daily courier march 20 2010

County dams on list, but risks are low — Page 3 Sports Southern cooking Chase welcomed in county rival R-S Central for baseball conference action

Page 7

Saturday, March 20, 2010, Forest City, N.C.

NATION

50¢

County jobless rate at 18 percent

By SCOTT BAUGHMAN Daily Courier Staff Writer

FOREST CITY — Rutherford County’s unemployment rate for January was 18 percent, a 1.1 percent increase over December and the third highest amongst the Tar Heel state’s 100 counties.

Swain County was second with 18.1 per-

cent while Graham County took an unenviable first place with 19.3 percent.

“It has been discouraging ever since it got over 10 percent,” said Terry Thomas, assistant manager of the Employment Security Commission on Trade Street. “I looked back to see if we had any layoffs from the previous month which may have

Economy still giving out mixed signals

Communities in Schools of Rutherford County recently received a Young Explorer center, purchased by Communities in Schools of North Carolina through a grant from IBM. The center is located at Spindale Elementary School in Debbie Boozer’s classroom. Thomas Benton takes his turn using the center Tuesday morning following the class review time.

Page 11

SPORTS

East, Patton locked in a battle of unbeatens Page 7

GAS PRICES

Allison Flynn/ Daily Courier

School gets Explorer Center

By ALLISON FLYNN Daily Courier Staff Writer

Low: High: Avg.:

$2.68 $2.81 $2.75

DEATHS Forest City

Mike Klassen

Elsewhere

Napolean Whiteside

Page 5

WEATHER

affected the rise and there weren’t any. I looked to see if any of the new extensions had kicked in during that time but they haven’t.”

Over the past 12 months, Rutherford County’s rate has increased 2.5 percent

SPINDALE – With the click of a mouse on a bright, colorful desktop, kindergarten students at Spindale Elementary can interact with a world of math, science, reading and more, on the Young Explorer Center.

Located in Debbie Boozer’s classroom, the Young Explorer Center came to Rutherford County through a grant from IBM to

Communities in Schools of North Carolina.

Communities in Schools of Rutherford County Interim Director Chris Fuller said the state CIS sent out an e-mail saying the centers had been purchased and were available on a first come, first served basis.

“I was fortunate enough to be one of the first to respond,” Fuller said.

Please see Center, Page 6

CIS names its new director

By ALLISON FLYNN Daily Courier Staff Writer

SPINDALE – Rutherford County native Charlotte Epley has been named the new executive director of Communities in Schools of Rutherford County.

Epley began in the position on Wednesday, jumping right in and meeting with the state Communities in Schools officials on Thursday.

The first program manager for Rutherford Town Revitalization, Epley returned to the county 18

months ago. During that time, she said, she’s been networking and getting involved in the community.

“I was in real estate for 16 years quite successfully, and then it tanked,” she said.

Epley replaces former executive director Mary Brown, who left the organization in August.

Board Member Chris Fuller has served as interim executive director since that time.

Please see CIS, Page 6

Charlotte Epley

Please see Jobless, Page 6

Gasoline prices are going up n Some

are forecasting $3 a gallon gas as warm weather season arrives From Staff Reports

FOREST CITY — Gasoline prices are creeping up again, with the average North Carolina pump charging $2.77 for a gallon of regular, according to AAA North Carolina.

Rutherford County’s average price was $2.75 with a low of $2.68 and a high of $2.81.

Analysts say the price is likely to continue to rise as Spring Break and the summer driving season arrive. According to AAA, typically summer prices go up as the cleaner-burning blends of summer gasoline are delivered to the pump and the warmer weather means drivers will be out on the roads more.

Rutherford County government will have to eat the increase in costs.

“Right now it appears the 2009-2010 budget will be close,” said County Finance Director Julie Scherer. “At the beginning of the Fiscal Year, we were paying approximately $2 a gallon for both gas and diesel. On this latest invoice, we were paying approximately $2.22 a gallon for gas and $2.29 a gallon for diesel. We built in some increase in the budget. The prices have, of course, fluctuated up and down during the year. Based on current prices continuing through June 30, the total general fund budget for fuel could go over budget by approximately $10,000. Our General Fund fuel budget is approximately $500,000.”

Motorists are paying the highest prices for gas since October 2008. Retail gasoline prices rose on Thursday on an expected increase in demand.

The nationwide average hit $2.799 per gallon, a penny higher than Wednesday, according Please see Gas, Page 6

CRASH High

Low

73 48 Today, sunny.

Tonight, partly cloudy.

Complete forecast, Page 10

INSIDE Classifieds . . . 14-15 Sports . . . . . . . . 7-9 County scene . . . . 6 Opinion . . . . . . . . 4 Vol. 42, No. 68

Now on the Web: www.thedigitalcourier.com

Emergency medical units responded to a traffic accident Friday afternoon when a Rutherford Electric Membership Corporation truck collided with the back driver’s side of a black Buick Regal Friday afternoon on Railroad Avenue in Ruth.

Both vehicles sustained damage, but fortunately only minor personal injuries were reported.

No other details were available.

Garrett Byers/Daily Courier

2

— The

Daily Courier, Forest City, NC, Saturday, March 20, 2010

local Church News Music/concerts

Winners Either Way

Singing: Saturday, March 20, 7 p.m., Faith Baptist Church, 149 West Main Street Ext., Forest City; featuring The Gospel Travelers.

Singing: Sunday, March 21, 6 p.m., Sandy Level Baptist Church; featuring No Name Higher from Forest City.

Darrell Ritchie will be lead a service in worship and song at Corinth Baptist Church on Sunday, March 21, at 7 p.m. The church is located on Pinehurst Road between Old US 74 and Tiney Road.

Winners Either Way will be in concert Sunday, April 4, at Village Chapel Church, 141 Huntley St., Forest City.

Music begins at 2 p.m. Public invited.

Singing: Sunday, March 21, 10:45 a.m., Concord Baptist Church; featuring The Royal Quartet.

Singing: Sunday, March 28, 2 p.m.; Harris Baptist Church; featuring Point of Life from Pickens, S.C.

Sacred music with Violinist Sharon Lawrence

ELLENBORO — Violinist Sharon Lawrence of Forest City, will present a concert of sacred music on Sunday, March 21, at Bethel Baptist Church in Ellenboro.

The concert begins at 7 p.m., and focuses on Jesus’ amazing love and sacrifice on the cross.

Peggy Hamrick, Minister of Music at Bethel Baptist, will accompany Lawrence on the piano.

The pieces for violin and piano include “Via Dolorosa,” “Jesus Paid It All,” “The Holy City,”

Easter services

Easter Sunday is April 4.

The following churches have announced special activities and services: Caroleen United Methodist Church, Holy Thursday Service with communion, April 1, 6 p.m.

Advent Lutheran Church, Spindale, will hold a Maundy Thursday service April 1, 7 p.m.

Chase Baptist Church will hold an Easter Jubilee “Celebrating 50 Years,” April 2-4. Friday,

“There Is a Fountain,” “In Christ Alone,” “What Wondrous Love,” and “Ode to Joy.” Lawrence teaches private violin lessons and performs with the Charlotte, Greenville, Spartanburg, Asheville, and Hendersonville orchestras.

Previously, she conducted the orchestra and taught violin at Liberty University for 12 years.

A love offering will be received for Mrs. Lawrence. Bethel Baptist Church is located at 379 Main St., Ellenboro. The public is invited.

April 2, 7 p.m., music by the Foothills Gospel Choir; Saturday, April 3, 11 a.m., SonShine Saturday Children’s Worship Service; Sunday, April 4, Easter Jubilee service 11 a.m.

Community sunrise service: Easter Sunday beginning at 7 a.m., behind Harrelson Funeral Home, US 221-A in Caroleen; breakfast will follow the service at Caroleen Baptist Church; Rev. Robert Harris, pastor of Harriett Memorial Free Will Baptist Church, will speak; music will

be provided by Caroleen United Methodist Church.

High Shoal Baptist Church, 284 High Shoals Church Rd., Henrietta; Easter Sunday service begins at 6:30 a.m.; Good Friday service, April 2, 7 p.m.

Easter services will be published on the church page each Saturday for the next two weeks.

Email Easter service/activity information to abyers@thedigitalcourier. com.

Walk as children of light (for the fruit of light is found in all that is good and right and true), and try to learn what is pleasing to the Lord.

R.S.V. Ephesians 5:8-10

The sixth virtue mentioned by St. Paul as a fruit of the spirit is goodness, a translation of the Greek work “agathosune,” derived from agathos, meaning good. (Galatians 5:22) This type of goodness is perhaps best expressed by the notion of being virtuous or doing good to, and for others. We exemplify this virtue when we help someone across the street or donate money to a charity.

But of course, we also manifest goodness in our daily interactions with others, such as when we speak kindly to people and try our best to help them. A person who tries to be good in every aspect of their life is following the path of virtue and is truly a child of God. We rightly think of God as someone who is good all the time, unlike His children, who struggle mightily with a variety of temptations.

And, this goodness or virtue, or goodwill, is really the only thing that is unconditionally good. Every other virtue, if combined with a bad will, becomes bad. Intelligence is good, but if used by someone with bad intentions, it becomes depraved.

Likewise, wealth can be a good thing if used for good ends, but, when used by someone with evil intent, wealth becomes a means of advancing evil.

Only goodness, or a good will, is good in and of itself.

Advent Lutheran Church

����������������������������������� Invites You to Join Us for Sunday School at 9:45am Worship�������������������� Service at 11:00am Pastor: Ron Fink Pastor: Rev. Pamela Mitcham St. 104102 EastReveley Main Street Spindale, NC Spindale, NC 28160 28160 828.287.2056 828.287.2056

Call

245-6431 To Place Your Ad Here

Harrelson Funeral Home Serving the Residents of Rutherford County for Over 80 Years!

168 Frontage Road Forest City, NC Mon.-Fri. 8-5:30 • Sat. 8-1

245-1997

McKinney-Landreth Funeral Home, Inc. 4076 US Highway 221A Cliffside, NC

657-6322

Residential & Commercial 1016 E. Main St., Spindale, NC

286-3527

Spindale Drug Co. “Your Family Pharmacists” 24-Hour Emergency Service 101 W. Main St., Spindale

286-3746

Special services Grow Day: Sunday, March 21, Sandy Mush Baptist Church; Sunday School 10 a.m.; worship service 11 a.m.; lunch afterwards.

Harvest Day program: Sunday, March 21, 3 p.m., Wheat Creek Baptist Church, 131 Wheat Creek Lane, Rutherfordton; guest speaker, Bishop Thomas Thompson Jr., along with his choir from Tribe of Judah Ministries.

Revival: March 21-24, Race Path Baptist Church, Ellenboro; Sunday services 10:50 a.m. and 6 p.m.; MTW, 7 nightly; guest speaker, Dr. Charles “Chuck” Bugg.

Guest speaker: Sunday, March 21, 4 p.m.; Angel Divine Faith Church, Rutherfordton; guest speaker, Pastor L.T. Tate from Walkers Chapel, along with his choir and congregation; Gladys Logan, pastor.

Goodness

Walls Baptist Church

Big Gospel Singing: Sunday, April 4, 5 p.m., Dunbar Community Center; doors open at 4 p.m.; On program — The New Telenaires and Kings of Joy from Forest City, 2gether of Spartanburg, Harris Brothers of Gaffney and others; admission $7; ages 8 and under free; senior citizens half price; concessions will be sold.

1251 Hwy. 221A, Forest City, NC

(828) 657-6383

www.harrelsonfuneralhome.com

Tri-City t c Concrete, LLC. P.O. Box 241 Forest City, NC 28043 828-245-2011 Fax: 828-245-2012 BILL MORRIS

STEVE BARNES

Taize Healing service: Sunday, March 21, 6 p.m., St. Francis Episcopal Church, Rutherfordton; all denominations welcome.

Appreciation program: In honor of Norman Aiken, minister of music; Sunday, March 21, 3 p.m., New Zion Baptist Church, Henrietta.

Harvest Sunday: Sunday, March 21, 3 p.m., Wheat Creek Baptist Church; Bishop T.C. Thompson, pastor of Judah Ministries, will speak.

Revival: March 22-28, 7 nightly, Pleasant View Community Church, 129 Michael Dr., Forest City; Sunday service 11 a.m.; guest speaker, Evangelist Jared McKinney; music

by Free Indeed from Chillicothe, Ohio.

Revival: March 22-28, 7 nightly, Pleasant View Community Church, 129 Michael Dr., Forest City; Sunday service 11 a.m.; guest speaker, Evangelist Jared McKinney; music

by Free Indeed from Chillicothe, Ohio.

“New Fire Youth Rally”: Saturday, March 27, 7 p.m.; Chase High School auditorium; $5 per person; speaker, Steve Collins, South Mountain Christian Camp; worship music by Restoration Praise Band; for more information call 245-1716.

Spring Marriage Celebration: Ignite your marriage with praise, worship and five topical sessions with special guests Scott and Angela Hunter, April 16-17, at Florence Baptist Church, Forest City; $40 per couple, includes sessions, snacks, breakfast and lunch; for more information, contact Mike Elgin at 245-5411.

Old and New Testament program: Sunday, March 28, 3 p.m., Bible Way Fellowship Church, 1107 Ledbetter Road, Spindale.

Four Gospels service: Sunday, March 28, 4 p.m., Forest Chapel Church, 137 Chapel St., Forest City; guest speakers, Rev. Albrutus Hines, Rev. Bernice Suber, Rev. Johnny Logan and Sister Tonya Mills.

Prodigal Praise services: Beginning April 2, First Baptist Church in Spindale will hold Prodigal Praise services the first and third Friday of each month, beginning at 7 nightly.

Spring Fling: Saturday, April 3, 8 a.m. to 2 p.m.; Forest City Foursquare Church, 178 Cornwell St., Forest City; arts, crafts, yard sale items, breakfast and lunch; women’s speakers — Amy Torvinen at 9 a.m., Pat Evans at 10 a.m., Carol Deaton at 11 a.m.

Lenten services: The following churches are holding weekly Lenten services: n First Baptist Church of Spindale, (Wednesdays), worship at noon, lunch promptly at 12:30 p.m.; n St. Francis Episcopal Church, Rutherfordton, (Tuesdays), soup/bread supper 6 p.m., service 6:15 p.m.; n Spindale United Methodist Church, (Wednesdays), meal at 5:15 p.m., program begins at 6 p.m.; n Advent Lutheran Church, Spindale, (Wednesdays), soup/sandwich supper at 6:30 p.m., service from 7 to 7:30 p.m.

Fundraisers Spaghetti supper: Saturday, March 20, 11 a.m. to 7 p.m., New Forest Chapel, 137 Chapel St., Forest City; adults $7; children $5.

Yard sale/fundraiser: March 20, begins at 7 a.m., Community Worship Center, 400 Church St., Spindale; yard items, breakfast and lunch; all clothing items free to those in need.

Poor man’s supper: Saturday, March 20, begins at 4:30 p.m.; Floyd’s Creek Baptist Church, Forest City; adults $6; ages 4-12, $4; ages 3 and under free; all proceeds to benefit a local family who lost their home in a recent fire.

Buffet breakfast: Saturday, March 20, 7 to 10:30 a.m., Mt. Pleasant Baptist Church, Mt. Pleasant Church Rd., Forest City; $5 per person, all you can eat.

Food sale: Saturday, March 20, beginning at 11 a.m., Mount Pisgah United Church of God; fish, chitterlins and hot dog plates.

Chili/soup cook-off, supper: Saturday, March 20, 4 to 8 p.m., Long Branch Road Baptist Church, 627 Long Branch Road, Forest City; sample a variety of soups and chilies, cast your vote; no set price, donations accepted.

Country ham and chicken pie supper: Saturday, March 20, 5 to 7 p.m., Spencer Baptist Church, Spindale; adult plates $8.

Indoor yard sale: Saturday, March 20, begins at 7 a.m., Bethany Baptist Church, 760 Bethany Church Rd., Forest City; large variety of items.

Car wash, food sale: March 20 and 21, Mt. Pisgah United Church of God, Doggett Road, Forest City; car wash, fish and chicken plates, hot dogs and baked goods on Saturday from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m.; Food will be sold Sunday from noon to 2 p.m. (No car wash).

Country ham, chicken pie supper: Saturday, March 27, begins at 4:30 p.m., Mt. Vernon Clubhouse; adults $8; ages 6-12, $5; ages 5 and under free; all proceeds go toward the Mt. Vernon Baptist youth programs.

Breakfast buffet: Saturday, March 27, 7 to 10 a.m., Long Branch Road Baptist Church, 621 Long Branch Road, Forest City (Shiloh community); no set price, donations accepted.

Fish fry: Saturday, March 27, 4 to 7 p.m., Temple Baptist Church, Henrietta, (beside the post office); no set price, donations accepted; all proceeds go toward the Haiti mission team.

Poor man’s lunch: Sunday, March 28, Oak Grove United Methodist Church, immediately after the worship service (around noon); adults $6, donations accepted; includes dessert and beverage.

Other Food giveaway: Free food will be given away to those in need Saturday, March 20, at Forest City Foursquare Church, from noon to 3 p.m., (or until food runs out).

State list does not mean dams pose high risk

The Daily Courier, Forest City, NC, Saturday, March 20, 2010 — 3

local/state CATTLEMEN’S ASSOCIATION AWARDS

By LARRY DALE Daily Courier Staff Writer

SPINDALE — A state report places the lake dam at Isothermal Community College in the “high hazard” category, but the listing does not mean the college’s dam is at high risk of failure.

Instead, the ranking is given because of where the earthen dam is located, alongside heavily traveled U.S. 74A. The state report indicates, “This investigation determined that failure of your dam could result in serious property damage and possible loss of life.”

The rating system does not address the condition of the dam.

Sixty-seven dams are inspected in Rutherford County. Nineteen fall into the high hazard category, including Lake Lure. Eighteen are considered “intermediate hazards” and 30 are “low hazards.”

Stephen Matheny, vice president of administrative services at ICC, said recently that the North Carolina Department of Environment and Natural Resources routinely checks dams in the state.

“We’re subject to an annual inspection, as far as I know, random inspection,” he said, “and they provide a copy of their initial report.

“Since I’ve been here we’ve had a couple of reports. They have made some suggestions to us with findings of minor seepage or brush or small trees that are growing around the drain lines that come from the overflow valves. The overflow is a valve that is put in there; when water levels are high, it is an overspill that takes the water out naturally.

“We normally make those corrective actions and report those.”

He said the work can often be done with groundskeeping staff or maintenance personnel at the college.

Matheny said work done at the lake in early 2009 showed that the dam is, in fact, structurally sound.

“Back in 2008 we had a report from DENR that said we had some corrective action that needed to be taken. And so, in response to that, what we were required to do is provide an action plan of how we would address those. And they didn’t really give us a time frame. They said, we need to see what you plan to do in the future about this.

“So, instead of putting it out to an indefinite time frame, what we did was, we hired an engineering firm locally to help us to facilitate the repairs, and to have it designed to meet the expectations of the department, and so that it would meet the expectations of public safety.

“So in the process of doing that, what we had to do was formulate a plan that would talk about how to minimize the seepage, how to deal with damp areas that were on the downstream slope, and talk about the base of the slope, on the water side, which, they suggested, was caused by muskrat damage. So, in response to that, we put a plan together that we submitted to the state. They received it and accepted it.”

The corrective action required the college to drain part of the water from the lake. And Matheny said ICC wanted to handle the water runoff in the most responsible way possible, since millions of gallons of water were involved.

“We took the lake down about four feet,” he said.

“It took two months. We really didn’t want to open the drain valve because that thing has been in there a number of years, submerged, so we were uncertain if we broke the thing open whether we would be able to get it closed back.

“The overflow valve functions perfectly. There is an emergency crank valve over there. Our engineers couldn’t tell us what happens if you crank that thing open. So we self-constructed some siphons lines, we did two of those, and we drained it into the drain area, which gave us a little bit slower lowering of the lake level.

“So we took it down slowly, couple of months, which was no problem. They (the state) just wanted to make sure we were in progress. And so, once we got it down to a safe level, had it kind of dried out on the front side, we took the steps necessary to remove the muskrats and to prevent them from going back in and causing additional damage.”

Contributed photos

The Rutherford County Cattlemen’s Association held its annual membership meeting on March 11, at the Cooperative Extension Service Center in Spindale. Sam Bingham (left), pictured with his son, Kyle Bingham, was named 2010 Cattleman of the Year. Becky and Harvey Guffey received the Forage Producer of the Year award. Cattlemen’s Association officers are Butch Moore, president; Doug Nethaway, vice president; and Jerry Brantley, secretary/treasurer. Newly elected board members (who will serve 3-year terms) are Sam Bingham, David Migala, Doug Nethaway and Herb Toms. Dr. Mark Alley, a professor in the college of veterinary medicine at North Carolina State University, was the keynote speaker. Dr. Alley spoke on the proper care and handling of livestock, with emphasis on the impact animal rights activist are having on the livestock industry.

College policy on immigrants OK’d RALEIGH (AP) — North Carolina’s community college board on Friday approved allowing illegal immigrants to enroll next year, a move that could drop a contentious issue in the lap of state lawmakers in an election year.

The State Board of Community Colleges voted 13-1 to admit illegal immigrants to classrooms if they graduated from a U.S. high school, pay out-of-state tuition of about $7,700 a year, and don’t displace a citizen.

