News & Sports For September 13th

Man Killed On Hwy 18 Monday Morning
Wilkesboro police are still investigating after a death on Hwy 18 Monday morning. In the early hours, a man was apparently crossing the road when he was hit by a car speeding down the highway. The man was killed instantly however police are still searching for any clues about the vehicle that hit him. Traffic was detoured for several hours as police blocked off the scene and cleaned up the area. We’ll have more details for you as they become available.

Relief Efforts Continue Throughout Wilkes
Relief efforts are continuing throughout the county today to bring aid to the victims of Hurricane Katrina. Harvest Time Ministries continues to send trailers down to Mississippi and is still accepting donations. While all donations are appreciated, the most needed items are cleaning supplies, school supplies, diapers and baby bottles. Also if anyone has some spare toys, they would also be a great thing to give out to the children. People can come by and donate at any time and if there’s no one around, you can drop off items on the porch of Harvest Time Ministries, located at 501 C Street in Wilkesboro. If you have any questions, you can call Gene Shepard at 667-6071. Calvary Baptist Church continues to take donations as well in their Fellowship Hall, to send down to three Louisiana towns in need. In addition to regular donations, the church has also challenged local businesses if you haven’t gotten involved yet to act as a donation drop site. For more information you can call Jean Hodges at 973-4194. And if you missed any of these or other donation sites that we mention on the news, just call the 3WC Studios here at 838-9992 and we’ll be glad to get you that information.

Always Turn The Alarm On
Sheriff’s deputies were called out to a Hayes woman’s home over the weekend, after she woke up to see thieves had paid her a visit. While she was sleeping, someone gained access to her house and stole over $400 worth of items. Included in the theft was a pair of eyeglasses, in addition to $5 in cash and other items. It’s unclear exactly how the thieves got inside as there was no damage done to any part of the home. Deputies are continuing the investigation.

Habitat For Humanity Building New Home
We hear stories on the news about the victims of Hurricane Katrina and how they lost their homes, but many others here in our own county find themselves unable to afford a house or trailer due to medical bills and other issues. Habitat For Humanity is working to solve that problem, as they have another house under construction, to give to a needy family. Volunteers are needed at the latest Habitat House, being built on Hwy 268 East. The home is ready for sheetrocking and volunteers are needed every Friday and Saturday. For more information you can call Habitat at 651-7817.

Car Stolen From North Wilkesboro Residence
It’s never a good idea to leave the keys in your car. A North Wilkesboro man found that out this week after waking up to find his vehicle had been stolen. In addition to the vehicle, there was a .22 revolver underneath the front driver seat taken as well. There is however a suspect in the case and the investigation is ongoing.

Red Cross Offers Opportunity To Help
While supplies continue to be donated across Wilkes County, many people can’t afford to give money or other items. If you find yourself in that situation and still want to help, the Red Cross is offering the first of several training sessions later tonight. In order to volunteer for any type of disaster relief, people first have to complete the Red Cross training sessions. The first one will be held tonight from 6-9:30pm. To get more information you can call the local Red Cross at 838-4563.

Man Arrested After Elkin Break-In
An Elkin man called sheriff’s deputies over the weekend after returning to discover that thieves had broke into his cabin and stolen several thousand dollars worth of material. Later on over the weekend, another person noticed a car sitting in a field and reported it as suspicious after noticing a tv, muzzle loader and other items inside. Witnesses turned over the vehicle’s license plate to deputies, who tried to use it to track down the vehicle’s owner. Instead, they found the man’s 15 year old girlfriend, who admitted that she and her boyfriend did in fact commit the crime. The girl was charged as a juvenile and her 21-yr-old boyfriend, Jonathon David England was charged with breaking & entering, stealing a firearm and contributing to the delinquency of a minor.

Debate Between Candidates This Thursday
With the North Wilkesboro Primary coming up in two weeks, voters will get their first chance to hear the candidates express their views in person. Challenger Gerald Lankford and incumbent Steve Foster will hold a debate this Thursday at the Wilkes County Library. The Republican candidates will discuss the issues starting at 6pm in a debate open to the public. The winner of this month’s primary will go on to face George Church in the November election.

Guns And Jewelry Stolen From Ronda Home
Thieves broke into a Ronda man’s home over the weekend and walked out with several thousand dollars worth of guns and jewelry. Included in the theft was the victim’s wedding ring, along with nine other rings and a Ruger .22 caliber pistol. Thieves gained access through a side door to the home. There is a suspect in the case and deputies are continuing the investigation.

