Damages From a Grease Fire

In a follow-up story, 3WC spoke with Wilkesboro Fire Chief Jason Smithey concerning the Tuesday evening fire at Coaches. Smithey said, even though the fire was extinguished within minutes of their arrival, firefighters remained on scene until midnight Tuesday. Due to the extent of the fire, a state fire investigator was called to aid in determining the source, which was ruled to be a grease fire that began in the kitchen. Smithey said he didn’t think it was a total loss, but there was fire, smoke, and water damage throughout the building.

Theft Investigations

The Wilkes Sheriff’s Office continues to have a list of theft investigations, In Millers Creek a local resident reported the theft of a Taurus 9mm pistol. The stolen gun is valued at $350.  One white male suspect was listed with that report. Then a resident in the Thurmond Community reported the theft of a diamond ring valued at $1500. Three white female suspects were listed with that theft. The investigations are continuing and charges are pending.

Ronda Commissioners Deciding on Mayor and Commissioner in July

Town of Ronda Commissioners decided to not decide until their July meeting. Citing problems with Town Commissioners, Mickey Cruise resigned as mayor and JoAnn Royal resigned as a commissioner on April 30. Last week, Ronda Commissioner Munsey nominated Victor Varela to serve the two years and eight months left in Cruise’s first term as mayor and Commissioner Nelson nominated Kevin Reece to serve the remaining one year and eight months of Royal’s second term as a commissioner. The four Ronda Commissioners chose to make a decision at their July 8 meeting.

Retired Sheriff's Official Running For Sheriff

The voice of the North Wilkes Vikings and retired Wilkes Sheriff’s Officer announced on his social media page this week that he is running for sheriff. Wednesday afternoon, William “David” Carson officially announced his candidacy for Wilkes County Sheriff in the 2026 election. Carson served in the Wilkes Sheriff’s Office for 30 years. He retired in 2020. Carson holds a Bachelor of Science degree in criminal justice from Lees-McRae College, has served as a firefighter and first responder in Wilkes, and has served with civic, volunteer, and youth sports organizations.

NC Health Secretary Traveling in Western Counties

The North Carolina Department of Health and Human Services Secretary is traveling to western North Carolina to learn about recovery efforts and highlight mental health resources for people impacted by Hurricane Helene. The Secretary will visit a Healthy Opportunities Pilot program, Hope4NC, which is a $12.4 million investment for crisis outreach in 25 counties hit hardest by Helene. Trained crisis counselors have been going door-to-door to provide education, assist in recovery efforts, link people with critical behavioral health services and provide counseling.

Immigration Bills in NC

Immigration is also an issued being tackled in our state. On Tuesday, the NC Senate passed two bills: SB 153 -- requiring four state law enforcement agencies to carry out ICE functions and HB 318 which requires Sheriffs' Offices across the state to comply with ICE detainers. Protesters gathered at the legislature on Tuesday to oppose the two bills and called on Stein to veto them. Stein has yet to veto a bill, but there is overwhelming Democratic opposition to the immigration bills.

Fire in Wilkesboro

It's being described as one of the worst fires in the area in many years. Tuesday evening Wilkesboro Fire Department and their mutual aid departments responded to a fire at Coaches Bar & Grill off Hwy 421. Smoke and fire were visible through the roof when firefighters arrived. The fire was quickly extinguished and the building checked for people inside. Everyone had evacuated safely, and there were no injuries. It is believed the fire started in the kitchen area, but the investigation is ongoing today.

Guns and Drugs

The Wilkes Sheriff’s Office was conducting a traffic check on Yellow Banks Road on Sunday when they found probable cause to search a vehicle. That search discovered several guns and magazines of ammo along with over $400 in marijuana. Two adults and one underage teen were in the vehicle. The two adults were charged with multiple counts of drug possession, carrying a concealed weapon, and maintaining a vehicle for illegal substance.

North Wilkesboro Budget

The new North Wilkesboro budget was approved last week following a tie-breaking vote by Mayor Mark Hauser. Increases in the budget for North Wilkesboro included monthly residential and commercial garbage can collection fees to $17 per can and monthly commercial dumpster pickup fee to $33 per container due to an increase in the Wilkes County Landfill tipping fee in the new county. A water rate increase proposed in the draft budget was omitted. The North Wilkesboro 2025-26 budget has a tax rate of 41 cents per $100 of property valuation instead of the 39-cent rate proposed in an earlier meeting.

Wilkes County Schools' New Student Info Platform

Attention Wilkes County School Families--Wilkes County School is transitioning to Infinite Campus as the new platform for managing student information, replacing PowerSchool. This means it's time for a fresh start and action by parents is required. All families must update their family household information, medical details, and emergency contacts in Infinite Campus since old data from PowerSchool will not be transferred. Parents of Wilkes County School students are asked to regularly check your emails and the school website for further instructions and support.