News & Sports For July 28th
Thursday, July 28, 2005 at 6:22AM
3WC DJ

SLIGHT RISK OF SEVERE THUNDERSTORMS TODAY... A STATIONARY FRONT WILL REMAIN ALONG THE BLUE RIDGE THROUGH THISAFTERNOON. A WEAK UPPER LEVEL DISTURBANCE LIFTING NORTHEAST ALONGTHE BOUNDARY WILL COMBINE WITH HEATING TO PRODUCE SHOWERS ANDTHUNDERSTORMS BY THIS AFTERNOON. SOME OF THESE STORMS WILL BECAPABLE OF PRODUCING DAMAGING WINDS ALONG WITH ISOLATED LARGEHAIL. THE STRONGER MORE ORGANIZED THUNDERSTORM CLUSTERS AREEXPECTED TO DEVELOP EAST OF THE BLUE RIDGE...WHERE WARMERTEMPERATURES WILL ALLOW THE ATMOSPHERE TO BECOME INCREASINGLY MOREUNSTABLE. IN ADDITION SOME OF THE THUNDERSTORMS WILL BE SLOW MOVING WITHRAINFALL TOTALS OF 1 TO 2 INCHES OR MORE POSSIBLE IN A SHORTPERIOD. THIS COULD CAUSE ISOLATED FLOODING OF LOW LYING AND POORDRAINAGE AREAS.

Shooting Under Investigation
Sheriff’s deputies are investigating a shooting that happened Tuesday afternoon in North Wilkesboro. A 15-yr-old boy was found in a pool of his own blood at the home, with a rifle lying nearby. The boy was still alive and tried to fight with EMS workers as they transported him to Wilkes Regional. He was later airlifted to Baptist Hospital, where he’s currently being treated. The boy was alone in the house, with no sign of a break-in or anyone else being present. Deputies are continuing the investigation.

Wilkes Open Forum Tonight
The war in Iraq has touched all of us to some degree. We either have family and friends serving over there or know someone who does. To help discuss the situation and the impact of it on Wilkes County, a special Town Hall version of the Wilkes Open Forum will be held later tonight. That will take place at the St. Paul’s Episcopal Church Parish House beginning at 7pm. Everyone is invited to the church, which is located on Cowles Street in Wilkesboro.

Mailbox Vandals Strike Again
A Purlear man was the latest victim of mailbox vandals this week as he returned home to find it had been wrecked. It appeared as though someone had repeatedly smashed the box, causing an estimated $59 worth of damage. Despite the noise such an event would cause, none of the neighbors could recall hearing or seeing anything. Deputies are continuing the investigation.

No Child Left Behind Part Two: Middle & High Schools
As school officials go over the results from this year’s No Child Left Behind tests, Wilkes County has to deal with several problems. Yesterday in part one we covered the elementary schools, now we take a look at the middle and high school scores. East Wilkes Middle School was the only one in the county to meet the requirements, with Central Wilkes right behind at 96%. The middle schools at West and North were slightly behind however, as both finished with a grade of 88.2%. Up on the high school level, two of the county high schools met the federal standard. Those were Wilkes Central and North Wilkes. Both East and West High fell slightly back, as East registered a 90% grade while West came in at 92%. Tomorrow in the final part of our County Schools series, we go over some of the positives from this year’s report and Kaye Lamb explains where the school system plans to go from here.

Always Keep Your Doors Locked
It’s always a good idea to lock your car doors when going into the store. A Hays woman found that out the hard way this week, after coming out of Wal-Mart to discover that thieves had got inside her car. The woman’s CD player, several tapes and a few CDs were stolen from the vehicle, totaling just under $100. Video camera footage is being handed over to sheriff’s deputies to see if they can locate the suspect.

