More Candidates Enter Wilkes Races
A few more people have tossed their name in the hat for public office in Wilkes County. Barry Brown filed this week to run for the North Carolina House. The 49-yr-old Republican will be running against incumbent Tracy Walker for the 94th District seat. Brown has worked as a farmer, substitute teacher and insurance agent in Wilkes. Also Robert Crews entered the race for County Commissioner. The 21-yr-old currently serves as the chief executive officer for Wilkes Electric Motors and is a registered Republican. In addition, Karen Reeves filed for re-election to the Board of Education. She’ll be going up against newcomer Frances Tharpe.

Search Warrant Leads To Drug Bust
After receiving information about a home Shepard River Road, deputies obtained a search warrant and executed it Tuesday afternoon. What they found inside the Millers Creek residence was a combination of drugs, guns and money. 6 grams of cocaine was found in a small safe, along with a list of drug buyers that had been set up. $41 in cash was also found inside, along with a smoking pipe, baggies and other drug paraphernalia. Deputies also picked up several guns, including a .22 long rifle and a .22 long pistol. 52-yr-old Ricky Johnson Pierce was arrested and charged with drug possession with intent to sell & distribute along with possession of drug paraphernalia and maintaining a home for the sale of drugs.

Always Lock Your Doors
It’s always a good idea to keep the car doors locked once you leave the vehicle. An Elkin man found out why earlier this week as thieves ran off with over one thousand dollars worth of material, taken from the car. He had left the car unlocked once he arrived home, but left all the tools and other items inside. Later on he came back out to find all of it was gone. Taken in the theft was a diamond plate toolbox, a pair of boots, some rechargeable lights and other items. Information was turned over to sheriff’s deputies and that investigation continues.

Focus On The Speedway
Recent news about the North Wilkesboro Speedway has painted a dim picture about the track’s future prospects. The current owners have demanded $12 million as the lowest price for buying the property, a cost that has made would be investors wary of committing. However Save The Speedway refuses to give up and Joe VanHoose from the organization will be Brian’s guest this week for Focus on the Foothills, as they will be discussing and debunking some of the rumors around the group and also what the future holds for Save the Speedway. That’s coming up today at 1:05pm right after the midday stock report.

Digital Thieves Break Into Moravian Falls Home
Some thieves in Moravian Falls apparently wanted to get on the information highway, as the only thing missing was a laptop computer. The incident happened Tuesday on Steele Lane, as a local man came back to his girlfriend’s house to find his laptop missing. There was no sign of a break-in and no damage done to the property itself. It’s believed the thieves used a spare key to get in, as the one left outside was also missing. That investigation continues.

Wilkes Animal Shelter Holding Event
The Wilkes Animal Shelter is opening its’ doors this Saturday for an extended period, inviting people to come and take a look around. The shelter will be open from 10:30am til 3pm February 25th, with members of the Humane Society on hand to help with adoptions. In addition, the Humane Society will have information about pet care and will be available for any questions people may have. To raise money, the society will also have several cookbooks, calendars and other things on sale. The shelter is located at 408 Call Street in Wilkesboro and you can see the pets up for adoption by logging on to www.humanesocietyofwilkes.org

Bank Of America Adjusting Profits
Some news today for Bank of America investors in Wilkes. The company announced on Wednesday that it will be restating its’ earnings all the way back to 2002. What does this mean for shareholders? Their equity in the company will be adjusted upward by $308 million. Individually, that translates to less than one percent. The changes come due to adjustments in the way derivative transactions are accounted for.

Thieves Hit Construction Site In Wilkes
Thieves broke into a construction site earlier this week, running off with almost $2000 worth of materials. The incident happened on Hwy 421 North, at a construction site belonging to Crawford Home Improvement. A padlock was cut off and stolen, allowing thieves access to a trailer on the site. Taken from inside were several framing guns, nail guns, a saw and other items. That investigation continues.

Recall Ordered For Audi Vehicles
Bad news today for some Audi owners, as the vehicle manufacturer is ordering a recall. An estimated 70,000 Audi A3 cars are part of the decision, which was made due to some malfunctions in the clutch. The affected vehicles are the 2003 and 2004 model A3, in which a clutch malfunction can cause the car to come to a stop. Not exactly the best thing to happen if you’re on the highway. Audi officials are asking customers to get in contact with their dealer to help solve the problem. The customers will have to pay for the repair, but officials said that Audi would help compensate them for the cost.

