News & Sports For July 5th

Teen Missing In Wilkesboro Area
The search is continuing today for an Ashe County teen who was last seen in the Wilkesboro area. 17-yr-old Amanda Mallette was supposedly dropped off at McDonalds by a family friend and was last seen near Wal-Mart in Wilkesboro. That was on Saturday and one day later, the girl’s father filed a missing person’s report. It’s believed that the girl used a pay phone at Wal-Mart to call someone, although authorities are unclear as to what happened after that. The girl’s mother, who is divorced from the father, said she received a call late Saturday night from someone whose name she can’t remember, saying that the girl was headed to the beach and wouldn’t be back for two months. 17-yr-old Amanda was last seen wearing a white tank top and blue jeans. If you have any information regarding the case, please contact Wilkesboro police at 667-7277.

Jobless Rate Stayed Constant In May
The latest employment figures were released over the weekend and Wilkes stayed constant during the month of May. The county’s jobless rate of 5.6% remained the same, according to the state employment security commission. That’s still fairly ahead of the statewide average, which has fallen to 5.1%.

Stolen Check Turns Up In Wilkesboro
Wilkesboro police are investigating how a stolen check managed to turn up in the area over the weekend. A check was turned in to officers from the Run-In on Oakwoods Road, after it turned out to have been stolen back in June. The check had been taken from a car in Hickory, but made it’s way into Wilkes, where it was used over the weekend. There is a suspect in the case, as a Granite Falls teenager signed her name to the check, despite it not being her account. The investigation is ongoing.

Be Careful Where You Leave Your Car
Be careful where you leave your car. A Wilkesboro man learned why that’s important over the weekend after returning to find it had been decorated in his absence. The man had parked his car in front of his apartment before leaving for a concert with friends. When he got back, he found that some type of substance had been poured all over it, smeared on the top and middle of the car’s hood. There are no suspects but the investigation is ongoing.

Blood Supply Drained With Drive Tomorrow
Heading into the first week of July, Wilkes County is facing a blood shortage, with almost all types in less than a day’s supply. Especially needed are Type O and Type B, which are in critical condition. Over the next two weeks there will be several blood drives going on around the county. To set up an appointment for one or to volunteer, you can call the Red Cross at 838-4563.

Items Stolen From Britthaven Nursing Home
Sheriff’s deputies were called out to Britthaven Nursing Home over the weekend after an air conditioner was stolen from one of the residents. There are no suspects and no signs of a break-in, but one of the air conditioners was just missing from the window. Deputies are continuing the investigation.

Money Stolen From Traphill Home
A Traphill woman called sheriff’s deputies over the weekend after discovering that someone had stolen some money from her home. There were no signs of a break-in and nothing else taken from the residence, except for $15 worth of quarters taken from the woman’s bedroom. There is however a suspect in the case and deputies are continuing the investigation.

Workshop Coming Up Next Week On Alzheimer’s
When you hear the word Alzheimers, what do you think of? How can you tell if someone is suffering from the disease? What are the signs to look for? Next week Villages of Wilkes is helping to sponsor a workshop on the disease, where family members can learn all the information they need to help prepare. 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.

Local Woman Falls Victim To Fraud
A Wilkesboro woman called police over the weekend after falling victim to credit card fraud. She discovered the problem after her card was rejected for being over the limit. Having not used it in a while, the woman accessed her account and found that just over $400 had been spent on it in the past week. There is a suspect in the case and officers are continuing the investigation.

Tag Stolen From Purlear Woman’s Car
A Purlear woman noticed something strange when she returned home from a trip to the store over the weekend. Her license plate was missing, The woman had just bought the vehicle and a temporary tag had been placed on the car, which had been in place when she left for town earlier in the day. Returning home, she saw that the tag had been ripped off while she was in the store. There are no suspects but the investigation is ongoing.

State News

Home Of Deputies Shot At
Officials in Catawba County are investigating today after the homes of two sheriff’s deputies were shot at. The incidents happened over the weekend, while the deputies were away. Deputy Brian Kelly came out Sunday morning to find the holes, most likely caused by a shotgun, all over his property. Neighbors later told officials that they thought the sounds were simply fireworks being shot off. Two windows were shattered at the man’s house and holes covered the siding along the front side of the home. Just up the road in Conover, shots were fired at another deputy’s home, as well as his patrol car. Bullets tore into the man’s front porch and three hit the patrol car. The SBI has taken over the case and officials say there are suspects.

