News & Sports For August 12trh

Orientation Continues Tonight
With only three days left before the first day of class, orientation continues tonight at several of the local schools. At Mountain View Elementary, there will be an open house for Pre-K, kindergarteners and first graders from 4-5pm. Then from 5-6pm for 2nd and 3rd grades and finally 6-7pm is when 4th and 5th graders can come in and tour their new classes. Up the road at Boomer Ferguson, a special open house will take place at 7pm, so that Pre-K and kindergarteners can meet their teachers. For the rest of Boomer Ferguson’s students, open house will take place on August 22nd at 7pm. Over at East Wilkes Middle School, orientation starts at 6:30pm for all rising 6th graders. As for the rest of the county, Central Wilkes Middle School is holding orientation this Sunday from 3-5pm for all rising 6th graders and all other new students. Then Mount Pleasant Elementary will hold open house on the 18th and Millers Creek Elementary on the 25th.

Thieves Clean Out Local Store
The Outdoor Sportsman store in Wilkesboro was the victim of thieves this week, with $3378 worth of items either stolen or damaged. The thieves pried open on the of the doors at the business and walked in, carrying off pretty much whatever they could find, Included in the theft was a Dish Network TV box, several fishing rods, some reels, boxes of seed, buckets of minnows and other items. Deputies are continuing the investigation.

Ebenezer Holds Tournament Tomorrow
Tomorrow is the date for this year’s golf tournament, to benefit the Ebenezer Garden Christian Children’s Home. The event will take place at Oakwoods Country Club, with morning and afternoon flights. The format for the tournament this year is four man captain’s choice, with over $50,000 in prizes up for grabs. The entry fee is $75 per person and only a few spots remain. All of the proceeds from the event will go to the Home, for use as needed. One of the projects that will be helped by proceeds from the event is the 4th home at Ebenezer called Hope, which is currently under construction. Once again there are a limited number of spots still open for the afternoon tournament. To sign up or for a brochure you may call the Home at 667-5683.

Broke In To Have A Look Around
Thieves broke into a Wilkesboro woman’s home this week, only they left the place just as they found it. Nothing was missing from the house, also no damage was done, except to a window. The would be thieves had apparently shattered a window and climbed inside, but didn’t find what they were looking for. Clothes had been scattered and tossed throughout the house, but there was no other evidence of a break-in. Deputies are continuing the investigation.

Head Start Orientation
As we get closer to the start of school, we’re also approaching the beginning of this year’s Head Start program. With that in mind, orientation for Head Start will take place at all three Wilkes County Centers today. You and your child can come in anytime from 8am til 8pm, with officials on hand to answer your questions and show you around. Once again that’s going on today, at the Cub Creek, Lomax and North Wilkesboro Head Start Centers. For more information you can call Judi Mitchell at the BROC head office. Her number is 667-7174.

Wreck On River Street Totals One
It’s always a good idea to get a good night’s sleep before you drive. A Wilkesboro man found this out the hard way on Wednesday, as he fell asleep at the wheel. The man’s car skidded off the road and into a power pole. The car was totaled, with estimated damages placed at $3800, however thankfully the man walked away unhurt.

Drink Machines Across the Area Hit For Change
Wilkesboro police are investigating a series of break-ins today, where drink machines across the area were targeted. Machines at four different businesses were vandalized and then the thieves also either attempted to or succeeded at stealing the change inside. In one of the cases, a mysterious tip led police to the scene of the crime apparently minutes after the incident occurred. It’s unknown exactly how much money was stolen from the machines, however damages were placed at over $800. The investigation is ongoing.

Stuff The Bus Program Wrapping Up
With only a few days left before the start of school, it’s important for kids to get all the supplies they need for class. However with economic times not being the best here in Wilkes, many kids will enter the school term without the simplest things such as paper, pens and calculators. Communities in Schools wants to help solve that problem, with their Stuff the Bus program which is going on right now. You can drop off school supplies at several locations around Wilkes, including Wal-Mart, CVS, Eckerd, Staples and also between the First Baptist and First United Methodist Churches in North Wilkesboro. There are also drop off spots at Dollar General, Super 10 and the Communities in Schools office. All different types of school supplies are needed, so anything you can donate would be welcomed. For more information you can call Amie Blevins at Communities in Schools. Her number is 651-7830 extension #23.

Weed-Eater Stolen From Purlear Home
A homeowner in Purlear came home earlier this week looking to take advantage of the sunlight outside and get some mowing done. However when he went out to get the mower, he found it was missing. In addition, thieves had also ran off with his weed-eater that had been lying nearby. No lock had been on the door next to which the materials were kept and it appears thieves just walked right in and helped themselves. That investigation is ongoing.

State News

School In Charlotte Falls Victim To Break In
Some hungry thieves broke into the Coulwood Middle School in Charlotte early Thursday morning. Police estimate that around 1am, thieves somehow gained access to the school through the doors, but without leaving behind any damage or evidence they were there. Instead, they made their way to the vending machines inside, smashing them open and then running off with both snacks and money.

