Johnson City Press from Johnson City, Tennessee • 3

Staff Photo by Ron Campbell Makeover will widen and raise bridge on 181 that crosses over Tenn 381 and widen Tenn 381 under bridge Intersection to undergo makeover project will create a bottleneck during construction but should pay off in the long run Its a real weird intersection but it will function very well Martin said left Martin said the first phase of construction will involve blocking the right lane and shoulder in each direction and reducing traffic flow to one lane in each direction so the shoulders can be bolstered to handle a lane of traffic Then crews will build the middle section of the bridge where the median is now about 82 feet higher than the current bridge Finally the contractor will raise the bridge where the traffic currently flows While the northbound lanes are being raised northbound traffic will move in the new center of the bridge While the southbound lanes are being raised southbound traffic will use that center section In the end the bridge will be wider and its span longer allowing State of Franklin to be wider where it passes under the bridge Martin said though the current intersection was completed only about three years ago no one expected the dramatic growth the area has seen When it grows that fast youve got to have a way get people in and out he said By Jeff Keeling Press Stall Writer The often-clogged intersection at Interstate 181 and State of Franklin Road is about to undergo an $866 million makeover designed to ease congestion state officials say Luann Grandinetti state Department of Transportation spokeswoman said a Sevierville company Charles Blalock and Sons submitted the low bid on the project Bids were opened Feb 6 Grandinetti said the DOT must verify all bid procedures were followed but the company should be awarded the bid within a couple of weeks and could start soon after that The project is supposed to be complete by July 1 2000 In addition to widening and raising the bridge on 181 that crosses over Tenn Highway 381 (State of Franklin) the project will wien Tenn 381 under the bridge and create a complex traffic flow pattern there Harold Martin assistant to the regional director in Johnson Citys DOT office said the When complete traffic under the bridge will move in three separate phases: Vehicles exiting 1-181 from either direction and turning left onto Tenn 381 will stop at the end of two-lane ramps that flow into Tenn 381 at 45-degree angles They will wait for a green light that will allow both groups to cross under the bridge together as they head in opposite directions guided by a curving set of painted lines that leads them into the desired lanes on Tenn 381 Vehicles heading south on Tenn 381 and wanting to enter 1-181 going south and those heading north on Tenn 381 and entering 1-181 going north (both requiring a left turn) also will share a light signal They will pass each other under the bridge and enter on-ramps that also come into Tenn 381 at 45-degree angles Finally vehicles continuing straight on Tenn 381 will share a light and can avoid being slowed by other vehicles waiting to turn Ex-stepfather convicted on abuse charges Compiled from staff and wire reports City panel to review pet ordinance A proposed pet registration ordinance is expected to be amended by the City Commission tonight to remove a section of the measure calling for registration fees The ordinance was revised by city animal control officials on Wednesday after commissioners indicated they had received a great deal of negative comments from residents who see the fees as a tax on pet owners The original ordinance which was approved by commissioners on first reading earlier this month called for city pet owners to pay a one-time registration fee of $3 for each sterilized dog or cat they own Owners of animals that have not been spayed or neutered would be required to pay a $6 annual fee to the city A second reading and public hearing on the ordinance is scheduled to begin at 7 pm at the Municipal and Safety Building Man hurt home damaged in blaze ELIZABETHTON A man was injured and his house severely damaged by a fire Tuesday morning According to a Carter County Sheriffs Department report Charlie McKeehan 203 McKeehan Ridge Road received bums to his hands and arms and suffered smoke inhalation when a fire engulfed his home about 7:30 am Tuesday He was treated at Johnson City Medical Center The West Carter County Volunteer Fire Department chief said the fire appeared to have started in the wiring in the bedroom of the house Two arrested in counterfeit probe A Gray couple were arrested Wednesday following a two-month undercover investigation by the Washington County Sheriffs Department According to Sheriff Fred Phillips Amarti Plunkett also known as Corey Jennings and Leo Long 21 Lake Colony Apartments1 No 18 652 Oak Grove Road Gray was charged with criminal simulation after he allegedly sold counterfeit Virginia drivers licenses to undercover