News & Sports For Tuesday June 21st 2005

EPA Releases Wilkes Drinking Water Report
On Monday, the EPA released this year’s drinking water report for the town of Wilkesboro, giving an idea of how clean the water is. Overall the news was good, as there were no violations or contaminations reported over the past year. However one area of concern for Wilkes is the fact the Yadkin River was also cited as being highly susceptible to contamination, meaning that while nothing has been reported yet, current use of the river and the area around it could potentially pose a threat down the road. The report is released every year to help monitor the effect of businesses and other things on the environment.

Drugs Found At Millers Creek Home
Sheriff’s deputies searched a Millers Creek house on Friday, after receiving a tip that drugs were being sold from the residence. The people inside refused to open the door, so deputies were forced to break it down and begin their search. Inside the house they found several grams of meth and marijuana, along with drug paraphernalia. 47-yr-old Susan Warden Godwin was arrested and charged with possession of drugs with the intent to sell & distribute, possession of drug paraphernalia and maintaining a home for the sale of drugs.

Be Careful Who You Let Inside
Be careful who you let inside your home. A North Wilkesboro man learned why that’s a good idea this week after falling victim to thieves at his house. The man had just returned home, taking time to empty out his wallet and other items on the table when someone he knew came to the door and asked to use the bathroom. The homeowner agreed and minutes later after the second man left, he noticed that both his wallet and other items were no longer on the table. Included in the theft was the man’s black wallet and all the items inside, along with $80 in cash. Deputies have charged 23-yr-old Justin Charles Haynes with the theft.

Salmonella On The Rise Across North Carolina
Yesterday 3WC News told you about a recall of certain shredded cheese packages here in North Carolina, as portions of the product had tested positive for salmonella. Now comes word from the Wilkes Health Department that on the whole, cases of salmonella are on the rise across the state. Already this year, the state’s Public Health Department has detected more cases than in the past three years combined. Here in Wilkes, there has been a slight increase as well. Right now, we’ve had 6 cases reported so far this year, up slightly from 2004 where we only had 14 cases reported period. Now there are however several quick and easy ways of making sure you don’t fall victim to the bacteria. First, don’t eat any raw eggs or anything that contains raw eggs. Also be sure not only to buy clean eggs, but also keep them refrigerated. Just take a look before buying to make sure there are no cracks, as bacteria can spread quickly once you get them out of the store and into your vehicle. And most important, always wash your hands and any equipment you’re using before and after you cook with eggs. For more information you can call the local Health Department at 651-7450.

Domino Effect Causes Wreck On Hwy 18
A simple case of follow the leader was to blame for a wreck that happened Sunday on Hwy 18. Three cars were involved in the accident, which caused an estimated $4800 worth of damage as one of the vehicles had to be towed away. A Purlear woman had apparently stopped at a median in the road and was attempting a U-turn, but the vehicles behind her couldn’t slow down in time. The third vehicle slammed into the second, creating a domino effect as two of out the three were totaled. The third driver, 22-yr-old Jose Garcia, was charged with failure to reduce speed and not having an operators’ license.

Local Business Falls Victim To Break-in
Thieves broke into a Wilkesboro business over the weekend, walking out with virtually everything but the kitchen sink. Someone pried open one of the doors to Queen’s Garage, removing the padlock and walking right in. Included in the theft were several air ratchets, drills, socket sets and other tools with a total value estimated at just over $2700. Deputies are continuing the investigation.

Stuff The Bus Program Begins July 1st
The annual Stuff The Bus program will get underway this year on July 1st, helping to provide needy kids with the supplies they need for school. There are several locations around the Wilkes County area for you to drop off supplies this year. There will be buses at Wal-Mart, CVS, Eckerd, Staples and also between the First Baptist and First United Methodist Churches in North Wilkesboro. You can also drop off supplies at Dollar General, Super 10 and the Communities in Schools office. All different types of school supplies are needed, everything from paper to pens to calculators. For more information you can call Amie Blevins at Communities in Schools. Her number is 651-7830 extension #23. And once again that program kicks off next Friday July 1st.

Hays Home Shot Up By Vandals
A Hays man returned home over the weekend to find that someone had been by while he was gone. Portions of his house were riddled with holes from a BB gun, causing over $200 worth of damage. There is a suspect in the case, as neighbors witnessed a local teen shooting off his gun in the area, although no one actually saw him fire at the home. The investigation is ongoing.

Gas Thieves Hit Several Wilkes Businesses
As the price for gas continues to climb, some people in Wilkes are deciding not to pay at the pump. Two businesses in the county were the latest victims of gas thieves over the weekend. A truck pulled up to the Fast Track in Millers Creek Sunday afternoon, the driver got out, pumped in $20 worth of gas and then took off down the road. Down the road in Hays, the same thing happened at the Grocery Bag as a vehicle pulled up and pumped just over $20 before taking off. Employees at both stores were able to get the vehicle’s license plate and turned it over to deputies, along with a description of both the driver and vehicle. The investigation is ongoing.

