Daily Courier, January 06, 2010 by Digital Courier

2009 rainfall 13 inches above normal — Page 3A Sports Conference tussle Chase played host to the Shelby Golden Lions, while Thomas Jefferson hosted Mountain Heritage Tuesday

Page 7A

Wednesday, January 6, 2010, Forest City, N.C.

50¢

Smart Start loss less than expected

NATION

By JEAN GORDON Daily Courier Staff Writer

New housing report raises concerns Page 11A

SPORTS

Firefighters from four departments responded to a house fire off Webb Road in Ellenboro Tuesday morning where one man died and his wife was injured. Jean Gordon/ Daily Courier

Bobcats looked to defend home vs. Bulls Page 7A

GAS PRICES

Fire kills man; wife injured By JEAN GORDON Daily Courier Staff Writer

ELLENBORO — One man died and his wife was injured in a house fire at 9 a.m. Tuesday off Webb Road, Ellenboro. Michael “Mickey” Penson was killed in the fire and his wife Tina was transported to Rutherford Hospital where she is listed in critical condition in the intensive care unit.

Low: $2.56 High: $2.69 Avg.: $2.63

Firefighters from four departments were dispatched at 8:54 a.m. to the double-wide trailer on Webb Road, where smoke was billowing from a bedroom. At about 9:15 a.m., two Ellenboro firefighters carried the man from the house and

for more than 45 minutes performed chest compressions and CPR before he was taken by Rutherford County EMS to Cleveland Regional Medical Center. Spartanburg Regional Medical Center’s Regional One landed at nearby Liberty Baptist Church for possible transport. The flight crew exited the helicopter and was driven to the fire scene where they assisted firefighters and EMS in the resuscitation efforts. Mrs. Penson’s mother, Ferleen Holt, wrapped in a sweater and scarf, stood shivering for more than 30 minutes outside Please see Fire, Page 6A

DEATHS Rutherfordton

Ed Buff

Forest City

Bill Hardin Emma Padgett Kenneth Lovelace Donnis Morrow Ellenboro Joan Ray Mooresboro Robert Smathers Elsewhere Mary Ervin Vaye Flowe Page 5A

The fire that claimed one life and injured one person apparently started in the left back bedroom of the home.

WEATHER

Jean Gordon/ Daily Courier

FOREST CITY — Rutherford/ Polk Smart Start Partnership board received news Tuesday that $34,946 had been returned to its Program Services. The regular noon business meeting was held at Clara Allen Family Center on Broadway Street, the location of one of the partnership’s programs. Board Chair Ernestine Lewis said the money was a portion of the one-time 5 percent budget withholding by the state in October. Executive Director Barry Gold said the partnership was notified in mid-November that Gov. Perdue had reduced the “onetime” reduction from Smart Start from 5 percent to 3 percent, resulting in $34,946 return to the partnership. Of the return, $29,489 will go to the Rutherford services; $2,194 for Polk and $3,263 for administration. Gold also reported the merger of Smart Start and More At Four has expanded to include the consolidation of all state early childhood initiatives. That merger is to be accomplished sometime this summer. A task force will be appointed to include three members of the Senate, three members of the House and three Governor’s appointees. Gov. Perdue could also appoint others if necessary. Also, Gold said some of the board members are participating in a statewide awareness campaign, “Smart Investing.” The campaign is an attempt to bring awareness to the importance of early childhood education and the needs of preschool children across the state. Smart Investing is holding forums statewide and each partnership has been asked to send a delegation to the forums to talk about what North Carolinians want for their children. Among those traveling to Waynesville in November were Sherry Bright, Steven Helton, Tammy Gregory, Dr. Kim Gold, Tim Holloman, Ernestine Lewis, Barry Gold and Cathy Brooks. The team will attend a second summit later this year. State consultant Marla Bobowick presented a preliminary report on the Board Action Plan. She described Rutherford/ Polk Smart Start as a “shining star” in comparison to other Smart Start partnerships across the state and applauded the board’s progress made over the year. The board agreed it has met the challenge of providing services to children with less funding from Please see Loss, Page 6A

High

Low

38 19 Today, sunny. Tonight, partly cloudy. Complete forecast, Page 10A

INSIDE Classifieds . . . 5-7B Sports . . . . . . . 7-9A County scene . . . 6A Opinion . . . . . . . 4A Vol. 42, No. 5

Brookshire named Courier publisher FOREST CITY — Jodi Vasquez Brookshire has been named as the new publisher of The Daily Courier. Brookshire began work on Monday. She succeeds Jim Brown who retired Jan. 2 after 12 years at the helm of the Courier. “I am very pleased to announce that Jodi Brookshire will be the new publisher of The Daily Courier, said Rick Bean, president of the N.C. Division of Paxton Media Group. “She has a very strong background in newspapers, starting in advertising and most recently serving as pub-

lisher of a similar-sized North Carolina daily newspaper. I’m sure the staff and the community will be impressed once they get to know Jodi.” Brookshire was publisher of the Laurinburg Exchange. Before that she was a regional advertising manager with Media General Community Newspapers serving Danville, Va., and Rockingham County. She was classified advertising manager and regional sales manager with Fayetteville Publishing Company. She began her newspaper career at the Record Searchlight

Now on the Web: www.thedigitalcourier.com

in Redding, Calif, where she held several advertising sales positions. She went on to travel nationally as a newspaper advertising consultant for Print Marketing Concepts based in Houston, Texas, before returning to her native California to serve as classified advertising manager at the Eureka Times-Standard. She was also classified advertising manager at the Sun-News in Las Cruces, N.M. Her career also includes stints as advertising Please see Publisher, Page 6A

Jodi Brookshire

2A — The Daily Courier, Forest City, NC, Wednesday, January 6, 2010

State

NC foreclosure filings up by 17 percent in ’09

RALEIGH (AP) — The increase in the number of North Carolina homeowners on the verge of losing their homes by foreclosure, more than doubled in 2009 compared to the year before, according to state court records. Foreclosure filings in the state’s courts rose by 17.4 percent from 53,960 at the end of 2008 to 63,341 through last week, the Administrative Office of the Courts said. The 2008 total was 8.6 percent higher compared to 2007, according to the data. Unemployment above 10 percent and stable or slightly falling home prices — making it difficult for owners to recoup enough from sales to pay off their mortgages — contributed to the increase in filings, deputy state banking commissioner Mark Pearce said. “The best predictor of foreclosure and defaults is how much people owe on their property compared to what it’s worth,” Pearce said.

A filing only means the foreclosure process began, so a deal may have been worked out to avoid a home seizure. The court filings are the best data the state has to monitor foreclosure trends. Two-thirds of the state’s counties saw an increase in filings. Many of the largest increases centered on Charlotte, which has seen banking sector job losses. Mecklenburg County recorded 12,774 last year, a 54 percent increase. Coastal Brunswick County, where vacation homes are more plentiful, saw an 82 percent increase. National data shows that North Carolina’s foreclosure rate remains low compared to the national average. RealtyTrac, which compiles housing data for most U.S. counties, said 1 in 180 homes in North Carolina, or 22,887, were in the foreclosure process as of November, compared to 1 in 65 nationwide. A commission initiative approved by the Legislature has helped more than 2,500 residents avoid home foreclosure by counseling homeowners and working with mortgage servicers to create new payment plans.

Pearce said he expects an even higher number of foreclosure filings in 2010 as the state’s economy remains sour. The banking commission is currently hammering out rules designed to reduce foreclosures further, such as one requiring a servicer to stop the foreclosure process while it considers a homeowner’s request for help. “We’re disappointed to see such a dramatic overall increase,” said Al Ripley, a housing attorney with the North Carolina Justice Center, which advocates for the poor. “Clearly there needs to be more done on the state

AP: bankruptcies rose 32 percent, 1.4 million in ’09 RALEIGH (AP) — U.S. consumers and businesses are filing for bankruptcy at a pace that made 2009 the seventh-worst year on record, with more than 1.4 million petitions submitted, an Associated Press tally showed Monday. The AP gathered data from the nation’s 90 bankruptcy districts and found 1.43 million filings, an increase of 32 percent from 2008. There were 116,000 recorded bankruptcies in December, up 22 percent from the same month a year before. While experts believe some of the increase is due to a natural recovery as consumers and attorneys become accustomed to a recent overhaul of bankruptcy laws, the numbers indicate clear correlations to recession-weary regions. Arizona saw the fastest increase, a jump of 77 percent from the year before, followed by Wyoming (60 percent), Nevada (59 percent) and California (58 percent). Emile Harmon, who owns a law firm in Tempe, Ariz., said the firm has doubled its staff to handle the surge in bankruptcy filings. The lawyers have been steadily shifting away from their other areas of business, civil lawsuits and divorce cases. “Bankruptcy is kind of swallowing the whole practice.” Harmon said. “There’s little time to do other stuff.” There’s also no sign that things are slowing down. Harmon said bankruptcies have been coming in waves, first with those 18 months ago who had adjustablerate mortages, then with those who lost their jobs due to the housing downturn. Now he’s finding wealthy individuals and business owners who have finally succumbed to lower incomes and shrinking home values. “A lot of the people we see were in a really good financial position two years ago,” Harmon said. “People really look at you and say, ’I can’t believe I’m here.”’ and federal level to help people avoid foreclosure.” On the Net: N.C. Home Foreclosure Prevention Project: http://www.ncforeclosurehelp.org/

Send us your

Associated Press

Brian Moynihan, President and CEO of Bank of America, speaks during The Economic Forecast Forum at the Progress Energy Performing Arts Center in Raleigh, Monday,

Bank of America’s new CEO Moynihan starts job RALEIGH (AP) — Bank of America Corp.’s new CEO Brian Moynihan said Monday his company is continuing to recover from the financial crisis but will remain cautious even as it expects to grow in 2010. “Recovering from an (economic downturn) cycle, you have to be mindful of what got you here,” said Moynihan during an interview with The Associated Press on his first official working day in his new job. “That’s where you have to be careful that you don’t grow too fast and take on excessive risk, which is a lesson that we and everyone else learned.” Speaking later in a speech at an annual economic forecast forum in Raleigh, N.C., Moynihan added: “We as an industry cannot avoid the simple fact that we caused a lot of damage, and we have to help make sure it doesn’t happen again.” Moynihan also said in the speech that he expects unemployment to stay “stubbornly high.” The forum he was speaking at was sponsored by the North Carolina Bankers Association and the state’s Chamber of Commerce. Investors will get the latest reading on unemployment on Friday when the Labor Department releases its monthly jobs report. Wall Street economists expect that the unemployment rate ticked up to 10.1 percent in December from 10 percent in November. Any movement in the jobless rate will create an “ongoing drag on consumer spending and growth, and that will create misery for far too many of our friends and neighbors,” Moynihan said. Moynihan takes over at a time when the bank faces continued loan losses in the billions of dollars. It lost more than $2.2 billion in the third quarter as bad debt kept ris-

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Moynihan, 50, became CEO of the Charlotte, N.C-based bank on New Year’s Day, after Ken Lewis retired. Moynihan joined Bank of America as part of its 2004 purchase of FleetBoston Financial Corp., where he led global wealth and investment management. Over the past year he held a number of short-term stints throughout BofA, including general counsel, head of global corporate and investment banking and consumer banking chief. As CEO, Moynihan has a tough job ahead. He will have to cool relations with regulators, overcome skeptics in Congress, handle investigations into the bank’s purchase of Merrill Lynch, restore fractured morale and deal with cultural divides between the bank’s several centers of power. “We have a lot of work to do, and I’m ready,” Moynihan said in the earlier interview.

BOONE (AP) — Nine counties in the North Carolina mountains are asking for help paying for damages caused by two winter storms. The Winston-Salem Journal reported that the counties are seeking help from state and federal agencies to cover expenses from a Dec. 18 snowstorm and a Christmas Day ice storm. The counties are: Avery, Buncombe, Burke, Caldwell, Haywood, Madison, McDowell, Mitchell and Watauga. The state Department of Crime Control and Public Safety says damage assessment teams will visit those counties next week. Other counties may be added later. Steve Sudderth, Watauga County’s emergency management director, estimates the two storms cost the county roughly $4 million in damages and expenses. The storms caused widespread power outages.

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Bank of America has about 53 million relationships with customers, including individual consumers and businesses. That breadth helps make BofA particularly vulnerable to high unemployment. Moynihan told the bankers that the economy has bottomed and that the bank is forecasting global growth of more than 4 percent in 2010. Growth in U.S. gross domestic product will be above 3 percent, he said. “It’s just great to be in the year 2010,” Moynihan said. “Actually, it is great to be anywhere other than where we were as a company a year ago.”

9 NC mountain counties seeking disaster aid

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ing with consumers still struggling to pay their bills. Investors will hear if there’s been any improvement when the bank reports its fourth-quarter earnings on Jan. 20. While credit delinquencies remain at historic highs, Moynihan said that the losses “do appear to be stabilizing.”

Information from: Winston-Salem Journal, http://www. journalnow.com This notice paid for with public donations

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The Daily Courier, Forest City, NC, Wednesday, January 6, 2010 — 3A

Local PERFORMANCE RESCHEDULED

Bostic approves town hall painting

Rutherford County Arts Council has rescheduled its Christmas musical, Darby Rumbles’ Dolls, for Friday, Jan. 8, at 10 a.m. for a public and student performance at The Foundation at Isothermal Community College. The play was cancelled due to the snowfall of Dec. 18. Tickets are $10 for adults and $7 for children and are available at the box office, 286-9990, online at www. foundationshows.org or at the door. Group rates are also available at $5 per ticket. “Darby Rumbles” is the charming tale of an eccentric old woman and her dolls who come to life, dancing, clowning, singing and fighting. “Darby Rumbles’ Dolls” is an original musical by Rutherfordton author Drew Sherer (Diane Tucker). The doll characters are based on her own doll collection. Pictured is Laura Link, portraying Mary, in the December performance of the production.

BOSTIC — After a public hearing on the matter drew no comment, commissioners Monday voted to allow Councilman Mike Hollifield to paint the inside of Town Hall. Also at the meeting, council members were told that the projected wholesale rate increase for electricity purchased by the town may be 9 percent in July 2010. The town should know the definite amount of the rate increase sometime in March. Duke Energy had scheduled a power outage to change out equipment, which would affect the town on Dec 20 or Jan. 4, but board members were told that due to the cold temperatures, that has been postponed. Duke will notify the town when the outage is rescheduled. The board also discussed the possibility of running about four miles of water line in the Pea Ridge Road area and north and east of town.

RHI hosts weight program

Garrett Byers/Daily Courier

Village leaders are optimistic

Editor’s Note: Parts of this story were omitted when it orginally ran on Monday. The complete story is published here.

By JEAN GORDON Daily Courier Staff Writer

CHIMNEY ROCK — This year will be much better economically than 2009, an optimistic Chimney Rock Village Mayor Barbara Meliski said Thursday. Like other towns across the area, the year brought a challenge to the village in establishing a budget when monetary cuts were made in the state and nation. “Hopefully, we’re coming out of this and we’d certainly like to see business improve in Chimney Rock Village just like everyone else,” Meliski said. The tourism industry reported decreases across the year in overnight stays at the county’s lodging properties.

Fortunately for the Village, there have been no serious issues to tackle during the year, and on that note, Meliski said, “it’s been a good year.” Village Council successfully renovated the public rest room on Main Street, completed cosmetic work near the old fire station, leveled and graveled the area and also completed repairs at the Rocky Broad River Walk. Renovations to the River Walk were funded through a grant from the Rural Center’s Step 2 grant from HandMade in America. Council also started work on Phase 2 of the River Walk in beginning the establishment of an amphitheater. “We wanted to build it into the bank, but we can’t do that right now. So for now, it’s going to be blankets and lawn chairs around the pad,” Meliski said, of the

cement pad already in place off for the theatre. “We have some electrical work completed and have started working on a portion of the fence. We anticipate finishing by early spring.” Development, however, is “at a stand still” Meliski said of the four property developments in Chimney Rock Village. “Everything is quiet right now and I don’t know of any development going on, but that’s not to say there isn’t. I just don’t know of any.” Property developments in the Village are The Falls, Chimney Rock Crossing, Rainbow Falls and Cliffside. The Village also has a new well going online at the Rocky River Crossing.

Daily Courier Staff Writer

FOREST CITY — December 2009 was the wettest in 10 years, said Brad Boris, plant superintendent at Broad River Water Authority. The 9.34 inches of rainfall recorded from the plant off Union Road was 4.73 inches above average for the month. The 2009 yearly rainfall total is 61.06 inches, which is 13 inches above normal for the year. But, Boris reminds Rutherford Countians, “We are still about

9 inches below normal over the past three years. We have made a lot of progress this year as far as rainfall goes. “With all the rain we have had this year and still be in a long term deficit, shows you just how bad the recent drought has been,” he added. The coldest days of the month was the first day of winter, Dec. 21 at 22 degrees and the following day, Dec. 22 at 20 degrees. The warmest day in December was Dec. 10 at 66 degrees. Eight days later, Rutherford

RUTHERFORDTON — Rutherford Hospital Health Ministry will sponsor a weight-management program “Eat Smart, Move More, Weigh Less,” which encourages healthier eating and exercise. Tracy Davis of the Cooperative Extension will be the instructor. The program begins Tuesday, Jan. 19, from 5:30 to 7:30 p.m., and will continue to meet monthly every third Tuesday at the First Baptist Church of Rutherfordton. The cost is $10 for entire program (includes food samples). There are 12 sessions. Eat Smart, Move More, Weigh Less is a weightmanagement program that uses research-based strategies proven to work. The program provides opportunities for participants to track their progress and keep a journal of healthy eating and physical activity. Each participant receives a full color magazine that contains information from each session, recipes and more, as well as a small booklet (journal) that helps participants track their weight, food eaten, and physical activity. For more information or to pre-register, call 2865509 or 286-5377.

Dragon boat training scheduled

LAKE LURE —Dragon boat racing (sport and festival) is among the fastest growing of team water sports, with tens of thousands of participants in various organizations and clubs in around 60 countries, says Diane Barrett, interim event coordinator of Lake Lure dragon boat races. Contact Gordon via e-mail at jgorThe third annual dragon boat race and festival don@thedigitalcourier.com. in Lake Lure will be May 8. Anyone wishing to participate in the popular sport is invited to the Lake Lure Dragon Boat Paddle Clinic, March 20 and 21, at the Rumbling Bald Resort on Lake Lure. Professional coaches County experienced an average 7 will teach participants. The two day event includes inch snowfall, one of the biggest on-the-water paddling and reviewing video of the classes and receiving feedback from coaches. in several years, closing schools 2-1/2 days earlier than planned for the annual Christmas vacation, leaving roadways slippery and impassable. The first week of January began on a bitter cold note of 10 degrees Sunday and 15 degrees Monday. Frigid temperatures are expected all week.

2009 rainfall 13 inches above normal By JEAN GORDON

Rutherford Notes

Contact Gordon via e-mail at jgordon@thedigitalcourier.com.

4A — The Daily Courier, Forest City, NC, Wednesday, January 6, 2010 ■ A daily forum for opinion, commentary and editorials on the news that affects us all.

Jodi 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 Cold weather threat is real

utherford County is in the midst of the longest cold snap we have seen in many years and it is certainly taking its toll. We here are blessed in that we do not have to deal with these kinds of frigid temperatures often and even then their stay is usually short. The one drawback to that scenario is that we are not well prepared for cold weather when it comes. Weather can be deadly and the threat does not come just from the powerful storms that we all know to fear. Cold can kill, So can heat. When we confront these extremes in weather, it behooves all of us to look out for each other, especially for those who are most susceptible — the young, the elderly and the ill. Check on your neighbors — especially those who fall in one of those at risk categories — and make sure they are able to safely deal with the cold weather. There are many sources of help out in the community for those who need it. The key is making sure that those who need it get it. We can all make a difference just by being neighborly.