officers on two occasions Authorities said Plunkett used a video camera computer equipment and a laminating machine to make the counterfeit identification Officials seized the equipment at the time of his arrest Authorities said Kimberly Bond 20 also of Lake Colony Apartments No 18 was charged with criminal responsibility for conduct of another She was released from the Washington County Detention Center Jonesborough on $1000 bond Plunkett was being held in the detention center in lieu of $40000 bond The two were each scheduled to appear Wednesday in Sessions Court An investigation is continuing Gray man charged in burglary A 33-year-old Gray man was arrested Wednesday and charged with burglary According to Washington County Sheriff Fred Phillips Charles Ely 337 Rockingham Road Gray was arrested after deputies responded to a residence at 313 Rockingham Road oh a report of a burglary in process When officers arrived they discovered the back door had been kicked open and the premises had been ransacked While searching the residence deputies found Ely inside Ely was being held in the Washington County Detention Center Jonesborough in lieu of $5000 bond and is scheduled to appear Wednesday in Sessions Court Cicadas to emerge in Southeast CHATTANOOGA Ugly winged bugs known for their shrill mating call will emerge from the soil this spring shedding their shells and causing a nuisance in the Southeast Millions of cicadas will appear in much of Middle Tennessee and in other parts of the state as part of a cycle that occurs every 13 years Their shells will drift through the air throughout the summer cracking underfoot and ruining outdoor barbecues Unlike the soothing call of the cricket the cicadas screeching chirp is grating The bugs damage small trees and shrubs but not people researchers say There isnt much good that can be said about them except that they provide food for birds said Staley McPeak a naturalist at the Chattanooga Nature Center Cicadas have been living underground feeding on sap sucked from tree roots Theyll come out in May or June for up to six weeks and the females will lay hundreds of eggs each The eggs will hatch and the baby cicadas will drop to the ground and burrow starting the next 13-year cycle Frank Hale a University of Tennessee entomologist recommends delaying planting trees until after the cicadas emerge and waiting to prune until after the bugs are gone probably in mid-July Valuable shrubs trees and ornamentals can be covered with cheesecloth shade cloth or mosquito netting he said A different type of cicada appears every 17 years mainly in Northern states Workday for flood victims slated HAMPTON Members of local churches have designated Saturday as a workday for flood victims There are still areas that could use daily contacts from volun- I teers and seem to be getting looked over said Mickey Beal pastor of Union Baptist Church This is the focus of the work project on Saturday 1 Beal is serving as coordinator and is taking requests for help and pairing them with volunteers Anyone wishing to volunteer is asked to meet at Hampton Baptist I I Church 407 First St at 8 am For more informatioh call Beal at 725-2382 or Jesse James at 725-2871 jGang Awareness Workshop set A Gang Awareness Workshop will be held Feb 28 from 1-4 pm at the Freedom Hall pool The program will include informative displays and water games offering team building trust and communication skills and prizes Exhibits will be sponsored by the Johnson City Police Department National Guard Boy Scouts Fellowship of Christian Athletes Johnson City Swim Association and the Parks and Recreation Department The workshop- will be free For more information call 461-4872 JCPL work to force road closing Due to construction of the new Johnson City Public Library West Millard Street between North Roan and North Boone streets will be closed to through traffic for about one week beginning Monday Access will be available at each end of West Millard for the operation of businesses in this area For more information call Jerry Smith project manager at 434-5254 Water interruption announced Johnson City water customers on West Oakland Avenue between North Roan Street and North State of Franklin Road will experience an interruption in water service from 8-11 am Sunday The interruption is due to the relocation of a portion of a 10-inch waterline for highway construction For more information call the Water and Sewer Services Department at 461-1645 I Electric board schedules meeting ELIZABETHTON The Elizabethton Electric System board of directors will meet Monday at 5:15 pm The meeting will be held at the systems offices on Hatcher Lane By Mark Rutledge Erwin Bureau ERWIN A jury Wednesday convicted a man on multiple counts of aggravated sexual battery sexual battery and assault involving two of his former stepdaughters Nine days after the trial began the multiple verdicts were delivered after nearly six hours of jury deliberation Tuesday night and