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Citizens
of
Buchanan
County
were
invited
to
Russell
Prater
Elementary
School
last
Thursday
to
review
plans
by
the
Virginia
Department
of
Transportation
to
lower
Lover's
Gap
Road
and
remove
substantial
curves
for
safety
purposes
and
gradually
increasing
traffic
on
the
road.
(Staff
photo/Brandon
Dye) |
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Citizens,
VDOT
Discuss
Lover's
Gap
Road
Improvement
Project
Expected
to
be
Bid
in
2010 |
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by
Brandon
Dye
Staff
Reporter
Citizens
of
Buchanan
County
met
with
officials
and
engineers
of
the
Virginia
Department
of
Transportation
to
discuss
the
proposed
plan
to
lower
Lover's
Gap
Road
at
Russell
Prater
Elementary
School
last
Thursday.
According
to
VDOT,
the
purpose
of
the
public
hearing
was
to
give
citizens
of
Buchanan
County
a
first-hand
look
of
how
the
department
will
proceed
in
lowering
the
steep
road
as
well
as
eliminating
some
of
the
steep
curves
in
the
road.
One
of
the
primary
reasons
for
lowering
the
gap
is
for
safety
concerns,
according
to
project
manager
Gene
Holley.
"We
haven't
had
many
accidents
there,"
Holley
said.
"The
problem
is
the
the
road
has
many
substantial
curves
and
the
truck
traffic
has
increased.
It
is
for
safety
concerns."
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.
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County
Gets
Judgment
for
Half
Million
in
RICO
Case
Jury
Says
Local
Government
Co-Participant
in
'Coon
Dog'
Scheme
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by
Scotty
Wampler
News
Editor
A
half-million
dollars
is
owed
to
the
county
after
a
federal
court
jury
found
Vansant
Lumber
Company
and
KJ
Stephens
and
Associates,
LLC
liable
in
the
Operation
Big
Coon
Dog
bid-rigging
and
bribery
scheme.
The
county
itself
also
was
found
to
be
a
co-participant
in
the
illegal
activity
following
the
2002
Hurley
flood
on
part
of
two
of
the
lawsuit's
five
claims.
Both
Vansant
Lumber
and
KJ
Stephens
and
Associates
are
responsible
for
$250,000
in
damages
related
to
the
illegal
activity,
the
jury
found
after
deliberating
on
count
four
of
the
lawsuit,
which
involved
state
law
rescission
and
restitution.
Despite
the
jury's
verdict,
defense
attorney
Timothy
McAfee,
representing
Vansant
Lumber,
Joe
Stephens
and
KJ
Stephens
and
Associates,
indicated
he
and
his
clients
were
satisfied
with
the
decision.
"It
was
a
very
clear
vindication
of
our
position,"
McAfee
said
after
the
trial
of
the
jury's
verdict
on
the
first
three
claims,
involving
RICO,
RICO
conspiracy
and
state
law
conspiracy,
that
found
the
county
acted
as
a
co-participant
in
the
scheme
on
parts
of
counts
two
and
three
and
was
entitled
to
no
damages.
"Overall,
we
were
very
pleased."
McAfee
said
he
didn't
expect
the
county
to
recoup
any
of
the
$250,000
judgment
against
KJ
Stephens
and
Associates
considering
the
company
has
been
out
of
business
for
some
time.
"It
has
no
assets,"
he
said
of
the
company
Stephens
began
in
2002.
"It's
been
defunct
for
years."
Steve
Minor,
who
represents
Buchanan
County
in
the
case,
said
he
expected
the
county's
attempts
to
recoup
lost
money
related
to
the
flood
cleanup
effort
to
push
forward.
"It
was
a
complicated
case,"
he
said,
adding
several
additional
levels
of
proceedings
should
be
on
the
horizon.
"There's
still
a
lot
of
work
to
be
done."
The
county's
RICO
suit
stems
from
the
May
2002
flood
at
Hurley
which
caused
some
$30
million
in
damages
and
the
subsequent
actions
of
public
officials
and
private
contractors
in
a
bid-rigging
and
bribery
scheme
which
was
the
focus
of
a
federal
indictment.
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.
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Subscribe
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Mountaineer
today
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County
news!
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24614-2040
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