Johnson City Press from Johnson City, Tennessee • 9

1 rrf i FREE DISH-FREE Wednesday January 12 2005 1 Section Cox to run for second term on city school board Soon Elizabethton residents may be able to take a drive on James jfrooks 5 -irte Wild Life By Sam Watson Press Education Writer twatsonjohraonatypress com Einstein Junior has University of Tennessee 2000-2001 2001-2002 2002-2003 i jf A Johnson City Board of Education member Sheila Cox said Tuesday she would seek a second four-year term in the April 26 election really getting excited about if I happen to win again because a lot of unfinished she said pointing to her efforts to improve the school internal and external communications Cox the vice chairwoman said she picked up qualifying papers from the Washington County Election Commission on Monday and had gathered a few voter signatures She is one of four board members whose terms expire in May but only three of the four are potential candidates Board Secretary Tom McCormack announced Jan 5 that he would not seek a second term Fellow one-term board member Lottie Fields Ryans filed her qualifying petition with the Election Commission on Friday and veteran board member Tom Hager obtained papers Dec 29 but he had not filed as of Thesday Other city residents who had obtained petitions for the school board race included Scott Garland 4120 Marable Lane Jim Henry 3 Osprey Point and Kathy Hall 1410 Lester Heights Road All would be first-time candidates The qualifying deadline will be noon on Jan 20 Candidates will have one veek after that date to withdraw Four winners in the race would join Chairwoman Karen Smith and board members Dick Manahan and Marcy Walker all of whom were elected to their second four-year terms in 2003 on theseven-member panel Response to suit expected from NFS this month Dallas Cowboys 2003-2004 2004-2005 Pro Bowl Selection Dave BoydJohnson City Press The street now known as West running behind Elizabethton High School between Bemberg and Hudson Drive may soon be renamed in honor of Jason Witten 1 By John Thompson Press Staff Writer thompsoniohnsonatypness com are in Rotary together and he said we should name something after McKinney said think he is such an asset to our community and he is a wonderful role rnodel to our McKinney said She agreed with mother that the street in front of the high school was a good choice for the honor She said it will also be less disruptive to the business community Besides the high school there are only two businesses that will be affected by the address change affect a lot of businesses but I think we will make it official until Jason comes back to town in tlje summer for his football camp That way Jason can be here to watch the sign put up and the businesses can use up all their old McKinney said Witten started four years at Elizabethton at linebacker and tight end He helped the team reach the state semifinals three years and still holds the school record with 450 career tackles As a tight end he caught 26 passes for 345 yards and 14 touchdowns During his senior year in 1999 he was named a high school All-American by Parade USA Today Street and Smith Prep Star Gridiron Greats and Blue Chip Illustrated He was named the state player of the year by USA Today At the University of Tennessee Witten holds the single season record for tight ends in both receptions and receiving He scored seven touchdowns at Tennessee including the game winning 6th overtime catch against Arkansas Witten-was drafted by the Dallas Cowboys two years ago This year he played in all 16 games and gained 980 yards and scored six touchdowns He was selected to the National Football Conference All Pro team Elizabethton High School will soon be needing new stationery The school will no longer be at 901 Street The Elizabethton City Council is preparing to vote Thursday night on renaming the street in front of the school to honor Cyclone alumnus and current Dallas Cowboys tight end Jason Witten was really shocked I never thought this would his mother Kim Barnett said Hiesday afternoon vote been taken yet but if it passes I am so proud this is a real City Councilman Curt Alexander told Barnett about the plan several days ago She told her son when he was home during the past week said kidding Gosh this is Barnett said is a man of few Barnett said if her son was to be honored the street in front of the high school was appropriate better place is He spent 95 percent of his Mayor Janie McKinney made the initial suggestion for the renaming of the street but she credits accountant Jim Barker with pointing out that the city should do something to honor Witten appropr there? time th Mayo mitiQl 01 demeanor Einstein Junior is a gentleman and of such a sweet disposi-tion that I decided to share him with everyone I caught the little rascal who has been coming through the hole in the side of my house where the sill rotted away and emerging up through the kitchen cupboards along the water pipes Xdldl it a cat door The cats have been coming and going this way for years and todate I have relocated 12 pogspms that also found this way into the house The question is what has taken the raccoons so long to catch on if such a bunch of Einsteins? Size matters Einstein the evil gemus raccoon and leader of the pack weighs about 500 pounds as recall She could hardly come in the door Einstein Junior is just