Wednesday morning The 47-year-old man whose name has been withheld to protect the identities of his victims faced eight counts each of sexual battery and rape four counts of each involving both victims The women now 20 and 23 say they were 7 and 10 when the sexual abuse began According to one juror the jury was not convinced the younger girl was sexually penetrated based on the testimony of a doctor who examined the girls in 1993 On the eight counts involving the older woman the jury found the man guilty as charged on four counts of sexual battery and reduced the four rape charges to aggravated sexual battery The jury reduced all eight counts regarding the younger woman to assault A $2500 fine was imposed with each verdict totaling $40000 Criminal Court Judge Arden Hill denied a request by the mans attorneys to allow him to remain free until his March 25 sentencing hearing According to Assistant District Attorney General Lisa Rice the aggravated sexual battery charges carry an eight- to 20-year prison sentence the sexual battery counts one to six years and the assault counts up to one year each The sexual offenses canrun consecutively meaning the man could be sentenced to between 37 and 105 years The minimum combined sentence amounts to 10 years The victims their mother and a third stepdaughter wept as the guilty verdicts were announced one-by-one The man was found innocent in 1995 of sexual battery involving the third stepdaughter now 241 That "jury was not allowed to hear the allegations of sexual abuse involving the younger women According to Rice all three stepdaughters expressed relief over the outcomeef the trial here They are Just so grateful that somebody believes their tory she said The family lived in three counties in the eight-year period during which the women say they were regularly abused and the man still faces multiple counts of sexual abuse charges in Carter and Washington counties Rice said the state will decide after the March 25 sentencing whether to prosecute those counts JV Hi Staff Photos by Jeff Reeling Shock waves are used to blast stones into particles The lithotripter will allow patients immediate relief Relief on way for kidney stone sufferers area of the urinary tract containing the stone was bombarded with electric shock waves North Sides new lithotripter does not require immersion and treatment takes 35-45 minutes as opposed to an hour Dr Jones said six to 10 patients a month have been getting lithotripsy in North Sides Stone Center but Deaton said that number could rise with no other permanent lithotripters around We do expect it to be very busy as the word gets out" Deaton said Patients generally can return to work a day after the outpatient procedure Dr Jones said He said more than 90 percent of kidney stone sufferers can be helped through lithotripsy and without invasive surgery The bad news is that the problem often recurs in those it affects Prevention is difficult and we still dont know a lot about what causes the problem" Dr Jones said Some say diet some say environment but whatever the cause is right now the emphasis is still on treatment" ments should cost less than those provided through the mobile unit and be more patient-friendly The current cost is about $2900 while the new treatments will be about $1900 Deaton said getting help immediately will lower costs in the long run for patients by preventing lost workdays and expensive stenting procedures often used while a person waits for lithotripsy Dr David Jones a urologist said the new machine is yet another step forward in fighting a problem that affects between 2 percent and 3 percent of the population The condition is extremely painful and when it happens its a true emergency because of pain and because of obstruction to the kidney he said The Dornier Co developed the first lithotripters about 10 years ago discovering their use in medicine while it was researching a better way to de-ice airplanes The machines largely replaced open or endoscopic surgery allowing patients to recover immediately Patients were immersed in water and the By Jeff Keeling Press Stall Writer Combating kidney stones arguably the most painful non-life-threatening malady around just became much more convenient North Side Hospital administrators said Wednesday The hospital has purchased its own lithotripter a machine that uses 6hock waves to blast kidney stones into particles small enough to pass through the urinary tract and out of the body Administrator Eric Deaton said it is the regions first nonmobile unit and will allow patients immediate relief He said local hospitals have relied on mobile units owned by other companies that come every two weeks often leaving patients to wait almost that long in excruciating pain The schedule you have with a kidney stone does not always match the schedule that the truck arrives on Deaton said While it didnt come cheap the Dornier Compact lithotripter cost more than $500000 Deaton said the machines treat- i i I LA.