Our readers’ views Says people must push to stop animal cruelty To the editor: In response to Ginny Pitman’s letter of Dec. 23rd. First of all, since this poor cat had a name tag, you could check with surrounding counties to see if any of the vets had ever treated “someone” by the name Hero Jed. That could lead to a previous owner. Keep the note to check handwriting samples. You more than likely will have to do this on your own. Yours indeed is a very sad story. Here’s an even sadder story. A person who lives near me poisoned my dog in May 2009. There are several eyewitnesses who came forward and reported the event. It was reported to the sheriff’s department, local police and animal control. Nothing to date has been done. According to the animal control OIC, they haven’t had time. Today’s date is Dec. 27. So, while your suggestion of calling the police “with as much information as you have” is a good one, it could also be like writing a letter to Santa Claus. My suggestion is — don’t let it go. Pray. Have other people pray. Contact animal rights groups. Keep a record of everyone you talk to and push (pray until something happens). God knows who these people are and they will be punished. This person who poisoned my dog claims to have “pocket cops.” He said, at one point, he could drive his truck up the courthouse steps and not get a ticket. After seven months of inaction, I’m beginning to believe him. Sara Weatherman Forest City

Objects to way boys treated at eatery To the editor: Today, I was at an eating estab-

lishment placing an order to go when I overheard a waitress tell three children who ordered two hotdogs and an ice cream cone, that they had to get up from their seat and go pay for their order before she would make it. No one else was asked to pay first, including myself. This made me feel very upset. I can only imagine how the three small boys felt. They seemed embarrassed and with good reason. I understand that people may walk out without paying and that causes problems. But, that is no reason for that waitress to single those three boys out from everyone else who was waiting to eat. I feel that they were mistreated, and there is no excuse for her actions. I don’t know that this letter will make a difference, but I hope it will make people see the type of behavior that is sometimes displayed and goes unnoticed. And God said to do unto others as you would have them do unto you. I am 25-years old and know right from wrong, and what I witnessed today was definitely wrong. Joshua Franklin Ellenboro

Says thanks to county for helping meet needs To the editor: The Rutherford County Department of Social Services is fortunate to work with a caring and compassionate community as we attempt to provide assistance and meet the needs of our children in foster care; elderly and disabled adults; families who are struggling due to illness; and those in need due to job losses and other factors associated with the current economic crisis. This care and concern was particularly evident and meaningful during this past Christmas sea-

son as, even with our uncertain economy, help from our community to provide a more meaningful Christmas to those in need came. Our ability to help provide a joyous and meaningful Christmas would not be possible without the generous donations of money, time and gifts by many businesses, church and civic groups and individuals in this county. This bounteousness makes it possible for our agency to provide toys and clothing for children, food for families, and care items for our senior adults that public assistance cannot provide. This last year has brought to our agency many people who never imagined that they would find themselves in need of assistance, and with the uncertainty of 2010 we expect the same this year. Even though the lines and the wait may be a little longer we will strive to provide services as efficiently as possible and ensure that each person who walks through our doors receives the services that they are entitled to and the respect that they deserve. Again, thank you to the community for assisting our agency in meeting the needs of Rutherford County citizens. John Carroll Director, County DSS

Says writer wrong, science will not prevail To the editor: In response to Jordan Lee Hallman in Bostic, I am nearly 85-years-young and I am sorry for you. You say science will prevail. You are very wrong. Only God will prevail. I pray that you will find out before you die. C.P. Queen Jr. Rutherfordton

It looks now like 2011 will be a key year for N.C. RALEIGH — At the beginning of each new year, pundits like myself often delve into what might be in store for the next 12 months. Forgive me for taking a pass for 2010. Instead, how about some thoughts on 2011, a year almost certain to be far more important for North Carolina government and politics? Sure, the current year will feature important elections, with Republican U.S. Sen. Richard Burr seeking a second term and Democrats scrambling to hold onto their majorities in the state legislature. The criminal investigations into the activities of former Gov. Mike Easley will also likely come to a head in 2010. But substantial political

Today in North Carolina Scott Mooneyham

change looms in 2011, not 2010. After all, fall electoral results are only prelude to actual leadership changes that occur the following winter. In the case of the North Carolina legislature, elections become only the starting point of the jockeying for position and power. That’s likely to be particularly true in the North Carolina Senate. Over in the House, only the greatest of Republican tides in 2010 will sweep

the Democrats from power in 2011. If Democrats do keep their majority, Orange County lawyer Joe Hackney will most likely win another term as House speaker. In the Senate, change is on the way, regardless of voter sentiment 11 months from now. Longtime Senate boss Marc Basnight, now coping with long-term health problems, says he will seek another term. But key cogs in the Democrats’ Senate machine have left or are leaving. Without incumbency, Democrats will have a hard time keeping some of those districts. The circumstances are ripe for a Republican takeover. If that occurs, the power struggle among GOP senators will begin immediately. But don’t

look for Democrats to stay on the sidelines. Even those not king can become kingmakers. If Democrats keep their Senate majority, the shift in power already begun with Asheville Sen. Martin Nesbitt becoming the chamber’s new majority leader will continue. In 2011, legislators also will set the table for how future legislative majorities will be decided. They’ll draw new legislative and congressional district lines that year to correspond with new census numbers. Just like in 2001, partisan lawsuits may challenge new districts, meaning plenty of courthouse wrangling before new lines are actually set. Finally, 2011 may be the year when the full gravity of the recession hits North

Carolina government. So far, the state has received more than $2 billion in federal stimulus dollars to help plug the gaping budget holes last year and this year. Around $1 billion remains to help ease the pain for the next round of budgeting. What then? Gov. Beverly Perdue says she believes that the state and national economy are on their way toward recovery and that Congress may yet help states with their budget problems for a fourth year. She better hope so. Without more federal aide or tax collections that pick up considerably, budgeting in 2011 could prove uglier than any seen in recent times. Mooneyham is executive director of the Capitol Press Association.

The Daily Courier, Forest City, NC, Wednesday, January 6, 2010

—

Local/obituaries/state

Obituaries Bill Hardin

Carolyn “Bill” McDaniel Hardin, 80, formerly of Oakland Road, Forest City, died Tuesday, Jan. 5, 2010, at Autumn Care Center, where she was a resident. A native of Rutherford County, she was a daughter of the late Chester and Lillian Grose McDaniel. She retired from Stonecutter Mills Corporation and was a member of Bethany Baptist Church, Forest City. She was also preceded in death by her husband Carroll Hardin in 1993. Survivors include her sister, Jean M. Toney of Forest City; and a number of nieces and nephews and great-nieces and nephews. Funeral services will be held at 2 p.m. Thursday at Bethany Baptist Church. Visitation will be held one hour prior to the service in the church sanctuary. Interment will follow in the church cemetery. Memorials may be made to Bethany Baptist Church, Building Fund, 830 Bethany Church Road, Forest City, North C 28043. The Padgett and King Mortuary is in charge of arrangements. Online condolences www.padgettking.com.

Robert Smathers

Robert Allen “Moby” Smathers, 60, of Mooresboro, died Sunday, Jan. 3, 2010, at

Cleveland County Hospice of Wendover, Shelby. A native of Watauga County, he was a son of the late Charles Arthur and Dorothy Norris Smathers. He retired from the Town of Forest City Street Department. He is survived by his wife, Gail Hogan Smathers of the home; three sons, Don Smathers of Forest City, and David Smathers and Thomas Smathers, both of Trap Hill; two daughters, Tammy Smathers Porter of West Jefferson, and Teresa Smathers of North Wilkesboro; one stepdaughter, Lamonda Buchanan Henderson of Forest City; one brother, Joseph Smathers of Ronda; one sister, Carol Parsons of Lexington; six grandsons; and one granddaughter. Funeral services will be conducted at 2 p.m. Wednesday at Harrelson Funeral Chapel with the Rev. Hayward Morrison officiating. James Sisk will give the eulogy. Interment will follow in the Rutherford County Memorial Cemetery. The family will receive friends beginning at 12:30 p.m., until the service time. Online condolences www.harrelsonfuneralhome.com.

Mary Ervin Mary Hendrix Ervin, 88, of Orchard Dr., Shelby, died Monday, Jan. 4, 2010, at Cleveland County Hospice of

Police Notes Sheriff’s Reports

n The Rutherford County Sheriff’s Office responded to 132 E-911 calls Monday. n Dean Rondo Stacey reported the theft of a 12-gauge shotgun. n Mauraureen Sharon Medolla reported the unauthorized use of a vehicle. n Bob Pate reported the theft of a flat-screen television. n Tammy Lisa Conner reported damage to the engine of a motor vehicle.

Rutherfordton

n The Rutherfordton Police Department responded to 49 E-911 calls Monday.

Spindale

n The Spindale Police Department responded to 39 E-911 Monday.

Lake Lure

n The Lake Lure Police Department responded to eight E-911 calls Monday.

Forest City

n The Forest City Police Department responded to 40 E-911 calls Monday. n Andrew Delaforce reported a financial card theft. n Tom Jones reported an incident of obtaining property by false pretense. The incident occurred on East Main Street. n An employee of Off the Beaded Path, on West Trade Street, reported an incident of breaking and entering and larceny.

Arrests

n Charles Richard Morrow, 18, of South Pearidge Road, Mooresboro; arrested on a warrant and charged with misdemeanor larceny; released on a written promise to appear. (FCPD) n William Franklin Jones, 17, of McDaniel Street, Forest City; arrested on a warrant for misdemeanor larceny; freed on a custody release. (FCPD) n Charles Jamar Tate, 24, of 398 Camby Road; charged with breaking and/ or entering and larceny after break/ enter; placed under a $30,000 secured bond. (LLPD) n Jacob Charles Walker Parkes, 19, of 294 W. Court St.; charged with simple possession of schedule VI controlled substance; placed

under a $1,000 secured bond. (RCSD) n Quinneisha Layette McDowell, 21, of 434 Piney Mountain Church Road; charged with violation of a court order; released on a $1,000 unsecured bond. (RCSD) n Mitchell Joseph Martin, 27, of 310 Oxford St.; charged with driving while license revoked and fictitious/ altered title/ registration card/ tag; placed under a $5,000 secured bond. (RCSD) n Megan Cari Gossett, 19, of 170 Patches Lane; charged with five counts of simple worthless check; released on a written promise to appear. (RCSD) n David Lomant Ledbetter, 25, of 2446 Bills Creek Road; charged with attempted obtain property by false pretense, breaking and/or entering and larceny after break/ enter; released on a $45,000 unsecured bond. (RCSD) n Najee Jamaal Greene, 20, of Thompson St.; charged with assault on a female; placed under a 48-hour hold. (RCSD) n Devan Devonne Miller, 25, of 227 Lynch St., Apt. 4, Rutherfordton; criminal summons for failure to pay movies. (RPD) n Anthony Trent Jones, 20, of 1111 McKinney Mill Road; charged with three counts of break or enter a motor vehicle, two counts of misdemeanor larceny and tampering with a vehicle; placed under a $27,000 secured bond. (SPD)

Wendover, Shelby. A native of Rutherford County, she was a daughter of the late L.B. Hendrix and Ina C. Hendrix Haynes. She was a homemaker. Survivors include her husband, James A. Ervin of the home; a daughter, Margaret Buff Goode of Forest City; three granddaughters; five great-grandchildren; six great-great-grandchildren; and a great-great-greatgranddaughter. Funeral services will be held at 1 p.m. Wednesday at Padgett & King Mortuary with Dr. Bobby Gantt officiating. Interment will follow in the Sunset Memorial Park. There will be no formal visitation. The Padgett & King Mortuary is in charge of arrangements. Online condolences www.padgettking.com.

Ed Buff Tommy Edward “Ed” Buff, 76, of Rutherfordton, died Monday, Jan. 4, 2010, at Rutherford Hospital. He was a son of the late Jesse Buff and Edith Buff. Survivors include his wife, Mary Sue Wellborn Buff; four daughters, Teresa Buff and Lisa Buff, both of Tampa , Fla., and Jenny Buff and Linda Buff, both of Rutherfordton; three stepsons, Robert Wellborn, Gary Wellborn and Michael Wellborn, all of Rutherfordton; two stepdaughters, Gloria Melton and Judy Epley, both of Forest City; and a number of grandchildren. Arrangements are being handled by McMahan’s Funeral Home, where the family will receive friends Thursday from 1 to 2 p.m. The funeral service will follow at 2 p.m. in the funeral home chapel. The Rev. Jerry Ruppe will officiate. Interment will be in the Rutherford County Memorial Cemetery. Online condolences mcmahansfuneralhome.com.

Joan Ray Joan Lewis Ray, 61, of Ellenboro, died Saturday, Jan. 2, 2010,z at Rutherford Hospital. A native of Forsythe County, she was a daughter of the late Joseph Pierce Lewis and Ruby Wilson Baugess. She worked at the Little Red School for 14 years. She is survived by three daughters Ginna Ray of Ellenboro, Jennifer Capps of Oklahoma, and Dawn Ray of Ellenboro; one son, Jerry Ray of Ellenboro; one brother, Steve Lewis of Plantation, Fla.; and six grandchildren. A private memorial service will be arranged at later date. In lieu of flowers, memorials may be made to the American Cancer Society, P.O. Box 22718, Oklahoma City, OK 73123-1718. Harrelson Funeral Home is serving the family. Online condolences www.harrelsonfuneralhome.com.

EMS/Rescue

THE DAILY COURIER

n The Rutherford County EMS responded to 30 E-911 calls Monday.

Published Tuesday through Sunday mornings by Paxton Media Group LLC dba The Daily Courier USPS 204-920 Periodical Postage paid in Forest City, NC. Company Address: 601 Oak St., P.O. Box 1149, Forest City, NC 28043. Phone: (828) 245-6431 Fax: (828) 248-2790 Subscription rates: Single copy, daily 50¢ / Sunday $1.50. Home delivery $11.75 per month, $35.25 for three months, $70.50 for six months, $129 per year. In county rates by mail payable in advance are: $13.38 for one month, $40.14 for three months, $80.27 for six months, $160.54 per year. Outside county: $14.55 for one month, $43.64 for three months, $87.28 for six months, $174.56 per year. College students for school year subscription, $75. The Digital Courier, $6.50 a month for non-subscribers to The Daily Courier. Payment may be made at the website: www.thedigitalcourier. com The Daily Courier is not responsible for advance subscription payments made to carriers, all of who are independent contractors.

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

Fire Calls n Ellenboro firefighters responded to an industrial fire alarm. n Rutherfordton firefighters responded to an industrial fire alarm. n S-D-O firefighters responded to a brush fire and to a motor vehicle accident. n Spindale firefighters responded to an industrial fire alarm. n Sandy Mush firefighters

Vaye Flowe Vaye Flowe, of Matthews, died Sunday, Jan. 3, 2010. Born in Rutherford County, she was a daughter of the late Peter and Fannie Blankenship Fortenberry, and also preceded in death by her husband, J.C. Flowe. She is survived by a son, Garry Lovelace of Matthews; daughters, Delores Shivar of Charlotte, Ellen Staples of Matthews, and Angie McAllister of Hephzibah, Ga.; four grandchildren; and a host of great-grandchildren, nieces and nephews. A funeral service will be held at noon Thursday at Heritage Funeral & Cremation Services, Indian Trail Chapel. The family will greet friends one hour before the service. Burial will follow in the Forest Lawn East Cemetery. The Rev. Roger Burrows will conduct the service assisted by the Rev. Buddy Strickland. Heritage Funeral and Cremation Service, Indian Trail, is serving the family. Online condolences heritagefuneral.net.

Kenneth Lovelace Kenneth Faye Lovelace, 79, of Forest City, died Saturday, Jan. 2, 2010, at Henderson Care Center. A native of Rutherford County, he was a son of the late James Boyd and Buela Melton Lovelace, and also preceded in death by his stepmother, Elsie Sue Lovelace. He was a member of Walls Baptist Church and worked for Parton Lumber Company for 45 years as a debarker operator. He is survived by his wife, Ruth Keeter Lovelace of Henrietta; two sons, Roger Faye Lovelace and Boyd Lee Lovelace, both of Forest City; two daughters Vickie Sue Lovelace of Florida, and Patricia Martin Adams of Rutherfordton; one brother, James Pete Lovelace of Bostic; one sister, Martha Sue Wells of Forest City; 10 grandchildren; and 12 greatgrandchildren. Memorial services will be conducted at 6 p.m. Saturday at Harrelson Funeral Chapel with the Rev. Robert E. Boone officiating. In lieu of flowers, memorials may be made to Boyd Lee Lovelace of Henderson Care Center, 125 Henderson Circle, Forest City, NC 28043. Online condolences www.harrelsonfuneralhome.com.

Emma Padgett Emma Sue “Mama Sue” Daniel Padgett, 93, of Forest

Emma Sue “Mama Sue” Daniel Padgett Emma Sue “Mama Sue” Daniel Sisk Padgett, age 93, of Forest City died Sunday at Hospice House. A native of Rutherford County, she was retired from General Fireproofing and a member of Adaville Baptist Church. She was preceded in death by her parents, Olen and Alma Elizabeth McCluney Daniel, a daughter, Saundra Scruggs, brothers, Herman and Charles Daniel and her first husband, Thomas Jasper Sisk. Left to cherish her memory is her husband of 54 years, W. B. “Bobo” Padgett; son, Olen Sisk and wife, Mary Alice of Asheville; daughter, Libby Harris and husband, Earl of Forest City; grandson, Mike Stephenson and wife, Donna, their children Davis and Zeke of Rutherfordton; granddaughter, Kim Bentley and husband, Steve, their son, Austin of Mars Hill; granddaughter, Alicia Sisk-Morris and husband, John, their daughter, Carson of Weaverville; granddaughter, Heather Murphy and husband, Sam, their children Alex and Riley of Hickory. Memorial services will be at 1 PM Wednesday at Adaville Baptist Church with Rev. Calvin Sayles officiating. Visitation will follow. Memorials may be made to Hospice of Rutherford County, P.O. Box 336, Forest City, NC 28043 or to the charity of choice. Online condolences: www.crowemortuary.com Paid obit

City, died Sunday, Jan. 3, 2010, at Hospice House in Forest City. A native of Rutherford County, she was a daughter of the late Olen and Alma Elizabeth McCluney Daniel, and also preceded in death by her first husband, Thomas Jasper Sisk. She was retired from General Fireproofing and a member of Adaville Baptist Church. She is survived by her husband of 54 years, W.B. “Bobo” Padgett; a son, Olen Sisk of Asheville; a daughter, Libby Harris of Forest City; four grandchildren; and six great-grandchildren. Memorial services will be held at 1 p.m. Wednesday at Adaville Baptist Church with the Rev. Calvin Sayles officiating. Visitation will follow. Memorials may be made to Hospice of Rutherford County, P.O. Box 336, Forest City, NC 28043 or to the charity of the donor’s choice. Crowe’s Mortuary and Crematory is in charge of arrangements. Online condolences www. crowemortuary.com.

Donnis Morrow Donnis Morrow of Walker Lake Road, Forest City, died Tuesday, Jan. 5, 2010, at her home. Funeral arrangements are incomplete and will be announced by Harrelson Funeral Home.

Deaths Kenneth Noland PORT CLYDE, Maine (AP) — Kenneth Noland, an artist who became prominent in an abstract expressionist style called Color Field painting, has died at his home in coastal Maine. He was 85. Noland, who was born in Asheville, N.C., was a key painter in the style known as color field, which is characterized by large expanses of color either painted, stained or poured on canvas.

Robert Allen “Moby” Smathers Robert Allen “Moby” Smathers, age 60, of Mooresboro, died Sunday, January 3, 2010 at the Cleveland County Hospice of Wendover. A native of Watauga County, he was born August 31, 1949 to the late Charles Arthur and Dorothy Norris Smathers. Robert enjoyed deer hunting, riding motorcycles and loved George Jones music. He retired from the Town of Forest City Street Department. In addition to his parents, he was preceded in death by two sisters Rene Hollars and Ann Sims; three nephews Tim Stamey, Troy Hollars and Jody Smathers. He is survived by his wife Gail Hogan Smathers of the home; three sons Don Smathers and fiancé Allison McCraw of Forest City, David Smathers and Thomas Smathers both of Trap Hill; two daughters Tammy Smathers Porter and husband Dale of West Jefferson and Teresa Smathers of North Wilkesboro; one stepdaughter Lamonda Buchanan Henderson and husband Larry of Forest City; one brother Joseph Smathers of Ronda; one sister Carol Parsons of Lexington; six grandsons and one granddaughter. Funeral services will be conducted at 2:00 p.m. on Wednesday, January 6, 2010 in Harrelson Funeral Chapel with Reverend Hayward Morrison officiating and James Sisk will give the eulogy. Interment will follow in Rutherford County Memorial Cemetery. The family will receive friends from 12:30 until the service time. Harrelson Funeral Home is serving the family. An online guest registry is available at: www.harrelsonfuneralhome.com Paid obit

6A — The Daily Courier, Forest City, NC, Wednesday, January 6, 2010

Calendar/Local

Smoke billows from the double-wide mobile home where one man died Tuesday morning when a fire started in the bedroom. Firefighters from Ellenboro, Sandy Mush, Cliffside and No. 7 responded to the 8:54 a.m. fire.

Red Cross Blood drives schedule: Jan. 7 — Concord Baptist Church, 720 Old Hwy. 74, Bostic, 3 to 7:30 p.m., call 245-6130 for an appointment; Jan. 9 — Goodes Creek Baptist Church, 7:30 a.m. to noon, call 2453513 for an appointment; Jan. 9 — Cliffside Masonic Lodge, Old Main St., Cliffside, 7:30 a.m. to noon, call 245-7606 for an appointment; Jan. 25 — Red Cross Chapter House, 838 Oakland Road; Forest City, 2 to 6:30 p.m., call 287-5916 for an appointment; Jan. 28 — R-S Middle School, 2 to 7:30 p.m., call 286-8314 for an appointment. Red Cross classes: Adult, Child, Infant CPR — Jan. 9, begins at 8:30 a.m. Adult, Child, Infant CPR — Jan. 11, begins at 6 p.m. Adult CPR — Jan. 14, begins at 6 p.m. Child, Infant CPR — Jan. 15, begins at 6 p.m. First Aid — Jan. 16, begins at 8:30 a.m., Preventing Disease Transmission. All classes must be paid in advance. Call 287-5916 for further information.

Health/education Health Awareness Clinic: Wednesday, Jan. 13, 7:30 p.m., Ramada Inn, 2600 Hwy. 74-A, Forest City; information on hypnotherapy for to stop smoking; 2-hour session; $5 donation at the door; sign in 30 minutes early; visit HealthAwarenessClinics.org for more information.

