Daily Courier January 3, 2010

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NATION

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SPORTS

Off the Wall: Tebow’s future

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Tebow, Meyers go out as win-ners at Sugar

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DEATHS

WEATHER

RutherfordtonFrances SimsMary JenkinsMary RobertsFlossie CallahanLenox HinesJim Maxey

EllenboroGladys Billingsley

ElsewhereHartley Jewett

Page 5A

Today, sunny. Tonight, clear.

Complete forecast, Page 9A

Vol. 42, No. 3

Classifieds. . . .5-7BSports . . B SectionCounty scene . . 6AOpinion. . . . . . . 4A

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Sunday, January 3, 2010, Forest City, N.C. $1.50

Stock growth expected to slow — Page 7A

Julius Peppers and the Panthers will get another shot at beating the Saints, but not QB Drew Brees on Sunday

B Section

Saints come marching in

Sports

By JEAN GORDONDaily Courier Staff Writer

FOREST CITY — Lt. Walter Dalton is offering the people of Rutherford County and North Carolina hope for a better year, but the economic woes of 2009 will not go away fast, he says.

Perhaps the most surprising fact of his first year as Lt. Gov. was the depth and length of the sagging economy. Everyone knew the economy was taking a downturn, but it’s deeper than expected and its recovery will not be overnight.

However, the Rutherford County native, is very optimistic that the state will recover and will actually be one of the fastest

Please see Dalton, Page 6A

By LARRY DALEDaily Courier Staff Writer

FOREST CITY — The town got a new mayor at the end of 2009, but the town council is intact after voters returned the two incumbents up for re-election.

Dennis Tarlton was elected mayor in November, replacing longtime Mayor Jimmy Gibson, who chose not to seek re-election. Commissioners Steve Holland and Shawn Moore were re-elected.

As is the case with municipalities everywhere, Forest City leaders face the problem of how to deal with a struggling economy.

One of the key issues in 2010 will be decid-ing whether to begin work on a $14 million raw water intake on the Broad River. The town cur-rently gets water from the Second Broad River,

but recent droughts have shown that the supply there may not be adequate during extremely dry conditions.

Complicating the matter is the fact that when National Textiles closed in the fall of 2008, Forest City suddenly lost its largest water user. The town had asked the state for permission to draw water from the Broad River when National Textiles was using millions of gallons of water each day.

With the large textile manufacturer gone, Forest City would be looking to future growth as justification for putting in the raw water intake. The town is currently considering all of its options for ensuring future water needs, including working with other entities.’’

Please see Future, Page 2A

I tell people, there is hope North Carolina will rebuild first and will win out as a top business location and there is assurance that I will work as hard as possible and as much as we know how to create jobs and to provide educational opportunities for the 21st Century, with an education to match the job needs.

— Lt. Gov. Walter Dalton

By ALLISON FLYNNDaily Courier Staff Writer

RUTHERFORDTON — Rutherford County’s newest resident, Elizabeth Catherine Trout, made her arrival at 10:07 a.m. Jan. 1 at Rutherford Hospital.

Born to Diamond Ammons and Josh Trout, Elizabeth weighed in at 8 pounds, 5.5 ounces. She was delivered by Dr. Sharai Amaya.

“My water broke at 3:45 in the morn-ing,” Diamond said Saturday afternoon as she and Elizabeth snuggled.

Mom, dad and grandmothers Joy Trout

and Sharon Ammons were in the delivery room when Elizabeth made her entry into the world.

“It went faster than I expected,” Diamond said.

“When she started pushing, it only took six to eight times,” Josh said.

Diamond’s due date was Jan. 4, but she feared she’d deliver earlier. In fact, Joy’s brother’s wife delivered at home, and he had joked with Diamond he’d be ready if she needed him.

“I was so scared that would happen to me,” she said.

“We thought she was going to have it Christmas,” Josh said.

Thus far, Elizabeth’s temperament has been easy going, the couple said.

