Wilkes Regional Medical Center Meeting #4
Tonight is the last of four public hearings North Wilkesboro town board members are holding related to the future lease of Wilkes Regional Medical Center. It’ll be a time for public comment on the three plans offered, which have been discussed Tuesday, Wednesday and last night.

Here are the basics of the proposals. First, on the subject of payments to North Wilkesboro during the proposed 30-year lease:

• Community Health Services offers 51-million dollars up front, and no annual lease payment.
• Novant offers a 1-million dollar annual lease, totaling 30-million dollars over the live of the contract.
• The current operating board offers a guaranteed 350-thousand dollars a year, and once hospital net revenues are over 70-million dollars a year, one-half of one percent of those revenues. In five years, they project the annual payment would be worth 500-thousand dollars.
  

Concerning capital improvements:

• Novant makes a 70-million dollar commitment to capital improvements in the first ten years of the lease.
• CHS proposes to make 25-million dollars in upgrades, including a new emergency room, in the first five years. Some of that money would go toward recruiting new doctors.
• The current operating board makes no guarantees concerning capital improvements, but plans partnership with two of the state’s largest hospitals as a way of making improvements.
  

Each of the groups says the hospital will keep local control. However, CHS says the local board would make strategic decisions, while day-to-day management would be in the hands of company employees. Novant is similar, saying the local board would make “key” decisions. The current board says it is the only entity that would keep WRMC under truly local control. A decision is expected on the lease next month.

Identity Theft: Spyware?
A North Wilkesboro woman believes computer spyware may have led to her being the victim of identity theft. The 30-year old woman told sheriffs deputies she was checking her bank account online Wednesday and saw someone had withdrawn nearly 110-dollars that she knew nothing about. Her bank identified the withdrawal as being made using her debit card number, by a company known as Bombay Boxes. Deputies and the woman have been unsuccessful reaching to company, which is run through an Internet company based in Bath, England. The woman believes she may have spyware on her computer, and as she paid bills last Friday morning, it recorded her personal information. The investigation continues.

Crab Dip Recall
If you happen to be a person who eats crab dip, you’ll want to be aware of a recall issued yesterday. Listeria has been found in crab dip that distributed in North Carolina and several other states. It’s manufactured by a Texas company, and has the use-by date of August 23rd. It’s marketed under the brand names Salads of the Sea, Hen House, Southern Home and Fisherman's Market.

Listeria can cause serious, sometimes fatal, illness in children, the elderly, and those with weakened immune systems. To a healthy adult, symptoms would appear like a bad case of stomach illness.

Here is the complete recall notice from the FDA:
“Future Food Ltd, Dallas, TX, is expanding its August 11, 2006 recall of Krab Dip Supreme and Supreme Krab Dip to include the following additional products that bear either the use-by date of 8/23/06 and the lot code 06186 or the use-by date of 8/23/06 and the marking A4, B4 or C4: Krab Log, Cajun Smoked Salmon Flavored Spread, Krab Artichoke Spinach Dip, Krab Dip, Cajun Krab Dip, Jalapeno Krab Dip, Cajun Crawfish Salad, and Smoked Salmon Flavored Spread. These products were sold under the brand names of Salads of the Sea, Hen House, Southern Home and Fisherman's Market.

The recall is being expanded because these products have the potential to be contaminated with Listeria Monocytogenes, an organism which can cause serious and sometimes fatal infections in young children, frail or elderly people, and others with weakened immune systems. Although healthy individuals may suffer only short-term symptoms such as high fever, severe headache, stiffness, nausea, abdominal pain and diarrhea. Listeria infection can cause miscarriages and stillbirths among pregnant women.

The potential for contamination was noted after routine testing revealed that a package of Krab Dip Supreme, which was recalled on August 11, 2006, contained Listeria Monocytogenes.

Future Food has no evidence that the products in this expanded recall are contaminated; however, because all of the products in this expanded recall were produced by the same manufacturer, on the same day and on the same equipment as the products recalled on August 11, Future Food is expanding the recall as a precaution.

