Give Water and Get Robbed

The victim said he was just trying to provide some water when he was robbed.  The Wilkes Sheriff's Office was called to investigate a theft at a Friendship Cross Street.  The victim told Deputies that he opened his door to a woman who had stopped and asked for a drink of water.  He allowed the woman to come inside the house while he went to get the water.  Before he returned, he heard the woman leave the house.  The man then saw that his wallet was open and his debit card was missing.  The identity of the woman is unknown.

Large Amount of Copper Stolen

The Wilkes Sheriff's Office is also seeking a copper thief.  In recent years, the rising cost of copper has inspired many to steal the metal and re-sale it at salvage companies for quick cash. This week, a property owner on the Wilkes Yadkin Road reported the theft of a large amount of copper wire and copper pipes.  The copper was pulled from and stolen from two chicken houses.  An estimate on the cost of the stolen copper was not released with the report.  There is no word on suspects; that investigation is continuing.

Break-Ins with No Theft

A resident on the Bethany Ford Road reported a break-in but no theft.  In that report, the homeowner returned to find that a rear entry door had been damaged.  Damages were estimated at 100 dollars.  No one was able to get inside the house and nothing was reported stolen.  A Wilkesboro resident called the Wilkes Sheriff's Office to report a breaking and entering in progress.  The homeowner was home when they heard someone trying to get through the basement door at the back of their house.  This was not the first time someone had tried to break through the basement door.  The would-be burglar did leave the scene before deputies arrived; there are no suspects.

Upcoming Wilkes Rabies Vaccination Clinics

The 2014 Rabies Vaccination Clinics begin next week for area dogs and cats.   You must present PROOF of current rabies vaccination to receive a 3 year vaccine.  The North Carolina State Law states:  It shall be unlawful for an owner to fail to provide current inoculation against rabies (hydrophobia) for any dog or cat four (4) months of age or older.  All dogs are to be held securely on a leash and all cats are to be contained in a carrier or box by a responsible person.  A charge of $7.00 will be made for each dog or cat vaccinated.  A licensed veterinarian will administer the vaccine.  Sponsors are the Wilkes County Animal Control, The Humane Society of Wilkes, and participating Veterinarians.  On Tuesday, May 13th from 6:30 to 7:30 rabies vaccination clinics will be at Southeastern Community Center, Traphill Elementary, Millers Creek Elementary, Ronda Clingman Elementary, Mt Pleasant Elementary, and Mtn. View Elementary.  For more information, call the Wilkes County Animal Control and Animal Shelter and 903-7688.

WCC Thanks Merlefest Volunteers

Wilkes Community College presented checks to its MerleFest volunteer organizations on Tuesday, May 6, at the Doc and Merle Watson Theatre. The volunteer groups shared information on their number of volunteers and the number of hours contributed during the four-day festival. “We cannot thank our MerleFest volunteer groups enough,” said Lee K. Cornett, volunteer group coordinator for MerleFest. Indeed, MerleFest has a lasting impact on the region. While 2014 figures are not yet available, in 2013 MerleFest had over 4,600 volunteers contribute more than 49,500 hours to help make the festival a success. The volunteer groups earned approximately $380,500 through their participation. MerleFest, founded in 1988 in memory of Eddy Merle Watson as a fundraiser for Wilkes Community College Endowment Corporation and a celebration of “traditional plus” music, was held April 25-28, 2013. Wilkes Community College is a member of the North Carolina Community College System, is a public, two-year, open-door institution serving the people of Wilkes, Ashe and Alleghany counties.

Gov Announces Education Initiative and Teacher Salary Increase

Governor Pat McCrory announced yesterday a sweeping array of education initiatives that will increase teacher pay, provide in-state tuition for newly separated veterans, increase funding for textbooks and establish salary supplements for teachers who obtain advanced degrees in a subject they are teaching. “For years, teachers have suffered through little to no pay raises as the state had to endure one of the toughest economic recessions in generations,” said Governor McCrory.  In February, the governor announced he would work to increase the base pay for North Carolina teachers to $35,000. The “Career Pathways for Teachers” framework the governor unveiled at North Carolina Agricultural and Technological University is the follow up of the February announcement.  Raises for veteran teachers is the first step of the framework. Teachers in steps 8-12 will receive increases ranging from 2.8 to 4.3 percent. Teachers in steps 13-36 will average a pay hike of 2 percent. Beyond these raises, the Career Pathways for Teachers framework establishes a pay structure that allows individual teachers to significantly increase their compensation beyond their base pay. In addition to the Career Pathways for Teachers framework, the governor announced:  He will increase funding for early childhood education by $3.6 million, He will seek salary supplements for teachers who earn advanced degrees in the subjects they are teaching, He will double state funding for textbooks to $46 million, He will work to establish a scholarship fund for newly separated veterans for in-state tuition at University of North Carolina institutions, and State employees will receive a raise of $1,000 including benefits.

Congresswoman Foxx Agrees with Getting Benghazi Committee

Congresswoman Virginia Foxx (R-NC) released the following statement regarding Speaker John Boehner’s announcement that the House of Representatives will empanel a select committee to investigate the September 11, 2012 attack on a U.S. diplomatic compound in Benghazi. “Recently released emails suggest that the White House was intimately involved in the media response to Benghazi. I support Speaker Boehner’s decision to set up a select committee to investigate whether the White House initiated politically-motivated spin about this critical lapse in our diplomatic security,” said Rep. Foxx. Last week, in response to a Freedom of Information Act request, the White House released a series of emails from the days after of the attack. In the emails, Deputy National Security Advisor Ben Rhodes edited early talking points in an attempt to ensure the attacks were blamed on “[An] Internet video, and not a broader failure or policy.”

Election Results from Tuesday Primary

Local Wilkes County Results:

http://enr.ncsbe.gov/ElectionResults/?county_id=97

Statewide Results:

http://enr.ncsbe.gov/ElectionResults/

Wilkes Athletes Compete in State Tennis Championship

Wilkes student/athletes are heading to the tennis state championships tomorrow. Championships in singles and doubles in four different classifications are up for grabs starting Thursday as the North Carolina High School Athletic Association holds its annual men’s tennis tournament championships at three different sites. In the CLASS 2-A at the Cary Tennis Center,  Krishna Tiwari from Wilkes Central will be in the singles' first round.  Then in the DOUBLES—FIRST ROUND, Parker Jordan and Kevin Reynolds (Wilkes Central) will be competing.

County Commissioners Seeking Oversight of DSS

Since the NC Dept of Health and Human Services, last month, cited some deficiencies in the Wilkes Dept of Social Services, the Wilkes County Commissioners are considering a change other counties in the state have made.  Wilkes Commissioners have asked for research regarding having the Wilkes DSS and Wilkes Health Dept directly overseen by the County Commissioners.  At least a dozen counties including Yadkin have already made the change to direct control by Commissioners; other counties such as Ashe chose not to make the change.  County Manager John Yates and County Attorney Tony Triplett were asked by Commissioners to gather information on what could be done in Wilkes.