Johnson City Press from Johnson City, Tennessee • 3

La Thursday April 91998 Compiled from staff and wire reports Father charged In sons death BRISTOL A domestic dispute led to Tuesday nights fatal -shooting of a rural Sullivan County man and his father has been' charged with first-degree murder Sheriff Keith Carr said Wednesday Carr said Teddy Henson 26 died Tuesday evening of at least one 22-caliber gunshot wound after being shot about 6:30 pm at the 596 Henson Hill Road home of his father Johnny David Henson 52 Carr said deputies had been to the rural address which is in the Holston Mountain area 19 times in the past year mostly to deal with family arguments and had even been there earlier Tuesday It was nothing anyone could be arrested for they were just hissing Carr said of the incident earlier Tuesday He said officers recovered a 22-caliber revolver and Johnny Hen-soii confessed to shooting his son after an argument -He told him that he would kill him" Carr said of Hensons He in fact got the gun and did just that but he says the gun accidentally went off Were just classifying it as a domestic father-son altercation There was no fight preceding the shooting there was only an argument" Henson was arraigned Wednesday and is being held in the Sullivan County Detention Center Blountville in lieu of $250000 bond He faces a preliminary hearing in the Bristol division of Sessions Court Tuesday Woman dies in 2-vehicleaccident ELIZABETHTON A Johnson County woman died Wednesday morning in a two-vehicle accident north of Mountain City According to the Tennessee Highway Patrol Christy Hill 26 Laurel Bloomery was killed when a car crossed the center line and struck her vehicle According to the THP that car was driven by Frank Lewis 78 Creston NC who was traveling north on Tenn Highway 91 about six miles north of Mountain City at about 10:30 am Ex-worker arrested in Midas theft Counterclockwise from above the congregation sings at Friendship Baptist Church the Rev James Darden regional vice president gives a report of the middle regional meet- -ing and Dr Herman A Powell president of Tennessee Baptist Missionary: and Education Conven- tion (Staff Photos by Ron Campbell) A 26-year-old city woman was arrested Tuesday and charged with theft of property over $10000 According to city police Lynn Freeman 902 Oakstone Drive was arrested after she allegedly took $11000 from Midas Muffler 2006 Roan St where she was employed Freeman was being held in the city jail in lieu of $10000 bond and was scheduled to appear Wednesday in Municipal Court City man facing multiple charges A 20-year-old city man was arrested Tuesday night on several charges City police said Defadrus Hale 703 Georgia St was arrested about 9:08 pm after he fled in a vehicle from the area of Wilson Avenue and Belmont Street where police officers had stopped his car Authorities were able to stop Hales vehicle in the 200 block of East Fairview Avenue He was charged with sale of schedule II drugs felony evading arrest and violation of display of registration Hale was being held in the Washington County Detention Center Jonesborough in lieu of $30200 bond and is scheduled to appear Monday in Sessions Court Report says offender informed ROGERSVILLE A West Virginia pmbatibjq officer $old a Ten nessee man he had to register as a convicted sex 6ffender when he returned home according to the mans probation report Norris Price 64 Surgoinsville is charged with failing to register with the Tennessee Bureau of Investigation If convicted he could face up to 11 months 29 days in jail Price was convicted of molesting two boys Price returned to Tennessee after he was released on probation by West Virginia on Feb 13 West Virginia officials say they usually tell officials in another state when a convicted offender is moving but did not in this case because Price was returning to his home state A letter from his West Virginia probation officer Caren Bills instructs Price to register as a convicted sex offender The letter dated Feb 23 suggests he contact an attorney West Virginias probation office was responsible for Price until Tennessee formally accepted his case One of the victims sawhim when he returned to Tennessee-and his family alerted authorities Price is now receiving sexual abuse counseling and is registered as a sexual offender according to Pearl Luvene his Tennessee probation officer Armey to attend GOP fund-raiser KINGSPORT House Majority Leader Dick Armey R-Texas will attend an April 17 fund-raiser for Congressman Bill Jenkins R- Armey will join former Congressman Jimmy Quillen R-lst at the morning fund-raiser at the MeadowView Resort Conference and Convention Center The Texas congressman made headlines earlier this week when he told a group of schoolchildren he believes President Clinton should resign from office John Crisp a spokesman for Jenkins campaign said Armey wanted to show his support for the 1st District congressman by 1 attending the event He wanted to come and attest to the good job Jenkins has done in Washington Crisp said Tickets for the breakfast fund-raiser which begins at 8:30 am are $50 per person For more information about the event call Stephanie Ractford at 282-1981 Jenkins will be challenged for the Republican nomination by for-' mer Sen Jim Holcomb R-lst in August Holcomb said he thought it was wonderful that Armey was showing his support for Jenkins I dont think I would want any of the (GOP) House leadership speaking at one of my fund-raisers" Holcomb said I think they have been derelict in defining what the Republican goals should be in the House Ooimveinitjon Friendship Baptist hosts church representatives borhood of $200000 Powell said the student union project is a first for the group but hopefully will not be the last Within the next three years to five years we plan to have at least three (additional) up and running on predominantly black colleges Dr CH Charlton pastor of Friendship Baptist Church said the church is thrilled to be a