The products were distributed in FL, SC, AL, KS, NC, VA, TN, OK, FL, MI, MO, AZ, NM, OH, WA, OR, CO, CA, and LA.

Products are packaged in a variety of sizes, including plastic 7-oz. and 12-oz. round and rectangular containers, 16-oz. round packaging, and plastic 5 lb tubs.

No illnesses have been reported to date. This recall is being made with the knowledge of the U. S. Food and Drug Administration. Consumers who have purchased packages of these products either with lot code 06186 or a use-by date of 8/23/06 are urged to return them to the place of purchase for a full refund or they may discard it. Consumers with questions can call the company at 1-800-318-7229.”

Regional news

Single Judge for Duke Lacrosse Rape Case
The chief justice of the state Supreme Court has appointed a judge to handle all aspects of the Duke Lacrosse rape case. A Durham court official said today that Superior Court Judge W. Osmond Smith III will handle the case through trial, which is not expected to begin until next spring. Two judges have presided over pretrial hearings for the three lacrosse players, who are accused of raping a woman hired to dance at a team party. Chief Justice Sarah Parker declared the case "exceptional," which means one judge can be named to handle every aspect of the case until it's over.

Flippen Put to Death
North Carolina executed death row inmate Samuel Flippen early Friday for the beating death of his 2-year-old stepdaughter 12 years ago. Flippen was pronounced dead at 2:11 a.m., according to Corrections Department spokesman Keith Acree. Flippen was convicted of first-degree murder in the 1994 beating death of Britnie Nichole Hutton. Prosecutors said the toddler had extensive bruising and died after Flippen hit her in the abdomen. Flippen said the child fell from a chair. Neither Flippen nor his parents, who witnessed the execution from an adjoining room, made any final statement.

Police Chief Arrested for Kidde Porn
The police chief of a Rowan County town is facing felony child pornography charges. Federal and state authorities said Charles Childers used the Internet to distribute the kiddie porn, and tried to initiate sexual activity with an undercover investigator in Michigan who he believed was an underage girl. Childers is police chief in Landis and lives in China Grove. He's in federal custody until a detention hearing next week. If he's is convicted, Childers could be sentenced to as much as 30 years in prison, and remain under court supervision for the rest of his life.

Wilkes Regional Medical Center Meeting #3
Tonight is the last public presentation for the competing plans concerning the future of Wilkes Regional Medical Center. Novant officials pledge that local governance would remain strong if North Wilkesboro commissioners pick them to lease Wilkes Regional Medical Center. After all, the non-profit group managed the hospital up until last January, and regional president Greg Beyer has been attending the hospital board meetings for the past three years.

Novant is offering North Wilkesboro 1-million dollars a year for the 30-year life of the proposed lease, and committing to 70-million dollars worth of capital improvements in the first ten years. Novant says it has a good history of increasing employment and keeping health care local. Beyer told a local newspaper recently Novant’s facility in Thomasville has increased employment 15-percent since taking over, and their hospital in Brunswick County has added 50 jobs in the past six months.

The Novant proposal will be described in detail at the public meeting tonight at 6 in the board meeting room at the new Wilkes County Schools complex on Cherry Street in North Wilkesboro. North Wilkesboro Town Board members are meeting in a committee session at 5pm, before the hearing. They will also take public comment and questions at a meeting in the same location tomorrow night.

Inspection Costs Increase
The costs for having the county inspect buildings and other items they’re required to inspect will be going up. County commissioners voted Tuesday night to increase those inspection fees. According to Commissioner Fay Byrd, this was done to bring the fees in Wilkes County more in line with those of surrounding counties, and because the county has been spending more to do inspections than it has been taking in through fees.

North Wilkesboro Doctor to Screen Academy Applicants
A North Wilkesboro doctor is one of seven people named by U-S Representative Virginia Foxx to her Service Academy Nominating Board. Dr. Irene Parsons joins Colonel Donald Belle of Mount Airy, Colonel Terry Hales of Advance, Colonel Joe Cansler of Statesville, Rick Bagley of Kernersville, Betsy Reeves of Jefferson, and Todd Poole of Winson-Salem.

