Fatal Car Crash Saturday Morning

A 24-year-old North Wilkesboro woman was killed in a one-vehicle wreck after 5am Saturday  on Grissel Tail Road in Traphill.  According to Trooper C.M. Anderson of the N.C. Highway Patrol, Morgan Michelle Mitchell was driving a 2001 Ford car.  Mitchell was traveling south Saturday morning when her car slid in a curve, crossed the center line, and went off the road to the left.  Mitchell’s car hit a tree in the driver’s side door.   She was wearing a seatbelt and the airbags in the car deployed, but the side impact caused massive head injuries.  Mitchell was pronounced dead at the scene.  Someone passing by saw the wreck and called 911.

Hit in Head and Robbed

He said they came up from behind and hit him.  In a report filed with the Wilkes County Sheriff’s Department, a 45-year-old Millers Creek said that he was out in his yard when he was attacked from behind.  Someone hit him in the head and stole about 15 dollars in cash from his pockets.  The victim did not get a description of the attacker as he was hit in the back of the head.  A friend took the victim to WRMC for treatment of the head injury.  There is no word on suspects at this time as the Sheriff’s Department is still investigating.

Thieves Still There

The thieves were still there when she got home.  According to a recent report with the Wilkes Sheriff’s Department, a resident on Boone Trail said she came back home to find two unknown men in her back yard.  The men were in the process of stealing the victim’s air condition unit.  When the woman arrived, the two men grabbed the A/C unit and left the scene in their vehicle.  They were last seen heading toward North Wilkesboro.  No other description of the men or their getaway vehicle was given with the report.  Local law enforcement are still on the lookout for the men and the investigation is continuing.

Election Hearing Set for This Week

A preliminary hearing was held last week in Wilkes regarding the close vote for the third seat on the School Board.  There is a one vote difference between Rickey Lankford and Colleen Bush.  Lankford has the one vote lead.  Bush requested a couple of limited re-counts last week that still resulted in Lankford leading by one vote.  Thursday night a preliminary hearing was held to see if there was probable cause for a full hearing.  It was decided there was probable cause due to the possibility of a 17-year-old receiving a full ballot.  Therefore, a full hearing will be held next Thursday in the Commissioners’ Room of the County Office Building to decide if there was a problem with the election.  Bush has called for either a full recount or a new election.  The State Board of Election will make the final decision on Bush’s request following next week’s hearing.

Dropped Drug Paraphernalia in Front of Police

You know it’s going to be a bad day when…you step out of your car in front of a Police Officer and your drug paraphernalia falls on the ground.  Loss Prevention at Wal-Mart called Wilkesboro Police regarding a shoplifter that had just left the scene in a green Toyota.  Major Steve Dowell located the suspect on Oakwoods Road and initiated a traffic stop.  As the suspect was exiting the vehicle, some needles and a spoon fell out on the ground.  The in stolen property from Wal-Mart was found inside the vehicle.  There was also some other stolen property found inside the car that did not belong to Wal-Mart.  The suspect, Joseph Hawkins of Hays, was arrested and charged with larceny, possession of drug paraphernalia, and driving with license revoked.

Outbuildings Broken Into

A Roaring River resident said that they had been in the hospital for a while.  Recently, they returned home and noticed a problem with their outbuildings.  At one building the handles had been pulled off the doors and two boards used for steps were missing.  It appeared someone had tried to beat the door handles off a second building but was unsuccessful.  Only the boards from outside the door were reported stolen; the victim could not tell if anything was missing from inside the buildings.  Again, there is no word on suspects.

Local Restaurant Owners FDA Workshop

The Wilkes County Health Department has issued a news release regarding new FDA Food Code Workshops for foodservice operators and providers that will be held tomorrow, Tuesday, June 5th.  These workshops are to inform local restaurant owners of new Food Code regulations. The Regional Health Directors and Division of Public Health Staff is conducting informational workshops on new FDA Food Code changes, plans for enforcement, and plans for phasing in changes. There will be 2 sessions tomorrow to accommodate schedules.  The FDA Food Code workshops will be at Tanglewood Park Club House in Clemmons.  For more information, call the Wilkes Health Dept at 651-7450 or the Division of Public Health at 336-334-1262.

On the Road/ On the Water--Don't Drink & Drive Results

The North Carolina State Highway Patrol along with the Division of Law Enforcement from the Wildlife Resources Commission and local law enforcement have released the Memorial Day Weekend totals for “On the Road, On the Water, Don’t Drink and Drive” campaign . “On the Road, On the Water, Don’t Drink and Drive” campaign is a multi-agency initiative that is designed to combine law enforcement resources to ensure that all motorists can safely travel on highway and waterways during the summer months.  Over the Memorial Day weekend, Officers issued over 10,000 tickets 370 DWI’s, over 1800 seatbelt violations,343 boating violations, and various drug charges.  Operation “On the Road, On the Water, Don’t Drink and Drive” will continue on the Fourth of July and Labor Day weekends. Troopers along with Wildlife Resource officers and local law enforcement will be conducting various driving while impaired checkpoints near parks and water recreational areas.  The Highway Patrol is reminding motorists to be careful as they enjoy the upcoming summer months. 

NC Bankers Statement on Unemployment

The North Carolina Bankers Association says a majority of Americans believe the U.S. economy is still in a recession even though the economy has been in an expansion for three years.  The annualized rate of GDP growth in the first quarter of this year was a very disappointing 2.1 percent.  The employment picture is dismal with the unemployment rate still above 8 percent.  The level of debt for households and government are higher now than the level coming out of previous recessions in the post WWII period. The state unemployment rate dropped the last three months falling to 9.4% in April.  About 30,000 nonfarm jobs were added in the last 12 months. Unfortunately, only three states have a higher unemployment rate. Structural unemployment is a serious problem for North Carolina.   According to the North Carolina Bankers Association, our government must cut regulations across the board, flatten the tax code for individuals and businesses, increase infrastructure spending, and promote the development of natural gas and oil exploration or high unemployment will become the new normal.

Two Injured in One Car Wreck

Two were transported to Baptist Hospital following a one car wreck on Hwy 421 Thursday evening.  In a report filed with the Wilkesboro Police, the driver Brendan Witek of Boone said he noticed others in the car had gone to sleep and admitted he, too, was sleepy.  Witek did go to sleep at the wheel.  Then his Nissan ran off the road to the right, struck the face of a guardrail at the end of the onramp from NC 268 to Hwy 421, the vehicle went airborne, and rolled down an embankment.  The two backseat passengers were not wearing seatbelts and had to be cut from the vehicle.  Witek and a passenger were taken to WRMC and then transferred to Baptist Hospital.  Witek was charged with reckless driving.