Jean Gordon/ Daily Courier

Fire

Firefighters battle blaze Continued from Page 1A

the house, comforted by the Ellenboro Fire Department chaplain as other firefighters worked at the scene. Holt lives next door to her daughter and son-in-law. “I didn’t know it until I saw the fire trucks,” she said of the fire. She had telephoned her two sons and was waiting for word from them. “She’s my only daughter,” the tearful woman said quietly. Liberty Baptist Church pastor, the Rev. Owen Duncan, and other staff members arrived to offer help as other friends of the family also arrived. Penson’s brother, Tommy Penson, arrived aided with a walking cane, and inquired if his brother was out of the house.

Meetings/other DAR meeting: Griffith Rutherford NSDAR Chapter will meet Wednesday, Jan. 6, at St. John’s Church, Main St., Rutherfordton. Meeting begins at 3 p.m. Program on “Quilts with Stories” presented by Sylvia Lancaster. Photography meeting: Carolina Nature Photographers Association will meet Monday, Jan. 11, at the county annex building in Rutherfordton, beginning at 6:30 p.m. Anyone interested in photography are encouraged to attend. Contact Rickey Green at 828-4295096 for more information. Alumni breakfast: Harris High School Alumni; Tuesday, Jan. 12, 9 a.m., at Turner’s Restaurant, Chesnee, S.C., (back dining room); all are welcome, Dutch treat; for more information contact Joan at 245-2658. Appreciation Day service: In honor of Wayne McCurry; Saturday, Jan. 16, Sunshine Elementary School; chili supper 5 to 6:30 p.m.; special music by The Carlson Trio; sponsored by Fairview Baptist Church and Cherry Mountain VFD. Owls Booster meeting: Forest City Owls Boosters will meet Thursday, Jan. 14, at Rollins Cafeteria. Meeting begins at 6:30 p.m. Please come early (6 p.m., or sooner) if you plan to have a meal. Membership $25 per person. For information contact Cecil Geer at (828) 9190000. PWA meeting: The Professional Women’s Association meets the third Tuesday of each month from noon to 1 p.m. Dutch treat lunch. The next meeting is Jan. 19, at Tuscany Italian Grille, Spindale. Prospective members welcome.

Miscellaneous Musical rescheduled: The Arts Council has rescheduled “Darby Rumbles’ Dolls” for Friday, Jan. 8, at The Foundation, Isothermal Community College; the performance begins at 10 a.m.; tickets are $10 for adults and $7 for children; available at the box office, at the door, or online www.foundationshows.org.

Fish fry: Saturday, Jan. 9, 4:30 to 8 p.m.; Concord Community Clubhouse; adults $10; ages 6-12, $5; under 6 free; includes dessert and drink; all take outs $9.

Support groups “The Way Home”: A support group for anyone recovering from an addiction; meetings are held each Monday at noon, in the basement of Harvest House Church, Big Springs Ave., Forest City; call Sheila at 828447-1880 for more information. Alanon: Patience Alanon offers help for families and friends of alcoholics. Meetings are held at 7 p.m. every Monday at Spindale First Baptist Church. Contact Alma at 245-3728.

Another friend, Steve Bridges, arrived at the scene. Bridges worked with Penson at All-American Homes for several years before Penson underwent back surgery and wasn’t able to work.

Contact Gordon via e-mail at jgordon@thedigitalcourier.com.

Red Cross urges fire safety precautions FOREST CITY— As temperatures continue to dip across Western North Carolina, the American Red Cross urges families to be cautious when using space heaters and other heating sources, and to make a plan in case of a home fire. Heating sources are the leading cause of winter fires, and increase during the winter months of December, January and February. Heat sources such as space heaters, fireplaces or wood and coal stoves can pose a fire hazard. To reduce the risk of heating related fires, the Red Cross recommends keeping anything that can burn such as paper, bedding or furniture, at least three feet away from heating equipment and fireplaces and to nev-

Loss Continued from Page 1A

the state. Some of the success is due to aggressive planning, organization and communication efforts between the board members and staff. A full report will be sent to Gold when it is completed. The board named Cathie Campbell to replace board member Cheryl Womack, who has resigned. She

Publisher Continued from Page 1A

sales manager at the Berkshire Eagle in Pittsfield, Mass., and advertising director of the North Adams (Mass.) Transcript.

er leave these unattended. “Last year The Rutherford County Chapter responded to more than 45 home fires,” said Chapter Executive Nelson Long. “We have had a rash of house fires since December claiming three lives. We urge each resident to consider the following fire prevention tips you can use to reduce your risk of a home fire.” n All heaters need space. Keep all things that can burn (paper, matches, bedding, furniture, clothing, carpets, and rugs) at least three feet away from heating equipment. n Never leave a fire in the fireplace unattended, and use a glass or metal fire screen to keep fire and embers in the fireplace. n Never use a cooking range or oven

to heat your home. n Turn off portable space heaters every time you leave the room or go to sleep. n Have wood and coal stoves, fireplaces, and chimneys inspected annually by a professional, and cleaned if necessary. n If you must use a space heater, place it on a level, hard and nonflammable surface (such as ceramic tile floor), not on rugs or carpets or near bedding or drapes. Plug power cords directly into outlets and never into an extension cord. For more Red Cross fire safety and preparedness information, visit www. redcross.org/homefires and follow us on Facebook at:http://www.facebook. com/rcredcross

is a former member of the Polk County Partnership Board and most recently served on a Polk Planning Committee. The board also learned Sandi Sox has resigned to move to Swansboro with her husband’s job relocation and Tim Holloman has also resigned. All are from Polk County. Gold said the board will discuss term limits addressed in the by-laws when it meets again in March and will probably make a change.

Program director Cathy Brooks presented a program update that includes a waiting list of 62 children for Even Start, there are 160 children, waiting for Head Start.

She has been a member of Rotary International, was a board member of the Danville, Va., Arts and Humanities Association and is a Dale Carnegie graduate. She also graduated from the Berkshire Leadership training program and Leadership Fayetteville. She was also a Methodist

College Foundation Board member. Jodi and husband Garry, a North Carolina native, are both new to the western part of the state. “We are excited to be here and looking forward to settling into the community and enjoying all the area has to offer,” said Brookshire.

Gold said it is troublesome when so many children are on waiting lists because funding is not available for the programs. Contact Gordon via e-mail at jgordon@thedigitalcourier.com.

About us...

Cole family reunion: Saturday, Jan. 9, covered dish meal 2:30 p.m., Goode’s Creek Baptist Church fellowship hall; bring well-filled basket.

Fundraisers

FOREST CITY — Rutherford County firefighters from S-D-O and Sandy Mush fire departments were called to a structure fire on U.S. 221 South near Toms Lake Road. Initial reports said that smoke and fire were showing at the scene. Traffic control help was requested and Duke Power had been contacted for assistance. Additional details were unavailable before press time.

“But I haven’t talked to him in a few years,” he said. A childhood friend arrived. “We grew up together,” he said, making calls from his cell phone. The North Carolina SBI Arson Unit, Rutherford County Fire Marshal Roger Hollifield and others were at the scene late Tuesday afternoon conducting an investigation. Penson’s death is the third fire fatality in the county in less than two weeks. On Dec. 23, Jonathan Lee McSwain, 17, and Nayshia Gray, 19, perished in a one-story wood frame house fire off Duncans Creek Road near Ellenboro. That fire is believed to have been started by a wood burning stove or faulty wiring on a generator. Investigation continues as autopsy results are pending.

Circulation

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

Business office

Administration

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

Newsroom

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

Phone: 245-6431

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

Advertising

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

Classified

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

Maintenance

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

Fax: 248-2790

Missed your paper? If you did not receive your paper today please call 245-6431 and ask for circulation. If you call by 9 a.m. on Monday through Friday, a paper will be brought to your home. If you call after 9 a.m., we will make sure your carrier brings you the missed paper in the morning with that day’s edition. If you do not receive your paper on either Saturday or Sunday and call by 8 a.m., a customer service representative will bring you a paper. If you call after 8 a.m. on Saturday or Sunday, the missed paper will be brought out on Monday morning. Our carriers are instructed to deliver your paper by 6 a.m. Tuesday through Friday, by 6:30 a.m. on Saturday and 7 a.m. on Sunday. Remember, call 245-6431 for circulation customer service.

www.thedigitalcourier.com

E-mail: dailycourier@thedigitalcourier .com

The Daily Courier, Forest City, NC, Wednesday, January 6, 2010 — 7A

Inside Scoreboard . . . . . . . . . Page 8A Bobcats . . . . . . . . . . . Page 8A NFL . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Page 9A

Watkins’ 34 not enough in loss to Lions Central to host preseason baseball clinic RUTHERFORDTON — R-S Central baseball coach Chadd Fowler is hosting a one day pre-season baseball clinic on Saturday, January 9. The clinic is limited to the first 100 baseball players from grades K to 8th. The cost is $25 and lunch will be provided. The clinic will focus on pitching, fielding and hitting. In addition to Coach Fowler, Central coaches and former players will be instructors at the clinic. For more information, or to pre-register, contact Fowler at (828) 429-7972 or cfowler@ rcsnc.org.

NC State’s Baker enters NFL draft RALEIGH (AP) — North Carolina State running back Toney Baker is giving up his sixth year of eligibility to enter the NFL draft. Baker said Tuesday in a statement released by the school that “it’s time for me to pursue playing football at the next level.” He needed two surgeries to repair the serious knee injury he suffered in the 2007 opener, and returned in 2009 to lead the Wolfpack with 773 yards rushing. He finishes his college career with 2,045 career yards rushing, and won the Atlantic Coast Conference’s Brian Piccolo Award as the league’s “most courageous” player. The NCAA had granted him a sixth season because of his injury. Coach Tom O’Brien says he supports Baker’s decision.

n Cavaliers’

Rob Gray scores 38 in loss to Burns Bulldogs By JACOB CONLEY Sports Reporter

CHASE — Chase’s Carlos Watkins scored 34 points and pulled down 13 boards in a losing effort Tuesday against Shelby. Chase held a 14-13 lead on the defendPlease see Boys, Page 9A

Mountain Heritage slams TJCA by 54 By KEVIN CARVER Sports Reporter

AVONDALE — Thomas Jefferson posed no match for the size and sharp shooting of Mountain Heritage in an 84-30 loss at home, Tuesday. Only three kids stood shorter than 6-foot, two-inches tall on the Mountain Heritage roster and that size and athletic ability was exposed as the Cougars jumped out to a big first half lead and

Garrett Byers/Daily Courier

Chase’s Carlos Watkins grabs a rebound during the basketball game against Please see TJCA, Page 9A Shelby on Tuesday.

Lady Trojans trounced by Lady Lions By JACOB CONLEY Sports Reporter

CHASE — The Lady Golden Lions used a big run in the first quarter to build a comfortable lead that they would never relinquish winning over the Lady Trojans 67-42. “I told the girls that last season we did not score our first field goal against Shelby until the third quarter,” said Chase coach Eric Martin. “So I told them they should be proud of how far the program has come in just a year. We

Please see Lady Trojans, Page 9A

USOC to tab Scott Blackmun as CEO NEW YORK (AP) — The U.S. Olympic Committee has turned to Scott Blackmun, a former interim leader for the organization, to become its third chief executive officer in the past 10 months, The Associated Press has learned. Two people familiar with the search said Tuesday that Blackmun would be announced as the new CEO on Wednesday. They spoke on condition of anonymity because the decision had not yet been made public. Blackmun will replace Stephanie Streeter, who took over when Jim Scherr was ousted in March. An attorney in Colorado Springs, Blackmun will be trying to improve the reputation of a federation that has been consumed by problems, including Chicago’s embarrassing last-place finish in the bidding to host the 2016 Summer Olympics. Blackmun was chosen from a list of six finalists for the spot that was more recently pared down to two — him and Chuck Wielgus, the CEO of USA Swimming. Both candidates have been well received from some of the biggest critics of the USOC’s policies.

On TV 7 p.m. (ESPN) College Football GMAC Bowl — Central Michigan vs. Troy. 7 p.m. (ESPN2) College Basketball Memphis at Syracuse. 9 p.m. (ESPN2) College Basketball Duke vs. Iowa State. 10:30 p.m. (ESPN) NBA Basketball Los Angeles Lakers at Los Angeles Clippers. 10:30 p.m. (FSS) College Basketball UCLA at California.

Lady Gryphons bounced by Lady Cougars By KEVIN CARVER Sports Reporter

Garrett Byers/Daily Courier

Chase’s Kaitlyn Smart (32) tries to dribble past the Shelby defender during the basketball game on Tuesday.

AVONDALE — All ten girls on the Mountain Heritage basketball roster scored in a balanced offensive attack for a 72-26 victory over Thomas Jefferson, Tuesday night. Thomas Jefferson made just two field goals in the first period and three overall in the first half. Blocking, rebounding and 13 first half turnovers also came

Please see Lady Gryphons, Page 9A

‘Old school’ will be honored at ‘new’ One of the first things any newcomers to Rutherford County must learn is the distinction between the ‘old’ and the ‘new,’ when it comes to R-S Central High School. Not long after Emily and I moved back to the county, I can remember my wife sending me on an errand and she said, “it’s near Central High Hill.” I drove out to US 221 (the actual and current location of Central High) and found nothing. I returned home and told her that the business wasn’t to be found. After a brief discussion, I learned that RS Middle used to be the high school and, despite the road having an actual name (it’s Charlotte Street, for those who don’t know), that locals still call the area, ‘Central High Hill.’ In August of 1977, Stacy Lail arrived at R-S Central to begin his teaching and coaching career — he arrived at the ‘old’ R-S, on Central High Hill. He had no problem finding the building because he had graduated from Central in 1969. Lail ushered in a golden age of boys basketball on ‘The Hill,’ as the Hilltoppers won two state titles (1980, 1986). Lail was named the 1980 Spartanburg-Herald’s Coach of the

Off The Wall Scott Bowers

Year after leading the Hilltoppers to the state title and an incredible 32-0 record. But, Lail did much more than just win basketball games. He started the cross country program at Central, and his teams won conference championships in eight of nine seasons. He also coached the baseball team for two years. Beyond all the athletic achievements, which are vast, Lail made a dynamic impact on the lives of countless young people, here in the county. On January 15, Central will honor Lail — but, they need your help. If you were taught a class by Lail, if you played on a team he coached, or even if you simply played against him and always thought he was a stand-up kind of guy — you get a chance to say thank you.

Spread the word that on Friday, January 15, the ‘new’ gym at the ‘new’ R-S Central will be named in his honor and the school would like as many former players and students to attend the dedication; which will occur when the Hilltoppers play the Burns Bulldogs. So, please come out and honor one of the good guys. Now, I hope that clears up some confusion about the ‘old’ and ‘new’ R-S Central — I will not attempt to discuss the ‘old’ and ‘new’ Wal-Marts, or the ‘old’ and new’ Winn-Dixie or KMarts or US 74. It makes my head hurt. Decade debate: I received a posting on thedigitalcourier.com about the baseball game between East Rutherford and South Caldwell in 2007. In that game, Michael Milam hit a game-winning, walk-off home run to lift the Cavs over Madison Bumgarner and Caldwell. Yeah, that game may very well be one of the best ones and I probably should have included it on my list. I would have, but I missed the game while on vacation and had to read about it in the paper. Oh, the irony.

8A â&#x20AC;&#x201D; The Daily Courier, Forest City, NC, Wednesday, January 6, 2010

sports

Scoreboard FOOTBALL National Football League

Associated Press

Charlotte Bobcatsâ&#x20AC;&#x2122; Boris Diaw (32) drives past Chicago Bullsâ&#x20AC;&#x2122; Joakim Noah (13) in the first half of an NBA basketball game in Charlotte, Tuesday.

Bobcats edge Bulls 113-108 for 3rd straight win

CHARLOTTE (AP) â&#x20AC;&#x201D; Gerald Wallace scored 32 points, Stephen Jackson and Flip Murray added 25 each and the Charlotte Bobcats held off a late rally to beat the Chicago Bulls 113-108 on Tuesday night for their third straight victory. Derrick Rose and John Salmons missed gametying 3-point attempts in the closing seconds for the Bulls, who gave up seventh place in the Eastern Conference to the Bobcats despite wiping out a 13-point second-quarter deficit. Rose scored 10 of his 24 points in the fourth quarter and Salmons added 19 for the Bulls in the fast-paced game that saw both teams shoot 51 percent. The Bobcats improved to 12-4 at home after consecutive road wins over Miami and Cleveland. But they had trouble putting away the Bulls, who dropped to 3-12 on the road.

Randy Johnson retires after 22 seasons in MLB

SAN FRANCISCO (AP) â&#x20AC;&#x201D; Randy Johnson is retiring after 22 major league seasons. The Big Unit, an overpowering lefty who last June became the 24th pitcher to win 300 games, made the expected announcement Tuesday on a conference call. â&#x20AC;&#x153;I really wanted to go out on my terms,â&#x20AC;? Johnson said. â&#x20AC;&#x153;I just feel like thereâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s not a lot more for me to do in this game. I just think itâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s a natural progression when you play this long. Eventually you have to say itâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s time.â&#x20AC;? A five-time Cy Young Award winner, the 46-yearold Johnson accomplished just about everything in his remarkable career that a player hopes for in baseball. He owns a World Series ring and co-MVP honors, and was a 10-time All-Star. He threw two nohitters, including a perfect game, and ranks second on the career strikeout list. The 6-foot-10 Johnson finishes with a career record of 303-166 and 4,875 strikeouts in 4,135 1-3 innings for Montreal, Seattle, Houston, Arizona, the New York Yankees and San Francisco. His strikeouts are the most by a left-hander and second to Nolan Ryanâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s 5,714. Johnson overcame several injuries to keep pitching at a high level into his mid-40s. He said before last season ended that he looked forward to going home to Arizona and spending time with his family before making a decision about his future. â&#x20AC;&#x153;Itâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s taken this long into January because I definitely wanted to just kind of relax from the season being over and make sure I had a clear head when I made this decision,â&#x20AC;? said Johnson.

