Local News 2023

STATE TROOPER CHARGED WITH ASSAULT

A VIRGINIA STATE TROOPER WAS CHARGED WITH THREE COUNTS OF ASSAULT ON A LAW ENFORCEMENT OFFICER AFTER A DOMESTIC DISPUTE IN NORTON.u00a0 STATE POLICE WERE CALLED TO A HOME SATURDAY NIGHT AND C.H. PARSONS III WAS ARRESTED AND CHARGED WITH ONE MISDEMEANOR COUNT OF ASSAULT ON A FAMILY MEMBER AND THREE COUNTS OF ASSAULT ON A LAW ENFORCEMENT OFFICER.u00a0 PARSONS WAS HIRED IN 2020 AND HAS BEEN A TROOPER IN DICKENSON COUNTY SINCE 2022.u00a0 HE WAS TAKEN TO JAIL AND HAS BEEN PLACED ON ADMINISTRATIVE LEAVE WITHOUT PAY.

KAINEu2014SW VA

U.S. SENATOR TIM KAINE WILL BE IN SOUTHWEST VIRGINIA THIS WEEK WITH SEVERAL STOPSu2014AND HEu2019LL BE TALKING ABOUT INFRASTRUCTURE, MENTAL HEALTH AND CLEAN ENERGY.u00a0 HEu2019LL BE IN MARION THURSDAY AND WILL ALSO VISIT THE CREEPER TRAIL.u00a0 ON FRIDAY, HEu2019LL HOST A ROUNDTABLE AT MOUNTAIN EMPIRE COMMUNITY COLLEGE TO TALK ABOUT CLEAN ENERGY TAX CREDITS.u00a0 THEN, THE SENATOR WILL GO TO JONESVILLE TO HELP WITH A DAY OF SERVICE WITH APPALACHIA SERVICE PROJECT.

ONE DEAD IN SMYTH STABBING

ONE PERSON IS DEAD AFTER A WEEKEND STABBING INCIDENT IN SMYTH COUNTY VIRGINIA.u00a0 THE SHERIFFu2019S OFFICE SAYS IT HAPPENED ON ASHTON LANEu2014OFF HIGHWAY 16.u00a0 ONE PERSON WAS FOUND DEAD AND ANOTHER PERSON WAS INJURED.u00a0 NO OTHER DETAILS HAVE BEEN RELEASED, BUT SHERIFF CHIP SHULER SAYS THEREu2019S NO ADDITIONAL DANGER TO THE PUBLIC.

BRIGHTRIDGEu2014AUSTIN SPRINGS WORK

BRIGHTRIDGE WILL BE REBUILDING AN AGING ELECTRICAL CIRCUIT IN JOHNSON CITY AND THATu2019LL DISRUPT TRAFFIC ALONG SOUTH AUSTIN SPRINGS ROAD.u00a0 THEREu2019LL ALSO BE SHORT-TERM POWER OUTAGESu2014AND THOSE WILL GENERALLY OCCUR ONLY BETWEEN 7 A.M. AND 5 P.M. MONDAY THROUGH THURSDAY.u00a0 OUTAGES CAN BE EXPECTED FROM THE INTERSECTION OF EAST OAKLAND TO THE 464 BLOCK OF SOUTH AUSTIN SPRINGS AND WILL ALSO IMPACT SURROUNDING NEIGHBORHOODS.

MAN ARRESTED FOR LEAVING SCENE

A WASHINGTON COUNTY MAN HAS BEEN ARRESTED AFTER HE ALLEGEDLY LEFT THE SCENE OF AN ACCIDENT.u00a0 23-YEAR-OLD MATTHEW SINKES OF GRAY WAS ARRESTED AFTER OFFICERS INVESTIGATED A TRUCK THAT WAS STUCK IN A DITCH ON HOG HOLLOW ROAD.u00a0 THE TRUCK DROVE AWAY AND OFFICERS TRACKED IT BECAUSE OF A DEBRIS TRAIL.u00a0 SINKES WAS ALLEGEDLY INTOXICATED AND OFFICERS ALSO FOUND A LOADED HANDGUN.u00a0 SINKES FACES SEVERAL CHARGES AND WILL BE ARRAIGNED IN WASHINGTON COUNTY SESSIONS COURT.