The board reviews the applications made by high school seniors seeking appointment by Representative Foxx to one of the service academies. Members also interview the student and make recommendations of who should be accepted. Students wishing to apply for a service academy appointment should contact Representative Foxx’s office at 336-778-0211, or visit her web site at www.foxx.house.gov. Deadline is November 1st.

More Stolen Saws, Mowers
For the second time this week, someone has broken into a Wilkes County garage and stolen a chain saw. The Sheriff’s office says David Paak reported the saw and a battery charger missing from his property on Walshtown Road in Boomer Wednesday. Paak lives in Florida, and says the items were stolen from his garage in Boomer sometime in the past three weeks. There are no suspects.

This is also the second time in a week an expensive lawn mower has been reported stolen. An elderly Miller’s Creek resident told deputies a neighbor saw one of her relatives take the mower, worth 920-dollars, while she was gone between 6:30 and 7 last night. The male relative has not been seen since.

Someone else broke into a garage in on Appletree Lane in North Wilkesboro and got away with another mower – along with a 25-hunred dollar Jenn-Air range and over 1-thousand dollars worth of other items. This is the fourth break-in in several days at this home, which is under construction, and neighbors tell sheriff deputies that two white men in their 30’s have been asking around the neighborhood in the past few days about a home they were supposed to clean. The men were in a full-sized white van.

Regional News

NC School Official Part of Alleged Meth Conspiracy
The United States Department of Justice, the FBI, and state and local law enforcement agencies have identified a drug trafficking ring which includes members in Alexander County and other western North Carolina counties.

One of these includes Taylorsville resident Craig Leviner, who is principal at the Alternative Learning Program (ALP) for Alexander County Schools. Superintendent Jack Hoke noted that dismissal proceedings have begun against Leviner. Indictments allege that the thirteen defendants were involved in a meth conspiracy which began about September 2004 and continued through last month.

Baxter Arrested for Shooting Near the White House
Former Charlotte Bobcats forward Lonny Baxter was arrested by uniformed Secret Service officers on Wednesday after shots were fired from a vehicle about two blocks from the White House. Baxter was taken into custody around 2:30 a.m. after a witness flagged down a Secret Service officer and reported shots fired from a white sport-utility vehicle, said Secret Service spokesman Eric Zahren. The S-U-V, with Baxter behind the wheel, was stopped several blocks away, and Zahren said there were spent shell casings clearly visible in the vehicle.

Wilkes Regional Medical Center Meeting #2
Tonight is the second of three presentations of the plans being offered for leasing Wilkes Regional Medical Center. Last night, representatives from Community Health System presented their plan, which features a 51-million dollar up-front payment. Tonight, the hospital’s current operating board will present its plan.

The Operating Board, which currently leases the hospital from the town for $250,000 a year, is now offering $350,000 as a minimum annual payment. The payment after that will be based on one-half of one percent of net revenues. Hospital board officials hope to be at $100 million in net revenues in five years, which would make the lease payment $500,000 annually.

The Operating board would also partner with Carolinas Healthcare System and Wake Forest University Baptist Medical Center, which would offer more resources and development at WRMC according to hospital officials.

Ted Chapin, the hospital’s current President and CEO, recently told the North Wilkesboro Rotary Club any agreement other than the one with the WRMC operating board would virtually take local control away from the hospital. He says a local board may be formed by CHS or Novant, but it would have only an advisory capacity.

The presentations are tonight and tomorrow night at 6 in the school board meeting room at the new Wilkes County Schools office on Cherry Street. On Friday, North Wilkesboro leaders will take questions and comments concerning the plans during a scheduled public hearing.

Police Accreditation
The newly-appointed Wilkesboro Police Chief, Robert Bowlin, says one of his major goals is for the department to become accredited. Bowlin says the Council on Law Enforcement Accreditation has a strict set of standards. There is a 327-step process to go through once the Council has accepted Wilkesboro’s application. The process takes an average of four years to complete. Becoming accredited is an unusual thing for a department the size of Wilkesboro’s.

