Murder in Millers Creek
One man is dead and another is in custody after a murder yesterday in Millers Creek. Just before 5 yesterday morning Mark Carroll was found shot and still in his front yard on NC 16 in Millers Creek. Carroll died 45 minutes later at Wilkes Regional Medical Center. Authorities have arrested 22 year old Ernest Ray Prevette. He has been charged with murder, armed robbery, sale and delivery of a schedule II drug, and trafficking in a schedule II drug. Prevette is in the Wilkes County jail with no bond allowed. Authorities believe the murder was drug related.

Blood Supply Past Critical
Wilkes County is facing a serious problem with it's blood supply. Poor turnouts at the recent blood drives, combined with several accidents over the holiday has depleted the county's supply of blood. Right now, we stand at less than two day's supply, good enough for maybe a little over a day. To put that in prespective, right now all it would take is one major wreck to completely drain the blood in Wilkes County, according to officials from the Red Cross. They're asking anyone who is able to please come out and give blood at one of their upcoming drives, to make sure there is enough on hand. The three major needs are for Type O negative, Type A negative and Type B negative, all of which have less than 1.5 days supply left. Type O blood is used to treat trauma patients and also be used in a transfusion for premature babies since it's hard to determine their blood type. Several drives will be going on over the next few days, the first this Saturday at Bethel Baptist Church in Mountain View. It begins at 9:30 in the morning and will run until 2:30 in the afternoon. To call and set up an appointment, the number to the Red Cross is 838-4563.

Disturbance Call Leads To Drug Bust
Sheriff's deputies were called out to a North Wilkesboro home on Tuesday, in regards to a disturbance in the area. While in the home, deputies were given permission to search the 19-yr-old son's room. Inside they found marijuana seeds, stems, baggies containing the drug and several blunts which had been smoked. Warrants have been taken out on 19-yr-old Dustin Lee Boone for drug possession and possession of drug paraphernalia.

Gas Thieves Hit Another Wilkes Business
Gas thieves targeted a business in Moravian Falls on Monday, hitting the Run-In store on Hwy 18 South. A white man drove up in his truck, pumped $71 dollars worth of gas and then took off down the road. Employees were able to get a description of both the man and his vehicle, which were turned over to sheriff's deputies. That investigation is ongoing.

Thieves Clean Up At North Wilkesboro Residence
Thieves were apparently looking to clean up when they broke into a North Wilkesboro man's house this week. He returned home to find that his bath towels and wash cloths had been stolen, along with several painkillers from the medicine cabinet. There was no sign of a break-in and no damage done to the house itself. Deputies have a suspect in the case and the investigation continues.

Focus On Medicare
It can be hard at times to sort through the legal language of your healthcare plan. What makes that plan right for you? Will it even cover the drugs you need? With the new year comes some new options for people on Medicare and some new problems. Coming up later today on Focus on the Foothills, Brian and Dr. Matthews will be following up on their earlier conversation, taking a look at the options available to people and explaining the best way to use the information that's been given. That's today at 1:05pm right after the midday stock report.

Card Collectors Go Rabid At Local Home
On Monday, sheriff's deputies were called out to a home on the Dehart Church Road. Over the New Year's weekend, someone had broke into a local woman's home, but didn't go after the TV or anything like that. Instead 2800 Nascar collector cards were taken in the theft, along with a .22 Magnum Pistol. Estimated value of the cards was placed at $400. It appears the thieves got inside by prying open the door. There is a suspect in the case and the investigation continues.

Wreck On School Street Totals One
One car was totaled and another damaged after a wreck Tuesday afternoon on School Street. A North Wilkesboro woman was attempting to cross two lanes of traffic and pull in at Pizza Hut, however she didn't notice another car between her and the building. The driver of the second vehicle, a North Wilkesboro man, tried to slow down but couldn't stop in time to avoid a collision. Thankfully no one was hurt in the wreck but estimated damages were placed at $3000.

Vandals Get The Urge To Jump
A North Wilkesboro man called sheriff's deputies after his car was damaged. But this wasn't a case of hit and run. Instead, someone had climbed up on top of the vehicle and repeatedly jumped on it, with enough force to cave in the roof. Despite the damage, no one in the area could recall hearing or seeing anything unusual. An estimated $750 worth of damage was done to the car.

Go Carts Stolen From Local Man
Sheriff's deputies were called out on Tuesday to a home on the Fish Dam Creek Road, after thieves left the property with several go-carts. The vehicles had been stored in an outbuilding, which had been shut and secured the day before. It's not exactly clear how the thieves managed to get inside, as there was no sign of a break-in. There are however two suspects in the case and the investigation continues.

