News & Sports For May 22nd

Wilkes Soldier Found Guilty On All Charges
Guilty on all counts. That was the verdict handed down in the trial of a Wilkes County native over the weekend in Washington State. Specialist Brandon Bare was found guilty of premeditated murder in the death of his wife Nabila and also on two counts of indecent acts for desecrating her body. It took four hours of deliberation for the jury to come back with a verdict, causing the trial to stretch into early Saturday morning. 18-yr-old Nabila Bare was stabbed 71 times in the couple's home at Fort Lewis Washington July 12th of lst year. Her husband Brandon confessed to the crime, which his defense team portrayed as a act of rage in which he suddenly snapped, angry over his wife's affair with a fellow soldier. Prosecutors meanwhile presented evidence demonstrating Bare's interest in serial killers, including his own statement to police as he explained that he was imitating the tactics of 1980s serial killer Richard Ramirez. Bare was sentenced to life in prison with the possibility of parole. In addition, he was dishonorably discharged from the service and will forfeit all pay that was coming to him.

Local Kids Receive Scholarship
For five Wilkes County teens, the cost of going to college got a little bit cheaper last week. All five were selected to receive scholarships by the Wilkes Veterans Service Office, full four year awards to the school of their choice. Those getting the scholarship are Andrea Brown, an East Wilkes senior who will be attending Surry Community College, Kayla Mathis, also from East Wilkes, who will be attending Catawba Valley Community College and Jennifer Craighead, who will attend Wake Technical Community College after graduating from West Wilkes. Also Justin Hale, another West Wilkes senior who will be starting at Wilkes Community College and James Dellinger, a Wilkes Central senior who will be attending Western Carolina University. Only the children of veterans in the county were eligible for the scholarship.

Foxx Bill Goes To President
Soldiers from Wilkes County and across the U.S. can now put money aside for their retirement, as a change has been made to the tax code. The House & Senate passed H.R. 1499 last week, designated as the Heroes Earned Retirement Opportunities Act. The bill, which was sponsored by 5th District Congresswoman Virginia Foxx, will allow soldiers to put money earned as hazard pay into IRA accounts. Previously that was illegal, as the money was tax free and uneligible to be put into retirement accounts. Under the bill, combat pay earned as far back as 2004 can also be put into IRA accounts. The bill will now go to the President for his signature.

Hundreds In Damage Done At Local Home
Thieves targeted a local man's apartment late last week, causing hundreds of dollars in damage. The incident happened at a residence on Oak Towers Drive, as thieves broke in through the door and also damaged the ceiling tiles.Taken from inside was the man's 20" TV and a DVD player however neighbors had to report the crime as the renter himself is in jail. That incident is still under investigation.

3WC Techwatch: Out With The Old
Your computer could soon be replacing your phone as a way of keeping in touch, as we explain in today’s 3WC Techwatch. With personal communication becoming big business, companies are working on new ways of carrying on a conversation. Lycos is preparing to release a new program for the Windows system, that allows a user to make free calls to outside phone lines, by using the computer’s microphone. The only catch is that in order to receive free minutes, you have to sign up for a promotional offer with one of their partner companies. Otherwise people will be charged one cent a minute with the program. In addition, the new Lycos Phone will have movie previews and video calling, so two people can talk face to face over the computer.

Thieves Hit Foster's Grocery
Deputies were called out to Foster's Grocery late last week after thieves hit the business. A man paid for his purchases and then pocketed two candy bars. When asked about it, the man said his money ws out in the vehicle and took off running. A description of the man, his vehicle and the car's license plate was all turned over to sheriff's deputies. That 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.

Traffic Stop Leads To Drug Bust
A routine traffic stop led to a drug bust for sheriff's deputies late last week. When deputies pulled over the car for having a busted tail light, they witnessed the driver trying to shove something into her mouth and chew it. She was asked to spit out the item, which turned out to less than a gram of crack cocaine. 29-yr-old Samantha Combs was arrested and charged with drug possession.

