News & Sports For September 7th

Donations Continue To Be Taken
As the need continues to grow throughout the Gulf Coast, more relief efforts are springing up here in Wilkes County. The State Employees Credit Union, in connection with the Red Cross, is taking up donations of both supplies and money. You can drop that by over the next few days and all those donations will be turned over to the Red Cross to send down. Harvest Time Christian Ministries is preparing to send down another trailer filled with supplies to people devastated by the storm. Four trailers have already been delivered to the different relief sites and the ministry hopes to send more in the coming days. Right now the fifth trailer is parked at Harvest Time Ministries, located at 501 C Street in Wilkesboro and being loaded. Everything is needed with the exception of clothes. After their latest shipment, relief workers told the ministry that there were more than enough clothes to go around, however food and other necessities are still desperately needed. 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. If you have any questions, you can call Gene Shepard at 667-6071. Calvary Baptist Church has opened their Fellowship Hall as a drop site for any items to be donated. You can come by and give from 5-7pm today and Thursday, then also this coming Saturday from 10am til 2pm. A mission team from the church will then take those supplies down as soon as they can get them loaded, to be divided between three towns in need: Roberts Louisiana, Amete Louisiana and Springfield Louisiana. Also financial donations will be taken to buy food for the survivors. If you want to give that way, please make checks out to Calvary Baptist Disaster Relief Fund. For more information you can call Jean Hodges at 973-4194. Finally Union United Methodist Church is collecting healthcare and baby supplies to send down. The church, located on Curtis Bridge Road will have someone available from 9am til 5pm on Wednesday and from 9am til noon on Thursday. For more information you can give them a call at 667-8670.

Notes From Commissioners’ Meeting
The Wilkes County Commissioners met last night and approved several issues. A moratorium of six months was issued, preventing any sex based businesses from entering the county until the end of that period. During that time, county officials will be working on plans to regulate such businesses, to prevent any problems and deal with concerns. The 4th week of September was also designated as Wilkes Cares Recognition and Appreciation Week, while Make a Difference Day was announced as being October 22nd. This year’s budget has set forth $9850 to pay for materials in the day’s plans. The week of September 17th through the 23rd was set aside as Constitution Week, honoring the 223rd anniversary of the drafting of the constitution.

Deadline Fast Approaching For Farmers
There are two days left for Wilkes County farmers to receive state funds if their property was damage by hurricanes last year. State aid money will be sent out this Friday, September 9th to anyone who suffered crop losses or had to rebuild from last year’s storms. 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.

Focus On Foxx
Every day when we drive to the pump, people wonder why gas prices are so high. What got us to this point? Congresswoman Virginia Fox believes that some of our past decisions are catching up with us. The Congresswoman will be Brian’s guest during Focus on the Foothills this week, as they’ll be discussing the gas shortage, what the lottery will mean for North Carolina and other issues that affect the 5th District. That’s coming up tomorrow at 1:05pm right after the midday stock report.

Break-In At Traphill Home
A Traphill woman called sheriff’s deputies earlier this week after returning home to find someone had beaten her there. Thieves had broke in through the front door and gone through the house, but only ran off with a ouija board and $300 worth of cards. There is a suspect in the case and deputies are continuing the investigation.

Our House To Hold Birthday Celebration This Friday
This Friday the candles will be lit and the celebration will start as Our House celebrates 10 years in ministry. In honor of the occasion, there will be a floating birthday party of sorts, open to the public from 4-6pm with cake, ice cream and punch on the menu. But in addition, the organization is using this time to hold a diaper drive. This time of year is the United Way’s annual blackout date, meaning that any group involved with the charity has to suspend any type of fund raising. However because of the need involved, Our House has been cleared to hold a diaper drive on Friday the 9th. Everyone is welcome to attend the event and for more information you can call Special Projects Coordinator Sherry Mayberry at Our House. The number is 667-5555.

More Stolen Gas
Even as gas prices start to drop in the county, some people in the area are refusing to pay at the pump. Gas thieves hit Foster’s Grocery over the holiday weekend, as a woman pulled up to the pump, put in $45 into her vehicle and then drove off without paying. A description of both the driver and car were turned over to sheriff’s deputies. That investigation is ongoing.

Ran Off With The Weed-eater
The high gas prices apparently lead to a theft in the Boomer community this week. A man walked out to his storage building on Monday, only to find that the door was open and some items were missing. Taken from inside was a weed-eater along with a half full gas can. There are no suspects and it’s unknown how someone gained access to the building, as no damage was done, despite the homeowner’s declaration that he had locked it. That investigation is ongoing.

State News

Package Left Behind By Hijacker Destroyed
On Monday night, Charlotte police evacuated the Greyhound bus terminal on West Trade Street after reports came in of an attempted hijacking. As passengers were getting off a man jumped into the driver’s seat holding a package and announced he was going to drive the bus to Washington. Police detained the man and took the package, which was addressed to the White House. They later detonated the box, although it was never determined what was inside. The suspect is now at Carolinas Medical Center where his mental state is being evaluated. No decision has been made as to if he’ll face charges.