The country’s third-largest community college system has changed its illegal immigrant admission policy four times since 2000. The change on admitting foreign citizens comes at a time when unemployed workers are jamming classrooms.

But North Carolina also has one of the country’s largest populations of illegal immigrants, with about 678,000 in 2008.

Teacher cuts could go higher

CHARLOTTE (AP) — Budget cuts are responsible for most of the loss of 3,700 teaching jobs in North Carolina, and school officials fear it will be worse next year when federal stimulus money dries up.

The Charlotte Observer reported Friday that 35 or more students now fill some classrooms.

Some schools have eliminated foreign languages, high-level science classes and other electives.

North Carolina has a total of 95,377 teachers, down from 99,098 last The results of that action indicate a strong dam, year. About 700 of those Matheny said. lost jobs can be attrib“It seems that everything is very tight,” he said. uted to to 13,000 fewer “We have had no reports of seepage. Our guys are kindergarten children supposed to be monitoring on a monthly basis to entering school last fall make sure the brush is not growing up into the because of the new age drain areas. cut-off date.

“I think the dam is in good shape. Every report Legislators cut $789 that we got from the engineers said that structurally it was in good shape, with the exception of the million from the public school budget for this damage by the animals. Structurally, the foundayear, which included tion of it was not suspect. So I think we are in $225 million in reducgood shape there.” tions left to local disICC also was asked to provide DENR with an emergency action plan, and that was submitted to tricts to make. School districts used federal the state on Jan. 31, 2010. stimulus money to keep “And so,” Matheny said, “I think we are in good more teachers than they shape, overall, as it relates to the dam.

“We feel like we have been very responsive. We’re ordinarily would in light always receptive to any suggestions from their (the of the state budget cuts.

“I think the General state’s) expertise to point out things that we can do to guarantee and ensure that folks who are down- Assembly did the best stream are safe, and that we minimize the possibil- they could by us in light ity of any structural damage. We are very conscien- of the budget situation.

We would present the tious about putting attention to the matters that case that deeper cuts they point out to us, and will continue to do so. would really have an adverse impact,” Bill “With this repair that we did, we responsibly Harrison, State Board sent downstream in excess of 50 million gallons of Education chairman, of water. To my knowledge we didn’t receive any said. phone calls, complaints, no reports of property The numbers come damage We were able to do that in a way that crefrom an annual report ated a more natural flow into Brackett Creek. I prepared by the state think that is very responsive, and it is what the Department of Public community expects from anybody who is in our position as neighbors of businesses that are operat- Instruction just a few months before the state ing in proximity to any manmade structure.”

Legislature returns to Raleigh.

Contact Dale via e-mail at ldale@thedigitalcourier.com

The enrollment rules are comparable to those already in effect for University of North Carolina campuses.

“But we also recognized the needs of our state’s citizens to have every educational opportunity available by adding the caveat that a North Carolina or U.S citizen could not be displaced by an undocumented immigrant,” community colleges board chairwoman Hilda Pinnix-Ragland said.

The policy now must be reviewed by a state commission that reviews administrative rules. Written objections to the policy from 10 residents would send it to the General Assembly, which could block the liberalized admissions by passing a law.

Democratic leaders in the state House and Senate would decide whether to take the issue to a vote.

Americans for Legal

Immigration PAC president William Gheen said opponents of illegal immigration will raise objections and leave it for Democratic legislative leaders to decide whether to reverse the community colleges board.

Republican state Reps. Wil Neumann and Pearl BurrisFloyd, both of Gaston County, have said they’ll seek legislative action to overturn the policy.

Friday’s sole opposing vote came from Lt. Gov. Walter Dalton.

Dalton issued a statement saying: “It is simply not the right time to place greater demands on our community colleges.”

A spokeswoman did not immediately respond when asked to clarify Dalton’s statement, since illegal immigrants would pay the full cost of their education and take instructional slots otherwise unfilled.

SAVING WITH THE COUPON QUEEN Jill Cataldo saves hundreds on groceries by making the cost of the common coupon count. You can, too.

The confused cashier

JILL CATALDO

Has this ever happened to you? You finish filling your cart with the JILL CATALDO week’s groceries, head to the checkout lane and place your items on the conveyor belt. The cashier announces the total and you hand over a nice stack of coupons. Then, the cashier pauses. You hear the words, “I don’t think we take coupons from the Internet.” The cashier hands them back to you and you ponder what to do next.

While most of my shopping trips run very smoothly, occasionally even your Coupon Queen encounters a cashier issue or two. So what do we shoppers do?

One of our biggest tools to deal with checkout problems is the store’s coupon policy. Most stores have a written policy that states exactly how they handle coupons presented in the checkout lane. Many stores post the policies on their Web sites and others have a copy at the customer service counter in the store itself.

What’s in a coupon policy? Information that shoppers can use to better plan our shopping trips! Coupon policies state specifics such as, We accept Internet coupons, We accept expired coupons or We accept competitors’ coupons. Everything we need to know about what kinds of coupons our stores should accept is spelled out for us right in the store’s policy.

Armed with this knowledge, well-informed shoppers know exactly what coupons our stores should accept! The most commonly heard issue with cashiers does involve the store’s acceptance of printable Internet coupons. If you’re told that the store does not accept them, ask to see a copy of the store’s coupon policy. Most grocery stores and supermarkets do accept Internet coupons that are legitimately printed and are not photocopies.

Unfortunately, due to the rise in coupon fraud, stores are getting more stringent about the kinds of Internet coupons that they will accept. Most legitimate Internet coupons contain a unique ID or barcode identifier and several other key features that stores use to ascertain a coupon’s validity. And any time the Coupon Information Corporation, a nonprofit organization that monitors coupon fraud, identifies a new, counterfeit coupon, it sends stores an alert to watch for coupons known to be fraudulent or counterfeit.

However, when a fraud alert goes out, sometimes it has a ripple effect.

Our stores learn that a new counterfeit coupon has been spotted in circulation. Instead of homing in on the specific coupon mentioned in the alert, some cashiers may find it easier not to accept any Internet coupons.

This not only hurts shoppers, it hurts stores, too, since the large number of Internet coupons are legitimate and perfectly fine for the store to accept. Marketers reimburse stores for the full value of every coupon shoppers redeem, whether the coupon ran in the newspaper, appeared in newspaper inserts, was found on a product package or was printed legitimately from the Internet.

Would you like another piece of the cashier/coupon policy puzzle? I’ve heard from many cashiers that they get very little training on their store’s coupon policy. This puts coupon-savvy shoppers in an unusual situation. It’s possible that you may be more familiar with a store’s coupon policy than the cashier is. If you find yourself in this situation, never force the issue. Simply ask the cashier to check the store’s policy with the manager. You can politely let the cashier know that you’ve read it to make sure that all of the coupons you’re presenting are acceptable.

A cashier issue most likely stems from a little confusion that isn’t the cashier’s fault at all. A cashier who questions your coupons may simply be trying to protect the store and do what they believe is right. We’ll continue to discuss commonly heard cashier coupon issues in the weeks ahead.

4

— The

Daily Courier, Forest City, NC, Saturday, March 20, 2010

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

Jodi V. Brookshire/ 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 Recovery must be our focus

T

he latest unemployment numbers in Rutherford County continue to be grim as the jobless rate for January rose to 18 percent.

These numbers again illustrate that the biggest problem facing our community and our country is getting people back to work.

There are some positive factors at work.

A jobs bill has passed Congress, aimed largely at spurring employers to hire the unemployed. Still, it will take time for this to filter out into the job markets.

If the economy continues to grow, however slowly, that can help.

There are many companies and small businesses now which have reached a bottoming out point. The cuts they made as the recession progressed have left them treading water. When they begin to see the economy stabilizing and when the financial markets open to them, maybe they will have the courage to begin adding people to their payrolls.

Still, simply put, there are too many unanswered questions remaining to give employers the kind of confidence they need to be aggressive about the future.

For all those people out there looking for jobs, a little hope is a good thing, but it is not going to put food on their tables or pay their bills.

They cannot afford to quit looking for work, and our business and political leaders cannot afford to stop looking for the right mix of policies and actions that will strengthen our economic footing and get this recovery out of first gear. We are all in this together, and unless we all do our parts, our struggles will be prolonged.

Our readers’ views Says some should skip health care debate To the editor: Some of the letters to the editor promoting the proposed health system have been written by military retirees.

Readers should keep in mind that retired military and government workers have TriCare health benefits and will not participate in any way in the “new proposed” health care program.

Tricare provides health services much like that enjoyed by our elected congressional leaders.

There is no doughnut hole in TriCare that many of us fall into which costs us an additional $4300/year. If “your dog is not in the hunt” your promotion is not valid unless you admit in the first sentence that you are exempt from the proposed health plan.

Luther Lewis Gilkey

Says free trade has not helped Americans To the editor: The health care debate has got me thinking about what has happened to this country over the last 20 years.

It seems to me America was a

much better place before Free Trade. The middle class was made up of men and women who worked for manufacturing companies. The companies appreciated and rewarded hard work with good pay and benefits that included health care coverage.

The middle class thrived, families could afford to buy homes and cars and send their kids to school.

Since then, we have systematically exported the jobs that sustained the middle class, and as those jobs go, so do the benefits that Americans had grown accustomed to (including health care). The big corporations and the Wall Street fat cats all made fortunes as more and more Americans fall out of the middle class.

People who worked for companies and carried health care coverage for decades have lost access to health care and more importantly a place in the middle class. How can this county and this country survive without a manufacturing base? The people pushing for health care reform need to realize that jobs are the key to health care. Sure the system is not perfect and could use some reform, but a massive entitlement program that raises taxes is not the answer. Rebuild

our manufacturing base and put people back to work!

Steve Gettings Forest City

Says Congress should do what is right To the editor: I enjoyed your editorial Wednesday. But you would expect me to disagree to some extent.

While both parties could have done better, I think no one could have done worse than the Republican Party. They have admitted that they have voted for nothing to try to destroy the President.

The President said on Tuesday, the 15th, that he did not know how this bill would play politically, but he knew what was right.

He has worked harder on bipartisanship than he has health care reform.

While many people do not believe this is a job for government, they have no answer for how to get the job done.

Do you remember Kennedy’s book Profiles in Courage?

Seems to me it is time for Congressmen to do what is right.

Ray Crawford Rutherfordton

What dilemma do we really face in health care?

For the last six weeks, I’ve seen our health care system up close.

My 87-year-old father had his aortic heart valve replaced. Fortunately, the operation itself went smoothly with no complications. But as the surgeon warned us, many of the issues occur well after the surgery.

Indeed, my father contracted pneumonia, and he has been battling it at the same time he has been rehabbing from the operation. Needless to say, it has been tough going for him and us.

As a professional economist, I perhaps look at our health care system in a different way than others do.

I’m not only observing what goes on in terms of the specific care and treatments, but I’m also studying the incentives in the system facing both patients and providers.

In dealing with my father’s care, my first observation is very much a positive one.

I am simply in awe over what medical science can do today. To think that a surgeon could go in to my father’s heart, extract the defective valve, insert a new valve and have my father’s heart resume functioning within a matter of hours is truly amazing.

I’ve also been impressed

You Decide Dr. Mike Walden

by the other medical staff — including doctors, nurses and technicians — who have helped my father during his three weeks in the hospital.

All have been professional, caring and knowledgeable.

I’ve even sampled the hospital food, and at least in my opinion, it’s not bad. So when people say our country has the best medical care available, I can believe them.

But what about the cost of this health care? Being over age 65, my father has Medicare, the federal program to help pay for the medical care of senior citizens. He also has a private supplementary health care plan.

Not once did anyone ask my father or his family (my wife and me) about cost and payment of that cost.

For example, when the surgeon was discussing plans for the operation with us, never did he say, “Now, this operation will cost $X, so consider this expense in deciding whether to go

ahead with the operation.”

Instead, we were able to decide purely on the basis of whether the procedure would help my father.

But notice how this is different from other kinds of decisions we make. No one would purchase a vehicle simply on the basis of the benefits that vehicle would give the owner. How much the buyer would have to pay for the vehicle is a consideration — for many, perhaps the most important consideration.

On one level, it’s good my father and his family only had to consider one side of the economic equation — the benefit side — without also being confronted with the cost side. How agonizing it would have been if we had to compare the benefits — maybe five to eight additional years of life for my father — against the six-figure cost of his surgery and care.

Some may say the cost of my father’s care doesn’t matter because it’s “free,” mostly paid by Medicare or his insurance.

True, this cost isn’t out of my father’s pocket, but it certainly isn’t free. The money spent on my father could have been spent by Medicare and his private insurance company on other patients,

or it could have been used to reduce very slightly Medicare taxes and private insurance premiums.

This, then, is the big dilemma we face in health care.

We want people to have access to the best possible health care.

However, we also want to shield people from the cost of this health care.

Furthermore, as medical science advances (for example, the type of heart valve procedure used for my father wasn’t even possible five years ago) and health care professionals can do more for more people, the cost of our health care rises.

A reinforcing cycle has, therefore, resulted. Medical science can do more, and doing more costs more. At the time decisions are made about treatment, the patient has very little financial “skin” in the process because taxes and insurance premiums have already been paid, so patients want more to be done.

This motivates medical care professionals to do more and look for ways to do even more, which pushes costs higher.

There are three ways out of this box, but they all have big downsides. First, put more of the patient’s money

on the line at the time medical decisions are made. For example, make my father pay for a significant percentage of his heart surgery. But do we want people to consider money at a time when their life may be on the line?

Second, have someone other than the doctor and patient decide if the benefits of a treatment outweigh the costs. In my father’s case, this external decision maker would have considered my father’s age and likely longevity in deciding whether to pay the costs of the valve replacement. Yet, do we want a third party making these decisions?

Or, third, encourage the expansion of the “supply” of health care professionals and facilities in order to reduce costs. However, would greater quantity come at the expense of lesser quality?

I don’t have an easy answer — in fact — right now I’m glad I don’t have to decide!

Dr. Walden is a William Neal Reynolds Professor and North Carolina Cooperative Extension economist in the Department of Agricultural and Resource Economics of N.C. State University’s College of Agriculture and Life Sciences. He teaches and writes on personal finance, economic outlook and public policy.

The Daily Courier, Forest City, NC, Saturday, March 20, 2010

—

5

Local/Obituaries/state

Obituaries

A SPRING TUNE-UP

Mike Klassen Michael Lee “Mike” Klassen, 47, of Big Island Road, Forest City, died Friday, March 19, 2010, at Mission Hospital in Asheville, following a sudden illness.

He is survived by his wife, Belinda Brooks of the home; two stepdaughters, Brandy Brooks and Joni Lea Brooks, both of Forest City; one brother, Marv Klassen of Rutherfordton; two grandchildren; and two nephews.

A memorial service will be held at 6 p.m. Monday at Forest City Four Square Church with the Rev. Ricky Poteat officiating.

In lieu of flowers, memorials may be made to the Mike Klassen Memorial Fund, c/o Belinda Brooks, 335 Big Island Road, Forest City, NC 28043.

Crowe’s Mortuary is assisting the Klassen Family.

Online condolences: www. crowemortuary.com.

Napolean Whiteside Napolean Whiteside, of 238 Apache Trail, Marion, formerly of Rutherford County, died Thursday, March 18, 2010, at Asheville Health Care.

Arrangements are incomplete and will be announced

by Pruitt Funeral Home.

Deaths

Charles Lang BALTIMORE (AP) — Jeff Wright took advantage of a warm and sunny weather this week to spray paint shelves at Dean’s Charles John “Chick” Lang, the longtime head of Pimlico Produce in Rutherfordton, getting ready for the arrival of early vegetables and spring flowers.

Race Course who helped make the Preakness a mustwatch for sports fans around the country, died Thursday.

He was 83.

Elizabeth Berquist said her FOREST CITY — A He was on bond for the trated the organization, grandfather, known as “Mr. Rutherford County man, drug trafficking charges in using undercover operatives. Preakness,” died of natural scheduled for Rutherford Rutherford and Henderson Between December and causes in a medical facility County Superior Court counties at the time of his February, undercover officers on Maryland’s Eastern Shore. on April 5, is being held arrest in Iredell County. purchased different types Lang was born into racing. in Iredell County under a According to a Statesville of LSD, MDMA, mescaline, His great-grandfather, John $100,000 bond on a charge newspaper account of the psilocybin mushrooms and Mayberry, was a Kentucky of conspiracy to traffick LSD. arrest, an investigation marijuana from a residence Derby-winning trainer in Franklin Scott Crook, began in December, when in northern Iredell County, 1903 and his father, Chick 31, of Bostic, was arrestthe sheriff’s office, in conRedmond said.

Lang Sr., won the 1928 ed in Iredell County last junction with the State Kentucky Derby riding Reigh Wednesday as a result of an Bureau of Investigation, tarThe investigation also led Count. investigation into a designer geted a designer drug ring to Yadkin County, where Lang started as a successdrug operation, reported based in northern Iredell undercover operatives bought ful jockey’s agent. He worked Iredell County Sheriff Phil County, the sheriff said. cocaine from several individ- at Pimlico from 1960 to Redmond.

In the course of the investi- uals, Redmond said.

1987, holding the positions of In addition to the Iredell gation, Redmond said, it was The investigation revealed director of racing, vice presiCounty charges, Crook is learned this ring had been that between January 2005 dent and general manager. charged with trafficking operating for five years and and February 2010, Crook, Lang is credited with bringdrugs in Rutherford County was distributing quantities of had been supplying the orga- ing the Preakness national and will face those charges LSD, MDMA (ecstasy), DMT nization in Iredell County, attention at a time when the in court, April 5. He also (dimethyltryptamine), a psythe newspaper account said. Kentucky Derby overshadfaces numerous other drug chedelic drug, mescaline, psiHe was arrested by memowed it. charges in Rutherford and locybin and high grade mari- bers of the sheriff’s office He tirelessly promoted the has a May 17 court date for juana in various counties in narcotics division, criminal Baltimore race, traveling to those, according to a clerk in the Piedmont. enforcement unit and the the Kentucky Derby with criminal records.

The sheriff’s office infilSBI. “Next Stop Preakness” signs.

He once floated hundreds of yellow and black balloons over the Kentucky Derby Parade.

The opening of the infield was Lang’s idea. In 1965, he brought a school bus full of eight E-911 calls Thursday.

Road; charged with failure Sheriff’s Reports his daughter’s friends to the to comply on child supn The Rutherford County infield to watch the races and port; placed under an $800 Forest City Sheriff’s Office responded to some lacrosse games. secured bond. (RCSD) 185 E-911 calls Thursday. n The Forest City Police That evolved into the alln Perry Eugene Hardin, n A.B. Shuford reported Department responded to 78 60, of 301 N. Washington St.; day party, complete with rock the theft of a bush hog wheel E-911 calls Thursday. charged with second-degree bands and drinking, that frame and other items. marks today’s Preakness. trespassing; freed on a cusn Ann Merkle Oleary After his retirement, Lang Arrests tody release.

(RPD) reported the larceny of a work as a racing consultant n James Arthur Murray, n Jennifer Nicole Trout, 24, Coca Cola sign. for tracks around the country 43, of 121 Abbington Lane; of 149 Amity Drive; charged n Jessica Marie Keeter charged with felony converreported the theft of a vehicle with driving while impaired; sion; released on a $15,000 released on a $1,000 unsetag.

N.C. accomplice unsecured bond. (SPD) cured bond.

(RCSD) n Betty Louise Weeks to OC fortuneteller n Lester Cleveland Camp, reported damage to a storm 42, of 405 Hog Pen Branch EMS/Rescue door. killing sentenced Road; charged with misn The theft of a catalytic n The Rutherford County SANTA ANA, Calif. (AP) — demeanor probation violaconverter was reported at EMS responded to 26 E-911 A North Carolina man who tion; placed under a $5,000 KTS Auto Sales, 701 Poors calls Thursday. helped murder an Orange secured bond.

(Probation) Ford Road, Rutherfordton.

County fortuneteller and her n Arthur Charles Camp, n Bobby Glenn Searcy n The Volunteer Life daughter has been sentenced reported the theft of a motor 46, of 1549 Old Henrietta Saving and Rescue, Hickory to 25 years to life in prison.

Road; charged with failure home.

Nut Gorge EMS and Phillipe Zamora of Roanoke to comply on child support; n Surness Eugene Lovelace Rutherford County Rescue Rapids was sentenced Friday, placed under a $379.56 cash reported the theft of bush responded to five E-911 calls nearly a year after pleading bond.

(RCSD) hog and a box scrape.

Thursday. guilty to burglary and murn Robert Anthony Wilson, der.

34, of 434 Piney Mountain Rutherfordton Fire Calls Prosecutors say he and Church Road; charged with Tanya Nelson stabbed the n The Rutherfordton Police failure to appear, failure n Bostic firefighters Westminster women to death Department responded to 23 to notify DMV of address responded to a field fire. with kitchen knives in 2005.

E-911 calls Thursday. n Cliffside firefighters change, speeding, expired Nelson was convicted of murresponded to a brush fire. registration card/tag; placed der last month and a jury recn Ellenboro firefighters under a $1,500 secured Spindale responded to a motor vehicle ommended the death penalty. bond. (RCSD) n The Spindale Police Authorities say Nelson accident. n Galen Pinkney Briggs, Department responded to 27 decided to kill Ha “Jade” n Spindale firefighters 35, of 108 Inglebrook Drive; E-911 Thursday. responded to a motor vehicle Smith and her daughter charged with failure to comAnita Vo because the fortuaccident. ply; placed under a $497 Lake Lure neteller refused to grant her n Sandy Mush firefighters cash bond. (RCSD) responded to a motor vehicle wish to be reunited with a n Hank Randall Queen, n The Lake Lure Police lover. accident.

