Wilkes Spotlight: Over Four Thousand Kids Living In Poverty
Over four thousand children are living in poverty here in Wilkes, this according to information released from the North Carolina Child Advocacy Institute. As of last year, North Carolina considered a family making less than $19350 to be living in poverty. That balances out to a cost of $13 each a day for an average family of four. There are 34,833 children here in the county, out of which 4469 live in what the state considers poverty conditions. In addition out of that number, 1859 live in extreme poverty where the family makes 9700 or less. Tomorrow in part two of our series on Wilkes County kids, we take a look at the family situations each live in and how that compares to the rest of the state.

Wilkes County Takes People Back In Time
This Saturday, the Wilkes Heritage Museum will take people back in time for a “Civil War Afternoon”. The event runs from 1-4pm and will feature re-enactments, an exhibit on Confederate currency, music and a book signing by “The Secret of War” author Terrell Garren. Garren’s book deals with actual events that occurred during and just after the Civil War here in Western North Carolina. There is however a fee to attend, as people must pay regular admission price in order to get in. In addition to the Civil War events, that fee will also include tours of the Old Wilkes Jail and Robert Cleveland Log Home. For more information you can call Old Wilkes at 667-3171.

Missing Piggy Bank Proves Valuable
A Wilkes County man came home earlier this week to find someone had beaten him there. It seems that thieves found the spare key he had stored away and got inside the house. Once in, they stole over $800 in change. Coins dating back 70 to 80 years were taken. Deputies do however have suspects and that case is ongoing.

Focus On Foxx
It’s a time of controversy in our nation’s capital. Questions have been raised about the president’s wiretapping plans, which some have called unconstitutional. While Democratic and Republican leaders have come out saying that they knew nothing about the program, that’s not exactly true, according to 5th District Congresswoman Virginia Foxx. The congresswoman will be Brian’s guest for this week’s edition of Focus on the Foothills, as they’ll be talking about the wiretap controversy, going over what exactly Congress was told about the subject. Also gas prices and illegal immigration will be part of the conversation, coming up tomorrow at 1:05pm right after the midday stock report.

Property Stolen While Owner In Hospital
Thieves waited until a Millers Creek man was in the hospital before paying a visit to his property. When the man returned home on Monday, he discovered over a thousand dollars worth of items had gone missing. It’s unclear how the thieves managed to get inside, as there was no sign of a break-in and no damage done to the property. Taken in the theft was a chainsaw, a weedeater and other tools. That investigation continues.

Recall Of Mixed Nuts
Before you pick up that bag of nuts to eat, you might want to check the date on them. A recall has been ordered of all Fisher Brand Deluxe Mixed Nuts in the 32 oz. plastic containers. The company issued a recall because some containers had peanuts inside but weren’t clearly labeled, meaning that anyone with an allergy could have serious problems. All the packages have a sell by date of November 5th 2006 and you can take them back to the store for a full refund. For more information a number has been set up for customers at 1-847-593-2300.

Car Damaged At Wilkesboro Home
A Wilkesboro woman called police after finding that someone had damaged her car. The incident happened while she was at a friend’s apartment. Walking outside, the woman found nails in two of her tires and shattered glass all around. An estimated $250 worth of damage was done to the vehicle, however there are suspects in the case as witnesses saw two people hanging around the car. That investigation continues.

State News

Jobs Lost At Charlotte Tire Plant
Over 500 people will be out of work in Charlotte this spring thanks to Continental Tire. The company announced plans on Monday to lay off 513 people at their Charlotte plant, due to manufacturing costs. Continental said they tried a compromise to keep all the workers employed but couldn’t reach an agreement. They had asked the employees to take a pay cut from $40 an hour to $26. That was shot down by the union. The first round of layoffs will begin in March.

People Arrested For Church Break-Ins
Two couples in Carroll County have been arrested and charged with breaking into area churches. Over the past month, six separate churches have been broke into with items being stolen from inside. Jerry and Donna Church and Harlen and Rosalie Workman were all charged in connection with the thefts. Apparently all four worked together as a group to gain access to the buildings. It’s unclear why churches were targeted in the crime spree.

