Highway Patrol Operation

It starts today.  The North Carolina State Highway Patrol and three state police agencies will engage in “Operation Border to Border” a coordinated traffic safety enforcement initiative that covers close to 400 miles of US 15, a heavily traveled thoroughfare for summer vacationers. Troopers will be working US 15 north of I-85 to the Virginia Border beginning Friday, June 15 through Sunday, June 17.  Troopers from each of the four agencies will work together, conducting saturation patrols, sobriety check points and other enforcement initiatives to reduce traffic crashes and combat criminal behavior along this major non-interstate highway. To date, the North Carolina stretch of Route 15 from I-85 north to the Virginia border has not experienced any traffic deaths this year. Two people died in traffic crashes in 2011 on US 15 and one in 2010. The 106-mile stretch of highway experienced 34 total traffic collisions last year, which was a decrease from 2010 when there were a total of 44 traffic collisions.

Sen Hagan on the US Farm Bill and NC

The US Senate is considering the 2012 Farm Bill this week.  Farming is an important part of Wilkes County and our state, and Senator Hagan of NC explains what the Farm Bill is.  AIR  And the current Farm Bill has some changes.  AIR:   Senator Hagan has joined a bipartisan group of Senators (Republican and Democrat) and introduced two amendments to the Farm Bill.  AIR  My complete interview with Senator Hagan can be heard as a podcast on our website:  www.hometownchristianradio.com .

Death Penalty in NC

On Wednesday, Senate Bill 416 “Amend Death Penalty Procedures” passed the House on a final vote of 73 to 47. It has now gone to the Senate for concurrence. According to a news release from NC House Majority Leader Paul Stam, the bill alleviates the effects of The Racial Justice Act, which essentially imposed a five to six year moratorium on the death penalty in North Carolina when it passed in 2009. It allowed all inmates on death row at the time to claim they were racially discriminated against during their trial.  By 2011, 152 of 156 prisoners made claim, putting their cases on indefinite hold.  The major changes detail the use of evidence to prove racial discrimination.  The bill outlines what types of evidence may be used by the defendant. Specific evidence may include, but is not limited to, sworn testimony of attorneys, prosecutors, law enforcement officers, and judges.  Stam concluded by saying:  This action is necessary to end the moratorium on the death penalty. The death penalty acts as a deterrent only if it is used. The death penalty will obviously not deter if the state only pretends to have a death penalty and never carries out the sentence.

Local Soldiers Being Deployed

Some local soldiers are once again being sent overseas.  A deployment ceremony for the 875th Engineer Company of the N.C. Army National Guard will be this Sunday, June 17, 2 p.m., at the John A. Walker Community Center in Wilkesboro.  The 875th is being deployed to Kuwait to serve as a part of Operation Enduring Freedom.  Following the deployment ceremony, the unit will leave later next week for three weeks of training at Fort Bliss, Texas, before departing for Kuwait in July.  Officials from the state National Guard, plus local government officials, have been invited to speak at the ceremony on Sunday at the Walker Center.  The company from Wilkes will conduct several general construction engineer operations during their nine-month deployment in support of Area Support Group-Kuwait.  160 soldiers from the North Wilkesboro and Lexington units will be deployed.  This is the third deployment for the local Guard unit since the September 11, 2001 attack on America. 

Followup: Rabid Animal on Greenway

It was one week ago today that the Wilkes County Health Department release a warning concerning a rabid kitten that was found on the Greenway in Wilkes.  A total of 5 people who attempted to care for the kitten and were bitten were identified and received rabies post exposure prophylaxis.  Four of the five were from Wilkes and one was from Watauga County.  According to Ann Absher of the Wilkes Health Dept, no other local residents came forward concerning the rabid kitten on the Greenway.  However, they did receive calls from people who had been bitten or scratched by another cat.  The Health Dept advises:  For the welfare of the animal, and the safety and health of the public, all cats and dogs in Wilkes County should be kept on leash. When bitten or scratched by any animal (even a dog or cat that is currently vaccinated against rabies) you should thoroughly clean the wound with soap and warm water and contact your physician or health department for additional advice.  For more information on rabies contact the Wilkes Health Dept at 651-7573 or online www.wilkeshealth.com .