39, of 976 Gilmer Edwards Department responded to Jean Gordon/Daily Courier

County man facing drug charge

Police Notes

and as a racing analyst for WBAL radio.

Jerome York DETROIT (AP) — Jerome York, a board member at Apple Inc., and a financial wizard who is credited with turning around Chrysler and IBM, died Thursday at the age of 71.

Apple CEO Steve Jobs said in a statement that York was a pillar of financial and business expertise and insight on the board for more than a dozen years.

York worked for all three Detroit automakers starting in the 1960s. He helped Chrysler survive its first government bailout in 1980 and later rose to chief financial officer and helped oversee cost cuts and a return to profitability. He made similar moves as IBM Corp.’s chief financial officer in the 1990s.

He also advised investor Kirk Kerkorian in a later takeover attempt of Chrysler and in efforts to reform General Motors.

York joined Apple’s board in 1997 when most people doubted the company’s future, Jobs’ statement said.

As Chrysler’s CFO, York helped restore the No. 3 U.S. automaker to profitability with cuts and asset sales and was considered a potential successor to then-chairman Lee Iacocca. He left Chrysler to become IBM Corp.’s CFO in 1993.

An IBM senior manager described him as “the pit bull who came to sell everything and not approve anything,” according to a Harvard Business School case study about IBM’s turnaround.

York left IBM in 1995 to become vice chairman of Tracinda Corp., billionaire Kirk Kerkorian’s investment company. Kerkorian teamed up with Iacocca and made an offer to buy Chrysler that same year. Kerkorian retreated the following year after winning a board seat at the company.

After Kerkorian bought up GM shares in 2006, York was named to the automaker’s board. York supported an alliance with Nissan Motor Co. and Renault SA as well as ditching some GM brands.

He resigned shortly after GM ended talks with Renault and Nissan.

“I have grave reservations concerning the ability of the company’s current business model to successfully compete in the marketplace with those of the Asian producers,” York wrote in his resignation letter.

Three years later, GM entered bankruptcy protection and shed four of its eight brands.

York also is chief executive officer of Harwinton Capital LLC, a private investment company he controls.

He was born in Memphis in 1938 and graduated from the U.S. Military Academy.

He earned a master of science degree from the Massachusetts Institute of Technology and a master of business administration degree from the University of Michigan.

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.

Phone: (828) 245-6431 Fax: (828) 248-2790 Subscription rates: Single copy, daily 50¢ / Sunday $1.50. Home delivery $11.75 per month, $35.25 for three months, $70.50 for six months, $129 per year. In county rates by mail payable in advance are: $13.38 for one month, $40.14 for three months, $80.27 for six months, $160.54 per year. Outside county: $14.55 for one month, $43.64 for three months, $87.28 for six months, $174.56 per year. College students for school year subscription, $75.

The Digital Courier, $6.50 a month for non-subscribers to The Daily Courier. Payment may be made at the website: www.thedigitalcourier. com The Daily Courier is not responsible for advance subscription payments made to carriers, all of who are independent contractors.

6

— The

Daily Courier, Forest City, NC, Saturday, March 20, 2010

Calendar/Local/state

Perdue forfeits questioned donations Health/education Community Health Clinic of Rutherford County provides access to primary medical care, wellness education, medications and preventative programs. The clinic, open Monday through Thursday, is located at 127 E. Trade St., B 100, Forest City. Patients seen by appointment only. The clinic does not accept patients with private insurance, Medicaid or Medicare.

Call 245-0400. The Medication Assistance Program provides access to medications at reduced rates or free of charge to those who qualify, call 288-8872.

Meetings/other Democrat Club: Rutherford County Democrat Club will meet Monday, March 22, at Democrat Headquarters, Main Street, Forest City. The meeting begins at 7 p.m.

Initial meeting: The first meeting to begin documenting the history of “Little Detroit” and establishing a Heritage Museum, will be held Tuesday, March 23, 6:30 p.m., at Bennett Classics Auto Museum, 241 Vance St., Forest City; if you or your family have been part of this area’s automotive history, repair, transport, sales, racing, plan to attend this meeting; for more information contact Gary Barnett at 247-1767.

Correction: The Solid Waste Department announced this week that all convenience centers would extend hours to coincide with Daylight Saving Time. That statement was a misunderstanding and the centers will continue on the following schedule Monday-Friday 6 a.m. to 7 p.m., and Saturday 8 a.m. to 7 p.m.

Athletic Boosters: Chase High Athletic Boosters will meet Monday, April 5, at 6:30 p.m. in the office conference room.

Miscellaneous Spring Fling: Friday, March 26, 3:30 to 7:30 p.m.; Rutherfordton Elementary School; games, inflatables, Bingo, cake walk, sand art, food and lots more.

Chase Corner Ministries opens this week completely restocked with spring and summer merchandise. Hours M-F, 8:30 a.m. to 2 p.m. Located on Chase High Road, directly across from the high school.

Beginner shag lessons: Last Chance to sign up for beginner shag lessons before summer. Class starts in April. Call 287-9228 for information or to register.

RHP voting: Rutherford Housing Partnership has been selected by PEPSI to be in the running for one of its $25,000 PEPSI REFRESH grants for March. You can vote once a day at http://www.refresheverything.com/rutherfordhousingpar.

Cosmetology specials: Open to the public March 23-26. The specials include hair cut, perm or relaxer, and style for $10 (regular rates $28).

Appointments are requested but walk-ins will be accepted. TWTh, clients will be accepted between 9 a.m. and 5:30 p.m., and Friday, March 26, 8:15 a.m. and 11 a.m. only.

Easter egg hunt, picnic: For special needs children and adults; Saturday, March 27, 1 to 5 p.m., at Crestview Park, Rutherfordton; sponsored by Ken and Diane Dellinger.

Low-cost rabies clinic: Saturday, April 10, noon to 1 p.m.; Thunder Road Animal Hospital; $10 cash, one-year rabies; $12 cash, threeyear rabies; other discounted vaccines available; call 286-0033.

Fundraisers Annual barbecue: Sponsored by Forest City Lions Club; Saturday, March 27, 4 to 7 p.m., at First Baptist Church, Forest City; adults $8; children $4; under 6 free; bag lunch ($5 each) 11 a.m. to 2 p.m.

Benefit supper, karaoke night: For Keith and Tammy Cogdell, who lost everything in a house fire; Saturday, March 27, at Cane Creek Clubhouse, beginning at 7 p.m.; hot dogs and hamburgers will be sold; $3 for karaoke, donations accepted; all proceeds for the Cogdells.

Barbecue supper: Saturday, April 10, 4 to 8 p.m., Hopewell Hollis Community Clubhouse; barbecue pork and chicken plates; adults $8.50; ages 6-12, $5.

Relay for Life fundraiser: AMAZINGrace, sponsored by the Little Warriors Relay Team, will be held Saturday, April 24, beginning at 10 a.m. Based on the television reality show Amazing Race. Fee $100 per team. Deadline April 10.

Contact Barbara at 429-4616, or Bobbie at 223-8193.

Reunions McNair 20th anniversary: The Robert and Janice McNair Educational Foundation will celebrate its 20th year anniversary on May 14, 2010. If you are a McNair ROPE recipient, contact the foundation at rope2010@att.net or www. mcnairedfoundation.org.

RALEIGH (AP) — North Carolina Gov. Beverly Perdue forfeited $48,000 in political contributions on Friday because her campaign said it’s worried the donors may have been unlawfully reimbursed by their employer for their giving.

Perdue campaign treasurer Oscar Harris wrote the State Board of Elections on Friday with a check and an explanation. The Democratic incumbent’s campaign said it wanted to err on the side of caution after it became concerned about the origin of 12 donations from nine people working for or involved with Atlantic Corp. of Wilmington.

State Republican Party Chairman Tom Fetzer raised questions at a news

Jobless Continued from Page 1

since January 2009’s 15.5 percent. In January 2008 the county’s unemployment rate was 6.5 percent.

Congress in Washington and Raleigh has acted to increase unemployment benefits for citizens who have been unemployed for months on end. The Tier IV extensions began this week, and will provide another six weeks of benefits for displaced workers.

“Tier IV extensions started this week and started paying out on Friday,” Thomas said. “That will help some people who are just barely

Center Continued from Page 1

Spindale was chosen to receive the center, Fuller said, because CISRC is currently focusing on Spindale and R-S Middle School.

“With new quality standards that are being implemented by CIS at the national level, CISRC felt it necessary to concentrate more recent efforts in particular locations with the hope of later replicating those programs elsewhere as we develop expertise with them,” he said.

Originally the center was going to be moved from classroom to classroom, but doing so would require it to be disassembled to fit through classroom doors, said Spindale Principal Angel King. Next year, she said, the unit will be placed into a different classroom each semester.

CIS Continued from Page 1

“During that time we kept the program going and evaluated where it was going to go,” Fuller said.

Epley will lead the organization’s various programs, including the mentoring program and the Backpack Food Program.

“Our mentoring program is the biggest thing we’re known for,” Fuller

Gas Continued from Page 1

to AAA, Wright Express and Oil Price Information Service.

Prices have now jumped 18.9 cents in the past month and are 87.9 cents higher than year-ago levels. Back on Oct. 23, 2008 prices averaged $2.8215 per gallon.

The Energy Department and many

conference last month about multiple contributions from Atlantic Corp. employees of $4,000 — the maximum amount allowed in each campaign period — with several given on the same date. The company’s owner also had political connections to former Democratic Gov. Mike Easley.

State laws prevent corporate campaign contributions and anyone from giving on behalf of someone else.

Someone breaking those laws can be charged with a misdemeanor and face monetary penalties. Perdue’s campaign said in a news release that never was it aware that a contributor was trying to circumvent the law.

“We took this action because we have become concerned about the

integrity of these contributions,” the campaign said in a written statement.

“While we are unable to make a firm factual determination that this was the case, we have chosen to divest ourselves of these funds.”

hanging on.”

Rutherford County’s labor force in January was 28,426 with an employment of 23,298. Since February 2009, county residents have received $46,735,400 in unemployment benefits. McDowell County has had $33,260,675 in benefits for the same period while Cleveland County has had $80,548,557. Statewide, $4.9 billion in benefits have been paid.

“The current economy continues to influence nearly every major job sector, mainly in manufacturing and construction,” said ESC Chairman Lynn Holmes. “In our local employment offices, we see, as well, the impact on our citizens. The action by Congress to extend the Emergency Unemployment Compensation

Program and the latest implementation of benefits will assist thousands more as they continue to look for work.”

“I’d like for all of our kindergarteners to use it ideally, but at least twothirds will get to use it that way,” she said.

The Young Explorer Center, built by Little Tikes, features a flat desk area with left and right built-in mousepads, 19-inch widescreen flat panel LCD monitor and a bench seat that fits two children. The computer wiring can be locked inside cabinet doors for safety and the Think Centre PC includes an internal DVD-ROM, at least 1GB of RAM and a 160 GB hard drive.

Students, though, don’t care about the specifications of the computer but more about the software, which includes math, science, reading and more.

“We love it, the children love it and they can’t wait to get back there,” Boozer said of the center.

The software activities, she said,

supplement the curriculum students learn during the day.

“We always have review work in the mornings, and when they are finished they can go get a game or come here,” she said. “I give each of them around 10 minutes so they all get a turn.”

According to IBM, the centers are designed to help young children at an early age use technology as a learning tool to begin developing early literacy and computer skills needed to succeed in school. The computer centers are part of IBM’s KidSmart program, a global early learning technology initiative to support the early childhood education of children internationally.

To learn more about the Young Explorer learning center and the KidSmart program, please visit www. kidsmartearlylearning.org.

said. “It took a pretty substantial hit with the current economy, but with Charlotte on board I would anticipate that program coming back to its full glory.”

Seeking new volunteers and recapturing those who have volunteered before are one of Epley’s goals.

“I’m really going to look for those people who have been trained and try to rebuild that program,” she said.

“But we don’t want to grow so fast we don’t do it well.”

Epley will also be looking at various

ways to raise money for the non-profit organization.

“I’m going to look at funding and what sources will be effective. We want to do everything organized and targeted,” she said.

industry experts expect prices to top $3 this spring.

Gasoline prices tend to move higher in the spring as more drivers hit the road and refiners shut down units for maintenance, as they prepare to make more expensive summer blends of gasoline with fewer smog-causing emissions.

Wholesale gasoline prices also are at their highest point since October 2008.

Americans now spend about a $1

billion a day to keep their cars and trucks filled, an increase of nearly $300 million from a year ago.

With the average driver using about 50 gallons a month of fuel, the bill runs $140 per month and is expected to rise over the next several weeks.

Atlantic Corp.’s principal owner is Rusty Carter, who was subpoenaed during the State Board of Elections hearing into unreported airplane flights by the political committee of former Gov. Mike Easley. The News & Observer of Raleigh reported last year that Carter is a fraternity brother of Easley’s and flew him to an event during the 2004 campaign. Atlantic Corp. sells industrial packaging products.

Thomas encouraged job seekers to search in conventional as well as new media ways.

“Number one, I recommend they look on our Web site and see what is listed through our offices throughout the whole state,” Thomas said. “And there are other sites like Monster.com and Yahoo HotJobs were employers list jobs and look in the newspapers.

And a lot of people get jobs by word of mouth.”

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

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

To contact Epley or Communities in Schools of Rutherford County, call 288-0228 or e-mail execdir@rutherfordcis.org.

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

The Associated Press contributed to this report.

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

About us...

Circulation

David Cash . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .208 Virle Martin . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .208

Business office

Administration

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

Newsroom

Scott Bowers, sports editor . . . . . . . . . . . . .213 Jean Gordon, features editor . . . . . . . . . . . . 211 Abbe Byers, lifestyles editor . . . . . . . . . . . . .215 Allison Flynn, editor/reporter . . . . . . . . . . . .218 Garrett Byers, photography . . . . . . . . . . . . .212 Scott Baughman, reporter . . . . . . . . . . . . . .216 Larry Dale, reporter . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .217 Bobbie Greene, typesetting . . . . . . . . . . . . .220 Virginia Rucker, contributing editor

Phone: 245-6431

Jessica Higgins . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .202 Cindy White . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .200

Advertising

Chrissy Driver . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .226 Jill Hasty . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .227 Jessica Hendrix . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .228

Classified

Erika Meyer . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .205

Maintenance

Gary Hardin . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .222 An operator will direct your call during business hours, 8 a .m . to 5 p .m ., Monday-Friday . After business hours, you can reach the person you are calling using this list . As soon as you hear the automated attendant, use your Touch Tone phone to dial 1 and the person’s extension or dial 3 for dial by name .

Fax: 248-2790

Missed your paper?

If you did not receive your paper today please call 245-6431 and ask for circulation.

If you call by 9 a.m. on Monday through Friday, a paper will be brought to your home. If you call after 9 a.m., we will make sure your carrier brings you the missed paper in the morning with that day’s edition.

If you do not receive your paper on either Saturday or Sunday and call by 8 a.m., a customer service representative will bring you a paper.

If you call after 8 a.m. on Saturday or Sunday, the missed paper will be brought out on Monday morning.

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.

www.thedigitalcourier.com

E-mail: dailycourier@thedigitalcourier .com

The Daily Courier, Forest City, NC, Saturday, March 20, 2010 — 7

Inside Scoreboard . . . . . . . . . . . Page 8 Braves . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Page 9 NCAA . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Page 9

Baseball Night In Rutherford County Trojans knock off R-S Central

Carl Edwards fires back at Harvick

By JACOB CONLEY

BRISTOL, Tenn. (AP) — Carl Edwards vigorously defended himself Friday against criticism of his character, dismissing accusations that he’s a phony who suffers from anger management issues.

“I have absolutely no respect for Kevin Harvick,” he said. “I think he’s a bad person. That’s my opinion. I’ve told him that.

We’ve had our deal before and his actions through that interaction were so devious and underhanded and cowardly that, it’s like, I just have no respect for him.”

Publicly, Kevin Harvick called Edwards “fake as hell” this week in a radio interview, after feuding with the veteran driver on and off the track.

Daily Courier Sports Reporter

On TV 8:30 a.m. (ESPN2) English Premier League Soccer Aston Villa vs. Wolverhampton Wanderers.

11 a.m. (ESPN) College Basketball NIT Tournament, Second Round: Teams TBA. 12 p.m. (ESPN2) Women’s College Basketball NCAA Tournament, First Round: Teams TBA. 1 p.m. (WBTV) (WSPA) College Basketball NCAA Tournament, Second Round: Teams TBA. From New Orleans, Oklahoma City, Providence, R.I. or San Jose, Calif.

1 p.m. (FSS) College Baseball Boston College at Virginia.

2 p.m. (ESPN2) Women’s College Basketball NCAA Tournament, First Round: Teams TBA. 2:30 p.m. (WSOC) (WLOS) NASCAR Racing Nationwide Series: Bristol.

3 p.m. (WBTV) College Basketball NCAA Tournament, Second Round: Teams TBA. From New Orleans, Oklahoma City, Providence, R.I. or San Jose, Calif.

3 p.m. (WYFF) PGA Tour Golf Transitions Championship, Third Round.

3 p.m. (WSPA) College Basketball NCAA Tournament, Second Round: Teams TBA. From New Orleans, Oklahoma City, Providence, R.I. or San Jose, Calif.

3 p.m. (TS) ATP Tennis BNP Paribas Open: Men’s Semifinals.

4 p.m. (FSS) College Baseball Vanderbilt at Alabama.

4 p.m. (WGN-A) MLB Preseason Baseball San Diego Padres at Chicago White Sox. 5:30 p.m. (WBTV) (WSPA) College Basketball NCAA Tournament, Second Round: Teams TBA. From New Orleans, Oklahoma City, Providence, R.I. or San Jose, Calif.

5:30 p.m. (ESPN2) Auto Racing NASCAR Saturday Night Showdown at Bristol.

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

7 p.m. (WGN-A) NBA Basketball Chicago Bulls at Philadelphia 76ers.

8 p.m. (WBTV) (WSPA) College Basketball NCAA Tournament, Second Round: Teams TBA. From New Orleans, Oklahoma City, Providence, R.I. or San Jose, Calif.

8 p.m. (ESPN2) Women’s College Basketball NCAA Tournament, First Round: Teams TBA. 10 p.m. (ESPN2) Women’s College Basketball NCAA Tournament, First Round: Teams TBA. 10 p.m. (FSS) Boxing Carl Drumond vs. Odlanier Solis.

Garrett Byers/Daily Courier

Chase’s pitcher Cameron Wilkins, center, stares in for the call as Central’s Kyle Holmstrom, left, waits for the pitch during Friday’s baseball game at Chase High.

CHASE — Coach Matt Tipton and his Trojans entered Friday’s contest looking for their first win of the season, and the first win for the rookie head coach.

Both were accomplished as Chase rode a six-run, first inning and the arm of Cameron Wilkins to a 6-3 victory over R-S Central.

“We finally caught some breaks tonight,” said Tipton. “And Cameron did a great job, but the biggest thing is we are 1-1 in conference.”

The Hilltoppers used an unconventional method to score their first run when Christian Pfaff struck out and Kyle Holmstrom scampered home from second after the ball skipped past the Trojans’ catcher to give R-S an early 1-0 lead.

Chase retaliated with a six-run explosion in the bottom half of the inning that knocked out Central’s pitcher, Pfaff.

Robert Johnson had a two-run single in the frame and the Trojans showed patience at the plate, allowing R-S to walk in two more runs as Chase batted around.

The wildness bug bit Johnson in the top of the second as the senior walked in a run of his own and Central crept to within three, 6-3.

Please see Prep Report, Page 8

Patton clips Cavaliers

By KEVIN CARVER Daily Courier Sports Reporter

FOREST CITY — Both East Rutherford’s Drew Reynolds and Patton’s Aaron Attaway threw stellar five-hitters, but the visiting Panthers were able to stretch out just a little more offense in a 3-1 Patton win, Friday night.

Despite putting a runner on base in every inning but one, East Rutherford left nine young men stranded on base for the game, while Patton, two less than that on the bags at seven.

“They had better at-bats than we did and we couldn’t get the big hits when we needed them all night,” East Rutherford baseball coach Bobby Reynolds said. “It’s evident that they are ahead of us at the plate right now, and Drew made some big pitches for us. It was a great game, and I like that we fought all the way to the end.”

Garrett Byers/Daily Courier While Attaway sat down four Cavaliers, East’s second baseman Blake Myers (12) points to the ball as centerfielder Mark it was Reynolds who fanned 10 against McFarland (17) gets underneath to make the catch during the baseball game

Please see East, Page 8 against Patton, Friday, at East Rutherford High.

Duke runs through ArkPine Bluff n More

NCAA Tournament day two coverage, Page 9 JACKSONVILLE, Fla. (AP) — Duke’s confident mascot wore a piece of tape across his forehead that read: “Played In, Blown Out.” The Blue Devils didn’t disappoint.

Avoiding the upset bug that has taken down favorite after favorite in the NCAA tournament, the top-seeded Atlantic Coast Conference champions opened play in the South Regional with a dominating 73-44 victory Friday night over No. 16 seed Arkansas-Pine Bluff.