Baseball In Charlotte Moves Forward
The dream of bringing baseball to Charlotte took a step forward this week, as city council members approved more study of the idea. The Charlotte Knights, a minor league team that actually plays in nearby Fort Mill SC, would pay for building the stadium, covering all but $5 of the $34 million total costs. That $5 million would come from the city’s tourism fund, allowing the stadium to be built in Charlotte’s Center City.

Dangerous Slime Covering Raleigh Creek
State officials are trying to determine what exactly is covering a creek in North Raleigh. Some type of slimy white goo began appearing in the creek last week. When residents tried to touch it, the slime burned their skin. It’s believed that the local water treatment plant could be at fault, as it releases water into the creek. Concerns have been raised because the creek flows into a nearby lake, where Raleigh gets part of its’ drinking water. Officials have done tests and collected samples, which they sent off for examination. Results are expected next week.

Lawyers Present NC With Legal Bill
North Carolina owes over $10 million in legal fees, according to lawyers. A 47-page document was filed in December requesting the money, which was earned through the lawyers work on the Leandro case. In that 1997 case, a judge ruled that North Carolina has a constitutional duty to give each student a good, basic education that meets minimum standards. State Board of Education officials said they weren’t exactly sure where the money would come from.

Civil Rights Icons Honored In Chapel Hill
Three civil rights icons are being honored in Chapel Hill. Rosa Parks, Claudette Colvin and Mary Louise Smith will all have memorial plaques placed on the front seat of the town’s transit buses. Colvin and Smith, while not as well known as Parks, did just as much for civil rights. They were the plaintiffs in the Supreme Court case which ended bus segregation.

Sports Headlines

High School Scoreboard
Around the high school scene last night, it was Starmount over North Wilkes 75-37. Also it went down to the wire, but East Wilkes pulled out a victory 59-55 over West Wilkes. East improves to 5-7 with the win, while West drops to 5-9. On the girls side of the ball, it was Starmount over North Wilkes 51-36 and the Lady Cardinals of East lost by the same score 51-36 to West. The lady Blackhawks get their 3rd win of the season, improving to 3-10 while East Wilkes falls to 1-10.

Elkin Football Player Commits To Liberty
Liberty University’s football program is getting a shot in the arm, thanks to one local player. Elkin High’s Terry Adams announced this week that he was committing to the school. The high school senior, a 6’1 235 lb. defensive end, recorded 69 tackles and 7 sacks this past season while helping Elkin to a state title. Adams can sign the national letter of intent on February 1st.

NCAA Scoreboard
Taking a look at the college scoreboard, it was Davidson over the Citadel 85-49. Also the UNC Tarheels survived another major test, as the young team took out Virginia Tech 64-61. Freshman forward Tyler Hansbrough had 20 points and 9 rebounds to lead the Heels, who improve to 10-2 on the year. NC State meanwhile had no problems taking care of Boston College 78-60. Cedric Simmons had 15 points to lead the Wolfpack, who improve to 12-2.

Wolfpack Exodus Continues
The bad news continues for the NC State Wolfpack. Two more members of the football team announced on Monday that they were planning to leave early for the NFL. Offensive tackle Derek Morris and defensive tackle John McCargo will both leave school for the draft. It could be a mistake however as McCargo is only predicted to go as a third round pick and Morris is completely off the board.

NBA: Houston at Charlotte
It took double overtime but the Charlotte Bobcats held on to win 111-106 over the Houston Rockets. Gerald Wallace led the Bobcats with 26 points, 14 rebounds, 4 blocks and 3 steals. Also Emeka Okafor came back from injury, in limited action he put up 21 points, 8 rebounds and 2 blocks. The win brings Charlotte to 11-23 on the season, as they get set to play Toronto tonight.

NHL: Detroit at Carolina
The Carolina Hurricanes notched their 28th win of the season, after a 3-2 win over Detroit on Tuesday night. Eric Cole led Carolina with a goal and an assist.