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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.) |
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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.
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story, see the print edition of the Mountaineer, on sale at
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call 276-935-2123 today.
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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Rescinded;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
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