days | null | null | www.johnsoncitypress.com | Senior soccer player Leeland Flannigan was smack dab in the middle of the revelry as the Trailblazers put a 26-6 whipping on Sullivan South. It would take a real nitpicker to find fault in Boone’s performance, especially since the ‘Blazers had just won their first game of the 2016 season after going 1-9 last year. Aside from a couple missed extra points, it was all Boone.
But those two unsuccessful PAT kicks got a couple of Flannigan’s classmates curious as to whether the lifelong soccer player could use his big right foot to put a football through the uprights.
“A couple guys in my class bet me that I wouldn't come out for the team,” Flannigan said. “I talked to our kicker from last year, and he taught me to kick on Saturday after the game. Then I talked to coach (Jeremy Jenkins) Monday and he let me try out Monday. Since then, I've been out here practicing getting ready for this.”
By this, Flannigan meant Friday’s home opener against the Cherokee Chiefs. Six days after taking his first serious attempts at kicking a football, Flannigan was under the bright lights handling the kicking duties for the ‘Blazers. Friday’s game turned out to be a real barnburner as both teams scored three touchdowns. In the end, Flannigan’s three PAT kicks were the difference as the ‘Blazers moved to 2-0 with a 21-18 victory.
Jenkins has been coaching for a long time, but even he was left shaking his head about picking up a kicker in roughly the same manner NFL teams grab players off the waiver wire.
“The soccer player came to us this week and wanted to try it,” Jenkins said. “He did pretty good for us to be a mid-week steal there.”
To the outside observer, Flanningan’s transition from the soccer pitch to the gridiron might seem like a fairly smooth proposition — see the ball, kick the ball. But Flannigan said he actually had to set aside the soccer fundamentals that have been ingrained in him for years in order to kick a football. In fact, the two motions are so different that his leg was sore all week as he used a different set of muscles to kick the football.
“In soccer, you bend your knee and you come across,” Flannigan said. “With football, you want to be square. You don't bend it or anything. It's a dead straight movement.”
Six days into his new career, Flannigan said it felt great to be able to contribute to a Daniel Boone victory. He’s cheered on the football team from the bleachers for three years, and now Flannigan is getting a kick out of an unforeseen opportunity to help the Trailblazers in a more tangible way.
“I wanted to be part of the team,” he said. “And I didn’t want to lose that bet.” | http://www.johnsoncitypress.com/Football/2016/08/27/Flannigan-goes-from-spectator-to-gridiron-hero-in-six-days.html | en | 2016-08-27T00:00:00 | www.johnsoncitypress.com/b0975f66502bf5da0011148550f9979ca78b5d7b5cb692fa843ffcd99c42c52f.json |
[] | 2016-08-30T04:49:27 | null | 2016-04-20T00:00:00 | DEAR ABBY: I recently retired after 26 years of working with a professional partner of the opposite sex. Now my wife expects me to cut off all communication with her. There was never any | http%3A%2F%2Fwww.johnsoncitypress.com%2FAdvice%2F2016%2F08%2F30%2FHusband-s-longtime-friendship-is-now-forbidden-by-his-wife.html.json | http://www.johnsoncitypress.com/image/2016/04/20/x720_q60/Dear-Abby-1.jpg | en | null | Husband’s longtime friendship is now forbidden by his wife | null | null | www.johnsoncitypress.com | I have explained this to my wife many times, but she refuses to believe me and wants this person out of my life for good. How can I explain this to someone I have worked with for so many years? Is my wife’s request reasonable? Can’t married males have female friends, or am I restricted to only male friends for the rest of my life? — FENCED IN, IN WASHINGTON
DEAR FENCED IN: No, I do not think it is reasonable, and the implication is insulting not only to your former working partner but also to you. However, unless you can get to the bottom of your wife’s obviously deep insecurity, find a way to reassure her and get her to deal with it, that is exactly what is going to happen. You may need the help of a marriage counselor, but it will be worth it because men who feel fenced in — trapped — don’t usually stay happily married. How sad.
DEAR ABBY: I have a question for you and your readers. Why have baby boomers failed in the way they raised their children?
We were raised with honor, respect for authority (even a little fear), integrity, a hard work ethic, honesty, etc. The millennial generation, for the most part, lacks all of those qualities. They don’t want to work, can’t get off their mobile devices and don’t want to leave home. They expect their parents to take care of them, and have no appreciation and no respect.
I’m not saying they are all that way, but the majority I have encountered are. I blame it on parents who didn’t raise them with the same values they grew up with. What’s your take on this, Dear Abby? How do we fix it? — ANONYMOUS IN CALIFORNIA
DEAR ANONYMOUS: There is no one-size-fits-all answer to your question, and frankly, whether the millennial generation lacks the qualities you listed is a matter of perspective. I would hesitate to paint a picture of an entire generation with one brushstroke. Readers, what do you think?
DEAR ABBY: My husband and I have an issue. If I go away on business, I make sure to provide my travel information such as hotel and flight numbers. But when my husband goes away, he refuses to provide any information. I try to explain that if there’s an emergency or an issue with flights, the information would be helpful. I can get nowhere with him regarding this matter. Any advice? — TRAVEL ISSUE IN CONNECTICUT
DEAR TRAVEL ISSUE: Yes, I’m sorry to say I do have some. People who are secretive usually have something to hide. It’s time that you ascertain whether your husband is traveling for business as he claims, or whether it’s for pleasure without you.
Dear Abby is written by Abigail Van Buren, also known as Jeanne Phillips, and was founded by her mother, Pauline Phillips. Contact Dear Abby at www.DearAbby.com or P.O. Box 69440, Los Angeles, CA 90069. | http://www.johnsoncitypress.com/Advice/2016/08/30/Husband-s-longtime-friendship-is-now-forbidden-by-his-wife.html | en | 2016-04-20T00:00:00 | www.johnsoncitypress.com/ef0d756a2687b53e500ce226d4f281a6acfb3fd26e1f17ddfbdbc31ef9cb0b57.json |
[] | 2016-08-30T20:49:51 | null | 2016-08-30T00:00:00 | BURNSVILLE - Daniel Edwin "Danny" Peterson, age 49, of Burnsville, went home to be with the Lord on Monday, August 29th, 2016 at Mission Memorial Campus surrounded by his loving | http%3A%2F%2Fwww.johnsoncitypress.com%2FObituary%2F2016%2F08%2F30%2FDaniel-Edwin-Danny-Peterson.html.json | http://www.johnsoncitypress.com | en | null | Daniel Edwin "Danny" Peterson | null | null | www.johnsoncitypress.com | Surviving in addition to his mother, Irene Tipton Peterson is his son, Brennan Peterson; sister, Pattie Smoak and husband, Daryl, of Burnsville; brothers: Donald Peterson and wife, Debbie, of Brummetts Creek and Randall Dale "Murdock" Peterson and wife, Vickie, also of Brummetts Creek; nieces and nephews: Danielle Brown, Heath Smoak, Jesse Smoak, Justin Peterson and Starr Rossiter and special friend, Selena Edwards. Several other friends also survive.
Funeral Services will be held at 8 p.m. on Wednesday, August 31st in the Chapel of Yancey Funeral Services. Rev. Tommy Murphy will officiate. The family will receive friends from 6 until 8 p.m. prior to the services at the funeral home. Graveside services will be held at 2 p.m. on Thursday in the Red Hill Methodist Church Cemetery with Danny Gouge officiating. Pallbearers will be: Curtis Griffith, Kenny Buchanan, Gary Banks, David Ayers, Eric Vess, Randy Hughes and John Gibbs. Honorary Pallbearers will be: Keith Hollifield, Larry Tipton and Steve Tipton.
Flowers are appreciated or memorial donations may be made to Gideons International at PO Box 264, Burnsville, NC 28714. To send online condolences, please visit our website at www.yanceyfuneralservice.com. | http://www.johnsoncitypress.com/Obituary/2016/08/30/Daniel-Edwin-Danny-Peterson.html | en | 2016-08-30T00:00:00 | www.johnsoncitypress.com/adacb4097a7ede059643ce6180f29be8123884c0c83da599c963f3ffdadfd43a.json |
[] | 2016-08-26T12:56:41 | null | 2016-08-25T00:00:00 | Frances Elizabeth Fletcher, 93, passed away Wednesday, August 24, 2016 at Franklin Woods Community Hospital after a brief illness.
She was born in Cranberry, NC to the | http%3A%2F%2Fwww.johnsoncitypress.com%2FObituary%2F2016%2F08%2F25%2FFrances-Elizabeth-Fletcher.html.json | http://www.johnsoncitypress.com/image/2016/08/25/x720_q60/FletcherFE-jpg.jpg | en | null | Frances Elizabeth Fletcher | null | null | www.johnsoncitypress.com | She was born in Cranberry, NC to the late Clyde and Jane McKinney Simerly.
Frances graduated from Science Hill High School, class of 1941, and subsequently moved to Arlington, Virginia, where she lived until early 1980. She returned to Tennessee that spring as she always considered Johnson City her home. She also resided in Richmond, Virginia from 2000-2005.
She retired from Sears in Johnson City as an employee of 16 years.
Frances was a life-long Presbyterian in Arlington, Richmond, and finally at First Presbyterian Church.
In addition to her parents, Frances was preceded in death by: her husband of 34 years, Charles Marvin Fletcher; two brothers, CH and Paul Simerly; and two sisters, Jean Fields and Louise Woodby.
Survivors include: one daughter, Karen Surmacewicz and her husband Charlie; one granddaughter, Kelly Elizabeth Nguyen and her husband Leo; one grandson, Kevin Charles Surmacewicz and his special friend Meggan McLeod, all of Richmond, VA; devoted niece and caregiver, Lisa Fields; special nephew Richard Fields and his wife Beckie, all of Johnson City; one sister-in-law, Kathleen Simerly; another nephew, Mike Simerly of Anderson, IN; and several cousins in NC.
The family of Frances Fletcher will receive friends from 11:00 AM until 12:00 PM Saturday, August 27, 2016 at Morris-Baker Funeral Home, Oak Chapel. The funeral service will follow at 12:00 PM with Reverend Ed Talley officiating. A committal service will immediately follow at Monte Vista Memorial Park in the mausoleum chapel.
In lieu of flowers, donations can be made to Alzheimer’s Association, 2020 Meadowview Prkwy #100, Kingsport, TN 37660, in memory of her sister, Jean Fields, or American Cancer Society, 508 Princeton Rd #102, Johnson City, TN 37601, in memory of her brother-in-law, Richard Fields.
Memories and condolences may be shared with the Fletcher family via www.morrisbaker.com.
Morris-Baker Funeral Home and Cremation Services, 2001 E. Oakland Ave., Johnson City, is serving the Fletcher family. (423) 282-1521 | http://www.johnsoncitypress.com/Obituary/2016/08/25/Frances-Elizabeth-Fletcher.html | en | 2016-08-25T00:00:00 | www.johnsoncitypress.com/4ead37349d581e4de9de101839471b94ae9251fb2ad6c489ad0cceeba88a9838.json |
[] | 2016-08-26T13:14:42 | null | 2016-08-24T00:00:00 | Autumn might be the official season of the one-pot wonder. Kids are back in school, the office watercooler gets crowded as we trickle back from summer vacations, and suddenly dinnertime | http%3A%2F%2Fwww.johnsoncitypress.com%2FFood-Drink%2F2016%2F08%2F24%2FLemon-juice-makes-a-chicken-and-potato-bake-into-a-breeze.html.json | http://jcweb.libercus.net/image/2016/08/24/x720_q60/Food-Healthy-Baked-Chicken-and-Potato.jpg | en | null | Lemon juice makes a chicken and potato bake into a breeze | null | null | www.johnsoncitypress.com | Busy lives need quick meals that don’t require a ton of prep, crazy ingredients or lots of dishes because the last thing I want to do after a long day of work, kids activities and homework-checking is a counter loaded up with dishes.
Baked dinners are a classic weeknight solution, but how to make one that is healthy, flavorful, and easy? This basic chicken and potato bake is so simple, you might breeze right past the recipe.
But the trick is: lots of lemon juice. Half a cup sounds like a ton, but it’s what makes the chicken super flavorful in just minutes. The high acid level gets right into the chicken and tenderizes it, and yet as it bakes, the acid mellows and softens into a gorgeous gentle tang. The second trick to this dinner-in-a-pan is a super quick turn in the microwave for some baby potatoes (Note: you can cube up larger potatoes if you don’t have tiny ones).
I’m using boneless skinless chicken breast, but you can use pork chops (bone-in recommended) or even fish. My weeknight strategy: pop this pan into the oven, toss together a green salad, and set the table while the chicken cooks. Easy, healthy, and even comforting in a fall-night sort of way.
BAKED CHICKEN AND POTATO DINNER
Start to finish: 30 minutes
Servings: 4
1/2 cup lemon juice
3 tablespoons olive oil
1 teaspoon granulated garlic, or 1 garlic clove, minced
1 pound fingerling potatoes, cleaned
1 1/2 pound boneless skinless chicken breasts, trimmed
1 red onion, sliced lengthwise
1/2 cup small cherry tomatoes or grape tomatoes
lemon wedges, for garnish
2 teaspoons chopped fresh thyme
salt and pepper
Preheat oven to 375 F. In a large bowl, mix together the lemon juice, olive oil, granulated garlic and salt and pepper. Pierce each potato a couple of times with a fork (to allow steam to escape), and place the potatoes in a medium microwave-safe bowl and toss with 1 tablespoon of the lemon juice mixture. Cover with a lid slightly askew to allow steam to escape, and microwave on high until potatoes begin to soften, about 4 minutes.
Meanwhile, place the chicken breasts, onion and tomatoes in the lemon juice mixture and toss to coat. Let sit for a few minutes.
Spray an oven-safe baking pan with nonstick spray. Pour the potatoes on the bottom of the baking sheet. Pour the chicken, onions, tomatoes and remaining marinade on top of the potatoes. Bake until chicken is cooked through and potatoes are tender, about 30 minutes. Sprinkle with fresh thyme and serve with a green salad.
Nutrition information per serving: 401 calories; 131 calories from fat; 15 g fat (2 g saturated; 0 g trans fats); 124 mg cholesterol; 326 mg sodium; 25 g carbohydrate; 2 g fiber; 3 g sugar; 41 g protein.
Food Network star Melissa d’Arabian is an expert on healthy eating on a budget. She is the author of the cookbook “Supermarket Healthy.”
Online: http://www.melissadarabian.net | http://www.johnsoncitypress.com/Food-Drink/2016/08/24/Lemon-juice-makes-a-chicken-and-potato-bake-into-a-breeze.html | en | 2016-08-24T00:00:00 | www.johnsoncitypress.com/2f377fe0289627cdc2b24beb3aeb33adf0d2dff7357a719c5c574f60d383c055.json |
[] | 2016-08-26T13:06:51 | null | 2016-08-25T00:00:00 | ELIZABETHTON - Mr. Don Merryman, Minister, age 84, of Elizabethton, TN passed away Thursday, August 25, 2016 in the Hillview Health Center. A native of Carter County, he was the son of the | http%3A%2F%2Fwww.johnsoncitypress.com%2FObituary%2F2016%2F08%2F25%2FMr-Don-Merryman-Minister.html.json | http://www.johnsoncitypress.com/image/2016/08/25/x720_q60/Don-Merryman-photo-jpg.jpg | en | null | Mr. Don Merryman, Minister | null | null | www.johnsoncitypress.com | In addition to his parents, he was preceded in death by his wife, Lee Merryman. Those left to cherish his memory include a son, Jeff Merryman and wife Angela, Oak Ridge, TN; a grandson, Kolby Merryman, Greenville, SC and special friends, Allen and Joan Jarrett, Johnson City, TN. Several cousins also survive.
A graveside service to honor the life of Mr. Don Merryman, Minister will be conducted at 10:00 A.M. Saturday, August 27, 2016 in Happy Valley Memorial Park with Mr. John H. Smith, Minister officiating. Those attending the service are asked to meet at the cemetery at 9:50 A.M. on Saturday. Friends may sign the register book and pay their respects between the hours of 11:00 A.M. and 4:30 P.M. on Friday, August 26, 2016 at Hathaway-Percy Funeral and Cremation Services.
Those who prefer memorial in lieu of flowers may make donations to the Shriner’s Hospital for Children/Jericho Temple, P. O. Box 5548, Kingsport, TN 37663 or to the Memorial and Honor Program, St. Jude Children’s Research Hospital, 501 St. Jude Place, Memphis, TN 38105-1942. Online condolences may be sent to the family and viewed by visiting our website at www.hathawaypercy.com. Hathaway-Percy Funeral and Cremation Services is serving the Merryman family. Office: (423) 543-5544. | http://www.johnsoncitypress.com/Obituary/2016/08/25/Mr-Don-Merryman-Minister.html | en | 2016-08-25T00:00:00 | www.johnsoncitypress.com/a896af424e2911c85eed51278381c1f4b1291e7e0a3d70f4e5679184ce603d1e.json |
[] | 2016-08-31T00:49:51 | null | 2016-08-30T00:00:00 | WASHINGTON (AP) — President Barack Obama cut short on Tuesday the sentences of 111 federal inmates in another round of commutations for those convicted of nonviolent drug offenses. | http%3A%2F%2Fwww.johnsoncitypress.com%2FNews%2F2016%2F08%2F30%2FObama-cuts-short-the-sentences-of-111-federal-inmates.html.json | http://www.johnsoncitypress.com/image/2016/08/30/x720_q60/Obama-Commutations-2.jpg | en | null | Obama cuts short the sentences of 111 federal inmates | null | null | www.johnsoncitypress.com | Obama has long called for phasing out strict sentences for drug convictions, arguing they lead to excessive punishment and incarceration rates unseen in other developed countries.
White House Counsel Neil Eggleston said the commutations underscored the president’s commitment to using his clemency authority to give deserving individuals a second chance. He said that Obama has granted a total of 673 commutations, more than the previous 10 presidents combined. More than a third of the recipients were serving life sentences.
“We must remember that these are individuals — sons, daughters, parents, and in many cases, grandparents — who have taken steps toward rehabilitation and who have earned their second chance,” Eggleston said. “They are individuals who received unduly harsh sentences under outdated laws for committing largely nonviolent drug crimes.”
Eggleston noted that Obama also granted commutation to 214 federal inmates earlier in the month. With Tuesday’s additions, Obama has granted the greatest number of commutations for a single month of any president.
