Keeping An Eye On The Storm
Hurricane Dennis made landfall over the weekend, hitting the coast of Florida and Alabama with wind gusts of over 120 mph. That could be bad news for Wilkes and the surrounding areas, as thunderstorms are supposed to blanket the region from now until possibly Thursday. As the storm, now a Tropical Depression, continues to follow the path of Hurricane Ivan, the next 24 hours will determine what affect it will have on the western part of our state. If it turns left or stays on its’ present course, the National Weather Service said that North Carolina will get rain but nothing else. However if the storm does keep following Ivan’s trail and turns right, the remnants would hit us sometime early Wednesday morning. We’ll continue to update you on the storm’s progress as the day goes on.

School Board Approves Measure To Keep Running
With state lawmakers dragging their heels to approve a new budget, funding for several programs is starting to run out. To head off any potential problems, the Wilkes Board of Education met last week and approved a new measure that would allow the county schools to keep operating until a budget is passed. Board officials authorized the Finance Officer to continue paying salaries and covering the day to day operating costs, which would then be taken out of the new budget once funding is passed down from the state level. A decision isn’t expected from state lawmakers on a new budget in the near future.

Thurmond Man Returns To Find Home Vandalized
A Thurmond man called police after discovering that a house owned by members of his family had been vandalized. The incident happened late last week, as the man came to check on some things he had in storage at the house. What he found was over twelve thousand dollars worth of damage, done to virtually every part of the property. Windows had been shattered, doors busted and floors torn to pieces. Also some of the chairs and tables inside had been damaged as well. No one had lived at the house in over a year as it had mostly been used for simple storage. Deputies are continuing the investigation.

Drugs Stolen From Traphill Home
Always lock up before you leave. A man in Hays found out why that’s a good idea late last week, after returning to his truck to discover that thieves had got inside and stolen his medication. The medicine had been kept inside the vehicle, which the man forgot to lock as he went to work. Deputies are continuing the investigation.

Wilkes Honors Veterans
Wilkes County took time out to honor our veterans over the weekend and people also got to see their first glimpse of the new Heritage Museum in the process. The names of over 350 soldiers were installed as part of the Veteran’s Brick Walk, which will now lead into the Museum. Families bought bricks for $100 a piece and saw their veterans honored during a ceremony on Saturday. The event itself started at 6pm and afterwards a special concert by the NC National Guard band was held. Throughout the day people could also tour the Robert Cleveland Log Home and the Old Wilkes Jail, while getting their first look inside the Heritage Museum. The Brick Walk ceremony is scheduled to be a yearly event and anyone who buys a brick now will have their veteran honored at the ceremony next July.

Blood Supply Hits Critical Levels
Over 1500 pints of blood are used every day in this state, to perform surgeries and treat patients at local hospitals. When you combine the recent holiday along with the storms that hit the area last week, it’s a recipe for disaster. Wilkes County’s blood supply has fallen past critical levels, to the point there’s not even a full day’s worth left on hand. With the possibility of more storms coming into the area this week, it’s important to get as many people as possible out to the blood drives going on today and tomorrow. Peace Haven Baptist Church is holding a drive from 2-6:30pm and there will be one also at the Glade Creek Community from 2:30-7pm tonight. Then on Tuesday a drive will be held at the Wilkesboro Civic Center from 2-6:30pm. As always you must be at least 17 years old and weigh no less than 110 lbs before giving blood. To donate, you can either show up at the scene or call ahead for an appointment. The Red Cross number is 838-4563.

Wilkes Open Forum To Discuss Energy
Have you ever wondered what other options besides gas are available to us here in North Carolina? What would happen if we made the switch to renewable energy to power our homes and is that a viable option? In this week’s Wilkes Open Forum, Dr. Dennis Grady of Appalachian State University will be talking about the subject, providing answers as to what choices we have here in North Carolina. That’s coming up this Thursday at 6pm, at the Wilkes County Library.

Workshop Coming Up Next Week On Alzheimer’s
Alzheimers can be a scary thing for both the victim and their family as well. How can you tell if someone has the disease? What are the warning signs? This coming Thursday Villages of Wilkes is sponsoring a workshop on Alzheimers, where people can learn all the information they need to spot if a family member has the disease and also learn what they can do to help take care of that person. That workshop will take place at 7pm on July 14th, at the Peace Haven Baptist Church Family Life Center. For more information you can call Donna Shumate at Villages of Wilkes. Her number is 667-2020.

State News

State Officials Upset At INS Over Raid
Less than a week after federal agents arrested 49 illegal immigrants at Seymour Johnson Air Force Base, controversy has developed over the case. But the issue isn’t anything related to national security or how the illegals got into the country. Instead, officials from the state’s Labor Department have come out criticizing the immigration agents for the way the arrest was made. They said that federal agents abused the trust of the illegals, by inviting them to a fake safety meeting and then putting them under arrest. The Labor Department also said that the arrests have made their job harder, because illegals will be less likely now to come learn about current safety measures.

Goats Infest Raleigh Prep School
Students at the School of Communication Arts in Raleigh have been noticing some new classmates over the past few weeks. Goats have started appearing at the school, eating grass on the property and running around on the sidewalks. On Saturday however one of the creatures decided that he wanted to be part of the class. A billy goat slammed into the double layered window at the student’s entrance, shattering the outer pane before just as quickly bouncing away. Animal control had attempted to remove most of the goats, but some escaped. It’s still unknown where the goats came from, as no farmers in the area would lay claim to them.

