News & Sports For March 24th

Interest In Chicken Plant Grows
Over one hundred people turned out last night at the Wilkes Open Forum, to get more information about the proposed Fibrowatt plant. The plant would use chicken litter to generate electricity, burning the material at roughly 1500 degrees Fahrenheit to produce steam. That steam would push the turbine engine, producing electricity, This would be just the second plant of its’ kind built in the United States, the first currently being assembled in Minnesota and Wilkes is one of three North Carolina counties in the running. The other two are Alexander and Surry County. County commissioners and town officials from both Wilkesboro and North Wilkesboro were in attendance, along with several hundred chicken growers. In the Forum last night, Fibrowatt chief operating officer Carl Stickler debated the idea of the plant with Mike Ewall from the Energy Justice Network. Ewall and his organization are opposed to building such a plant, citing concerns about the odor and emissions released into the air. Strickler said however that the company’s process of burning chicken litter would be cleaner than the present alternatives of wood or coal. In addition, he said that the odor problem would be controlled and there would be little noise coming from the plant. A decision on where to build the plant could be made by the end of this year.

More Counterfeit Money Entering Wilkes
As we reported yesterday on the 3WC News, counterfeit money has become a problem across the entire western part of the state. The problem has made it’s way back into Wilkes County, as earlier this week Foster’s Grocery fell victim to counterfeiters. A man came into the store Tuesday night, paid for his purchase with three $20 bills and left. It wasn’t until later that the money was discovered to be counterfeit. A copy of the security tape has been given to sheriff’s deputies along with a description of the suspect. That investigation continues.

Thieves Hit Local Residence
Sheriff’s deputies were called out to a home on South Center Church Road this week, after thieves paid a visit. The homeowner returned to find someone had attempted to pry open the padlock on his storage building. When that failed, the thieves turned their attention to a couple of motorcycles that were in an open shed nearby. The make and model of the two cycles were turned over to sheriff’s deputies, along with the license plate of a truck that neighbors saw hanging around the area. Deputies are continuing the investigation.

IRS Sees Increase In Phishing
With the tax deadline less than a month away, the IRS is sending out an alert, warning people to be careful about what kind of information they give on the internet. There’s been an increase this tax season in the number of phishing scams going on where criminals attempt to impersonate the IRS and get your tax information. So far, the Treasury Department has tracked down 12 different websites operating out of 11 countries ranging from Aruba to here in the United State. In each case, the crooks are sending out fake emails that have the exact same information as the IRS would, even down to the log-in screen. They inform the reader that he or she has a tax refund coming and should log on to confirm. In some situations, it’s even impossible to tell if the email is legit by looking at who sent it, as hackers can alter any portion of the message. First and foremost, if you get any emails from the IRS, log out and go directly to their website. Don’t click on any links that will connect you. While it may seem harmless, what that does in fact is link you with a hacker’s computer. Now he has a way into your system. While taxpayers who file electronically possibly will be getting a confirmation that their return is accepted, the IRS will call or send information regarding your return via the regular mail, never through the internet. Because this is such a widespread problem, the IRS is asking you to call and let them
know if you receive an email at 1-800-366-4484.

Statesville Man Falls Victim To Forgery
A Statesville man got a surprise in his bank statement, as just under $200 in checks had been written to the account in Moravian Falls. It turns out that a local man had somehow gained access to his checkbook and taken several out, using them over the course of three months. The suspect’s name and address were given over to sheriff’s deputies and the investigation continues.

Recall Ordered Of Reebok Bracelets
This next bit of information is for anyone who’s recently bought some new shoes for their children. A recall has been ordered from Reebok International of an estimated 300,000 promotional charm bracelets. The items were included as gifts when certain styles of children’s shoes were bought. The shoes themselves are fine, however one child has already died due to lead poisoning from the metal bracelets. The bracelets are eight inches long with a heart shaped charm that has Reebok written on it. Parents are being asked to dispose of the charm bracelets, due to the high lead content.

Thieves Run Off With Expensive Coin Collection
A man on Byrd Road fell victim to thieves this week. He went to check on his coin collection this week, only to find it missing. Also taken in the theft was a chainsaw. The coins had been in a secure location that only one other person knew about and are worth a reported $2500. There was no sign of a break-in and no damage done to the property, however deputies do have a suspect and that investigation continues.

Check Road Conditions Before Leaving
Before you head out this morning, it’s important to know what road conditions are like across the county. For people in Wilkes that can be accessed now on the internet by visiting the state DOT webpage at www.ncdot.org/traffictravel. Once there you can click on the real time travel information option and it will let you know what roads are like and how long a delay you can expect on your drive into work.

Roadside Assistance For Farmers
Even though the weather outside says otherwise, spring is on the way and that means it’s time for farmers to start planning how they’re going to market their crops. A program created by the Department of Agriculture can help with that. The Roadside Farm Market program is designed to help farmers directly sell their fruits and vegetables to people who might otherwise buy the products at a store. Now for more information or to get involved with the program, you can contact Ross Williams at the NC Department of Agriculture. His number is 919-733-7887. Applications are also available at the Wilkes Cooperative Extension office.