“She’s such a good baby,” Diamond said.“Calm as a cucumber,” Josh added.As the year’s first baby, Elizabeth

received a car seat and picture package from Rutherford Hospital’s Birth Place, a Big Bird stuffed animal from Rutherford Hospital Auxiliary, a gift certificate from Rutherford OB/GYN, a gift basket

Please see Baby, Page 3A

FOREST CITY — Charges stemming from a state-mandated program will be on the agenda for the Board of Commissioners meeting Monday at 6 p.m..

The board needs to look at REPS charges, according to a letter sent to the town by Kevin O’Donnell of Nova Energy Consultants of Cary.

REPS stands for Renewable Energy and Energy Efficiency Portfolio Standard, a program passed by the General Assembly in 2007.

Retail electric bill rates would increase by seven cents a month for residential cus-tomers, 57 cents a month for general customers and $5.71 a month for industrial cus-tomers.

The board is also sched-uled to consider making the intersection of South Powell Street and Depot Street a four-way stop.

The board also will look at certification of the fireman’s roster of the Forest City Fire Department. The roster goes to the N.C. State Fireman’s Association in Raleigh.

Commissioners then will receive public comments before going into closed session to consult with the town’s attorney on the investigation of a complaint against a town employee.

Dalton sees big issues in first year

Electric charges on town agenda

Forest City eyes the future

It was close, but baby girl gets here first

Larry Dale/Daily CourierThe Broad River flows near where Forest City has a site permitted for a new water intake. Securing a steady water supply is an ongoing debate for the town’s leaders.

Josh Trout and Diamond Ammons (left photo) are the proud parents of Elizabeth Catherine Trout, the first baby of 2010, who was born Jan. 1 at 10:07 a.m. Brian and Heather Thompson (right photo)welcomed their first child, Bryson James Thompson, Jan. 1 at 11:09 a.m.

Allison Flynn/Daily Courier

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2A — The Sunday Courier, Forest City, NC, Sunday, January 3, 2010

LocaL/statePET OF THE WEEK

The clock is running on the project, howev-er, because the town has a two-year permit to build the site, and that permit went into effect in November 2009.

Town leaders have been pursuing efforts to bring more business downtown, and they hope some of those attempts will come to fruition in 2010.

Redevelopment of the Florence Mill site has been a drawn-out process, as has been the effort to bring a movie theater downtown. If something positive happens on those fronts, Forest City can celebrate significant downtown gains.

Plans to bring Fireside Books and Gifts to a downtown location would also be a boost for downtown redevelopment.

Downtown got a big lift in 2009 when the Forest City Owls won the Pettit Cup in the Coastal Plain League. In the process, they drew a large, enthusi-astic fan base to the stadium.

In August the board formally thanked the base-ball organization for “making the 2009 season not just one for the record books, but a season that will be remembered by the fans for many years to come.”

The down side is that the stadium is expensive. The field’s final cost is expected to be about $5.3 million.

Board members have expressed the need to use the field for more than baseball as a way to bring in revenue, and the town allowed use of the facility for a LeAnn Rimes concert in September.

The town is gearing up to do work in Grahamtown as a result of two grants.

Forest City has a $1 million Community Development Block Grant for revitalization work in Grahamtown, and a $100,000 grant for emer-gency repairs to some houses in the Grahamtown area not on Gypsy Street, which is covered under the larger grant.

In December, commissioners awarded the engi-neering contract for the work on Gypsy Street to McGill Associates of Asheville. Board members had expressed concerns about using an out-of-town firm, but they decided that when all of the rating criteria for the contract were examined, McGill clearly was the choice.

