News & Sports For August

Notes From Commissioners Meeting
Wilkes County Commissioners met last night and discussed several items on the agenda. Six volunteers were recognized from different organizations in the county, for their service. They were Annie Wyatt from Hospice, Karen Clifton from the guardian child advocate program, Steve & Linda Minton from Blue Ridge Opportunity Commission, Mandy Markson from Communities in Schools and Ona Johnson from the Appalachian Senior Companion Program. All of these volunteers were given a certificate thanking them for their dedication and work ethic. Also at the meeting, county commissioners approved some budget amendments. To help refinance the Hanger loan, additional funds were approved for both the principal and interest payments of the county’s airport hanger. An increase of $1782 was established for the principal payment and the interest payment was increased by $4321. With the changes, the principal payment now stands at $25,882 and the interest payment is $8987. Also David McGrady from the Vocational Workshop spoke and outlined several problems the program finds itself facing. Over the past year, the workshop has found itself $385,000 in debt, partially from shrinking state funding. That has mainly been covered by cash reserves, which are drying up. Current cash losses were placed at $200,000 and there is only an estimated $50,000 in reserve. Proposals were presented to eliminate the debt, including getting rid of transportation to and from the workshop, which currently costs $85,000 a year. In addition, the café will be shut down, saving $25,000 and food will instead be offered by the Snack Shack, at a cost of $3 per meal. Director McGrady asked if the commissioners would consider increasing the amount of support provided by the county and if they could possibly subsidize transportation? Commissioners requested financial records from the organization and promised to take up the concerns in another meeting.

Mailbox Vandals Return To Wilkes
Mailbox vandals hit another home in the Wilkes County area this week. In Thurmond, a woman walked outside to find that her mailbox had been chopped down from its’ post and a hole had been punctured in it. $75 worth of damage was done, however no one can recall hearing or seeing anything during the night. There is a suspect in the case and deputies are continuing the investigation.

Focus On Music
Have you ever wondered what it’s like to start out as a musician? To juggle your music ministry with work, school and the everyday insanity of life? This week on Focus on the Foothills, Brian Carlton will be talking about all those subjects with musician and college student Wes Pickering, providing a snapshot of what the process is like, putting together a record and working to keep your grades up at the same time. To hear Brian's interview with Wes, you can tune in tomorrow for Focus on the Foothills. They’ll be discussing what’s involved if you want to get started in music, also providing some hints to help along the way. That’s tomorrow at 1:05pm, right after the midday stock report.

Ran Off With The Tire
Why would someone steal a tire? That’s what a Wilkesboro man is wondering today, after returning home to find his car was missing one. The man had parked his Chevy in the front yard six months ago as it didn’t work. After returning home this week, he found that one of the tires had been pulled off. Nothing else was stolen and no damage was done to either the car or the property. There are no suspects but the investigation is ongoing.

Medicare Forum To Be Held Tomorrow
It can be hard at times to understand all the legal language when going through an insurance contract. How much do you pay? What exactly is covered? It’s no different with Medicare, however coming up this week it’ll be a little easier to get some answers. There will be a public information session going on Thursday August 18th at the Wilkes Public Library. The session will go on from 11 am til 12 noon, with people on hand to answer your questions concerning Medicare Plan B. For more information you can call 670-2644.

Air Conditioners Stolen From Local Businesses
The heat is still affecting people around Wilkes County, who are looking for ways to cool off. But someone apparently decided he should have to pay to keep cool, as two air conditioners were stolen from the loading dock at Wilkes Heating & Air Conditioner. Over one thousand dollars worth of merchandise was taken from the business, however the joke is on the thieves as none of the units actually work. They had been set on the dock because of damages and were going to be looked at. Deputies are continuing the investigation.

Retired Teachers In Wilkes To Meet
Retired teachers from around the Wilkes County area will come together for a meeting next Wednesday, August 24th. The event will be held at the Elks Club, starting at 12 noon. The purpose of the meeting is to discuss changes in the law, which will be done by Judge Gregory. In addition, Rev. Paul Huger will deal with any questions regarding Medicare Part D. Once again that will be going on August 24th at the Elks Club.

Illegal Dumping Becomes A Problem For Purlear Man
Sheriff’s deputies were called out to a Purlear man’s home, due to an unusual problem. Someone has been depositing their trash in his yard. No one has actually witnessed the dumping, but twice when the man returned from town this week, there was trash left on his property. There are no suspects, however deputies are continuing the investigation.

Wilkes Heritage Museum Holds Fundraiser
Old Wilkes Inc. continues to raise money to put into their renovation project of what will be the Heritage Museum. One way of doing that will be on display this weekend, when the group hosts a giant yard sale. The event starts Friday afternoon at 4pm and runs til 8pm that night, before starting back up Saturday morning at 8am and stretching on until 2pm. All kinds of items, from clothing, to art, to food will be available, with proceeds going to support the Old Wilkes renovation projects. Currently the organization is in charge of the Old Wilkes Jail, Robert Cleveland Log Home and Finely Law Office, in addition to the Old Wilkes Courthouse that is still under reconstruction. For more information or to get involved with the sale, you can call Laura Stroud at 838-4240 or contact the Old Wilkes offices at 667-3712.

Credit Card Stolen From Local Group Home
Deputies were called out to Rest Care this week, after officials at the group home discovered that a credit card had been stolen. The card, which was used to purchase items for the home, was discontinued so that the thief couldn’t use it. There were no reports of anyone attempting to use it and no suspects in the case.

