News & Sports For February 1st

The Taxman Cometh Part III: Should You Itemize?
Every year about this time, we pull out those boxes of receipts, preparing to itemize them on our taxes. But is it really worth the effort? In most cases the answer is no. In order for your itemized deductions to be used on your tax form, they have to add up to more than the standard deduction. To translate that, the federal government has a standard deduction for each person that varies based on their situation. A person who files as single has a standard deduction of $5000. In order to be used, his or her itemized deductions have to be more than that. For a married couple filing jointly, the standard deduction is $10,000. If you’re married and filing separate, the deduction is $5000. And finally if you file as the head of the household, the standard deduction is $7300. And for more information, you can call the IRS hotline at 1-800-829-1040 or visit their website at IRS.gov. Coming up tomorrow in part four of our series, now that you’ve decided if you want to itemize or not, what documents do you need to keep and what can be tossed away? We’ll explain what exactly the IRS is expecting you to have starting on the news tomorrow at 6am.

Vehicle Stolen From Ferguson Residence
A Ferguson man is looking for his car today, after it was stolen earlier this week. The man had left it behind at a friend’s house, with the key still in the ignition. When he came back to pick it up on Sunday, it was missing. The vehicle is a white 1989 Toyota Truck. There is a suspect in the case and that investigation continues.

Thieves Hit Home In Ronda
Always make sure that your doors and windows are locked. A Ronda man found that out the hard way on Monday. He returned home to find over $1400 worth of materials missing from inside. Thieves had gained access to the property by climbing in through an unlocked window near the porch. Then once inside, they unlocked the front door and pulled a vehicle up to the porch, loading up before taking off. Included in the theft was a watch, a box of CDs, a digital camera and several other items. That investigation continues.

Wreck On Hwy 16 Caused By Rain
The rain and wind outside was partially at fault for an accident Monday morning on Hwy 16/18. A 16-yr-old Wilkesboro boy was turning from Westwood Lane onto Hwy 16 North but he didn’t see the oncoming traffic. Attempting to avoid an accident, he accelerated and hit some wet pavement, which caused him to lose control of the vehicle. He then hit the embankment and the car flipped over. EMS, Wilkes Rescue Squad, Wilkesboro Fire Department and Wilkesboro First Responders were all called out to the scene. The boy was taken by EMS to Wilkes Regional and estimated damage to the car was placed at $2500.

WCC To Help Small Businesses
Small businesses can sometimes find themselves up against a wall, fighting to compete with large companies. One of the problems facing such a business is they don’t know where or how to get supplies at a cheap rate like the retail stores do. Wilkes Community College is hoping to solve the problem by holding a seminar tonight called “Where Are The Wholesalers?” The program will run from 6-9pm at the Wilkes Campus and help local companies learn where they can buy the same materials but at cheaper prices. You can pre-register by calling WCC at 336-838-6210 or 336-838-6113. The seminar is open to everyone and there is no cost to attend.

Baby Teethers Recalled
Before you give that teether to your baby, there’s some news you need to hear. A recall has been ordered of five different styles of teethers, put out by The First Years Inc. 500,000 of the teethers have been called back due to a possible contamination of bacteria inside. The company has learned that in several liquid filled teethers, the bacterias aeruginosa and putida can be found. If somehow the teether gets punctured and a baby ingests the liquid, that can cause serious illness. The recall involves all Disney Days of Hunny Soft Cool Ring Teethers, all Disney Soft Cool Ring Teethers, the Sesame Beginnings Chill and Chew Teether, the First Years Cool Animal Teether and the First Years Floating Friends Teether. A hotline has been set up to get more information at 1-866-725-4407. You can also get information from the company’s website at www.thefirstyears.com.

Thieves Hit Residence On Windy Gap Road
A local man returned home from work on Monday, only to find that thieves had paid him a visit. The incident happened on the Windy Gap Road, as someone had pried open the garage door and gained access to the house. Stolen from inside was a jar of change, worth an estimated $700. All total, damage to the house was placed at $100 and this marks the third time the place has been broke into. That investigation continues.

Traffic Stop Leads To Drug Bust
A routine traffic stop in Elkin led to a drug bust for sheriff’s deputies. The incident happened Sunday night on Elk Spur Street. After getting permission to search the car, deputies discovered 60 grams of marijuana and slightly under an ounce of both roxicodone and cocaine, all of which was concealed in a makeup bag. In addition, used needles and other drug paraphernalia was found inside the bag. 23-yr-old Carla Renee Speaks was arrested and charged with drug possession and possession of drug paraphernalia.

Gospel News

Gold City Drummer Killed In Accident
Doug Riley, the drummer and songwriter for the gospel group Gold City was killed yesterday in a traffic accident. The 35-yr-old Riley was on his way to the recording studio when he suddenly lost control of his car, around 12:40 Tuesday morning. The vehicle went off the road and hit a utility pole before coming to a stop. Riley was the youngest son of Gold City founder Tim Riley and leaves behind a wife and two children. The family will hold visitation tonight from 5-8pm at Crosspoint Community Church in Gadsden Alabama and the funeral will be held on Thursday at 11am in the same venue. Sympathy cards can be sent care of Gold City PO Box 2100 Gadsden AL 35903.

