Nunley and her husband, Sgt. Steven Nunley, are both from Johnson City. Sgt. Nunley is serving in Iraq.

“At this moment everything is normal,” she said Friday morning by phone from Texas. “Although it was strange for the children to come to school this morning and see armed guards and a tank posted outside.”

Read the full story on the Johnson City Press site.

Nathan Ripley, a Hamblen County wildlife officer with the Tennessee Wildlife Resources Agency, said Thursday morning Lester R. Lawson of Morristown died in the incident. Ripley assisted Jeff Webb, Grainger County wildlife officer with TWRA, who is the lead investigator on the case.

A coroner ruled Lawson's death as a drowning, Ripley said. Ripley said no one witnessed how Lawson got in the water. Somebody saw his body in the water about 10:50 a.m. and alerted authorities.

read the full report at the Knoxville News Sentinel's Web site.

Turner said he has drafted a bill to ban the so-called "leadership PACs" after deciding that so many are being created that they are effectively skirting state laws to limit contributions to political campaigns. The bill will be introduced for consideration in next year's legislative session, he said.

"I think people are starting to get around what the intent of the law was," he said. "And anything we can do to take money out of the system is a good thing. What we have now caters to the wealthy."

Read the full repport at the Knoxville News Sentinel's Web site.

John Robert Barnett, 176 Hopper Road, was charged with four counts of rape of a child and four counts of incest.

Police said in a news release that the charges resulted from an investigation into sexual assaults of a juvenile that occurred at different times in 2008 while Barnett was still a juvenile.

Read the full report at the Johnson City Press'' Web site.

At Thursday’s regular meeting, the commission unanimously approved the acceptance of contract between the city of Johnson City and Redflex Traffic Systems, Inc., a company specializing in the red light camera technology.

In October, the commission deferred selection of a vendor for the cameras until contracts could be further reviewed. Last year, the commission gave approval to proceed with implementation of the cameras. Lowry said bringing the cameras to the city has been a process years in the making and is much needed, as a recent test at a busy intersection showed 800 red light violations within a 24 hour span.

Read the full story on the Johnson City Press site.

Nathan Ripley, a Hamblen County wildlife officer with the Tennessee Wildlife Resources Agency, said this morning Lester R. Lawson of Morristown died in the incident. Ripley assisted Jeff Webb, Grainger County wildlife officer with TWRA, who is the lead investigator on the case.

A coroner ruled Lawson's death as a drowning, Ripley said.

Read the full report at the <a href="http://www.knoxnews.com/news/2009/nov/05/morristown-man-drowned-cherokee-lake/" target="_blank"> Knoxville News Sentinel's </a> Web site.

It’s a rich market for communities and developers eager to tap into aging baby boomers looking to relocate in their senior years — and North Georgia could benefit.

A survey released Wednesday by the National Home Builders Association indicates that about one of every eight persons over age 55 plan to move when they retire. "The retirement market is one that is going to help pull us out of this housing recession,” Dave Robertson, president of RPI Media, told members of the American Association of Retirement Communities during the group’s annual convention in Chattanooga.

Read the full report at the Chattanooga Times Free Press' Web site.

The blast was the first in a series of explosions that workers will use to remove large boulders hanging from the top of the 150-foot slide that closed I-40 in both directions.

Mike Patton, a N.C. Department of Transportation technician overseeing the work, said the blast, or "shot" as it's called, successfully brought down some of the dangerous overhanging material at the top of the slide.

Read the full report at the Knoxville News Sentinel's Web site.

The regiment, the largest in the Tennessee Army National Guard, will leave the state Dec. 5 for final training before deployment to Iraq, officials said Wednesday.

A farewell ceremony and departure for Iraq will follow in early February. "Up until this point, we'd suspected it would be Iraq, but we didn't know for sure," said Col. Jeff Holmes, the unit's commander. "This lets us drill down and fine-tune our training for the theater we'll be in."

Read the full report at the Knoxville News Sentinel's Web site.

Beeler allegedly had a conversation with a codefendant in the case while that defendant’s attorney was questioning a witness during the hearing.

“What you did in this court’s presence is something I have never seen in my entire practice of law,” Brown told Beeler. “Mr. Ross was at the lectern questioning a witness and you leaned over and talked to his client.

Read the full story on the Johnson City Press site.

The Asheville Citizen-Times reported Wednesday the work aims to topple large boulders hanging 150 feet up at the top of the slope that gave way.

The 500,000-ton slide closed I-40 in both directions. North Carolina Transportation Department technician Mike Patton said the blasting that rained rocks 200 yards away will help make it possible for workers to clear the roadway safely.

The highway department has said it will take at least four months to get two lanes open. The cleanup could cost 10 million.

Information from the The Asheville Citizen-Times,

Joshua Theall, 27, was indicted on nine counts of rape of a child for allegedly raping a 6-year-old girl.

According to court records, Theall physically penetrated the girl and forced her to have oral sex nine different times between March 2007 and March 2009.

CLICK HERE for more from the Johnson City Press.

The Daily Post-Athenian in Athens reports that 39-year-old Kelly Maynor of Ten Mile was arrested Monday in Meigs County on charges of theft of services and filing false financial statements.

Lakeside Baptist Church in Ten Mile reported more than 50,000 in church funds missing.

Meigs County Detective Keith Kile told the newspaper that church leaders contacted authorities a few weeks ago.

