News & Sports For February 28th
Tuesday, February 28, 2006 at 6:34AM Fugitive Arrested In Wilkes
A fugitive from Alabama was apprehended by Wilkesboro police earlier this week. On Sunday, officers received information that 22-yr-old Jessica Michelle Darling was staying with a family in the area. Jessica is currently wanted by officials in Alabama on several charges and was located at a house on Cedar Lane. She’s cureently out on $10,000 bond, awaiting extradition.
Two Damaged In 421 Accident
Two cars were damaged in an accident Sunday afternoon on US 421. A Millers Creek woman was traveling down the road when she had to stop suddenly for traffic. The vehicle behind her, driven by a North Wilkesboro man, couldn’t stop in time to avoid a collision. Thankfully no one was hurt in the crash however estimated damages were placed at $1100.
Wilkes Farmers Will See Tax Breaks In New Year
Some good news for Wilkes County farmers as you get set to fill out your taxes. There is a tax break coming for all farmers here in North Carolina on supplies and farm equipment. Certain items are now exempt from all sales and use tax, including grain, feed or soybean storage equipment. Also exempt are all farm machinery parts, attachments, lubricants and repair parts. In addition, farmers won't have to pay sales tax on any containers bought to use in planting, cultivating, harvesting, packaging or transporting farm products. Under the previous law, those products all had a tax assessed of 1%. In order to have proof on hand that they qualify, farmers need to fill out Form E-595E, known as the Streamlined Sales Tax Agreement Certificate of Exemption. The forms are available online at www.dor.state.nc.us/downloads/sales.html or you can also call and get it mailed to you at (877) 252-3052.
Is Clean Water Worth One Billion?
Is clean air and water worth one billion dollars to you? That’s a question people here in Wilkes and across the state might have to answer on the ballot this fall. The group Land for Tomorrow wants to put an issue before voters, seeking approval for $1 billion in bond money. That money would go to protect historic places and to clean up air and water across the state. As it would be structured, $200 million would be used each year over a five year period on the project. The proposal has gone before state lawmakers, who will decide in the summer if it makes it to the voting booth come November.
Deadline Is Today For Wilkes Politicians
Today is the final day for anyone who wants to toss their name in the hat and run for political office in Wilkes County. Would be politicians have until noon today to file and submit their paperwork at the Board of Elections. Up for grabs are two county commissioner seats, two seats on the board of education, the office of clerk of court, the 94th District State House seat of incumbent Tracey Walker and the 45th District State Senate seat of incumbent John Garwood.
Breaking The Bank Part Two: Where To Search
So you’ve gotten accepted to college and have a slightly large tuition bill to pay. In the second part of our financial aid series, we take a look at options that are available when searching for scholarships. A lot of websites and companies will try and cheat you, saying that they have exclusive access to the scholarship listings that deal with your student’s field of study. 99% of the time, that’s a lie. If you have internet access, there are several free websites you can visit, that give listings on grants and scholarships. Number one among them is FASTWEB, which you can find at www.fastweb.com. There after filling out a profile, you can search a database of not only scholarships, but grants and loans as well, with information available on how to apply and the deadlines involved. Another good choice is www.scholarships.com, which works almost like fastweb, except like the name says it only deals in scholarships. Another website with the total package of scholarships, loans and grant information here in North Carolina is the College Foundation of North Carolina. Also on the site you can check your college application and use their financial tools to figure out a plan to pay for college. You can find that by logging on to www.cfnc.org. Now coming up tomorrow on the third part, we take a look at some local scholarships here in Wilkes and what you have to do in order to be eligible for them.
Mailbox Vandals Hit Another Wilkes Home
Sheriff’s deputies were called out this week to deal with another case of mailbox vandalism, this time in North Wilkesboro. The incident happened on the Elledge Mill Road, as a man walked out of his house to find the mailbox had been damaged. An estimated $70 in damage was done, marking the second time in less than a month the homeowner has fallen victim to the vandals. That investigation continues.
