News & Sports For August 25th

Illness To Garwood Plays Part In Lottery Debate
North Carolina is still without a lottery today and a hospital visit by Wilkes Senator John Garwood played a part. With Garwood in the hospital recovering from illness, a vote on the lottery would be deadlocked, as Republicans and Democrats stood tied on the issue. State Democrats tried to fix the issue by challenging a leave of absence taken by one member of the Senate. Under state rules, a Senate member has to request a leave of absence, meaning that they have to find another senator who will agree to be paired up with them. The pair basically cancel each other’s vote out, keeping any one side from having an unfair advantage due to sickness or other issues. After Garwood went to the hospital, Majority Leader Tony Rand challenged the absence of another Republican who was paired with a Democrat. If such a challenge was held up, it would mean that Democrats had the necessary votes needed to pass through the lottery. However minutes later, Democrat Marc Basnight, the Senate leader, surprisingly withdrew the request and allowed the session to end without a vote on the lottery. Basnight later said the move was made to treat the Republican delegates with respect.

One Stop Shopping In North Wilkesboro
A North Wilkesboro man got a surprise when he returned home on Tuesday. Thieves had broke in through the back door and taken several thousand dollars worth of materials. Included in the theft was a gun cleaner kit, some golf clubs, a telescope, a cordless drill and several other items. There are vehicle tracks leading from the man’s back yard onto Fishing Creek Road, but as of yet deputies have no suspects. The investigation is ongoing.

United Way Campaign Begins Today
Later tonight, the Wilkes United Way organization is holding an event to kick off their 2005-2006 campaign. The price of admission is one can of non perishable food. There will be food and games, along with musical performances, face painting and other things. In addition, raffle tickets will be sold, with the winner receiving two tickets to the Food City 500 Nextel Cup Race in Bristol. To get more information you can call the local United Way office at 651-7800 or visit their website at www.Uwwilkes.org.

Gas Thieves Hit Again
For the second time in less than two days, gas thieves hit a business in the Wilkes County area. This time a man pulled up to the Rock Creek BP, pumped just over $26 worth of gas into his car and drove off. Employees however were able to get a description of both the man and his vehicle, which were turned over to deputies. The investigation is ongoing.

Focus On The Kitchen
When people can’t afford to buy food, who do they turn to? Here in Wilkes, the Samaritan’s Kitchen lends a hand. The Kitchen, which has been in operation for over six years, is involved with several different programs throughout the week. Elizabeth Ferguson, Volunteer Coordinator for the Kitchen, will be Brian's guest on Focus later today. They'll be discussing some ways you can get involved and lend a hand if you want to do that. That’s today at 1:05pm, right after the midday stock report.

Just Came Over To Borrow The Shed
Sheriff’s deputies were called out to a Ronda woman’s home on Tuesday, after she discovered something strange on her property. Thieves had apparently tried to break into one of her storage buildings, however once inside they turned around and left. Nothing was taken from the building and no other damage was done to any part of the property. There is a suspect in the case, as witnesses saw a white pickup in the area and were able to describe it, along with the driver to deputies.

Roadside Assistance For Farmers
The Department of Agriculture has created a new program for farmers in the area, one that would help them market their products. The Roadside Farm Market program is designed to help farmers directly sell their fruits and vegetables to people who might otherwise buy the products at a store. Now for more information or to get involved with the program, you can contact Ross Williams at the NC Department of Agriculture. His number is 919-733-7887. Applications are also available at the Wilkes Cooperative Extension office.

Wreck On Main Street Totals Two
Wilkesboro police were called out to the scene of a wreck on Main Street Tuesday afternoon. A Traphill woman had slowed down due to traffic ahead of her when she was hit from behind. The second driver, a Hays woman, had been following behind but didn’t notice the car coming to a stop in time to avoid a collision. Both cars were totaled and had to be towed away, with estimated damages placed at $6800. That second driver, Amber Nicole Davis was charged with failure to reduce speed and having unsafe tires. Thankfully however no one was injured in the crash.

Mailbox Vandals Hit For Second Time This Week
A Darby man was the latest victim of mailbox vandals this week. During the night, the man heard a loud noise and came out to see what it was. While he didn’t see anyone around, his mailbox was damaged, making it the eighth such case in that area. Over the last few weeks several different homes in the area have been targets of the vandals but in each cases, no one actually saw the crime taking place. Deputies are continuing the investigation.

State News

Murder Suspect Doesn’t Show Up For Court
In Burlington, police are on the hunt for a murder suspect, a man who was released on bond and appears to have fled. Ramone Donte Stewart was charged with first degree murder after killing a man outside a bar two years ago. Stewart was released on $275,000 bond, but failed to show up for his trial. Warrants have been issued for his arrest and officials are asking anyone with information to call their local law enforcement office.

