News & Sports For August 2nd

3WC Ranks In Top Five
The first round of voting is over and the Top Five Finalists were announced on Monday for this year’s Southern Gospel Music Awards. 3WC made the list as one of the top five radio stations, joining Joy FM, WJBZ, WDJC and KKGM on the list. Over one hundred thousand people from over 70 countries cast their vote for their favorites in each category. Now the second round of voting begins and you can cast a ballot even if you did so the first time. Same as before, you just have to log on to www.thesoutherngospel.com , click on Southern Gospel Music Awards 2005 and cast your vote. All it takes is a working email address to be able to make your voice heard. Then the winners of this year’s awards will be revealed on October 29th during a ceremony at the LJVM Coliseum in Winston Salem.

Car Theft Turns Into Arson
A Thurmond woman called sheriff’s deputies over the weekend after her truck was stolen. The vehicle had been at the woman’s home when she went to bed, but the next morning it was gone. Deputies located the vehicle a few miles down the road, completely burned on the inside. The remains of a few matches were found inside, along with other evidence causing deputies to determine this was a case of arson. There is a suspect in the case while both sheriff’s deputies and the fire marshal’s office are investigating.

Wreck On 421 Totals One
A wreck on 421 over the weekend totaled one car and damaged another. A Wilkesboro woman was driving down the highway when the vehicle in front of her suddenly came to a stop. She couldn’t stop in time to avoid hitting the car, slamming into the left rear fender before going off the road and into the nearby cables. The driver of the second car said she had stopped because of a bedliner lying in the highway. Estimated damages were placed at $5000, thankfully however no one was injured.

Blood Drives Later Today
The Wilkes chapter of the Red Cross continues to stage blood drives as we head into the home stretch of the summer months. All blood types are needed, but especially type O and Type B. There will be two drives going on today. One is at Gardner Glass, starting at 11am and going on til 3:30pm this afternoon. The next will be at the VFW Post 1142 Hall, next to the Department of Transportation on Hwy 115. That’s from 2-6:30pm. Before donating, just remember that you must be at least 17 years old, weigh no less than 110 lbs and be in good health. To set up an appointment you can call the Red Cross at 838-4563.

Clothes Ignited At Local Business
Deputies were called out to Chip’s Bargin Barn over the weekend along with the Mulberry Fire Department. The reason was that someone had gained access to the store and decided to set the clothes on fire. Some of the women’s clothes hanging on a rack were in flames as firefighters arrived on scene. All total over $200 worth of damage was done. It’s unclear how the vandals got inside, there is however a suspect in the case and the investigation is ongoing.

Heatwave Leads To Theft In North Wilkesboro
A North Wilkesboro man returned over the weekend to find a house he was renting out had its’ air conditioner stolen. Deputies were called out and the renter was questioned, eventually admitting to stealing the unit and later pawning it. It also turns out that immediately after pawning it, the renter had reported it stolen. 21-yr-old Kevin Marlow was arrested and charged with larceny, in addition to filing a false report. The air conditioner was tracked down and returned to its’ owner.

Pregnancy Center To Hold Event This Month
The Wilkes Pregnancy Care Center has been helping people deal with unplanned pregnancies for the last 10 years. They also counsel women who are either considering abortion or have already gone through with one. Coming up later this month, the Center is putting together a program to help minister to those who are struggling to come to terms with an abortion in their past. That will go on August 20th starting at 9am in the morning. For more information you can call the Pregnancy Care Center at 838-9272.

Never Leave Cash In Your Car
A Taylorsville woman discovered why it’s not such a good idea to leave money in your car over the weekend. Parked her car at Tyson and went to work inside. However during the day, someone opened the car door and took her wallet from inside, stealing her driver’s license, credit cards and an estimated $61 in cash. There are no suspects but deputies are continuing the investigation.

Woman Arrested At Jerseys’ For Drug Use
Deputies responded to a call at Jerseys’ over the weekend, in regards to some possible drug use. Once there the manager pointed out a girl who had been seen snorting cocaine in the bathroom. Deputies searched the woman and found a pen that had been hollowed out and had cocaine residue inside. Also the woman had ½ of a hydrocodine pill in her pocket, along with several other pills and a smoking pipe. 35-yr-old Laura Danette Hodges was arrested and charged with drug possession and possession of drug paraphernalia.