Kyle Singler had 22 points and 10 rebounds for Duke, which never trailed.

Jon Scheyer scored 13 and Lance Thomas 12. Nolan Smith added 10 points on a subpar shooting night (3 for 10) for the junior guard.

The victory gave coach Mike Krzyzewski his 11th 30-win season in three decades at Duke, which has made 10 trips to the Final Four under him, though none since 2006.

The Blue Devils (30-5) played like a team intent on changing that, pressing their overmatched opponents to start the Associated Press game, building a 39-20 halftime lead Duke’s Kyle Singler, right, drives by Arkansas-Pine Bluff’s Savalace Townsend durPlease see Duke, Page 9

ing an NCAA first-round college basketball game in Jacksonville, Fla., Friday.

8

— The

Daily Courier, Forest City, NC, Saturday, March 20, 2010

sports

Scoreboard

Prep Report Continued from Page 7

Central made a bid to cut into the lead even further in the fourth when Ben Morris led off the inning with a solid single, but reliever Cameron Wilkins recovered to strike out two in the frame to preserve the three lead for the home team.

R-S flashed the leather in the bottom of fifth as third baseman Seth Orr ranged to his left, snagged a sharp grounder and made a strong throw over to first to escape a two on, one out jam and keep the visitors within striking distance.

But, Wilkins kept the ’Toppers at bay striking out five of the last men he faced that gave the Trojans their first win of the year.

Thomas Jefferson 8, Avery 5

FOREST CITY — Caleb Bishop and Mark Trimble hurled 15 strike outs as the Gryphons bounced Avery, 8-5, Friday at James Crowe Park in Forest City.

Bishop worked five innings from the hill to notch the win and Trimble earned a save for his two innings of relief work.

Trimble added a 3-for-4 day at the plate with three runs scored and 2 RBI as TJCA improved to 2-4 overall and 1-1 in conference play.

The Gryphons JV baseball team won 9-3 over Avery.

SOFTBALL R-S Central 5, Chase 4

CHASE — When two undefeated teams meet, a game that comes down to the last at bat is expected.

Friday’s softball game lived up to expectations as the Hilltoppers withstood a Chase rally to win 5-4.

“This game is always a good one and we expected it to come down to the wire,” said Melvin Deigh.

“I’m glad we came out on top because Chase is a great team.”

Daniel Bailey was also quick with the compliments.

“We think Central is the team to beat in the conference and with a team like that you can’t give them any extra outs,” Bailey said.

The game started out with a bang for Central as Taylor Crowder led off the contest with a triple and later scored on a single by Taylor Sullivan. Sullivan scored later in the frame as she slid in under the tag of the Trojans catcher to put Central up, 2-0.

Chase cut the lead in half when Sam Carpenter drew a four pitch walk, stole second and hustled home on a single by Ashley Dale.

The Hilltoppers tacked on a run in the second and loaded the bases in the third and came away with one run.

On the mound, Hilltoppers’ hurler Mariah Lattimore kept the potent Trojan offense off-balance, striking out three as her team held a 4-1 lead after three innings of play.

The score remained the same until the bottom of the fifth when Carpenter blooped a double that landed on the left field stripe. She moved to 3rd on a wild pitch and scored when Euletha Davis struck out, but the ball eluded the catcher.

Central got that run back in the sixth when Chelsea Smith scored on a Sullivan single.

Chase mounted a furious comeback with two outs in the bottom of the seventh as they put the tying runs on base. Ashley Dale then ripped a double past the left fielder, allowing two runs to score.

Dale moved to 3rd on the throw and left the score at 5-4 in favor of Central.

But the comeback fell just short as Alyssa Macopson grounded out to the shortstop to end the contest.

Girls Soccer TJCA 5, Mountain Heritage 1

BURNSVILLE — Thomas Jefferson got two goals from Victoria Bennett as the Lady Gryphons pulled away for a 5-1 win over Mountain Heritage on the road.

East Continued from Page 7

a veteran and top five 3A club from Morganton.

Patton’s Eli Lawson destroyed the first pitch he viewed in the top of the second for a solo shot to right and the 2-0 Panthers lead.

East’s Thomas singled to left, an error allowed Lucas Owens to reach first safely and another single to left by Chip Helton provided the Cavs with bases loaded and one out in the bottom of the sixth.

Mark McFarland then hit into a groundout at second to cross Thomas, cutting the Patton (7-0, 2-0) lead to 2-1. Another free pass to A.J. Lynch left things to Trent Dorsey. Dorsey would strike out in four pitches to leave the bags loaded as game headed to the seventh. East could get no closer.

East’s JV baseball team thumped Patton, 16-1.

Softball East Rutherford 10, Patton 0

FOREST CITY — Ali Ruppe threw a complete game as East Rutherford’s softball team destroyed Patton 10-0 in five innings, Friday.

Sara Hoyle led the charge with two hits and she stole three bases in the win.

Chelsea Medford and Chelsea Rush had big hits to break open the game for the Lady Cavs.

Celebrate Our Birthday With Us! Join Now for $22 Matthew Short Personal Trainer/NASM

247 Oak St., Suite 145 Forest City

828-248-2947

www.lifestylewellnessspa.com

RACING NASCAR-Sprint Cup Food City 500 Lineup (Car number in parentheses) 1. (20) Joey Logano, Toyota, 124.63.

2. (2) Kurt Busch, Dodge, 123.857.

3. (66) Dave Blaney, Toyota, 123.849.

4. (48) Jimmie Johnson, Chevrolet, 123.818.

5. (24) Jeff Gordon, Chevrolet, 123.698.

6. (42) Juan Pablo Montoya, Chevrolet, 123.626.

7. (17) Matt Kenseth, Ford, 123.499.

8. (99) Carl Edwards, Ford, 123.403.

9. (47) Marcos Ambrose, Toyota, 123.308.

10. (00) David Reutimann, Toyota, 123.269.

11. (14) Tony Stewart, Chevrolet, 123.245.

12. (98) Paul Menard, Ford, 123.166.

13. (5) Mark Martin, Chevrolet, 123.103.

14. (31) Jeff Burton, Chevrolet, 122.929.

15. (11) Denny Hamlin, Toyota, 122.905.

16. (38) David Gilliland, Ford, 122.898.

17. (1) Jamie McMurray, Chevrolet, 122.89.

18. (88) Dale Earnhardt Jr., Chevrolet, 122.89.

19. (56) Martin Truex Jr., Toyota, 122.803.

20. (78) Regan Smith, Chevrolet, 122.787.

21. (39) Ryan Newman, Chevrolet, 122.701.

22. (77) Sam Hornish Jr., Dodge, 122.631.

23. (43) AJ Allmendinger, Ford, 122.537.

24. (9) Kasey Kahne, Ford, 122.411.

25. (16) Greg Biffle, Ford, 122.388.

26. (33) Clint Bowyer, Chevrolet, 122.341.

27. (09) Aric Almirola, Chevrolet, 122.232.

28. (83) Brian Vickers, Toyota, 122.209.

29. (82) Scott Speed, Toyota, 122.131.

30. (6) David Ragan, Ford, 121.96.

31. (26) David Stremme, Ford, 121.574.

32. (7) Robby Gordon, Toyota, 121.551.

33. (29) Kevin Harvick, Chevrolet, 121.505.

34. (90) Casey Mears, Chevrolet, 121.267.

35. (87) Joe Nemechek, Toyota, 121.19.

36. (12) Brad Keselowski, Dodge, 121.129.

37. (19) Elliott Sadler, Ford, 121.106.

38. (18) Kyle Busch, Toyota, 121.098.

39. (55) Michael Waltrip, Toyota, 121.075.

40. (46) Terry Cook, Dodge, 121.06.

41. (34) Travis Kvapil, Ford, 120.923.

42. (37) Kevin Conway, Ford, Owner Points.

43. (71) Bobby Labonte, Chevrolet, Past Champion.

BASEBALL Major League Baseball Spring Training Glance AMERICAN LEAGUE

W L Tampa Bay 11 4 Cleveland 9 4 Toronto 8 6 Detroit 9 8 Boston 8 8 Kansas City 6 6 New York 8 8 Oakland 7 7 Minnesota 7 8 Chicago 6 8 Texas 6 9 Seattle 5 9 Baltimore 5 10 Los Angeles 3 9

Pct .733 .692 .571 .529 .500 .500 .500 .500 .467 .429 .400 .357 .333 .250

NATIONAL LEAGUE

W L Atlanta 11 5 Philadelphia 8 4 San Francisco 11 6 Chicago 10 6 Milwaukee 10 7 New York 10 7 Arizona 9 7 Colorado 10 8 Houston 8 7 Florida 9 8 Cincinnati 6 7 Los Angeles 5 6 San Diego 5 9 St. Louis 5 9 Pittsburgh 5 10 Washington 2 12

Pct .688 .667 .647 .625 .588 .588 .563 .556 .533 .529 .462 .455 .357 .357 .333 .143

Friday’s Games Florida 7, St. Louis (ss) 6 Pittsburgh 9, Boston 7 Houston 2, Toronto 0 N.Y. Yankees (ss) 6, Detroit (ss) 2 Minnesota 7, N.Y. Mets 3 Kansas City 24, Arizona 9 Cleveland (ss) 12, Texas 2 San Francisco 7, Cleveland (ss) 6 Chicago Cubs 8, Chicago White Sox 4 L.A. Angels 10, Milwaukee 5 Colorado 10, Oakland 4 Atlanta 4, Detroit (ss) 4, tie, 10 innings N.Y. Yankees (ss) vs Tampa Bay at Port Charlotte, Fla., late Baltimore vs Philadelphia at Clearwater,late St. Louis (ss) vs Washington at Viera, Fla., late Seattle vs Cincinnati at Goodyear, Ariz., late L.A. Dodgers vs San Diego at Peoria, Ariz., late Saturday’s Games Pittsburgh vs Baltimore (ss) at Sarasota, Fla., 1:05 p.m.

Atlanta vs Toronto at Dunedin, Fla., 1:05 p.m.

Florida at Washington, 1:05 p.m.

Baltimore (ss) vs Boston at Fort Myers, Fla., 1:05 p.m.

Philadelphia vs Detroit at Lakeland, Fla., 1:05 p.m.

N.Y. Yankees vs Houston at Kissimmee, Fla., 1:05 p.m.

Minnesota vs Tampa Bay at Port Charlotte, Fla., 1:05 p.m.

N.Y. Mets vs St. Louis at Jupiter, Fla., 1:05 p.m.

San Diego (ss) vs Chicago White Sox at Glendale, Ariz., 4:05 p.m.

L.A. Dodgers (ss) vs Texas at Surprise, Ariz., 4:05 p.m.

Kansas City (ss) vs Chicago Cubs (ss) at Mesa, Ariz., 4:05 p.m.

Kansas City (ss) vs Milwaukee at Phoenix, 4:05 p.m.

Oakland (ss) vs Cleveland at Goodyear, Ariz., 4:05 p.m.

Arizona vs Seattle at Peoria, Ariz., 4:05 p.m.

Cincinnati vs San Francisco at Scottsdale, Ariz., 4:05 p.m.

Chicago Cubs (ss) vs Oakland (ss) at Phoenix, 4:05 p.m.

L.A. Angels vs Colorado at Tucson, Ariz., 4:10 p.m.

San Diego (ss) vs L.A. Dodgers (ss) at Glendale, Ariz., 10:05 p.m.

BASKETBALL NCAA Tournament Glance EAST REGIONAL First Round Thursday, March 18 At New Orleans Arena New Orleans Kentucky 100, ETSU 71 Wake Forest 81, Texas 80, OT At HP Pavilion San Jose, Calif.

Washington 80, Marquette 78

New Mexico 62, Montana 57 Friday, March 19 At HSBC Arena Buffalo, N.Y. West Virginia 77, Morgan State 50 Missouri 86, Clemson 78 At Jacksonville Veterans Memorial Arena Jacksonville, Fla. Cornell 78, Temple 65 Wisconsin 53, Wofford 49 Second Round Saturday, March 20 At New Orleans Arena New Orleans Kentucky (33-2) vs. Wake Forest (20-10), 8:15 p.m.

At HP Pavilion San Jose, Calif.

New Mexico (30-4) vs. Washington (25-9), 5:50 p.m.

Sunday, March 21 At HSBC Arena Buffalo, N.Y. West Virginia (28-6) vs. Missouri (23-10), TBD At Jacksonville Veterans Memorial Arena Jacksonville, Fla. Wisconsin (24-8) vs. Cornell (28-4), TBD At The Carrier Dome Syracuse, N.Y. Regional Semifinals Thursday, March 25 Kentucky-Wake Forest winner vs. WisconsinCornell winner West Virginia-Missouri winner vs. New MexicoWashington winner Regional Championship Saturday, March 27 Semifinal winners SOUTH REGIONAL First Round Thursday, March 18 At Dunkin’ Donuts Center Providence, R.I. Villanova 73, Robert Morris 70, OT Saint Mary’s, Calif. 80, Richmond 71 At New Orleans Arena New Orleans Old Dominion 51, Notre Dame 50 Baylor 68, Sam Houston State 59 Friday, March 19 At Jacksonville Veterans Memorial Arena Jacksonville, Fla. Duke 73, Arkansas-Pine Bluff 44 California (23-10) vs. Louisville (20-12), late At Spokane Arena Spokane, Wash.

Purdue 72, Siena 64 Texas A&M 69, Utah State 53 Second Round Saturday, March 20 At Dunkin’ Donuts Center Providence, R.I. Villanova (25-7) vs. Saint Mary’s, Calif. (27-5), 1:05 p.m.

At New Orleans Arena New Orleans Baylor (26-7) vs. Old Dominion (27-8), 5:45 p.m.

Sunday, March 21 At Jacksonville Veterans Memorial Arena Jacksonville, Fla. Duke vs. California-Louisville winner, TBD At Spokane Arena Spokane, Wash.

Purdue (28-5) vs. Texas A&M (24-9), TBD At Reliant Stadium Houston Regional Semifinals Friday, March 26 Duke—California-Louisville winner vs. PurdueTexas A&M winner Villanova-Saint Mary’s, Calif. winner vs. BaylorOld Dominion winner Regional Championship Sunday, March 28 Semifinal winners MIDWEST REGIONAL First Round Thursday, March 18 At Dunkin’ Donuts Center Providence, R.I. Ohio 97, Georgetown 83 Tennessee 62, San Diego State 59 At The Ford Center Oklahoma City Northern Iowa 69, UNLV 66 Kansas 90 Lehigh 74 Friday, March 19 At The Bradley Center Milwaukee Oklahoma State (22-10) vs. Georgia Tech (2212), 7:15 p.m.

Ohio State (27-7) vs. UC Santa Barbara (20-9), late At Spokane Arena Spokane, Wash.

Michigan State 70, New Mexico State 67 Maryland (23-8) vs. Houston (19-15), late Second Round Saturday, March 20 At Dunkin’ Donuts Center Providence, R.I. Ohio (22-14) vs. Tennessee (26-8), 3:35 p.m.

At The Ford Center Oklahoma City Kansas (33-2) vs. Northern Iowa (29-4), 5:40 p.m.

Sunday, March 21 At The Bradley Center Milwaukee Ohio State-UC Santa Barbara winner vs.

Oklahoma State-Georgia Tech winner, TBD At Spokane Arena Spokane, Wash.

Maryland-Houston winner vs. Michigan StateNew Mexico State winner, TBD At Edward Jones Dome St. Louis Regional Semifinals Friday, March 26 Kansas-Northern Iowa winner vs. MarylandHouston—Michigan State Ohio State-UC Santa Barbara—Oklahoma StateGeorgia Tech winner vs. Ohio—Tennessee winner Regional Championship Sunday, March 28 Semifinal winners

WEST REGIONAL First Round Thursday, March 18 At The Ford Center Oklahoma City BYU 99, Florida 92, 2OT Kansas State 82, North Texas 62 At HP Pavilion San Jose, Calif.

Murray State 66, Vanderbilt 65 Butler 77, UTEP 59 Friday, March 19 At HSBC Arena Buffalo, N.Y. Gonzaga 67, Florida State 60 Syracuse (28-4) vs. Vermont (25-9), late At The Bradley Center Milwaukee Xavier 65, Minnesota 54 Pittsburgh 89, Oakland, Mich. 66 Second Round Saturday, March 20 At The Ford Center Oklahoma City

Kansas State (27-7) vs. BYU (30-5), 8:10 p.m.

At HP Pavilion San Jose, Calif.

Murray State (31-4) vs. Butler (29-4), 3:20 p.m.

Sunday, March 21 At HSBC Arena Buffalo, N.Y. Syracuse-Vermont winner vs. Gonzaga,TBD At The Bradley Center Milwaukee Pittsburgh (25-8) vs. Xavier (25-8), TBD At Energy Solution Arena Salt Lake City Regional Semifinals Thursday, March 25 Syracuse-Vermont—Gonzaga vs. Murray StateButler winner Kansas State-BYU winner vs. Pittsburgh-Xavier winner Regional Championship Saturday, March 27 Semifinal winners National Basketball Association EASTERN CONFERENCE Atlantic Division

W L Pct Boston 43 24 .642 Toronto 33 34 .493 New York 24 44 .353 Philadelphia 24 44 .353 New Jersey 7 61 .103 Southeast Division

W L Pct x-Orlando 49 21 .700 Atlanta 43 24 .642 Charlotte 35 32 .522 Miami 35 34 .507 Washington 21 45 .318 Central Division

W L Pct y-Cleveland 54 15 .783 Milwaukee 36 30 .545 Chicago 31 36 .463 Detroit 23 45 .338 Indiana 22 46 .324 WESTERN CONFERENCE Southwest Division

W L Pct Dallas 46 22 .676 San Antonio 40 26 .606 Houston 35 31 .530 Memphis 36 33 .522 New Orleans 33 37 .471 Northwest Division

W L Pct Denver 47 22 .681 Utah 44 24 .647 Oklahoma City 42 25 .627 Portland 41 28 .594 Minnesota 14 55 .203 Pacific Division

W L Pct L.A. Lakers 50 18 .735 Phoenix 42 26 .618 L.A. Clippers 26 43 .377 Sacramento 23 45 .338 Golden State 19 48 .284

GB — 10 19 1/2 19 1/2 36 1/2 GB — 4 1/2 12 1/2 13 1/2 26 GB — 16 1/2 22 30 1/2 31 1/2 GB — 5 10 10 1/2 14 GB — 2 1/2 4 6 33 GB — 8 24 1/2 27 30 1/2

x-clinched playoff spot y-clinched division Friday’s Games Oklahoma City 115, Toronto 89 Indiana 106, Detroit 102 Charlotte at Atlanta, 7:30 p.m.

New York 92, Philadelphia 88 Cleveland at Chicago, late Boston at Houston, late Golden State at San Antonio, late Milwaukee at Sacramento, late Washington at Portland, late Utah at Phoenix, 10 p.m.

Minnesota at L.A. Lakers, 10:30 p.m.

Saturday’s Games Chicago at Philadelphia, 7 p.m.

Toronto at New Jersey, 7:30 p.m.

Charlotte at Miami, 7:30 p.m.

Golden State at Memphis, 8 p.m.

Milwaukee at Denver, 9 p.m.

New Orleans at Utah, 9 p.m.

Boston at Dallas, 9 p.m.

HOCKEY National Hockey League

EASTERN CONFERENCE Atlantic Division

GP W L OT Pts GF Pittsburgh 71 42 24 5 89 222 New Jersey 70 42 24 4 88 189 Philadelphia 70 37 28 5 79 209 N.Y. Rangers 71 31 31 9 71 185 N.Y. Islanders 70 29 32 9 67 185 Northeast Division

GP W L OT Pts GF Buffalo 69 37 22 10 84 192 Ottawa 71 37 29 5 79 190 Montreal 71 36 29 6 78 194 Boston 70 31 27 12 74 174 Toronto 71 25 34 12 62 189 Southeast Division

GP W L OT Pts GF y-Washington 71 47 14 10 104 280 Atlanta 70 30 29 11 71 210 Tampa Bay 70 28 30 12 68 185 Florida 69 28 30 11 67 180 Carolina 70 29 33 8 66 195 WESTERN CONFERENCE Central Division GP W L OT Pts GF 70 45 19 6 96 230 71 40 26 5 85 202 69 34 23 12 80 187 70 33 28 9 75 193 71 29 31 11 69 187 Northwest Division

GP W L OT Pts GF Vancouver 71 44 24 3 91 233 Colorado 70 40 24 6 86 211 Calgary 70 35 26 9 79 177 Minnesota 71 34 31 6 74 194 Edmonton 70 21 42 7 49 176 Pacific Division

GP W L OT Pts GF San Jose 70 43 17 10 96 228 Phoenix 71 44 22 5 93 193 Los Angeles 69 40 24 5 85 206 Dallas 70 30 27 13 73 201 Anaheim 69 32 29 8 72 193

Chicago Nashville Detroit St. Louis Columbus

GA 202 168 191 195 216 GA 176 207 195 180 236 GA 202 227 217 204 219 GA 174 201 186 196 228 GA 183 185 174 208 245 GA 183 173 185 223 211

Friday’s Games Columbus 4, Minnesota 2 San Jose at Calgary, late Detroit at Edmonton, late N.Y. Islanders at Anaheim, late Saturday’s Games Carolina at Pittsburgh, 1 p.m.

Ottawa at Dallas, 2 p.m.

Montreal at Toronto, 7 p.m.

St. Louis at New Jersey, 7 p.m.