Also in 2009, the board:n in October approved a revised animal and fowl

ordinance. The ordinance is primarily aimed at dogs deemed vicious. The plan also addresses nui-sance animal issues.n in September voted 3-2 to allow Fire Chief

Mark McCurry to proceed with purchase of a new fire engine in 2009. McCurry told the board that it would take eight to 12 months to actually get a new engine, but that it was advisable to move forward with the purchase before new and more costly fire engine emission controls went into place in 2010. The board had set aside $225,000 toward the purchase of the perhaps $450,000 truck in this year’s budget and had planned to set aside the oth-er $225,000 in the next budget year. The depart-ment is replacing a 1979 American LaFrance fire engine.n in August heard from Finance Director Pruett

Walden about his concerns with “non-budgeted expenditures.” He handed out a sheet that noted, “We have added substantial expenditures to our budget; in addition, our revenue has been reduced over $2 million per year.” The loss is from the clos-ing of National Textiles.n in June approved a 2009-10 budget of slightly

more than $25 million that did not increase the tax rate or any fees. The tax rate is 29 cents per $100 valuation.n in April voted to move forward with a grant for

work on the Brackett Creek Sewer Line. The town has a $500,000 grant from the North Carolina Rural Center, but had to match that amount. The board approved a budget amendment to fund the town’s portion.n in March approved a 10 percent increase in

electric rates in reaction to an increase by Duke Energy.n in February voted to take a 12 percent reduc-

tion in board members’ pay as a reflection of economic conditions. The town had to cut 30 positions due to the loss of National Textiles in September 2008.

Contact Dale via e-mail at [email protected]

Garrett Byers/Daily CourierThis sweet cat is a 2-year-old female Siamese looking to find a good home. Her pet ID number is Ao11576 and she is available for adoption in the cat room at the Rutherford County Animal Shelter on Laurel Hill Drive in Rutherfordton. The shelter’s hours are noon to 4 p.m. weekdays and 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. Saturday. For more infor-mation call 287-6025. For the Community Pet Center volunteers office, call 287-7738.

FutureContinued from Page 1A

JACKSONVILLE (AP) — Authorities are trying to figure out why a woman was killed standing on one of the main highways along North Carolina’s coast.

Troopers told The Daily News of Jacksonville that Caroline Cromer was found dead around 10 p.m. Thursday on U.S. 17 in Holly Ridge. Her mother says she was visiting friends in the area.

Authorities say several motorists called police to say they saw a woman standing in the northbound lanes of the four-lane highway before Cromer’s body was found.

Troopers have ruled the incident a hit-and-run and are trying to find the vehicle that struck the woman and figure out why she was standing in the road on New Year’s Eve.

Investigators are waiting for toxicology reports from Cromer’s autopsy.

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The Sunday Courier, Forest City, NC, Sunday, January 3, 2010 — 3A

LocaL/state

from Rutherford Pediatrics, gift cer-tificates from Gregory’s and Smith’s drugs, a giraffe stuffed animal from Spindale Drug, a lullaby book from Fireside Books, a fork and spoon from Vassey and Hemphill Jewelry, a gift from Belk, a $25 gift cer-tificate from Green Hill store and a Vera Bradley tote from Main Street Emporium.

Those aren’t the only gifts she received.

“She’s got Christmas presents under the tree,” Josh said.

Elizabeth is named after her great-grandmothers. She is also the grand-daughter of Joel Ammons and Junior Trout.

Although not the first baby born in 2010, Bryson James Thompson is the first baby by born.

“We’re very excited,” said dad Brian Thompson of he and wife Heather’s first child.

Heather was in labor for around five hours and delivered nine days earlier than her Jan. 10 due date.

“I had a feeling it was going to be sooner,” Heather said.

Dr. Amaya also delivered Bryson, who weighed 7 pounds, 14.5 ounces.

“He looks just like his daddy,” Heather said.

Bryson is the grandson of Wesley and Angela Atchley, Dennis and Sandra Arrowood and Jimmy Thompson.

Contact Flynn via e-mail at [email protected].

BabyContinued from Page 1A

By DAVID MENCONIThe News & Observer of Raleigh

RALEIGH (AP) — Over the past three decades, Wayne Martin has made a lot of recordings in his capac-ity as a folklorist. And at first listen, his latest batch seems typical enough.

It’s a two-disc collection of old-time string-band tunes, lively and loose, mostly played on fiddle and banjo. The music sounds like some-thing you’d hear in a mountain hollow, especially A.C. Overton’s rolling banjo on “House Carpenter,” which conjures an image of someone holding forth from a rocking chair on the porch of a cabin in deepest Appalachia.

