Get Ready For Gas Increases
Bad news for anyone planning on taking a trip to see family this Christmas. Be prepared for pay a little extra. Triple A of the Carolinas released a report this week, warning consumers that gas and airline prices could see a major spike over the holiday. 1.6 million people here in North Carolina are expected to be on the road this year, visiting family and friends. The expected spike isn't from a lack of oil, but rather predictions from analysts in the field. Because of the recent instability, market experts are going most often with the worst case scenario, painting a picture that most likely won't come true, three months down the road. As for Wilkes County and the surrounding areas? Triple A said that rural areas will probably avoid the hike, as cities will most likely be the prime target.

Pet Food Recalled
There is a recall going on of several different Diamond Pet Food brands. Included are all brands that were produced at the company's Gaston South Carolina facility, due to a toxic chemical that was discovered. The chemical aflatoxin, which is found in corn that's been infected with a certain type of fungus, was located in several cans of the food. It can make a pet sluggish and even in some cases cause sudden death. North Carolina's Agricultural Commissioner Steve Troxler is asking pet owners to get in touch with their local vet immediately if their pet has been weak, sluggish or just generally out of sorts. The brands involved are:
All types of Diamond Dog and Puppy Food
All types of Country Value Dog and Puppy Food
All types of Professional Dog, Puppy and Cat Food
Once again if you bought one of these brands in the past month, it might be a good idea to get in touch with the vet, if for nothing else but a checkup.

Counterfeit Scam Exposed At State Credit Union
An attempted counterfeit scam was exposed this week at the State Employees Credit Union. Two people, a man and woman, had come in last Friday, trying to cash three money orders. Each had the same amount listed of $950, but employees noticed that none of the money orders had the normal security code on them. The two people told employees they had recieved the money orders for selling things off of ebay and provided the envelope they had come in, marked with the name of an Ohio man. That investigation continues.

Thieves Do Some Christmas Shopping At Radio Shack
Earlier this week, some thieves decided to target Radio Shack for some last minute presents. They ran off with a Compaq Presario computer that had been on display, unplugging it and taking off out the door. Nothing else was damaged or even touched inside. Wilkesboro police are continuing the investigation.

Wilkes Elections Board Unveils New Voting Equipment
As we told you earlier this month on the news, North Carolina has ordered all counties to replace their voting systems before next year's elections. Wilkes County's Board of Elections has been hard at work to do just that, trying out demos of the different products. Now that they've found one, a public forum will be held next Friday, December 30th from 2-4pm. This will go on in the Commissioners' room of the County office building and will allow people to come and see the new equipment, while also getting a chance to ask questions. After the forum is over, then the commissioners will vote on the request, deciding if they'll approve the purchase. The reason for such a quick decision is that a contract with the vendors has to be signed by January 20th, in order for the machines to be up and running in time for next year's elections. State leaders called for the switch after several problems came up during the 2004 campaigns, including 4000 ballots disappearing in the agriculture commissioner's race.

Thieves Climb In Store For A Better View
Employees at the Deep Ford Market got a surprise when coming into work on Tuesday. A hole had been cut in the ceiling, setting off the building's alarm. It appears that thieves had climbed through the hole and then once inside, started bagging several cartons of cigarettes to take. For some reason however, the thieves panicked and left the cigarettes behind. Estimated damage to the building was placed at $1000 and the investigation continues.

Wreck On College Street Totals Two
Look both ways before turning. A North Wilkesboro man found out why that's a good idea this week, as he was involved in a three car wreck. The man had pulled out onto the highway, not noticing the oncoming traffic. He hit a second car, which then hit a third vehicle coming behind. Thankfully no one was hurt in the crash. Estimated damages were placed at $4200.

The History of Christmas in Wilkes County
Wilkes County has been around since before the turn of the century and in all that time, many traditions have sprung up that we still follow today. And Brian will be talking about those traditions today during Focus on the Foothills as we air an interview he conducted earlier with Ms. Edith Carter from Whipperwill Academy. Ms. Carter will be discussing where Wilkes County gets its' Christmas traditions and also explaining some that got lost along the way. That's coming up at 1:05pm, right after the midday stock report.

All That For A Deere
Who would break in just to steal a piggy bank? That's what one man in Roaring River is wondering today. Thieves broke into his home Tuesday afternoon through the unlocked back door. Once inside, nothing was damaged or even touched, with the exception of a John Deere bank filled with change. An estimated $100 in change was in the bank when it was taken. That investigation is ongoing.

Recall Of Some GM Vehicles
General Motors announced this week that it's issuing a recall of some of its' passenger and cargo vans. Both the Chevy Express and GMC Savana models from 2003-2006 have been recalled, due to problems with some seat belt buckles. GM says that warranty claims have been piling up, with people reporting issues either locking or unlocking the buckle. As a result of the recall, GM will replace the buckle assembly to solve the problem. If anyone owns either of those vehicles, you can get in touch with the dealership that ou bought it from.