Philadelphia at Atlanta, 7 p.m.

Buffalo at Florida, 7 p.m.

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

Columbus at Nashville, 8 p.m.

Chicago at Phoenix, 9 p.m.

Detroit at Vancouver, 10 p.m.

N.Y. Islanders at Los Angeles, 10:30 p.m.

Logano wins 1st pole of career at Bristol BRISTOL, Tenn. (AP) — Joey Logano has won his first career pole with the top qualifying lap at Bristol Motor Speedway.

Logano posted a lap at 124.630 mph to earn the first starting spot for Sunday’s race.

Kurt Busch has qualified second with a lap at 123.857. Dave Blaney qualified third at 123.849.

The top five was rounded out by four-time

defending champion Jimmie Johnson and Jeff Gordon.

Michael Waltrip entered the race for the first time since the season-opening Daytona 500 and made the race in a car owned by Prism Motorsports. Also making the race was Casey Mears and Terry Cook.

It will be Mears’ first start this season.

JOB FAIR Friday, March 26, 2010 9am to 4pm

POSITIONS AVAILABLE! Apply in person at

Rumbling Bald Resort

112 Mountains Blvd., Lake Lure, NC 28746 Go to www.rumblingbald.com for driving directions.

NO PHONE CALLS PLEASE

15% off total bill with this ad* *Not eligible with a gift certificate *Excludes alcohol

Lunch Hours: Tues-Sat. 11:30am-2:30pm • Dinner Hours: Wed-Sat. 5:30pm-9:00pm

828-287-2932 • 205 Fashion CirCle • rutherFordton, NC www.thewateroakrestaurant.com

The Daily Courier, Forest City, NC, Saturday, March 20, 2010 — 9

sports

NCAA Tournament: March Madness, Day 2 West Virginia wins, Cornell stuns

Associated Press

Texas guard Varez Ward (50) lies on the court as Wake Forest center Chas McFarland (13) celebrates after Wake Forest defeated Texas 81-80 in an NCAA college basketball game in New Orleans, Thursday, March 18, 2010.

Wake Forest tops Texas in OT, 81-80 NEW ORLEANS (AP) — From No. 1 to one and done: Ishmael Smith’s last shot meant one more collapse for Texas.

Smith’s pull-up jumper from about 17 feet out with 1.3 seconds remaining in overtime gave ninth-seeded Wake Forest an 81-80 win over the eighth-seeded Longhorns in the first round of the NCAA tournament Thursday night.

Texas twice rallied from double-digit deficits, then blew an eight-point lead in overtime, completing a puzzling slide after being ranked No. 1 in the country in January.

It was the third game that went to overtime on a wild first day of NCAA action.

Last year, two games went to OT in the entire tournament.

The Demon Deacons (20-10) rallied from a 76-68 deficit in the extra session. They still trailed by four in the final minute, but a 3-pointer by Ari Stewart with 15.9 seconds left made it 80-79.

Gary Johnson then missed two free throws for Texas, giving Smith one more chance.

The Demon Deacons advanced to play top-seeded Kentucky in the second round of the East Regional on Saturday.

Duke Continued from Page 7

and never giving Arkansas-Pine Bluff (18-16) a sense that the SWAC champions might have a chance to win.

The Golden Lions, appearing in the NCAAs for the first time, beat Winthrop 61-44 in the tournament opener Tuesday and are led by coach George Ivory, who played on a heavy underdog that gave powerful Duke a scare in the opening round 24 years ago.

But this group of Blue Devils has learned they can’t take anything for granted in March.

Duke survived a first-round scare against Belmont two years ago, and Krzyzewski and his players were determined to set the tone for what it hopes will be a strong run with a sharp performance.

Arkansas-Pine Bluff shot 32 percent and turned the ball over 16 times. Tavaris Washington led the Golden Lions with nine points. They turned in a respectable defensive performance, but struggled to score against Duke’s bigger, more physical frontcourt.

Ellenboro

BUFFALO, N.Y. (AP) — Kevin Jones scored 17 points and secondseeded West Virginia overcame an early scare to open the NCAA tournament with a 77-50 win over Morgan State on Friday.

Devin Ebanks added 16 points and 13 rebounds for the Big East champion Mountaineers (28-6), who started the game missing their first 11 shots and trailing 10-0. With star guard Da’Sean Butler shut down by Morgan State, Jones stepped up to score 9 points during a decisive 21-4 run near the end of the first half.

Reggie Holmes scored 12 points for Morgan State (27-10), the Mid-Eastern Athletic Conference champ, which was making its second tournament appearance.

The Mountaineers advanced to the second round of the East Regional, where they’ll play the winner of the game between No. 7 seed Clemson and No. 10 Missouri, who meet later Friday.

Cornell 78, Temple 65 JACKSONVILLE, Fla. (AP) — Louis Dale scored 21 points, Ryan Wittman added 20 and No. 12 seed Cornell beat fifth-seeded Temple 78-65 Friday in the opening round of the NCAA tournament.

Jeff Foote chipped in 16 points and seven rebounds for the Big Red, which won for the first time in five trips to the tournament. It also was the Ivy League’s first victory since Princeton beat UNLV in 1998.

This upset came in dominant fashion.

Cornell (28-4) took the lead early and never looked back, showing why so many people had it pegged as the best team to come out of the Ivy League in more than a decade.

Temple (29-6) lost in the first round for the third straight year.

Juan Fernandez and Ryan Brooks each had 14 points for the Owls.

Lavoy Allen added 11.

Xavier 65, Minnesota 54 MILWAUKEE (AP) — Jordan Crawford scored 17 of his 28 points in the second half and Xavier continued its run of NCAA tournament success with a 65-54 victory over Minnesota in the first round of the West Regional on Friday.

Xavier (25-8) will be in the second round for the fourth straight year, this time under first-year coach Chris Mack.

Mack has a star in Crawford, the Indiana transfer playing in his first NCAA tournament game in two years.

Dante Jackson smothered the Gophers’ best shooters on defense, Jamel McLean had 14 rebounds and Crawford provided the highlight plays for the sixth-seeded Musketeers.

Lawrence Westbrook scored 15 of his 19 points for Minnesota (21-14) in the first half, and the 11th-seeded Gophers went cold from 3-point range late.

Xavier will face the winner of Pittsburgh-Oakland in the second round.

Purdue 72, Siena 64 SPOKANE, Wash. (AP) — Keaton Grant ignited the decisive run that rallied fourth-seeded Purdue past No. 13 seed Siena 72-64 on Friday in the first round of NCAA tournament’s South Regional.

Grant’s 11 points to begin the second half opened up the inside for teammate JuJuan Johnson’s

Dog ID Tags Made Here

Associated Press

Cornell’s Louis Dale, left, defends against Temple’s Juan Fernandez (4) during an NCAA first-round college basketball game in Jacksonville, Fla., Friday.

23 points. Johnson, the tallest player on either team at 6-foot10, also tied a career high with 15 rebounds.

Missouri 86, Clemson 78 BUFFALO, N.Y. (AP) — Kim English and Keith Ramsey each scored 20 points, and Missouri’s swarming defense lived up to its reputation during an 86-78 victory over Clemson in the first round of the NCAA tournament Friday.

Missouri (23-10), the 10th seed in the East Regional, won its fifth straight opening-round game and sent seventh-seeded Clemson (2111) home for the third consecutive year after a first-round loss.

Clemson coach Oliver Purnell is winless in six trips to the NCAA tournament with three schools.

Missouri forced 20 turnovers, nabbed 15 steals and stifled Clemson star Trevor Booker for 35 minutes. Booker finished with 11 points and 11 rebounds in the final game of his career. Demontez Stitt led Clemson with 21 points, Andre Young had 19 and Jerai Grant 12.

Laurence Bowers scored 15 points and J.T. Tiller had 10 points and five steals for Missouri.

Wisconsin 53, Wofford 49 JACKSONVILLE, Fla. (AP) — Jon Leuer scored 20 points and Trevon Hughes added 19, and fourth-seeded Wisconsin held off No. 13 seed Wofford 53-49 in the opening round of the NCAA tour-

EDGERTON FARMS SUMMER CSA

Now Taking New Subscriptions

189 Depot St., Ellenboro

828-453-8003 New Store Hours: Mon-Fri 9-6 Saturday 9-2

MILWAUKEE (AP) — Jermaine Dixon and Gilbert Brown scored 17 points apiece and Pittsburgh avoided becoming the latest Big East powerhouse to get knocked off in the first round of the NCAA tournament, overcoming a slow start to rout Oakland 89-66.

Texas A&M 69, Utah St. 53 SPOKANE, Wash. (AP) — Freshman Khris Middleton scored a career-high 19 points and fifthseeded Texas A&M beat No. 12 Utah State 69-53 on Friday in the first round of the NCAA tournament’s South Regional The Aggies (24-9) advanced to the second round for the fifth consecutive year. They will face No. 4 seed Purdue on Sunday.

Georgia Tech 64, Oklahoma St. 59 MILWAUKEE (AP) — Gani Lawal scored 14 points, Derrick Favors added 12 points and nine rebounds, and Georgia Tech made 24 of 25 free throws Friday night to hold off seventh-seeded Oklahoma State 64-59 in the first round of the NCAA tournament.

Right Here in the Foothills Vanilia pants, Pure handknit sweaters, Tyler Boe sweaters and tees, Barbour for Women, Foxcroft blouses, Grace Chuang jackets, scarves, jewelry and accessories from around the world and much, much more…

Feed • Tack • Medicine Bedding • Dog Tags

50# Dog Food $13.99

Pittsburgh 89, Oakland 66

Clothing for Women

Pet & Livestock suPPLy WOW!

nament Friday.

Leuer’s baseline jumper with 17 seconds remaining snapped a 51-51 tie, and the 6-foot-10 forward added a pair of free throws to finish the victory.

Clothing for Men

We are offering new subscriptions this year due to our growing capabilities. Our first delivery will be May 27 and will run for 18 weeks. As a subscriber a 1/2 bushel box of wholesome, locally grown vegetables and fruits will be delivered to your door step each week, also a dozen free range eggs will be included. Periodically a value added product will be found in your box. This is a value purchase the season price is $400.00 with flexible payments available. For questions or information please call Mac Edgerton at (828) 429-3330

Peter Millar, Alex Cannon, Bill’s Khakis, Berle trousers, MINE shirts, Southern Tide, Barbour for Men, Bimini Bay, jeans, tees, sweatshirts, accessories and much more… (and coming for Fall Beretta USA) And, a chance to save Redeem this ad for Morris Bucks® to spend in the store (because in these economic times we think everyone needs a break)

…The Look Of The Foothills HOURS: M- F 10-6; SAT 10-4; SUN 1-4

86 N. Trade St. Tryon, NC 828.859.9962

10

— The

Daily Courier, Forest City, NC, Saturday, March 20, 2010

Weather/Nation Weather The Daily Courier Weather Today

Tonight

Sunday

Monday

Tuesday

Wednesday

Sunny

Partly Cloudy

T-storms

Partly Cloudy

Mostly Sunny

Sunny

Precip Chance: 0%

Precip Chance: 10%

Precip Chance: 40%

Precip Chance: 10%

Precip Chance: 5%

Precip Chance: 0%

73º

48º

65º 47º

57º 36º

66º 40º

70º 43º

Almanac

Local UV Index

Around Our State Today

Statistics provided by Broad River Water Authority through 7 a.m. yesterday.

0 - 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11+

Temperatures

0-2: Low, 3-5: Moderate, 6-7: High, 8-10: Very High, 11+: Extreme Exposure

High . . . . . .

Low . . . . . . .

Normal High Normal Low .

. . . .

. . . .

. . . .

. . . .

. . . .

. . . .

. . . .

. . . .

. . . .

. . . .

. . . .

.68 .34 .63 .36

Precipitation 24 hrs through 7 a.m. yest. .0.00" Month to date . . . . . . . . .1.50" Year to date . . . . . . . . .12.28"

Barometric Pressure

City

Sun and Moon Sunrise today . . . . .7:31 a.m.

Sunset tonight . . . . .7:39 p.m.

Moonrise today . . . .9:50 a.m.

Moonset today . . . . .Next Day

Moon Phases

High yesterday . . . . . . .29.97"

Relative Humidity

First 3/23

High yesterday . . . . . . . . .66%

Last 4/6

Full 3/29

Sunday

Hi/Lo Wx Hi/Lo Wx

Asheville . . . . . . .69/42 Cape Hatteras . . .67/52 Charlotte . . . . . . .76/48 Fayetteville . . . . .78/50 Greensboro . . . . .76/50 Greenville . . . . . .76/48 Hickory . . . . . . . . . .72/49 Jacksonville . . . .76/47 Kitty Hawk . . . . . .65/51 New Bern . . . . . .75/47 Raleigh . . . . . . . .77/50 Southern Pines . .78/51 Wilmington . . . . .72/50 Winston-Salem . .75/50

pc s s s s s s s s s s s s s

60/42 66/56 69/52 76/58 72/54 75/55 65/48 75/55 65/55 75/55 76/57 75/57 71/57 71/54

t s t pc mc s t s s s pc mc s mc

Weather (Wx): cl/cloudy; pc/partly cloudy; ra/rain; rs/rain & snow; s/sunny; sh/showers; sn/snow; t/thunderstorms; w/windy

New 4/14

North Carolina Forecast

Greensboro 76/50

Asheville 69/42

Forest City 73/48 Charlotte 76/48

Today

Raleigh 77/50

Kinston 75/47 Wilmington 72/50

Today’s National Map

Sunday

City

Hi/Lo Wx Hi/Lo Wx

Atlanta . . . . . . . .

Baltimore . . . . . .

Chicago . . . . . . .

Detroit . . . . . . . .

Indianapolis . . .

Los Angeles . . .

Miami . . . . . . . . .

New York . . . . . .

Philadelphia . . .

Sacramento . . . .

San Francisco . .

Seattle . . . . . . . .

Tampa . . . . . . . .

Washington, DC

.73/51 .72/50 .39/30 .42/32 .58/42 .76/52 .75/65 .70/50 .72/50 .74/48 .68/49 .67/51 .76/59 .73/48

s s sn sn ra mc s s s s s s s s

Greenville 76/48

Fayetteville 78/50

Shown is today’s weather.

Temperatures are today’s highs and tonight’s lows.

Across Our Nation

Elizabeth City 73/48

Durham 76/50

Winston-Salem 75/50

63/40 69/52 40/30 43/39 53/37 78/51 79/67 65/50 70/49 69/45 66/50 57/43 76/58 71/52

sh pc cl ra ra s mc mc pc s s sh sh pc

30s

60s 50s

50s

H

40s 30s

40s

70s

L 70s

L

60s

50s

This map shows high temperatures, type of precipitation expected and location of frontal systems at noon.

Cold Front

Stationary Front

Warm Front

L

H 70s

70s

Low Pressure

60s

H

High Pressure

Nation Today Topless gardener banned BOULDER, Colo. (AP) — A woman gardening wearing only a yellow thong and pink gloves has brought neighborhood complaints and new rules from a housing authority in Colorado.

Boulder Housing Partners plans to amend its rules so that tenants cover up when they’re outside.

Several passers-by told Boulder police earlier this week that 52-yearold Catharine Pierce was topless while tending to her yard. Last year, she was threatened with eviction for gardening wearing only pasties and a thong.

Police responding to Wednesday’s reports decided Pierce wasn’t breaking any laws.

Robert Pierce said he’ll fight changes that would keep his wife from gardening outside topless, which is legal under state and city law.

Anthony gets funds

ORLANDO, Fla. (AP) — A judge ruled Friday that Casey Anthony is indigent and can use public money to help pay for her defense against charges that she killed her 2-yearold daughter.

Circuit Judge Stan Strickland issued the ruling a day after her attorney disclosed that ABC had paid the Florida mother and her relatives $200,000 for exclusive use of family photos and videos.

In his ruling, the judge said Anthony met the standards under the law to be deemed indigent.

A new lawyer joined Anthony’s defense team Thursday, agreeing to help represent her pro bono. In

Anthony’s case, the judge’s ruling means the state will cover defense costs, but not lawyer’s fees. Those defense costs will be submitted to the court to make sure they comply with caps on spending, the judge said.

Her attorney, Jose Baez, told the judge Thursday that in addition to the money from ABC, Anthony’s defense fund had received $70,000 from another attorney on the defense team and a $5,000 anonymous donation. But that money is gone, he said.

S.C. gov to pay $74K COLUMBIA, S.C. (AP) — South Carolina Gov. Mark Sanford has agreed to pay $74,000 in fines to resolve dozens of charges that he violated state ethics laws with his campaign spending and travel, including a taxpayer-funded rendezvous with his Argentine mistress, the State Ethics Commission said Thursday.

The commission brought the 37 civil charges against the Republican last year. Sanford, who is term-limited and will leave office in January, still could face criminal charges.

Sanford said in a statement he thinks he would have been vindicated if the commission had heard the case, but didn’t want to continue what he called “an endless media circus.”

Scrutiny of Sanford’s travel started over the summer, when the thenmarried governor vanished for five days after telling some staff he was going hiking on the Appalachian Trail. He was actually in Argentina, and he returned to tearfully confess a yearlong affair.

Attorney John Crotts (828) 286-3332

Chris Bowen

A PROFESSIONAL LIMITED LIABILITY COMPANY

California police force targeted by booby traps HEMET, Calif. (AP) — Police officers in this retirement town in rural Riverside County have been on edge in recent weeks. Someone is trying to kill them.

First, a natural gas pipe was shoved through a hole drilled into the roof of the gang enforcement unit’s headquarters. The building filled with flammable vapor but an officer smelled the danger before anyone was hurt.

“It would have taken out half a city block,” Capt. Tony Marghis said.

Then, a ballistic contraption was attached to a sliding security fence around the building. An officer opening the black steel gate triggered the mechanism, which sent a bullet within eight inches of his face.

In another attempted booby trap attack, some kind of explosive device was attached to a police officer’s unmarked car while he went into a convenience store.

“There’s a person or people out there, a bunch of idiots, trying to do damage to us,” Hemet Police Chief Richard Dana said. “We can’t expect our luck to hold up, we need help.”

Since New Year’s Eve, there have been several other booby trap attempts to kill officers, Dana said.

“The only reason they haven’t killed an officer yet is because we’ve been observant enough to see devices planted around the station and in cars and different places,” he said.

Gang enforcement officers appear to be the target of the assassination attempts, though Dana noted the devices were indiscriminate by nature and could have killed any police or law enforcement officer.

The incidents have shaken a close-

knit police department already demoralized by steep budget cuts that last year saw its officer numbers slashed by a quarter to 68. Officers are checking under cars for bombs and scouting for other potential hazards.

“I would call the mood tense,” Capt.

Marghis said. “Everyone is being very vigilant about their surroundings and the environment.”

Dana said officers have seen gang members carrying out counter-surveillance, studying police behavior.

He often looks in his rear view mirror when he drives home at night to make sure he is not being followed.

In the attack with a ballistic contraption, the officer only avoided being shot in the head because the wheels on the sliding gate were wonky so he had to angle his body to open it.

“He had to push it to the right, the bullet went by to the left,” Dana said.

Investigators are still trying to determine why officers are being targeted. A prevalent theory is that members of an outlaw motorcycle gang — the Vagos — were angered when members of Hemet’s antigang task force monitored them at a funeral in a church opposite the task force’s former headquarters.

A memorial service was held Dec. 29 in the Hemet Christian Assembly church and upward of 100 members of the gang attended, said Riverside County sheriff’s Capt. Walter Meyer, who oversees the regional gang task force.

Officers monitored the memorial but did not attend the service. Some of the Vagos members were questioned or followed as they left town.

Clerk on his final shift gunned down by robber KANSAS CITY, Mo. (AP) — Gurpreet Singh was working his final shift as a 7-Eleven clerk, before moving on next week to full-time job at a hospital, when he was gunned down during a robbery.

Police say they can’t explain why Singh, 35, was shot in the abdomen early Wednesday even after complying with the gunman’s instructions to hand over his register’s cash in a bag.

“He didn’t put up a struggle at all,” said homicide Detective Jeff Cowdrey. “He did what he was supposed to do and got shot for it.”

The encounter was recorded on the store’s surveillance cameras, and Kansas City police are working to identify the killer and two other people who were with him.

Singh, a divorced father of two whose family immigrated to the U.S. from India when he was in middle school, was to start a new job next

Come in for a Good Deal and a Good Deal More

www.kinglawoffices.com

KING LAW OFFICES

Associated Press

Hemet, Calif., Police Chief Richard Dana, left, speaks as Riverside County District Attorney Rod Pacheco listens during a news conference in Riverside, Calif., Thursday seeking the public’s help for information to identify those responsible for attacks on the Riverside County Gang Task Force’s headquarters in Hemet.

week as a hospital kitchen supervisor.

His brother, Gurbhushan Singh, said he could have skipped his final shifts at the convenience store — where he’d already been robbed less than a month earlier — but didn’t because he had promised to be there.

Singh called 911 about 1:10 a.m., after the gunman fled, then collapsed on the floor. He later died in surgery.

Gurbhushan Singh said his brother was proud about his new job and told his children, ages 7 and 9, he was going to be “the boss.” Gurbhushan Singh told the children Wednesday that their father wasn’t coming home.

“They know they’re never going to see him again,” he said. “That was really hard.”

Video surveillance shows the gunman, a man standing next to him and a woman who stood near the store’s door.

