Wilkes Veterans At Risk For ID Theft
Any Wilkes County veteran who was discharged after 1975 could be at risk of having their personal information exposed. Back on May 3rd, computer files that contained the information for over 26 million vets was stolen from the home of a Veterans Affairs official. It’s unclear why the records were on the man’s computer in the first place and he’s been put on administrative leave while the investigation continues. However that still leaves millions of vets at risk of falling prey to ID theft. Included in the files were the names of vets, their date of birth, social security numbers and possibly medical information, if they had applied for benefits. What can local vets do to prevent becoming a victim? The Department of Veterans Affairs suggests that you keep a close eye on your bank statements and check your account regularly. Be sure to let officials at your bank know if you notice any irregularities. In addition, vets can call 1-800-333-4636 for more information or if you think your ID is compromised, there are other steps you can take. You can call one of the major credit bureaus and check to make sure your information is secure, either by calling Equifax at 1-800-525-6285, Experian at 1-888-397-3742 or TransUnion at 1-800-680-7298.

Local Man Arrested For Growing Marijuana
A domestic dispute led to a drug bust for sheriff’s deputies this week. A woman on the Crews Road got her husband evicted from the mobile home they had rented and asked the landlord to change the locks. When she went inside to remove her husband’s stuff, she came across some plants he had told her were tomatoes. The landlord informed her that they were marijuana plants and sheriff’s deputies were called out. 20-yr-old Jeremy Settle was arrested and charged with manufacturing marijuana.

State Transportation Board Gives Money To Wilkes
Wilkes County will be getting some extra funds from the state, thanks to a recent decision by the NC Board of Transportation. As part of a larger $4.5 million award given out to a ten county area, the Wilkes Transportation Authority will get $10,024 in state funding to go along with $160,399 in federal funding for administrative issues. Also the county will receive $80901 in federal & state funding for future transportation projects, although no details were given as to what those would be.

Thieves Break In To Steal Washer
Thieves apparently were in a hurry to get clean earlier this week, as they broke into a Millers Creek storage building to get a pressure washer. Someone cut the lock on the building and came inside, leaving with a pressure washer estimated at $2500. That investigation is ongoing.

4-Wheeler Stolen From North Wilkesboro Home
A North Wilkesboro man got a surprise when he arrived home Monday night, as someone had stolen his 4-wheeler. The incident happened at a residence on Brookcrest Circle, as the homeowner returned to find his vehicle missing. Despite the theft, no one in the area could recall hearing or seeing anyone around the property. However there is a suspect in the case and that investigation continues.

Focus On Food
When you think of a healthy diet, chocolate and lemonade don’t exactly come to mind. But as it turns out, studies have shown both have healing properties for your body. So what exactly is a healthy diet? Coming up on today's Focus on the Foothills Cynthia Sass from the American Dietary Association will be Brian's guest, discussing fact and fiction about eating healthy.
That’s coming up today at 1:05pm right after the midday stock report.

Car Stolen From Millers Creek Home
A Millers Creek woman walked outside Tuesday morning to find her car was missing. Sometime during the night thieves pulled up to the home on Hacketts Road, driving off with her 1990 Chevy Lumina. There is a suspect in the case and information including the license plate number was turned over to sheriff’s deputies. That investigation is ongoing.

Wilkes Open Forum To Deal With Immigrant Issues
With illegal immigration such a hot topic in the news, it’s important to get all the information you can about the subject. Coming up tonight at the Wilkes Open Forum, the issue will be “Latinos in Wilkes: Understanding the Growing Community”. Tony Marin from the Wake Forest School of Medicine and Ada Jones, a teacher at Wilkes Central High will be speaking at the 6pm meeting. They hope to discuss topics such as the history between the U.S. and Latin America, also Latino culture, immigration and the struggle to learn English, among other things. That will go on tonight at 6pm at the Friends of the Library Meeting Room in the Wilkes Public Library.

Cars Hit While Traveling On Hwy 16
Several vehicles became the target of vandals this week while traveling on Hwy 16. Two drivers told deputies they were heading towards Millers Creek on 16 when both were passed by a grey Buick LeSabre. As the Buick passed, someone rolled down a window and started throwing beer bottles at the cars behind. One of the drivers was able to write down the license plate and turned that over to deputies. All total, an estimated $550 worth of damage was done and that investigation continues.

Salvation Army Offering Help
Many families can find themselves in a time of need as it can be hard to pay the bills and also put food on the table. The local Salvation Army is helping to solve that by taking applications for their financial assistance program. The program is open to anyone who can demonstrate a need for help paying utility or rent bills. However before going out, please remember that you can only be seen with an appointment, during either Tuesday or Thursday from 1-5pm. Also there is a limited amount of money available to help, given out on a need based approach. The Salvation Army is located in the Wilkes United Way office building, at 910 C Street in Wilkesboro. For more information or to set up an appointment you can call 651-7800.

