Johnson City Police Department responded to a crash with injuries on North Roan Street at Swanee Drive. Officers found a motorcycle that had collided with another vehicle. 39-year old Michael J. McLaughlin who was on a 2002 Honda 600 needed transportation to the Johnson City Medical Center Hospital where he died from his injuries. 63-year old Sherry Barthen was driving a 2005 Chrysler Pacifica and was not injured in the crash. It’s reported that speed was a factor in the crash and charges are pending upon further investigation by the Johnson City Police Department Traffic Homicide Team. (bg)

Coal Company Alpha Natural Resources says that production will be reduced at some of its operations in central Appalachia due to decreased demand. The Bristol Virginia based company said that 10 mining operations - four in eastern Kentucky and six in southern West Virginia - are affected by the changes. Alpha says subsidiaries in Kentucky and West Virginia will idle four mines immediately and two others between now and early 2013. Several other mines will alter work schedules or reduce production crews. When completed, the company says the adjustments are expected to reduce annual coal production by approximately 4 million tons. Alpha Natural Resources has more than 180 mines and processing plants and employs about 14-thousand people. (bg)

Over 140 families will be served by a 3.5-million dollar public water project in Buchanan County. Virginia Governor Bob McDonnell says the county will get abandoned mine land funds to start construction in April under a program administered by the state’s Department of Mines, Minerals and Energy. Funds for the program originate from reclaimed taxes paid by the state’s coal producers. To be eligible the water supply in the project area had to be impacted by pre-1981 coal mining activities. The federal abandoned mine land program had an increase in available grant funds for Virginia who wants to expand construction of public water projects in the Southwest Virginia coalfield region. This will be the third phase of a water line extension project in the Hurley area since 1984 and the program is expected to provide clean drinking water for more than 8-thousand households. Additional funding for the project comes from the Department of Housing and Community Development, Coalfield Water Development Fund, Southwest Virginia regional water and wastewater construction fund, Buchanan County Public Service Authority and the county’s Board of Supervisors. (bg)

Emmanuel Episcopal Church With its British-inspired architecture has overlooked Bristol’s downtown commercial area for the past 150 years. The congregation is celebrating the landmarks anniversary this Sunday. Emmanuel was a founding church of Bristol Faith in Action, a nonprofit agency that assists the needy. The church manages programs providing meals for shut-ins, a soup kitchen and a social club for people with special needs. The first building was built in 1872 at the corner of Moore Street and Piedmont Avenue where the current Masonic temple now stands then a few yards up the hill, the current building replaced that structure in 1921. Church members recently funded a capital campaign for extensive repairs to the roof, walls, electrical system and pipe organ. Special services are planned for 8 am then again at 10:30 this Sunday morning with the church choir and brass ensemble performing. (bg)

Federal prosecutors say a southwest Virginia rescue squad and the president of its board have been indicted on charges of conspiracy to commit health care fraud. The U.S. attorney's office says a federal grand jury in Abingdon handed up the indictment against the Saltville Rescue Squad. According to the indictment, the rescue squad, board president and the worker conspired to fraudulently bill Medicare and Anthem Blue Cross Blue Shield for non-emergency ambulance services. The indictment alleges the squad was being reimbursed for transporting patients who did not quality. The government said the alleged fraudulent billing totaled more than 2-million dollars. (bg)

The National Guard Armory is the new voting location for early voters in Bristol Tennessee. Election officials have used the YWCA for early voting in the past but parking was an issue. Sullivan County Election officials say the armory is centrally located and more financially feasible. The elections office has been preparing the public for the new voting laws requiring Tennesseans to show a valid state or federally issued photo identification at the polling station. The Sullivan County Elections Commission sent out 5-thousand flyers to residents in the county, placed them in public buildings and mailed them with property tax bills. The Tennessee Driver Services Division is issuing free voter identification cards and is open this Saturday exclusively for that purpose. Those wanting an absentee ballot have until February 28th to request a ballot. (bg)

One of downtown Bristol’s most visible buildings will be auctioned off Saturday morning. The current tenant at 501 State Street hopes to stay in the three-story SUSONG building on the corner of State and Lee and continue operating after the sale is complete. The Java J’s coffee shop occupies the ground floor of the 96-hundred square foot building while the two upper floors are vacant. The stone and brick structure was completed in 1898 and it’s hoped that the landmark will continue to enhance the downtown area for years to come. (bg)