Blood Drive Going On By Appointment
Around 1500 pints of blood are used each day in North Carolina, to deal with the aftermath of car wrecks and sickness. Here in Wilkes County, the blood supply is still hovering around critical levels, despite the recent string of drives over the last few weeks. Especially needed is Type O and Type B blood, both of which are under less than a day’s supply. There will be another blood drive going on today at New River Behavioral Healthcare, however if you want to donate it’s by appointment only. To set up an appointment, you can call the Red Cross at 838-4563. Just remember before giving blood, you must be at least 17 years old and weigh no less than 110 lbs.

How To Beat The Heat Part Three: Home Invasion
Heat exposure has killed eight thousand people in the last twenty years and most died in their own homes. So how can you keep the heat out of your house? In today’s third installment of our Summer Series, we’re examining quick and easy ways to sunproof your home. First check to make sure your attic is properly ventilated. If insulation or anything else is clogging the vents, the attic temperature can climb as high as 150 degrees. Also turn off all lights you’re not using, such as in other areas of the house. That won’t just cut down on heat, but also on your power bill. Make sure that all blinds and curtains have been pulled down as well. That alone could help the temperature drop more than ten degrees in your home. Finally just like in your cars, don’t immediately crank your air conditioner up to the high setting. Instead start it off at the low level and then after a few minutes turn it up. That will help lower the strain on the machine and prevent costly burnouts.

Traffic Backed Up After Car Catches Fire
Firefighters were called out to the Fore Brothers gas station in Wilkesboro yesterday, to put out a car fire. The incident happened near the intersection of Woodfield and Westwood Hills as traffic was backed up for over an hour. Officials were out directing traffic while firemen put out the blaze, however it’s unknown at this time what caused the car to ignite. Thankfully no one was inside when the vehicle caught fire.

Focus On Discipleship
It can be hard for kids to determine what they want to do in life. Even moreso if they feel called to the ministry. But a program called Extreme Discipleship here in Wilkes is working to help solve that problem, by allowing teens to work in different types of ministry opportunities. To hear from the Pastor and some of the kids involved in the program, you can tune in for Focus on the Foothills. That’s coming up later today after the midday stock report at 1:05pm.

State News

Clerk Prevents Robbery But May Face Charges
In High Point, a clerk at a local store stopped a robbery from happening, but now may face criminal charges in response. A man walked into Whites Fast Food around 8:30pm Tuesday night, demanding money. Instead of agreeing, the clerk pulled out a gun of his own and shot the would be robber in the face. The robber was taken to High Point Regional, where he’s receiving treatment but now questions are being raised if the clerk might face charges of his own for the shooting. Local officials didn’t rule out the prospect, but they haven’t said he would either.

Newspaper Under Fire For Inventing Quotes
The media is supposed to just report the news, not create it. A newspaper in Reidsville stands accused today of crossing that line, inventing quotes for a story that ran earlier this year. The Reidsville Review runs a feature each day called Two Cents Worth, where local people are asked a question and their pictures are listed, along with the answers to the question. According to the newspaper’s corporate sponsor Media General Inc., the feature went beyond simple news in May, as people were pictured next to quotes they never said. In addition, none of the so called locals that were displayed even lived anywhere close to Reidsville. It’s unclear what if anything will happen as a result.

ACLU Takes North Carolina To Court
Witnesses may no longer have to put their hand on the Bible in court, if the ACLU has their way. The group filed a lawsuit against the state of North Carolina this week, demanding that instead of just a Bible, any religious text should be allowed on the stand. The move comes after a ruling in Guilford County, where a judge said that it would be illegal for a Muslim to take an oath by putting his hand on the Quaran. They first asked the Administrative Office Of the Courts to make such a practice legal, but were refused. The AOC said that it would be up to either state lawmakers or the court system to approve such a change, so the ACLU filed suit. Under current law, witnesses have to take the oath of truth by putting their hand on a “Holy Scripture” in order to be recognized.

