News & Sports For July 26th

Wilkes County Orientation: Middle Schools
As we count down to the beginning of school, orientation is going on across Wilkes County. In the middle schools, new students can get acquainted with their teachers and see their classroom starting next week. Orientation will be held August 3rd at West Middle beginning at 6pm for rising 6th graders. Then at 6:45pm 7th and 8th graders can come in with their parents for a meeting in the gym. One day later on August 4th, students at East Middle can come in. Orientation starts at 6pm for all rising 6th graders, then at 7pm the rising 7th & 8th grade class will hold a meeting. Both North and Central Middle are holding orientation on August 6th. At North, orientation for the 7th and 8th grade will be held first, starting at 2pm that afternoon. Then rising 6th graders can come in at 3:30pm. Finally all new students at Central Middle came take a look around during orientation from 2-4pm on August 6th.

Flag Can Fly Regardless
Wilkes County residents can fly the American flag now regardless of where they live. A new law signed by President Bush this week gives that authority, making it illegal for any homeowner association to restrict or otherwise dictate how the flag is presented. The bill passed through both the House and Senate with unanimous votes, receiving support from 5th District Congresswoman Virginia Foxx among others. Over the past two years, homeowners associations in North Carolina and other parts of the country have tried to force people to take down their American flags, saying that it didn’t look right in the neighborhood.

Warning Issued For Medicare Scare
There’s bad news today for anyone on Medicare, as you could be the next target of a con artist. A warning has been sent out regarding a telephone scam hitting areas across the nation. According to state and federal officials, a person has been calling Medicare card holders, claiming to represent the organization. He or she will say they’re calling on behalf of the Medicare National Office or the National Medicare Office, as both have been used. Then they’ll inform the card holder of a problem with the Medicare system, one that will require a brand new card to be sent out. However with that new card, the caller will say there’s a one time fee and ask for either your bank information or a credit card number. It’s against Medicare policy to ask for any type of personal information during a phone call, unless authorized to do so by the card holder. If anyone does receive a call from these con artists, you’re asked to report it to State Attorney General Roy Cooper’s office.

Focus On The Children
Hundreds of children are abused and neglected by their parents here in North Carolina. We hear about what happens to the parents, as they enter prison or rehab facilities, but who is looking out for the children? North Carolina's Guardian Ad Litem program is responsible for taking care of the kids and acting on their best interests. Eva Hendershot from the Wilkes branch of the program will be Brian's guest as they'll be talking about the organization, what exactly they do and how you can get involved if you're interested in doing so. That's coming up tomorrow at 1:05pm right after the midday stock report.

Two Cars Totaled In Monday Wreck
Two cars were totaled and medical attention was needed after an accident Monday afternoon on Hwy 421. A Jonesville woman was attempting to get back onto the highway from the Applebee’s access road but misunderstood the intention of another driver. She told Wilkesboro police that she had seen a vehicle coming down the road with a turn signal on. Assuming that the other driver, a Wilkesboro woman, was going to turn off at Applebees, she pulled out in front of her. All total, an estimated $5700 worth of damage was done to the vehicles and both drivers were taken to Wilkes Regional for treatment.

Mailbox Vandals Strike Again
Deputies were called out to a home on the Green Acres Road Monday morning, after mailbox vandals paid a visit. Earlier that morning, the homeowner watched as a gray pickup truck swerved off the road, hit her mailbox and kept on going. A description of both the driver and his vehicle was turned over to sheriff’s deputies and the investigation continues.

Thieves Go Shopping At Ronda Home
It’s never a good idea to leave tools lying outside in the carport. A Ronda man found out why earlier this week. He had laid a weedeater and 20 gauge shotgun in the carport over the weekend. When he returned to pick them up Monday afternoon, they were missing. Nothing else was taken from inside and there was no damage done to the property. That investigation is ongoing.

Changes In Policy Could Mean Problems For You
Some changes that AT & T has made in its’ privacy policy could mean big problems for Wilkes County customers. The company has announced that all account information from its’ customers, including name, address and telephone number are business records owned by AT & T. As a result, they can be turned over to any government or law enforcement agency that requests a copy. In addition, AT &T said that a person’s account information could be given over in any situation where it’s needed to “protect the company’s legitimate business interests” in regards to a lawsuit. The change in policy has been mailed out to all of AT &T’s 7 million customers and took effect earlier this month.

Recall Ordered Of Computer Equipment
A recall has been ordered of several thousand computer parts across the United States. Lexar Media has announced a callback of its’ Firefly & Secure II JumpDrive systems. The problem comes due to some faulty wiring and other issues inside the product, which could cause it to overheat and possibly start a fire. 66,000 JumpDrives are affected as part of the recall. They are all 256 MB (megabyte) and 512 MB Firefly JumpDrives. Only selected types of the 1 GB (gigabyte) Secure II JumpDrives are affected, as those with a metallic silver covering are being called back. For more information or to get a free replacement, you can call Lexar Media at 1-800-248-2798 or visit their website at www.lexar.com.