Except that this music didn’t come from North Carolina’s mountain country. Overton didn’t live in Deep Gap; he lived near Garner. Turns out there’s a lot of indigenous old-time music right here in the Triangle, which is why Martin’s project bears the title “Going Down To Raleigh: Stringband Music in the North Carolina Piedmont 1976-1998.” The traditional-music nonprofit group PineCone has released the collection as part of its 25th anniversary obser-vance.

“Yeah, I thought that was true, too, that you had to go to the mountains to find this music,” says Martin, who is senior program director of folklife at the N.C. Arts Council. “But what I found was that there’s an amazing amount of it right around Raleigh, Durham and Chapel Hill, and it’s all pretty much under the radar. I felt like I’d discovered something impor-tant, part of the foundation of who we are in this area culturally.”

“Going Down To Raleigh” is a snapshot of a time when life in the Triangle moved at a slower pace. As recently as the early 1990s, you would still see commercials for seeds and farm supplies on local television.

“The musicians I met were all raised in a rural environment, as farmers,” Martin says. “They were very self-reliant, could fix about any-thing. They did music the same way.”

Martin first heard old-time string-band music in 1970, when some Broughton High School class-mates played during intermission at a screening of Citizen Kane. As a pre-med major at Duke University, Martin was more interested in fid-dling than studying. He dropped out after two years.

Martin wound up at UNC-Chapel Hill, where he received a history degree in 1979; he went to work for the state Arts Council. By then, he had met a number of area musicians, including hammered dulcimer player Virgil Craven and fiddler Lauchlin Shaw.

Barry Poss, who would form the hugely successful bluegrass label Sugar Hill Records, was recording these musicians for documentary purposes. Recording at Craven’s house was Poss’ first record-produc-ing experience.

“It was August, about a thousand degrees, and Virgil and his wife had a wood stove going inside,” Poss says. “I’ve never sweated so profusely in my life. But it was great. We were a bunch of kids who didn’t know anything about anything, but we were having a lot of fun. At first, this seemed simple you went looking for this stuff in the mountains. But close to home was interesting as well.”

Martin began going along on Poss’ recording trips to assist. Soon enough, Martin was making record-ings on his own.

Back then, wrestling a heavy recording unit into somebody’s liv-ing room was a major ordeal. Martin

came at it with missionary zeal.“Most people were very welcoming,”

Martin says. “I wonder sometimes if they thought I was a little obsessed. I probably was. But I felt like it was important enough to document, and to get to a place where we could punch through this layer of the mar-keting of Raleigh-Durham-Chapel Hill to find out where the roots are.

“And maybe even more so than in the mountains, the music around here is a coming together of African-American and European traditions. Putting it all together, and learning how these rural communities were tied to Raleigh or Durham, was fas-cinating.”

In those predigital days, one of the biggest hurdles was getting tape, which was expensive. Martin rarely recorded conversation, because he couldn’t spare the tape and needed it all for the music. But the stories the players told, about family and com-munity traditions going back many generations, helped tie the experience together for Martin.

While most of the players on “Going Down To Raleigh” have died or are no longer musically active, a strain of the music lives on through younger generations. The most notable example is the Carolina Chocolate Drops, a local string band of African-Americans who are recording an album for Nonesuch Records with producer Joe Henry. The Carolina Chocolate Drops have studied and recorded with Mebane fiddler Joe Thompson, who appears on a half-dozen “Going Down To Raleigh” tracks.

“But what’s truly gone is the context these guys were playing in,” Martin says. “That will never come around again: You grow crops, fix the trac-tor and play music. It’s a cool way to think about life, although it’s not one we really face today.

“But the music is so compelling, and young people still discover it and make it their own.”

Another hurdle Martin had to clear was the modesty of ambition that is a hallmark of North Carolina old-time musicians of a certain age. None of the people he recorded were playing music professionally and that was something they had no aspirations to do. Martin did what he could to get their music out to a wider audience, but convincing them it was worth the effort was a tall order.

