Changes Approved For Wilkes County Schools
There will be some more changes coming for Wilkes County schools this fall. The Board of Education met on Tuesday afternoon and approved some more personnel changes for next year. Rebecca Mastin will be taking over as principal for Moravian Falls Elementary. For the middle schools, there will be several new faces taking over as well. Sharon Shoupe becomes the new assistant principal at East Middle, assuming the role formerly held by Cynthia Altmueller, who left to become the principal at West Middle School. Speaking of West Middle, Ramona Hemric is the new assistant principal, taking the job of Wesley Wood. Mr. Wood left to take the assistant principal’s job at North High. At Central Wilkes Middle School, Stephanie Williams steps in as the new assistant principal. In addition, Katherine Cater will be the new assistant principal at East High. She takes over for Eric Barker, who left to become principal at Ronda Clingman. And finally Terri Wilson is the new assistant principal at West High. All of these changes will take effect in the fall.

Stuff The Bus Program Begins July 1st
The annual Stuff The Bus program will get underway this Saturday, helping to provide needy kids with supplies for school. There are several locations around the Wilkes County area for you to drop off supplies this year. There will be buses at Wal-Mart, CVS, Eckerd, Staples and also between the First Baptist and First United Methodist Churches in North Wilkesboro. You can also drop off supplies at Dollar General, Super 10 and the Communities in Schools office. All different types of school supplies are needed, everything from paper to pens to calculators. For more information you can call Communities in Schools at 651-7830. And once again that program kicks off in three days on July 1st.

Just Trying To Keep Cool
Some thieves broke into a building on the Rock Creek Church Road this week, apparently just trying to keep cool. They ran off with the homeowner’s air conditioner, along with 50 VHS movies, 20 books and several small tools. An estimated total of everything stolen came out to be $1065. There is a suspect in the theft, as a man was seen hanging around the property by witnesses. That investigation is ongoing.

Focus On The Family
As we near the midpoint of election season, who’s looking out for issues affecting the family? Here in North Carolina, the Family Policy Council is dedicated to doing just that. Coming up on Thursday's Focus on the Foothills, Brian will be talking with John Rustin, the Council's Director of Government Relations. They'll be discussing where North Carolina stands in regards to certain issues such as gay marriage, the lottery and where funds are being directed in the state budget. They’ll also be talking about how people can get involved and help make a different in each of these issues. That’s coming up tomorrow at 1:05pm right after the midday stock report.

Thieves Drill In To Get What They Want
A man came out to check on his vacation home this week, only to find that someone had beaten him there. Thieves had drilled into a sliding glass door on the property, located on the Brushy Mountain Road, pulling the door off track and walking right in. Everything but the kitchen sink was taken from inside, including furniture, several tools and even some of the wall fixtures. Despite the massive theft, no one in the area could recall hearing or seeing anyone near the property. Deputies are continuing the investigation.

3WC Healthwatch: Better Living Through Venom
Scientists may have found a way to cure brain cancer, as we explain in today’s 3WC Healthwatch. The Henry Ford Health System is conducting a series of tests using a treatment derived from scorpion venom. In the procedure, doctors flood the venom with low level radiation and then inject it into a patient’s bloodstream. Once the mixture comes in contract with a tumor, it kills the cancer cells. Reports of the trials have been released this week at the Health Physics Society meeting in Rhode Island, with doctors claiming that the treatment is showing promising signs of working. Officials say however that it’s too early to determine if the venom can be used as a cure.

Keys Stolen From Local Residence
Some thieves were kind enough to return part of what they had stolen from a local residence this week. Last month, residents of the home on Greenhorn Road had lost their keys outside. Monday afternoon, they returned to find the keys on the kitchen counter, although some of them were still missing. A house key and a four wheeler key had been taken from the set. Aside from that, several things had been moved around inside but nothing else was taken. That investigation continues.

Car Stolen From Traphill Residence
Thieves took off with a Traphill man’s car earlier this week. On Sunday, he had parked the vehicle at a house belonging to his girlfriend’s aunt and left. When he returned on Monday, the vehicle was gone with a witness telling about a tow truck that had pulled up to the truck and carted it off. Deputies tracked down the wrecker driver, who said that he had been hired to tow the truck away from the house. The owner of the house told deputies she had nothing to do with the towing, however there is a suspect in the case and the investigation continues.

Regional News

Watauga Sheriff Facing Additional Lawsuit
More accusations are coming out against current Watauga County Sheriff Mark Shook, as he’s become the target of yet another lawsuit. On Friday of last week Patricia Shook filed suit against the sheriff, claiming that she lost her job because she complained about sexual comments he made toward other female workers. Shook worked as the chief of communications for Watauga and also claimed that she was told her job would be on the line if she kept complaining about another worker’s poor performance. This comes in the wake of another lawsuit, filed back on June 13th by former chief deputy Paula Townsend, who accused the sheriff of firing her after she turned down his request for a date.

State News

Storm System Could Cause Problems
A storm system just off the North Carolina coast could potentially spell trouble later on this week. The National Hurricane Center is watching a low pressure system that’s about 90 miles south of Cape Fear and drifting towards North Carolina. Officials say that the conditions exist for the system to become a tropical depression at any minute. Even if the system doesn’t turn into a tropical storm, the National Weather Service says to expect periods of heavy rain and wind over the next two days.

