News & Sports For July 3rd

Local Church Wins National Award
One local church has been honored with a national award. Celebration Church was selected this year as one of 46 ministries nationwide to receive Church Health Awards. The awards are handed out each year by Purpose Driven Ministries, honoring churches across the globe that adopt the model spelled out in Pastor Rick Warren’s book “The Purpose Driven Church”. Using the model, churches have to decide what will be the five major points of their ministry. For the Wilkesboro based Celebration Church, those five points are connecting for fellowship, growing for discipleship, honor for worship, serving others and reaching out in evangelism. Since the church’s beginnings back in 2004, 400 people have come to know Christ through the ministry outreach and on a normal Sunday over 300 people are there for worship.

Celebrations Planned For Tomorrow
Wilkes County is planning to celebrate July 4th in a big way, with events going on throughout the night. As soon as it gets dark tomorrow, the Wilkes Law Enforcement Association will start setting off fireworks from their normal spot at Memorial Park. Also at 8:45pm, the annual Emergency Vehicles Parade will get underway. The parade will start at West Park, then head onto West D Street and continue on in a loop until it reaches the new Board of Education offices on Cherry Street.

New Law To Hit North Carolina
A new law finally went into effect on Saturday, one that will be taking more money from the pockets of Wilkes County smokers. On July 1st, the cigarette tax here in North Carolina climbed an additional 5 cents as part of a bill that was passed earlier this year. In addition, motorists who don’t move out of the way of emergency vehicles will now be facing some heavy fines. As per the new “Move Over” law, anyone who doesn’t change lanes or at least slow down when passing by a stopped emergency vehicle will receive a $250 fine. Previously the fee was only $25.

Thieves Run Off With Local Woman’s Gun
Thieves targeted a home on the Congo Road last week, running off with several weapons from inside. The homeowner returned early Friday morning to find that her front door was standing wide open, as was the door to the back bedroom. Taken from inside was a 30-06 Smith & Wesson rifle, along with a nearby scope. Information about the gun was turned over to sheriff’s deputies and the investigation continues.

Gospel Morning Coming Up At Heritage Museum
This Saturday will be a treat for Southern Gospel music fans here in Wilkes County. The Wilkes Heritage Museum is holding a Gospel Heritage Morning on Saturday July 8th, featuring performances by Wise Men’s View and the Unity Baptist Church Youth Choir. The event is free to the public and gets underway at 10am, running til 12 noon. There is however a cost if you want to tour the Heritage Museum itself and 3WC will be on hand, broadcasting portions of the program live during the event. For more information you can give the museum a call at 667-3171.

Video Games Stolen From North Wilkesboro Home
A North Wilkesboro man got a surprise when he returned home last Thursday. Someone had pried open a back window at his house, on the Congo Road, and climbed in to do a little shopping. However the only thing taken from inside was a Playstation 2 video game system, worth an estimated $150. No one in the area could recall hearing or seeing anyone near the property but that investigation continues.

Heat Relief Available For Elderly
Summertime can mean problems for the elderly, with rising temperatures leading to sickness and possibly death. With that in mind, the Wilkes Senior Citizens Council is giving away fans this summer to any senior citizen that meets their requirements. In order to get a fan, you must be at least 60 years old, live in Wilkes and be served by Duke Power. In addition, your home situation must present a threat to your life without the fans. Applications are being taken from 8:30am til 5pm at the Wilkes Senior Citizens Council office, located at 228 Fairplains School Road. For more information you can contact them at 651-7811.

One Car Totaled In Wreck On Curtis Bridge Road
One car was totaled after an accident last week on Curtis Bridge Road. The incident happened Thursday afternoon just before 2pm, as a Glade Valley man got lost looking for Brookwood Drive. He spotted the road just as he passed by, slamming on the brakes before attempting to back up. However what the man didn’t see was a vehicle behind him, driven by an Elkin man. That second car couldn’t get out of the way in time to avoid a collision. Thankfully no one was hurt but an estimated $2000 worth of damage was done. The first driver, Oliverio Bautista Otero was charged with driving without a license by Wilkesboro police.

State News

North Carolina Finally Has A Budget
State lawmakers have finally come to terms on a budget for this fiscal year. Details on the final plan won’t be released until later today, but state officials said over the weekend that both certain parts of the state’s sales and income tax rates were trimmed in the compromise. However the proposed minimum wage increase appears to have been left out, along with a gasoline tax cap. A final vote on the bill is expected later this week.

