daily courier january 28 2010

President delivers State of Union — Page 10 Sports What was that?

Coach Bobby Lutz led his UNC-Charlotte 49ers against No. 15 Temple

Page 7

Saturday, January 28, 2010, Forest City, N.C.

NATION

50¢

Election filing will begin on Feb. 8

By SCOTT BAUGHMAN Daily Courier Staff Writer

SPINDALE — Filing for 2010’s primary elections officially begins Feb. 8 at noon. With 17 races to be determined on local ballots, the primary season and the general election will see many new candidates.

The Rutherford County Commission

District One seat presently held by Paul McIntosh (R) will be up for election as will the District Four seat held by Margaret Helton (D) and the District Five seat held by Brent Washburn (D).

Washburn has already announced he is not seeking re-election.

Also in the county, Sheriff Jack Conner (D) will run for re-election. Clerk of

Court Robynn Spence (R) is up for reelection along with District Attorney Brad Greenway (D) and Coroner Shane Early (D).

On the county’s board of education, District One representative Carolyn Keever’s seat is up for election as are Please see Filing, Page 6

County will get shelter, food aid

Toyota halts sales of seven car models Page 11

SPORTS

n $68,122

in FEMA funds distribution will be overseen by UW From Staff Reports

Tar Heels glad to have skid behind them

Rosa Upton with her husband and two children.

Upton’s experience as a foster child inspired her to a career as a social worker.

Page 7

GAS PRICES

Low: High: Avg.:

$2.61 $2.79 $2.70

DEATHS There were no obituaries reported on Wednesday

Contributed photo

Upton shares gift of caring Editor’s note: The Rutherford County Department of Social Services currently has 99 children in foster care. And while there are many individuals willing to go through the training and steps to open their homes to children in need, the department said there’s always a need for more. In a three part series, The Daily Courier looks at the aspects of foster care in Rutherford County, from how to become licensed, to what it’s like to be a foster parent and how one county woman’s personal experience in foster care led her to a career in social work.

By ALLISON FLYNN Daily Courier Staff Writer

WEATHER

FOREST CITY — Driving by the neighborhood where she lived as a child, Rosa Upton was asked by her daughter if it was a landfill.

“I’ve tried to explain it to them, but they just don’t understand,” Upton said.

The explanation is this: Upton was taken away from her mother around age 13 and placed into the custody of Rutherford County Department of Social Services. From there she landed in a foster home, where she remained until age 18.

Now an adult, Upton’s experience as a child in foster care inspired her to go into social work.

“I had a really good social worker — I could Please see Upton, Page 3

Rutherford County has been chosen to receive $68,122 to supplement emergency food and shelter programs in the county.

The selection was made by a national board that is chaired by the Department of Homeland Security’s Federal Emergency Management Agency and consists of representatives from American Red Cross, Catholic Charities USA, National Council of the Churches of Christ in the U.S.A., The Salvation Army, United Jewish Communities and United Way of America.

The local board was charged to distribute funds appropriated by Congress to help expand the capacity of food and shelter programs in high-need areas around the country.

A local board through United Way of Rutherford County, made up of area representatives, will determine how the funds awarded to the county will be distributed. Funds will be given to emergency food and shelter programs run by local service agencies in the area, not individuals, said United Way Director Faye Hassell.

“You have to be an organization to apply,” Hassell said.

The local board is responsible for recommending agencies to receive these funds and any additional funds available under this phase of the program.

Under the terms of the grant from the national board, local agencies chosen to receive funds must: 1) be private voluntary nonprofits or units of government, 2) have an Please see Aid, Page 6

FREE VACCINES PROVIDED High

Low

59 36 Today, mostly sunny. Tonight, mostly cloudy.

Complete forecast, Page 10

INSIDE Classifieds . . . 14-15 Sports . . . . . . . . 7-9 County scene . . . . 6 Opinion . . . . . . . . 4 Vol. 42, No. 24

Now on the Web: www.thedigitalcourier.com

Donald H. Fox recieves his H1N1 flu shot from nurse Cheryl Edwards Wednesday at the Rutherford County Senior Center in Spindale. The vaccines were provided for anyone from the community interested in receiving one. According to CDC, H1N1 nasal mist is a safe and effective way for healthy non-pregnant people ages 2 to 49 years of age to prevent flu.

Garrett Byers/Daily Courier

2

— The

Daily Courier, Forest City, NC, Thursday, January 28, 2010

State

Carolina Today Mom facing charges

FAYETTEVILLE (AP) — Charges have been filed against the mother of a 7-year-old North Carolina boy who took a loaded handgun to school.

The Cumberland County Sheriff’s Office said 27-year-old Rachella Shanee (shah-NAY’) Saunders of Hope Mills surrendered to deputies on Wednesday. She is charged with storing a firearm in a manner accessible to a minor, which is a misdemeanor.

Saunders was released from the county detention center under a $1,000 bond. No telephone listing could be found, and it wasn’t known if Saunders had an attorney.

Authorities say the boy is charged in juvenile petitions with bringing a gun onto school property and assault by pointing a gun.

The N.C. Department of Juvenile Justice and Delinquency Prevention has placed the boy in an emergency care shelter until a judge can decide on his future.

Man dies from stun gun

GOLDSBORO (AP) — A North Carolina man whose family said he had a heart condition has died after being zapped with a stun gun by a sheriff’s deputy.

Multiple media outlets reported that Joe Spruill Jr. died early Wednesday during the confrontation outside Goldsboro. The State Bureau of Investigation was looking into the fatal encounter.

Wayne County Sheriff’s Capt. Tom Effler says Deputy Martin McAlduff responded to a report of a fight at a road intersection. McAlduff and another deputy said Spruill began throwing things at them and resisted when they tried to arrest him for disorderly conduct.

Spruill’s father said his son was hospitalized last month for heart problems. Joe Spruill Sr. said his son was still on medication for his condition.

Art with cigar panned

NEW BERN (AP) — A North Carolina college cracking down on smoking says a student-made artwork depicting an instructor with a cigar goes against the campus tobacco policy.

The Sun Journal of New Bern reports that officials asked Craven Community College automotive instructor Robert Hall to remove the image. Students had airbrushed the hood of a drag racing car with a portrait of Hall gripping wrenches and smoking a cigar.

“I think the depiction of a faculty member or anyone else smoking sends a message that we don’t want to send,” college spokesman Sandy Wall said.

The school has cracked down on campus smoking, initially banning it from all areas of campus. That policy was revised earlier this month to allow designated smoking areas because smokers had been going out onto streets and woods to light up.

“We had just been through a long, lengthy discussion with the trustees revisiting this issue, and they had made clear that they wanted an educational component with any changes they would make to the policy, and (the image) did not fall in line with that,” Wall said.

Hall said a student gave the car to him a few years ago and that dozens of students have helped rebuild it over the years. He’s used his own money to buy parts for the car and said it’s a great hands-on experience for students.

Some of Hall’s students expressed disappointment that the image was removed from the student center.

Anthony Powers, a student in the college’s auto body repair program, said he worked more than 50 hours last year stripping and priming the car hood.

“We felt it was a violation of our rights,” he said. “It was showing our contribution to society and the community.”

Poole due in court RALEIGH,(AP) — A former aide to North Carolina Gov. Mike Easley is scheduled to make a first court appearance this week after being charged with 51 corruption counts.

Federal court schedules show that Ruffin Poole is to make an initial appearance Thursday afternoon in Raleigh. An arrest warrant issued for Poole has not yet been fulfilled and federal authorities have said he will have a chance to turn himself in to authorities.

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HUNNICUTTFORD 565 OAK STREET, FOREST CITY

828-245-1626

Associated Press

This 2007 file photo shows two-time presidential candidate John Edwards and his wife Elizabeth during a news conference in Chapel Hill. Elizabeth Edwards has separated from her husband after a tumultuous three years in which the couple’s marital troubles became tabloid fodder.

Elizabeth Edwards has separated from husband RALEIGH (AP) — Elizabeth Edwards has separated from her husband, two-time presidential candidate John Edwards, after a tumultuous three years in which the couple’s marital troubles became tabloid fodder.

Andrea Purse, a friend of Elizabeth Edwards, told The Associated Press on Wednesday that the couple has separated. She released a statement on behalf of the 60-year-old mother of four that said, “Elizabeth is moving on with her life and wants to put this difficult chapter behind her.”

North Carolina law requires couples to be separated for a year before divorcing.

The announcement comes as details emerge from a tell-all book by longtime Edwards aide Andrew Young, who initially claimed that he fathered a child with John Edwards’ mistress in the weeks leading up to the crucial presidential primaries. John Edwards publicly declared last week that he was the father of the child with Rielle Hunter, who worked as a videographer before his second presidential campaign in 2008.

Young’s book details how Edwards went to great lengths to hide the affair. In excerpts from an ABC News interview, Young said that Edwards asked him to find a doctor who

might fake a paternity test and asked him to steal a diaper from the baby, now almost 2, to determine whether it was really his. He also claims that the married couple sought to politicize her cancer diagnosis.

The statement released on behalf of Elizabeth Edwards said she will not engage in a dialogue on “false charges” in the book.

“Based on the limited portions of the book that have been made available, it is clear it contains many falsehoods and exaggerations,” she said.

Elizabeth Edwards has an incurable form of cancer that returned in 2007 as the couple was campaigning for the presidency. She said in an interview with The Associated Press last week that her health got worse for a period but has been recently improving.

John Edwards, a former North Carolina senator and 2004 Democratic vice presidential candidate, has largely stayed secluded since first admitting the affair in August 2008. He denied fathering a child with Hunter at that time. He has acknowledged a federal investigation into his campaign finances.

Edwards spent part of last week in Haiti helping with earthquake relief efforts.

Parkway funding is being sought ASHEVILLE (AP) — Federal lawmakers from North Carolina and Virginia are seeking $75 million to acquire and preserve land surrounding the Blue Ridge Parkway.

Four senators and four representatives say they are proposing legislation authorizing the National Park Service to buy up to 50,000 acres surrounding the road.

The Blue Ridge Parkway is celebrating its 75th anniversary this year.

The road stretches 469 miles across North Carolina and Virginia and attracts nearly 20 million visitors each year.

North Carolina Sens. Kay Hagan and Richard Burr say the legislation will help preserve the parkway for future generations.

Western Auto The Home & Auto Store NEWS RELEASE

In a plan to reposition itself to meet the realities of the current national and local economic downturn, The Home and Auto Store (formerly Western Auto) in downtown Forest City is closing out all of its furniture, heaters, gas logs, major appliances in a move to make space for an expansion of its own lawn and garden supplies business. While closing out its merchandise in these several areas with typical “going out of business sale” the store’s plan is to continue to expand its successful role as the community’s leading local supplier of Cub Cadet, Stihl and other lawn and garden care merchandise. The store also maintains a full line of merchandise and services everything it sells.

A downtown Forest City fixture since 1936 as a Western Auto Associate Store and more recently as the independent Home & Auto Store, this local business has sold a huge variety of merchandise over the last 74 years and it hopes to continue to serve the community for many years to come. In addition to its new concentration on lawn and garden equipment sales and service, store manager Ray Pittman plans to continue to carry a full line of major appliance service parts and to offer tires, batteries and full brake service for automobiles, using the store’s four full service bays for both automotive and lawn and garden service work.

For the next couple of weeks the store will be offering true” Going Out Of Business” prices on all remaining stocks of furniture, large appliances. Deep discounts will also be available on all in-stock heaters, fireplace sets, gas logs and related items even though a colder than normal winter is still far from over. Meanwhile the store wants to remind all of its loyal customers that it will remain their headquarters for lawn and garden supplies and tires, batteries and brake service.

GOING OUT OF BUSINESS SALE Furniture - Appliance - Heaters - Gas Logs!

The Daily Courier, Forest City, NC, Thursday, January 28, 2010 — 3

Local

Children in foster system have aid even as they age out Children who remain in foster care until they are legally of age aren’t just pushed from the system once the reach their 18th birthday.

Although they can legally opt out of the system at 18, some decide to remain in care and sign a VPA (voluntary placement agreement), said Lorie Horne, social work program manager for the Rutherford County Department of Social Services.

Those who sign a VPA remain in care, Horne said, and continue to go to school and work toward independence. If a child does not sign a VPA at age 18, they are still eligible to come back and ask to sign up until their 21st birthday, with certain requirements. They have to be a full-time student and be willing to reside in a licensed foster home or facility.

Contributed photo

Rosa Upton, center, with her foster family on an outing. Upton’s experience in the foster care system helped to inspire her to become a social worker.

Upton Continued from Page 1

call her day and night, at home or in the office,” she said. “I kept telling her I would be her boss some day.”

Upton’s mother was arrested for burglary, leaving her three daughters alone for about two weeks before DSS took them into custody.

“I’ve always been the caretaker of my two younger sisters,” Upton said. “I was making sure my youngest sister got on the bus and missing my bus and walking to school.”

The first 90 days, Upton said, she and her sisters were at Noah’s House. Her youngest sister got to go back home with her biological father. Upton and her middle sister were separated into two different foster families.

Going into a new household, so different from her own, wasn’t easy, Upton said. She was scared, nervous and felt discon-

nected from the community she’d been living in.

“About a year into foster care I felt a little more safe,” she said.

“It takes a long time.... I knew they weren’t just going to let anyone come into the house and do things.”

Upton’s foster family, who she considers grandparents, treated her as their own, she said, and was very understanding.

“If I wanted to write my mom they were good about letting me do that,” she said.

For a time, Upton maintained contact with her mother, even meeting her mom at the prison in Greenwood, S.C., the day of her release.

“But she decided she’d ride home with a person she’d met there,” Upton said. “I am angry with her, but she’s still my mom.

You can only help someone who wants to be helped. I haven’t talked to her in about two years.”

Having been on the other side of the system, Upton said it’s helped her in dealing with families in her job.

“I feel like I can relate to them and explain ‘I’ve lived what you are living,’” she said. “I think they calm down a lot knowing I’ve been through the system.”

Although as a child, Upton at first resented being in foster care, looking back she sees the benefit of it.

“I probably wouldn’t have graduated high school and had 50 kids, and I wouldn’t have gone to college,” she said. “Education wasn’t important .... my mom didn’t care. I usually did it to get out of the house.”

She also wouldn’t have had the love and support she received from her foster parents either.

“I know I wouldn’t be where I am today.”

To learn more about becoming a foster parent in Rutherford County, contact Kathy Kaylor or Paula Bowen at Rutherford County Department of Social Services at 287-6165.

Contact Flynn via e-mail at aflynn@ thedigitalcourier.com.

SAVE THE

DATE! Your weekly guide to what’s coming up in Rutherford County!

Children who age out have a variety of educational benefits they can utilize, said Kathy Kaylor, foster care/intake supervisor.

“They can basically go to any state school and come out debt free if they take advantage of all the resources available to them and do what is required to remain eligible for services,” she said.

Children who age out and do not sign a VPA also may still access services through a program the department calls Links.

“They can access up to $3,000 per year in transitional funds and $1,500 per year in housing funds until their 21st birthday,” Kaylor said. “They can use these funds for things like insurance, housing, utilities deposits, furniture, etc.”

According to the study “Time for Reform: Aging Out and On Their Own” by the Pew Charitable Trusts, in North Carolina, the number of children who aged out of foster care in 2004 was 389; the average stay in foster care for those children was 4.06 years.

The study also reports that statistically: n One in four will be incarcerated within the first two years after they leave the system. n Over one-fifth will become homeless at some time after age 18. n Approximately 58 percent had a high school degree at age 19, compared to 87 percent of a national comparison group of nonfoster youth. n Of youth who aged out of foster care and are over the age of 25, less than three percent earned their college degrees, compared with 28 percent of the general population.

4

— The

Daily Courier, Forest City, NC, Thursday, January 28, 2010

■ A daily forum for opinion, commentary and editorials on the news that affects us all.

James R. Brown/ publisher Steven E. Parham/ executive editor 601 Oak Street, P.O. Box 1149, Forest City, N.C. 28043 Phone: 245-6431 Fax: 248-2790

E-mail: dailycourier@thedigitalcourier.com

Our Views Court ruling gives us pause

T

he recent Supreme Court ruling that clears the way for corporations and organizations to spend freely in political campaigns in support of candidates should give everyone pause.