A telephone message left at a number listed as Maynor’s address was not returned Tuesday.

Kile said Maynor apparently spent much of the money for her own personal use. Maynor posted a 5,000 bond.

The 40-year-old woman told police she had gotten out of classes a few minutes early about 4:15 p.m. Monday, and as she arrived at her vehicle a strange man met her.

The man forced her into the back of her vehicle and drove it away, she told police.

Read the full report at the Knoxville News Sentinel's Web site.

McDonnell, a conservative former state attorney general, had about 60 percent of the vote with most precincts reporting. He takes back the governor’s office after eight years of Democrat control.

The election largely turned on independent voters, who preferred McDonnell by nearly a 2-1 ratio over Democrat R. Creigh Deeds, exit polls showed. It was a shift from 2008, when independents in the state split about evenly between the parties.

The race, along with one in New Jersey, has been closely watched as a potential referendum on Obama and his policies. Obama was the first Democrat in 44 years to carry Virginia in a presidential race.

Virginia voters were split on Obama’s job perfor- mance, exit polls showed. While many said the president was not a factor in their votes for governor, about a quarter said their vote for McDonnell was also a rejection of Obama.

“I hope this will kind of send a message to Congress that you better do what we want or we won’t re-elect you,” said Linda Doland, 60, a nanny in suburban Richmond who voted for McDonnell.

“You’re supposed to represent us,” she said. “I don’t think the present administration is really listening to the people.”

Voters expressed angst about major Obama initiatives such as health care, energy and stimulus spending. But McDonnell dominated the campaign’s central issues: jobs and the economy.

In Associated Press surveys at polling places statewide, about eight in 10 voters said they were worried about the direction of the nation’s economy, and the majority of those favored McDonnell.

McDonnell will succeed Gov. Timothy M. Kaine, chairman of the Democratic National Committee, who is barred by state law from seeking a second term. Kaine directed $6 million in DNC money into Virginia for Deeds and other Democratic candidates.

Deeds, a moderate country lawyer and state senator, never energized the party’s liberal activists despite campaigning twice with President Barack Obama.

In other Virginia races, Republican Lt. Gov. Bill Bolling won re-election over Democrat Jody Wagner, and Republican Kenneth Cuccinelli was elected attorney general over Democrat Steve Shannon with about the same share of the vote as McDonnell. All 100 seats in the House of Delegates were up for election, with contested races for 69 seats.

Michael and Joan Berry of Lawrenceville, Ga., had sued Brendon Park Apartments, Brendon Park Associates and First Management Services Inc. of Nashville for $3.1 million. The Knox County Circuit Court lawsuit alleged that the defendants failed to provide adequate security arrangements for the complex near Cedar Bluff Road and had not warned tenants about crimes in the vicinity prior to Johnia Berry's murder in December 2004.

The case was set for trial Feb. 5, but a notice filed today stated the case was being dropped after the parties had reached a settlement.

Read the full story on the Knoxville News Sentinel's site.

Mrs. Johnson actually turns 100 today and a quiet ceremony is scheduled at the Morristown Airport, where she has been the manager for 56 years. The public party at TCRA coincided with the opening of the Wings of Freedom tour that brought B-17 and B-24 bombers and a P-51 Mustang fighter for three days of displays and rides.

It was no coincidence. When Alex Borla of the Collings Foun dation, which owns and flies the vintage aircraft, heard of Mrs. Johnson’s centennial he booked TCRA as a stop for the tour.

Read the full story on the Johnson City Press site.

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Kristin Helm, a spokeswoman for the TBI, told WTVF-TV in Nashville on Monday that the agency is faced with making millions of dollars in cuts for next year’s budget so they are looking at ways to increase revenue.

The fees on forensic analysis of biological, chemical and physical evidence would have to be approved by the legislature.

Wilson County Sheriff Terry Ashe said he’s concerned about the cost to local police departments, who are also trimming budgets.

Timothy Liess of Texas, died in the parking of the Extended StayAmerica, 1700 Winston Road, according to Knoxville Police Department spokesman Darrell DeBusk.

DeBusk said Texas authorities alerted KPD that Liess was staying a the motel. Texas officials told Knoxville they would extradite Liess upon his arrest.

CLICK HERE for more from the Knoxville News Sentinel.

The loaded .40-caliber handgun was brought to the party by a different man, who was using it as an accessory to his military costume, according to Bristol Tennessee Police Lt. Debbie McCauley.

At some point, the party’s hosts learned it was a real gun and had him take the bullets out and put the weapon away.
Police still do not know when it was reloaded.

CLICK HERE for the full story from TriCities.com.

Greene County Sheriff Steve Burns this morning identified the victims as Johnny Heck, Jr., 50, of 2003 Oasis Road, and Elizabeth Powell, 44, of Gilbreath Road.

Burns described Heck and Powell as acquaintances and noted that Powell was believed to have occasionally stayed at Heck's residence.

CLICK HERE for more from the Greeneville Sun.

Around 6:30 p.m., Phillip Albert Wray, 41, of Castlewood, Virginia ran into the path of a car on Route 19 /460 in Tazewell County.

CLICK HERE for more from TriCities.com.

Doug Young, 49, was sentenced to 50 years in prison in September. That's in addition to a 22-year sentence he received in 2008 after a jury convicted him of a similar offense against Heather Moore, now his ex-wife.

Young's attorney, Brad Sproles, contends the judge allowed evidence from the first case to come into the second trial.

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