Ernesto Misses Us
A near miss. It looks like that’s how Tropical Storm Ernesto will go down in the Wilkes County record books.

Ernesto made landfall on the southern North Carolina coast late Thursday, coming ashore with heavy rains but sustained winds that fell just short of hurricane levels.

The storm's official arrival near Long Beach in Brunswick County came near the end of a long day of rain in the eastern half of North Carolina. The Wilmington area, for instance, received more than eight inches of rain.

And while as recently as last night, Weather Service forecasters had posted flash flood watches for Wilkes county and predicted several inches of rain today and tomorrow, now they forecast only periods of rain with new rainfall totals of around an inch.

Memorial for Longtime Doctor Tomorrow
The Wilkes medical community is without a longtime member, after the death Tuesday of Dr. Hal Burgess Hawkins. The prominent doctor, who was 81, had practiced in Wilkes County for 38 years, retiring in 1992.

Hawkins was one of the organizers of the Moravian Falls Fire Department and Water Association and the Moravian Falls Community Center. He served on the county school board for eight years, along with serving on the boards governing the Wilkes YMCA, Wilkes County Respite Care, and Wilkes Senior Center. He was a World War Two veteran, serving in the Navy form 1943 to 1946 in the Mediterranean and Asian Pacific theaters and earning six ribbons and seven battle stars.

A memorial service is scheduled for 2pm Saturday at First Baptist Church, North Wilkesboro. His family will receive friends immediately following at the Wayland Fellowship Hall. In lieu of flowers, the family requests memorials be made to a scholarship fund established in his name, in care of the church.

Another Chain-Reaction Accident
For the second time in two days, Wilkesboro Police have worked a chain-reaction crash

Police say 34-year old Michelle Combs Bates was on West Main Street just east of Tyson Foods about 1 yesterday Wednesday afternoon when she ran into another car. That car was stopped, waiting on the car in front of it to turn left into the Kangaroo station. Bates was the only driver injured in the accident; she was ticketed for failure to reduce speed and not carrying her driver’s license. She was taken to Wilkes Regional Medical Center by Wilkes County EMS with minor injures.

Wilkes Unit Helps Surry County
Wilkes County’s Hazardous Devices Unit helped deputies from Surry County this week, after they found a box of old copper blasting caps in a home in Mount Airy Tuesday. The caps were taken to the fire training grounds and detonated, along with a batch of old explosives that had been held by the unit until there was enough to destroy.

Boom Lift Worth $60,000 Gone
There’s little information available on the largest theft reported in Wilkes County recently. A Mooresville man says he rented a 6-thousand pound boom lift to use on a job site. He came to the site, along Highway 18 North, Monday morning to find the lift gone. It’s described as a device with a 36-inch reach, and green in color. The rental company places the value of the stolen lift at 60-thousand dollars. There are no suspects at this time.

Home Break-In
Deputies are investigating a break-in at a home on Speedway Road. The homeowner, Jerry Bennell, says he dropped by the house, which is currently vacant, on Monday morning and found someone had kicked in the garage door. The only thing stolen from the house was a 19-inch Zenith TV. There are no leads at the moment.

Old Time Fiddlers Convention Tomorrow
Organizers of the Happy Valley Old Time Fiddlers Convention say they brought in 12-hundred people to the inaugural event last year, and expect an even larger crowd at this year’s event, which is tomorrow.

The event, which will start at 10 a.m. and conclude at dark, will feature contests for old-time and bluegrass fiddle, old-time and bluegrass banjo, guitar, mandolin, as well as for bluegrass and old-time bands.

The cost of entry is $5 per person with ages 12 and under admitted free.

The site of the event is on N.C. 268 West on the Jones Farm, the historic property of Tony Jones and his family, and home to Laura Foster's resting place. Laura Foster was Tom Dooley's lover and her murder is still considered by some to be an unsolved mystery.