AMERICAN CONFERENCE East W L T Pct PF x-New England 10 6 0 .625 427 y-N.Y. Jets 9 7 0 .563 348 Miami 7 9 0 .438 360 Buffalo 6 10 0 .375 258 South W L T Pct PF x-Indianapolis 14 2 0 .875 416 Houston 9 7 0 .563 388 Tennessee 8 8 0 .500 354 Jacksonville 7 9 0 .438 290 North W L T Pct PF x-Cincinnati 10 6 0 .625 305 y-Baltimore 9 7 0 .563 391 Pittsburgh 9 7 0 .563 368 Cleveland 5 11 0 .313 245 West W L T Pct PF x-San Diego 13 3 0 .813 454 Denver 8 8 0 .500 326 Oakland 5 11 0 .313 197 Kansas City 4 12 0 .250 294 NATIONAL CONFERENCE East W L T Pct PF x-Dallas 11 5 0 .688 361 y-Philadelphia 11 5 0 .688 429 N.Y. Giants 8 8 0 .500 402 Washington 4 12 0 .250 266 South W L T Pct PF x-New Orleans 13 3 0 .813 510 Atlanta 9 7 0 .563 363 Carolina 8 8 0 .500 315 Tampa Bay 3 13 0 .188 244 North W L T Pct PF x-Minnesota 12 4 0 .750 470 y-Green Bay 11 5 0 .688 461 Chicago 7 9 0 .438 327 Detroit 2 14 0 .125 262 West W L T Pct PF x-Arizona 10 6 0 .625 375 San Francisco 8 8 0 .500 330 Seattle 5 11 0 .313 280 St. Louis 1 15 0 .063 175

PA 285 236 390 326 PA 307 333 402 380 PA 291 261 324 375 PA 320 324 379 424 PA 250 337 427 336 PA 341 325 308 400 PA 312 297 375 494 PA 325 281 390 436

x-clinched division y-clinched playoff spot Sundayâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s Games Chicago 37, Detroit 23 Pittsburgh 30, Miami 24 Houston 34, New England 27 Buffalo 30, Indianapolis 7 San Francisco 28, St. Louis 6 Atlanta 20, Tampa Bay 10 Carolina 23, New Orleans 10 Cleveland 23, Jacksonville 17 Minnesota 44, N.Y. Giants 7 Tennessee 17, Seattle 13 Dallas 24, Philadelphia 0 San Diego 23, Washington 20 Kansas City 44, Denver 24 Baltimore 21, Oakland 13 Green Bay 33, Arizona 7 N.Y. Jets 37, Cincinnati 0 NFL Playoff Glance Wild-card Playoffs Saturday, Jan. 9 N.Y. Jets at Cincinnati, 4:30 p.m. (NBC) Philadelphia at Dallas, 8 p.m. (NBC) Sunday, Jan. 10 Baltimore at New England, 1 p.m. (CBS) Green Bay at Arizona, 4:40 p.m. (FOX) Divisional Playoffs Saturday, Jan. 16 Philadelphia, Green Bay or Arizona at New Orleans, 4:30 p.m. (FOX) Baltimore, N.Y. Jets or Cincinnati at Indianapolis, 8:15 p.m. (CBS) Sunday, Jan. 17 Dallas, Green Bay or Arizona at Minnesota, 1 p.m. (FOX) New England, N.Y. Jets or Cincinnati at San Diego, 4:40 p.m. (CBS)

Little Caesars Pizza Bowl At Detroit Marshall 21, Ohio 17 Meineke Bowl At Charlotte Pittsburgh 19, North Carolina 17 Emerald Bowl At San Francisco Southern Cal 24, Boston College 13

Charlotte Washington

14 18 .438 9 1/2 10 21 .323 13Â Central Division W L Pct GB Cleveland 27 9 .750 â&#x20AC;&#x201D;Â Chicago 14 18 .438 11Â Milwaukee 13 18 .419 11 1/2 Detroit 11 21 .344 14Â Indiana 10 23 .303 15 1/2 WESTERN CONFERENCE Southwest Division W L Pct GB Dallas 23 11 .676 â&#x20AC;&#x201D;Â San Antonio 20 12 .625 2Â Houston 20 14 .588 3Â Memphis 16 16 .500 6Â New Orleans 16 16 .500 6Â Northwest Division W L Pct GB Denver 21 13 .618 â&#x20AC;&#x201D;Â Portland 22 14 .611 â&#x20AC;&#x201D;Â Oklahoma City 19 15 .559 2Â Utah 18 16 .529 3Â Minnesota 7 28 .200 14 1/2 Pacific Division W L Pct GB L.A. Lakers 27 6 .818 â&#x20AC;&#x201D;Â Phoenix 21 13 .618 6 1/2 L.A. Clippers 15 18 .455 12Â Sacramento 14 19 .424 13Â Golden State 9 23 .281 17 1/2

Sunday, Dec. 27 Music City Bowl At Nashville, Tenn. Clemson 21, Kentucky 13 Monday, Dec. 28 Independence Bowl At Shreveport, La. Georgia 44, Texas A&M 20 Tuesday, Dec. 29 EagleBank Bowl At Washington UCLA 30, Temple 21 Champs Sports Bowl At Orlando, Fla. Wisconsin 20, Miami 14 Wednesday, Dec. 30 Humanitarian Bowl At Boise, Idaho Idaho 43, Bowling Green 42 Holiday Bowl At San Diego Nebraska 33, Arizona 0

Sundayâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s Games Charlotte 91, Cleveland 88 Toronto 91, San Antonio 86 New York 132, Indiana 89 Philadelphia 108, Denver 105 L.A. Lakers 131, Dallas 96 Mondayâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s Games Miami 92, Atlanta 75 Oklahoma City 98, Chicago 85 New Orleans 91, Utah 87 L.A. Clippers 105, Portland 95 Tuesdayâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s Games Washington 104, Philadelphia 97 Charlotte 113, Chicago 108 Indiana 97, Orlando 90 Milwaukee at New Jersey, late Detroit at Dallas, late Golden State at Denver, late Phoenix at Sacramento, late Memphis at Portland, late Houston at L.A. Lakers, late Wednesdayâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s Games New Jersey at Atlanta, 7 p.m. Washington at Cleveland, 7 p.m. Toronto at Orlando, 7 p.m. Boston at Miami, 7:30 p.m. Golden State at Minnesota, 8 p.m. New Orleans at Oklahoma City, 8 p.m. Detroit at San Antonio, 8:30 p.m. Houston at Phoenix, 9 p.m. Memphis at Utah, 9 p.m. L.A. Lakers at L.A. Clippers, 10:30 p.m.

Thursday, Dec. 31 Armed Forces Bowl At Fort Worth, Texas Air Force 47, Houston 20 Sun Bowl At El Paso, Texas Oklahoma 31, Stanford 27 Texas Bowl At Houston Navy 35, Missouri 13 Insight Bowl At Tempe, Ariz. Iowa State 14, Minnesota 13 Chick-fil-A Bowl At Atlanta Virginia Tech 37, Tennessee 14 Friday, Jan. 1 Outback Bowl At Tampa, Fla. Auburn 38, Northwestern 35, OT Capital One Bowl At Orlando, Fla. Penn State 19, LSU 17 Gator Bowl At Jacksonville, Fla. Florida State 33, West Virginia 21 Rose Bowl At Pasadena, Calif. Ohio State 26, Oregon 17 Sugar Bowl At New Orleans Florida 51, Cincinnati 24

HOCKEY National Hockey League

Saturday, Jan. 2 International Bowl At Toronto South Florida 27, Northern Illinois 3 Cotton Bowl At Arlington, Texas Mississippi 21, Oklahoma State 7 PapaJohns.com Bowl At Birmingham, Ala. Connecticut 20, South Carolina 7 Liberty Bowl At Memphis, Tenn. Arkansas 20, East Carolina 17, OT Alamo Bowl At San Antonio Texas Tech 41, Michigan State 31 Monday, Jan. 4 Fiesta Bowl At Glendale, Ariz. Boise State 17, TCU 10 Tuesday, Jan. 5 Orange Bowl At Miami Iowa (10-2) vs. Georgia Tech (11-2), late

Conference Championships Sunday, Jan. 24 AFC, 3 p.m. (CBS) NFC, 6:40 p.m. (FOX)

Wednesday, Jan. 6 GMAC Bowl Mobile, Ala. Central Michigan (11-2) vs. Troy (9-3), 7 p.m. (ESPN)

Pro Bowl Sunday, Jan. 31 At Miami AFC vs. NFC, 7:20 p.m. (ESPN)

Thursday, Jan. 7 BCS National Championship At Pasadena, Calif. Alabama (13-0) vs. Texas (13-0), 8 p.m. (ABC)

Super Bowl Sunday, Feb. 7 At Miami NFC champion vs. AFC champion, 6:25 p.m. (CBS)

Saturday, Jan. 23 East-West Shrine Classic At Orlando, Fla. East vs. West, 3 p.m.

Bowl Glance Saturday, Dec. 19 New Mexico Bowl At Albuquerque Wyoming 35, Fresno State 28, 2OT St. Petersburg (Fla.) Bowl Rutgers 45, UCF 24

Saturday, Jan. 30 Senior Bowl At Mobile, Ala. North vs. South, 4 p.m. (NFL)

BASKETBALL National Basketball Association

Tuesday, Dec. 22 Las Vegas Bowl BYU 44, Oregon State 20

EASTERN CONFERENCE Atlantic Division W L Pct GB Boston 24 8 .750 â&#x20AC;&#x201D;Â Toronto 17 18 .486 8 1/2 New York 14 20 .412 11Â Philadelphia 10 23 .303 14 1/2 New Jersey 3 30 .091 21 1/2 Southeast Division W L Pct GB Orlando 24 9 .727 â&#x20AC;&#x201D;Â Atlanta 21 12 .636 3Â Miami 17 15 .531 6 1/2

Wednesday, Dec. 23 Poinsettia Bowl At San Diego Utah 37, California 27 Thursday, Dec. 24 Hawaii Bowl At Honolulu SMU 45, Nevada 10 Saturday, Dec. 26

CHARLOTTE (AP) â&#x20AC;&#x201D; The Carolina Panthers have signed four players, including former Wake Forest center Steve Justice and Appalachian State receiver Dexter Jackson. Defensive back Marcus Walker and defensive end Eric Moore

were also signed on Tuesday. Jackson, Walker and Moore were on Carolinaâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s practice squad this season. Justice was Indianapolisâ&#x20AC;&#x2122; sixth-

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Panthers sign 4; Beason sets tackles record The Panthers have also announced that coaches awarded linebacker Jon Beason with 13 tackles in Sundayâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s season finale against New Orleans. That gives him 169 on the season, breaking his own team record of 160 set in 2007.

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Sundayâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s Games Ottawa 7, Philadelphia 4 Buffalo 1, Montreal 0 Florida 6, Pittsburgh 2 Chicago 5, Anaheim 2 Mondayâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s Games N.Y. Rangers 3, Boston 2 Los Angeles 6, San Jose 2 Tuesdayâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s Games Toronto 3, Florida 2 New Jersey 4, Dallas 0 Washington 4, Montreal 2 Boston at Ottawa, late Atlanta at Pittsburgh, late Calgary at Nashville, late Minnesota at Chicago, late Phoenix at Edmonton, late Columbus at Vancouver, late Detroit at Anaheim, late Wednesdayâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s Games Tampa Bay at Buffalo, 7 p.m. Toronto at Philadelphia, 7 p.m. Dallas at N.Y. Rangers, 7 p.m. Calgary at Minnesota, 8 p.m. N.Y. Islanders at Colorado, 9 p.m. St. Louis at San Jose, 10:30 p.m.

Saturday, Feb. 6 Texas vs. The Nation All-Star Challenge At El Paso, Texas Texas vs. Nation, 3 p.m. (CBSC)

Sunday, Dec. 20 New Orleans Bowl Middle Tennessee 42, Southern Miss. 32

EASTERN CONFERENCE Atlantic Division GP W L OT Pts GF New Jersey 40 29 10 1 59 118 Pittsburgh 43 26 16 1 53 133 N.Y. Rangers 42 20 17 5 45 111 N.Y. Islanders 43 17 18 8 42 107 Philadelphia 41 19 19 3 41 117 Northeast Division GP W L OT Pts GF Buffalo 41 26 11 4 56 112 Boston 41 21 13 7 49 107 Ottawa 42 22 16 4 48 122 Montreal 44 21 20 3 45 114 Toronto 42 14 19 9 37 115 Southeast Division GP W L OT Pts GF Washington 41 24 11 6 54 145 Atlanta 41 18 17 6 42 132 Tampa Bay 41 16 15 10 42 103 Florida 42 17 18 7 41 123 Carolina 41 11 23 7 29 102 WESTERN CONFERENCE Central Division GP W L OT Pts GF Chicago 42 29 10 3 61 137 Nashville 42 25 14 3 53 121 Detroit 41 21 14 6 48 108 St. Louis 41 17 18 6 40 108 Columbus 43 15 19 9 39 112 Northwest Division GP W L OT Pts GF Colorado 43 24 13 6 54 128 Calgary 41 24 12 5 53 114 Vancouver 42 25 16 1 51 132 Minnesota 42 20 19 3 43 111 Edmonton 42 16 22 4 36 115 Pacific Division GP W L OT Pts GF San Jose 43 27 9 7 61 144 Phoenix 43 25 14 4 54 111 Los Angeles 43 25 15 3 53 130 Dallas 41 18 12 11 47 122 Anaheim 42 16 19 7 39 115

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The Daily Courier, Forest City, NC, Wednesday, January 6, 2010 — 9A

sports

Cushing is AP top defensive rookie

Associated Press

Former NBA All-Star Jayson Williams is shown, in this Sept. 6, 2002, during a hearing before Superior Court Judge Edward M. Coleman at the Hunterdon County Courthouse in Flemington, N.J. New York police say Williams was taken to a hospital with minor injuries after his SUV struck a tree in New York early Tuesday.

NYPD: Jayson Williams charged with DWI NEW YORK (AP) — Former NBA star Jayson Williams was charged with drunken driving after his SUV veered off an exit ramp and struck a tree early Tuesday, police said, the latest legal woe for the troubled ex-player. Williams, who is awaiting retrial on a manslaughter case in New Jersey, suffered a minor bone fracture in his neck and cuts to his face in the crash, authorities said. He was in the passenger seat when officers arrived, and he told them someone else had been driving, according to police. But witnesses told police they saw him in the driver’s seat, and officers said no one else was in the car. The black Mercedes-Benz SUV was exiting FDR Drive at East 20th Street in Manhattan when it veered off the curved exit, authorities said. Police said it appeared Williams was drinking before the 3:15 a.m. crash. He was taken to Bellevue Hospital, where he refused a breath test, authorities said.

NEW YORK (AP) — From the first practice in training camp until the last game, Brian Cushing was a tackling machine for the Houston Texans. That’s exactly what the team sought when it chose the linebacker from Southern Cal 15th overall in the draft last April. What the Texans also got is The Associated Press 2009 NFL Defensive Rookie of the Year. Cushing was a runaway winner in balloting by a nationwide panel of 50 sports writers and broadcasters who cover the league. Cushing received 39 votes Tuesday, easily beating Buffalo safety Jairus Byrd, who had six, and became the second Texans linebacker in four seasons to win the award. DeMeco Ryans took it in 2006. “I’m just a much smarter football player,” Cushing said. “I’m much more advanced than I was this time last year and it was just a good way to start out a career. I’m happy about how everything turned out this year. Of course the playoffs would have been nice, but now we know what we have to do for next season.” This season, Cushing had 133 tackles, 86 of them primary, according to the Texans, who went 9-7, their first winning record. Cushing’s best game might have been his nine solo tackles, one sack and an interception in a victory over Miami on Dec. 27. Or maybe it was his nine tackles, interception and two forced fumbles in a win over Cincinnati on Oct. 18. Overall, he had five sacks, four interceptions and the two forced fumbles, numbers that normally belong to a seasoned veteran. Which is exactly how the 22-year-old Cushing played. “He brought another element to our football team: his love for

Boys Continued from Page 7A

ing state champions after one quarter, but the Golden Lions showed why they brought home Continued from Page 7A the trophy with a 24-3 run in the second, en route to a 72-52 win. “When Carlos picked up that cruised for the victory. third foul, that changed the John Cannon (6-11), the highly recruited whole complexion of the game,” Mountain Heritage center, quickly putback his said Chase coach Ken Hines. own miss on the opening tip to give the visitors the “But, I’m proud of the way we lead. A pair of Steven Wilson free throws and an played tonight. We just have a up-and-under basket by Austin Swann claimed a young backcourt who had trou6-0 lead for Heritage. ble with the press. If we can cut Thomas Jefferson answered though with Richard down on the turnovers, I think Petty’s foul line jumper, cutting it to 6-2. However, we can be a very good team that would be the closest the game would get the and we showed flashes of that rest of the way. tonight.” Heritage then went on a 9-0 run before Ryan The Trojans went away from Spurlin’s 3-ball ended the run in a 15-5 Heritage their usual fast-breaking style advantage. Heritage ended the first period up 18-5. against Shelby and opted for Three freebies were the only three points Thomas a patient half-court approach Jefferson could put on the scoreboard in the secin first quarter and it worked ond frame. to perfection at times. In the For Heritage, Cannon was responsible for seven early going, Chase would dump straight points with Alex Biggerstaff and Swann the ball into Watkins and the claiming the majority of a 30-point second quarter Trojans big man would score on that allowed a 48-8 Cougar lead at the half. the inside or find open teamMountain Heritage shot 20-for-40 in the first mates on back-door passes as the half and turned Thomas Jefferson over 10 times in Trojans took the slim first quarthe half to pad a comfortable lead for the Cougars. ter lead. Thomas Jefferson had nine more field goals in Watkins, though, picked up the second half, but it was nowhere near enough for the Gryphons. Petty led TJCA with 11 and Spurlin added nine points. Leading Mountain Heritage was Biggerstaff with 18, Cannon had 13 and Matt Kardulis added 12. Continued from Page 7A

TJCA

Lady Gryphons

Lady Trojans

Associated Press

Houston Texans linebacker Brian Cushing warming up before an NFL football game against the Seattle Seahawks, in Houston, in this AP file photo. Cushing has become the second Houston Texans linebacker in four seasons to win The Associated Press NFL Defensive Rookie of the Year award, Tuesday.

the game, his passion, his play, playing beat up, all these things,” coach Gary Kubiak said. “He played like a 10-year vet from the day he stepped on the field. Our players respect what he does

with the game and how he goes about his business. We’re very fortunate to have him and we’re going to have him here for a long, long time. What a year. He was exceptional.”

his third foul early in the second, which relegated him to the bench. Shelby took full advantage of Watkins’ absence and built a 20 point lead before the half. Watkins then re-entered the game, and he and Kishon Crawford led their team on a quick 6-0 run to cut the halftime lead to 14 at 37-23. The run continued into the third as Watkins and Crawford teamed up again for a quick 6-0 spurt to cut the lead to eight. From there the combatants battled back-and-forth with Watkins scoring for the Trojans and Shelby’s fast-breaking offense matching him basket for basket. When the dust settled the Lions held a 15-point advantage at the end of three quarters. The Trojans made their move early in fourth as an active zone trap allowed the home team to claw back to within 10 points when Crawford hit Adam Cooper with a perfect baseball pass for the easy conversion. The Lions, however, then solved the trap and converted three consecutive fast-break layups to put the game away, winning by the final margin.

Crawford pitched in 13 for the Trojans, who are off this Friday.

ence champions by deploying an aggressive trap that forced the Trojans into double-digit turnovers in the opening frame which resulted in a 24-6 lead for the Lions.

continually drove to the basket and converted layups or knocked down foul shots. Smart’s efforts pulled her team to within 15 points with 4:59 left in the third. Chase could get no closer, however, as Shelby finished the quarter on a 14-4 run as they led by 25 going into the fourth.

Burns 65, East Rutherford 60 LAWNDALE — Rob Gray scored 38, but it wasn’t enough to overcome Burns, Tuesday, in a 65-60 loss. The loss was the first of the year for East, which fell to 10-1 overall and 2-1 in conference action. “My team played tough in the second half,” said East’s Brad LeVine. “But, it was one of those nights that just didn’t go our way.” The Bulldogs received 31 free throws in the contest and outscored the Cavs by 11 from the line. East plays at home against Freedom on Friday.

R-S Central 46, Patton 42 MORGANTON — Central’s Jacob Kinlaw scored a team high 10 points as the Hilltoppers improved to 10-2 (3-1 SMAC) with a 46-42 win over Patton, Tuesday.

just need to take the positives from this game and build on Shelby’s lead ballooned to as a them.” Continued from Page 7A much as 27 late in the half, but The Lady Trojans showed that Chase closed the half on a 9-2 they are a much-improved basrun, going into the locker room In the fourth, the Lady Trojans ketball team in the first quarback to haunt the Lady Gryphons in the loss. thanks to Euletha Davis’ 3-point matched the Lions basket-forter against Shelby as Kendra Despite going 0-for-7 to start the game, play and two deep 3s from basket, but failed to cut into the Mountain Heritage hit on six of its next nine looks Holcombe drilled an early 3 to Holcombe to make the score lead, despite tremendous hustle give the home team an early 3-2 at the basket in the first quarter, leading to the 39-19 at the half. by the home team. lead. rout. The third quarter belonged to Smart led the Trojans with 22 But, the Lions showed why Brittany Frye made the first attempt with the Trojan’s Kaitlyn Smart as she points. they are the defending confersix minutes to go in the first period and Kayla Sheppard made two steals and answered on those to post a 12-0 lead for Heritage. Murphy D’oyen broke the streak with a jumper from eight feet and was good again from the same spot before the quarter came to a close at 15-4. Come in for a Victoria Bennett collected a basket and Shanelle Smith accounted for a free throw and that was all Good the scoring for the Gryphons in the second period. Despite shooting just 14-35 in the first half, and a Good the Lady Cougars held a 32-7 lead at the break. Thomas Jefferson shot just 3-for-25 from the field www.kinglawoffices.com Deal during that time. Four more second half three’s by the Lady Cougars and picked up 40 more points to pick up the win. Ron Venhuizen D’oyen had nine points and five blocks to pace the Lady Gryphons and Bennett posted nine as well in defeat. Sheppard led Heritage with 16 points. Taylor Parker chipped in with 12 and Breanna Woody added to more 10 to the Lady A PROFESSIONAL LIMITED LIABILITY COMPANY Cougars in the score column.

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10A — The Daily Courier, Forest City, NC, Wednesday, January 6, 2010

Weather/Nation Weather The Daily Courier Weather Today

Tonight

Thursday

Friday

Saturday

Sunday

Sunny

Partly Cloudy

Snow Possible

Partly Cloudy

Mostly Sunny

Precip Chance: 0%

Precip Chance: 10%

Precip Chance: 30%

Precip Chance: 10%

Precip Chance: 5%

38º

19º

39º 22º

36º 15º

33º 15º

36º 18º

Almanac

Local UV Index

Around Our State Today

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

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

Temperatures

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

High . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .38 Low . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .9 Normal High . . . . . . . . . . . .49 Normal Low . . . . . . . . . . . . .26

City

Asheville . . . . . . .30/15 Cape Hatteras . . .39/32 Charlotte . . . . . . .38/19 Fayetteville . . . . .39/23 Greensboro . . . . .37/22 Greenville . . . . . .39/22 Hickory . . . . . . . . . .35/18 Jacksonville . . . .41/21 Kitty Hawk . . . . . .40/29 New Bern . . . . . .40/20 Raleigh . . . . . . . .38/23 Southern Pines . .39/23 Wilmington . . . . .40/22 Winston-Salem . .37/22

Sun and Moon Sunrise today . . . . .7:36 a.m. Sunset tonight . . . . .5:30 p.m. Moonrise today . . . . .No Rise Moonset today . . . .11:18 a.m.