More Katrina Evacuees Head To NC
More evacuees made their way to North Carolina on Tuesday, as 500 people arrived in Greensboro. 500 more are expected in Guilford County by the end of the week. Until homes can be found for temporary housing, all of the evacuees will be staying in the Greensboro Coliseum. Along with those arrived earlier in the week, Gov. Mike Easley welcomed them to North Carolina. The state government is working to get all the students into schools and colleges, while also finding jobs for the adults. FaithAction, a religious group out of Greensboro is coordinating the placement of the people and developing care teams for each family. Those teams will help determine what medical care is needed, assist in setting up food stamps for those who are eligible along with Medicaid and dealing with other needs. The group is still needing congregations to help, if not to house people then to be part of the care teams. For more information you can call 336-379-0037.

North Carolina Under Emergency State
North Carolina finds itself under a state of emergency today, as President Bush made the announcement on Monday. Placing North Carolina under the state of emergency means that both state and local governments will have access to federal funds in helping to relocate and support the victims of Hurricane Katrina. Senator Elizabeth Dole spoke after the President’s announcement, thanking him for helping the state to provide the best assistance possible.

More Jobs Headed To Surry County
Good news today for people in Surry County, as more jobs are headed to the area. Poli-Twine Inc., a company that makes synthetic rope is planning to build their first U.S. factory in Pilot Mountain. The move, which comes after a grant of $200,00 from Easley’s One North Carolina Fund, will generate 80 new jobs in the area. The Canadian company bought the Wellington Leisure Products plant and will begin renovations on October 1st. Company officials hope to have the plant up and running by February of next year. For job applications you can go to the Mount Airy office of the Employment Security Commission.

Terror Suspect Kills Wife & Daughter In Hendersonville
A mother and daughter from Hendersonville are in the hospital today after a suspect from the terrorist watch list attacked them both over the holiday. 22-yr-old Mohammed Al-Hilo is an Iraqi suspected of having ties to terrorist networks. He, along with his common law wife and baby daughter had been living in Hendersonville. Police received a phone call Monday night from the address, as a little girl told them that her daddy had just killed her mommy. Al-Hilo was arrested a few minutes later, after he had just tried to kill both his daughter and himself. He failed however and now all three are in the hospital. The wife and daughter are in critical condition while Al-Hilo is in serious condition.

Sports Headlines

Wake Forest Injured List Grows
Some bad news today for Wake Forest football fans, as several members of the team were placed on the injured list. Starting linebacker Jon Abbate pulled his hamstring in last Saturday’s game and may miss the trip to Nebraska this week. Abbate, a sophomore who led the team last year with 101 tackles as a freshman, will most likely be a gametime decision. A player who will definitely miss Saturday’s game and might not return this season is sophomore Brodie Overstreet. The guard is heading back to the doctor and possibly will need surgery to repair some damage in his right eye. The problem has been there for the last two years but has become worse with time. It’s unknown if Brodie will ever suit up for the Deacons again.

Duke’s Practice Put On Hold
Practice was suspended on Monday for Duke’s football team, as players attended the funeral of a teammate’s father. James Moravchik, the father of senior offensive lineman Jim Moravchik, died last week of a heart attack. Coach Ted Roof flew into Wisconsin to be with the family for the funeral. Practice will start back up today to get ready for Saturday’s first game against an ACC opponent, as the team will play Marcus Vick and Virginia Tech.

North Carolina Lands Another QB
The football season hasn’t even started yet for the UNC Tarheels, but coach John Bunting has to be smiling about what’s in store for next year. The Tarheels got their 24th commitment this week, as QB Anthony Parker-Boyd agreed to play next season. Parker-Boyd, a high school senior in Pennsylvania, tossed 15 touchdowns and threw for 1815 yards last season, while also rushing for 950 more. During his high school career he’s returned kicks and served as a running back while also running the offense. Boyd said that family ties to the area and confidence in Heels coach John Bunting helped him make the decision. Despite the competition, the senior says he believes he can come in and win the starting job during training camp.

Minor League Scoreboard
Around the minor leagues last night, Winston Salem pulled out the victory in the Carolina League’s play-in game. They beat Salem Virginia 6-5 on Tuesday night, winning the southern division title for the second half of the season. Ryan Rodriguez gave up two runs over 5 2/3/ innings of work for his 13th win of the season, while Fabio Castro recorded his sixth save. Now the team advances into the playoffs tonight, with a best of three series against Kinston for the divisional championship. The first pitch is set for 7pm tonight in Winston.

Hurricanes Bring In Players For Tryout
In the NHL, the clock is ticking down til the first game and the Carolina Hurricanes are still busy assembling their roster. The team sent 21 players to the rookie tournament this week, to determine who they want to keep and who gets sent down to the minor leagues. The tournament will go on through Friday, with decisions made on who stays and goes early next week.