Greenville Minister Arrested Again
Last week, 3WC News told you about a Greenville minister who was arrested for videotaping people at the beach. Now the man is in jail again, this time charged with four counts of sexual exploitation of a minor. Details weren’t released after officers picked up Harris from his home. The minister currently sits in the Pitt County jail, with a court date set for later today.

A Computer Mistake Causes School To Fail
Not all of the schools that failed the No Child Left Behind requirements are to blame for their test scores. That was determined on Wednesday after it was revealed that a computer glitch, rather than student grades, caused one high school in Johnston County to fail. Smithfield-Selma High failed due to the fact three students with disabilities were given the wrong code on their tests, which made it appear they had failed. In reality, the students had passed and Selma should have received a 100% score from the federal test. However it may be several months before the problem can be corrected, as the State Board of Education has to meet and hear the complaint. After such a meeting, then the Board will decide if the school’s grade should be changed.

Power Out In Graham
Thanks in part to the current heat wave, parts of the Triad went to bed without power last night. In Graham, 911 service was knocked out, in addition to traffic lights. The reason for the outage? A substation failed, after the constant strain being put on the system. According to Duke Power, the heat has caused a record amount of energy to be used, a demand that in some places the system finds itself unable to handle. Work crews spent a good part of the night fixing the problem and most everyone should have their power back on this morning.

Sports Headlines

Prospect Chooses Pirates Over Wolfpack
NC State lost out on a top football prospect this week, as Fayetteville Byrd graduate Doug Palmer announced he was going to East Carolina to play next season. Palmer had originally signed with the Wolfpack, but didn’t make the grade on his college board scores. Since the ACC won’t accept student athletes who fail the boards, Palmer was free to choose another school and he did. The 6-3, 290 lb. defensive lineman will suit up as a member of the East Carolina program this year, choosing to play now instead of spending a year at prep school to build up his scores.

ACC Unveils Instant Replay Plan
The ACC unveiled its’ plans for instant replay this week, hoping to make a seamless transition to the rule. Just like in the NFL, there has to be irrefutable proof of a mistake before a call can be overturned and certain plays, such as holding or pass interference, can’t be challenged at all. Over $400,000 was spent on equipment to make the idea a reality in ACC football. Instant replay takes effect this coming season.

Minor League Scoreboard
Taking a look at last night’s scoreboard, it was Winston Salem continuing their winning streak as they beat the Lynchburg Hillcats 8-4. Fernando Hernandez picked up the win after throwing two shutout innings in relief. Up the road in Hickory, the Crawdads rode a great pitching performance of their own to take the 7-1 win over Kannapolis. Hickory starter Julio Guerrero only gave up one run in eight innings of work, to get his fifth win. Since the All-Star break, the Crawdads are 20-12, moving back into contention for the top spot in the South Atlantic Conference.

US Team Takes Game One
The US National Team won their first match at the Under 21 Global Games on Wednesday 119-64. UNC Charlotte forward Curtis Withers led the team with 22 points, as J.J. Redick added 14.

Original Bobcat Heading To Sacramento
As the Charlotte Bobcats prepare for their second season of existence, one of the team’s original players from last year finds himself headed out the door. A deal is almost done that will send point guard Jason Hart to the Sacramento Kings, in exchange for a second round draft pick. Hart, who started 27 of the Bobcats’ games last year, will be replaced in the lineup by Raymond Felton, who the team took with the 5th pick in this year’s draft. The trade won’t become final until next week, when the NBA’s new collective bargaining agreement is finalized.

Panthers Sign Another Pick
The Carolina Panthers came one step closer to getting all their draft picks signed on Tuesday, as the team came to terms with Atiyyah Ellison on a deal. Ellison, one of the team’s two third round picks from this year’s draft, signed a contract for three years, worth around $1.3 million. The 6-3 303 lb. Ellison will be competing for a spot as part of the defensive line. With only three picks left unsigned, General Manager Marty Hurney said he believed all the players would be in the fold when camp opens up this Saturday.

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