What You Need To Know . . .
Two local deaths being investigated

According to Johnson County Sheriff Mike Reece, the bodies of a man and woman were found in their residence at 128 James Davis Road, Mountain City yesterday, January 31st, 2012. Both victims, 37-year-old Billy Clay Payne, Jr. and 24-year-old Billie Jean Hayworth, had sustained gunshot wounds to the head. Payne also had knife wounds on his throat. Reece says the deaths are being treated as homicide.

The couple’s eight-month-old son was apparently in the house at the time of their deaths but was unharmed. He was taken by child protective services to the local hospital for examination. At press time the sheriff expects the child to be released to family members.

Hayworth’s body was found in the baby’s bedroom with Payne’s in an adjoining bedroom. According to Billy Payne, Sr., the male victim’s father who also lives at the residence, everything appeared fine when he left about 5:30 Tuesday morning to go to work in Boone, NC. More...


Little League Updates

Little League will be holding 2012 Board Elections on Sunday, February 5th at 2:00 p.m. at Johnson County High School. Officers will be then be chosen from the new board. Anyone that would like to come and vote will need to pay a $5.00 membership fee. Please come out and support Johnson County Little League.



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Weekly Poll

Will the groundhog see his shadow this year?

I hope so. I love snow and we haven’t had much this year. I’m not ready to say goodbye to winter just yet!

He probably will, but I hope not. I guess it would be too much to ask for spring to come this early.

He won’t see it this year. The weather has been so unbelievably mild and warm here that I believe spring is here to stay.

The idea that a groundhog seeing his shadow can predict the return of spring is too ludicrous to entertain! Who comes up with this stuff?

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