Ballot Out Now For Singing News Awards
Fans of Southern Gospel music have sent in their votes and a new Top Ten List has been released for this year’s Singing News Fan Awards. The ballot is out now in the May edition of Singing News magazine and our own John Wishon made the Top Ten in the Small Market DJ Of The Year category. Fans can now cast their ballots to narrow the field down to five in each category and then those five will go on to the National Quartet Convention for a chance at being selected.

Changes In the Polling Places
With a week left til the primaries, the Board of Elections has announced some changes in the polling places around Wilkes County. Throughout the rest of the day here on 3WC, we’ll be going over the changes and explaining where people can go to vote on May 2nd.

Polling Places In Wilkes County
(Precinct Number and Name followed by Location)
101
Antioch-Antioch Sub-Station Roaring River FD
102
Boomer-Boomer Fire Dept
103
Brushy Mtn.-Brushy Mtn. Community Center
104
Cricket-Cricket Fire Dept.
105
Edwards #1-Ronda Town Hall
106
Edwards #2-Roaring River School Media Center
107
Edwards #3-CB Eller School Old Gym
108
Fairplains-Wilkes Senior Center
109
Ferguson-Ferguson Community Center
110
Jobs Cabin-Mt. Pleasant School Gym
111
Millers Creek-West Wilkes Middle School Gym
112
Moravian Falls-Moravian Falls Fire Dept.
113
Mt. Pleasant -Mt. Pleasant School Cafeteria
114
Mulberry #1-McGrady Fire Dept.
115A
Mulberry -Mulberry School Gym
117
New Castle-Ronda Clingman School Gym
118
North Wilkesboro-North Wilkesboro Fire Dept.
119
Reddies River-West Wilkes High School Media Center
120
Rock Creek #1-Mtn.View School Gym
121
Rock Creek #2-Mtn.View School Multi-Purpose Room
122
Somers-South East Wilkes Community Center
123
Traphill #1-Traphill Fire Dept.
124
Traphill #2-Austin Fire Dept.
125
Union-Wilbar Fire Dept.
126
Walnut Grove-North Wilkes High Gym
127
Wilkesboro #1-Wilkesboro Civic Center
128
Wilkesboro #2-CC Wright School Gym
129
Wilkesboro #3-Wilkesboro Fire Dept.

A Return To Cold Temperatures
Bad news for anyone looking forward to summertime weather as a cold front will be moving into Wilkes by Wednesday. The front is moving our way from the northwest and is expected to drop at least another inch of rain before leaving sometime next week. According to the National Weather Service, the time to break out the umbrella is today and tomorrow, as there’s at least a 50% chance of rain til Thursday. Temperatures over the next few days are expected to struggle just to reach 60 degrees, as forecasters believe the front will stall over North and South Carolina.

3WC Eye On Politics Part II: Clerk Of Court
With one full week left before the election, we’re continuing our political coverage here on the 3WC News. Throughout this week, we’re airing segments of the conversations with candidates for the Republican primary for Clerk of Court. Yesterday we started with Janet Handy and today we continue with Joe Byrd.
7am-why he decided to run
8am-what problems are there in the current office
Noon-does experience matter?
5pm-what he plans to accomplish

3WC Healthwatch: The Road To Lower Blood Pressure
High blood pressure can be a problem for anyone from nine to ninety two. But it turns out one simple activity might dramatically reduce high blood pressure in senior citizens. In today’s 3WC Healthwatch, a report was recently released from the Oregon Research Institute that found the road to good health may be laced with stones. Researchers did a study of 108 volunteers over a 16 week period and found that after just 30 minutes of walking each day on cobblestones, the group’s blood pressure dropped significantly. Moreso than the control group, which had been walking on regular pavement. The reason for the difference? The group doesn’t have a clear answer, but believes the smooth and uneven surface of the stones help stimulate nerve points in the body that don’t get used as often otherwise. With these nerves running at full steam, it takes pressure off other areas and allows the body to relax. More tests are being conducted but the group suggests that if you want to lower your blood pressure, make a walkway of your own. Find some smooth but uneven stones, possibly in your creek bed, put them into the ground as a walkway and go over them for about 30 minutes each day. Within a few weeks your blood pressure could take a nose dive back into the normal range.

Help Needed For Yadkin Cleanup
Coming up next month, anyone and everyone is being asked to lend a hand or pick up a shovel. As part of National River Cleanup Week, which is May 8th through the 13th, volunteer crews will be out picking up trash on the Yadkin River. For the section of river between Roaring River and Ronda, work will be going on May 12th. Then one day later on May 13th, cleanup crews will head to the section stretching from Ronda to Elkin. The work each day will last from 10am til 2pm and for more information you can call 659-0596.