Eggleston says he expects Obama to continue using his clemency authority through the end of his administration. He said the relief points to the need for Congress to take up criminal justice reform. Such legislation has stalled, undercut by a rash of summer shootings involving police and the pressure of election-year politics.
Two goals of the legislation are to reduce overcrowding in the nation’s prisons and save taxpayer dollars. In 1980, the federal prison population was less than 25,000. Today, it is more than 200,000.
But the legislation’s supporters have encountered opposition from some Republicans who argue that changes could lead to an increase in crime and pose a greater danger to law enforcement.
Eggleston said Obama considered the individual merits of each application to determine that an applicant is ready to make use of their second chance.
One of those granted relief was Tim Tyler, who at 25 was sentenced to life in federal prison for possession with intent to deliver LSD as he followed the Grateful Dead. He is now set to be released on August 30, 2018, conditioned upon enrollment in residential drug treatment. Families Against Mandatory Minimums, an advocacy group, said it had been working on the Tyler family’s behalf.
“We applaud the president for using the clemency power to free people who fully expected to die in prison and for shining a light on the excesses of federal drug sentencing.” said Julie Stewart, the group’s president.
The release dates for the inmates vary. Most are set to be released December 28.
Legal groups supporting the president’s actions have formed an organization called Clemency Project 2014 that has submitted some 1,600 clemency petitions to the Justice Department’s Office of the Pardon Attorney. The group said a prisoner must have served at least 10 years of his or her sentence to be considered for a commutation grant and must be a non-violent offender without significant ties to gangs or cartels. The inmate also must have demonstrated good conduct in prison while serving a sentence that likely would have been substantially lower if handed out today.
“We are looking forward to many more grants during the remaining months of President Obama’s term in office,” said the group’s project manager, Cynthia Roseberry.
On Twitter, reach Kevin Freking at https://twitter.com/APkfreking | http://www.johnsoncitypress.com/News/2016/08/30/Obama-cuts-short-the-sentences-of-111-federal-inmates.html | en | 2016-08-30T00:00:00 | www.johnsoncitypress.com/2b6f39b1ff86fb4e1fcf01c2a1bd865ca211d337e15cb335c8556284d90785bd.json |
[] | 2016-08-26T12:51:22 | null | 2016-08-26T00:00:00 | DEAR ABBY: My friend “Virginia” and I have known each other for 11 years. Five years ago she went into renal failure and was on dialysis for three years. It was hard on | http%3A%2F%2Fwww.johnsoncitypress.com%2FAdvice%2F2016%2F08%2F26%2FDonation-of-kidney-ends-with-loss-of-a-friendship.html.json | http://www.johnsoncitypress.com | en | null | Donation of kidney ends with loss of a friendship | null | null | www.johnsoncitypress.com | Virginia is on the young side, and she was in such a bad way I agreed to be tested. After several procedures it was determined I was a “close enough” match, so we decided to go for it. She was scared to death right before the surgery. I convinced her that even though things might be rough for a while, she would be glad she went through with it.
It has been 18 months now, and I have not seen or heard from Virginia since the day after the surgery. I called her a few times to make sure she was doing well. She never returned my calls and has completely dropped out of my life. She lives only four blocks away, so I know things are going OK for her. I figured I'd give her some space, but that space has turned into forever. I haven't heard from her family either. They visited Virginia at the hospital, but didn't stop in to see me just three rooms away.
How could I have been so wrong about someone I knew for so long? My husband says Virginia is an idiot and I should let it go. My therapist says I'll have to “adjust to the injustice.” I would have donated to a complete stranger without hesitation. But Virginia wasn't a stranger. I never expected to lose my friend along with my kidney. Can you please help me handle this? — BLINDSIDED IN NEW YORK
DEAR BLINDSIDED: I can see why you are hurt by the abrupt change in your friend's behavior, and believe me, I empathize. The knee-jerk reaction of someone who hasn't been through this would be to say what unfeeling and ungrateful people Virginia and her family are, because you literally saved her life.
However, it may help you to better understand what has happened if you consider that while you saved Virginia's life, sometimes the burden of gratitude is more than someone can bear. For whatever reason, she may carry some guilt about owing you as much as she does, which is why she can no longer interact with you.
As to her family, that none of her siblings were willing to be tested as possible matches for her speaks volumes about them and the quality of their relationships, so stop feeling slighted. Listen to your therapist because she/he has given you some practical advice.
DEAR ABBY: Why is it that when women visit, they'll take their handbag and put it on the kitchen counter, the kitchen table or on the dining room table? Their handbags have been on as many floors as my shoes. Don't they think about what they're doing?
Please let your readers know this is not a good idea. If someone needs to put a handbag down, it should be placed on the floor, where it most likely was previously. — GROSSED OUT IN THE EAST
DEAR GROSSED OUT: I think the answer to your question is that the majority of women who carry purses DON'T think about this, just absentmindedly place them on the floor, a table, counter or chair.
However, for individuals who are concerned about the transfer of germs, there is a solution. There are portable hooks they can carry with them that rest on a table or desk so the purse can be suspended if it has a handle. I have seen them advertised on the internet, and they are inexpensive.
Dear Abby is written by Abigail Van Buren, also known as Jeanne Phillips, and was founded by her mother, Pauline Phillips. Contact Dear Abby at www.DearAbby.com or P.O. Box 69440, Los Angeles, CA 90069. | http://www.johnsoncitypress.com/Advice/2016/08/26/Donation-of-kidney-ends-with-loss-of-a-friendship.html | en | 2016-08-26T00:00:00 | www.johnsoncitypress.com/0791368fc01a695c4234435407f4288fa05b35020890cd495bce110f281fec4d.json |
[] | 2016-08-28T04:49:07 | null | 2016-08-19T00:00:00 | ETSU presents 2016 Distinguished Faculty Awards
East Tennessee State University bestowed its highest honors upon three professors today with the presentation of the 2016 | http%3A%2F%2Fwww.johnsoncitypress.com%2FEducation%2F2016%2F08%2F28%2FETSU-presents-2016-Distinguished-Faculty-Awards.html.json | http://www.johnsoncitypress.com/image/2016/08/19/x720_q60/3987b-jpg.jpg | en | null | ETSU presents 2016 Distinguished Faculty Awards | null | null | www.johnsoncitypress.com | East Tennessee State University bestowed its highest honors upon three professors today with the presentation of the 2016 Distinguished Faculty Awards for Teaching, Research and Service.
The winners were nominated and selected by their faculty peers. Each received a medallion, a plaque and a $5,000 check provided by the ETSU Foundation during the annual Faculty Convocation, which marks the beginning of the new academic year and fall semester.
The Distinguished Faculty Award in Teaching was presented to Dr. Mary Ann Littleton, an associate professor in the College of Public Health’s Department of Community and Behavioral Health.
Littleton is locally and nationally known as a leader in community-based teaching and learning and interprofessional education. She designed “Trilogy: An Innovative Course Sequence for Training Community Health Professionals,” an award-winning series of three courses in which student teams assess community health needs, design a community-based intervention program or policy to address those needs, and then implement and evaluate that intervention with community input.
Littleton was one of the primary faculty members involved in ETSU’s Interprofessional Rural Track program, a collaborative initiative of the colleges in ETSU’s Academic Health Sciences Center that was funded by the Kellogg Foundation. Through this program, teams comprised of students in public health, nursing, medicine and related fields learned and worked together while affecting change in rural Appalachian communities.
Littleton also led the design and implementation of ETSU’s online Master of Public Health in Community Health degree program, which offers courses completely online and allows working professionals, parents and other non-traditional students to complete a rigorous program of study in this field. In addition, she has guided over 100 projects through community-based learning courses at the master’s and doctoral levels.
“For 15 years, (Littleton) has worked tirelessly to design and deliver unparalleled educational experiences for ETSU students, while affecting change in communities across Appalachia and the nation,” her nomination states. “While the effectiveness of community-based instruction is exceptionally high, many faculty shy away from this … approach, because it can be very time-consuming and challenging. Developing and nurturing relationships with the community and gaining the trust of community partners are no easy tasks…. (She) is fully aware of those challenges, yet she embraces community-based teaching because it is the ‘right thing’ to do. No other educational strategy allows her students to effectively learn while simultaneously empowering communities to improve their health and well-being.”
Littleton’s students praise her for her enthusiasm, patience, encouragement and understanding, as well as for the effectiveness of her teaching method.
Littleton holds a B.A. degree in psychobiology from the University of California at Santa Cruz and underwent secondary science teacher training in Sierra Leone, West Africa, through the U.S. Peace Corps. She earned her Ph.D. in health education and promotion at the University of Alabama-Birmingham, where she taught and served as a research coordinator for Community Health Advisor Programs before joining the ETSU faculty in 2002. In addition to her academic career, Littleton has worked as a licensed massage therapist and has 25 years of training and practice in various healing art techniques, including meditation, yoga, qigong and t’ai chi.
• Dr. Jonathan Moorman from the Quillen College of Medicine is the recipient of the Distinguished Faculty Award for Research. He joined the university faculty in 2001 and is currently a professor and vice chair for research and scholarship as well as chief of infectious diseases in the Department of Internal Medicine. He is also section chief for infectious diseases at the Quillen VA Medical Center.
Moorman’s research has focused primarily on mechanisms of immune evasion by chronic viral infection, and his scientific interests include clinical and basic aspects of hepatitis C infection and co-infection of hepatitis C and HIV.
“Dr. Moorman is a natural academician and physician scientist with vision and initiative,” a colleague wrote. “He is an established, imaginative, and productive researcher and scholar, and he is nationally renowned in the field of viral immunology research, particularly in viral hepatitis C.”
According to one nominator, Moorman is “truly a translational researcher taking the insights of the active clinician back to the laboratory where new approaches are developed that translate into new clinical management of disease.”
“Jon has done more than just talk about research, he has been proactive in advancing the research enterprise. Indeed, he has become a leader in the ETSU research community and serves as a role model for the clinician/scientist at ETSU,” another colleague wrote.
That nominator noted that one of Moorman’s greatest accomplishments has been the creation of the Center of Excellence in Inflammation, Infectious Disease and Immunity, a multidisciplinary research center established in 2015 to advance research, education and clinical applications in immune and infectious-related diseases.
Moorman has published more than 60 articles in such prestigious journals as Hepatology, Journal of Immunology, Journal of Virology, Journal of Leukocyte Biology, Immunology and Cell Biology, and Vaccine.
During his tenure at ETSU, Moorman has served as primary investigator or co-primary investigator on several National Institutes of Health and Veterans Administration (VA) grants totaling over $4 million.
Moorman is a summa cum laude graduate of Loyola University and received his M.D. degree from the University of Virginia School of Medicine, where he also completed his residency training and a fellowship in infectious diseases. He earned a Ph.D. in molecular medicine from the University of Virginia in 2003.
Among his awards are the National Institutes of Health Mentored Clinician Scientist Award and becoming a finalist for the Burroughs Wellcome Career Research Scientist Award.
• Dr. Megan Quinn is the recipient of the Distinguished Faculty Award for Service.
She is an assistant professor in the Department of Biostatistics and Epidemiology within the College of Public Health.
In receiving the award, Quinn was recognized for her exceptional service contributions to the community, public health profession and the university, particularly her dedication to underserved communities, both locally and globally, and her commitment to public health workforce development.
From Haiti and Nicaragua, the poorest countries in the western hemisphere, to Rwanda on the African continent, Quinn has contributed her public health knowledge and skills to help improve the health of impoverished children and adults who are victimized by disasters and suffer the consequences of poverty and injustice on a daily basis.
In Nicaragua, she has partnered with the Center for Development in Central America to assist local communities in implementing health programs, and has organized study abroad trips for ETSU students to carry out those life-saving projects. In Haiti, she has provided health education and delivered hygiene supplies to orphaned children impacted by the 2010 earthquake. And in Rwanda, she has focused on improving water quality and installing biosand water filters to provide clean water for residents while also providing health education, mosquito nets and other necessities to hundreds of people.
“It is quite amazing that Dr. Quinn has successfully reached out, partnered with, and gained the trust of communities around the globe,” her nominators wrote. “Beyond the technical epidemiological skills, such service requires exceptional altruism, professionalism, communication skills and cultural competency.”
In addition to her global service, Quinn serves her local community as a member of the board of directors of the Girl Scout Council of the Southern Appalachians, which serves about 9,500 girls in 46 counties across the region, and as a middle school girls’ soccer coach. Here, also, her focus remains on serving disadvantaged groups, in this case, on empowering young girls to break the chain of poverty by offering opportunities to realize their self-worth and achieve their potential.
Quinn also helps organize and deliver public health workforce training activities, partnering with the Sullivan County Health Department to provide simulation exercises to practicing public health workers and has partnered with the Tennessee Department of Health to offer continuing education to its workforce.
Her service activities also extend to ETSU, where she is an active member of the institution’s International Advisory Council, International Education Scholarship Committee, Study Abroad Committee and International Friendship Program. She serves as the ETSU chapter advisor for Timmy Global Health, guiding the student organization on global health matters and health trips.
“Megan serves because she believes that every individual, regardless of social status and origin, has the right to a healthy, productive and fulfilling life,” her nominators wrote. “She pursues this belief by challenging the status quo, creatively crafting opportunities to impact the most disadvantaged communities and pouring her heart into everything that she does.”
Quinn received a bachelor of arts degree in psychology from Wesleyan College in Macon, Georgia. She received her master’s degree in public health research from the University of Edinburgh in the U.K. and her Ph.D. in epidemiology from ETSU. | http://www.johnsoncitypress.com/Education/2016/08/28/ETSU-presents-2016-Distinguished-Faculty-Awards.html | en | 2016-08-19T00:00:00 | www.johnsoncitypress.com/d0a1d38127f4a6cbceb9ddb6ddf83c4450619b94034c0ac109ec2121cede135b.json |
[] | 2016-08-26T13:14:06 | null | 2016-08-24T00:00:00 | MOUNT CARMEL — In a closed meeting Tuesday evening at their Mount Carmel station, Church Hill EMS employees received news that their doors were shutting and the company is out of | http%3A%2F%2Fwww.johnsoncitypress.com%2FFire-EMS%2F2016%2F08%2F24%2FChurch-Hill-EMS-to-employees-We-re-out-of-business.html.json | http://www.johnsoncitypress.com/image/2016/08/24/x720_q60/Church-Hill-EMS.jpg | en | null | Church Hill EMS to employees: ‘We’re out of business’ | null | null | www.johnsoncitypress.com | It was devastating news on two levels.
About 47 employees, many of whom have worked at Church Hill EMS for more than a decade, are out of work. And the ambulance company that served eastern Hawkins County for more than two decades is no longer in operation.
Hawkins County Emergency Management Agency Director Gary Murrell said that as of Tuesday night the Rogersville-based Hawkins County EMS was covering the CHEMS territory, with Sullivan County EMS on standby to assist if needed.
More about the EMS mess from the Kingsport Times-News. | http://www.johnsoncitypress.com/Fire-EMS/2016/08/24/Church-Hill-EMS-to-employees-We-re-out-of-business.html | en | 2016-08-24T00:00:00 | www.johnsoncitypress.com/217a8a7aad02789a3c128a6f30ac3ae422502686380e0a7027601ebca4f12fc9.json |
[] | 2016-08-29T02:49:06 | null | 2016-08-28T00:00:00 | Greenwood Ruritan, 118 Crockett Road off Mill Spring Road and Greenwood Drive in Jonesborough, will host a spaghetti dinner on Saturday, Sept. 3, from 5-7 p.m. Direction signs will be posted. | http%3A%2F%2Fwww.johnsoncitypress.com%2FCommunity%2F2016%2F08%2F28%2FGreenwood-Ruritan-to-host-spaghetti-dinner.html.json | http://www.johnsoncitypress.com | en | null | Greenwood Ruritan to host spaghetti dinner | null | null | www.johnsoncitypress.com | The meal is $8 for adults and $4 for children under 8 and includes salad, rolls, drink and dessert. The proceeds are used for community service needs. | http://www.johnsoncitypress.com/Community/2016/08/28/Greenwood-Ruritan-to-host-spaghetti-dinner.html | en | 2016-08-28T00:00:00 | www.johnsoncitypress.com/d302bb9bfa927e8e01f3aad76b481dab29073ad7f7b14dae19870e11c9a22b5d.json |
[] | 2016-08-27T20:49:06 | null | 2016-03-05T00:00:00 | MEMPHIS, Tenn. — A 25-year-old man has been convicted of first-degree murder in the 2014 shooting death of Memphis pastor Don Smith.
The Commercial Appeal | http%3A%2F%2Fwww.johnsoncitypress.com%2FState%2F2016%2F08%2F27%2FJury-convicts-man-in-fatal-shooting-of-Tenn-pastor.html.json | http://www.johnsoncitypress.com/image/2016/03/05/x720_q60/Courts-Image.jpg | en | null | Jury convicts man in fatal shooting of Tenn. pastor | null | null | www.johnsoncitypress.com | The Commercial Appeal (http://bit.ly/2bGIUGr ) reports the verdict followed testimony by the defendant, Roger Reed, and a codefendant who were both pictured after the shooting in “selfie” photographs smiling and kissing inside the victim’s vehicle.
The jury convicted Reed on Friday of killing the 57-year-old Smith with premeditation and with the intent to commit robbery. He also was convicted of especially aggravated robbery. Shelby County Criminal Court Judge James Lammey sentenced Reed to life.
The codefendant, Lashonda Williams, testified Reed planned to carjack someone to drive back to Greenville, Mississippi, where they are from. Reed and Williams were located days later in Greenville with the pastor’s car.
The case against Williams is pending.
Information from: The Commercial Appeal, http://www.commercialappeal.com | http://www.johnsoncitypress.com/State/2016/08/27/Jury-convicts-man-in-fatal-shooting-of-Tenn-pastor.html | en | 2016-03-05T00:00:00 | www.johnsoncitypress.com/2816977b992afe3e1a68ace299db14adc522b0ed8816e5b13e716a6a102e50ad.json |
[] | 2016-08-26T14:49:34 | null | 2016-08-26T00:00:00 | Johnson City police arrested a Kingsport man Thursday night after officers say he broke the glass door at a business on the north end, later returned to the scene to inflict more damage and | http%3A%2F%2Fwww.johnsoncitypress.com%2Flaw-enforcement%2F2016%2F08%2F26%2FKingsport-man-charged-in-business-vandalism.html.json | http://www.johnsoncitypress.com/image/2016/08/26/x720_q60/Mark-Moody.jpg | en | null | Kingsport man charged in business vandalism | null | null | www.johnsoncitypress.com | Mark A. Moody, 57, 124 Warrior Falls Drive, Kingsport, was charged with attempted burglary, burglary, two counts of aggravated assault and vandalism over $500.