Regional News

Computer Labs Going Up In Mount Airy
People in Mount Airy will soon have a new option to turn to in learning job skills. The city school system has announced plans to open computer labs in both the Reeves Community Center and the old Jones School, available for anyone who needs help. School officials say they hope to help people in learning how to build a resume, how to read & write, how to operate computers and other jobs skills. The two labs were created thanks in part to a $4000 grant from Food Lion, along with 27 computers donated from local businesses. In addition, classes will be taught on how to buy and sell on eBay and how to use other internet sites. Both labs will be open starting August 15th with different hours. The Old Jones School will have an open lab from 10am til 2pm Monday through Friday. Over at the Reeves Community Center, the lab will be open after school lefts out and stay open til 6pm.

State News

Protests Held In Greensboro
While the world focuses in on the battle between Israel and Hezbollah, one group in Greensboro wants to make sure their voice is heard. Monday night, a group of peace demonstrators held a vigil in downtown Greensboro, protesting what they called the Israeli attacks toward Lebanon and all of Palestine. Group members held candles and displayed coffins, symbolizing those who have died in the current conflict. Members told reporters that with friends and family over in the region, they wanted people to see another side of the conflict.

Department Of Labor Set To Fine Morganton Company
One Morganton company is facing over a hundred thousand dollars in fines today. Back in January, an explosion at the Synthron Inc. plant killed one person and wounded 14 others. In the wake of an investigation, North Carolina’s Department of Labor has announced that the company will be fined $379,050 for 40 violations of the state’s Occupational Safety and Health Act. Nine of those violations were declared to be “willful serious”, meaning that it was either an intentional violation or nothing was done once requirements were made clear. The investigation also found that some workers didn’t have adequate training for their jobs, they had to deal with unsafe electrical equipment, poor maintenance and also a lack of written directions. That lack of instruction could have led to the explosion, according to officials. An out of control chemical reaction is believed to have caused the explosion, due to the wrong quantities of chemicals being mixed in the formula for paint additive.

NC State Selected As Part Of Energy Program
NC State has been selected as one of 26 schools across the nation to take part in an energy program. Officials from the U.S. Department of Energy made the announcement on Monday, creating a program designed to help manufacturing plants improve in energy efficiency. Engineering students will take part in the program, learning how to incorporate renewable energy resources and efficient practices into improving the manufacturing process. It’s a win-win situation for all involved, as the students get hands on training in their field of study, while companies will have assessments of their energy operation done at no cost to them.

Law Enforcement Officers Meeting In Morehead
On Tuesday, law enforcement officers from across North Carolina gathered in Morehead City. They were in town for the 60th Annual meeting of the North Carolina Police Executives Association, which runs through Thursday. Topics expected to be discussed at the meetings include the problem of gang violence, the state’s sex offender registry and Attorney General Roy Cooper will give an update on the meth law.

Sports Headlines

Reddick Named Athlete Of The Year
Before beginning his NBA career, former Duke star J.J. Reddick picked up one last trophy this week. He was named the ACC’s male athlete of the year, receiving the Anthony J. McKevlin Award. In his college career, Reddick became the ACC’s all time leading scorer with 2769 points and holds the NCAA record with 457 three point field goals. Receiving the woman athlete of the year award was Maryland field hockey player Paula Infante, who helped lead her team to a 23-2 record during her career. Currently she’s playing for the Chile national team in Italy.

Appalachian Sets Gametime
The schedule and time for each of Appalachian State’s home football games has been released. This year, Mountaineer fans will see kickoff at 3:30pm for each of the games. The later start time is designed to help cut down on traffic getting in and out of Kip Brewer Stadium. The home opener this season will be on September 9th as the Mountaineers take on James Madison. Then Mars Hill comes to play on Sept. 16th, Elon stops by on Sept. 30th, Wofford will be in town on October 14th, Furman on October 28th and the Citadel on Nov. 4th. The game against Furman on October 28th will be televised nationally on Turner South.

Changes For NC State Football
The NC State football team got some good news this week, as they’ll be welcoming back a familiar face. Sophomore defensive end Raymond Brooks is expected back after getting his academic requirements in order. Brooks missed all of last season after being declared ineligible due to bad grades. In addition, senior running back Reggie Davis is trying out a new position, one that could see his playing time skyrocket. Davis is making the change to outside linebacker and has impressed coaches enough that he’s currently listed as the starter on the weak side.

Former Tarheel Still Unable To Play
In the NFL, a former UNC Tarheel received some bad news this week as he’ll have to sit on the sidelines for at least a few more. Oakland Raiders wide receiver Ronald Curry is still recovering from a torn Achilles tendon that caused him to miss most of last season. The Raiders put him on the physically unable to perform list this week, saying that he’s still not up to 100%. When healthy, Curry is expected to compete for the No. 3 job as an option behind Jerry Porter and Randy Moss.

Panthers Could Add Another Lineman
One former member of the Carolina Panthers could be making a comeback this season. Two years ago, the Panthers signed free agent tackle Adam Meadows to a contract but he never made it onto the field. Just before training camp in 2004, Meadows retired. However now his agent has filed papers with the league office to bring him out of retirement, which would give his rights to Carolina. Team officials said this week if Meadows does come out of retirement, he might be cut as Carolina wants to develop its’ young offensive line. In other Panthers news, you can start buying single game tickets for the regular season games at Bank of America Stadium this Saturday starting at 10am.

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