A Knife at School
A West Wilkes Middle School student faces a charge of bringing a knife to school. The 6th grader, who is not being identified because he’s 12 years old, admitted to West Wilkes Middle School Assistant Principal Ramona Hemerick he brought the knife to campus last Monday and showed it to a friend. Charges have been filed against the boy in the juvenile court system.

Board Agendas Released
Three public governing boards will meet in the area Tuesday night.

North Wilkesboro Town Board’s meeting starts at 7pm in the Town Hall. Board members are expected to decide which of three entities will get a 30-year lease on Wilkes Regional Medical Center.

County commissioners will discuss the sexually-oriented business ordinance at their 5pm meeting, and School Board members will talk about board pay and a new track for North Wilkes Middle School at their 5:30pm meeting. All three are open to the public. We’ll have more details on each, during Tuesday’s 3WC newscasts.

Kayak Theft Unsolved Almost a Month Later
Sheriff Deputies suspect a 19-year old man is behind the theft of a kayak and other items from a Boomer business. He lives not far from Wilderness Lodge Canoe and Kayak, where the break-in occurred. Deputies have been unable to talk with Jason St. Clair in the nearly one month since the crime occurred. In addition to the 900-dollar kayak, over 600-dollars worth of tools were stolen.

Too Much School Spirit
Sheriff Deputies are investigating what appears to be a high school prank gone too far. S North Wilkes High School football player says he and some friends went to a game at East Wilkes in his pickup truck. When he came back to the truck, someone had keyed the side and written on the windows in lipstick, saying things like “you’re going to lose.”

The cost to repair the truck is over 22-hundred dollars. Deputies have spent much of this week interviewing several East High and North High students, but have made no arrests.

Have A Coke and A Smile
No one is quite sure how a Coca-Cola machine came to be on the side of West Meadows Road Thursday, but nonetheless, there it was. A sheriff deputy was called about the machine about 3pm, and could find no record of it being stolen, or how it might have gotten there. The machine has been returned to the Coca-Cola company.

Items Stolen -- Sometime in the Past Month
Deputies don’t have any leads, and it doesn’t sound like they expect to get many, in the theft of several items from a home on Byrd Road late last week. The man who called in the theft said the house has been vacant since his parents died, but the things they owned were still in it. He hadn’t checked on the house for about a month. When he did, he found the back door had been kicked in and a VCR, DVD player, and several dagger-type knives were stolen.

Pickup Stolen Early Friday
Wilkesboro Police officers are looking for a stolen truck. The blue 1997 Ford Ranger was stolen early Friday from the K-Mart parking lot. Gregory Thornton, who is a night-time delivery driver, says he parked the truck at the bottom of the lot near Wachovia Bank about 9:30 Thursday night, and when he got back from his delivery route Friday about 6am, the truck was gone. Police say the pickup is missing some paint on the hood, and has a crack in the windshield near the inspection sticker.

Identity Theft
A Hollywood Florida woman who has never been to Wilkes County tells Wilkesboro Police someone bought things at Lowes in Wilkesboro using a credit account falsely issued in her name. The woman says she knew nothing about the credit account until Lowes collection company started calling her because the bill wasn’t being paid. Purchases were made here and in Penbrooke Pines, Florida. The woman tells police the account was opened in January, and both purchases were made in February. She has no idea how someone got her personal information.

Horner Named VP of District Attorneys Group
23rd Judicial District Attorney Tom Horner has been chosen by his fellow District Attorneys as vice president of the N.C. Conference of District Attorneys.

Horner, who serves as district attorney in the 23 rd Judicial District (which includes Wilkes, Ashe Alleghany and Yadkin counties) was appointed to the post during a recent conference held in Wilmington . He has served on the N.C. Conference of District Attorneys Executive Committee since 2001.

Horner was first elected district attorney for the 23rd Judicial District in 1998. His office has received various awards for its work.


Regional News

Foxx Immigration Proposals
U.S. Representative Virginia Foxx, a member of the Government Reform Subcommittee on Criminal Justice, Drug Policy and Human Resources, is proposing two solutions to the illegal immigration issue.

