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Monday
Jul242006

News & Sports For July 25th

DateMonday, July 24, 2006 at 7:58PM

Search Over For Florida Couple At Stone Mountain
The search is over for two missing hikers at Stone Mountain. 44-yr-old John R. Patterson and 35-yr-old Julia Martinez both disappeared last Friday around noon after going to the park for a picnic lunch. Hours later the couple’s 2000 Mercedes Benz was found on the side of the road with the lunch still inside and officials spent the entire weekend searching over 13,000 acres of woodland in both Wilkes and Alleghany counties. Finally just after 9am Monday morning, the two were located by park employees at Milepost 236 on the Blue Ridge Parkway. They were in good health but were both taken to the hospital as a precaution to be evaluated. The couple told park officials that they had lost track of their surroundings and instead of turning around decided to keep going up, surviving on creek water and hard candy.

East Wilkes Principal Talks No Child Left Behind
Last week 3WC News gave you the results of this year’s No Child Left Behind Yearly Progress reports. Here in Wilkes County 17 out of the 21 schools reached their goals, with the exceptions being Mulberry Elementary, CC Wright Elementary, Central Middle School and East Wilkes High School. Last week you got to hear from almost all of the principals of those schools who failed to qualify, except for East Wilkes High School, whose principal Marty Hemric was out of town on business. East Wilkes made 12 of the 13 goals designated for them this year and today on the 3WC News, Principal Hemric explains what the problem was and what's being done to improve.

Teenager Killed On Harold Mountain Road
One teenager is dead today after an accident on the Harold Mountain Road Sunday night. EMS and Sheriff’s Department officials were called out just after 7pm to a dirt road near the top of the mountain, where they found the body of 15 year old Jacob Michael Scott. He and a friend had been riding their ATVs in the area when Jacob lost control and hit a tree. He was pronounced dead at the scene by rescue workers. The other boy was also injured but not severely.

Wilkes County Orientation: High Schools
As the clock ticks down toward August 1st, it’ll soon be time for kids to start back at school. But before that happens, orientation will be going on over the next two weeks for those students in new schools. Around the local high schools, Wilkes Central is the first to hold orientation this year. Orientation at Central High for freshmen and other incoming students will get underway on August 2nd at 1:30pm. The students and their parents are asked to meet in the commons area. East Wilkes and West High are holding their orientation sessions on August 7th, with both of them starting at 6pm. New students are asked to report to the gym upon arrival. Over at North High there won’t be an official freshmen orientation session this year, as school officials said

Computers Stolen From North Wilkesboro Home
A North Wilkesboro woman got a surprise when she arrived home on Sunday. The back door to her house on Suncrest Orchard Road had been pried open and several items were missing from inside. Taken from inside was her Hewlett Packard Computer monitor and keyboard. Nothing else was damaged or disturbed inside the home, however deputies found a pry bar at the scene and took it to dust for prints.

Stuff The Bus Continuing
The annual Stuff the Bus program is continuing around Wilkes County, with several locations set up to take donations. Each year, Communities in Schools attempts to help needy kids around Wilkes, by providing them with the supplies they lack for class. If you want to donate supplies, there are buses at several locations including Wal-Mart, CVS, Eckerd, Staples and also between the First Baptist and First United Methodist Churches in North Wilkesboro. You can also drop off items 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 Amie Blevins at Communities in Schools. Her number is 651-7830 extension #23.

Items Taken From Locked Building
How do you break into a locked building and not leave behind any evidence? That’s what a North Wilkesboro woman is wondering today. She came home to her residence on the Yellow Banks Road to find the doors still locked and no sign of a break-in. However once inside, the homeowner discovered that several bottles of medication were missing along with two gold necklaces. That investigation is ongoing.

Thieves Go Shopping At Moravian Falls Home
Thieves paid a visit to a home in Moravian Falls over the weekend, running off with over one thousand dollars worth of damage. The incident happened Saturday at a home on Robin Wood Court. The front door had been pried open and once inside, thieves carried out a DVD player and laptop computer. Deputies are continuing the investigation.

Would Be Thief Caught On Camera
Deputies responded to a burglar alarm at Uncle Kenny’s Gas & Grill Sunday night, to find damage done to both the back door and the front door frame. All total an estimated $500 worth of damage had been done, however nothing was missing from inside. When the owner arrived and they began looking at the security camera, deputies soon found out why. The would be thief had used a shovel to pry open the back door to the building, but took off running once the alarm sounded. The man’s face was clearly recognizable and when deputies came to arrest him, he was wearing the same shirt found on the security video. He also blew a 0.7 on the breathalyzer test. 20-yr-old Isaac James Combs was arrested and charged with breaking & entering, damage to property and underage consumption of alcohol.

