Public Hearings Held On Budget & Schools
Wilkes County commissioners met last night and dealt with several items on the agenda. A public hearing was held, for anyone who wanted to share their opinions on the new school improvements project. No one stepped forward to voice an opinion and so the commissioners moved on to discuss the county budget. As it stands, the budget for the next fiscal year is $68,448, 303. Donnie Bumgarner spoke up during the public hearing and explained that Social Services needs at least one more employee, which there isn’t enough money in the current budget to provide for. Also JoAnn Elledge questioned why commissioners had approved a possible increase in salaries for county employees when unemployment is still a problem here in Wilkes. County Manager Gary Page countered that unemployment is actually down significantly in the county. In May, that number was 4.4%.

Merlefest Goes Over Budget
Other news from last night’s commissioners’ meeting, as the board approved a transfer of money to cover additional expenses of Merlefest. The festival went over the projected budget this season, which had been placed at $31,250. To cover the additional fees, $7153 was transferred over from the general fund. Those fees included an additional $1635 for maintenance and repair of the grounds.

Pastor Turns Himself In On Sex Charges
Charges of sexual abuse from residents of two counties including Wilkes have caused a Statesville pastor to give himself up to police. 64-yr-old Carl Edward Nixon has served as pastor of Believers Faith Center for over 20 years, also actively involved with the church’s Christian academy for kids ages . He now faces charges of sexually assaulting three of the children that attended his church, once in 1989, with a second and third incident happening in 1991 and 1995. One of the girls, who is now 18, is a native of Wilkes County and was the first to come forward back in May. Then soon after, the other two girls, who are now 29 and 24 respectively, told police what happened to them. All three said that they were hesitant in discussing the event because they didn’t think anyone would believe it. Nixon was arrested on Monday and then released on $25,000 bond.

Wilkes SAFE Organization Receives Money From Governor
One Wilkes County organization is getting some much needed support from the governor. In a decision announced on Tuesday, Governor Mike Easley has handed out $21.96 million to programs across the state, as part of the Governor’s Crime Commission. That money is earmarked for programs that will help to improve community safety and assist the victims of crimes, domestic or otherwise. Wilkes County’s SAFE Inc. received $146,785.30, to go toward improving their victim services programs. The grants are handed out each year, as the commission determines from the applications turned in which areas need money the most.

One Car Totaled In College Street Accident
One car was totaled and another damaged in an accident on Collegiate Drive Monday morning. A Wilkesboro woman was traveling down the highway when she was hit by another car. That second vehicle, driven by a Boomer man, had been trying to merge onto the road from a parking lot at Wilkes Community College. No one was injured in the crash but estimated damages were placed at $2000.

All For Some Free TV
Thieves targeted a Moravian Falls home on Monday, breaking in & going shopping. Two cable boxes were unhooked and carried out of the home, along with two tvs from the residence. In addition, $1500 in cash was stolen from the homeowner’s bedroom. The home on Hwy 16 South had no signs of a break-in and no damage done to the property however that investigation continues.

Tools Stolen From Moravian Falls Home
Several hundred dollars worth of tools were taken this week from a Moravian Falls home. The incident happened sometime Monday afternoon at a residence on East Meadows Road. The homeowner got a phonecall from a relative, who informed him that some men had been by the property and were seen running off from a storage building. Witnesses later told deputies that two white men pulled up in a Toyota Camry and tried to break into the house. When that failed, they walked around and broke into a storage building instead. A drill, three chainsaws, a couple of drop cords and other items were taken from inside, an estimated $570 worth of merchandise. Descriptions of the suspects and their car were given to deputies and that investigation is ongoing.

Thieves Hit Local Business
Wilkesboro police were called out to a local business on Monday after thieves paid a visit. An air compressor was stolen from Oasis Tanning, although it’s unclear how it was taken. There was no sign of a break-in and no damage done to the property. The theft was discovered by store employees when they arrived early Monday morning, as the compressor had been unhooked from the building. That investigation continues.

Thieves Go On Shopping Spree At Local Home
Deputies were called out to a home on Industrial Drive Monday morning after $1300 worth of merchandise went missing. Someone had broke into a storage building on the property and ran off with a chainsaw, a wrench, several drills and other tools. There is however a suspect in the case, as locals witnessed a man walking around the area that morning. A description of the man was given to deputies and they’re continuing the investigation.

Regional News

Caldwell County Approves “Something”Construction plans are moving forward for a new project in Caldwell County, but citizens and town officials are left in the dark. Caldwell commissioners gave approval on Monday to sell part of the land at Foothills Regional Airport, where they were told “something” would be coming in the next few months. Airport Authority members told the commissioners that they had been working on the deal for almost six months but couldn’t provide any details as to the name of the company or what it would entail. Officials did say however that an announcement about the project could come sometime in the next 30 days.