State News
North Carolina Needs To Improve Disaster Relief
State officials are calling for changes in North Carolina’s disaster relief programs. Crime Control and Public Safety Secretary Byran Beatty spoke to state lawmakers this week, explaining that North Carolina has a lot of work left in order to be prepared for a major event. Secretary Beatty said that the state’s programs for hurricane and tornado response are fine, but additional steps need to be taken to plan for the unlikely, such as a tsunami or another major storm. Beatty was speaking before a committee that’s been put together to study the state’s emergency systems and make changes as needed.

Church Celebrates 200 Years
A church in Greensboro is celebrating 200 years of ministry this week. Rehobeth United Methodist Church was started on February 19th 1806. The church’s name means "broad places" and was adopted from the Bible. The 810 members gathered together to celebrate at the church this past Sunday, which is located in Greensboro on Rehobeth Church Road.

Duke University Offering Free Graduate Degrees
Teachers in the Durham area can go back to college for free, thanks to a program from Duke University. The school announced this week that starting in August, local teachers could enter their graduate program and not have to pay for it, thanks to a new $925000 initiative. Duke officials said the program was put together to help strengthen local schools, by allowing teachers to get additional training in Spanish and other classes.

Man Jumps Off Bridge To Escape Police
A man in Charlotte went to great lengths this week to escape police. Tuesday morning, the man wrecked his car on I-277. When nearby police attempted to put him under arrest, he took off running and jumped off the East 10th Street Bridge. After crashing to the ground, the man somehow managed to get up and run to a nearby street before collapsing.

Money Donated For Doctors In NC
More money is on the way to bring doctors to the mountains and other rural areas of North Carolina. Thanks to a grant from Blue Cross & Blue Shield along with the North Carolina Medical Society Foundation, the number of doctors in rural areas is expected to climb to at least 160 over the next four years. $10 million was donated by Blue Cross to the Foundation’s fund, which helps pay off student loans for doctors working in poor and rural areas.

Sports Headlines
High School Scoreboard
Around the high school scene last night, one Wilkes County team was in action as the state playoffs continue. The Wilkes Central Lady Eagles lost to Mountain Heritage 57-53. Playing for the last time at the Eagle’s Nest, the nine Lady Eagle seniors came close but just couldn’t seal the deal as the team ends their season at 23-3. Mountain Heritage advances to the sectional finals on Friday, improving to 24-5.

NCAA Scoreboard
Taking a look at the college scene, it was UCF over East Carolina 69-49 and Charlotte knocked off Massachusetts 72-71. With the win, Charlotte improves to 17-9, staying in 2nd place in the Atlantic 10. In the ACC, it was Wake Forest pulling out a win over Clemson in overtime 74-68. Wake was led by Eric Williams’ 19 points as they improve to 14-13. UNC beat NC State 95-71. David Noel led the Tarheels with 25 points and 11 rebounds as they move a half game out of second place in the ACC. And Duke survived against Georgia Tech, winning 73-66. Shelton Williams helped carry the team with 26 points and 11 rebounds as the Blue Devils improve to 26-1.

UNC Football Coach Leaves For SC
The UNC Tarheels are looking for a replacement on the football field as defensive ends coach Brad Lawing has left the university. Lawing was hired this week as the defensive line coach for Steve Spurrier at South Carolina, ending a three year term as a member of the Tarheels. Coach John Bunting is also looking to fill a void on the offensive side of the ball, as offensive line coach Hal Hunter also left to take the same position with the NFL’s San Diego Chargers.

NBA: Charlotte vs. Portland
The Charlotte Bobcats bounced back on Wednesday, beating Portland 110-106. Gerald Wallace wasted no time in his return from injury, exploding for 15 points, 7 rebounds and 4 blocks in limited action. Wallace had been out for almost a month, recovering from a sprained knee. Kareem Rush led Charlotte with 28 points, as the Bobcats improve to 15-41.

Nelson Leaving NASCAR
Some shakeups are on the way for NASCAR as Gary Nelson announced this week that he’s leaving the circuit. Nelson was the vice president for research and development, working to design the "car of tomorrow". He’s leaving to create his own consulting company Nelson & Associates, something he said that he’s been wanting to do his entire life. The new consulting company will help several different racing series develop better safety and performance standards.