Kyles Ford
Politics
Hawkins County EMS Seeks New Headquarters Amid Expansion and Organizational Shifts
ROGERSVILLE, Tenn. — Hawkins County Emergency Medical Service (HCEMS) is actively searching for a new headquarters after the Hawkins County Rescue Squad notified them their lease at the rescue squad building was being terminated. The rescue squad building had been a shared facility for 36 years. This move underscores a pivotal moment for HCEMS as it explores becoming a county or quasi-government agency, potentially offering benefits like the Tennessee Consolidated Retirement System (TCRS) for its personnel.
🚧 Virginia Department of Transportation Conducts Surveys in Multiple Locations
The time displayed is local to the original X account in Virginia. The Virginia Department of Transportation (VDOT) Bristol District has announced it is conducting surveys up until February 25th in various locations within the district. Residents and commuters should be aware of potential disruptions in the following areas: Route 11 in Abingdon, which can be further detailed via https://t.co/r3r5ZL7iGu; Route 11/16 in Marion, visit https://t.co/EvKcf21Mki for more information; Route 19/460 in Tazewell County, with details at https://t.co/4HQFkXw0cd; and the Alternate Route 58 Corridor in Lee County, for which additional information is available at https://t.co/6tWMDAr46v. The community is encouraged to stay informed and plan their travel accordingly during the survey period.
State presents $100K check for Laurel Run Park bridge to waterfalls, trails
The substantial foot traffic between Laurel Run Park and Bays Mountain is expected to increase thanks to a new bridge that will improve access between the two parks, and to a couple of waterfalls. On Wednesday TN Department of Tourism Assistant Commissioner Melanie Beauchamp visited Rogersville to officially present a $100,000 check to officials from Hawkins County and Kingsport. This past October the Hawkins County Commission agreed to accept a...
Committees recommend $1.357 million bid for Justice Center roof replacement
The Hawkins County Commission’s Budget Committee voted Tuesday to recommend approval of a $1.357 million bid for replacing the Justice Center roof, which includes accepting an option for skylights. The skylights increased the cost of the project by $99,995, and will help cut down on power use by utilizing natural light in the jail. The committee voted to reject an option for a thicker roof membrane that would have increased...
Church Hill BMA approves $39K Christmas lights bid
The Church Hill Board of Mayor and Alderman voted 6-0 Tuesday in favor of accepting a $39,200 bid for new Christmas lights. The town went without lights due to a discrepancy with the power boxes on the light poles last December. In late December, Mayor Dennis Deal said that following meetings with Holston Electric, Church Hill would be able to display lights again in 2024. ...
Committee recommends $95K allocation to Vet Center after emotional debate
Local veterans made their case for funding Tuesday after one Hawkins County Commissioner expressed doubts to the Budget Committee about a proposed $95,000 allocation to the Veterans Center of East Tennessee. Following a lengthy, and at times emotional discussion, the Budget Committee voted 6-0 to recommend the VCET funding, which will be drawn from the county’s opioid lawsuit settlement. VCET is located at 105 W. McKinney Ave., Rogersville. Founders Michael...
Indicted juvenile judge agrees to forgo salary six months after suspension
Suspended Hawkins County Juvenile judge Daniel Boyd informed the County Mayor’s office last week that he would be foregoing any further payment while his suspension is pending. Boyd was served a sealed indictment warrant on Aug. 15 of last year on bribery and forgery charges. On Aug. 16 Boyd was officially suspended from his Juvenile Judge position by the Tennessee Board of Judicial Conduct. Hawkins County budget director Eric Buchanan...
Mount Carmel pre-school classrooms transformed into dinosaur museums
Mrs. Tittle’s and Mrs. Catie’s preschool classrooms at Mount Carmel Elementary usually look like every other preschool classroom, filled blocks, toy kitchens, dolls, dress up clothes, and even a miniature library. Currently they look a little bit different. For the next couple of weeks preschools in Hawkins County are learning about museums. Mrs. Tittle and Mrs. Catie transformed their classrooms into dinosaur museums to help immerse their students into learning. ...
Church Hill approves nearly $900k bid to start Holliston Mills Park construction
After eight years of waiting, the Church Hill Board of Mayor and Alderman accepted a $897,019 bid for Phase 1 construction of Holliston Mills Park during a special called meeting on Feb. 13. GRC Construction from Kingsport was the lone bidder on the project originally estimated at $1.47 million. Phase 1 includes a roadway, a small parking lot, a picnic pavilion, and site preparation for future phases of the park development. ...
Some counties in Southwest Virginia are seeing a big influx of newcomers. Others aren’t.
They're all losing population because deaths outnumber births and net in-migration but beneath the surface, some Southwest localities have become population magnets. The post Some counties in Southwest Virginia are seeing a big influx of newcomers. Others aren’t. appeared first on Cardinal News.
501 ballots cast in first four days of early voting
As of Saturday there had been 501 ballot cast in Hawkins County early voting for the March 5 county and presidential primaries. Hawkins County has early voting locations in Church Hill and Rogersville through Feb. 29. The Rogersville early voting location is at the Hawkins County Courthouse M-F 8 a.m. to 5 p.m.; and Saturday Feb. 24 from 8 a.m. to noon. ...
Proposed state law postpones consideration of Surgoinsville tax increase
Surgoinsville Mayor Merrell Graham told the Board of Mayor and Aldermen earlier this month that the board should table the proposed tax increase pending approval of legislation in the Tennessee General Assembly. Tennessee Municipal League, which provides liability insurance to Tennessee cities, recently sent an email urging cities to protest two proposed bills. In January the BMA discussed a proposed 13-cent property tax increase following Vice Mayor Bobby Jarnagin’s suggestion...
Surgoinsville accepts land donation from church for playground
Surgoinsville Board of Mayor and Alderman (BMA) accepted a land donation Monday from First United Methodist Church of Surgoinsville to install a playground. The church is donating land at the base of the hill that Surgoinsville FUMC sits atop between Main Street and Old Stage Road. The church did have conditions for the donation of the land. ...
This Tennessee ESL teacher ensures that her students learn the language — and feel the love
Sign up for Chalkbeat Tennessee’s free daily newsletter to keep up with statewide education policy and Memphis-Shelby County Schools.Missy Testerman has been teaching at Rogersville City School for 32 years. But for the past few years, she’s been teaching more children who weren’t born in the rural Appalachian community where the school is nestled.Some of the children are from Mexico and Honduras. Others are from India, China, and various Arabic-speaking nations. She heard stories about immigrant families braving dangerous routes to get to the United States.“We’re very rural. We see cows every day,” said Testerman, 54, who also directs the...
District 7 County Commission Candidate Michael Herrell
Former Commissioner Micheal Herrell is one of two candidates seeking the Republican nomination to the District 7 seat on the Hawkins County Commission. The Review asked each of the candidates to answer the same five questions. District 7 Commissioner candidate Bobby Lee Jinks chose not to reply to the questionnaire. The following are Michael Herrell’s responses to those questions. ...
Early voting for March 5 primaries begins Feb. 14
Early voting begins Wednesday and runs through Feb. 27, with two of the five local races contested on the March 5 primary ballot. Aside from being the local primary election, March 5 is also Tennessee’s presidential primary election. The Rogersville early voting location is at the Hawkins County Courthouse M-F 8 a.m. to 5 p.m.; and Saturday Feb. 17 & 24 from 8 a.m. to noon. ...
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