WILKES COUNTY SCHOOLS ARE CLOSED TODAY FOR STUDENTS AND TEACHERS

COUNTY EMPLOYEES DON'T REPORT IN TIL 9:30AM

Winter Weather Hits Wilkes
Old Man Winter finally made his presence known in Wilkes County, as sleet and freezing rain fell over the area last night. The power is still out in parts of the county, including sections of Broadway stretching from Damascus Church all the way to C.C. Wright School. And ice is still on bridges and other low lying areas across Wilkes, so please be careful when out driving this morning.

Gift Card Scam Busted By Police
A gift card scam was broken up this week by Wilkesboro police. At Lowes Hardware, a man had been going through the store gathering up items and passing it off as stuff he had purchased. He took the items to the return desk and exchange them for gift cards. At the time of his arrest, he had $1225 worth of gift cards accumulated. Loss prevention officials put together tapes of his activities and turned things over to Wilkesboro police, who made the arrest. 31-yr-old Jerry Kenneth Wyatt was charged with obtaining property by false pretenses.

Foxx Helps To Pass Natural Gas Amendment
5th District Representative Virginia Foxx took a step on Thursday toward lowering natural gas prices for people here in the area. Foxx and the rest of the House Agriculture Committee passed an amendment to the Commodity Futures reauthorization. That amendment gives the Trading Commission the authority to investigate market manipulations during any time of price increases. It also raises the penalties handed out for such manipulations. Foxx said that she wanted to do everything possible to keep the cost of natural gas low for families during the winter season.

Weapon Goes Missing From Car
A wildlife officer called sheriff’s deputies on Wednesday after discovering that a rifle was missing from his car. The officer had seized the weapon from a suspect and planned to turn it in the next day. Instead when he arrived home, the rifle was gone. Information was turned over to deputies and the investigation continues

Christmas In Wilkes Needs Help
Several hundred people took tags from the Christmas in Wilkes Angel Trees over the past month, helping needy kids during the holiday season. However now that the deadline has passed, the organization has a problem. 163 of the tags that were taken have not been turned back in, which is a problem since the gifts were supposed to be distributed today. If you did take a tag but haven’t bought a gift yet, please do that this morning and be sure to call Christmas in Wilkes and let them know. The number to call is 927-2969.

Christmas In Wilkes Weather Changes
With the winter weather that hit the county, some changes have been made for Christmas in Wilkes. Families had been called and asked to pick up their childrens' gifts today, but due to the icy conditions this morning, they can do that later this afternoon. Or if you can't make it out to pick up those gifts today, please call Christmas in Wilkes at 927-2969 and you can arrange another time to do it.

Break-In At Myers Tire
Sheriff’s deputies were called out to the Myers Tire location in Millers Creek on Thursday, after reports of a break-in. Would be thieves had pushed open one of the doors to the business, without damaging the padlock that was on it. However it was a wasted effort, as the door had been blocked from the inside by several cabinets and tools. Nothing was taken from the building but damage was placed at $100. That investigation is ongoing.

Man Finds Rifle Stolen
A Wilkesboro man called sheriff’s deputies to report a theft, one that happened over a month ago. The man told deputies that his rifle had been stolen, although he couldn’t say when exactly and there was no evidence of a crime. He also couldn’t provide suspects, because so many people had been in the home. That investigation continues.

Amnesty Week Is In Effect For Late Fees
Some good news for anyone whose holiday schedule has kept you from returning that overdue library book. The Wilkes County Library is holding an Amnesty Week, cutting fines in exchange for donations. For each can of food donated to the Library this week, $1 will be deducted from any overdue books, tapes or other items on loan. That will run from today until this Saturday December 10th, after which the regular late fees will go back into effect. And for those who don't have late fees but want to help out hungry people, you can drop off supplies at the library as well. The library is located at 215 Tenth Street in North Wilkesboro.

Regional News

Two People Facing Counterfeiting Charges In Dobson
Authorities in Dobson have broke up a counterfeiting ring and now two people are facing charges. Galax police got in touch with Surry County investigators after arresting a local woman for passing counterfeit bills. 38-yr-old Bridgette Morgan of Dobson and 35-yr-old Marvin Clinton Chapell are both in custody facing counterfeit charges, while Morgan is also been charged with obstruction of justice. Surry County officials searched Morgan's home and found several items used in the counterfeiting scheme, including a computer, printer and counterfeit currency patterns. All the evidence was turned over to the U.S. Secret Service.

State News

Highways Safer Near NC Churches
It's safer on the highway near churches here in North Carolina, according to a new study released this week. The research, done by Quality Planning Corporation, found that anyone living within a mile of a church is 10% less likely to have an accident than the average driver. The study took into account some 2 million accidents and found that around a church, the rate of accidents tends to decrease. By comparison, anyone living one mile around a restaurant, the study found, is 30% more likely to be involved in a wreck.