Stolen, Lost, or Left

Was it lost, left, or stolen?  This week Wilkesboro Police received a call from someone on the Greenway about a bike.  The reporting person said that they saw the bike the day before when they were on the Greenway.  When they returned the next day, the bike was still in the same location.  The mountain bike was seized by Police and logged as evidence.  There is a serial number on the bike, but Police have no leads at this time regarding the bike.  It is unknown if the bicycle was left behind by a visitor to the Greenway or if it is stolen.  If you have any information concerning the bike, you may call the Wilkesboro Police Department at 667-7277.

Women's Health Luncheons in Wilkes

Another Women’s Health Luncheon at the Library is happening on Friday, June 15, from 12:30-1:30 pm.  The topic this month is:  Women’s Health: Food and Food Allergies.  The guest speaker is Maggi Birdsell, RD, CDE, LDN of the Wilkes County Health Department.  The Luncheon is sponsored by Wilkes County Health Department and catered by Brushy Mountain Smokehouse.  Sessions will be held at the Wilkes County Library in the Friends Meeting Room. Registration is required.  Lunch will be provided for the first 30 registrants.  Again the date is June 15.  To register, call the library at 838-2818, extension 236 or 232.

Coming to Wilkesboro in One Week

Today we are exactly one week away from one of the biggest events in Southern Gospel each year and the biggest annual fundraiser for the Ebenezer Christian Children’s Home.  The work began this past Friday and continued on Saturday until the Big Tent for Singing in the Foothills was standing long and tall.  The annual Southern Gospel Singing to benefit The Home is held at Wilkesboro Raceway Park off Hwy 421 in Wilkesboro.  This year’s 3-day concert begins on Thursday, June 21 with Jason Crabb, Triumphant, The Cookes, Sisters, and Pfeifers.  On Friday, June 22, everyone is invited back the second night for The Diplomats, Perrys, Doyle Lawson & Quicksilver, Skyline Boys, and Michael Combs.  And the benefit concert concludes on Saturday, June 23, with The Martins, Karen Peck & New River, The Primitives, Nelons, Talleys, and Kingsmen.  Ebenezer Board Member John Wishon says, the only thing left to do is buy a ticket.  For tickets or information go online singinginthefoothills.org or call 336-838-5683.

NC Senator Goes to Middle East

Earlier this month a North Carolina Senator traveled to the Middle East region.  As a member of the Senate Select Committee on Intelligence, Senator Richard Burr traveled to Israel and Egypt where he visited with foreign officials to discuss regional security and stability.  Burr and other Senators, all members of the Intelligence Committee, traveled to Israel, Egypt, and Djibouti.  In Israel, the delegation met with Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and other top Israeli officials including Defense Minister Barak and National Security Advisor Admidror.  These meetings provided the opportunity to restate America’s strong support for Israel in light of the Iranian threat.  

Coming to NC

In September, North Carolina will be the target of every political energy and synergy. One of the focuses of the Democratic National Convention, held in Charlotte September 3 through 7, will be the American Dream of Homeownership. That focus will continue at the American Mortgage Conference (AMC), sponsored by the North Carolina Bankers Association (NCBA), September 10-12 in Raleigh, NC.  President Obama and Republican Presidential Nominee Mitt Romney have both been invited to speak at this year’s AMC and there are high expectations that they might accept.  The American Mortgage Conference will bring together leading experts in the financial services industry; mortgage practitioners of every kind; policy makers and investors to discuss these important issues and to analyze what progress is being made in Washington.  More than 250 delegates attended the first AMC in 2011. They represented 18 different states.  It is expected that an even larger number of attendees from all across the country will be coming in September to North Carolina.