Daily Courier April 17, 2010

Feds indicts ex-Blackwater president — Page 10 Sports Follow the bouncing ball East Rutherford played host to rival, R-S Central Friday as the Cavs looked to sweep Rutherford County just days after topping Chase

Page 7

Saturday, April 17, 2010, Forest City, N.C.

50¢

Funeral escorts are still provided

NATION

By LARRY DALE Daily Courier Staff Writer

President signs jobless benefits extension bill

ity to do anything about it.”

Bedford said complaints hadn’t been as numerous this year as in the past.

State statute dictates it is illegal for candidates to erect signs in highway right-of-ways or put up unauthorized signs. It is also against the law to affix signs to utility poles.

Environmental concerns are also on the minds of local officials.

“SWEEP (Solid Waste and Environmental Education Panel) requests that all candidates, in an effort to keep the county’s appearance a priority, not post election signs along the county roadways until 60 days before the election and that signs be removed within one week after the election,” said Susan LosCalzo of SWEEP. “Signs that are placed along roadways more than 60 days before an election are

RUTHERFORDTON — The practice of providing law enforcement escorts for funeral processions continues in Rutherford County, but the courtesy is being discontinued in many places.

All five law enforcement agencies in Rutherford County, the Sheriff’s Office and the Forest City, Spindale, Rutherfordton and Lake Lure police departments provide escorts when requested.

Rutherfordton Police Chief Kevin Lovelace said the honorary practice “was being done long before I came into law enforcement. It is a fine Southern tradition.”

But some larger municipalities have stopped leading processions because of liability concerns, the expense and the time involved.

USA Today recently reported, “Liability and staffing concerns have prompted several police departments in large metropolitan areas to stop providing the escorts. Police in Atlanta, Charlotte, Miami, Minneapolis, Las Vegas and Los Angeles said this week they no longer provide escorts, except for police officers, firefighters or military personnel killed in battle.

“In most large cities, funeral

Please see Signs, Page 6

Please see Escorts, Page 6

Page 13

SPORTS Garrett Byers/Daily Courier

Hundreds of candidate signs are popping up all over the county. Groups like this one at the Rutherford County Annex in Rutherfordton are within the law, but the board of elections has received some complaints about sign placement that might violate state statutes.

Laws govern political signs

By SCOTT BAUGHMAN Daily Courier Staff Writer

The undefeated Lady Toppers hosted East Page 7

GAS PRICES

FOREST CITY — Spring flowers aren’t the only things sprouting up in Rutherford County.

Candidate signs for various races are almost as prolific as the blossoms.

But there are some pretty strict guidelines about sign locations and sizes that candidates must follow. The rules are given to each candidate and available on the Board of Elections Web site at www.rutherfordcountync.gov.

If a candidate breaks the statutes, the board of elections will let them know.

“We don’t really have any authority over the signs but if someone does call us with a complaint we will contact the candidate,” county Director of Elections Debbie Bedford said. “If a candidate sees someone damaging their sign, we advise them to contact the sheriff’s department because we don’t really have any author-

Low: $2.73 High: $2.82 Avg.: $2.78

Fighting hunger

DEATHS Forest City

Asa Hamrick Virginia Lowdermilk Ellenboro Tina Penson Elsewhere John Joy Jewell Hill Jerry Scruggs Edna Taylor Page 5

Pat Evans (center) talks with Dan McGinnis (right) as her husband Lonnie Evans, Jr. (left) passes a bag of food to Jeff West at the Food Pantry, Foursquare Gospel Church, Forest City. The monthly food give-away will be held Saturday at noon.

WEATHER

Jean Gordon/Daily Courier

High

Low

76 42 Today, mostly cloudy. Tonight, partly cloudy.

Complete forecast, Page 10

INSIDE Classifieds . . . 13-15 Sports . . . . . . . . 7-9 County scene . . . . 6 Opinion . . . . . . . . 4

Food bank, churches helping neighbors

By JEAN GORDON Daily Courier Staff Writer

FOREST CITY — Children in Rutherford County are hungry. So are senior citizens and middle aged people.

The latest statistics from Second Harvest Food Bank in Charlotte, report 22.7 percent of children here live at or below the poverty level. Statistics also report, 13.8 percent of the older adult population are poor and hungry.

Churches and communities are working together in the county to sponsor food giveaways.

Last November, the Foursquare Gospel

Vol. 42, No. 92

Now on the Web: www.thedigitalcourier.com

Church, Forest City, with pastor Ricky Poteat, became partners with Second Harvest Food Bank to provide food for individuals and families in Rutherford County.

When Foursquare volunteers gathered in December to distribute its first food from Second Harvest, 252 families received a grocery cart of free groceries.

Three months later in March, the food pantry exceeded its expectations as 3,284 families received food at Foursquare.

Under the leadership of volunteers Pat Evans and Lonnie Evans, Jr. and other volunteers, the food distribution will be held again Saturday beginning at 12 p.m.

Volunteers know the cars will start lining up at 5 a.m. because people are afraid the food might run out. Most likely it won’t, as preparations have been made to donate food to thousands.

As people wait for hours in line, they’ll receive free coffee and cookies.

The church provides the food once a month and everyone who needs food is invited to come to the church parking lot. Everyone will be asked to complete a registration form, asking for names of the family, number of family members and the ages of the children.

Please see Hunger, Page 6

2

— The

Daily Courier, Forest City, NC, Saturday, April 17, 2010

local Church News One Man Quartet

Mullennix to speak at homecoming SPINDALE — The Rev. Jane Summey Mullennix of Charlotte, will speak Sunday, April 25, during the homecoming service at Spindale United Methodist Church.

Jane received her masters of arts degree in rehabilitation counseling and a bachelor of science degree in chemistry and psychology from the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill. She graduated from Vanderbilt University Divinity School in 1986. She has served as the Parish Associate of Family Ministries at Avondale Presbyterian Church in Charlotte since 2008.

Chris Smith (The One Man Quartet) will be in concert Sunday, April 18, at Goode’s Creek Baptist Church, Mooresboro. Singing begins at 6 p.m. The public is invited.

Music/concerts Singing: Sunday, April 18, 6 p.m., Piney Knob Baptist Church, Shingle Hollow; featuring The Land of the Sky Boys.

Singing: Sunday, April 18, during the 11 a.m. worship service at Mount Pleasant Baptist Church, Mooresboro; featuring Blood Connected from Fayetteville.

Singing: Sunday, April 18, 2 p.m., Bible Way Baptist Church, John Smith Road, Green Hill; featuring Don Atkins and Winners Either Way. Singing: Saturday, April 17, 7 p.m., Faith Baptist Church, 149 West Main Street Ext., Forest City; featuring Set Apart By Christ.

Gospel singing: Sunday, April 25, 2 p.m., Harris Baptist Church; featuring Justice Family from Hendersonville.

Choir anniversary event: St. John Mass Choir; April 24 and 25, St. John AME Zion Church, Rutherfordton; Songfest kick off at 7 p.m., Saturday;

grand finale singing 4 p.m.

Sunday; choirs or groups who would like to participate, contact Troy Harris at 429-9494.

Singing: Sunday, April 25, 6 p.m., Golden Valley Missionary Methodist Church; featuring Fresh Anointing from Alabama.

The Mystery Men Quartet, featuring Ed Crawford, formerly of the Kingsmen Quartet, will be in concert Friday, April 30, at 7 p.m., at Forest City Four Square Church, 178 Cornwell St., Forest City.

Singing: Friday, April 30, begins at 7 p.m., Little White Country Church; featuring Mike Upright formerly with the group Standing Tall.

Special services Ladies’ Day event: Women of God: Godly Women; Saturday, April 17, 9 a.m. to 3 p.m.; Pleasant View Community Church; lunch served; guest speakers, Burnette Brown and Judy Kay Van Hoy; special music throughout the day including the PVCC Youth Praise and Worship Team, Cassidy

Pinkerton, Melissa Carroll and others.

Church anniversary service: Sunday, April 18, 3 p.m., Harvest House Baptist Church, 245 Big Springs Ave., Forest City; guest speaker, Rev. Zane McMillian, pastor of New Bethel Independent Church, Forest City.

The Rev. Jairo Contreras and congregation of the Hispanic Baptist Church “Cristo Vive” invites the public to a worship service (in English) on Sunday, April 18, beginning at 6 p.m. Fellowship to follow.

Call 289-9837 for more information.

Anniversary service: Sunday, April 18, 4 p.m., New Bethel AME Zion Church, Forest City.

Usher Board program: Sunday, April 18, 4 p.m., Russell Tabernacle CME Church, 326 Ledbetter Road, Spindale; speaker, Dr. Karen McNeil-Miller, president of the Kate B. Reynolds Charitable Trust.

Revival: April 18-21, and April 22-23; Mountain View Baptist Church,

Bostic-Sunshine Hwy. Bostic; prayer time 6:30 nightly; services at 7 nightly; speaker, Rev. Gerald Sailors.

Revival: April 18-21, 7 nightly, Thermal City United Methodist Church.

Revival: April 18-19, 7 nightly; Mt. Hebron United Methodist Church; the Rev. April Abernathy will speak; special music and refreshments each night.

Revival: April 18-21, Smith Grove Baptist Church, Horn Bottom Rd., Forest City; guest evangelist, Rev. William Swink of Pleasant Hill Baptist Church; Sunday services 11 a.m. and 6 p.m.; MTW, 7 nightly.

“Women in White”: Sunday, April 18, 3 p.m., Union Hill AME Zion Church; guest speaker, Rev. Juanita Staley from Zion Grove AME Zion Church, Rutherfordton; sponsored by the deaconess board.

Men’s Day: The Men of New Salem CME Church, 784 Pleasant Hill Loop Road, Rutherfordton, will host their Annual Men’s Day Celebration on Sunday,

Anonymous Acts of Kindness The generous soul will be made rich, and he who waters will also be watered himself.

New K.J.V. Proverbs 11:25

It is only natural for us to want to be recognized for our good deeds; however there is undoubtedly something even better in doing the occasional secret good deed. An anonymous act of kindness actually benefits both the giver and the receiver more than the gift of kindness that is performed with full recognition of who did it. The doer of a secret good deed will feel that there is something purer in their motive because they are not doing it to receive thanks or recognition, and this feeling is likely to raise the doer’s self-esteem. In addition, the person who receives the anonymous gift or act of kindness is likely to feel that the world is a kinder, friendlier place, with people out there whom they don’t even know doing good deeds. There are lots of ways we can do a secret good deed. For example, paying the toll for the person behind us, or buying the couple’s tickets behind us in line at the movie theater.

Adaville Baptist Church

Other ideas may include putting money in expired meters, leaving some food or a gift for someone at work, or perhaps leaving a plate of “goodies” on someone’s desk who we know won’t have time to go out for lunch. We should be creative and even have some fun while figuring out ways to do a secret good deed. There is really no end to the anonymous acts ofkindness we can do, and it really will make us and the recipient feel great.

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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

A native of Spindale, she is a daughter of Mark and Rachel Summey.

She is married to the Rev. Dale Mullennix.

They have two chilMullennix dren, Aaron and Amanda.

A covered dish lunch will follow the 11 a.m. worship service.

April 18, during the 11 a.m. worship service. Speaker, Min. Sterling Abrams of Forest City. The celebration continues at 3:30 p.m. with a singing program, which includes Change of Inman.

Rainbow Tea: Sunday, April 18, 3 p.m., St. Paul AME Zion Church, 200 Lawing Road, Forest City; guest speaker, Min. Maurice Scales of Pharr Chapel AME Zion Church, Old Fort; donations go toward home missions.

Men’s Day Celebration in Song: “Christian Men walking in Victory”; Sunday, April 25, 3:30 p.m., at New Salem CME Church, 784 Pleasant Hill Loop Road, Rutherfordton; many groups on program including Change from Inman.

Revival: April 25-28, Pleasant Grove Baptist Church, 130 Pleasant Grove Road, Rutherfordton; guest speaker, Evangelist Frank Walker; Special music each night; Sunday services 11 a.m. and 6 p.m.; MTW, 7 nightly.

Pastor anniversary: In honor of Rev. and Mrs. Phillip Forney; Sunday, April 25, 3 p.m.; Wheat Creek Baptist Church, 131 Wheat Creek Lane, Rutherfordton; guest speaker, Rev. John Wayne King, along with his choir and congregation from Bethany Baptist Church in Charlotte.

Revival: April 25-27, New Salem CME Church, 784 Pleasant Hill Loop Road, Rutherfordton; Sunday service at 4 p.m., with the Rev. Kenneth Cannon, along with his congregation from Fairview CME Church, Chesnee, S.C. Praise and worship begins at 3:45 p.m.

April 26 and 27, 7 nightly, with the Rev. Eleanor Miller from New Zion CME Church, Mill Springs. Praise and worship begins at 6:50 p.m.

Women’s Conference: “The Feet of Jesus,” Saturday, May 1, 9 a.m. until noon, Gray’s Creek Baptist Church, 751 Gray’s Creek Church Road, Rutherfordton; special guest, Kyla Rowland with Kriss Landry of Abounding Grace Ministry; light breakfast 8:15 to 8:45 a.m.; lunch at noon; a love offering will be taken.

Breast Cancer Awareness service: “200 Women in Pink and White”; Sunday, May 2, 4 p.m.; New Forest Chapel CME Church; guest speaker, Rev. Melvin Family and Friends Day: Sunday, May 9, 3 p.m., Hopewell AME Zion Church; guest speaker, Rev. Larry Whiteside, assistant pastor of Wells Spring UMCG; lunch served.

Fundraisers Fish fry: Saturday, April 17, begins at 11:30 a.m., Unionville Lodge, Ledbetter Road, Spindale; fish plates $8; hot dog plates $4; both include beverage and dessert; sponsored by Angel Divine Faith Church.

Buffet breakfast: Saturday, April 17, 7 to 10:30 a.m.; Mt. Pleasant Baptist Church, Mt. Pleasant Church Rd., Forest City; $5 per person; all you can eat.

Yard sale: Saturday, April 17, East Rutherford Church of God; biscuit breakfast begins at 7 a.m.; Hot dogs served from 10:30 a.m. to 1 p.m.; Church located off Hwy. 74, Exit 187.

Barbecue: Saturday, April 17, begins at 4:30 p.m., Walls Baptist Church, Bostic; no set price, donations accepted; all carry outs $8; proceeds for youth camp.

Yard sale, breakfast: Saturday, April 17, beginning at 7 a.m., Gilkey Clubhouse; country breakfast, adults $5, children $3; large number of yard sale items; rain or shine; yard sale spaces available ($10), to reserve a spot call 288-4777; all proceeds go to Anath Christian Academy.

Benefit singing: For Terry Biddy (liver transplant patient); Sunday, April 18, 6 p.m.; at Spindale Fellowship Holiness Church; on program — The Camp Family, The Rash Family and others; a love offering will be taken.

Spaghetti lunch: Sunday, April 18, 12:15 p.m., St. Francis Episcopal Church, Rutherfordton; adult plates $6; children $3; sponsored by the Brotherhood of Saint Andrew; all proceeds go toward the local prison chaplaincy program.

Auction: 10th Annual Johnny Hill Memorial Auction; Saturday, April 24, at West Point Baptist Church, Union Road, Rutherfordton; viewing and breakfast 8 to 10 a.m., auction follows; lunch begins at 11 a.m.; proceeds for the building fund.

Walk-A-Thon: Saturday, April 24, meet at 9:30 a.m., walk begins at 10 a.m.; Mt. Pisgah United Church of God; all proceeds for the women’s community conference scholarship.

Breakfast buffet: Saturday, April 24, 7 to 10 a.m., Long Branch Road Baptist Church, 621 Long Branch Road, Forest City, (Shiloh community); no set price, donations accepted; proceeds for the building fund.

Car show: 7th Annual Cruise for Christ; Saturday, April 24, at Missionary Wesleyan Church, 811 Doggett Road, Forest City; registration begins at 8 a.m.; barbecue; live music

by Rick Strickland and Cindy Griggs; for information or to enter the show, call 245-0931 or 657-5772.

Church-wide yard sale: Saturday, April 24, begins at 8 a.m., Temple of Jesus Church, Lake Lure; large variety of items including clothes of all sizes.

Yard/bake sale, car wash: Saturday, April 24, begins at 7:30 a.m.; at Green River Baptist Association, 668 North Washington St., Rutherfordton; sponsored

by Pleasant Grove Baptist Church youth and children; proceeds for Caswell fund.

Car Show: Saturday, April 24, 9 a.m. to 2 p.m.; Mt. Pleasant Baptist Church, Mt. Pleasant Church Rd., Forest City; car, motorcycle and tractor show; registration ends at noon; judging at 1 p.m.; free registration; awards given; lots of food.

Other Clothing give away: Saturday, April 24, 9 a.m. to noon, High Shoal Baptist Church, 284 High Shoals Church Road, Henrietta; children and adult clothes will be given away free to those in need; for more information call 657-6448.

Monthly food giveaway: First Baptist Church in Spindale holds a food giveaway the third Thursday of each month. Devotion and prayer service between 6 and 6:30 p.m. Bags of food given away afterwards.

Open support group: “Let’s Talk About It” meets every Monday from 7 to 8 p.m., at New Life Fellowship Church, 601 E. Main St., Spindale. This group is for anyone who needs to talk about any issues.

The Daily Courier, Forest City, NC, Saturday, April 17, 2010 — 3

LOCAL

Police Notes Sheriff’s Reports

n The Rutherford County Sheriff’s Office responded to 141 E-911 calls Thursday. n Krystal Honeycutt reported the theft of two lawn mowers. n Alex Dinovetsky reported the theft of a GPS from a motor vehicle. n Gabriel Quincy Lail reported the theft of medicine and other items from a motor vehicle. n Regan Jason Ellison reported the theft of tools.

Rutherfordton

n The Rutherfordton Police Department responded to 37 E-911 calls Thursday.

Spindale

n The Spindale Police Department responded to 29 E-911 Thursday.

Lake Lure

n The Lake Lure Police Department responded to two E-911 calls Thursday.

Forest City

n The Forest City Police Department responded to 50 E-911 calls Thursday. n Roy Wright reported a breaking and entering to an automobile and larceny.

Arrests

n Brian Leonard Talarico, 50, of 351 Old U.S. 74; charged with domestic violence protective order violation; placed under a $1,000 secured bond. (Court) n Santos Puac Vasquez, 34, of South Broadway Street, Forest City; charged with driving while impaired; placed under a $1,000 secured bond.

(FCPD)

n Tavon Murray, 22, of Wagy Road, Franklin; was arrested for assault on a female and interfering with emergency communications; placed under a 48-hour hold. (FCPD) n William Boykins, 40, of Farmside Drive, Forest City; arrested on a warrant for possession with intent to sell/deliver marijuana; placed under a $10,000 secured bond. (FCPD) n Edward Lee Short, 46, of Forest City; arrested on warrants for simple possession of marijuana and possession of drug paraphernalia; released

THREE INJURED IN ACCIDENT on a $1,000 unsecured bond. (FCPD) n Devan Devonne Miller, 26, of 227 Lynch St.; charged with failure to comply and driving while license revoked; placed under a $600 secured bond. (RCSD) n Charles Brady Teague Jr., 65, of 180 Marie Cathenia Drive; charged with sexual assault/ sexual battery; released on a $2,000 unsecured bond. (RCSD) n Tommy Ray Rhodes, 48, of 428 Mountain Creek Drive; charged with two counts of contributing to the delinquency of a juvenile; released on a written promise to appear. (RCSD) n Joshua Matthew Tessnair, 22, of 629 Dewitt Owens Road; charged with assault on a female; placed under a 48-hour hold. (RCSD) n Cindy Toney Thompson, 50, of 230 Angora Drive, Bostic; charged with simple physical assault; released on an unsecured bond. (RCSD) n Rick Thompson, no age listed, of 230 Angora Drive, Bostic; charged with simple physical assault; released on an unsecured bond. (RCSD) n Davis Michael Cassidy, 24, of 246 Tryon Road; charged with true bill manufacture marijuana, possession of drug paraphernalia and failure to appear; placed under a $500 secured bond. (RPD) n James Boatwright, 43, of 651 N. Washington St.; charged with simple possession of schedule II controlled substance; placed under a $1,000 secured bond. (RPD) n David Kenneth Fowler, 19, of 117 Black Oak Drive; charged with simple assault; placed under a $1,000 secured bond. (SPD)

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

Fire Calls n Forest City firefighters responded to a motor vehicle accident. n Green Hill firefighters responded to a smoke report. n SDO firefighters responded to a motor vehicle accident. n Spindale firefighters responded to a motor vehicle accident.

