Funny Money Back in Time for Shopping Season

Watch out for funny money.  Just last week we reported on a couple of fake 20-dollar bills being passed at the cafeteria at Tyson.  That was the first counterfeit currency report that had passed through in a while.  Last year at this time, there were several reports of fake cash including 5, 10, 20, and 100 dollar bills.  But now in addition to last week’s report, the Wilkesboro Police have already had to investigate two more accounts of phony bills in a matter of days.  This week Yadkin Valley Bank called.  Employees discovered a counterfeit 20 dollar bill in the money taken in that day.  It was impossible to determined who had passed the funny money at the bank, so the counterfeit was seized and no charges were filed.  Also, the Run In on Oakwoods Road to report finding a fake 20 at their store.  It is believed the funny money was passed sometime over the weekend, but again it was impossible to determine from video surveillance who exactly passed the fake money.  This counterfeit 20 was also seized by police and no charges were filed at this time.

North Wilkesboro Christmas Cheer Update

They are thankful for the donations so far, but more is still needed.  $1,780.00 has been collected thus far for the 2011 Christmas Cheer Project.  The Cheer expenditures last year were approximately $6,400, and with anticipated food costs this year to be at least the same, if not more than last year, they continue to seek more donations.  The Town of North Wilkesboro has sponsored the Christmas Cheer Project for families within the Town for many years. This tradition originated during Johnny Walker’s tenure as Chief of Police between 1936-1953 and has been faithfully carried out since that time.  Names of elderly and needy families who live in the North Wilkesboro city limits are collected in the Clerk’s Office by referrals and telephone calls.  Names are reviewed by the Christmas Cheer Committee to determine their eligibility.  Funds for this project are solicited by the Mayor, Town Commissioners and media advertisements.  Contributions for this project are received from businesses and private citizens.  300 boxes are assembled by volunteers and Town personnel and will be delivered on Thursday, December 23rd. Recipients must be at home in order to receive a food box.  To make a contribution, send it to North Wilkesboro Christmas Cheer Fund, PO Box 218, North Wilkesboro.  Call 667-7129 for more information.

Car Break-Ins Locked and Unlocked

It’s hard to know what to do.  In many cases in Wilkes if a car was locked, then the thieves would break the windows to get inside and steal.  So not only does the victim have something stolen they also have to deal with hundreds of dollars in damages to their vehicle.  If the car is left unlocked, then thieves just simply open the doors and steal what is inside.  In a recent report from Wilkes Community College, a victim told police that he parked his car at the college around 9am.  When he returned at 11am, he discovered the theft from his car.  The vehicle was left unlocked and someone stole some cash, 20 CD’s, and a phone charger.  There was no video surveillance of that parking lot, so there are no suspects at this time.  The best advice is to NOT leave anything of value in your car, especially in the passenger area where thieves can see it through the window.

Drive Carefully in Parking Lots

And speaking of cars as you are shopping on this Black Friday, be careful driving through parking lots.  Already this week, Wilkesboro Police have investigated accidents at the access road to Fire Mountain, the access road to Walmart, and the Food Lion parking lot.  Only minor injuries were sustained in the 3 parking lot wrecks with all those injured refusing transport to the hospital.  Property damage to the vehicles involved ranged from just 200 dollars to over 3500 dollars.  Two drivers were charged with unsafe movement and one was charged with failure to reduce speed.

Scam Aimed at Local Businesses

The Better Business Bureau has notified 3WC concerning another scam that could hit businesses in Wilkes.  The Better Business Bureau is receiving a large number of calls both locally and nationwide about an email phishing scam that is targeting businesses. These emails are not being sent by BBB.  The fake and dangerous emails say they are from the address:  alert@bbb.org with Complaint on the subject line.  The Northwest Chapter of the Better Business Bureau advises anyone receiving emails similar to the one shown below to not open the email and instead delete it immediately. If you have opened the email and an attachment, we advise you to insure your anti-virus software is up-to-date and to run a scan immediately.  

Get a NC Poinsettia

The poinsettia is a staple for the winter holidays, but few may know that North Carolina is the second-largest producer of poinsettias in the United States.  “North Carolina produced about 4.2 million poinsettias in 2010 and generated cash receipts of $16.1 million,” said Agriculture Commissioner Steve Troxler. “That’s an important part of the state’s $239 million floriculture industry, which ranks fifth nationally.”  Poinsettias are grown in greenhouses across the state under specific climatic requirements. Troxler said, “You can find locally grown poinsettias at nurseries, farmers markets, garden centers, florists and even grocery stores.”  For more information about the open houses or where to find N.C. poinsettias, go to www.ncflowers.org or www.ncfarmfresh.com.