State News

Black Investigation Goes Criminal
State House Speaker Jim Black could find himself in hot water, as the investigation into his campaign changes gears. The State Board of Elections has asked prosecutors to determine if the campaign broke any laws through its’ dealings with special interest groups. Black’s campaign admitted on Thursday that they had accepted $9775 in illegal donations and were prepared to either refund the money or pay a fine to the state. However there’s a wide gap between what Black’s campaign admitted taking and what the state believes is the figure. The Board of Elections said on Thursday that their investigators have uncovered $27,625 in illegal donations, $17850 more than Black would admit to taking. A decision has not yet been made as to if criminal charges will be brought.

Vandals Damage Recruiting Centers In Protest
Officials at three military recruiting centers in North Carolina got a surprise when they arrived at work Wednesday morning. Vandals had attacked the buildings, causing several hundred dollars worth of damage in a move later described as a protest against the war. An email message was sent out Wednesday supposedly by one of the vandals, who called the attacks a form of protest against the Iraqi conflict. The email said that people here at home are being exploited by a government that doesn’t care and announced that “resistance would continue” until the war is over. There is a suspect in the case but no arrests have been made.

Sentence Handed Down For Former Lawmaker
Former North Carolina Senator John Carrington was sentenced this week after violating federal law. The 71-yr-old Carrington had pled guilty last year to charges of illegally shipping law enforcement equipment to China. He was given a year of probation, ordered to pay a $850,000 fine and give up all exporting privileges for the next five years. Prosecutors had argued that Carrington should get some jail time, as the charge carries a maximum of 10 years in prison, however the defense requested probation due to the man’s health and age, along with his record of public service. Carrington’s company, Sirchie Finger Print Labs, sold law enforcement equipment to China. Federal law prohibits such equipment being sold to any country with a record of human rights abuses.

Fugitive Brought To Justice In Granville
Officials from 15 different law enforcement agencies worked together to bring in a convicted killer this week. 80-yr-old Johnny Van Ellis escaped from a Granville County prison back in 1974 and had been living in the same area for the past 30 years. The Violent Crimes Task Force, coordinated by the U.S. Marshals, picked up the case on Tuesday and by Wednesday had tracked Ellis down and placed him under arrest. Over the past year, the task force has arrested 392 fugitives.

Sports Headlines

High School Baseball Tonight
High school baseball is back on the radio tonight if the weather permits as we go up the road to Millers Creek. The West Wilkes Blackhawks will be in action, playing host to the East Surry Cardinals. The first pitch is set for 7pm and we’ll go on the air with the McDonald’s pregame show around 6:45. That’s coming up tonight on your home for local sports, 1240 3WC.

NCAA Scoreboard
Taking a look at college basketball last night, it was Duke bowing out of the NCAA tournament in a 62-54 loss to LSU. The Blue Devils shot just 27% overall and 19% from beyond the 3-point line, with J.J. Redick putting up just 11 points. Shelden Williams finished strong however with 23 points, 11 rebounds and 4 blocks on the day. The loss ends Duke's season at 32-4 and also closes the door on Redick and Williams' college careers, as the seniors are bound for the NBA.

Sendek Gets Support
In a year where he’s faced intense pressure to step down, NC State coach Herb Sendek got a vote of support from his university. Athletic director Lee Fowler said that the university strongly supports Sendek, mentioning that they were impressed with the program’s direction, the increased graduation rate of players and the way they represent the university both on and off the court. Sendek has posted some impressive numbers during his 10-yr tenure, as this marks the 5th straight year State has made it to the NCAA and the 3rd straight time the team has won 21 or more games in a season. Still Wolfpack fans had been calling for the coach’s job after the team lost in the second round of the NCAA tournament to Texas 75-54 on Sunday.

Bobcats Look To Recover Against Heat
The Charlotte Bobcats look to be back up to full strength for their game tonight against the Miami Heat. Gerald Wallace, Brevin Knight and Melvin Ely are all expected back in the lineup. Wallace had to sit out Wednesday’s game against Cleveland with a strained calf muscle, while Brevin Knight is recovering from an injured groin. Melvin Ely meanwhile has been out with a migraine headache.

Panthers Look To Add Wide Receivers
The Carolina Panthers are looking to solve another one of their problems from last season, by adding some more wide receivers. The team is in talks with both former Cowboy Keyshawn Johnson and Kansas City Chief Marc Boerigter. While all the attention has been on Johnson, Boerigter also fits what the Panthers are looking for. Coming in at 6’3ft and 2220 lbs, the fourth year player is also younger and comes at a cheaper price than Johnson.

2nd Generation Driver Gets First Shot This Weekend
When the engines are turned on and the Busch Series race begins this weekend, there will be a familiar name sitting in Rusty Wallace’s No. 64 Dodge. His son Steve Wallace will make his first start of the young season this weekend, taking over behind the wheel. The Sharpie 300 starts at 3:10 tomorrow afternoon.