Jean Gordon/Daily Courier

Forest City firefighters and EMS personnel at the scene of a two-vehicle accident Thursday afternoon at Withrow Road and W. Main Drive, Forest City, that sent three people to the hospital. Tamarria Webster, 68, of Forest City, and Kyle Rena Carson, 31, were taken to Rutherford Hospital where they were treated for injuries.

Also taken to the hospital was Christopher Whiteside of Rutherfordton. According to Forest City police officers, witnesses said Webster, driving a Chrysler 2002, ran a stop sign and struck Carson’s 1997 Chevrolet. Webster was charged with stop sign violation.

Rutherford Notes RTR fundraiser tonight RUTHERFORDTON — Rutherford Town Revitalization brings Dueling Pianos to Rutherfordton tonight for the 2010 Gold Coin Event and Fundraiser.

The event begins at 7 p.m. at 151 Central Street, Rutherfordton, formerly The Kodiak.

The event promises to be a funfilled evening as RTR Presents “Mardi Gras Rocks, Rutherfordton’s First Ever Dueling Pianos and Silent Auction.”

From Van Morrison to Vanilla Ice, everyone can sing along, make special request and have a great time for a great cause. Proceeds benefit the town’s revitalization efforts to develop, strengthen and sustain the social, historic and economic vitality of downtown Rutherfordton.

Admission is $40 per person or $75 per couple.

Food, entertainment and silent auction are included in admission. There will also be a cash bar.

For more information, please call 287.2071.

Cash and checks will be accepted at the door; make checks payable to RTR, Inc.

Society celebrates RUTHERFORDTON — The Rutherford County Historical Society will celebrate its 75th anniversary on Sunday from 3 to 5 p.m. with a drop-in reception at historic St. John’s Church, 336 N. Main Street, in Rutherfordton.

The RCHS was formed in April 1935 to preserve and promote the history and heritage of Rutherford County and its people.

Through the years the society has acquired an impressive collection of historical artifacts, has successfully worked to have local properties listed to the National Register of Historic Places, and has aided the publication of a number of important works of history.

Since 1980, the society has also owned and maintained St. John’s Church as its headquarters. The antebellum building has been meticulously restored and preserved.

Send us your

SAVING WITH THE COUPON QUEEN

MAY BIRTHDAYS

Jill Cataldo saves hundreds on groceries by making the cost of the common coupon count. You can, too.

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 May.

Submit birthdays for May by April 28th

Send to: The Daily COurier attn: Birthday Calendar 601 Oak Street Forest City, NC 28043 Name: Birth Date: your Name: Full address: Phone:

Reader Mail: Know when to hold ‘em

JILL CATALDO

JILL CATALDO

Here’s a question from a reader like you who’s learning how to use coupons to save money at the grocery store: Q: “I have to disagree with you about holding onto coupons until stores put the item on a good sale. Great idea, but as you might have noticed coupons today have a very short life span. You said grocery stores’ best sales on certain items rarely coincide with coupons available that week. I don’t believe you should hold on to coupons and wait for a better sale because the coupons will expire. Best to grab the deal when you can and use the coupon, otherwise it’s a waste of time cutting those coupons out.”

A: This is one of the most common misconceptions about coupons: assuming that they expire too soon to make holding onto them worthwhile. The average coupon has an expiration date three months out.

Some expire sooner, some expire later, but it’s wrong to assume that they all expire very quickly. I have coupon inserts that are more than eight months old that still have current, unexpired coupons in them – proof that it’s not only important to hold onto all of our inserts until every coupon inside expires, but also proof that not all coupons expire quickly.Using coupons the same week you get them is almost always a big mistake. Stores know exactly which products will be featured in the coupon inserts for the current week, and most stores will intentionally leave these items at a higher price. The reason? Stores know how most people use coupons. Most people will cut coupons out of this week’s paper and use them the same week. But these shoppers usually pay a much higher price on a given product, even with a coupon, than if they had waited for a better sale and then used the coupon.

About six weeks ago, I received a $1 coupon with an expiration date three months out, good for a certain brand of soup. This soup was $3.29 the week the coupon arrived. If I used the coupon that week, I’d pay $2.29, still much more than I like to pay for a can of soup.

But with three months’ time to watch for a better sale, I waited. And this week, the soup went on sale for $1 a can. My coupon is still more than a month away from expiring, but by waiting a few weeks, I took the soup home for free! Had I used it the week I’d gotten it, I would still have paid more than two dollars for the soup. Free is much better.

After one of my coupon classes, a man came up to me and told me that he had an “aha!” coupon moment. He was an avid poker player, and he equated knowing when to “play” your coupon to knowing when to play a certain card in a hand of poker. I like this analogy a lot, because coupon shopping can definitely feel like a game at times... and it’s a game that’s fun to win! A $1 coupon is worth a lot more paired with a $1 sale price than it is with a $3.29 regular price.

As for your point about using a coupon the week you cut it out so that it’s not a “waste of time,” I’d suggest that you not be so quick to clip. I never cut coupons that I’m not going to use immediately. I use a “clipless” system to manage my coupons (more on this at www.supercouponing.com under “Getting Started.”) I’m not cutting a coupon out until the week I actually need it. If the coupon in my insert does not line up with a good sale before it expires, I haven’t wasted any time at all clipping it, looking it up or carrying it around. I use as little time and effort as possible to manage my coupons and you can, too!

It’s much easier to take only the coupons you need to the store in the first place, secure in the knowledge that, like my card-playing student, you are “playing” your coupons at exactly the right time to maximize savings.

4

— The

Daily Courier, Forest City, NC, Saturday, April 17, 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 Volunteer effort makes difference

T

he efforts by various community groups in Rutherford County to help their fellow citizens often go unheralded.

It is those efforts, such as those noted in an article today on the work of local churches and groups with a regional food bank, that make this community stand out.

Rutherford County is noted for its volunteerism and thousands of people are out there working to help other people.

We can only say thank you to all those who give of their time, their energy and their resources to help make our community better.

We can also encourage the many others out there to join the efforts. No matter what your interests or your skills, there is volunteer organization that will fit you. So take the time to check them out, and should you not find one to fit your strengths, create one. There are still many needs to be met.

Our readers’ views Suggests hemp could help our economy To the editor: Fact: Fallow agricultural land and high unemployment exist in many areas of our country (Mississippi for example).

Fact: Our dependency on cheap coal and expensive imported oil is having negative effects on our planet and our country and it’s people.

What if, like superman leaping in a single bound, we could create 10s, if not 100s, of thousands of jobs and at the same time produce all of our diesel fuel and home heating oil cheaply.

Pie in the sky? It can’t be done!

It’ll never work! Wrong!

A similar program (albeit with diffferent goals) was very successfully undertaken within the last 75 years.

Facts: After we declared war on Japan in 1941 and with the fall of the Philippines our government made growing hemp legal.

It produced a film called “Hemp for Victory” (watch it on youtube) and required farmers to watch it and sign that they had done so. It was so important a program that the farmer and his sons were exempt from military duty.

Of course school children smoked the stuff on the way to school, our work force became ineffective by smoking it and we lost WWII. Oops .... thats not how your history book reads? Well ... maybe that last paragraph isn’t factual.

The program was effective. We won the war and then the special interests kicked back in (cotton, the Hearst empire, the du Ponts)

and it was back to stupidity.

Hempseed oil can be converted to fuel and heating oil with a very simple process (you could do it in your kitchen or garage) without a huge investment, creating thousands of industrial jobs.

An acre of growing hemp removes more carbon dioxide from the atmosphere than acre of forest. You get some of this back when you burn the fuel but the next crop takes it back and overall it will help reduce pollution.

For thousands of years hemp was considered one of Gods greatest gifts to mankind. Why are we turning our backs on it now?

Don Higgins Spindale

Endorses Stickland for county commission To the editor: We learned a lot about the candidates for county commissioner at the recent forum at ICC. I would like to highlight some of things Gail Strickland said that convince me she will be a great commissioner.

She has lived in Rutherford County all her life and has deep roots in Forest City and Ellenboro, with a family that is known for its active role in the community.

She is committed to this county and to the highest standards of government practice after a career spent in managing information technology for the administrative offices.

Because of this background, she has the proven capacity to study problems, listen to ideas,

and come up with solutions. As she said Monday night, she has learned to “think outside the box.”

She knows that in these tough economic times the county has to set priorities, and she has thought carefully about what those priorities need to be.

The priorities she focuses on are: (1) Jobs—continuing to look for innovative ways to recruit new business and industry and to nurture and expand local businesses.

(2) Education—encouraging and supporting technology and collaboration in our schools and college.

(3) Public Safety—supporting the training and equipment needs of our law enforcement and emergency services.

I especially liked the confidence she expresses in our county’s future.

Certainly the bad economy has hit Rutherford County hard. But we are not defeated. I believe our values, our character, and our citizens are still strong.

I, like many others, try to do my personal part to help things along. As citizens, we can be proud of the strengths we have and be glad that effective and talented people like Gail are willing to work on our behalf.

Gail Strickland will bring common sense to the serious work of getting through this lean time, and a cooperative and positive attitude to make ready for the growth and progress that is Rutherford County’s future.

Julia Hensley Rutherfordton

Road policy not a matter of money, but thinking RALEIGH – If North Carolina lawmakers continue to eye the state transportation budget like greedy kids spying a basket of candy, they’ll continue to grab and squabble.

As former UNC-Charlotte professor Dave Hartgen observes in a new John Locke Foundation study, our policymakers need to look at the issue from a different perspective – as if they were members of an investment pool seeking the highest possible rate of return.

North Carolina’s transportation challenges are daunting, costly, and increasingly understood by a large swath of the public.

By national standards, North Carolina ranks poorly in both urban traffic congestion and the condition of rural bridges. Although we have a relatively high gas tax, we don’t have noticeably better roads than other Southeastern states.

And all too often, porkbarrel politics and Smart Growth ideology play too large a role in our transpor-

John Hood Syndicated columnist

tation policymaking, which ought instead to be based on objective data and realistic goals.

Building transportation infrastructure is an investment activity. In rough proportion to their use of state roadways, motorists pay car and gas taxes into the Highway Fund and Highway Trust Fund.

State and local officials are charged with investing some of the money in adding valuable new capacity to the system, saving the rest for maintaining the value of the existing capital stock.

Unfortunately, so many hands touch this capital flow that it becomes diluted.

Transit boosters want to force non-riders to subsidize the trips of transit riders.

Governors want to do

favors for their biggest supporters and friends.

Legislators want to maximize the flow of funds into their districts as a means of buying votes, with the moresenior members having the greatest opportunities to do so. The private firms that design, build, and supply raw materials for new projects want to maximize their revenues. City and county officials want to move their local projects to the top of the list.

At a legislative committee meeting earlier this month, many of these individuals or interests paraded past the microphone to restate their wants. Few offer a coherent, objective assessment of the state’s true transportation needs.

Hartgen did so in his new research paper. Rather than focus on divvying up highway funds by region, Hartgen argued that North Carolina needs to focus on projects, wherever they are located, that promise the greatest bang for the buck in alleviating traffic congestion and improving safety.

The need is pressing, because: n Roads of inadequate quality and capacity reduce the incomes of North Carolina residents by billions of dollars a year in lost time, lost fuel, and vehicle repairs. n Achieving a significant reduction in future traffic congestion alone would boost the state’s economy by nearly $1 billion a year. n Reallocating existing revenues to address the state’s highest priorities is a more realistic approach than trying to tax our way out of the problem, since North Carolina’s transportationrelated taxes are already high by regional standards.

The conventional wisdom in Raleigh appears to be is that North Carolina needs to raise taxes and change the equity formula to steer more dollars to urban areas such as Charlotte, the Triad, and the Triangle. This is not so much the wrong answer as it is the wrong phrasing of the question.

If policymakers used cur-

rent and projected traffic counts to allocate highway dollars, some counties would gain projects and some would lose them.

But North Carolinians do not confine their driving within county lines.

They travel from city to city, region to region – or, at least, the products they consume travel across the state in trucks.

Most North Carolinians would benefit from highway projects that alleviate congestion and improve safety along highly traveled corridors, be they around the southern side of Wake County or a stretch of rural interstate in the foothills, sandhills, or coastal plain.

Tossing a bunch of money into a basket and watching immature politicians fight over it may be entertaining, but it’s not a transportation policy worthy of the name.

Maybe some grownups will get involved at some point.

Hood is president of the John Locke Foundation.

The Daily Courier, Forest City, NC, Saturday, April 17, 2010

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5

Local/Obituaries

Obituaries Virginia Lowdermilk

Virginia Dillashaw Lowdermilk, 90, of 324 Tanners Grove Road, Forest City, died Thursday, April 15, 2010 at Hospice House in Forest City.

Born in Greenwood County, S.C., she was a daughter of the late James N. Dillashaw and Maggie Skelton Dillashaw. She worked for Fieldcrest Mills for over 32 years as a cloth inspector before her retirement.

She was a member of Long Branch Road Baptist Church, where she had a ministry to shut-ins.

In addition to her parents, she was preceded in death by her husband of 66 years, H.P. Lowdermilk Jr. Survivors include two daughters, Judy Migala of Harris, and Beth Teaster of Cliffside; two sons, David Lowdermilk of Buena Vista, Va., and Kevin Lowdermilk of Forest City; 14 grandchildren; and 21 great-grandchildren.

Funeral services will be conducted at 1:30 p.m.

Sunday at Long Branch Road Baptist Church with the Revs. Jerry Ruppe and Dan Abernathy, Chaplain Terri Honeycutt, and Robert Rogers officiating. Interment will follow in Sunset Memorial Park. The family will receive friends Saturday from 6 to 9 p.m. at the funeral home.

Memorials may be made to Long Branch Road Baptist Church, Building Fund, 500 Long Branch Road, Forest City, NC 28043; or to Hospice of Rutherford County, P.O. Box 336, Forest City, NC 28043.

Online guest registry is available at www.harrelsonfuneralhome. com.

Asa Hamrick

Asa Blanton Hamrick, 91, of Holly Court, Eastwood Village, Forest City, died Thursday, April 15, 2010 at Fairhaven Home.

A native of Rutherford County, he was a son of the late George Crayton Hamrick and Ella Lancaster Hamrick.

He was a member of Florence Baptist Church, Forest City, where he was a member of the sanctuary choir, Virgil Webb Sunday School Class and was active in his church. He was a former member of a men’s quartet. He retired from CocaCola Company as a route supervisor and was a former resident of Parkton, before returning to Rutherford County.

He was preceded in death by his first wife, Mary Emily McMillan Hamrick in 1992.

Survivors include his wife, Mamie Flack Hamrick of the home; a daughter, Sylvia Hamrick Saunders of Charlotte; two stepchildren, Geary Michael Flack of High Point, and Tanya Flack Thrift of Salisbury; two grandchildren; two greatgrandchildren; four stepgrandchildren; and three step great-grandchildren.

Funeral services will be held at 3 p.m. Sunday at Florence Baptist Church with Dr. Bobby Gantt officiatTHE DAILY COURIER Published Tuesday through Sunday mornings by Paxton Media Group LLC dba The Daily Courier USPS 204-920 Periodical Postage paid in Forest City, NC. Company Address: 601 Oak St., P.O. Box 1149, Forest City, NC 28043.

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ing. Visitation will be in the church narthex from 2 to 3 p.m., prior to the service.

Interment will be held at 2 p.m. Monday in the Parkton Cemetery in Parkton.

Memorials may be made to Florence Baptist Church, 201 South Broadway St., Forest City, NC 28043; or Hospice of Rutherford County, P.O. Box 336, Forest City, NC 28043.

The Padgett and King Mortuary is in charge of arrangements.

Online condolences www.padgettking.com.

John Joy John W. Joy, 70, of Charleston, S.C., died Thursday, April 15, 2010 at Trident Hospital.

Born in Stark County, Ohio, he was a son of the late Clarence Joy and Emma Talbert Joy. He served as a senior chief petty officer in the Navy for 23 years before his retirement and also worked as a marine electrician for many years. He was of the Lutheran faith.

Survivors include his wife of 47 years, Sudie Godfrey Joy; one son, Jason David Joy of Timmonsville, S.C.; two grandchildren; and one brother, Pat Joy of Washington State.

Funeral services will be conducted at 3 p.m. Sunday at Harrelson Funeral Chapel with the Rev. Ted Blankenship officiating.

Interment will follow in the Rutherford County Memorial Cemetery with military honors being accorded by the Rutherford County Honor Guard and Masonic Rites conducted by Forest City Masonic Lodge #381. The family will receive friends Saturday from 6 to 8 p.m.

Saturday at the funeral home.

The family will gather at the home of Carol and Shirley Guest, 170 Turks Place, Forest City.

A live webcast of the service and online condolences available at www.harrelsonfuneralhome.com.

Center, Albemarle.

Arrangements are incomplete and will be announced

by The Padgett and King Mortuary.

Tina Penson Patina “Tina” Holt Penson, 56, of 973 Webb Road, Ellenboro, died Thursday, April 15, 2010 at her home.

A native of Cherokee County, S.C., she was a daughter of the late Clarence “Pete” Holt and Firleen Davis Holt of Ellenboro.

She was a member of Campfield Memorial Baptist Church and retired from Sara Lee, Haynes Plant, of Kings Mountain.

In addition to her father, she was preceded in death by her husband, Michael S. Penson.

In addition to her mother, survivors include two brothers, Clarence Holt Jr. of Bostic, and Berry Holt of Ellenboro, several nieces and nephews.

A celebration of life will be held at 3 p.m. Sunday at The A.C. McKinney Memorial Chapel of McKinneyLandreth Funeral Home.

The Rev. Scott Huffman will officiate. Visitation will be held after the service at the funeral home. Burial is private.

Online condolences www.mckinneylandrethfuneralhome.com.

Jerry Scruggs Jerry Dean Scruggs, 77, of 805 Hill St., Shelby, died Thursday, April 15, 2010 at Hospice of Wendover, Shelby.

A Rutherford County, he was a son of the late Hollis and Odessa Padgett Scruggs.

He was a member of Landmark Baptist Church, where he was a former usher and member of the Prayer Warriors Sunday School Class. He was a veteran of the Air Force, having served during the Korean War, and retired from Duke Power, Cliffside Plant, where he worked in the lab for 35 years.

He is survived by his wife of 43 years, Joyce

Hornbuckle Scruggs; one son, Russell “Dusty” Scruggs of Shelby; a granddaughter and great-grandson; a brother, Hollis Scruggs of Forest City; and a sister, Madeline Scruggs Hardin of Forest City.

Funeral services will be conducted at 3:30 p.m.

Sunday at Landmark Baptist Church with the Revs. Allen Davis and Trey Bradley officiating. Burial in the Cleveland Memorial Park.

Visitation is Sunday from 2 to 3:30 p.m., prior to the service in the church sanctuary.

Memorials may be made to Landmark Baptist Church, 1724 E. Dixon Blvd., Shelby, NC 28152.

Online condolences www.cecilmburtonfuneralhome.com.

Edna Taylor Edna Holt Taylor, 85, of Salisbury, died Thursday, April 15, 2010 at The Laurels of Salisbury.

Born in Roxboro, she was a daughter of the late Ethel Cheek Holt and Earlie Holt, She graduated from Burlington High School.

Mrs. Taylor was a member of Milford Hills United Methodist Church, the women’s circle, and a homemaker.

In addition to her parents, she was preceded in death by her husband of 58 years, John Roland Taylor.

Survivors include a son, John Edward Taylor of Rutherfordton; daughters, Linda T. Roueche of Salisbury, and Karen T. Reichard of State College, Penn.; five grandchildren; and four great-grandchildren.

Funeral services will be held at 3 p.m. Monday at Milford Hills United Methodist Church with Dr. Chris Hughes officiating.

Burial will follow in the Rowan Memorial Park. The family will receive friends

Jewell Hill Jewell Summey Hill, 85, of Stanley Manor, Albemarle, died Friday, April 16, 2010 at Stanley Regional Medical

Jerry Dean Scruggs

Edna Holt Taylor Mrs. Edna Holt Taylor, 85, of Salisbury, NC passed away on Thursday, April 15, 2010 at The Laurels of Salisbury.

Born May 5, 1924 in Roxboro, NC to the late Ethel Cheek Holt and Earlie Holt, she graduated from Burlington High School and was a homemaker. Mrs. Taylor was a member of Milford Hills United Methodist Church and a member of the Women’s Circle.

Mrs. Taylor, affectionately known as “Nana”, was preceded in death by her husband, John Roland Taylor on October 9, 2001. They were married on August 31, 1943 for 58 years.

