News & Sports For June 10th

Counterfeit Checks Continue To Pour In
A Wilkesboro man called out sheriff’s deputies this week after discovering that someone had attempted to re-open one of his old accounts. The man had found out that local stores were receiving checks written in his name to pay for things, checks from an account long since closed. The man’s signature was on each of the forged items, all of which totaled out to $198. There is a suspect in the case, although it’s unclear how access was gained to the checks. Deputies are continuing the investigation.

First Disaster Loan Deadline Today
With the new hurricane season upon us, it’s crucial for businesses to plan ahead just in case a storm was to hit in the local area. It’s just as important however to get the damage fixed from storms that have already passed through and that doesn’t always mean just physical repairs. Large storms can severely damage your bank account and the government has a plan in place to help business owners repair that problem as well. Today is the first deadline to obtain disaster loans from the government for any business that fell victim to Tropical Storm Francis. Wilkes is one of 61 counties in North Carolina where businesses are eligible for the loans, given out to those who are still struggling to financially recover from the storm. This is called an Economic Injury Disaster Loan, which pays out up to $1.5 million if it can be proved your business suffered from the storm. These are working capital loans, which must be paid back over a 30 year period. For more information you can call the U.S. Small Business Administration’s Disaster Area Office at 1-800-366-6303 or visit their website at www.sba.gov/disaster .

Never Loan Out Your Car
Be careful who borrows your car. A Wilkesboro woman learned that the hard way this week, after loaning out her vehicle to a friend. The man said he’d bring it back in the next two hours and that was three days ago. It also turns out that the friend had recently been released from prison. His crime? Auto theft. A warrant has been taken out for 29-yr-old Christopher Wilkins, who was last seen driving the 1994 Buick Century down River Street. Wilkesboro police are continuing the investigation.

Voting Continues For Gospel Music Awards
Voting continues to select the winners of this year’s Southern Gospel Music Awards, put out by online magazine TheSouthernGospel.com. In each category ten finalists are presented for voters to choose from and this year 3WC made the cut. As we announced last week, 3WC was named as a top ten finalist for Favorite Radio Station and morning show DJ John Wishon was selected as one of the Favorite Radio Personalities, in addition to making the list of Favorite Concert MCs. Now if you want to get involved and vote, you can log on to www.thesoutherngospel.com , click on Southern Gospel Music Awards 2005 and cast your ballot. All it takes is a working email address to be able to make your voice heard.

Second Time’s The Charm
Sheriff’s deputies were called out to a Millers Creek residence earlier this week, after someone vandalized the homeowner’s car. The man walked outside Tuesday morning, only to find his vehicle had been damaged during the night. Someone had come up to the car and let the air out of the tires, causing over $50 worth of damage. Nothing was heard or seen by anyone in the neighborhood and while there are no suspects, the investigation is ongoing.

Blood Drive Later Today
The rain throughout Wilkes yesterday didn’t help numbers at the local blood drive, as the county’s supply still hangs around critical levels. While it may not seem that important, blood is needed, especially now as we head into the summer vacation months. As one of their last drives this month, the Red Cross will be accepting donors today at Ryan’s Steakhouse from 2-6:30pm. If you want to give, you can either stop by or call ahead to make an appointment. To reach the Red Cross you can call their local number at 838-4563.

Ring Stolen From Local Woman
Wilkesboro police were called out to a local residence on Tuesday after getting reports of a break-in. When they arrived, the homeowner explained that a ring had been stolen from the house. After officers went through and found no signs of a break-in, she said that the theft had occurred sometime over the last three months, but she didn’t know when. She did however have a suspect and gave the woman’s name and address to the officers. All total an estimated $2000 worth of jewelry was taken from the home and the investigation is ongoing.

More Deadlines Upcoming For Local Farmers
Local farmers have just under three weeks before the second of this year’s filing deadlines. On June 30th, farmers have to report all corn, soybeans and other crops to the Wilkes Farm Service Agency.
Once again for any farmer who hasn’t yet filed their report, you can go to the Wilkes Farm Service Agency and get that taken care of today. If you’re unable to make it out to the agency, you can contact them at 838-3622.