“What I misinterpreted was their eagerness to promote themselves,” Martin says. “They weren’t at all interested. I remember finishing a recording with Lauchlin Shaw, and he was pleased with it. But it was never as important to him as it was to me to get a CD of his music out there. So not as many CDs as I’d hoped for came to pass. And this project was an attempt to bring them together in one place.”

The good part about that modesty is that it keeps the music real. Raw as it is, the music on “Going Down To Raleigh” sounds truly grounded in real life. But the downside of that modesty is that it makes the music easier to ignore.

“I’m not sure North Carolina knows itself that well,” he says. “I feel like more needs to be done to encourage us to embrace our own music and traditions. Not to glorify so much as know and understand. There’s a lot more to it: a historical context and economy that preceded what we have now and shaped this area. I’m doing my little part to get one piece out there so people can have more infor-mation.

“We’re a very musical state,” he says. “Whether or not we stay that way is a big question for me.”

ASHEVILLE (AP) — Amanda Burnett has had a recent streak of bad luck behind the wheel.

Hours after she picked up her 1999 Buick Century from the mechanic, crews were fishing it out of the French Broad River. Burnett said she swerved to avoid an oncoming car, causing her to lose control and send her car into the river with her and her 13-year-old son inside.

About five people who saw the wreck stopped to help. The Good Samaritans were able to free Burnett and her son, Adam Wolfe, as icy water started to fill the car.

“Just about everybody got out to try to help,” Burnett said, adding that she wasn’t able to get any of her rescuers’ names. “I would like to thank them all from the bottom of my heart. I wish I did catch their names.”

Burnett said she was driving south on Brevard Road to her Arden home about 5 p.m. Thursday when an oncoming car crossed the centerline. Burnett said she swerved to avoid the car, hit some gravel going into a curve and lost control of her car.

The car crossed both lanes of traffic, struck a tree and traveled down an embankment into the French Broad River near Sandy Bottoms.

“I didn’t expect to lose control,” she said. “It was very scary.”

Burnett suffered a cut to her left wrist, and her son suffered a scrape on his head and a bruise on his chest from the seatbelt. The car Burnett swerved to avoid did not stop. Burnett said it looked like a silver Subaru.

Crews used a wrecker to pull Burnett’s car out of the river. The car was just repaired following a wreck Burnett had on Christmas when she hit a patch of black ice and spun the car out. She doesn’t have another car, but said she would rely on family to help get her around until she either gets her Buick fixed or gets another car.

“I just got the car back three hours ago,” Burnett said, as she watched crews use a wrecker to pull her car from the river. “But such is life. At least we’re OK.”

The N.C. Highway Patrol is investi-gating.

Associated PressIn this Thursday, Dec. 17, photo, David Brathcher, from Durham, smokes a ciga-rette at Satisfaction Restaurant & Bar in Durham. The restaurant sits inside a for-mer tobacco warehouse. The health dangers of secondhand smoke finally won out over smokers’ rights and North Carolina’s rich tobacco history, as the Legislature approved a smoking ban in restaurants and bars in 2009 after years of failure. The law went into effect this weekend.

SCENE FROM THE PAST

Mountain music — without the mountains

Mom, son survive when car crashes into river

Church news every Saturday in The Daily Courier

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

James R. Brown/ publisherSteven E. Parham/ executive editor

601 Oak Street, P.O. Box 1149,Forest City, N.C. 28043Phone: 245-6431 Fax: 248-2790E-mail: [email protected]

A year ago, Democrats were cel-ebrating as they prepared to inaugurate the first president

from their party since Bill Clinton in 1992.

As the first anniversary of President Barack Obama’s inauguration nears, the party is again gearing up for a big political year and the euphoria of last year’s success is giving way to the cold hard reality of politics — especially in an era of bitter partisan dispute.

The simple fact is that is much easier to sell people on how you would govern while on the campaign trail than it is to actually govern.

President Obama’s team is learning that lesson well.

The fractious debate over the health care reform bills is clear evidence of the kinds of problems one can always expect in Washington.

The mid-term elections are usually seen as an unofficial referendum on how the president and the Congress are doing.

