News & Sports For June 23rd

News & Sports For Thursday June 23rd 2005

Rent To Own
Sheriff’s deputies were called out to a house in Purlear earlier this week after renters ran off with almost everything inside. The property owner called deputies after the renters had paid off their bill and left, as he found several thousand dollars worth of material had disappeared with them. Included in the theft was an antique desk from the 1930s, a riding lawn mower, two book shelves and several other items as well. A description of the suspects along with the location of their workplace was turned over to deputies and the investigation continues.

Blood Drive Later Today
As we reach the middle of summer, we’re also approaching one of the most critical times to give blood. The blood supply here in Wilkes is still at extremely low levels, as most people have been either driven off by the rain or gone on vacation and unable to give. There will be a drive going on later today at the Pilgrim Baptist Church from 2:30-7pm if you want to give the gift of life. Just a quick reminder if you do plan to go out, there are some requirements. You must be at least 17 yrs old and weigh no less than 110 lbs to donate. If you want to set up an appointment, you can call the local Red Cross at 838-4563.

Wreck On 421 Totals Two
When your light turns yellow, it might be a good idea to slow down. A Ferguson woman found this out the hard way earlier this week, after being involved in a two car accident. The wreck happened on 421, as the woman tried to speed through the intersection before her light turned red. She didn’t make it in time however and slammed directly into a vehicle coming from the other side. That second car spun out and hit a DOT sign near the 16 North ramp, finally coming to a stop several feet down the road. Both vehicles were totaled as damages were estimated at $20,000. Thankfully however no one was injured in the crash.

Fire Still Under Investigation
Fire marshals were unable to determine what caused a Hays man’s home to burn down earlier this week. The fire happened on Hollow Tree Lane, as Mountain View firefighters were called out to the scene. However before they arrived, the fire had nearly burned the building to the ground. The homeowner is currently away serving time in a Catawba County jail and his home has been abandoned ever since he left. It’s still unclear what ignited the fire, as the home had burned down to the foundation.

Local Woman Alerts Deputies To Fraud
Sheriff’s deputies were called to a Hays woman’s house earlier this week, after she reported a case of attempted fraud. The woman had been contacted by someone with a Hispanic accent, who informed her she had just won a sweepstakes in South Carolina. He then went on to tell her that in order to claim the prize, she needed to send a $5000 to his address. But instead of the company’s name, he gave his own, along with other information detailing how she could reach him with the money. After she refused two other people were put on the line, one who attempted a southern accent and tried to convince her the sweepstakes was real. The information has been passed on and investigators are checking out the address given.

Focus On The Cross
Throughout the western part of the state, there are several programs helping kids stay active, while also getting them involved in their community and also sharing with them the Word Of God. One of those is the Carolina Cross Connection. Melissa Lineberger will be talking about the Connection during today's Focus on the Foothills broadcast. That’s after the midday stock report at 1:05pm.

Just Drove Off With The Mower
A North Wilkesboro man returned home on Tuesday to find that someone had paid him a visit while he was gone. However nothing was stolen from the home and no damage was done. The only thing missing was the man’s riding lawn mower that had been sitting outside. Neighbors couldn’t recall seeing or hearing anyone outside the home and there are no suspects at this time however deputies are continuing the investigation.

State News

Advisories Issued For Lake Cornelius
Officials in Mecklenburg County have issued a warning today, advising people to stay out of the water at Lake Cornelius. Tuesday afternoon, debris from recent storms clogged up a sewer line and caused over 300 gallons of sewage to spill into the lake. The line was quickly repaired and work is underway to clean up the area, but at this time it’s still not safe for anyone to get into the water.

East Carolina University Falls Victim To Fraud
The SBI has been called in to help East Carolina University discover who managed to breach their computer network’s security program. The hackers somehow gained access to the program and used it to obtain the personal information of 250 students. The intrusion was limited to the department of physician assistant studies, meaning that only students from that section of the school were affected. Officials discovered the breach after complaints kept coming in of slow computer speed in the department. While the server was being repaired, specialists found the intrusion. All students whose personal information was exposed are receiving a letter in the mail explaining what happened and what steps they need to take in order to prevent ID theft from occurring. As to who’s responsible, that investigation is still ongoing, say university officials.

