News & Sports For August 9th

ABC School Report Part 2: Middle Schools
With the State’s ABC results out for this year, Wilkes County schools have a grade to show for their end of course testing. Today we’re taking a look at the middle schools and how they measured up to the state requirements. All but one of the schools met or exceeded expectations, with that one exception being North Wilkes Middle. On the other side of the county, East Wilkes Middle was named an Honor School of Excellence, meaning that at least 90% of the students scored high on the testing and met the state’s requirements. Central Wilkes and West Wilkes Middle were both named as Schools of Distinction, which means that at least 80% of students met or exceeded state requirements. Those three schools, Central, East and West also all made high growth projections, exceeding the results from last year while continuing to develop. Tomorrow we’ll examine where the local high schools stand in all of this.

Reports of Forgery In North Wilkesboro
A North Wilkesboro man got a surprise over the weekend, when he received a call from his bank. It seems that several checks written to the man’s account had bounced, despite the fact he had never actually written them. All total, 25 checks had been taken from his home, along with $1600 in cash and $1500 in silver coins. It’s unclear exactly how the items were taken, as there hadn’t been any sign of a break-in during recent weeks and the man had just now noticed the items were gone. There is however a suspect in the case, as officials were identified of someone trying to cash one of the checks at a local store. The investigation is ongoing.

Open House At Different Schools This Week
With the first day of school less than a week away, it’s open house time around the county. Things get started tonight as North Wilkes Middle School holds orientation starting at 5:15 for rising 6th graders. Then later on at 7:15, it will be open house time for 7th and 8th graders. Also 7th & 8th graders at West Wilkes Middle can go by tonight starting at 3pm and pick up their schedules. For the other schools in the area, Thursday and Friday are the dates for this year’s orientation sessions. C.B. Eller, C.C. Wright, Moravian Falls, Mulberry, Roaring River, Traphill and Wilkesboro Elementary will all hold orientation sessions on Thursday night. Also the four high schools will all hold freshman orientation on Thursday, beginning for each one at 6pm. Mountain View Elementary will be holding their open house one day later, on Friday the 12th, as will East Wilkes Middle and Boomer Ferguson will hold a special orientation Friday night for Pre K and Kindergarten students, so they can meet the teacher. The final three schools are holding open house next week, beginning with Central Wilkes Middle School on the 14th, Mount Pleasant Elementary on the 18th and Millers Creek Elementary on the 25th.

Gas Thieves Hit Another Wilkes Business
Gas thieves hit another business in Wilkes this weekend, targeting the Grocery Bag on Boone Trail. A man pulled up in his vehicle, pumped just over $12 worth of gas into the car and then drove off without paying. A description of both the man and his ride were turned over to sheriff’s deputies and the investigation is ongoing.

Farmers At Risk Of Losing Benefits As Deadline Extended
Some farmers here in Wilkes County could be at risk of losing state aid dollars unless a mistake is corrected. The aid money is scheduled to be sent out to any farmer who suffered crop losses or had to rebuild from last year’s hurricanes. However when filing out their information sheet, several hundred farmers throughout North Carolina refused to allow the state to share their information with federal agencies. This causes a problem because the Department of Agriculture is the one in charge of sending out the aid money & without that consent form, they don’t know who to send it to. The deadline to turn in a form is September 9th and you can pick one up at the Cooperative Extension office. To call for more information, their number is 651-7331.

Wreck On 421 Totals Two
Wilkesboro police were called out to a wreck on 421 over the weekend, after a driver ran a red light. A Wilkesboro woman was trying to turn left onto Hwy 421 when another driver ran the red light and slammed into her. That second vehicle, driven by a Boone man was totaled with damages placed at $4000. Meanwhile the woman’s car was also totaled, with estimated damages placed at $5000. Thankfully no one was hurt in the crash however 22-yr-old Robert William Bates was charged with a stop light violation.

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 next week, 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 once again August 20th starting at 9am in the morning. For more information you can call the Pregnancy Care Center at 838-9272.

Tires Slashed While At A Business
A Wilkesboro woman called police over the weekend after coming out of the store to find her car had been vandalized. All four tires had been slashed, that along with other damage was estimated at a total cost of $500. There are suspects in the case, as employees inside the store witnessed two men doing something to the vehicle, but they couldn’t tell what. Names and a description of both men were turned over to police and the investigation is ongoing.

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 this Friday. 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 will be held this Friday, August 12th 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.