Precipitation 24 hrs through 7 a.m. yest. .0.00" Month to date . . . . . . . . .0.04" Year to date . . . . . . . . . .0.04"

Moon Phases

Barometric Pressure High yesterday . . . . . . .30.05"

Relative Humidity

Last 1/7

High yesterday . . . . . . . . .61%

s s s s s s s s s s s s s s

32/19 45/39 40/23 44/27 39/24 44/28 37/22 45/31 42/35 45/30 42/26 43/26 45/31 38/24

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

North Carolina Forecast

Greensboro 37/22

Asheville 30/15

Forest City 38/19 Charlotte 38/19

Today

Wilmington 40/22

Thursday

Hi/Lo Wx Hi/Lo Wx

Atlanta . . . . . . . . Baltimore . . . . . . Chicago . . . . . . . Detroit . . . . . . . . Indianapolis . . . Los Angeles . . . Miami . . . . . . . . . New York . . . . . . Philadelphia . . . Sacramento . . . . San Francisco . . Seattle . . . . . . . . Tampa . . . . . . . . Washington, DC

.38/22 .37/27 .23/18 .27/20 .23/15 .78/50 .60/44 .35/27 .36/24 .54/47 .62/50 .48/39 .53/34 .37/24

36/21 35/29 22/10 24/17 23/12 73/49 67/54 36/26 36/24 57/46 60/50 49/42 61/45 36/27

Kinston 40/21

Today’s National Map

City

s s mc mc s s s s pc mc mc ra s s

Greenville 39/22

Raleigh 38/23

Fayetteville 39/23

Shown is today’s weather. Temperatures are today’s highs and tonight’s lows.

Across Our Nation

Elizabeth City 42/22

Durham 38/23

Winston-Salem 37/22

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

30s

40s

20s

50s

60s

10s

20s

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Nation Today Third WH crasher is local event planner

WASHINGTON (AP) — The third gate-crasher at November’s White House state dinner turns out to be a local event planner who got in with members of the Indian delegation. The latest uninvited guest, Carlos Allen, who runs an event business called Hush Galleria in the nation’s capital, has met with the Secret Service several times about the incident, Allen’s lawyer, A. Scott Bolden, told The Associated Press on Tuesday. The Secret Service did not learn of a third uninvited person who got into the dinner until mid-December, two weeks after a Dec. 3 House hearing about the breach, according to a government official who spoke on condition of anonymity because this is an ongoing investigation. Allen’s lawyer said his client is cooperating with the investigation.

PETA starts fur flying

WASHINGTON (AP) — The fur is flying over a new ad campaign by an animal rights group the White House says is using first lady Michelle Obama’s image without her permission. The president of People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals, Ingrid Newkirk, said her organization wouldn’t have sought Mrs. Obama’s consent for the anti-fur ad because it knows that she can’t make such an endorsement. PETA included the first lady in its Washington ad campaign based on White House confirmation that she does not wear fur. Mrs. Obama appears in the ad with

celebrities Oprah Winfrey, Carrie Underwood and Tyra Banks — three others who have shunned fur. The ads are appearing in Washington’s Metro stations, magazines and PETA’s Web site.

Man sells bogus Picassos CHICAGO (AP) — A suburban Chicago man has pleaded guilty to swindling at least 250 people out of more than $1 million through the online sale of counterfeit prints advertised as the work of Pablo Picasso and other major contemporary artists. Michael Zabrin of Northbrook admits sometimes paying between $1,000 and $1,500 for counterfeit limited edition fine art prints produced in Spain and Italy and reselling them on eBay for many times that amount.

We love you! Mom, Kelly & Blake

Associated Press

Dorgan says he will not seek re-election in 2010 WASHINGTON (AP) — North Dakota Democrat Byron Dorgan said Tuesday he will not seek re-election to the Senate in 2010, a surprise announcement that dealt another blow to Democrats already struggling to protect their Senate majority. Dorgan, a moderate who was first elected to the Senate in 1992 after serving a dozen years in the House, said he reached the decision after discussing his future with family over the holidays. Dorgan, 67, said he “began to wrestle with the question of whether making a commitment to serve in the Senate seven more years was the right thing to do.” “Although I still have a passion for public service and enjoy my work in the Senate, I have other interests and I have other things I would like to pursue outside of public life,” he said in a statement. Dorgan’s decision stunned members of his party, who control the Senate but are facing spirited challenges from Republicans in several states. Democrats were confident heading into the new year that Dorgan would run for re-election even as rumors intensified that Republican Gov. John Hoeven would challenge him in November. Early polling showed Dorgan trailing Hoeven in a hypothetical contest, and Democrats expected a competitive race if the matchup materialized. Hoeven has not announced a candidacy but national Republicans expect he will. Democrats insist they will field a strong candidate to run in Dorgan’s place, and recruitment already was under way Tuesday. Democratic Rep. Earl Pomeroy, who was first elected to the House in 1992, could be interested in seeking the Senate seat, along with Heidi

Heitkamp, a former state attorney general and tax commissioner who was defeated by Hoeven in the 2000 gubernatorial race. Dorgan’s announcement could complicate efforts by Democrats to maintain their advantage in the Senate, where they hold an effective 60-40 majority, including two independents who align themselves with Democrats. That’s just enough to break Republican filibusters if all 60 stick together. Many Democratic incumbents could face challenges in 2010 amid high unemployment rates, concerns about the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan and anger at incumbents. At least four Democrats, including Majority Leader Harry Reid of Nevada and five-term Connecticut Sen. Chris Dodd, are in serious trouble. Dorgan’s decision means Democrats now will have to defend open seats in three states. The others are Delaware and Illinois, where Sens. Ted Kaufman, who has Vice President Joe Biden’s old seat, and Roland Burris, who has President Barack Obama’s old seat, aren’t running for full terms. Republicans, for their part, are defending six open seats, in Ohio, Florida, Missouri, New Hampshire, Kentucky and Kansas. Electoral politics aside, Dorgan’s decision also could have ramifications for another of Obama’s top priorities — climate and energy legislation. With no re-election race and nothing to lose, Dorgan could be even more of a wild card on the issue than he already has been. There’s no telling how the moderate Democrat will vote if the Senate takes up the legislation this year.

Officer dead, suspect flees

GOP chairman Steele doubts Republicans can retake House

SALT LAKE CITY (AP) — The man charged with Tuesday’s fatal shooting of a Utah sheriff’s deputy had just sold drugs to a brother of the slain officer on a remote desert road, according to court papers and a family member. Roberto Miramontes Roman was charged about 10 hours after the shooting with capital murder and tampering with evidence. A manhunt led authorities to a west Salt Lake City neighborhood, where police believe they saw him run from a house and disappear. Roman, 37, is accused of leaving deputy Josie Greathouse Fox dead from a gunshot wound after a traffic stop near Delta, about 130 miles southwest of Salt Lake City.

WASHINGTON (AP) — GOP Chairman Michael Steele thinks Republicans have “screwed up” for the most part in the years since Ronald Reagan was president. And, he adds in an interview on the heels of his new book’s release, Republicans won’t win back the House in fall elections and might not be ready to lead even if they do. That forecast of failure sparked a pushback Tuesday at the GOP’s own National Republican Congressional Committee, whose aim is to elect Republicans, and delight at its counterpart, the Democratic Congressional Campaign Committee. Winning back the House would be difficult for Republicans, who are in a 256-178 minority with one

ET SIXTEEN E W S Happy Birthday Breanne Lane

Sen. Byron Dorgan, D-N.D., carries a single English muffin on Capitol Hill in Washington, in this Tuesday, Dec. 15, 2009, file photo.

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vacancy. Steele’s book, “Right Now: A 12-Step Program for Defeating the Obama Agenda,” released Monday by Regnery Publishing, offers his blueprint for the party’s resurgence. Several of the steps he proposes play off sticking to GOP principles. Asked Monday by talk-show host Sean Hannity if Republicans can regain the House in November, Steele said, “Not this year.” He added: “I don’t know yet, because I don’t know all the candidates yet. We still have some vacancies that need to get filled, but then the question we need to ask ourselves is, if we do that, are we ready?” In answer to his own question, Steele said: “I don’t know. And that’s what I’m assessing and evaluating.”

Hubble telescope shows earliest photo of universe WASHINGTON (AP) — The Hubble Space Telescope has captured the earliest image yet of the universe — just 600 million years after the Big Bang, when the universe was just a toddler. Scientists released the photo Tuesday at a meeting of the American Astronomical Society. It’s the most complete picture of the early universe so far, showing galaxies with stars that are already hundreds of millions of years old, along with the unmistakable primordial signs of the first cluster of stars.

These young galaxies haven’t yet formed their familiar spiral or elliptical shapes and are much smaller and quite blue in color. That’s mostly because at this stage, they don’t contain many heavy metals, said Garth Illingworth, a University of California, Santa Cruz, astronomy professor who was among those releasing the photo. “We’re seeing very small galaxies that are seeds of the great galaxies today,” Illingworth said in a news conference. Until NASA’s Hubble telescope

was repaired and upgraded last year, the farthest back in time that astronomers could see was about 900 million years after the Big Bang, Illingworth said. Hubble has been key in helping determine the age of the universe at about 13.7 billion years, ending a long scientific debate about a decade ago. As far back as Hubble can see, it still doesn’t see the first galaxies. For that, NASA will have to rely on a new observatory, the $4.5 billion James Webb telescope, which is set to launch in about four years.

The Daily Courier, Forest City, NC, Wednesday, January 6, 2010 — 11A

Business/finance

THE MARKET IN REVIEW

STOCK EXCHANGE HIGHLIGHTS

NYSE

7,354.87 +28.13

GAINERS ($2 OR MORE)

Name Last Heckmn un 7.50 Prime pfB 5.89 AegeanMP 32.47 CtlAir B 20.62 McClatchy 4.44 YingliGrn 18.50 AlliancOne 5.72 Metrogas 2.40 US Airwy 5.31 AldIrish 4.56

Chg +1.08 +.80 +3.94 +2.48 +.51 +2.07 +.62 +.26 +.54 +.44

%Chg +16.8 +15.7 +13.8 +13.7 +13.0 +12.6 +12.2 +12.1 +11.3 +10.7

LOSERS ($2 OR MORE)

Name Last ClayDiv rs 14.54 FstCwlth 4.32 DirChiBear 35.43 FstBcpPR 2.12 ProUShPac17.73 ProsHldg 9.64 MacGry 9.68 FurnBrds 5.09 PNC pfD 86.03 BrkfldH 7.21

Chg %Chg -1.42 -8.9 -.39 -8.3 -3.17 -8.2 -.18 -7.8 -1.43 -7.5 -.71 -6.9 -.68 -6.6 -.35 -6.4 -5.61 -6.1 -.44 -5.8

MOST ACTIVE ($1 OR MORE) Name Vol (00) Last Chg Citigrp 6400091 3.53 +.13 FordM 2098913 10.96 +.68 BkofAm 2061842 16.20 +.51 SPDR 1005349 113.63 +.30 SprintNex 950917 4.13 +.23 SPDR Fncl 776021 14.96 +.27 Motorola 751346 7.86 -.11 LVSands 645222 18.27 +1.65 GenElec 641507 15.53 +.08 WellsFargo 548261 28.07 +.75 Advanced Declined Unchanged Total issues New Highs New Lows Volume

DIARY

1,872 1,215 91 3,178 398 1 5,198,016,255

AMEX

1,859.92 +6.26

GAINERS ($2 OR MORE)

Name Last UnivPwr 3.89 Emergent 8.46 Cohen&Co 6.05 TravelCtrs 5.20 PhrmAth 2.03 OrienPap n13.42 PionDrill 8.86 ChNEPet n 10.98 ChinNutri n 4.15 EntreeGold 3.08

Chg +.84 +1.09 +.76 +.60 +.21 +1.27 +.81 +.91 +.33 +.24

%Chg +27.5 +14.8 +14.4 +13.0 +11.5 +10.5 +10.1 +9.0 +8.6 +8.5

LOSERS ($2 OR MORE)

Name Last MeMarit 31.15 ChiRivet 13.00 SalisbryBc 23.40 SL Ind 7.70 AmShrd 2.61 PacBkrM g 6.31 SoCTBcp 2.81 AmLorain n 2.80 DeltaAprl 10.30 HawkCorp 17.71

Chg %Chg -3.86 -11.0 -1.30 -9.1 -2.20 -8.6 -.68 -8.1 -.22 -7.8 -.45 -6.7 -.19 -6.3 -.18 -6.0 -.64 -5.9 -1.10 -5.8

MOST ACTIVE ($1 OR MORE) Name Vol (00) Last Chg PhrmAth 50334 2.03 +.21 GoldStr g 47716 3.36 +.06 Oilsands g 33235 1.16 -.05 NovaGld g 31676 6.38 +.06 ChNEPet n 23751 10.98 +.91 GrtBasG g 21840 1.83 +.01 NA Pall g 20965 3.61 -.09 NthgtM g 19094 3.22 +.03 DenisnM g 18509 1.50 +.21 Taseko 15600 4.33 +.03 DIARY

Advanced Declined Unchanged Total issues New Highs New Lows Volume

304 218 39 561 35 ... 135,314,431

NASDAQ 2,308.71

+.29

GAINERS ($2 OR MORE)

Name Last OnTrack 2.65 Intelliph n 2.37 ChAdvCns n7.48 WPCS Intl 3.50 SupcndTch 2.94 OakRidgeF 5.00 EXFO g 4.55 BioFuelEn 3.47 MelcoCrwn 4.13 ChiGerui n 6.55

Chg +1.25 +.50 +1.53 +.55 +.45 +.75 +.65 +.48 +.55 +.86

%Chg +89.3 +26.7 +25.7 +18.6 +18.1 +17.6 +16.7 +16.1 +15.4 +15.1

LOSERS ($2 OR MORE)

Name Last ChinaInfra 2.23 ATCross 4.04 NwCentBcp 4.53 Westway n 4.36 MannKd 7.92 Covenant 4.20 Brightpnt 6.88 Transcat 6.62 Escalade 2.42 SprtnStr 12.96

Chg -1.06 -.69 -.66 -.62 -1.07 -.55 -.88 -.83 -.28 -1.45

%Chg -32.2 -14.6 -12.7 -12.4 -11.9 -11.6 -11.3 -11.1 -10.4 -10.1

MOST ACTIVE ($1 OR MORE)

Name Vol (00) MicronT 592355 ETrade 567443 PwShs QQQ554061 Intel 516742 Microsoft 468897 Cisco 446680 DryShips 293807 Oracle 277584 Qualcom 240605 UAL 235848

Advanced Declined Unchanged Total issues New Highs New Lows Volume

Last Chg 11.17 +.32 1.80 -.04 46.42 ... 20.87 -.01 30.96 +.01 24.58 -.11 6.43 +.29 24.82 -.03 48.07 +1.13 13.91 +1.11

DIARY

1,205 1,509 130 2,844 219 8 2,332,637,427

DAILY DOW JONES

you talk. we listen. HAVE YOU REVIEWED YOUR 10,640 in person. Dow Jones industrials LIFE INSURANCE LATELY? Close: 10,572.02 Change: -11.94 (-0.1%)

10,480

10,320

11,200

10 DAYS

10,400 9,600

52-Week High Low

10,604.97 4,213.61 408.57 7,331.12 1,887.23 2,311.15 1,133.87 743.15 11,749.57 640.10

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

STOCK MARKET INDEXES Name

Dow Industrials 10,572.02 Dow Transportation 4,172.64 Dow Utilities 395.37 NYSE Composite 7,354.87 Amex Market Value 1,859.92 Nasdaq Composite 2,308.71 S&P 500 1,136.52 S&P MidCap 740.11 Wilshire 5000 11,780.52 Russell 2000 638.49

8,000

Net Chg

-11.94 +41.82 -4.12 +28.13 +6.26 +.29 +3.53 +1.96 +36.67 -1.61

YTD %Chg %Chg

-.11 +1.01 -1.03 +.38 +.34 +.01 +.31 +.27 +.31 -.25

+1.38 +1.78 -.66 +2.36 +1.92 +1.74 +1.92 +1.85 +2.01 +2.09

12-mo %Chg

+17.27 +12.25 +4.17 +23.22 +26.19 +39.72 +21.59 +32.31 +24.83 +24.05

MUTUAL FUNDS

8,800 J

Name

PIMCO TotRetIs American Funds GrthAmA m American Funds CapIncBuA m Vanguard TotStIdx TOCKS OF OCAL NTEREST Fidelity Contra American Funds CpWldGrIA m YTD YTD American Funds IncAmerA m Name Div Yld PE Last Chg%Chg Name Div Yld PE Last Chg %Chg American Funds InvCoAmA m AT&T Inc 1.68 5.9 14 28.44 -.14 +1.5 LeggPlat 1.04 5.1 49 20.29 -.22 -.5 Vanguard 500Inv Vanguard InstIdx Amazon ... ... 79 134.69 +.79 +.1 Lowes .36 1.6 19 22.92 -.24 -2.0 American Funds EurPacGrA m ArvMerit ... ... ... 11.79 -.01 +5.5 Microsoft .52 1.7 20 30.96 +.01 +1.6 Dodge & Cox Stock American Funds WAMutInvA m BB&T Cp .60 2.3 18 26.18 +.37 +3.2 PPG 2.16 3.6 24 60.64 +.04 +3.6 Dodge & Cox IntlStk BkofAm .04 .2 ... 16.20 +.51 +7.6 ParkerHan 1.00 1.8 26 54.26 -.26 +.7 American Funds NewPerspA m BerkHa A ... ... 3099710.00+110.00 +.5 Fidelity DivrIntl d Cisco ... ... 25 24.58 -.11 +2.7 ProgrssEn 2.48 6.1 14 40.43 -.50 -1.4 American Funds FnInvA m ... ... 76 30.97 -.15 +.2 PIMCO TotRetAdm b Delhaize 2.01 2.5 ... 79.12 +.27 +3.1 RedHat Dell Inc ... ... 20 14.87 +.33 +3.6 RoyalBk g 2.00 ... ... 53.70 -.52 +.3 American Funds BalA m DukeEngy .96 5.8 14 16.69 -.28 -3.0 SaraLee .44 3.6 20 12.36 +.06 +1.5 FrankTemp-Franklin Income A m Vanguard 500Adml ExxonMbl 1.68 2.4 16 69.42 +.27 +1.8 SonicAut ... ... ... 10.88 +.20 +4.7 Vanguard Welltn FamilyDlr .54 2.0 13 27.49 +.10 -1.2 SonocoP 1.08 3.5 22 30.49 +.44 +4.2 Fidelity GrowCo American Funds BondA m FifthThird .04 .4 ... 10.39 +.27 +6.6 SpectraEn 1.00 4.8 16 20.66 -.15 +.7 Vanguard TotStIAdm FCtzBA 1.20 .7 17 174.31 +4.27 +6.3 SpeedM .36 2.1 ... 17.53 -.26 -.5 Vanguard TotIntl GenElec .40 2.6 14 15.53 +.08 +2.6 .36 1.5 ... 24.27 +.07 +2.4 Vanguard InstPlus GoldmanS 1.40 .8 21 176.14 +3.06 +4.3 Timken Fidelity LowPriStk d 1.80 3.1 34 58.28 +.10 +1.6 T Rowe Price EqtyInc Google ... ... 40 623.99 -2.76 +.6 UPS B KrispKrm ... ... ... 2.95 -.04 ... WalMart 1.09 2.0 16 53.69 -.54 +.4 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.

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 115,919 LG 65,022 IH 58,268 LB 58,004 LG 57,153 WS 56,060 MA 49,018 LB 48,458 LB 48,312 LB 44,401 FB 40,409 LV 39,986 LV 38,894 FV 36,757 WS 32,502 FG 32,048 LB 30,369 CI 30,268 MA 29,744 CA 29,740 LB 28,379 MA 28,289 LG 28,159 CI 27,836 LB 27,762 FB 26,043 LB 24,767 MB 24,672 LV 15,231 LB 9,880 LB 4,328 GS 1,486 LV 1,245 SR 438 LG 188

+0.5 +14.0/C +3.3 +32.6/C +0.2 +20.8/D +3.5 +27.8/B +3.9 +28.9/D +1.3 +32.5/C +0.9 +24.9/C +2.6 +26.6/C +2.9 +25.5/C +2.9 +25.6/C +1.1 +39.3/A +3.4 +30.7/A +1.8 +18.2/D +2.5 +48.5/A +1.9 +37.4/B +1.5 +33.9/D +2.9 +31.5/A +0.4 +13.7/C +1.7 +20.8/D +3.0 +33.7/A +2.9 +25.6/C +1.4 +22.7/C +5.5 +39.1/B +0.4 +16.0/B +3.5 +27.9/B +1.8 +39.2/A +2.9 +25.7/C +4.6 +38.5/B +3.1 +25.1/B +3.9 +40.8/A +3.1 +22.7/D 0.0 +4.0/B +2.9 +18.6/D +1.1 +37.2/B +4.3 +32.5/C

10.87 27.86 48.50 27.99 59.17 34.76 15.67 26.43 104.64 103.94 39.17 98.16 24.98 32.80 26.10 28.62 33.37 10.87 16.45 2.09 104.65 29.26 70.44 11.87 28.00 14.82 103.95 32.54 21.45 31.36 36.33 10.34 2.99 13.87 15.39

+7.1/A +3.9/A +4.3/C +1.9/B +5.8/A +7.0/A +3.3/B +2.5/B +1.2/C +1.3/C +8.8/A +0.3/D +0.9/C +6.8/A +6.7/A +4.8/C +5.0/A +6.8/A +2.6/C +4.2/B +1.3/C +5.5/A +5.7/A +2.6/E +2.0/B +6.3/B +1.3/C +4.3/A +1.6/B +4.9/A +2.0/B +4.8/A -1.1/E +1.5/C +1.0/D

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

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

Mixed reports have investors being cautious

NEW YORK (AP) — Investors turned cautious on the second trading day of the year as a pair of economic reports sent mixed signals about how the recovery was going. Major stock indexes ended narrowly mixed a day after the Dow Jones industrials soared more than 150 points on upbeat manufacturing reports in the U.S. and China. Uncertainty over key reports this week on employment and the service industry also kept buyers at bay. The economic news on Tuesday was muddled. The Commerce Department reported that factory orders rose by more than twice what had been expected in November, reflecting demand in the steel, computer and chemical industries. The gain of 1.1 percent easily beat the 0.5 percent forecast of analysts polled Thomson Reuters. Meanwhile, the number of buyers who agreed to purchase previously occupied homes fell sharply in November, an indication that sales will fall this winter. The National Association of Realtors said its index of pending home sales fell 16 percent, the first drop after nine months of gains. Some drop had been expected as investors raced to buy homes ahead of a tax credit deadline, which was later extended.