State News

Three Injured In Factory Explosion
It’s believed that an employee accidentally ignited the fire which destroyed parts of a High Point factory on Tuesday. Investigators found that a worker was cutting pipe with a torch when the explosion happened. Apparently vapors had seeped out from the area where foam was being produced and once they hit the torch’s flame, it triggered an explosion. Three workers were taken to the hospital, two of which were later released from High Point Regional. However the third had to be taken to Baptist Medical Center to treat burns covering parts of his upper body.

Jobs Leaving High Point
Some more bad news for people in High Point, as jobs are leaving the area. Claude Gable Company has shut down operations, leaving the furniture business after 34 years. Company officials said they tried to keep operating for as long as possible, but competing with overseas imports put them in debt. All of the remaining furniture and other assets will be sold off to pay the company’s creditors. An estimated 200 people were put on the unemployment line by the move.

Chemical Spill Shuts Down Durham School
A chemical spill at one Durham elementary school gave students an early taste of summer vacation on Wednesday. An air conditioning technician gave out vials of mercury to kids at a local church, who then took the poison to school in water guns and started spraying the hands of other children. In addition, a local church and several nearby homes were closed off while officials decontaminated the area.

Deer Causes Accident On Hwy 64
Hazmat crews were called out to a section of Highway 64 in Wake County Wednesday morning, to clean up after a tractor-trailer flipped. The incident happened just before 1am Wednesday, as a deer jumped out into the road and the truck driver swerved to miss it. He ended up hitting the animal as the trailer overturned, spilling fuel out across the road. It took Highway Patrol officers and hazmat crews over four hours to get things back to normal. Thankfully however the truck driver walked away without a scratch.

Charlotte Boy In Hospital After Being Shot
A Charlotte boy is in the hospital today, after being gunned down Tuesday night. The 14-yr-old was riding his bike around 9pm near West Boulevard when gunshots rang out and he was hit in the thigh. He was rushed to the hospital, where he had to undergo surgery that night but is expected to survive. At this time officials say they don’t know if the boy was a target or just in the wrong place.

Sports Headlines

Post 31 Baseball
In American Legion baseball last night, it went just under four hours but the Wilkes Post 31 Patriots couldn’t pull out a win. They lost to Statesville 19-15, falling to 0-2 on the young season. Up next for the team will be a game against Montgomery County this Saturday. Gametime is set for 7pm at Wilkes Central.

Wilkes Central Girls Soccer
Around the high school scene, the Lady Eagles are moving on to the state championship in soccer. Wilkes Central beat Albemarle 4-0, to become the Western Division champion. Now the Lady Eagles are heading to Cary North Carolina, for the title game. Their opponents will be Swansboro, the Eastern Division champions. The game is set for this Saturday May 27th at 2pm at the SAS Soccer Park in Cary.

NHL Playoffs: Hurricanes vs. Sabres
On the ice last night, the Carolina Hurricanes lost Game 3 of the Eastern Conference finals, falling to Buffalo 4-3. With the win, the Sabres take a 2-1 lead in the series with Game Four set for Friday night.

Tapscott Resigning
The Charlotte Bobcats aren’t even three years old and already they’re having to restructure the organization. Team president Ed Tapscott announced his resignation on Wednesday, although no reason was given. Effective immediately, Tapscott will leave his job as both President and Chief Executive Officer of Bobcats Sports & Entertainment. He’ll be replaced by Van Sinclair, who has worked as the team’s representative with the NBA Board of Governors.

Bickerstaff To Stay
Some good news however for the Bobcats, as their head coach is sticking around. Bernie Bickerstaff had been considering a change, giving up his coaching job to focus on his duties as the team’s general manager but announced this week he’ll be staying on the bench for one more season. The 61-yr-old Bickerstaff said after the injury plagued season the Bobcats just went through, the team needed continuity.

Yates General Manager Out
A major shakeup in the world of NASCAR this week, as Eddie D’Hondt is gone from Robert Yates Racing. D’Hondt had served as the general manager for the company since 2003 but Robert Yates said his release was part of a later re-evaluation of how they do business. He and his son Doug Yates also indicated that they’ll be taking a more active role, re-asserting themselves as managers of the business. Yates is running the No. 38 Ford driven by Elliot Sadler and the No. 88 Ford, driven by Dale Jarrett in the NASCAR circuit. However a replacement will have to be found next year for Jarrett, as he’s jumping ship to join Toyota. It’s unknown if that move played any part in the reshuffling.