Regional News

Body Of Missing Girl Found
The search has ended for a missing Burke Ccounty girl. Sheriff's deputies found the body of 17-yr-old Olivia Seals over the weekend, buried in the backyard of a friend. Seals had disappeared on May 9th, after she was supposedly dropped off at her driveway by a friend. Police searched the home of that same friend, 19-yr-old Phillip Blankenship and found a blood trail leading from the house to a pile of trash in the woods nearby. They found Olivia's body buried underneath and autopsy results showed that she was killed by a blow to the head. Phillip Blankenship has been charged with murder and is being held without bond in the Burke County jail.

State News

Arsonist Busted In Charlotte
An investigation five months in the making came to an end over the weekend, as Charlotte police arrested an arsonist. Over $800,000 in damage has been done since December in the Dilworth community, thanks to a series of fires police believed were intentionally set. Now it turns out that the arsonist was living in the same community she set afire. Susan Elaine Davidson was arrested by Mecklenburg police and faces charges for burning down the homes of two of her neighbors, along with an abandoned building on the same block. No motive has been given for the crime and up to 15 other charges could be pending in the case.

Edwards To Possibly Re-Enter Politics
A former North Carolina senator may be entering the race for President next year. John Edwards, former Democratic candidate for Vice President and a former North Carolina Senator, was a guest on ABC's "This Week" program Sunday morning. He said that he would only consider running for president if his wife's health continued to improve. Elizabeth Edwards was diagnosed with breast cancer in 2004 and has been undergoing treatment for the sickness ever since. The former senator also said that he's not sure if it's the right time to run, as he's still working on getting the Anti-Poverty Center he runs off the ground.

Early Sunday Crash In Hickory Kills One
Hickory officials are searching for the driver in a hit & run accident over the weekend. Early Sunday morning, two cars collided at a Hickory intersection, killing one of the drivers. According to officials, 49-yr-old Grover Cleveland Denton ran a red light and slammed into the other car, killing the 36-yr-old driver before speeding away. He's wanted on charges of death by vehicle, felony hit & run and failure to stay at a crash.

Sports Headlines

Season Ends For West Wilkes Baseball
Taking a look at the high school scoreboard, the season ended Friday night for West Wilkes’ varsity baseball team. They lost in second round action to Chatham Central 5-2, seeing their year come to a close with a record of 24-5. Lack of control from the Blackhawks pitching staff helped to seal the loss, with the team giving up 9 walks on the night.

Central Girls Advance To Next Round
In high school soccer, the Wilkes Central Lady Eagles advanced to the semifinals of the state playoffs after beating Shelby Saturday night. In overtime, Central pulled out the 3-2 winand moves on to play the winner of North Stanley and Albemarle.

ACC Wanting To Change Bowl Selection
Switching gears to college football, the way bowl bids are decided for ACC schools could be changing. After meeting this week, the conference announced that they plan to establish guidelines to make sure the best teams get on the field. Concerns were raised after last season, which saw an 8-3 Boston College team left out of the "big" Meineke Car Care Bowl, which went to 6-5 NC State. Instead, the Eagles had to make the trip up to Idaho for the MPC Computers Bowl as a consolation prize.

Former Appalachian Stars Continue Careers
Several former college football players are getting a chance at continuing their careers, just not in the NFL. Appalachian State star quarterback Richie Williams signed a deal this week with the Hamilton Tiger Cats, a team in the Canadian Football League. Williams, the Southern Conference offensive player of the year in 2005, has a two year contract with an option for a third. He’s the third member of Appalachian’s team to suit up for the Cats, as wide receiver Davon Fowlkes and Wayne Smith are both on the team. Training camp in the CFL starts today with the first game set for June 2nd.

Johnson Wins All Star Race
On the NASCAR circuit, it was Jimmie Johnson once again pulling into victory lane as he won the All Star Challenge. Kevin Harvick was second and Jeff Gordon rounded out the top three. Drivers will return to Charlotte this Sunday for the Coca-Cola 600.