35 New Jobs Coming to Wilkes
Thirty-five new jobs are on the way to Wilkes County. Dove Air is a ten-year old company based in Asheville which buys used aircraft, refurbishes them, and sells them to new owners. At last night’s County Commission meeting, Dove Air was given permission to temporarily occupy the Lowes Hangar until December 1st, while they complete negotiations for a permanent lease.

What’s Up with Ronda Library?
County commissioners heard Tuesday night from a Ronda resident concerned that the public library there might close. Roger Shaver told the commission a rumor to that effect had been circulating in Ronda for some time. He asked that if the Public Library Board no longer wants to run the library in Ronda, that it be given to the town. Shaver went on to say that if the town couldn’t afford to staff the library, then he believed volunteers would take over.

In a related note, the Commission voted 4-to-1 to approve the recommended slate of members for the Public Library board, which means the board will continue without representation of the east or west ends of Wilkes County.

Drug-related death
Police reports released today indicate drugs are involved in the death of a woman over the weekend. 20-year old Casey Elizabeth Reeves was found dead in her home on Mulberry Mill Road early Saturday afternoon. Deputies found two bottles of prescription medicine in the house, neither of which was prescribed to Miss Reeves. Her boyfriend, 25-year old Charles James Michael, told deputies both of them had been using the drugs. After another bottle was found in his home, Michael was arrested on a charge of drug possession. Autopsy results on Miss Reeves are pending the results of toxicology tests, which take about ten days.

Sexually Oriented Business Ordinance Discussed
About 50 people were on hand last night for a public hearing on the proposed Sexually Oriented Business ordinance for Wilkes County. Most spoke in support of the ordinance, which would limit such businesses to four locations near the Ashe and Watauga County lines. That’s far more restrictive than state law, but officials believe the ordinance will withstand any court challenge.

Listen tomorrow on 3WC News for a discussion with Sheriff Dane Mastin concerning the businesses and how the ordinance would protect Wilkes County citizens.

Regional News

Disappearing DL Photos
Have you looked at your driver’s license in a while? If not, and you got it last year, you may want to. Thousands of photos on driver's licenses have faded beyond recognition because of a defective solution placed on them between February and September last year. State officials issued 1.6 million licenses during that period, but they don't know how many are affected. So far, at least 7,000 people have contacted the DMV to return their defective licenses. The state is waiving the $10 replacement fee for anyone whose license is deteriorating.

Smart Start Leader Steps Down
The woman who oversees a state program designed to provide childcare and health services to young children said Monday she is resigning. Karen Ponder, president of the N.C. Partnership for Children, did not provide a reason for her resignation. The partnership oversees the state's Smart Start initiative, a program that helps improve preschool education and other programs for children. Heather Overton, a spokeswoman for the partnership, said Ponder wants to pursue other interests but doesn't have anything lined up yet. Ponder has agreed to remain for up to six months to help ensure a smooth transition as the partnership searches for her replacement, according to a statement that announced her departure.

Wilkes Regional Hospital Meeting #1
Tonight is the first of four straight nights of meetings concerning the future of Wilkes Regional Medical Center. They’re being held each night a 6 in the new school board meeting room, at the Wilkes County Schools central office on Cherry Street. Today, we take a look at the plan offered by Community Health Services, which is to be presented at tonight’s meeting.

CHS is a publicly-traded company that owns 77 hospitals in 22 states. The nearest CHS facility is in Williamston, North Carolina. The company had 4-billion dollars in revenue last year.

CHS offers a 51-million dollar payment to North Wilkesboro at the start of the proposed 30-year lease. The lease proposal also includes a 25-million dollar capital improvement budget in the first five years, and a new state-of-the-art emergency room.

CHS says the governing board of Wilkes Regional Medical Center will remain 100-percent local, and the day-to-day management of the hospital will be in the hands of professional administrators.

The company expects to add at least 10 doctors in the first five years, and the costs of that recruiting are included in the 25-million dollar proposed capital budget. CHS guarantees employment offers to all current WRMC employees who are in good standing.

