Tools Stolen from Outbuilding

About 15-hundred dollars worth of tools have turned up missing from a rural North Wilkesboro man's storage building. Marty Brown called sheriff deputies about the theft Saturday morning, according to a report released today. The thief had broken in the back window of Brown's building sometime in the past two weeks. The missing items include a Stihl chain saw, a DeWalt compound miter saw, a DeWalt power saw, a Stanley finish nailer, a Makita corded drill, two other drills, and a Black and Decker reciprocating saw. He believes a couple of teen-aged neighbors, who face theft charges in unrelated cases, are to blame for this theft. Deputies have not finished questioning everyone involved in the case, and have not made any arrests.

Pickup Stolen, Used to Spin Up Yard, Returned

It appears the vehicle used to damage a lawn on Fairplains Church Road this weekend was stolen from another location -- and when the thief got done doing the damage, they returned the pickup. Frances Brinegar reported her 1991 Dakota was stolen Friday evening about 8:30. She tells deputies she had come home, accidentally left the keys in the back as she was unloading something, and when she went back out a few minutes later to retrieve the keys, the pickup was gone. While a deputy was on the way to take the auto theft report,Brinegar says she saw someone skid to a stop just down the road from her house, and run off into the woods, leaving her pickup sitting in the road running. Because of the darkness, Brinegar only saw a silhouette of the thief, and although they searched the area, deputies did not find the person. The call of someone spinning up the yard of a home on Fairplains Church Road happened about the same time as the pickup was reported stolen, and the vehicle used to tear up the yard matched the pickup's description. Deputies are still looking for the thief.

Water Conservation Urged

North Carolinians have a set goal of how much water they should save to try to mitigate the effects of the worst drought in state history. By Halloween, all state residents should reduce their water consumption by 50 percent, Gov. Mike Easley said yesterday. The call to action was the latest in a series of increasingly urgent appeals from him.
Last week, he asked communities to conserve water and urged people to stop watering their lawns and washing their cars. Yesterday was the first time, however, that he told people exactly how much water they should try to save. “If you usually take a 10-minute shower, take a five-minute shower,” said Easley, who was in Greensboro to make an economic-development announcement. “If you usually run the water when you shave, just run a little pool - you can cut almost 95, 98 percent out of the water you use when you shave or brush your teeth.

He again stopped short of using his emergency powers as governor to declare mandatory-water restrictions. And similar to his previous announcements, he focused on residential water users while saying little about industrial users, which often make up the bulk of water consumption.

He said that the state will begin monitoring detailed information about the daily water consumption of all the state’s public water systems. After Oct. 31, armed with that information, he may revise his target of a 50 percent reduction, he said.

In Wilkesboro, town officials are encouraging residents to take their cars to the local car wash rather than use a hose and sponge in the driveway. “We’re not requiring anything at this point, but we all need to be good stewards of the resources we have,” said Ken Noland, the town manager. Tyson Foods is the town’s largest water user, Noland said. It uses half of all water produced in the town, which uses between 2 and 2.5 million gallons a day. Residents use about 25 percent of all water produced, he said.

Funeral Service Set for Jonathan Whitmore

The time of death for a man found shot in the head last Friday has been set as sometime Thursday night. An obituary from Reins-Sturdivant Funeral Home lists the date of death for 44-year old Jonathan Wayne Whitmore as last Thursday. It was Thursday evening that family members last saw him alive, but his body was not found until about sunup Friday along the southeast side of his property.

Funeral services for Whitmore will be held Friday at 2:00 PM at New Damascus Baptist Church with the Rev. James Little and the Rev. Ronald Howell officiating. The funeral home says Whitmore's body will be placed in the church at 1:30. Burial will be in Scenic Memorial Gardens. The family will receive friends at Reins-Sturdivant Funeral Home Thursday from 6 until 8.
The sheriff's office released little additional information in the case, and has not publicly identified a suspect.

Governor Urges 50% Water Usage Cut

Gov. Mike Easley today announced he is calling on citizens across North Carolina to cut water consumption by 50 percent between now and Halloween. In addition, he has asked each of the state’s public water systems to increase reporting to the state by recording the amount of water used daily and sending that information weekly to his office. The consumption totals will be made available to the public to help communities and the public monitor the success of water-saving measures.

