Power Bills To Possibly Decline
Good news for any Duke Power customers in the area today. Your power bill could be declining after the first of next year. As a way to win approval for its' upcoming merger with Cinergy Corporation, Duke Power announced this week that it'll be cuting rates by an average of 3.3%. The only catch is this rate drop won't take effect until the merger is finalized, which probably won't be until January of 2006. State regulators first have to approve the merger and will be holding meetings to that effect starting December 6th. The merger with Cinergy would save Duke Power an estimated $655 million over the next five years alone. As a stipulation of the agreement, Duke Power can't raise rates during that time as a way of passing on their costs to North Carolina customers.

New ATV Law Going Into Effect Today
As the calender turns to December, several laws go into effect here in Wilkes and across North Carolina. Chief among them is a new ATV law, that makes it illegal for children under the age of 8 to operate all terrain vehicles at all. Throughout the state 36 children have died in the past five years from ATV accidents. Under the new law, children ages 8-11 can only operate ATVs that have an engine displacement of less than 70 cubic centimeters. For ages 9-15, that number rises to 90 cubic centimeters. And all children regardless of age, can't operate an ATV without a parent or person over 18 years old present. There are also some changes in the law for adults as well. All riders have to wear a helmet and passengers are not allowed unless the machine is specifically designed to carry them. In addition, ATVs aren't allowed on public streets, roads or on the highways and starting October 1st of 2006, anyone 15 or younger has to have a safety certificate, proving that they've completed an ATV safety course. If anyone breaks the law, they could be looking at a fine up to $200. Several others laws also went into effect today and we'll be taking a look at them over the next few days on the 3WC News.

Wreck On 421 Totals Two
Two cars were damaged after an accident Tuesday afternoon on Hwy 421. A West Jefferson woman was in the turning lane on 421 and attempted to turn off on the access road that leads to Belks. However she didn't see a vehicle driving down 421 from the other direction until it was too late. She pulled out right in front of the car, driven by a Wilkesboro man and crashed. Thankfully no one was jurt in the crash but estimated damage from the wreck was placed at $3000.

Solving The Medicare Puzzle Part Five: How Is It Cheaper?
Over the course of our Medicare series, we've takena look at many different parts of the new program. How will it work? Can you use it along with your current plan? But the question posed to Dr. Merill Matthews today in part five of our series, will the new plan be more cost effective than the ones people have now? And you can hear Brian's interview with Dr. Matthews today on the 3WC News. Plus, coming up tomorrow in the sixth and final segment of our series, Dr. Matthews will go over the potential problems that his organization, the Council for Affordable Health Insurance have discovered in the program.

115 Overpass Reopens
Drivers in the Broadway community can head to and from work in the normal way, now that the DOT has reopened the NC 115 South overpass. Some temporary repair work has been done, allowing people to use the road. However the temporary patch will only be used til January, when a permanent repair will be finished.

License Plate Stolen From Wilkesboro Man's Car
Wilkesboro police were called out to Wal-Mart earlier this week for a case of theft. While a local man was in Wal-Mart, someone walked up to his car and stole the license plate. Nothing was damaged on the vehicle and nothing else was taken. That investigation continues.

Focus On Racing
Racing is a part of Wilkes County's history. From the first dirt tracks to the now closed Wilkesboro speedway, people here love to watch it and enjoy taking part in it when they can. But when the Wilkesboro track was bought out, all that was taken away. Now however racing in Wilkes could be getting a new start, thanks to a group called Save the Speedway. Steven Wilson explains from Save the Speedway will be Brian's guest today on Focus on the Foothills. They'll be discussing the group's plans, how close they are to buying the speedway and what is already in the works to happen once the sale goes through. That's today at 1:05pm right after the midday stock report.

Dumpers Make Donation To Wilkesboro Home
Someone apparently mistook a house on the Little Brushy Mountain Road for a dumpsite this week, as the homeowner returned to find trash deposited on her property. The woman came back home to find that a large roll of carpet and other trash had literally been dumped off the side of the road near her house. There are no suspects but deputies are continuing the investigation.

Blood Drive Later Today
As we head into the home stretch of the year, it's crucial that local hospitals have a lot of blood on hand, in case of accidents. The winter weather, combined with people rushing home for the holidays, can be a lethal combination. With that in mind, the Red Cross is holding a blood drive today at Wilkes Regional Medical Center. It will go on in two parts. You can give blood this morning from 7am til 11:30, or wait for the second round starting at 1pm and going on til 5:30 tonight. As always, you must be at least 17 years old and weigh no less than 110 lbs before giving.