Green Beret Creator Dies
Lieutenant General William P. Yarborough died this week. Yarborough, a resident of Southern Pines North Carolina, was responsible for the creation of the Army's Green Beret strike force and also helped to design the winged paratrooper insignia back in 1941. Yarborough had served in the Army for 35 years, also working as commander of the Special Warfare Center during Vietnam. He was 93.

NC Court Keeps Christian Oath
People testifying in cases will still swear their oath using the Bible, thanks to a ruling yesterday in North Carolina Superior Court. Judge Donald Smith tossed out the ACLU's lawsuit, which had called for other non-Christian texts to be used for the oath, saying that the group had no legal grounds to file it in the first place. The lawsuit was taken out in July, as the ACLU said it was acting on behalf of its' members across the state.

Prayer Vigil Held For Activist
Many people have lost friends and family to the Iraqi conflict. Yesterday, members of the student and faculty body at Guilford College gathered to hold a prayer vigil for one specific person. Activist Tom Fox, a member of a Christian peacemaking team, was abducted by a group near the end of November. Now the "Swords of Righteousness Brigade" have announced they will execute the hostages on Saturday unless America agrees to a trade of captives. Starting at 7am Thursday morning, people came throughout the day to the Moon Room, to pray and remember Fox, who worked with the nearby Quaker community.

Rabies Scare In Lexington
Officials in Lexington are asking people to stay away from stray dogs and cats, after a rabies scare in the area. The Davidson County Health Department is also suggesting that people who live in the area take precaution with their own animals as well. On December 1st a rabid raccoon was shot and killed in the Denton community, causing the concern. Officials are urging people to be careful, since saliva from a rabid animal can contain the disease and even if your pet wasn't bitten, contact of any kind can leave him or her exposed.

Authorities Waited A Day Before Issuing Amber Alert
Questions are being raised today as to why authorities waited before issuing an Amber Alert for Devin and Donovan Reed. The two boys were found yesterday by authorities, safe at their grandparents' home in Durham County. However now comes word that police waited one whole day before putting out the Amber Alert, which has some people up in arms. The boys were taken on Tuesday, after social workers informed their parents that the two would be removed from the home, because it didn't have any power. The boys' father then issued threats to anyone who tried to take his kids and when officials arrived at the home, both the boys and parents were long gone. Officials said that while they couldn't release all the details, they had information that waiting to issue the alert wouldn't cause any problems.

Sports Headlines

High School Basketball Tonight
Depending on the weather conditions, there'll be some high school basketball on the radio tonight. Starmount heads into Moravian Falls, to take on the Wilkes Central Eagles. For the Lady Eagles, this is a chance to keep their unbeaten streak alive at 7-0, while the boys will have a shot at knocking off some of their major competition in the 2A division. We'll be going on the air at 7pm with the McDonald's pregame show and then join Ken Byrd and Keith Briand for the play by play at 7:15.

Playoff System Possibly In NCAA's Future
The face of college football could be changing in the future, after a hearing this week on Capital Hill. The House Subcommittee on Commerce and Trade held a meeting with NCAA officials, inquiring why Division I college football is the only sport without a playoff system. Lawmakers said they weren't going to force the issue, but called on NCAA officials and members of the BCS committee to put together a system soon. Officials said they were open to change but that school presidents would have to approve adding any additional games to the schedule, something they've so far refused to do.

Peppers Possibly Out For Sunday
In the NFL, Carolina could be missing a major part of their defense when they go on the road against Tampa this Sunday. Julius Peppers is still recovering from an ankle injury, caused by a cut block in last Sunday's game against Atlanta. Team doctors and Peppers himself said that they're not sure if the ankle will be 100% and the defensive end may have to miss possibly two out of the last three games of the regular season.

Jake Delhomme Moving Up
In other Panthers news, quarterback Jake Delhomme is slowly making his way into the record books. Delhomme needs 293 passing yards to hit the 10,000 yard mark, which would put him second all time in team history. Former Panther Steve Beuerlein currently holds the record with 12,690 yards.

NHL: Hurricanes Win
In the NHL last night, the Carolina Hurricanes continued their winning ways as they beat the LA Kings 3-2. The win improves Carolina's record to 18-8 on the season.

NASCAR News
Around the NASCAR circuit, some changes are in the works for Penske Racing. Kodak has pulled out from being the sponsor for the Number 77 Dodge, leaving driver Travis Kvapil without a ride. Kodak said that the company wanted to take a year long break to give Penske time to field a more competitive team. In other NASCAR headlines, Kurt Busch is getting a new crew chief for next season, as Roy McCauley will take over on the Number 2 Dodge. He'll replace Larry Carter.