The court said in essence that these groups have a right to free speech and that spending money on elections is a form of speech.

Further, this right to free speech cannot be restricted.

We cannot help but disagree.

Yes, freedom of speech is one the cornerstones of our liberty.

But our freedom of speech is not absolute. It does have some limitations. We cannot shout “fire” in a crowded theater just for the fun of it. We have seen repeated rulings that curb the freedom of speech and expression of students in schools. All of which illustrate there may be times and places when some reasonable curbs on expression are necessary and even acceptable.

If these entities now use their vast financial resources in political campaigns, we may all come to regret the day this door was opened.

The deep pockets of corporate America can easily drown out other less financially endowed voices in the political arena.

We might soon end up seeing our political candidates seeking corporate sponsorship instead of votes.

Our readers’ views Says health reform foes missing the problem To the editor: This is in response to a letter this past week in which the gentleman questioned why, if the health care bill is so great, not everyone is backing it, even those in the democratic party. I believe the answer lies in ignorance, fear and greed.

The United States has some of the best doctors and health care facilities in the world and yet our rankings world-wide are atrocious.

According to the World Health Organization, which is not affiliated with any political party, ranks the USA at an overall level of health at 72nd in the world, 14th in preventable deaths and 24th in healthy life expectancy with a healthy life expectancy of 70.0 years.

You would think that with these horrendous numbers our output of dollars would be low; however, among the major countries of the world we rank 1st in gross domestic product expenditures for health care. Why, since we are the only one of the major powers in the world with0ut universal health care is this? Two words: insurance companies.

The top insurance companies spent $35 million dollars in the first quarter of 2009 alone, up 10 million dollars for that same period in 2008. There are over 3000 health care lobbyist registered. This adds up to nothing but pure greed to keep things as they are.

For years I have heard detractors of universal health care quote others saying they hate their health care, the time spent waiting, etc.

However, I have friends from all over the world and never once have I heard them complain.

They do not understand why I or others cannot go to the doctor because of money or insurance.

Fear is also being used to push at the American people. Telling

them they will lose everything they know. If you are happy with your health care, good for you.

Things will probably not affect you drastically.

However, if you do not have insurance, and cannot qualify because of a pre-existing condition, cannot afford the premiums or make too much to qualify for medicaid then it makes a difference between health and disaster.

No matter if you are Democrat, Republican, independent or whatever, your affiliation, the truth is reform in the U.S. health care system and insurance system is drastically needed.

Janie Bowen Forest City

Offers thoughts on recent court ruling To the editor: I am now convinced that our Supreme Court consists of morons.

Their recent ruling that a corporation is a “person” under the due process clause really demonstrates the fact.

The first place that the “due process” clause was mentioned was in the Fifth Amendment as a protection of persons against the federal government.

In other words, the federal government was not permitted to interpret what was “due process” for its own purposes. To do so would be like placing the fox in charge of the hen house. All persons were to be protected from the federal government by due process.

The second place the clause appears, almost word for word to the Fifth Amendment, is in the Fourteenth Amendment, and it protects persons against the states.

Think about this: A corporation is created by state or federal government, subject to federal or state laws, and cannot exist without the power of the state.

So now the Supreme Court, with not a jot or a tittle empowering them to do so, have interpreted a

corporation as a person with due process protections.

This means, quite simply, that if a “legal person” called a corporation decided to fire you, thereby taking away life, liberty, or property, you have no due process protection as a natural person, but the corporation, as a legal person, does.

To compound the problem, the courts have decided that any government employee is protected by due process, while an employee of a private corporation, strictly created by the power of the state, has no such protections.

In other words, the corporation that fires you with no reason given is protected by due process, but you the “real person” who-existed prior to the federal and state law, who ordained and established the Constitution, have no due process protection for your livelihood.

It would seem that the Supreme Court has forgotten a much older due process ruling from Deuteronomy 1:17: “Ye shall not respect persons in judgement; but ye shall hear the small as well as the great; ye shall not be afraid of the face of man; for the judgement is God’s”.

In defining a corporation as a person with due process protection, the Supreme Court has “respected persons.”

Ralph Haulk Forest City

Letter Policy The Daily Courier would like to publish letters from readers on any subject of timely interest.

All letters must be signed. Writers should try to limit their submissions to 300 words. All letters must include a day and evening telephone number.

The editors reserve the right to edit letters for libelous content. All submissions should be sent to The Editor, P.O. Box 1149, Forest City, NC, 28043.

Letters may also be submitted via e-mail at dailycourier@thedigitalcourier.com or via our website at thedigitalcourier.com

I am going to follow the advice of that old song “Make new friends, but keep the old. One is silver, the other is gold.”

I sang these words many times in my childhood, not really understanding their meaning. If you were a Girl Scout, I’ll bet you sang them many times over, too.

I posted the lyrics on my Facebook page this week, thinking about changes in my life and the friends I’ve had along the way. As a child, I cried when I lost friends. I’ve cried as an adult over this, too, but I understand more now how people who are meant to be in your life, somehow always will be there.

Last year when I decided to

Total Mom Sense Allison Flynn

change jobs and come to The Daily Courier, leaving my friends in Cleveland County behind was tough. I’d worked with some of them for nearly 10 years, and you know when you spend eight-plus hours a day with people, they become a second family.

I left The Star my last day crying, not for the job I was leaving behind, but the people I’d grown to love. One

of my best friends pointed out to me, though, that those people who were my friends there – if they were truly my friends – would still be there for me even if we didn’t see each other every day.

And it’s true.

Jackie and I e-mail each other at least once a week.

Cherish and I chat online and on the phone. Emily has been over to my house to visit. And I’ve met up with my “lunch bunch” to eat and catch up.

Tomorrow my friend Doug will leave Rutherford County to return to his native Michigan. We ate dinner with him Tuesday night and shared laughter and smiles,

remembering the good times we’d had.

Doug was there for me when my dear sweet mama passed away five years ago, sharing in my sorrow and lifting me up with his sense of humor. I have not forgotten that when my mom was in the hospital, he made dinner for me, Stephen and Laura.

And when I welcomed my little boy into the world, he was there, bringing me gifts, more laughter and support.

As we parted ways Tuesday night, he gave me a hug and told me he loved me – which we’ve done countless times over the nine years we’ve been in each others lives. I

cried as we got into our car to head home, because I won’t have the opportunity to have him come over for dinner whenever, nor will I see his smile quite as often.

But I know that what I’ve been told before is true: Just because I won’t see him every day, he’ll still be a part of my life. And I know that if I need him, he’s just a phone call or an e-mail away.

I’m going to continue to have those silver – new friends – come into my life.

But I’m going to hold onto those gold ones, with all my might, too.

Contact Flynn via e-mail at aflynn@thedigitalcourier.com.

The Daily Courier, Forest City, NC, Thursday, January 28, 2010

—

5

Local/obituaries VACANT HOUSE BURNS

Deaths Howard Zinn BOSTON (AP) — Author Howard Zinn, whose leftist A People’s History of the United States sold millions of copies and became an alternative to mainstream texts, has died.

He was 87.

Zinn was a teacher and activist as well as a historian.

He taught for many years at Boston University.

An unoccupied house at 657 N. Ridgecrest Ave. in Rutherfordton was heavily damaged by a fire Wednesday morning. It was not immediately known who owned the house or what caused the blaze.

The Rutherfordton Fire Department responded and was on the scene most of the day.

Larry Dale/ Daily Courier

BRWA awards contract for plant work

By SCOTT BAUGHMAN Daily Courier Staff Writer

RUTHERFORDTON — Florida-based WhartonSmith Contractors have been awarded the $5.4 million contract for water treatment plant renovations by the Broad River Water Authority Tuesday night.

The project’s total cost will be almost $6 million and includes a $497,000 contract with Charlotte-based Jordan, Jones and Goulding for construction administration and inspection services.

“Do they accept some responsibility if things don’t go as we had hoped?” BRWA Board Chair Sally Lesher

asked.

“Compliance would be on us,” plant supervisor Brad Boris said.

“Say something doesn’t work correctly or in six months it doesn’t do what we wanted it to do, who is responsible?” Lesher asked.

“After the utility signs off on the project it is the utility’s responsibility,” Boris said. “Often there is a warranty on many systems or processes, though.”

“As soon as we sign the contract with WhartonSmith, they are ready to go to start construction,” BRWA Manger Maria Hunnicutt said.

The board also reviewed

a possible new agreement regarding cell phone antennas on the Railroad Avenue water tower. T-Mobile and Nextel presently have contracts with the utility for its antenna on the tower.

The two together pay about $47,000 per year in rent. A company named Unison had offered the board a deal to buy out the lease options on the water tower for about $240,000, but the board decided to stand pat on their current contracts with Nextel and T-Mobile.

Even though the average customer is using about 500 gallons less water per month than the same time last year, Hunnicutt reported to the

board that they were in a better position financially than at this time in 2009.

Rob Bole requested a comprehensive annual financial report for the next fiscal year saying it would be worthwhile to compile more detailed statistics.

“It would show ten years worth of stats,” Bole explained. “It would show, for example, ten years worth of water rates for us to compare, it is just a more sophisticated audit report.”

The board agreed and decide to request the report.

Contact Baughman via e-mail at sbaughman@thedigitalcourier. com.

WATCH FOR DIVERS

Jean Gordon/Daily Courier

Lake Lure has contracted with Hobby Construction Co. Inc. to do a joint wrapping project on sewer pipes under the lake. Officials are hopeful that it will reduce the amount of water being pulled into the wastewater treatment plant from the lake itself and help increase efficiency at the plant. Divers from Southeastern Underwater Services are using GPS (Global Position System) devices and hydromicrophones to find the leaks and seal them.

Police Notes County man facing variety of charges

RUTHERFORDTON — A Rutherford County man is under a $136,500 secured bond on multiple charges, including drug counts.

William Andrew Lynch, 41, of 234 Silver Plate Grill Road, is facing true bill indictments on charges of possession with intent to sell and deliver cocaine, sell/ deliver cocaine and two true bills of habitual felon status.

A grand jury returns a true bill when it is convinced there is enough evidence to proceed to trial.

Other charges are: five counts of resisting a public officer, possession of drug paraphernalia, flee/ elude arrest with a motor vehicle, misdemeanor escape local jail, failures to appear on resisting arrest, possession of drug paraphernalia and

felony possession of schedule II controlled substance, and assault on a government official.

He was arrested by the Rutherford County Sheriff’s Office on Tuesday.

Sheriff’s Reports n The Rutherford County Sheriff’s Office responded to 139 E-911 calls Tuesday. n Kevin Eric Bright reported the theft of a CB radio and speaker. n David Allen Jarvis reported the theft of boat accessories. n Chad Everett Green reported a burglary.

Rutherfordton n The Rutherfordton Police Department responded to 25 E-911 calls Tuesday.

Spindale n The Spindale Police Department responded to 28

E-911 Tuesday.

Lake Lure n The Lake Lure Police Department responded to 13 E-911 calls Tuesday.

Forest City n The Forest City Police Department responded to 65 E-911 calls Tuesday.

Arrests n Tanya Collins Early, 53, of 446 Hollis Road; charged with harassing phone call; released on a written promise to appear. (RCSD) n Jason Earl Guffey, 29, of 486 Horn Mill Road; charged with obtain property by false pretense and larceny of motor vehicle; released on a $25,000 unsecured bond.

(RCSD)

EMS/Rescue n The Rutherford County

EMS responded to 27 E-911 calls Tuesday. n The Volunteer Life Saving and Rescue, Hickory Nut Gorge EMS and Rutherford County Rescue responded to four E-911 calls Tuesday.

Fire Calls n Ellenboro firefighters responded to a house fire, assisted by Cliffside and Bostic firefighters, and to a motor vehicle accident. n Forest City firefighters responded to a motor vehicle accident, to a grass fire, to a smoke report and to a gas leak. n Hudlow firefighters responded to a smoke report. n Spindale firefighters responded to a residential fire alarm and to a smoke report. n Union Mills firefighters responded to a house fire, assisted by Hudlow and Shingle Hollow firefighters.

Art Tolis BATON ROUGE, La. (AP) — Funeral services are set for Friday for former LSU men’s basketball assistant coach Art Tolis.

Tolis served as an assistant for coach Dale Brown between 1974 and 1980. He also coached 13 seasons in high school, junior college and college before joining LSU’s staff in April 1974.

The Korean War veteran was named the national director of the LSU recruiting program and in 1976 and 1977 helped bring top 10 recruiting classes that would eventually lead the Tigers to two SEC Championships and an NCAA Final Four in 1981.

He later coached at both Tennessee-Martin and the University of New Orleans, and was an assistant at Alabama.

Horace Gilmore DETROIT (AP) — The federal courthouse in Detroit will close early Friday in memory of Horace Gilmore, a former judge who has died at age 91.

After a long career as a Wayne County judge, Gilmore was appointed to the federal bench in 1980 by President Jimmy Carter.

Louis Auchincloss NEW YORK (AP) — Louis Auchincloss, a prolific author of fiction and nonfiction whose dozens of books imparted sober, firsthand knowledge of America’s patrician class, has died. He was 92, Louis Auchincloss’ wife, Adele, an artist and environmentalist, died in 1991. They had three sons.

He wrote more than 50 books, averaging about one a year after the end of World War II, and crafted such accomplished works as the novel The Rector of Justin and the memoir A Writer’s Capital, not to mention biographies, literary criticism and short stories. He was a four-time fiction finalist for the National Book Award, his nominated novels including The Embezzler and The House of Five Talents.

Auchincloss lived up to the old world ideal of being “useful,” bearing the various titles of writer, attorney, community leader and family man. He was a partner at the Wall Street firm of Hawkins, Delafield & Wood and the father of three.

He was also a cousin by marriage to Jacqueline Kennedy Onassis, and she worked with him when she was a book editor late in her life.

His other works included the novels Her Infinite Variety and Pursuit of the Prodigal, the story collection “Tales of Manhattan” and a short biography of Theodore Roosevelt for Times Books.

THE DAILY COURIER Published Tuesday through Sunday mornings by Paxton Media Group LLC dba The Daily Courier USPS 204-920 Periodical Postage paid in Forest City, NC. Company Address: 601 Oak St., P.O. Box 1149, Forest City, NC 28043.

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6

— The

Daily Courier, Forest City, NC, Thursday, January 28, 2010

Calendar/Local BLOOD DRIVES

Schools/students Financial Aid Night: Thursday, Jan. 28, 6:30 to 7:30 p.m., East Rutherford High School commons area; all juniors and seniors and their parents encouraged to attend; sponsored by Isothermal Community College, ERHS Guidance Department, and the Robert and Janice McNair Educational Foundation.

Delores Hardin and Ray Bailey (background) were among 39 blood donors at the American Red Cross Chapter House, Oakland Road. Hardin donated a pint of blood and Bailey donated double red cells. R-S Middle School conducts its annual blood drive Thursday at the school from 2 to 7:30 p.m.

Little League sign ups: Chase Little League; Saturday, Jan. 30, 10 a.m. to 4 p.m., and Sunday, Jan. 31, 2 to 5 p.m., at Chase High School; Monday, Feb. 8, 6 to 8 p.m., old Harris School field; Tuesday, Feb. 9, 6 to 8 p.m., Cliffside Park; must bring copy of child’s birth certificate.

Meetings/other Senior Dance: Thursday, Jan. 28, 7 to 10 p.m., at the Moose Lodge; dances are held the second and fourth Thursday of each month; all senior citizens welcome; for more information call 289-5852.

Annual membership meeting: Saturday, Jan. 30, 3:30 p.m., at Union Mills Learning Center, 6495 Hudlow Road, for all UMLC members and potential members to review the 2009 activities and for an update on what is planned for 2010; for information, call 287-2191.

Athletic Boosters: Chase High Athletic Boosters will meet Monday, Feb. 1, at 6:30 p.m. in the office conference room.

SWEEP meeting canceled: (Solid Waste Environmental Education Panel) will not meet today. The next meeting is Friday, Feb. 5, at GDS, 141 Fairgrounds Road, Spindale.

