News & Sports For July 19th

Byrd First To Enter Clerk Of Court’s Race
At the end of this month, Shirley Randleman will officially retire as the Wilkes Clerk of Court. After that a person will be nominated to assume her position until next year’s elections. One candidate has already put his hat into the race, as Joe Byrd announced that he would be running for the Republican nomination. The Republican primary will be held in May of next year and as more candidates declare, we’ll try to have them here on 3WC to discuss the race.

One Stop Shopping In Ronda
Thieves broke into a home in Ronda earlier this week, causing several hundred dollars worth of damage in the process. The victims returned to find that someone had climbed in through their bedroom window and stolen over $20,000 worth of items from inside. Included in the theft were their wedding rings, some more jewelry and four guns that had been around the house. There is a suspect in the case and deputies are continuing the investigation.

Stuff The Bus Continuing
The annual Stuff the Bus program is continuing around Wilkes County. Several locations have been set up around the area to take donations. Each year, Communities in Schools attempts to help needy kids around Wilkes, by providing them with the supplies they lack for class. If you want to donate supplies, there are buses at several locations including Wal-Mart, CVS, Eckerd, Staples and also between the First Baptist and First United Methodist Churches in North Wilkesboro. You can also drop off items 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.

Trash Talking In Wilkesboro
Sheriff’s deputies were called out to a Wilkesboro residence over the weekend, after a man woke up to find trash stuffed in his vehicle’s gas tank. $300 worth of damage was done in the incident, which had occurred during the night. No one in the area was able to remember hearing or seeing anyone near the home, however there is a suspect in the case.

BROC Head Start Continues
Applications are still being taken for this year’s Head Start program, a preschool plan designed to help 3 and 4 year old children with their education. The program, which is run by the BROC agency, is currently accepting new students at their three locations here in Wilkes: The Cub Creek Center, the Lomax Center and also the North Wilkesboro Center. To be eligible, children and their families have to meet certain guidelines, mainly concerning the household income. In addition, the program also accepts disabled or special needs children regardless of their family income. In order to be eligible, the child has to turn three years old by October 16th of this year. The program itself will run from August until May of 2006, 8:30am until 2:30pm Monday through Thursday. For more information you can call Judi Mitchell at the BROC head office. Her number is 667-7174.

Always Keep Your Eyes On The Road
Two cars were damaged over the weekend in Wilkesboro, during a wreck on Main Street. The incident happened Saturday afternoon, as vehicles were slowing down for a red light. A Wilkesboro woman glanced away for a second and turned back to see that all the cars had come to a halt. She couldn’t slow down in time to avoid a collision and so slammed into the back of another local woman’s car, causing a domino effect. Thankfully however no one was injured and the damage was just under a thousand dollars.

Rabies Becoming A Concern This Year
As we head into the dog days of summer, rabies is once again becoming a problem both in Wilkes and across the state. With a shortage of the rabies vaccine possibly looming, officials are predicting this could be a problem much like this past winter’s flu scare. The easiest way to fix things is to go and have your pet vaccinated, which at the local clinics costs $10. Keep in mind if that seems like a lot, humans can also contract the virus and it costs around $2500 to treat an infected person. If you’re not sure, call your vet and check that your animals all have up to date vaccinations. If you have any questions, you can call Animal Control at 903-7688 or the Wilkes Health Department at 651-7450.

3WC Healthwatch: The Road To Lower Blood Pressure
High blood pressure can be a problem for anyone from nine to ninety two. But it turns out one simple activity might dramatically reduce high blood pressure in senior citizens. In today’s 3WC Healthwatch, a report was recently released from the Oregon Research Institute that found the road to good health may be laced with stones. Researchers did a study of 108 volunteers over a 16 week period and found that after just 30 minutes of walking each day on cobblestones, the group’s blood pressure dropped significantly. Moreso than the control group, which had been walking on regular pavement. The reason for the difference? The group doesn’t have a clear answer, but believes the smooth and uneven surface of the stones help stimulate nerve points in the body that don’t get used as often otherwise. With these nerves running at full steam, it takes pressure off other areas and allows the body to relax. More tests are being conducted but the group suggests that if you want to lower your blood pressure, make a walkway of your own. Find some smooth but uneven stones, possibly in your creek bed, put them into the ground as a walkway and go over them for about 30 minutes each day. Within a few weeks your blood pressure could take a nose dive back into the normal range.

Gun Stolen From Hays Home
Sometimes it’s not even enough to keep your weapons locked up. A Hays man found that out over the weekend, as he returned home to find that someone had been inside and stolen a .45 caliber pistol he owned. The weapon had been taken from the man’s closet, with no sign of a break-in and nothing else stolen from the residence. There is a suspect in the case and the investigation is ongoing.