State News

NC Marine Group Shipping Out
For the fourth time in five years, members of North Carolina’s Marine unit are shipping out overseas. The 24th Marine Expeditionary Unit will start loading up today and plan to be on their way by Friday of this week. 2200 Marines will be in the group, to go along with an infantry battalion from the 8th Marine Regiment, Medium Helicopter Squadron 365 and a support group.

Duke To Spend $2 Billion In Upgrades
State officials are now considering an application from Duke Energy, as the company has asked for permission to upgrade one of its’ plants. If approved, $2 billion in upgrades would be done to the facility that straddles the county line between Cleveland and Rutherford. Two new coal-fired energy units would be installed, replacing the older, less efficient ones under the plan, which wouldn’t be finished until 2011.

Teacher Under Investigation In Rowan County
Officials in Rowan County are investigating a teacher in the area today. 47-yr-old Joe David Cress has been placed on suspension with pay while local law enforcement continue their investigation. It’s still unknown what exactly the agriculture teacher stands accused of doing, as both and school officials refuse to say. What they did say however is that a student is involved in the investigation.

Teenagers Behind String Of Robberies In Greensboro
It turns out that a group of teenagers were behind a recent string of bank robberies in the Greensboro area. Officials have arrested six people in connection to the three crimes, four of which were teens and two were juveniles. The group is believed responsible for bank robberies in Cabarrus, Chatham and Davidson counties that occurred during the months of March and April. Police arrested the group before they could carry out plans to rob banks in Albemarle and Stanly counties. The group now faces charges of conspiracy, bank robbery with a deadly weapon and attempted bank robbery. Officials are still looking for two members of the group, who are on the loose.

Bears Making Their Presence Known
People in Alexander and Burke County are growing concerned about some furry friends that are making their presence known this summer. Bears have started to come out into local neighborhoods, walking right through the front lawns and even in some cases on the road. A black bear sighting in the Maiden area over the weekend was the fourth in the past week. During that time black bears have popped up in Morganton, Bethlehem and Maiden. One black was seen walking into the football stadium at Freedom High School, while another was making his way to Judge’s Riverside Restaurant in Morganton. Wildlife officials are saying there’s nothing to be concerned about, that the bears are just coming out to hunt for food and tend to leave humans alone.

Sports Headlines

Post 31 Baseball Results
It was a rough night for the Wilkes Post 31 Patriots. They lost in American Legion action to Rowan County 23-0 at Wilkes Central High School. Wilkes pitchers gave up five runs in the first two innings and never recovered, as head coach Randy Ashley had to use most of his available pitching staff to finish the game. With the loss, Wilkes drops to 0-10 on the season.

NC Pitchers Top Tuesday’s Draft
Several North Carolina pitchers made it to the top of the list for Major League Baseball’s amateur draft on Tuesday. UNC’s Andrew Miller was the first North Carolina player taken, as he went to the Detroit Tigers with the 6th pick. The 6’6 ft. Miller went 12-2 in the regular season, to help UNC make it to the postseason. A Demon Deacon was the next North Carolina product in the draft, as the San Diego Padres took Wake Forest third baseman Matthew Antonelli with the 17th pick. The 6’1 ft. Antonelli can hit with power and also has decent speed. Scouts project that he could play virtually any position on the field. Boston also got into the Tarheel craze, selecting UNC pitcher Daniel Bard with the 28th pick. The 6’4 ft. righthander has one of the best arms in the draft, with a fastball that hits 97 mph at times however he’s had a problem with control. The draft wraps up later today.

Panthers Sign UNC Player
On the football field, another new face was introduced as a member of the Carolina Panthers Tuesday afternoon. Kyle Ralph, a rookie offensive lineman from UNC Chapel Hill was signed to a free agent contract. The 6’4 303 lb. Ralph had originally caught on with the Seattle Seahawks after the draft as an unsigned free agent. But the team had too many linemen and not enough jobs, so he was waived. Ralph will be one of 16 linemen in Carolina’s training camp competing for 12 spots on the roster.

Elliot Suiting Up For Red Bull
A familiar face will be back behind the wheel later this year in NASCAR. Team Red Bull won’t officially enter the series until 2007, when their two cars will run on the circuit full time. But to test out their current product and get the team ready, Red Bull announced this week that Bill Elliot will drive a car for them in three races this season. Elliot will drive in the Bank of America 500 at Lowes Motor Speedway & the Bass Pro Shops MBNA 500 at Atlanta, then turn around and race at the Dickies 500 at Texas.