The meeting begins at noon. To learn more about SWEEP visit www.sweeprecycles.com.

Shag Club: Rutherford County Shag Club will meet Friday, Feb. 5, at Club LA from 7 to 10 p.m. Free beginner lessons start at 7:30. For more information call 287-9228.

Miscellaneous Free clothing: Coats and blankets will be given away Saturday, Jan. 30, from noon to 3 p.m. at Holy Ground Community Church, (beside Forest City Post Office).

Soup will also be served free of charge.

Chase Corner Ministries will hold a half-price coat sale Feb. 1-5.

Hours 8:30 a.m. to 2:30 p.m., M-F. The store is located on Chase High Road, directly across from the high school.

Fundraisers Spaghetti Supper: Friday, Jan. 29, 6 to 8 p.m., Long Branch Road Baptist Church, 621 Long Branch Road, Forest City; no set price, donations accepted; proceeds for Team Kids.

Soup, chili dinner: Saturday, Jan. 30, noon to 5 p.m., Union Hill AME Zion Church; no set price, donations only; sponsored by the Stewardesses Board.

Ham, chicken pie supper: Saturday, Jan. 30, begins at 4:30 p.m., Mt. Vernon Clubhouse; adults $8; ages 6-12, $5; children 5 and under; all proceeds go toward the children and youth programs at Mt. Vernon Baptist Church.

Spaghetti supper: Saturday, Jan. 30, 4:30 to 6 p.m., Union Mills Learning Center, 6495 Hudlow Road, Union Mills; adults $6, and children younger than 12, $4; allyou-can-eat.

Meals for Missions: Sunday, Jan. 31, beginning at noon, at Chase Baptist Church; donations only; all proceeds go toward Nicargua missions.

Country ham supper: Saturday, Feb. 6, 4 to 8 p.m., Duncan’s Creek Presbyterian Church, 1658 Duncan’s Creek Road, Ellenboro.

Fish fry: Benefit for HAITI missions; Saturday, Feb. 6, noon to 7 p.m., Temple of Jesus Church, Lake Lure; dessert and drink included with meal.

Jean Gordon/ Daily Courier

Howard will seek commission seat

By SCOTT BAUGHMAN Daily Courier Staff Writer

FOREST CITY — Former president of Rutherford County Internet and Chief Pilot of the Rutherford County Flying Club John Robert “Bob” Howard has announced his candidacy for the county commission.

Howard will seek the Democratic nomination in the race for the district five seat being vacated by County Commission Chairman Brent Washburng.

“I see a lot of issues in the county that need to be addressed,” Howard said. “The biggest one to me is that we have 16.1 percent unemployment.

More and more kids are ending up in foster care because their parents are

Filing Continued from Page 1

District Two’s Sherry Hodge Bright and District Three’s Scott Morrow.

On the county’s soil and water conservation district board, supervisors Shannon Buckley and Forest Dewalt Koone are up for re-election.

In races for offices in Raleigh, State Representative Bobby England (D) is up for re-election in the 112th dis-

Aid Continued from Page 1

accounting system, 3) practice nondiscrimination, 4) have demonstrated the capability to deliver emergency food and/or shelter programs, and 5) if they are a private voluntary organization, they must have a voluntary board. Qualifying agencies are

FOREST CITY — The recent heavy rains caused a discharge of untreated wastewater Sunday.

The town of Forest City reported Tuesday that there were discharges of 100,000 gallons at 140 Pitman Road, 1,000 gallons at 290 Cable Tower Road and 1,000 gallons or less at 126 Sunset Drive.

The discharges reportedly occurred for about five and a half hours.

Fees for filing for races at the county’s board of elections at 298 Fairgrounds Road are $207 for State House and State Senate races, $64.03 for County Commission races, $20 for the coroner’s race, $5 for school board and soil and water board races and $680.11 for the sheriff’s race.

Filing for the offices will close at noon on Feb. 26.

encouraged to apply.

of God Rescue Mission and Family Resources, Inc.

Rutherford County has distributed Emergency Food and Shelter funds previously with Yokefellow Service Center, The Salvation Army, New Beginnings Soup Kitchen, Chase Corner Ministries, Foothills Harvest, Little White Country Church Neighbor’s Pantry, Liberty Baptist Church Food Pantry, Grace

The Pitman Road and Sunset Drive discharges entered into Brackett Creek, and the Cable Tower discharge entered Forest Lake Branch.

The city reported that the problem was due to infiltration and inflow during heavy rainfall.

Bob Daniels, assistant public works director for the city, said Tuesday that overflow reports would be sent to the North Carolina Department of

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Singing: Sunday, Jan. 31, 2 p.m., Piney Mountain Baptist Church in Ellenboro with Jerry Hooper and The Borrowed Time Band.

trict of the North Carolina House of Representatives.

State Senator Debbie Clary (R) is also up for re-election in N.C. Senate District 46.

In races of national importance, both of the county’s U.S. Congressmen are up for re-election — Patrick McHenry (R) in the 10th district and Heath Shuler (D) in the 11th district.

Also, U.S. Senator Richard Burr (R) is up for re-election.

“After people start answering me on my Web site I’m going to look at them and list the top five and then ask people what are their suggestions for fixing the problems,” Howard said. “I believe that people get into office and then they stop listening to the citizens. Our county government needs to listen to the people more.”

Contact Baughman via e-mail at sbaughman@thedigitalcourier.com.

Contact Baughman via e-mail at sbaughman@thedigitalcourier.com.

Public or private voluntary agencies interested in applying for Emergency Food and Shelter Program funds must contact United Way Director Faye Hassell, PO Box 823, Spindale, NC 28160 or 286-3929, for an application. The deadline for applications to be received is Feb. 15, 2010.

Environment and Natural Resources office in Asheville, and “they will tell us what needs to be done.”

Forest City noted that the notice of a discharge is required by North Carolina General Statues, Article 21, Chapter 143-215.C. Questions or comments about the discharge should be directed to the town of Forest City Sewer Department at 245-0149.

About us...

Jodi V. Brookshire/publisher . . . . . . . . . . .209 Steven E. Parham/executive editor . . . . . .210 Lori Spurling/ advertising director . . . . . . .224 Pam Dixon/ ad production coordinator . . . 231 Anthony Rollins/ circulation director . . . . .206

Simple Faith will be in concert Sunday, Jan. 31, at Walls Baptist Church. Music begins at 6 p.m.

At the candidate’s Web site — www. electbobhoward.com — he asks citizens to submit what they see as the five most important issues in the county and then give suggestions for answers.

Forest City reports wastewater spill due to heavy rains

Country ham supper: Saturday, Feb. 6, 4:30 to 6:30 p.m., Gilkey Community Clubhouse; adults $7; ages 6-12, $5; under 6 free; take outs available; this is a benefit supper for Anath Christian Academy.

Singing: Sunday, Jan. 31, 2 p.m., Faith Baptist Church, 149 W. Main Ext., Forest City; featuring Blood Brought Trio.

unemployed and they’re fighting. If you really want to find an answer to our problem for the unemployment, forget looking to Washington.”

Howard, who currently serves as chairman of the Rutherford County Airport Appeals board, emphasized looking locally for solutions in his announcement.

“What we need to do in our county is to look to ourselves,” Howard said.

“Jeff Daniels, an actor born and raised in Michigan, touts their state.

We look at ourselves and we’re right there in the center between Asheville and Charlotte. We have good roads, decent communication and many other assets. We just have to ask the citizens what we want to do and do it.”

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Our carriers are instructed to deliver your paper by 6 a.m. Tuesday through Friday, by 6:30 a.m. on Saturday and 7 a.m. on Sunday.

Remember, call 245-6431 for circulation customer service.

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The Daily Courier, Forest City, NC, Thursday, January 28, 2010 — 7

Inside Scoreboard . . . . . . . . . . . Page 8 Tennis . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Page 9 Super Bowl XLIV . . . . . Page 9

Off The Wall Scott Bowers

Gunslinger’s last stand is truly grand

Weather forecast forces changes FOREST CITY — Chase High announced two changes to its sports schedule.

Due to the threat of snow on Friday, the school moved basketball and wrestling events with Burns High to today.

The schedule starting times have not changed.

The Trojans JV basketball team will take the court at 4:30 p.m. in Lawndale. That game will be followed by a varsity girls game and a varsity boys game.

The Trojans wrestling team will host the Bulldogs with weigh-ins and wrestling to begin at 5:30 p.m.

As of press time, East Rutherford, R-S Central and Thomas Jefferson Classical Academy had not announced any changes to the respective schedules of those programs.

Charlotte’s DiJuan Harris (3) drives past Temple’s Juan Fernandez (4) in the first half of an NCAA college basketball game in Charlotte, Wednesday.

Kan. HS basketball coach to get tickets OLATHE, Kan. (AP) — A Kansas high school basketball coach whose blindfolded halfcourt shot became an Internet sensation will be going to the Final Four after all.

Joel Branstrom says he can’t disclose where the tickets are coming from. But he said Wednesday he’s been told he and his family will get tickets, lodging and transportation to Indianapolis for the games in April.

Branstrom, a former University of Kansas walk-on, went along with what was supposed to be a prank last week during a pep rally at Olathe Northwest High School, where he also teaches biology.

Students who set up the prank and promised the basketball tickets were shocked when he made the blindfolded shot — especially since they didn’t have any tickets.

Associated Press

49ers drop No. 15 Temple CHARLOTTE (AP) — Derrio Green scored 26 points and Charlotte rallied for a 74-64 victory over No. 15 Temple on Wednesday night to end the Owls’ sixgame winning streak and create a logjam atop the Atlantic 10.

Chris Braswell added 14 of his 15 points in the second half and Shamari Spears had 11 points and nine rebounds for the

49ers (15-5, 5-1), who continued their turnaround season by one-upping one of the nation’s top defensive teams.

Frustrated by Charlotte’s trapping zone, Temple (17-4, 5-1) coughed up a 10-point first-half lead and shot 35 percent in losing for only the second time in 15 games.

Ryan Brooks hit five 3-pointers and scored 20 points for Temple.

Correction Chase’s Jake Shaneberger was not identified in a Jan. 27 photo. The Courier regrets the error.

Local Sports BASKETBALL 6 p.m. Chase at Burns WRESTLING 6 p.m. Burns at Chase

On TV 12 p.m. (ESPN2) Winter X Games From Aspen, Colo.

7 p.m. (ESPN) (ESPN2) College Basketball Teams TBA. 7 p.m. (FSS) College Basketball Wake Forest at Georgia Tech.

7 p.m. (TS) NHL Hockey Atlanta Thrashers at Philadelphia Flyers.

8 p.m. (TNT) NBA Basketball Boston Celtics at Orlando Magic.

9 p.m. (ESPN) Winter XGames From Aspen, Colo.

9 p.m. (ESPN2) College Basketball Teams TBA. 9 p.m. (FSS) Women’s College Basketball Georgia at Mississippi State.

10:30 p.m. (TNT) NBA Basketball Dallas Mavericks at Phoenix Suns.

10:30 p.m. (TS) College Basketball UCLA at Oregon.

11 p.m. (ESPN2) College Basketball Gonzaga at Santa Clara.

3:30 a.m. (ESPN2) Tennis Australian Open, Men’s Second Semifinal.

North Carolina’s Ed Davis (32) puts up a shot against N.C. State’s Tracy Smith (23) in the first half of an NCAA college basketball game in Raleigh, Tuesday.

Associated Press

fifth time Thompson has scored at least 20 points this season but the first since posting 23 in a win over Nevada on Nov. 29.

“I’ve been more aggressive in practice and just more determined, more into it and intense,” Thompson said. “As a leader, you’ve got to be intent and enthused about things, and I’m just trying to be a better leader.”

Thompson’s aggressiveness was evident in the first half as he grabbed two rebounds, his only offensive rebounds of the game, after missed free throws and muscled them in for four of his nine firsthalf points.

Midnight Lunacy?

The Gastonia Grizzlies, recently, announced the decision to play a Midnight Madness game against the Forest City Owls.

Baseball has a long history of half-baked ideas and I must admit that this one tops my list.

Playing baseball, at midnight, is akin to throwing a heavy metal concert at a local church.

Nobody is going to like it.

Young fans, the kind the CPL needs, will be tucked away in beds; older fans aren’t coming out to drive home at 3 a.m.; and, those fans that like to consume ‘adult beverages’ will find a severe shortage. The team can’t serve after 2 a.m., and I question the logic of serving that late at night. If the Grizzlies serve at all.

Please see Heels, Page 9

Please see Wall, Page 9

Heels happy to end skid

By BRIANA GORMAN Special to the Courier

CHAPEL HILL — The mood in the North Carolina locker room was palpable after Tuesday’s 77-63 win over N.C. State that stopped the Tar Heels’ three-game losing streak.

For the first time in three games, instead of silence and tension there were smiles, laughter and joking around by the Tar Heels.

And no player looked happier than Deon Thompson.

The senior, who seemingly has disappeared from games this season, made his presence known from the start, scoring UNC’s first three points and leading the Tar Heels with 20 points. It was the

Over the last decade, one of my favorite sports moments was seeing former Pittsburgh Steelers RB Jerome Bettis lift the Lombardi Trophy high into the air and exclaim, “The Bus stops here in Detroit.”

It was theatre that makes Hollywood jealous.

Brett Favre was hoping for his, ‘bus stops here,’ moment.

Maybe, “The Ironman is leaving the building.” Or, “The Gunslinger will be at the beach,” since this year’s Super Bowl is in Miami.

Whatever the line, Favre won’t get to say it. The New Orleans Saints rocked, socked, punched, and pummelled the grizzlybearded Favre for three hours.

In the end, Favre’s gunslinger reputation caught up with him and, in an act of reckless desperation, maybe born from exhaustion and a slight concussion, he threw his final pass into the arms of the Saints’ Tracy Porter.

Favre deserved a better ending.

Those burned out on Favre’s, ‘is he playing, is he retired,’ routine are likely to forget that this guy, this Mississippi boy with the ‘how-fun-is-this,’ grin, played with a warrior’s heart.

I am nearly 18 months older than Favre, and as I watched him take those monster shots from the Saints it felt as if I was watching ‘Rocky.’

Part of me wanted to scream in my best Adrian, ‘stay down, Rocky.’

Stay down, Brett. Don’t get up. Don’t take another hit.

But, then I remembered.

That ain’t how we play the game.

We Americans are a toughheaded lot.

We don’t stay down.

And, if the sweet Nike shoes had been on my feet, well, I’d have gotten up too.

Favre stood in, at 40 years old, against a relentless pass rush, and players 15 years his junior to show us all just how tough he really is.

In all my life, I have never watched a game where I pulled for one player, while I was pulling for the other team.

Because in the long history of standing up, after taking a huge hit, the City of New Orleans is living, breathing proof that we all will stand again.

If New Orleans can go through what it has been through, and come out on the other side, with a cleaner, nicer, Super Bowl winning city, well, Hollywood will need to hire some new script writers.

We stand up. We get up. We take another hit.

And, the best of us smile all the while. Just like Favre.

8

— The

Daily Courier, Forest City, NC, Thursday, January 28, 2010

sports

Scoreboard FOOTBALL NFL Playoff Glance Wild Card Round Saturday, Jan. 9 N.Y. Jets 24, Cincinnati 14 Dallas 34, Philadelphia 14 Sunday, Jan. 10 Baltimore 33, New England 14 Arizona 51, Green Bay 45, OT Divisional Playoffs Saturday, Jan. 16 New Orleans 45, Arizona 14 Indianapolis 20, Baltimore 3 Sunday, Jan. 17 Minnesota 34, Dallas 3 N.Y. Jets 17, San Diego 14 Conference Championships Sunday, Jan. 24 Indianapolis 30, N.Y. Jets 17 New Orleans 31, Minnesota 28, OT Pro Bowl Sunday, Jan. 31 At Miami AFC vs. NFC, 7:20 p.m. (ESPN) Super Bowl Sunday, Feb. 7 At Miami New Orleans vs. Indianapolis, 6:25 p.m. (CBS)

BASKETBALL National Basketball Association

Associated Press

Carolina Hurricanes celebrate after scoring a goal against the New York Rangers in the second period of an NHL hockey game Wednesday, at Madison Square Garden in New York.

