The rate increase is one of four proposed this year, on the heels of a 31 percent increase approved last year.

Some 33,000 area customers of Bristol Tennessee Essential Services got an early holiday present Wednesday when the company announced that consumers will pay 20 percent less on December electric bills this year.

The Bristol Blotter for Thursday, Nov. 19

The city’s Redevelopment and Housing Authority unveiled aggressive plans Wednesday to replace or rehabilitate its buildings over the next 15 years.
The authority’s board of commissioners outlined those plans during a joint meeting with the City Council.

Volunteers readied 15 tons of gifts, candy and toys Wednesday night to continue a community tradition in its 67th year.

Investigators told us this evening that charges are pending in a Wednesday morning crash that claimed the life of an East Tennessee State University administrator.

100 family members and friends joined National Secretary of Defense Robert Gates Wednesday to say goodbye to an area soldier.

Five people are recovering from injuries they received today when a truck crashed through the front door of a restaurant.

A witness told WGRV radio the truck driver pulled into the parking lot and never stopped, slamming through the front door.

Police say the accident occurred when driver, Baudelio Lopez, attempted to park his truck in front of the store.

According to police, the truck hit three women inside the restaurant: Renee Freeman, Tina Slagle, and Tina Whittacker.

Lopez, his wife Rebecca, and the three women were taken to Laughlin Memorial Hospital.

Police say their injuries were not severe.

“I would say that they were very blessed that they weren’t more severely injured,“ said Officer David Lewis with the Greeneville Police Department.

Waffle House employees covered the hole in the building with plywood, and the restaurant reopened at 12:30.

———————————————————————————————————————————————————————————————————————-

Police tell 11 Connects that a pickup truck crashed into a Greeneville restaurant this morning.

If you plan to drive through Elizabethton today, you may have to change your travel plans due to a road closure.

What would you be willing to do to lose weight?
Think about that question for a minute or two. What if I told you that you could lose weight and keep it off if you improved your fitness IQ?

Gov. Tim Kaine is directing the education department to study the low number of minority students in gifted education programs.

Johnson City Police arrested a man at Fox Glenn Apartments for possession of drugs and drug paraphernalia.

A pair of Johnson City men accused of breaking into multiple vehicles will appear in court today.

A Johnson City man suspected of assaulting and threatening his roommate with a knife will appear in court on Thursday.

Check out some of this morning’s top stories on 11 Connects at 5 a.m. and 6 a.m. by clicking on the video link.

Mourners will gather at Baker’s Gap Baptist Church cemetary, Big Dry Run Road in Butler Tenn., at 11 a.m.

Virginia and Tennessee rank 21st and 44th, respectively, for overall health among the nation’s 50 states, according to a just-released national study.

Touchstone Wireless will hire 200 to 300 full-time contractors over the next three months, a company executive said Tuesday

A new committee designed to advance regional broadband use took its initial steps Tuesday.

The city’s utilities provider again received high marks on its annual audit report.

A Bristol man got angry at his girlfriend’s 3-year-old daughter for not going to sleep so, police said, he grabbed her by the throat and held her down on a bed.

The Bristol Blotter

Hundreds of revelers watched the city light up its 90-foot tall Christmas tree Tuesday night.

Domestic violence victims and some Tennessee leaders hope new legislation will protect more families. State Rep. Matthew Hill (R), State Sen. Rusty Crowe (R), and Miss Johnson City Jessica Nixon sponsored a “Protect Our Families” conference in Johnson City Tuesday. The trio is in the process of writing new domestic violence legislation.

With state budget cuts looming, more than 3,000 prisoners in Tennessee could soon walk free out of Tri-Cities jails, much to the shock of area sheriffs.

Sullivan County officials confirm that Ronald Eugene Norris, a worker with BTES, died this morning while on the job.

According to Sheriff Ed Graybeal, Robert G. Davenport Jr., 32 of 4515 Cherokee Road in Jonesborough, was charged with two counts of Aggravated Burglary.

A new study by the U.S. Preventive Services Task Force (USPSTF) is negating many of the early detection and screening practices that have been saving lives for years.  The study concludes:

The Tennessee Division of Occupational Safety and Health is recommending fines of more than $29,000 to Simpson Construction Company for safety violations that led to the death of a construction worker. The TOSHA report details six violations at the company’s bridge construction site over the South Holston River on Highway 75 in Sullivan County.

Griffin Judy is this week’s Phil Bachman Toyota and 11 Connects Student of The Week.