Surviving is son, John Edward Taylor and his wife, Robin of Rutherfordton, NC; daughters, Linda T. Roueche of Salisbury, NC and Karen T. Reichard and her husband, Karl of State College, PA.; five grandchildren, Wendy Roueche McCullough, Jonathan Taylor, Sara Roueche Dulski, Emily Reichard, and Eric Reichard and four great-grandchildren, Tristen Taylor, Mary McCullough, Rachel McCullough, and Landon Taylor.

The family will receive friends from 2-3:00PM Monday, April 19 in the church parlor at Milford Hills United Methodist Church and at other times at 210 Coyote Trail, Salisbury, NC 28144.

The funeral service will be held at 3:00 PM Monday, April 19 at Milford Hills United Methodist Church, conducted by Rev. Dr. Chris Hughes. Burial will follow at Rowan Memorial Park.

Memorials may be made to Juvenile Diabetes Support, 1628 E. Morehead Street, Suite 200, Charlotte, NC 28207 or to the American Cancer Society, Rowan County Relay for Life c/o Frances Morris, 1103 Burkesway Drive, Salisbury, NC 28146.

Summersett Funeral Home is serving the Taylor family.

Online condolences may be made at: www.summersettfuneralhome.com

Paid obit.

John W. Joy John W. Joy, age 70, of Charleston, SC, died Thursday, April 15, 2010 at Trident Hospital.

John was born on November 10, 1939 in Stark County, Ohio to the late Clarence Joy and Emma Talbert Joy. He served his country as a Senior Chief Petty Officer in the US Navy for 23 years before his retirement. He also worked as a marine electrician for many years. He was a Lutheran and known as a “Jack of all Trades”, which included playing the guitar, woodworking and stone polishing.

In addition to his parents, he was preceded in death by two sisters.

Survivors include his wife of 47 years, Sudie Godfrey Joy; one son, Jason David Joy and wife, Brenda, of Timmonsville, SC; two grandchildren, Joshua Ryan Joy and Justin Daniel Joy and one brother, Pat Joy of Washington State.

Funeral services will be conducted at 3:00 p.m. on Sunday, April 18, 2010 at Harrelson Funeral Chapel with Reverend Ted Blankenship. Interment will follow in Rutherford County Memorial Cemetery with military honors being accorded by the Rutherford County Honor Guard and Masonic Rites conducted by Forest City Masonic Lodge #381.

The family will receive friends from 6:00 until 8:00 p.m. on Saturday at the funeral home.

The family will gather at the home of Carol and Shirley Guest, 170 Turks Place, Forest City.

Harrelson Funeral Home is serving the family of John W. Joy. A live webcast of the service and an online guest registry are available at: www.harrelsonfuneralhome.com Paid obit.

Mr. Jerry Dean Scruggs age 77, of 805 Hill St., Shelby, NC, died Thursday April 15, 2010 at Hospice of Wendover.

A native of , he was a son of the late Hollis and Odessa Padgett Scruggs. He graduated from Cliffside High School and attended Howard Business and was in the US Air Force serving in the Korean War. Mr. Scruggs retired after 35 years from the lab, Duke Power Cliffside Plant. He attended Landmark Baptist Church where he was a member of the Prayer Warriors Sunday School Class and former Usher.

In addition to his parents he was preceded in death by a son, Jeff Scruggs; stepson, Rodney Kelly; brother, Jack Scruggsand a sister, Violet S. Newton He is survived by his wife of 43 years, Joyce Hornbuckle Scruggs; son, Russell (Dusty) Scruggs, Shelby; granddaughter, Kandice Scruggs of West Palm Beach Fl.; great grandson, Logan Portella of West Palm Beach, FL; brother, Hollis Scruggs, Jr. and wife, Glenda of Forest City; sisters, Madeline Scruggs Hardin and husband, Charles, Forest City; brother-in-law,Sam Newton of Forest City; several loving nieces and nephews and two “special babies”, Butch and Annie.

The funeral servise will be Sunday, April 18 2010 at 3:30PM at Landmark Baptist Church with Rev. Allen Davis and Rev. Treu Bradley officiating. Burial will be at Cleveland Memorial Park.

Visitation will be from 2:003:30pm Sunday in the sanctuary of Landmark Baptist Church.

Memorials may be made to Landmark Baptist Church, 1724 E. Dixon Blvd. Shelby, NC 28152 Cecil M. Burton Funeral Home & Crematory is serving the family.

Guest registry is available at : www.cecilmburtonfuneralhome.com

Paid obit

Monday from 2 to 3 p.m., prior to the service in the church parlor.

At other times, the family will gather at 210 Coyote Trail, Salisbury.

Memorials may be made to Juvenile Diabetes Support, 1628 E. Morehead St., Suite 200, Charlotte, NC 28207; or to American Cancer Society, Rowan County Relay for Life, c/o Frances Morris, 1103 Burkesway Dr., Salisbury, NC 28146.

Summersett Funeral Home is serving the Taylor family.

Online condolences www.summersettfuneralhome.com.

Deaths Daryl F. Gates LOS ANGELES (AP) — Daryl F. Gates, the blunt former Los Angeles police chief who waged war on violent gangs and skirmished with city leaders until his handling of the Rodney King police beating and ensuing riots forced him to retire, died Friday of cancer. He was 83.

One of the most polarizing figures in modern law enforcement, Gates served as chief of the Los Angeles Police Department for 14 years beginning in 1978.

Virginia Dillashaw Lowdermilk Virginia Dillashaw Lowdermilk, age 90, of 324 Tanners Grove Road, Forest City, NC, died Thursday, April 15, 2010 at Hospice House.

Virginia was born on March 7, 1920 in Greenwood County, SC to the late James N. Dillashaw and Maggie Skelton Dillashaw.

She worked for Fieldcrest Mills for over 32 years as a cloth inspector before her retirement.

She was also a member of Long Branch Road Baptist Church where she had a faithful ministry to shut-ins. She loved reading and was dedicated to her family.

In addition to her parents, she was preceded in death by her husband of 66 years, H.P. Lowdermilk, Jr. and one brother, Everette Dillashaw.

Survivors include two daughters, Judy Migala and husband, Mike, of Harris, NC and Beth Teaster of Cliffside; two sons, David Lowdermilk and wife, Peggy, of Buena Vista, VA and Kevin Lowdermilk and wife, Katie of Forest City; one aunt, Vonnie Dillashaw of Alexander Mills; 14 grandchildren, Christina Caldwell and husband, Michael, David Migala and wife, Sharla, Virginia Whiteside, Bobby Migala and wife, Lori, Brian Lowdermilk and wife, Michelle, Vince Lowdermilk and wife, Judy, Emily Glick and husband, D.L., Lisa Childers and husband, Randy, Mark Teaster, Wayne Teaster, Devin Lowder-milk, Matt Lowdermilk, Steve Lowdermilk and Robbie Miller and wife, Angie); 21 great-grandchildren, Tristan Lowdermilk, Karsen Lowdermilk, Ashton Caldwell, Zachary Caldwell, Erin Migala, Will Migala, Cody Migala, Kylie Whiteside, Jacob Whiteside, Ben Childers, Kirsten Teaster, Samantha Ott, Tiffany Clements, Kimmie Clements, Autumn Nichols, Amanda Miller, Megan Miller, Dylan Miller, Jarrod Toms, Morgan Lowdermilk and Millie Glick.

Funeral services will be conducted at 1:30 p.m. on Sunday, April 18, 2010 at Long Branch Road Baptist Church with Reverend Jerry Ruppe, Reverend Dan Abernathy, Chaplain Terri Honeycutt and Bro. Robert Rogers officiating. Interment will follow in Sunset Memorial Park.

The family will receive friends from 6:00 until 9:00 on Saturday at the funeral home.

Memorial donations are suggested to Long Branch Road Baptist Church Building Fund, 500 Long Branch Road, Forest City, NC 28043 or to Hospice of Rutherford County, PO Box 336, Forest City, NC 28043.

An online guest registry is available at: www.harrelsonfuneralhome.com Paid obit.

6

— The

Daily Courier, Forest City, NC, Saturday, April 17, 2010

Calendar/Local Signs Continued from Page 1

Red Cross The following blood drives are scheduled: April 23: Thomas Jefferson Classical Academy; 10:30 a.m.-3 p.m, Mooresboro. Call Jennifer Hoyle at 657-9998 ext. 7.

April 26: Red Cross Blood Drive at the Chapter; 2-6:30 p.m. House 838 Oakland Road. Call at 287-5916.

April 28: Concord Baptist Church Blood Drive; 3 p.m.-7:30 p.m. Call Kim Jones at 245-6130.

April 29: Union Mills Community Development Center; 2 to 6 p.m.

Call Pat Taylor at 245-8554.

All presenting donors will be entered in a drawing for a chance to win a cruise for two.

Classes Adult, Child, Infant CPR: April 17, begins at 8:30 a.m.

First Aid: April 22, begins at 6 p.m., preventing disease transmission.

Lifeguard Class: April 5-8, 9 a.m. to 4 p.m., at Isothermal Community College; students must attend all four classes.

All Red Cross classes must be paid in advance. Call 287-5916 for further information.

Meetings/other Committee meeting: The Farmer’s Market building committee will meet Monday, April 19, at the county annex, beginning at 8:30 a.m. The agenda will include an overview of site visits.

PWA meeting: The Professional Woman’s Association meets the third Tuesday of each month. The next meeting is Tuesday, April 20, at Big Dave’s Restaurant in Forest City, beginning at noon. Dutch treat lunch. Guest speaker, Della Rose Stacey from the Homeless Prevention & Rapid Rehousing Program. For further information, call 287-5928.

Planning committee meeting: Cool Springs High School Class of 1961 will hold an initial meeting to begin planning its reunion on Tuesday, April 20, at Hickory Log Barbecue, beginning at noon.

Humane Society: The Rutherford County Humane Society will meet Tuesday, April 20, at the county annex. The meeting begins at 7 p.m.

Young at Heart Club meeting: Saturday, April 24, 11 a.m., at 197 Tiney Road, Ellenboro; covered dish lunch; all senior citizens welcome; contact Roy McCain at 245-4800 for more information.

Breakfast and Politics event: The Rutherford County Republican Party Executive Board will host a Breakfast and Politics event Saturday, April 24, at Green Hill School Community Center. The plans are for local Republican candidates to cook and serve breakfast and meet residents. Breakfast will be served starting at 8:30 a.m., and the event will end at 10 a.m. There is no charge.

Open house: The R-S Central JROTC Rifle Team will hold an open house Saturday, May 1, from noon to 5 p.m. Adults $4, children under 12, $2. Free to watch. Awards will be presented to the top shooters of the day.

Miscellaneous Networking seminar: Focuses on Social Media Marketing. Two part series teaches the use of Twitter, Facebook and other social media platforms for business purposes. Part I, April 22, 6 to10 p.m. Part II, April 29, 6 to 10 p.m.

Isothermal Community College, Communication Technology Building, Room 108. Fee $5.

Contact Dee Spurlin at 286-3636, ext. 229.

Geneology class: “Climbing Your Family Tree”; every Tuesday in May from 5 to 6 p.m., at Mountains Library, Lake Lure; the guest speaker will show participants how to access the N.C. Live sites.

Low-cost rabies clinic: Saturday, May 8, 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.

Music/concerts Gospel singing: Saturday, April 17, 6 p.m., Chase High School auditorium; doors open at 5:30 p.m.; Featuring The Far City Boys, Golden Valley Crusaders, and King James 1611; donation accepted for admission; sponsored by Long Branch Road Baptist Church; proceeds for the building fund.

Piano concert: Isothermal’s music instructor, Jonathan Jones, will present a concert featuring the works of Bach, Beethoven, Schubert, and Brahms, on Sunday, April 18, beginning at 3 p.m., at The Foundation. An informal reception will follow. Free event. Sponsored by the Isothermal Cultural Events Committee.

illegal and are subject to removal.”

Violating the sign law is considered a misdemeanor.

Some cities have their own ordinances on signs.

Forest City rules: n DOT may remove any campaign signs, within their right of way, placed along state maintained roadways. n You should request permission from home/property owner before placing a campaign sign on their property. n Campaign signs should not be installed until 60 days prior to election n Maximum copy area of a sign shall not exceed 32 square feet of signage and shall not exceed 14 feet in height. n The Town of Forest City may

Escorts Continued from Page 1

escorts are provided by private companies that contract with funeral homes, or by the funeral homes themselves.”

Sheriff Jack Conner, who said he has no particular opinion one way or the other about whether escorts should be continued, said recently that cost is, indeed, a factor to be considered.

He said his department ran 280 funeral escorts in 2009, adding that essentially such a volume probably equates to the salary of one officer per year.

The service is provided free of charge. Conner said charging a fee might prove to be problematic, since the families that use the service might point out that they are taxpayers, so they have already paid for the honorary practice with their money.

The sheriff said there have been times when his officers have had to respond to emergencies and have not been able to lead processions as planned.

Lovelace, too, said cost is a consid-

Hunger Continued from Page 1

No other requirements, proof of income or social security cards are necessary.

All the food comes from the Second Harvest Food Bank of Metrolina where for about 10 cents per pound, food is purchased by Foursquare for distribution in the county.

Through donations from Foursquare, nearly 13,400 pounds of food was purchased in March and Second Harvest donated another 32,718 pounds to assist last month.

In March 3,284 families received food and of that number, 2,719 were children under age 18.

“I’ve been doing this 22 years,” Pat Evans said Wednesday at the pantry, where she was surrounded by thousands of bags of groceries, cartons of fresh fruit, boxes of potatoes, apples, and bananas. Five freezers, all donated, contain the perishable items.

There is a need for more freezers.

Lonnie and Pat spend almost every day at the food pantry preparing for the giveaways.

The couple left the area some years ago to pastor a church in Augusta, Ga. where they were involved in the food ministry programs. They came back a few years ago. They felt the Lord leading them to Foursquare and with the leadership of God and a group of dedicated volunteers, the food pantry is just one miracle after another.

It’s a miracle just preparing the giveaway for 3,000 families. As soon

remove any campaign signs illegally posted within the corporate limits n Signs cannot be attached to street or road signs, light poles, utility poles, or located on city property, impede the flow of traffic vehicular or pedestrian n The town may remove any sign in violation of the locations listed above with notification of the candidate.

Lake Lure rules: The Town of Lake Lure defines political signs as “A sign erected by a political candidate, group or agent thereof for the purpose of advertising a candidate or stating a position regarding an issue upon which the voters of the town shall vote.” These signs are exempt from the permitting requirements but must meet the following provisions: Political Signs.

Political signs advertising candidates or issues shall be allowed in any zone.

However, no such sign shall be placed

within any public right-of-way or on any public property or attached to any utility pole or tree. The property owner and the political candidate shall be equally responsible for the proper location, maintenance and removal of political signs. All political signs must be removed within seven calendar days following the election to which the sign pertains. Political signs shall not exceed four square feet in area per display face and two faces per sign.

Please note that all signs must be placed a minimum of ten feet from the edge of the road if no right of way exists.

Ruth rules: The Town of Ruth does not allow any signs in the town strip area along Railroad Avenue from the Southern Baptist Church to the stoplight.

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

eration, since it takes manpower away from other duties.

He said he is not sure how many funerals his department handled in 2009, but he said the practice is “rarely not used in some way—to take the family to the funeral home, to take the hearse from the funeral home to the church and/or from the church to the grave. Sometimes all three.”

Forest City Assistant Chief Bob Ward said that department gets frequent calls to lead from the funeral home to church and to cemetery.

Municipal departments only handle services within their town limits.

Calls out in the county are handled by the Sheriff’s Office, but Ward noted that sometimes, in a case like that, the FCPD might help at intersections.

Chief Andy Greenway of the Spindale Police Department said that the town does not have many processions, and they generally are only for short distances inside the town limits.

“If they go through a major intersection we have an officer on foot and then one leading the procession,” he noted.

Similarly, the Lake Lure Police Department does not have very many

funeral processions, since there are not many cemeteries in the town.

Chief Eric Hester estimated that the LLPD had fewer than five last year.

One dilemma that a funeral procession presents is whether other drivers are going to pull to the side of the road and stop for the procession.

“As a sign of respect, some people stop,” Lovelace said. “Some do and some don’t. They are not required to stop.”

And that mixed response, he said, has caused some motor vehicle crashes.

The sheriff said most people in the county see the hearse and follow the traditional practice of pulling over.

Hunger facts

people come,” he said.

With the rate of unemployment in Rutherford County, volunteers know the need for food will continue.

All food is bought with donations to Foursquare and the greater the needs, the more funds are required. “We can always use donations,” said Lonnie.

“The average person who comes in will get a grocery cart of food,” Pat said, and depending on the size of family, even more food.

For nearly a month, the volunteers have been getting ready for the food pantry Saturday.

Volunteers must transport the food from a distribution center in Dallas, they separate and package all food and prepare the perishables for the freezers.

“She really has this organized,” Jeff said of Pat’s work.

“She can get 500 families through here in a hurry,” Lonnie added.

Wednesday afternoon two large delivery trucks arrived with loads of bread and quickly the bread was packaged.

On Thursday the Foursquare ministry delivered food to six senior citizen facilities and today the church families receive food donations, all before Saturday’s bigger event.

Foursquare also provides food for youth camps, Grace of God Rescue Mission once a month, they sponsor the Back Pack program at Pinnacle and Harris elementary schools.

To volunteer or to make donations for the ministry call 248-1635.

Rutherford County has a population of 63,303.

There are 10,192 individuals living at or below poverty level. This represents 16.1 percent of the population.

There are 1,411 individuals 65 years and older living at or below the poverty level.

This represents 13.8 percent of the older adult population.

There are 3,434 children living at or below the poverty level. This represents 22.7 percent of the child population.

In 2008-2009, the Food Bank distributed over 29 million pounds of food in a 19-county region. The Food Bank distributed 345,507 pounds of food to county agencies. The Food Bank supports several county agencies, including Chase Corner UMC Ministries, Little White Country Church, Foursquare Gospel Church.

as the work is concluded Saturday, the volunteers will return Monday to begin the task of preparing for the May food donation.

Volunteers say they are having a great time helping others and they feel they are the ones blessed.

“We’re doing this for the Lord,” said volunteer Dan McGinnis, 53, who is out of work. “The bills do not go unpaid. God is blessing us.”

One volunteer talked about a 95-year-old woman who came to the food pantry last month because she didn’t have any food.

Other individuals come into the pantry and leave crying, volunteer Jeff West said.

“God is paying us,” he said. “I love doing this. Every month we get more and more food and more and more

Conner said funeral homes in some places have taken over the responsibility of funeral processions, using such things as flags and flashing vehicle lights to indicate a procession.

The sheriff said he would be willing to meet with area funeral home directors as a group if they wanted to discuss the matter.

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

Contact Gordon via email:jgordon@thedigitalcourier.com.

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The Daily Courier, Forest City, NC, Saturday, April 17, 2010 — 7

Inside Scoreboard . . . . . . . . . . . Page 8 Bobcats . . . . . . . . . . . . . Page 9 East Carolina . . . . . . . . Page 9

Lefty joining Tiger at Quail Hollow CHARLOTTE (AP) — Phil Mickelson will be right there when Tiger Woods tees it up again.

This time, the two will square off at the Quail Hollow Championship.

A day after Woods announced that the Charlotte event will be his second tournament since his return from a sex scandal, Masters champion Mickelson committed to play on Friday.

The tournament begins April 29 at Quail Hollow Club.

Mickelson edged Woods and the rest of the field on Sunday to win his third title at Augusta National.

“Phil has been a very positive ambassador of our tournament for many years now and we are excited to have him back in Charlotte,” tournament director Kym Hougham said.

Woods finished tied for fourth at the Masters in his first competition since a shocking infidelity scandal.

His first sanctioned PGA Tour event will include not only the world’s two highestranked golfers, but also No. 4 Lee Westwood, No. 6 Jim Furyk and No. 10 Padraig Harrington.

Retief Goosen, Hunter Mahan, Kenny Perry and defending champion Sean O’Hair have also committed ahead of the April 23 deadline.

Local Sports

East Rutherford players look on from the dugout as their teammate Dakotah Thomas (19) stands in the batter’s box.

Thomas smashed a deep home run moments later against R-S Central.

Garrett Byers/Daily Courier

East thwarts Central, 13-7

By KEVIN CARVER Daily Courier Sports Reporter

Garrett Byers/Daily Courier

East’s Blake Myers, center, is swarmed at the plate after hitting the second Cavaliers’ home run of the inning against R-S Central.

Please see Baseball, Page 8

Softball

COLLEGE BASEBALL 2 p.m. Coastal Carolina at Gardner Webb (McNair Field) TRACK & FIELD 12 p.m. R-S Central at Western Carolina

Lady Hilltoppers remain undefeated; spill Cavaliers, 5-1

On TV 7:30 a.m. (ESPN2) English Premier League Soccer.