Last

In this Dec. 22 photo, a sale pending sign is posted over a realtor’s sign outside a home in Andover, Mass. The number of buyers who agreed to purchase previously occupied homes fell sharply in November, an indication that sales will fall this winter, undermining last summer’s recovery. Associated Press

Housing news sparks concerns

WASHINGTON (AP) — The number of people preparing to buy a home fell sharply in November, an unsettling new sign that the housing market may be headed for a “double-dip” downturn over the winter. The figures Tuesday came after a similarly discouraging report on new home sales, illustrating A strengthening dollar held stocks to modest how heavily the housing market moves. A strong dollar makes commodities and depends right now on governshares of the companies that produce them less ment help. attractive to foreign buyers. It also hurts the profits In October, buyers raced to of companies that do business overseas. get contracts signed in time to Investors are looking for clues about the directake advantage of a tax credit for tion of the economy in 2010 after a nine-month first-time homeowners that was rally pushed stocks to steep gains for 2009. Now, set to expire. It has since been analysts say, further signs of strengthening in extended into spring — and now the economy are needed to help stocks hold their prospective buyers are taking gains. Major stock indexes stand at 15-month their time. highs. The National Association of The Dow industrials slipped 11.94, or 0.1 perRealtors said its seasonally cent, to 10,572.02. The broader Standard & Poor’s adjusted index of sales contracts 500 index rose 3.53, or 0.3 percent, to 1,136.52, fell 16 percent from October to its highest close since Oct. 1, 2008. The Nasdaq November, ending nine months composite index edged up 0.29, or less than 0.1 of gains. Economists surveyed by percent, to 2,308.71. Thomson Reuters had expected Three stocks rose for every two that fell on the only a 2 percent drop. New York Stock Exchange, where volume rose to “This was bound to happen 1.2 billion shares from 1 billion Monday. at some point, although not by Bond prices rose, pushing interest rates lower. this much,” wrote Jennifer Lee, The yield on the benchmark 10-year Treasury note senior economist with BMO fell to 3.76 percent from 3.83 percent late Monday. Capital Markets. She added: Crude oil rose 26 cents to settle at $81.77 a barrel “Gulp.” on the New York Mercantile Exchange. When the tax credit expires The early days of January are when many investhis spring and the government tors, from pension funds to individuals, pump phases out programs to keep money into the markets as they set up their invest- mortgage rates low, the housing ment strategies for the year. Markets often rise as market will have to stand on its the new money arrives. own. Many economists doubt it can. However Nick Kalivas, vice president of financial “We’re just going to languish research at MF Global in Chicago, said investors at the bottom,” said Anna are cautious ahead of reports on the service indus- Piretti, senior economist at BNP try and employment later in the week because they Paribas. want to confirm that economy is healing. The last housing downturn “There is a lot of data out the next couple of days helped drag the nation into that people want to see before they chase a market the worst recession in decades. at its highs,” Kalivas said. The expected dip in home sales

and prices this winter appears to pose less of a threat to the broader economy. Orders to U.S. factories, for example, posted a big gain in November, the Commerce Department said Tuesday. So while the housing market remains vulnerable, makers of steel, computers and chemicals are mounting a surprisingly robust rebound. “We expect housing to just limp along even as the rest of the economy is growing fairly strongly,” said Nomura Securities economist Zach Pandl. Stocks were mixed as the reports offered conflicting signals about the economy. The Dow industrials slipped 0.1 percent, while the broader Standard & Poor’s 500 index rose 0.3 percent to its highest close since Oct. 1, 2008. The tax credit is worth up to $8,000 for first-time homebuyers and was set to expire Nov. 30. Congress extended it through the end of April and broadened it to include a credit of up to $6,500 for buyers who relocate. Typically, there’s a lag of one to two months between when the contract is signed and when the sale closes. To meet the original deadline for the tax credit, buyers would have needed to submit a signed sales contract by the end of October at the latest. The Realtor group said it expected homebuyers to start responding to the extension by early spring, suggesting that sales will pick up again but fall back later in the year, once the government support is gone. In addition, the Federal Reserve is buying up $1.25 tril-

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Charlotte Wester, a real estate agent with US Preferred Realty in Mesa, Ariz., said homes are so affordable — one house in her area sold for under $50,000 last fall — that houses are drawing multiple bids and often selling over the listing prices.

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lion in mortgage-backed securities to help keep interest rates at or near record lows. That program is scheduled to run out at the end of March, though a sudden jump in rates could force the Fed to extend it. “We don’t want to see mortgage rates rise yet,” said Jerry Smith, associate broker with Re/Max Professional outside Denver. “And we certainly don’t want to see unemployment get any worse than it is.” For November, new sales contracts were down 3 percent in the West, 15 percent in the South and 26 percent each in the Northeast and Midwest. The housing market had been rebounding from the worst downturn in decades, helped by the federal intervention. Sales of existing homes surged in November to the highest level in nearly three years, but analysts expect a drop of 10 to 20 percent from November to December. The most pessimistic analyst forecast came from Daniel Alpert, managing director of the New York investment bank Westwood Capital LLC. He expects prices to fall to 10 percent below the lows of last spring when the government help goes away. Nevertheless, in some particularly hard-hit areas real estate agents are confident the worst days of the housing bust are over.

Patrick Waters

828-248-2947

www.lifestylewellnessspa.com

12A — The Daily Courier, Forest City, NC, Wednesday, January 6, 2010

Nation/world World Today House Speaker Nancy Pelosi of Calif., center, speaks during a health care news conference Tuesday. From left are, Rep. John Larson, D-Conn., House Majority Leader Steny Hoyer of Md., Rep. George Miller, D-Calif., Pelosi, Rep. Charles Rangel, D-N.Y., Rep. Xavier Becerra, D-Calif., Rep. Henry Waxman, D-Calif., and Rep. Chris Van Hollen, D-Md.

1,000 left homeless after tsunami

Associated Press

Premiums top health care issues

WASHINGTON (AP) — Congressional Democrats and President Barack Obama began work in earnest Tuesday on difficult issues still standing in the way of their national health care overhaul after months of tortuous debate. Topping the list: How to help Americans pay for insurance premiums. Republicans weren’t invited, and they complained that the Democrats intended to deliberate behind closed doors — though lawmakers often do so in the final stages of such complex legislation. Separately, the head of C-SPAN, the nonpartisan public affairs network, called for letting the sun shine in on the discussions — as Obama once had promised. House Democrats face the virtual certainty that they will not get the government-run insurance plan liberals had sought, a point Speaker Nancy Pelosi acknowledged. The president wants to sign sweeping legislation to extend insurance coverage by the time of his State of the Union speech, expected in early February. Separate bills passed by the House and Senate would require nearly all Americans to get coverage and would provide subsidies for many who can’t afford the cost — but they differ on hundreds of details.

Pressure to get a final bill means Democratic congressional leaders are likely to bypass formal negotiations as they reach for a deal. Pelosi, D-Calif., met Tuesday with senior Democrats to go over the major issues. Pelosi and Majority Leader Steny Hoyer, D-Md., were to meet with Obama at the White House late in the afternoon, with Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid, D-Nev., and Sen. Dick Durbin, D-Ill., joining by telephone. In exchange for losing the federal “government option,” House Democrats say they intend to press the Senate to make premiums more affordable for Americans. The outcome of the talks could mean savings of hundreds of dollars for families buying coverage through new insurance supermarkets created. Pelosi said she wants the final product “to ensure affordability for the middle class, accountability for the insurance companies, (and) accessibility by lowering costs at every stage. The House and Senate “are going for the same goal — hold down costs,” said Rep. George Miller, D-Calif. White House officials say the bills have 95 percent in common. Maybe so, but the remaining issues could be hard to resolve in the few weeks Obama has in

mind. Among them: whom to tax, how many people to cover, how to restrict taxpayer funding for abortion, whether illegal immigrants should be allowed to buy coverage in the new markets with their own money. The list goes on. Concerns about affordability are paramount. Major subsidies under the bills won’t start flowing to consumers until 2013 at the earliest. Even with federal aid many families would still face substantial costs. The House bill would provide $602 billion in subsidies from 2013-2019, covering an additional 36 million people. The Senate bill would start the aid a year later, providing $436 billion in subsidies from 20142019, and reducing the number of uninsured by 31 million. The House would provide much greater financial help for households making as much as three times the federal poverty level, $32,490 for an individual, $66,150 for a family of four, according to a side-by-side analysis prepared by House Democratic staffers. The Senate bill would provide greater assistance for households one rung up the ladder, making between three and four times the federal poverty level, or up to $43,320 for an individual and $88,200 for a family of four.

Start The New Year Off With A BANG!

on All New Honda’s 2009 Honda CRV LX 2WD Drive it for

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Drive it for

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ALL VEHICLES RUN THROUGH

2009 Honda Civic LX

Drive it for

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2010 Honda Odyssey LX

STK# F4911 MSRP $27,515.00 A/T A/C PW, PL, TILT/CRuISe CD & much more.

STK#F4899 MSRP $19,115 Auto., air, power windows & locks, cruise, CD, & more.

2010 Honda Accord LX Drive it for

STK#F4696 MSRP $22,565 Auto., power windows & locks, tilt, cruise, CD player. *Based on 36 mo. lease w/3000 cash down, plus tax, tag, $699 doc fee & any other dealer installed options. Residual of 13,539.00 approved on Super Preferred credit thru AhFC. *Rates subject to change without prior notice.

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HONIARA, Solomon Islands (AP) — Landslides and a tsunami destroyed the homes of about one-third of the population on a Solomon Island, but lives were likely spared as residents with memories of previous disasters fled quickly to higher ground, officials said Tuesday. From the air, extensive damage could be seen on a remote western island after a 7.2-magnitude temblor triggered the landslides in the Pacific Solomon Islands on Monday, said disaster management office director Loti Yates. No injuries have been reported some 30 hours after the biggest in a series of quakes churned a tsunami wave that was up to 10 feet (3 meters) high as it plowed into the coast, officials said.

Intel said lacking in Afghanistan KABUL (AP) — NATO’s top intelligence officer has ordered significant changes in the way information is collected and shared in Afghanistan, saying that without reform the U.S. intelligence community will continue to be only “marginally relevant” to the counterinsurgency mission. In a stinging assessment of the U.S. intelligence effort after eight years of war, U.S. Maj. Gen. Michael Flynn directed intelligence workers to focus less on the enemy and more on civilian life.

Bomber coerced to spy by Jordan ZARQA, Jordan (AP) — The suspected Jordanian double agent who killed eight people on a CIA base in Afghanistan was recruited by his country’s intelligence agency after it threw him in jail to coerce him into helping them track down al-Qaida’s No. 2 leader, counterterrorism officials in the Middle East said Tuesday. Three Middle Eastern counterterrorism officials said 32-year-old physician Humam Khalil Abu-Mulal al-Balawi was jailed for three days after he signed up for a humanitarian mission to the Gaza Strip with a Jordanian field hospital following Israel’s offensive there. At that time, authorities were aware that al-Balawi had posted fiery writings on militant Web sites, calling on Muslims to join a holy war against Israel and the United States. The officials spoke to The Associated Press on condition of anonymity. The Jordanian Intelligence Directorate wanted al-Balawi, who was respected among al-Qaida and other militants for his Web writings, to help them and their CIA allies capture or kill Ayman al-Zawahri, Osama bin Laden’s right-hand man, according to a counterterrorism official based in the Middle East.

Obama: Intelligence lapses unacceptable WASHINGTON (AP) — President Barack Obama asserted on Tuesday that the U.S. government had enough information to foil the attempted bombing on a Christmas Day airline flight but intelligence agencies “failed to connect the dots.” Obama called that unacceptable and said, “I will not tolerate it.” The accused attacker, a Nigerian man who claimed ties to al-Qaida, was subdued by other passengers and airline crew members after he allegedly attempted to detonate explosives hidden under his clothes. The president, speaking after meeting with his Cabinet and national security team, declared, “We have to do better and we will do better. And we will do it quickly.” Obama also said he was suspending the transfer of Guantanamo detainees from Yemen. The Christmas attack has raised concerns about Yemen, because the Nigerian man has claimed to have been acting on instructions from al-Qaida operatives in that country. Nearly half of the 198 detainees held at Guantanamo are from Yemen. But Obama reiterated his vow to eventually close the prison camp in Cuba. Obama said the foiled attack exposed “a potentially disastrous” security failure. He spoke after a White House meeting with the high-ranking government officials charged with carrying out two reviews he has ordered. Obama spelled out recent changes in security protocols for airline flights and changes to the government’s watchlist of suspected terrorists.

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2007 Honda CRV EX STK# F4454A

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2003 Toyota Highlander

2009 Toyota Corlla LE

2006 Jeep Wrangler

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The Daily Courier, Forest City, NC, Wednesday, January 6, 2010 — 1B

Imperfections can be the perfect accent. Interior by Regina-Andrew Design.

FAMILY FEATURES

s the saying goes, there’s no place like home. And these days people are looking for ways to make their home a more enjoyable living space. “Rather than flipping homes, like people did when the housing market was strong, we’re seeing more and more families embracing what they already have,” says Bob Maricich, president and CEO of World Market Center Las Vegas. “The idea of refreshing one’s environment, even in the smallest ways, can have a restorative power and transform a house to a home.” Home furnishing experts say that it’s important to recognize that it’s the littlest things that matter when you’re making enhancements to your home. Simple touches of a new sofa or end table, rug or even a decorative lamp shade will create a different look and feel to a room or space. This is a small lifestyle change, and not an Measure, measure, measure! unobtainable luxury. Too many people don’t measure

Tips for Choosing Furniture

Timeless Trends

their rooms, doorways and stairways before buying a furniture piece. Make sure it will not only fit in the room, but will fit through all the doorways it takes to get into the room.

Nancy Robinson and Julie M. Smith, of Nine Muses Media, have put together some timeless trends that will help you visualize and explore the possibilities for updating your home.

Calm Yourself

Living with a neutral interior palette is like being enveloped by a cloud. Get the look by blanketing rooms in the softest neutral shades: cream, mocha and, most especially (and perhaps surprisingly), gray. “A dash of a neutral metallic accent, such as silver, adds a welcome sparkle,” said Robinson. “It’s like sunlight peeking through the clouds.”

Distressed to Impress

Modern Country is ageless and exudes a comforting charm that takes imperfection to new heights. Natural finishes, heavily distressed surfaces, reclaimed woods, rattan, wicker and other natural textures are livable finishes for busy families. And the look fits farmhouse style or urban loft with equal ease.

Ethnic Inspiration

Far-reaching global influences are no longer far flung. Ethnicinspired fabrics are turning up all over in American homes. “The organic patterns, vibrant color palettes and handcrafted looks create an aura of sophisticated warmth,” said Smith. What to look for: motifs inspired by traditional African design; susani patterns from Central Asia; ikats and batiks from Indonesia; and handblocked woodprints from India.

Black and white never goes out of style. Côte de Rhône bedding ensemble by Amity Home.

Color Trial: Just because you like the color in the showroom doesn’t mean you’ll like it in your house. Lighting and surrounding elements can change a color drastically. Get color swatches and live with them for a few days before making a final decision. Reality Check: Think through how this piece of furniture will be used and who will be using it. Small children, pets, shoes on the ottoman, snacking in front of the TV — they all can cause wear and tear on furniture. Light colored fabrics, delicate construction and fine finishes might just have to give way to more practical concerns.

Power Play

A smaller footprint, lighter weight and better performance are important purchase considerations when buying a new laptop. The same things matter when buying home office furniture. In fact, Robinson and Smith note that as laptops have become the most popular home computing choice among consumers, so, too, have writing tables and petite desks moved to the fore. Unlike their executive suite predecessors, these modestly scaled workstations don’t take up an entire room. Instead, they slip easily into most interiors, providing needed workspace without taking up too much space — or too much money.

Seeing Black and White

Smaller desks pack big benefits. Origins laptop desk by aspenhome.

Bring the world home with ethnic-inspired fabrics. Icon Collection, Larry Laslo Designs for Robert Allen.

The go-to item in your closet may be the little black (or white, depending on season) dress. In home furnishings, it’s the combination of the two that offers the most impact. It’s twice the look in one great product, and it never goes out of style. Smith and Robinson say to consider making a statement with a black and white combo in bedding ensembles, window treatments, wallpaper or upholstery fabric. Refreshing your nest doesn’t have to be out of reach. With a few simple changes it’s possible to fall in love with your home all over again. For more inspiration and tips, visit HomeYet.com. A dash of silver adds sparkle. Star chest, table and chairs by Bolier & Co.

This chick’s doing the math, 2010 looks pretty good

Twenty ten it is. Is it bad to say I’m glad the holidays are over? I hope not, because I really am, and so is Andy Rooney. I figure if it’s acceptable for CBS’s senior correspondent to say it, I can squeak by too. It’s not that I don’t take great enjoyment from the spiritual meaning of Christmas or the turkey and family gathering at Thanksgiving... It’s the preparation and all that extra stuff which tires me. Although the celebrations are triumphant, the stress is constantly tapping on my shoulder saying “Hey, I’m with ya.” And I’m answering,

Humor Me Abbe Byers

“Hey, I feel ya.” I start to wind down toward New Year’s (being the anti-party animal I’ve become), and it’s just another night to me. Sometimes I see the ball drop, sometimes I don’t. This year — I didn’t. Can you believe it’s the year 2010? It almost seems surreal. I find

myself fumbling with the keyboard to type in 10, instead of 09, or 0-something. Makes me feel sort of spastic. And then, there’s the controversy of how to correctly say our brand new year. Is it “twenty ten” or “two thousand ten”? Of course, it’s a matter of personal preference, but the U.S. based National Association for Good Grammar has made the following determination: (Yep, I Googled it) If you’re speaking to someone, you want to say, “twenty ten” and not “two thousand ten.” NAGG decided to step in so

that subsequent years, “twenty eleven,” “twenty twelve,” and so forth are pronounced that way, according to a news release. NAGG associate Tom Torriglia, told the local Chronicle from his home in San Francisco. “We lost the battle when we went from 1999 to 2000 — but now we’re hoping to win the war.” ‘Twenty,’ he notes, follows ‘nineteen’ and ‘Two thousand’ does not follow ‘nineteen.’ Sounds logical to me. Either way you toss it, “twenty ten” or “two thousand ten,” holds many bright spots for my future, including the

birth of a second grandchild (a girl), the addition of a new daughterin-law, the high school graduation of a nephew, my parent’s 57th wedding anniversary and a milestone birthday for moi — the big 5-0. Normally I enjoy low key birthdays, dinner and cake with the family and I’m happy, however, there’s something about turning 50 that has me excited. It’s like I’m entering a new phase in life. A right of passage. Joining an elite group. A group which has real life experience under their belt, wisdom to share, and the right to say ‘no’ just because we

can (and not feel guilty). I no longer make excuses for my non-existent girlish figure, the gray in my hair or the crow’s feet accenting my eyes. “I Yam What I Yam,” as Popeye would say. I’m not embarrassed that Crocs™ are my shoe of choice and that reading glasses are part of my wardrobe as well. I just as soon forget my underwear as to not have my glasses. I need the glasses more. Remembering the famous words of John Paul Getty — “Age doesn’t matter, unless you are cheese” — look out 2010 here I come!

2B â&#x20AC;&#x201D; The Daily Courier, Forest City, NC, Wednesday, January 6, 2010

local

Forest City Recreation doesnâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;t just play during the holidays By SCOTT BAUGHMAN Daily Courier Staff Writer

FOREST CITY â&#x20AC;&#x201D; Forest Cityâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s Parks and Recreation department workers spend most of their days looking for ways to save money and help others play games. But this Christmas, they also were on the look out for ways to help their fellow man. About 15 town employees pooled their resources and came up with help for a young mother and father. Fernando Galindo and Jacky Granja and their 4-month old baby Erik Zion Galindo-Granja were the recipients of the groupâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s generosity this year.

