County Unemployment Numbers Released
Bad news today for Wilkes County residents, as the latest unemployment numbers were released. According to the State ESC, unemployment here in Wilkes skyrocketed in June, bouncing back up to 6%. That’s an increase of over 4%, as we finished out the month of May at 5.6%. As it stands now, Wilkes has a labor force of 32,566 people. Out of that number, 30,596 are employed with 1970 looking for work. Once again we’re over the state average, which was 5.3% at the end of June.

Thieves Run Off With Diaper Bag From Ferguson Home
On Tuesday a Ferguson woman called sheriff’s deputies after her car was broke into. Due to the heat outside, she had left the windows down while going into a local store. When she returned however, several items were missing. The thieves took a diaper bag, bottles and baby formula, along with bank checks and some personal papers that had been inside. There are no suspects but deputies are continuing the investigation.

Focus On Adoption
Over a thousand kids are currently in the custody of Social Services here in North Carolina, with eight hundred in need of foster parents. DSS can’t handle them all, so other agencies have popped up to help carry the burden. Today at 1:05pm we’ll have the rest of my interview with Ladonna during Focus on the Foothills. That’s coming up right after the midday stock report.

Lawnmower Stolen From Wilkesboro Residence
Sheriff’s deputies were called out to a Wilkesboro man’s home on Monday, after thieves rode off with his lawnmower. The man returned to find that someone had literally busted open the doors to a nearby storage building, removing the riding lawn mower in addition to a push mower and a gas tank. Estimated damages were placed at $500. There is a suspect in the case and the investigation is ongoing.

Blood Drive Later Today
The blood supply in the county continues to fall in the critical category, despite repeated blood drives over the last few weeks. Poor turnout at many of the drives has kept the blood at its’ current level, with again a desperate need for Type O and Type B, both of which are under a day’s supply. Wilkes Regional Medical Center is holding a blood drive going on throughout the day. It starts at 7am and continues on til 11:30am this morning. Then after a short break it starts back up this afternoon at 1pm, stretching until 5:30pm. 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.

Thieves Run Off With Gas
A Wilkesboro man returned home this week to find that someone had been driving through his yard while he was away. Also it appeared that thieves had paid him a visit, as several items from the home were missing. A gas can and a miter saw were both stolen, despite there not being any damage done to the home itself and nothing else taken from the property. There is however a suspect in the case and deputies are continuing the investigation.

So Where Did The Car Go?
A North Wilkesboro man came walking up to sheriff’s deputies to report a stolen vehicle. Apparently he was out at Foster’s Grocery earlier this week buying gas when the vehicle was taken. According to him, while he was inside, someone got into the blazer and drove off down the road. He then walked all the way from Ronda to report the crime. Deputies noticed that he smelled of alcohol but began an investigation. Portions of the vehicle’s bumper were found in Moravian falls, where it looks like the blazer had struck the bank. However there was no sign of the vehicle itself. Video footage is coming in from Foster’s Grocery and the investigation is ongoing.

BROC Head Start Continues
Applications are still being taken for this year’s Head Start program, a preschool plan designed to help 3 and 4 year old children with their education. The program, which is run by the BROC agency, is currently accepting new students at their three locations here in Wilkes: The Cub Creek Center, the Lomax Center and also the North Wilkesboro Center. To be eligible, children and their families have to meet certain guidelines, mainly concerning the household income. In addition, the program also accepts disabled or special needs children regardless of their family income. In order to be eligible, the child has to turn three years old by October 16th of this year. The program itself will run from August until May of 2006, 8:30am until 2:30pm Monday through Thursday. For more information you can call Judi Mitchell at the BROC head office. Her number is 667-7174.

Be Careful Who You Let Inside
A Millers Creek man learned why it’s a good idea to be careful who you let inside your home. Earlier in the week he had let in several acquaintances to his girlfriend’s house, leaving them alone for several minutes while dealing with some other issues. When he returned all three of them left the house, however several items from the home left with them. When the girlfriend returned later in the night, she found that over a thousand dollars worth of jewelry was missing from the house. The names of the two friends were turned over to sheriff’s deputies and an investigation is ongoing.

State News

Jobs Coming To Gaston County
Good news today for workers in Gaston County, as over 500 jobs are headed to the area. Dole Foods announced that a plant will be built in Bessemer City, to possibly open up within the next year. The plant, which will be located near NC 274 in the SouthRidge Business Park, will process vegetables for the company and employ 525 people by 2008. When the plant is up to full speed, three thousand workers will have jobs there.

