News & Sports For June 7th 2005
Tuesday, June 7, 2005 at 6:02AM
3WC DJ

News & Sports For Tuesday June 7th 2005

Local Business Honored With Award
On Monday, a local business here in the area received an award from the U.S. Department of Commerce. Meadows Mills Company, a North Wilkesboro business that builds and puts together sawmill equipment, was honored for their efforts in exporting products to other countries. Congresswoman Virginia Fox was on hand for the celebration, as was Commerce Department Representative George Thomas.

Assault & Robbery In Moravian Falls
Sheriff’s deputies were called out to a residence in Moravian Falls this week after a man was robbed in his home. One of the man’s neighbors had come over and wanted to talk, but once inside the house shoved the homeowner down and proceeded to fight with him. During the fight, the neighbor managed to grab the man’s wallet and took off, threatening to return if the law was called out. The homeowner only sustained minor injuries in the assault and warrants have been issued in the case.

Crop Disaster Deadline Upcoming
Farmers here in Wilkes have just over a week before this year’s Crop Disaster deadline. June 17th is the deadline to sign up for this year’s program, which helps make payments for any fruit or vegetable losses that came as a result of storms during the past growing season. You could be eligible for this program even if you didn’t qualify for an insurance payment. For more information, you can contact the Wilkes Farm Service Agency at 838-3622 extension #2.

Hays Home Linked To Drug Trafficking
Following up on some information, deputies used a search warrant to enter a Hays man’s home and discovered several pounds of drugs inside. 3.8 lbs of methamphetamines, 4.98 lbs of marijuana and ½ a gram of cocaine were found by the deputies. Also seized in the search were 7 handguns, one shotgun and one rifle. 50-yr-old Ricky Charles Howell was arrested and charged with drug trafficking, drug possession, possession of drug paraphernalia, maintaining a house for use in drug sales and also possession of a weapon by a convicted felon.

Gas Thieves Hit Neighbors’ Store
Neighbors Store in Elkin was the latest victim of gasoline thieves over the weekend. A woman pulled up to the pump, put in $30 worth of gas and then took off without paying. Employees inside the store were able to get a good look at both the driver and the vehicle, descriptions of which were turned over to sheriff’s deputies. That investigation is ongoing.

Veterans To Be Honored Next Month
Plans are being finalized for the unveiling of the Veteran’s Brick Walk this summer. The event will take place on Saturday July 9th at the Veterans Walk, which will lead into the new Wilkes Heritage Museum. For anyone who bought a brick before the May 30th deadline, that veteran will be honored during the ceremony. There will also be a car show during the event, tours of the Old Wilkes Jail and Robert Cleveland Log Home and a special concert put on by the NC Army National Guard Band. Once again that will take place Saturday July 9th at the Old Wilkes Courthouse.

Never Leave Your Keys Inside
Never leave your keys inside a vehicle after you get out. An Elkin woman learned this the hard way earlier in the week, after her truck was stolen from the Austin Ball Park. She had left the keys inside while going shopping with a friend, then returned to find the vehicle missing. Later that night the truck was discovered in a Yadkin County ditch, with an estimated $11,000 worth of damage done to it. Deputies are continuing the investigation.

Jewelry Stolen During Hotel Stay
Wilkesboro police were contacted by a Charlotte woman this week after thieves broke into her hotel room. The woman and her husband had been staying at the Hampton Inn over the weekend when they returned to their room and found some jewelry was missing. There was no sign of forced entry and nothing else was taken from the room. All total, an estimated $150 worth of jewelry was taken in the theft and the investigation is ongoing.

Blood Drive Later Today
Despite all the blood drives in the area, the local supply is still under normal levels due to poor turnout. The recent heat from yesterday and rain last week have kept people away from the drives and make new donors even more necessary. For anyone who wants to give, there will be a blood drive going on later today at the VFW Hall here in Wilkes. That will be held from 2-6:30pm and to make an appointment, you can call the Wilkes Red Cross at 838-4563.

All For A Few Pennies More
A Moravian Falls man called in sheriff’s deputies after returning home to find his door standing wide open. Thieves had apparently kicked in the door and gone through the house, but nothing was taken except for a few jars of quarters totaling $450. A vehicle tag was turned over to sheriff’s deputies of a girl that had been seen around the house and the investigation is ongoing.

State News

Election Possibly Coming To An End
Seven months after voters went to the polls and North Carolina is still unclear who will be the new school superintendent. With the school year already finished under the eye of an interim department head, the court battles continue to rage between Democrat June Atkinson and her Republican opponent Bill Fletcher. Atkinson won in both the original count and the recount, holding a lead of over 8500 votes. Fletcher meanwhile has challenged the outcome of the elections several times, saying that at least 11,000 provisional ballots were not filed properly and should be cast out. The ballots in question mostly come from Carteret County and were cast in a precinct other than the one the voters were registered in. The State General Assembly however is looking to put an end to the fighting by gathering evidence and preparing to cast its’ own vote on the matter. Under the state constitution, the legislature has the power to decide a contested race. However no timetable for that decision has been set.