Political pundits will analyze from now until election day every bit of minutiae they can dig up on the elec-tions.

They have already been talking for months and evaluating every action by the new President on what impact it will have on the upcoming elections.

President Obama’s name will not be on the ballot but never doubt that he will be a big factor in the elections in November.

What will be at stake will be which party will gain the advantage in the Congress.

Make no mistake about it, this will be an active political year. The Republicans have set their sights on ending the Democrats’ control of the Senate and of at least weakening their majority in the House.

This will be a no-holds-barred year in political campaigning.

Our Views

Politics will be big part of year

RALEIGH — Two governors — one leaving office, the other beginning — probably couldn’t imagine the troubles that they would see as 2009 began.

For the newcomer to the job, Beverly Perdue, the difficulties began as dark clouds over the state’s finances.

For the old hand headed out of the Governor’s Mansion, Mike Easley, the woes started as ques-tions over his personal finances.

The scandal churning around Easley and the multi-billion dol-lar financial hole for state gov-ernment dominated the political news in 2009. The year also saw an historic smoking ban become law and legislators wrestle to ensure the solvency of state-backed insurance programs.

Perdue took office in January, becoming the first woman to hold the post in North Carolina. The celebration was short-lived.

The new governor immediately was faced with a budget shortfall that, just halfway into the fiscal year, was expected to exceed $1 billion. Ultimately, the budget hole grew to $3 billion.

In response, Perdue froze most state travel and hiring, ordered agencies to return as much as 7 percent of their budgets, had school systems return a portion of unspent money, and held up some state construction projects. But she also was able to close the budget gap by tapping better than $1 billion in federal stimu-lus money and more than $500 million in state reserves.

But those steps only saw state government through the final six months of that fiscal year. Perdue and state legislators then had to come up with a budget for a new year, with tax revenues still declining in a faltering economy.

The ultimate answer — in addition to yet more money from the federal American Recovery

and Reinvestment Act — was a $1 billion tax hike. The agree-ment on taxes came only after weeks of negotiations that meant lawmakers didn’t have a budget in place until a month into the new fiscal year.

Senate proponents of a com-plete re-write of the state code, led by Dan Clodfelter of Charlotte, finally gave in to House colleagues who preferred a more traditional route. The tax package passed included a 1-cent sales tax hike, an income tax surcharge on high-wage earners, and alcohol and cigarette excise tax increases.

Republicans howled that the Democrats who controlled the legislature weren’t doing enough curb spending. And they pre-pared for an election the fol-lowing year in the hopes that it might change political fortunes and legislative majorities.

Helping that cause may be a year filled with political scandal.

Mike Easley left office already having squandered the political capital built as an outsider and anti-politician. The image began crumbling when his wife, Mary, landed a $170,000 job at N.C. State University. By spring, pub-lished reports about Mike Easley flying around on private jets for free and free cars provided to his wife and son further tarnished his image.

Not long after, federal pros-ecutors began calling Easley colleagues and state officials before a grand jury. The scandal turned into a nightmare for N.C.

State, as allegations of influ-ence peddling surrounding Mary Easley’s job led to the resignation of Chancellor James Oblinger, Provost Larry Neilsen and Board of Trustees chair McQueen Campbell.

Questions continued to arise about the Easley’s purchase of a waterfront lot in Carteret County from developer/political donors Randy and Gary Allen. Campbell had also been involved in the deal. All three had been appoint-ed to state boards by Easley.

As the federal investigation continued, the State Board of Elections called on Easley, Campbell and state Democratic Party officials to answer ques-tions surrounding the former governor’s campaign finances.

The scandals didn’t end with former governor. In fact, they seemed never-ending.

State Sen. R.C. Soles, one of the longest-serving members of the General Assembly, shot a man outside his home just days after another man had claimed that Soles had molested him as a child. The man later recanted.

The State Highway Patrol seemed to be in the news every week, with patrolmen fired or disciplined for having sex on duty or drunken driving. Easley’s old security chief, Trooper Alan Melvin, became the subject of an internal investigation involving the possible destruction of the governor’s travel records.