US Air Jet Lands In Durham
A US Air jet had to land in Durham on Wednesday after strange odors began filling up the cabin. The flight had just taken off from Charlotte when the pilot said he began smelling a strange odor in the room. Minutes later the smoke alarms went off as well and the pilot redirected the flight to Durham. All 66 passengers on board were fine and there were no incidents with the landing. However officials still don’t know what caused the smell, as the smoke had evaporated by the time the plane reached Durham.

Lexington Schools Consider A Merger
Looking to help ease the tax burden on citizens, Lexington officials are considering a merger in their school system. The current proposal would have the entire city school system merge with Davidson County, but it has both supporters and critics. Supporters claim the move would help lower the taxes currently imposed on city schools, however opponents say that it would also cause the city to lose several million dollars in funding from the federal government. In particular the Lexington School Board has opposed the plan, saying that the current setup has allowed them to guide and raise the performance of students, so there’s no reason to change.

No Budget In Sight
With only a day before the current stopgap runs out, it doesn’t appear that lawmakers are any closer to a budget. In fact, House Speaker Jim Black came out on Wednesday, telling reporters not to expect any announcements regarding the budget, because negotiations have stalled. The main issues deal with the proposed cigarette tax increase and possible pay raises for state employees. With that being the case, yet another stopgap measure will be voted on and installed, so that the state can continue to pay employees. Black said that it was possible a deal could be reached by next Friday.

More Money Coming To Elizabeth City Schools
Some good news today for schools in the Elizabeth City area, as a judge has turned over $34,000 to the school system. Back in April, officers discovered the money stored in the back of the department’s evidence locker, gathered from arrests stemming back as far as 1989. After presenting the cash before a court, the judge in the case ruled they could use it to buy new evidence tracking software, among other things. Now however that same judge has reversed his decision, ordering police to turn over the money to the school system some three months later. The reason, said Judge J. Richard Parker, is because North Carolina’s constitution orders that all penalties and forfeitures have to go to the public schools. It’s unknown if the department plans to appeal or if they have already spent the money.

Lawmakers Give Two Million To Study Bridge Building
While lawmakers can’t come to terms on a new budget, they did find time however to award two million dollars for a study at East Carolina University. The study is designed to determine if it would be possible to build a 10-mile bridge over Currituck Sound. Such a move was deemed necessary due to heavy traffic near the southern end of the county, however opponents say the traffic won’t get lighter, as easy access will entice more people to move into the area. Overall the project would currently cost one hundred million if it actually goes forward, financed with taxpayer bonds. The study will begin this coming fall.

Sports Headlines

Wide Receiver Chooses UNC
The number is now 19 for Tarheel football coach John Bunting. Yet another high school recruit has committed to the Heels, this one from just down the road in Charlotte. Hakeem Nicks, a junior wide receiver at Independence High, announced that he’ll suit up for the Heels in 2006. The 6-2 Nicks said he never considered any other school besides UNC.

Minor League Scoreboard
Taking a look at the minor league scoreboard, it was Winston beating Salem 4-2 on Wednesday as Warthogs starter Ray Liotta got his second win of the season. Liotta only gave up one run in 6 2/3 innings of work. With the win, the Warthogs move into a tie with Salem for first place in the Carolina League’s Southern Division. Up the road in Hickory, the Crawdads blew away the Lakewood Blueclaws 9-1. Crawdads starter Julio Guerrero gave up three runs in six innings to record his sixth win of the year.

Panthers Hit With Injury Bug Again
Some bad news for the Carolina Panthers, as they couldn’t make it out of camp without getting hit by the injury bug. Now linebackers Brandon Short and Chris Draft are nursing injuries. Draft had to be held out of camp on Monday after experiencing some problems with asthma, while Short is having pain in his knee. Also backup center Siitupe Peko’s out with a knee sprain. The only good news out of all this is that the injuries give some of the team’s free agents and draft picks a chance to develop with more playing time.

Rush To Re-Sign With Bobcats
Kareem Rush will become the first Bobcats free agent to re-sign with the team, his agent announced on Wednesday. His agent said that Rush had talked with Denver and New Jersey, but committed to Charlotte after those deals fell through. Charlotte traded with the Lakers to get Rush during last season, as the team needed an explosive scorer.

Hurricanes Sign Free Agent
In the NHL, the Carolina Hurricanes continued to restructure their lineup this week, coming to terms with free agent Cory Stillman. Stillman will take over for departed Jeff O’Neil, who was traded earlier this week. In 2003 playing for Tampa Bay, he put up 80 points. The Hurricanes are looking to revive a struggling offense that scored only 172 goals over the entire 2003 season, good enough for last in the NHL.