Tag Stolen From Local Woman's Car
Thieves took advantage of a break-down in the Sandy Creek area this week. A woman's car had broke down and she had left it on the side of the road. Before she returned, someone had already been by, not to help but rather to rip off her vehicle's tag. There are no suspects but that investigation continues.

State News

New Baseball Stadium In Charlotte
The Queen City may be getting a new attraction in the coming months. Tuesday night proposals were heard for a new baseball stadium, one that wouldn't require any taxpayer money. The total cost for the project would be covered by the Charlotte Knights and private donors, making the new stadium part of a revived Center City, including a park just across the road. Charlotte City Council agreed to discuss the project and will likely make a decision within the next month.

Reward Offered For Information About Missing Marine
Gov. Mike Easley has stepped in to help find a missing Marine. Jonathan Blackwell from Rockingham County vanished on October 7th, 2004 and a week later his car was found abandoned in Virginia. Easley has put forth $5000 for any information that could help in finding Blackwell, which combined with other donations brings the total reward to $11000. People who believe they have some information on the case are asked to either call their local authorities or the Marine Corps.

New Center Opens At Wake Forest Baptist Medical Center
The doctors at Baptist Medical Center are getting some new tools to help people. A Crash Injury Research and Engineering Network Center opened this week, only the eighth one in existance across the nation. Doctors and engineers from different walks of life are all involved in the network, which was created by the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration. The network is designed to study injuries from vehicle accidents, using the data to improve safety measures and hopefully prevent such problems in the future.

Move Over Law Not Effective
So far, it's been more of the same for law enforcement officers across the state, as the new "Move Over" law doesn't seem to have any effect. The law orders drivers to slide over to another lane or at least slow down when passing an emergency vehicle or law enforcement on the side of the highway. According to Highway Patrol officials across the state, they haven't seen one vehicle move over or slow down. In fact, some say that they're more concerned about being hit during a traffic stop than they are about getting shot. Since the law went into effect, 72 officers have been hit and two killed. Starting on January 1st, anyone who violates the law will face a $250 fine and possible jail time.

Thief Ruins Christmas For Children In Raleigh
The Grinch appears to have struck in Raleigh this year. Thieves stole a van from the Helping Hand Mission in Raleigh this week, making off with several hundred new toys and the groceries to help 700 families in the area cook their own Christmas dinner. The van was later found, but it was empty. As police continue the investigation, the community has reached out to lend a hand. Businesses and individual people have come in, bringing toys and food to help make up for what was lost. However more is needed, as 160 families are already on a waiting list for toys and food.

Sports Headlines

NCAA Scoreboard
Taking a look around the college scoreboard last night, it was Buffalo over Elon 68-67, Toledo over East Carolina 73-62, William and Mary knocked off UNC Grrensboro 83-73. Also in a major upset, USC defeated the UNC Tarheels 74-59, thanks to the Heels' 25 turnovers. David Noel led North Carolina with 19 points and 7 rebounds, but 6 of those turnovers were also his. The Heels drop to 6-2 on the season. The final score looked a little bit better to the Duke Blue Devils, who took care of St. Johns 70-57. J.J. Redick led the team with 18 points, as Duke improves to 11-0 on the year.

Another First For Appalachian
The Mountaineers of Appalachian State notched the first football championship in their history this year, with a 21-16 win over Northern Iowa. Now the school has reached another milestone, as they finished number one in the Division I-AA poll. It marks the first time in school history that the team has been ranked that high and the first time in three years they've made it into the Top Five.

Elon Has New Coach
Meanwhile, Elon's football team got a facelife this week, as new head coach Pete Lembo was introduced. Lembo takes over a program that hasn't finished with a winning record in the last five years and since the move to the Southern Conference has gone 3-19. A former offensive lineman at Georgetown, Lembo leaves his job at Lehigh University, where he built a Top 25 contender with a 44-14 record during his tenure.

Emeka Out At Least A Week
The news wasn't all good for the Charlotte Bobcats on Wednesday, as the team learned Emeka Okafor will be out for at least 10 days with a sprained right ankle. An MRI done on the ankle showed no serious damage, but it will take time to heal, meaning that the team will be without its' leading rebounder when the Clippers come to town on Friday. Okafor injured the leg while fighting for a rebound Monday night. He crashed into Kings' guard Francisco Garcia, coming down at an akward angle and later unable to put any weight on his ankle. Rookie Sean May will most likely be put into the starting lineup.

Panthers News & Notes
Some news and notes from the Carolina Panthers, as they get ready to take on Dallas. The team signed one more player to the roster, adding wide reciever Efrem Hill. The 6 ft. 179 lb. Hill had been with the team's practice squad and played sparingly during the preseason. Carolina also added two players to their practice squad, signing running back Alex Haynes and wide reciever Chris Samp. Samp, who comes in at 6-3 and 217 lbs. was let go from Pittsburgh's practice squad earlier this season.