TOWN OF FOREST CITY LEAF COLLECTION SEASON ENDS Leaf collection season will end on Friday, March 26th. After that date all leaves must be placed in plastic bags. The leaf machine will run the regular route through March 26th. For Further information call 245-0149.

The Daily Courier, Forest City, NC, Saturday, March 20, 2010 — 11

business/finance

THE MARKET IN REVIEW

STOCK EXCHANGE HIGHLIGHTS

d

NYSE

7,386.85 -56.72

GAINERS ($2 OR MORE)

Name Last PolyOne 10.33 IDT Corp 7.50 GrayTvA 2.84 GlbShipLs 2.66 CapitolBcp 2.88 CascalNV 7.04 DuoyGWt n27.88 LloydBkg 3.72 Entercom 11.89 DoralFncl 4.51

Chg +1.39 +.93 +.34 +.31 +.33 +.79 +2.32 +.31 +.95 +.34

%Chg +15.5 +14.2 +13.6 +13.2 +12.9 +12.6 +9.1 +9.1 +8.7 +8.2

LOSERS ($2 OR MORE)

Name Nautilus Heckmn un Newcastle LeeEnt ArborRT Entravisn Bluegreen LIN TV h VersoP h BrkfldH

Last 3.13 8.95 2.35 2.96 2.61 2.45 2.72 5.28 2.83 7.86

Chg -.68 -1.75 -.45 -.51 -.43 -.40 -.44 -.79 -.42 -1.14

%Chg -17.8 -16.4 -16.1 -14.7 -14.1 -14.0 -13.9 -13.0 -12.9 -12.7

MOST ACTIVE ($1 OR MORE) Name Vol (00) Last Chg Citigrp 4874140 3.90 -.12 FordM 2435717 13.29 -.44 S&P500ETF1995102115.97 -.59 BkofAm 1686541 16.82 -.26 GenElec 1128411 18.07 -.12 Pfizer 1124169 16.91 -.32 SPDR Fncl 867881 15.69 -.10 iShR2K 749522 67.41 -.85 iShEMkts 620650 41.19 -.54 DirFBear rs 595800 14.17 +.30 Advanced Declined Unchanged Total issues New Highs New Lows Volume

DIARY

907 2,180 102 3,189 252 9 5,682,782,716

d

AMEX

1,876.13 -31.41

GAINERS ($2 OR MORE)

Name Last ChiArmM 7.83 DGSE 2.15 TriValley 2.07 CCA Inds 5.49 Sifco 17.05 Ballanty 4.95 Daxor 12.10 Cohen&Co 6.86 PcEn pfD 86.00 SL Ind 8.00

Chg %Chg +.72 +10.2 +.15 +7.5 +.13 +6.7 +.34 +6.6 +1.05 +6.6 +.28 +6.0 +.69 +6.0 +.37 +5.7 +4.45 +5.5 +.40 +5.3

LOSERS ($2 OR MORE)

Name Last HMG 4.10 SagaComm22.00 ManSang 2.17 AvalonHld 3.37 OrienPap n 8.16 Servotr 9.58 GoldenMin 8.20 SinoHub n 2.90 VirnetX 5.60 PolyMet g 2.22

Chg -.80 -4.00 -.28 -.40 -.93 -1.02 -.80 -.28 -.42 -.15

%Chg -16.3 -15.4 -11.4 -10.6 -10.2 -9.6 -8.9 -8.8 -7.0 -6.3

MOST ACTIVE ($1 OR MORE) Name Vol (00) Last Chg NthgtM g 36691 2.96 -.16 NovaGld g 31233 7.38 -.07 Taseko 27626 4.82 -.11 GoldStr g 27408 3.52 -.11 Nevsun g 26118 2.98 -.15 ChiArmM 25250 7.83 +.72 KodiakO g 19518 3.05 -.12 GranTrra g 18235 5.59 -.27 VirnetX 18142 5.60 -.42 PionDrill 16062 7.11 -.42 DIARY

Advanced Declined Unchanged Total issues New Highs New Lows Volume

199 299 40 538 15 3 107,063,451

d

NASDAQ 2,374.41 -16.87

GAINERS ($2 OR MORE)

Name Last Gentium 2.14 SevenArt lf 2.82 Forward 2.83 NMT Med 4.34 AmrSvFin 2.13 AdeptTch 3.70 CityTlcm 14.28 EmmisC pf 15.50 RXi Phrm 7.70 Intelliph n 3.23

Chg +.51 +.63 +.46 +.70 +.33 +.50 +1.88 +1.96 +.86 +.36

%Chg +31.3 +28.8 +19.4 +19.2 +18.3 +15.6 +15.2 +14.5 +12.6 +12.5

LOSERS ($2 OR MORE)

Name Last AddusHC n 6.30 Palm Inc 4.00 SalemCm 3.99 BassettF 5.00 ValVis A 3.00 MediCo 7.88 ACMoore lf 2.48 SunPowerA18.96 TuesMrn 5.66 SunPwr B 16.91

Chg -2.60 -1.65 -.93 -1.16 -.59 -1.42 -.42 -3.08 -.92 -2.73

%Chg -29.2 -29.2 -18.9 -18.8 -16.4 -15.3 -14.5 -14.0 -14.0 -13.9

MOST ACTIVE ($1 OR MORE)

Name Vol (00) Palm Inc 1155740 PwShs QQQ767387 Microsoft 747068 Intel 652960 Cisco 536338 ETrade 414710 Oracle 363478 HuntBnk 361333 Somaxon 326112 Qualcom 324315

Advanced Declined Unchanged Total issues New Highs New Lows Volume

Last Chg 4.00 -1.65 47.49 -.28 29.59 -.02 21.99 -.21 26.15 -.19 1.57 -.07 25.19 -.19 5.32 -.18 8.25 -.96 40.05 -.38

DIARY

1,041 1,651 113 2,805 170 19 2,831,128,420

DAILYREVIEWED DOW JONES YOUR HAVE YOU retiring soon? let’s talk.

52-Week High Low

LIFE INSURANCE 10,840 LATELY? Dow Jones industrials Close: 10,741.98 Change: -37.19 (-0.3%)

10,480

10,800

10 DAYS

George A. Allen Financial Advisor 612 Oak Street Forest City, NC 828-245-1158

10,400 10,000

www.edwardjones.com

9,600 9,200

10,784.00 4,426.12 408.57 7,497.88 1,925.54 2,400.09 1,169.84 799.05 12,250.82 686.94

10,660

S

O

N

D

J

7,172.05 2,420.82 304.10 4,690.16 1,277.60 1,402.48 749.93 446.23 7,583.84 384.26

STOCK MARKET INDEXES Name

Dow Industrials 10,741.98 Dow Transportation 4,373.73 Dow Utilities 381.80 NYSE Composite 7,386.85 Amex Market Value 1,876.13 Nasdaq Composite 2,374.41 S&P 500 1,159.90 S&P MidCap 785.13 Wilshire 5000 12,116.66 Russell 2000 673.89

Total Assets Obj ($Mlns) NAV

Name

M

PIMCO TotRetIs American Funds GrthAmA m Vanguard TotStIdx American Funds CapIncBuA m 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 Vanguard 500Inv AT&T Inc 1.68 6.4 12 26.24 +.18 -6.4 LeggPlat 1.04 4.8 29 21.47 -.24 +5.2 American Funds InvCoAmA m Vanguard InstIdx Amazon ... ... 64 130.35 -2.41 -3.1 Lowes .36 1.5 20 24.78 -.12 +5.9 Dodge & Cox Stock ArvMerit ... ... ... 12.38 -.52 +10.7 Microsoft .52 1.8 16 29.59 -.02 -2.9 American Funds EurPacGrA m American Funds WAMutInvA m BB&T Cp .60 1.9 27 31.85 -.06 +25.5 PPG 2.16 3.3 22 64.93 +.19 +10.9 Dodge & Cox IntlStk BkofAm .04 .2 ... 16.82 -.26 +11.7 ParkerHan 1.00 1.5 38 65.11 -.49 +20.8 PIMCO TotRetAdm b BerkHa A ... ... 24122625.00-731.00 +23.6 ... -2.9 American Funds NewPerspA m Cisco ... ... 25 26.15 -.19 +9.2 ProgrssEn 2.48 6.2 13 39.84 American Funds FnInvA m ... ... 73 29.97 -.23 -3.0 Fidelity DivrIntl d Delhaize 2.01 2.4 ... 82.73 -1.35 +7.8 RedHat Dell Inc ... ... 20 14.41 -.14 +.3 RoyalBk g 2.00 ... ... 58.53 -.11 +9.3 FrankTemp-Franklin Income A m DukeEngy .96 5.8 14 16.58 ... -3.7 SaraLee .44 3.2 12 13.87 -.22 +13.9 American Funds BalA m Vanguard 500Adml ExxonMbl 1.68 2.5 17 67.04 -.35 -1.7 SonicAut ... ... 12 12.00 -.25 +15.5 Vanguard TotStIAdm FamilyDlr .62 1.7 17 35.82 -.32 +28.7 SonocoP 1.08 3.5 21 30.80 -.83 +5.3 Vanguard Welltn American Funds BondA m FifthThird .04 .3 19 13.30 -.14 +36.4 SpectraEn 1.00 4.5 17 22.22 -.28 +8.3 Fidelity GrowCo FCtzBA 1.20 .6 19 204.89 -4.59 +24.9 SpeedM .40 2.5 ... 15.77 -.26 -10.5 PIMCO TotRetA m GenElec .40 2.2 18 18.07 -.12 +19.4 .36 1.3 ... 27.76 -1.12 +17.1 Vanguard TotIntl d GoldmanS 1.40 .8 8 177.90 +.45 +5.4 Timken Fidelity LowPriStk d 1.88 2.9 29 64.33 -.09 +12.1 T Rowe Price EqtyInc Google ... ... 27 560.00 -6.40 -9.7 UPS B KrispKrm ... ... ... 4.01 -.20 +35.9 WalMart 1.21 2.2 15 55.34 -.60 +3.5 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.

S

L

Net Chg

-37.19 -48.77 -.32 -56.72 -31.41 -16.87 -5.93 -7.62 -78.43 -7.72

YTD %Chg %Chg

-.34 -1.10 -.08 -.76 -1.65 -.71 -.51 -.96 -.64 -1.13

12-mo %Chg

+3.01 +6.69 -4.07 +2.81 +2.80 +4.64 +4.02 +8.04 +4.92 +7.76

+47.59 +73.77 +16.63 +52.87 +41.92 +62.94 +50.92 +69.07 +55.31 +68.43

MUTUAL FUNDS

Member SIPC

F

Last

I

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.

CI 122,927 LG 64,425 LB 59,564 IH 56,242 LG 55,524 WS 53,078 MA 48,457 LB 47,853 LB 47,616 LB 44,500 LV 40,010 FB 38,069 LV 37,537 FV 35,758 CI 31,614 WS 31,553 LB 30,216 FG 29,870 CA 29,675 MA 29,546 LB 28,279 LB 28,262 MA 28,252 CI 27,481 LG 27,150 CI 25,333 FB 25,302 MB 24,867 LV 15,542 LB 9,595 LB 4,231 GS 1,496 LV 1,216 SR 430 LG 180

11.03 28.19 28.84 47.82 59.76 33.79 15.69 107.24 26.53 106.55 101.56 38.13 25.36 32.58 11.03 26.00 33.70 27.83 2.09 16.76 107.27 28.85 29.76 11.99 72.29 11.03 14.46 34.34 22.12 31.70 37.27 10.36 3.06 15.20 15.62

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

+1.3 +16.0/C +4.1 +46.5/D +4.9 +54.2/B +2.1 +32.8/C +4.2 +44.5/D +3.9 +47.6/D +2.1 +39.7/B +4.7 +51.1/B +3.9 +44.4/E +4.7 +51.3/B +5.2 +64.6/A +4.6 +51.2/C +3.4 +43.9/D +6.0 +72.9/A +1.3 +15.7/C +4.1 +52.0/C +4.2 +48.7/D +4.2 +49.0/D +3.1 +47.9/A +3.2 +37.1/C +4.7 +51.3/B +4.9 +54.4/B +3.5 +36.4/C +1.2 +18.8/B +5.3 +54.4/B +1.3 +15.5/C +5.1 +59.0/A +5.8 +65.9/B +5.2 +58.6/A +4.6 +61.2/A +4.2 +51.2/B +0.1 +3.5/B +3.4 +38.8/E +10.7+100.8/C +5.4 +48.5/C

+7.5/A +3.7/B +2.3/B +3.9/C +5.1/A +5.5/A +3.3/B +1.5/C +2.3/B +1.6/C +0.3/D +7.1/A +1.0/C +5.1/A +7.2/A +6.1/A +4.5/A +3.1/D +4.4/B +3.0/C +1.6/C +2.4/B +5.4/A +3.0/E +6.6/A +7.0/A +4.8/B +4.8/A +1.8/B +4.3/A +2.0/B +4.8/A -0.9/E +3.2/C +2.1/C

NL 5.75 NL 5.75 NL 5.75 5.75 NL 5.75 NL NL 5.75 5.75 NL NL 5.75 5.75 NL 4.25 5.75 NL NL NL 3.75 NL 3.75 NL NL NL 5.50 5.75 1.50 4.25 5.75 4.75

5,000,000 250 3,000 250 2,500 250 250 3,000 250 5,000,000 2,500 250 250 2,500 5,000,000 250 250 2,500 1,000 250 100,000 100,000 10,000 250 2,500 1,000 3,000 2,500 2,500 2,000 1,000 1,000 2,500 1,000 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.

Getting loan help can lower credit scores

In this Wednesday, March 10 photo, a person looks for work at a job placement center in Menlo Park, Calif. Initial jobless claims have dropped to 457,000 but remained above levels that signal new hiring.

Associated Press

WASHINGTON (AP) — Some homeowners who sign up for the government’s mortgage assistance program are getting a nasty surprise: Lower credit scores.

For borrowers who are making their payments on time but are on the verge of default, the Obama administration’s loan modification program can reduce their credit score as much as 100 points.

That makes it harder to get a loan and can present a problem when applying for a new job.

Housing counselors say it’s unfair, especially because the news often comes as a surprise to homeowners.

“Why should people’s credit be hurt even worse when they’re trying to do the right thing?” said Eileen Anderson, senior vice president at Community Development Corp. of Long Island, a housing counseling group in New York.

And many homeowners are angry that a program mer. The gain in the Conference designed to help carries such a penalty, said Kathy Board’s index of leading economConley, a housing counselor with GreenPath Inc., a ic indicators was the smallest in nonprofit group in Farmington Hills, Mich.

11 months.

“It’s a feeling of being duped,” she said.

The index is intended to foreStill, the impact is far less severe than a foreclocast economic activity in the sure, where borrowers typically find their credit next three to six months based is in tatters for years. That’s due to the cumulative on a variety of economic data. impact of many months of missed payments and Also, the current account the foreclosure itself, which drags down a homtrade deficit widened in the eowner’s’ credit by 150 points or more on a scale of fourth quarter, the Commerce 300 to 850.

Department said, reflecting an To enroll in the Obama administration’s $75 bilimproving economy. Imports lion “Making Home Affordable” program, borof oil, autos and other products rowers enter a trial period in which they make at outpaced gains in U.S. exports.

But the trade gap for all of 2009 least three payments. But some are finding out that their credit score takes a dive during this trial fell to its lowest point in eight phase. It happens once their mortgage company years. notifies the three big credit bureaus — Experian, Economists say they think Equifax and TransUnion. the deficit will widen during For delinquent borrowers, the damage was done 2010, though not to the record when they fell behind on their loans. heights seen before the recesBut for homeowners who are having financial sion. A weaker dollar is expected troubles but managing to pay their bills, a request to boost U.S. exports. A weaker dollar makes U.S. goods cheaper for a loan modification is the first sign of difficulty. overseas and foreign goods cost- And that means a sharp drop in the borrower’s credit score. lier for U.S. consumers.

The credit rating industry defends the practice.

The current account is the People who sign up for loan modifications would broadest gauge of trade because not be asking for help unless they were having it includes not only trade in severe money troubles, said Norm Magnuson, goods and services but also investment flows between coun- spokesman for the Consumer Data Industry tries. It measures how much the Association, a trade group in Washington that represents the credit bureaus. country must borrow from for“The consumer is going into the program because eigners. they’re in a financial bind,” he said. “Other lenders would need to be aware of that.”

The Obama administration acknowledges that enrolling in the program can hurt credit scores.

But Meg Reilly, a Treasury Department spokeswoman, said that foreclosure “brings far more serious financial consequences for borrowers and their families.”

The credit score issue is an unexpected consequence of the program that has been plagued with problems and disappointing results since its launch last year. Only about 170,000 homeowners had completed the process as of February.

Economic news remains mixed WASHINGTON (AP) — The picture of an economy growing modestly without producing inflation yet struggling to create jobs emerged from government reports Thursday.

The number of newly laid-off workers requesting jobless benefits fell slightly last week for the third straight time. But initial claims remain above levels that would signal net job gains.

New claims for unemployment aid fell 5,000 to a seasonally adjusted 457,000, the Labor Department said. That nearly matched analysts’ estimates of 455,000, according to Thomson Reuters.

The four-week average of jobless claims, which smooths out volatility, dropped to 471,250.

Still, the average has risen by 30,000 since the start of this year. That’s raised concerns among economists that persistent unemployment could weaken the recovery.

The average number of weekly jobless claims remains above the 400,000-to-425,000 level that many economists say it must fall below before widespread new hiring is likely.

Initial jobless claims are con-

sidered a gauge of the pace of layoffs and an indication of companies’ willingness to hire. High unemployment has persisted even though the economy grew in the second half of last year.

President Barack Obama on Thursday signed into law a package of tax breaks and spending designed to encourage companies to start hiring.

In a separate report, the Labor Department said consumer prices were flat in February. A rise in food prices was offset by a drop in gasoline and other energy costs. Excluding the volatile food and energy categories, the core Consumer Price Index edged up just 0.1 percent last month, matching economists’ estimates.

The report adds to evidence that the weak economy has all but erased inflation. That allows the Federal Reserve to continue its efforts to revive the economy by keeping the short-term interest rate it controls at a record low near zero.

In another report, a private research group said its gauge of future economic activity rose just 0.1 percent in February, suggesting slow growth this sum-

For your next new Ford or Mercury come by and visit Scott Brown and the Hunnicutt Ford Team!

Give us a try before you buy!

You will be glad that you did!

HUNNICUTTFORD 565 OAK STREET, FOREST CITY

828-245-1626

DON'T LET ALLERGIES GET YOU DOWN! Call Dr. Burley, D.C.

Rutherford County / Boiling Springs Chiropractic Center

828-245-2442 / 704-434-2911

12

— The

Daily Courier, Forest City, NC, Saturday, March 20, 2010

nation

Oregon suit says Scouts hid abuse claims

PORTLAND, Ore. (AP) — The Boy Scouts of America has long kept an extensive archive of secret documents that chronicle the sexual abuse of young boys by Scout leaders over the years.

The “perversion files,” a nickname the Boy Scouts are said to have used for the documents, have rarely been seen by the public, but that could all change in the coming weeks in an Oregon courtroom.

The lawyer for a man who was molested in the 1980s by a Scout leader has obtained about 1,000 Boy Scouts sex files and is expected to release some of them at a trial that began Wednesday. The lawyer says the files show how the Boy Scouts have covered up abuse for decades.

The trial is significant because the files could offer a rare window into how the Boy Scouts have responded to sex abuse by Scout leaders. The only other time the documents are believed to have been presented at a trial was in the 1980s in Associated Press Virginia.

President Barack Obama, center, shakes hands with supports after delivering remarks on health insurance At the start of the Oregon trial, attorney Kelly reform during his event at George Mason University in Fairfax, Va., Friday.

Clark recited the Boy Scout oath and the promise to obey Scout law to be “trustworthy.” Then he presented six boxes of documents that he said will show “how the Boy Scouts of America broke that oath.”

He held up file folder after file folder he said WASHINGTON (AP) — One the earlier measure, has also Marcy Kaptur of Ohio said in an contained reports of abuse from around the counby one, House Democratic fence- announced his opposition. interview she would support the try, telling the jury the efforts to keep them secret sitters began choosing sides The historic legislation, affectbill if Democratic leaders would may have actually set back efforts to prevent child Friday, and the long, turbulent ing virtually every American and first allow a stand-alone vote on abuse nationally. struggle over landmark health more than a year in the making, tougher abortion restrictions, “The Boy Scouts of America ignored clear warncare legislation tilted unmiswould extend coverage to an even though that vote evidently ing signs that Boy Scouts were being abused,” takably in President Barack estimated 32 million Americans would not affect the health care Clark said.

Obama’s direction. who lack it, forbid insurers to measure itself.

Charles Smith, attorney for the national Boy In full campaign mode, his deny coverage on the basis of The political ramifications Scouts, said in his own opening statement the files voice rising, the president all but pre-existing medical conditions remained to be fought out in were kept under wraps because they “were replete claimed victory, declaring to a and cut federal deficits by an November. with confidential information.” cheering audience in Virginia, estimated $138 billion over a Arcuri’s announcement of Smith told the jury the files helped national “We are going to fix health care decade. opposition reaped a threat from scouting leaders weed out sex offenders, especially in America.”

Congressional analysts estihis former allies at the Service repeat offenders who may have changed names or With the showdown vote mate the cost of the two bills Employees International Union, moved in order to join another local scouting orgaset for Sunday in the House, combined would be $940 billion which vowed to try to unseat nization.