At a recent hearing on the issue in Gastonia, Foxx proposed a review of the 287-g program, which would enable streamlining of the deportation process for illegals. She also proposed expanding the 287-g program to community college.

“Illegal immigration is having a tremendous negative impact on our state and local governments,” said Foxx. “The first step in immigration reform must be securing our borders, but we must also streamline the processes for deporting illegal aliens who commit crimes. Federal staff is inadequate to do all that it is tasked to do, and that is why we must empower local, state and federal officials to do their jobs more effectively.” Foxx added.

The 287(g) cross-designation program allows the Immigration and Customs Enforcement agency personnel to train local law enforcement officials on immigration law, civil rights, intercultural relations, and other legalities. With certification from this program, local law enforcement can enforce certain immigration laws, under ICE supervision.

5-1-1, Two Years Later
More than 1.2 million calls have been made to the N.C. Department of Transportation’s 511 travel information system since its inception two years ago today.

“Not only are people dialing 511 during times of disaster like hurricanes and winter weather, but more motorists are dialing 511 as a part of their daily travel routine,” said Jo Ann Oerter, 511 project manager. “By calling 511 motorists are able to receive the most up-to-date information on travel conditions, allowing them to better plan their routes and travel times.”

511 has received several new upgrades to the system since its debut including the addition of weather conditions to the top menu earlier this year.

Heavy Labor Day Traffic, Highway Patrol Warns to Slow Down
The Labor Day holiday weekend marks the end of a busy summer vacation travel season and heavy traffic is expected statewide this year. Speed is the leading cause of traffic deaths on the state’s highways. Troopers will be cracking down on speeders and aggressive drivers during the holiday weekend. There will be an increased presence of Troopers on all interstates in North Carolina.

Last year, there were 1,071 crashes, 565 injuries and 13 fatalities investigated by the Highway Patrol statewide during the holiday period.

Gas Prices Lowest of Summer
Good news if you're traveling: Gas prices are continuing to drop. AAA Carolinas pegs the current average price statewide at $2.76, and it's down to $2.63 across the S.C. border.) That's still higher than drivers might like, but it's well below the prices from most of the summer.

Labor Day driving is expected to be up 2.3 percent over last year, according to AAA Carolinas, while fewer people are flying.

Man Arrested After Internet Sting
A 37-year-old man faces charges soliciting of a minor by computer after believing he was communicating with a 15-year-old girl. Horace Alford Barnhill, of Fairmont, was arrested Thursday without incident, according to Greensboro police.

Barnhill, police allege, requested a meeting via online chat for the purpose of sexual activity and arranged a meeting. He was also charged with two counts of carrying a concealed weapon. Barnhill was placed in the Guilford County jail under a $5,000 bond.

High School Shooting Suspect in Court
A teenager accused of killing his father and opening fire outside his former high school was obsessed with school massacres and sent e-mail to the principal of Columbine High School in Colorado warning of his attack, authorities said Thursday.

The e-mail read: ``Dear Principal, In a few hours you will probably hear about a school shooting in North Carolina. I am responsible for it. I remember Columbine. It is time the world remembered it. I am sorry. Goodbye.''

Orange County Sheriff Lindy Pendergrass said Alvaro Castillo sent the message Wednesday morning, shortly before two students were wounded by the gunfire in the school parking lot in Hillsborough. One student was grazed by a bullet and another was injured by flying glass.

When Castillo was arrested near the school, police found pipe bombs and weapons in his van.

Prominent Baptist Pastor Dies
The Rev. Mark Corts, a former Baptist State Convention president and national denomination leader who led what became one of Winston-Salem’s largest churches, has died at the age of 68.

Corts, the senior pastor of Calvary Baptist Church for nearly 40 years, died this week of congestive heart failure at Wake Forest University Baptist Medical Center, according to his son, Jon. Corts had been in declining health since the early 1990s, when he had a heart attack.

Corts retired in 2002 from Calvary Baptist, a church that now has 6,500 members.

