News & Sports For May 23rd

Time To Vaccinate Horses Against West Nile
With the weather getting warmer and rain in the forecast, some unwelcome visitors will soon be making their way back to Wilkes County. It’s becoming mosquito season again and for horse owners here in Wilkes, that means it’s also time to get your animal vaccinated. Eastern Equine Encephalomyelitis (in-se-fill-i-tis) and the West Nile Virus are two diseases that have become a recurring problem for horse owners here in the state. Both vaccines require two shots, each taken 30 days apart and must be done by a local vet. Also, the vaccine won’t take effect until both shots have been injected, so it’s best to vaccinate before mosquito season begins. To get some more information about the diseases or where you can get a vaccine, you can contact Wilkes Animal Control at 903-7688.

Thieves Looking For Cold Relief
Apparently a trip to the doctor cost too much for some Wilkes County residents. Thieves walked into Neighbors’ Store late Sunday night, running off with some Tylenol PM and a pack of beer. Employees inside gave a description of both the thieves and their vehicle, which was turned over to Wilkes deputies. Deputies soon tracked down the vehicle, whose driver had a revoked license. In addition, the stolen bottles of Tylenol were found in his pockets. 22-yr-old Dustin Steven Perkins was arrested and charged with driving without a license , damage to property and larceny.

Lowes Earnings Up For the First Quarter
Good news for any Lowes stockholders out there, as the company reported a sizable increase in profits for the first quarter. Profits rose 44% for the first quarter of 2006, bringing it to $841 million for the period ending May 5th. That translates into $1.06 a share, up from 73 cents a share at this same time last year and slightly above the 94 cents a share analysts predicted. The company says repair work from the storms of 2005 are partially to thank, as revenues shot up over 20% during the first five months of this year.

Silverware Stolen From Local Home
No good deed goes unpunished, as a Traphill woman found out over the weekend. A young woman had been allowed to stay in a home she owned, but when she went to go check on the property this weekend, found over a thousand dollars in merchandise missing. 20 blue plates, a tea pot, iron kettle and several other items were taken from inside. Descriptions of the suspects were turned over to sheriff’s deputies and the investigation continues.

3WC Healthwatch: Chocolate Good For Blood Pressure
Researchers have found that dark chocolate can actually help lower your blood pressure, as we explain in today’s 3WC Healthwatch. In an article published by the American Heart Association, researchers from a university in Italy found that dark chocolate has compounds in it called flavonoids (flav-o-noids), which help ease the strain on blood vessels. A study was done with 10 men and 10 women, all of which had high blood pressure. For 15 days, 10 of the group ate 100 grams a day of dark chocolate, while the others ate the same amount of white chocolate. White chocolate was used because it doesn’t have the favonoid compound, but contains all the other ingredients found in the dark version. Those who ate the dark chocolate found their systolic pressure dropped 12 mms, or millimeters of mercury while the diastolic dropped 9. No such changes were found in the group that ate the white chocolate. The dark chocolate also appeared to help the body use insulin better, while reducing bad cholesterol by about 10%. Now the reason most Americans aren’t experiencing lower blood pressure after eating chocolate is because most of the time, we eat milk chocolate, which doesn’t have enough of the flavonoids to help much. And if you want to practice a little restraint and not eat the chocolate, there are some other foods also high in flavonoids. Apples and oranges have the compound, as do tangerines, grapefruits, onions and green tea.

Thieves Load Up To Go Deer Hunting
Some people in Wilkes County apparently wanted to get a jump on deer season by stealing what they need. A Statesville man came back to check on some property he owned in Wilkes County, only to find that thieves had paid him a visit. The man’s deer feeder had been stolen and someone had tore down the cattle gate keeping the property secure. There is a suspect in the case and the investigation continues.

Blood Drive Later Today
With summer on the way, a drought of a different kind is looming for Wilkes County. Traditionally the summer months are the worst times for the local blood supply, as people leave for vacation and turnouts at blood drives are slim. However the situation is slightly worse this year, as turnouts have been poor for the past several months. A drive is going on later today at the Wilkesboro Civic Center from 2-6:30pm. With the blood supply just above critical levels, the Red Cross is asking anyone who’s able to come out and give. To set up an appointment the number to call is 838-4563.

One Person Hospitalized After 421 Wreck
An accident Sunday night totaled two vehicles and sent one person to the hospital. The incident happened just past 4pm Sunday afternoon on Hwy 421 next to Belks. A North Wilkesboro woman went to merge back onto the main highway as she thought the vehicle approaching was getting set to turn off. Instead the two cars collided, causing an estimated $14,000 in damage. The second driver, a Millers Creek man, had to be taken to the hospital by EMS to get checked out.

Just Came In For A Look
Thieves broke into a home on the Mertie Road this week, apparently just wanting to have a look around. Nothing was taken from inside and no damage was done, except for the front door, which was totaled. The former resident now resides in a nursing home and no one else had been allowed on the property. That investigation continues.