MAN CHARGED WITH TRESPASSING, BURGLARY

AN ERWIN MAN IS CHARGED AFTER HE ALLEGEDLY BROKE INTO A HOME IN WASHINGTON COUNTY.u00a0 A REPORT NOTES 24-YEAR-OLD KIRK BUCHANAN WAS INTOXICATED AND ENTERED A HOME IN BUMPUS COVE.u00a0 HE REPORTEDLY COLLAPSED ON TOP OF TWO CHILDREN SLEEPING ON A COUCH.u00a0 THE CHILDREN BEGAN SCREAMING AND WOKE UP THEIR MOTHER, WHO TOOK THE CHILDREN, HID IN ANOTHER ROOM AND CALLED 9-1-1.u00a0 THE CHILDREN WERENu2019T HURT.u00a0 SHERIFFu2019S DEPUTIES SAY BUCHANAN DIDNu2019T KNOW WHERE HE WAS AND WAS TAKEN TO JAIL.u00a0 HEu2019S CHARGED WITH AGGRAVATED BURGLARY AND WILL BE ARRAIGNED IN WASHINGTON COUNTY SESSIONS COURT.

MARION VIRGINIA SHOOTING

ONE PERSON IS DEAD AFTER AN EARLY MORNING SHOOTING IN MARION VIRGINIA.u00a0 IT HAPPENED IN THE AREA OF REMINGTON LANE AND SHERIFFu2019S DEPUTIES FOUND A MAN DECEASED FROM AN APPARENT GUNSHOT.u00a0 A SUSPECT WAS ARRESTED BY MARION POLICE AND THE INVESTIGATION IS IN ITS EARLY STAGES.u00a0 MORE INFORMATION IS EXPECTED TO BE RELEASED LATER.

JC SCHOOLSu2014THIRD GRADE RETEST

TENNESSEEu2019S STANDARDIZED TESTS WILL BE GIVEN IN PUBLIC SCHOOLS THIS MONTH.u00a0 THEREu2019S EXTRA IMPORTANCE ON THE E-L-A PART OF THE THIRD GRADE EXAMu2014AS THATu2019LL BE THE BENCHMARK FOR PROMOTION OR POSSIBLE RETENTION.u00a0 THEREu2019LL BE RETEST DATES OFFERED ON MAY 30 AND 31.u00a0 STUDENTS WHO DONu2019T MEET THE BENCHMARK WILL HAVE TO ATTEND SUMMER SCHOOL, HAVE A TUTOR IN THE FOURTH GRADE OR BOTH.

NEW WASH CO VA SCHOOL SUPERINTENDENT

KEITH PERRIGAN HAS BEEN NAMED THE NEW SCHOOL SUPERINTENDENT IN WASHINGTON COUNTY VIRGINIA. PERRIGAN CURRENTLY SERVES AS SUPERINTENDENT IN BRISTOL VIRGINIA AND WILL ASSUME HIS NEW ROLE JULY 1ST. PERRIGAN HAS MORE THAN 27 YEARS EXPERIENCE IN EDUCATION AND SAYS HE IS ANXIOUS TO RETURN TO THE DISTRICT.u00a0 PERRIGAN HAS ALSO SERVED IN ADMINISTRATION FOR NORTON CITY SCHOOLS.

INMATE USES SPOON IN ESCAPE ATTEMPT

A KINGSPORT JAIL INMATE IS CHARGED AFTER HE ALLEGEDLY USED A PLASTIC SPOON TO TRY TO ESCAPE.u00a0 OFFICERS SAW 26-YEAR-OLD STEPHEN SALAS REACHING THROUGH THE BARS OF HIS CELL AND MANIPULATING AN OBJECT IN THE LOCK.u00a0 OFFICERS FOUND THE BROKEN SPOON, WHICH HAD BEEN PART OF HIS MEAL.u00a0 SALAS WAS JAILED FOR SIMPLE DOMESTIC ASSAULT AND IS NOW CHARGED WITH ATTEMPTED MISDEMEANOR ESCAPE.

SALES TAX NUMBERS STRONG IN SULLIVAN

SALES TAX NUMBERS CONTINUE TO SHOW STRONG GROWTH IN SULLIVAN COUNTY. u00a0COUNTY WIDE REVENUE IN MARCH WAS UP MORE THAN 11-PERCENT COMPARED TO MARCH 2022.u00a0 YEAR-OVER-YEAR, COLLECTIONS ARE UP OVER 11-PERCENT.u00a0 HALF OF THE MONEY GOES TO LOCAL SCHOOL SYSTEMS, BASED ON AVERAGE DAILY ATTENDANCE.u00a0 THATu2019S PROVIDED AN EXTRA $1.1-MILLION DOLLARS FOR THE KINGSPORT CITY SCHOOL SYSTEM, $814-THOUSAND FOR SULLIVAN COUNTY AND $691-THOUSAND IN BRISTOL TENNESSEE.

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