More New Laws Taking Effect
On Thursday of last week, over 40 new laws went into effect here in North Carolina. Over the past few days we've been taking a look at some of them, especially those that could have an impact in Wilkes County. One new law has made it illegal for passengers to swap places with the driver after an accident and then take off. This comes after the death of Stephen Gates back in 2003. Gates was a commentator for the Tarheel Sports Network when he was killed while changing a tire on an interstate on-ramp. Now switching places could have just as severe for the passenger as if they hit the person theirself. In addition, penalties were increased for anyone firing a gun into a car or house and it's now a felony to point a laser beam at a traveling plane or other aircraft, even if it's just the light from your pen.

Police Investigate Case Of Drug Smuggling
Wilkesboro police were called out to UPS last week in regards to some illegal items in one of the packages they found. UPS officials told police that a white male came in and requested that they ship a candle for him, down to Port Charlotte Florida. He gave the name and address of the person, but couldn't provide any ID. Something seemed odd about the package, so Wilkesboro police were called in. After examing the candle, officers found that the inside had been hollowed out and contained 15 pills of hydrocodone painkillers and .15 ounces of crack cocaine. That investigation continues.

Deadline Tonight For Christmas in Wilkes
Time is almost up if you want to pick a name off the Angel Trees in Wilkes County. The deadline is tonight for Christmas in Wilkes, as the tags will be taken down when the local stores close.
Once again all tags must be taken by tonight if you want to help this year. But if you can't afford to buy presents, you can also help through volunteering your time. To call in and join the volunteer force for Christmas in Wilkes, the number is 927-2969.

Traffic Stop Leads To Drug Bust
A routine traffic stop on the Glen Dancy Road last week led to a drug bust for sheriff's deputies. The driver told deputies he didn't have his license with him and refused to let them search his car. After a few minutes he changed his mind and let them have a look inside. Deputies found 203 grams of methamphetamine inside, located in a small blackjack pouch lying on the floor. 50-yr-old Ricky CHarles Howell was arrested and charged with possession with intent to sell, maintaining a vehicle for the sale of drugs and driving without possession of a license.

One Taken To Hospital After Wreck On River Street
An accident last week on River Street caused one person to be sent to the hospital and over $13,000 worth of damage done. A Wilkesboro woman was turning onto School Street, but didn't notice the oncoming traffic. She slammed into one car and created a domino effect, tagging a third car whose driver had been waiting for the light to change. The second car's driver, a Wilkesboro woman, was taken to the hospital by EMS but released soon after with minor injuries. The first driver complained of injuries but released treatment by EMS, while the mother and daughter in the third vehicle escaped unharmed. Estimated damages were placed at $13,800.

529 Plans: What And Why?
College is expensive for both the parents and prospective students. How can you afford a dorm room, tuition and the books you'll need? There is a way to plan ahead and keep yourself out of debt. 529 plans are used by over 7 million families each year to help in setting aside money for college. Coming up on the news today, Carol Owens from financial service Scott and Stringfellowwill be talking with Brian and explaining what exactly the plan is. Also on tomorrow's segment of the series, Carol explains who qualifies for the plan and when's a good time to set one up.

Be Careful Who You Let Inside
Be careful who you let inside your home. A North Wilkesboro woman found that out the hard way last week, after money and medicine were both stolen from her home. A man came by the house trying to sell some tools and she agreed to buy some, letting him in and writing a check, before going to another section of the home to check on her child. When she returned the man was gone, as was the blank check and some pain medication. There is a suspect in the case and that investigation continues.

Blood Drive Coming Up Today
Winter weather can bring along some potential problems, chief among them wrecks and injuries. In times like this it's crucial to have as much blood on hand as possible, which is why the Red Cross is holding a drive today at Millers Creek Baptist Church. Anyone can come in and donate from 2-7pm this afternoon. No appointments are needed but if you want to avoid waiting in line, you can call the Red Cross and schedule a time to give. Their number is 838-4563.

State News

Money Stolen From Hickory Rescue
Officials in Hickory are searching for some missing money today. Just over $11,000 has gone missing from the Hickory Rescue Squad Auxiliary, believed to have been embezzled by a former member. Originally charges weren’t going to be brought, as a deal had been worked out to repay the money. But when the suspect disappeared, the police got involved.