Just Rode Off With The Evidence
Sheriff’s deputies were called out to a residence in Union Grove over the weekend, after a local man returned to find himself the victim of a break-in. Thieves had apparently come up to the man’s home and stolen his dirtbike, also taking with them the man’s helmet as well. There was no sign of a break-in and also no damage done to the property. Deputies are continuing the investigation.

State News

People Get Sick At Greensboro Food Lion
Early Monday morning, a Greensboro store’s cleanup crew accidentally put four people in the hospital. The crew working at a Greensboro Food Lion had been using a gas-powered pressure washer to clean up the store, however due to the building’s poor ventilation, the fumes didn’t leave. After a few minutes, they overwhelmed several other people inside, who had to be taken to the hospital and treated for carbon monoxide poisoning. Three of the people were later released, while the fourth remained in the hospital for treatment of an unknown condition. No other information was released to the public.

Arrest Made In Chicken Parts Case
Officials in the Mount Holly area closed the books on a case of chicken theft this week. Over a month ago, a trailer went missing from Colonial Freight with almost 2000 cases of Gold Kist chicken parts as cargo. Over the weekend, police arrested and charged Walter Hicks Petty after receiving phone calls from Petty’s neighbors informing them that the man was selling frozen chicken out of a trailer at his home. Despite the evidence, Petty says he’s not guilty of the theft, as another man dropped off the trailer at his home.

North Carolina Teaching Rules Under Question
The standards for prospective teachers in North Carolina may be getting a little tougher, if officials with the State Board of Education have their way. Currently North Carolina is one of four states across the nation that doesn’t require fingerprint data from teaching prospects as part of a criminal background check. The fingerprints are run against an FBI database that would put up a flag if there was any criminal activity in the applicant’s past. North Carolina’s policy instead leaves it up to individual school districts, to decide how strict or loose they want to be when performing background checks. This has led to concerns that any teacher with a criminal past would be able to locate a job in a state where their history wouldn’t be discovered, potentially leading to more law violations down the road. Several officials with the State Board of Education are now calling for the rules to be changed here in North Carolina, although that won’t happen for at least a few months if then.

Former Deserter Apologizes
Former Army deserter Charles Robert Jenkins is finishing up his visit to North Carolina, but before leaving, he held a press conference on Monday to apologize for his actions almost fifty years ago. The 65-yr-old Jenkins said he was sorry for letting his fellow soldiers down along with the government and everyone else that had trusted in him. Jenkins was referring to his desertion in 1965, when he sneaked across the DMZ and into North Korea. After that, he spent the next four decades teaching English and taking part in propaganda films for the communist country. Released last year by North Korea, Jenkins was extradited to the US from his home in Japan. Later court-martialed and sentenced to 25 days in jail, he served his time and spent a week in North Carolina, visiting family members before heading back to his home. Jenkins also talked about North Korean leader Kim Jong II, saying that he was an evil man who only cares about his personal luxury.

Escapee Caught In Gaston County
A man who had escaped from the Gaston County jail is back in custody today, after being turned in by a relative. 28-yr-old Clinton Rucker was set to be released in three months before escaping Saturday night. He managed to gain access to a minivan at the jail and took off after hours. After a relative called in local officials and alerted them to where he was, Rucker gave himself up. Now he’ll face additional charges of stealing a car and escaping from jail, to go along with the three months left on his original sentence.

Sports Headlines

American Legion Baseball Tonight
The Wilkes Post 31 Patriots will be back in action tonight as they get set for their final home game of the regular season. The Patriots will take on Mocksville, as they’ll lock up a spot in the playoffs with a win. A loss however could mean the end of their season so everything is on the line tonight and we’ll be bringing you all the action right here on 3WC. Ken Byrd will be at the field for the first pitch at 7pm and we’ll go on the air tonight at 6:45 with the pregame show.

Appalachian To Make Changes For Football
Around the college scene, some changes are in store for Appalachian State’s football schedule, as all the games will be moved this year to 3:30pm. The four home games, Sept. 17th against Coastal Carolina, Oct. 15th vs. Georgia Southern, Oct. 29th against Chattanooga and finally Nov. 12th vs. Western Carolina have all been bumped to the later time, giving people more time to make it out to ‘The Rock’ and hopefully cut down on some traffic jams and other problems.

Minor League Scoreboard
In the minor leagues last night, it was Winston Salem losing against Fredrick 10-6. The Keys roughed up Warthogs’ starter Wes Whisler, as he gave up five runs in five innings of work. Over his past four starts, Whisler’s ERA has ballooned to 17.06. One bright spot for the Warthogs was Robert Valido as he extended his hitting streak to 16 games. His teammate Leo Daigle is starting a streak of his own as well, having hit in 11 straight games.

Health Questions Hurt McCants
In the NBA, we’re a week away from the college draft and while the stock of some players has risen, others are in free fall. Rashad McCants seemed to be a lock as a first round pick not even a month ago, but recent workouts have called into question his health once again. During workouts with the Magic and several other teams, McCants couldn’t finish the drills because he kept getting sick. While most teams say they’ll be making judgements on his entire career and not just his current status, McCants has quietly slipped from being a potential lottery pick to a late first rounder or possibly even dropping into the second round. McCants is scheduled to work out with the Bobcats this week.