Obama decided to make one over a decade. him in this fall’s Democratic pri“They were trying to do the right thing by trying final, personal appeal to rankFor the first time, most mary in favor of “someone who to track these folks,” Smith said. and-file Democrats, arranging Americans would be required shares our progressive values.”

Clark is seeking $14 million in damages on behalf a Saturday visit to the Capitol. to purchase insurance, and they One day after Democrats of a 37-year-old man who was sexually molested Republicans, unanimous in would face penalties if they released 153 pages of revisions in the early 1980s in Portland by an assistant opposition to the bill, comrefused. Billions of dollars would to their bill, they were back at Scoutmaster, Timur Dykes. plained anew about its cost and be set aside for subsidies to help it, responding to fresh concerns Clark said the victim suffered mental health reach. families at incomes of up to from some of the rank and file problems, bad grades in school, drug use, anxiety, Under a complex — and con$88,000 a year afford the cost. about disparities in payment lev- difficulty maintaining relationships and lost sevtroversial — procedure the And the legislation also provides els to Medicare providers in dif- eral jobs over the years because of the abuse.

Democrats have devised, a single for an expansion of Medicaid ferent areas of the country. vote probably will be held to that would give government-paid Republicans said, as they have send one bill to Obama for his health care to millions of the from the outset, that Democrats signature and to ship a second, poor. were angling for a government fix-it measure to the Senate for Republicans resorted to unusu- takeover of health care. They final passage in the next few ally personal criticism in their also said the cost of the bill days. struggle against the bill, calling would be covered by $900 bilDemocratic leaders and Obama Kosmas a “space cadet” after lion in higher taxes and cuts in focused last-minute lobbyshe announced her position future Medicare payments. ing efforts on two groups of and labeling Pennsylvania Rep. The Republicans circulated Democrats, 37 who voted against Jason Altmire a “drama queen” a letter from Caterpillar Vice an earlier bill in the House for waiting to announce his President Gregory S. Foley to and 40 who voted for it only opposition.

House leaders, warning that NEW YORK (AP) — A federal judge on Friday after first making sure it would They also suggested the passage of the legislation would rejected a legal settlement that would have given include strict abortion limits administration had adjusted raise the company’s health care at least $575 million to people sickened by ash and that now have been modified. water allotments to an agricosts by “more than 320 percent dust from the World Trade Center, saying the deal Reps. John Boccieri of Ohio, cultural region of California to (over $100 million) in the first shortchanged 10,000 ground zero workers whom Scott Murphy of New York and secure the support of two lawyear alone and put at risk the he called heroes.

Allen Boyd and Suzanne Kosmas makers but offered no evidence coverage our current employees “In my judgment, this settlement is not enough,” of Florida became the latest of any link between the two and retirees receive.” said U.S. District Judge Alvin Hellerstein, who Democrats to announce support events. Democrats disputed the The insurance industry said delivered his pronouncement to a stunned gallery for the bill after voting against charge. the latest Democratic legislation at a federal courthouse in Manhattan. an earlier version that passed, In addition, they sought to would decimate a private alterRising from his chair, the 76-year-old jurist said bringing the number of switches tarnish Democratic claims of native to traditional Medicare he feared police officers, firefighters and other in favor of the bill to seven. deficit savings, circulating a that counts 10 million sublaborers who cleared rubble after the 9/11 terror On the other side of the ledCongressional Budget Office scribers. It will “end Medicare attacks were being pushed into signing a deal few ger, Rep. Michael Arcuri of estimate that deficits would rise Advantage as we know it,” said of them understood.

New York and Stephen Lynch by $59 billion once the costs Robert Zirkelbach, a spokesman Under the terms of the settlement, workers had of Massachusetts became the of raising doctor fees under for American Health Insurance been given just 90 days to say yes or no to a deal first Democratic former support- Medicare were added in.

Plans.” He said Democrats were that would have assigned them payments based on ers to announce their intention Apart from Lynch, several law- cutting $200 billion over a a point system that Hellerstein said was complicatto oppose the bill. Lynch said makers who supported the eardecade in projected federal sub- ed enough to make a Talmudic scholar’s head spin. he did so despite a telephoned lier version after the strict aborsidies, and he predicted premi“I will not preside over a settlement that is based appeal from Vicki Kennedy, tion limits were incorporated ums for seniors would rise. on fear or ignorance,” he said. whose late husband, Sen. announced they would vote in The government subsidizes priOf the proposed settlement of $575 million to Edward M. Kennedy, champifavor of the new bill. And there vate plans at a higher rate than $657 million, workers stood to get amounts rangoned health care for decades. was talk among others of findtraditional Medicare, and the ing from a few thousand dollars to more than $1 Rep. Anh Cao of Louisiana, ing a largely symbolic way that cuts are aimed at reducing the million. the only Republican to support would allow them to follow. Rep. difference.

Hellerstein said the deal should be richer. Too much of it would be eaten up by legal fees, he said.

A third or more of the money set aside for the workers was expected to go to their lawyers. Some plaintiffs had agreed at the start of the case to give as much as 40 percent of any judgment to cover fees and expenses. That might have meant $200 million or more going to attorneys.

Hellerstein, who presides over all federal court litigation related to the terror attacks, ripped into the agreement after hearing several ground zero responders speak tearfully of their illnesses and after receiving letters and phone calls from others expressing confusion about the deal.

Fence-sitter shift favors Obama

Judge rejects proposed 9/11 settlement

Taize Healing Service

Are you sick? Call the church leaders together to pray and anoint you, with oil in the name of the Master.

James 4:14

happy

35th

Heal your soul with the calm quietness of Taize music.

Bring your prayers and concerns before the Lord and ask for His healing. We all have concerns, if not for ourselves then for someone we know or even for the world. This is an opportunity to lift them up in prayer and invite God’s healing presence into all our lives.

Birthday

All denominations welcome to this Taize service of Healing and Prayer

Bill Wall

Sunday, March 21, at 6 p.m.

Love, Your Family

St. Francis Episcopal Church 408 N. Main Street - Rutherfordton

The Daily Courier, Forest City, NC, Saturday, March 20, 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

MARCH 20 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

Basketball College Basketball 48 Hours.

News Without Ath Griffi Griffi Biggest Law & Order Law & Order News Saturday Night Live Basketball College Basketball 48 Hours.

News WSSL Trax Judy Ent FlashForward Å Castle Å News :35 CSI: NY Anat.

For Jeop FlashForward Å Castle Å News Paid Housewives Jeru His Joyful Os Home Gospel V’Im Gaither Sp. Studio Best-Harvest Two Two Cops Cops Most Wanted News Wanda Sykes Sit Paid Welk Chet Atkins Rounder Rcds MI-5 Å Austin City Payne } ››› Hellboy (‘04) Å Housewives Access H. TMZ (N) Å Welk As Time Goes By Reunion Favorites Fam Fam CSI: NY Å CSI: NY Å News Office CSI: Miami CSI: Miami

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

CSI: Miami CSI: Miami CSI: Miami CSI: Miami CSI: Miami CSI: Miami 6:30 } Love for Sale (‘08) } ›› ATL (‘06) Tip Harris. Å } ›› Brown Sugar Ace Jim Gaffigan Bill Engvall Jeff Dunham Lies Bill Engvall Newsroom Camp. Brown Larry King Newsroom Camp. Brown Larry King Dirty Jobs Dirty Jobs Dirty Jobs Dirty Jobs Dirty Jobs Dirty Jobs SpCtr College Wrestling SportsCenter Å Scoreboard Stron Stron Wm. Basketball Women’s College Basketball Score FOX Report Huckabee Glenn Beck Geraldo Jour Watch Red Eye Top 50 Sport Sci M1 Fighting Boxing Final World Devil-Prada } The Simpsons Movie } › Grandma’s Boy (‘06) Arch Sunny Weekend Rocky Horror Picture Rocky Horror Picture Rocky Horror 6:30 } The Ultimate Gift } Healing Hands (‘10) Å :02 } Healing Hands (‘10) House House De Sarah Out Block Dear Color House House Out Block Marvels Jesse James-Treasure Crime Wave: Mayhem Jesse James Sisterhood-Trav } ›› The Nanny Diaries } ›› The Nanny Diaries iCarly iCarly iCarly Jack Troop Big Lopez Lopez Lopez Lopez Lopez Lopez Ways Ways Ways Ways Ways Ways En En En En ›› In Hell 6:00 } ›››› Aliens (‘86) } Screamers: The Hunting } ›› Screamers (‘95) Sein Sein Fast and Furious-Drift } › Rush Hour 3 (‘07) Four Brothers Spellbound } ›››› Lawrence of Arabia (‘62) Peter O’Toole. Å Ruling Class Cake Cake Cake Cake Cake Cake Cake Cake Cake Cake Cake Cake Daddy’s Little } ›› Why Did I Get Married? } ››› Dreamgirls (‘06) Å Bak Hero Titans Bat Dude De King King Strok Boon Full Bleac NHL Hockey: Flyers at Thrashers Thras 3 NHL Hockey: Flyers at Thrashers NCIS Å NCIS Å NCIS Å NCIS Å Law & Order Burn Notice NBA Basketball: Bulls at 76ers Fun WGN News Scru Scru Erin Brock

8651 8182 8181 8650 8180 8192 8183 8190 8184 8185

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

Could vitamin D deficiency cause cold symptoms?

The Uninvited Howard-Duck Welcome First Knight Confess-Shop

} ›› Street Kings (‘08) } ›› Fighting (‘09) Zane’s Sex Erotic } ›› The Karate Kid (‘84) :10 } The Karate Kid Part II Teachers Ghosts-Girlfrnd :45 The Pacific Å } ›› Semi-Pro Ghos Diary Diary } ›› Soul Men (‘08) iTV. Family That Preys The Taking of Pelham 123 ›› Reign of Fire 40

Girl balks at dinner with parents Dear Abby: I’ve been dating “Amanda” for eight months and everything is going great.

I’ve met her parents, and she has met mine.

Two days ago, I mentioned that we should plan a dinner with both sets of parents since they have not met yet.

Amanda told me that our parents shouldn’t meet until we move in together or are engaged.

I felt offended.

When do you think is the right time for our parents to meet? — Only Dinner Dear Only Dinner: I disagree with your girlfriend.

There are no hard and fast rules these days about when the parents of couples should meet.

And after eight months, I would think both sets of parents would be interested in meeting each other.

Dear Abby: I have a close friend, “Darlene,” whom I have known for 30 years.

She has never once in all that time invited me into her home.

Darlene never has anyone inside except for immediate family.

If you go there to take her something, she greets you outside if she knows you’re coming.

If she doesn’t, she won’t answer the door.

She goes to other people’s homes

Dear Abby Abigail van Buren

but never reciprocates.

In groups that go from house to house, she will not take her turn.

Even when her mother-in-law died she wouldn’t receive people in her home.

I find Darlene’s behavior insulting.

It has become a frequent topic of conversation.

I don’t know what her home life was growing up, but her husband’s family had an open-door policy in their home.

Please advise me why someone would never welcome anyone into her home. — Shut Out Dear Shut Out: Darlene may be ashamed of the way her house looks inside, or she may be a hoarder.

If you really need an explanation, you should be asking her.

In light of your 30-year friendship, please stop personalizing this because it appears her hang-up is long-standing and deep-seated.

And to gossip about it behind her back seems cruel and won’t help the situation.

Dear Dr. Gott: I have been sick with cold and flu symptoms (on average) about 12 to 14 days each month for the past year. My family doctor referred me to a rheumatologist because she thought it might be autoimmune. The rheumatologist believes that a low vitamin D level and allergies are causing my symptoms. She has put me on 50,000 IU of vitamin D for the next eight weeks and daily Claritin.

Can you tell me what could be causing my low vitamin D level? Do you believe that this is the issue, or are the low levels caused by something else?

DEAR READER: Vitamin D is a fat-soluble vitamin that is essential for promoting calcium absorption, maintaining adequate serum calcium and phosphate levels, bone growth and remodeling, reduction of inflammation, and neuromuscular and immune function.

If your levels are low, you are at

PUZZLE

Ask Dr. Gott Dr. Peter M. Gott

risk of developing weak, brittle and/ or deformed bones. This could also affect your immune system, making you more susceptible to infection, allergens and more. Your low vitamin D level may indeed be the cause of your allergies, which are causing your cold and flu-like symptoms; however, this does not explain why you have a low D level to begin with.

In healthy people, vitamin D deficiency can typically be avoided by adequate sun exposure and a wellbalanced diet. Because there are very few foods that naturally contain D, fortified cereals and dairy products are the best way to achieve sufficient dietary amounts.

IN THE STARS Your Birthday, March 20; If you’ve been tempted to test your entrepreneurial skills, there’s a good chance that things could go very well for you.

PISCES (Feb. 20-March 20) — Don’t shy away from a challenge or competition.

ARIES (March 21-April 19) — Don’t hesitate to take charge of a situation that needs direction.

TAURUS (April 20-May 20) — If you find yourself in the midst of two dissenting parties, don’t hesitate to diplomatically step in.

GEMINI (May 21-June 20) — The moment you see that everything is in its place, bring something to a profitable conclusion.

CANCER (June 21-July 22) — The way to get others to rally to your cause is to try to demonstrate what you have in mind.

LEO (July 23-Aug. 22) — Something important you want to accomplish can be achieved if you put your mind to it.

VIRGO (Aug. 23-Sept.

22) — Speak up and let your thoughts be known when necessary.

LIBRA (Sept. 23-Oct. 23) — When the rewards are worthy enough, you will easily be motivated.

SCORPIO (Oct. 24-Nov. 22) — Look at developments philosophically, and nothing will be able to stop you.

SAGITTARIUS (Nov. 23-Dec. 21) — Someone close to you might have a piece of advice that could turn around a problematical situation.

CAPRICORN (Dec. 22-Jan. 19) — Although the burden of presentation may fall on you, something you’d rather not say might have to be said anyway.

AQUARIUS (Jan. 20-Feb. 19) — Because conditions are trending in your favor, there is no better time to give vent to your financial ambitions.

CLASSIFIEDS

14 — The Daily Courier, Forest City, NC, SATURDAY, March 20, 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

1 WEEK SPECIAL

DEADLINES: New Ads, Cancellations & Changes Please check your ad on the first day that it runs. Call us before the deadline for the next edition with corrections.

We will rerun the ad or credit your account for no more than one day.

Tuesday Edition.............Monday, 12pm Wednesday Edition......Tuesday, 2pm Thursday Edition......Wednesday, 2pm Friday Edition...............Thursday, 2pm Saturday Edition................Friday, 2pm Sunday Edition......................Friday, 2pm Apartments

Homes

Want

Mobile Homes

1BR APT Bostic area Appliances & water furnished. No pets or smoking. $350/mo. + dep. Call 245-1883

For Sale

to Rent

For Rent

3BR/1BA Brick home Nice out building Also, 3BR/2BA DW on property. Owner financing with DP. $119,900 657-4430

WANT TO RENT Responsible, professional couple with 2 small animals (all very clean) looking for short term rental during the months of August, September and October. Need furnished home to rent with utilities included.

Rutherfordton, Forest City and Lake Lure area. Please call 919-775-8811

2BR/1.5BA Cent. h/a.

No pets! Owner lives on property. FC area. $450/mo. 429-1030

Nice 2 Bedroom Townhouse Apt across from Super 8 Motel in Spindale.

$525/month Call

828-447-1989 Special $200 dep.!

2BR/2BA Nice, large Townhome Private deck, w/d hook up. Water included! $485/mo.

Homes For Rent Very nice brick home in a quiet country setting in Ellenboro only 15 minutes from Forest City or Shelby.

4BR with large open floor plan, detached garage, great yard with shade trees, garden area if desired.

No smoking!

Call 336-293-3859

1-888-684-5072

Homes Richmond Hill Senior Apts. in Rfdtn 1BR Units w/handicap accessible units avail.

Sec 8 assistance avail.

287-2578 Hours: Mon., Tues., & Thurs.

7-3. TDD Relay 1-800-735-2962 Equal Housing Opportunity.

Income Based Rent.

For Rent 1BR APTS $350/mo.

Heat included. 3BR house Danieltown area $650/mo. 4BR home in Ellenboro $1,000/mo. 3BR FC $795/mo. Rentals Unlimited 245-7400

Full Time Administrative Volunteer Liaison Needed Responsible for coordinating all nonclinical Hospice volunteers. Bachelor’s degree in marketing or related field, experience directing and nurturing volunteers, public speaking, and professionalism required.

Send resume to: heowen@ hospiceofrutherford.org or Hospice, PO Box 336 • Forest City, NC 28043 or fax to (828) 245-5389 NOTICE TO CREDITORS Having qualified as Administrator of the estate of WILLIAM ELMER LAIL of Rutherford County, North Carolina, this is to notify all persons having claims against the estate of the said WILLIAM ELMER LAIL to present them to the undersigned on or before the 20th day of June, 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 20th day of March, 2010.

Betty Marie Lail, Administrator 692 Walls Church Road Bostic, NC 28018

Run ad 6 consecutive days and only pay for 5 days*

2 WEEK SPECIAL Run ad 12 consecutive days and only pay for 9 days*

3 DAY WEEKEND SPECIAL YARD SALE SPECIAL

Clean 3BR/2BA in quiet area. Stove, refrig. No pets! $400/ mo. + dep. 287-7043

Real Estate Wanted Looking to buy 2/3 bedroom houses in Spindale or Rfdtn. I am not a real estate agent.

Call 919-604-1115 or dlbuff@yahoo.com

Services

For Sale 3BR/2BA DW on 1/2 acre Danieltown area Owner financing with DP. $61,900 657-4430

Homes R Us Single Wides, Double Wides and Modulars.

We’ve Got you covered!

Plus Receive $6,500 - $8,000 for purchasing a home.

Call 828-433-8455

Spring Time Specials!!

HOUSE CLEANING weekly or monthly Ref’s avail. 4 yrs. exp.

Call 828-447-3564

Business

828-433-8412

For Rent 3BR/2BA DW 107 Cobra Dr., Forest City $650/mo. No credit check! 704-472-3100 3BR/2BA w/FP on 1/2 acre plot. Swimming pool & extras avail.!

Priced right! 245-8734 3BR/2BA near Harris grammar school $100/ wk + $200 dep. Call 245-6312 or 447-5432

CAFE/RESTAURANT $23,000 full price 6 days a week breakfast and lunch, seats 34, full grill. Very clean, good for owner/ operator Paul Broker 828-298-6566

Professional Truck Driver Training • PTDI Certified Course • One Student Per Truck • Potential Tuition Reimbursement • Approved WIA & TAA provider • Possible Earnings $34,000 First Year SAGE Technical Services

& (828)286-3636 ext. 221 www.isothermal.edu/truck

STATE OF NORTH CAROLINA, BURKE COUNTY

Help Wanted Seeking PT Music Director. Send resume to: First Baptist Church, PO Box 265 Henrietta, NC 28076

In the District Court Case 09 CVD 2566 NOTICE OF SERVICE OF PROCESS BY PUBLICATION Complaint and Summons for absolute divorce in Burke Co.

Physical Therapist Full time and PRN position available. St. Luke’s Outpatient Rehab, days, NC Licensure as a PT, CPR Certification.

New grads welcome!

Duties include: provide PT evaluation and treatment services for outpatient population.

PRN position available for acute care services & Outpatient.

Send resume to: smcdermott@ or fax 828-894-0538

For Sale

Carriers Hiring Today!

Mobile Homes

is now hiring full and part time CNA’s for Polk County area.

Call 828-696-1900 to apply

saintlukeshospital.com

Instruction

Spring is on the way.

Call 828-433-8412 and be in a new home by Spring. Use your Taxes as Down Payment Plus Get $6,500-$8,000 back to move in

Help Wanted BAYADA NURSES

Business Mobile Homes

FOR OUR WEEKLY SPECIAL POSTED EVERY SUNDAY IN THE CLASSIFIEDS!

PT Babysitter needed for a couple days a week, 10 hours a day.

Ref’s a must. 305-2191 RN’s/LPN’s Immediate Positions In-Home Shifts Weekends 8 or 12 hrs PRN & Baylor Avail.

Rutherfordton, Shelby areas Nurse-Owned...

Nurse-Managed Agency CALL TODAY: 704-874-0005 866-304-9935 (toll free) Health & Home Services “Discover the Difference”

For Sale

DO YOU NEED A DRESS FOR A SPECIAL OCCASION? Dark purple (plum) dress, floor length, thin straps, size 7/8. Very nice, worn once. Paid over $200, will sell for $45. 704-974-3620 Moving: Tanning bed, pool table, commercial grill, bedroom furniture, desk & more! 289-4705

Sell it in the Classifieds!

Call 245-6431 to place your ad! M-F 8a-5p

Musical

Found

Instruments Electronic Drums for sale w/amplifier. Great for praise group! $2,500 Call 429-3875

Want To Buy 1 ACRE LEVEL LOT for small home, close to Bethany Church Rd. Call 305-8012 Looking to buy or trade for a yellow 1977 Impala 4 dr., Project Car. 828-223-0311 I WILL BUY YOUR JUNK CARS & SCRAP METAL. Will haul away appliances or scrap metal.

Up to $200 for any car!

