News & Sports For May 31st

Record Highs Set Across Wilkes County
Wilkes and the surrounding region saw the heat wave continue on Tuesday. Record highs were set in the area, as the temperature hit 94 degrees. That breaks the old record of 91, set back in 1969. However some good news as we’ll see some relief from that hot weather at least for the rest of the week. The National Weather Service is calling for highs in the mid 80s with the possibility of thunderstorms today through Friday. That storm system is expected to push back the hot air and by next Sunday, we could see highs only reaching the mid 70s and lows back in the mid 50s.

Explosives Found At Local Home
The Wilkes Hazardous Devices Unit was called out Monday night after some explosives were found at a home on North Ridge Road. The owner of the house was packing up to move and came across 14 sticks of dynamite while cleaning out a storage shed. HDU secured the explosives and took them to the sheriff’s department training ground, where they were disposed of. It’s estimated that the dynamite was around 20 years old and is believed to have been bought by another member of the homeowner’s family but then forgotten.

Vandals Take Aim At Local Schools
Two Wilkes County schools fell prey to vandals over the weekend. Over a thousand dollars worth of damage was done to West Wilkes High and Roaring River Elementary. At West High, several drink & snack machines were broke into, but nothing was missing from inside. Nothing else was damaged or even touched on the property. Over at Roaring River, vandals tossed rocks through several windows, shattering them and causing an estimated $500 in damages while also shattering the street light nearby. But despite the damage, nothing was missing or even disturbed inside the school itself. Deputies are continuing the investigation in both cases.

Two People Injured In Wreck On 421
One car was totaled and two people were rushed to the hospital after an accident Monday on Hwy 421. The incident happened just after 2pm as a North Wilkesboro man was slowing down for a yellow traffic signal. The second driver, a Purlear man, was following behind and smoking a cigarette. He dropped the cigarette and bent down to pick it up, unaware the vehicle in front of him was stopped. Both drivers were taken to Wilkes Regional and estimated damages were placed at $2300.

Preparing For Summer Part I: Taking Care Of The Car
Over the past week, the temperature has hit the mid 90s several times, reminding us that summer is just around the corner. But before the heat wave arrives, we have some tips on how to prepare both your house and your car in our Beat the Heat Summer Series. In our first segment today, we’re taking a look at ways you can protect your car against the weather.
First, in heated conditions, make sure to keep your car filled with antifreeze. If you’re running low, fill it up before you take off, otherwise your car could overheat before you get to your destination. Also open your car doors and let the air circulate before starting it up. That won’t just help the car, but also make it a little easier for you to bear the drive before the AC kicks in. And speaking of the air conditioner, never crank it all the way up to full blast when first starting the car. Instead start off at the regular or mild setting, to give the vehicle a chance to get started. Otherwise you run the risk of straining the air conditioner’s capacity while the car won’t be getting cooler any faster. If possible, put a sunshade on your car’s windshield when you get out. It will help cut down on the car’s temperature by reducing the heat buildup inside. And finally, more important than the car is your safety, so be sure and bring water with you on a hot day, to avoid getting dehydrated. And if you find yourself in need of help on the road, dial * HP so the highway patrol can help you out. Tomorrow in part two of our series, we’ll be going over some ways to keep your home cool.

Thieves Run Off With Local Man’s Mailbox
A North Wilkesboro man got a surprise when he walked outside to check his mail on Monday. Both his mailbox and the post it had stood on were missing. Nothing else was damaged or even touched on the property and no one could recall seeing anything unusual during the day. Deputies are continuing that investigation.

Just Came In For Some Late Night Shopping
Deputies were called out to Thurmond’s Grocery early Tuesday morning, after some would be thieves hit the place. An alarm was triggered just after 3am, but when deputies arrived on the scene nothing was missing and the only thing damaged was the store’s front glass panel. Apparently the thieves weren’t able to get inside and took off running once the alarm sounded. That investigation is ongoing.

Recall Ordered Of Volkswagen Cars
There’s bad news for some Volkswagen owners out there, as the company has discovered a problem in their Jetta and New Beetle models. A recall has been ordered of all Jetta and New Beetle models from the years 1999 through 2002, due to an issue with the brake system. After a period of time, the vehicle’s brake light switch may malfunction, either leaving the lights on all the time or causing them to go dead. Owners can take the car back to the dealer they got it from for a free repair and for more information you can call 1-800-822-8987.

Gun Drops & Vanishes On Highway
A Ferguson man called sheriff’s deputies on Monday after misplacing a handgun. He had left the weapon sitting on his truck’s tailgate and then drove from the Rom Eller Road to the Ferguson post office. When he arrived at the post office and remembered the pistol, he looked back to find it was gone. Also after retracing his route, the gun was nowhere to be found. Information on the .22 Smith & Wesson was turned over to sheriff’s deputies and the investigation continues.