In a news release by the Johnson City Police Department, officers said Moody threw a brick at the glass door of a north Johnson City business Thursday evening, then led the scene.
The business owner originally believed the damage to the door was caused by a vehicle crash, but a relative left guarding the business said Moody returned, and used a rock to break another window. The relative told police he tried to block Moody’s escape, but Moody intentionally rammed his vehicle twice and fled the scene.
Moody was stopped by Washington County Sheriff’s Office deputies on State Highway 36 and taken into custody on suspicion of DUI.
He was transported to the Washington County Detention Center and served with warrants charging him in the incident at the business. He is scheduled to appear in Washington County General Sessions Court at 10:30 a.m. Friday for arraignment. | http://www.johnsoncitypress.com/law-enforcement/2016/08/26/Kingsport-man-charged-in-business-vandalism.html | en | 2016-08-26T00:00:00 | www.johnsoncitypress.com/707993f2c50f71e1d11ed9910daadd7927a59383af0bd50b7dba491cc7a794fb.json |
[] | 2016-08-26T13:14:50 | null | 2016-08-24T00:00:00 | AMATRICE, Italy — Rescue crews using bulldozers and their bare hands raced to dig out survivors from a strong earthquake that reduced three central Italian towns to rubble | http%3A%2F%2Fwww.johnsoncitypress.com%2FWorld%2F2016%2F08%2F24%2FItaly-earthquake-kills-at-least-120-reduces-towns-to-rubble.html.json | http://www.johnsoncitypress.com/image/2016/08/24/x720_q60/APTOPIX-Italy-Quake-5-2.jpg | en | null | UPDATE: Italy earthquake kills at least 120, reduces towns to rubble | null | null | www.johnsoncitypress.com | Residents wakened before dawn by the temblor emerged from their crumbled homes to find what they described as apocalyptic scenes “like Dante’s Inferno,” with entire blocks of buildings turned into piles of sand and rock, thick dust choking the air and a putrid smell of gas.
“The town isn’t here anymore,” said Sergio Pirozzi, the mayor of the hardest-hit town, Amatrice. “I believe the toll will rise.”
The magnitude 6 quake struck at 3:36 a.m. and was felt across a broad swath of central Italy, including Rome, where residents woke to a long swaying followed by aftershocks. The temblor shook the Lazio region and Umbria and Le Marche on the Adriatic coast, a highly seismic area that has witnessed major quakes in the past.
Dozens of people were pulled out alive by rescue teams and volunteers that poured in from around Italy.
“She’s alive!” two women cheered as they ran up the street in Pescara del Tronto, one of the three hardest hit hamlets, after an 8-year-old girl was pulled from the rubble after nightfall.
And there were wails when bodies emerged.
“Unfortunately, 90 percent we pull out are dead, but some make it, that’s why we are here,” said Christian Bianchetti, a volunteer from Rieti who was working in devastated Amatrice where flood lights were set up so the rescue could continue through the night.
Premier Matteo Renzi visited the zone Wednesday, greeted rescue teams and survivors, and said the toll stood at 120 dead and was likely to rise. At least 368 others were injured. He promised the quake-prone area that “No family, no city, no hamlet will be left behind.”
Worst affected were the tiny towns of Amatrice and Accumoli near Rieti, some 100 kilometers (60 miles) northeast of Rome, and Pescara del Tronto, some 25 kilometers further east. Italy’s civil protection agency set up tent cities around each hamlet to accommodate the thousands of homeless.
Italy’s health minister, Beatrice Lorenzin, visiting the devastated area, said many of the victims were children: The quake zone is a popular spot for Romans with second homes, and the population swells in August when most Italians take their summer holiday before school resumes.
The medieval center of Amatrice was devastated, with the hardest-hit half of the city cut off by rescue crews digging by hand to get to trapped residents.
The birthplace of the famed spaghetti all’amatriciana bacon and tomato sauce, the city was full for this weekend’s planned festival honoring its native dish. Some 70 guests filled its top Hotel Roma, famed for its amatriciana, and a rescue worker said at least five bodies were pulled from the hotel’s rubble. The fate of the dozens of other guests wasn’t immediately known.
Amatrice is made up of 69 hamlets that teams from around Italy were working to reach with sniffer dogs, earth movers and other heavy equipment to reach residents. In the city center, rocks and metal tumbled onto the streets and dazed residents huddled in piazzas as more than 200 aftershocks jolted the region throughout the day, some as strong as magnitude 5.1.
“The whole ceiling fell but did not hit me,” marveled resident Maria Gianni. “I just managed to put a pillow on my head and I wasn’t hit, luckily, just slightly injured my leg.”
Another woman, sitting in front of her destroyed home with a blanket over her shoulders, said she didn’t know what had become of her loved ones.
“It was one of the most beautiful towns of Italy and now there’s nothing left,” she said, too distraught to give her name. “I don’t know what we’ll do.”
As the August sun turned into a nighttime chill, residents, civil protection workers and even priests dug with shovels, bulldozers and their bare hands to reach survivors. A steady column of dump trucks brought tons of twisted metal, rock and cement down the hill and onto the highway toward Rome, along with a handful of ambulances bringing the injured to Rome hospitals.
“We need chain saws, shears to cut iron bars and jacks to remove beams. Everything, we need everything,” civil protection worker Andrea Gentili told The Associated Press in the early hours of the recovery. Italy’s national blood drive association appealed for donations to Rieti’s hospital.
Despite a massive rescue and relief effort — with army, Alpine crews, carabineri, firefighters, Red Cross crews and volunteers, it wasn’t enough: A few miles (kilometers) north of Amatrice, in Illica, residents complained that rescue workers were slow to arrive and that loved ones were trapped.
“We are waiting for the military,” said resident Alessandra Cappellanti. “There is a base in Ascoli, one in Rieti, and in L’Aquila. And we have not seen a single soldier. We pay! It’s disgusting!”
Agostino Severo, a Rome resident visiting Illica, said workers eventually arrived after an hour or so. “We came out to the piazza, and it looked like Dante’s Inferno,” he said. “People crying for help, help.”
The magnitude 6 quake’s epicenter was located near Accumoli and Arquata del Tronto and had a shallow depth of just four kilometers, Italy’s geological institute said. Generally, shallow earthquakes pack a bigger punch and tend to be more damaging than deeper quakes.
“The Apennine mountains in central Italy have the highest seismic hazard in Western Europe and earthquakes of this magnitude are common,” noted Dr Richard Walters, a lecturer in Earth sciences at Durham University in Britain.
The devastation harked back to the 2009 quake that killed more than 300 people in and around L’Aquila, about 90 kilometers (55 miles) south of the latest quake. The town, which still hasn’t fully recovered, sent emergency teams Wednesday to help with the rescue and set up tent camps for residents unwilling to stay indoors because of aftershocks.
“I don’t know what to say. We are living this immense tragedy,” said a tearful Rev. Savino D’Amelio, a parish priest in Amatrice. “We are only hoping there will be the least number of victims possible and that we all have the courage to move on.”
Another hard-hit town was Pescara del Tronto, in the Le Marche region, where the main road was covered in debris.
Residents were digging their neighbors out by hand before emergency crews arrived. Aerial photos taken by regional firefighters showed the town essentially flattened and under a thick gray coat of dust; Italy requested EU satellite images of the whole area to get the scope of the damage.
“There are broken liquor bottles all over the place,” said Gino Petrucci, owner of a bar in nearby Arquata Del Tronto where he was beginning the long cleanup.
One rescue was particularly delicate as a ranger in Capodacqua, in the Marche province of Ascoli Piceno, diplomatically tried to keep an 80-year-old woman calm as she begged to get to a toilet, even though she was trapped in the rubble.
“Listen, I know it’s not nice to say but if you need to pee you just do it,” he said. “Now I move away a little bit and you do pee, please.”
The mayor of Accumoli, Stefano Petrucci, said a family of four had died there, one of the few young families who had decided to stay in the area. He wept as he noted that the tiny hamlet of 700 swells to 2,000 in the summer months, and that he feared for the future of the town.
“I hope they don’t forget us,” he told Sky TG24.
President Barack Obama, speaking by telephone to Italian President Sergio Mattarella, said the U.S. sent its thoughts and prayers to the quake victims and saluted the “quick action” by first responders, White House spokesman Josh Earnest said.
A 1997 quake killed a dozen people in central Italy and severely damaged one of the jewels of Umbria, the Basilica of St. Francis in Assisi, filled with Giotto frescoes. The Franciscan friars who are the custodians of the basilica reported no immediate damage from Wednesday’s temblor.
Pope Francis skipped his traditional catechism for his Wednesday general audience and instead invited the thousands of pilgrims in St. Peter’s Square to recite the rosary with him. He also sent a six-man squad from the Vatican’s fire department to help with the rescue. | http://www.johnsoncitypress.com/World/2016/08/24/Italy-earthquake-kills-at-least-120-reduces-towns-to-rubble.html | en | 2016-08-24T00:00:00 | www.johnsoncitypress.com/1d4770609e2e8008846f65f9caae7ee959242e40d2c56bf5af02fb6b5f641f1f.json |
[] | 2016-08-26T13:15:14 | null | 2016-08-24T00:00:00 | AKRON, Ohio — Black Republicans cheer Donald Trump for a newfound outreach to African-Americans, but say the GOP presidential nominee must take his message beyond arenas filled | http%3A%2F%2Fwww.johnsoncitypress.com%2FPolitics%2F2016%2F08%2F24%2FAs-Trump-tries-minority-outreach-many-blacks-unconvinced.html.json | http://www.johnsoncitypress.com/image/2016/08/24/x720_q60/Campaign-2016-Trump-Black-Voters.jpg | en | null | As Trump tries minority outreach, many blacks unconvinced | null | null | www.johnsoncitypress.com | Many rank-and-file black voters, meanwhile, dismiss the overtures as another racially charged pitch from a campaign aimed exclusively at whites, from Trump’s emphasis on “law and order” to his withering critiques of President Barack Obama, the nation’s first black chief executive. It was Trump in 2011 who fiercely challenged Obama’s U.S. birth.
“Any minority who would vote for him is crazy, ought to have their head examined,” said Ike Jenkins, an 81-year-old retired business owner in the predominantly black suburb of East Cleveland.
Foluke Bennett, a 43-year-old from Philadelphia, went further, labeling the GOP standard-bearer’s remarks as “racist,” pointing, among other things, to his referencing African-Americans as “the blacks.”
Trump is scheduled to appear Wednesday in Jackson, Mississippi, an 80 percent African-American city and capital of the state with the nation’s highest proportion of black residents. It is unclear whether he will address black voters directly; so far, his appeal to them has been delivered before white audiences in mostly white cities.
Mississippi is overwhelmingly Republican because of whites’ loyalties, as opposed to battlegrounds such as Ohio, Pennsylvania and Florida, states Obama won twice and where the largest cities offer at least a theoretical chance for Trump to pursue marginal shifts among significant black populations.
Trump has previously rejected high-profile speaking slots at the NAACP’s annual gathering, along with events sponsored by the Urban League and the National Association of Black Journalists.
“He’s got to take his arguments to the streets,” said Brandon Berg, a black pastor who drove Monday from Youngstown, Ohio, to hear Trump at the University of Akron. Berg said he’s an outlier: an undecided black Republican. For most African-Americans, Berg said, Trump must “meet them where they are.”
Trump has scheduled an event Thursday billed as a roundtable with black and Latino leaders invited to his New York offices, and his aides say he is considering more rallies in heavily minority cities in swing states. The Washington Post first reported those plans, specifically mentioning charter schools, small businesses and churches in black and Latino communities.
It’s a well-known electoral conundrum for Trump and Republicans: The United States population grows less white with each election cycle, so to defeat Democrat Hillary Clinton, the New York billionaire must attract more non-white voters or run up an advantage with white voters to a level no candidate has reached since Ronald Reagan’s 1984 landslide.
Obama won 93 percent of black voters in 2012 and 95 percent in 2008, according to exit polls. This year, polls suggest Trump could fare even worse than the Republicans who lost to Obama.
Trump has confronted his steep path in the last week, asking minorities, “Give Trump a chance!”
In Wisconsin, he declared to minorities: “You live in poverty, your schools are no good, you have no jobs, 58 percent of your youth is unemployed? What the hell do you have to lose?” He argues illegal immigration disproportionately affects economic opportunities of blacks and Hispanics.
In Ohio, he insisted without evidence that foreign “war zones” are “safer than living in some of our inner cities.” He pledged a Trump administration would “get rid of the crime,” allowing minorities to “walk down the street without getting shot.”
Calvin Tucker, the lone black GOP convention delegate from Pennsylvania, says Trump’s arguments resonate with him. “We need a change agent,” said Tucker, 64, of Philadelphia. “He’s breaking down his overall economic platform and relating it to African-Americans,” Tucker added, extolling the GOP’s emphasis on entrepreneurial pursuits.
Certainly, each Trump pronouncement drew roaring approval from his rally audiences. Many black voters, however, hear the appeal differently.
As he sold Cleveland Cavaliers NBA championship swag, street vendor Steve T, 47, said the “disrespectful” comments represent “the real Trump.”
“Not all of us live in poverty, crime,” he said. “You can’t get votes from people you don’t even understand.”
In Philadelphia, Bennett said, “It’s crazy to think that he would have the audacity to ask us what we have to lose. If anything, his comments just made the line even more clear as to why black people won’t vote for him.”
In East Cleveland, Jenkins and several other retirees gathered in a neighborhood restaurant echo many of Trump’s arguments. James Smith, a 79-year-old former butcher, points out the window and laments “a community that’s old and poor.” Jenkins says “handouts keep people in slavery.” Randall Darnell blasts an economy that traps laborers, black and white, in “legalized slavery.”
But every one plans to vote for Clinton, and nearly all said they see Trump’s latest arguments aimed more at whites.
“He’s talking about black people” when he mentions violence in cities, Smith said, “not to black people.” | http://www.johnsoncitypress.com/Politics/2016/08/24/As-Trump-tries-minority-outreach-many-blacks-unconvinced.html | en | 2016-08-24T00:00:00 | www.johnsoncitypress.com/3b3cd7e6fc5155ffb7d33ee007898218cfdb449d9f3bc5a36ad88a60ffe78481.json |
[] | 2016-08-27T22:48:49 | null | 2016-08-27T00:00:00 | Afternoon rain has delayed the setup for the Billy Currington concert scheduled for tonight at East Tennessee State University near the Center for Physical Activity.
Gates | http%3A%2F%2Fwww.johnsoncitypress.com%2FLocal%2F2016%2F08%2F27%2FCurrington-concert-delayed-gates-at-7-30-show-at-8-30.html.json | http://www.johnsoncitypress.com | en | null | Currington concert delayed: gates at 7:30 p.m., show at 8:30 | null | null | www.johnsoncitypress.com | Currington concert delayed: gates at 7:30 p.m., show at 8:30
Afternoon rain has delayed the setup for the Billy Currington concert scheduled for tonight at East Tennessee State University near the Center for Physical Activity. | http://www.johnsoncitypress.com/Local/2016/08/27/Currington-concert-delayed-gates-at-7-30-show-at-8-30.html | en | 2016-08-27T00:00:00 | www.johnsoncitypress.com/cec0b7444d8ab544a093245319bcb74169cf487ae666f931098652589580f226.json |
[] | 2016-08-29T22:49:31 | null | 2016-08-29T00:00:00 | Kennesaw State is the perfect opening opponent, East Tennessee State University football coach Carl Torbush says.
“I’m glad we get to open up with | http%3A%2F%2Fwww.johnsoncitypress.com%2FFootball%2F2016%2F08%2F29%2FKennesaw-State-to-be-measuring-stick-for-Bucs.html.json | http://www.johnsoncitypress.com/image/2016/08/29/x720_q60/DSC0134-JPG-1.jpg | en | null | Kennesaw State to be measuring stick for Bucs | null | null | www.johnsoncitypress.com | “I’m glad we get to open up with Kennesaw State because it gives us the best opportunity to see how much improvement we have made since a year ago,” Torbush said Monday during his first weekly news conference of the season. “Both of us have the majority of our team back and it will be a good test for our guys. We are bigger, faster and stronger this year, but so are they.”
The Bucs open the season Saturday at Kennesaw, Georgia. Kickoff is set for 7 p.m. at Fifth Third Bank Stadium.
ETSU has plenty of room for improvement from last year’s opener. Kennesaw State won the battle of first-year programs, 56-16, at Kermit Tipton Stadium.
“Last year’s game was close for a half, but things blew up on us after halftime,” said Torbush, whose team went on to post a 2-9 record. “Kennesaw State won six games as a new program and they did a nice job in the Big South Conference. Last season’s success says a lot about their team and coaching staff.”
The Bucs were beating the Owls 13-7 with less than two minutes to go in the first half before things began to fall apart. Kennesaw State scored two touchdowns 38 seconds apart to begin the onslaught.
“We gave up too many big plays and got worn out in the second half,” Torbush said. “Kennesaw wants to keep you on the field and make you tired. We need to be prepared to tackle and get stops so our defense can get off the field.”
The Bucs unveiled their depth chart on Monday. Matt Pyke retained his starting center spot despite being relegated to the second team behind Myles Smith for much of the preseason camp.
One position with no surprise is quarterback, where Austin Herink is the clear starter. Herink split time with Nick Sexton much of last season, but is likely to see the majority of playing time this year.
“I don’t think I played looking over my shoulder last year,” Herink said. “I knew what the situation was going into it last season. I wanted to go out and make the most of the opportunity that was given to me. Our coaching staff knows more about the game than we do. We have to trust the process. I want to go out there, play my best and do whatever I can to help the team.”
Only one true freshman — 267-pound defensive tackle Austin Rowan — was on the depth chart, but Torbush said he won’t hesitate to use other freshmen if they can help the team.
“If we have a freshman that is better, we are going to play them,” he said. “We have several freshmen that have the chance to jump in and play this year. Once we make the commitment to play them, they will play.”
The Bucs’ starting secondary consists of four upperclassmen, a rarity on a team full of mostly red-shirt freshmen and sophomores. Transfers Ryan Powers and Paul Hunter are the starting safeties, while Daren Ardis and Tavian Lott are the cornerbacks.
Also, ETSU announced Monday that single-game tickets are on sale now. Reserved seating for five home games at Kermit Tipton Stadium can be bought at ETSUBucs.com or by calling (423) 439-3878.