Attempted Drive-Thru Theft
A trip to the bathroom, a moment of opportunity, but not such good luck. That’s what happened early Sunday at Wilkesboro McDonalds. According to a police report, a third-shift employee left the drive-thru window to use the bathroom. The worker left behind the key to the cash drawer, which was still in the drawer. Someone reached in the drive-thru window and tried to grab the drawer, but was confronted by another employee and ran off. Police have no suspect information other than that he was a white man.

Gas Theft Leads to Another Cleared Case
The theft of a five-gallon can full of gasoline over the weekend may have led to the clearing of more than one crime. Sheriff’s deputies found a 20-by-30 tarp that had been stolen last week while they were at a home in Hayes interviewing 20-year old Joshua Franklin Ford. He admitted taking the gas can from the home of Lanny Bowers in Traphill last Thursday.

Further investigation of the tarp theft led back to Traphill, where deputies found a 300-dollar awning that had been stolen at the same time. A warrant has been issued for the suspected thief, Jonathan Curtis Lee Billings, who lives at the address in Hayes where deputies found the tarp.

Man Says He Knows Thief’s Identity
Police believe they know who stole a compressor and other items worth a total of almost 900-dollars last week. The victim, Johnny Wayne Cleary, didn’t report the crime until Monday morning. He believes the compressor, a weed eater, a jump pack, and 70-dollars in loose change were stolen sometime after midnight last Wednesday. He gave deputies the name of a woman who had been in the house earlier in the week, and a warrant has been issued for her.

Construction Equipment Damaged, Electronics Stolen
Deputies say someone did a little smash and grab at the road construction site on Big Ivy Road over the weekend. Workers arriving early Monday found four-wheeler tracks leading to the site, and the window broken in on a track hoe. Someone stole a walkman, some CB equipment and a power inverter from the track hoe. Another track hoe at the site was also damaged. Total value of the damage and stolen items is about 800-dollars. No suspects have been identified.

Wilkes County Commission to Meet
Wilkes County Commissioners have scheduled a public hearing and discussion of their proposed ordinance on Sexually Oriented Businesses tonight. At their meeting, which starts at 7pm, they also plan to discuss a lease proposal from a Remote Control Car Club, and a plan to sell some county property. We’ll have more details on each of these proposals later this week on 3WC news.

Regional News

Toddler Struck, Killed
A toddler was struck and killed by a vehicle Monday evening in northwest Charlotte. According to police, 2-year-old Kiren McDonald attempted to cross Crape Myrtle Lane around 7 p.m. when he was hit. Witnesses rushed the toddler to Carolinas Medical Center, where he was pronounced dead. McDonald would have turned 3 years old Thursday. There is no word on charges against the driver, 26-year-old Latosha Reid.

Murder Case

Wilkes County Sheriff Deputies are investigating a murder. Sheriff Dane Mastin says two men were hurt during a fight outside a home at 17-79 Oak Ridge Church Road Saturday night. 34-year old Jason Justin Alexander was shot in the upper right leg with a shotgun, and died later at Wilkes Regional Medical Center. 45-year old Gary Dean Street suffered head injuries, and was airlifted out after a stop at WRMC. He was last reported in critical condition.

Sheriff Mastin says deputies have identified a suspect in the case, but are waiting to charge that person until they know Mr. Street’s outcome. Detectives continue their investigation.

Burger King Robbery
A robber armed with a sawed-off shotgun held up the Wilkesboro Burger King early Monday. Police say one of the three people working in the store went to take out the trash, and was forced back into the store by the robber. He forced her and two other employees to the store safe, where he demanded all the money be put in a grocery sack. After forcing one of the employees to rip the phone off the wall, the robber forced all three into the store’s storage room, where he locked them in. It was about 20 minutes before they freed themselves and called 9-1-1. None of the three were hurt.

The robber is described as a black man with a deep voice, wearing a white cloth sack over his head. He’d also wrapped what looked like the same material around his right arm and the gun handle. No arrests have been made.