State News

Missing Girl Found In Virginia
Authorities in Virginia have located the High Point girl who went missing over the weekend. 12-yr-old Pracilla Ann Frazier was found in Wythe County Virginia, in the company of 36-yr-old Charles Douglas Parry. The U.S. Marshall’s didn’t explain how they found the missing teen, only saying that both were taken into custody without incident. Frazier is being kept by Wythe County officials until her parents can come and pick her up, while Parry is sitting in jail awaiting a possible extradition. An Amber alert was announced across North Carolina and the surrounding area after Frazier disappeared from her home over the weekend, leaving to meet up with Parry.

Charlotte Police Investigating Armed Robbery
A BP station in Charlotte was robbed early Monday morning and now law enforcement are asking for help in identifying the suspect. The incident happened around 10:15 Monday morning as a black man came walking in with a gun and robbed the cashier. He then walked out the door and took off. Officials say the suspect is a black man, around 5 feet tall and 140 lbs who was last seen wearing jeans and a white t-shirt.

Possible Breakthrough Study At Duke
Yesterday a six month study was started at Duke University Hospital, testing a potential replacement for human blood. PolyHeme, a synthetic blood substitute, has a shelf life of a year or more, a great improvement over the 42 days regular blood can be stored before breaking down. Patients can volunteer to be part of the study if they arrive at the hospital with a life threatening illness or situation. However people can’t just show up, the only ones admitted will be those who are brought in by local ambulance services. Duke officials said they hoped to be successful with the tests, so that PolyHeme can be released for mainstream use in the next five years if possible.

Former QB To Run For House
A former NFL quarterback is stepping onto another playing field as Health Shuler announced his candidacy this week for the U.S. House. The Democratic Shuler will run for election in the 11th Congressional District, taking on Republican Charles Taylor. The former quarterback, who played for both the Redskins and New Orleans Saints in his four year career, said that he felt new voices were needed in Congress to deal with the problems facing working families.

Some Units To Remain At Pope
Even if the recommendations are approved for Pope Air Force Base, the area won’t be completely shut down, Pentagon officials announced. Officials said that five units would stay at the base, to work with the 18th Airborne Core and other paratroopers from the Army. The current plan, over 4000 troops would move to another post, however 4100 troops and 250 civilians would come in soon after from the Army to take over. Pope has served as an airforce base since 1918.

Bladen County Questions Why Money Is Coming In
Officials in Bladen County have an unusual request to the General Assembly. Stop sending money our way. Despite receiving only two inches of rain and virtually no damage from Hurricane Frances, the county was awarded $2.7 million in disaster aid money, which was given out to slightly over 1200 households in the area. That’s almost double what was given out to the mountain counties, where homes were damaged, mudslides created and in some areas towns partially destroyed. While state officials have no answers as to the discrepancy, still more money is expected to come into the Bladen County area as people continue to apply for grants. Federal authorities in the meantime have started an investigation into the entire grant process.

Sports Headlines

Wake Forest Lands Football Commitment
Some good news for Wake Forest football, as the team landed another commitment for the 2006 season. Matt Woodlief of Bandys High School committed to play for the Deacons after wrapping up his senior season. Woodlief chose Wake over Carolina, in part because the Deacons wanted him to play linebacker, a position he loves. The Tarheels on the other hand wanted to switch him to the fullback spot, which he played part time last season. The 6 ft. 238 lb. Woodlief heads into his senior year averaging over 150 tackles over the past three seasons

Appalachian Lands Another Quarterback
While the starting position appearing locked up, a battle as to who’s going to be the backup quarterback faces Appalachian State this fall. The team has welcomed in transfer Chase Laws, who came in from Army this spring after two years of being a backup. Now he hopes to compete against Trey Elder for the right to backup All American Richie Williams when practice opens up on August 5th. The Mountaineers wrapped up last season at 6-5 and will look to improve on that mark as they take on Eastern Kentucky on the road in their season opener September 3rd.

Minor League Scoreboard
Around the minor league, it was Winston Salem taking the loss against Lynchburg 4-3. Warthogs starter Ryan Rodriguez got his fifth loss of the season, giving up four runs in eight innings of work.

NBA Scoreboard
While November is still some time away, there was some NBA action to tell you about on Monday. The summer league is in full swing, giving draft picks and free agents a chance to play their way into a team’s rotation. The Charlotte Bobcats have a team in the Salt Lake City league and they picked up their second win in three games on Monday night, beating Dallas 85-79. The Bobcats were led by Matt Carroll’s 20 points, while Raymond Felton chipped in 15 points, five assists, three rebounds and two steals. Felton’s UNC teammate Sean May scored four points in the first two minutes, before having to leave with a sprained ankle. Up to that point, May had averaged a double double in points and rebounds during the first two games

NASCAR Standings
In NASCAR, as drivers prepare for this weekend’s Pennsylvania 500 at the Pocono Raceway, Jimmie Johnson sits atop the leader board. Greg Biffle is 77 points behind in second, followed by the surging Tony Stewart in third, Rusty Wallace in fourth and Kurt Busch rounding out the top five. Some major names sitting just outside the Top Ten and so far out of the chase are Dale Earnhart Jr., who comes into this weekend in 13th and Jeff Gordon, sitting at 15.