Wind Rips Through Wilkes County
The power flickered and trees fell as wind gusts reached over 25 mph in the county yesterday. There were no injuries reported due to the wind, however downed trees caused headaches for local homeowners, who were busy cleaning up their property. Wilkes appears to have got off easy, as over 8000 people were still without power yesterday in Forsyth and Randolph Counties.

Recall Of Children’s Toys
This next bit of news is for all parents of young children. A recall has been ordered by the US Consumer Product Safety Commission of just over 600,000 Fisher-Price Laugh & Learn Musical Learning Chairs. Product testing has shown that children can get trapped between the seatback and side table of the chair, which could possibly lead to strangulation. So far across the country there have been three reports of children getting caught in the toy, but thankfully none that were fatal. The Laugh & Learn Musical Learning Chairs were sold from May 2005 until earlier this month and have model numbers of H4609, H47167 through H7173, H8157, H8998 and J0272 through J0275. You can find the model number on the underside of the chair’s seat. Fisher Price is offering a free repair kit that is supposed to solve the problem and you can get one by calling 1-866-552-3914.

All For A Twenty Dollar Bill
A North Wilkesboro man got a surprise Tuesday morning. He was awakened by what he thought were scratching noises, but instead found a man in his kitchen. When the two made eye contact, the thief took off running out the door. Nothing was missing from the house except the man’s wallet and a $20 bill which was inside. The thief had apparently shattered a window in the nearby utility room, then used a stepladder to climb inside. An estimated $180 worth of damage was done and a description of the thief was turned over to deputies. That investigation continues.

Traffic Stop Leads To Drug Bust
Sheriff’s deputies were driving down 421 near Lewis Fork Church Road on Monday when they clocked a driver going 72 in a 55. After pulling him over, a K9 was brought in to check the car for drugs. A smoking pipe was found wrapped up in a sock under the passengers’ seat, with marijuana residue on it. 19-yr-old Kevin Young Marsh was arrested and charged with possession of marijuana and possession of drug paraphernalia.

Blood Drive Later Today
1500 pints of blood are used across North Carolina each day, with more being sent down to aid the Gulf Coast. With such a desperate need both here in Wilkes and around the state, a blood drive is going on today at New River Behavioral Healthcare. The drive starts at 10am this morning and lasts until 1pm this afternoon. Just remember before giving you must be at least 17 years old and weigh no less than 110 lbs. No appointments are needed but if you want to set up a time to give, the number to call is 838-4563.

Focus On The Red Cross
With the new year, a lot of changes are taking place here in Wilkes. One of those changes involves the Red Cross, as the local chapter has a new executive director. Scott Glaze is taking over the position and he'll be Brian’s guest today during Focus on the Foothills as they talk about the Red Cross, some of the misconceptions about the organization and what the goals are heading into a new year. That’s today at 1:05pm right after the midday stock report.

Paper Rack Thieves Return To Wilkes
Deputies were called out after another paper rack went missing in North Wilkesboro. The thieves stole the rack from the Little Dipper on Hwy 18 North, grabbing it from the front of the store. That was over the weekend and then earlier this week, the rack had been dropped back off. The investigation into this and several other paper rack thefts continues.

State News

Natural Gas Rates To Drop
Some relief from high heating prices could be coming in the next few weeks. PSNC Energy announced on Tuesday that it will be cutting natural gas rates beginning in February by an average of $20 a month. The move would mean on average, natural gas customers across the state would be paying $133 a month, down from an average of $174 back in November.

Charges Dropped Against UNCG Students
UNC Greensboro announced this week that it’s dropping charges brought against two students for violating the speech code. Allison Jaynes and Robert Sinnott were charged with a violation of campus policy for helping to organize a rally November 16th. The event took place in front of the library instead of a designated “free speech zone”. Campus officials said that the free speech zones were created so that students wouldn’t be blocked from their classes during any type of rally, but they did agree to study the issue and consider changes.