State News

National Guard Program Gets NC Tryout
North Carolina will be testing out a new program designed to help families of its’ National Guard units over the next few months. Citizen Soldier is a new plan put out and funded by the Defense Department, who handed out $1.8 million dollars to put it to the test. The goal is to make it easier for families of National Guard soldiers to get help, organizing support services through different agencies. To learn more about the program and get the information you need, you can get in touch with your local National Guard unit. Here in Wilkes County,

NC Woman Accused Of Hurricane Fraud
With the influx of donation drives and contributions coming in to help the hurricane victims, there are also reports of fraud. A woman from Kernersville was arrested and charged this week with fraudulently soliciting money for the relief effort. 22-yr-old Heather Parrish posed as a member of the National Guard, requesting money from people to help evacuees. However that cover story was revealed to be a lie and Parrish was soon arrested. She had only received money from one person before her arrest. Parrish will appear in court on September 30th.

Durham Police Car Slams Into House
Homeowners in Durham received a wake up call Monday morning, when a police car slammed into the side of a house on Kent Street. The officer was assisting in the chase for a wanted felon when he lost control of the car. He swerved to avoid a car in front of him, jumping the sidewalk and crashing into the house. Both the officer and those inside the home were able to walk away uninjured, however both the vehicle and the building were seriously damaged. The Durham Police Department has opened up an investigation into the case.

Hurricane Ophelia Now Tropical Storm
People on North Carolina’s coast can breathe a little easier today, after Hurricane Ophelia was downgraded to a tropical storm. Winds from the storm have dropped to 70 mph but the hurricane warning has not been changed at this time. The reason being that officials from the National Hurricane Center said Monday night that the storm could head out to sea and gather strength. It’s been hard to track Ophelia mainly because it’s moving extremely slow, at times appearing to be stationary on the Carolina coast. Gov. Easley however refused to take chances and issued a mandatory evacuation of all non residents from Ocracoke Island on the Outer Banks.

Murdock Outlines Kannapolis Plans
David Murdock has huge plans for Kannapolis and he outlined them in a speech Monday morning. Murdock, who bought the former Pillowtex #1 plant, wants to turn it into a research campus dealing with biotechnology. Groundbreaking for the complex should begin in roughly three months, with the finished product including 1.2 million square feet of technology space. In addition to the complex itself, about 700 homes and 350,000 square feet of retail space will be built. Gov. Easley and Senator Dole were on hand for the announcement, which state officials said had the potential to revitalize the North Carolina economy.

Sports Headlines

UNC Charlotte Lands Hoops Recruits
There are high hopes for UNC Charlotte’s basketball team as the school moves into their new conference. Now the university is reloading with more talent headed in next season. 6-6 guard Cameron Tatum committed to Charlotte over the weekend. The high school senior from Georgia, who averaged 21 points and 10 rebounds last year picked UNC Charlotte over NC State and Tennessee. Also Charles Dewhurst, a 6-6 guard from Charlotte Latin High School committed to play for the 49ers.

UNC Tarheels Add New Opponents
Steve Spurrier will be paying a visit to Chapel Hill in the near future. The South Carolina Gamecocks have agreed to play the Tarheels in a two game series starting in 2007. October 13th of that year the Gamecocks will make their way into Chapel Hill, but it’ll take three years to have a rematch. The Heels will head into South Carolina on September 18th 2010. The two teams signed the games as a way of filling that last spot in the schedule, now that the NCAA has added a 12th game on the season. Over the history of the two schools, they’ve met 54 times with North Carolina winning 34 of the games.

Bobcat Lends Hand To Victims
Several hundred victims of Hurricane Katrina have found their way to Charlotte North Carolina, most still hunting for friends and family members. But one member of the Charlotte Bobcats is doing his part to try and lend a hand. Rookie Sean May brought his family to the Charlotte Coliseum armed with t-shirts, socks, underwear and water, to give to the evacuees. They also handed out books to the kids and spent time listening to the stories shared by the victims. May said that he wanted to do something to help, because he felt it was his responsibility.

Panthers News & Notes
If the last second loss to New Orleans wasn’t bad enough, the Carolina Panthers will have to do without the services of defensive tackle Kris Jenkins. In Sunday’s game, Jenkins injured his knee and after getting it checked out, doctors determined the ACL ligament had been torn. Now Jenkins will miss the rest of the season.

US Baseball Falls Short
Some baseball news, as the USA fell just short against Cuba in the Pan American Junior Championships. Cuba won 2-1 in the gold medal game, landing their sixth straight title, while the US received its’ third straight silver medal. As a result of making it to the championship, both teams receive a spot in the World Championships, which will be held next year in Cuba.

USA Readies Another Olympic Bid
Just because New York lost out in its’ Olympic bid this past year doesn’t mean the USA has given up on hosting the games again. A group in Los Angeles announced over the weekend that the city would be putting in a bid for the 2016 games. One aspect of the bid that makes it especially attractive to voters is the fact it will be financed solely by private donations. No taxpayer money will be used.