Samsonov, Staal score 2 goals each in Canes win

NEW YORK (AP) — Patrick Dwyer and Eric Staal scored before 4 minutes elapsed, and the cellar-dwelling Carolina Hurricanes sent the New York Rangers to their fourth straight loss, 5-1 on Wednesday night.

Dwyer and Staal beat goalie Henrik Lundqvist with consecutive shots 25 seconds apart to give the Hurricanes their third win in four games. Cam Ward, playing in his 20th straight game, made 37 saves for Carolina (17-28-7), which has an Eastern Conference-low 41 points.

The Hurricanes also beat Boston 5-1 in their previous game Sunday.

Ryan Callahan scored for the Rangers in the second period, but Sergei Samsonov answered 41 seconds later for Carolina. Samsonov’s second of the game and 10th this season made it 4-1 at 7:51 of the third. Staal turned it into a full rout when he scored again during a 5-on-3 power play with 5:18 remaining.

New York, which has four consecutive regulation losses for the first time this season, began the night tied in points for eighth in the East but only three points ahead of 13th-place Tampa Bay. The Rangers are on a 3-6-2 skid.

They had opportunities to rally against the Hurricanes, but went 0 for 4 on the power play.

New York held a 38-24 shots advantage.

Eastern Division

W L Pct Boston 29 13 .690 Toronto 23 22 .511 New York 18 26 .409 Philadelphia 15 29 .341 New Jersey 3 40 .070 Southeast Division

W L Pct Atlanta 29 14 .674 Orlando 29 16 .644 Miami 23 21 .523 Charlotte 22 22 .500 Washington 14 30 .318 Central Division

W L Pct Cleveland 35 11 .761 Chicago 21 22 .488 Milwaukee 18 25 .419 Indiana 16 29 .356 Detroit 15 28 .349 WESTERN CONFERENCE Southwest Division

W L Pct Dallas 30 15 .667 San Antonio 25 18 .581 Memphis 24 19 .558 Houston 24 20 .545 New Orleans 24 20 .545 Northwest Division

W L Pct Denver 30 14 .682 Utah 26 18 .591 Portland 27 19 .587 Oklahoma City 24 20 .545 Minnesota 9 37 .196 Pacific Division

W L Pct L.A. Lakers 34 11 .756 Phoenix 26 21 .553 L.A. Clippers 20 24 .455 Sacramento 16 28 .364 Golden State 13 30 .302

GB — 7½ 12 15 26½ GB — 1 6½ 7½ 15½ GB — 12½ 15½ 18½ 18½ GB — 4 5 5½ 5½ GB — 4 4 6 22 GB — 9 13½ 17½ 20

Tuesday’s Games

Wednesday’s College Basketball Scores EAST American U. 69, Navy 59 Baruch 83, John Jay 63 Binghamton 80, UMBC 63 Bucknell 81, Lehigh 76, OT Colgate 69, Holy Cross 68 Drexel 61, Northeastern 48 FDU-Florham 59, Lebanon Valley 57 George Washington 67, Saint Louis 62, OT Hartford 64, Albany, N.Y. 62 Hofstra 93, UNC Wilmington 54 Hunter 85, Medgar Evers 81 Illinois 77, Penn St. 67 Indiana, Pa. 71, California, Pa. 59 La Salle 80, Fordham 73 Lafayette 77, Army 68 Maine 56, Boston U. 54 Massachusetts 87, Saint Joseph’s 80 Muhlenberg 66, Haverford 55 New Hampshire 75, Vermont 56 Providence 81, Connecticut 66 Purchase 88, Sage 73 Queens, N.Y. 73, Dowling 70 St. Joseph’s, L.I. 64, NYU-Poly 63 Ursinus 78, Washington, Md. 67 Villanova 90, Notre Dame 72 SOUTH Charlotte 74, Temple 64 Clayton St. 67, Armstrong Atlantic 56 ETSU 72, Campbell 57 Florida 87, Georgia 71 Florida Gulf Coast 64, Stetson 53 George Mason 77, Delaware 66 James Madison 65, William & Mary 63 Kennesaw St. 71, Mercer 69 Murray St. 86, SIU-Edwardsville 49 North Florida 55, S.C.-Upstate 53 Transylvania 72, Hanover 70 Tusculum 102, Mars Hill 92, OT Va. Commonwealth 112, Towson 53 Vanderbilt 85, Tennessee 76 MIDWEST Adrian 58, Albion 50 Akron 79, W. Michigan 70 Bowling Green 64, E. Michigan 61 Calvin 73, Alma 59 Concordia, Mich. 80, Madonna 74 Defiance 91, Anderson, Ind. 75 Hope 78, Trine 60 Kalamazoo 63, Olivet 57 St. Norbert 76, Carroll, Wis. 58 Wichita St. 74, Illinois St. 66

Youngstown St. 70, N.C. Central 57 SOUTHWEST Oklahoma St. 76, Texas A&M 69 Texas St. 41, UTSA 35

HOCKEY National Hockey League Eastern Division

GP W L OT Pts GF New Jersey 51 34 16 1 69 138 Pittsburgh 54 33 20 1 67 172 Philadelphia 51 26 22 3 55 155 N.Y. Rangers 53 24 22 7 55 137 N.Y. Islanders 53 23 22 8 54 141 Northeast Division

GP W L OT Pts GF Buffalo 51 30 14 7 67 145 Ottawa 54 29 21 4 62 150 Montreal 54 25 24 5 55 141 Boston 51 23 20 8 54 127 Toronto 54 17 27 10 44 142 Southeast Division

GP W L OT Pts GF Washington 52 34 12 6 74 202 Florida 53 23 21 9 55 146 Atlanta 52 23 21 8 54 158 Tampa Bay 51 21 20 10 52 132 Carolina 51 16 28 7 39 132 WESTERN CONFERENCE Central Division

GP W L OT Pts GF Chicago 53 36 13 4 76 174 Nashville 52 29 20 3 61 145 Detroit 52 25 18 9 59 135 St. Louis 52 23 21 8 54 137 Columbus 55 21 25 9 51 145 Northwest Division

GP W L OT Pts GF Vancouver 52 32 18 2 66 170 Colorado 51 30 15 6 66 153 Calgary 52 26 20 6 58 132 Minnesota 52 25 23 4 54 145 Edmonton 51 16 29 6 38 135 Pacific Division

GP W L OT Pts GF San Jose 53 35 10 8 78 179 Phoenix 53 30 18 5 65 144 Los Angeles 52 30 19 3 63 156 Anaheim 53 24 22 7 55 149 Dallas 52 22 19 11 55 148

GA 113 152 144 145 164 GA 125 154 146 131 187 GA 145 154 167 157 172 GA 122 145 138 146 182 GA 127 136 134 156 176 GA 128 139 146 166 168

Tuesday’s Games Los Angeles 5, Toronto 3 Washington 7, N.Y. Islanders 2 Atlanta 2, Anaheim 1 Columbus 3, Nashville 2 Phoenix 5, Detroit 4, OT Ottawa 3, New Jersey 0 Florida 2, Montreal 1 Chicago 4, Edmonton 2 Wednesday’s Games Buffalo 2, New Jersey 1 Carolina 5, N.Y. Rangers 1 Washington 5, Anaheim 1 Tampa Bay 3, Montreal 0 Detroit at Minnesota, late Calgary at Dallas, late St. Louis at Vancouver, late Thursday’s Games Atlanta at Philadelphia, 7 p.m.

Ottawa at Pittsburgh, 7 p.m.

N.Y. Islanders at Carolina, 7 p.m.

Los Angeles at Columbus, 7 p.m.

Minnesota at Colorado, 9 p.m.

Calgary at Phoenix, 9 p.m.

St. Louis at Edmonton, 9:30 p.m.

Chicago at San Jose, 10:30 p.m.

Friday’s Games Toronto at New Jersey, 7 p.m.

Florida at Washington, 7 p.m.

Boston at Buffalo, 7:30 p.m.

Anaheim at Tampa Bay, 7:30 p.m.

Nashville at Detroit, 7:30 p.m.

Colorado at Dallas, 8:30 p.m.

Arenas, Crittenton suspended for remainder of NBA season

NEW YORK (AP) — When Gilbert Arenas and Javaris Crittenton brought their dispute to work, they needed to leave the guns home.

Instead, the Washington Wizards guards became the first players to violate NBA rules prohibiting firearms on team property, and commissioner David Stern suspended both without pay for the remainder of the seaLEXINGTON, Ky. (AP) — John Calipari says the son Wednesday.

Stressing that guns in the day after his top-ranked Kentucky Wildcats were workplace “will not be tolerated,” knocked from their unbeaten perch, he got a call from the last coach who lost after climbing to No. 1 Stern delivered the punishment after meeting with Arenas in the polls.

Texas coach Rick Barnes, whose Longhorns were earlier Wednesday, and with Crittenton a day before. Arenas No. 1 until back-to-back losses last week allowed already had been suspended Kentucky to overtake them, told Calipari that indefinitely by Stern on Jan. 6. being at the top meant being “under attack.”

“We have preached to (players) The first-year Kentucky coach had warned his in writing and actually in person players about that, but Tuesday night they experion this very subject and neverenced it firsthand during South Carolina’s 68-62 theless they brandished firearms victory. The Gamecocks had lost their previous and that just can’t be tolerated,” games against top-ranked teams.

“We saw it,” Calipari said Wednesday night, call- Stern said on a conference call. ing into his radio show during a recruiting trip. “It “And if there’s any doubt to any of our players about it in the was like more than we could believe. We weren’t future, we will be dealing with ready for that. You’re under attack.” this in an even more severe way.”

With the Wildcats’ loss, no unbeatens remain in Both players admitted bringing college basketball. a gun or guns into the Wizards’ Calipari called the Wildcats’ loss a “collective locker room — violating a provieffort” in which they got “out-hustled and outsion added to the collective barcoached on all fronts.” He reserved the toughest gaining agreement in 2005 — criticism for himself. after a dispute stemming from “The reason this job and this coaching profession isn’t for everybody is because of times like this a card game on a team flight.

Stern said the players expressed when you take it on the chin,” he said.

Barnes, Calipari discuss falling from No. 1 perch

L.A. Lakers 115, Washington 103 New York 132, Minnesota 105 Dallas 108, Milwaukee 107 Charlotte 114, Phoenix 109, OT Sacramento 99, Golden State 96 Wednesday’s Games L.A. Lakers 118, Indiana 96 Cleveland 109, Minnesota 95 Toronto 111, Miami 103 Memphis 97, Detroit 93 New Jersey 103, L.A. Clippers 87 Philadelphia at Milwaukee, late Chicago at Oklahoma City, late Denver at Houston, late Atlanta at San Antonio, late Utah at Portland, late New Orleans at Golden State, late Thursday’s Games Toronto at New York, 7:30 p.m.

Boston at Orlando, 8 p.m.

Dallas at Phoenix, 10:30 p.m.

Friday’s Games Cleveland at Indiana, 7 p.m.

L.A. Lakers at Philadelphia, 7 p.m.

Boston at Atlanta, 7:30 p.m.

L.A. Clippers at Minnesota, 8 p.m.

Chicago at New Orleans, 8 p.m.

Denver at Oklahoma City, 8 p.m.

Miami at Detroit, 8 p.m.

Washington at New Jersey, 8 p.m.

Portland at Houston, 8:30 p.m.

Memphis at San Antonio, 8:30 p.m.

Sacramento at Utah, 9 p.m.

Charlotte at Golden State, 10:30 p.m.

remorse, but added, “nevertheless, there is no justification for their conduct.”

Asked what message the penalties sent, Stern said: “We mean what we say when we say that guns are prohibited from being in our buildings and on team business.

“And if you violate that prohibition, which is an agreement between the players’ association and the NBA, you will be dealt with harshly because it’s very potentially dangerous to our players, to the other players and to anyone else who might be involved.”

Arenas, who is forfeiting about $147,200 per game, had already been suspended indefinitely earlier this month. Crittenton, who met with Stern on Tuesday, will lose about $13,435 per game, or $510,530, from his $1.48 million salary.

Arenas pleaded guilty Jan. 15 to a felony gun charge after a confrontation with Crittenton at the Verizon Center. Arenas, who is scheduled to be sentenced March 26, is in the second season of a six-year, $111 million contract and will be docked $7.36 million.

“Mr. Arenas recognizes that his actions were a serious violation of the law and league rules and were detrimental to the NBA

and its reputation,” said Arenas’ attorney, Ken Wainstein. “He accepts full responsibility for what he did, and takes no issue with the length of the suspension or the process that led to the Commissioner’s decision.”

Arenas has asked the players’ association not to contest the penalty, while Crittenton’s plans haven’t been determined.

His agent, Mark Bartelstein, told The Associated Press that, “David Stern has done what he thinks is right for the league.

We’re going to look at it and talk about it with Javaris and the players’ association.”

The Wizards have 38 games left in a woeful season that was thrown into turmoil when news of the confrontation involving the guns broke on Christmas Eve. The team has distanced itself from Arenas since Stern indefinitely suspended him, removing his likeness from the Verizon Center. Crittenton has been injured and wasn’t playing, anyway.

The team said it supported Stern’s ruling, saying the poor judgment “stands in contrast to everything Abe Pollin stood for throughout his life.”

“It brings a little bit of closure to a situation that’s been very frustrating, very distracting and bothersome to our organization.”

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The Daily Courier, Forest City, NC, Thursday, January 28, 2010 — 9

sports

Federer shows timing is everything

Associated Press

North Carolina’s Dexter Strickland (5) and Deon Thompson (21) defend against N. C. State’s Javier Gonzalez (10) in the second half of an NCAA college basketball game in Raleigh, Tuesday.

Heels Continued from Page 7

But arguably Thompson’s most significant field goal came in the second half.

With 10:09 left, he picked off a pass at midcourt and instead of handing it off to one of UNC’s guards, the 6-9, 245-pound forward dribbled it up the court himself. Thompson took the ball all the way to the basket for a crowd-silencing dunk to cap a 13-0 run that put the Tar Heels up for good.

“I was just happy,” said Thompson, who let out a ferocious yell after the dunk. “It was definitely kind of a turning point in the game for us.”

Thompson finished the game 9-of-14 from the floor, the most shots he has attempted since a win over Albany on Dec. 30. Thompson had been a combined 11-of-22 in losses to Clemson, Georgia Tech and Wake Forest.

But Thompson’s impact was not just felt on the statistics sheet. The senior could be seen cheering on his teammates, offering a fist bump and seemed to energize the Tar Heels.

“Deon had a great game tonight,” Drew said. “He was doing everything that we know Deon can do.

He was posting low, (getting) offensive rebounds, finishing in the paint, making stops on the defensive end. He just had a very solid all-around game.”

Despite Thompson’s big night to help the Tar Heels break their slump, after the game he mostly wanted to talk about the team effort and less about his individual performance.

“I’m more happy with the team performance,” Thompson said. “The way Larry played (Tuesday) and Dexter (Strickland) and John (Henson) — everybody who came into the game (Tuesday) contributed something big.

“It’s been a long stretch for us in practice, so to come here and for us to perform the way we did (Tuesday) was just a great feeling.”

Drew and Strickland both finished in double figures, and Henson recorded three blocks in seven minutes.

“We just knew that we had to come here and we had to win,” Drew said. “Nobody thought about losing, nobody thought about the consequences afterwards.

“We just knew if we went in and played hard like we know how to play, we were going to come out victorious.”

MELBOURNE, Australia (AP) — The only three men to beat Roger Federer in the last 19 majors were already out of the Australian Open, leaving the Swiss star with a new threat to face.

Nikolay Davydenko’s 13-match winning streak was the hottest on the tour and included two wins over Federer during title runs at the season-ending championships in November and the season-opening event at Doha earlier this month.

The Russian unloaded everything he had on Federer for a set and a half Wednesday and was suddenly in uncharted territory at a Grand Slam tournament.

