News & Sports For December 28th

Wilkes County Flu Clinic Coming In January
Good news for anyone suffering from the flu here in Wilkes. The county's health department will be hosting a flu shot clinic on Saturday January 7th. The clinic, held in connection with Wilkes Regional Medical Center, will be from 8am til 3pm and appointments must be made in advance. So far people in North Carolina have managed to avoid a major flu outbreak, with just two reported cases across the entire state. Still, with several months still left in this year's flu season, it helps to be prepared. Another thing to consider, with the peak of flu season still on the way, it's important to get the vaccine now, as it takes 2 weeks to build up immunity to the virus. To make an appointment for Saturday's clinic, all you have to do is call the Health Department at 651-7450.

Wilkes County Considered Accident Prone
Well it appears that Wilkes County is slightly accident prone. That was the report taken from AAA of the Carolinas, who issued their annual list of the most dangerous counties across the state. Wilkes came in 31st in regards to total crashes during the year, recording a total of 1677 accidents. Only eight of those accidents had fatalities involved, while 1040 were injured. In general across the state, the total amount of wrecks were down .3 percent, as 230,577 were recorded. However the number of fatal crashes rose 1.4 percent, to finish out at 1574. New Hanover County was ranked as the most dangerous, with Mecklenburg coming in second. On the other side of the coin, Curriuck County was ranked as the safest, with Swain in second place.

Car Stolen From North Wilkesboro Residence
Sheriff's deputies were called out to a North Wilkesboro residence early Tuesday morning, after a local woman walked outside to find her car was missing. On Monday night, a member of the household had left the keys in the ignition and the vehicle unlocked but no one could recall hearing or seeing anything unusual. All the information has been turned over to sheriff's deputies and that investigation is ongoing.

Focus on Foxx
With time ticking down til the new year, it's important to know what's going on in our government. On Thursday, Brian will be sitting down with 5th district congresswoman Virginia Foxx, as they'll be discussing illegal imigration, gas prices going back up and also what the new cuts in spending could mean for your medicare plan. All that's coming up on Focus on the Foothills, this Thursday at 1:05pm right after the midday stock report.

Gas Thieves Hit Another Wilkes Business
Gas thieves hit another business in the Wilkes County area this week, targeting Wyke's Food Mart in Wilkesboro. A man pulled up in a truck, pumped $30 worth of diesel and then took off down the road. Employees inside the store were able to get a description of both the man and his truck, which were turned over to sheriff's deputies. That investigation continues.

Wilkes Cares Needs Help
As we head into the new year, many families face a struggle to put food on the table. Wilkes Cares has been there to help, providing food and also clothes to needy families here in the county. But now Wilkes Cares is facing a problem of their own, as their shelves are almost empty of food and they don't have enough clothes to give out. One of the major needs is for childrens' coats, especially with winter weather constantly in the forecast. If you have any children's clothes or extra food to donate, you can drop it by to Wilkes Cares. They're located on the Elkin Hwy in North Wilkesboro. You can also call at 838-4900.

Thieves Run Off With Guns From Purlear Home
Monday afternoon, thieves broke into a Purlar woman's home, running off with several hundred dollars worth of guns. The homeowner and family had been out of town for the Christmas holiday and returned Monday night to find the weapons missing. However there was no sign of a break-in and nothing else damaged or even touched on the property. Taken in the theft was a 410 Winchester rifle and a 12 gauge Stevenson shotgun. Deputies are continuing the investigation.

State News

Durham Police Searching For Murder Suspect
Officials in Durham are on the hunt today for a teenager they believe to be involved with a murder. 17-yr-old Lamar Bass is accused of killing one teenager and wounding another after a confrontation in the parking lot of Northgate Mall Monday night. It's believed that the shooting was the result of a fight that started before the teens arrived at the mall. Warrants have been issued for Bass' arrest charging him with murder and assault with a deadly weapon.

DOT Examining Problem With Trucks
North Carolina taxpayers are having to pay for problems in the trucking industry, according to the state DOT. Earlier this year the department did a study which showed that road damage and other problems from certain trucks cost taxpayers an average of $130 million each year. Those trucks are any that weigh more than 80,000 pounds. Now the DOT is being asked to expand the study and report its' findings to state lawmakers in February, after which some changes to the law might be considered.

Military Banning Cell Phones On Base Roads
Drivers entering military bases here in North Carolina will have to turn off that cell phone from now on. Pope Air Force Base is banning the use of cell phones on all roads in and around the base area. Base officials said the reason was to keep drivers focus on the roads, so that there aren't as many accidents. The ruling goes beyond drivers, to also ban any cyclists or joggers from using their cell when near the roads on base. A similar ruling could become official at Fort Bragg in the next few months, after the base commander meets with Army lawyers.

Wilmington Hospital To Possibly Offer Room Service
Patients at a Wilmington hospital could be confusing the building for a hotel in the near future. New Hanover Regional Medical Center is considering adding room service for their patients, allowing them to choose their meals from a provided menu. The service, which wouldn't cost anything extra, allows patients to place an order anytime from 6am til 8pm from a menu designed for their individual restrictions. Hospital officials said they wanted to start the program as a way to enhance customer service while cutting down on food waste, because patients would be getting the meals they want.

Religious Rules Clarified For Wake County Schools
The rules were clarified for Wake County students and their parents this week. Classes can chant, engage in rituals and repeat phrases as long as it doesn't involve religion. Parents had complained after their children came home telling stories of the stress reduction workshops they had taken part in, events that contained lights, chanting and breathing exercises. The parents and a local Christian group called the workshops an exercise in New Age activities, but the Wake County superintendent disagreed. Because the program is based on African culture and doesn't verbally promote any religion, he said that it was acceptable

Sports Headlines

Wachovia Shootout Day One
Taking a look at high school basketball last night, it was the first day of the Wachovia Shootout. The Wilkes Central boys made it two in a row over West Wilkes, as they knocked off the Blackhawks 68-37. Meanwhile in the other boys game, it was the East Wilkes Cardinals beating North 58-43. On the girls side of the court, it was the Lady Vikings of North outlasting the East Wilkes Lady Cardinals 50-46 while the Wilkes Central Lady Eagles earned a spot in the title game with a 64-40 win over the Lady Blackhawks. So tonight's action shapes up like this. It'll be the Wilkes Central boys taking on East Wilkes at 7:30pm for the boys championship, while the Lady Eagles will be facing off against North Wilkes at 9:15pm for the girls title. During the afternoon, the West Wilkes boys will face off against North in the consolation game at 4pm, while the Lady Blackhawks will take on the Lady Cardinals at 5:45pm for the girls consolation game.

Top 25 Released For NCAA
Some changes are in store for the college scene, thanks to the news Associated press poll. Duke stays atop the NCAA with a perfect 11-0 record, while UCon and Villanova maintain their spots at two and three. Oklahoma makes the biggest drop, falling from 7th all the way to 14th place while NC State moves up to 19th. Wake Forest stays at 22nd and North Carolina drops to 23rd on the list.

NCAA Scoreboard
Around college basketball last night, it was Hawaii over NC A&T 66-60, while College of Charleston knocked off UNC WIlmington 81-77.

Charlotte Bobcats vs. Atlanta
The Charlotte Bobcats got the final week of 2005 started off on the right track, with a 93-90 win over Atlanta. Charlotte was led by Brevin Knight, who had 22 points, 7 rebounds and 5 assists. The team improves to 9-19 on the year, with a game tonight against Chicago.

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