part of the business and worship sessions Things are going so well for us Charlton said We are excited about the student union project in Jackson I think it will help our Baptist students remain Baptists It will help them to understand what it is really about We need to have ways of training our children And this weeks meetings are a good way of training adults We are coming to be renewed by proclamation of the word and to have our fellowship rekindled he said We want to leave here with a galvanized purpose The convention continues at 8 am today and will close following a 7 pm worship service at Friendship By Gregg Rowers Press Stall Writer Friendship Baptist Church 522 Main St plays host to the Tennessee Baptist Missionary and Educational Convention Adjourned Session here this week The meeting of representatives from 391 churches from the Mississippi River to Bristol began Tuesday with an afternoon Executive Board meeting and an evening banquet Meetings and worship services will continue throughout the day today The theme for the three-day event Recommitting to the Great Commission Through Eradication is based on the commission stated in Matthew Go ye therefore and teach all nations baptising them in the name of the Father of the Son and of the Holy Ghost teaching them to observe all things whatsoever I have commanded you and lo I am with you always even unto the end of the world Dr Herman A Powell pastor of Early Grove Baptist Church Memphis and president of the convention said the meetings are for business education information instruction and worship -This adjourned session is to finish the business we had left undone from the annual session in October 1997 he said We are fine-tuning the program to help equip churches in our convention to continue to do their mission of spreading Gods word The Rev Joe Maddux pastor of New Hope Baptist Church Knoxville spoke to the congregation Wednesday night and Powell said the group will vote today on the most important issue facing convention members this session We are going to vote to build a facility to house our Baptist Student Union program at Lane College in Jackson" he said Its going to cost in the neigh- Communities receive Star Award VDOT to celebrate 1-81 expansion plan Five communities in the Upstate qualified this year for the Governors Three Star Award ErwinUnicoi County GreenevilleGreene County Elizabeth-tonCarter County BristolKingsportSullivan County and Johnson CityJonesboroughWashington County were among 55 localities to be certified Three-Star Communities Three Star Commuriities provide a strong foundation for creating new jobs in Tennessee" said Gov Don Sundquist Community leaders and citizens working together at the local level is what it takes to seize economic opportunity for our state The Governors Three Star Community Economic Preparedness Program recognizes a communitys ability to attract and retain economic enterprises by having the environment organization and commitment hecessary for job growth Communities earning the award undergo recertification yearly to assure that standards of preparedness for economic growth have been sustained locally By Mark Rutledge Erwin Bureau BRISTOL Va Motorists traveling Interstate 81 from Tennessee into Virginia should notice a big improvement in the highway by late 2000 Virginia state and local officials will gather at the Virginia Welcome Center on 1-81 today for a ceremony marking a $69 million expansion to the highway While the Virginia Department of Transportation is studying the notion of widening the entire 325 miles of I-81 there apparently are no similar plans for the portion in Tennessee between Bristol and Dandridge That(VDOT) project is coming about a mile into Tennessee said Tennessee Department of Transportation spokeswoman Luanne Grandinetti but other than that Im not aware of any plans to upgrade 1-81 in Tennessee" 4 road and Bonham Road Preliminary engineering design work and right of way acquisition brings the total cost of the expansion scheduled to be complete by fall 2000 to approximately $69 million If all goes according to plan 1-81 should-intersect with Interstate 26 by 2003 where' Interstate 181 currently crosses 1-81 offering an alternate route to Asheville NC Ten- nessee in 1995 completed its portion of the: project to four-lane US Highway 23 to: Asheville connecting US 23 and 1-181 witlj 1-26 at Asheville According to the latest update on the North! Carolina project released last month work is! under way on all three sections of the project! between Sams Gap in Unicoi County Tenn' and Asheville Paving and grading work is scheduled for completion in December 2002r' The total estimated cost of that project is about $300 million According to a VDOT press release the project here will expand 1-81 to six lanes in Bristol from Exit 74 in Tennessee to just north of Exit 7 in Virginia Virginias Commonwealth Transportation Board awarded two contracts for the construction work English Construction Co Lynchburg Va has a $207 million contract to perform the' expansion from Exit 74 to just south of Exit 3 including the reconstruction of the Gate City Highway interchange at Exit 1 Jones Brothers Inc ML Juliet Tenn received a $404 million contract to widen the interstate from just south of Exit 3 to just north of Exit 7 That contract includes modifications at the US Highway 11-Lee Highway interchange at Exit 5 A total of eight bridges will be reconstructed on this segment including bridges in both the northbound and southbound lanes over Island oad US 11-Lee Highway thf rail Several tools reportedly stolen Several tools valued at $280689 reportedly were taken from a Bristol Highway landscaping business Tuesday David Phillips owner of Phillips Landscaping 3501 Bristol Highway told city police that someone entered an unlocked storage building at his business between 7:10 am and 7 pm and took four string trimmers three leaf blowers five chain saws a hedge trimmer and several rakes and shovels I 1.