News & Sports For November 23rd 2005

Jobs Coming To Wilkes Thanks To New Restaurant
Some good news today for the Wilkes economy, as a new restaurant is bringing more jobs to the area. Fire Mountain will be opening this Friday, with 130 Wilkes residents already finding employment as a result. There are more positions open, as the business is still accepting applications for at least ten positions. Fire Mountain will open its' doors to the public this Friday at 10:45am.

Focus On Giving
As we get ready to celebrate this season of giving, there are some people who need our help. Thanksgiving is about more than just turkey and the trimmings, but also showing thanks for our blessings by reaching out. As you may have heard here on 3WC, a benefit is being put together for Clyde Shew, to help in paying his medical bills. Brian will be talking with several local pastors about the event for the Thanksgiving edition of Focus on the Foothills, coming up at 1:05pm tomorrow afternoon.

Food Stolen From Wilkesboro Lowes
An attempted case of theft at the Winkler Street Lowes Foods was prevented recently by a store manager. An assistant manager saw a young woman trying to hide packs of steak in her clothes. He followed her around and eventually caught her with the items, which she returned. However when he told the girl that he had to call police, she took off running out the door. A description of the girl along with the license plate of her vehicle were turned over to police.

Blood Drive Later Today
As we're less than a day away from Thanksgiving, most people will spend today on the road, trying to get home to family and friends. Unfortunately with those drivers usually come a lot of accidents. On a normal day, 1500 pints of blood are used across North Carolina in hospitals. That number increases during the holiday season, so it's important to have as much on hand as possible. A blood drive will be going on today at New River. It's by appointment only, so to schedule a time to give you can call the Red Cross at 838-4563.

Local Churches Hold Thanksgiving Dinners
For anyone still trying to figure out what to do for Thanksgiving, several churches in the area want you to eat dinner with them. Cornerstone Church and House of Worship Church are both inviting the entire community to a free Thanksgiving meal. Cornerstone's dinner will start at 2pm, while the meal at House of Worship begins at 1pm.

Winter Booze It And Lose It Program Continues
Unfortunately holidays mean more opportunities for people to drink and drive. To help prevent any drunk driving accidents, the Highway Patrol will be out in force across Wilkes over the next few weeks, as part of the annual Winter Booze It & Lose It campaign. During the holiday season last year, 47 people in the state died due to alcohol related accidents. Checkpoints will be out in full force and troopers will be patroling over the next month to prevent any more fatalities.

Wreck On Hwy 421 Totals Two
Two cars were totaled after a wreck recently on Hwy 421. An Asheboro man was traveling down the highway when the vehicle in front of him suddenly swerved into another lane. He soon found out why, slamming into a Wilkesboro woman's car as she waited for the light to turn. She in turn hit the vehicle in front of her. Thankfully no one was injured in the crash however estimated damage was placed at just over $3000.

State News

Cold Weather Brings Wind And Power Loss
Wilkes County apparently only caught the tail end of wind and rain that poured through the area yesterday. In portions of the Triad including Chapel Hill and Durham, homes near the downtown area were without power for several hours. From 3 to 6am, over 4500 were in the dark as crews worked to repair downed power lines. Most of the issues had to do with falling trees and other weather related problems

Fake ID Ring Broken Up In Randleman
An operation that provided illegal aliens with fake IDs has been broken up in Randleman. The operation also helped illegals gain access to forged passports, marriage licenses and fake social security cards, for a price of $40 each. When officials raided the home in Randleman, they uncovered stacks of forged documents ranging in the hundreds. The two operators, Jose Romero-Daniel and Daniel Toxqi are both in jail today awaiting trial. Several hundred names are on the client lists of the two operators, both illegals themselves, an idea that concerns local officals.

Flu Shots Available In Lexington
For anyone wanting a flu shot, there are some available if you want to drive out of the county. A free clinic will be going on in Davidson County next Wednesday, November 30th. Anyone can come in, regardless of age and receive a free vaccine. The clinic will be held at the Lexington Health Department, from 8am til 5pm on the 30th and you must call ahead to schedule an appointment beforehand. To do that, you can call 336-236-3096.