State News

NC Withholds Votes Due To High Salaries
North Carolina’s retirement system is taking a stand against what its’ officials are calling extremely high salaries. The system, which owns 11 million shares of Exxon stock, announced this week that it will be withholding its’ support from the current board of directors, some of whom are up for re-election. The decision is based on an estimated $400 million retirement package given out to former Exxon chairman Lee Raymond, along with other deals handed out to executives. State Treasurer Richard Moore said that he feels oil executives are hiking up gas prices to fatten their own wallets and those excessive pay packages will likely diminish the value of individual stocks.

High Gas To Increase Tourism
The high gas prices could actually be good for North Carolina’s economy, according to travel bureaus across the state. Unable to head out of state on vacation, people are choosing to travel closer to home and North Carolina businesses are reaping the rewards. The number of in state visitors heading to the North Carolina coast has risen 25% over this same time a year ago.

Powerball Suffers A Setback
While North Carolina’s lottery got off to a good start earlier this year, the same couldn’t be said for its’ Powerball game. The latest addition to the state lottery began selling tickets at 5am Tuesday morning, but some vendors failed to read instructions sent out by lottery officials and caused a temporary crash. In the email, officials warned not to turn off the machines, as they take a while to restart and download the data again. An estimated 800 vendors in gas stations and other stores across the state forgot and flipped the switch anyway, leaving them with no tickets for consumers. The machines were back up and running by Tuesday night, but it’s unknown how much money was lost during the 12 hr. period most of the machines were down. Today’s first Powerball prize is estimated to be at $38 million.

Vance County Nets Largest Seizure In History
A routine traffic stop for sheriff’s deputies in Vance County soon turned into a history making arrest over the weekend. At 10pm Friday night, deputies were running a traffic safety check on Hwy 1 when they encountered an unlicensed driver. While checking the truck for drugs, $1,550,000 in cash was found in the back seat. Officials from the DEA were contacted and the money was seized, along with the truck. Both the driver and passenger were also arrested. When the final total from the bust was released this week, it turned out to be the largest amount of cash ever seized in county history.

High Point Church Falls Prey To Arson
A church in High Point fell prey to arsonists on Monday. Officials from the High Point fire department were called out to Springfield Baptist Church around 2:30am Monday morning, after someone driving by saw the flames. Portions of the sanctuary, the pastor’s study and the Sunday School department were all damaged in the blaze, which has been officially labeled a case of arson. It’s unknown if the fire is connected to a series of break-ins that the church has suffered over the past eight months.

Sports Headlines

Basketball Camps Coming Up At West High
With summer officially arriving in Wilkes County, basketball camps are just around the corner. At West High, basketball camp for girls ages 8-14 begins next Monday June 5th and continues until June 9th. The program will run each day from 9am til noon and costs $65. To sign up, you can call Coach David Beck at 973-4503 extension 149. On the boys side of the court, camp starts June 12th for boys ages 7-14 and will run until June 15th. The boys program starts at 8:30am and runs til noon each day, with a cost of $60. Coach Larry Siers can be reached for more information or to sign up at 973-4503.

Post 31 Baseball Tonight
The Wilkes Post 31 Baseball team will be in action again tonight, taking on Yadkin County and the 3WC Sports Team will be on hand to bring you the play by play. Gametime is set for 7pm over at Wilkes Central and we’ll go on the air with the McDonald’s pregame show around 6:45pm, then turn things over to Ken Byrd at 7pm for the first pitch.

NC State Player To Turn Pro
The NC State Wolfpack officially lost another member of their basketball team on Tuesday, as sophomore Cedric Simmons announced he was staying in the NBA Draft. Underclassmen can go through the draft workouts without signing an agent as long as they pull out before the actual draft. However Simmons stepped over all that by signing with agents Justin Zanick and Andy Miller. In his second year at State, Simmons averaged 11 points and 6 rebounds and is projected to be a first round pick.

NHL Playoffs: Game 6
On the ice last night, it was the Buffalo Sabres winning Game 6 of the Eastern Conference Finals, beating Carolina 2-1. With the win, Buffalo ties the series up at 3 games each with Game Seven set for this Thursday.

Car Of The Future Being Tested By NASCAR
Nextel Cup crews are getting their first look at the future of the sport this week, as testing continues on NASCAR’s “Car of Tomorrow”. The new model is 2 inches taller than the current car and 4 inches wider, with several new safety improvements as well. Eight drivers were out yesterday and back on the track today testing the car. Joe Nemechek, Martin Truex Jr., Ryan Newman, Brian Vickers, Scott Riggs, Denny Hamlin and Jeff Burton all took their turn behind the wheel. The new car will make its’ Nextel Cup debut in 2007 on just the short tracks, building to a full time schedule in 2009.