That’s when a bit of gamesmanship and a lot of big-match experience helped Federer switch gears and win 13 straight games en route to a 2-6, 6-3, 6-0, 7-5 victory that sent Davydenko packing to join Federer’s former Grand Slam conquerors: No. 2-ranked Rafael Nadal, No. 3-ranked Novak Djokovic, and No. 4-ranked Juan Martin del Potro.

“Winning that many games in a row against a player that’s been on fire like this, it’s a great sign,” Federer said.

The win stretched his record to a 23rd consecutive Grand Slam semifinal appearance, something he rated as “definitely one of the most incredible things I have in my resume.”

Before Federer, Ivan Lendl and Rod Laver shared the record at 10.

“It’s incredible looking back on how many years that is now, you know, I’m able to deliver at Grand Slam play, especially this year,” he said. “Looking at the draw with (former No. 1-ranked Lleyton) Hewitt in the fourth round and Davydenko in the quarters, who has been on fire the last weeks and even today, you know, we saw big signs of it.

“So for some reason I was just a bit worried I was not going to make it this time in the semis.

Now obviously that it’s safe again and I’ve been able to add one. It’s amazing.”

Besides his incredible run of Grand Slam semifinals that began at Wimbledon in 2004, Federer boasts three Australian Open wins among his record 15

Associated Press

Roger Federer, left, and Nikolay Davydenko exchange word at the net after Federer won their Men’s singles quarterfinal match at the Australian Open tennis championship in Melbourne, Australia, Wednesday.

major titles and 50 wins or more at three of the four biggest tournaments in tennis.

Defending champion Nadal, who beat Federer in five sets in last year’s final here and at Wimbledon in 2008 and at three French Opens, retired with a knee injury while trailing No. 5 Andy Murray in the third set of their quarterfinal on Tuesday night.

Del Potro, who beat Federer to win the U.S. Open in September, lost to Marin Cilic. The Croat gained a semifinal against Murray, a Scot who carries the extra burden of trying to be the first British man since the 1930s to win a major.

Djokovic, who beat Federer in the semifinals here in 2008 en route to the title, complained of an upset stomach following a 7-6 (8), 6-7 (5), 1-6, 6-3, 6-1 loss to Frenchman Jo-Wilfried Tsonga, reversing the outcome of their meeting in the final here two years ago.

“I saw he wasn’t very good, but sometimes he does that and he wins,” Tsonga said.

Tsonga, whose last two wins came in the only five-set matches he’s played 11 Grand Slam tournaments, will meet Federer on Friday in the other semifinal.

Federer said he’s more concerned about who was still in contention than who had

dropped out. The only time he’d ever felt different was at the last French Open, after defending champion Nadal tumbled out, opening the way for Federer to complete a career Grand Slam by winning on clay and to equal Pete Sampras’ record 14 majors.

“It had a huge affect on me that Rafa lost at the French, just knowing the opportunities I had and being already occupied with my own game and opponents,” he said. “But not that Rafa lost this time around.”

Defending champion Serena Williams, who was down a set and 4-0 in the second before rebounding for a 4-6, 7-6 (4), 6-2 win over Victoria Azarenka of Belarus, knows she’ll have her hands full Thursday against No. 16 Li Na. Li rallied from a set and break down to oust sixth-seeded Venus Williams and end the possibility of a Williams sisters showdown in the top half of the draw. Li’s 2-6, 7-6 (4), 7-5 victory also gave China two women in the semifinals at the same major for the first time.

Zheng Jie plays in the other semifinal against former No. 1 Justine Henin, who is two tournaments into a comeback from a retirement that began just months before Zheng reached the 2008 Wimbledon semifinals.

Colts’ feel right at home against New Orleans

INDIANAPOLIS (AP) — Reggie Wayne remembers life growing up as a Saints fan.

People wore paper bags to games and those who didn’t go had to listen to radio broadcasts because of the league-imposed blackout when games aren’t sellouts. Wayne sat right there in the crowd, listening to every call and cheering for Bobby Hebert and John Fourcade and Eric Martin — names remembered by only the heartiest Saints fans.

Those tough days are now long gone.

Next week, Wayne, a New Continued from Page 7 Orleans native, will line up against the Saints with a chance to win the Super Bowl.

Furthermore, the Gaston Gazette and the Daily “I had a lot of fun times growCourier are probably the only two media outlets ing up, being a Saints fan,” covering the game. Neither can cover a midnight Wayne said Wednesday. “Just game. Our readers won’t get the story for nearly 36 growing up as a kid, as a huge hours after the game is over.

Saints fan, it was always black Additional, the players of the Grizzlies have a day and gold.” off, the next day; while the Owls have to hop on a That was before Wayne collectbus and play again. That’s not right. ed his paycheck from the blueI could go on and on, but I have a sense that this and-white clad Colts. decision is firm. Still doesn’t make it a good idea.

Wayne isn’t the only Colts player with a soft spot for the Saints Contact Bowers at sbowers@thedigitalcourier.com.

— or the city of New Orleans.

Wall

Four-time league MVP Peyton Manning was a New Orleans celebrity from the time he and his brothers played prep ball at Isidore Newman. Manning’s father, Archie, was the face of the Saints’ franchise in the bleak 1970s and early 1980s, when bags were the fashionable headgear, Aints was the trendy nickname and winning seasons weren’t even contemplated in The Big Easy.

Manning barely remembers those days, but he knows they were a stark contrast to what he witnessed after New Orleans’ beat Minnesota in overtime Sunday.

“I enjoyed seeing Bourbon Street being so empty in the third quarter and then seeing it postgame,” he said. “It was a sight to see.”

Their ties to Louisiana became even stronger after Hurricane Katrina hit in August 2005.

Manning and his younger brother, Eli, sent a plane full of supplies into the city to help.

Wayne still recalls the trouble he had getting in touch with family

members. Running back Joseph Addai, who won a national championship at LSU, was still attending college when the hurricane hit.

“We had to cancel our first game and had to use LSU as a place to bring some of the folks from New Orleans,” Addai said Wednesday while wearing an LSU basketball shirt. “Me, myself, my area was flooded.

Two weeks without light, electricity, none of that stuff. So I can only imagine what it was like for the people of New Orleans. I feel like them getting to the Super Bowl is a good thing for them.”

Reaching the Super Bowl, Manning believes, is a fitting tribute for the city.

“My dad’s been a part of the Saints organization for 39 years in some ways. We definitely have strong ties, and the New Orleans Saints players do just wonderful things for the community down there. They really do,” Manning said. “It’s been a great relationship between the players and fans.”

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— The

Daily Courier, Forest City, NC, Thursday, January 28, 2010

weather/nation

State of the Union

Weather The Daily Courier Weather Today

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Nation Today You can’t dance there

WASHINGTON (AP) — So you think you can dance at the Jefferson Memorial? Think again.

A federal judge has ruled against a woman who was arrested for dancing with a group of 17 others at the memorial dedicated to President Thomas Jefferson. The woman, Mary Oberwetter, and others were dancing to music on their headphones near midnight April 12, 2008, the eve of Jefferson’s birthday.

A National Park Service officer told the group to stop dancing and arrested Oberwetter when she refused. Charges against her were later dropped.

But Oberwetter sued the Park Service last year, claiming a violation of her rights to free expression.

U.S. District Judge John D. Bates says the inside of the memorial is not a public forum where people can dance, even if it’s a silent dance party.

College on alert, on edge

NELSONVILLE, Ohio (AP) — An attacker could find many places to hide at Hocking College, a campus carved into a forest in the Appalachian foothills. And with the threat of a mass killing looming over black students at the community college, Allen Edwards is steering clear of the trees.

“I don’t feel too safe walking by the woods,” said Edwards, a 19-year-old black student from Canton. “There’s woods everywhere. And somebody could be out in them, and I don’t know.”

The FBI is investigating a threat scrawled last week on a bathroom

wall warning that black students would be killed Feb. 2. It bore the trademarks of just another casual — though chilling — threat of violence on a college campus, but students here aren’t taking any chances.

Since the first threat was discovered Friday, the school has installed more security cameras in dorms and beefed up foot patrols. A $5,000 reward is being offered, and extra counselors are on hand.

Three teens killed ZELIENOPLE, Pa. (AP) — Two teenage volunteer firefighters who were reported missing after they didn’t show up for a training drill for their small-town department died along with a friend when their SUV slid off a slick road and into an icy western Pennsylvania pond.

The bodies of firefighters Elijah Lunsford and Sam Bucci, both 18 and seniors at Seneca Valley High School along with the third victim, 17-year-old Trevor Barkley, were pulled from the pond Wednesday morning.

Robotic groundhog?

PUNXSUTAWNEY, Pa. (AP) — An animal rights group wants organizers of Pennsylvania’s Groundhog Day festival to replace Punxsutawney Phil with a robotic stand-in.

People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals says it’s unfair to keep the animal in captivity and subject him to the huge crowds and bright lights that accompany tens of thousands of revelers each Feb. 2 in Punxsutawney, a tiny borough northeast of Pittsburgh.

Clinton Dale Cash celebrated his 1st birthday on January 27.

His proud parents are Mindy and Chris Cash of Forest City.

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The Daily Courier

Associated Press

Members of the New Hampshire Young Democrats watch President Barack Obama give his State of the Union address, at Martha’s Exchange in Nashua, N.H., Wednesday.

Obama vows to make job growth top priority WASHINGTON (AP) — Declaring “I don’t quit,’” an embattled President Barack Obama vowed in his first State of the Union address Wednesday night to make job growth his topmost priority and urged a divided Congress to boost the stillailing economy with fresh stimulus spending.

Defiant despite stinging setbacks, he said he would not abandon ambitious plans for longer-term fixes to health care, energy, education and more.

“Change has not come fast enough,” Obama said before a politicianpacked House chamber and a TV audience of millions. “As hard as it may be, as uncomfortable and contentious as the debates may be, it’s time to get serious about fixing the problems that are hampering our growth.”

Obama looked to change the conversation from how his presidency is stalling — over the messy health care debate, a limping economy and the missteps that led to Christmas Day’s barely averted terrorist disaster — to how he is seizing the reins.

A chief demand was for lawmakers to press forward with his prized health care overhaul, which is in severe danger in Congress, and to resist the temptation to substitute a smaller-bore solution for the farreaching changes he wants.

“Do not walk away from reform,” he implored. “Not now. Not when we are so close.”

Republicans applauded the president when he entered the chamber, and even craned their necks and welcomed Michelle Obama when she took her seat. But the warm feelings of bipartisanship disappeared early.

Democrats jumped to their feet and roared when Obama said he wanted to impose a new fee on banks, while Republicans sat stone-faced.

Democrats stood and applauded when Obama mentioned the economic stimulus package passed last February. Republicans sat and stared.

On national security, Obama proclaimed some success, saying that “far more” al-Qaida terrorists were killed under his watch last year in the U.S.-led global fight than in 2008.

Hoping to salve growing disappointment in a key constituency, Obama said he would work with Congress “this year” to repeal the ban on gays and lesbians serving openly in the military. But in a concession to concern about the move among Republicans and on his own party’s right flank, Obama neither made a commitment to suspend the practice in the interim nor issued a firm deadline for action.

The president devoted about twothirds of his speech to the economic worries foremost on Americans’ minds, emphasizing his ideas, some new but mostly old and explained anew, for restoring job growth, taming budget deficits and changing a polarized Washington “where every day is Election Day.” These concerns are at the roots of voter emotions that once drove supporters to Obama

but now are turning on him as he governs.

Declaring that “I know the anxieties” of Americans’ struggling to pay the bills while big banks get bailouts and bonuses, Obama prodded Congress to enact a second stimulus package “without delay,” specifying that it should contain a range of measures to help small businesses and funding for infrastructure projects. Also, fine tuning a plan first announced in October, Obama said he will initiate a $30 billion program to provide money to community banks at low rates, provided they agree to increase lending to small businesses. The money would come from balances left in the $700 billion Wall Street rescue fund — a program “about as popular as a root canal” that he made of point of saying “I hated.”

Acknowledging frustration at the government’s habit of spending more than it has — and yet placing much blame on Republicans for record deficits, he said he would veto any bills that do not adhere to his demand for a three-year freeze on some domestic spending (while proposing a 6.2 percent, or $4 billion, increase in the popular arena of education). He announced a new, though nonbinding bipartisan deficit-reduction task force (while supporting the debtfinanced jobs bill). And he said he would cut $20 billion on inefficient programs in next year’s budget and “go through the budget line by line” to find more.

Positioning himself as a fighter for the regular guy and a different kind of leader, he urged Congress to require lobbyists to disclose all contacts with lawmakers or members of his administration and to blunt the impact of last week’s Supreme Court decision allowing corporations greater flexibility in supporting or opposing candidates.

Even before Obama spoke, some of the new proposals, many revealed by the White House in advance, were dismissed — on the right or the left — as poorly targeted or too modest to make a difference. And one of Obama’s economic point men, Treasury Secretary Timothy Geithner, was verbally pummeled by Democrats and Republicans alike over his role in the $180 billion bailout of insurance giant AIG Inc., a venting of the public’s anger about Wall Street.

In the Republican response to Obama’s speech, Gov. Bob McDonnell of Virginia showed no sign of his party capitulating to the president.

In fact, the choice of McDonnell to represent Republicans was symbolic, meant to showcase recent GOP election victories by him and others. McDonnell reflected the anti-big government sentiment that helped lead to their wins, saying in excerpts from his own post-speech remarks that Americans want good health care they can afford, just not by turning over “the best medical care system in the world to the federal government.”

Clinton has a brother, Austin Cash.

Maternal grandparents are Wendy and Danny Wall of Forest City and the late Ronny Dale Parris.

Paternal grandparents are Guy and Wanda Cash of Forest City.

The Daily Courier

Hip & Leg Pain?

Great-grandparents are Ronny and Lunnette Parris of Forest City and Scott and Linda Moore of Spindale.

Call Dr. Burley, D.C., FACO

Great-great grandparents are Hathleen Parris and the late Winfred Parris, the late W.M. Towery and Sarah Towery, Forrest Melton of Ellenboro, the late Mozella Melton, the late Dugan and Evelyn Cash and a special uncle, Mitchell Parris.

Rutherford County / Boiling Springs Chiropractic Center

Chiropractic Orthopedist

828-245-2442 / 704-434-2911

GREAT WITH COFFEE, AND PART OF YOUR MORNING!

The Daily Courier, Forest City, NC, Thursday, January 28, 2010 — 11

Business/finance

THE MARKET IN REVIEW

STOCK EXCHANGE HIGHLIGHTS

u

NYSE

7,035.61 +7.29

GAINERS ($2 OR MORE)

Name Last CallonP h 2.73 MarinerEn 15.80 Primedia 3.29 McClatchy 5.60 DeVry 63.32 Spartch 11.14 RockwlAut 50.84 KV PhmA lf 3.70 Plantron 27.36 PzenaInv 7.34

Chg +.71 +2.13 +.43 +.64 +7.15 +1.05 +4.68 +.31 +2.18 +.59

%Chg +35.1 +15.6 +15.0 +12.9 +12.7 +10.4 +10.1 +9.1 +8.7 +8.7

LOSERS ($2 OR MORE)

Name Last JacksnHew 2.94 Goldcp wt 4.80 MLMLFac129.72 PSBMetDL 14.81 Medifast 18.80 BPZ Res 6.45 BarnesNob18.07 Toyota 79.77 BcSanChile64.14 Cemex 9.90

Chg -.58 -.60 -1.10 -1.37 -1.73 -.58 -1.63 -7.01 -5.37 -.83

%Chg -16.5 -11.1 -10.2 -8.5 -8.4 -8.3 -8.3 -8.1 -7.7 -7.7

MOST ACTIVE ($1 OR MORE) Name Vol (00) Last Chg Citigrp 5446157 3.20 +.05 BkofAm 2539425 15.19 +.42 SPDR 2446445 109.83 +.52 SPDR Fncl 1929124 14.35 +.34 FordM 986034 11.55 +.36 iShEMkts 879627 38.97 -.10 GenElec 762057 16.30 -.05 DirFBear rs 761529 19.18 -1.28 iShR2K 689294 61.84 +.65 JPMorgCh 658007 39.33 +.89 Advanced Declined Unchanged Total issues New Highs New Lows Volume

DIARY

1,530 1,549 102 3,181 48 13 5,393,626,735

u

AMEX

1,820.76 +5.83

GAINERS ($2 OR MORE)

Name PhrmAth HallwdGp LGL Grp RELM SinoHub n NTS Rlty NovaBayP BNJIQ LaBarg TrioTch

Last 2.14 45.00 4.00 3.10 3.58 5.33 2.33 14.47 11.14 4.00

Chg %Chg +.33 +18.2 +4.00 +9.8 +.35 +9.6 +.24 +8.4 +.27 +8.2 +.33 +6.6 +.11 +5.0 +.65 +4.7 +.50 +4.7 +.18 +4.7

LOSERS ($2 OR MORE)

Name Last Barnwell 3.54 CoffeeH 4.17 SoCTBcp 3.25 MercBcp 2.26 ShengInn n 6.20 Arrhythm 5.59 ReadyMix 2.85 NIVS IntT n 3.46 NA Pall g 3.72 SkyPFrtJ n 5.72

Chg -.51 -.57 -.39 -.24 -.60 -.51 -.25 -.25 -.26 -.39

%Chg -12.6 -12.0 -10.7 -9.6 -8.8 -8.4 -8.1 -6.7 -6.5 -6.4

MOST ACTIVE ($1 OR MORE) Name Vol (00) Last Chg NthgtM g 52497 2.75 -.18 GoldStr g 45997 2.87 -.02 Taseko 42804 4.65 -.11 NA Pall g 42203 3.72 -.26 GrtBasG g 24297 1.71 -.03 NovaGld g 23564 5.67 -.30 NwGold g 20941 4.15 ...