More Jobs Coming to NC

On this Black Friday, it’s good to know that jobs are still coming to our state.  Gov. Bev Perdue announced this week that Baldor Electric Company, a global marketer, designer and manufacturer of industrial electric motors, mechanical transmission products, drives and generators, will expand its facility in Mc Dowell County.  Baldor Electric plans to create 41 new jobs and invest $17.7 million during the next three years in Marion.  Also, the Governor announced that Sonoco Plastics Inc., a global provider of consumer packaging, industrial products, protective packaging and packaging supply chain services, will expand operations at its packaging facility in Waynesville. This expansion will create 35 jobs and result in an $11.7 million investment over the next three years.  And, Henniges Automotive will add new manufacturing jobs at its plant in Reidsville. The expansion will bring 64 new jobs along with a $2.2 million capital investment.  All these jobs were made possible in part by grants from the One North Carolina Fund.  North Carolina continues to have a top-ranked business climate. According to the Governor’s Office, through the use of the One North Carolina Fund, more than 55,000 jobs and $11 billion in investments have been created since 2001.

Child Advocacy Center in Wilkes

Key community partners recently announced they will work together to establish a center to coordinate the investigation and prosecution of child sexual abuse cases.  SAFE, Inc., the Wilkes Department of Social Services, the 23^rd District Attorney’s office and all three local law enforcement agencies signed a letter of commitment to support the development, implementation and operation of an accredited child advocacy center in Wilkes County.  The agreement, signed Nov. 17 in a meeting at Rose Glen Village in Wilkesboro, also recognizes SAFE, Inc. as the lead agency in the development of the center.  Organizers say an accredited child advocacy center will improve care for sexually abused children who are currently carted off to Winston-Salem or Statesville for investigative interviews and medical exams.  Accredited child advocacy centers bring medical services, counseling and victim advocacy together all under one roof.  The center will also provide a continuum of care not currently available locally under one roof.  Counseling and victim advocacy services will be available to victims and non-offending family members after initial investigations are completed.  The move to establish an accredited child advocacy center in Wilkes began in March when SAFE brought together representatives of Wilkes Regional Medical Center, law enforcement, the Department of Social Services and the District Attorney’s office to discuss the community’s response to sexual assaults. Participants identified a need to improve care for sexually abused children.  SAFE is currently seeking start-up funding for the center, and they hope to start serving clients in 2013 under a provisional license.  Preliminary data indicates more than 100 Wilkes County children a year may be victims of sexual abuse.    SAFE offers free, confidential help with domestic violence and sexual assault situations 24 hours a day at (336) 838-SAFE (838-7233).

Driving Safely During Holiday Weekend

The Highway Patrol is targeting speeders and aggressive drivers on North Carolina interstates and major four lane highways through the Thanksgiving holiday weekend.  Last year 9 motorists were killed and 402 were injured on North Carolina highways during the holiday period.  Speed and aggressive drivers are the leading cause of traffic deaths in our state.  The aggressive driver has been identified as those drivers who flagrantly violate the motor vehicle laws, including but not limited to: excessive speeding, following too closely, erratic lane changes, safe movement violations, and other forms of reckless endangerment.   The Thanksgiving holiday weekend officially began at 6:00 p.m. yesterday and ends at midnight, Sunday, Nov. 27.  Citizens can report highway problems to the Patrol by dialing *HP (*47) on their cellular phones.  The toll‑free call goes directly to the nearest Highway Patrol communication center.

Stolen Tires

Along with everything else, the price of tires has really increased over the past year.  Perhaps that has resulted in an increase in tire thefts locally.  A resident on the Congo Road reported that she is currently living out of town but came to Wilkes recently to check on her house.  When she got to her residence, she found that tires and wheels had been stolen from two vehicles parked in her yard.  Six tires and wheels were taken; there are no suspects.  Then a man in Millers Creek reported there had been some tires stolen from his back yard.  The 4 tires and wheels were valued at 200 dollars and were taken from the victim’s home on Meadowbrook Lane.  Again there are no suspects; the Wilkes County Sheriff’s Department is investigating the thefts.