Wilkes Soldier Now Charged With Premeditation
A Wilkes County soldier was officially charged with premeditated murder as his preliminary hearing began this week. 19-yr-old Brandon Bare faces two counts of indecent acts and one count of premeditated murder in the death of his wife, 18-yr-old Nabila Bare last July. Mrs. Bare was stabbed over 70 different times at the couple’s home in Tacoma, mostly being targeted in the head and neck. The charge of indecent acts comes due to Bare’s mutilation afterward of his wife’s remains. Bare served with the 1st Brigade, 25th Infantry Division in Iraq and was home on leave when the murder happened, recovering from injuries sustained in battle. Bare’s case manager at Madigan Army Medical Center testified this week. Michael Collins said that Brandon had problems controlling his anger and didn’t approve of his wife going out and partying. Collins had helped Bare get enrolled into a therapy program, to help in dealing with his anger and also the stress of combat. Bare’s attorney denied the premeditation charge, saying that the murder was an act of rage with no evidence to prove his client had in fact planned it in advance.

Tip Leads To Drug Bust On Martin Road
Sheriff’s deputies responded to a tip on Martin Road this week and ended up busting another drug dealer. After obtaining a search warrant, deputies went inside and discovered 387 grams of marijuana and 151 grams of cocaine, hidden in bedroom dressers, under the sink and in several other bags throughout the home. Also inside a locked closet deputies uncovered a marijuana growing operation. $12,088 in cash was seized, along with a 1999 Dodge Durango, two handguns and several computers. 32-yr-old Shalijamon Japhet Gilchrist and 28-yr-old Warren Anthony Brown were both charged with maintaining a dwelling for the sale of drugs, manufacturing & trafficking cocaine, manufacturing marijuana, possession of drugs with intent to sell and distribute, possession of drug paraphernalia and possession of a firearm by a felon.

Wreck On Main Street In Wilkesboro Totals Two
The wet road played a part in an accident Wednesday afternoon. The incident happened around 1:30pm on East Main Street, as a North Wilkesboro man was traveling down the highway. The vehicle in front of him was getting ready to make a right turn and had slowed down, but due to the wet pavement he couldn’t stop in time to avoid the wreck. No one was injured, but both vehicles were totaled as an estimated $6500 worth of damage was done.

Children In Wilkes Part III: School Situations
Some children here in Wilkes are struggling in school, according to a study by North Carolina's Child Advocacy Institute. The report finds that among other things, a language barrier seems to be part of the problem. 631 students here in Wilkes have a hard time speaking English. Some developmental and physical problems are also to blame, with 1175 students having at least one or more disabilities. However there are encouraging signs as well. Out of the students who speak foreign languages at home, 837 of them are able to converse in and understand English. Also out of the entire student population, only 878 have dropped out. The report finds that by supplying additional support, such as tutors to help overcome the disability and language barriers, will help the county to improve.

Graveyard Vandals Hit Millers Creek Church
Sheriff’s deputies were called out to the Wesley Outreach Center in Millers Creek on Wednesday, after church officials discovered someone had been visiting the graveyard. Five gravestones had been colored with spray paint, but no messages had been left and that was the extent of the damage. Estimated damages were placed at $200 and that investigation continues.

They Took Everything But The Kitchen Sink
A Wilkesboro woman called sheriff’s deputies after returning to her property on the Ottie Allen Road this week. The woman had let some people into the house recently as a relative had lived there and they wanted to recover a few items. Instead she came by to find over a thousand dollars worth of items stolen. Pictures had been taken, towels, bowls, tools and several other things. Names and addresses of the suspects were given to sheriff’s deputies and the investigation is ongoing.

Old Wilkes Takes People Back In Time
Coming up tomorrow, the Wilkes Heritage Museum invites people to go 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.

Red Cross Looking For Fundraising Help
We’ve talked a lot here on the news about the need for blood in Wilkes County. But thanks to the recent hurricanes and the cost of relocating some survivors, the local Red Cross needs help of a different kind as well. The local chapter continues to sell cookbooks, to help raise the money it needs to cover costs of daily operations, in addition to the funds used to help victims of the recent hurricanes. The cost of a cookbook is $10 and it contains recipes from chapter members along with their family and friends. For more information or to purchase one, you can call the Red Cross at 838-4563.

State News

Money Offered For Information
A reward is being offered today by Winston Salem property owners for information leading to the arrest of a graffiti artist. $510 has been put up by Diversified Realty, after the word “kudzu” kept appearing on their buildings in the downtown area. The money will be handed out to anyone who can give the person’s name and address. To give out information the number is 336-391-2129.