Jobs Coming To Kinston
Good news for people living in the Kinston area. More jobs area coming in over the next three years. Dupoint announced plans this week to expand production at its' local plant, a move which will bring in 66 new jobs. The plant is responsible for making Sorona brand polymer, a cheaper alternative to other synthetic fibers. The move comes after a $200,000 grant from Gov. Easley's One North Carolina Fund.

Science Center Expansion To Become Reality
A major expansion will soon be a reality for the Hickory Science Center. Thanks in part to a $200,000 grant from the federal government, plans are going forward to add a 60-seat theater and digital planetarium to the center, along with a physical science exhibit, 6500 saltwater touch tank and a 5000 Lake Hickory tank. Center officials said the new plans will help to give children a unique educational experience. It's believed the new additions could be open to the public by 2009.

Panic At Buncombe County School Thanks To Internet
Internet rumors caused mass panic at one Buncombe County school this week. Almost half of the student population at Reynolds High School stayed out on Monday, after rumors spread about a possible Columbine style attack that had been planned. 572 kids didn't show up at all 160 left early, all thanks to a threat posted on an internet website. Police investigated the threat and said that it turned out to be nothing serious, however by then the damage was done. School officials spent a good portion of the afternoon calling parents and trying to convince them that there was nothing to the rumors and that the school was safe.

Asheville Break-In Leaves People Without Jobs
24 people are without jobs in Asheville today, after a break-in at a local restaurant. 26-yr-old Eric Eugene Hart was arrested and charged with felony breaking & entering along with larceny after coming in through the roof of the Backyard Burgers store on Patton Avenue. For some reason, Hart damaged or destroyed all of the air conditioning, electrical and neon lighting systems on the room, then shattered the drive through window. He didn't take any money, choosing instead to steal a gift card, a hat, a set of keys and a scarf. It's unknown why Hart committed the crime, as he had no connections to the restaurant or anyone inside that police know about. The restaurant will be shut down indefinitely while cleanup continues.

Sports Headlines

High School Basketball Scoreboard
On the high school basketball court last night, West Wilkes beat North 77-65 in a game that was at times a lot closer than the score showed. In the girls varsity game, it was North getting their first win of the season, beating the Lady Blackhawks 49-34. Finally in JV action, the West Wilkes girls beat North 47-44.

NCAA Scoreboard
Taking a look at college basketball scores from last night, it was Western Carolina beating Atlanta Christian 110-51, Gardner-Webb knocked off East Carolina 77-72, Miami of Florida beat NC A&T 87-62 and UNC Wilmington beat North Texas 70-52. On the ACC side of the ball, it was UNC Chapel Hill blowing out Cleveland State

Top 25 Poll Released
The new college basketball Top 25 poll was released this week and the national champions continue to be shut out of the spotlight. In fact, UNC Chapel Hill dropped to 38th place in the new poll. Duke maintained its' top ranking, with Texas right behind in second. Wake Forest was the only other North Carolina team in the Top 25, coming in at 24. NC State finished just out of the running, at 28th.

Panthers Receiver Still Leads NFL
The news wasn't all bad for Carolina after Sunday's loss to Chicago. The Panthers still have the top receiver in all of football, as Steve Smith increased his lead this week. Smith's 72 catches and 9 touchdowns both lead the league, as does his 1106 receiving yards. In addition, he has seven 100 yard receiving games so far this year, tying him with former Panther Muhsin Muhammad for the franchise record.

Ottawa at Carolina
In the NHL, the Carolina Hurricanes went looking for their 15th win last night, playing host to the Ottawa Senators. Unfortunately it didn't exactly turn out as planned, with Carolina losing 5-3. The loss drops Carolina to 14-6 on the year, however they maintain their position atop the Southeastern Conference.

Durham Bull Heading For The Majors
Thirty years after he was first signed to the minor leagues, a member of the Durham Bulls is getting called up to the majors. Durham Bulls head coach Bill Evers will be the bench coach for the Tampa Bay Devil Rays in 2006, joining first year coach Joe Madden's new staff. Evers is one of the top coaches in the minors, second all time with 1381 wins over 19 years of managing. Evers was hired to help work with some of the new Devil Rays, many of which played for him over the last few years at Durham.