1 p.m. (WYFF) NHL Hockey Conference Quarterfinals.

1 p.m. (ESPN2) WTA Tennis Family Circle Cup, Semifinal.

1 p.m. (FSS) College Baseball Clemson at Georgia Tech.

3 p.m. (WBTV) (WSPA) PGA Tour Golf Verizon Heritage, Third Round.

3 p.m. (WSOC) (WLOS) NBA Basketball First-Round Playoff.

3 p.m. (ESPN) College Football Alabama Spring Game.

3 p.m. (TS) College Baseball Mississippi at South Carolina.

3:30 p.m. (ESPN2) NASCAR Racing Nationwide Series: O’Reilly 300.

4 p.m. (WYFF) PGA Tour Golf Champions: Outback Steakhouse Pro-Am, Second Round.

4 p.m. (WHNS) MLB Baseball Regional Coverage.

White Sox at Indians or Mets at Cardinals or Giants at Dodgers.

5:30 p.m. (ESPN) NBA Basketball First Round, Game 1.

7 p.m. (FSS) College Baseball Florida at Kentucky.

7 p.m. (TS) MLB Baseball Colorado Rockies at Atlanta Braves.

8 p.m. (ESPN) NBA Basketball First Round, Game 1.

8 p.m. (ESPN2) High School Basketball 2010 Jordan Brand Classic: East vs. West.

9 p.m. (WBTV) (WSPA) Strikeforce Saturday Night Fights Dan Henderson vs.

Jake Shields; Gegard Mousasi vs. “King Mo” Lawal.

10 p.m. (HBO) Boxing Sergio Martinez vs. Kelly Pavlik, 10:30 p.m. (ESPN) NBA Basketball First Round, Game 1.

FOREST CITY — Friday’s baseball game seemed more like a heavyweight bout with East Rutherford swinging past county rival, R-S Central, 13-7.

The two teams combined for 17 hits and five homers, but East took command in the bottom of the third. It was the Cavs’ Blake Myers, who had a career night going 3-for-4, with 2 HRs, 4 RBI and his big third inning home run put the Cavs in control.

R-S Central jumped on the board first as Seth Orr’s single knocked in Dylan Hipp following Hipp’s game opening

By KEVIN CARVER Daily Courier Sports Reporter

Garrett Byers/Daily Courier

East Rutherford’s Megan Walker watches the flight of a pop-up during the softball game at R-S Central Friday.

FOREST CITY — R-S Central’s Mariah Lattimore pitched a complete game four-hitter in the Lady Hilltoppers’ 5-1 win over East Rutherford, Friday.

Central struck for three runs in the opening inning and Lattimore also helped the cause at the plate, coming up with three hits and 2RBI. Central now improves to 11-0 overall and 7-0 in conference as the Lady Hilltoppers stake a two-game lead over East Rutherford and Chase in the SMAC standings.

“The girls were focused today and we played every aspect of the game well from pitching hitter and defense,” R-S Please see Softball, Page 8

Stewart wins 1st Sprint Cup pole in 5 years FORT WORTH, Texas (AP) — Tony Stewart will start his 400th Sprint Cup race from the pole.

Stewart won qualifying in NASCAR’s top series for the first time in five years Friday, turning a lap of 191.327 mph at Texas Motor Speedway. It’s been 155 races since Stewart last won the pole, at Martinsville in October 2005.

“I’m surprised,” Stewart said. “I’m really not much of a qualifier.”

It’s the third time Stewart has won the pole in Texas. He was the top qualifier twice in the IndyCar Series in the 1990s.

Former IRL star Sam Hornish Jr., still winless in his third full Sprint Cup season, almost knocked Stewart off the pole. He settled for second with a lap of 191.232.

Greg Biffle, who was denied a seventh straight top-10 finish to start the season last week in Phoenix, qualified third for Sunday’s race. Four-time defending Associated Press Sprint Cup champion and current points NASCAR Driver Tony Stewart holds the pole award, a Turnbull Model 1886 Takeleader Jimmie Johnson was fourth.

Down Rifle, after qualifying for the Samsung Mobile 500 auto race at Texas Motor Please see NASCAR, Page 8 Speedway, Friday, in Fort Worth, Texas.

8

— The

Daily Courier, Forest City, NC, Saturday, April 17, 2010

sports

Scoreboard

Baseball Continued from Page 7

double for a 1-0 Hilltoppers lead.

East swung back with three-run blast off the bat of Dakotah Thomas (4 RBI total) to left. Two batters later, Myers smashed his first of two home runs, a solo-shot, that exited left field for East to take a 4-1 lead after the first inning.

R-S Central decided to play home run derby as well in the second frame with JM Spangler destroying a pitch over the 360 sign in center for a 3-run homer to tie the game at 4-4.

Central teammate Zach Powers (3 overall RBI) responded with a solo-shot to right field, a pitch later to post a 5-4 lead for Central.

The bats came alive for East in the bottom half of the third inning though.

The Hilltoppers starting pitcher, Hipp, gave up two hits before being relieved by Central’s Christian Pfaff. East’s A.J. Lynch’s single to left for an RBI to tie the game and then Lucas Owens countered with a single to left to allow East the 6-5 lead.

Myers would later bomb a 3-run round-tripper for his second homer, which landed over the fence in right field to complete the inning.

East totaled five hits, added eight runs and capitalized by scoring on two wild pitches and an error to go up 12-5 after the third frame.

East Rutherford’s Drew Reynolds settled down on the mound at the start of the fourth by not giving up a hit or run in the next three innings.

East (15-2, 6-1) will now face Patton at Patton, Tuesday to duel for No.1 in the SMAC standings, while R-S Central host Chase Tuesday.

Softball Continued from Page 7

Central softball coach Melvin Digh said. “We worked a bunch on hitting this week and it paid off in beating a good team today.”

R-S Central had 12 hits in the contest.

Adrienne Alexander smashed a double into the right field corner and Chelsey Smith’s single to short left gave the Lady Hilltoppers the 1-0 lead.

Lattimore’s base hit to left crossed Smith later for a 2-0 lead and a infield error of the bat of Klinnin Carson at shortstop caused Lattimore to score Central to hold a 3-0 lead after the first inning.

In the third frame, Lattimore smacked a double off the fence in right-centerfield and Carson’s long single to right crossed Lattimore for a 4-0 lead.

Central then used the defense in the fourth to make a statement. East Rutherford’s Deanna Lowery smacked a solid single up the middle to break-up Lattimore’s no-hitter in the bottom of the fourth. However, Makayla Harrelson’s sharp line out was caught by Central’s Alexander and then she threw Lowery out at first for a double play to end the inning.

“Credit R-S Central, they hit the ball well today, but we gave the game away in the first inning,” East Rutherford softball coach Julie Powell said.

NASCAR Continued from Page 7

The pole drought didn’t keep Stewart from winning races.

Thirteen of his 37 victories have come since his last pole, the same year he won his second Sprint Cup series championship.

Stewart’s strong qualifying run came a week after Ryan Newman won for the first time with Stewart-Haas Racing and ended his 77-race drought.

“To get him that first win for the organization this early in the year, that totally made it for the organization,” Stewart said. “There’s an attitude in the shop that hasn’t been there, period.”

Hornish won three times at Texas in the IRL but hasn’t been able to translate that success to the Sprint Cup series.

He might be turning a corner with a careerbest qualifying run.

BASEBALL National League East Division W L Pct 8 2 .800 5 4 .556 6 5 .545 5 5 .500 3 6 .333 Central Division

W L Pct St. Louis 6 3 .667 Chicago 5 5 .500 Cincinnati 5 5 .500 Pittsburgh 4 5 .444 Milwaukee 4 6 .400 Houston 1 9 .100 West Division

W L Pct San Francisco 7 2 .778 Arizona 5 4 .556 Colorado 5 4 .556 Los Angeles 4 5 .444 San Diego 3 6 .333

Philadelphia Atlanta Florida Washington New York

GB — 2 1/2 2 1/2 3 4 1/2 GB — 1 1/2 1 1/2 2 2 1/2 5 1/2 GB — 2 2 3 4

Thursday’s Games Houston 5, St. Louis 1 Milwaukee 8, Chicago Cubs 6 Washington 7, Philadelphia 5 N.Y. Mets 5, Colorado 0 Atlanta 6, San Diego 2 Florida 10, Cincinnati 2 L.A. Dodgers 6, Arizona 5, 10 innings Friday’s Games Chicago Cubs 7, Houston 2 Cincinnati at Pittsburgh, late Philadelphia 8, Florida 6 Washington 5, Milwaukee 3 Colorado at Atlanta, late N.Y. Mets at St. Louis, late Arizona at San Diego, late San Francisco at L.A. Dodgers, late Saturday’s Games Houston (Oswalt 0-2) at Chicago Cubs (Gorzelanny 0-0), 1:05 p.m.

Milwaukee (Wolf 1-0) at Washington (L.Hernandez 1-0), 1:05 p.m.

N.Y. Mets (J.Santana 1-1) at St. Louis (J.Garcia 1-0), 4:10 p.m.

San Francisco (Lincecum 2-0) at L.A. Dodgers (Haeger 0-0), 4:10 p.m.

Cincinnati (Cueto 0-0) at Pittsburgh (Burres 0-1), 7:05 p.m.

Florida (Nolasco 0-0) at Philadelphia (Moyer 1-0), 7:05 p.m.

Colorado (Jimenez 2-0) at Atlanta (Kawakami 0-1), 7:10 p.m.

Arizona (Benson 0-0) at San Diego (Correia 1-1), 8:35 p.m.

Sunday’s Games Cincinnati at Pittsburgh, 1:35 p.m.

Colorado at Atlanta, 1:35 p.m.

Florida at Philadelphia, 1:35 p.m.

Milwaukee at Washington, 1:35 p.m.

Houston at Chicago Cubs, 2:20 p.m.

Arizona at San Diego, 4:05 p.m.

San Francisco at L.A. Dodgers, 4:10 p.m.

N.Y. Mets at St. Louis, 8:05 p.m.

Monday’s Games Colorado at Washington, 7:05 p.m.

Chicago Cubs at N.Y. Mets, 7:10 p.m.

St. Louis at Arizona, 9:40 p.m.

San Francisco at San Diego, 10:05 p.m.

American League

New York Tampa Bay Toronto Boston Baltimore

Minnesota Detroit Kansas City Cleveland Chicago

Oakland Texas Seattle Los Angeles

East Division W L Pct 6 3 .667 6 3 .667 7 4 .636 4 5 .444 1 9 .100 Central Division W L Pct 7 3 .700 6 3 .667 4 5 .444 4 6 .400 4 7 .367 West Division W L Pct 7 4 .636 5 4 .556 4 6 .400 4 7 .367

GB — — — 2 5 1/2 GB — 1/2 2 1/2 3 3 1/2 GB — 1 2 1/2 3

Thursday’s Games Cleveland 3, Texas 2 Minnesota 8, Boston 0 N.Y. Yankees 6, L.A. Angels 2 Toronto 7, Chicago White Sox 3 Oakland 6, Baltimore 2 Friday’s Games Cleveland 6, Chicago White Sox 2 Texas at N.Y. Yankees, late L.A. Angels 7, Toronto 5 Tampa Bay at Boston, late Kansas City at Minnesota, late Baltimore at Oakland, late Detroit at Seattle, late Saturday’s Games Texas (Feldman 1-0) at N.Y. Yankees (A.J.Burnett 1-0), 1:05 p.m.

L.A. Angels (Saunders 0-2) at Toronto (Tallet 1-0), 1:07 p.m.

Kansas City (Meche 0-1) at Minnesota (Blackburn 1-1), 1:10 p.m.

Baltimore (Guthrie 0-2) at Oakland (Duchscherer 1-0), 4:05 p.m.

Chicago White Sox (Peavy 0-0) at Cleveland (Westbrook 0-1), 4:10 p.m.

Tampa Bay (J.Shields 0-0) at Boston (Buchholz 1-0), 7:10 p.m.

Detroit (Verlander 0-0) at Seattle (RowlandSmith 0-1), 9:10 p.m.

Sunday’s Games Chicago White Sox at Cleveland, 1:05 p.m.

Texas at N.Y. Yankees, 1:05 p.m.

L.A. Angels at Toronto, 1:07 p.m.

Tampa Bay at Boston, 1:35 p.m.

Kansas City at Minnesota, 2:10 p.m.

Baltimore at Oakland, 4:05 p.m.

Detroit at Seattle, 4:10 p.m.

Monday’s Games Tampa Bay at Boston, 11:05 a.m.

Kansas City at Toronto, 7:07 p.m.

Detroit at L.A. Angels, 10:05 p.m.

Baltimore at Seattle, 10:10 p.m.

BASKETBALL National Basketball Association Playoff Glance FIRST ROUND (Best-of-7) (x-if necessary) EASTERN CONFERENCE CLEVELAND vs. CHICAGO Saturday, April 17: Chicago at Cleveland, 3 p.m.

Monday, April 19: Chicago at Cleveland, 8 p.m.

Thursday, April 22: Cleveland at Chicago, 7 p.m.

Sunday, April 25: Cleveland at Chicago, 3:30 p.m. x-Tuesday, April 27: Chicago at Cleveland, TBD

x-Thursday, April 29: Cleveland at Chicago, TBD x-Saturday, May 1: Chicago at Cleveland, TBD ORLANDO vs. CHARLOTTE Sunday, April 18: Charlotte at Orlando, 5:30 p.m.

Wednesday, April 21: Charlotte at Orlando, 7 p.m.

Saturday, April 24: Orlando at Charlotte, 2 p.m.

Monday, April 26: Orlando at Charlotte, TBD x-Wednesday, April 28: Charlotte at Orlando, TBD x-Friday, April 30: Orlando at Charlotte, TBD x-Sunday, May 2: Charlotte at Orlando, TBD ATLANTA vs. MILWAUKEE Saturday, April 17: Milwaukee at Atlanta, 5:30 p.m.

Tuesday, April 20: Milwaukee at Atlanta, 7 p.m.

Saturday, April 24: Atlanta at Milwaukee, 7 p.m.

Monday, April 26: Atlanta at Milwaukee, TBD x-Wednesday, April 28: Milwaukee at Atlanta, TBD x-Friday, April 30: Atlanta at Milwaukee, TBD x-Sunday, May 2: Milwaukee at Atlanta, TBD BOSTON vs. MIAMI Saturday, April 17: Miami at Boston, 8 p.m.

Tuesday, April 20: Miami at Boston, 8 p.m.

Friday, April 23: Boston at Miami, 7 p.m.

Sunday, April 25: Boston at Miami, 1 p.m. x-Tuesday, April 27: Miami at Boston, TBD x-Thursday, April 29: Boston at Miami, TBD x-Saturday, May 1: Miami at Boston, TBD WESTERN CONFERENCE L.A. LAKERS vs. OKLAHOMA CITY Sunday, April 18: Oklahoma City at L.A. Lakers, 3 p.m.

Tuesday, April 20: Oklahoma City at L.A. Lakers, 10:30 p.m.

Thursday, April 22: L.A. Lakers at Oklahoma City, 9:30 p.m.

Saturday, April 24: L.A. Lakers at Oklahoma City, 9:30 p.m. x-Tuesday, April 27: Oklahoma City at L.A. Lakers, TBD x-Friday, April 30: L.A. Lakers at Oklahoma City, TBD x-Sunday, May 2: Oklahoma City at L.A. Lakers, TBD DALLAS vs. SAN ANTONIO Sunday, April 18: San Antonio at Dallas, 8 p.m.

Wednesday, April 21: San Antonio at Dallas, 9:30 p.m.

Friday, April 23: Dallas at San Antonio, 9:30 p.m.

Sunday, April 25: Dallas at San Antonio, 7 p.m. x-Tuesday, April 27: San Antonio at Dallas, TBD x-Thursday, April 29: Dallas at San Antonio, TBD x-Saturday, May 1: San Antonio at Dallas, TBD PHOENIX vs. PORTLAND Sunday, April 18: Portland at Phoenix , 10:30 p.m.

Tuesday, April 20: Portland at Phoenix, 10 p.m.

Thursday, April 22: Phoenix at Portland, 10 p.m.

Saturday, April 24: Phoenix at Portland, 4:30 p.m. x-Monday, April 26: Portland at Phoenix, TBD x-Thursday, April 29: Phoenix at Portland, TBD x-Saturday, May 1: Portland at Phoenix, TBD DENVER vs. UTAH Saturday, April 17: Utah at Denver, 10:30 p.m.

Monday, April 19: Utah at Denver, 10:30 p.m.

Friday, April 23: Denver at Utah, 10:30 p.m.

Sunday, April 25: Denver at Utah, 9:30 p.m. x-Wednesday, April 28: Utah at Denver, TBD x-Friday, April 30: Denver at Utah, TBD x-Sunday, May 2: Utah at Denver, TBD

HOCKEY National Hockey League Playoff Glance FIRST ROUND (Best-of-7) (x-if necessary) EASTERN CONFERENCE Montreal 1, Washington 0 Thursday, April 15: Montreal 3, Washington 2, OT Saturday, April 17: Montreal at Washington, 7 p.m.

Monday, April 19: Washington at Montreal, 7 p.m.

Wednesday, April 21: Washington at Montreal, 7 p.m. x-Friday, April 23: Montreal at Washington, 7 p.m. x-Monday, April 26: Washington at Montreal, 7 p.m. x-Wednesday, April 28: Montreal at Washington, TBD Philadelphia 1, New Jersey 1 Wednesday, April 14: Philadelphia 2, New Jersey 1 Friday, April 16: Philadelphia at New Jersey 5, Philadelphia 3 Sunday, April 18: New Jersey at Philadelphia, 6 p.m.

Tuesday, April 20: New Jersey at Philadelphia, 7:30 p.m. x-Thursday, April 22: Philadelphia at New Jersey, 7 p.m. x-Sunday, April 25: New Jersey at Philadelphia, TBD x-Tuesday, April 27: Philadelphia at New Jersey, 7:30 p.m.

Buffalo 1, Boston 0 Thursday, April 15: Buffalo 2, Boston 1 Saturday, April 17: Boston at Buffalo, 1 p.m.

Monday, April 19: Buffalo at Boston, 7 p.m.

Wednesday, April 21: Buffalo at Boston, 7 p.m. x-Friday, April 23: Boston at Buffalo, 7 p.m. x-Monday, April 26: Buffalo at Boston, 7 p.m. x-Wednesday, April 28: Boston at Buffalo, 7 p.m.

Ottawa 1, Pittsburgh 1 Wednesday, April 14: Ottawa 5, Pittsburgh 4 Friday, April 16: Pittsburgh 2, Ottawa 1 Sunday, April 18: Pittsburgh at Ottawa, 6:30 p.m.

Tuesday, April 20: Pittsburgh at Ottawa, 7 p.m. x-Thursday, April 22: Ottawa at Pittsburgh, 7 p.m. x-Saturday, April 24: Pittsburgh at Ottawa, 7 p.m. x-Tuesday, April 27: Ottawa at Pittsburgh, 7 p.m.

WESTERN CONFERENCE Colorado 1, San Jose 0 Wednesday, April 14: Colorado 2, San Jose 1 Friday, April 16: Colorado at San Jose, late Sunday, April 18: San Jose at Colorado, 9:30 p.m.

Tuesday, April 20: San Jose at Colorado, 10 p.m. x-Thursday, April 22: Colorado at San Jose, 10:30 p.m. x-Saturday, April 24: San Jose at Colorado, TBD x-Monday, April 26: Colorado at San Jose, TBD Chicago vs. Nashville Friday, April 16: Nashville at Chicago, late Sunday, April 18: Nashville at Chicago, 8:30 p.m.

Tuesday, April 20: Chicago at Nashville, 9 p.m.

Thursday, April 22: Chicago at Nashville, 8:30 p.m. x-Saturday, April 24: Nashville at Chicago, 3 p.m. x-Monday, April 26: Chicago at Nashville, TBD

x-Wednesday, April 28: Nashville at Chicago, TBD Vancouver 1, Los Angeles 0 Thursday, April 15: Vancouver 3, Los Angeles 2, OT Saturday, April 17: Los Angeles at Vancouver, 10 p.m.

Monday, April 19: Vancouver at Los Angeles, 10 p.m.

Wednesday, April 21: Vancouver at Los Angeles, 10 p.m. x-Friday, April 23: Los Angeles at Vancouver, 10 p.m. x-Sunday, April 25: Vancouver at Los Angeles, TBD x-Tuesday, April 27: Los Angeles at Vancouver, TBD Phoenix 1, Detroit 0 Wednesday, April 14: Phoenix 3, Detroit 2 Friday, April 16: Detroit at Phoenix, late Sunday, April 18: Phoenix at Detroit, 3 p.m.