State News

Single Engine Plane Crashes In Hickory
One man was killed after the plane he was in took off from Hickory airport and then crashed minutes later Monday morning. The 1954 Saber F-86 had problems almost immediately after takeoff, falling just outside the airport fence to crash in the middle of Rhodhiss Road. The wreckage soon burst into flames, leaving behind parts of the tail and wing sections along with the body of the pilot. The man’s name was not released to the press as of last night but the FAA has been called to the scene to investigate the situation.

Duke Professor Planning To Open Up A College
One Duke university professor wants to change the way college classes are taught and to do that, he’s opening up his own school. Professor Gary Hull is designing Founders College, a liberal arts school which would help teach students the facts Hull believes are currently left out. The school would operate just like any other business, as he’s lining up investors and a budget to run on. Majors would be offered in economics, history, literature and philosophy but athletes need not apply, as there won’t be any sports teams at the school. The cost will be an estimated $22,000 a year to attend and Hull is looking at sites in Maine, North Carolina and Virginia to build the university.

Taser Could Have Caused Suspects’ Death
It turns out a taser could be at the heart of a death investigation in Chatham County. Yesterday 3WC News told you about a suspect who was arrested by Chatham County deputies after a high speed pursuit and died soon after. Now as details are released, it turns out the man was shot with a taser as deputies tried to restrain him. Minutes after being tasered, Siler City resident Shannon Johnson was handcuffed and blacked out. He was later pronounced dead at nearby Randolph County Hospital. The State Bureau of Investigation is

Process Energy Selling Gas Subsidiary
Progress Energy announced some changes on Monday, as the company is selling off its’ natural gas business for $1.2 billion. EXCO Resources Inc. is buying the business, which was put on the market to help pay off some of the Raleigh based company’s debt. The deal is expected to close by the fall of this year and analysts say that stockholders could see a one time gain of $1.60 a share immediately after the sale. As part of its’ plan to cut back on debt, Progress Energy has sold over $1.7 billion in assets.

Sports Headlines

Little League Roundup
On the Little League fields, several Wilkes County teams were in on the action with the state title on the line. Over the weekend, it was the Wilkes National 9-10 year old team losing 6-1 to Mint Hill in the championship round of the state playoffs. Then last night, in a game heard here on 3WC, the Wilkes 13-14 year olds also moved on to the championship round before seeing their season come to a close. They lost to Rocksboro 8-1 in the double elimination tournament.

UNC Lands Another Football Recruit
Yet another recruit has signed on with the Carolina Tarheels football team. Emmanuel Davis, a safety from Manteo High School has committed to the school. The 5’11 ft. 195 lb. Davis is also a quarterback, running back, wide receiver and outside linebacker, who runs a 4.5 in the 40 yard dash. Davis, who’s a rising senior, told reporters that he wanted to go to Carolina all along and was determined to get the decision out of the way so he could focus on his senior year.

State Lands Football & Baseball Recruit
The NC State Wolfpack also got some good news, reloading in both baseball and football. Russell Wilson, a rising senior at Richmond Collegiate High in Virginia, committed to the university over the weekend. Wilson, a 6 ft. 193 lb. quarterback led his team to the state title last season as a junior, tossing for 3287 yards and running for 634 more. He also plays shortstop and will continue that career at State as well. Last season he hit .467 while starting on the varsity. Wilson turned down offers from Duke, Ohio and Richmond in order to attend State, saying that he wanted to play in a big time program.

Former Tarheel Named Summer League MVP
While the regular season is still a few months off, former UNC Tarheel Marvin Williams is getting started off on the right foot. Williams was named the MVP of the Rocky Mountain Revue summer league, where he averaged 23 points in six games. Williams also improved his other skills, averaging 5 rebounds and 3 assists.

Motorcycle Rider Could Be Heading To NASCAR
A new type of driver could be making his debut next season on the NASCAR circuit. Joe Gibbs Racing announced this week that the team was negotiating with motorcross racer Ricky Carmichael about driving next season. The 26-yr-old Carmichael currently holds the record for wins & championships in motorcross, now he wants to give stock car racing a try.

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