Red Cross schedules six blood drives in January FOREST CITY â&#x20AC;&#x201D; Blood Types O and B are common in Rutherford County and are in high demand in area hospitals. The American Red Cross has scheduled six blood drives in January and everyone is encouraged to give blood. All presenting donors will be entered in a drawing for a chance to win a $1,000 gift card. Thursday, Jan. 7 3 to 7:30 p.m. Concord Baptist Church 720 Old Highway 74; Bostic Call 245-6130 for further information. Saturday, Jan. 9 7:30 a.m. to noon Goodes Creek Baptist Church Call 245-3513 for further information. Saturday, Jan. 9 7:30 a.m. to noon Cliffside Masonic Lodge Blood Drive Old Main Street; Cliffside Call 245-7606 for further information. Monday, Jan. 25 2 to 6:30 p.m. American Red Cross Chapter House, 838 Oakland Road; Forest City Call 287-5916 for further information. Thursday, Jan. 28 2 to 7:30 p.m. R-S Middle School Call 286-8314 for further information.

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â&#x20AC;&#x153;Our department was able to give many different items for them and the baby,â&#x20AC;? said Director Jody Wright. â&#x20AC;&#x153;They were very appreciative of everything.â&#x20AC;?

The department workers gave the young family clothes, a swing and toys for their baby and helped out the mother and father with tennis shoes, clothes, work boots, a gift card to Ingles and some cash donations.

â&#x20AC;&#x153;We as a department decided that there are so many needy people in our town and we are blessed to have a job and felt like we needed to help someone less fortunate,â&#x20AC;? Wright said. â&#x20AC;&#x153;We ask several agencies to look for a family in need.â&#x20AC;?

Contributed photos

Forest City Parks and Recreation workers helped raise money and donated items for a local family in need this past holiday season. Shown (front row, l-r), are Fernando Galindo, Jacky Granja and baby, Erik Zion Galindo-Granja. The workers are Diane Bailey, Patti Brown, Kristen Crawford, Mike Flynn, Myra King ; second row, Greg Watkins, Jody Wright, Brian Blanton, Matt Gowan; back row, Phil Luckadoo, Larry Ross, Terry Osteen, Rusty Wood. Not Pictured: Bobby Adair and Chuck Freeman.

The entire department agreed that the couple were the best recipients, especially with the new baby. â&#x20AC;&#x153;We started collecting stuff and getting it all together at the beginning of December,â&#x20AC;? Wright added. â&#x20AC;&#x153;It is just a way that we felt we could give back to our city because we all have to work

together during these times. Helping out one needy family each Christmas season is our way of doing that giving back and we do try and find one family every year that we can help in some small way.â&#x20AC;? Contact Baughman via e-mail at sbaughman@thedigitalcourier.com.

Crop disaster program is open for applications

Dianne Davis, County Executive Director of Rutherford County Farm Service Agency, states that the long awaited new disaster program for the 2008 crop year is open for applications beginning January 4, 2010. An ending date for this

News as Fresh as The Morning

601 Oak Street Forest City, NC

(828) 245-6431

www.thedigitalcourier.com

2008 signup period has not yet been established. This program is part of the 2008 farm bill and replaces the old ad-hoc disaster programs. Only producers who had crop insurance or NAP insurance on all their crops that contributed significantly to their farming operation, or who â&#x20AC;&#x153;bought inâ&#x20AC;? to the program in 2008, or beginning farmers and limited resource farmers are eligible to participate in this program. For more information on this program or any other program FSA administers Rutherford County FSA can be reached by phone at (828) 287-4220, or at 121 Laurel Drive Rutherfordton.

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The Daily Courier, Forest City, NC, Wednesday, January 6, 2010 — 3B

feature

Hunting newborn tests for super-rare gene diseases By LAURAN NEERGAARD AP Medical Writer

WASHINGTON (AP) — At his first birthday, John Klor couldn’t sit up on his own. A few months later, he was cruising like any healthy toddler — thanks to a special diet that’s treating the North Carolina boy’s mysterious disease. What doctors initially called cerebral palsy instead was a rare metabolic disorder assaulting his brain and muscles, yet one that’s treatable if caught in time. Urged by John’s family, Duke University researchers are working on a way to test newborns for this disease, called GAMT deficiency. It’s part of a growing movement to add some of the rarest

of rare illnesses — with such names as bubbleboy disease, Pompe disease, Krabbe disease — to the battery of screenings given to U.S. babies hours after birth. “There’s other children out there that can be helped and be saved,” says Melissa Klor, John’s mother. But just how many illnesses can that tiny spot of blood pricked from a baby’s heel really turn up? And not all are treatable, so when is population-wide testing appropriate? “Families go through these odysseys of diagnosis” to learn what’s wrong with a child, says Dr. Alan Fleischman of the March of Dimes, who’s part of a government advisory committee studying what to add to the national

screening list. Often, “they argue that they would have been better off knowing even if there were no treatments.” Since 2004, specialists have urged that every U.S. newborn be tested for 29 rare but devastating genetic diseases, using that single heel-prick of blood, to catch the fraction who need fast treatment to avoid retardation, severe illness, even death. States gradually adopted those recommendations, and federal health officials say the testing catches about 5,000 babies a year with disorders ranging from sickle cell anemia to maple syrup urine disease and others with such tongue-twisting names that they go by acronyms like LCHAD. John Klor’s illness is

too new for that list. By the time her son was 6 months old, Melissa Klor knew something was wrong. John missed developmental milestones, unable to sit, stop his head from wobbling, or babble. He regressed, quitting rolling over. He stared blankly for moments at a time, a kind of mini-seizure. ]A neurologist diagnosed cerebral palsy. But John never had an MRI scan to prove the diagnosis, and Klor eventually sought a second opinion. Right after John’s first birthday came the news: His brain scan showed no sign of cerebral palsy, but he might have any of a number of degenerative metabolic disorders. In a lucky break, John’s blood and urine

were sent to Duke’s genetics laboratory for specialized testing that found he couldn’t process protein correctly. John’s body wasn’t producing a substance called creatine that’s crucial for providing energy to the brain and muscles, leading other protein metabolites to basically clog his system and damage his brain. Creatine deficiency syndromes weren’t discovered until 1994; Duke is one of the few labs able to diagnose them. Fortunately, John’s version — called GAMT deficiency for the enzyme, guanidinoacetate methyltransferase, that his body lacks — is treatable in the young. Doctors ordered a vegan diet — only fruits, vegetables and specially processed pastas — with no more than 6 grams of protein daily. John drinks a formula containing creatine and other missing nutrients. “Within days, we started to see him getting stronger,” says Klor, of Pine Knoll Shores, N.C. Today at 19 months, John runs and climbs stairs. He’s starting to make sounds like “ma” but speech is coming more slowly; doctors are optimistic but make Klor no promises. Only 40 cases of GAMT deficiency have been reported in medical journals, but Duke specialists say creatine disorders probably are underdiagnosed, with symptoms similar to other metabolic diseases. GAMT deficiency may eventually be a

candidate for newborn screening, although it’s not yet clear if the troublesome substances will show up in blood at birth or if a different test will be required, cautions medical geneticist David Millington. His lab is studying that now. The work is the latest in a push to expand newborn screening: —Within two years, Missouri and Illinois are to begin screening for five of the roughly 40 “lysosomal storage” disorders, where the microscopic recycling bins inside cells fail, allowing toxic buildup that harms different body parts. They include Pompe disease — the subject of a soon-to-be-released Harrison Ford movie — and Fabry, Gaucher, Niemann-Pick and Krabbe diseases. Currently, New York is the only state to test newborns for a lysosomal disorder, the Krabbe disease that killed the son of former Buffalo Bills quarterback Jim Kelly. The federal government’s advisers are considering adding lysosomal disorders to the national screening list, despite few treatments. —Also under consideration for the national list is the bubble boy disease, formally known as SCID, or “severe combined immunodeficiency disease.” Wisconsin is screening newborns in a closely watched experiment to see if SCID and related immune-crippling diseases can be caught in time for babies to get life-extending treatment.

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AP Photo

In this photo provided by the family, John Klor, then-16-months old, of Pine Knoll Shore, N.C., pushed a toy in the photo taken Sept. 12, 2009. At his first birthday, John Klor couldn’t even sit up on his own. Three months later, he was cruising like a normal toddler — when a lucky break finally diagnosed the North Carolina boy’s mysterious disease.

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4B — The Daily Courier, Forest City, NC, Wednesday, January 6, 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

JANUARY 6 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

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3 4 7 9 13 16 21 33 40 62

News Ent. News Inside Wheel Praise Two Busi Payne Chro 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

Criminal Dog Bounty Boun Sea Sea Sea Sea Dog Boun 106 & Park } › Waist Deep (‘06) Å TBA Mo’Nique W. Williams Daily Col Chap Chap Futur Futur S. Tosh. Daily Col S. Tosh. CNN Tonight Camp. Brown Larry King Anderson Cooper 360 Å Larry King Man vs. Wild Man vs. Wild Man vs. Wild Man vs. Wild Man vs. Wild Man vs. Wild College Football: GMAC Bowl NBA Basketball: Lakers at Clippers College Basketball College Basketball SportsCenter Foot NFL FOX Report O’Reilly Hannity (N) On Record O’Reilly Hannity Top 50 College Football Poker College Basketball Final } ››› Live Free or Die Hard (‘07) Nip/Tuck (N) Nip/Tuck Deep Rising Bye Bye } ››› The Commitments } Weekend at Bernie’s Commitments MASH MASH Angel Angel Angel Gold Gold Gold Gold House House Prop Prop House In House Holmes First House In Marvels Nostradamus Apocalypse Nostradamus Nostradamus Nostradamus Grey’s Anat. Grey’s Anat. } The Hand That Rocks the Cradle Will Fra Me iCarly Spon Mal Mal Chris Chris Lopez Lopez Nanny Nanny Nanny Nanny Unleashed Unleashed Die Die Die MAN MAN Die DEA Ghost Ghost Ghost Hunt Ghost Ghost Hunt Scariest Name Name Payne Payne Brow Brow Brow Brow Lopez Sein Sein Cause-Alarm } The Scarlet Empress Rasputin and the Empress Red Danube Cake Cake Cake Cake Cake Cake Tail Tail Cake Cake Cake Cake Bones Å Bones Å Bones Å Bones Å CSI: NY Å CSI: NY Å John Titans De Dude Star Titans King King Fam Fam Chick Aqua College Football College Football College Football NCIS Å NCIS Å NCIS Å NCIS Å } No Country for Old Men Home Videos } ››› Bull Durham (‘88) WGN News Scru Scru S. S.

8651 8182 8181 8650 8180 8192 8183 8190 8184 8185

Mil Inside Scene Ent. Jeop

I Get That Mercy (N) I Get That Mid Mid Mid Mid Niteline Sein Glee Å NC Human Spark My The Unit Na Human Spark Office One Tree Hill

People’s Choice Awards News Law & Order Jay Leno News People’s Choice Awards News Fam Cou Ugly Betty (N) News Fam Cou Ugly Betty (N) News Praise the Lord Å Glee Å News Sein North This Emotional Life (N) The Unit News Ac TMZ This Emotional Life (N) Tavis Gossip Girl News Office Fam

Letterman Late Tonight Show Late Letterman Late Night Kimmel Night Kimmel Good Tonight Frien Frien Jim BBC Rose Dr. Oz Show Cheat BBC Charlie Rose 70s Name Ray

CABLE CHANNELS

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

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

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PREMIUM CHANNELS

MAX ENC HBO SHO STARZ

510 520 500 540 530

310 340 300 318 350

512 526 501 537 520

Spider-Man :15 } Kiss of the Dragon } ››› Marley & Me (‘08) Linge Sex Princess Drs } The Cable Guy Father of the Bride Part II American Were I Am Legend REAL Sports } The Uninvited } Revolutionary Road (‘08) Ex } Harvard Beats Yale 29-29 Inside NFL I Love You Inside NFL Chuck :10 } ›› Mad Money (‘08) } Rachel Getting Married } ›› American Pie 2 (‘01)

A thousand words of warning

Dear Abby: Shortly after college and a bad breakup, I met someone I thought was a “nice” guy. I allowed him to take sexually explicit photos of me. The moment he snapped the pictures I regretted it and asked for them back. He refused, and even tried to extort money from me with threats of sending copies to my workplace. I was working for a Fortune 500 company at the time and was scared to death. Fortunately, he didn’t follow through on his threat. 20 years later, I am a stay-at-home mom with a wonderful husband and two young children. I still think about the mistakes I made all those years ago, and I had a dream recently about this particular situation. I’m not worried about my husband finding out because I told him about this before we were married. Who we are today is not necessarily who we are going to be tomorrow. Please warn young girls and boys to THINK before doing something that can follow them through a lifetime. — Nameless

Dear Nameless: Amen! But your letter is a more effective warning than any sermon that could come from me. Not only is it a fact that the photos and statements we post on the Internet are there for eternity, but the “sexts,” texts, videos and blogs of yesteryear can haunt us like tattered vagrant ghosts instead of staying buried. One need only recall the embarrassment of

Dear Abby Abigail van Buren

certain celebrities -- who should have known better -- whose names and images have been blasted across the media and learn from their mistakes. Dear Abby: My wife had a series of affairs during our 25 years of marriage. I loved her, so I tried to ignore what was happening for the sake of our three children. When she left me for her boss, divorce was my only option. The years have passed and I am remarried to a wonderful woman. We are happy together and life is good. What should my role be in building a bridge between my children and their mother? Our oldest son hasn’t spoken to her in seven years. The middle child, our daughter, has accepted her mother’s husband. Our younger son blocks his mother’s calls and e-mails. The kids are in their 20s and live on their own. The hurt is still there from her betrayal, cheating and lies, but I worry about my kids and their relationship with their mother. Is it my responsibility to intercede on her behalf? — Distressed Dad Dear distressed Dad: No. In fact, you should stay out of it.

What Wednesday, Jan. 6, 2010 If readers would like to contact Dr. Gott, they may write him through your newspaper or send their mail directly to Dr. Gott c/o United Media, 200 Madison Ave., 4th fl., New York, NY 10016. However, if readers want to request a newsletter, they should write to the Ohio address. DR. GOTT Split nails are an embarrassment By Peter H. Gott, M.D. DEAR DR. GOTT: I thoroughly enjoy reading your column and am writing regarding the use of white (clear) iodine for nails. Just three of my nails split, and I am unable to let them grow to match the other seven, which grow very nicely. All my nails are very hard, and even the three that split are somewhat hard. Two

PUZZLE

Ask Dr. Gott Dr. Peter M. Gott

are on my right hand, and one is on the left. My question is twofold: Can I use the clear iodine even though the nails are not soft, just splitting? Also, is the iodine used on clean nails without even clear polish? If so, can I use it in the evening and put clear polish on each morning? The clear polish does provide a modicum of protection when my hands are in water. I try to use gloves when I do dishes and cleaning with stronger detergents. I realize that you are a busy doctor; however, I would greatly appreciate it if you could provide a response. DEAR READER: Split fingernails

IN THE STARS Wednesday, Jan. 6, 2010 ASTRO-GRAPH By Bernice Bede Osol In the year ahead, it would behoove you to make as many friends as possible in your field of endeavor. The more you get to know those who like you, the greater your chances of someone helping advance your career CAPRICORN (Dec. 22-Jan. 19) -- There’s nothing wrong with assertiveness as long as you don’t cross the line to pushiness or aggressiveness. In which case, others are likely to put up strong barriers. AQUARIUS (Jan. 20-Feb. 19) -- Just because you may handle professional issues well doesn’t mean it will spill into other areas, such as social involvements. In these cases, you could let your guard down too much. PISCES (Feb. 20-March 20) -- Unless you’re careful, there is a strong chance you might display preferential treatment with regard to your friendships. In which case, you could hurt someone badly who has been good to you. ARIES (March 21-April 19) -- Although you like followers to assist when needed, you would be better off working on your own. Others could unintentionally become unproductive baggage that will slow you down. TAURUS (April 20-May 20) -- You’ll be your old sweet self as long as everything is running smoothly, but the minute things go awry, the devil in you could quickly emerge. GEMINI (May 21-June 20) -- If you’re willing to accept limitations in yourself and your co-workers, your disposition will remain good. If either is pushed to the wall, however, that smile will turn into a snarl. CANCER (June 21-July 22) -- Any shortcomings of

The Daily Courier, Forest City, NC, Wednesday, January 6, 2010 — 5B The Daily Courier, Forest City, NC, WEDNESDAY, January 6, 2010 — 5B

featuret

Living walls may be ultimate raised-bed garden DEAN FOSDICK,

laterally.

For The Associated Press

These living walls can make great backdrops for mixing color with cuisine; use them to frame patios and decks with tapestries of miniature tomatoes and spaghetti squash. Or make privacy screens by draping morning glories, clematis and sweet peas over netting

Things are looking up for gardeners who are short on space but long on imagination.

It’s increasingly easy to build vertical gardens, structures that enable plants to grow upward if there is no room for growing them

or latticework. “Vertical gardening makes it easier to have your ornaments and eat them too,” said Leonard Perry, an extension professor of horticulture at the University of Vermont. “Grab a tomato or two as you walk by, which is an easy thing to do when they’re hanging at different levels.” Living walls entail gardening on the edge, however. While great for saving space, they are more challenging when fertilizing and watering. “Holding water on a flat roof isn’t difficult, but turning it 90 degrees on a wall is tremendously tricky,” said Edmund Snodgrass of Street, Md., an author and operator of a nursery dedicated to producing green roof plants.

AP Photo

This photo released by Derek Fell shows a Skyscraper Garden, featuring climbing vegetables, from left to right: climbing Trombone zucchini, Early Cascade tomatoes, and Orient Express climbing cucumbers.

“You have to decide early on what it is you want to accomplish with this. Understand what level of effort you want to put into it as a homeowner.” Living walls vary greatly in size and sophistication, from commercial designs with complicated plumbing and roots attached to walls, to plant pockets connected to webbing, to flowering vines planted in the ground and trained to climb homemade

supports. Each needs a sturdy framework, waterproofing material to protect the walls, and plant containers. “Walls with pockets are nice for urban areas or properties with elevation changes,” Snodgrass said. “They’re also easy for backyard gardeners to use because they don’t need complex irrigation systems. All have their merits.” More benefits of vertical gardens: —Erected against warm walls, they can become microclimates resistant to killing frosts. “That can mean starting your garden earlier in the spring and continuing with it later into the fall,” said Derek Fell, a horticulturist from Pipersville, Pa., who has developed a backyard device he calls the “Skyscraper

Garden.” ‘’Climbing plants like spinach or pole snap beans will bear all summer, giving you up to 10 times the yields of similar bush varieties.” —Plants grown in vertical gardens are less disease-prone. “Having them grow upright gets more air circulating around them,” Perry said. “Less accumulated moisture means less disease.” —Little or no stooping is required. “Forget all that bending over as you plant or prune,” Perry said. “Everything is conveniently in front of you.” The weight of a maturing vertical garden can fracture or rot buildings if it’s not installed properly, however. Using lightweight potting soil rather than

saturated topsoil will help reduce the load. “I cannot think of any downside to vertical gardening except not all vegetables are suitable for growing tall up supports — lettuce, cabbage peppers, eggplant for example,” Fell said. “But they can be used as an edging below the vining plants. “By extending your (planting) bed away from a wall like an apron, you can have the best of both worlds — climbing vegetables at the back and compact, low-growing vegetables at the front.” On the Net: University of Vermont fact sheet: http:// www.uvm.edu/pss/ppp/ articles/vertgard.html. You can contact Dean Fosdick at deanfosdick(at) netscape.net

CALL FOR INFO ON THESE TOPICS & MORE! • FINANCIAL ASSISTANCE • CHILD OR SPOUSE ABUSE • COUNSELING • HEALTH CARE • TRANSPORTATION • FOOD OR CLOTHING

Linking People with Services

First Call For Help 668 Withrow Road, Forest City, NC Funded by United Way of Rutherford County and Smart Start

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.

Apartments

Nice 2 Bedroom on one floor & 1 Bedroom Apt across from Super 8 Motel in Spindale $385/mo. & $515/mo. Call 828-447-1989

2BR/1BA APT in FC Newly updated! $425/mo. + sec. dep. Contact 828-228-5873 2 & 3BR Close to downtown Rfdtn. D/w, stove, refrig., w/d hook up. No pets! 287-0733

Apartments Special $100 dep.! 1, 2 & 3BR Nice, large Townhomes Priv. decks, w/d hook up. Water incld.! Starting at $375/mo.

1-888-684-5072

Subscribe - 245-6431 NOTICE OF PUBLIC HEARING TOWN OF LAKE LURE’S NORTHERN PARKLAND ACQUISITION PARTF GRANT APPLICATION

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

2 WEEK SPECIAL

Run ad 12 consecutive days and only pay for 9 days*

3 DAY WEEKEND SPECIAL

YARD SALE SPECIAL

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

*4 line minimum on all ads Apartments

1 WEEK SPECIAL

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

Apartments

Homes

Mobile Homes

Richmond Hill Senior Apts. in Rfdtn 1BR Units w/handicap accessible units avail. Sec 8 assistance avail. 287-2578 Hours: Mon., Tues., & Thurs. 7-3. TDD Relay 1-800-735-2962 Equal Housing Opportunity. Income Based Rent.

