Pills, Tobacco Products Confiscated in Three High School Searches

by Cathy St. Clair
News Editor
   Pills, lighters and tobacco products were discovered in three Buchanan County high schools in the past two weeks, according to Sheriff Ray Foster, who added a small quantity of marijuana was also discovered at one school.
   Sweeps at Grundy High, Hurley High and Twin Valley High resulted in the items being confiscated and students being subject to school disciplinary action, Foster said.
   He said the searches were prompted by an incident at Hurley High School the day before when a student was allegedly called to the office and was confronted by the principal regarding the contents of a pill bottle. As the School Resource Officer arrived, Foster said, the student allegedly ate the evidence.
   Foster said at Hurley High School, a small quantity of marijuana was found in a downstairs boys bathroom.
   As for the lighters confiscated, Foster said some students might not realize that carrying a lighter is a problem, however, he said lighters are classified as incendiary devices and as such are not allowed on school property.
  Some of the pills found at the schools were prescribed medications students were taking legally, including over the counter Tylenol, however, it is against school rules for students to have those medications with them. Students taking medications, under school rules are supposed to leave those medicines in the school office.
   Foster noted the drug dog was used in the sweeps which saw students caught with the medications and tobacco products in their pockets.
  "We confiscated gallon-size buckets of pill bottles in each instance," Foster said. "Some of the medicines might have been prescribed, but it's against school rules  to have them anywhere other than in the office."
   Foster said the unannounced sweeps targeted the three county high school and he said another is planned at Council High.
  "We'd like to try to do this unannounced a couple of different times a month at each of the high schools," Foster said.

For more of the story, see the print edition of the Mountaineer, on sale at newsstands now.  To subscribe to the Mountaineer, call 276-935-2123 today.

CofC Sets Full Membership Dinner for October 19

  A full membership meeting of the Buchanan County Chamber of Commerce will be held on Thursday, October 19.
  The dinner meeting will begin at 6 p.m. and will be held in the lower level meeting room of the Appalachian School of Law.
  Election of officers for 2006-2007 will occur and the planned coal heritage trail will be discussed.
  Chamber members planning to attend the meeting are asked to call the chamber office at 935-4147 prior to October 17 to reserve a spot.
   Dinner is free for those calling in advance.
  At the door, $10 will be charged to those who have not made an advance reservation.

School Officials Deal with Roach Problem at TVHS
Cafeteria Is Closed on Temporary Basis

by Cathy St. Clair
News Editor
   School administrators in conjunction with health department personnel will decide by Friday whether to reopen the Twin Valley High School cafeteria after a roach problem was declared serious enough last week to close the cafeteria.
  Superintendent Tommy P. Justus said Tuesday it appeared the problem was “pretty well back in check and under control," however, he said the situation would be reviewed again Friday to decide whether to reopen the cafeteria or whether other action needed to be taken to treat the pest problem further.
  Students have been receiving sealed food lunches in the interim period, which Justus said was being done as a precaution.
  The roach problem was discovered by the cafeteria manager, who Justus said became concerned with the number of roaches she was seeing. She alerted school officials and the maintenance department and the school system’s pest control company, Leo’s Pest Control, came in to take a closer look at the problem. School officials also alerted the health department, Justus said. 
  In the meantime, as a precaution, Justus said, the decision was made to serve only sealed foods to students.
  Leo’s has visited the school and increased the quantity of a gel-like bait left out for the roaches since the problem was discovered, Justus said.
  “Evidently, the frequency at which the school was being treated was not enough and we are looking at trying to do some other things as well,” Justus said.
  At Monday's meeting, Justus said, it was decided that all food will be moved from storage rooms at the school and undergo a visual inspection.
  Leo's Pest Control will spray the kitchen area today (Thursday).  All shelves will be cleaned and the entire area will continue to be monitored. The food will be moved back in on Friday and the following week, Leo's will put out gel baits. The school will be revisited again November 2 by Leo's.
  Justus added that one likely change will also occur in the monitoring of cardboard boxes in which foods are shipped to the school. It is now likely the foods will be removed from those boxes and stored, instead of stored in the school in the boxes, he said.
  Justus added it is likely that the program of no longer storing cardboard boxes in the buildings will also be carried out at other county schools as well.
  Cardboard boxes are a primary mode of travel for roaches and Justus said, the pests can also be brought in via bookbags or other items from home and outside.
  Attempts to reach the health department for comment were not successful.

For more of the story, see the print edition of the Mountaineer, on sale at newsstands now.  To subscribe to the Mountaineer, call 276-935-2123 today.