Tuesday, April 20: Phoenix at Detroit, 6:30 p.m. x-Friday, April 23: Detroit at Phoenix, 10 p.m. x-Sunday, April 25: Phoenix at Detroit, 2 p.m. x-Tuesday, April 27: Detroit at Phoenix, TBD

RACING NASCAR-Sprint Cup Samsung Mobile 500 Lineup (Car number in parentheses) 1. (14) Tony Stewart, Chevrolet, 191.327.

2. (77) Sam Hornish Jr., Dodge, 191.232.

3. (16) Greg Biffle, Ford, 190.9.

4. (48) Jimmie Johnson, Chevrolet, 190.88.

5. (9) Kasey Kahne, Ford, 190.712.

6. (31) Jeff Burton, Chevrolet, 190.255.

7. (18) Kyle Busch, Toyota, 190.248.

8. (33) Clint Bowyer, Chevrolet, 190.188.

9. (88) Dale Earnhardt Jr., Chevrolet, 190.121.

10. (39) Ryan Newman, Chevrolet, 190.

11. (2) Kurt Busch, Dodge, 189.9.

12. (24) Jeff Gordon, Chevrolet, 189.833.

13. (6) David Ragan, Ford, 189.753.

14. (56) Martin Truex Jr., Toyota, 189.707.

15. (1) Jamie McMurray, Chevrolet, 189.454.

16. (00) David Reutimann, Toyota, 189.381.

17. (43) AJ Allmendinger, Ford, 189.029.

18. (20) Joey Logano, Toyota, 188.91.

19. (29) Kevin Harvick, Chevrolet, 188.871.

20. (99) Carl Edwards, Ford, 188.864.

21. (42) J. Pablo Montoya, Chevrolet, 188.811.

22. (87) Joe Nemechek, Toyota, 188.778.

23. (82) Scott Speed, Toyota, 188.772.

24. (55) Dave Blaney, Toyota, 188.745.

25. (98) Paul Menard, Ford, 188.699.

26. (78) Regan Smith, Chevrolet, 188.692.

27. (13) Max Papis, Toyota, 188.64.

28. (17) Matt Kenseth, Ford, 188.633.

29. (11) Denny Hamlin, Toyota, 188.567.

30. (5) Mark Martin, Chevrolet, 188.317.

31. (37) David Gilliland, Ford, 188.094.

32. (47) Marcos Ambrose, Toyota, 188.088.

33. (66) Michael McDowell, Toyota, 187.996.

34. (09) Mike Bliss, Chevrolet, 187.944.

35. (34) Travis Kvapil, Ford, 187.859.

36. (21) Bill Elliott, Ford, 187.839.

37. (12) Brad Keselowski, Dodge, 187.826.

38. (7) Robby Gordon, Toyota, 187.676.

39. (19) Elliott Sadler, Ford, 187.169.

40. (38) Kevin Conway, Ford, 186.78.

41. (71) Bobby Labonte, Chevrolet, 186.645.

42. (83) Brian Vickers, Toyota, Owner Points.

43. (32) Reed Sorenson, Toyota, 187.071.

Failed to Qualify 44. (26) David Stremme, Ford, 186.554.

45. (46) Terry Cook, Dodge, 185.37.

46. (36) Johnny Sauter, Chevrolet, 181.99.

TRANSACTIONS Friday’s Sports Transactions

BASEBALL American League OAKLAND ATHLETICS—Agreed to terms with LHP Brett Anderson on a four-year contract through the 2013 season.

National League COLORADO ROCKIES—Selected the contract of LHP Joe Beimel from Colorado Springs (PCL). Optioned RHP Esmil Rogers to Colorado Springs. Transferred RHP Taylor Buchholz to the 60-day DL. American Association FORT WORTH CATS signed RHP/INF Joseph Callender.

GRAND PRAIRIE AIRHOGS—Signed INF Joseph Spiers, RHP Ryne Tacker and C Flint Wipke. Traded RHP Chris Wiman and cash to Gary SouthShore (Northern) for RHP Mike Bille.

LINCOLN SALTDOGS—Traded RHP Matt Petrusek to Southern Maryland (Atlantic) for a player to be named.

PENSACOLA PELICANS—Signed INF Adolfo Gonzalez.

WICHITA WINGNUTS—Traded OF Jarred Ball to Newark (Atlantic) for future considerations.

Atlantic League NEWARK BEARS—Signed RHP Maximo De la Cruz, RHP James O’Donnell, RHP Pedro Rivera and LHP Luis Fernandez.

Can-Am League BROCKTON ROX—Signed INF Melvin Falu and RHP Mike Smith.

QUEBEC CAPITALES—Signed 1B Rene Leveret, RHP Dan Sausville and RHP James Kukucka.

PITTSFIELD COLONIALS—Signed INF Stephen Shults.

FOOTBALL National Football League DALLAS COWBOYS—Signed WR Sam Hurd.

MIAMI DOLPHINS—Traded WR-KR Ted Ginn Jr. to San Francisco for a 2010 fifth-round draft pick.

PITTSBURGH STEELERS—Signed OT Willie Colon, TE Matt Spaeth and CB William Gay to one-year tenders.

TAMPA BAY BUCCANEERS—Signed WR Maurice Stovall to a one-year tender.

WASHINGTON REDSKINS—Re-signed DL Kedric Golston. Canadian Football League WINNIPEG BLUE BOMBERS—Signed WR Terence Jeffers-Harris. Released LB Siddeeq Shabazz.

HOCKEY National Hockey League BUFFALO SABRES—Assigned F Nathan Gerbe to Portland (AHL). American Hockey League MILWAUKEE ADMIRALS—Signed RW Blake Geoffrion.

COLLEGE AUBURN—Named Randall Dickey, Tony Madlock and Milt Wagner assistant basketball coaches and Mike Babul director of basketball operations.

FELICIAN—Promoted Naoya Sato to trainer.

Named Brian Vogler assistant trainer.

GEORGIA STATE—Named Sharon BaldwinTener women’s basketball coach.

HOLY CROSS—Named Milan Brown men’s basketball coach and signed him to a five-year contract.

UNC WILMINGTON—Named Buzz Peterson men’s basketball coach.

Shop the Classifieds New Management, New Commitment Gardner-Webb vs.

12 Coastal Carolina Friday 6 pm Saturday and Sunday 2 pm Free admission with donation of a pair of gently used shoes to Samaritan’s Feet.

www.forestcitybaseball.com for more information.

Greg Goode

NISSAN OF FOREST CITY

156 Oak St. Ext. • Forest City, NC 866-245-1661 • www.nissanofforestcity.com

Panthers pick up KR Witherspoon CHARLOTTE (AP) — The Carolina Panthers have claimed kick returner Brian Witherspoon off waivers from Detroit.

Friday’s move gives the Panthers another contender for their return job. Witherspoon has averaged 23.6 yards per kickoff return and 10.8 yard per punt return in his two year NFL career.

The 5-foot-10, 180-pound Witherspoon signed with Jacksonville as an undrafted rookie in 2008.

The Daily Courier, Forest City, NC, Saturday, April 17, 2010 — 9

sports

Stopping Superman

Orlando Magic center Dwight Howard, right, shoots over Philadelphia 76ers center Marreese Speights (16) during the half of an NBA basketball game in Orlando, Fla., Wednesday, April 14, 2010.

Associated Press

Associated Press

East Carolina quarterback Brad Wornick passes during NCAA college football practice in Greenville.

Pirates breaking Bobcats face tall task of containing C Dwight Howard in spread offense

By MIKE CRANSTON AP Sports Writer

CHARLOTTE — What Tyson Chandler really loves about the playoffs is that he can zero in one team, pouring over video to learn opposing players’ strengths, weaknesses and tendencies.

“You sit there and you study your guy,” the Charlotte Bobcats center said. “You know that guy almost better than he knows himself.”

So how’s that horror DVD starring Dwight Howard of Orlando looking?

“It really doesn’t matter how much you watch,” Chandler said, laughing.

The player they call Superman is standing in the way of the Charlotte’s hopes for a first-round upset in the franchise’s first playoff appearance. The four-time All-Star is a matchup nightmare for the Bobcats, who have had little success slowing him down since just missing out on drafting him in 2004.

At 6-foot-11 and 265 pounds, Howard is a unique mix of brute strength and athleticism. He’s averaging 18.3 points, an NBAbest 13.2 rebounds and shooting an leaguehigh 61.2 percent from the field.

“We’re looking at one of the best players in the league and one of the best players to come into the league in a long, long time.

I think he’s phenomenal,” Bobcats coach Larry Brown said. “So if you don’t have big guys that can play — a lot of big guys — you’re in trouble. You can’t go small against them because there’s nobody that’s small that can play him and stay out of foul trouble. You need bodies.”

That’s one thing Charlotte has. The Bobcats start veteran Theo Ratliff, who turns 37 on Saturday, at center. But behind him are Chandler, Nazr Mohammed and DeSagana Diop.

Add up that up and that’s 24 fouls to use if Charlotte wants to be physical.

“The biggest thing for me is just not to get frustrated,” Howard said. “They’re going to beat on me, pull me, do whatever they have to do to get me out of my game. I just have to be strong and understand what our mission is, and that’s to win.”

With Howard just a 59 percent freethrow shooter, Hack-a-Howard may be Charlotte’s best option to have a chance in the best-of-seven series, which starts Sunday. Howard made just 3 of 10 free throws in Charlotte’s victory at Orlando last month.

“You don’t want to just play the foul game,” Ratliff insisted Friday. “At a point in the game, you might try to do that. But you want to play him aggressive and make him take tough shots. That’s what we intend to do.”

Chandler feels the key is to keep Howard out of his comfort zone, something the Bobcats did in the third meeting between the teams in January.

Howard was held to 10 points on 4 of 11 shooting. Trouble was, he grabbed 20 rebounds and blocked seven shots in the Magic’s overtime win.

“You’ve got to keep him out of the paint,” Chandler said. “If he’s making moves and he’s shooting shots outside of that paint, we can live with that.”

Seahawks welcome Williamses back to NFL

SEATTLE (AP) — Pete Carroll wasn’t kidding when he promised to bring guys in from everywhere, with all kinds of backgrounds, to compete for jobs with the Seattle Seahawks.

Friday, the coach brought aboard wide receivers Mike Williams and Reggie Williams, both former firstround draft picks by other teams who then flopped out of the league. The big wide receivers signed free-agent contracts less than 24 hours

after they finished threeday tryouts in Carroll’s first Seahawks minicamp.

The 6-foot-5 Mike Williams is the former No. 10 overall draft choice of the Detroit Lions who ballooned to 270 pounds and has been out of the league for two years. He played for Carroll at Southern California through 2003.

He visited USC and his old coach for a pick-me-up in October, before he started working with a personal

trainer to get ready for this chance.

“It’s like riding a bike — except the bike is a little rusty right now,” he said of playing for the first time since Tennessee released him in the early months of 2008.

Reggie Williams, at 6-4, is the former ninth overall pick of the Jacksonville Jaguars. He is serving two years of probation stemming from a cocaine possession charge.

By AARON BEARD AP Sports Writer

GREENVILLE — Time and time again, the quarterbacks line up side by side, drop back in tandem and launch the football in the air. Lincoln Riley stands a few feet away, scrutinizing every let-’er-rip moment for more progress.

Change has arrived at East Carolina, all right.

Riley is the offensive coordinator charged with installing the pass-happy spread offense that wore out so many scoreboards at Texas Tech. And as the Pirates finish spring practice this week, his new pupils are not only picking things up quickly — they’re learning that the offense is a lot simpler than all those receiver-heavy sets and balls flying everywhere would suggest.

“The hardest thing is changing something they’ve done for so long, and especially something they’ve had success with,” Riley said. “They’ve won a bunch of games and conference championships, so they’ve got some belief obviously in what they did before.

“On one hand it might’ve been easier to go to a losing team that didn’t have confidence in what they were doing before. You might have been able to change their mindset easier. But shoot, if you had to pick, I’d rather have guys that know how to win and expect to win. That’s the thing we have in our hip pocket right now.”

No one better personifies the change better than Riley, a 26-year-old who looks young enough to be a student manager or even a player.

He began his rapid coaching ascent under Mike Leach at Texas Tech by giving up on a playing career as a walk-on quarterback to become a volunteer assistant as a sophomore.

He spent the last three seasons as a receivers coach

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before assuming play-calling duties for the Red Raiders’ bowl game last year when Leach was suspended and McNeill ultimately fired. He then followed fellow assistant Ruffin McNeill to Greenville when the East Carolina alumnus replaced Skip Holtz as head coach.

Three months later, there’s a buzz about how the offense will look when fans get their first peek during Saturday’s scrimmage.

“I think a lot of our fans have seen and read on what we did at Texas Tech, and it’s always that way with this offense,” McNeill said.

Under Holtz and former offensive coordinator Todd Fitch, the Pirates had more rushes than passes in eight of 14 games last year, rushed at least 30 times in 12 games and threw 40 passes — its high was 41 — three times.

By comparison, Leach’s Red Raiders passed more than ran in all 13 games, rushed at least 30 times in just four games and threw more than 40 passes in every game but one.

Now, with six former Leach assistants in Greenville, East Carolina looks more like Lubbock East. And that’s just fine for the Pirates who have marveled at Texas Tech’s offense from afar.

Take big-play receiver Dwayne Harris, who had seven touchdown catches to go with five rushing scores and three returns scores last season. Ask Riley about what the offense can do for someone like Harris, and he simply points to a picture of NFL first-round draft pick Michael Crabtree on his office wall.

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10

— The

Daily Courier, Forest City, NC, Saturday, April 17, 2010

Weather/State/Nation Weather The Daily Courier Weather Today

Tonight

Sunday

Monday

Tuesday

Wednesday

Mostly Cloudy

Partly Cloudy

Sunny

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Precip Chance: 20%

Precip Chance: 10%

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Precip Chance: 5%

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76º

42º

69º 40º

69º 43º

70º 44º

72º 46º

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

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Precipitation 24 hrs through 7 a.m. yest. .0.00" Month to date . . . . . . . . .1.19" Year to date . . . . . . . . .14.50"

Barometric Pressure

Sun and Moon Sunrise today . . . . .6:52 Sunset tonight . . . . .8:02 Moonrise today . . . .8:35 Moonset today . . . .11:40

a.m. p.m. a.m. p.m.

Moon Phases

High yesterday . . . . . . .30.44"

Relative Humidity High yesterday . . . . . . . .100%

First 4/21

Sunday

Hi/Lo Wx Hi/Lo Wx

Asheville . . . . . . .68/37 Cape Hatteras . . .72/50 Charlotte . . . . . . .78/42 Fayetteville . . . . .82/44 Greensboro . . . . .74/40 Greenville . . . . . .80/45 Hickory . . . . . . . . . .73/40 Jacksonville . . . .81/46 Kitty Hawk . . . . . .74/50 New Bern . . . . . .80/45 Raleigh . . . . . . . .77/42 Southern Pines . .81/44 Wilmington . . . . .80/52 Winston-Salem . .73/40

sh pc pc s s s mc s sh s s s pc s

64/37 62/51 68/41 70/41 65/40 68/43 67/39 67/42 59/51 68/44 67/40 70/40 68/47 65/39

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North Carolina Forecast

Greensboro 74/40

Asheville 68/37

Forest City 76/42 Charlotte 78/42

Today

Kinston 78/44 Wilmington 80/52

Today’s National Map

Sunday

City

Hi/Lo Wx Hi/Lo Wx

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pc pc s sn s s mc sh mc s s sh pc pc

Greenville 80/45

Raleigh 77/42

Fayetteville 82/44

Shown is today’s weather.

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

Across Our Nation

Elizabeth City 78/40

Durham 76/42

Winston-Salem 73/40

72/46 60/44 53/42 50/35 60/38 72/55 79/71 57/42 57/43 74/50 69/50 67/49 80/63 60/43

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

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

Cold Front

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Nation Today Sex offender pleads

SAN DIEGO (AP) — With two teary-eyed mothers looking on, sex offender John Albert Gardner pleaded guilty Friday to murdering their teenage daughters after prosecutors agreed not to seek the death penalty.

Gardner, 31, faces life in prison without parole for killing 14-yearold Amber Dubois and 17-year-old Chelsea King in San Diego County.

He also pleaded guilty to attempting to rape another woman who was jogging in San Diego and waived his right to an appeal.

Gardner, wearing a dark blue jail jumpsuit with his shackled arms hanging at his sides, said nothing but “yes” repeatedly as the judge asked him for his pleas.

Parents Brent and Kelly King, and Maurice Dubois and Carrie McGonigle were in the courtroom to hear the admissions. Kelly King and McGonigle were teary-eyed throughout the proceeding. Sobbing could be heard when Gardner entered his pleas.

Mine problems found

CHARLESTON, W.Va. (AP) — Federal inspectors have found more than 60 serious safety violations at Massey Energy operations since the explosion that killed 29 miners, adding to fallout from the disaster that includes a wrongful death lawsuit by one of the men’s widows.

Associated Press

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

New 5/13

Last 5/5

Full 4/28

City

Inspectors visited more than 30 underground Massey coal mines in West Virginia, Kentucky and Virginia after the April 5 blast, according to records from the Mine Safety and Health Administration.

The agency has tentatively blamed preventable accumulations of explosive methane gas and coal dust for the worst U.S. coal mining disaster since 1970.

The miner’s widow accuses the company of a history of safety violations that amount to negligence in the first wrongful death lawsuit over the explosion.

Lunch ladies fight back ATLANTIC CITY, N.J. (AP) — Students at New Jersey’s Atlantic City High School have learned not to mess with the lunch ladies.

Cafeteria workers served only cheese sandwiches Wednesday and Thursday as punishment for a food fight.

School Superintendent Fredrick Nickles says the school supplies only the basic food requirement when there’s been a food-throwing incident. Nickles says the policy has been effective over the years.

Only the group that engaged in the fight out of the school’s three lunch periods was punished.

Parent Bridgitte Reid became angry after her daughter explained the menu. Reid called it “prison food.”

In this 2008 file photo Gary Jackson, then-President of Blackwater Worldwide, is seen at Blackwater’s offices in Moyock. Jackson was charged Friday, April 16, 2010 with using straw purchases to stockpile automatic weapons at the security firm and filing false documents to cover up gifts given to the king of Jordan.

Ex-president, four others at Blackwater indicted RALEIGH (AP) — The former president of Blackwater Worldwide was charged Friday with using straw purchases to stockpile automatic weapons at the security firm and filing false documents to cover up gifts given to the king of Jordan.

Gary Jackson, 52, who left the company last year in a management shake-up, was charged along with four of his former colleagues, according to the federal indictment.

The prosecution opens a new front of the government’s oversight of the sullied security company. Several of the company’s contractors have previously been charged with federal crimes for their actions in war zones, but the company’s executives have thus far weathered a range of investigations.

Blackwater has been trying to rehabilitate its image since a 2007 shooting in Baghdad that left 17 people dead, outraged the Iraqi government and led to a federal charges against several Blackwater guards — accusations later thrown out of court after a judge found prosecutors mishandled evidence. Around the time that Jackson left the company, Blackwater changed its name to Xe Services.

The charges against Jackson include a conspiracy to violate firearms laws, false statements, possession of a machine gun and possession of an unregistered firearm. Also indicted were former Blackwater general counsel Andrew Howell, 44; former executive vice president Bill Mathews, 44; former procurement vice president Ana Bundy, 45; and former weapons manager Ronald Slezak, 65.

The case stems in part from a raid conducted by federal agents at the company’s headquarters in Moyock in 2008 that seized 22 weapons, including 17 AK-47s.

Blackwater officials enticed the local sheriff’s office to pose as the purchaser of 34 automatic weapons that would be stored on the company’s campus, something prosecutors called a straw purchase, according to the indictment. The Camden County Sheriff’s Office provided blank letterhead to the company, which then used the stationery to prepare letters ordering weapons.

Federal law prohibits licensed firearms dealers such as Blackwater from having more than two of the same style of machine gun. Law enforcement agencies can have fully automatic weapons.

Prosecutors also said company officials, hoping to land a lucrative overseas contract, presented the king of

Jordan with five guns as gifts — then realized that they were unable to account for where the weapons went.

To cover it up, they falsified four federal documents “to give the appearance that the weapons had been purchased by them as individuals,” according to the indictment.

The U.S. attorney’s office in Raleigh said the indictment should not suggest any wrongdoing on the part of Jordan or any of its officials. The office said it was grateful for the assistance the nation has provided for the investigation.