Company Knew Beforehand About Pet Food
Over the last month we’ve kept you informed about a pet food recall going on with Diamond Foods. It appears now that the company knew about the contaminated dog food back in September, three months before it went public with the information. Diamond revealed that information during a conference this week, saying that each week in September one or two truckloads of corn was coming in infected with aflatoxin. Most of the loads were rejected but some got through the screening at Diamond’s South Carolina plant and were turned into dog food. Aflatoxin is a natural chemical found in fungus that can get into corn and then in pets once it’s converted to food. In animals the chemical causes liver damage and eventually death. The Agricultural Departments of North & South Carolina, along with the FDA are investigating the facility.

Table For Two In The Non Furry Section
People going out to the North Carolina zoo will have one less place to eat at. Junction Restaurant has been temporarily shut down while officials remove some patrons that don’t want to leave. A family of raccoons have taken up residence in the ceiling of the building, and while it’s not believed they got into the food prep area, the zoo wanted to take precautions.

Jobs Coming To Research Triangle Park
Good news for people living in the Durham area. More jobs are on the way for Research Triangle Park. Stiefel Research Institute is planning to bring in 200 new jobs over the next five years. The company, which helps to develop and manufacture skin care products, will pay an average salary of $71,750. The move comes thanks to tax breaks from North Carolina’s Job Development Incentive Grant worth $3 million. Those incentives only kick in however if the jobs are created and kept for at least 9 years.

North Carolina Firm At Work On Grizzly
A North Carolina security firm is at work designing a new type of vehicle to protect troops in combat situations. This 14-person vehicle, called the Grizzly, will be able to survive both bullets and bombs through the use of unique angles and blast shielding. Once finished, the Grizzly would help to take away one advantage of insurgents, making the roadside bombs virtually useless. Blackwater USA said that they hope to have the vehicle ready for combat by April.

Sports Headlines

High School Basketball
Coming up later tonight, three of the county teams are in action. West Wilkes goes on the road against Bishop McGuiness, while North Wilkes heads into Husky Country to take on Ashe County. 3WC will be over at East Wilkes, to broadcast the Cardinals’ game against Mt. Airy. The McDonald’s pregame show starts at 7pm and we’ll turn things over to Ken and Keith for the play by play at 7:15.

NCAA Scoreboard
Taking a look at last night’s college basketball scoreboard, two NC teams in action. It was High Point over Virginia Military 100-90. The win brings High Point to 10-4 on the season, good enough for second in the Big South conference. Also it was UNC Wilmington beating Drexel 66-60. The win takes Wilmington to 12-5.

Rush Out For A Month
In the NBA, the news isn’t good for Charlotte Bobcats shooting guard Kareem Rush. Rush injured the index finger on his left hand back in December and now it appears he’ll be out at least another month. Doctors now say that Rush may have torn a tendon the first time he injured it and further damaged the finger by trying to keep playing.

Panthers News & Notes
Panthers safety Marlon McCree’s wallet is a little lighter today, after he was fined by the NFL. A $5000 fine was handed down due to what the league called excessive celebrating after one of his interceptions last Sunday. In other news, four members of the team will be limping into Sunday’s game against Chicago. Fullback Brad Hoover re-injured his ankle last week, offensive guard Tutan Reyes sprained his toe and linebacker Brandon Short continues to have problems with his knee. The news means expanded roles for rookie linebacker Thomas Davis and halfback Nick Goings.

Former Panther Going Into Hall Of Fame
In other NFL news, a former member of the Carolina Panthers made the list of 15 finalists for the Hall of Fame. Voters put Reggie White into this year’s class. The Minister of Defense joins a group that includes Cowboys quarterback Troy Aikman and receiver Michael Irvin, along with Redskins great Art Monk. The inductees will be announced the day before the Super Bowl, on February 4th.

NASCAR News & Notes
In NASCAR this week, the first round of testing wrapped up on Wednesday, as drivers prepare for the Daytona 500. Jeff Gordon had the fastest car out on the track, finishing with a speed of 189. 298. Jimmie Johnson was second, just a few ticks off at 189,195 and Matt Kenseth concluded the top three with a speed of 189.024. In other NASCAR news, some changes are in the works for Las Vegas Speedway. The banking will be increased from 12 to 21 degrees in all of the turns. NASCAR drivers won’t have to worry about the changes for the first part of the season, as construction won’t start until after the March 12th race. Everything is expected to be finished in time for the Truck Series to run on the new track September 23rd.