State News

Elderly Man Saves Soldier’s Life
A man in Fayetteville North Carolina saved the light of a soldier over the weekend. The soldier apparently had a seizure according to officials and lost control of his vehicle, which crashed into a gas pump. The car then burst into flames as the soldier’s wife and daughter were able to get out of the vehicle, however he was still pinned inside. 62-yr-old Richard Raynor heard the wife calling for help and managed to pull her husband, Adam Umland out of the car before it exploded. Umland sustained third degree burns across parts of his body and is currently being treated at UNC Hospital in Chapel Hill.

Pardons Come Slow For Freed Inmates
Problems are stemming up in North Carolina’s prison system, even after the inmates are freed. Recent evidence has led to freedom for at least four men in the state, however their permanent record still labels them as criminals. 54-yr-old Silvester Smith was wrongfully accused of being a child molester, however even after his release from prison, he has to register as a known sex offender. His case was thrown out of court due to testimony that proved he didn’t commit the crimes. With the offender tag, he’s been unable to find a job, despite his innocence. And several other similar cases are coming to light, all involving innocent men who still are labeled as criminals. Despite the problem however, Gov. Easley’s office hasn’t handed out any pardons. It’s not that he has refused, but his office says they’re reviewing the cases in question and there could possibly be a pardon issued by the end of this term.

Jobs Leaving High Point
Bad news today for people in the High Point area, as more jobs are heading out of town. Less than a week after the president signed the CAFTA bill into law, Henredon Upholstery announced plans to shut down their plant in the area. 45 jobs will be lost in the move as the company hopes to raise profits by combining the plant’s operations with another one in the area. Company officials said it was simply a plan to get better production from their factories.

North Carolina Man Breaks Drum Record
What does it take to be the world’s fastest drummer? A North Carolina man can tell you, as Cary resident Eric Okamoto broke the world record. Okamoto, a music teacher in the area, hit 1559 drumstrokes a minute, which broken down, means 26 strokes a second. The competition he took part in is called Extreme Sport Drumming, an event in which over 10,000 people have tried to break the previous record. The event is held twice a year and winners get their name entered into the Guinness Book of World Records.

Police Searching For Assault Suspect At NC State
Police around the NC State campus are searching for a suspect today, after he assaulted a student at the school. Over the weekend, a woman was walking on campus when she was grabbed from behind and tossed to the ground. She managed to escape and got a good look at her attacker, which a description was turned over to police. The man is believed to be in his 20s, around 5’7ft with brown hair and a strange body odor. Officials are asking anyone with information to call the local Crimestoppers before he strikes again.

Sports Headlines

Minor League Scoreboard
Taking a look at the minor league scoreboard from Monday, it was Delmarva beating the Hickory Crawdads 10-4. The game was called halfway through the eighth inning due to rain, as Crawdads starter Julio Guerrero got saddled with the loss. Guerrero gave up eight runs over four innings of work as Hickory falls four and a half games behind Delmarva in the hunt for the Northern Division title. Up the road in Winston the news was the same as the Warthogs lost to Wilmington 5-4. It took eleven innings to seal the deal as Warthogs reliever Juan Ovalles gave up the final run.

Kasay Unleashes Kicks
Fans who came out to the Carolina Panthers’ practice got some excitement earlier this week. Kicker John Kasay nailed several field goals beyond the fifty yard marker, hitting them from 59, 55 and 50 yards. So far, Kasay ranks third in league history in field goals made from beyond fifty yards, something that he attributes to God. He told reporters that it’s only by God’s grace that he can still maneuver and perform at such a high level.

Bobcats Schedule Revealed
The Charlotte Bobcats are still growing and developing into an NBA team, this being their second year in the league. Now at least they’ll know who to prepare for, as the schedules were released yesterday for the upcoming season. Tarheel fans will get their first chance to see the new Bobcats, Raymond Felton and Sean May on Saturday November 5th, when the team opens up the new arena against the Boston Celtics. Before that Charlotte starts off with two games on the road. First in Chicago on the 2nd and then in Philadelphia on the 4th.

Hurricanes Sign Another Player
In the NHL, the Carolina Hurricanes added another piece to the puzzle by signing Ray Whitney. Whitney, who had played the last four years with the Florida Panthers, agreed to a two year deal with the team. The 33-yr-old will help revive a struggling Hurricane offense, which only converted 10% of its’ power plays in 2003.

Kahne Signs Extension
In NASCAR, Kasey Kahne has his future locked up, after coming to terms on a contract with Everham Motorsports. With Kahne gone from the free agent market, rumors are now flying around the DEI is going after a big name driver to race in the #15 next season. Michael Waltrip will vacate the driver’s seat as he’s announced plans to leave DEI after this year is over. The mystery driver is under 30, according to Earnhart officials and ran a good time in this week’s practice sessions. An official announcement isn’t expected for several weeks on the hire.