Prosecutors also focused on Blackwater’s supply of short-barrel rifles, which dealers must register.

The company purchased 227 short barrels and installed them on long rifles without registering them, and officials shipped the weapons with the barrels detached so that they could be reassembled overseas without facing the charge of exporting regulated weapons, according to the indictment.

Kenneth Bell, an attorney for Jackson, said the former executive was a true American hero. Jackson spent two decades in the military as a Navy SEAL. “These charges are false,” Bell said. “He will defend himself, as he defended this country, in what he calls the greatest justice system in the world.”

Each of the defendants was charged as part of a conspiracy to violate firearms laws. Mathews also was charged with possession of a machine gun and possession of an unregistered weapon. Howell was charged with two counts of obstruction of justice. Slezak was charged with false statements. Bundy was charged with obstruction of justice.

The maximum penalty for each charge ranges from 5-10 years in prison and a fine of up to $250,000.

James Sweeney, an attorney for Mathews, said his client was shocked and disappointed by the indictment, which he called “a persecution born of political purpose.” Pat Woodward, an attorney for Slezak, said he looks forward to his client’s vindication.

Howell’s attorney, Randy Turk, said he doesn’t believe the government has done its homework.

“Mr. Howell has broken no laws, and I’m confident that when all the dust settles, he will be cleared of any wrongdoing,” Turk said.

Xe spokesman Mark Corallo said the company has fully cooperated with the federal investigation. He declined further comment. Jordanian officials could not be immediately reached for comment.

N.C. AG declines to join health care lawsuit

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RALEIGH (AP) — North Carolina’s attorney general says the state will not join a lawsuit that seeks to overturn President Barack Obama’s health care overhaul.

Attorney General Roy Cooper said in a letter Friday to Gov. Beverly Perdue that health care is a policy decision that should be decided by elected represen-

tatives and not appointed federal judges. He said there’s ample time for elected officials to change the legislation since most provisions in dispute don’t take effect until 2013.

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The Daily Courier, Forest City, NC, Saturday, April 17, 2010 — 11

business/finance

THE MARKET IN REVIEW

STOCK EXCHANGE HIGHLIGHTS

d

NYSE

7,584.62-135.04

GAINERS ($2 OR MORE)

Name Last BkA BM RE 2.44 FredM pfH 2.25 DirFBear rs12.18 ION Geoph 6.06 E-TrcEngy 15.46 ReddyIce h 4.79 STR Hld n 20.76 DirEMBr rs 41.80 Metrogas 2.14 BarcShtD n37.59

Chg +.39 +.23 +1.14 +.54 +1.34 +.39 +1.70 +3.30 +.17 +2.91

%Chg +19.0 +11.4 +10.3 +9.8 +9.5 +8.9 +8.9 +8.6 +8.6 +8.4

LOSERS ($2 OR MORE)

Name Last Chg KrispKrm 4.22 -.74 Mesab 20.74 -3.16 GoldmanS160.70-23.57 Resolute wt 2.68 -.36 CenPacF 2.12 -.25 DirFBull rs104.39-12.21 CallonP h 5.87 -.64 StratHotels 5.23 -.57 DeutschBk 74.17 -7.55 DirxChiBull 40.97 -3.96

%Chg -14.9 -13.2 -12.8 -11.8 -10.5 -10.5 -9.8 -9.8 -9.2 -8.8

MOST ACTIVE ($1 OR MORE) Name Vol (00) Last Chg Citigrp 17971982 4.56 -.25 BkofAm 5560333 18.41 -1.07 SPDR Fncl 3763687 16.36 -.62 S&P500ETF3379187119.36 -1.93 DirFBear rs2069742 12.18 +1.14 GenElec 1641847 18.97 -.53 AmbacF h 1594438 1.76 -.07 FordM 1475345 13.42 -.34 iShEMkts 1402815 42.46 -1.28 JPMorgCh 1181572 45.55 -2.26 Advanced Declined Unchanged Total issues New Highs New Lows Volume

DIARY

605 2,496 95 3,196 219 9 8,138,653,398

d

AMEX

1,935.76 -28.53

GAINERS ($2 OR MORE)

Name Last ProlorBio 5.43 RexahnPh 2.84 ASpectRlty 19.00 ReadyMix 2.35 Frischs 22.35 TwoHrbInv 9.20 SunLink 2.75 VirnetX 5.47 Banro g 2.42 FstWV 14.90

Chg %Chg +.49 +9.9 +.25 +9.7 +1.51 +8.6 +.15 +6.8 +1.32 +6.3 +.45 +5.1 +.13 +5.0 +.24 +4.6 +.10 +4.3 +.60 +4.2

LOSERS ($2 OR MORE)

Name Last CAMAC n 4.46 GerovaFn 5.96 MagHRes 4.41 CoreMold 5.01 ChiArmM 6.92 SwGA Fn 10.54 PudaCoal n 9.90 GranTrra g 6.27 AmO&G 6.94 KodiakO g 3.66

Chg %Chg -.59 -11.7 -.64 -9.7 -.35 -7.4 -.39 -7.2 -.49 -6.6 -.71 -6.3 -.64 -6.0 -.37 -5.6 -.40 -5.4 -.21 -5.4

MOST ACTIVE ($1 OR MORE) Name Vol (00) Last Chg RexahnPh 92294 2.84 +.25 NA Pall g 57814 5.23 +.02 BootsCoots 53241 2.94 -.01 RadientPh 40373 1.22 -.13 GoldStr g 31697 3.92 -.16 NwGold g 30626 5.15 +.01 NovaGld g 30204 7.50 -.26 NthgtM g 28133 3.01 -.07 Taseko 26097 5.99 -.13 MagHRes 25240 4.41 -.35 DIARY

Advanced Declined Unchanged Total issues New Highs New Lows Volume

174 313 40 527 18 5 174,536,572

d

DAILY DOW JONES

NASDAQ

Dow Jones industrials

Close: 11,018.66 Change: -125.91 (-1.1%)

2,481.26 -34.43

GAINERS ($2 OR MORE)

Name Last Radcom 4.28 PhaseFwd 16.80 MdwstB pf 6.17 CadenceFn 2.69 InspPhar 6.93 Hastings 6.00 Encorm rs 5.46 Escalade 4.16 AmrSvFin 2.35 CostPlus 4.55

Chg +.95 +3.72 +1.25 +.39 +.97 +.83 +.74 +.51 +.28 +.53

Chg -.74 -.47 -.54 -.77 -.59 -.28 -2.79 -.89 -.36 -.29

DIARY

10 DAYS

11,154.55 4,758.19 408.57 7,743.74 1,984.72 2,517.82 1,213.92 833.93 12,743.55 725.13

10,840

10,800 10,400

7,791.95 2,883.88 324.39 5,177.30 1,336.87 1,598.93 826.83 517.03 8,441.04 448.93

STOCK MARKET INDEXES Name

Last

9,600

724 1,966 127 2,817 194 9 2,796,596,300

O

N

D

J

F

M

A

Name

Attorney Brian King NC Certified Family Law Specialist

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(828) 286-3332

KING LAW OFFICES A PROFESSIONAL LIMITED LIABILITY COMPANY

-1.13 -1.68 -1.09 -1.75 -1.45 -1.37 -1.61 -1.20 -1.56 -1.32

+5.66 +13.32 -4.66 +5.56 +6.07 +9.35 +6.91 +12.93 +8.39 +14.27

12-mo %Chg

+35.51 +50.11 +14.00 +38.39 +38.80 +48.31 +37.09 +49.15 +40.80 +49.07

PIMCO TotRetIs American Funds GrthAmA m Vanguard TotStIdx Fidelity Contra TOCKS OF OCAL NTEREST American Funds CapIncBuA m American Funds CpWldGrIA m YTD YTD Vanguard 500Inv Name Div Yld PE Last Chg%Chg Name Div Yld PE Last Chg %Chg American Funds IncAmerA m AT&T Inc 1.68 6.5 12 25.93 -.31 -7.5 LeggPlat 1.04 4.7 29 22.07 -.19 +8.2 American Funds InvCoAmA m Vanguard InstIdx Amazon ... ... 70 142.17 -3.65 +5.7 Lowes .36 1.4 22 26.29 -.37 +12.4 Dodge & Cox Stock ArvMerit ... ... ... 14.68 -.39 +31.3 Microsoft .52 1.7 17 30.67 -.20 +.6 American Funds EurPacGrA m American Funds WAMutInvA m BB&T Cp .60 1.8 29 33.76 -.42 +33.1 PPG 2.16 3.1 20 69.16 -.57 +18.1 Dodge & Cox IntlStk BkofAm .04 .2 ... 18.41 -1.07 +22.2 ParkerHan 1.04 1.5 40 69.07 -1.14 +28.2 American Funds NewPerspA m BerkHa A ... ... 23118400.00-1350.00+19.4 PIMCO TotRetAdm b Cisco ... ... 26 26.98 -.23 +12.7 ProgrssEn 2.48 6.4 12 38.70 +.04 -5.6 American Funds FnInvA m RedHat ... ...

69 31.10 -.57 +.6 Delhaize 2.01 2.4 ... 83.74 -.49 +9.2 Fidelity DivrIntl d Dell Inc ... ... 23 16.76 -.10 +16.7 RoyalBk g 2.00 ... ... 60.45 -.74 +12.9 FrankTemp-Franklin Income A m DukeEngy .96 6.0 13 16.01 -.12 -7.0 SaraLee .44 3.2 12 13.96 -.13 +14.6 American Funds BalA m Vanguard TotStIAdm ExxonMbl 1.68 2.5 17 67.93 -.33 -.4 SonicAut ... ... 12 12.12 -.37 +16.7 Vanguard 500Adml FamilyDlr .62 1.6 16 38.41 -.48 +38.0 SonocoP 1.08 3.3 22 32.71 -.01 +11.8 Vanguard Welltn Fidelity GrowCo FifthThird .04 .3 20 14.20 -.70 +45.6 SpectraEn 1.00 4.4 17 22.88 -.41 +11.6 American Funds BondA m FCtzBA 1.20 .6 18 198.67 -6.85 +21.1 SpeedM .40 2.5 ... 15.93 -.32 -9.6 Vanguard TotIntl d GenElec .40 2.1 18 18.97 -.53 +25.4 Timken .36 1.1 ... 31.74 -.53 +33.9 Fidelity LowPriStk d GoldmanS 1.40 .9 7 160.70-23.57 -4.8 Vanguard InstPlus UPS B 1.88 2.8 31 68.21 -.68 +18.9 T Rowe Price EqtyInc Google ... ... 25 550.15-45.16 -11.3 KrispKrm ... ... ... 4.22 -.74 +43.1 WalMart 1.21 2.2 15 54.11 -.02 +1.2 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.

L

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.

Total Assets Obj ($Mlns) NAV

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

CI 125,962 LG 67,825 LB 63,652 LG 58,318 IH 58,013 WS 55,947 LB 50,594 MA 50,104 LB 49,629 LB 47,376 LV 42,708 FB 40,410 LV 39,096 FV 38,943 WS 33,256 CI 32,107 LB 31,990 FG 31,331 CA 30,818 MA 30,432 LB 30,325 LB 29,886 MA 29,486 LG 29,164 CI 27,231 FB 27,194 MB 26,567 LB 26,416 LV 16,648 LB 10,075 LB 4,428 GS 1,503 LV 1,253 SR 469 LG 192

+0.8 +15.0/C +2.4 +37.1/D +3.3 +43.5/B +2.5 +39.3/C +0.5 +28.7/C +1.8 +39.2/D +2.9 +40.7/B +1.0 +34.9/B +2.4 +35.7/E +2.9 +40.9/B +3.0 +49.7/A +1.9 +41.9/C +2.4 +35.3/E +2.0 +54.7/A +1.8 +42.7/C +0.8 +14.8/C +2.4 +39.7/C +2.0 +40.2/D +2.5 +42.0/A +1.5 +29.2/D +3.3 +43.7/A +2.9 +40.9/B +1.9 +31.5/C +3.5 +48.1/A +0.5 +17.2/B +1.9 +46.0/A +3.7 +51.5/B +2.9 +40.9/B +4.5 +46.3/A +1.9 +44.9/A +2.9 +39.5/C +0.1 +3.4/B +2.0 +30.6/E +0.9 +63.7/C +3.6 +40.5/C

11.10 28.92 29.71 61.55 48.43 34.51 109.90 15.99 27.16 109.17 104.27 39.02 25.86 33.35 26.58 11.10 34.58 28.59 2.13 17.00 29.72 109.90 30.11 75.47 12.03 14.85 35.70 109.17 22.99 32.31 38.25 10.38 3.11 15.27 16.25

+7.5/A +5.1/B +3.8/B +6.7/A +4.6/C +7.0/A +2.9/C +4.2/B +3.6/B +3.0/C +1.7/D +8.6/A +2.2/C +6.8/A +7.7/A +7.2/A +6.2/A +4.6/D +5.5/A +3.7/C +3.9/B +3.0/C +6.3/A +8.4/A +3.1/E +6.3/B +6.5/B +3.0/C +3.4/B +6.1/A +3.6/B +4.8/A +0.3/E +3.6/C +3.7/C

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

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

BoA reports earnings gain for quarter

CHARLOTTE (AP) — Even as the nation’s big banks report more losses from mortgage loans, they’re seeing signs of an economic recovery.

Bank of America Corp. on Friday followed JPMorgan Chase & Co. in reporting a big firstquarter profit and that it sees a healing economy.

Bank of America said its earnings rose 0.7 percent to $2.83 billion from $2.81 billion a year earlier.

Strong revenue from trading in securities including bonds, currencies and commodities helped the bank offset its losses from failed consumer loans.

CEO Brian Moynihan said in a statement, “the 2010 story appears to be one of continuing credit recovery, and our results reflect a gradually improving economy.” On Wednesday, his counterpart at JPMorgan Chase, Jamie Dimon, said the economy is showing “clear and broad-based improvements.”

Still, both companies added money to their reserves against loan losses loans during the January-March period. And Bank of America, the nation’s largest mortgage servicer, said its home loan operation was its only money-losing unit.

But Charlotte, N.C.-based Bank of America also said it saw improvement in its other consumer loan portfolios. And that’s contributing to its more upbeat take on the economy.

“After what happened, everyone swung to the opposite side of the spectrum with saying they were ‘overly cautious,’” said Shannon Stemm, a financial services analyst with Edward Jones.

“Now seeing these management teams be ‘openly optimistic’ is certainly indicative that conditions are improving.”

Wells Fargo & Co. was the actually the first bank to voice its optimism about the economy. When it issued its fourth-quarter results in January, the bank described the economic outlook as “more favorable.”

Some banking analysts aren’t so sure. Loan losses are still high and likely will be for the remainder of the year.

“The hard thing right now is we are not seeing loan growth,” said Alan Villalon, senior research analyst at Minneapolis-based First American Funds. “Every economic recovery has been coupled with loan growth.”

Banks have become more reluctant to lend after millions of home and consumer loans went into default during the recession. And many consumers and small businesses are unwilling to take on more debt, a trend that reduces demand for loans.

But the improving credit picture at Bank of America offers hope that financial markets are recovering, Moynihan said during a conference call with investors.

The bank expects modest economic growth through the rest of the year, he said, but added that loan growth will be weak.

YTD %Chg %Chg

MUTUAL FUNDS

S

%Chg -19.0 -17.2 -15.5 -13.0 -12.2 -11.1 -9.8 -9.6 -9.5 -9.2

Net Chg

Dow Industrials 11,018.66 -125.91 Dow Transportation 4,645.75 -79.18 Dow Utilities 379.46 -4.17 NYSE Composite 7,584.62 -135.04 Amex Market Value 1,935.76 -28.53 Nasdaq Composite 2,481.26 -34.43 S&P 500 1,192.13 -19.54 S&P MidCap 820.62 -10.00 Wilshire 5000 12,517.59 -198.22 Russell 2000 714.62 -9.59

10,000

MOST ACTIVE ($1 OR MORE) Name Vol (00) Last Chg PwShs QQQ1224488 49.53 -.60 SiriusXM h 1196204 1.08 -.03 Intel 1004178 23.92 -.30 Microsoft 858256 30.67 -.20 Cisco 669856 26.98 -.23 Popular 520815 3.80 -.02 Yahoo 484989 18.17 -.80 Nvidia 472824 17.06 -.95 HuntBnk 444768 5.56 -.19 Dell Inc 414096 16.76 -.10 Advanced Declined Unchanged Total issues New Highs New Lows Volume

11,000

11,200

%Chg +28.5 +28.4 +25.4 +17.0 +16.3 +16.1 +15.7 +14.0 +13.3 +13.2

LOSERS ($2 OR MORE)

Name Last FFBcArk 3.16 MolecInP h 2.26 CmtyCntrl 2.95 ValleyFin 5.15 TandyBr 4.24 HansenMed 2.25 CNinsure 25.70 Solarfun 8.34 TransitnT g 3.44 Tongxin wt 2.91

11,160

52-Week High Low

As security looks on, people enter the Goldman Sachs headquarters in the Lower Manhattan area of New York, Friday. The government has accused Goldman Sachs & Co. of defrauding investors by failing to disclose conflicts of interest in mortgage investments it sold as the housing market was faltering.

Associated Press

SEC accuses Goldman of fraud WASHINGTON (AP) — The government on Friday accused Wall Street’s most powerful firm of fraud, saying Goldman Sachs & Co. sold mortgage investments without telling the buyers that the securities were crafted with input from a client who was betting on them to fail.

And fail they did. The securities cost investors close to $1 billion while helping Goldman client Paulson & Co., a hedge fund, capitalize on the housing bust.

The Goldman executive accused of shepherding the deal allegedly boasted about the “exotic trades” he created “without necessarily understanding all of the implications of those monstrosities!!!”

The civil charges filed by the Securities and Exchange Commission are the government’s most significant legal action related to the mortgage meltdown that ignited the financial crisis and helped plunge the country into recession.

The news sent Goldman Sachs shares and the stock market reeling as the SEC said other financial deals related to the meltdown continue to be investigated. It was a blow to the reputation of a financial giant that had emerged relatively unscathed from the economic crisis.

Goldman Sachs denied the allegations. In a statement, it called the SEC’s charges “completely unfounded in law and fact” and said it will contest

them.

The SEC is seeking to recoup the money lost by investors and impose unspecified civil fines against Goldman Sachs and the executive, Fabrice Tourre. The SEC could enter into settlement negotiations over the amount if Goldman changed its stance and decided not to fight the charges in a trial.

The SEC said Paulson paid Goldman roughly $15 million in 2007 to devise an investment tied to mortgage-related securities that the hedge fund viewed as likely to decline in value.

Separately, Paulson took out a form of insurance that allowed it to make a huge profit when those securities’ value plunged.

The fraud allegations focus on how Goldman sold the securities. Goldman told investors that a third party, ACA Management LLC, had selected the pools of subprime mortgages it used to create the securities. The securities are known as synthetic collateralized debt obligations.

The SEC alleges that Goldman misled investors by failing to disclose that Paulson & Co. also played a role in selecting the mortgage pools and stood to profit from their decline in value. Two European banks that bought the securities lost nearly $1 billion, the SEC said.

“Goldman wrongly permitted a client that was betting against the mortgage market to heavily influence which mortgage

In Loving Memory of

4-17-05 ~ 10-15-06

securities to include in an investment portfolio, while telling other investors that the securities were selected by an independent, objective third party,” SEC Enforcement Director Robert Khuzami said in a statement.

But Goldman said in a statement that it never mischaracterized Paulson’s strategy in the transaction. It added that it wasn’t obliged to “disclose the identities of a buyer to a seller and vice versa.”

The charges name only Goldman Sachs and Tourre, who was a vice president in his late 20s when the alleged fraud was orchestrated in 2007. Tourre, the SEC said, boasted to a friend that he was able to put such deals together as the mortgage market was unraveling in early 2007.

In an e-mail to the friend, he described himself as “the fabulous Fab standing in the middle of all these complex, highly leveraged, exotic trades he created without necessarily understanding all of the implications of those monstrosities!!!”

Tourre, 31, has since been promoted to executive director of Goldman Sachs International in London.

Stanford University spokeswoman Elaine Ray said a student by the name of Fabrice Tourre received a master’s degree in management science and engineering from the school in 2001.

You deserve a clerk experienced in the law and in business.

Vote

edna Walker

Taylor Grace Alexander “Gracie Mae” Happy 5th Birthday to our Little Angel in Heavan.

You know we all love you. You are in God’s hands.

Love Always, Mommy & your loving family

Clerk of Court

A Clerk who works for You!