a baby raccoon about the size of a cat but possessed with the same mental acuity as his super-sized parent He not only figured out how to get inside but also to be cool about it tearing a hole in the side of a bag of dog food I had sitting beside the refrigerator and only appearing head and shoulders from the cupboard to feqst Eventually th kibbles rah out onto the floor retrealing his MO and I jerked open the door one night when I heard munching All three cats were in the bedroom with me staring intently in the direction of the kitchen This is a sure sign of a raccoon or opossum presence They are creatures that cats just care to mess with The feline mind does not factor in the concept of I jerked open the door to reveal the masked bandit who bolted back out the way he came For several nights I attempted to ambush him with the water pistol a technique that works beautifully with possums when it is below freezing outside but Einstein Junior was too wary for me I baited up the New Haven Shur-Thang Raccoon Trap add set it near the outside entrance lovingly baited with peanut butter and dog food The next morning there'he was Unlike virtually every 1 Other raccoon had in a trap Junior did nothing more dramatic than getting as far from me as he could I wear leather gloves because many raccoons will try to take a shot at my hand when I reach for the carrying handle or when trying to open the door to release them Junior did neither and I put him in the pickup for the ride to Persimmon Ridge -Park in Jonesborough Back behind the picnic shelter is a wonderful boardwalk that I helped design while advising four Eagle Scouts on their project of building hiking trails in the park I released Junior at the entrance to the boardwalk and he walked gracefully ouLof the trap and bounced down the boardwalk running on his tiptoes raccoon- style I expected him to jump off into the swamp before the first bend but he made the corner and kept on running around the next bend and the next stopping now and again to admire the view He has the sweetest per- See JUNIOR Page 3B By Ron Scalf Erwin Bureau rscalfohnsonatypress com ERWIN Nuclear Fuel Services is scheduled to respond this month to a lawsuit filed by several environmental groups in October seeking to revoke permits awarded by the Nuclear Regulatory Commission for work associated with the conversion of surplus uranium into fuel In October the NRC approved a third license amendment authorizing NFS tQ possess and use special nuclear material at two facilities at its complex here Commonly referred to as See NFS Page 3B Jason Witten was the leading receiver for the Dallas Cowboys this season Local woman pleads guilty to about 215 crimes Kimberly Austin sentenced to 25 years in state penitentiary By Jim Wozniak Press StaffWriter wozniakjohmoncitypress com In one of the more voluminous cases to reach the local courts a woman took a 25-year prison sentence Tuesday to compensate for a theft and forgery scheme that sustained a drug habit that was on pace to cost her more than $900000 a year Kimberly Austin 39 4202 Ranch pleaded guilty in Washington1 County Criminal Court to about 215 crime's headlined by these two charges She initially had hopes of being released from jail so she could go to a comprehensive treatment facility in South Carolina but when Jqdge Bob Cupp said the law governing sentencing was stacked against her she agreed to go to prison Defense attorney Mike LaGuardia' said she could possibly receive parole in less than five' years and could serve all of her sentence within about 12 The amount of money involved in her crimes has not been tallied but Assistant District Attorney General Steve Finney said there are bunch of victims that have had their lives turned upside He Cupp and LaGuardia a former prosecutor said this is the biggest case they had ever seen The extent also was not lost on Cupp never never seen anything the judge said looking at Felony after felony after felony after forgery after 1 Austin pleaded guilty to about 140 felonies and 75 misdemeanors that were covered in 31 indictments In 2003 and 2004 Finney said the case began with stolen checks that were subsequently bounced From that the situation grew so she began to take mail and use their identification to write and forge checks In a statement prepared for probation officers Austin said her drug and -alcohol usage began at age 15 In November 2003 she said she started -to use crack cocaine at a daily tab of $200 By the time she was arrested in May she said her addiction was costing $2500 a day See CRIMES Page 3B 6Ve never never seen anything like it looking at felony after felony after felony after forgery after for-gery: Judge Bob Cupp on the long list of charges against Austin years if she obtains the maximum credits Cupp believed the lack of violence involved in the crimes would mean she would be back on the streets in a seemingly short amount of time LaGuardia said his client only remembered about two thirds or three fourths of the offenses very fortunate that she did not end up with a life he said she has a life sentence with the drugs that she apparently even with treatment before was unable to control The drugs were controlling her just one of those examples of what drugs can do to your Ron CampbellJohnson City Press Kimberly Austin in court Tuesday iPif DesifiVDow Amutronfi kM I 11 WbJWfc.