In addition, tickets to the Sept. 17 game against Western Carolina at Bristol Motor Speedway by calling (423) 274-7865.
Ticket prices start at $20. | http://www.johnsoncitypress.com/Football/2016/08/29/Kennesaw-State-to-be-measuring-stick-for-Bucs.html | en | 2016-08-29T00:00:00 | www.johnsoncitypress.com/ef03422223202cf7e793205df7d05dde91969eec5e1a8dbeef78f5ba99a5ce1b.json |
[] | 2016-08-28T04:49:08 | null | 2016-08-28T00:00:00 | DEAR ABBY: During my wedding reception a month ago, one of the guests (a friend of my mom's) poured a glass of water on the DJ's laptop because he felt the music was too loud and he | http%3A%2F%2Fwww.johnsoncitypress.com%2FAdvice%2F2016%2F08%2F28%2FGuest-s-behavior-at-wedding-earns-no-thanks-from-bride.html.json | http://www.johnsoncitypress.com | en | null | Guest's behavior at wedding earns no thanks from bride | null | null | www.johnsoncitypress.com | The man ended up paying the DJ to replace the laptop and sent us a note of apology for his behavior. My question is, must we send a thank-you note to him and his wife for the wedding gift they gave us? What the man did was unforgivable. In many ways he spoiled our day. Mom thinks I should "do the right thing" and thank them for the gift. It wasn't his wife's fault, so I am thinking of addressing the note to her only. Is that OK? — WEDDING DAY SURVIVOR
DEAR SURVIVOR: I know of no rule of etiquette that forbids addressing the note only to her. However, when you write the note, word it this way, "We want to thank you and 'John' (or 'your husband') for the (gift), and we'll think of you when we use it." That way you will have thanked them both for it, and your manners will be above reproach. And if you prefer to avoid them in the future, you'll get no argument from me.
DEAR ABBY: I am in the process of a divorce from my husband who cuts himself. Recently, he had an episode that resulted in a 72-hour hold for evaluation in a hospital. This is more than I can handle. My fear is finding him dead one morning. He says he loves me and wants to work things out, and he promises to stop (he's promised before). Am I being selfish for wanting out? — SELFISH IN SACRAMENTO
DEAR SELFISH: Promising to stop self-harming behavior is not enough. Unless your husband is willing to get the necessary psychotherapy it will take for him to keep his promise, nothing will change. As it stands, I don't think it's selfish to want to escape from a situation in which you are helpless. The question is, if your husband is willing to get the help he needs and shows he is following through, would it have any effect on your decision to divorce him?
DEAR ABBY: My daughter has been living with her boyfriend for three years with no promise of marriage. She is 37, so we have advised her very little. The problem is, she wants us to continue treating him as family at gatherings and celebrations. Her father, sister and I are uncomfortable with this. On her most recent birthday, we were hoping he would give her a ring, but he gave her a snowboard.
We think he is leading her on and has no intention of marrying her. We no longer feel comfortable treating him like a member of our family. Are we right? — LOOKING OUT FOR OUR GIRL
DEAR LOOKING OUT: What you were hoping your daughter's boyfriend would give her for her birthday is irrelevant. I understand that you would like your daughter to be married, but it is possible that she and this man are comfortable with things the way they are. If you start to freeze him out, you may alienate not only him but also your daughter, so I don't recommend it.
You appear to be confusing the boyfriend's unwillingness or inability to make a formal commitment with some kind of rejection, which may not be the case at all. Some couples live together longer than this before heading down the aisle.
Dear Abby is written by Abigail Van Buren, also known as Jeanne Phillips, and was founded by her mother, Pauline Phillips. Contact Dear Abby at www.DearAbby.com or P.O. Box 69440, Los Angeles, CA 90069. | http://www.johnsoncitypress.com/Advice/2016/08/28/Guest-s-behavior-at-wedding-earns-no-thanks-from-bride.html | en | 2016-08-28T00:00:00 | www.johnsoncitypress.com/3883f53a8b6899eb54335eb87cd0eb0e49f35e8ca8d0c6b6b86643e881e7d054.json |
[] | 2016-08-26T13:01:20 | null | 2016-08-19T00:00:00 | NEW ORLEANS — Making clear that she thought the sentence was a light one, a Louisiana judge Thursday formally imposed a 20-year prison sentence on former NFL star Darren Sharper, | http%3A%2F%2Fwww.johnsoncitypress.com%2FFootball%2F2016%2F08%2F25%2FEx-NFL-star-Sharper-gets-20-years-in-Louisiana-rape-case.html.json | http://www.johnsoncitypress.com/image/2016/08/19/x720_q60/Darren-Sharper-Rape-Charges-1.jpg | en | null | Ex-NFL-star Sharper gets 20 years in Louisiana rape case | null | null | www.johnsoncitypress.com | Defense attorney Billy Gibbens said that the two sentences are essentially the same, when credit for time served and other factors are considered. The sentence follows Sharper’s guilty pleas in state and federal courts in New Orleans, and pleas of guilty or no contest to similar charges in Arizona, California and Nevada — all the result of a multi-jurisdiction plea deal that once called for a sentence of about nine years.
Early this year, U.S. District Judge Jane Triche Milazzo rejected that sentence as too light. She imposed the 18-year, four-month sentence last week.
In state court on Thursday, Judge Karen Herman made clear she thought two decades was a relatively light punishment for the fallen NFL star, calling his behavior “such an epic disappointment.”
Thursday’s second sentencing hearing was again punctuated by tearful testimony from victims. One who said she was determined from the time she realized she had been raped in 2013 to see him prosecuted and see him branded as “a serial rapist and a sex offender.” She added that, for months, she woke up screaming in the middle of the night because of the ordeal.
Another said she forgave Sharper, despite suffering through depression and fears that have caused her to miss work and withdraw emotionally from people who care about her. “I’m afraid no one understands,” she said.
Herman pointedly told Sharper that had he been tried by a jury and convicted on his original charges, including aggravated rape, the sentence would have been much harsher. She accepted the 20-year sentence only after consulting with attorneys and victims. She said the deal would help bring closure to the victims.
Sharper again apologized to his victims and their families and continued to ask for forgiveness, at one point telling the judge, “I am not a monster.”
Sentenced to nine years already in Arizona, Sharper still faces formal sentencing in California and Nevada. He is expected to serve his sentence in federal custody.
Sharper had two co-defendants in the Louisiana cases. Former restaurant worker Erik Nunez and former St. Bernard Parish Sheriff’s Deputy Branden Licciardi are set for sentencing in October on related charges.
Sharper was named All-Pro six times and chosen for the Pro Bowl five times during a career that included stints with the Green Bay Packers and Minnesota Vikings. He played in two Super Bowls, one with the Packers as a rookie and one with New Orleans Saints when they won in 2010.
He ended a 14-year career in 2011. He was working as an NFL network analyst when women began telling police in several cities similar stories of blacking out while drinking with him and waking up groggy to find they had been sexually abused. | http://www.johnsoncitypress.com/Football/2016/08/25/Ex-NFL-star-Sharper-gets-20-years-in-Louisiana-rape-case.html | en | 2016-08-19T00:00:00 | www.johnsoncitypress.com/1fddffd30b068a61cfcebd054067ff94692ab0d711624040509ef44bc483c478.json |
[] | 2016-08-27T16:48:32 | null | 2016-08-27T00:00:00 | JOHNSON CITY - Lloyd F. Arrowood, Jr., 83, of Johnson City, passed away on Tuesday, August 16, 2016, after a lengthy battle with cancer at the Veterans Affairs Medical Center. He was a | http%3A%2F%2Fwww.johnsoncitypress.com%2FObituary%2F2016%2F08%2F27%2FLloyd-F-Arrowood-Jr.html.json | http://www.johnsoncitypress.com | en | null | Lloyd F. Arrowood, Jr. | null | null | www.johnsoncitypress.com | In addition to his parents, Lloyd was preceded in death by his wife, Wanda L. Arrowood, and his brother, Ted Arrowood.
He was a graduate of Elizabethton High School, East Tennessee State University, and the University of Tennessee, College of Law. Lloyd proudly served his country in the U.S. Army. He was a retired attorney, and a member of various professional, fraternal, civic, and military organizations. Lloyd lived an honorable and happy life and was at peace with his maker.
Those left to cherish Lloyd’s memory include his sons: Lloyd F. Arrowood, III and his wife Sandy, and Andrew Arrowood; brothers: Joseph L. Arrowood and his wife Bobbie, Bill Arrowood and his wife Peggy; and his granddaughter Leslie Arrowood; several nieces and nephews also survive.
In keeping with Lloyd’s wishes, the family asks that instead of flowers, donations be sent to The Dawn of Hope 500 East Oakland Avenue Johnson City TN 37601.
A private Memorial Service for Lloyd was held Friday, August 19, 2016 at Tetrick Funeral and Cremation Services Johnson City. He was laid to rest at Mountain Home National Cemetery with full military honors.
Memories and condolences may be shared at www.tetrickfuneralhome.com. Tetrick Funeral and Cremation Services 3001 Peoples Street Johnson City TN 37604 (423-610-7171) is honored to serve the Arrowood family during this difficult time. | http://www.johnsoncitypress.com/Obituary/2016/08/27/Lloyd-F-Arrowood-Jr.html | en | 2016-08-27T00:00:00 | www.johnsoncitypress.com/f338fe4cafbd0b08f9568de464b31048b4bbdf33b7f7b2f54ac9e09c3256e083.json |
[] | 2016-08-29T22:49:19 | null | 2016-08-29T00:00:00 | Public Works projects
• Martindale Subdivision – resurfacing preparations. Motorists advised to use caution in this area. | http%3A%2F%2Fwww.johnsoncitypress.com%2FLocal%2F2016%2F08%2F29%2FArea-road-projects-2.html.json | http://www.johnsoncitypress.com | en | null | Area road projects | null | null | www.johnsoncitypress.com | • Martindale Subdivision – resurfacing preparations. Motorists advised to use caution in this area.
• Seminole Drive (between Ashley Road and Forestdale Lane) – drainage improvements. Lane closures possible. Detours will be in place.
• Roan Street (between Market and Water streets) – roadway improvements. Road closed. One lane of Water Street/Buffalo Street closed at times.
• Legion Street (State of Franklin Road to Alabama Street) – trail extension and improvements. Expect lane shifts and lane closures. Motorists are advised to use caution in this area.
• Boone and West Market streets – installation of box culvert. Intersection closed. Multiple lane and sidewalk closures in place over course of project.
Water/Sewer projects
• Weaver Hill Road – water line replacement; lane closures.
• Oak Park area at East Lakeview Drive – cleanup; lane closures.
• Snyder Drive – water line replacement; lane closures.
• SR 326 interchange/East Poplar Street between Grover and Clairborne streets – move sewer line, install manholes; road closed.
• Oak Grove area – water line replacement; flaggers present.
• Circle Drive and Dogwood Street – cleanup; flaggers present.
• Chilhowie Avenue and Welbourne Street – water line replacement; flaggers present.
All work is weather permitting. | http://www.johnsoncitypress.com/Local/2016/08/29/Area-road-projects-2.html | en | 2016-08-29T00:00:00 | www.johnsoncitypress.com/cec99903606be3d084d1772d475ce193ca84c464618a5cbb76d87a62dc7b26d2.json |
[] | 2016-08-28T04:49:20 | null | 2016-08-28T00:00:00 | MILWAUKEE — MacKenzie Schaffner of Roan Mountain has been awarded an A. O. Smith Corporation Merit Scholarship for the 2016-17 school year. Schaffner is one of 26 students, all | http%3A%2F%2Fwww.johnsoncitypress.com%2FEducation%2F2016%2F08%2F28%2FRoan-Mountain-s-Schaffner-awarded-A-O-Smith-Scholarship.html.json | http://www.johnsoncitypress.com | en | null | Roan Mountain's Schaffner awarded A.O. Smith Scholarship | null | null | www.johnsoncitypress.com | Recipients are selected based on their academic record, participation in school and community activities, work experience and honors.
Schaffner is beginning her sophomore year at East Tennessee State University in Johnson City, majoring in mass communications. She was named to the Dean’s list in the fall of 2015 and the spring of 2016 and is a member of the Sigma Alpha Pi Honor Society, Alpha Lambda Delta Freshman Honor Society and the Sigma Alpha Lambda Honor Society.
Schaffner is an alumna of the Tennessee Governor’s School of the Arts for Filmmaking and wrote, directed, and produced a narrative short film as a public service announcement for the Elizabethton-Carter County Library.
Schaffner is the daughter of John and Amy Schaffner; John Schaffner works at the A. O. Smith plant in Johnson City.
Now in its 16th year, the A. O. Smith Merit Scholarship program is open to the children of employees in the U.S., Canada, Mexico, Europe, China and India. To be considered, the student must be a graduating high school senior or currently enrolled in an undergraduate college or vocational school degree program.
Scholarships help cover a portion of the tuition costs at an accredited two-year or four-year college or vocational technical school of the student's choice.
The company awards scholarships annually, which may be renewed for up to three additional years or until the recipient earns a bachelor's degree. The A. O. Smith Scholarship program is administered by Scholarship Management Services, a program of ScholarshipAmerica of St. Peter, Minn.
A. O. Smith Corporation, with headquarters in Milwaukee, Wis., applies innovative technology and energy-efficient solutions to products manufactured and marketed worldwide.
The company is one of the world’s leading manufacturers of residential and commercial water heating equipment and boilers, as well as a manufacturer of water treatment products. | http://www.johnsoncitypress.com/Education/2016/08/28/Roan-Mountain-s-Schaffner-awarded-A-O-Smith-Scholarship.html | en | 2016-08-28T00:00:00 | www.johnsoncitypress.com/badb40b75d99a2ca7ba2de147f99930b946ddca47839f338bb8cadbcd5b6db9c.json |
[] | 2016-08-28T04:49:23 | null | 2016-08-28T00:00:00 | Blood Assurance Regional Blood Center will conduct public blood drives at the following locations:
• Monday, Aug. 29, 7:30-11 a.m., General Shale Corporate Office, | http%3A%2F%2Fwww.johnsoncitypress.com%2FCharities-Fundraisers%2F2016%2F08%2F28%2FArea-blood-donation-opportunties.html.json | http://www.johnsoncitypress.com | en | null | Area blood-donation opportunties | null | null | www.johnsoncitypress.com | • Monday, Aug. 29, 7:30-11 a.m., General Shale Corporate Office, Johnson City.
• Monday, Aug. 29, 12:45-3 p.m., General Shale Block Plant, Piney Flats.
• Tuesday, Aug. 30, 9 a.m.-3 p.m., Franklin Woods Community Hospital, Johnson City.
• Wednesday, Aug. 31, 10 a.m.-3 p.m., MSHA Information Systems, Johnson City.
• Thursday, Sept. 1, noon-6 p.m., Niswonger Children’s Hospital, Johnson City.
• Friday, Sept. 2, 8-11:15 a.m., IES, Johnson City (Gray).
• Friday, Sept. 2, 1-4 p.m., Halloween Express, Johnson City.
Donors are also welcome at the Blood Assurance Donor Center at 1 Professional Park Drive, Suite 14, Johnson City.
Donors must be at least 17 years old (16 years old with parental consent), weigh at least 110 pounds and be in good health.
The process usually takes about 30 minutes and includes a complimentary gift and snacks. Donors should eat a healthy meal and drink plenty of fluids — avoiding caffeine — prior to giving blood.
To schedule a blood drive at a local business, school, church or civic/community organization, contact Mike Patterson at 423-298-4335 or MikePatterson@bloodassurance.org.
In other area blood-donation opportunities:
• The American Red Cross and Sport Clips Haircuts are teaming up to offer a free haircut coupon to those who come out to donate blood or platelets during September.
Those who come out to give blood or platelets Sept. 1-30 will receive a coupon for a free haircut via email several days after their donation. The coupon is valid through Nov. 6 at participating Sport Clips locations, and donors must have a valid email address on record to receive the coupon.
Donors of all blood types are urged to give. To schedule an appointment to donate, use the free Blood Donor App at redcrossblood.org or call 1-800-RED CROSS (1-800-733-2767).
Donation appointments and completion of a RapidPass www.redcrossblood.org/RapidPass online health history questionnaire are encouraged to help reduce wait times.
The city Blood Donation Center at 818 Sunset Drive, No. 100, is open Tuesdays from 2:30-7 p.m.; Wednesdays, from 8 a.m.-1 p.m.; and every third Saturday of the month from 8:30 a.m.-1 p.m.
A drive will also be held Tuesday, Sept. 6, at the Jonesborough Visitors Center, 117 Boone St., from 1-5:30 p.m.
A blood donor card or driver's license or two other forms of identification are required at check-in. Individuals who are 17 years of age (16 with parental consent in some states), weigh at least 110 pounds and are in generally good health may be eligible to donate blood.
High school students and other donors 18 years of age and younger also have to meet certain height and weight requirements.
• Marsh Regional Blood Center will conduct public blood drives at the following locations:
• Tuesday, Aug. 30, 8 a.m.-2 p.m., Hampton High School, Hampton.
• Tuesday, Aug. 30, 1-4 p.m., Home Shopping Network, Piney Flats.
In addition to scheduled blood drives, donors are welcome at Marsh Regional’s collection center at 2428 Knob Creek Road, Johnson City.
For more information about scheduling a blood drive at a local business, church, school or community organization, call 423-408-7500, 423-652-0014 or 276-679-4669 or visit www.marshblood.com. | http://www.johnsoncitypress.com/Charities-Fundraisers/2016/08/28/Area-blood-donation-opportunties.html | en | 2016-08-28T00:00:00 | www.johnsoncitypress.com/b8ea7fca273c7616065cf05af658f8d13df4050018cd3c99bebd9cbc51e26938.json |
[] | 2016-08-26T20:48:07 | null | 2016-08-26T00:00:00 | KINGSPORT - Frances L. “Dodson” Jaynes, 97, of Kingsport, a faithful servant of God, went to be with the Lord on Thursday, August 25th at Governor’s Bend | http%3A%2F%2Fwww.johnsoncitypress.com%2FObituary%2F2016%2F08%2F26%2FFrances-L-Dodson-Jaynes.html.json | http://www.johnsoncitypress.com/image/2016/08/26/x720_q60/Jaynes-Frances-photo-jpg.jpg | en | null | Frances L. “Dodson” Jaynes | null | null | www.johnsoncitypress.com | She was a native of Kingsport and was the daughter of Clarence Dodson and Mattie Lee Dodson Cupp. She served many years in various parts of the country, teaching precious children about God’s love and amazing grace. Frances worked tirelessly along with her late husband, Dr. Marlin S. Jaynes, Sr., who was a Church of God minister. She attended Oakwood Forest Christian Church in Kingsport where her son is the Senior Minister.
