THURSDAY
SPREADING WARMTH: Area school donates to women’s shelter. 1B
December 17, 2009 125th year No. 351
PENDING PLUS: Bill includes $3 million for regional projects. 1B
www.hpe.com High Point, N.C.
WAKE SINKS WILMINGTON: Williams powers Deacons. 1C
50 Cents Daily $1 Sundays
Eight shopping days left Retailers expect heavy traffic through Christmas Eve BY PAM HAYNES ENTERPRISE STAFF WRITER
HIGH POINT – Local retailers said traffic was surging through their stores as the Christmas shopping season nears its end, and sales are about the same as last year. Last week alone, national holiday sales rose 1.1 percent, according to ShopperTrak RCT Corp., a Chicago research firm that DON DAVIS JR. | HPE tracked sales at more than 50,000 stores. AnSi Bell took granddaughter Elizabeth Pierce to select her other research firm, comScore, reported a 4 Christmas gift at Target. She is visiting from Tennessee percent increase in online sales last week. “I would say sales are comparable to for the holidays.
WHO’S NEWS
–
last year,” said Joe Harmon, sales floor executive at Target at 1050 Mall Loop Road. “We’d like to be more positive in sales, but with the way the economy is, I guess comparable is always good.” Harmon said navigation systems and flat-screen televisions were selling out once the items went on sale. Jason Scott, manager of Belk at Oak Hollow, said he had noticed a new consumer trend this shopping season - buying for one’s self. “Because shoppers haven’t spent money during the first part of the year or over the summer, I think they are spending some on themselves that they haven’t in the past,” he said. The weekend of Dec. 18-20 is the busiest shopping weekend of the year after the
Amy Brown, an eighth-grade language arts teacher at Thomasville Middle School, was named the Thomasville City Schools Teacher of the Year. Brown recently received her National Board Certification and is eligible for Regional Teacher of the Year.
SHOPPING, 2A
INSIDE
–
PROJECT SANTA TOURISM: Agency reports drop in visitors. 2A OBITUARIES
–
Henry Blackmon, 98 Rufus Bostic Jr., 85 Lee Brown, 56 Jesse Chapman, 55 Bruce Fritts Sr., 75 Juanita Hamilton, 93 Bruce Hedrick, 71 Marlyn Jones, 87 Leo Morrison, 69 Margaret Moses, 81 Dorothy Oakely, 87 Rachel Pressley, 62 Gary Proctor, 47 Mary Sexton, 85 Voy Skeen, 68 Herman Ward, 65 Obituaries, 2-3B
WEATHER
– DON DAVIS JR. | HPE
John Slack and Joyce and Harold Parrish are seen with some of the donated gifts the Silver Valley Civitans will distribute in the community.
Civitans brighten Christmas for needy kids BY DARRICK IGNASIAK ENTERPRISE STAFF WRITER
SILVER VALLEY – With more families requesting help this year than ever before, the Silver Valley Civitan Club is looking for some help for its annual project of giving families a Christmas. “Every year we see more and more need – especially this year,” said Gary Arnold, former club president. “This year will be
the greatest ever we have seen in the 43 years.” In 1966, Project Santa Claus was inspired by Arnold’s late father, Sam Arnold, and Tony Jarrell, when the two and many others were surprised to see some of the living conditions in Davidson County. The program, which helped more than 50 families last year, has continued ever since. “I think a number of them would not have a Christmas
without us,” Arnold said. “They might not have a decent Christmas dinner or would not have the proper clothing to wear to school – especially here in the winter, and the kids would not have toys at all.” As part of Project Santa Claus, members of the Silver Valley Civitan Club on Christmas Eve will deliver toys, clothing and food to 63 families. Clothing and toys will be distributed to at least 112 children in 50
families, which is up from 98 youngsters served last year. “Last year was a record year, and now this year it has increased again,” Arnold said. “Basically, the economy has hit so many people. So many more people are out of work or on short time if they are working. A number of people who are on the list this year may have been on it in the past, but last year they were not, but now be-
cause times are tough they are back on it.” Arnold said cash contributions for the project have totaled about $1,600. The Silver Valley Civitan Club still needs additional funds for a shopping trip set for Friday. Cash contributions, which will help the club buy food, clothing and toys, can be made by contacting Harold Parrish at 472-2379. dignasiak@hpe.com | 888-3657
Rape, kidnapping trial ends in acquittal BY PAT KIMBROUGH ENTERPRISE STAFF WRITER
HIGH POINT – A man accused of sexually assaulting a woman in a drug-related dispute in southeast High Point has been found not guilty by a jury. Leroy Ted Shankle, 52, was acquitted on charges of first-degree rape and first-degree kidnapping in an alleged attack near E. Green Drive on March 29, 2008. Prosecutors claimed Shankle accosted the alleged victim at a convenience store because he believed
she had stolen crack cocaine from him. Shankle was accused of grabbing the woman by the hair, taking her across E. Green Drive to a Shankle shed in a secluded area and raping her. The woman identified Shankle as her suspected attacker and testified against him. Vikram Kapil, a Greensboro attorney who represented Shankle, argued that her identification of his client was unreliable because she had been using
cocaine and drinking alcohol prior to the incident. There was forensic evidence collected from the scene “but it appeared the state had not tested that evidence,” Kapil said. The state did not have DNA evidence in the case, but the woman had injuries indicating she was sexually assaulted, and she was consistent in her account of what happened when questioned by police, medical personnel and in her testimony, prosecutors said. The state’s case included testimony from a Guilford County Jail inmate who claimed Shankle had
YOUR COMMUNITY. YOUR NEWSPAPER.
confessed to the alleged rape while incarcerated awaiting trial. Kapil argued that the inmate, who faces various fraud-related charges, testified in an effort to curry favor with prosecutors in the hopes of lighter punishment. He said he wasn’t sure how much weight the jury may have attached to this or any other issues in the trial. “I don’t know what their deliberations were,” Kapil said. “The state had a strong case.” pkimbrough@hpe.com | 888-3531
Plenty of sun High 46, Low 29 8C
INDEX ABBY 3B BUSINESS 6-7C CLASSIFIED 5-8D COMICS 7B CROSSWORD 2D DONOHUE 7B FUN & GAMES 2D LIFE&STYLE 1D, 3-4D LOCAL 2-3A, 1B LOTTERY 2A MOVIES 8B NEIGHBORS 4-5B NATION 5A, 8A, 8C NOTABLES 8B OBITUARIES 2-3B OPINION 6-7A SPORTS 1-5C STATE 2A, 1B STOCKS 7C TV 8B WEATHER 8C WORLD 4A
INFO Circulation Classified Newsroom Newsroom fax
888-3511 888-3555 888-3527 888-3644