Jobs On The Way To Davie County
There’s some good news for people in Davie County as more jobs could be on the way. County officials have been alerted about a manufacturing company who wants to move into the area, there’s just one catch. In order for the town of Mocksville to land the business, they and the county have to put up at least $100,000 in economic incentives. A public hearing will be held in the county to discuss the issue on July 10th, but until then officials aren’t releasing the name of the business. Over 100 new jobs would come into the area with the new company if the incentives are approved.

Fayetteville Standoff Leads To Arrest
A standoff that lasted for several hours in Fayetteville finally came to a close yesterday afternoon. Cumberland County officials had been searching for 29-yr-old Kennard Meshawn Fisher, who was wanted on robbery, kidnapping and drug charges. They found Fisher inside a trailer at a mobile home park off of Highway 301, armed and refusing to come out. Also inside the home were several of Fisher’s family members. Eventually they helped convince him to give up and turn himself over to deputies, who took him in peacefully. Fisher now faces charges of maintaining a dwelling for the sale of drugs, robbery, first degree kidnapping and assault with a deadly weapon.

Son Arrested After Duke Athletic Director’s Boating Accident
The son of Duke University’s athletic director is facing charges today after an accident that injured his father. Athletic director Joe Alleva (Ah-Leev-ah) was out with his son on Hyco Lake when the boat they were in ran aground on some rocks. The athletic director had to be taken to Person Memorial Hospital to be treated for a head injury, while his son was asked to and refused to take a breathalyzer test. 27-yr-old Joseph David Alleva was driving the boat and officials have charged him with operating a motorboat while impaired. Joe Alleva has since been released from the hospital and is expected back at work this week.

New Commander Takes Over NC Marines
North Carolina’s Marines will soon have a new general in command. Major General Keith Stadler has been nominated for a promotion to lieutenant general and with that comes an assignment to lead the 2nd Marine Expeditionary Force, stationed at Camp Lejeune. Stadler will come over from Quantico Virginia, where he currently serves as commander of the Marine Training and Education Command. He’ll be taking over from Lieutenant General James Amos, who is being reappointed to a position at Marine headquarters in Washington.

Sports Headlines

49ers Building New Stadium
Another stadium is getting set to go up in the Charlotte area, this time for a local university. UNC Charlotte has announced plans to completely overhaul their baseball facilities, putting $5.9 million into the project that officials say will be one of the best baseball stadiums in the entire Southeastern United States. The new 1,000 seat stadium will hold a press box for both radio and television, brand new dugouts, hospitality suites and a picnic area near the right field foul line. Construction starts this coming August and Hayes Stadium is expected to be finished by the time the season starts next spring.

State Lands Another Football Prospect
The NC State football team added another piece to the puzzle this week, as defensive tackle Justin Whaley committed to the school. Whaley, a 6’4 ft. 260 lb. junior from Wilson Hunt High School in North Carolina, told reporters that this was a dream come true as he’s been a Wolfpack fan all his life. State coaches want to utilize Whaley’s size and have him play on both sides of the ball, working on the offensive line as well. The commitment is State’s sixth for 2007.

Panthers Reset Their Return Game
In the NFL, the Carolina Panthers are planning to make some changes for the upcoming season. Wanting to protect wide receiver Steve Smith from injury, the team is pulling him from doing kick returns. Instead, rookie tailback Deangelo Williams has been getting most of the reps as a member of the return team, along with cornerback Chris Gamble. Williams actually volunteered for the job, as he wanted to be used wherever he could help the team.

NBA Draft Coming Up Tonight
In the NBA, the clock is counting down for several former ACC players, as they wait to see who will take them in tonight’s draft. Duke’s Shelton Williams is expected to be a top five pick while his former teammate J.J. Reddick is also projected to go in the top ten. Meanwhile NC State’s Cedric Simmons is also expected to be a first round choice. Also some other ACC players are on the bubble, waiting to see if they’ll be picked up in round two. Wake Forest’s Eric Williams, his teammate Justin Gray, UNC Tarheel David Noel and UNC Charlotte’s Curtis Withers are all in the mix as the draft tips off tonight at 7pm.

Hurricanes Offer Contracts To Free Agents
On the ice, the Carolina Hurricanes are taking steps to bring back their team for another shot at the title. The team’s five free agents were all given qualifying offers on Monday, that had a 10% raise attached from this year’s salary. Eric Staal, Erik Cole, Justin Williams, Mike Commodore and Chad LaRose will all see their contracts expire on June 30th, but under the current labor agreement, they can’t accept the terms until July 1st as they won’t technically be free agents before then. Also by extending the offer, Carolina is allowed to match any contract the players might get from other teams on the free agent market.

Hunting To Become An Official Sport
For all you hunters out there, it might be time to get out that rifle and start practicing. The World Hunting Association has announced plans to create a competitive hunting tour starting this fall. Over $500,000 would be up for grabs in the tournament, which would take hunters around the world in competition. During the tournament hunters will use tranquilizers to shoot white tailed deer and other animals, beginning with the first competition this fall at the Lost Arrow Ranch in Michigan. An official date for the competition has yet to be set.