In addition to her parents, Frances was preceded in death by her husband, Dr. Marlin S. Jaynes, Sr.; her infant son, Clarence Wayne Jaynes; step-father, David Cupp; an infant brother; and four sisters, Marie Ward, Ruth Hensley, Bessie Dodson and Virginia Masters.
She is survived by one son, Dr. Marlin S. Jaynes, Jr. and his wife, Karen of Gray, TN; two granddaughters who were so precious to her, Brenda Jaynes and Marlene Jaynes of Johnson City, TN; and three brothers-in-law, four sisters-in-law, and several nieces and nephews.
The family wants to thank the nurses and staff at Governor’s Bend Assisted Living for all the love and care they gave to Frances, and also our thanks to Avalon Hospice for all they did to give her comfort and help.
The family will receive friends on Sunday from 5-7:00 pm at Oakwood Forest Christian Church in Kingsport. The funeral service will follow at 7:00 pm with Dr. Marlin S. Jaynes, Jr. officiating.
A graveside service will be held on Monday at 10:00 am at Mountain Home National Cemetery.
In lieu of flowers memorial contributions can be made to Oakwood Forest Christian Church, 1713 E. Sevier Ave., Kingsport, TN 37664.
Please visit www.hamlettdobson.com to leave an on-line condolence for the family.
Hamlett-Dobson Funeral Homes, Kingsport is serving the family of Frances L. “Dodson” Jaynes. | http://www.johnsoncitypress.com/Obituary/2016/08/26/Frances-L-Dodson-Jaynes.html | en | 2016-08-26T00:00:00 | www.johnsoncitypress.com/c067cdbfd02cfd87757e4f2700a3d400fa4f93a3ba5f6866d1f7a198811cd551.json |
[] | 2016-08-26T13:03:31 | null | 2016-08-25T00:00:00 | The maker of EpiPens offered patients more help to pay for its costly emergency allergy shots but didn’t budge Thursday on the $608 price.
The announcement from | http%3A%2F%2Fwww.johnsoncitypress.com%2FNews%2F2016%2F08%2F25%2FMylan-boosts-EpiPen-patient-programs-doesn-t-budge-on-price.html.json | http://www.johnsoncitypress.com/image/2016/08/25/x720_q60/Mylan-EpiPen-1.jpg | en | null | Mylan boosts EpiPen patient programs, doesn't budge on price | null | null | www.johnsoncitypress.com | The announcement from Mylan N.V. triggered a new round of condemnation from politicians and consumer groups, who accuse the company of price-gouging on a potentially life-saving treatment.
Critics stressed that insurers, employers and taxpayers will still foot most of the cost for EpiPens. Over time, that drives up insurance premiums and the country’s burgeoning health care tab.
“Everybody suffers, except the Mylan investors,” said Sabrina Corlette of Georgetown University’s Health Policy Institute.
This week, Mylan joined other drugmakers such as Valeant Pharmaceuticals International Inc. and Turing Pharmaceuticals, who’ve been blasted for mammoth price increases.
Mylan CEO Heather Bresch defended her company’s price hikes Thursday, telling CNBC that lowering the price was not an option. Bresch said the company only receives $274 of the $608 for a twin-package of EpiPens. She said insurers, pharmacies, prescription benefit managers and distributors divvy up the rest.
Instead of a price cut, Mylan said it was expanding programs that help people pay for EpiPens or give them out free. It doubled the limit for eligibility for its patient assistance program, so a family of four making up to $97,200 would pay nothing out of pocket. It also said it will offer $300 copay cards, up from the current $100 per-prescription savings. That would cut the bill in half for patients who have to pay full price.
People will eventually be able to order the injected medicine directly from the company, to lower their cost.
“This step seems like a PR fix more than a real remedy, masking an exorbitant and callous price hike,” Sen. Richard Blumenthal, D-Connecticut, said in a statement.
EpiPens, which have little competition, are used in emergencies to treat severe allergies to insect bites and foods like nuts and eggs that can lead to anaphylactic shock. People usually keep a number of EpiPens handy at home, school or work. The syringes, prefilled with the hormone epinephrine, expire after a year.
How much an individual pays depends on insurance coverage. Private insurers often negotiate discounts off the list price, and patient out-of-pocket costs vary by plan. Customers of Express Scripts Holding Co., the nation’s largest prescription benefits manager, pay $73.50. Mylan has said that many people get EpiPens with no out-of-pocket cost.
The list price for a pair of EpiPens has been raised repeatedly from $93.88 in 2007, when Mylan acquired the product, according to Elsevier Clinical Solutions’ database of prices set by manufacturers.
Numerous members of Congress and other politicians this week have called for congressional hearings on Mylan’s pricing, an investigation by the Federal Trade Commission and action by the Food and Drug Administration to increase competition by speeding up approvals of any rival products.
After one EpiPen competitor was pulled from the market last year, only one rival product is available, Adrenaclick, which carries a list price of $461. But EpiPen, introduced in 1987, is so well known that most doctors prescribe it without considering an alternative.
At least two companies are trying to get U.S. approval to sell a rival brand or generic version of EpiPen. None is likely to hit the U.S. market until well into next year.
Relief could come sooner from Imprimis Pharmaceuticals, a compounding pharmacy that prepares medicines to fill individual prescriptions. It said it might be able to sell a version in a few months and would likely charge around $100 for two injectors.
Meanwhile, actress Sarah Jessica Parker, whose son has severe nut allergies, wrote on Instagram that she’s cut ties with Mylan and is “disappointed, saddened and deeply concerned” over EpiPen’s price. Parker was paid to participate in a Mylan campaign.
Several congressional committees have held hearings since last fall on price hikes by Valeant, Turing and a handful of other drugmakers, but prices for many drugs remain high. Unlike other countries, the U.S. doesn’t regulate medicine prices, so drugmakers can charge as much as they want.
Sen. Claire McCaskill, D-Missouri, said in a statement Thursday, “I’m tired of playing whack-a-mole with these pharmaceutical companies that are grabbing obscene profits while they have a monopoly.”
Now many members of Congress from both parties, along with Democratic presidential candidate Hillary Clinton, are demanding answers from Mylan.
Sen. Joe Manchin, D-W. Va. — Mylan head Heather Bresch’s father, wasn’t so harsh.
“I look forward to reviewing (Mylan’s) response in detail and working with my colleagues and all interested parties to lower the price of prescription drugs,” he said in a statement.
Carolyn Janis, 35, of Middlefield, Connecticut, is waiting to fill a new EpiPen prescription for her 2-year-old son, Noah, that’s needed before he starts daycare next month. He’s allergic to eggs and all nuts.
She paid $175 under an old insurance plan but now has a high-deductible plan and she’s already exhausted her health savings account. Janis said she’d explore the patient assistance Mylan is offering.
“I am anxious about how much it’s going to cost,” she said.
AP Writers Matthew Perrone and Mary Clare Jalonick in Washington, D.C., contributed to this report. | http://www.johnsoncitypress.com/News/2016/08/25/Mylan-boosts-EpiPen-patient-programs-doesn-t-budge-on-price.html | en | 2016-08-25T00:00:00 | www.johnsoncitypress.com/16dd2aea970b01d7dd8665ebcbf68659bd5be59bb46bb52715d39d9dcf7c44e1.json |
[] | 2016-08-26T13:12:30 | null | 2016-08-25T00:00:00 | Nine-month old Brently Ledford may be young, but the battle he is waging stands to benefit thousands of families just like his.
One of the one in 5,000 children who are | http%3A%2F%2Fwww.johnsoncitypress.com%2FLocal%2F2016%2F08%2F24%2FJohnson-City-infant-raising-awareness-for-craniofacial.html.json | http://www.johnsoncitypress.com/image/2016/08/25/x720_q60/Brently-Ledford.jpg | en | null | Johnson City infant, family raising awareness for Craniofacial Acceptance Month | null | null | www.johnsoncitypress.com | One of the one in 5,000 children who are born with craniofacial abnormalities, the bones in Brently’s little skull are fused and are not allowing for the rapid brain growth kids his age go through.
The scar he wears from ear to ear across the top the head is from the first surgery he underwent to correct the condition last spring at Vanderbilt University Medical Center in Nashville.
And in early October, he and his mom and dad, Bekah and Washington County Sheriff’s Deputy Brad Ledford, will return to Vandy for his second surgery.
“It’s not a one-and-done thing,” Bekah said. Kids with Brentley’s condition struggle to stay ahead of the risks of their condition. And the emotional and financial trials their families go through are unfamiliar to almost everyone who has not been through it.
September’s observation of Craniofacial Acceptance Month holds a lot of potential to improve things for kids like Brently.
And like other families aligned through the Children’s Craniofacial Association, the Ledfords will spend the month doing their part to bolster awareness of craniofacial differences, or as the CCA says, to help people see that “beyond the face is a heart.”
September will also be a pre-op month for Brently, and even as they are preparing for his next surgery, Bekah will be posting regular updates on his Facebook page, Brave for Brently.
There is a lot of good information to share, she said, like how important it is for all children to be screened for abnormalities that could be life altering if diagnosed too late.
Links to CCA and CAPPSKIDS (craniosynostosis-plagiocephaly) websites and to Cranio Care Bears network for parents will also be there along with regular updates on Brently’s progress.
Most recently, Bekah proudly reported Wednesday, he has picked up the awesome new word, “Mama,” and mastered the art of rolling from the army crawl position to sitting up. He’s been holding his head up straight since a few days after his first surgery.
The Washington County Sheriff’s Department, which Bekah said has been a fabulous support for their family through Brently’s treatment, will also be joining the craniofacial awareness efforts with a blood drive tentatively planned for sometime in September.
And to help with the expenses related to Brentley’s care, their trips back and forth to Nashville and expenses here at home, more than 45 friends and strangers have contributed to a YouCaring page that went up online on Aug. 11.
For others who wish to help the Ledfords, donations to Brentley’s YouCaring page will be welcomed through the course of his treatment.
And when that is done, Bekah said, the family will invest any contributions beyond Brently’s treatment needs into a nonprofit organization to continue their quest for greater craniofacial awareness.
Email Sue Guinn Legg at slegg@johnsoncitypress.com. Follow her on Twitter @sueleggjcpress. Like her on Facebook at facebook.com/sueleggjcpress.
Family of local infant undergoing a series of surgeries at Vanderbilt for life-threatening fused skull (soft spot) that will not allow his brain to grow is raising awareness for Craniofacial Awareness Month and funds for their stay in Nashville and related expenses. Red Cross of NET advice for groups collecting supplies for Louisiana flood victims and update on local volunteers rendering aid in the disaster area | http://www.johnsoncitypress.com/Local/2016/08/24/Johnson-City-infant-raising-awareness-for-craniofacial.html | en | 2016-08-25T00:00:00 | www.johnsoncitypress.com/92d88b2687b622f922545db0e1d0427c4b4ae22c0409be922874950f5e1f94f9.json |
[] | 2016-08-26T12:58:48 | null | 2016-08-25T00:00:00 | Mrs. Bernice Ledford, age 62, Telford, passed away Wednesday August 24, 2016 at Franklin Woods Community Hospital, Johnson City. Mrs. Ledford was a Washington County native and the | http%3A%2F%2Fwww.johnsoncitypress.com%2FObituary%2F2016%2F08%2F25%2FMrs-Bernice-Ledford-1.html.json | http://www.johnsoncitypress.com/image/2016/08/25/x720_q60/ledford-jpg.jpg | en | null | Mrs. Bernice Ledford | null | null | www.johnsoncitypress.com | She was also preceded in death by one brother and two sisters. Bernice and her husband Russell owned and operated Ledford's Produce, they have sold produce around the area for many years. Survivors include her husband Russell Ledford, two daughters Sandra Crews (Dale) and Shirley Housewright, one son Robert Ledford; four grand-children; two brothers, Daniel Blankenship, and James Blankenship, one sister Mable Blankenship; several nieces and nephews.
The family will receive family and friends Saturday August 27, 2016, 10:00-2:00PM at the Home, 227 Rauhof Rd Telford, TN 37690, and from 6:00- 8:00PM at Dillow-Taylor Funeral Home with funeral to follow with Rev. David Tydings officiating. Graveside services will be Sunday August 28, 2016 2:00PM at New Victory Baptist Cemetery. Pallbearers will be family and friends.
Dillow-Taylor Funeral Home and Cremation Services 423-753-3821 | http://www.johnsoncitypress.com/Obituary/2016/08/25/Mrs-Bernice-Ledford-1.html | en | 2016-08-25T00:00:00 | www.johnsoncitypress.com/9d6cfcf54b69a5c977198693970ad4459c38d601155dd5774fcae75a3341eb8c.json |
[] | 2016-08-30T18:49:49 | null | 2016-08-30T00:00:00 | Here is a list of schedule changes for area governmental and other institutions for Monday’s Labor Day holiday. | http%3A%2F%2Fwww.johnsoncitypress.com%2FLocal%2F2016%2F08%2F30%2FLabor-Day-to-affect-schedules-throughout-area.html.json | http://www.johnsoncitypress.com | en | null | Labor Day to affect schedules throughout area | null | null | www.johnsoncitypress.com | Postal Service: There will be no city or rural delivery of mail on Monday. All area post offices and branches will be closed and retail window service will not be available. Express Mail will be delivered if a holiday premium was paid. Mail will not be delivered to post office boxes but lobbies will be open. Mail will not be collected from arterial collection boxes. Outgoing mail will not be processed or dispatched. The passport and claims offices will be closed. The Business Mail Entry Unit will be closed.
Financial institutions: Most banks and credit unions will be closed on Monday.
Johnson City: All city offices will be closed on Monday. Garbage and recycling services will be on their regular schedules.
Washington County: All offices at the Washington County Courthouse and George Jaynes Justice Center, both in Jonesborough, and the county offices on Marketplace Boulevard in Johnson City, will be closed on Monday.
Jonesborough: All city offices will be closed. Garbage and recycling services will be on their regular schedules.
ETSU: All university offices will be closed and classes will not be conducted.
Elizabethton: All city offices will be closed on Monday. Garbage collection will be one day late throughout the week with Thursday and Friday routes being collected on Friday.
Carter County: All offices at the Carter County Courthouse and Justice Center will be closed on Monday.
Erwin: All city offices will be closed on Monday.
Unicoi County: All offices at the Unicoi County Courthouse will be closed on Saturday and Monday.
Mountain City: All city offices will be closed on Monday. Garbage will be collected on the next regularly scheduled day.
Johnson County: All offices at the Johnson County Courthouse will be closed on Saturday and Monday. | http://www.johnsoncitypress.com/Local/2016/08/30/Labor-Day-to-affect-schedules-throughout-area.html | en | 2016-08-30T00:00:00 | www.johnsoncitypress.com/c4a2183b8612f4ded7c15d883a4ee6920063a70c00540ff0c00d796914933b59.json |
[] | 2016-08-30T20:49:55 | null | 2016-08-30T00:00:00 | ERWIN - Phillip Dale Masters, age 83, of Erwin, passed away on Tuesday, August 30, 2016, at Johnson City Medical Center. He was a native of Erwin and a son of the late Shell and Creta Miller | http%3A%2F%2Fwww.johnsoncitypress.com%2FObituary%2F2016%2F08%2F30%2FPhillip-Dale-Masters.html.json | http://www.johnsoncitypress.com/image/2016/08/30/x720_q60/Phillip-Masters-jpg.jpg | en | null | Phillip Dale Masters | null | null | www.johnsoncitypress.com | Phillip Dale Masters has left behind to cherish his memories:
Wife: Barbara Miller Masters, of Erwin;Daughters: Melody Annette Masters Hughes;Crystal Lynn Masters Lanford, and husband Jeff; Brother: Earl Masters; Grandchildren: Maci Hughes and Hunter Rice
The family respectfully requests the honor of your presence as we offer tribute and remember the life of Phillip Dale Masters in a funeral service to be at 7:00 PM, Wednesday, August 31, 2016 in the Chapel of Valley Funeral Home. Reverend Craig Shelton will officiate. A visitation period to share memories and offer support to the family will begin at 5:00 PM and continue until service time on Wednesday at Valley Funeral Home. A graveside service will be at 10:00 AM Thursday, September 1, 2016 at Evergreen Cemetery. Those attending the graveside will meet at Valley Funeral Home by 9:30 AM on Thursday to go in procession.
Condolences and memories may be shared with the family and viewed at www.valleyfuneralhome.net. These arrangements were made especially for the family and friends of Phillip Dale Masters through Valley Funeral Home, 1085 N. Main Ave, Erwin, 423-743-9187. | http://www.johnsoncitypress.com/Obituary/2016/08/30/Phillip-Dale-Masters.html | en | 2016-08-30T00:00:00 | www.johnsoncitypress.com/e188b6523f50b0ed9f387b95cc470561beb9cd26803c1836f8ba2ec95f3d9b52.json |
[] | 2016-08-31T14:50:10 | null | 2016-06-23T00:00:00 | Tennessee is set to receive federal funding that can be used to improve opioid prescription tracking databases and enhance community awareness programs.
The U.S. | http%3A%2F%2Fwww.johnsoncitypress.com%2FLocal%2F2016%2F08%2F31%2FTennessee-gets-federal-funding-to-fight-opioid-overdoses.html.json | http://www.johnsoncitypress.com/image/2016/06/23/x720_q60/Opioid-Drugs-Medicare.jpg | en | null | Tennessee gets federal funding to fight opioid overdoses | null | null | www.johnsoncitypress.com | The U.S. Department of Health and Human Services is distributing $53 million in funding for various programs that bolster opioid overdose awareness and addiction treatment services to 44 states, Washington, D.C., and four tribes.
Tennessee will get funding from two buckets of allocations. The awards were competitive and states had to apply for funding.
The funding from the strategic prevention framework state incentive grant can be used for programs to raise awareness of prescription misuse and the hazards of sharing medications. Twenty-one states and four tribes will receive money from a pool of $9 million.
Tennessee also will receive money to continue work on its initiatives tracking overdose death rates and providers' prescribing habits through enhancements to its prescription drug monitoring program. There are 14 states splitting up to $11.5 million in funding.