For Rent

Shop Local

Beautiful country cottage Hudlow Rd. 2BR/1BA $500/mo. 704-376-8081

3BR/1BA house, electric central h/a. $450/mo. Pets OK. Call 828-289-6336

Cliffside Area: 3BR /1 BA $500 p/month + utilities, nonsmoker ref. and deposit req. Call (828)287-0637 (828)-381-0091

2BR/1BA Dual pane windows, ceiling fans, window a/c, w/d hookup. East Court St., Rfdtn. $310/mo. 1/2 off 2nd month App. 828-748-8801

119 McBrayer Court 2BR/1BA Appl. furn. $385/mo. Deposit & ref’s req. 289-4488

NOTICE TO CREDITORS

Notice is hereby given that a Public Hearing will be held by the Lake Lure Town Council in the Council Meeting Room of the Lake Lure Municipal Center, 2948 Memorial Highway, Lake Lure, North Carolina on the 12th day of January, 2010, at 7:00 p.m. or thereafter, for the purpose of a public meeting receiving comments on the Town of Lake Lure Northern Parkland Acquisition PARTF (State of North Carolina Parks and Recreation Trust Fund) grant application. A brief presentation will be given by the Carolina Mountain Land Conservancy regarding the project outlined in the PARTF grant application. The public is invited to offer their comments on the Town of Lake Lure Northern Parkland PARTF grant application. A copy of this application is on file at Town Hall for inspection by all interested persons. This public notice dated the 4th day of January, 2010.

*Private party customers only! This special must be mentioned at the time of ad placement. Valid 1/4/10 - 1/8/10

Having qualified as Co-Executor of the estate of AUDREY M. PHILBECK of Rutherford County, North Carolina, this is to notify all persons having claims against the estate of the said AUDREY M. PHILBECK to present them to the undersigned on or before the 23rd day of March 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 23rd day of December, 2009. David William Philbeck, Co-Executor 1401 Tiney Road Ellenboro, NC 28040 Wanda Denise Huneycutt, Co-Executor 205 Old Hickory Road Locust, NC 28097

1, 2 & 3 BEDROOM

HOUSES & APTS. FOR RENT! $285/mo.-$750/mo.

Rentals Unlimited

245-7400 Mobile Homes For Rent 2BR/2BA, Harris area on 1 acre lot. No inside pets. $400/mo + dep. 6 mo. lease. Ref. req. 828-447-2567 before 3 pm, 828-248-3973 after 3 pm.

2BR/2BA in nice area Stove, refrig. No Pets! $350/mo. + deposit Call 287-7043

Help Wanted CLINICAL DIRECTOR Critical Access Behavioral Health Agency to supervise community-based services and design treatment protocols for medium sized NC company. Position based in Forest City office. Must be licensed in N.C. as LCSW, Psychological Associate, LPC, LMFT, Addiction Specialist, or Certified Clinical Supervisor. Call HomeCare Management Corporation at 828-247-1700 for position description and application

Want To Buy

WILL BUY YOUR JUNK Cars & Trucks

Pick up at your convenience!

Call 223-0277

Autos 1998 VOLVO S70 181,500 mi. New tires, roters, brake pads & battery. Good cond.! $4,000 828-674-0027

Lost Lost dachshund in Cleghorn area. White with black markings, 828-429-5042 or 828-286-3871

Found Small female terrier mix found on Main St., Spindale, 12/28. Sweet dog as collar. Call 245-3004

Classifieds Work - 245-6431

6B — The Daily Courier, Forest City, NC, WEDNESDAY, January 6, 2010 NORTH CAROLINA RUTHERFORD COUNTY

NORTH CAROLINA RUTHERFORD COUNTY IN THE GENERAL COURT OF JUSTICE BEFORE THE CLERK 09 SP 476

IN THE GENERAL COURT OF JUSTICE BEFORE THE CLERK 09 SP 475

IN THE MATTER OF THE FORECLOSURE OF A DEED OF TRUST EXECUTED BY ERNEST G. FRANCIS AND WIFE, DIANE B. FRANCIS DATED August 28, 2006 AND RECORDED IN BOOK 915, PAGE 162, RUTHERFORD COUNTY REGISTRY, TO BB&T COLLATERAL SERVICE CORP, TRUSTEE.

IN THE MATTER OF THE FORECLOSURE OF A DEED OF TRUST EXECUTED BY ERNEST G. FRANCIS AND DIANE B. FRANCIS DATED April 19, 2007 AND RECORDED IN BOOK 954, PAGE 279, RUTHERFORD COUNTY REGISTRY, TO BB&T COLLATERAL SERVICE CORP, TRUSTEE.

NOTICE OF FORECLOSURE SALE

Under and by virtue of the power of sale contained in that certain deed of trust executed by ERNEST G. FRANCIS AND WIFE, DIANE B. FRANCIS dated August 28, 2006 to BB&T COLLATERAL SERVICE CORPORATION, Trustee for BRANCH BANKING AND TRUST COMPANY, recorded in Book 915, Page 162, RUTHERFORD County Registry; default having been made in payment of the indebtedness thereby secured; and the necessary findings to permit foreclosure having been made by the Clerk of Superior Court of RUTHERFORD County, North Carolina; the undersigned Substitute Trustee will offer for sale at public auction to the highest bidder for cash, the property conveyed in said deed of trust, the same lying and being in the County of RUTHERFORD and State of North Carolina, and more particularly described as follows:

Under and by virtue of the power of sale contained in that certain deed of trust executed by ERNEST G. FRANCIS AND DIANE B. FRANCIS dated April 19, 2007 to BB&T COLLATERAL SERVICE CORPORATION, Trustee for BRANCH BANKING AND TRUST COMPANY, recorded in Book 954, Page 279, RUTHERFORD County Registry; default having been made in payment of the indebtedness thereby secured; and the necessary findings to permit foreclosure having been made by the Clerk of Superior Court of RUTHERFORD County, North Carolina; the undersigned Substitute Trustee will offer for sale at public auction to the highest bidder for cash, the property conveyed in said deed of trust, the same lying and being in the County of RUTHERFORD and State of North Carolina, and more particularly described as follows:

Situate, lying and being in Gilkey Township, Rutherford County, North Carolina and being all of the 1.81 acre tract shown as Lot #255 on plat entitled “Clearwater Creek Phase 10,” Sheet Two of Two, as shown on plat of record in Plat Book 27 at Page 78, Rutherford County Registry. Being a portion of that property conveyed in Deed from SFG Dragonfly, LLC, a Delaware Limited Liability Company to Mtn. Creek Land Co., Inc., a North Carolina Corporation by deed dated November 15, 2004 and of record in Deed Book 860, at Page 146, Rutherford County Registry. Subject to all notes shown on plat hereinabove referred to and further subject to any restrictions or rights of way of record and subject further to all provisions and restrictions of record as set forth in Declaration of Covenants and Restrictions of Clearwater Creek dated May 4, 2005 and of record in Deed Book 872, at Page 309, Rutherford County Registry and any additional supplemental declarations pertaining thereto. Being the same and identical property which was conveyed by Mtn. Creek Land Co., Inc., a North Carolina corporation to Ernest G. Francis and wife, Diane B. Francis by deed dated August 28, 2006 and of record in Deed Book 912, at Page 257, Rutherford County Registry. PROPERTY ADDRESS/LOCATION: Lot 255 Phase 10 Clearwater Creek Subdivision, Rutherfordton, NC 28139

Situate, lying and being in Green Hill Township, Rutherford County, North Carolina, and being a portion of those lands conveyed to Black Rock Land Company, LLC, by a Special Warranty Deed recorded in Deed Book 873 at Page 363, Rutherford County Registry, and being that portion shown as Lot 59 of the Black Rock Falls Subdivision Phase II as recorded in a plat of record in Plat Book 27 at Page 234, Rutherford County Registry, reference to which plat is hereby made for a full metes and bounds description of said property. Subject to any and all restrictions of public record, including restrictions as found in Deed Book 873 at Page 363, Rutherford County Registry, and the Declaration of Restrictive and Protective Covenants of Black Rock Falls Subdivision as recorded in Deed Book 886 at Pages 29-39, Rutherford County Registry. Further subject to any easements and rights of way of public record and as shown in Plat Book 26 at Pages 206-207 and in Plat Book 27 at Page 234, Rutherford County Registry. PROPERTY ADDRESS/LOCATION: Lot 59 Black Rock Falls Subdivision Black Rock Dr., Rutherfordton, NC 28139 DATE OF SALE: January 7, 2010 TIME OF SALE: 10:30 A.M. LOCATION OF SALE: RUTHERFORD County Courthouse

DATE OF SALE: January 7, 2010 TIME OF SALE: 10:30 A.M. LOCATION OF SALE: RUTHERFORD County Courthouse

RECORD OWNER(S): Diane B. Francis & Ernest G. Francis

RECORD OWNER(S): Ernest G. Francis & Diane B. Francis

(1) This sale will be made subject to: (a) all prior liens, encumbrances, easements, right-of-ways, restrictive covenants or other restrictions of record affecting the property; (b) property taxes and assessments for the year in which the sale occurs, as well as any prior years; (c) federal tax liens with respect to which proper notice was not given to the Internal Revenue Service; and (d) federal tax liens to which proper notice was given to the Internal Revenue Service and to which the right of redemption applies. (2) The property is being sold "as is". Neither the beneficiary of the deed of trust, nor the undersigned Substitute Trustee, makes any warranties or representations concerning the property, including but not limited to, the physical or environmental condition of the property. Further, the undersigned Substitute Trustee makes no title warranties with respect to the title to the property. (3) The highest bidder will be responsible for the payment of revenue stamps payable to the Registerof Deeds and any final court and/or auditing fees payable to the Clerk of Superior Court which are assessed on the high bid resulting from this foreclosure sale. (4) At the time of the sale, the highest bidder will be required to make a cash deposit of five percent (5%) of the bid, or $750.00, whichever is greater, with the remaining balance of the bid amount to be paid on the day following the expiration of the applicable ten (10) day upset bid period. (5) Any person who occupies the property pursuant to a rental agreement entered into or renewed on or after October 1, 2007, may after receiving the notice of sale, terminate the rental agreement upon 10 days written notice to the landlord. Upon termination of a rental agreement, the tenant is liable for rent due under the rental agreement prorated to the effective date of the termination. (6) An order for possession of the property being sold may be issued pursuant to N.C.G.S. §45-21.29 in favor of the purchaser and against the party or parties in possession, by the Clerk of Superior Court of the county in which the property is sold.

TERMS OF THE SALE:

TERMS OF THE SALE: (1) This sale will be made subject to: (a) all prior liens, encumbrances, easements, right-of-ways, restrictive covenants or other restrictions of record affecting the property; (b) property taxes and assessments for the year in which the sale occurs, as well as any prior years; (c) federal tax liens with respect to which proper notice was not given to the Internal Revenue Service; and (d) federal tax liens to which proper notice was given to the Internal Revenue Service and to which the right of redemption applies. (2) The property is being sold "as is". Neither the beneficiary of the deed of trust, nor the undersigned Substitute Trustee, makes any warranties or representations concerning the property, including but not limited to, the physical or environmental condition of the property. Further, the undersigned Substitute Trustee makes no title warranties with respect to the title to the property. (3) The highest bidder will be responsible for the payment of revenue stamps payable to the Registerof Deeds and any final court and/or auditing fees payable to the Clerk of Superior Court which are assessed on the high bid resulting from this foreclosure sale. (4) At the time of the sale, the highest bidder will be required to make a cash deposit of five percent (5%) of the bid, or $750.00, whichever is greater, with the remaining balance of the bid amount to be paid on the day following the expiration of the applicable ten (10) day upset bid period. (5) Any person who occupies the property pursuant to a rental agreement entered into or renewed on or after October 1, 2007, may after receiving the notice of sale, terminate the rental agreement upon 10 days written notice to the landlord. Upon termination of a rental agreement, the tenant is liable for rent due under the rental agreement prorated to the effective date of the termination. (6) An order for possession of the property being sold may be issued pursuant to N.C.G.S. §45-21.29 in favor of the purchaser and against the party or parties in possession, by the Clerk of Superior Court of the county in which the property is sold. This the 2nd day of December, 2009. SMITH DEBNAM NARRON DRAKE SAINTSING & MYERS, L.L.P. ______________________________________________________ Adam M. Gottsegen, Attorney for Jeff D. Rogers, Substitute Trustee P. O. Box 26268 Raleigh, NC 27611-6268 (919) 250-2000 CBM 97391185

This the 2nd day of December, 2009. SMITH DEBNAM NARRON DRAKE SAINTSING & MYERS, L.L.P. ______________________________________________________ Adam M. Gottsegen, Attorney for Jeff D. Rogers, Substitute Trustee P. O. Box 26268 Raleigh, NC 27611-6268 (919) 250-2000 CBM 97391227

Classifieds Work! Call 245-6431

FILL UP ON VALUE Shop the Classifieds!

The Daily Courier Call 828-245-6431 to place your ad.

BUSINESS&SERVICE DIRECTORY

The Daily Courier, Forest City, NC, WEDNESDAY, January 6, 2010 — 7B

AIR CONDITIONING & HEATING

AUTO BODY REPAIR

Jerry Turner Body Shop

“We’re Not Comfortable Until You Are” “Serving Rutherford & Cleveland County For 30 Years” NC License 6757 • SC License 4299

1380 Harris Holly Springs Rd.

245-1141 www.shelbyheating.com

HOME IMPROVEMENT Specializing In Metal Roofing.....Offered In Many Colors 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*

DAVID’S GRADING We do it all

No job too small

828-657-6006

FAST RELIABLE SERVICE ON ALL BRANDS Free Estimates • Best Warranties All Work Guaranteed Service • Installation • Duct Cleaning • IAQ Gas / Oil / Heat Pumps / Geothermal / Boilers Residential & Commercial 24 Hour Emergency Service

GRADING & HAULING

828-248-1252

Track Hoe Work, Tractor Work , Dozer Work, Bobcat Work, Trenching, Grading and Land Clearing, Hauling Gravel, Sand, Dirt, Etc. FREE ESTIMATE

HOME IMPROVEMENTS

LAWN CARE

Bill Gardner Construction, Inc

* Leaf Removal

WINDOWS & SIDING ENTRANCE DOORS

STORM DOORS

*up to 101 UI

Wood & Vinyl Decks • Vinyl Siding • Kitchen & Bath Remodeling Reface Your Cabinets, Don't Replace Them!

Clean up at the end of each day GUARANTEED

H & M Industries, Inc.

828-248-1681

704-434-9900

Website - hmindustries.com

Visa Mastercard Discover

ADVERTISE YOUR BUSINESS for Less Than $5.25 Per Day! Call 245-6431 Ext. 205

Family Owned & Operated Local Business

Free Estimates & Fully Insured Licensed Contractor

Licensed Contractor with 35 Years Experience

* Gutter Cleaning

Quality Lawn Care 223-8191

245-6367

PAINTING

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 today! 245-6431 PAINTING

Interior & Exterior 22 years experience

Great references Free Estimates John 3:16

ROOFING

Todd McGinnis Roofing Rubberized/Roofing Metal, Fix Leaks FREE ESTIMATES

828-286-2306 828-223-0633

ROOFING

GARY LEE QUEEN’S ROOFING

Golden Valley Community Over 35 Years Experience ✓ All work guaranteed ✓ Specializing in all types of roofing, new & old ✓ References furnished ✓ Vinyl Siding ✓ 10% DISCOUNT FOR SENIOR CITIZENS CHURCHES & COMMUNITY BUILDINGS ALSO METAL ROOFS

5 YEAR WARRANTY ON LABOR FREE ESTIMATES

Call today! 245-8215

TREE TREE CARE CARE

Carolina Tree Care & Stump Grinding

10% discount Topping Removal on all& work Stump Grinding Valid 9/17-11/1/09

• Low RatesInsured Fully • Free Good Clean Work Estimates • Satisfaction Guaranteed 20 Years Experience • Fully Insured Senior Citizens & • Free Estimates

Veterans Discounts

Chad Reid Sisk Mark (828) 289-7092 828-289-1871 Senior Citizen Discounts

Interior & Exterior INSURED FREE ESTIMATES Reasonable Rates Owner Jerry Lancaster 286-0822 VETERINARIAN Thunder Road Animal Bi-Lo Hospital Super 8 Motel

MAKE SOME DOUGH Sell through the Classifieds!

The Daily Courier Call

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8B — The Daily Courier, Forest City, NC, Wednesday, January 6, 2010

feature

Making New Year’s resolutions for the home

By MELISSA RAYWORTH For The Associated Press It’s the season for resolutions, and for many people that means vowing to get their home in the best shape possible. Whether it’s clearing out clutter, catching up on small repairs, bringing fresh style to a favorite room or organizing closets, many of us have home on the brain as the new year begins. For interior designers, “the phone rings in January, after the holidays,” says Betsy Burnham, founder and principal designer at Burnham Design and Instant Space, in Los Angeles. “People take stock and make resolutions. People get motivated, which is great.” But how can you make sure those resolutions stick, and turn into real results? Burnham and fellow interior designers Taniya Nayak (host of HGTV’s “Destination Design,” premiering in March) and Brian Patrick Flynn (of TBS’ “Movie and a Makeover”) offer strategies:

THINK IT THROUGH You may be feeling inspired to jump into projects right away, but these designers recommend taking time to think and plan. Burnham suggests spending a weekend leafing through design magazines. Tear out photos of things you love, creating a stack of tearsheets that show what you really want your space to look like. “Any of your rooms can look like any of those rooms,” Burnham says, if you take the time to determine what you like and how to make it happen on your budget. Flynn recommends searching your home for small spaces that aren’t being used well. Take a look at alcoves and corners of rooms, then brainstorm new uses for them. Nayak suggests photographing each room, then looking at the images as if the home belongs to someone else. You’ll view familiar spaces differently, with fresh eyes, she says. Next, make a list of the jobs you really want to get to this year and determine the first steps

you need to take for each. Schedule those first steps and gather any necessary tools or supplies. “You need to mentally prepare. Tell yourself, ’OK, Saturday’s the day,’ and then don’t make any other plans,” Nayak says. “The more things you do to prepare, the more invested you are in making it happen.” Not everything must be done in the first months of the year, say Burnham, but it’s important to set things in motion. “Think about timing,” she says. “Are your kids going to camp this summer, and would that be a great time to have a bit of upset around your house?” In planning, Burnham says, “Be realistic. Try saying, ‘I’m gonna make sense out of my hall closet today,’ instead of saying, ‘I’m going to do all my closets today.’ ... If I say, ‘I’m going to redo this bathroom, that may not happen. But if I say, ‘I’m going to start by measuring, then I’m going to interview contractors,’ that gets done.” SMALL CHANGES THAT BRING FRESH STYLE If your resolution is

AP Photo

This photo released by Sarah Dorio shows how clients of designer Brian Patrick Flynn opted for the gift of a contractor to turn dead space between closets into a laptop workstation.

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AP Photo

This photo released by Sarah Dorio shows a kitchen styled by Brian Patrick Flynn was freshened up with bold paint on the backsplash and a few accessories placed where clutter would otherwise gather.

to bring new style to your space, says Flynn, there are small changes you can make that will instantly freshen any room. Start, he says, by pulling out unframed pieces of art or things that need new frames: “Yes, framing can be expensive and you may think, ‘Why am I putting money into something I already own?’ But right now, you’re not using it,” he says. “Take it to be framed, then when you get it back, next thing you know you’re finishing rooms because you’re so excited about the art.” Try swapping the art in one room with art in another. Experiment with mixing styles. You can always move things back if you don’t love the new combinations. “Redo your surfaces,” says Burnham. “Take everything off your coffee table, all the pretties, then rearrange. Move books, boxes, collections to new spots.” Also, she says, go through frames to update family pictures. Flynn also recommends adding trays and baskets to organize and coordinate loose items. Another quick infusion of fresh style for the new year: Nayak suggests spray-painting old furniture and frames in new colors. Her current favorite: Paint ornate frames and traditional wooden pieces in fresh white lacquer. It can be done in one day with little expense. STAYING ON TASK To keep on schedule, commit to deadlines:

Plan a home decor swap or holiday decoration swap with friends, Nayak says. If you have plans to trade stuff on a given date, you’re going to actually go through your home and weed out what you don’t want anymore. It’s also environmentally friendly and affordable. Another great motivator: Plan a party. “You’re probably not going to do it if you are hanging around in your pajamas. But if people are coming over ... It just works like that.” Figure out the obstacles to doing what you want and find ways around them. Merge your desire to get healthy or lose weight with the desire to declutter and organize your kitchen. Use one

AP Photo

This photo released by Sarah Dorio shows how designer Brian Patrick Flynn created a unique exercise area by combining items that a couple previously considered eyesores.

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resolution to help you stick to the other, says Nayak. Spending money on help from a contractor or handyman may seem like a splurge, but an expert may be able to accomplish in a single day projects that would take you weeks. And a professional may be necessary to get the look you want. Finally, keep expectations realistic. Burnham thinks of an ideal project in terms of a “triangle: good, fast, cheap. I tell clients, pick two. You cannot have all three.” Your resolutions won’t all get accomplished perfectly in an instant, but if you stick with them and figure out what’s most important, you’ll see results.

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