Alligator Attacks Swimmer In Wilmington
It’s always a good idea to read the signs before going swimming. A man in Wilmington learned that lesson the hard way this weekend, after being attacked by a 10-ft alligator. The 40-yr-old had decided to go swimming in Greenfield Lake, despite signs posted in the area that say not to get in the water due to alligators inside. He ignored repeated cries from people nearby and within minutes one of the local alligators clamped down on his right arm. After the gator let go, locals managed to drag the man to shore, after which he was taken to a local hospital for treatment.

Jobs Leaving Guilford County
The 4th of July didn’t bring good news for people in Guilford County, as 70 people were informed over the weekend that they’ll be losing their jobs this year. DaimlerChrysler Commericial Buses announced plans to close down production of the SLF model and with the change also comes some layoffs. Employees at the company’s Guilford County plant were told that 70 of them would be let go over the next few months, with the cuts mainly coming in manufacturing and administration. All affected employees will be informed of the move later this week.

Former Green Beret Sued By NC Man
A U.S. soldier currently in an Afghan prison now finds himself facing a lawsuit from a North Carolina man. Green Beret Jonathan Idema is serving a five year term in Afghanistan after being found guilty of abusing prisoners at a makeshift prison. Now he’s being sued by a NC man who claims the soldier owes him part of a $650,000 settlement. Idema had received the money after winning a lawsuit against his property managers, who had sold equipment from a business he owned while Idema was in a U.S. jail back in the 1990s. Bill Hagler said he helped Idema win the suit, but never received payment.

Weekend Rains Cause Evacuations
Rains that poured over North Carolina this weekend caused the evacuation of an assisted living center in Kannapolis. Sunday night 60 residents and employees from the Kannapolis Village Assisted Living Center were moved out, after high water threatened to flood the area. Later on that night, the Cabarrus County Water Rescue Team was called out to retrieve people from a nearby mobile home park, who had been trapped by the high water. All total the Rescue Team managed to retrieve 73 people from the area

Man Burns House And Tries To Shoot Firefighters
Firefighters in Rowan County found themselves under attack this weekend after responding to a call in the Gold Hill community. A 57-yr-old man had set his house on fire and started shooting at firemen as they tried to put it out. Jimmy Handley held off officials for almost two hours, holding a gun and watching as the house burned down. He refused to talk to officials or allow the fire to be put out. Instead after the house had burned down, he took the gun and shot himself. No one else was hurt in the incident. Handley has been identified as a war veteran and it’s believed he was suffering from some type of post traumatic stress disorder.

Sports Headlines

High School Guard Commits To Deacons
Wake Forest landed another recruit for the 2006 basketball season, as a point guard from Central Cabarrus signed on with the Deacons. Ishmael Smith, a 5-11 guard that some say could be better than Chris Paul, turned down offers from South Carolina and Clemson to commit to Wake. During his junior season, Ishmael averaged 25 points and 10 assists for Central Cabarrus and will look to add his skills to the Deacons’ up tempo attack.

Wake Suspends Two Football Players
While the news is good on the basketball court, Wake Forest also announced this weekend that two starters from their football team have been suspended for the first game of the season. Running back Chris Barclay and cornerback Riley Swanson were suspended from all team activities after violating athletics department policy, although it wasn’t explained what exactly they did. Both players will now miss the first game against Vanderbuilt, along with the first week of practice. Wake opens up their football season on September 1st.

Possible Front Runner For Olympic Coaching Job
Duke coach Mike Krzyzewski tossed his hat into the ring, to be considered as the coach for the 2008 Olympic men’s basketball team. While Coach K said he hasn’t been asked yet, he called the position a great honor and one he would love to have. US team director Jerry Colangelo said that Krzyzewski was one of 12 candidates that were being considered and a decision would be announced in the next few months.

Minor League Scoreboard
In Hickory last night, the Crawdads pulled out the 3-2 win against Columbus in front of a season high crowd of 5134. Hickory starter Kyle Pearson went 5 1/3, giving up two runs on four hits. Derek Drage got the win after shutting out Columbus over 3 and 2/3 innings of relief. Up the road in Winston, it was the Warthogs beating Kinston 9-5. Warthogs’ starter Gio Gonzalez got his first win of the year, striking out six in five innings of work.

Durham Bulls Get Callup
Up the road in Durham, two members of the minor league Bulls saw a dream come true this weekend, as they got called up to the majors. The Tampa Bay Devil Rays called up outfielder Joey Gathright and left handed pitcher Joe Beimel, looking to plug holes in their team. The team is hoping Gathright will add some pop to the lineup, as he was batting .305 for the Bulls, while Beimel will be plugged into the bullpen, after posting a 4.06 ERA in Triple A.