To read more about the federal funding, visit TheTennessean.com | http://www.johnsoncitypress.com/Local/2016/08/31/Tennessee-gets-federal-funding-to-fight-opioid-overdoses.html | en | 2016-06-23T00:00:00 | www.johnsoncitypress.com/7fc98afed5843504092853ac484af48acccf377e57e7e967d2f78c8650a146da.json |
[] | 2016-08-26T13:04:56 | null | 2016-08-25T00:00:00 | Police say a man’s failed attempt to rob a Johnson City convenience store landed him in jail for the stickup and outstanding burglary and theft warrants for separate offenses. | http%3A%2F%2Fwww.johnsoncitypress.com%2FLocal%2F2016%2F08%2F25%2FPolice-charge-Johnson-City-man-after-failed-robbery.html.json | http://www.johnsoncitypress.com/image/2016/08/25/x720_q60/Coleman-Durnford.jpg | en | null | Police say they charged Johnson City man after failed robbery | null | null | www.johnsoncitypress.com | According to information released by the Johnson City Police Department, Coleman Foster Durnford, 33, 1109 University Parkway, Apt. 4203, was charged Thursday with attempted aggravated robbery.
Investigators said the Roadrunner Market at 901 W. Walnut St. was the scene of the incident shortly before 7 a.m. Thursday, when a white male with a knife demanded money from the clerk. The clerk refused, and the man fled the scene.
Durnford was found a short distance from the store and positively identified as the would-be robber by reviewing surveillance footage, police said. He was also arrested on outstanding warrants for burglary and theft of property over $1,000, charges not related to Thursday’s attempted robbery.
Durnford was transported to the Washington County Detention Center and held on $50,000 bonds on the attempted robbery charge and the warrants. He is scheduled to appear Friday in Washington County Sessions Court to be arraigned on the charges. | http://www.johnsoncitypress.com/Local/2016/08/25/Police-charge-Johnson-City-man-after-failed-robbery.html | en | 2016-08-25T00:00:00 | www.johnsoncitypress.com/3348ce2a1882407bc246487b68364e2b6b22eb1aa4e932389ab635e109018663.json |
[] | 2016-08-27T04:48:20 | null | 2016-08-27T00:00:00 | ELIZABETHTON — Mitchell Kranson led off the bottom of the ninth with a home run to give the Elizabethton Twins a walk-off, 7-6 win over the Burlington Royals on Friday night at Joe | http%3A%2F%2Fwww.johnsoncitypress.com%2FBaseball%2F2016%2F08%2F26%2FKranson-homer-gives-Twins-win-over-Burlington.html.json | http://www.johnsoncitypress.com/image/2016/08/27/x720_q60/E-Twins-jpg-33.jpg | en | null | Kranson homer gives Twins win over Burlington | null | null | www.johnsoncitypress.com | The win kept Appalachian League playoff hopes alive for the Twins (33-28), who are three games back of first-place Johnson City and four games ahead of Greeneville in the West Division. Elizabethton closes out the regular season with a six-game, home-and-away series with third-place Greeneville (30-32) on Saturday.
Kranson's homer came after the Twins broke a 5-5 tie in the eighth on a two-out double by Andre Jernigan. Burlington (37-23), the East Division leaders, answered with an RBI double by Chris DeVito in the top of the ninth to tie it up again.
Appy League player of the year Alex Kirilloff drove in four runs for the Twins on Friday on two-run triple in the third and a two-run homer in the fifth. Shane Carrier also had two hits and scored a run for Elizabethton.
Twins reliever Patrick McGuff got the win, improving to 2-0. He allowed one run on three hits in 1 2/3 innings. Starter Miguel de Jesus gave up two runs on six hits in four innings and Hector Lujan gave up three runs on five hits in 3 1/3 innings.
Nicky Lopez and Boo Vazquez homered for the Royals. Kort Peterson had three hits and scored three runs, while DeVito drove in two and scored once on three hits. | http://www.johnsoncitypress.com/Baseball/2016/08/26/Kranson-homer-gives-Twins-win-over-Burlington.html | en | 2016-08-27T00:00:00 | www.johnsoncitypress.com/272cef210483b1724a8768e8447562911f0b742af66c45743827142ef342a45c.json |
[] | 2016-08-26T13:15:05 | null | 2016-08-23T00:00:00 | WASHINGTON — Hillary Clinton met or talked by phone with at least 154 people from private interests, such as corporations, during her time as secretary of state. More than half | http%3A%2F%2Fwww.johnsoncitypress.com%2FPolitics%2F2016%2F08%2F24%2FFoundation-donors-who-met-talked-with-Clinton.html.json | http://www.johnsoncitypress.com/image/2016/08/23/x720_q60/Campaign-2016-Clinton-Foundation-1.jpg | en | null | Foundation donors who met, talked with Clinton at State | null | null | www.johnsoncitypress.com | Among them:
— Joseph Duffey, who once worked for Laureate Education, a for-profit education system based in Baltimore, was one of 20 people at a higher education policy dinner with Clinton in August 2009. Weeks earlier, Clinton emailed her staff looking for Duffey’s phone number. Duffey, whom Bill Clinton appointed as director of the U.S. Information Agency, gave between $10,000 and $25,000 to the foundation in 2012. Laureate, which paid Bill Clinton more than $17 million as a consultant between 2010 and 2015, donated between $1 million and $5 million to the Clinton Foundation. Laureate also has seven commitments with the Clinton Global Initiative.
— Jeffrey Skoll, a Canadian engineer and technology investor who was the first president of internet auction site eBay. He cashed out with $2 billion in assets and used the money to finance his foundation, a technology investment firm and a Hollywood production company. The Skoll Foundation contributed between $100,000 and $250,000 to the Clinton Foundation and has partnered in at least 21 commitments to programs through the Clinton Global Initiative. In May 2009 Sally Osberg, CEO of Skoll’s charity, messaged longtime Clinton friend Jan Piercy about “the possibility of Hillary’s speaking at next year’s Skoll Forum” — a message that was relayed to Clinton. Clinton told aides by email she wanted to attend the Skoll event in the U.K. in March 2012 but was unable to attend. Instead, in April 2012, Clinton met privately with Skoll and Osberg during a State Department-sponsored forum on government-business partnerships. The same month, USAID, the State Department’s foreign aid arm, announced a partnership with the Skoll Foundation to invest in health, energy, governance and food security innovations.
— Haim and Cheryl Saban. Haim Saban is an entertainment magnate, long-time Clinton and Democratic Party fundraiser and founder of the Saban Center for Middle East Peace, a Mideast policy think tank based in Washington. His wife, Cheryl Saban, is a psychologist and writer who has been a Clinton Foundation board member since 2013. The Sabans donated between $10 million and $25 million to the Clinton Foundation — among the largest gifts to the charity. Saban met privately with Clinton at least once in September 2009 and also hosted her twice at events put on by his think tank in June 2012 and again in November 2012. Messages from both Sabans were relayed to Clinton during her tenure. In one following Clinton’s appearance at his center luncheon in June 2012, Haim Saban told her: “Very much was looking forward to hangin‘. Tx again for today.” Clinton replied: “Not to worry. Loved seeing you and Cheryl and looking forward w Bill to White House tonight. See you then.”
— John Mack, the former chairman and CEO of Morgan Stanley and a political donation bundler for Clinton’s 2008 presidential campaign. In September 2011, as Morgan Stanley chairman, Mack was among a group who met with Clinton on China trade issues. In July 2012, he and his wife were scheduled to have dinner with her. They were again to have dinner with Clinton in September 2012, but Clinton canceled at the last minute, according to her emails and calendars. The Macks’ personal charity has given between $1 million and $5 million to the Clinton Foundation. Other Morgan Stanley organizations, including the bank itself, have given between $360,000 and $775,000. Morgan Stanley has also given money to six different programs through the Clinton Global Initiative.
— Randi Weingarten, president of American Federation of Teachers, a national teachers union that has backed and funded Clinton’s presidential run and allied political action committees. Under Weingarten, the AFT donated between $1 million and $5 million to the Clinton Foundation and pledged partnership commitments with other interests in four separate Clinton Global Initiative programs. Weingarten had two private meetings with Clinton in 2009 and 2012 and also joined her at a photo shoot in 2010. Her union also lobbied federal agencies on education, work, safety and other issues. In emails, Weingarten aide Tina Flournoy — now a top deputy for Bill Clinton — told Hillary Clinton in September 2009 that she and Weingarten “would like to visit you re: child labor issues.” Less than a month later, the two women met with Clinton for a half-hour. A union spokeswoman later told AP that Weingarten spoke with Clinton about refugees, global education and child labor abuses. | http://www.johnsoncitypress.com/Politics/2016/08/24/Foundation-donors-who-met-talked-with-Clinton.html | en | 2016-08-23T00:00:00 | www.johnsoncitypress.com/3621d0a3b331684024c2d03e1f78e3ebc6ae319a508d06d23f8c66855df8bcb6.json |
[] | 2016-08-28T04:48:47 | null | 2016-08-28T00:00:00 | The Office of Undergraduate Admissions at East Tennessee State University will host the annual Tri-Cities College Fair on Thursday, Sept. 1, from 8:30-11:30 a.m. and 6-8 p.m. at Elizabethton | http%3A%2F%2Fwww.johnsoncitypress.com%2FEducation%2F2016%2F08%2F28%2FETSU-to-host-Tri-Cities-College-Fair-over-70-colleges-participating.html.json | http://www.johnsoncitypress.com | en | null | ETSU to host Tri-Cities College Fair, over 70 colleges participating | null | null | www.johnsoncitypress.com | All area high school students, prospective transfer students and their families are invited to attend. Students from area high schools will be bused to the fair during the morning program.
Representatives from over 70 colleges and universities throughout the Southeast will be present to discuss admissions requirements, scholarships, academic programs and campus life.
Tri-Cities College Fair will partner with Go To College Fairs to provide an automated college fair. In advance of the fair, students may create a personalized bar code for quickly sharing their information with college representatives by visiting www.gotocollegefairs.com.
For further information, contact Nicole Martin of the ETSU Office of Undergraduate Admissions, at 423-439-4213 or martinnn@etsu.edu. | http://www.johnsoncitypress.com/Education/2016/08/28/ETSU-to-host-Tri-Cities-College-Fair-over-70-colleges-participating.html | en | 2016-08-28T00:00:00 | www.johnsoncitypress.com/e2fcfbff2dcdc4bef0d9a3e0a2dcef8bf63f439ccd45577b3212e78cc091267b.json |
[] | 2016-08-26T13:15:08 | null | 2016-08-24T00:00:00 | JONESBOROUGH - Albert Thomas Hicks, 87, Jonesborough passed away Tuesday, August 23, 2016 in the James H. Quillen VA. Medical Center. A native of Carter County, he was a son of the late | http%3A%2F%2Fwww.johnsoncitypress.com%2FObituary%2F2016%2F08%2F24%2FAlbert-Thomas-Hicks.html.json | http://www.johnsoncitypress.com/image/2016/08/24/x720_q60/Albert-Hicks-jpg.jpg | en | null | Albert Thomas Hicks | null | null | www.johnsoncitypress.com | Survivors include his wife of 45 years: Sue Miller Hicks. One sister & brother-in-law: Bonnie Harold Stout, Elizabethton. Two Brothers: Bobby Jack Hicks, Hampton and Harold Hicks, Elizabethton. Several nieces & nephews, he was like a father to them.
Funeral Services will be conducted at 8 p.m. Friday in Memorial Funeral Chapel with Mr. Scott Fisher, Minister and Rev. Dwight Hobbs officiating. Entombment Service will be conducted at 12 noon Saturday, August 27, 2016 in the Mausoleum of Peace, Happy Valley Memorial Park. Music will be provided by Ray Don Markland. Active Pallbearers who are requested to assemble at the funeral home at 11:20 a.m. Saturday will be: Larry Proffitt, Hershel Scalf, Hammond Stiffey, Mike Blevins, Ronnie Arthur, Harry Ford, Dewayne Hensley and Howard Buchanan. Honorary Pallbearers will be: Danny Bacon, Kyle Earp, Bill Hicks, Joe Delaney, Harold Stout, Jimmy Booth, Tim Broyles and Johnny Slagle. In lieu of flowers memorials may be made to the Cherokee Cemetery Fund % Geraldine Greenwell, 507 Meadow Brook Ave., Jonesborough, Tn. 37659 or the Emmer Cemetery $ Joe Carr, 174 Mays Road, Elizabethton, Tn. 37643. The family will receive friends from 6 to 8 p.m. Friday in the funeral home. Friends may visit with the family at his residence or the residence of his sister Bonnie Stout, 300 Allen Avenue, Elizabethton. Military Honors will be provided by the Carter County Honor Guard. Family and friends will assemble at the funeral home at 11:20 a.m. Saturday to go to the cemetery. Condolences may be sent to the family at our web-site www.memorialfcelizabethton.com.
Memorial Funeral Chapel, 212 N. Main Street, Elizabethton is serving the Hicks family | http://www.johnsoncitypress.com/Obituary/2016/08/24/Albert-Thomas-Hicks.html | en | 2016-08-24T00:00:00 | www.johnsoncitypress.com/6d3da0a2589a2bf736b3361932484771e796071941c09b57b3fd83edf461742a.json |
[] | 2016-08-26T13:13:09 | null | 2016-08-24T00:00:00 | JOHNSON CITY - Phillip R. Miller, 70, of Johnson City, died Tuesday, August 23, 2016 at his home.
Phillip was a native of Bessemer, Alabama. He was a son of the late Glenn | http%3A%2F%2Fwww.johnsoncitypress.com%2FObituary%2F2016%2F08%2F24%2FPhillip-R-Miller.html.json | http://www.johnsoncitypress.com | en | null | Phillip R. Miller | null | null | www.johnsoncitypress.com | Phillip was a native of Bessemer, Alabama. He was a son of the late Glenn M. Miller, Sr. and Etta Mae Parsons Miller.
Phillip proudly served in the US Army in Vietnam.
He worked as an Assistant Casualty Claims Manager at Cincinnati Insurance.
He is survived by: his wife, Kristina Olsen Miller; two daughters, Kellie M. Gandy and her husband Craig and Stacie M. Oligny and her husband Andrew; four special grandchildren: Phillip Miller Gandy—his namesake, Jacob Elie Oligny, Andrew Rain Oligny, and Anna Mae Oligny; four brothers, Eddie G. Miller and his wife Linda of Hueytown, AL, Curtis W. Miller of Prattville, AL, Glenn M. Miller, Jr. and his wife Connie of Clay, AL, and Clifford A. Miller and his wife Diane of Bessemer, AL; and many nieces and nephews, great nieces and nephews, cousins, and extended family.
We wish to extend a special thank you to Phillip’s brother and sister-in-law, Cliff and Diane Miller, for their time, care, and making this journey with us.
A Celebration of Life service is scheduled for September 3 in Adger, AL.
In lieu of flowers, memorial donations may be made to Dogwood Grove Missionary Baptist Church, 8736 Dogwood Grove Rd., Adger, AL 35006.
Memories and condolences may be shared with the Miller family via www.morrisbaker.com.
Morris-Baker Funeral Home and Cremation Services, 2001 E. Oakland Avenue, Johnson City, is serving the Miller family. (423) 282-1521 | http://www.johnsoncitypress.com/Obituary/2016/08/24/Phillip-R-Miller.html | en | 2016-08-24T00:00:00 | www.johnsoncitypress.com/98de270778105d1cd026d986b269588199c57e11b36a8c21102b72c26bec2f22.json |
[] | 2016-08-26T13:08:41 | null | 2016-08-24T00:00:00 | JONESBOROUGH - Mr. Lewis "Pops" Carsten died peacefully at his home on August 17th in Jonesborough, TN at the age of 63.
Lewis was survived by his wife, Patsy | http%3A%2F%2Fwww.johnsoncitypress.com%2FObituary%2F2016%2F08%2F25%2FMr-Lewis-Pops-Carsten.html.json | http://www.johnsoncitypress.com/image/2016/08/24/x720_q60/Carsten-jpg.jpg | en | null | Mr. Lewis "Pops" Carsten | null | null | www.johnsoncitypress.com | Lewis was survived by his wife, Patsy Miller Carsten; children Christy Carsten Lundy or Magnolia, TX, Jason Carsten of Boerne, TX and Randy Carsten of Concord, N. C; step-children, Chad Quesenberry of Floyd, VA and Lindsie Bury of Erwin, TN; sibling, Robert Carsten of Houston, TX and grandchildren Dillon & Alyssa of Magnolia, TX; Piper, Presley, Gus & Beau of Boerne, TX; Clayten of Huntsville, TX and Sadie, Ellie & Kelsie Depew of Jonesborough, TN. He is preceded in death by his parents Eddie and Dorothy Carsten of Houston, TX, his brother Eddie Carsten and his first wife, Patricia Carsten of Magnolia, TX.
Lewis was born on October 4th, 1952 in Houston, TX. He married Patricia Sears, his high school sweetheart in 1971. Over 39 years, the couple had three children and Lewis set about teaching them how to hunt, fish, build, and cook, all with his quick sense of humor and a clear understanding of right and wrong. His children remember him as both a loving and tough father who encouraged them to pursue their goals. Lewis had a long, illustrious career in construction, first owning and operating a drywall and wallpaper company and later becoming one of the most sought after superintendants on the east coast.
Lewis was an accomplished builder and barbecue master whose special personality was both hard-nosed and kind all at once. He touched and influenced the lives of so many. In addition to his important roles as husband, father and grandfather, Lewis was a scout master, coach, mentor and friend to many whose impact will be felt for generations. He was a generous and witty individual who loved his family and who was passionate about the outdoors, life on two wheels and barbecue. Lewis, Patsy and their grandchildren attend Embreeville Church of Christ.