Division of Motor Vehicles employees partied on the dime of Verizon Business after the com-pany won a no-bid contract from the state agency. Powerful state Sen. Tony Rand of Fayetteville announced that he was leav-ing the Senate to head the State Parole Commission, only to be accused of insider trading in a complaint filed by a fired com-pany CEO.

Face the new year with your total trust in GodWe live in capricious

times and a new “index” has emerged in the midst of economic uncertainty and turmoil. Wall Streeters and investors are now falling prey to the “fear” index. I have never heard of this one before but in listening to an interview with the President of the New York Stock Exchange, this new term emerged.

The world has changed since I was a preacher’s kid growing up. I used to try to imagine how the world would be in a new millenium as I was born in the fifties. I wondered if I would even live that long, and if I did, what would I face. One thing is for sure; we are still in need of solace and comfort to our souls in the midst of much distress.

The 23rd Psalm has to be one of the most loved and quoted of all Scriptures. I find myself seeking its allure and comfort in the days in which we live. I often won-der how people cope with the pressures of life and its varied and sundry challenges without a true faith.

In considering the life of King David, we can see why he penned many of the Psalms that inspire us today. He dealt with jeal-ous brothers, killed a giant, was pursued by a rebellious king, Saul, saw his son rape a sister and David also faced his own sins; adultery and having Uriah, his lover’s hus-band killed.

So the 23rd Psalm is not in the Bible as simply good lit-erature but as words spoken from the heart of a man who needed to be comforted and shepherded.

It begins with David’s understanding that he need-ed to be lead.

David recognized his dependence upon the Great Shepherd of his soul. We, as David, tend to wander and are rather defenseless as sheep. David acknowledged

his need to follow someone other than his own feelings and desires. So he writes,” The Lord is my shepherd.”

David speaks of the “table” prepared for him in the pres-ence of his enemies. Enemies seek to weary and tire the troops by cutting of supply lines. The spiritual enemy does the same.

David was anointed King at an early age. He understood what this meant and also the significance of oil being poured over one’s head.

Oil in Scripture is symbolic of the Holy Spirit. We see Jesus “anointed” with the Holy Spirit at His baptism and the 120 in the upper room at Pentecost being anointed as well as the Spirit descended upon their “heads.” Our minds need to be covered and lead by the Holy Spirit these days.

As David was anointed or marked with oil so he under-stood in writing this Psalm that his head was covered with the oil of gladness and fragrance. With all that had been upon the mind of David, including his failures, guilt and fears, he knew

the gentle Shepherd would anoint his head. He was marked out with the guiding hand of the heavenly Father.

As a shepherd, David also understood the importance of the green pastures, but also of still waters. Raging waters to a sheep are deadly. Heavy laden with wool, too much and too deep water would be fatal. Still waters are necessary for them to drink to survive. Yes, the world is raging with the tor-rents of evil of every sort, but the waters that flow from the Holy City of God and cool and still. Those waters soothe our parched lives and flow over us to quench the fiery trials of life. Those waters, also symbolic of the waters of baptism, are where we die to self and are cleansed from sin. We drink in the heavenly springs of pure delight at still waters.

Finally, David, as we, has a “cup” in his hand. We too have a cup. As Paul said, in recalling the words of Christ at the Eucharist, it is the cup of blessing. Our “cups” are brimming with something; the issue is what. David’s cup

was overflowing. Not a mere pittance of a drink, but an overflowing drink David had access to. There was abun-dance in David’s life. This cup is also a prophetic sym-bol of the aforementioned “cup of blessing” It is the cup of life and not death.

It is the cup that no longer is filled with sin and death that Jesus drank that repre-sented the sins of the world. It is a cup that is filled with the life of God Himself and one that was continually overflowing with blessing and sustenance. An over-flowing cup is one that not only has supply for the bear-er, but there is an overflow into the lives of others.

To dwell in the Lord’s house is to dwell with the one who is able to guide, pro-tect and nourish our souls. What a glorious and power-ful counter to any fear index that may exist. Trust your heart to Him who can truly care for it. David did. “For the Lord has not given us a Spirit of fear but of love and power and a sound mind.” This is where I want to be lead.