Regional News
Foxx Named As Strong Conservative By National Magazine
5th District Congresswoman Virginia Foxx was honored over the weekend by a national magazine, being labeled one of the most conservative members of Congress. The February 25th edition of National Journal rates Foxx as being more conservative than 91.3% of Congress, based on 111 votes that she took part in last year. Those votes included support to slow the growth of federal spending, voting to secure the border and permanently repeal the death tax among others. Foxx said that she was humbled by the magazine’s and would continue to stand up for conservative values.
State News
Gas Rates Continue To Drop
Some more good news for people across North Carolina, as natural gas rates are set to take another drop. PSNC Energy put forth a request to the state Utilities Commission, asking that they be allowed to lower rates by a 4% margin. That request has since been approved and beginning March 1st, all PSNC customers in North Carolina will save at least $5 on their bill.
Over 100 Cars Damaged In Weekend Spree
Vandals took aim at places all across Mecklenburg County over the weekend, damaging 116 cars in the process. All of the vehicles had windows shattered by a bb gun with estimated damages in the thousands. Most of the targeted vehicles were either mini-vans or SUVs, although it’s still unclear why. It’s also unknown if the crimes were the act of a group or one person.
Chapel Hill Searching For GPA Answers
Some changes could soon be coming for UNC Chapel Hill students. School officials want to increase the number of students who graduate during a four year period, as roughly 84% of the campus finish within five years. In order to do that, officials are considering a raise of the school’s GPA requirement. Also on the table are plans to hire more full time advisors and granting students an extended period to drop or add classes. A decision isn’t expected before the fall semester.
Lowes Reports Huge Earnings
Good news today for Lowes shareholders, as the company reported its’ highest profit increase in over three years. Profits rose almost 37%, totaling $695 million. For individual investors, that translates into 87 cents a share. In general sales climbed to $10.8 billion, a mark the company partially attributes to the hurricanes and other disasters over the past year. CEO Robert Niblock also told reporters that they expect even larger growth in 2006, with shares projected to climb anyway from $4.03 to $4.13.
Sports Headlines
Local Teams Come Up Big In State Championships
Two local schools were in action over the weekend, competing in the State 2A/1A wrestling championships. Overall in points West Wilkes came out as the better of the two local schools in the competition, coming in 13th with 38.5 points. North Wilkes meanwhile came in 21st with 31 points. However it was a North Wilkes wrestler walking away with a title after George Gianera won the 112 lb. division title 6-2, beating Matt Whittle from West Lincoln. Steven Branch from West Wilkes finished as the runner-up in his category, losing to Nick Gregoris of Cardinal Gibbons in the 145 lb division.
Panthers Put Tag On Foster
In the senior circuit of the NFL, the Carolina Panthers came one step closer to filling the holes in their roster last week. They designated DeShaun Foster as the team’s transition player, meaning they can match any offer he receives as a free agent this year. The Panthers want to make Foster their starting running back, but are concerned about his ability to play through a full season. 2005 marked the third time in four years he’s endured a season-ending injury. Before giving him a big contract, the team wants to see how Foster bounces back from a broken ankle.
Punter Will Come Back If Price Is Right
Another member of the Panthers is taking a look at the door, if the team doesn’t meet his price. The agent for punter Jason Baker said that he wants to stay with the team, but won’t do so unless Carolina offers him a contract on par with his market value. Last season Baker made just over $400,000 and is looking for an increase over $1 million. The 27-yr-old was 5th in the NFC last season with a punting average of 43.3 yards per kick.
NBA: Charlotte vs. LA Clippers
Around the NBA, it was the LA Clippers over the Charlotte Bobcats 95-87. Gerald Wallace had 15 points, 16 rebounds and a block as the team drops to 15-43. Coming up they’ll play Utah Wednesday night.
NASCAR Standings
Taking a look at the NASCAR standings after two races, it’s Jimmie Johnson in the lead, 39 points ahead of second place Casey Mears. Matt Kenseth is third after Sunday’s win, Kasey Kahne is in fourth and Dale Earnhardt Jr. comes in 5th, 68 points behind the leader. Teams have an off week and then head to Las Vegas March 12th for the DaimlerChrysler 400.
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