Robinson Returning To Politics
Former 5th District congressional candidate Vernon Robinson is jumping back into politics. Robinson, who is also a former Winston Salem City Councilman, announced that he was entering the 12th Congressional District race against Democrat Mel Watt. He said that a formal announcement would be coming in the near future and explained that he’s needed in Congress because the country is under attack.

East Carolina Facing Problems
There are some issues facing East Carolina University, according to an audit done by the state. The report, which was released this week, found significant problems in the area of financial aid. The current situation places the school at an increased risk of errors and misuse of funds, according to the report. It was recommended that the university re-establish and strengthen control of the financial aid office.

Former Ag Commissioner Given New Position
Shortly after learning that a member of his cabinet was stepping down, Governor Mike Easley filled the post. Department of the Administration Secretary Gwynn Swinson announced this week that he was leaving later this month to take a job at Duke University. His replacement is no stranger to North Carolina politics as former agricultural commissioner Britt Cobb will serve in the position. Cobb’s new duties includes overseeing government operations such as building construction, purchasing and managing contracts and managing state vehicles among other things.

Sports Headlines

High School Scoreboard
Around the high school scene last night, it was East Wilkes over Surry Central 58-55. With a minute left in the game, the Cardinals’ Noah Johnson stepped up and hit a three pointer to win. Johnson finished with 11 points while East was led by Brent Poplin, who had 17. Cody Cook also had 10 points for the Cardinals, who improve to 6-9 on the year. On the girls side of the court, it was East Wilkes getting their second win of the year, knocking off Surry Central 47-42.

NCAA Scoreboard
Taking a look around the college basketball scoreboard last night, it was Radford beating High Point 96-76, Elon took care of Montreat 90-76, in overtime it was SMU over East Carolina 74-70. In the ACC, Duke improved to a perfect 17-0 with a 81-68 win over NC State. J.J. Redick had 28 points and Sheldon Williams added 21 points and 9 rebounds for the Blue Devils, while Cedric Simmons led NC State with 28 points, 9 rebounds and 7 blocks. Meanwhile Wake Forest got back on track with a 86-71 win over Georgia Tech last night. Justin Gray had 25 to lead the Deacons, who improved to 12-5.

Former Wide Receiver Returns To Appalachian
A familiar face is returning to help with Appalachian State’s athletic program. Rick Beasley, who played wide receiver at the school from 1978-1980, was named this week as an associate athletics director. Beasley will be working under athletic director Charlie Cobb to help with fund raising and also lead the financial campaign for new facilities. Beasley still has the school record for most receiving yards in a season at 3124 and most 100 yard receiving games in a career with 16.

Duke Lands Football Commitments
The Duke Blue Devils landed two recruits for next year’s football team this week. Cornerback Chris Rwabukamba, a senior from Windsor Ontario agreed to play for the school. The 5-11 173 lb. Rwabukampa turned down offers from Michigan State and Illinois to come play for the Blue Devils. Also cornerback Abraham Kromah committed to play. The 6-2 ft. 200 lb. Kromah had 11 interceptions over his three years as a starter at Tottenville High in New York

NBA: Charlotte vs. Indiana
The Charlotte Bobcats gave it all they had but came up just short last night against Indiana. They lost 98-92 to the Pacers, despite getting 15 points, 4 assists and 4 rebounds from Raymond Felton. Charlotte drops to 11-28 with Orlando coming to town on Friday.

Several Panthers Limping Into Sunday’s Game
The news wasn’t so good for the Panthers coming off of practice on Wednesday. Fullback Brad Hoover, center Jeff Mitchell, guard Tutan Reyes and defensive tackle Kindal Moorehead are all listed as questionable for the NFC championship. Defensive tackle Jordan Carstens and safety Mike Minter both sat out practice on Wednesday as well, Carstens because he was sick and Minter because of a wrist injury, however both of them are listed as probable for Sunday’s matchup.

Warthogs To See Changes
In minor league baseball, some changes are in store for the Winston Salem Warthogs. Gone is manager Chris Cron, who’s been promoted to Double AA Birmingham. In his place comes new coach Rafael Santana, a former shortstop with the New York Mets. This will be Santana’s first time as a manager after serving as a first base coach for the Chicago White Sox from 2003-2004.