THE VIRGINIA MOUNTAINEER

 

On-Line Edition

Buchanan County's Family Newspaper Since 1922

Thursday, June 29,  2006

Home
Subhome

News

Sports

Mountain Market Classifieds

Obituaries

Good Old Days

Reunions

Contact Us

online edition FRONT PAGE - page one

FREE Classified Ads
in the
Mountain Market!
(regular and online editions)
(must qualify)

Mountaineer Message Center:

* Thank you for reading the on-line edition of The Virginia Mountaineer.
















Advertise With the Virginia Mountaineer Today!

 

 







 

 

 

 

 

 

SHERIFF'S Deputies check in with dispatch Friday while awaiting the arrival of a State Police Canine Handler and dog to search Buddy's Gas &  Go after what turned out to be a false bomb threat was called into the Whitewood area store. With the officers awaiting word on when the store could be reopened is Howie Fuller, whose family owns the store. 
(Staff photo/Cathy St. Clair.)

Bomb Threat Investigated
Police Seek Leads Into Who Called in Whitewood False Report

by Cathy St. Clair
News Editor

    Investigation is continuing into a bomb threat called in Friday at Buddy’s Gas and Go at Whitewood, which turned out to be a false alarm.
  Sheriff’s Department Investigator Randy Cole said the call came in Friday to the sheriff’s department dispatcher around 10:37 a.m. at which time a male caller stated another male had placed two pipe bombs around the Whitewood area store. The caller further stated the bombs would explode in one hour. The time passed and nothing happened and after a thorough search of the store and its perimeter, the store reopened.
  Cole said the call was traced to a pay phone and he said in the background, investigators could hear traffic going by.
  Sheriff’s department deputies responded to the scene as did  State Police Sgt. Benfield and State Police Trooper Gene Crouse.
  The store was evacuated and caution tape was placed around the perimeter while police awaited the arrival of the state police canine handler, Trooper J.D. Anderson, and a canine officer on the scene from Russell County to search the store and its perimeter.
  In the meantime, no one was allowed in or out of the store.
  The bomb threat had a ripple effect in the community as the coke delivery truck was stuck at the scene for almost three hours, waiting for the store to be cleared so he could go back in to retrieve his equipment and finish the delivery of stock. As a result, other deliveries on his route were delayed.
  Anyone with information is asked to call the sheriff’s department at 276-935-2313; or the state
police at 276-597-7440.

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.


Reversed
Vote Rescinded; Insurance Bid to Go to Low Bidder

by Cathy St. Clair
News Editor

  A decision last Wednesday to reject the low bid on a comprehensive business insurance policy for the Buchanan County School Board and to go with a bid $144,249 higher was revisited Monday.
  On Monday, a 4-2 majority rescinded the Wednesday vote and went with the low bidder.
  According to Superintendent Tommy P. Justus, the action will save the school system not just  $144,249 in additional costs this year, but the same amount twice more over the three-year life of the contract for a total savings of $432,747.
  The action to rescind the prior motion -- which passed Wednesday on a 4-3 vote -- and to consider the matter again came after Garden School Board Chairman Steve Hamro III called a special meeting  Monday to reconsider the issue.
  Prater School Board Member Bill Crigger was not in attendance at the meeting.
  In calling Monday’s meeting to order, Hamro noted that when the school board first considered the issue last week, there hadn’t been a whole lot of conversation about it and he said that was his fault.
  However, he said, he felt the issue was important enough to revisit which is why he called the special meeting.
  At last week’s meeting, South Grundy School Board Member David Thornbury made the motion to approve the second highest bid from the VSBA (Virginia School Boards Association) at $261,515, instead of the low bid from VACO (Virginia Association of Counties) for $117,266.
  The motion came up immediately as the board arrived at the agenda item with Thornbury making a “motion to approve the VSBA pool quote with Acordia Insurance, Reid Scott, agent.”
  Hamro asked at that point what the low bid was to which Justus replied the VACO bid was the lower bid by a sizeable margin.
  Thornbury, however, said the VSBA bid was more in accordance with what the school board has seen historically.
  North Grundy School Board Member Don Newberry asked if the school division’s claims did not exceed its premium, if it would then be due a refund.
  Administrative Assistant Joyce Presley said the funds collected as premiums not paid out as claims in
the pool are split and refunded to pool members.

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.



Subscribe to the Mountaineer today and don't miss out on all the Buchanan County news!   Call 276-935-2123 or write: P.O. Box 2040, Grundy, Va., 24614-2040 to get your subscription started. Pricing information is found on the Advertising page of this site.


*  *  *  *  *  * 
ATTENTION: ASL Students, 
Parents, Community Members . . .

Keep a Lasting Memory of the
Appalachian School of Law!
Order a beautiful color photograph of 
the law school. Get details by e-mail -- 
jjcat@netscope.net


Photo Prices Are: (includes shipping)
5x7.................... $10.00
8x10...................$12.50
11x16.................$17.00  

*  *  *  *  *  *