No Special Session
A special legislative session to consider an override Gov. Mike Easley's sole veto this year won't occur after a majority of members in the House and Senate declined to return to Raleigh.

Thirty-nine senators and 81 House members have turned in signed documents saying that reconvening the General Assembly to consider the bill again isn't necessary, the Senate Principal Clerk's office said late Thursday. According to the state constitution, a majority in each chamber is needed to prevent Easley from recalling lawmakers back to town.

The signings mean the bill, which would have required that all state institutions and agencies allow representatives of employee associations with more than 40,000 members the chance to meet with or recruit workers, won't become law.

Tuesday Wreck Sends Three to Hospital
Three people were taken by EMS to Wilkes Regional Medical Center yesterday after a two-vehicle accident on US-421 at Dancy Road. Wilkesboro police say the two drivers give somewhat different versions of what happened.

Brian Bare says he was turning onto 421 from the Belk access road when the car driven by Pamela Walker pulled from the inside westbound lane in front of him in the turn lane. He tells police that caused him to slam on his brakes, but not in time to avoid hitting Walker’s car.

Walker says she was in the turn lane, stopped to turn into Crossroads Harley, when bare hit her from behind. When police got there, Bare had moved his vehicle in front of Walker.

Walker and two other in the car, Jennifer Staley and her infant daughter Haley, were transported to Wilkes Regional for treatment of their injuries. Police have not issued any tickets in relation to the wreck.

EMS Hopping Due to Second Multi-Injury Wreck in an Hour
A chain-reaction wreck less than an hour later kept Wilkes County EMS busy, as people from all three cars involved asked to be checked out. Police say 28-year old Laura Shepherd turned off Collegiate Drive onto Highway 268 eastbound, and wrecked into another eastbound car just in front of Burger King. The second car rammed into a third, which was stopped waiting for traffic to clear for a left turn.

Shepherd was ticketed for failing to slow to avoid an accident, and for not carrying her driver’s license. A passenger in her car and the driver of each of the other cars asked to be checked out by EMS, and refused further medical treatment.

Teen Drunkenness -- To the Extreme
A Wilkes County teen was airlifted to Baptist Hospital after sheriff deputies found him passed out in the middle of Old Highway 60 in Millers Creek early this morning. When they found the boy, who is not being identified because he’s 15, his mouth was bleeding and he had several cuts on his head. Deputies say he reeked of alcohol. As EMS arrived to treat the boy, they nearly hit a 17-year old boy who was literally stumbling drunk, and walked out on the road in front of the ambulance.

The 17-year old admitted both boys had been drinking. He has been arrested for underage drinking and for public drunkenness.

Boy Attacked in Ronda Park, Hospitalized
An 18-year old Elkin boy has potentially life-threatening injuries, after witnesses say he was jumped by four men and two women in Ronda Park last night. His father says the Ryan Sizemore had gone to the park to meet his ex-girlfriend, to retrieve some things he’d given her. His father went to the park a short time later to check on the boy, and says he saw a green Explorer speeding out of the park and Ryan struggling to get up from the parking lot. As he was calling 9-1-1 on his cell phone, an older woman that had been waling on the nearby track described the attack. The father, Robert Bodenhamer, loaded his stepson into the pickup and took him to Hugh Chatham Hospital. Doctors treated his head and facial injures, and transferred him to Baptist. Deputies have a name of a possible suspect, but have so far made no arrests in the case.

WRMC Fate to Be Decided September 5
North Wilkesboro Town Board members are scheduled to decide the future of Wilkes Regional Medical Center at their Tuesday night meeting. Three offers are on the table for a 30-year lease. The current operating board offers 350-thousand dollars a year, plus one-half percent of revenues over 70 million dollars a year, along with a partnership with two of North Carolina’s five teaching hospitals. Community Health Systems has offered a 51-million dollar up-front payment, and Novant Health Care has offered one million dollars a year to North Wilkesboro. Four recent public hearings were held on the leases; one by each of the entities, and one as a listening session where local residents could tell North Wilkesboro town board members their thoughts on the subject.