A memorial service is scheduled for 2:00 p.m. August 27th at Embreeville Church of Christ, Erwin, TnN. Prior to the service the family will greet family and friends to share memories starting at 1:30 p.m. in the Fellowship Hall. Pastor Kevin Holly will officiate the ceremony. All are welcome to attend and to celebrate Lewis's life. In death, Lewis still seeks to help others and has donated his remains to research. In lieu of flowers, donations may be sent to the American Cancer Society or America Heart Association. Condolences can be sent to Patsy Carsten, 109 Bulldog Miller Rd., Jonesborough, TN 37659. The family would like to thank Amedisys Hospice Care for their dedication and a special thank you and love to Karen Martin for all she did for Lewis and his family and to our brothers and sisters at Embreeville Church of Christ, to Paulette and Kenneth Odom who never left our side. | http://www.johnsoncitypress.com/Obituary/2016/08/25/Mr-Lewis-Pops-Carsten.html | en | 2016-08-24T00:00:00 | www.johnsoncitypress.com/4373eee86ca43552331a4c6dcbbba295159c5e3bc5b0d1902ddd89ae01db0cab.json |
[] | 2016-08-26T12:50:16 | null | 2016-08-25T00:00:00 | After more than six hours of deliberation, a Washington County trial jury convicted Moses Alfonso Ballard Jr. of second-degree murder in the 2014 shooting death of another man, but the | http%3A%2F%2Fwww.johnsoncitypress.com%2FCourts%2F2016%2F08%2F25%2FJury-in-2014-Myrtle-Avenue-shooting-death-begin-deliberations.html.json | http://www.johnsoncitypress.com/image/2016/08/25/x720_q60/Moses-Ballard-2.jpg | en | null | UDATED: Jury returns second degree murder conviction in 2014 Myrtle Avenue shooting death | null | null | www.johnsoncitypress.com | “Nothing can bring my son back. I don’t really feel like there was justice here today,” said Caroline Jackson, mother of Michael Rowe, who was shot three times while sitting inside his vehicle in the early morning of July 4, 2014.
“This man murdered my son in cold blood and I’ll never see him again,” Jackson said. “He’s taken part of my heart out. This guy showed no remorse in the courtroom. I don’t see how they didn’t convict him of first-degree murder, but his time will come and he’ll be judged one day.”
Ballard, 31, is already serving a total of 20 years on two prior convictions. He was on probation at the time of Rowe’s shooting death.
Assistant District Attorneys General Ken Baldwin and Fred Lance said while it wasn’t a first-degree murder conviction, they realize how hard the jury worked to reach the verdict.
If there’s any consolation for Rowe’s family, it could lie in the sentence Ballard faces. As a multiple offender, his sentencing range enhanced to 25 to 40 years in prison.
The sentence for the murder conviction will be consecutive to what he’s already serving. A range two offender must serve 85 percent of a sentence for a second-degree murder conviction.
Ballard showed no emotion as the jury foreman read the panel’s verdict. His attorney, Chris Byrd, had no comment afterwards.
Criminal Court Judge Stacy Street set a sentencing hearing for Ballard on Oct. 6.
-------------
Reported earlier:
Jurors hearing evidence in the 2014 slaying began deliberations shortly before 2 p.m. Thursday after listening to closing arguments before lunch.
The panel retired to the jury room at 1:51 p.m.
Thursday morning, defense attorney Chris Byrd put on one witness. Jennifer Spivey, a Tennessee Bureau of Investigation latent fingerprint expert, who testified no fingerprints were found on shell casings from the 2014 shooting that were sent to her for examination.
Moses Ballard, 31, has been on trial this week on a first-degree murder charge in the July 4, 2014 shooting death of Michael Rowe, 30. Both men were at a Myrtle Avenue residence the night of July 3, 2014 where they became involved in a chest-bumping verbal altercation.
Witnesses said it started after Ballard jerked a woman off the couch where she was sitting beside Rowe, and assaulted her.
Ballard did not testify.
“Selena Allen, she’s all dolled up I guess you’d say, ready to go out,” Assistant District Attorney Ken Baldwin told the jury during closings. Ballard was looking at Allen’s shoe, had her foot in his hand and then lifted her leg higher. She testified she pushed him with her toes and told him to stop, then he smacked her.
“He pulls her off the couch, smacks her. He warps her good. He drags her on the floor. Then he hits her again,” Baldwin said, recapping Allen’s testimony. “Is that normal reaction? No it’s not normal. It’s a very aggressive reaction to almost nothing. And he’s angry. Michael Rowe, he didn’t like,” what Ballard did, Baldwin said. “Who would? (Rowe) gets up, gets in Moses’ face, He’s not being unnecessarily mean, he’s just angry.
“They’re chest-to-chest,” Baldwin said. “Michael Rowe was saying, ‘Get out, get out, go, do not come back.’”
Both men ended up leaving, but both also returned. Ballard approached Rowe as Rowe sat in the driver’s seat of his Honda Accord. Rowe, who had left with Tonya Hartley, was waiting for her to return to the car when Ballard allegedly went to apologize to Rowe for the earlier interaction.
Another woman at the residence — who also had a previous relationship with Ballard — was Brittney Maples. She testified she saw Ballard talking while standing at Rowe’s door, then he pulled out a gun and started shooting into the car.
“Why does he need to apologize to Michael Rowe?” Baldwin said. “He should be apologizing to Selena Allen. He doesn’t seek out Selena.”
Allen testified she heard a quick succession of gunshots. When she did open the door, Allen said she saw Ballard running away and Rowe getting out of his vehicle holding his abdomen before firing his weapon in the direction Ballard ran.
“You have to look at this stuff all together,” Baldwin said. “Evidence in a trial is like a puzzle. You start taking these pieces of a puzzle and put them together.”
In defense attorney Chris Byrd’s closing arguments, he focused on several points, including the lack of blood inside Rowe’s car; that Maples had changed her testimony from what she said at the preliminary hearing; that another state witness, Koron Fairley, had something to gain by telling police Ballard came the night of the shooting to retrieve a weapon Fairley was holding for him.
Prosecutors said there was no blood in the car because, as the pathologist testified, two gunshot wounds to Rowe’s upper left arm didn’t bleed much and the fatal shot to his abdomen caused internal bleeding, not external bleeding.
Assistant District Attorney Fred Lance reminded the jury what Maples said about previously testifying she didn’t see the shooting.
“She said, ‘I’m afraid. I know what he’s capable of,’” Lance said.
Byrd told the jury that the pattern of shell casings in the road after the shooting indicated Rowe was the aggressor, but Lance had an explanation for that.
“Moses Ballard did run,” Lance said. “Some might call that self-defense. Some might call it getting away from the crime scene. Look at the reality of the evidence. In totality, it builds a reasonable case that Moses Ballard was out to kill Michael Rowe.”
Byrd said Fairley had much to gain by testifying against Ballard. Fairley faces a 20 year to life federal prison sentence later this year on a conspiracy to distribute crack cocaine conviction. Byrd questioned the timing of Fairley telling police about the weapon he said Ballard retrieved from him.
“Poor Mr. Fairley. (Ballard) probably didn’t find him in the church basement, but you don’t find someone to hold a gun for you there either,” Lance said.
Byrd’s theory was that Rowe fired first and Ballard could have reached into the car and grabbed another gun from Rowe to defend himself. Byrd focused on what appeared to be a bullet hole on the inside of the driver’s door and a corresponding “pump knot,” as Baldwin called it, on the outside of the door. He said that was also in the same trajectory of the spray of glass on the road, and said it could show Rowe fired from inside the car.
Johnson City Police Investigator Johnny Willis answered questions from Byrd about the “pump knot” damage, but said there was some rust around the top of that damage so he believed it was from a previous incident.
Photos of the spot show it was not completely rusted over, but revealed rust at the top of the area and possibly at the bottom. Byrd conjectured that moisture associated with humid days in July in Tennessee could have contributed to that rust. Willis said he didn’t think so because none of the other bullet holes had any rust.
Likely the most dramatic evidence presented to the jury was Rowe’s vehicle.
Prosecutors had the car towed to the back parking lot of the courthouse, where jurors were able to inspect it with trajectory rods inserted into the bullet holes.
In closings, Baldwin said it showed Ballard’s intent.
“Every one of those shots are aimed at the driver,” Baldwin said. “One central location, the driver, which was Michael Rowe. “You shoot into a car six times at close range, you intend to kill the person that’s in that car.” | http://www.johnsoncitypress.com/Courts/2016/08/25/Jury-in-2014-Myrtle-Avenue-shooting-death-begin-deliberations.html | en | 2016-08-25T00:00:00 | www.johnsoncitypress.com/f87bca7f7e5e0445a51ab67541d3ec7c61e708d48732c3a674d6809830144d52.json |
[] | 2016-08-28T04:48:59 | null | 2016-08-18T00:00:00 | East Tennessee State University’s 2016-17 Student Government Association president has been elected vice president of the Tennessee Board of Regents Student Government | http%3A%2F%2Fwww.johnsoncitypress.com%2FEducation%2F2016%2F08%2F28%2FPooja-Shah-elected-vice-president-of-TBR-Student-Government-President-s-Council.html.json | http://www.johnsoncitypress.com/image/2016/08/18/x720_q60/shah-pooja-2037-news-item-size-jpg.jpg | en | null | Pooja Shah elected vice president of TBR Student Government President’s Council | null | null | www.johnsoncitypress.com | Pooja Shah was elected to this position during a recent retreat for members of this organization comprised of duly elected student body presidents or equivalent elected officers at TBR institutions. The SGPC provides a forum for communication and recommendations regarding relevant issues between TBR students and the chancellor of the TBR, and, as appropriate, the Board of Regents.
As vice president of the SGPC, Shah will serve as a liaison between council members and the Office of Academic Affairs and the chancellor at the TBR system office; maintain the organization’s social media presence and inform members of TBR-related student events, including national conferences, regional opportunities and institutional student resources; and more.
Shah, a senior University Honors Scholar from Knoxville, has been involved with ETSU’s SGA since her freshman year. She served in the capacities of junior senator, senator and attorney general before being elected president for the current year.
Shah is a health sciences major with a concentration in microbiology and a minor in Spanish, and plans to apply to medical school and pursue a dual degree program to earn both her doctor of medicine and master of public health degrees. She says she is drawn to global health and public health, and plans to practice in underserved communities, either abroad or at home in America. | http://www.johnsoncitypress.com/Education/2016/08/28/Pooja-Shah-elected-vice-president-of-TBR-Student-Government-President-s-Council.html | en | 2016-08-18T00:00:00 | www.johnsoncitypress.com/e502d8949438428bc3c50daa4d27170f89307c91614690aaf6f79f6f738b564d.json |
[] | 2016-08-30T18:49:48 | null | 2016-08-30T00:00:00 | UNICOI - Nadine June Gouge, age 83, of Unicoi, went to be with the Lord on Monday. August 29, 2016, at the Johnson City Medical Center.
Nadine was a native of Roan | http%3A%2F%2Fwww.johnsoncitypress.com%2FObituary%2F2016%2F08%2F30%2FNadine-June-Gouge.html.json | http://www.johnsoncitypress.com/image/2016/08/30/x720_q60/Gouge-jpg.jpg | en | null | Nadine June Gouge | null | null | www.johnsoncitypress.com | Nadine was a native of Roan Mountain, TN but had lived most of her life in Limestone Cove. She was a daughter of the late Nathan and Edith Hill Bennett. In addition to her parents, Nadine was preceded in death by one son, Nathan Gouge, a great granddaughter, Paislee Gouge, brothers Gene and Harry Bennett and a sister, Ottolene Tolley. Nadine was of the Free Will Baptist faith. She loved her family and she loved to quilt.
Nadine June Gouge has left behind to cherish her memories:
Husband of 51 years: Tom Gouge, Sons: Kenny Leonard of Olive Branch, MS, Dexter Gouge and his wife Teresa, John Gouge and Ben Gouge and his wife Beth, all of Unicoi, Daughters: Kim Arnold and her husband Ron and April Harris and her husband Rick, both of Erwin
Grandsons: Eric Leonard, Cody Pyron, Ethan Gouge, Justin Gouge, Dakota Gouge, Cody Arnold, Marcus Gouge and Tristan Gouge, Granddaughters: Cheryl Harris, Nadine Berry, Teia Gouge and Rilie Gouge, Great Granddaughters: Delaney Leonard and Sophia Berry, Great Grandson: Easton Berry, Sisters: Ruby Hyder, Ruth McKinney, Georgia Laws and Wileda Johns
The family respectfully requests the honor of your presence as we offer tribute and remember the life of Nadine June Gouge in a funeral service to be held at 8:00 PM on Thursday, September 1, 2016 in the chapel of Valley Funeral Home with Rev. Dallas Gregg officiating. A visitation period to share memories and offer support to the family will begin at 6:00PM and continue until service time on Thursday at Valley Funeral Home and other times at the home of Dexter Gouge, 411 Riverside Dr, Unicoi TN. A graveside committal service will be held on Friday, September 2, 2016 at 10:00AM at the Gouge Family Cemetery, Limestone Cove Community, Unicoi. Those attending will meet at Valley Funeral Home by 9:30AM to go in procession the cemetery. Nadine’s grandsons will serve as pallbearers.
Condolences and memories may be shared with the family and viewed at www.valleyfuneralhome.net. These arrangements are made especially for the family and friends of Nadine June Gouge through Valley Funeral Home, 1085 N. Main Ave., Erwin, 423-743-9187. | http://www.johnsoncitypress.com/Obituary/2016/08/30/Nadine-June-Gouge.html | en | 2016-08-30T00:00:00 | www.johnsoncitypress.com/c1b06d4f268555d344f2c8fe5f0e72e463e0532697792c491187d203af5dde80.json |
[] | 2016-08-27T16:48:33 | null | 2016-08-27T00:00:00 | MOUNTAIN CITY - Daniel W. Barry, age 69, of Mountain City, Tennessee, passed away on Friday, August 26, 2016 at the Johnson City Medical Center. He was born on January 17, 1947 in Mountain | http%3A%2F%2Fwww.johnsoncitypress.com%2FObituary%2F2016%2F08%2F27%2FDaniel-W-Barry.html.json | http://www.johnsoncitypress.com | en | null | Daniel W. Barry | null | null | www.johnsoncitypress.com | Daniel was a former principal at Little Milligan Elementary School until his retirement in 2001. He was one who loved genealogy and had many names on the tree. Daniel was a member of the Taylorsville Masonic Lodge #243 and an active member of the Dewey Christian Church.
Daniel is survived by his wife of 41 years, Gearlene Parks Barry; sister, Alice McCloud of Johnson City, TN; brothers: Joe Barry and wife Pat and Wayne Barry and wife Vickie all of Mountain City, TN; brother-in-law, Gene Parks and wife Ann of Elk Creek, VA; several nieces, nephews and cousins.
The family will receive friends from 2-3:00 p.m. Sunday, August 28, 2016 at the Mountain City Funeral Home with the Funeral Service to follow at 3:00 p.m. with Minister C.D. ‘Bud’ Gentry officiating. Special music will be provided by Mr. Fred Ramsey. Graveside Service and Interment with Masonic Rites will follow at the Phillippi Cemetery. Masonic Rites will be conducted by the Taylorsville Masonic Lodge #243. Pallbearers will be Bo Henson, C.J. McCloud, Jason Barry, Greg Matheson, Brad Gentry and Chris Pierce. Honorary pallbearers are Frankie Gentry, Dearl Swift and the Men of Dewey Christian Church.
The family would like to express their sincere gratitude and appreciation to the staff of Amedisys Home Health, Dr. Robert Griffith and Dr. Emily McQueen.
Memorials may be made to St. Jude Children’s Research Hospital, 501 St. Jude Place, Memphis, TN 38105.
At other times, the family will receive friends at the home, 1867 Pleasant Valley Road, Mountain City, TN.
Condolences may be sent to the family at www.mountaincityfh.com.
The family of Daniel W. Barry has entrusted his services to Mountain City Funeral Home, 224 S. Church Street, Mountain City, TN 37683. | http://www.johnsoncitypress.com/Obituary/2016/08/27/Daniel-W-Barry.html | en | 2016-08-27T00:00:00 | www.johnsoncitypress.com/a908dcff1b237a92a0a7939132c1d128a52b965e64ff0b00de4fcbd2e7d00d23.json |
[] | 2016-08-31T02:49:56 | null | 2016-08-31T00:00:00 | ELIZABETHTON — The United Way of Elizabethton/Carter County has announced the chairman for the | http%3A%2F%2Fwww.johnsoncitypress.com%2FCharities-Fundraisers%2F2016%2F08%2F30%2FElizabethton-Carter-County-United-Way-set-to-begin-new-campaign.html.json | http://www.johnsoncitypress.com/image/2016/08/31/x720_q60/Corey-Paulson.jpg | en | null | Elizabethton/Carter County United Way set to begin new campaign | null | null | www.johnsoncitypress.com | Corey Paulson is serving as the campaign chairman. He is the director of marketing and communications for the Southeast Market at Mountain States Health Alliance. He is a resident of Elizabethton and a graduate of the Carter County Leadership Tomorrow program.
Paulson will be the keynote speaker at the campaign kickoff on Sept. 15 at the Community Room of the Medical Care clinic.
“My family and I love Elizabethton and I enjoy doing my part to make this community even better,” Paulson said. “I believe everyone doing their fair share for their community is what it takes to make a difference.
“It’s an incredible honor to be selected as campaign chair. United Way does great work in our community and I am happy to be a part of that.”
Last year, the board of directors collectively served the roles of campaign chairman. While this was functional, Community Impact Coordinator Josh McKinney said having one face and one name will be a boon for the campaign.
“Corey will still have the full support of all those board members,” McKinney said. “But he’s going to serve as a megaphone for our message; it’s going to bring clarity and direction to our efforts.”
“A Community United” will be the campaign’s message and theme. McKinney said this year’s goal is $125,000. He said reaching that goal is the first step in United Way’s fight for the health, education and financial stability of every person in Carter County by bringing organizations and individuals together.
“We’ve already raised almost $22,000,” McKinney said. “If everyone will come beside of us and help us raise the rest, this will be the first success of a new, revitalized United Way for their community.”
The Kick-Off Luncheon officially launches the campaign. Kits will be available for supporters who want to launch campaigns at their workplaces. Volunteers will also be able to sign up for a free campaign coordinator training, to help supporters make the most of their efforts.
The luncheon will begin at noon at 1500 W. Elk Ave. Everyone in the community is invited to attend. | http://www.johnsoncitypress.com/Charities-Fundraisers/2016/08/30/Elizabethton-Carter-County-United-Way-set-to-begin-new-campaign.html | en | 2016-08-31T00:00:00 | www.johnsoncitypress.com/62ead31000e83619b54e3054794fdcd3da0a4f52587b9a991e26f2a9c1d4a461.json |
[] | 2016-08-28T02:48:47 | null | 2016-08-28T00:00:00 | Heading into the final day of the Appalachian Fair, administrative assistant Sherry Shadden said attendance numbers weren’t quite matching last year’s. | http%3A%2F%2Fwww.johnsoncitypress.com%2FLocal%2F2016%2F08%2F27%2FFinal-day-of-Appalachian-Fair-draws-biggest-crowd.html.json | http://www.johnsoncitypress.com/image/2016/08/28/x720_q60/DSC-0305-JPG-3.jpg | en | null | Final day of Appalachian Fair draws biggest crowd | null | null | www.johnsoncitypress.com | “Right now we’re down just a little bit from last year,” Shadden said. “Last year was a banner year. It was just one of those years that were better. We’re running about the same as we did in 2014.”