State News

Tax Problem Linked To Computers
One small mistake on a computer program led to thousands of dollars being accidentally taken from taxpayers across North Carolina. It seems the system that handles automatic drafts had a glitch in it, one that caused 359 people to pay two, three or four times the amount of tax they really owed. The mistake was caught by North Carolina’s Revenue Secretary Norris Tolson and his office has been attempting to contact all those people who were affected, to return their extra payments. The state has also agreed to pay any bank fees stemming from the problem such as for overdrawn accounts. All those affected will be receiving either a telephone call or a letter in the mail within the next few days.

Whipped Topping Recalled
Over 700 cans of non dairy topping has been recalled today, after the company that makes it discovered some of the already shipped items had dairy products in them. Alamance Foods in Burlington is recalling their 7 ounce cans of Flavor Right Whipped Topping, the non dairy variety, after several people got sick from allergic reactions. Its’ unclear how the mixup occurred, but the company has sent out a release warning those with dairy allergies not to eat the topping, as a severe reaction is possible. The product code for the topping is 72205.

Missing Money Tied To Housing Authority
A fraud investigation has linked people within the Durham Housing Agency with over $3000 in missing money. A supervisor with one of the agency’s programs noticed the money was missing and informed his superiors, who began an investigation. That $3000 is just a rough estimate and agency officials said that number could grow as the investigation continues. A former employee that had been released in recent days is being considered as a possible suspect.

Dead Man Responsible For Fire
Winston Salem fire investigators have concluded that a dead man was responsible for a recent boarding house fire in the city. 43-yr-old Kenneth Crump, who died in the fire, is believed to have been the one to start it, according to investigators. The fire department said this came out after evidence proved Crump was directly involved with starting the fire that led to his own death. Crump was the only one who died in the fire, which burned the boarding house to the ground.

East Carolina Being Investigated
Allegations of tampering and fraud surround East Carolina’s financial aid office and a state SBI unit has been called out to investigate. The school had began its’ own investigation late last year and then turned things over to the Justice Department after a possible misuse of state funds was discovered. It’s unclear exactly what the charges are or who was involved. The SBI are still putting together the evidence in the case.

Sports Headlines

Post 31 In Action This Weekend
Around the local scene, if the rain holds off this Saturday, we’ll have some Post 31 baseball for you as the Wilkes Patriots get set to take on West Forsyth. Gametime is set for 7pm with the pregame show going on the air at 6:45pm. Ken Byrd and Keith Briand will be on hand to bring you all the play by play action from the home of the Eagles, as we’ll be broadcasting live from Wilkes Central. That’s American Legion baseball here on 3WC.

UNC Says Goodbye To Football Player
Taking a look at college football, the UNC Tarheels are short one player today after Terry Hunter was released from the team. Tarheels Coach John Bunting announced his decision Wednesday afternoon and said the choice was made after the end of spring practice. Hunter, a defensive lineman in the program, had several run-ins with the law this past year including an arrest for possession of marijuana. Bunting said that the team had tried to help Hunter with his problems and now he has to find a way to help himself.

Williams Leaning Towards College
With the NBA draft a few weeks away, several college players will be making one of the biggest decisions of their lives. June 21st is the deadline for players to back out of this year’s draft and still be eligible to return to college. One of those players is Wake Forest center Eric Williams, who talked to reporters on Thursday and said now more than ever he’s leaning towards pulling out of the draft and heading back for his senior season. He said the only guaranteed way he’d stay in the draft is if he was a lock as a first round pick. That’s extremely doubtful as most scouts have him in the late second round, if being drafted at all.

Jones Gets Word On Injury
Braves’ third baseman Chipper Jones went in on Thursday for an examination by Dr. Robert Anderson, a Charlotte foot & ankle specialist. Depending on what the exam results reveal, it’s possible Jones could have to undergo surgery. Until that’s determined however, the third baseman has been fitted with a walking boot and told that even without surgery, he’ll have to miss at least a month while the damage heals. Initial results showed that Jones suffered a partial ligament tear and severe bone bruise in the leg.

More Shakeups In Racing
In the world of racing, some more shakeups happened on Thursday as Scott Riggs was left with a new crew chief. MB2 Motorsports announced that Doug Randolph, Riggs’ former chief, has now been bumped up to race coordinator for the team, while Rodney Childers takes over Randolph’s old job. Around the rest of the MB2 garage, Joe Nemechek will keep his crew chief Ryan Pemberton, but Pemberton will also assume the duties of team manager.