Jobs Coming To Gaston County
Some good news today for people in Gaston County, as more jobs are heading into the area. Dole Foods announced plans this week to build a packaging plant in the area. The plant will be built in Bessemer City, with construction to begin later this year. Company officials are opening the doors to anyone who’s looking for a job. If you want to put in an application, you can go online and do so at the Dole website, which can be found at www.Dole.com.

Farmer In North Carolina Supplying White House
A Farmer in North Carolina will be supplying the White House this Christmas. A Laurel Spring man has been selected to provide this year’s White House Christmas tree. Now there are some requirements that have to be met here. The tree must stand 18 ½ feet tall at least. In October, the man’s farm will be visited by a member of the White House staff, who will have to approve the tree. Once that’s finished, the tree will be cut down at Thanksgiving and sent to Washington to be decorated.

Winston Police Need Help In Finding Missing Man
Officials in the Winston area are asking for help in locating a man who went missing Wednesday afternoon. 78-yr-old Willard Warren left home just passed noon on Wednesday and hasn’t been seen or heard from since. It’s believed Warren could be driving a tan 2001 GMC Sierra, with the license plate NZV-5013. The situation is serious because Warren has Alzheimer’s and may be disoriented. If anyone sees the man, officials are asking that you call 911.

Minimum Wage One Step Closer To Increase
North Carolina came one step closer on Thursday to raising the minimum wage, as a new bill passed through both the full House and a Senate committee. In the House, a bill was passed that would raise the minimum wage to $6. The vote was a tight one, as it came through 62-56. Afterwards the bill was passed on to the Senate, who will consider it along with their own measure, which recommends the exact same thing. The only difference between the two bills is that the House version also would add tax credits for all small businesses that give health insurance to workers. That provision isn’t in the Senate version, which instead wants to reduce corporate and income tax rates, while raising the cigarette tax by another five cents. Currently over 100,000 people in the state earn less than $6 an hour, according to the NC Justice Center.

Another Rowan County Official Quits
Less than a month after a scandal came to light in Rowan County, yet another public official left office. County attorney John Holshouser resigned his position, upset that action hadn’t been taken against the man who he believes caused all of this, current county commissioner Arnold Chamberlain. It was revealed earlier this month that Rowan County had spent $23,000 to hire a private investigator, in order to determine who was writing letters that criticized local government. That investigation found that Chamberlain had written the letters, a charge he denies. However because no action was taken against him, Holshouser resigned the position he had held for the past 16 years. In his resignation, Holshouser called the current county government a charade and said that people deserved better.

Sports Headlines

Duke Lands 10th Recruit
It’s been a good offseason so far for Duke’s football program. The team added another piece to the puzzle this week as Andrew Holoman announced his commitment to the school. Holoman, a 6’2 202 lb. linebacker from Virginia, accepted the school’s offer of a scholarship, saying that it had the mixture of academics and athletics that he wanted. In doing so, he turned down an offer from his father’s alma mater Virginia and also Georgia Tech.

Under 21 Team Advances
And in college basketball, you can chalk up yet another victory for the U.S. Under 21 team, thanks in part to a player from North Carolina. Last time it was a Blue Devil, but in this case a 49er stepped up to the plate, as Curtis Withers from UNC Charlotte led the team to a 82-79 win over Slovenia. Withers had 15 points as he helped rally the team back from a 13-point deficit. With the win, the U.S. team will match up later today, against the winner of the game between Israel and Canada.

Minor League Scoreboard
Taking a look around the minor leagues last night, it was Winston Salem beating Wilmington 3-1 in a game that took ten innings to finish. Warthogs’ starter Lance Broadway had a good game despite not getting a decision, going six innings and striking out seven, without giving up a run. Reliever Fabio Castro got his fifth win of the season, after throwing 2 1/3 scoreless innings.

Hurricanes Sign Another Player
The free agent period continues for the Carolina Hurricanes, as they agreed to a deal with right winger Justin Williams this week. Williams signed a one year deal with the team, after helping Canada win the gold medal at the World Hockey Championship.

Panthers Sign A Cornerback
In the NFL, the Carolina Panthers added another player to the roster, signing Dwight Anderson. Anderson had been released earlier in the week by the St. Louis Rams, after he missed curfew over the weekend. Despite Anderson being a model citizen otherwise, Rams coach Mike Martz cut the young cornerback, who had a shot at possibly cracking their starting lineup this year. Anderson will compete for time with Ricky Manning Jr. in the nickel back position.

NASCAR News
In Nascar, it didn’t take Michael Waltrip long before his name was associated with another team. Now that it’s public knowledge Waltrip is leaving DEI, reports have come out that he might sign a deal soon with Joe Gibbs, filling the spot of recently fired Jason Leffler. Officials close to the situation say that an announcement could come in the next week.