State News

Lawmakers Continue To Battle Over Budget
North Carolina still doesn’t have a budget, over a month after the new fiscal year began. Stopgap measures have been voted in to keep the state running, as lawmakers continue to disagree over taxes. Originally the main problem was the fact Republicans and Democrats are ten cents apart on the cigarette tax increase. However now those differences span healthcare and money for education, along with taxes. Lawmakers have til Friday to come to an agreement, as the latest stopgap measure ends Friday night.

Reason For Derailment Possibly Discovered
Officials in Davidson County think they may have found out what caused a train to derail last week, spilling ground glass and limestone in the Tuckertown Reservoir. They believe the heat was to blame, as a manager from the Winston Salem Southbound Railway took a look at the site this weekend. The manager said that high heat caused the tracks to bend, which in turn led to the derailment. Cleanup is still continuing from the wreck.

Parts Of UNC Chapel Hill Catch Fire
Firefighters were called out early Monday morning to a blaze on the campus of UNC Chapel Hill. The Phillips Hall Annex was in flames, as a fire had started between the second floor ceiling and the roof. Damages to the building were placed at $50,000 while one firefighter was treated for heat exhaustion and released. It’s unknown what exactly caused the blaze at this time, although heat could be a factor.

Missing: One Bald Eagle
People in Charlotte are on the hunt today, looking for a creature that escaped over the weekend. Garibaldi the eagle flew the coop this weekend after a thunderstorm damaged its’ habitat at the Carolina Raptor Center. The bird has been sited several times, most recently on Sunday, but officials haven’t been able to catch him. The bird needs to be found quickly because he has a wing injury that prevents him from soaring through the air and will only last two weeks without the proper food and treatment.

New Evidence Could Help Solve Case
Good news today for the police department in Rich Square, as new evidence could help solve a five year old murder. Joe White, the former police chief in Rich Square, was killed during a traffic stop in 2000. A man has been arrested and charged with his murder, but no trial date has been set as the locals continue to put together evidence. Now something investigators found over the weekend may help solve the case, according to local officials. They wouldn’t go into detail, but the district attorney has requested the death penalty for Jason Herbert, who stands accused of White’s murder.

Sports Headlines

Gray To Get First Shot
With Chris Paul gone to the NBA, Wake Forest coach Skip Prosser finds himself with a hole at the point guard position. Prosser has come out now this week and said that rising senior Justin Gray would have the first shot at taking over the position this year. If he fails, incoming freshmen Harvey Hale and Shamaine Dukes will both get a shot.

Duke Class Ranked Number One
While last season saw the Blue Devils fall a bit short in the NCAA tournament, this year’s class gets rave reviews from college scouts. The new freshman class for Duke was ranked number one in the nation and Coach Krzyzewski said that with the talent in this group, one or more of the freshmen could break into the starting lineup. 6-10 forwards Josh McRoberts and Eric Baoteng will vie for time at the power forward and center position, with the loser backing up returning senior Eric Williams. Also guards Greg Paulus and Martynas Pocius will look to win the point guard spot. Regardless, Coach Krzyzewski said that he wanted this year’s team to use more of an uptempo fast break style of play while looking to limit turnovers. Whoever fits the definition the best will start, regardless if they’re a senior or freshman.

Minor League Scoreboard
Around the minor leagues last night, it was Winston Salem beating Salem 2-1. It took ten innings, but the Warthogs moved into a tie for first place in the Carolina League’s southern division with the win. Fabio Castro got his fourth win of the season after pitching two innings of scoreless relief.

Mills Uniform To Be Retired
The Carolina Panthers announced on Monday that they’ll be retiring the jersey of Sam Mills this season. Mills, who was both a player and later a coach for the team, died from intestinal cancer at age 45 earlier this year. The team will honor Mills during a ceremony at halftime of their preseason game August 13th. In other team news, the Panthers announced that linebacker Mark Fields is undergoing treatments for Hodgkins’ Disease and so far is progressing well.

Hurricanes Trade Star Player
In the NHL, the Carolina Hurricanes didn’t waste any time making deals now that it’s open season. The team traded Jeff O’Neil to the Toronto Maple Leafs for a pick in next year’s draft. O’Neil was one of the team’s original players, helping them make it to the Stanley Cup Finals in 2002. However due to the new salary cap, O’Neil’s contract requests couldn’t fit with other players still left to sign. O’Neil had asked that if he was traded, he’d like to end up back home in Toronto and the team granted his request.