Fire Cause: Smoking
A fire early Sunday in North Wilkesboro may be the result of careless smoking. Firefighters were called to 729 Elledge Mill Road shortly after sunrise, after one of the men in the home reported the living room was on fire. Police and insurance investigators later determined the fire started near the base of a couch, where there had been an ashtray sitting on the floor. They have not determined if the fire was intentional or accidental, but no charges are expected to be filed. Damage to the home, which was used on occasion by Billy Joe and Jeremy Randall, is estimated at 15-thousand dollars.

Student Arrested for Pot On Bus
An East Wilkes High School student will face charges of marijuana possession, after another student told a bus driver he had carried the drug onto the bus. 16-year old Christopher Lee Freeman of Thurmond was charged Friday. According to the police report, a student told bus driver Linda Poplin that Freeman had a marijuana cigarette, and when she stopped the bus and confronted him, Freeman turned over the cigarette and a green plastic tube. After dropping off the rest of her students, Poplin took Freeman back to the school, where he was met by the principal, his mother, and a deputy, who later arrested Freeman.

Cars Broken Into At Avante
Wilkesboro Police say they have no leads or suspects, after two cars were broken into outside Avante early Friday.

Delores Isenhour, who commutes to work at the nursing home from Laurel Springs, told police she came to work about 5:30 Thursday night, and discovered the passenger front window of her Dodge Durango broken out about 3 a-m Friday. The only item she discovered to be missing from the S-U-V was a bible, which police have valued at 25-dollars.

Miller’s Creek resident Amy Peak told officers someone also broke out the front passenger window on her 2005 Toyota Camry in the Avanta parking lot sometime between 10:30 Thursday night and 3 Friday morning. The only item missing from her car was a small bag with an inhaler in it.

Girls’ School Shop(Lifting) Trip Foiled
Two teenage girls’ school shopping trip ended with a ride to jail, after authorities say they did not pay for nearly 600 dollars’ worth of clothes and perfume. Police responding to the shoplifting report recovered a total of eleven t-shirts, four belts, several pairs of socks, a purse, a bottle of cologne and one pair each of jeans and shorts. 18-year old Kayla Bartowiak and a 16-year old female relative were stopped Wednesday afternoon by a Kohls security officer. Both have been charged with misdemeanor larceny, and Kayla Bartowiak was also charged with driving without a license. A bond of 1-thousand dollars was set for each.

Wilkes Regional Hospital Plans
Millions of dollars are on the table as North Wilkesboro town board members consider which of three proposals to accept concerning the management of Wilkes Regional Medical Center. Four public forum meetings this week will present the details of the proposals and give the community a chance to tell board members their thoughts. All four will be held in the school board room at the new Wilkes County Schools Central office on Cherry Street. The first is tomorrow night at 6. Tomo rrow, Wednesday and Thursday’s meetings are listening sessions only, and no public comment will be taken at any of them. However, Friday’s meeting is just for public comments and questions. Written questions are being accepted at North Wilkesboro Town Hall, or on the town’s website at www.north-wilkesboro.com. Listen to 3WC News throughout the week for details of each of the plans being considered.

Regional News

Care Home Deaths
State records show more than 50 people have died in North Carolina adult-care homes in the past five years because of preventable mistakes. Residents of these assisted-living facilities, rest homes and family-care homes have choked to death, frozen, been scalded and wandered into traffic, according to reports on file with the state Division of Facility Services. One suffered a fatal stabbing by a fellow resident. Another received the blood thinner Coumadin for five days instead of Claritin, an allergy medicine. Jeff Horton, the division's chief operating officer, says in each case, the deaths arose out of "something the facility did or failed to do." The death rate after these preventable incidents is more than six times that of state residents over age 65 who die from health-care complications in a hospital.

AmeriCorps Grant
An AmeriCorps grant of over 245-thousand dollars will help fourteen environmental programs in western North Carolina. The grant, announced Friday by Governor Mike Easley, will go to programs that are under the umbrella of the Carolina Mountain Land Conservancy’s Project Conserve. Project Conserve members will perform more than 33-thousand hours of work over the next 11 months as a result of the grant. Area programs taking part in the grant include Appalachian Voices and High Country Conservancy, both in Boone; and the National Committee for the New River in West Jefferson.