VantageDrl 16206 1.49 -.01 PhrmAth 16159 2.14 +.33 BrcIndiaTR 16081 59.22 -.94 DIARY

Advanced Declined Unchanged Total issues New Highs New Lows Volume

203 302 45 550 6 2 117,693,238

u

DAILY DOW JONES

NASDAQ 2,221.41 +17.68

GAINERS ($2 OR MORE)

Name Last Conolog rs 2.11 WSB Hldgs 3.00 KeyTrn 4.78 Micronetic 3.70 SuperMicro13.50 ChinaBio n 10.06 NorestB 10.72 Sanmina rs14.15 CalmsAst 13.79 Angeion 3.97

Chg +.82 +.70 +.83 +.61 +1.89 +1.35 +1.41 +1.85 +1.69 +.46

%Chg +63.6 +30.4 +21.0 +19.9 +16.3 +15.5 +15.1 +15.0 +14.0 +13.1

LOSERS ($2 OR MORE)

Name HutchT DoverSadl CmtyCntrl KongZhg FstCapVA BBC pf II MidPenn eOnComm ProvCmBc ApplRecyc

Last 7.20 2.29 2.05 8.96 6.95 7.00 9.25 3.75 2.29 2.67

Chg -1.79 -.41 -.34 -1.36 -1.04 -1.01 -1.20 -.48 -.29 -.33

%Chg -19.9 -15.2 -14.2 -13.2 -13.0 -12.6 -11.5 -11.3 -11.1 -11.0

MOST ACTIVE ($1 OR MORE) Name Vol (00) Last Chg PwShs QQQ1433539 44.70 +.35 Intel 739877 20.24 +.24 Apple Inc 604015 207.88 +1.94 Microsoft 599473 29.67 +.17 Cisco 513821 23.15 +.25 ETrade 467962 1.65 +.03 3Com 445480 7.46 -.09 Yahoo 398925 15.98 -.01 HuntBnk 337410 4.88 +.28 ApldMatl 302995 13.04 +.39 Advanced Declined Unchanged Total issues New Highs New Lows Volume

DIARY

1,585 1,058 139 2,782 35 24 2,419,244,606

you talk. we listen.

HAVE YOU REVIEWED YOUR 10,760 in person.

Dow Jones industrials LIFE INSURANCE LATELY? Close: 10,236.16 Change: 41.87 (0.4%)

10,420 10,080

11,000

10 DAYS

10,500 10,000

52-Week High Low

10,729.89 4,265.61 408.57 7,471.31 1,908.81 2,326.28 1,150.45 755.91 11,941.95 649.15

6,469.95 2,134.21 288.66 4,181.75 1,234.81 1,265.52 666.79 397.97 6,772.29 342.59

STOCK MARKET INDEXES Name

Dow Industrials 10,236.16 Dow Transportation 4,034.39 Dow Utilities 385.45 NYSE Composite 7,035.61 Amex Market Value 1,820.76 Nasdaq Composite 2,221.41 S&P 500 1,097.50 S&P MidCap 721.88 Wilshire 5000 11,399.45 Russell 2000 618.38

9,000

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Name

PIMCO TotRetIs American Funds GrthAmA m American Funds CapIncBuA m Vanguard TotStIdx TOCKS OF OCAL NTEREST Fidelity Contra American Funds CpWldGrIA m YTD YTD American Funds IncAmerA m Name Div Yld PE Last Chg%Chg Name Div Yld PE Last Chg %Chg American Funds InvCoAmA m AT&T Inc 1.68 6.6 13 25.62 +.29 -8.6 LeggPlat 1.04 5.2 49 20.05 -.12 -1.7 Vanguard 500Inv Vanguard InstIdx Amazon ... ... 72 122.75 +3.27 -8.7 Lowes .36 1.6 19 22.12 +.16 -5.4 American Funds EurPacGrA m ArvMerit ... ... ... 10.41 -.03 -6.9 Microsoft .52 1.8 19 29.67 +.17 -2.7 Dodge & Cox Stock American Funds WAMutInvA m BB&T Cp .60 2.1 24 28.28 +1.48 +11.5 PPG 2.16 3.6 20 59.51 -.46 +1.7 Dodge & Cox IntlStk BkofAm .04 .3 ... 15.19 +.42 +.9 ParkerHan 1.00 1.7 33 57.40 +.80 +6.5 American Funds NewPerspA m BerkHa A ... ... 32107000.00+5249.00 +7.9 Fidelity DivrIntl d Cisco ... ... 24 23.15 +.25 -3.3 ProgrssEn 2.48 6.3 13 39.51 +.28 -3.7 American Funds FnInvA m ... ... 68 27.97 -.18 -9.5 PIMCO TotRetAdm b Delhaize 2.01 2.6 ... 77.54 +.80 +1.1 RedHat Dell Inc ... ... 18 13.53 -.05 -5.8 RoyalBk g 2.00 ... ... 50.30 +.24 -6.1 FrankTemp-Franklin Income A m DukeEngy .96 5.7 14 16.74 -.07 -2.7 SaraLee .44 3.6 20 12.16 +.19 -.2 American Funds BalA m Vanguard 500Adml ExxonMbl 1.68 2.6 15 65.54 -.38 -3.9 SonicAut ... ... ... 9.72 -.17 -6.4 Vanguard Welltn FamilyDlr .62 2.0 14 30.63 +.22 +10.1 SonocoP 1.08 3.7 21 28.98 +.18 -.9 Fidelity GrowCo Vanguard TotStIAdm FifthThird .04 .3 17 12.18 +.47 +24.9 SpectraEn 1.00 4.5 17 22.04 -.22 +7.5 American Funds BondA m FCtzBA 1.20 .7 16 176.12 +3.10 +7.4 SpeedM .36 2.1 ... 17.23 +.13 -2.2 Vanguard TotIntl GenElec .40 2.5 16 16.30 -.05 +7.7 .36 1.5 ... 23.35 -.37 -1.5 Vanguard InstPlus GoldmanS 1.40 .9 7 151.50 +.62 -10.3 Timken Fidelity LowPriStk d 1.80 3.0 35 59.34 +.70 +3.4 T Rowe Price EqtyInc Google ... ... 27 542.10 -.32 -12.6 UPS B KrispKrm ... ... ... 2.83 +.15 -4.1 WalMart 1.09 2.0 15 53.40 -.21 -.1 Hartford CapAprA m Pioneer PioneerA m Goldman Sachs ShDuGovA m Stock Footnotes: g = Dividends and earnings in Canadian dollars. h = Does not meet continued-listing standards. lf = Late filing with SEC. n = New in past 52 weeks. pf = Preferred. rs = Stock has undergone a reverse stock split of at least 50 Alliance Bernstein GrowIncA m percent within the past year. rt = Right to buy security at a specified price. s = Stock has split by at least 20 percent within the DWS-Scudder REstA m Hartford GrowthL m last year. un = Units. vj = In bankruptcy or receivership. wd = When distributed. wi = When issued. wt = Warrants.

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Mutual Fund Footnotes: b = Fee covering market costs is paid from fund assets. d = Deferred sales charge, or redemption fee. f = front load (sales charges). m = Multiple fees are charged. NA = not available. p = previous day’s net asset value. s = fund split shares during the week. x = fund paid a distribution during the week.Gainers and Losers must be worth at least $2 to be listed in tables at left. Most Actives must be worth at least $1. Volume in hundreds of shares. Source: The Associated Press.

Sales figures are unofficial.

+.41 +.49 -.55 +.10 +.32 +.80 +.49 +.18 +.49 +1.02

-1.84 -1.59 -3.16 -2.08 -.23 -2.10 -1.58 -.66 -1.29 -1.12

12-mo %Chg

+22.22 +28.58 +1.27 +27.89 +28.14 +42.55 +25.56 +36.07 +29.34 +30.73

Total Assets Obj ($Mlns) NAV

Total Return/Rank Pct Min Init 4-wk 12-mo 5-year Load Invt

CI 115,919 LG 66,116 IH 58,324 LB 58,004 LG 57,153 WS 56,527 MA 49,431 LB 49,143 LB 48,312 LB 44,401 FB 40,624 LV 39,986 LV 38,906 FV 36,757 WS 33,009 FG 32,048 LB 30,966 CI 30,268 CA 29,740 MA 29,690 LB 28,379 MA 28,289 LG 28,159 LB 27,762 CI 27,358 FB 26,043 LB 24,767 MB 24,672 LV 15,493 LB 9,880 LB 4,328 GS 1,486 LV 1,245 SR 438 LG 188

+1.4 +14.2/C -2.9 +37.1/C -1.8 +24.7/C -2.3 +35.4/B -3.2 +33.0/D -3.8 +38.8/C -1.4 +29.3/B -2.7 +31.1/D -2.5 +32.9/C -2.4 +33.0/C -4.1 +44.7/B -1.0 +41.4/A -2.2 +26.4/D -2.5 +59.9/A -3.4 +42.2/B -3.2 +40.5/D -2.5 +38.7/A +1.4 +13.9/C -0.4 +37.6/A -0.6 +26.4/C -2.4 +33.0/C -0.9 +26.1/C -3.2 +40.8/B -2.3 +35.4/B +1.6 +16.4/B -3.2 +47.7/A -2.4 +33.1/C -0.7 +45.0/B -2.1 +36.9/A -1.6 +50.3/A -2.0 +31.2/D +0.5 +4.0/B -2.7 +21.3/E -7.4 +43.6/B -2.5 +35.1/C

10.94 26.74 47.06 27.10 56.65 32.84 15.32 25.49 101.14 100.47 36.85 96.28 24.32 31.06 24.89 27.08 32.19 10.94 2.05 16.22 101.15 28.68 67.37 27.10 11.95 13.95 100.47 31.94 20.77 30.36 35.30 10.37 2.89 13.35 14.74

+7.1/A +3.0/B +3.7/C +1.3/B +4.6/A +5.7/A +3.0/B +1.9/B +0.7/C +0.8/C +7.3/A -0.1/C +0.5/C +5.3/A +5.8/A +3.5/D +4.3/A +6.9/A +3.9/B +2.4/C +0.7/C +5.0/A +5.1/A +1.4/B +2.7/E +5.0/B +0.8/C +3.8/A +1.0/B +4.1/A +1.5/B +4.8/A -1.8/E +1.2/C +0.5/D

NL 5,000,000 5.75 250 5.75 250 NL 3,000 NL 2,500 5.75 250 5.75 250 5.75 250 NL 3,000 NL 5,000,000 5.75 250 NL 2,500 5.75 250 NL 2,500 5.75 250 NL 2,500 5.75 250 NL 5,000,000 4.25 1,000 5.75 250 NL 100,000 NL 10,000 NL 2,500 NL 100,000 3.75 250 NL 3,000 NL200,000,000 NL 2,500 NL 2,500 5.50 1,000 5.75 1,000 1.50 1,000 4.25 2,500 5.75 1,000 4.75 0

CA -Conservative Allocation, CI -Intermediate-Term Bond, ES -Europe Stock, FB -Foreign Large Blend, FG -Foreign LargeGrowth, FV -Foreign Large Value, IH -World Allocation, LB -Large Blend, LG -Large Growth, LV -Large Value, MA -Moderate Allocation, MB -Mid-Cap Blend, MV Mid-Cap Value, SH -Specialty-heath, WS -World Stock, Total Return: Chng in NAV with dividends reinvested. Rank: How fund performed vs. others with same objective: A is in top 20%, E in bottom 20%. Min Init Invt: Minimum $ needed to invest in fund. Source: Morningstar.

Associated Press

Toyota halts sales of 7 models WASHINGTON (AP) — Toyota suspended U.S. sales of some of its most popular vehicles — including the best-selling car in America, the Camry — to fix sticking gas pedals that could make the cars accelerate without warning.

In another blow to the world’s No. 1 automaker, Toyota Motor Corp. said Tuesday it would halt some production at six assembly plants beginning the week of Feb. 1 “to assess and coordinate activities.”

The company said it would stop selling eight models of cars and trucks, a significant portion of its fleet. The suspension comes after a recall of the same models last week involving 2.3 million vehicles.

Toyota has said it was unaware of any accidents or injuries due to the pedal problems associated with the recall, but could not rule them out for sure.

“This action is necessary until a remedy is finalized,” said Bob Carter, Toyota’s group vice president and general manager.

The Japanese automaker said the sales suspension includes the following models: the 2009-2010 RAV4, the 2009-2010 Corolla, the 2007-2010 Camry, the 20092010 Matrix, the 2005-2010 Avalon, the 2010 Highlander, the 2007-2010 Tundra and the 2008-2010 Sequoia.

Some dealers suggested taking vehicles to dealerships for inspections if people have safety concerns.

Aaron Bragman, an auto analyst for the consulting firm IHS Global Insight in Troy, Mich., said Toyota typically sells about 65,000 Camrys and Corollas a month, and the frozen sales

could strike at the company’s bottom line and reputation for quality.

“That’s huge if they can’t sell these and they don’t have a fix identified. They need to go and get a solution to this fast,” Bragman said.

Toyota sold more than 34,000 Camrys in December, making the midsize sedan America’s best-selling car. It commands 3.4 percent of the U.S. market and sales rose 38 percent from a year earlier. Sales of the Corolla and Matrix, a small sedan and a hatchback, totaled 34,220 last month, making up 3.3 percent of the market and sales up nearly 55 percent from December of 2008.

Toyota spokesman Mike Michels said production would be suspended on the affected vehicle lines this week and it was unclear exactly when it would resume. In an e-mail to employees, company officials said, “we don’t know yet how long this pause will last but we will make every effort to resume production soon.”

Michels said engineers were trying to develop a fix as quickly as possible but he did not have a firm timeline on when the vehicle sales could resume.

Toyota shares were down 2.3 percent in early Tokyo trading at 3,780 yen.

The automaker said the move would affect plants in Princeton, Ind., Lafayette, Ind., Georgetown, Ky., San Antonio, Texas, and Cambridge, Ontario, and Woodstock, Ontario, in Canada.

Toyota spokesman Mike Goss said most workers were expected to be at their jobs during

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Robert Chung, left, and his wife Mandy Cui look over a new Toyota Highlander hybrid SUV at a Toyota dealership in Seattle Wednesday.

Toyota Motor Corp. announced late Tuesday it would halt sales of some of its top-selling models to fix gas pedals that could stick and cause unintended acceleration.

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Fed report gives investors new confidence

NEW YORK (AP) — The Federal Reserve reassured stock market investors Wednesday that the economy is improving and that interest rates will stay low.

