Land Dispute May Cause Tweetsie To Relocate
As 3WC reported back in June, Tweetsie Railroad may soon be forced to find a new location. The park has hired the services of two firms to help resolve some real estate issues it 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 2007 when the lease expires. Caldwell County still remains the frontrunner, due in part to both their location and the economic package being offered. However a dark horse candidate has entered the race as Wilkes County is being considered as a potential choice. One major problem facing the county however is that two sites have already been presented by Caldwell while Wilkes doesn’t have any under consideration. A final decision is expected by this fall.

More File For County Elections
As the deadline for filing is less than a month away, the list of candidates for this year’s election continue to grow. As 3WC reported on Monday, Steve Foster has decided to run for re-election as Major of North Wilkesboro, going against Gerald Lankford in the Republican primary. Also there will possibly be some new faces being named town commissioners this year, with Democrats Debbie Ferguson, Eric Williams and independent Laura Welborn entering the race. They’ll be vying for the seats of Faye Cox and Robert Johnson, both of whom are running for re-election. Over the bridge in Wilkesboro, incumbents Mike Inscore and James Hartley have both filed to run again and so far stand unopposed. Finally over in Ronda, three town commissioners seats have opened up. Brison Combs and Ricky Cothren are running for re-election but the final incumbent, James Jennings, hasn’t made an official decision. Going against them in the race are newcomers Manuel Wood and Holly Duplisea. All races are still open for people to file, with the deadline being August 5th at noon. Then after primaries are held, the regular elections will take place Nov. 8th.

Case Of ID Theft In Wilkesboro
Wilkesboro police have linked a case earlier this week to one reported back in May. Earlier this week officers were called out to Lowes Foods, after a $179 check was written from a local woman’s account. The only problem was that the woman had reported her checks stolen back in May, providing officers with a suspect. However the cashier couldn’t recall what the person looked like, unable to even tell if it was a man or a woman. Deputies are continuing the investigation.

Always Look Where You’re Going
It’s always a good idea to keep your eyes on the road. A Wilkesboro woman learned that the hard way this week, after being involved in an accident. The incident happened Tuesday afternoon, as she was driving down 421 South. The woman took her eyes off the road for a minute while looking for something and glanced up in time to see that the cars in front of her had stopped at a red light. She slammed into the vehicle in front of her, causing an estimated $500 worth of damage. Thankfully however no one was injured in the crash.

Just Came In To Have A Look Around
Sheriff’s deputies were called out to a construction site in Hays earlier this week, after someone broke into a trailer in the area. One of the trailers set up by Vannoy & Sons Construction had been broke into, as the would be thieves pried open a window and climbed in. Nothing however was taken from the trailer and no other damage was done on the property. Deputies are continuing the investigation.

Focus On The Community
Teenage mothers and unwanted pregnancies are an issue we as the church have a hard time relating to sometimes. We don’t know if or how we can help these soon to be mothers, so we at times back away from the situation. There is however an organization here in Wilkes that is dedicated to working with these women, helping take care of their needs and showing them the love of Christ. The Wilkes Pregnancy Care Center has been doing this for 10 years now and today on Focus on the Foothills, associate director Susan Sturgill will be Brian's guest. They'll be discussing the ministry itself, how people can get involved and some of their upcoming events. That's coming up later today at 1:05pm after the midday stock report.

Alzheimer’s Workshop Coming Up Tonight
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? Tonight 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, 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.

Accident Leads To Drug Bust
Sheriff’s deputies responded to an accident Monday night only to later charge a driver for drug possession. 20-yr-old Jonathon William Matthew had already been arrested by the Highway Patrol for driving under the influence when deputies arrived. However a search of Matthew’s vehicle found 16 grams of marijuana and several different types of painkillers. Jonathon Matthew was additionally charged with drug possession with intent to sell and maintaining a vehicle for the sale of drugs.

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 tonight at 6pm, at the Wilkes County Library.

State News

Problems For State Employment Security Commission
The layoffs may continue around North Carolina this fall, with a state agency getting into the act. The Employment Security Commission announced on Wednesday that due to a recent court ruling, 175 workers may have to be let go. North Carolina’s Supreme Court ruled earlier this month that civil penalties collected by the state have to be put into a fund designated for school districts to use. This is a problem because $6.2 million of the commission’s budget has come out of fees collected from companies that have filed late reports. Without those funds, the commission says that some of their smaller offices may have to shut their doors and programs that help food stamp recipients find jobs might be terminated. As an alternative, the General Assembly has been asked to use state tax dollars to plug the $6.2 million hole. So far no decision has been made.

Local Task Force Appointed To Review Base Decisions
North Carolina’s Council of State approved $250,000 yesterday to be spent on a task force that would review the military’s decision on Pope Air Force Base. People from Cumberland, Harnett, Hoke and Moore counties are all represented on the task force, which is hoping to protect Pope from the recent string of base closings. Earlier this summer the Department of Defense had recommended that Pope be turned over to the Army and all air force equipment be transported to other states. If that were to happen a total of 743 military jobs would be lost, with 1055 civilian jobs being added. A final recommendation will be presented to the president by September 8th.