A bill that would eliminate background checks for gun purchases in Tennessee was sponsored by Senator Steve Southerland and State representative David Hawk. More than 300-thouisand Tennesseans would be affected and that makes the Tennessee Bureau of Investigation nervous. Under the proposal, people with valid handgun carry permits wouldn’t have to pass background checks in order to buy guns. Gun carriers already have to pay 115-dollars to pass an intensive background check and get fingerprinted in order to get their permits. The law makers say that the extra 10-dollars for another background check every time a new gun is purchased is too much. That bill has been delayed at the request of the TBI hoping to join with the Department of Safety, the Sheriff's Association and the Police Chiefs Association in meeting with the lawmakers to discuss the bill and possible consequences. The believe that bill would allow gun carry permit holders to buy firearms without a background check for up to five years after they receive that permit. Opponents argue people can get into a lot of trouble during that time. (bg)

The Walters State Community College nursing program has received a 150-thousand dollar gift to establish the Minnie Gilley Rich Nursing Endowment. The late Ruby Gilley chose to honor her mother Minnie Gilley Rich in a public way and benefit the entire community. Minnie was one of the first company nurses at the original American ENKA plant in Lowland and spent many years taking care of the company’s workers. She was a native of Bulls Gap who lived in Morristown for most of her life. She served as secretary with Senator Herbert Walters, the college’s namesake. Her father, Rufus Henry Gilley, operated the Gilley Hotel in Bulls Gap in the early 1900s. Interest from the gift will fund scholarships for nursing students. With current conditions, the endowment could be expected to fund about three full-time scholarships each year, although the college has the flexibility to award partial scholarships if needed. The principle amount will not be spent which will allow the scholarships to continue. The first scholarships from this gift will be awarded sometime during the 2012-2013 academic year. (bg)

The Tennessee Highway Patrol has determined that a trooper engaged in a chase deliberately drove past the car after it crashed. The driver was killed instantly, but Trooper Charles Van Morgan did not know that when he drove away from the scene. The parents of victim Gordon Anito have filed a 10-million dollar wrongful death suit against Officer Morgan and the Tennessee Highway Patrol concerning the November 20th accident. Another officer spotted the car in flames. Morgan returned and told investigators that he used fire extinguisher to try and put the fire out. Officer Morgan claimed not to have seen the wrecked car initially, but investigators concluded the story was not probable and they recommended his termination. (bg)

Two Morristown convenience store owners who allegedly continued to sell synthetic marijuana after it was outlawed in Tennessee were cited. 44-year old Abdul Kader of Hartman Road appeared in court for allegedly possessing 212 vials of Mister Smiley synthetic marijuana at his place of business The multitude of chemical formulations sold under at least 281 brand names do not have a “schedule” designation like marijuana, cocaine or prescription drugs and selling or possessing synthetic marijuana is a misdemeanor. Narcotics investigators warn business owners to use caution and common sense if a supplier attempts to push a similar product with a slightly different chemical composition or the same chemical with a different brand name. The synthetic marijuana is marketed in amounts that range from 1 gram to 5 grams and sells from between 8 to 50-dollars. (bg)

Tennessee transportation officials tell us that work to clear a rock and mud slide along Interstate 40 near the North Carolina border is set to begin. Westbound commercial traffic is making a 55-mile detour over Interstate Highways 26 and 81. A contract has been awarded and work was expected to begin this afternoon. Phillips & Jordan of Knoxville was awarded 9-thousand dollars to break up and remove rocks that slid onto the westbound emergency stopping lane of the highway. All traffic headed west was detoured because an overhanging rock described as a car-sized rock was holding up a house sized boulder. Officials anticipate reopening the westbound lanes by Monday while eastbound travel has not been affected. (bg)

Tennessee Governor Bill Haslam wants mandatory jail time for people convicted of repeated domestic violence crimes. According to the National Center for Injury Prevention and Control nearly 5-million women are assaulted or raped by their partner or ex-partner every year. The numbers show that one in four women become victims of violence in their lifetime. Men account for 15 percent of violence victim cases. That's according to the bureau of justice statistics crime data. The burden of extra inmates in county jails most of which are already over-crowed must fall on county governments across the state. It’s believed that giving repeat offenders 45 to 120 days in jail will allow victims of domestic violence the time to get the help they need. (bg)

Tennessee's death rate from drug overdoses has nearly tripled since 1999 causing a proposal to expand regulations. That proposal would require doctors and pharmacists to check a controlled substance database before writing or dispensing prescriptions. TennCare reported a 48 percent jump in narcotics prescriptions over the last four years despite efforts to end abuse. A state drug database will provide information on patients being prescribed pain pills. Current law allows medical practitioners to enter a patient's drug history once a month. Governor Haslam's proposal would force anyone dispensing controlled substances to update the database every 24-hours. He believes the change will keep people out of emergency rooms and hopefully save lives. (bg)