Easley To Send Guard out West
Governor Easley announced over the weekend that he’s planning to send North Carolina troops to help with border control. 300 members of the state’s National Guard will be sent out to sections of the Mexican border with Texas and Arizona, a move Easley says is necessary to keep our country safe. The Department of Defense asked that more Guard units be sent out west, where soldiers are helping battle wildfires.

Another Community College In Hot Water
Yet another community college here in the state is facing problems today. The State Auditor has released reports detailing problems in 13 of the state’s community colleges with one of the most notable being Blue Ridge. Blue Ridge Community College lost an estimated $33,000 on athletics alone last year and also claimed $1.9 million more in federal aid than it actually possessed. In addition, the school overstated its’ unrestricted assets by an estimated $3.3 million, giving people the idea there was more money than was available. Blue Ridge’s head baseball coach has also been put on probation for violating school policy. He put $7298 from work study checks into a personal account, which was later used to help pay for his players’ housing needs.

Former NC Senator Says We Need War On Poverty
A former North Carolina senator is calling for a different kind of war today. John Edwards, who also served as the Democrats’ vice presidential candidate in 2004, suggested over the weekend that instead of targeting other countries, the U.S. Government needs to declare war on poverty. During a speech over the weekend in Portland, Oregon, Edwards cited several examples of how the U.S. can help eliminate poverty. He called for an increase n the minimum wage, an expansion of the earned income tax credit and also changes to allow more workers the ability to join a union or form their own.

New Town Created in Davidson County
For people driving through Davidson County, there’s something new to catch your eye. Over the weekend, the town of Midway was officially formed and incorporated. Area leaders had been talking about creating a new town for years, but the threat of annexation by a larger city such as Winston Salem caused them to act. It can be located by driving past Winston Salem and into Davidson County on Highway 52. Mayor Norman Wilkes says he’s busy searching for someone to take the positions of town clerk, town manager and town attorney.

Sports Headlines

Fall Soccer Registration Has Started
For any kids wanting to play soccer this fall, the Tri-County League is holding registration. You can stop by the Elkin Recreation Department anytime to pick up a registration form, plus there will be three days of open enrollment coming up later this month. On July 15th, July 22nd and July 29th, kids can walk in, hand over their forms and get registered to play. There is a fee however. For the 10 and under groups, it’s $35 a person while for kids 11-14, it’s $45. For more information you can call Shawna Bogart at 336-874-2398.

No Expansion For NCAA
There won’t be any changes coming for college basketball, at least not this year. The men’s basketball committee shot down a proposal over the weekend that would have almost doubled the NCAA tournament’s size from 65 teams to a whopping 128. The committee said that expansion wasn’t needed and said that things wouldn’t change any time soon.

Linebacker Commits To Duke
The Duke football team got another shot in the arm, as linebacker Justin Wilkerson has committed to the school. The 6’3 ft. 230 lb. Wilkerson also plays tight end and fullback in his high school system. He told reporters that the coaching and the system Duke plans to use is a good fit and he also was impressed by the academic side, saying that a Duke degree will help him land a good job after college. Wilkerson turned down an offer from East Carolina to join the Blue Devils.

Panthers Land New Scouting Director
In the NFL, the Carolina Panthers have agreed to terms with Don Gregory, making him their new director of college scouting. The 50-yr-old Gregory has worked for the Kansas City Chiefs the last four years as a national scout and before that was a scout for San Diego. He’ll take over control of the team’s college draft preparations from Tony Softli, who left last month to join the St. Louis Rams.

ACC Players Land NBA Contracts
In the NBA, several ACC players were able to lock in contracts after the draft. Wake Forest center Eric Williams will be suiting up for the New Jersey Nets next season. The 6-9 Williams went undrafted on Wednesday night, but on Thursday, found himself with a contract offer from the Nets. His former teammate, Justin Gray, will also be suiting up, except he’ll be heading up north to join the Toronto Raptors. Both players will take part in their new teams’ summer league squads when play starts later this month.

NASCAR Results
Taking a look at the NASCAR scene this weekend, it was Tony Stewart pulling into victory lane after the Pepsi 400. the Busch brothers were right behind, with Kyle Busch finishing second and Kurt Busch in with third place. Boris Said was fourth and Matt Kenseth rounded out the top five.