Stocks recovered from an early slide to end moderately higher after the Fed issued a more upbeat assessment of the economy following a two-day meeting on interest rates. The Dow Jones industrial average rose 42 points.

Treasury prices also reversed direction and began falling as investors withdrew money from safe haven holdings.

The Fed’s statement that “economic activity has continued to strengthen” since its last meeting injected some calm into a nervous market. Stocks have fallen in five of the last eight days as investors question what effect a more assertive Washington will have on Wall Street. Some investors are also concerned that stocks have risen too fast in a 10-month climb that has left the Standard & Poor’s 500 index up 62.2 percent.

The Fed left interest rates near zero, as expected.

Analysts said that a dissenting vote on the decision from Kansas City Federal Reserve President Thomas Hoenig was a sign that the economy is improving enough to at least discuss boosting the key lending rate.

“That means there are a couple of people who feel like that the economy is getting better at a nice rate that no longer warrants these exceptionally low rates,” said Jamie Cox of Harris Financial.

The Fed also said it still plans to end a program to lower mortgage rates as expected on March 31.

Analysts said that was a sign of confidence in a recovery in the housing market.

Stocks had fallen ahead of the Fed’s announcement as the Commerce Department said sales of new homes fell 7.6 percent in December.

The Dow Jones industrial average rose 41.87, or 0.4 percent, to 10,236.16. It was down about 40 ahead of the Fed’s statement. The Standard & Poor’s 500 index rose 5.33, or 0.5 percent, to 1,097.50, while the Nasdaq composite index rose 17.68, or 0.8 percent, to 2,221.41.

The yield on the benchmark 10-year Treasury note, which moves opposite its price, rose to 3.66 percent from 3.63 percent late Tuesday.

The dollar rose against most other major currencies, while gold fell.

Scott Marcouiller, senior equity market strategist Wells Fargo Advisors in St. Louis, said the Fed’s statement that it is slowing its purchase of mortgage-backed securities suggests the central bank believes the U.S. housing market is improving.

The Fed said it expects to complete the purchase of $1.25 trillion in agency mortgage-backed securities and about $175 billion in agency debt by the end of the first quarter.

In other trading, crude oil fell $1.04 to settle at $73.67 per barrel on the New York Mercantile Exchange.

Falling stocks narrowly outpaced those that rose on the New York Stock Exchange, where consolidated volume came to 5.4 billion shares compared with 4.8 billion Tuesday.

The Russell 2000 index of smaller companies rose 6.22, or 1 percent, to 618.38.

Last

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the assembly line shutdown.

Workers will receive additional training or work on improvements to their assembly processes, but can also take vacation or unpaid leave, he said.

About 300 workers who build V8 engines at a Toyota plant in Huntsville, Ala., will be affected, said Stephanie Deemer, a spokeswoman for the plant.

Goss said the shutdowns will also affect engine plants in Georgetown, Ky., and Buffalo, W.Va. Toyota said no other North American Toyota facility would be affected by the decision.

Toyota dealers said they were concerned the move would hamper sales and were hopeful parts to fix the problem could be distributed quickly.

“They’re going the extra mile to reassure people that they really care about the customers,” said Earl Stewart, owner of a Toyota dealership in North Palm Beach, Fla. “It is something that’s going to be at least a short-term hardship on the dealers, and especially on Toyota.”

The auto company said the sales suspension wouldn’t affect Lexus or Scion vehicles. Toyota said the Prius, Tacoma, Sienna, Venza, Solara, Yaris, 4Runner, FJ Cruiser, Land Cruiser and select Camry models, including all Camry hybrids, would remain for sale.

The announcement follows a larger recall months earlier of 4.2 million vehicles because of problems with gas pedals becoming trapped under floor mats, causing sudden acceleration. That problem was the cause of several crashes, including some fatalities.

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12

— The

Daily Courier, Forest City, NC, Thursday, January 28, 2010

nation

Higher patient cost-sharing hurting seniors

LOS ANGELES (AP) — Higher Medicare copays, sometimes just a few dollars more, led to fewer doctors visits and to more and longer hospital stays, a large new study reveals.

With health care costs skyrocketing, many public and private insurers have required patients to pay more out-of-pocket when they seek care. The new study confirms what many policymakers had feared: cost-shifting moves can backfire.

“Patients may defer needed care and may wind up with a serious health event that might put them in the hospital. That’s not good for the patients, not good for society, not good for anybody,” said Dr. Tim Carey, who heads the University of North Carolina’s Sheps Center for Health Services Research.

Carey had no role in the research, published in Thursday’s New England Journal of Medicine.

The study included nearly 900,000 seniors in 36 Associated Press Medicare managed-care plans from 2001 to 2006.

Rep. Michele Bachmann, R-Minn., speaks during a news conference unveiling the Republican’s Declaration of During that period, half of the plans raised copays Health Care Independence ahead of the State of the Union on Capitol Hill in Washington Wednesday. for visits to doctors and specialists. Researchers compared medical use patterns in those plans with use in similar Medicare managed-care plans that kept copays the same. Copays for prescription drugs remained unchanged in all plans.

Among plans that increased patient cost-sharing, the average copay for a doctor visit roughly douWASHINGTON (AP) — Giving and I think he will bring everysee as too weak in restricting bled, from $7.38 to $14.38. The copay to see a speup on overhauling the nation’s body together,” said Rep. John taxpayer funding for abortion. health care system is not an Larson, D-Conn.

Labor unions struck a deal with cialist jumped from $12.66 to $22.05. By contrast, the average copay for unchanged plans was $8.33 option, the top House Democrat Others were looking for a dose the White House to weaken a said Wednesday as lawmakof reality from the president. proposed tax on high-cost insur- to see a doctor and $11.38 to see a specialist.

For every 100 people enrolled in plans that ers looked to President Barack “I think he has to acknowledge ance plans. raised copays, there were 20 fewer doctor visits, 2 Obama for guidance in his State that the well has been poisoned, Pelosi didn’t say whether the additional hospital admissions and 13 more days of the Union address on how to that the debate has been lost, final bill will be the sweepspent in the hospital in the year after the increase revive the stalled legislation. and tell the American people ing overhaul sought by Obama, compared to those in plans whose copays did not Asked if Congress might abanagain why this is part of the eco- or smaller-scale legislation change, researchers found. don a health care initiative beset nomic strategy moving forward,” that accomplishes only some The trend was most pronounced among blacks, with political and policy probsaid Rep. Jason Altmire, D-Pa. of his goals. Democrats were people living in lower-income neighborhoods and lems, Speaker Nancy Pelosi, Democrats got encourageon the verge of passing farthose with chronic illnesses such as diabetes, high D-Calif., responded: “I don’t see ment Wednesday from groups as reaching legislation before the blood pressure or heart disease. that as a possibility. We will have diverse as the nation’s Catholic Massachusetts election.

The results suggest that raising copays to contain something.” bishops and the head of the largcosts is counterproductive, said Dr. Amal Trivedi, est labor union federation. In a Stunned by the loss, Demoassistant professor of community health at Brown White House Communications letter to members of Congress, cratic leaders have taken health Director Dan Pfeiffer told conthe bishops urged lawmakers to care legislation off the fast track University, who led the study. Not only may it lead to higher health care spending, but patients also gressional staff that Obama will “recommit themselves to enactas they try to find a path forsuffer, he said. use Wednesday night’s address ing genuine health care reform.” ward acceptable to rank-and“Outpatient care for elderly adults, particularly to reiterate his commitment “The health care debate, with file Democrats wary of unhappy those with chronic diseases, is very valuable and to an ambitious remake of the all its political and ideological midterm election voters. may not be something you want to discourage by nation’s health care system, conflict, seems to have lost its The leading option for movsimilar to the call he issued last central moral focus and policy ing forward — having the House having a large copayment,” Trivedi said.

The study was funded by grants from Pfizer Inc. September after critics seized priority, which is to ensure that pass the Senate bill along with and the federal government. the momentum during a sumaffordable, quality, life-giving a package of changes that both The findings echo previous studies on increased mer of angry town hall meetcare is available to all,” said cler- chambers would approve — will patient cost-sharing. When California’s Medicaid ings. gy from the U.S. Conference of take weeks, House Majority Although lawmakers don’t Catholic Bishops. “Now is not the Leader Steny Hoyer, D-Md., said program introduced a $1 copay in 1972, it led to an 8 percent decline in doctor visits and a 17 percent expect to hear a specific pretime to abandon this task.”

Wednesday. That’s time most increase in hospital days. scription for how to move forSimilarly, AFL-CIO president lawmakers would much rather ward, Pfeiffer said the president Richard Trumka said the Senate spend focusing on jobs and the would offer “additional details” should come up with a measure economy, the concerns they say on his health care goals. that the House can pass. “We preoccupy their constituents.

The speech comes as Demofought too long and too hard Many believe health care has crats are struggling to find a for health care to quit for now,” become a political drag. way to advance health care Trumka said in an interview.

In a sign of the turmoil surlegislation after the loss of a rounding the issue, some House PORTLAND, Ore. (AP) — Oregon has set aside Massachusetts Senate seat last Both the Catholic Church and Democrats have begun pushing its history of shooting down tax increases on stateweek cost them the 60-vote labor unions have flexed their to revive a proposal for a governwide ballots, with voters endorsing higher taxes majority needed to deliver. political muscle in the debate. ment-run insurance plan left for “The president is a strong perThe bishops say they won’t supdead months ago after it became on businesses and the rich amid a brutal economic slump. suader, as they say, and I think it port a final bill that includes clear it could not command the Democrats in the Oregon Legislature made it makes an awful lot of difference, Senate-passed language they necessary votes in the Senate. as easy as they could for the voters to raise taxes on somebody else, and the electorate responded Tuesday by approving Measures 66 and 67.

The increases approved Tuesday will hit people with taxable income upward of $125,000 — estimated at fewer than 3 percent of filers. Many businesses who had been paying an annual $10 minimum will see that rise to at least $150.

With 91 percent of the vote counted, the vote was Forest City Rutherfordton 54-46 on Measure 66 and 53-47 on Measure 67.

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The Daily Courier, Forest City, NC, Thursday, January 28, 2010 — 13 SHOE by Chris Cassat and Gary Brookins

THE GRIZZWELLS by Bill Schoor

BROOM-HILDA by Russell Myers

DILBERT by Scott Adams

GIL THORP by Jerry Jenkins, Ray Burns and Frank McLaughlin

THE BORN LOSER by Art and Chip Sansom

ARLO AND JANIS by Jimmy Johnson

FRANK AND ERNEST by Bob Thaves

EVENING

JANUARY 28 DSH DTV 7:00 7:30 8:00 8:30 9:00 9:30 10:00 10:30 11:00 11:30 12:00 12:30

BROADCAST STATIONS

# WBTV $ WYFF _ WSPA ) WSOC ` WLOS 0 WGGS 5 WHNS A WUNF H WMYA Q WRET Æ WYCW

3 4 7 13 2 12 6 8 97 10

3 4 7 9 13 16 21 33 40 62

News Ent. News Inside Wheel Pres Two Busi Payne Trek Fam

265 329 249 202 278 206 209 360 248 258 312 229 269 252 299 241 244 247 256 280 245 296 649 242 307

The First 48 The First 48 The First 48 Manhunters Man Man The First 48 106 & Park Mon Mon } ›› Soul Plane (‘04) Å Mo’Nique W. Williams Daily Col Pre Larry, Cable Tosh Martin Silver Daily Col John Oliver Situation Camp. Brown Larry King Anderson Cooper 360 Å Larry King County Jail Cook County Flipped Flipped Cook County Flipped College Basketball Winter X-Games (L) Å SportsCenter Live Final College Basketball College Basketball College Basketball FOX Report O’Reilly Hannity (N) On Record O’Reilly Hannity College Basketball Wm. Basketball My Words Game Final Simpsons } › Grandma’s Boy (‘06) Arch Arch Arch } Grandma’s Boy } ››› Oscar and Lucinda (‘97) } ››› Quest for Fire Film } ›› Dutch Fun Fun Angel Angel Angel Gold Gold Gold Gold House House First First House House House In Prop First House House Marvels Marvels Food Tech Pawn Pawn Food Tech Marvels Grey’s Anat.

Grey’s Anat.

Prjct Runway Prjct Runway Mod Prjct Runway Mod Odd Fan Mal Mal Chris Chris Lopez Lopez Nanny Nanny Nanny Nanny UFC’s Ultimate Fight Night TNA iMPACT! (N) Prisoners-Ctrl MAN Trail Horror Horror Horror Horror Caprica Lifelike avatar.

Sein Sein } ›› Stomp the Yard (‘07) Fam Fam Lopez Name Name Philadelphia Road to Singapore } Road to Zanzibar Road to Morocco Road BBQ Pit Chopper Chopper BBQ Pit Chopper BBQ Pit Pregame NBA Basketball: Celtics at Magic NBA Basketball: Mavericks at Suns John John John Chow Flap John King King Fam Fam Chick Aqua NHL Hockey: Thrashers at Flyers Thras ACC College Basketball Phen NCIS Å House Å House “Ugly” Burn Notice White Collar Psych Å Home Videos WWE Stars Funny Videos WGN News Scru Scru WWE Stars

8651 8182 8181 8650 8180 8192 8183 8190 8184 8185

Mil Inside Scene Ent. J’par Robin Sein NC My Big Office

Live-Moment CSI: Crime Com Parks Office Rock Live-Moment CSI: Crime Deep End Grey’s Anat.

Deep End Grey’s Anat.

Niteline P. Bones (N) Fringe (N) Our Explr North Rodin } ›› Barbershop (‘02) Old House Carolina Stori Vampire Supernatural

The Mentalist News Jay Leno News The Mentalist News Practice News Practice News Praise the Lord News Sein Live/Lincoln Center News Ac TMZ Lens Sout Tavis News Office Fam

Letterman Late Tonight Show Late Letterman Late Night J. Kimmel Night J. Kimmel Place Frien Frien Jim BBC Charlie Rose Dr. Oz Show Chea BBC Charlie Rose 70s Name Ray

CABLE CHANNELS

A&E BET COM CNN DISC ESPN ESPN2 FNC FSS FX FXM HALL HGTV HIST LIFE NICK SPIKE SYFY TBS TCM TLC TNT TOON TS USA WGN-A

23 17 46 27 24 25 37 15 20 36 38 16 29 43 35 40 44 45 30 42 28 19 14 33 32 -

118 124 107 200 182 140 144 205 137 133 187 112 120 108 170 168 122 139 132 183 138 176 437 105 239

PREMIUM CHANNELS

MAX ENC HBO SHO STARZ

510 520 500 540 530

310 340 300 318 350

512 526 501 537 520

Meet Joe } Slumdog Millionaire (‘08) } ›› Baby Mama Devil Wears Air America } ›› Conspiracy Theory (‘97) The Road Warrior Year Livng City of Ember REAL Sports } ›› Yes Man (‘08) Å Hookers The Soloist } ›› Zoolander } › Disaster Movie Penn La La } Dead Man Walking (‘95) :15 } ››› Bolt (‘08) Å 8:55 } ›› Seven Pounds Spartacus Sun Clean

Woman doubts her abilities Dear Abby: I am in my early 40s, and married with two daughters. I have a friend, “Sally,” whom I have known since the third grade. We are like sisters.

Sally has been profoundly depressed for at least 15 years. She sees a therapist and a psychiatrist on a regular basis and is on medication.

My question, Abby, is what do you say to someone who calls at least once a week, for at least an hour, crying so hard I can barely understand her? She calls to tell me how sad she is and how she doesn’t think anything in her life will improve.

Short of listening and providing the proverbial shoulder to lean on, what more can I do? I feel I need to be there for her, but I also feel drained dry because this has been going on for several years. Any guidance you might offer would be greatly appreciated. — Concerned Friend Dear Concerned Friend: You are a supportive friend, but when Sally calls crying so hard she can hardly talk, tell her that the person she needs to be talking to is her therapist. By allowing her to vent to you, you are preventing the therapist from evaluating her while she’s in crisis and giving her the tools she needs to improve. Your friend may need to have her meds adjusted or changed, and seeing Sally while she is “at the bottom” could give her therapist valu-

Dear Abby Abigail van Buren

able insights. If Sally isn’t capable of placing the call to her therapist, offer to do it for her.