The meeting Tuesday starts at 7pm in the North Wilkesboro Town Hall.


Regional News

Ernesto to Hit N.C. as Tropical Depression
Tropical Storm Ernesto surprised forecasters by not strengthening into a hurricane as it moved into Florida, bringing lots of rain but not a lot of wind, and state climate experts hoped for the same outcome in North Carolina.

``We're going to be able to take the water that may or may not come with Ernesto,'' said state climatologist Ryan Boyles. ``The flip side of the coin with these storms is the wind, which can cause a lot of problems, but right now it's looking to be more of a beneficial event rather than a detrimental one.''

The path predicted by the National Hurricane Center showed the storm passing northward through central North Carolina early Friday. But the range of possible paths forecast by the center could take the storm as far east as the Outer Banks and as far west as the Charlotte area.

It was expected to exit the state by Friday evening.

Number 1 Storm Killer: Lightning
The coroner lists lightning as the cause of death for a York county man who died Tuesday. 36-year old Mitchell Dixon was getting his mail after he got home from work when the lightning struck. He was rushed to Piedmont Medical Center in Rock Hill, where he died about an hour later.

Hurt Firefighters Home from Hospital
The five firefighters injured Tuesday afternoon in a Matthews house blaze have been released from the hospital. The five were hurt while battling a blaze at a house that had been sold and was scheduled for a real estate closing this afternoon. Two firefighters were hurt when a part of the roof collapsed when they were inside the house. The other three were treated and released after complaining of heat-related problems.

Company Says Proposed Fines Aren't Legal
An agricultural company accused of 369 pesticide-related violations has asked a judge to dismiss most of the charges and to reduce its fine to $500 from more than $184,000.

Lawyers for Ag-Mart, a multinational tomato grower, argued that the nearly three-quarters of the alleged violations were based on misinterpreted records.

After an investigation, North Carolina's Agriculture Department levied a $184,500 fine the largest in state history against the Florida-based company. The agency said Ag-Mart endangered workers by exposing them to harmful pesticides and that the company often harvested tomatoes too soon after spraying.

Shots Fired at Hillsborough's Orange High School, Two Hurt
A drive-by shooting in a high school parking lot in Hillsborough this afternoon has resulted in injures for two students. Raleigh media are reporting police have arrested one suspect, and that the injuries consist of a gunshot wound to one student’s shoulder and another student being hit by breaking glass.

He Was There, But He Has No Idea What Happened
Sheriff Deputies are looking for suspects after a man showed up at Wilkes Regional Medical Center over the weekend with several bumps, cuts and bruises. Someone dropped the man off at the hospital about 2 Sunday afternoon, and he told deputies he had been swimming with several other people on Saturday afternoon when he received the injuries. According to the victim, he was walking through the water near Reddies River when someone knocked him unconscious. He says he doesn’t remember anything until he woke up at someone’s house early Sunday morning. It was still another nearly 12 hours before he was taken to the hospital. A CAT scan showed nothing abnormal, and he was treated and released. The investigation is ongoing.

Golf Clubs Used in Assault
A rural Wilkesboro man was beaten with a golf club last (Monday) night, after three men broke into his home. Pau Bowman tells deputies the men kicked in his front door just before 11:30 last (Monday) night. When he tried to ward them off, one hit him in the head with a golf club, causing a cut to his right eye. He refused medical treatment.

The men then proceeded to kick holes in doors and break glass panes and windows, causing about 1-thousand dollars damage. Bowman was able to give deputies two of the three men’s names, but they have been unable to locate the third man so far.

Cocaine the Focus of Weekend Drug Busts
Deputies report three arrests over the weekend for cocaine use and trafficking.

Friday night, they arrested 40-year old Billy Ray McGuire for possession of 16 grams of cocaine, after going to his home to serve a search warrant. McGuire told deputies the cocaine was his, and admitted that a sum of cash found in his home was from selling the drug.