People From 36 States Gather In Charlotte For Thunder Road
Almost 1600 people gathered in Charlotte for the Thunder Road Marathon on Saturday, coming into North Carolina from 36 different states. Bob Marchinko from Salisbury won the marathon, recording a time of 2 hours, 31 minutes and 42 seconds. Maureen Larsen from Nebraska won the women’s division in 3 hours, 8 minutes and 34 seconds.

North Carolina Citizens Not Exercising
Bad news from state health officials as people in North Carolina aren’t getting enough exercise. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention found that 22% of adults here in the state don’t get in the minimum suggested amount of weekly activity. That’s up from 16.9% in 2001.

Another Plant Closing In High Point
Bad news for people in High Point, as yet another plant will be closing its’ doors in the next year. HDM Furniture will be shutting its’ Hildebran plant down and moving operations to a factory in Morganton. Most employees at the plant will be offered transfers to the Morganton business, but company officials expect that a few will have to be let go. A definitive date on the closing has yet to be announced.

Students Are Moving On That Shouldn’t
Students are being promoted, even if they fail end of grade testing, according to information released by the News & Observer out of Raleigh. The whole point of end of grade testing is to hold back students that might need more work, so they won’t fail at the next level. Instead, only 500 out of the nearly 4000 5th graders who failed end of course testing were held back. Officials from the State Board of Education said that they may need to re-examine their policy.

Sports Headlines

Weekend High School Scoreboard
It was a busy weekend for high school basketball in Wilkes. Taking a look at some of the games, it was West Wilkes knocking off Bishop McGuinness 67-62. Curtis Lankford had 17 points, while Chad Lankford added 16 for West. Meanwhile the East Wilkes boys fell against Mt. Airy 76-53. On the girls side of the court, Wilkes Central improved to 5-0 after a 73-30 win over Alexander Central. Laura Rollins led the Lady Eagles with 23 points. The Lady Cardinals of East lost to Mt. Airy 61-46 while Bishop McGuinness ran over the Lady Blackhawks of West in a 80-19 blowout. Emily Deal was the leading scorer for West, putting up seven points and seven rebounds. North Wilkes girls lost to Avery County 66-39. Sarah Smith had 16 points to lead the Lady Vikings, who fall to 2-2 on the season.

NCAA Basketball Scoreboard
Taking a look at weekend scores from college basketball, it was UNC Wilmington over Virginia Commonwealth 60-40, Western Carolina beat UNC Asheville 80-64, UNC Greensboro took care of Charleston 72-58 and UNC Charlotte beat LA Lafayette 67-62. Gardner-Webb beat Stetson 70-68, behind Simon Conn’s 26 points, 9 rebounds and 4 blocks. Meanwhile in the ACC, it was Wake Forest over Elon 78-59, thanks in part to 22 points from Justin Gray. Also the UNC Tarheels staged an upset by knocking off Kentucky 83-79. Reyshawn Terry had 24 points for the Heels. Finally the Duke Blue Devils pulled out a last second victory against Virginia Tech as Sean Dockery hit a half court shot to make it 77-75.

Appalachian State Moves On
In college football, the Mountaineers of Appalachian State are one step closer to the national championship. In quarterfinal action on Saturday, they beat Southern Illinois 38-24 to advance. The 10-3 Mountaineers got a lift from quarterback Richie Williams, who tossed for three touchdowns and ran for another.

Panthers Take Care Of Falcons
The Carolina Panthers moved into sole possession of first place on Sunday after a 24-6 blowout of the Atlanta Falcons. Deshaun Foster stepped into the starting role as runningback for the Panthers, racking up 131 yards on the ground and two touchdowns. Carolina improves to 9-3 with Tampa Bay coming to town next week.

Bobcats fall against Lakers
In the NBA, it came down to the wire but the Charlotte Bobcats fell just short against the Lakers, losing 99-98. Kobe Bryant hit two free throws as time ticked down to seal the game and send Charlotte to their 13th defeat on the season. Melvin Ely had 20 points to lead the Bobcats.

Hurricanes Fall To Coyotes
In the NHL, not a good weekend for the Carolina Hurricanes. They lost to Phoenix 8-4 on Saturday night, falling to 16-8 on the year. That leaves them atop the Southeastern Conference, but only two games ahead.