Dear Abby: I am a 14-year-old girl in eighth grade. I have plenty of friends, play the clarinet and piano, and am involved in school yearbook and theater, among other things. My problem is, I get sick a lot.

I can handle the occasional teasing I get from other kids, and my teachers are helpful. It’s the two school secretaries I have a problem with.

Once, when I left school during the day because I wasn’t feeling well, one of them said to me: “You need to try to be at school more. I know it’s hard, but you’ve got to try.” Other things they have said lead me to believe they think I’m faking. What is appropriate in responding to their “comments”?

I’d like to ask, “Is that your opinion as a secretary?” What do you suggest? — Sick of it Dear Sick of It: It’s possible that the woman who advised you that you “needed to be at school more” was speaking out of concern, so try not to be defensive.

Arachnoiditis tough to control Dear Dr. Gott: My wife was diagnosed with arachnoiditis about three years ago. Our doctor has her on a fentanyl patch, Neurontin, Norco and Flexeril at bedtime. These medications seem to keep things in check for reducing her pain, but sometimes she will get a flare-up and nothing seems to work. Her doctor put her on prednisone for short periods, which worked well and almost made her euphoric; however, when she isn’t on the prednisone, her feet become callused, crack, bleed and become painful.

Have you run into this before with your patients? If so, what is out there in the way of new technology to help the situation? Any new studies being done?

Dear Reader: Arachnoiditis is a disorder caused by inflammation of the arachnoid, a membrane surrounding and protecting the nerves of the spinal cord. The inflammation can result from a bacterial infection

PUZZLE

Ask Dr. Gott Dr. Peter M. Gott

or virus, injury, chronic spinal-nerve compression, chemical irritation or any invasive procedure, such as surgery.

The condition can present with stinging and burning of the lower back or legs, muscle cramps, spasms and pain. Bladder and bowel abnormalities, as well as sexual dysfunction, might also occur. Treatment is commonly directed toward the relief of pain. Management might be accomplished through exercise, physiotherapy or psychotherapy and, as you have discovered, steroids.

Surgical intervention remains controversial because of the less-thanoptimal outcome.

IN THE STARS

Your Birthday, Jan. 28; Although you might be a bit more restless than normal in the year ahead, it could push you into new activities.

AQUARIUS (Jan. 20-Feb. 19) — You’ll have no trouble being spurred into action when you learn another’s arrangement.

PISCES (Feb. 20-March 20) — Someone you don’t know well may step forward and offer to do a favor.

ARIES (March 21-April 19) — You’re never reluctant to stand up for your rights, and woe to the person who thinks he or she can run all over you.

TAURUS (April 20-May 20) — Recognize that an adjustment is required regarding a joint arrangement with friends.

GEMINI (May 21-June 20) — Even though you might prefer to keep out of a situation that arises between two friends, step in and offer advice.

CANCER (June 21-July 22) — There is no one better than you to arouse a few lethargic companions.

LEO (July 23-Aug. 22) — You’re not likely to wait for fate or Lady Luck to make things happen.

VIRGO (Aug. 23-Sept.

22) — Don’t avoid making a quick judgment or decision if you believe you have the answer.

LIBRA (Sept. 23-Oct. 23) — You’re not being presumptuous; you’re merely drawing on instant memory.

SCORPIO (Oct. 24-Nov. 22) — Even though you rarely bargain when purchasing a costly item, you might just give it a try.

SAGITTARIUS (Nov. 23-Dec. 21) — Good things in general are likely to happen spontaneously.

CAPRICORN (Dec. 22-Jan. 19) — When you find yourself involved in a challenging situation, all indifference on your part will suddenly vanish.

CLASSIFIEDS

14 — The Daily Courier, Forest City, NC, THURSDAY, January 28, 2010

Contact Erika Meyer to place your ad!

Call: 828-245-6431 Fax: 828-248-2790 Email: emeyer@thedigitalcourier.com In person: 601 Oak St., Forest City

DEADLINES: New Ads, Cancellations & Changes Tuesday Edition.............Monday, 12pm Wednesday Edition......Tuesday, 2pm Thursday Edition......Wednesday, 2pm Friday Edition...............Thursday, 2pm Saturday Edition................Friday, 2pm Sunday Edition......................Friday, 2pm

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1 WEEK SPECIAL Run ad 6 consecutive days and only pay for 5 days*

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3 DAY WEEKEND SPECIAL YARD SALE SPECIAL Run a 20 word yard sale ad Thurs., Fri., & Sat. for ONLY $20.

Additional words are only 75¢ each. Deadline: Wed. at 2 p.m.

NORTH CAROLINA, RUTHERFORD COUNTY NOTICE OF FORECLOSURE SALE 09 SP 519 Under and by virtue of a Power of Sale contained in that certain Deed of Trust executed by John M Restrepo and Ruby Restrepo to PRLAP, Inc., Trustee(s), dated January 15, 2008, and recorded in Book 991, Page 817, Rutherford County Registry, North Carolina.

Default having been made in the payment of the note thereby secured by the said Deed of Trust and the undersigned, having been substituted as Trustee in said Deed of Trust by an instrument duly recorded in the Office of the Register of Deeds of Rutherford County, North Carolina, and the holder of the note evidencing said indebtedness having directed that the Deed of Trust be foreclosed, the undersigned Substitute Trustees will offer for sale at the Courthouse Door in Rutherford County, North Carolina, at 12:00PM on February 10, 2010, and will sell to the highest bidder for cash the following described property, to wit: Situate, lying and being in Chimney Rock Township, Rutherford County, North Carolina, and being a portion of the properties described in deeds recorded in Deed Book 669, Page 575, and Deed Book 702, Page 486, Rutherford County Registry, and being all of Lot 27 of the proposed Section Two of Twelve Mile Post Subdivision, said Lot 27 being described herein by metes and bounds according to a survey dated December 11, 1999, bearing Drawing Number 960111F-C and prepared by K. Scott Walker, R.L.S., as follows: Beginning at an existing iron pin located in the Westernmost corner of Lot 20 as shown on that plat recorded in Plat Book 20, Page 29, Rutherford County Registry, and said new iron pin also being located in the Northernmost corner of the property of Ursula K. Harris as described in deed recorded in Deed Book 731, Page 264, Rutherford County Registry, and running thence from said beginning point and with the said Harris line South 42 deg. 06 min. 36 sec. West 121.22 feet to an existing iron pin; thence leaving the said Harris property and running new lines as follows: South 51 deg. 43 min. 23 sec. West 182.31 feet to a new iron pin, South 07 deg. 09 min. 16 sec. West 238.08 feet to a new iron pin, South 31 deg. 00 min. 16 sec. West 178.21 feet (passing a new iron pin at 155.99 feet) to a point located at the terminus of a 40 foot wide right of way for a private lane; thence running with the centerline of said private lane South 56 deg. 34 min. 34 sec. West 123.47 feet and South 64 deg.

29 min. 56 sec. West 38.08 feet to a point located in the centerline of a 45 foot wide right of way for a private road constructed or to be constructed; thence running with the centerline of the said private road the following seven (7) courses and distances: (1) North 07 deg. 51 min. 27 sec. East 61.51 feet; (2) North 01 deg. 40 min. 18 sec. East 43.38 feet; (3) North 07 deg. 45 min. 52 sec.

West 39.85 feet; (4) North 12 deg. 39 min. 27 sec. West 92.21 feet; (5) North 12 deg. 32 min. 39 sec. West 93.33 feet; (6) North 14 deg. 38 min. 25 sec. West 89.25 feet and (7) North 24 deg. 32 min. 33 sec. West 37.08 feet; thence leaving said right of way and running a new line North 40 deg. 25 min. 43 sec. East 581.14 feet to an existing iron pin; thence running South 57 deg. 14 min. 07 sec. East 205.80 feet to a new iron pin, and South 04 deg. 17 min. 34 sec. East 99.96 feet to the point and place of beginning, and containing 5.000 acres, according to said survey. There is also conveyed herewith a 45 foot wide right of way and easement for purposes of regress, ingress and egress to and from the above described property and US 64/74A over and across McOwenben Pass as shown on that plat recorded in Plat Book 20, Page 29, Rutherford County Registry, and also over and across that private road referenced in the description of the property described above, said private road bordering the Northern boundary of Lot 23 and the Eastern Southern and Western boundaries of Lot 25 of the proposed Section Two of Twelve Mile Post Subdivision. Subject to the right of others an easement for the purpose of ingress, regress and egress over and across that 40 foot wide private lane referenced in the description of the above described property over and across that private road a portion of which the centerline is the thirteen calls referenced in the description of the above described property. Subject to restrictions of record recorded in Deed Book 729, Page 459, Rutherford County Registry. Also subject to the following restrictions: 1. Minimum building setbacks are as follows: Distance from street right of way lines 20 feet Distance from side lot lines 15 feet Distance from rear lot lines 20 feet 2.

Easement for underground utilities along the rights of ways of all roads. 3. There is a 10 feet utility easement to be reserved along the side lot lines. 5 feet either side of line. 4. All roads have a 45 feet right of way unless otherwise noted. 5, Where a lot is traversed by a watercourse, drainway, channel or stream, there shall be provided a storm water easement or drainage right of way conforming substantially with the lines of such watercourse (10 feet from each bank) and such further width or construction, or both, as may be adequate for the purpose of maintaining adequate drainage. And being that same property as conveyed by deed dated June 20, 2005, from Gerry W. Pearson and wife, Erin Elam Pearson to Richard J. Zaintz and wife, Alison G. Zaintz and of record in Deed Book 876 at Page 624. Rutherford County Registry.

Said property is commonly known as: 27 Rock Ridge Rd. (Lot 27, Sec. 2 Twelve Mile Post), Lake Lure, NC 28746 Third party purchasers must pay the excise tax, pursuant to N.C.G.S. 105-228.30, in the amount of One Dollar ($1.00) per each Five Hundred Dollars ($500.00) or fractional part thereof, and the Clerk of Courts fee, pursuant to N.C.G.S. 7A-308, in the amount of Forty-five Cents (45) per each One Hundred Dollars ($100.00) or fractional part thereof or Five Hundred Dollars ($500.00), whichever is greater. A deposit of five percent (5%) of the bid, or Seven Hundred Fifty Dollars ($750.00), whichever is greater, will be required at the time of the sale and must be tendered in the form of certified funds. Following the expiration of the statutory upset bid period, all the remaining amounts will be immediately due and owing.

Said property to be offered pursuant to this Notice of Sale is being offered for sale, transfer and conveyance AS IS WHERE IS. There are no representations of warranty relating to the title or any physical, environmental, health or safety conditions existing in, on, at, or relating to the property being offered for sale. This sale is made subject to all prior liens, unpaid taxes, special assessments, land transfer taxes, if any, and encumbrances of record. To the best of the knowledge and belief of the undersigned, the current owner(s) of the property is/are John M Restrepo and Ruby Restrepo.

PLEASE TAKE NOTICE: An order for possession of the property may be issued pursuant to G.S. 45-21.29 in favor of the purchaser and against the party or parties in possession by the clerk of superior court of the county in which the property is sold. Any person who occupies the property pursuant to a rental agreement entered into or renewed on or after October 1, 2007, may, after receiving the notice of sale, terminate the rental agreement upon 10 days' written notice to the landlord. The notice shall also state that upon termination of a rental agreement, that tenant is liable for rent due under the rental agreement prorated to the effective date of the termination. __________________________________________ Nationwide Trustee Services, Inc. Substitute Trustee 1587 Northeast Expressway Atlanta, GA 30329 (770) 234-9181 Our File No.: 158.0932627NC Publication Dates: 01/28/2010 & 02/04/2010

*Private party customers only! This special must be mentioned at the time of ad placement.

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NOTICE TO CREDITORS Having qualified as Co-Administrator of the estate of JOEL CARL TURNER of Rutherford County, North Carolina, this is to notify all persons having claims against the estate of the said JOEL CARL TURNER to present them to the undersigned on or before the 14th day of April, 2010 or the same will be pleaded in bar of their recovery. All persons indebted to said estate will please make immediate payment.

This is the 14th day of January, 2010.

Philip Turner, Co-Administrator 315 West 102nd St., Apt. 4B New York, NY 10025 Pamela Turner, Co-Administrator 4460 Brainard Road Orange, OH 44022

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The Daily Courier, Forest City, NC, THURSDAY, January 28, 2010 — 15

WEB DIRECTORY Visit the advertisers below by entering their Web address

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HUNNICUTT FORD (828) 245-1626 www.hunnicuttfordmercury.com

BUSINESS&SERVICE DIRECTORY To List Your Website In This Directory, Contact The Daily Courier Classified Department at (828) 245-6431 Erika Meyer, Ext. 205

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16

— The

Daily Courier, Forest City, NC, Thursday, January 28, 2010

nation/world

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PORT-AU-PRINCE, Haiti (AP) — In a quake-smashed city where hundreds of thousands go to sleep hungry and hurting in sordid street camps, 8-year-old Benoit Wodson has at least a bunk bed, food and friends to play with on a lawn beneath the mango trees.

The boy with the big grin and the big scar across his nose wants something more, though: “Can we go look for my mum? Can we go look for my parents?” he asked a worker on Wednesday at the orphanage where he’s been brought.

The smallest survivors of Haiti’s catastrophic earthquake are growing into one of the biggest problems in its aftermath.

Countless thousands of children are scattered among Port-au-Prince’s makeshift camps of homeless and many have nobody to care for them, aid workers say, leaving them without protection against disease, child predators and other risks.

“They are extremely vulnerable,” said Kate Conradt, a spokeswoman for the aid group Save the Children.

She said U.N. experts estimate there may be 1 million youngsters who lost at least one parent in the Jan. 12 quake or are separated from their families.

Some young Haitians are even being released from hospitals with no one to care for them. There just aren’t enough beds.

U.N. workers had spotted Wodson for several days, alone and begging on the street in the refugee camp that has filled the Champs de Mars plaza before the national palace.

When a reporter asked him what happened, he said in a matter-of-fact way, “I felt the ground shaking and I just stood there. I saw the National Palace falling down.”

The l’Escale orphanage where Wilson stayed is among a handful of private institutions around Portau-Prince that the U.N. children’s agency UNICEF is using for Haitian children separated from parents.

Ringed by a big stone wall, the orphanage had a couple of dozen children before. UNICEF has brought eight since the quake with five more on the way, a tiny fraction of those in need.

UNICEF, Save the Children and the Red Cross have begun registering at-risk children and sending some to orphanages such as l’Escale — the name means “in transit” — where they can be temporarily sheltered, said Bo Viktor Nylund, a senior UNICEF adviser for child protection.

The Connecticut-based Save the Children, meanwhile, has set up “Child Spaces” for unaccompanied youths in 13 makeshift settlements.

And the three agencies are working to reunite families, by creating a joint database of separated family members.

Al-Qaida group claims hotel blasts in Baghdad BAGDHAD (AP) — An al-Qaida front group in Iraq claimed Wednesday it carried out the deadly bombings against Baghdad hotels earlier this week, boasting how its suicide bombers could breach the extensive Iraqi security, and that even deadlier attacks were to come.

The same group, the Islamic State of Iraq, has claimed responsibility for three previous waves of coordinated bombings in Baghdad going back to August. The attacks have hit government offices or high-profile sites in the Iraqi capital.

In a statement posted Wednesday on a militant Web site, the al-Qaida group claimed responsibility for the triple suicide blasts on Monday that targeted three hotels favored

by Western journalists and security

contractors. At least 41 people were killed.

It claimed the suicide car bombers were able to get through checkpoints and bypass security barriers.

Iraqi authorities have faced an outcry over apparent security lapses and the latest attacks could increase pressure on the Shiite-led government before national elections on March 7.

The authenticity of the Islamic State of Iraq claim could not be independently verified, but it was posted on a Web site commonly used for militant messaging.

The statement said the latest attacks — which it called “a fourth thunderous wave” — seek to show that government leaders and foreigners are not safe in Baghdad.