State News

Greensboro Residents Asked To Dump The Pump
Tired of high gas prices? Well the city of Greensboro has come up with a possible solution called “Dump the Pump”. The city is suggesting that people give up cars for a ride on the bus. It costs two dollars for a roundtrip anywhere in Greensboro, less than the fee for just one gallon of gas. After seeing the latest round of skyrocketing prices, city officials said they felt the need to offer an alternative, to help people save money.

Town Forgets Own Birthday
Sometimes you accidentally forget a friend’s birthday and rush to make up for it. But for the town of Roxboro, nothing can make up for the celebration that would have been. The town turned 150 this past January, but local officials forgot all about the event. Instead, they were reminded just a few weeks ago after receiving a letter of congratulations from the state. Aside from the festivities involved, locals are upset over the missed marketing opportunities, which could have brought in much needed tourism dollars. To solve the problem, town commissioners have declared that January 9th in Roxboro will now be known as Founder’s Day, giving the town an official holiday to celebrate.

Man Gets Strange Sentence For Drunk Driving
A Waynesville judge handed down a unique punishment this week in the case of a drunk driver. Mark Calhoun had been charged with felony death by motor vehicle, after killing a 16-yr-old who was riding his bike. After a jury found Calhoun guilty, the judge ordered that he spend 90 days in jail, after which he has to pay $11,000 for the boy’s funeral and be placed under house arrest. In addition, the judge also ruled that for the next four years, Calhoun has to come back to jail, to serve a 48 hour sentence on the anniversary of the crash.

Hickory May Lose Flights
Bad news coming out of Hickory today, as the city may lose it’s Delta Connection Center. Less than a year after getting the service up and running, officials from Atlantic Southeast Airlines said that they would possibly leave the area if profits don’t increase over the next two months. Currently around 40% of all seats on Delta flights are sold in Hickory, 10% lower than the company’s estimates. It’s unclear what, if anything can be done to attract more customers, as the company doesn’t plan to lower prices and Hickory can’t afford to offer any other services.

Police Car Thief Still At Large
The search continues in Winston Salem for a man who stole a police car. 31-yr-old Derrick Devon Reid had been arrested Monday on assault charges and put in the back seat of the vehicle. The officers left the sliding window between the back seat and front open, so that Reid wouldn’t burn up on such a hot day. However when the officers stepped out of the car, Reid managed to crawl in between the seats and drive off, as the keys were still in the ignition. Police later found the car abandoned on Claremont Avenue in Winston Salem.

Easley Makes Pitch To Keep Movies
Gov. Mike Easley has made a pitch that he hopes some movie company will pick up. Namely he hopes they pick up and move production to North Carolina. Included in the budget signed on Saturday, is an item called the film incentive package. Under the plan, any production company that spends at least $250,000 in North Carolina would receive a tax credit equal to 15% of the cost for all goods, labor and services it purchases in the state. The maximum benefit a company can be given is $7.5 million, which in turn would require the company to spend at least $50 million in the state.

Sports Headlines

First Game Of The Week This Friday
Around the high school scene, this Friday kicks off football season and 3WC will be on hand to bring you all the action with our Game of the Week. Ken Byrd and Keith Briand will be over at East Wilkes, broadcasting the Cardinals’ game against East Davidson. Also Brian Carlton will be in the studio, interviewing coaches and bringing you up to date scores from the other games going on in the area. That’s high school football this Friday starting at 7:15 with the McDonalds Pregame Show, then kickoff is set for 7:30. All on your home for local sports, 1240 3WC.

UNC Football Team Gains One But Loses Another
It’s a case of good news/bad news in Chapel Hill, as one Tarheel was cleared to rejoin the football team, while two more are leaving. Freshman Mark Paschal is returning to the squad after charges were dropped against him in criminal court. The 18-yr-old Paschal had been charged with assault, drunk & disruptive behavior and resisting arrest on the night of July 9th. However after he went through an alcohol and drug education program, the prosecution agreed to drop all charges. Coach Bunting said that he believes Paschal learned a valuable lesson and he was glad to welcome him back to the team. The news wasn’t so good for defensive end Xavier Rainey, who announced that he’s quitting football. Rainey had broke his leg during spring practice and rehab wasn’t going as well as he had hoped.

NC State Loses Two Players
Down the road in Raleigh, some bad news also hit the Wolfpack training camp. NC State will lose defensive ends Raymond Brooks and Chip Cross for the season, according to the athletic director’s office. It wasn’t made public why the two wouldn’t make the squad, however they will be missed. The sophomore Brooks was a big part of the team’s defensive line, seeing action in ten games last year. Cross had just rejoined the team after a year off as he’s heading into his senior season.

Duke Adds Another To Offensive Line
Over in Durham, an experiment is taking place during camp. 6-7 senior Demetrius Warrick is working on a position change, moving from defensive tackle to plug a hole on the offensive line. The 300 lb. lineman has never played on the offensive side before, but Duke coaches believe he could have an impact on the game. The only catch is that Warrick has less than a month to learn a position that can take up to three years to master.

Minor League Scoreboard
Around the minor leagues, it was Winston Salem losing to the Wilmington Blue Rocks 4-2. There were only slim pickings for the Warthogs, who were led by Robert Valido’s one RBI. Valido also had a stolen base in the loss.

Former Duke Player Locked Up With Contract
In the NBA, one former Duke player has a bit of job security today, after coming to terms on a new deal. Point guard Chris Duhon will return for another year with the Chicago Bulls, after the team matched an offer put out by Toronto. The three year deal will keep Duhon with the team that drafted him out of the second round last year, where he averaged 5 points and 4 assists as a backup. He also helped guide the Bulls to their first playoff appearance in seven years.