Greenway Turtle Regatta Coming Soon

Watch out for the turtles.  The 10th Annual Turtle River Regatta is scheduled for Saturday, May 18th.  The starting time for the rubber turtle race is 1pm on the 18th.  You can adopt your turtle for $5.00 and be entered to win one of many outstanding door prizes. Contract the Yadkin River Greenway to pick up your entry form at 336-651-8967.  Proceeds go to help the Yadkin River Greenway.   The Yadkin River Greenway is a natural area between urban communities where wildlife, vegetation, and streams are preserved and enjoyed, and it provides for transportation, recreation, and exercise.  The Yadkin River Greenway was created back in 1994 with the first phase opening in May of 2002.  The local greenway continues to expand and provide enjoyment for the Wilkes County area.  

Sen Hagan On Military Appreciation Month

U.S. Senator Kay Hagan, Chair of the Armed Services Subcommittee on Emerging Threats and Capabilities, released the following statement in recognition of Military Appreciation Month: “During the month of May, I join my fellow North Carolinians in recognizing Military Appreciation Month. North Carolina is the most military-friendly state in the nation... In honor of Military Appreciation Month, I express my deep appreciation to our service members for their work to defend our country from harm and protect the values we cherish. And I encourage all North Carolinians to take a moment this month to share a simple thank you with a service member they know.”

More ID Theft in Wilkes

The Wilkes Sheriff's Office has been quite busy recently investigating cases of Identity or ID Theft and Financial Fraud in our area.  This week, a Wilkesboro woman called to report that she was the victim of Internet Fraud.  The woman said that she purchased what she believed to be a Microsoft Service Package; however, what she downloaded crashed her computer causing hundreds of dollars in repair damages.  Then a Moravian Falls resident called the Sheriff's Office concerning ID Theft.  The victim reported that someone had opened an account on EBay using his name and personal information but without his permission.  The victim found out about the account and ID Theft when he was notified that he had a 26 dollar balance.  There are no suspects in either case.

Stamp Out Hunger Saturday

Wilkes County, get ready to stuff those bags with food.  On Saturday, May 11, 2013, Campbell Soup Company will join forces with the National Association of Letter Carriers (NALC) to support Feeding America and help Stamp Out Hunger across America. Now in its 21st year, the annual food drive helps provide assistance to the millions of Americans struggling to put food on the table. The Stamp Out Hunger food drive, held on the second Saturday in May, benefits six Wilkes County non-profit organizations each year including The Rainbow Center of Barium Springs, Ebenezer Christian Children’s Home, SAFE, BROC, and Samaritan’s Kitchen of Wilkes. Campbell Soup Company, a long-time supporter of the drive, and its partners produced post cards and grocery bags that are being delivered to more than 75 million homes across the country as a reminder and a means to participate in the drive. In addition, Campbell will again support this year’s food collection effort by donating one million pounds of food—more than 800,000 meals—to Feeding America member food banks.  To participate in the Stamp Out Hunger food drive, Wilkes residents are encouraged to leave a bag containing non-perishable foods, such as canned soup, canned vegetables, pasta, peanut butter, rice or cereal, next to their mailbox prior to the time of regular mail delivery on Saturday, May 11. Then letter carriers, representing nearly 1,500 NALC branches in more than 10,000 communities including those in Wilkes, will collect these food donations as they deliver the mail and take them to local food banks or hunger-relief organizations.

Accidentally or On Purpose

Did she accidently pick it up or did she steal it?  Wilkesboro Police received a report of a stolen cell phone this week.  The victim was shopping at Walmart when she left her cell phone at the Checkout Register # 27.  When the woman returned to the store to retrieve the phone she left behind, it was gone.  Store Management viewed in-store surveillance video which showed a white female pick up the phone and put it inside her shopping cart after she checked out.  There is no other information on the woman at this time.  The stolen HTC Wildfire cell phone is valued at 500 dollars.  The investigation is still underway and charges are pending.

WCC Students Doing Skills Well

Wilkes Community College students competed at the SkillsUSA State Conference April 25 in Greensboro. Participating in the competition were 54 Career and College Promise high school students and 91 WCC students. Everyone finished in the top 15 in their contest area. The students earned 75 top five finishes and 38 first place finishes. Additionally, WCC won Largest Postsecondary Chapter in North Carolina. “It feels great to be a part of the Wilkes Community College faculty and staff and Wilkes County School System because we have a group of the absolute best students in the state, and they proved that at the SkillsUSA state competition,” said WCC Advisor Hardin Kennedy. Those who received first place awards will now represent North Carolina and Wilkes Community College at the National SkillsUSA Conference to be held in Kansas City, Missouri, in June.  

