Board May Seek New Bids for J.M. Bevins Wall Construction

by Scotty Wampler
News Editor   
      Construction of the new J.M. Bevins Elementary School retaining wall will likely be re-advertised after a unanimous vote Monday by the school board.
      A February 28 target completion date for the wall, which has been under construction for some time, came without the project having been completed by J&J Contractors, Inc., who was awarded the job after submitting the low bid last spring.
      According to the board's decision, which was approved in resolution form Monday, J&J Contractors has only partially completed the project and has failed to do so after repeated requests by Terra Tech Engineering.
       "J&J Contractors, Inc. is found to be in default in performance of its contract to construct the J.M. Bevins Elementary School retaining wall," the resolution reads, "and accordingly this board does hereby authorize attorney, Tom Scott, Esq. to notify J&J Contractors, Inc. of its default and of this board's intent to pursue any and all of its legal remedies..."

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Man Charged After Making Death Threats

by Scotty Wampler
News Editor
     An Oakwood man is facing federal charges after issuing death threats on the Internet.
     Allen Leon Sammons, 27, a student at Mountain Empire Community College in Wise County, has been charged with transmitting in interstate commerce a communication containing a threat to injure following a collective investigation of several law enforcement agencies.
     The charge alleges on or about December 29, Sammons  posted a death threat to several individuals on the social networking website LiveJournal.com. He was first detained January 10 after sending an email to an investigator with the University of Illinois stating he intended to travel to the state, where at least one of the individuals named in the online posting resided.
     After being evaluated in Buchanan County in January, Sammons was released, only to post additional messages on the Internet. Those messages, described as more direct in nature than the first incident, led to Sammons' second evaluation, after which he was detained and sent to the Southwestern Virginia Mental Health Institute in Marion.
     On Tuesday, Sammons appeared in federal court in Abingdon, where U.S. Magistrate Judge Pamela Meade Sargent granted the government's request for Sammons to receive additional psychiatric evaluation. The court also denied a defense motion for bond and private evaluation.

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