Regional News

Portions Of I-40 Closed In Winston
There could be some delays for anyone driving on I-40 in Winston Salem today. The DOT has shut down the outside lane of I-40 West at the Hanes Mall Boulevard, Exit 188. That portion of highway will be closed until 3pm this afternoon and then later tonight, another section of road will be shut down. Beginning at 11pm, the portion of I-40 West stretching from Exit 188 to Exit 184 will be closed til 5am Friday. There will be a detour that trucks and other vehicles can take if necessary. The roads are being closed as work continues to widen the current bridge on Hanes Mall Boulevard and build an additional one.

State News

Search Continuing For Missing Girl
Officials in Garner North Carolina are looking for a missing girl. 14-yr-old Karla Martinez vanished on December 27th and now police have information that she might have left willingly with an older man. 25-yr-old David Rosas is believed to have picked up Martinez and the two are making their way to Mexico. Martinez is described as being 5'4 ft. weighing 115 lbs. and having hazel eyes and shoulder length hair. Anyone with information is asked to call the Garner Police Department at (919) 772-8810.

More Troops Coming Home
There was some good news announced this week for some military families. Over 600 paratroopers from Fort Bragg are coming home. Members of the 3rd Battalion, 504th Parachute Infantry Regiment are returning, after a four month deployment in Iraq. The group, which is called "The Blue Devils", have been deployed three times in the last two years, most recently working to provide security for the elections.

State Treasurer Wants Minimum Wage Up
Some workers here in North Carolina could be getting a bigger paycheck. State Treasurer Richard Moore announced this week that he's in favor of raising the minimum wage to $6.15, a move he said was long overdue. In a speech given to an economic forum on Tuesday, Moore said that when you take inflation into account, the minimum wage is worth less now than it was in 1997. Most business leaders however have come out against the idea, saying that their profits would suffer.

Effort Begins To Lower Gas Tax
State Senator Phil Berger has started the process to lower North Carolina's gas tax. Berger has drafted a bill this week that would cap North Carolina's gas tax at 24.6 percent or as a compromise, simply repeal the new three cent increase. He also tore apart Governor Easley's claim that the money was needed for highway repairs, sighting the fact that over one billion dollars has been borrowed from the highway fund in recent years for different projects. One such project is the Teapot Musuem being built in Sparta.

Preschooler Going To Meet The President
A preschooler is concerned about the president, so she's going to Washington to check on him. Four-yr-old Kennedy Southern heard on a recent news report that threats had been made on President Bush's life. She got her mother to help write a letter to the White House, making sure that everything was ok. Senator Burr's office heard about the girl's letter and also her request to go check up on the president in person, so they arranged to make it happen. Kennedy will get a tour of the White House and possibly a meeting with the president, if his schedule will allow.

Sports Headlines

Hibriten Wins A Game
In high school basketball, looking around the region, the girls team at Hibriten recently ended a two year drought by beating Bessemer City 45-41. Until that game, which was part of the BB&T Tournament, it had been over two years and 36 games since the Lady Panthers had won. This season they stand at 1-10, with West Caldwell coming up next Tuesday.

NC High School Player To Declare His College Choice On TV
Most high school football players announce their choice of college to local newspapers or on the radio. One North Carolina player however will declare his choice to the entire country this Saturday. Crest High linebacker Brandon Spikes will pick between his top three choices during the Army All-America Bowl, which will be broadcast this Saturday on NBC. Spikes, a 6'4 ft 235 lb. Parade All-American, is ranked as the 37th best player in the nation and will be choosing between Alabama, Florida and Virginia Tech.

NCAA Scoreboard
Taking a look at some college basketball action from last night, it was Elon over Wofford 64-61, UNC Asheville knocked off Radford 87-80, Campbell held on to beat Lipscomb 95-91. Appalachian State fell victim to Marshall 64-60. DJ Thompson had 14 points and 3 rebounds to lead the Mountaineers, who drop to 5-8 with the loss. Gardner-Webb beat Belmont 69-67, thanks in part to 16 points from Brian Bender. And UNC Charlotte held on to beat Rhode Island 88-80. Curtis Withers was big for the 49ers, as he had 25 points and 5 rebounds on the day.

NBA: Charlotte vs. Boston
Still short handed thanks to injuries, the Charlotte Bobcats gave it all they had but fell just short in a 109-106 loss to Boston. The Bobcats were led by Gerald Wallace, who had 20 points, 9 rebounds, 5 blocks and 2 steals on the day. The team drops to 10-22 with the loss, as they get set to take on Orlando this coming Saturday.

NHL: Atlanta vs. Carolina
In the NHL, the Carolina Hurricanes kept their winning streak alive with a 4-3 victory over Atlanta. Cory Stillman led Carolina with two goals and two assists, as the team improves to 25-10 on the season.