News & Sports For July 6th

News & Sports For Wednesday July 6th 2005

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.

Be Careful Who Has Your Information
A Wilkesboro woman called sheriff’s deputies to her apartment over the holiday, after learning why it’s not such a good idea to hand out keys to just anyone. The woman had just gotten back from a trip to visit her mother and had given out apartment keys to both her boyfriend and her neighbor. Days after she left however, the woman got a phone call saying a party was going on in her apartment and it sounded like things were getting crazy. When the woman returned, she found over $900 worth of items stolen from the place. Also it looked like someone had been living in the apartment. There are suspects in the case and the investigation is ongoing.

News From The Commissioners Meeting
Wilkes County Commissioners held their monthly meeting last night and 3WC’s own Ken Byrd opened up the proceedings, first with the invocation and then with his rendition of “The Ragged Old Flag”. Afterwards, several items were presented to the commissioners. The Animal Control Ordinance, which had been considered but put aside during the last meeting, passed with a unanimous vote. Under the new plan, complaints of animal cruelty can simply be called in & spoken instead of being put down in writing. Also, all dogs in the county would be required to have ID, some type of rabies tag, owner identification or microchip certifying who they belong to. Finally all dogs that have been labeled as dangerous in the past must be registered with the county’s Animal Control office and tracked, along with all trained guard dogs to prevent any incidents should the dog get loose. Concerns were once again raised about the preparations for this to take effect, as Wilkes doesn’t yet have any procedures in place. But animal control agreed to work on getting things set up in time for the September deadline when this would take effect. Jody Brady gave the annual forestry service report and listed the three main concerns he planned to target in the next year. Working on maintaining water quality, also replanting trees after lumber companies have been through and dealing with the growing urban population were the three main issues cited.

Always Keep Your Doors Locked
A Wilkesboro man found out why it’s a good idea to keep your car doors locked over the weekend. A small handgun had been stored in the man’s truck, but he hadn’t kept the doors locked, leaving it open for anyone to steal. And that’s apparently what happened as he returned this past weekend to find it missing. Nothing else was taken from inside the truck and no damage was done to the vehicle itself. Wilkesboro police are investigating the case.

Ebenezer To Hold Benefit Tournament
The Ebenezer Christian Childrens Home is gearing up for their annual benefit golf tournament. This year the tournament will be at Oakwoods Country Club on Saturday August 13th. There will be morning and afternoon flights. The format for the tournament is 4-man's captains choice and there will be over $50,000 in prizes up for grabs. Entry fee is $75 per person and if you pay by August 1st you will automatically be eligible for a 3 day- two night vacation. To sign up or for a brochure you may call the Home at 667-5683, that's 667-LOVE.

Gas Thieves Hit Another Wilkes Business
With the temperature rising and gas prices following suit, it’s no surprise that some people are trying to get away with not paying at the pump. The Fast Track on Hwy 421 West in Wilkesboro was the latest business to fall victim to the practice, as a man pulled up in a Jeep Cherokee and started filling up. After he was done, the man got into his vehicle and took off down the road. Employees inside the building were able to get a description of both the man and his car, along with the vehicle’s license plate number. Deputies are continuing the investigation.

Vandals Break Into Former School
Wilkesboro police were called out to the former Woodward Middle School on Monday, after a burglar alarm on the building was triggered. A window on the property’s north side had been shattered and a nearby door was propped open with a rock. When deputies investigated, they found several teenagers around the building, who swore they didn’t go inside or have anything to do with the vandalism. Deputies also found a BB gun hidden in the grass near the school. Total damage done was estimated at $200. Names of the boys were taken and the investigation continues.

Wilkes To Honor Veterans This Saturday
This coming Saturday people in Wilkes will gather together in honor of some of the county’s veterans. The Veteran’s Brick Walk will be unveiled in a special ceremony this coming Saturday July 9th at the Wilkes Heritage Museum. For anyone who bought a brick before the May 30th deadline, that veteran will be honored during the ceremony. There will also be a car show during the event, tours of the Old Wilkes Jail and Robert Cleveland Log Home and a special concert put on by the NC Army National Guard Band. Once again that will take place Saturday July 9th at the Old Wilkes Courthouse. The car show starts at 2pm and the ceremony itself begins at 5:30 that night.

Focus On Charitable Donations
It seems like not a day goes by that we don’t hear from some new charity, asking for a donation. But how can you tell the good charities from the scams? And also how do all these charities get your information to call or send you something in the mail? David Dalrymple with the Better Business Buraey will be Brian's guest during Focus on the Foothills, as they’ll be talking about some of the ‘warning signs’ you can look for and how you can tell a fake charity from one who’s actually trying to help the community. That’s tomorrow at 1:05pm right after the midday stock report.

Guns Stolen From Millers Creek Home
A Millers Creek man called sheriff’s deputies earlier this week after returning home to find the doors to his house standing wide open. Also someone had opened the windows in the residence, before walking out with two of the man’s guns. Both guns, a 16 gauge single shot and a .22 caliber rifle had been stored inside. Despite the theft, there was no sign of a break-in and also nothing else taken from the home. Deputies are continuing the investigation.