DSS Miscommunication Blamed In Boy’s Death
Miscommunications between the Social Service agencies in two North Carolina counties are being blamed for the death of an 8-yr-old boy. The boy died from heat exposure after being left in his mother’s car during the weekend of May 21st. Now an investigation has found that complaints had been filed against the mother in two separate counties, Madison and Buncombe. In Buncombe County, complaints were raised against the mother for limiting food from her son. Social workers said they could find no problems and then referred the case to Madison County, where they said the mother then lived. Madison County officials then referred the case back to Buncombe, after workers discovered the family was living in Buncombe, where the mother was being held in jail. Buncombe DSS however says that they never received any files back from Madison. In the meantime, Devin Gibson died in the trunk of his mother’s Ford Escort, where he had been kept 16 hours after she couldn’t find a babysitter. 36-yr-old Michelle Gibson has since been charged with second degree manslaughter, two counts of felony child abuse and voluntary manslaughter.

Soldiers Heading Back To Iraq
The rest didn’t last long for a battalion from Fort Bragg, as the troops have been ordered back into service less than four months after returning from Iraq. The 325th Airborne Infantry Regiment’s 1st Battalion has been called back to deploy to Afghanistan. Around 700 troops will pack up and ship overseas when the battalion leaves in two weeks. The soldiers served in Iraq for one year from 2003 to 2004, also returning to provide security during the elections earlier this year.

Traffic Stop In Randolph County Uncovers Drugs
A traffic stop over the weekend in Randolph County led to the discovery of over a hundred thousand dollars worth of drugs. Deputies at the traffic stop pulled over an Asheville man’s vehicle and searched the car after a K9 unit smelled drugs inside. 5000 doses of Ecstasy were discovered inside, along with just over $9000 in cash. Heip Hoang Pham of Asheville was charged with drug trafficking and deputies estimated the drug’s value at $110,000.

Sports Headlines

Preseason Polls Out & Local Colleges Ranked
September is still a long way off, but the preseason polls have already been released for Division I-AA football and some local teams made the top 100. Appalachian State comes in ranked 28th, with some major hurdles to overcome. After a 6-5 season, the Mountaineers have to replace wide receiver Davon Fowlkes in the lineup, as he’s now in training camp with the NFL’s Indianapolis Colts. Western Carolina came in at number 55 after a 4-7 season and the Running Bulldogs of Gardner-Webb made the list at 73, looking to bounce back after a 5-6 season that saw quarterback Nick Roberts toss 17 interceptions. Furman got the number one ranking as the Paladins are coming off a 10-3 year in Division I-AA.

FSU QB Diagnosed
Last month, police took Florida State quarterback Wyatt Sexton to a hospital after he was found in the street calling himself God. At the time people believed that drug use may have had something to do with Sexton’s state, but that turns out not to be the case. Sexton has an advanced stage of Lyme disease, a virus carried by ticks and dangerous to humans. While the disease is treatable, Sexton will miss the entire 2005 football season in recovery. FSU coach Bobby Bowden plans to file with the NCAA to get a sixth year of eligibility for Sexton, so he can finish out his college career on the football field, instead of in a doctor’s office.

Duke Player Accepts invitation To US Tryouts
In college basketball, one player from here in the state accepted an invitation to play for the country. Duke’s Shelden Williams was one of 13 players who accepted invitations to try out for the U.S. team in this year’s World University Games. After the trials, which will go on from July 28th-31st, the team will be put into training camp and then head off to Turkey, where the games will be held starting August the 11th. With only 13 accepting invitations so far, only one will be cut as the team will carry 12 players.

Minor League Scoreboard
Taking a look at the minor league scoreboard this weekend, it was Winston Salem beating Kinston 8-3 in ten innings. The Warthogs snapped a three game losing streak as closer Ehren Wassermann got his fourth win of the year. Up the road in Hickory, the Crawdads broke out with a 5-3 win over the Rome Braves. First baseman Mike Hofius was the hero of the night, coming in to pinch hit before slamming a two run homer in the bottom of the eighth inning. That gave Hickory a 5-3 lead that they would never give up.

Bobcats Lock Up Draft Picks
And in the NBA, the Charlotte Bobcats locked up their draft picks as Raymond Felton and Sean May both came to terms on contracts. Both players are signed for two years guaranteed, with two additional years as a club option. Felton and May will be back on the court this week as they’re part of the Bobcats’ summer league team. They’ll be joined by a former teammate, as Jason Capel has signed on for the summer. Capel, who’s been playing in Europe since graduating from Chapel Hill, is hoping to land a spot on this year’s Bobcat team as a reserve.

NASCAR Scoreboard
For the first time this season, Dale Junior took a seat in victory lane as he won the USG Sheetrock 400. Matt Kenseth came in second, Jimmie Johnson third, Brian Vickers was fourth and last year’s winner Tony Stewart rounded out the top five. The win also helped Junior move back into the playoff hunt, as he stands in 13th now, four back of last playoff spot currently held by Kurt Busch.