But Saturday’s crowd sure didn’t appear to be down, and Shadden certainly wasn’t complaining.
From the Ferris wheel to the main stage and everything in between, the fairgrounds was brimming with people on the 90th anniversary of the Fair.
Good seats for the demolition derby and the Josh Turner concert became scarce shortly after 7 p.m. while a line of cars spread out of the fairgrounds and back onto Interstate 26.
Saturday’s slate of entertainment also included the daily Watermelon Jam and corn hole tournaments.
The “Appalachian Fair’s Got Talent” also began at 7 p.m. on the museum stage with a variety of acts, including some select brave children singing their hearts out to the audience.
Meanwhile, the concessions stayed busy as lines of people formed awaiting their orders of steamy deep-fried Oreos, corn dogs, funnel cakes and other fair foods.
“We’ve had a good year, especially with the weather,” Shadden said. “We’ve had three sellout nights at our main stage. So we’re pleased about the entertainment. The cattle shows have all went great. The demolition derby is always packed.”
New events this year included lawn mower racing, the truck pulls and the Tuff Truck Competition.
Shadden said the Fair wouldn’t be possible without the 750 volunteers who lend a hand every year.
“We’re very fortunate that we have people who come back year after year. They’ve got the fair in their heart,” Shadden said. “Without the support of our community and our different sponsors, this wouldn’t be possible.”
Monday’s opening crowd was the smallest, drawing 19,323 people, while Tuesday drew the largest weekday crowd — thanks to the Travis Tritt concert — with 32,332 people.
Wednesday’s attendance was 23,075 and Thursday’s was 21,053.
Friday drew the largest crowd of the week going into Saturday, with 41,873 people visiting the Appalachian Fair.
The largest single-day crowd on record was in 2006, when an estimated 66,229 people came to Gray.
Shadden said the cycle of work preparing for next year’s Fair will begin in October with the process of booking entertainment and filling out state reports.
“We have a wish list, of course and then we’ll go from that depending on if they’re available,” Shadden said.
Email Zach Vance at zvance@johnsoncitypress.com. Follow Zach Vance on Twitter at @ZachVanceJCP. Like him on Facebook.com/ZachVanceJCP | http://www.johnsoncitypress.com/Local/2016/08/27/Final-day-of-Appalachian-Fair-draws-biggest-crowd.html | en | 2016-08-28T00:00:00 | www.johnsoncitypress.com/b8f8bf3a8a582d1ad842e3e4f0796662c07533ca8011feb2c65e0eac90c10f08.json |
[] | 2016-08-26T15:12:41 | null | 2016-05-28T00:00:00 | Science Hill High School Principal Melanie Riden-Bacon is celebrating the most recent American College Testing scores earned by her students.
“We are excited | http%3A%2F%2Fwww.johnsoncitypress.com%2FEducation%2F2016%2F08%2F24%2FScience-Hill-s-ACT-scores-near-highest-in-Tennessee.html.json | http://www.johnsoncitypress.com/image/2016/05/28/x720_q60/Science-Hill-Graduation.jpg | en | null | Science Hill's ACT scores near highest in Tennessee | null | null | www.johnsoncitypress.com | “We are excited about our school’s continuous improvement and are proud of our students and teachers. We will continue to supply stellar programs and services that promote post-secondary and career readiness,” she said in a release from the school district. “Our focus is to provide excellent learning opportunities for every student, every day.”
The state’s Department of Education, through 2015-16 marks, showed that Science Hill’s composite ACT score of 22.2 beats the Tennessee state average of 19.9 and betters the national average of 20.8.
The Johnson City School district is among 12 school districts in the state where the average composite score is about 21.
The Hilltoppers also showed improvement in readiness for college-level work, scoring 37 percent, with tested students hitting benchmark scores in English, math, reading and science. This mark is also better than the state average of 17 percent. | http://www.johnsoncitypress.com/Education/2016/08/24/Science-Hill-s-ACT-scores-near-highest-in-Tennessee.html | en | 2016-05-28T00:00:00 | www.johnsoncitypress.com/539e80baab69d7fe7b796a114efcdcdbc1fe2df6d4bb6d4db6d18050d12ec579.json |
[] | 2016-08-26T12:53:54 | null | 2016-08-25T00:00:00 | LIMESTONE - Mrs. Charlotte Vivian Vick Dockery, Limestone, passed away Wednesday, August 24, 2016 at Franklin Woods Community Hospital. Mrs. Dockery was born August 9, 1933 in | http%3A%2F%2Fwww.johnsoncitypress.com%2FObituary%2F2016%2F08%2F25%2FMrs-Charlotte-Vivian-Vick-Dockery.html.json | http://www.johnsoncitypress.com/image/2016/08/25/x720_q60/Dockery-jpg-1.jpg | en | null | Mrs. Charlotte Vivian Vick Dockery | null | null | www.johnsoncitypress.com | Mrs. Dockery was a registered nurse. She graduated from St. Mary's School of Nursing in Knoxville. She worked at Valentine-Shults Hospital in Newport, the Mountain Home VA Medical Center, Memorial Hospital in Johnson City, and taught nursing at Science Hill High School. Mrs. Dockery was an active member of Mount Bethel Christian Church. Left to cherish her memory are her husband, Don Dockery: daughter, Paula Chandley (Randell); sons, Edward Dockery (Lisa), and Steven Dockery (Sharon); grandchildren, Derek Loyd, Jessica Cain, Jeremy Dockery, and Mathew Dockery; great- grandchildren, Skylar Cain, Asher Cain, Saylor Cain, Zaybbiur Hall, Ethan Dockery, Abby Dockery, and Makayla Dockery; sisters, Mary Ruth Dean (Kenneth) and Barbara Fox (Dale); brother, Tommy Vick (Judean); sisters-in-law, Audrey Vick; Verlie Williams, C.L. Trentham, Zollie Berry, and Marie Miller; brothers-in-law, Bob Dockery and Conley Dockery (Pauline); and many nieces and nephews.
Funeral services for Mrs. Dockery will be held Saturday, August 27, 2016, 2:00 PM at Mount Bethel Christian Church with Pastor Lamar Garrison officiating. The family will receive friends from 12:00 PM until 2:00 PM prior to the service. Graveside services will follow the funeral at Mount Bethel Cemetery. Pallbearers will be family and friends.
Condolences may be sent to the Dockery family online at www.dillow-taylor.com. Dillow-Taylor Funeral Home & Cremation Services, Jonesborough, 753-3821 | http://www.johnsoncitypress.com/Obituary/2016/08/25/Mrs-Charlotte-Vivian-Vick-Dockery.html | en | 2016-08-25T00:00:00 | www.johnsoncitypress.com/626ec77d41e3d633156f47e57892ad73b6e41f8e1c293ccd32c717dbc05e3b55.json |
[] | 2016-08-31T02:49:54 | null | 2016-08-31T00:00:00 | ERWIN — A flurry of developments in the town of Erwin brought the Board of Mayor and Aldermen together Tuesday for a specially called work session to discuss where the town is and | http%3A%2F%2Fwww.johnsoncitypress.com%2FLocal%2F2016%2F08%2F30%2FErwin-work-session-focused-on-development.html.json | http://www.johnsoncitypress.com/image/2016/08/31/x720_q60/144-JPG-1.jpg | en | null | Erwin work session focused on development | null | null | www.johnsoncitypress.com | Topics included a new marketing strategies partnership with East Tennessee State University, improved traffic enforcement on Interstate 26, an ordinance to set restrictions for beer sales during street festivals, a comprehensive study to streamline road maintenance and paving schedules and a developers’ exploration of community interest in new upscale housing development downtown.
Mayor Doris Hensley told the board a developer who would like to build upscale patio homes, townhouses or condominiums in downtown has requested a focus group meeting to gauge what type of housing the community is most interested in.
The meeting is scheduled for 6 p.m. Thursday at The Bramble and will include downtown merchants, members of the RISE Erwin young professional group and any aldermen who would like to attend.
Town Recorder Glenn Rosenoff announced ETSU’s marketing program has committed two classes of students to a two-semester assessment of marketing strategies for the town that will repeat a very productive marketing initiative conducted in partnership with ETSU in 2014.
Rosenoff said the assessment will begin this week and will involve twice the number of students and twice the amount of time invested in the prior study as well as more interaction with the town. “We’re blessed to have them,” he said.
Police Chief Regan Tilson told board members his department has initiated a study of traffic behaviors on I-26 and on several of the town’s busiest streets for consideration in the adoption of an ordinance to allow the department to police the interstate.
Because Erwin’s population is below 10,000, state law requires the town to pass an ordinance authorizing its police force to enforce traffic laws on interstate highways, Tilson said.
He said the need for improved enforcement on the interstate is related to a minimal Tennessee Highway Patrol presence in Erwin and the unfairness of calling the Unicoi County Sheriff’s Department to patrol I-26 inside the town limits.
According to Tilson, an officer assigned to the study has so far spent 80 minutes monitoring traffic on I-26 and observed more than 20 offenses, including 14 for speeding and 11 other moving violations. The numbers compare to four violations observed by the officer during approximately four hours of monitoring traffic on eight city streets with high incidences of traffic offenses.
Tilson said the department will expand the study to 24 hours and present the data to the board at its next monthly meeting.
Hensley told the board the town has allowed the sale of craft beer at two town events within the past few months without any issues. In both instances, Hensley said the beer sales were limited to roped-off, out-of-the-way areas that “if you hadn’t been looking for them, you would not have known they were there.”
“I think the crowds would have shown up anyway, but at least we are reaching that age group, the millennials, who requested it,” Hensley said.
For future festivals, she said, the town needs to develop an standard application with fees and restrictions on the length of time beer can be sold.
Rosenoff said beer sales at street festivals in Erwin will also require an amendment to a town ordinance that prohibits beer consumption on streets. He said the amendment would be similar to an ordinance amendment adopted by the town of Jonesborough that has allowed it to host its weekly series of music and craft beer events.
Rosenoff said Erwin has also launched a comprehensive study of every street and pathway inside the town limits to determine their need for rehabilitation, reconstruction and preventative maintenance.
He said is the town is working closely with the Tennessee Department of Transportation and the state Municipal Technical Assistance Service to use the data gathered to create a prioritized, five-year plan for road maintenance and improvements that will be shared with the community’s utility, emergency response agencies and the public to expedite the projects.
Email Sue Guinn Legg at slegg@johnsoncitypress.com. Follow her on Twitter @sueleggjcpress. Like her on Facebook at facebook.com/sueleggjcpress. | http://www.johnsoncitypress.com/Local/2016/08/30/Erwin-work-session-focused-on-development.html | en | 2016-08-31T00:00:00 | www.johnsoncitypress.com/9a7160f6525b8afd95a9e936b8d2c5c04772d275cca2d7843b4ba62b51345fe1.json |
[] | 2016-08-28T04:49:12 | null | 2015-07-13T00:00:00 | Many selfless Americans help to save lives annually by being a donor. Some donate their blood. Others bequeath their organs.
Most open their wallets to donate their money | http%3A%2F%2Fwww.johnsoncitypress.com%2FEditorial%2F2016%2F08%2F28%2FHelp-save-lives-by-becoming-a-bone-marrow-donor.html.json | http://www.johnsoncitypress.com/image/2015/07/13/x720_q60/As-We-See-It-1.jpg | en | null | Help save lives by becoming a bone marrow donor | null | null | www.johnsoncitypress.com | Most open their wallets to donate their money to these and other lifesaving causes. But there are other donors who don’t always get the attention they should.
The National Marrow Donor Program says there are more than 35,000 children and adults in the United States who develop a life-threatening disease each year that can only be cured with a bone marrow and blood cell transplant. Unfortunately, 70 percent of these patients do not have a suitable matching donor in their families.
That’s why health care officials are calling attention to the national donation program. Without donors, many Americans in desperate need of a bone marrow transplant would not be with us today. The NMDP helps connect patients and their physicians to qualified donors.
Currently, an average of 200 patients receive an unrelated donor transplant facilitated by the NMDP each month. Sadly, many more patients could benefit from a transplant who do not receive this therapy because there are not enough Americans who are willing to sign up as marrow donors.
You can help by signing up as a marrow donor today. You can begin the process by visiting bethematch.org or marrow.org to learn more about the procedure. | http://www.johnsoncitypress.com/Editorial/2016/08/28/Help-save-lives-by-becoming-a-bone-marrow-donor.html | en | 2015-07-13T00:00:00 | www.johnsoncitypress.com/679e62aecd491e37321b306a5c00ed2f1e0fd66985cfa0f3a8ba49938a0017d1.json |
[] | 2016-08-28T00:48:43 | null | 2016-08-27T00:00:00 | It didn't take long for Steve Forbes to fill his latest scholarship.
Forbes, East Tennessee State | http%3A%2F%2Fwww.johnsoncitypress.com%2FBasketball%2F2016%2F08%2F27%2FBucs-get-transfer-from-Longwood.html.json | http://www.johnsoncitypress.com/image/2016/08/27/x720_q60/Kanayo-Obi-Rapu-JPG.jpg | en | null | Bucs get transfer from Longwood | null | null | www.johnsoncitypress.com | Forbes, East Tennessee State University's basketball coach, has received a commitment from junior guard Kanayo Obi-Rapu Jr., who will transfer from Longwood University.
ETSU had an open scholarship after the departure of red-shirt freshman guard Shemar Johnson.
Obi-Rappu averaged 12.0 points per game last season at Longwood, a member of the Big South Conference. He started 27 games and shot 38 percent from 3-point range annd 42 percent overall.
The 6-foot-3, 190-pound point guard from Greensboro, North Carolina, is expected to begin class at ETSU on Monday. He will sit out the coming season due to NCAA transfer rules and have two years of eligibility remaining.
Obi-Rapu was a high school teammate of former ETSU player Deuce Bello. He was chosen Longwood's freshman athlete of the year in 2015.
Johnson, a 6-foot-6 point guard, "failed to meet the expectations I have to be a player in our program," Forbes said in a release announcing his departure last week. "I wish him the best now and in the future."
Because of NCAA rules, Forbes is not allowed to comment on Obi-Rapu's status until he begins attending class. | http://www.johnsoncitypress.com/Basketball/2016/08/27/Bucs-get-transfer-from-Longwood.html | en | 2016-08-27T00:00:00 | www.johnsoncitypress.com/86a71002bac31c1196358d1cfb17f0bb5db1152558b9fbadaee6c7887ca99e0a.json |
[] | 2016-08-26T13:06:16 | null | 2016-08-25T00:00:00 | The circumstances worked out perfectly for the ETSU women’s triathlon team.
With East Tennessee State University bringing back football, Title IX requirements | http%3A%2F%2Fwww.johnsoncitypress.com%2FSports%2F2016%2F08%2F25%2FETSU-triathlon-team-to-debut-next-week.html.json | http://www.johnsoncitypress.com/image/2016/08/25/x720_q60/ETSU-Triathlon-1-jpg.jpg | en | null | ETSU triathlon team to debut next week | null | null | www.johnsoncitypress.com | With East Tennessee State University bringing back football, Title IX requirements were for the Bucs to add three women’s sports.
One of those sports became obvious when ETSU was one of eight schools chosen by USA Triathlon for grants which allowed them to buy the equipment they needed.
The Bucs had an easy time finding a coach with Janine Pleasant, an ETSU graduate whom they were already working with.
“Two years ago, ETSU and Johnson City Chamber of Commerce approached me,” said Pleasant, a noted local athlete and coach who has competed in two Ironman races. “They wanted to apply to be accepted for the college club national championships here in Johnson City. Working with ETSU on it, we got very excited about bringing the sport to ETSU. We found out through USAT they were getting it approved for an NCAA sport.”
It’s still considered an emerging sport by the NCAA with ETSU and the University of Arizona the only two Division I programs to offer it. There are 13 colleges nationwide that have women’s triathlon teams and they will see a lot of each other this season.
The Bucs will compete in four events, starting with the Central Regional Qualifier on Sept. 5 in Naperville, Ill.
Other events are held in Oak Ridge and Greensboro, N.C., before a national championship event in New Orleans where all 13 programs will be invited.
Triathlon is a sport not for the faint of heart. It incorporates a 750-meter swim, a 20-kilometer bike ride and a five-kilometer run.
One difference between coaches in many other sports and Pleasant is she is still an active competitor in cycling events and triathlons.
“I still like to get out there and compete,” she said. “I’ve already done one half-Ironman this year and I’m training for a second one. I will keep doing them until I drop over.”
Now she can pass on her love of the sport to a new generation of athletes.
The are three athletes — senior McKenzie Killian, sophomore Sarah Zimmer and freshman Chloe Ford — listed on the team’s website.
Ford was a multi-sport athlete at Science Hill High School, participating in soccer, swimming and track.
She was named midfielder of the year in soccer in 2014 and was a two-time state finalist in swimming.
“I heard my junior year of high school that ETSU was considering a triathlon team and I thought, ‘That is really cool,’” Ford said. “I borrowed a friends’s bike and started cycling. I have been in swimming since I was seven, so that aspect is definitely my strongest. When I come out of the water, I’m on the bike and from there, I just have to tell myself to grind though it.”
She was a sprinter on her high school track team, running the 400 meters and 4x100 relay, but the longer distance with the five-kilometer run actually works out better for her.
“I ran cross country in middle school, but I didn’t have the time to do it in high school because of swimming,” she said. “I like running distance better than the sprints anyway.”
The team has found plenty of local support, particularly with Norris Bicycles, which has helped with the equipment required. The Bucs are thankful for the way it’s all worked out. Ford thought she was done with sports after high school until finding out the grants came through in July.
“I was going to be a regular student in school and then this came along,” she said. “It goes hand-in-hand with sports nutrition which I am majoring in. I have a scholarship with the strength and conditioning coach and that works perfectly with the triathlon training.” | http://www.johnsoncitypress.com/Sports/2016/08/25/ETSU-triathlon-team-to-debut-next-week.html | en | 2016-08-25T00:00:00 | www.johnsoncitypress.com/9cae15ec8a4df7487d21e1eb38bae00777bb9596aea5a3aea2dbac5bf7bb528f.json |
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