Sullivan County | featured news

COEBURN — Eastside seniors are few in number, but they’ve bonded like brothers. Particularly two of them.
The Spartans have five seniors on their roster heading into football season, including twins Garrett Whited and Grayson Whited.
The brothers put up big numbers during their junior season. Garrett, a running and receiving threat, had over 1,600 yards and 16 touchdowns in total offense. Grayson had over 400 yards and six touchdowns receiving.
TWIN CONNECTION
Many twins have a special connection, and that’s the case with the Whiteds.

NEW YORK — Jeffrey Epstein died of an apparent suicide in his jail cell, now prompting an additional federal investigation into his death along with one already examining allegations of sexual abuse and conspiracy against him.
Epstein, a wealthy financier accused of orchestrating a sex-trafficking ring and sexually abusing dozens of underage girls, was found Saturday morning unresponsive in his cell at the Metropolitan Correctional Center, according to the Federal Bureau of Prisons. He was later pronounced dead at New York Presbyterian-Lower Manhattan Hospital.

KINGSPORT —  Artists of all levels, from “just having fun” to “professional,” are invited to register for a Sidewalk Chalk Art Competition and open chalk art event, hosted by the sponsoring organization for the TriPride Parade and Festival next month.
The parade and festival will take place Saturday, Sept. 7.
The chalk art will be created on the TriPride festival grounds within Clinchfield, Clay and West Market streets.

ROGERSVILLE — Rogersville City School Assistant Principal David Kenner has been hired as the new principal at Cherokee High School, where he previously served as an assistant principal, teacher and coach.
Hawkins County Director of Schools Matt Hixson confirmed for the Times News Thursday that Kenner will take over as Cherokee’s principal on Aug. 26.
His last day at RCS will be Aug. 23.
“It was an extremely difficult decision”
During the Hawkins County Commission’s Aug.

CHATTANOOGA — Three large rooms at the Chattanooga Convention Center were filled Thursday with dozens of vendors and hundreds of mostly middle-aged and older men looking at the latest in plastic model building.
Chattanooga is this year’s venue for the International Plastic Modelers Society-USA for its annual national convention, where modelers come to compete with their latest creations and to see what is new in paints, tools, aftermarket parts and the newest model kits.

KINGSPORT — Kres VanDyke avoided Kingsport Speedway’s version of the “big one” to sweep twin Late Model features Friday night.
After rolling to the win in the first of two 35-lap races, VanDyke weaved his way through a multicar accident in the second feature to come away with his red No. 15 Chevrolet unscathed. VanDyke, sent to the rear of the field after earlier contact with points leader Nik Williams, found himself running third after the chaos.
From that point, there was no holding him back on the three-eighths-mile concrete oval.

This Week in Sports features local sports news and photos, submitted by our readers. Photos featuring local teams or individuals from any sport at any level (regardless of the outcome) can be submitted at anytime via email at sportslive@timesnews.net.
A Swim Celebration
Submitted by Coach Chris Coraggio
Members of the Barracuda Swim Club of Northeast Tennessee had a fun practice to celebrate their team win at the East Tennessee Summer Swim League Championship Meet last Saturday.

WISE — The Wise County Board of Supervisors has approved negotiating a new contract with the company that records and broadcasts board meetings on cable.
The county’s contract with ARC-TV expired June 30 after District 1 Supervisor Bobby Cassel moved in June to let the contract lapse and look at other options regarding the recording and content promoting the county on Comcast public access channel 19. Those options included possible negotiations with an unnamed second party.

BLOUNTVILLE — Sullivan County Schools on Friday received a donation of 100 bulletproof backpack inserts worth $30,000 from the Ohio-based company that makes them.
The inserts were donated in memory of former School Resource Officer Steve Hinkle, who was shot during a standoff on Feb. 23 and died on Feb. 26.  Hinkle, a patrol officer, had been an SRO at Sullivan Central and East high schools.

ROGERSVILLE — The Hawkins County Board of Education honored 24 middle school track athletes last week for their participation in the TMSAA state track meet held in May at Austin Peay University.
In July, the BOE honored track athletes from Surgoinsville Middle, Volunteer High School, and Cherokee High School who had advanced to their respective state meets. A link to that story can be found in the online version of this article at www.timesnews.net.
At the Aug.