Mixed Results For NC In Base Realignment
The news was mixed for North Carolina after the Base Realignment Commission made its’ recommendations. Due to the closing of Fort McPherson in Georgia, two separate Army commands will be transferring to Pope Air Force Base. In addition, the 7th Special Forces Group will be moved from Fort Bragg to Eglin Air Force Base in Florida, while Bragg’s 82nd Airborne Division will gain a brigade combat team. All total, 4325 new jobs will be coming to Fort Bragg over the next few months. However the commission also recommended that the Naval Reserve Center in Asheville be shut down, one of 20 such centers that the Pentagon wants eliminated. Before any of this can happen however, both President Bush and the Congress have to approve the changes.

Drivers Stranded After Heavy Rains
Several dozen drivers had to look for new ways of getting to work on Wednesday, after their cars were stranded on a parking deck. Tuesday night, flash flooding in the Charlotte area led one parking deck on Executive Park Drive to be submerged, causing damage to 75 vehicles in the area. The reason for the flooding comes from a design flaw, as a creek runs below the deck. People spent a good part of the day scooping out water and trying to dry off their vehicles.

Milk Causes Traffic Problems On I-40
Parts of I-40 near Greensboro were backed up Wednesday morning as work crews cleaned up a wreck. A tractor trailer carrying milk overturned, spilling out 200 gallons onto the highway. One lane of I-40 was closed until the afternoon, as workers attempted to clean up the milk and move the truck out of the way. Officials believe a lack of sleep was the cause of the crash, as the driver was airlifted to Baptist Hospital.

ATV Ring Broke Up In Gaston County
Officials in Gaston County announced on Wednesday that they’ve broken up an ATV theft ring that had been operating in the area. The ringleader, 19-yr-old Michael Shane Hoffman, was arrested and charged this week. Hoffman and his group are accused of stealing ATVs from Cleveland, Gaston, Mecklenburg and York Counties. Portions of the stolen goods already recovered are estimated at $55,000 with more still missing.

Sports Headlines

UNC Loses QB For Season
Bad news for the Tarheels, as they’ve officially lost their backup quarterback for the season. Roger Heinz agreed to have surgery on his back, to repair two herniated discs that have all but wiped out his sophomore year. With Heinz now officially out, that leaves freshman Cam Sexton as the backup. Sexton had been competing for the starting job in spring practice, until he broke his ankle, which he’s still rehabbing. Behind Sexton on the depth chart are redshirt freshman Joey Bozich, true freshman Bobby Rome, and walk-ons Ben Johnson and Jay Spence. Matt Baker will be the starter when the Heels take the field on September 10th.

ACC Schedule Part One
The ACC basketball schedule was released on Wednesday, with the conference making a record 265 appearances on national TV. This season marks the first that Boston College will take part in, as the conference expands to 12 schools. Some important games for local fans will be Saturday Nov. 19th, when Gardner-Webb takes on the national champion Tarheels. Then one day later on Sunday, November 20th, the Demon Deacons of Wake Forest play host to UNC Asheville. Appalachian State comes to Winston for a matchup against the Deacons on Friday Nov. 25th and then Elon comes to Wake on Saturday December 3rd. The Mountaineers will continue to make their rounds in the ACC, as Appalachian heads to Reynolds Coliseum to take on the Wolfpack Saturday December 10th. Tomorrow we’ll take a look at the other highlights on the schedule after December.

Minor League Scoreboard
Taking a look around the minor leagues, it was Winston Salem beating Lynchburg 4-1. The Warthogs got a strong pitching performance from starter Ray Liotta, who didn’t give up any runs in six innings of work to get his fifth win of the season. Orionny Lopez came on in relief to record his first save of the season.

Davis Moves Up To First Team
In the NFL, some good news for Panther fans, as running back Stephen Davis was moved up into the starting lineup. Until now, Deshaun Foster had been the starting back, but the return of Davis bumped him to the second unit. Davis, who’s recovering from off season knee surgery, is expected to be kept out of Friday’s game with Cleveland but is targeting next week’s matchup against Pittsburgh as his official return.

Junior To Run Busch Team
In NASCAR, Dale Junior is making a move of sorts as he starts up his own Busch team. JR Motorsports, will have the number 88 Chevy in the Busch Series next season, driven by Mark McFarland and sponsored by the US Navy. This won’t be the first race for McFarland or the #88, as Junior debuted the team this season in the Pro Cup Series. McFarland drove the car to one win and ten top ten finishes in thirteen races. Eaarnhart says he still wants DEI involved with the venture, but there is no agreement currently in place.

Rule Changes Coming In NASCAR
Some major news coming out of NASCAR today, as certain rule changes were announced for 2006. The current testing policy will be refined, with each team allowed only six designated tracks to test at. Two of the six tests have to be at Daytona and Indianapolis, with the other four still up for discussion. Also a tire leasing policy will go into effect, replacing the current program of buying them each week. At each track, teams will be able to lease as many tires as they want, however all of them must be returned before the crew leaves the track. Also cars will be impounded after qualifying at 31 of next year’s 36 races.