Call Jesse 447-4944 or email jking1571 @msn.com I PAY CASH FOR DIABETIC TEST STRIPS Up to $10 per 100 ct. Call Bob 828-577-4197 MASTERS TICKETS Looking for 2 for either Thurs., Fri. or Sat. Call Ron at 287-7198 or 286-2381

Yard Sales

HUSKEY MIX Found about a week ago in the Union Mills area.

Call 828-429-0112 for more information Male Chihuahua Dark brown, no collar, lifts hind left leg when he runs. Behind Spindale Library. Call 288-3966 Female Dog w/white and black spots.

Approx. 45 lbs. Found 3/13 on Rock Springs Rd. Call 828-625-0110 M Beagle Black, white & some brown, reddish wine collar. Found 3/15 Bostic at Convenience Center. Call 245-4490

2000 Saab convertible 93 80,100 miles, new tires, 5 spd., clean title Good cond.! $5,500 cash! 828-287-1022

Need to sell your vehicle?

Advertise it in the Classifieds for $54.00.

Ad runs for one month!

Lost F Brindle Pug w/pink camouflaged collar.

1.5 yrs old, indoor dog.

Lost 3/15: Rock Rd., Rfdtn area. 287-7173 Male Gray & white cat with black stripes. Lost 1/26 on Brooks Rd. in Sunshine area. Family misses him! 429-0803

Male Beagle wearing black collar. Lost 2/24 Shiloh area. Reward!

447-1613 or 245-9770

Scrapbooking/Stamp Sale Sat. 3/20 8A-2P Woodmen of the World Bldg. 817 Thunder Rd., Spindale. Stamps, stickers, paper, albums Stampin’ Up catalogs!

2 FAMILY Rfdtn 2500 Rock Road Saturday 7A-until Children’s & women’s clothes, furniture, and lots more!

2362 Harris-Henrietta Rd. Sat. 3/20 7A-12P Women’s, men’s & children’s clothes, comforters, home interior pictures, misc. and more! No junk!

5 FAMILY Rfdtn: 773 North Washington St. (Tony’s Produce) Sat. 7A-until Home interior pictures, Vera Bradleys, lots of toys and collectibles, toddler clothes.

INDOOR ESTATE SALE Alexander: 161 Rollins St. Fri. 8A-5P & Sat. 8A-until Pump organ, furniture, household, king size bed, more!

INDOOR YARD SALE FC: Bethany Baptist Church Sat. 7A-until Large variety to choose from! Proceeds go towards missions!

NOTICE TO CREDITORS

NOTICE TO CREDITORS

This the 6th day of March, 2010.

Having qualified as Executor of the estate of RUTH MORROW MOORE of Rutherford County, North Carolina, this is to notify all persons having claims against the estate of the said RUTH MORROW MOORE to present them to the undersigned on or before the 27th day of May, 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 27th day of February, 2010.

Having qualified as Executor of the estate of HERBERT FARRELL ROBBINS of Rutherford County, North Carolina, this is to notify all persons having claims against the estate of the said HERBERT FARRELL ROBBINS to present them to the undersigned on or before the 27th day of May, 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 27th day of February, 2010.

Russell R.Becker, 204 A East McDowell Street, Morganton, NC 28655.

Gary Edward Moore, Executor PO Box 5844 North Myrtle Beach, SC 29597

Margie Annette Robbins, Executor 1813 Harris-Henrietta Road Mooresboro, NC 28114

TO: TONY WRAY SIMPSON Take notice that a pleading seeking relief against you has been filed in the above-entitled action. The nature of the relief being sought is as follows: Absolute Divorce. You are required to make defense to such pleading not later than April 16, 2010, and upon your failure to do so the party seeking service against you will apply to the court for the relief sought.

ESTATE YARD SALE FC: Birch Hutchins Rd. (off Oakland) Fri. 9A3P & Sat. 8A-12P Furniture, glassware, kitchen appliances, jewelry, etc.

ESTATE/YARD SALE Ellenboro 201 Short Rd. Sat. 7A-until Household, furniture, clothing, shoes, kerosene heater, stereos & much more!

MULTI-FAMILY FC: Oak St., McArthur’s Inc. Sat. 8A-until Furniture, TV, collectibles, childrens toys, clothes, dishes, car parts, tools, jewelry, shoes and lots more!

Miscellaneous

Yard Sales Autos

BIG SALE Cliffside: 154 Stimson St. Sat. 8A-until Furniture, household whatnots, women's clothes (size 20), jewelry, kitchen items, small appliances & bedding

Red puppy/young dog Found 3/7 Bi-Lo parking lot, Spindale.

Call 288-2831 to identify

Yard Sale, Carwash & Bake Sale Spindale 709 E. Main St. Sat. 8A-til Prom dresses

HUGE Caroleen area: 131 Womack Lake Rd. (off 221A) Sat. 7A-til Clothes, household, racing go kart, ball collectibles. Proceeds go towards Haiti mission trip Wee Runs Consignment Sale White Oaks Plaza 1639 US Hwy 74 Bypass, Spindale (previously Steve & Barry’s, beside Burke’s Outlet in the Big Lots Complex) Children’s Spring & Summer Clothing, Toys, Equipment, Furniture & Maternity Clothing SALE DATES Sat. 3/20 8A-6P Sun. 3/21 1P-5P Mon.-Fri. 3/22-3/26 Open Daily 10A-2P Sat. 3/27 8A-6P & Sun. 3/28 1P-5P Discount days; most items will be 1/2 price.

Sun. 3/28 6P-9P are Clearance Hours w/ Price Reductions up to 70%!!! 288-4100 www.WeeRuns.com

YARD SALE PACKAGE ONLY $20 Includes 3 days in the paper, 20 word ad, 3 signs, pricing stickers and a rain day guarantee!

WEB DIRECTORY Visit the advertisers below by entering their Web address

AUTO DEALERSHIPS

HEALTH CARE

NEWSPAPER

REAL ESTATE

(828) 245-0095 www.hospiceofrutherford.org

(828) 245-6431 www.thedigitalcourier.com

(828) 286-1311 www.keeverrealestate.com

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

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

BUSINESS&SERVICE DIRECTORY

The Daily Courier, Forest City, NC, SATURDAY, March 20, 2010 — 15

AIR CONDITIONING & HEATING

Residential & Commercial s !DDITIONS s $ECKS s 2EMODELING s 3IDING s 7INDOWS

NC License 6757 • SC License 4299 FAST RELIABLE SERVICE ON ALL BRANDS Free Estimates • Best Warranties All Work Guaranteed Service • Installation • Duct Cleaning • IAQ Gas / Oil / Heat Pumps / Geothermal / Boilers Residential & Commercial 24 Hour Emergency Service

245-1141 www.shelbyheating.com

CONSTRUCTION Winter has been hard.

Let us help make your spring improvements. s !LL TYPES OF (OME 2EPAIRS s 2EMODELING "UILDING !DDITIONS s $ECKS 0ORCHES s (OME )NSPECTIONS s )NSURED

Call today for all your home needs.

287-8934 447-1266 Daryl R. Sims – Gen. Contractor HOME IMPROVEMENTS

Bill Gardner Construction, Inc WINDOWS & SIDING ENTRANCE DOORS

STORM DOORS

Family Owned & Operated Local Business

Free Estimates & Fully Insured Licensed Contractor

Licensed and Insured Benjamin Greene

828-289-2743 GRADING & HAULING

DAVID’S GRADING We do it all

No job too small

828-657-6006 Track Hoe Work, Tractor Work , Dozer Work, Bobcat Work, Trenching, Grading and Land Clearing, Hauling Gravel, Sand, Dirt, Etc. FREE ESTIMATE

CONSTRUCTION

Hutchins Remodeling

828-245-1986

“We’re Not Comfortable Until You Are� “Serving Rutherford & Cleveland County For 30 Years�

CONSTRUCTION Greene Construction

Seamless Gutters Decks Porches RooďŹ ng Painting Handicap Ramps Room Additions Free Estimates ~Lance Hutchins~

GRADING/PAVING

GUTTERS

RGRA E DI N NG D R , IN A and C G PAVING SERVICES

SPINDALE SEAMLESS GUTTER AND VINYL SIDING

Quality Fine Grading, Stone & Asphalt Work, Sealcoating and Striping at Competitive Prices!

OVER 20 YEARS EXPERIENCE

FREE ESTIMATES

828-527-3036 828-527-2925

Guaranteed Lowest Prices on Vinyl DH Windows Vinyl Replacement Windows Double Pane, Double Hung 3/4" Glass, Energy-Star Rated

FREE LOW E AND ARGON!

INSTALLED - $199*

*up to 101 UI

Vinyl Siding • Windows & Decks Kitchen & Bath Remodeling Redoor, Redrawer, Reface or Replace Your Cabinets!

H & M Industries, Inc.

828-248-1681

704-434-9900

Website - hmindustries.com

Visa Mastercard Discover

HOME IMPROVEMENT

• Painting • Replacement Windows • Decks Licensed Contractor 30 Years Experience

HOME IMPROVEMENT

Does your business need a boost? Let us design an eye catching ad for your business! Business & Services Directory ads get results! Call the Classified Department!

245-6431 LANDSCAPING FOREST LAKE LANDSCAPING Landscape and Lawn Maintenance

* roofing * concrete * decks & steps * painting * carpentry * skirting * plumbing * sheet rock * room additions * metal roofing

No Job Too Small Discount for Senior Citizens

828-657-6518 828-223-0310

s ,ANDSCAPE $ESIGN )NSTALLATION s ,ANDSCAPE &ERTILIZATION s ,AWN 3EEDING AND 3ODDING s #OMPLETE ,ANDSCAPE 3ERVICES s -OWING s -ULCHING s 0RUNING s ,IGHTING Commercial – Residential Free Estimates

Phillip Dowling 248-2585

PAWN SHOP

ROOFING

Small Cash Loans Available

Todd McGinnis Roofing

WE BUY GOLD & SILVER s 'UNS s (ANDGUNS s +NIVES ALER FFL DE nsfers a r T s *EWELRY n Gu e!

Welcom s 3ILVER #OINS

7E "UY 3ELL 4RADE

Give us a

Rubberized/Roofing Metal, Fix Leaks

287-3456

FREE ESTIMATES

A-1 Rutherford Locksmith & Pawn

828-286-2306 828-223-0633

2AILROAD !VE 2UTHERFORDTON .#

www.locknpawn.com

286-2094 245-7779

LOCKSMITHING

WE CAN SAVE YOU UP TO 50%!

s #HIP +EYS s $EALER /NLY +EYS s #AR 2EMOTES FOBS s $EADBOLT )NSTALLS s %MERGENCY #ALLS

-ENTION THIS AD FOR 1 FREE KEY! $ 00 KEY PER HOUSEHOLD 2. VALUE

828-287-1022

A-1 Rutherford Locksmith NCLL #553 901 Railroad Ave. Rutherfordton, NC 28139

www.locknpawn.com

ROOFING

GARY LEE QUEEN’S ROOFING

Golden Valley Community Over 35 Years Experience ✓ All work guaranteed ✓ Specializing in all types of roofing, new & old ✓ References furnished ✓ Vinyl Siding ✓ 10% DISCOUNT FOR SENIOR CITIZENS CHURCHES & COMMUNITY BUILDINGS ALSO METAL ROOFS

5 YEAR WARRANTY ON LABOR FREE ESTIMATES

Call today! 245-8215

YOUR AD COULD BE HERE! HOME IMPROVEMENTS Blue Mountain Home Improvements

Chad Jones

828.447.3061 Decks • Porches • Windows Doors • Floors • Bathrooms Tiled Showers • Tile • Trim Carpentry • Painting Kitchens And Much More

Metal RooďŹ ng (Energy-Star Rated • 30% Return on Taxes)

INSURED! FREE ESTIMATES!

429-5151 HOME REPAIR

FREE ESTIMATES! WORK GUARANTEED!

Specializing In Metal Roofing.....Offered In Many Colors

245-6367

• Remodeling

Installs Gutter Guards Cleans Gutters Repairs New & Old Vinyl Siding

HOME IMPROVEMENT

Licensed Contractor with 35 Years Experience

David Francis

YOUR AD COULD BE HERE!

-

Carpentry Paint Tile Hardwood Flooring Landscape Services

J. ABRAMS

828-289-4564

Quality Work • Affordable Prices

Free Estimates

PAINTING

PAINTING

Interior & Exterior 22 years experience

Campbell’s Paint

Interior & Exterior Residential and Commercial No Job Too Small or Too Big

Great references Free Estimates

FREE ESTIMATES 38 yrs experience

Charles Campbell John 3:16

TREE TREE CARE CARE

Carolina Tree Care & Stump Grinding

10% discount Topping & work Removal on all Stump Grinding Valid 9/17-11/1/09

• Low RatesInsured Fully •Free Good Clean Work Estimates • Satisfaction Guaranteed 20 Years Experience • Fully Insured Senior Citizens & • Free Estimates

Veterans Discounts

ChadReid Sisk Mark (828) 289-7092 828-289-1871 Senior Citizen Discounts

828-289-6520 VETERINARIAN Thunder Road Animal Bi-Lo Hospital Super 8 Motel 74 Bypass

Spindale Denny’s 286-0033 *Dog/Cat spay/neuter program *Low-cost monthly shot clinic *Flea & tick control *Heart worm prevention *SALE* Save Up To $4600 Today

16

— The

Daily Courier, Forest City, NC, Saturday, March 20, 2010

Nation/world

Few notice as Iraq war’s 7th anniversary passes

By ALLEN G. BREED AP National Writer

RALEIGH — It was a day like any other day — except that it was the seventh anniversary of the U.S. invasion of Iraq. And, for the most part, that was forgotten.

“Honestly, with everything that’s going on in my personal life, it slipped my mind,” said Chris Skidmore, 39, as he sipped a drink on the artificial lawn at Raleigh’s North Hills Mall. “I’ve been out of work since August of last year.”

Associated Press

Chris Skidmore, 39, sips a drink on a bench at the North Hills Mall in Raleigh on Friday. Like many Americans, Skidmore wasn’t aware that Friday was the seventh anniversary of the Iraq War. Skidmore, who has been unemployed since August, says he has too much else on his mind.

Send us your

APRIL BIRTHDAYS to be included in our BRAND NEW

Birthday Calendar Send your name or your loved one’s name and birth date with One Dollar to be included in our

BIRTHDAY CALENDAR to be published the first of April.

Submit birthdays for April by March 29th

PORT-AU-PRINCE, Haiti (AP) — One of the heaviest rainfalls since Haiti’s Jan. 12 earthquake swamped homeless camps Friday, sweeping screaming residents into eddies of water, overflowing latrines and panicking thousands.

The overnight downpour sent water coursing down the slopes of a former golf course that now serves as a temporary home for about 45,000 people.

There were no reports of deaths in the camp, a town-size maze of blue, orange and silver tarps located behind the country club used by the U.S. Army 82nd Airborne as a forward-operating base.

But the deluge terrified families who just two months ago survived the collapse of their homes in the magnitude-7 earthquake and are now struggling to make do in tentand-tarp camps that officials have repeatedly said must be relocated.

“I was on one side (of the tarp), the children were on the other side and I was trying to push the water out,”

Jackquine Exama, a 34-year-old mother of seven, said through tears.

“I’m not used to this,” she said.

Aid workers said people were swept screaming into eddies of water and flows ripped down tents an Israeli aid group is using to teach school.

“They were crying. There was just fear down there. It was chaos,” said Jim Wilson of the aid group Praecipio, who came running from his own shelter up the hill when he heard the screams.

After the sun rose Friday, people used sticks and their bare hands to dig drainage ditches around their tarps and shanties.

Marie Elba Sylvie, 50, could not decide whether it was worth repairing damage to her lean-to of scrap wood and plastic.

“It could be fixed but when it rains again it will be the same problem,” said the 50-year-old mother of four.

Standing water and mud also pervaded a tarp-and-tent city on the outskirts of Cite Soleil, several miles away.

Rutherfordton Location

★ Cans ★ Copper ★ Brass

top dollar

for your scrap!!

h

NOW OPEN!

$

Birth Date:

AP writers David Sharp in Portland, Elliot Spagat in Oceanside, John Milburn at Fort Riley, JoAnn Loviglio in Philadelphia and Dinesh Ramde in Milwaukee also contributed to this report.

a

Name:

Back at the mall in Raleigh, Lauren Lewis admitted that she only thinks about Iraq “once every couple of weeks.”

Picnicking on the fake grass with her 18-month-old daughter, Liza, Lewis said it doesn’t really matter to her when the war began.

“Maybe the end of the war would be the date that would be burned in our minds more,” she said, as Liza buried her head in her mother’s lap. “Then it’s over.”

c

Send to: The DAily COurier Attn: Birthday Calendar 601 Oak Street Forest City, NC 28043

200 last year and 500 the previous year.

“It’s a little frustrating when people seem apathetic, but I don’t blame the individuals,” said Jacob Flom, 24, a junior at the University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee and an Air Force veteran who didn’t serve in the current wars. “It’s because the corporate media doesn’t raise the issue anymore.”

Sunning himself on a bench outside the Veterans Affairs Medical Center in Philadelphia, Vietnam veteran Marcus Patterson said he doesn’t think people have forgotten about the war; they’re simply overwhelmed by everything else.

“You’ve got the economy, you’ve got the stock market going down the drain, people losing their jobs, people losing their homes,” said Patterson, 65, a retired mason, as he leaned on his cane. “You’ve got worries that are right in your face, close

Heavy rains swamp Haitian camps

h

Even in places like Oceanside, Calif., whose barber shops and dry cleaners cater to the Marines at nearby Camp Pendleton, the anniversary went largely unnoticed — as it has in years past. About a dozen people interviewed Friday said they were unaware of the milestone.

Troops and their families are much more focused on Afghanistan, where thousands of troops from the I Marine Expeditionary Force are headed. Iraq still stirs strong feelings on about whether the war was justi-

fied, but folks say it has faded to the back of their minds.

Iraq has become a resort compared with Afghanistan today, said Christina Schrom, 26, who works at Jeanette’s Dry Cleaning.

“Afghanistan is more like Iraq was in the beginning.”

The White House made no comment Friday on the anniversary of the start of the war. The U.S. military said there were no ceremonies or special events to mark the day, which saw five Iraqis — but no Americans — die in violent incidents.

The day did not go unmarked everywhere.

In Milwaukee, a small but vocal group of protesters marched through downtown carrying signs that read “Bailout for education, not for corporations,” and “Health care not warfare.”

The protest, organized by the Milwaukee Coalition for a Just Peace, drew about 75 people Friday, down from

$

battalion were killed there.

He figures he fought for his fellow Americans’ freedom to forget about the war.

“That’s what’s so great about America,” he said.

“People have a right to their opinions. ... Unless it’s right there in front of you in plain sight, then you tend to forget.”

c a

It’s not that the average American isn’t aware that we still have tens of thousands or troops in Iraq, or that nearly 4,400 U.S. military personnel have died there since the war began.

Scattered demonstrations were scheduled around the country to call for the troops’ swift return.

But with so much else going on — a torpid economy, a climactic debate over health care reform, a mounting conflict in Afghanistan — it’s easy to lose sight of the fact that Americans are still fighting and dying in Iraq.

Somewhat sheepishly, Princeton University historian Sean Wilentz acknowledged that the date’s significance was lost on him.

But he said he and other Americans can be forgiven for not having March 19 marked on their mental calendars.

“Unlike Sept. 11 or unlike Dec. 7, 1941, it was not a war that began with a traumatic event,” said Wilentz.

“There was a long buildup to it. There was a lot of debating back and forth. ... There wasn’t quite the sense of drama, shall we say, of the event itself, even though there were lots of dramatic events that happened that night.

“But the date did not burn itself into one’s memory the way the others did.”

Master Sgt. Normand Roy of Lewiston led a Maine National Guard platoon in Iraq, and three soldiers in his

to home.”

“It’s our daily reality now, so we don’t think of it as much,” agreed fellow Vietnam vet Turk Wallis, 67, who was waiting for a friend outside the hospital on a motorized scooter.

“Everybody’s tired, overloaded. I don’t think there’s any disrespect, but you’re going to tune out certain things after a while.”

But forgetting is a luxury military families cannot afford.

Virginia Hagin’s husband, 1st Sgt. Randy Hagin, is a drummer in the 1st Infantry Division Band. His mission in Basra is to boost the morale of soldiers and civilians, but he took a few minutes Friday morning to raise the spirits of the couple’s two sons — Joseph, 4 and James, 5.

When he called home to Fort Riley, Kan., the boys asked him to sing “Boris the Spider” by The Who. A lot of folks who have spouses in Iraq “don’t watch the news, but I do,” Virginia Hagin said. “I notice that they are talking about Afghanistan and the new surge. During the (Iraq) elections, that was still in the forefront.

“I really do feel like it’s a good thing. I would much rather hear good things.”

★ Aluminum ★ Batteries ★ Appliances For fast cash, We pick-Up Junk Cars!

Call 828-447-7787

• Junk Cars ����� $11�00 per 100lbs • Scrap Metal �� $10�00 per 100lbs • Auto Batteries ������ $6�00 each (NEW 90 ft. NC Certified Scales)

compare our prices!

your Name:

$ LUSK RecycLing, inc. $

Full Address:

Scrap Metals & Autos • It’s Just A Short Drive!

Rutherfordton

a

c

Phone:

828-287-3871

In Loving Memory of W.D. Lusk 1961-2009 Our Founder, Teacher and Best Friend

h

$

Monday-Friday 9:00am - 5:00pm Closed Saturday

a

c

h

$