Land Dispute May Cause Tweetsie To Relocate
One of the area’s most famous entertainment parks may be picking up and moving to a new location soon. Tweetsie Railroad has hired the services of two firms to help resolve some real estate issues the park finds itself facing. Tweetsie is located on three parcels of land, leased from two separate owners. Now issues have arisen regarding how much the lease payments should be among other things and the park may find itself being evicted in 2006 when the lease expires. With that in mind, Tweetsie officials are examining other places where the park could relocate. Any official decision however won’t be made until at least the end of this year.

Items Stolen From Hickory Library
Why steal something you could see for free? That’s what officials in Hickory are asking today, after over $20,000 worth of material was stolen from the Patrick beaver Memorial Library. It’s unclear exactly when or how the thefts occurred, as all items inside have special tags that set off the security system if removed from the building. Included in the stolen items are several World Book Encyclopedias, books and DVDs from the library collection. Library officials are considering installing video cameras to prevent something like this from ever happening again.

Wildlife Commission Offers Free Fishing
On the 4th of July this year, the state Wildlife Commission is offering a gift to any fishermen in North Carolina. From 12:01am until 11:59pm that day, all public inland waterways in the state are open for fishing, free of charge. That means you don’t have to buy a trout license or anything else before grabbing a pole and heading out to the water. However some rules will still be in effect, such as limits on size and how many fish you can catch. For more information you can call the Wildlife Commission at (919) 733-3633 or visit their website at www.ncwildlife.org.

Scenic Byway Opened Near Morganton
Officials with the state Board of Transportation took part in a ceremony yesterday to officially open North Carolina’s newest scenic byway. The Posgah Loop Scenic Byway, stretching 47 miles around the Pisgah National Forest, is the 49th such designation across the state and the first with sections open to only 4-wheel drive vehicles. Along the Loop you can see portions of the Linville Gorge, Table Rock, Lake James and of course the Pisgah National Forest. The road also ties in with the route taken by Revolutionary soldiers and early pioneers through the western part of the state.

Sports Headlines

Post 31 Regular Season Ends With Loss
Tuesday night the Wilkes Post 31 Patriots saw their regular season come to an end and possibly their playoff hopes as well, with a 7-2 loss against Mocksville. With the loss, Wilkes drops to 4-11 overall, tied for the eighth spot with South Rowan. All that will change one way or another later today, as South Rowan was scheduled to play Rowan County. If South loses, the Patriots are in the playoffs. If South wins however, the season is over for Wilkes.

High School Senior Withdraws From Draft
Around the college scene, in a rare occurrence one high school player from North Carolina decided to take his name out of this year’s NBA draft and go to school. Just don’t expect him to stick around more than one year. Brandon Rush, who graduated this year from Mount Zion Christian Academy, announced that he was withdrawing from this year’s draft and planning on going to college. But instead of a degree, Rush plans to only stick around in the college scene one year, enough time he said to showcase his game and prove that he can play at a higher level. He withdrew after teams repeatedly told him he wasn’t going to be picked any higher than the second round. Now Rush will decide between Illinois and Oklahoma for his choice of college.

Randolph Commits To Draft
In other college basketball news, the Duke Blue Devils unexpectedly lost a player as Shavlik Randolph announced he was staying in the NBA draft. Randolph, a 6-10 junior only averaged 6 points at Duke and isn’t even on any of the mock drafts across the nation. Scouts and coaches, including Bernie Bickerstaff of the Charlotte Bobcats, have repeatedly told him that another year of fine tuning his game in college would help him greatly but he refused to pull out. There have been concerns about his lack of strength and quickness, although Randolph says he’s received a lot of positive feedback from teams and came to the decision after a lot of prayer.

UNC Football Team Adds Another
Turning to college football, the UNC Tarheels just continue to add pieces to what’s becoming a very strong recruiting class for next year. Logan Buchanan, a rising senior at Davie High School, committed to play for the Heels in 2006. Buchanan was part of a Davie defense that shut down opponents last year, holding them to just under 10 points a game. Buchanan will join five others as part of Carolina’s 2006 class, receiving the offer after a summer camp last week. He said there were other schools interested, but only Coach Bunting came out and made an offer, one he didn’t want to miss by turning down. Buchanan can officially become a member of the Tarheels next February by signing a letter of intent.

Bobcats Make First Move Of The Offseason
And in the NBA, the Charlotte Bobcats didn’t wait until the finals were over to make their first move. Qualifying offers will be sent to Keith Bogans, Gerald Wallace, Matt Carroll and Jason Kapono as the team looks to keep most of its’ young core roster together. Those offers will become official on Friday and in addition, the team has called back former UNC talent Sean May for a second workout this weekend.