State News

Explosion Rocks Chemical Plant In Morganton
At least six people were injured yesterday when a chemical plant exploded in Morganton. The incident happened shortly after 11am at Synthron Incorporated. Local people report hearing a loud explosion and then seeing a mushroom cloud rise from the area. Two people were airlifted to the local hospital with serious injuries. This isn’t the first time Synthron has found itself in the news. The company was fined $7000 back in 2002 for safety violations by the Department of Environmental and Natural Resources.

Wages Down As Unemployment Drops
It’s a case of good news/bad news for people across North Carolina. The state’s unemployment rate fell to 4.9% at the end of December, the lowest it’s been since 2001. However most of the new jobs are causing some people to complain. Instead of high paying manufacturing jobs, people are coming off the unemployment line to the lower paying retail market. State officials say however that the new jobs should be welcomed as a way off of unemployment and back into the workforce.

Fourth Graders Going To Middle School
A new plan for school kids at Pittsboro Elementary has some parents up in arms today. Beginning in 2007, all fourth grade classes would be switched to Horton Middle School on a permanent basis under the arrangement. Parents raised questions about sending their 4th graders to a school designed for teenagers, saying they weren’t sure if the kids would be ready for that environment. School officials said that the plan was just one of several put forth to help solve overcrowding at the elementary school. Currently there are 530 students at Pittsboro with more on the way as the town’s population is expected to triple by 2008.

NC Group Wants People To Start Planning A Vacation In Space
So where are you planning your next vacation? A Raleigh based company would like you to consider taking a trip into outer space. The World Space Center kicked off their marketing campaign this week, including an event at the Exploris Museum in Raleigh and a website. Center officials say they want to give people an idea of what life is like in outer space and to encourage space travel as a new vacation spot. Estimated costs for a spaceflight are in the $100,000 range and people can get information by visiting the website www.worldspacecenter.org

Salisbury Man In Jail After Bomb Threat
Officials in Salisbury have a suspect in jail after a bank robbery on Monday. The man, Tony Eugene Chor reportedly went into the Wachovia Bank On Innes Street and handed a message to one of the tellers. The note informed her that he had two bombs outside the building and requested $100,000 in cash. After taking the money, Chor attempted to flee before local police ran him down and arrested him. Chor is in the Rowan County Detention Center, facing charges of armed robbery, possession of a weapon of mass destruction and possession of a firearm by a felon. Police were not able to locate any bombs or other destructive devices around the building.

More NC Troops Departing For Iraq
More North Carolina troops are on the way over to Iraq as members of the 1451st Transportation Unit are leaving on Thursday. The group, which has its’ headquarters in Boone with additional detachments in Marion and Morganton, is expected to leave just after 6am Thursday morning. This will be the group’s first deployment in the Iraqi conflict and they will be used to operate the Army’s ground transport vehicles and other tactical units. 177 soldiers will be involved in the deployment.

Sports Headlines

High School Scoreboard
Taking a look around the high school scene last night, it was South Stokes over West Wilkes 61-57. Also East Wilkes beat Bishop McGuiness 71-69. Meanwhile Wilkes Central knocked off North Wilkes 69-43. Central improves to 11-10 while North drops to 4-16.
On the girls side of the court, it was South Stokes over West Wilkes 60-41. The Lady Blackhawks drop to 3-19 with the loss. The Lady Cardinals of East fell to the undefeated Bishop McGuiness team 53-34. The Lady Eagles of Wilkes Central improve to 21-1 on the season with a 53-38 victory over North Wilkes. With the loss, the Lady Vikings drop to 6-13.

NCAA Scoreboard
Wake Forest fell apart in the second half as they lost to Miami 78-69. Justin Gray had 20 to lead the Deacons, who fall to 12-9 on the season.

UNC Women Make History
In college basketball, the North Carolina women’s team made history on Tuesday. For the first time since they joined the NCAA, the Lady Tarheels are ranked as #1 in the country. The climb comes two days after UNC knocked off the #2 ranked Duke Blue Devils in Durham. The Lady Tarheels are now the only unbeaten team in Division I basketball at 20-0.

NHL: Carolina Hurricanes vs. Montreal
The Carolina Hurricanes kept the best record in the NHL with an 8-2 win over Montreal. Carolina got 3 goals and an assist from Eric Cole as the team improves to 37-11.

Hurricanes Make Trade
Before last night’s game against Montreal, the Carolina Hurricanes restructured their roster in a trade with the St. Louis Blues. Carolina picked up 35-yr-old center Doug Weight, a 4-time All Star and member of the U.S. Olympic team. Weight had 33 assists and 44 points with the Blues this season. In return, the team gave up right winger Jesse Boulerice, center Mike Zigomanis and the rights to draft pick Magnus Kahnberg, along with three draft picks. Carolina officials said they made the deal to strengthen the team and prove they were serious about making a run for the Stanley Cup.

Bobcats Walking Wounded
The Charlotte Bobcats may be back to full strength by the end of February. This week, team officials said that power forward Emeka Okafor will miss about 5 to 7 more weeks, while shooting guard Keith Bogans and small forward Gerald Wallace should be back in two to four weeks. First round pick Sean May still remains out recovering from his second knee surgery and is expected to miss the rest of the year.