A traffic stop led to another drug arrest Sunday afternoon. Deputies pulled over a car after seeing the driver turn onto an exit ramp without signaling first, then noticing the car had a broken headlight. Two men in the car looked to deputies like they were trying to hide things in the car as they pulled over. Deputies found a gun and drugs, and while they were trying to interview the men, one of them bolted. He didn’t get far, though, because he was handcuffed and a deputy quickly pepper sprayed him. He was able to run because he was so large the deputy had to cuff him in front instead of in back.

Mario Demond Carlton was arrested on weapons, possession and trafficking charges. Eric Carlton, the other occupant of the car, was released after both men confirmed he did not know about either the gun or the drugs.

The third arrest came during a license check lane at the Yadkinville Firehouse. Deputies chased down a man after he drove through the check lane without stopping. 35-year old Scottie Jay Holloway was arrested after deputies found four rocks of crack cocaine in the car.

Leave It Out and It May Disappear
Three times in the past few days, a Wilkes resident has had property stolen from an unlocked or open vehicle.

On Sunday, the same man is suspected of stealing nearly 900-dollars worth of tools, electronics, CD’s and a dome tent, along with causing 300-dollars damage to the trunk of a car trying to break in and steal more stuff. The car was unlocked; the tools were stolen from the back of a small pickup truck. Both were parked outside a home in Ferguson. Deputies are looking for a 36-year old man, who is not a resident of Wilkes County.

A broken lock on the driver’s door is how someone was able to get into a car parked outside a home on McNeil Road. The 20-year old woman who reports the theft says she spent the night Friday at her boyfriend’s house. During her stay, another man asked to borrow ten dollars. When she went out to her car Saturday afternoon, her wallet was missing. Deputies have interviewed the boyfriend, who denies knowing anything about it. They have the name of the other man believed to be involved.


Regional News

Tropical Storm Ernesto Headed Our Way
One thing seems certain: Rain will fall late this week in North Carolina, whether it's from tropical weather, a cold front or a combination of the two.

Depending on its track, Tropical Storm Ernesto could run into a cold front and dump several inches of rain on the state, said Mike Strickler, a meteorologist with the National Weather Service in Raleigh.

Strickler said two inches of rain are possible in the mountains, while up to 10 inches could fall along the Outer Banks. Parts of the state could get 1 to 2 inches just from the front. Ernesto could reach the Carolina coast as early as tomorrow.

In addition to possible storm damage, there's also the possibility of economic damage. North Carolina tourism officials fear just the possibility of a storm hitting on Labor Day weekend will severely hurt their industry for the season's final holiday, especially at the coast. About 150,000 tourists typically visit the Outer Banks on Labor Day weekend.

US 321 Widening Delayed
Construction work on the US 321 widening project between Lenoir and Blowing Rock is behind schedule. Unstable rock in two areas is causing a delay in the 63-million dollar project to widen 321 to four lanes, according to contractor W.C. English Company. Twenty months into the project, it’s 35-percent complete, which is a bit behind schedule. Enough so, in fact, that the scheduled completion date two years from now probably not going to happen The NCDOT Regional Engineer says he’s confident the road will be open by the end of 2008. Wide Load traffic from 321 is using Highway 421 as a detour.

Charlotte-Area Firefighters Hurt in Big Blaze
Two firefighters were hurt while battling a major blaze yesterday afternoon near Independence Boulevard and Interstate 485 in Matthews.

At one time, flames leaped from the roof of the house. Butler High School is nearby, but school officials said all the students had left for the day and were in no danger.

SAT Scores Drop; Not So Much in NC
The high school class of 2006 recorded the sharpest drop in SAT scores in 31 years, a decline that the exam's owner, the College Board, said was partly due to some students taking the newly lengthened test only once instead of twice.

In North Carolina, the average combined scores for the critical reading and math sections dropped two points, but moved eight points closer to the national average for the two traditional sections of the test.

Fatigue wasn't to blame, the College Board insisted, even though this year's class was the first to take a new version of the exam which added an essay. It now takes an average of three hours and 45 minutes to complete the test, not counting breaks.

