Bristol Herald Courier from Bristol, Tennessee • 1

REGION 75 cents WINNER THE 2010 PULITZER PRIZE Your life Delivered daily TUESDAY November 2 2010' 139th Year marching band enlists ohn Battle digh School clarinetist OR PUBLIC SERVICE M3 rVH fill II 54 El yJ Vi) fwy TX 4 Army tf Bt Be Be BL Bi BB Kr Bi' Bs K' k' St TTSWb aSss VUUWhK ItJatw Jr 1 ''r Hr ilk (E3BHr issStaS4 Bi 4 44 (TxxfrTh j4'4inn 44to WxnrTO oT lr Tfl 1 I 04 I' x' Weather be an excuse for not casting ballot on pivotal day BY MAC McLEAN aiWKi BRISTOL HERALD Partly sunny skies 1 and a high near 62 degrees will greet vot ers in the Mountain Empire when they head to the polls today to par ticipate in elections that will determine the fate of a 28 year congress man from Southwest Virginia and pick Ten next governor In a heated race that has gained national attention Southwest Virginia voters will pick one of three candi dates in the 9th District congressional race bet ween Democratic incum bent Rick Boucher and challengers Republican Morgan Griffith and independent Jeremiah Heaton The outcome of this contest could put Bou cher out of a job and help make the Repub POLL TIMES In Virginia the polls open at 6 am and close at 7 pm In Tennessee the polls open at 8 am and close at 8 pm lican plans to take over the House a reality Southwest Virginia voters also decide three ballot questions including one that INSIDE A lot of election data will be pouring in tonight from all 50 states in many time zones How will we keep up? Page A4 would create a property tax exemption for disa bled veterans There are also local races in Buchanan Dickenson and Russell counties as well as the city of Norton Sullivan County vot ers who live in Tennes see 1st congressional District will cast their ballots in a three way US House race featur ing incumbent Phil Roe a Republican Democrat Mike Clark and indepen dent Kermit Steck also vote in a gubernatorial election that pits Knoxville Mayor Bill Haslam See ELECTION Page A3 rV ANDRE TEBUEBRISTDL HERALD COURIER Bristol Va Deputy Allen Jones delivers voting paraphernalia to Virginia High School on Monday morning for elections J' 1 Jr jB' 3 I iwSBgSa rwfc HI tW Bd i UM BKl i IB IMBiB BIBBMBBBBBwaL "rfr S4 Xx 'vx See COX Page A3 MAC iN IRISTOL HERALD IDURIER BLOUNTVILLE Tenn Joe Cox kept an eye out for people who traded cash favors and whiskey for votes on Election Day when he started his part time job as a poll worker for the Sulli van County elections office more than 70 years ago was money being handed out Cox said as he looked back on the early years he worked at precincts in the Hickory Tree community had this EARL NEIKfRKBRISTDL HERALD COURIER Ninety year old Joe Cox has been an election offical for 70 years with the Sullivan County Tenn Election Commission r' 1 Many changes in 70 years working polls I9b NMb fil La Ta a BE HRflllJMMM Number of ballots cast in advance could indicate busy day KE BY DEBRA McCOWN Sjqplii BRISTOL HERALD COURIER ABINGDON Va The first time Kath ryn Harris voted she cast her ballot for Alf Landon the Repub lican defeated by ranklin Roosevelt in the 1936 presidential election She has voted in every election since said her daughter Glo ria Harris who took her to vote Saturday Physically ailing at age 98 Kathryn Harris cast an absentee ballot this year believes that you have much say if you Gloria Harris said believe the very same thing You need to vote every time you get a This year Washing ton County has counted more absentee ballots than usual for a mid term election year said Voter Registrar Mary Ann Compton mean ing the polls could be busy today on our absen tee votes going to have pretty good turnout in Washing ton Compton said we vote about 600 absen tee voters for this type of election gone over 1000 for See BUSY? Page A3 Roots country birthplace group talk partnership BCMA IS STRAPPED and could benefit from the growing popularity of Rhythm Roots BY DAVIB McGEE BRISTOL HERALD COURIER BRISTOL Tenn Two of the Twin most rec ognizable music promoters will join forces hoping the success of one will finally bring a long discussed project to life At a Monday meeting the Rhythm Roots Reun ion music board of directors voted to col laborate with the Birth place of Country Music Alliance even though organizational specifics been worked out The festival board agreed to establish a joint task force to develop an operating model but emphasized this be a merger The task force is to develop an organiz ational and operational model which must be approved by the full board of each organization The ultimate goal com mittee member Jim Tench said is to help the BCMA secure the funding to establish and operate its long discussed cultural heritage center will continue to do exactly what doing and BCMA will continue to operate We think it would create an umbrellaorganization that con tains our executive direc tor and staff to run See MUSIC Page A10 I put on my City Council hat or my Bristolian hat I hope for a collaboration But if I put on my Rhythmb Roots hat I have watched them BCMA get knocked down get up and cHUy dally trying to build that cultural heritage center I it will happen now without us the festival but this is not going to he good for us for the next year or so as we drag their stinking carcasses David Shumaker Bristol Tenn vice mayor Bristol speedway names Jerry Caldwell general manager Caldwell devoted as much energy See CALDWELL Page A10 1996 died Oct 17 after a battle with cancer He was eulogized last month as a the Tri Cities region In a written statement Smith said he could think of no one better qualified to lead most was an amazing leader and these are huge shoes to aiding the community BY DAVID McGEE BRISTOL HERALD COURIER BRISTOL Tenn Jerry served as the sweet moment because Byrd Calriwpil was general manager of Bris sales Rricrti nn ivfnn 'and CEO of oarent firm the death of Bvyd Jeff Byrd as acting general manager employees of the promo to fill I will not try to fill as he did to promoting NEW MANAGER had been filling in during the nkeannn hnfnrn LSriStOl DTOgWay On iVlOn paicin mm mcamo aiuwcu oaiu cmwgxfvu mo mmm aosence ueiore day replacing the late jeff Speedway Motorsports a phone interview compassionate leader who thP death Of Byrd new ro nnsroi ivionaay Caldwell 35 has served afternoon to inform BMS since Byrd became ill tion those I try to be events at his facilities earlier this year He also is a very bitter Caldwell said the speed rne tracK way win vunimutj eniuiau "nampd vice president of corporate this is a dream come true general manager since ing its role in Bristol and jiaxiicu vi thn TriPiioc rnomn lor me out uenniteiy not tol Motor Speedway and Bruton Smith chairman the circumstances in my ureams caiuwen saia in 7 Ji I Bi A Media General newspaper Bristol Herald Courier News Channel 1 wwwTriCitiescorh 65 61 100( 5 OUTSIDE Partly sunny Temperatures will be in the mild mid 60s today as cloudiness increases Clouds will remain tonight as the i temperature drops to the upper 30s Details on Page AID 1 wr COMING UP Homemade Holidays: Try making some tasty pumpkin treats Wednesday In lavor A' BUSINESS If election brings paralysis in Congress economy may not benefit PageA6 BUSINESSMARKETS A6 I CLASSIIED ADS BB B10 COMICS B6' DEATHS At LOTTERY 1 A4 HATIONWORLD A4 OPINION f' A8 REGION A5A9 SPORTS B1 B5.