Wreck Near 421 Damages One
One car was damaged after an accident near Hwy 421 over the weekend. A Purlear woman was pulling into the parking lot of the Addison just off of 421, but didn’t notice a concrete pole directly in front of her. She slammed into it, causing several thousand dollars in damage and totaling her car. Estimated damage to the vehicle was placed at $2000. Thankfully no one was injured in the wreck.

Recall Issued Of Ice Cream
Bad news for all you ice cream lovers out there. Harris Teeter has ordered a recall of all 1.75 quart cartons of its’ Sundae Carmel Cone Crunch ice cream. The reason being that peanuts could be in some cartons without it being advertised on the box, leading to potential problems for anyone with a peanut allergy. The affected cartons all have the UPC code 7203643026 and customers can return the product for a refund. In addition a hotline has been set up at 1-800-432-6111 to answer any questions.

State News

FBI Director Comes To Charlotte
North Carolina played host to an important guest on Monday, as FBI director Robert Mueller was in town. Mueller took a tour of the Charlotte FBI branch and announced that investigations were continuing to plug leaks in the organization. Last week a senior analyst was fired after admitting that she leaked classified documents to the Washington Post. Mueller also said that he was concerned people would forget September 11th as time passes and explained that we need to stay vigilant against terrorism.

Missing Boy Found In SC
A North Carolina boy that had been missing since April 15th was located in South Carolina over the weekend. The body of Primtvio Ledesma washed up on a section of Myrtle Beach and discovered by vacationers. The 13-yr-old had been on vacation with his family two weeks ago when he vanished. Now it’s believed that Ledesma got caught up in a rip current and taken out to sea.

Furniture Market Providing Jobs
In High Point, company officials from around the world are coming in for the furniture market this week. While the event itself brings several billion dollars into the local economy, it’s also helping out with economics of a different sort. Several hundred thousand furniture workers have been laid off in the area as plants have shut down and moved to Mexico. With market exhibitors needing help moving their product, some of these unemployed factory workers have found at least temporary jobs. In fact, 13000 of them, according to a study done by UNC Greensboro.

Another Plant Shutting Down In Alamance
Bad news for people in Alamance County today, as another textile plant will be shutting its’ doors. Cortina Fabrics has been in the area since 1982, producing mesh fabrics for use by pro athletes and other companies. Now the company is closing down operations in Alamance and putting 95 employees out of work. Company officials said the move was necessary due to the continuing flood of overseas imports.

Sports Headlines

Little League Scores
Some Little League scores to report from last night. In the girl’s softball coach pitch division, it was the Braves over the Dodgers 8-5. In minor league softball it was the Phillies over the As 12-1 and the Braves over the Dodgers 9-2. In Little League baseball’s coach pitch division it was the Mets over the Rockies 8-4 and the Yankees over the Indians 6-3. In minor league baseball, it was the Indians over the Rangers 14-4, the Angels beat the Red Sox 12-0 and the White Sox slid by the As 4-2. In the major league baseball schedule, it was the As shutting out the Yankees 7-0 and the Angels barely squeaking by the White Sox 5-4.

High School Baseball Tonight
If the weather cooperates, we’ll have high school baseball on the radio tonight. Surry Central heads over to Moravian Falls for a game against the Wilkes Central Eagles. The first pitch is set for 7pm and we’ll go on the air with the McDonald’s pregame show at 6:45pm. And speaking of baseball, one varsity game on the schedule last night as the East Wilkes Cardinals made the trip down to North Iredell. Unfortunately the Cardinals fell just short, losing to North 4-3.

Former Tarheel Coach Switching Teams
Taking a look at college basketball, a former Tarheels coach is swapping schools. Matt Doherty accepted an offer on Monday to become the new head coach at Southern Methodist University. In his first season at Florida Atlantic, Doherty guided the Owls to a 15-13 record. The team he takes over, the Southern Methodist Mustangs, finished 2006 with a 13-16 record, 10th in Conference USA.

Manning Signs With Chicago
In the NFL, the Carolina Panthers will probably be looking for a cornerback in the draft now that Ricky Manning has left the team. Manning signed a deal over the weekend with the Chicago Bears for 5 years and worth a reported $21 million. Because Manning signed an offer sheet, the Panthers had an option to match the deal, which they declined because doing so would put them over the salary cap with draft picks still to sign. As a result, the Panthers get Chicago’s third round pick in this Saturday’s draft.

NHL: Hurricanes In Playoffs
On the ice last night, the Carolina Hurricanes continue to struggle in the NHL playoffs. They lost to Montreal 6-5 in double overtime, dropping to the edge of elimination at 0-2 in the series. The next game will be Wednesday night up in Montreal.

Rumors Flooding NASCAR About Sponsor
In NASCAR, rumors are flying about some possible changes on the manufacturing side. Nothing has been confirmed, but news outlets are reporting that one of the big manufacturers for the Nextel Cup circuit could be pulling out soon. Officials from Dodge, Ford and GM all denied the reports, saying that they have a strong relationship with the circuit, a sentiment echoed by the teams.