State News

NC Military Company Honored
Some troops from here in North Carolina have been honored for their actions in Iraq. The 210th Military Police Company out of Franklin was given the Valorous Unit Award, which is presented to units for heroism in combat against an enemy of the United States. This group award is the eqivalent to a Silver Star, which is handed out to individuals. The 124 soldiers of the company were deployed from June 2003 until January of 2004, serving as part of a task force to hunt down Iraqi officials while also guarding enemy detainees.

North Carolina Records Another Surplus
North Carolina finds itself with more money than expected today, $71 million more in fact. The state has brought in $71.3 million more in taxes and other receipts than analysts projected, marking the third time in three years such an event has happened. Most of the money came from corporate and personal income tax revenues, brought in as state officials cracked down on those who failed to pay. Now some state lawmakers are calling for Gov. Easley to return the money to the people through tax cuts in the coming year.

Plants Possibly To Help U.S. Soldiers
U.S. troops could be getting some help in the near future thanks in part to a small plant. Researchers at Appalachian State are experiementing to see if a pigment called quercetin could help boost the immune system. That would be especially helpful for troops that have to go on missions without sleep or food for long periods of time. Certain fruits and vegetables contain the pigment, including red grapes and red onions.

Dress Code Getting Tougher In Reidsville
Students in Rockingham County could be facing problems if they violate the new school dress code. The local school board has called and sent out letters to local teachers and principals, requesting that they crack down on violators. The county is also considering forcing students to wear uniforms, but at the present time it just calls for no headgear, no baggy clothes, for all shirts to be tucked in and no midriffs showing. Officials say that the code was needed, because they want to prepare students for whereever they're going in life and that includes how to dress.
Girl Suspended In Rockingham After Weapon Found
A 10-yr-old girl was suspended from her school in Rockingham County this week after bringing a steak knife to class. The knife was kept in the girl's bookbag and during the schoolday, a classmate saw the weapon and reported it to a teacher. When school officials asked why she brought it to class, the girl said she didn't know how it got there. She received a three day suspension while officials sort things out.

Sports Headlines

High School Basketball
Around the high school scene last night, it was the Mt. Airy Bears beating North Wilkes in boys varsity action 85-57. North was led by Aaron Church, who put in 16 points, as the Vikings fall to 1-3 on the season.

NCAA Scoreboard
Taking a look at last night's action in college hoops, it was East Carolina beating Wofford 66-62, UNC Wilmington taking care of William and Mary 75-66, Western Carolina knocked off Montreat 76-59, Elon fell against Virginia Commonwealth 69-49 and UNC Greensboro was blown out by South Carolina 77-55. IN other scores it was Lenoir-Rhyne wiping out UNC Asheville 81-78, NC A&T falling against Radford 83-76. In ACC action, NC State fell just short against Iowa, losing 45-42 while the number one ranked Duke Blue Devils survived an early season test against Indiana 75-67. Finally in double overtime, it was UNC Charlotte beating Davidson 85-81.

East Carolina Lands NC Linebacker
In college football news, East Carolina's program got some more good news this week. Linebacker Nick Johnson from East Mecklenburg High committed to play for the team. The 6-1 ft. Johnson was an all conference player the last two years and was also selected by the Charlotte Observer as one of the top high school players in the state.

ACC Conference Awards Handed Out
The ACC named its' all conference list this week and several players from here in the state made it in. Running back Chris Barclay from Wake Forest was one of them. Barclay set a school rushing record this season while also leading the conference with 1127 yards on the ground. Barclay's teammate, punter Ryan Plackemeier also made the squad after averaging 47.2 yards a kick. NC State had three players on the list, linebacker Stephen Tulloch and defensive linement Mario Williams and Manny Lawson. Finally Duke defensive back John Talley also made the team on defense.

Charlotte Bobcats Lose Against Seattle
The roadtrip woes continue for the Charlotte Bobcats, who lost last night against Seattle 104-94. Primoz Breznec led the way for Charlotte with 21 points and 8 rebounds as the team falls to 5-11. They'll play Golden State tomorrow night.

Former MLB Player Takes Over For Bulls
A former major league baseball player has taken over as the new head coach of the Durham Bulls. John Tamargo, who's been with the Houston Astros and Milwaukee Brewers, will step in to replace Bill Evers, who took a job as bench coach of the Tampa Bay Devil Rays. Tamargo was the bench coach for Houston in 2004, when they came one game of making it to the World Series. Last year he worked as a head coach of the Brewers' Single A team in Florida. Tamargo said he hopes to use his experience as both a player and coach to teach the guys on his roster what they need to learn in order to make it to the big leagues.