CIS Free Program for Parents: Sex & Online Safety

A free program in Wilkes today will help parents tackle two tough topics: sex and online safety.  Counselor Michele Garkusha will offer parents practical tips about how to talk to their children about sex, and the SBI’s Alan Flora will discuss internet safety during a free presentation. The program will begin at 6 p.m. today in Room 1112 Alumni Hall on the campus of Wilkes Community College.  Flora will discuss actual cases in which area children have been victimized online. “I will explain how easily the children were manipulated into doing things that they would have otherwise never done,” Flora said. “By the conclusion of the session, adults will be more aware of the threats that are present and of common teen behavior that makes them vulnerable to predators."  Flora also said that parents will be better prepared to discuss those threats with their children.  The program is presented free of charge by Communities In Schools of Wilkes County and the Wilkes Teen Pregnancy Prevention Team. Parents of teens and preteens are invited. Child care and light refreshments will be provided.  For more information on the program, please call Lora Davis at Communities In Schools of Wilkes County at (336) 651-7830.

NC Bill on Epi-Pens in Schools

The Asthma and Allergy Foundation of America (AAFA) supports school policies that promote access to life-saving medications to treat students and staff who experience severe allergic reactions.  The Foundation commends the North Carolina General Assembly for considering a Bill H 824, which would require public schools to maintain a supply of epinephrine auto-injectors, allow them to be used in emergencies, and address liability concerns for those who use this medication in good-faith.  AAFA urges the General Assembly to eliminate that restriction and pass this bill before the legislative session closes.  Food allergy prevalence is rising, especially in young children.  For the 6 million children that have been diagnosed with a food allergy to nuts, eggs, milk, wheat, soy or any of the other common food items that can trigger life-threatening anaphylaxis, the most severe type of allergic reaction, the everyday act of eating carries potential for worry.  For more information on the H 824 Bill in the NC General Assembly, go to www.ncleg.net

Commissioners Approve New Jail Funding

The Wilkes County Commissioners met on Tuesday morning for a public hearing and regular scheduled meeting.  The Public Hearing at 10am was open for anyone wishing to speak out for or against the financing of the construction and equipping of the new county jail.  Only one Wilkes resident was in attendance to offer an opinion against the financing of the new in light of the current economic situation.  Also, Commissioner Gary L. Blevins stated that while he was for the new jail, he was against including the purchase of the Oakwoods Property in the financing agreement.  They were the only two who voiced any opposition, so the Public Hearing was quickly concluded and the County Commissioners' Meeting was called to order.  The Commissioners heard explanation and had discussion on the recommendation from Hemphill-Randel Associate Architectural Firm on the company to get for special inspections that are required by the state during a building project.  Geo-Hydro Engineers of Greensboro was recommended and approved by the Board.  The County Commissioners also heard from Vannoy Construction who said the Gross Maximum Price of the new jail construction was just over 10.6 million dollars.  Commissioners Eddie Settle and Gary D. Blevins strongly suggested that Vannoy use local contractors and vendors with the project as much as possible.  The spokesman for Vannoy assured Commissioners that they tried to recycle local dollars by using local contractors whenever and wherever they could.  Then Commissioners agreed 4 to 1 to a proposal from Sun Trust Bank for a loan at 1.940 percent with a 15 year term.  The only opposing vote was Gary L. Blevins.  All of the Commissioners spoke about the increasing cost of over $700,000 a year to house prisoners out of county and the real need for a new jail in Wilkes.  

Items Approved at Wilkes County Commissioners' Meeting

In addition to approving the financing of construction of a new Wilkes County Jail in their meeting this week, the Wilkes County Commissioners approved budget amendments including funds received from the Wilkes Schools to assure the Low Wealth Supplemental Funding will continue to be received by our schools.  Superintendent Dr. Marty Hemric was there to thank the Commissioners for their willingness to work with the Wilkes County Schools on funding. Wilkes Emergency Manager Suzanne Hamby and a regional emergency representative were also at the meeting for the adoption of a Regional Hazard Mitigation Plan.  FEMA and the State of North Carolina require the adoption this type of resolution.  Wilkes joins with Ashe, Alleghany, and Watauga for our plan which the Commissioners approved.