★ Attorney with 13 years experience ★ Small business owner ★ Will implement Clerk’s mediation program

Paid for by Walker For Clerk Campaign

12

— The

Daily Courier, Forest City, NC, Saturday, April 17, 2010

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

APRIL 17 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

Without Griffi Griffi Insi King Ent For Jeop Jeru His Cars Scrub L. Welk Payne Payne Candleford Fam Fam

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

CSI: Miami Criminal Criminal Criminal CSI: Miami Criminal Paper Soldiers (‘02) } Steppin: The Movie (‘09) } The Best Man (‘06) Å Spr } ››› Scary Movie (‘00) Katt Williams L. Lampanelli Katt Williams Amer. Hustle Schools Camp. Brown Larry King Newsroom Camp. Brown Larry King Man vs. Wild Man vs. Wild Man vs. Wild Man vs. Wild Man vs. Wild Man vs. Wild Basketball NBA Basketball NBA Basketball Drag Racing High School Basketball Baseball Ton. SportsCenter Baseball Ton. FOX Report Huckabee Glenn Beck Geraldo Jour Watch Red Eye College Baseball Florida at Kentucky. (L) Base Final UEFA Final World Poker East Prom } ››› Walk the Line (‘05) Joaquin Phoenix.

Sunny Sunny Sunny Down Per. } White Men Can’t Jump } White Men Can’t Jump White Men } Ladies of the House (‘08) } Bound by a Secret (‘09) } ›› A Cooler Climate House House De Sarah Dear Block Battle/Block House House Dear Block Marvels Nostradamus: 2012 Å The Next Nostradamus Nostradamus Patricia Cornwell’s At Risk Cornwell’s The Front Cornwell’s The Front iCarly iCarly iCarly Jack Troop Big Lopez Lopez Nanny Nanny Nanny Nanny Unleash Unleash UFC 110: Nogueira vs. Velasquez Unleashed Un } Open Graves (‘09) Å } › The Hitcher (‘07) } Timber Falls (‘07, Horror) } ››› Shrek 2 (‘04) 8:55 } ››› Shrek 2 (‘04) › College Road Trip Bring Bang-Drum } Strangers on a Train (‘51) } They Live by Night (‘49) Roseanna Evidence Evidence Disappeared Disappeared Evidence Evidence 5:45 } ››› Gladiator } ››› American Gangster (‘07) Å } 8 Mile } Home Alone 2: Lost in New York De King King Strok Boon Full Bleac MLB Baseball: Rockies at Braves In My Words MLB Baseball ›› Shoot ’Em Up } ››› 3:10 to Yuma (‘07) Å } ›› The Good Shepherd Bones Å } ›› A Perfect Murder WGN News Scru Scru Perfect

8651 8182 8181 8650 8180 8192 8183 8190 8184 8185

NCIS: LA Saturday Night Fights News Without Ath Biggest Law & Order Law & Order News Saturday Night Live NCIS: LA Saturday Night Fights News WSSL Trax Paid } ›› Shark Tale (‘04) Å Castle Å News :35 CSI: NY Anat. } ›› Shark Tale (‘04) Å Castle Å News Sheer Housewives Joyful Os Home Gospel V’Im Gaither Sp. Studio Best-Harvest Cops Cops Most Wanted News Wanda Sykes Broth Hair Time/ Wait Keep Old Poirot Å MI-5 “Diana” Austin City } ›› 2 Days in the Valley Housewives Access H. TMZ (N) Å Sherlock Keep Sum Ballykiss.

Austin City Soundstage CSI: NY Å CSI: NY Å News Office CSI: Miami CSI: Miami

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

››› Taken } ›› Daylight (‘96) Å } ›› Watchmen (‘09) Billy Crudup. Å Breakfast } ››› Contact (‘97) Jodie Foster. } ››› In the Line of Fire Bride Wars } Four Christmases 24/7 Boxing 24/7 5:45 } Evita Nurse Tara } › My Best Friend’s Girl } ›› Rambo (‘08) Prom Witch Mount } › The Ugly Truth :40 } › Obsessed (‘09)

Em Pa AVN Juras

Stepsister isn’t really a thief Dear Abby: My stepsister stole my boyfriend, and I am so mad I am going crazy. She’s very attractive and has no problem finding boyfriends.

She did not have to do this. I am sure she did it out of spite. We’re both 16, go to the same school and have several classes together, so I can’t avoid her. We also have to share a room every other weekend when she’s here.

I have so much hate and anger toward her now, I don’t know how to deal with it — especially since we have to sleep in the same room.

Please give me some advice. — Hates Her Dear Hates her: I don’t think there is a single woman reading your letter who hasn’t felt the same way you do at one time or another in her life. But please let me share a lesson most of us have learned: He is responsible for making his own decisions.

Dear Abby: I’ve always been big on birthdays. I love the cake, the candles, the singing and a nice dinner.

My husband wasn’t a huge fan, but did what he could to please me. Last year, his father died on my birthday, so naturally, my birthday was the last thing on his mind. Now the one-year anniversary of my father-in-law’s death is coming up, and we will be getting together with the family for a memorial service. I wonder if my birthday will always be clouded by sadness. — Birthday-Conflicted

Dear Abby Abigail van Buren

Dear Conflicted: Yes, but start next year. Or, if you prefer, by agreeing to a weekend getaway on a date other than your birthday this year.

Dear Abby: My daughter was married last weekend and received several unmarked gifts. When sending out thank-you notes, how do you know what to say and to whom?

There were several guests that would never have come empty-handed, yet there is no way to match the mystery gifts to the right guests. Not sending a thank-you note to someone I’m sure brought a gift seems awkward and embarrassing. — At a Loss Dear At a Loss: For the people whose cards were not included — or were lost — your daughter and/ or son-in-law should send generic thank-you letters rather than ones that are specific. They should say something like this: “Dear (——), ‘John’ (or ‘Carol’) and I want to thank you for sharing our special day with us. Your presence at such a sacred and meaningful time meant more to us than words can convey. Fondly, (——).”

Schizophrenia needs treatment Dear Dr. Gott: My sister and I are caring for both our mother and a sister who has schizophrenia.

Unfortunately, this sister is in the last stages of our being able to care for her at home. She refuses to take her medicines and has become totally unmanageable. Our mother refuses to consider making a commitment one way or another about her and instead reads your column. She uses it as the final word on my sister’s illness. Please, Dr. Gott, don’t write any more columns about cures for mental illness.

Dear Reader: Upon reading your letter, I felt to compelled to answer it quickly despite your protest. I have never offered a cure in regards to any type of mental illness. In fact, most forms of mental disease are not curable, but many are treatable if the patient is compliant. My column is not to be used as a final say, to provide a medical diagnosis, or as a substitute for appropriate medical

PUZZLE

Ask Dr. Gott Dr. Peter M. Gott

care or physician advice. It is merely informative and meant to provide patients with a means to approach a doctor about symptoms they are experiencing.

Schizophrenia is a severe brain disorder. Because the causes of schizophrenia are not fully understood, treatment is aimed at eliminating symptoms.

It is important that the family and patient learn about the disorder and how to handle it. When caretakers cannot control a patient, such as when he or she is violent or dangerous to himself or herself or others, hospitalization is an appropriate option.

IN THE STARS Your Birthday, April 17; In the year ahead you might start to experience an overwhelming drive to do things on a much grander scale than usual.

ARIES (March 21-April 19) - This is an excellent day for reaping past rewards.

TAURUS (April 20-May 20) - Don’t turn down any social invitations you get today.

GEMINI (May 21-June 20) - Lady Luck could be quite busy today dreaming up something special.

CANCER (June 21-July 22) - Look for the bright side of life to take over today.

LEO (July 23-Aug. 22) - Someone in whom you’re interested but who hasn’t shown any visible attraction to you might do a complete turnabout today.

VIRGO (Aug. 23-Sept.

22) - A number of good things could happen for you today.

LIBRA (Sept. 23-Oct. 23) - Something huge could be in the wind for you today regarding your work.

SCORPIO (Oct. 24-Nov. 22) - It won’t matter where you are or who you’ll run into, you will make a lasting impression.

SAGITTARIUS (Nov. 23-Dec. 21) - Lucky you, because it appears that some kind of material benefits will come your way.

CAPRICORN (Dec. 22-Jan. 19) - That lucky horseshoe you recently found might start doing its thing.

AQUARIUS (Jan. 20-Feb. 19) - Small, goodwill gestures you made in the past could begin to pay off for you today.

PISCES (Feb. 20-March 20) - You may not consciously do any selling today, yet you still will be able to get some enthusiastic support for a cause, need or position that is of vital interest to you.

The Daily Courier, Forest City, NC, Saturday, April 17, 2010 — 13 The Daily Courier, Forest City, NC, SATURDAY, April 17, 2010 — 13

nation

Construction numbers point to a recovery

WASHINGTON (AP) — There were more signs of a moderate housing recovery Friday as the government reported an increase in construction and building permits.

The Commerce Department said the pace of new construction rose roughly 2 percent from February to March. That increase, however, was thanks to a 19 percent increase in apartments, which offset a 1 percent decline in home building.

But more encouraging, applications for building permits — a good gauge of future activity — rose 7.5 percent to the highest level since October 2008, when the financial crisis hit with full force.

The housing market is recovering from the worst downturn since the Great Depression.

Construction is down by more than two-thirds from the unsustainable boom in late 2005 and early 2006, but has gradually recovered 30 percent from the bottom in April of last year.

“While the March report was very positive news, we are still a long, long way off from a normal market,” said David Crowe, chief economist of the National Association of Home Builders.

He expects single-family home construction to rise about 25 percent this year to 550,000. But that would still be less than half the normal level, and Crowe doesn’t expect building to reach that 1.5 million range for another three years.

While the housing sector is currently a weak economic engine, each new home built creates about three jobs for a year and generates about $90,000 in taxes paid to local and federal authorities, according to the National Association of Home Builders.

“We need a decent or at least stable construction sector if job growth and the economy can get back to normal, and that process is proceeding slowing,” said Joel Naroff, chief economist at Naroff Economic Advisors.

The increase in housing construction tempered news this week that a record number of Americans lost their homes through foreclosure in the first three months of the year, according to RealtyTrac Inc. The cheaply priced foreclosed homes have put builders at a disadvantage, held back hiring in the construction industry and helped restrain the broader economic recovery.

The glut of bank-owned properties has also hurt new home sales.

President Barack Obama, flanked by Vice President Joe Biden, left, and White House adviser Paul Volcker, speaks during a meeting of the President’s Economic Recovery Advisory Board Friday.

Associated Press

Obama signs jobless benefits bill WASHINGTON (AP) — Just hours after Congress passed an $18 billion bill to restore unemployment benefits for the longterm unemployed, President Barack Obama made it the law of the land.

The measure comes as welcome relief to hundreds of thousands of people who lost out on the additional weeks of compensation after exhausting their state-paid benefits. They now will be able to reapply for longterm unemployment benefits and receive those checks retroactively under the legislation.

The bill also restores full Medicare payments to doctors who were threatened by a 21 percent cut and refloats the flood insurance program.

Obama signed the bill when he returned to the White House on Thursday night from fundraisers in Miami and a speech earlier in the day at Cape Canaveral, presidential spokesman Bill Burton said.

Obama thanked Congress for passing the temporary extension, saying it was critical to help struggling families make ends meet.

“Millions of Americans who lost their jobs in this economic crisis depend on unemployment

and health insurance benefits to get by as they look for work and get themselves back on their feet,” Obama said in a statement. “But as I requested in my budget, I urge Congress to move quickly to extend these benefits through the end of this year.”

The legislation cleared both houses of Congress on Thursday night. The House passed the bill 289-112 just two hours after it emerged from the Senate on a 59-38 vote that capped an unusually partisan debate.

Republicans largely chose to take a stand against the legislation for adding to the $12.8 trillion national despite backing it by wide margins in December and again recently.

“It increases the deficit by $18 billion, a cost to be paid for by future generations,” said Rep. Jerry Moran, R-Kan. Several other popular programs had also expired, including federal flood insurance, higher Medicare payment rates for doctors and generous health insurance subsidies for people who have lost their jobs.

The situation became more urgent Thursday afternoon when Medicare announced that it would start paying doctors’ claims at a 21 percent lower rate.

That won’t be necessary now.

Thursday’s measure provides up to 99 weekly unemployment checks averaging $335 to people whose 26 weeks of state-paid benefits have run out. It’s a temporary extension through June 2 that gives House and Senate Democrats time to iron out a measure to fund the program through the end of the year.

Fewer than 1 in 3 House Republicans voted for the measure. Just three Senate Republicans did. The sole Democrat to oppose it was longtime budget hawk Rep. Jim Cooper of Tennessee.

The bill also extends a program created under last year’s economic stimulus bill that gives unemployed people a 65 percent subsidy on health care premiums under the so-called COBRA program.

On successive votes earlier in the day, Democrats narrowly turned back two amendments

by Sen. Tom Coburn, R-Okla., that would have paid for the measure over time by cutting spending and raising almost $10 billion in revenues with a variety of Democratic-backed ideas to tighten the tax code. One of Coburn’s amendments was killed by a 50-48 vote.

CLASSIFIEDS Contact Erika Meyer to place your ad!

Call: 828-245-6431 Fax: 828-248-2790 Email: emeyer@thedigitalcourier.com In person: 601 Oak St., Forest City DEADLINES: New Ads, Cancellations & Changes Tuesday Edition.............Monday, 12pm Wednesday Edition......Tuesday, 2pm Thursday Edition......Wednesday, 2pm Friday Edition...............Thursday, 2pm Saturday Edition................Friday, 2pm Sunday Edition......................Friday, 2pm

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.

*4 line minimum on all ads Apartments 2BR/1BA Cent. h/a, in-unit w/d, balcony, detached storage.

Well located unit in a quadplex at 433 E. Main St., FC Avail.

5/1. $475 447-3233

New cent. air & elec. stove 1BR available Reduced to $375 w/ 1 yr. lease signed & $325 dep. pd. in April You pay electric, we pay water! Arlington Ridge 828-447-3233 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.

1 WEEK SPECIAL

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

FOR OUR WEEKLY SPECIAL POSTED EVERY SUNDAY IN THE CLASSIFIEDS!

YARD SALE SPECIAL

Run a 20 word yard sale ad Thurs., Fri., & Sat. for ONLY $20.

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

Apartments

Homes

Homes

Homes

Mobile Homes

2BR/1BA in quiet area in FC. W/d hook up, storage in bsmt. No pets! $425/mo. + $400 dep. 828-243-1811

For Sale

For Rent

For Rent

For Rent

2 & 3 BR Close to downtown Rfdtn. D/w, stove, refrig., w/d hook up. No pets! 287-0733

Special $150 dep.!

Nice 1, 2 & 3BR Townhomes Priv. deck, w/d hook up.

Starting at $375/mo.

Section 8 o.k.!

1-888-684-5072

Homes For Sale 3BR/1BA Brick House with large outbuilding.

Ellenboro area. Owner financing with DP! $64,900 657-4430

ADVERTISE IT HERE!

2BR/2BA Eastwood Retire. Village in FC. 1 car garage, sunrm. $154,900 245-2110

Homes For Rent 2BR/2BA on 2 ac. in Lake Lure on the resort, 200’ bold running creek, w/d, cent. h/a. $750/mo. Call Eddy Zappel 828-289-9151 or Marco 954-275-0735 Clean 2BR/1BA on Indiana St., Spindale Stove, refrig. $350/mo. + dep. 828-287-7043

2BR/1BA in Chase community. Cent. h/a, appliances furnished. Water & trash pick up incld. $525/mo. Ref’s req.

Call 248-1681

4BR/2BA on private 1 acre btwn Lake Lure and Rfdtn. 219 Cove Creek Dr. $650/month Call 828-329-4577 2BR/1BA House in Sandy Mush. Cent. h/a, range, refrig. No pets! $500/mo. + ref’s. & dep. Call 245-9247 2BR/1BA House All lg. rooms, very lg. lot on Doggett Rd. Lots of storage! $700/mo.

Also, other Apartments avail. in Chimney Rock Call 828-388-4568 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

2BR/1BA in FC $450/month + deposit Call 429-6596 Rfdtn: 2BR $425 & 3BR $550 Available Now! 919-604-1115 or dlbuff@yahoo.com

2BR/2BA Mobile Home Central h/a, stove & refrig. $425/ mo. $300 dep. No pets 245-5703 or 286-8665

Mobile Homes

2BR/2BA on large lot in Rfdtn area $375/mo. + $300 dep. No pets.

Ref’s. Call 286-4333

For Rent

Land For Sale

3BR in Chase Community, semi private lot. $350/mo. + dep. Call 245-7115 4BR dbl. wide on 1/2 plot. Other amenities.

3BR on 1/2 plot.

Call 828-245-8734

1, 2 & 3BR Stove, refrig., cable, lawn service & trash incld.

Deposit required. No cats! Long term only!

Call 453-0078 or 447-4526

14+ ACRES with mountain views over 1500 ft. of road frontage. Located near Lake Lure $79,900 248-1681

Sell or rent your property in the Classifieds!

245-6431

Instruction

Professional Truck Driver Training Carriers Hiring Today!

• 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

Daycare Small World Child Care accepting kids ages 2-12 years, 1st & 2nd shifts. Kim McEntyre 429-6681

Work Wanted Grass mowing in Lake Lure area. Call Jesse’s Lawn Mowing.

828-337-5027

Help Wanted

NOW HIRING Earn $65k, $50k, $40k (GM, Co Mgr, Asst Mgr) We currently have managers making this, and need more for expansion. 1 yr. salaried restaurant management experience required.

Fax resume to 336-431-0873

14 â&#x20AC;&#x201D; The Daily Courier, Forest City, NC, SATURDAY, April 17, 2010 Help Wanted

Help Wanted

Patient Wellness Assistant needed for a rapidly expanding natural health center in the local area. Person must have high energy, great communication skills, be motivated, wellness minded, excited, enthusiastic and agreeable to help others. The biggest compensation for this position is the personal satisfaction of helping others. Salary plus bonus and health benefits. Front Desk & Insurance or Patient Care experience a must. Opportunities in both Forest City and Shelby. Qualified and interested candidates only, fax resumes and references to 828-245-0422 Attn: Office Manager or email paradoxnc @bellsouth.net

Park Technician/Park Attendant Chimney Rock State Park is hiring two seasonal positions: $7.73/$7.25 per hour. Evening and weekend work req.

Call 828-625-1823 for more information MECHANIC HELPER Must have driverâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s license. 248-9723 or 429-0167 Permanent Part-Time Child Care Provider Mon.-Tues.-Wed., 9:30am-1:30pm.

Requires Child Care Credentials or equivalent or min. of 6 relevant college credits in ECE courses, childcare experience, excellent driving record, drug screen, background check.

Submit letter of interest & resume to: Director, PO Box 1619, Forest City, NC 28043

Help Wanted

Help Wanted

Truck Service, Inc. is hiring Part-time & Casual CDL Drivers

to join our fleet of Professional Drivers.

If you still have the desire and ability to travel the country but donâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;t have the need to work on a full-time basis, we have the opportunity for YOU!! ONLY PROFESSIONAL DRIVERS with 2 yrs. verifiable experience & clean driving record need to apply. Call

Truck Service at 828-245-1637 ext.

125 & talk to Rita.

Find your next job in the Classifieds!

New lisitings every Tues.-Sun.

Help Wanted

Manual Woodworkers in Spindale is currently seeking an experienced maintenance technician. Applicants must have electrical, mechanical & general industry maintenance experience. Dye house experience a plus.

Must know general industry OSHA regs and be all-around handyman. First shift, hourly pay & benefits.

Email resume: joem@manualww.com or call Joe at 828-698-6562 Looking for Teacher with BK Licensure for More at Four Program 2010-2011 school year & Daycare Director with 4 year degree. Send

resume to PO Box 1554, Forest City, NC 28043 or fax to 828-247-1770

NOTICE TO CREDITORS

NOTICE TO CREDITORS

Having qualified as Administrator CTA of the estate of ANNIE BELLE J. ROBBINS of Rutherford County, North Carolina, this is to notify all persons having claims against the estate of the said ANNIE BELLE J. ROBBINS to present them to the undersigned on or before the 10th day of July, 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 10th day of April, 2010.

Having qualified as Executor of the estate of THELMA H. WARDRUP of Rutherford County, North Carolina, this is to notify all persons having claims against the estate of the said THELMA H. WARDRUP to present them to the undersigned on or before the 17th day of July, 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 17th day of April, 2010.

Perry Buren Jones, Administrator CTA 276 Knollwood Dr. Forest City, NC 28043

Leslie Steven Wardrup, Executor 9560 Old Preserve Trail Ball Ground, GA 30107

McCurry-Deck Motors needs GM Technician will consider ASE Certifications. Please submit resume to pbtate88@bellsouth. net or mail to 1740 Hwy 74-A, Forest City, NC 28043 No phone calls!