Wilmington Water Not Safe After All
A few days after people were allowed to go back into the water, it turns out that might not be a good idea. Almost two weeks ago, a busted pipe caused three million gallons of raw sewage to pour into Hewletts Creek in Wilmington, which then spread out to the other local waterways in the area. However over the weekend, officials said the bacteria had died down to the point it was safe to get back into the water. Two professors from UNC-Wilmington disagree. The professors found that bacteria in the sediment is at least three times higher than normal and in some cases thirty times higher. The reason for the difference is that the official studies only monitored the bacteria in the water, whereas the university studied bacteria in both the water and the sediment below it, where people would be walking. There has been no official response to this latest test.

Bombs Found In Northampton Residence
Officials in Northampton County are concerned after finding bomb making materials at a local residence this week. Following leads in an unrelated investigation, sheriff’s deputies had been searching a home just off Highway 158 when they discovered pipe bombs inside. Also inside were fuses and some black powder. No other information has been released except that the investigation is ongoing.

Hickory Restaurant Closed Down By County
Officials in Hickory shut down McGuffey’s Restaurant for the foreseeable future, in the wake of weekend storms that collapsed most of the parking lot. The restaurant has been deemed unfit for human habitation, as damage has been done to the building’s foundation. Now both the parking lot and the building itself have to be repaired before it can welcome back customers.

Leaders In Raleigh Unhappy With CAFTA
Less than two days before President Bush is set to speak in Charlotte, drumming up support for his latest free trade proposal, several leaders in Raleigh came out against it. CAFTA, or the Central America Free Trade Agreement, is opposed by virtually all working unions in the state, including the AFL/CIO. They say that the proposal is almost identical to NAFTA and will only encourage companies to outsource more jobs. Supporters of the bill didn’t deny any of this, only saying that CAFTA would allow free trade between the U.S. and Central American countries, which would benefit both parties.

Sports Headlines

Little League On The Radio Tonight
If the weather holds up tonight, the 3WC Sports Team will be back in action bringing you the Little League All Star game from the 9 & 10 year old division. Wilkes Nationals #2 will take on East Catawba at 6pm and we’ll be on hand to bring you the play by play. Ken Byrd will be out at the game and Brian Carlton will be at the station, updating you on all the day’s sports headlines and highlights. The first pitch is set for 6pm and we’ll go on the air at 5:50pm. That’s Little League baseball on your home for local sports, 1240 3WC.

Tarheels Replace Announce Team
The UNC Tarheels introduced a familiar face as their new basketball analyst this week. Eric Montross will take over from Mick Mixon, who left to become the new announcer for the NFL’s Carolina Panthers. Montross worked with the team on a part time basis last season, being used during home games and during the ACC tournament.

Minor League Scoreboard
In the minor leagues last night, Winston Salem was beaten by Myrtle Beach 4-2 as Warthogs starter Ryan Wing gave up four runs in 3 2/3 innings of work. With the loss, Wing falls to 0-2 on the season. Micah Schnurstein had one of the team’s eight hits, as he extended his hitting streak to 12 games.

Hawks Sign Williams
Marvin Williams took one more step towards NBA stardom on Tuesday, as he signed a deal with the Atlanta Hawks. Williams, the #2 pick in June’s NBA draft, left school after one year to play with the pros. He was the last of the four Tarheels to sign a deal and also the last of the Top Ten draft picks to sign. He’s already been working out with the team’s summer league squad and plans to be ready to suit up when they start playing this weekend.

Bobcats News
Some news from the Charlotte Bobcats on your Thursday. The team said goodbye to several players on Wednesday as George Leach and Tamar Slay were released. Slay was a member of the Bobcats last season, but had to miss most of the second half after having surgery on his left ankle. His contract wasn’t renewed but he was invited back to try out. Slay had originally accepted the offer, but changed his mind on Wednesday. Also bad news for a former Tar Heel trying to make the team. Jason Capel will miss the first round of summer league games after back spasms put him out for a few weeks. A deadline for his return wasn’t given.

NC State Player Signs With Jets
In the NFL, a former member of the Wolfpack signed with the New York Jets on Tuesday. Andre Maddox, who was selected in the fifth round by the Jets this year, came to terms with the team and will be in training camp later on this month. Maddox, who played safety with NC State, saw his college career end with 341 tackles and eight sacks.

NASCAR News
In NASCAR, Nextel Cup officials announced fines had been handed out to five different crew chiefs for violations during the Pepsi 400 at Daytona. Michael Waltrip’s crew chief Tony Eury Jr. was fined $500 for missing a driver’s meeting, while Kevin Lepage crew chief Glenn Darrow was docked $2500 for using unapproved fuel cell foam. Morgan Shepherd’s crew chief Dan Kolanda was fined $10,000 for a spring mount violation, while the #9 Joel Shear received a $15,000 bill first for an unapproved rear coil spring mount and also because he violated his probation. Finally Bobby Hamilton Jr.’s crew chief Harold Holly was also docked $10,000 for using an unapproved oil tank reservoir cover.