The results come several months after numerous colleges reported surprisingly low SAT scores for this year's incoming college freshmen. The nonprofit College Board, which had said scores would be down this year, released figures Tuesday showing combined critical reading and math skills fell seven points on average to 1021.

In North Carolina, the average combined score dropped from 1010 to 1008.

Coal Power: The Fight is On
Duke Energy's first new Carolinas coal-fired power plants in three decades, to be built 55 miles west of Charlotte, promise cheap energy. And a debate: What are such plants doing to the environment?

Duke meets its public today in Charlotte, with a hearing on the plants before the N.C. Utilities Commission.

An abundant fuel, coal generates more than half the state's electricity. Duke says coal is a key to supplying "least cost" power for the 50,000 new Carolinas customers it adds each year.

Coal is also a leading source of the pollutants that form ozone, the irritating gas that's tormented Charlotte for years. Coal emissions help shroud skies in haze and warm the planet.

Duke plans to retire four 1940s-era power units and build two new ones at its Cliffside plant in Rutherford and Cleveland counties. The plant dumped 3.9 million tons of carbon dioxide, a greenhouse gas, into the atmosphere last year.

Retired Wilkes Central Coach Dies
Friends and family members of the popular retired Wilkes Central High School football coach, Jerry Minton, raised 27-hundred dollars in his memory at Friday night’s Wilkes Central – West Wilkes football game.

Coach Minton died on Friday at Wilkes Regional Medical Center. His family will receive visitors tonight from 6 until 8 at Mount Pleasant Baptist Church’s new Reach Center. His funeral service is tomorrow at 2 at the same location.

Mr. Minton was head coach of the Wilkes Central football program from 1994 to 1999, and assistant coach at Wilkes Central for two years before that. He also served as assistant coach for West Wilkes from 1999 to 2003.

In lieu of flowers, the family asks that memorials be made to the Humane Society of Wilkes, Samaritans Kitchen of Wilkes or Hospice of Wilkes.


Stolen Stereo Equipment Recovered, Thief Arrested
Sheriff Deputies have recovered the three-thousand dollars worth of stolen stereo equipment we told you about earlier on 3WC News. They arrested one man and have issued a warrant for another in connection with the case.

Friday night, deputies received a tip about possible drug activity and stolen property at the Lowes Motel. They found a vehicle matching the description that was given them by Lindsay Knight, the Wilkesboro woman the stereo equipment was stolen from. They saw what looked like the speakers inside. Larry McCurdy, the vehicle owner, was arrested after admitting he knew the equipment was stolen when another man brought it to him at his motel room. Deputies also found two rocks of crack cocaine in a pill bottle in the car.

A warrant has been issued for the arrest of the other man, Daniel Richter. The stereo equipment has been returned to Ms. Knight.

Convenience Store Break-Ins
Deputies are investigating two convenience store break-ins in the past several days, and they have a video tape of one of the crimes.

The first break-in was reported early Thursday at Linnie’s Gas Station on Statesville Road. A surveillance video shows a white man breaking in the front door of the convenience store, jumping the counter, and grabbing several packs of cigarettes. He then jumped the counter again and ran from the store. Deputies give the following description of the thief from the video: white male, about 5-8 or 5-9, average weight and build with short brown or black hair. He was wearing a black shirt and blue jeans. So far, they have not made any arrests

Sunday morning, Ralph Johnson reported his Citgo station on West Highway 421 was broken into. This thief broke out a side window and grabbed 80 cartons of cigarettes, five rolls of chewing tobacco, a case containing 25 knives, and 800 dollars in coins. Total value of the loss is over 41-hundred dollars. There are no suspects.

Stolen Car
Sheriff Deputies are on the lookout for a stolen car. Late last (Sunday) night, a Moravina Falls man told deputies he came home to find his car missing. It’s a white, 1996 Nissan Altima, 4-dour, with North Carolina tag T-Z-K 7399. A neighbor identified a possible suspect, but no arrests have been made yet, and the car is still missing.