For Sale

Autos

Yard Sales

Yard Sales

1990 Nissan 300ZX, 5 spd., needs work, best offer. 828-288-1491 or 828-980-2750

2 FAMILY FC: 171 South Magnolia St. (off Main St.) Sat. 7A-until Furniture, clothes, household items, exercise equipment, beds, etc.

FC: 230 Lee Road (off Hudlow) Saturday 7A-1P Baby items, clothes, misc. items.

Trucks 2005 Dodge 1500 Ram SLT Quad Cab 4x2. Laramie pkg. 27K. $15,000 Call 287-3943

Pets

AZALEAS Harold Hines 864-461-7718 1115 Hwy 11 W. Chesnee Closed on Sundays Sweet Potato Plants

Taking orders now, will be ready about the 2nd week of May! $12.00 per hundred 245-0248 Exercise equipment NordicTrac Ski Machine 828-447-6709

Want To Buy

WILL BUY YOUR JUNK Cars & Trucks Pick up at your convenience!

Call 223-0277 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

CKC Registered Yorkies 1 female $400 and 2 males $350 ea.

Call 828-429-3937

Lost Female German Shepherd mix Lost 4/14 from Michael Dr. in FC. Reward. Call w/any info 247-1421

2 family Rfdtn: 831 Piney Knob Rd., Sat., 7A-until. Adult, boys clothes size 0-5T, tools, boat w/trailer (no motor), household, toys, toddler firetruck bed, storage building full of great stuff.

4 FAMILY Forest City 519 Crowe Dairy Rd. (below Adaville Church) Sat. 7A-2P Clothes, household, furniture, toys and lots more!

4 FAMILY Rfdtn 992 Piney Knob Rd. Fri. & Sat. 7:30A-until Furniture, kids clothing, and lots more!

Black/White Cocker Spaniel red paisley collar w/rabies tag Lost 4/14 Harris Speedway area 828-980-8265 Beagle, female, Jack McKinney & Jonas Rd. area. Black and tan, small size.

248-1904 or 429-6132

SUBSCRIBE

NOTICE TO CREDITORS Having qualified as Administrator of the estate of ROBERT LEE PETTY SR. of Rutherford County, North Carolina, this is to notify all persons having claims against the estate of the said ROBERT LEE PETTY SR. to present them to the undersigned on or before the 17th day of July, 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 17th day of April, 2010.

Verline B. Petty, Administrator 217 Shady Branch Trail Forest City, NC 28043

PUBLIC NOTICE The Individuals with Disabilities Education Act (IDEA-Part B, Public Law 108.446) Project at Thomas Jefferson Classical Academy is presently being amended. The Project describes the special education programs that Thomas Jefferson Classical Academy proposes for Federal funding for the 20102011 School Year. Interested persons are encouraged to review amendments to the Project and make comments concerning the implementation of special education under this Federal Program. All comments will be considered prior to submission of the amended Project to the North Carolina Department of Public Instruction in Raleigh, North Carolina. The IDEA-Part B Project is open to the public for review and comments during the week of May 10-14, 2010 at Hwy 221-A, Mooresboro, NC 28114. Please contact Mr. Joseph Maimone at (828) 657-9998 regarding this matter.

Large Yard Sale FC: 679 E. Main St. Sat. 7A-til Children/adult clothes and lots more!

MOVING SALE Rfdtn 474 N. Washington St. Sat. 6:30A-until Everything must go!

MULTI FAMILY Spindale: 129 Florida Ave. Sat. 7A-until Little girls/baby boys summer name brand clothes, computer, menâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s L-2X, womenâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s name brand clothes

Big Yard Sale FC: 324 Arlington Street Saturday 7A-until Lots of items going cheap. Must see.

Rain or shine!

Multi-family Greenhill Community, corner of McEntire Rd. and 64/74A Sat. 8A-Noon Plants, herbal products, soaps, chicks, eggs, crafts, misc. household

Bostic: 349 Mamie Hamilton Rd. (past Pea Ridge Club House, right on Sandy Level Church Rd.) Fri. & Sat. 7A-1P

Rfdtn: 681 Lattimore Rd. Saturday 8A-2P Clothes (size 18), shoes 10-11, books, misc. items, too much to mention!

Complex Yard Sale Spindale 450 West St. at Creekside Crossing Apartments Sat. 7A-2P Baked goods, household items, tools, clothes, etc.

Rutherfordton Kiwanis Auction: City garage, 131 N. Washington St. Saturday 9AM Bargains for all! Food available. Come early.

FC: Harrill Dairy Rd. Sat. 7A-until Brand new baby clothes, toys, misc. items, household items, home interior, book cases

Yard Sale Cliffside 232 Old US 221A Sat. 8A-til Furniture, infant girl (0-6) clothes, toys, antiques, pond liner and more!

HUGE GARAGE SALE Rfdtn: 771 River Rd. (off Maple Creek) Sat. & Sun. 8A-until Great items, must see!

YARD SALE PACKAGE AVAILABLE ONLY $20 Comes with a 20 word ad, 3 days in the paper, yard sale kit and a rain day guarantee!

245-6431

Male mixed Siamese cat. Blue eyes, multi color Missing from RS High School area.

Call 287-0842 F Siamese Cat, no collar. Near Oakland Heights Rd. & Carver Ln. area. 3 yr. olds pet.

Call w/info 287-9798

HUGE MULTI FAMILY Bostic: 206 Hillbrook Dr. (behind Moose Lodge) Sat. 8A-until Everything must go!

YARD SALE FC: 926 Old Henrietta Rd. Sat. & Sun. 7A-until Baby, adult, kids clothes, toys, collectibles and lots more!

YARD SALE Gilkey: 881 Brooks Lake Rd. Sat. 7A-until T.V., home interior decor, clothes, crib, kids books and lots more!

NOTICE TO CREDITORS Having qualified as Co-Administrator CTA of the estate of MICHAEL STEVEN SKIPPER of Rutherford County, North Carolina, this is to notify all persons having claims against the estate of the said MICHAEL STEVEN SKIPPER to present them to the undersigned on or before the 17th day of July, 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 17th day of April, 2010.

Melissa Lea Skipper, Co-Administrator CTA 13141 Hwy 55 West York, SC 29745 Angela Michelle Skipper Whitson, Co-Administrator CTA PO Box 314 Spindale, NC 28160

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

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

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

AIR CONDITIONING & HEATING

TREE CARE CONSTRUCTION Carolina Winter has been hard.

Tree Let us help makeCare your & Stump Grinding spring improvements.

â&#x20AC;&#x153;Weâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;re Not Comfortable Until You Areâ&#x20AC;? â&#x20AC;&#x153;Serving Rutherford & Cleveland County For 30 Yearsâ&#x20AC;?

NC License 6757 â&#x20AC;˘ SC License 4299 FAST RELIABLE SERVICE ON ALL BRANDS Free Estimates â&#x20AC;˘ Best Warranties All Work Guaranteed Service â&#x20AC;˘ Installation â&#x20AC;˘ Duct Cleaning â&#x20AC;˘ IAQ Gas / Oil / Heat Pumps / Geothermal / Boilers Residential & Commercial 24 Hour Emergency Service

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s !LL TYPES OF (OME 2EPAIRS on all work s 2EMODELING "UILDING !DDITIONS Valid 9/17-11/1/09 â&#x20AC;˘ Low Rates s $ECKS 0ORCHES â&#x20AC;˘ Good Clean Work s (OME )NSPECTIONS s )NSURED â&#x20AC;˘ Satisfaction Guaranteed

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Daryl R. Sims â&#x20AC;&#x201C; Gen.(828) Contractor 289-7092 Senior Citizen Discounts

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828-289-2743

BUSINESS&SERVICE DIRECTORY

The Daily Courier, Forest City, NC, SATURDAY, April 17, 2010 â&#x20AC;&#x201D; 15

CONSTRUCTION

&,/7%23 !.$ ')&43

Hutchins Remodeling

828-245-1986

Seamless Gutters Decks Porches RooďŹ ng Painting Handicap Ramps Room Additions Free Estimates ~Lance Hutchins~

GRADING & HAULING

3"0#7_1 $*-5#01 %'$21 2&# 1.-021+ , "#, Flowers

Gifts

Wire Services Available

+NIVES s #ASE "ROWNING (EN 2OOSTER s "ALLOONS s "ASKETS s 7EDDINGS s 1UINCEANERAS 7INE "ASKETS UPON REQUESTS

Fresh & Silk Arrangements For All Occasions Births, Anniversaries, Valentineâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s Day, Funerals, Holidays, & Other Events

0;CFLI;> P?HO? Y 0ONB?L@IL>NIH

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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.

GUTTERS

RGRA E DI N NG D R , IN and C GA PAVING SERVICES

SPINDALE SEAMLESS GUTTER AND VINYL SIDING

Quality Fine Grading, Stone & Asphalt Work, Sealcoating and Striping at Competitive Prices!

OVER 20 YEARS EXPERIENCE

â&#x20AC;˘ Backhoe â&#x20AC;˘ Bulldozer â&#x20AC;˘ Dump Truck â&#x20AC;˘ Tractor â&#x20AC;˘ Ditchwitch

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828-527-3036 828-527-2925

286-2094 245-7779 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!

Chad Jones

828.447.3061 Decks â&#x20AC;˘ Porches â&#x20AC;˘ Windows Doors â&#x20AC;˘ Floors â&#x20AC;˘ Bathrooms Tiled Showers â&#x20AC;˘ Tile â&#x20AC;˘ Trim Carpentry â&#x20AC;˘ Painting Kitchens And Much More

245-6431

828-287-9896 828-286-4765

Metal RooďŹ ng (Energy-Star Rated â&#x20AC;˘ 30% Return on Taxes)

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HOME IMPROVEMENT

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David Francis

Specializing In Metal Roofing.....Offered In Many Colors

â&#x20AC;˘ Remodeling â&#x20AC;˘ Painting â&#x20AC;˘ Replacement Windows â&#x20AC;˘ Decks Licensed Contractor 30 Years Experience

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*

Vinyl Siding â&#x20AC;˘ Windows & Decks Kitchen & Bath Remodeling Redoor, Redrawer, Reface or Replace Your Cabinets!

H & M Industries, Inc.

429-5151

704-434-9900

Website - hmindustries.com

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No Job Too Small Discount for Senior Citizens

828-657-6518 828-223-0310

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 QUEENâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;S ROOFING

Golden Valley Community Over 35 Years Experience â&#x153;&#x201C; All work guaranteed â&#x153;&#x201C; Specializing in all types of roofing, new & old â&#x153;&#x201C; References furnished â&#x153;&#x201C; Vinyl Siding â&#x153;&#x201C; 10% DISCOUNT FOR SENIOR CITIZENS CHURCHES & COMMUNITY BUILDINGS ALSO METAL ROOFS

5 YEAR WARRANTY ON LABOR FREE ESTIMATES

Call today! 245-8215

Hensleyâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s Power Washing

828-245-6333 828-253-9107 AFFORDABLE HOUSE WASHING WITH experience & knowledge & Great Customer service We Can Bring Water

PAINTING

Interior & Exterior 22 years experience

LANDSCAPING FOREST LAKE LANDSCAPING Landscape and Lawn Maintenance 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 â&#x20AC;&#x201C; Residential Free Estimates

Phillip Dowling 248-2585 PAINTING

Campbellâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s Paint Interior & Exterior Residential and Commercial No Job Too Small or Too Big

Great references Free Estimates John 3:16

IG68IDG LDG@

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Charles Campbell

828-289-6520 TREE CARE

8Vaa 8VbeWZaaÂťh IgVXidg Ldg` -'-")),"),&,

Bill Gardner Construction, Inc WINDOWS & SIDING ENTRANCE DOORS

STORM DOORS

Family Owned & Operated Local Business

Free Estimates & Fully Insured Licensed Contractor

Licensed Contractor with 35 Years Experience

245-6367

LAWN CARE

* Mulching * Seeding * Fertilize * Mowing * Leaf Removal * Gutter Cleaning

Quality Lawn Care 223-8191

Lawn Care & Tractor Service

â&#x20AC;&#x153;We can take care of all your lawncare needs!â&#x20AC;?

Mowing, trimming, etc.

Tractor work including scraping driveways, plowing gardens, tree removals, front end loader work and bushhogging.

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828-748-5880 ROOFING

Small Cash Loans Available

Todd McGinnis Roofing

WE BUY GOLD & SILVER s 'UNS s (ANDGUNS s +NIVES ALER FFL DE nsfers s *EWELRY Gun Traome!

Welc s 3ILVER #OINS

7E "UY 3ELL 4RADE

Give us a

Rubberized/Roofing Metal, Fix Leaks

287-3456

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A-1 Rutherford Locksmith & Pawn

828-286-2306 828-223-0633

2AILROAD !VE 2UTHERFORDTON .#

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TREE CARE TREE CARE

& Stump Grinding

Topping & Removal Stump Grinding

LAWN CARE Grassy Mountain

PAWN SHOP

Carolina Carolina Tree Tree Care Care & Stump Grinding

L: L>AA 9D Â&#x2122; 7jh]]d\\^c\ Â&#x2122; Eadl^c\ Â&#x2122; 9^h` =Vggdl^c\ Â&#x2122; 9g^kZlVn HXgVe^c\ Â&#x2122; NVgY Eaj\\^c\ Â&#x2122; HZZY Â&#x2122; ;Zgi^a^oZ Â&#x2122; A^bZ HegZVY^c\

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*up to 101 UI

828-248-1681

* roofing * concrete * decks & steps * painting * carpentry * skirting * plumbing * sheet rock * room additions * metal roofing

Installs Gutter Guards Cleans Gutters Repairs New & Old Vinyl Siding

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GRADING BOYD ARROWOODâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;S GRADING

DAVIDâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;S GRADING

GRADING/PAVING

20% discount 10% discount on all work â&#x20AC;˘ Lowon Rates all work

Fully Insured Free Estimates 20 Years Experience Senior Citizens & Veterans Discounts

â&#x20AC;˘ Good Clean Work Valid 9/17-11/1/09 â&#x20AC;˘ Satisfaction Guaranteed â&#x20AC;˘ Low Rates â&#x20AC;˘ Fully Insured â&#x20AC;˘ Good Clean Work â&#x20AC;˘ Free Estimates â&#x20AC;˘ Satisfaction Guaranteed Insured -â&#x20AC;˘ Fully Bucket Truck Service â&#x20AC;˘ Free Estimates

Mark Reid 828-289-1871

(828) 289-7092 (828)Citizen 289-7092 Senior Discounts

Chad Sisk Chad Sisk

Senior Citizen Discounts

VETERINARIAN Thunder Road Animal Bi-Lo Hospital Super 8 Motel 74 Bypass

Spindale Dennyâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;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, April 17, 2010

Nation/world

Iraqi PM says Sunni block must be in government

Associated Press

China quake death toll at 1,144 JIEGU, China (AP) — Tibetan monks in crimson robes dug through earthquake rubble alongside government rescue workers, a startling image for a Chinese region long strained by suspicion and unrest.

The central government has poured in troops and equipment to this remote western region, but it is the influential Buddhist monks whom residents trust with their lives — and with their dead.

As the death toll climbed to 1,144 late Friday, there was tension and some distrust over the government relief effort, with survivors scuffling over limited aid.

“They have a relaxed attitude,” said Genqiu, a 22-year-old monk at the Jiegu monastery, of the government-sent rescue workers. “If someone’s taking their photo then they might dig once or twice.”

Since Wednesday’s quakes, government relief efforts have been slowed by heavy traffic on the single main road from the Qinghai provincial capital, 12 hours away. On Friday, heavy equipment finally arrived.

“The disaster you suffered is our disaster. Your suffering is our suffering,” Premier Wen Jiabao said in remarks broadcast repeatedly on state TV. Though the government was

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reaching out, many residents turned instead to the monks and their traditions, rather than a central authority dominated by the majority Han Chinese. The groups are divided by language — the government has had to mobilize hundreds of Tibetan speakers to communicate with victims — as well as culture and religion.

Cultural differences might have contributed to Friday’s sharp rise in the death toll. In a telephone call with The Associated Press on Friday, rescue officials seemed surprised to hear that hundreds of bodies were at the Jiegu monastery, taken there by Buddhist families.

It wasn’t clear whether tensions over the relief effort were driven by longtime suspicions of the government or by the stress of living outside for three days in the freezing air and digging for loved ones with bare hands.

Many buildings in the town collapsed in the quakes; countless others are unsafe.

Residents of the largely Tibetan town pointed out repeatedly that after the series of earthquakes Wednesday, the monks were the first to come to their aid — pulling people from the rubble and passing out their own limited supplies.

Tibetans traditionally perform sky burials, which involve

chopping a body into pieces and leaving it on a platform to be devoured by vultures. But Genqiu, who like many Tibetans goes by one name, said that would be impossible now.

“The vultures can’t eat them all,” he said at Jiegu monastery, where bodies were carefully wrapped in colorful blankets and piled three or four deep on a platform.

More than 200 monks chanted in the late afternoon sun in preparation for a mass cremation on a nearby mountaintop Saturday. In two blue government tents stamped “disaster relief,” hundreds of candles burned on a makeshift altar.

One monk estimated 1,000 bodies were brought to a hillside clearing in the shadow of the monastery. Gerlai Tenzing said a precise count was difficult because bodies continued to arrive and families had taken some away.

Nearby, two men worked to fit two bodies into the back of a taxi.

Yushu county, the area impacted by the quakes, is overwhelmingly Tibetan — 93 percent by official statistics, though that does not include Han migrants who have moved in temporarily to open restaurants, take construction jobs or work in mines.

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Spanish chopper crashes in Haiti, four are killed FOND VERRETTES, Haiti (AP) — Four soldiers died in the fiery crash of a Spanish military helicopter Friday in the rugged mountains of eastern Haiti, the United Nations said.

The soldiers were part of Spain’s effort to help in Haiti’s recovery and reconstruction following the cataclysmic Jan. 12 earthquake, which the government says killed as many as 300,000 people.

The helicopter, identified by Spanish media as a Bell AB-212, crashed in the Fond Verrettes area about 30 miles from Port-auPrince near the border with the Dominican Republic. Haiti shares the Caribbean island of Hispaniola with the Dominican Republic.

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A man carries an earthquake survivor, who was rescued from rubble after being buried for more than two-days in Yushu county, west China’s Qinghai province Friday,

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BAGHDAD (AP) — Iraq’s Shiite prime minister said Friday the Sunni-backed political coalition that is headed by his archrival and won the most seats in last month’s parliamentary election must be included in the country’s new government.

The comments from Prime Minister Nouri alMaliki, in an interview aired Friday, appear to offer an olive branch to former premier Ayad Allawi and his secular Iraqiya bloc as well as the Sunnis who overwhelmingly supported his rival.

Neither bloc won an outright majority in March 7 elections, meaning they must negotiate with other groups for support to form a government and become prime minister.

“The Iraqiya list included the most representatives of Sunnis ... so they have to be partners in forming the government,” al-Maliki told the U.S.funded Alhurra TV station.

He said he hopes the new government will be led by majority rule and “give up the sectarian” influences that would pit Iraq’s Shiite, Sunni, Kurdish and other religious politicians against each other.

“The situation in Iraq has not settled yet,” alMaliki said. “The government should be a national partnership ... all components of Iraqi society must be represented.”

Iraqiya was not appeased, rejecting the statement because it referred to the group as Sunnidominated.

“We consider the announcement of al-Maliki a negative stand, and not acceptable,” said Iraqiya lawmaker Mohammed al-Timimi. “Our list is not representing the Sunnis only, but all Iraqi components.”

Iraqiya emerged as the biggest vote winner in last month’s elections, winning 91 of the legislature’s 325 seats, edging out al-Maliki’s State of Law coalition by only two seats.

Over the last week, State of Law representatives have been negotiating with leaders of the Shiite Iraqi National Alliance to combine forces and cobble together enough seats to shut Allawi out of power. The INA won 70 seats in parliament.

But the hardline religious Sadrists, who are led by anti-American cleric Muqtada al-Sadr and make up the core of the INA, so far have balked at the notion of aligning with al-Maliki. Al-Maliki split from the Shiite-led political coalition to form his own, in part to appeal to voters across Iraq and not just those who favor a religiously influenced government.

Al-Maliki’s comments also come days after an Iraqiya delegation visited Iran. Iranian state TV later reported that Iranian Parliament Speaker Ali Larijani expressed hope that all Iraqi political groups would “participate in the future of Iraq, based on their political weight.”

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