“Between now and Halloween, I am calling on North Carolinians across the state to cut our water use by half,” Easley said. “Whenever you use water, cut the amount by half, whether it is taking a shower or washing the dishes. We all need to know whether this will be extremely difficult or easily do-able, but we do need to establish a baseline of water use to determine which water conservation measures are most effective. We likely will spot important trends and pick up valuable conservation methods that communities can share. I appreciate the cooperation from all of the state’s public water systems, local officials and our citizens.”

Easley said his office will collect and distribute this detailed water consumption information as long as the drought persists. As Easley noted in an address to the North Carolina League of Municipalities last week, the state is suffering from the worst drought on record and water resources are critically low. Water consumption must be reduced now and for the foreseeable future if we are to avoid a water supply emergency.

Starting today with “Operation Halve-It,” the governor’s office will monitor water consumption by the state’s public water systems, and after Halloween, the governor will release a list of those systems that have significantly reduced their consumption. Some communities, such as Siler City, have already asked residents to cut water consumption by 50 percent.

Bike Stolen

Sheriff deputies are investigating a report of a stolen bicycle. The theft actually occurred last weekend, but the report wasn't released until late in the week. Teresa Greene told deputies someone had come by their house Saturday night or early Sunday while the family was not at home, and taken the bike, which is a Mongoose brand 21-speed worth about 200-dollars. According to Greene, the bike was stored outside, but out of sight, on the property. Deputies canvassed the neighborhood, talking to families with children, and telling the kids about the theft, and telling them the bike needed to be returned or charges would be filed. SO far, no suspects have been identified.

Rural North Wilkesboro Man's Body Found, Shot

A Wilkes County man has been found shot to death beside a road near his home. Sheriff Dane Mastin says the body of 44-year old Jonathon Whitmore was spotted by a neighbor Friday morning. “It was an apparent gunshot wound,” Mastin said. “We do believe it to be a homicide.” An autopsy is scheduled to verify the time of death as well as hopefully uncovered some more details about the crime. The department does not report a suspect in custody as of yet.

The last known contact that anyone had with Whitmore was about 7:30 or 8 p.m. Thursday when he arrived at the home he shared with his wife and two daughters. “He had just come home and hadn’t been inside yet, and he said he’d be in in a minute,” Mastin said. When Whitmore didn’t come in, family members went out and looked for him.

The home is at the corner of Mimosa Lane and Holland St. Whitmore's body was found on Holland Street on the southeast side of the home. The State Bureau of Investigations is helping with the investigation. Whitmore was a businessman who ran an environmental-cleanup company that recovered asbestos.

You've Won, Just Send Us Some Money

Wilkes county deputies are warning the public about a possible scam being worked by phone in the area. A State Road woman called deputies yesterday afternoon, and said a family member had just been called and told he'd won a sweepstakes he didn't remember entering. When the woman called the number given her father, it was answered "U-S Customs." When she asked for the person he'd been told to ask for, the man came to the phone and told her that her father would have to go to Wal-Mart within the hour and get a moneygram for 900-dollars, and have it sent to an address in Canada. She was told the money was insurance for the people who would fly in to Raleigh and deliver the winnings. A deputy got much the same results when he called, with the caller initially identifying the number as U-S Customs. But when he asked for the man, he was told the person was not available, but would call him back shortly. Deputies say this is a frequently-tried scam, and no one should have to pay a penny to claim winnings from a sweepstakes.

Garage Break-In Nets $2,700 in Property

Deputies are investigating another in a series of thefts from summer homes. Sherill's Ford resident Tom Lawley says the garage at his home on Lauri Lane near hays was broken into sometime in the past two weeks. The stolen items include an 800-dollar rifle and several tools, valued together at 19-hundred dollars. The burglar did about 300-dollars damage to the side door and frame during the break-in. Deputies reported a series of related break-ins at summer homes last week, but it's unclear right now if this burglary is connected. There are a number of factors about it that are different than the earlier cases, which are believed to have been done by teens.

Friends? Maybe Not Anymore

A Moravian Falls woman says some people she thought were friends are responsible for the theft of more than 6-thousand dollars worth of property, including a 45-hundred dollar diamond ring. Susan Miller says the friends came over in the evening, and after a fairly long chat, she got up to go to the restroom. When she came out, she saw one of them coming out of the kitchen, and didn't really think much of it at the time. She left for about two hours, she says, and when she came back the kitchen door was unlocked and the jewelry was gone. Deputies are still working to question the two people accused by Miller.