New Jobs Coming To Granville County
There’s good news today for people in Granville County, as 150 jobs are coming into the area over the next three years. Dill Air Controls Products, which makes air valves and tire repair accessories for vehicles, will be moving to Oxford North Carolina and setting up shop in what used to be the Lenox china plant. Applications are being taken at the company’s temporary home in Roxboro, looking for skilled and semi-skilled workers with an average weekly salary of $594. The move comes due in part to a grant of $150,000 handed out from Easley’s One North Carolina Fund

Teen In Jail After Hitting Officer
A teenager in Burlington is in jail today after putting a police officer in the hospital. The officer had originally gone over to talk to the boy, after seeing open cans of beer in his car. As the boy attempted to drive off the man grabbed for the car and became ensnared in the driver’s side seat belt. He was drug for nearly a mile at speeds up to 70 mph, as the teen and his passenger laughed and tried to knock him off the car. The car hit a curb minutes later and the man’s arm was freed. The driver then lost control and hit a tree before fleeing the scene. The officer was treated and released from Alamance Regional Medical Center while the driver, 19-yr-old Jeremy Jerome Gillom was arrested and charged with assault with intent to kill, first degree kidnapping and assault on a law enforcement officer. If convicted he faces a maximum sentence of just over 40 years. Police are still searching for the passenger.

Toy Collectors’ Drawings Uncovered
UNC Asheville received a special treat this week after 118 documents and drawings from the Tryon Toy Makers were turned over to the school. The collection of documents, which will be put in the school’s library, details plans and designs dating back to the early 20th century when Tryon first started making hand carved figures. The company, which began in 1915, also made church altars in the area, furniture and many other pieces. The school has placed the designs on display in the Ramsey Library where they can be seen Monday-Thursday from 9am until 2:30pm.

Johnston County Faces Traffic Problems
Take it slow. That’s what Highway Patrol officers in Johnston County are asking people, after reports have shown that the area averages more than 300 wrecks a month. One of the fastest growing areas in the state, 183 people have died over the past five years due to wrecks on the county roads, putting the area third in the state. With only 23 troopers to patrol the area and several thousand miles of both interstate and rural roads, the current situation seems to be a recipe for disaster. However local officials say that while more money for troopers would be great, the solution is much simpler. A lot of the wrecks come in curves and intersections where an accident could have been avoided if the drivers had just slowed down and looked before they pulled out. The county is also considering a request to the state for more manpower.

Sports Headlines

Randolph Plans To Stay A Blue Devil
Around the college scene, a member of the Duke Blue Devils came one step closer to sticking around for his senior season. Junior Shavlik Randolph put his name in for this year’s NBA draft, as a way to gauge interest from the professional teams. Now after wrapping up a workout for the Charlotte Bobcats on Monday, Randolph said that his intentions are to go back and finish his college career at Duke. However he also added that if he were to be ranked to go in the first round, all options would still be open. Bobcats coach Bernie Bickerstaff suggested however that it would be a good idea for Randolph to go back and continue to develop his game some more in college before moving up to the professional level.

NC State & UNC Eliminated
In college baseball, the season came to a close for two North Carolina teams this week, as the UNC Tarheels and NC State Wolfpack were both eliminated from the field of 64. Both teams had a good run in the NCAA tournament but fell just short in their regionals, with State losing to Creighton 11-9 and the Tarheels dropping out against Notre Dame 3-0. For the Wolfpack, this was the second time in less than two days they had been beaten by Creighton, as the Bluejays had topped them in the regional opener 8-3 Friday night. They’ll finish out the season at 41-19. As for the Tarheels, it was a complete reversal as they had beaten Notre Dame 5-1 Friday night before being wiped out 5-2 by Florida State the very next day. With the loss, the ‘Heels will also wrap up the season at 41-19.

Minor League Scoreboard
Taking a look around the minor leagues on Monday, it was Winston Salem falling against Potomac 2-1. With the loss, the Warthogs drop two games behind Kinston for first place in the Southern Division. Relief pitcher Juan Ovalles got his second loss of the season by giving up the game winning hit to Potomac’s Ender Chavez in the bottom of the ninth. And up the road in Hickory, it was the Savannah Sand Gnats beating the Crawdads 7-3. Hickory starter Kurt Shafer took the loss, giving up four runs while striking out five in six innings of work. The loss is the ninth in the last twelve games for the Crawdads, who start a series with Greenville at 7pm tonight.

NASCAR News
In NASCAR news, DEI may be getting some new faces around the Nextel Cup circuit by the end of the year. Martin Truex Jr. is in discussions to sign a new contract with the company and possibly take over a spot on one of their Nextel Cup series teams. The deal would be for three years if Truex accepts.

Babe Ruth Contract Up For Bid
This coming Friday, a part of baseball history will go on the auction block as the trade contract signed between the Red Sox and Yankees for Babe Ruth will be up for bids. That contract, which sent the Babe to the Yankees in 1919, began a Red Sox tradition known as ‘The Curse of the Bambino’. Also included in the auction are the first baseball thrown out at the opening of Fenway Park back in 1912 and an autographed bat from the Babe’s first year as a Yankee.

Chipper Jones Out With Injury
Bad news today for Braves fans, as third baseman Chipper Jones will miss at least one game while seeking treatment for his injured leg. Jones, who had a sore right heel before Sunday’s game with Pittsburgh, couldn’t make it out of the batters’ box after grounding to second. Unable to put weight on the left leg, he had to be helped off the field. Team doctors said it wasn’t clear how much time Jones could potentially miss with the injury.

Paris Frontrunner For Olympic Games
The reviews were handed out earlier this week and New York City fell just short against Paris. The two cities are both attempting to convince Olympic officials that they deserve to be the site for the 2012 games. In addition London, Madrid and Moscow all submitted bids. Over the past several months Olympic officials traveled to each city and outlined the pros and cons in their report. Paris came out as the frontrunner, as the officials had nothing negative to say. New York, while also in the race, will have to build a new football stadium if they want to be seriously considered, according to the report. That, in addition to other venues which need upgrading were the only negative comments issued to the city. The IOC body will meet in Singapore next month and select who the host city will be.

Article originally appeared on Hometown Christian Radio 3WC (http://www.hometownchristianradio.com/).
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