Regional News

Local Teen Drowns In Caldwell County
One boy drowned after a swimming accident Sunday night in Caldwell County. The incident happened at Water Plant Park in Lake Rhodhiss (Rod-hiss), as a group of boys decided to go into a section of the lake where swimming is banned. One of the boys didn’t make it out, as the 15-yr-old went under and his body washed ashore later that night. Officials plant to increase the patrols in the area, to make sure such an event doesn’t happen again.

State News

Jobless Rate Falls Across North Carolina
Good news for North Carolina, as the state’s jobless rate fell by the end of April to 4.3%. That continues a trend started back in February, when the jobless rate was 4.6%. Since then the rate has been continually dropping as more people are finding work. According to the state’s Employment Security Commission, 22688 people found jobs in April, bringing the total to 4.2 million currently employed across the state.

All America Week Held At Ft. Bragg
Members of the military stationed at Fort Bragg are gathering together for their version of the Olympics this week. All American Week is held each year the week before Memorial Day, as retired members of the 82nd Airborne Division are welcomed back to take part in competitions such as Monday’s four mile run. Other events held this week include football, basketball and volleyball tournaments, along with boxing matches and a 10 mile run. The events will continue until Sunday.

Judicial Candidate Forced To Remove Endorsement
A candidate for the State Supreme Court is having to apologize to a national icon today, after her website mistakenly gave the impression he had endorsed her. Candidate Rachel Hunter had her picture taken at the North Carolina Sports Hall of Fame banquet with legendary coach Dean Smith. When the picture was put on her website, it was followed by a brief message that read “as a loyal Democrat to another loyal Democrat. Win Rachel Win!”. Representatives for Coach Smith have said that he has not issued an endorsement for anyone in the race and asked that the message be taken down. Hunter is competing against current Associate Justice Mark Martin for the next eight year term on the bench.

Charges Coming In Lobbyist Investigation
Charges have been brought against three people with ties to both North Carolina lawmakers and the lottery this week. At the top of the list is Meredith Norris, former political director for House Speaker Jim Black. While she was working for the Speaker, Norris was also taking money as a lobbyist for Scientific Games, a gambling company that wanted to run the state lottery. However Norris violated state law by not registering herself as a lobbyist for the company, despite setting up dinners, arranging meetings and making presentations on the company’s behalf. Former lottery commissioner Kevin Geddings is also in hot water, as he too refused to divulge the fact that he was involved with Scientific Games. Finally former Scientific Games Vice President Alan Middleton is also up on charges of violating the lobby laws, for failing to register as a lobbyist while in the employ of the company. All three will appear in court next month.

Sports Headlines

Sign Up For Sertoma Football
Football season is still a few months away, but for kids here in Wilkes County, the signups begin today. The Wilkes Central Sertoma Football League is holding signups tonight for any rising 3rd through 8th grade boys and girls, in football and cheerleading. The signups will start at Central Wilkes Middle School beginning at 6pm.

UNC & State Add Recruits
On the college football field, even though the 2006 season hasn’t started yet, teams are already looking ahead to 2007. NC State and North Carolina both landed recruits this week for the 2007 class. For the Tarheels, Jay Wooten from Scotland County High School committed to the team. Wooten, a 6’3 ft. 190 lb. junior is his team’s punter, kickoff specialist and field goal kicker, acing 8 out of the 13 field goals he tied last year. In addition, he averaged 36 yards on punts and put 75% of his kickoffs into the endzone for a touchback. Wooten turned down offers from Clemson & LSU to join the Heels, becoming the fourth commitment in the 2007 class. Down the road in Raleigh, NC State got help of a different kind. Looking to replace defensive end Mario Williams, who left for the NFL, State got a commitment from Linwan Euwell, a defensive end from Southwest Edgecombe High. The 6’3 ft. 210 lb. Euwell was named high school defensive player of the year by several newspaper and turned down an offer from East Carolina to join the Wolfpack.

Former Wolfpack QB Getting His Shot
On the pro scene, a former member of the NC State Wolfpack is getting his shot at becoming an NFL quarterback. Jay Davis saw his career at NC State come to a close after just six games last season, when sophomore Marcus Stone took over the reins. After graduating, Davis went undrafted and expected to get back into the college game as a coach. However on a whim he attended tryout camp for both the New York Jets and Tampa Bay Buccaneers, impressing Bucs head coach John Gruden, who’s considering offering Davis an invitation to training camp. Still Davis isn’t getting his hopes up and says he’ll be happy if a team picks him up and sends him to the minor leagues of NFL Europe. If that doesn’t work out however, he plans to go back to college and lack on an a graduate assistant, hoping to some day become an offensive coordinator.
Bobcats Get Shot At Number One Tonight
While the 2006 season is over for the Charlotte Bobcats, the road to next year begins tonight as the NBA holds its’ draft lottery. The Bobcats are guaranteed no worse than the 6th pick in the draft and could go as high as number one depending on how the lottery goes tonight. Most scouts believe that Gonzaga forward Adam Morrison, LSU forward Tyrus Thomas or Texas center LaMarcus Aldridge will go first in the draft this season. Draft coverage will start tonight on ESPN beginning at 7:30pm.

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