State News

4th Of July Leads To Charlotte Riot
Two days later police in Charlotte are still trying to sort out what happened during a celebration Monday night in the city. Officers were called in from across the county as chaos and a near riot broke out among some 2000 who were gathered to watch the fireworks. The incident happened after the show ended, as the people made their way out of the intersection between Trade and Tryon Street. Someone then tossed fireworks into the crowd, causing a panic that saw traffic blocked and dumpsters tossed into the street. These same unidentified people also tossed firecrackers at police as the chaos continued. No one was injured as almost 20 people were arrested in the wake of the panic. It took officials until 1am to get things back under control.

Flooding In Caldwell Leads To Repair Work
The holiday didn’t turn out so well for people in Caldwell County, as work crews are still cleaning up from this weekend’s storms. Roads along Highway 90 were flooded on Sunday night and the DOT still cleaning up in the storm’s wake. At one campground in the area, people got a surprise as a wall of water tore through the area, coming down off the mountain. Fifty campers had to be evacuated from the area and some were left behind, stranded on a bridge. Thankfully however the water subsided and no one was hurt. Still trees, limbs and water damage from the storm present DOT workers with a pretty heavy workload for the rest of the week.

Kernersville Park Gets Attention
As we celebrate America’s independence this week, one park in Kernersville is gathering national attention, but not due to any events being held there. Fourth of July Park is becoming noticed due to its’ unique name, given out almost 20 years ago when city officials took the area used for firework celebrations and turned it into a park. Now the park has also been renovated after the local Parks and Recreation Department spent a million dollars on repairs, making the area open to the public seven days a week.

Highway Patrol Cracks Down
Over 3700 citations were issued by Highway Patrol officers over the holiday weekend, according to officials on Tuesday. 700 tickets were issued for exceeding speeds of 75 mph in the five counties officers had designated as the deadliest last week. That included Johnston County, Robeson, Wake, Iredell and Cumberland. Overall speeding was the number one violation over the holiday but officers also handed out 735 equipment violations including 466 for not wearing a seatbelt.

Arsonist Burns Boy Scout Home
An Alamance County building that has served as a home for boy scouts over the past few decades is in ruins today after someone tried to burn it to the ground. During the holiday, someone set fire to a group of canoes outside the Alamance County troop’s building and the fire quickly spread to the structure itself. As the town had recently withdrawn fire insurance on the building, it’s up to the members to raise more than $30,000 to rebuild it. Law enforcement in the area are still investigating the case but so far there haven’t been any arrests. The troop is however accepting donations and you can send something to Boy Scout Troop 65, Kennette Drive, Graham North Carolina 27253.

Sports Headlines

Fastpitch Baseball Camp Coming Up
For any kids 13 and under who want to develop their baseball skills, a camp will be going on starting July 9th at the West Wilkes Middle School. There are only a few slots left for the camp, as you have to pre-register. Camp instructors will teach players how to work on their defensive skills, like how to field balls, hit their cut off man and turn a double play, while also working on their hitting technique and baserunning. Registration is $15 and to sign up, you can call Coach Summer Vogel at 927-3870 or send an email to CoachV@tristatebreakers.com

Minor League Scoreboard
Around the minor leagues, it was Hickory falling to Columbus 12-6. Crawdad reliever Dustin Craig got the loss, giving up five earned runs in less than an inning of work. It was a different story up the road in Winston however, as the Warthogs beat Kinston 8-7, wrapping up a three game sweep of the Indians. Rafael Flores got his third win of the season, giving up one run in two innings of relief. Ehren Wassermann locked up his 18th save of the year.

American Legion Action
And news today from around the American Legion fields, as one team was disqualified from competition. Hours before their game with Shelby was supposed to start, the Huntersville team was disqualified after only eight players showed up for the game. Lacking enough players, the team saw their post season come to an end without even playing one game. Burke County took Huntersville’s place, just a few days after being eliminated by Hickory in a play-in game.

Chris Paul Signs Contract
In the NBA, rookie Chris Paul officially joined the league yesterday, signing a contract with the New Orleans Hornets. Paul’s deal was for three years, with options for two more on the table. While terms were not discussed, it’s believed he’ll be making $10 million in the first three years, a number that could double if the options are picked up. Paul will now head to Las Vegas, where he’ll be starting for the Hornets’ summer league squad, playing five games over the next week.

NASCAR News
Carl Edwards will have a decision to make at the end of this year, if he wants to run in both the Busch and Nextel Cup series next season. This year pulling double duty has had some mixed results for Edwards, who currently sits in fourth place in the Busch standings. But after a string of wins and top five finishes in the Nextel Cup, he’s slipped to 12th place having come up short the past two weeks. Edwards finished 38th at Sonoma and then 33rd at Daytona last week. Also with possible rule changes coming that would penalize drivers for running both circuits, a decision on Edwards’ future will have to be made before the season starts up in February.