TV Theft Solved
The Sheriff’s department today released the report of a theft of items worth 500-dollars last Wednesday from a home on Poplar Grove Road. They arrested Rondell Lee Sweet Junior for the theft, after he admitted breaking into the home and taking two of the three items. He told them the TV’s had been pawned at two local pawn shops. The victim said a VCR was also stolen; Sweet denied that was so. Deputies are searching for another man in connection with the crime.

Deputies Roughed Up, Man Arrested
Two deputies were roughed up early Friday, and ended up having to use pepper spray to bring a man under control. It happened at a home in Millers Creek about 4:15 Friday morning. The deputies were there to calm a domestic disturbance that had been reported to 9-1-1. As they arrived, a man ran out the back of the house, and a woman approached the officers, saying she had been assaulted. When deputies found the man hiding behind an outbuilding, the man shoved one deputy and took a swing at the other. He was sprayed with pepper spray after continuing to refuse to do what he was told.

Randall Lynn Hines was arrested and taken to WRMC for treatment of a broken wrist he said he had sustained in another fight. He faces charges for the assault on his wife, as well as battery of a law enforcement officer and resisting arrest.


Regional News

Yadkinville Historic House Burned
The historic preservation debate rages on in Yadkinville, even after the latest fire to burn down an historic property has been put out. The 126-year old Mackie-Dobbins house was set on fire Saturday as practice for about 45 area firefighters.

The six-hour exercise drew a large crowd, some who came to lament the loss of another sliver of Yadkinville's past for the sake of more open space downtown – others just wanted to see what all the fuss was about - a belated attempt made by Preservation Yadkin County Inc. to keep the building intact in hopes of converting it into a heritage center.

The Jackson Street house, owned by Yadkin County, had been used for storage in recent years. Preservationists said the house was important because it fit into the county's historical landscape. Its fate was sealed Monday when the county commissioners voted 3-2 to permit the burning.

Hickory Murder Case Dropped
A murder case that looked like it was open-and-shut has been dropped, and a man is free because of mistakes by the Catawba county Sheriff Department and the state crime lab. That’s what District Attorney Jay Gaither says about a four-year old case that was dismissed last week.

As the case in Hickory has progressed, a judge has thrown out the core evidence – first saying a jury could not hear the most important statements made by Francisco Laboy the day he was arrested for killing of his wife Kimberly. Then the judge threw out blood evidence after the state crime lab lost or destroyed enough of it in testing that defense attorneys could not do their own testing.

Laboy was convicted of assaulting his Kimberly in 1997. She filed for divorce just two days before her death. Laboy’s attorney says he believes the real killer has not been found. Police say the case is still open.

Too Many Hospices? Some Say Yes
Established hospice providers say at least 17 new hospices in North Carolina were built late last year even though they weren’t needed. During the last half of 2005, there were 130 new hospices opened across the state, in spite of projections showing they would not fill up. A new law that went into effect January first requires non-profit agencies and for-profit companies to get a certificate of need from the state before they open new branches. The established providers say the state made a mistake when it didn’t require the certificate for 17 new branches.

Beef Packing Plant Planned for Lenoir
Soon, you’ll be able to buy beef packed just down the road from Wilkes County. Officials in Lenoir say Hickory-based Alex Lee will open a meat cutting and processing center in Lenoir by late May. The plant is expected to bring over 200 jobs to Caldwell county. It will be operated by a Canadian company, Vantage Foods. The facility will become the major supplier of fresh meat for Lowes Foods, the food service customers of Institution Food House, and the independent retailers of Merchants Distributors.

Surry County Death Investigation
Preliminary autopsy results have not brought Surry county investigators any closer to understanding how a Pilot Mountain woman died last week. 36-year old Dawn Thompson, a caregiver, was found dead Thursday morning in the apartment she shared with the people she assisted. Investigators say there were signs Thompson was assaulted before she died, and are calling the death suspicious. But one of the other people who live in the apartment says he found her next to several empty prescription bottles. Results of drug screens typically take two to three weeks.