Budget, scandals dominate year

Scott Mooneyham

Today in North Carolina

Fr. Jonathan Lankford

Sunday Conversation

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LocaL/obituaries/state

Frances SimsJanie Frances Camp Sims

of Rutherfordton died Saturday.

Funeral arrangements are incomplete and will be announced by Crowe’s Mortuary & Crematory.

Hartley JewettHartley Frank Jewett, 87,

of Ridgeland Drive, died Saturday, Jan. 2, 2010.

A native of Maine, he was the son of the late Clifford Erskine Jewett and Eva Cecil DesPres Jewett. He was also preceded in death by his first wife, Cathlyne Scarborough Jewett.

He was a veteran of the Navy, serving during World War II, and was a member of the American Legion and the V.F.W.; was a mason; and was a retired driver for Standard Oil.

He is survived by his wife, Clara Fowlkes Jewett of the home; two sons, Steven Jewett of Rutherfordton and Donald Jewett of Richmond, Va.; three daughters, Leta Neuman of Minneapolis, Minn., Sharon Jackson of St. Petersburg, Fla., and Karen Conner of Rutherfordton; 10 grandchildren; eight great-grandchildren; and a number of other family members.

Funeral services will be Monday at 3 p.m. at Crowe’s Funeral Chapel with the Rev. Alan Marsh officiating. The family will receive friends one hour prior to service. Memorials may be made to the charity of the donor’s choice.

Graveside services will be Wednesday at 11 a.m. at Memorial Park in St. Petersburg.

Online condolences may be made at www.crowemortuary.com.

Mary JenkinsMary Pearl Jenkins, 87, of

Goodes Creek Community, died Saturday, Jan. 2, 2010 at her residence.

A native of Rutherford County, she was born Jan. 11, 1922, to the late Grover Willis and Mary Elizabeth Green Scruggs.

She worked as a quiller operator at Spindale Mills for 13 years. She was a life-long member of Goodes Creek Baptist Church.

In addition to her parents, she was preceded in death by her husband, Aster Jenkins Sr. and her sister Rosalee Scruggs.

She is survived by her son, Henry Jenkins Jr.. of Goodes Creek Community; two daughters Joyce Farris and Lillian Campbell of Forest City; 14 grandchildren; 22 great grandchildren; and six great-great grandchildren.

Funeral services will be conducted at 3 p.m. Monday at Goodes Creek Baptist Church with the Revs. Cecil Lovelace and Hubert Street officiating. Interment will follow in the church cem-etery. The family will receive friends from 6 until 8 tonight at Harrelson Funeral Home.

Harrelson Funeral Home is serving the family.

An online guest registry is avail-able at www.harrelsonfuneral-home.com.

Jim MaxeyJames “Jim” Morris Maxey,

70, of Heatherwood Drive, formerly of Tuscola, Ill., died Saturday, Jan. 2, 2010, at Rutherford Hospital.

He is survived by his wife, Jo Ann Walsh Maxey; five children, Kelly Gaddis, Lauri Quick, Mark Maxey, Tracy Geiler and Angie Malan; two brothers, Charles Bassett and Louis Maxey; and a number of other relatives.

Funeral services will be held Tuesday at 7 p.m. at Crowe’s Funeral Chapel with the Rev. Mike Snelgrove officiating. The family will receive friends Tuesday from 5 to 7 p.m. at Crowe’s Mortuary. Burial will be at St. Joseph’s Cemetery in Ivesdale, Ill.

Memorials may be made to the American Diabetes Association.

Online condolences may be made at www.crowemortuary.com.

Mary RobertsMary Alma Ensley

Roberts, 88, of 124 Salina Trail, Rutherfordton, died Saturday, Jan. 2, 2010, at Rutherford Hospital.

A native of Yancey County, she was born Oct. 3, 1921, a daughter of the late R.T. and Tassie Mae Hall Ensley. She was a former sales clerk at Belk’s Department Store of Shelby and was a member of Westwood Heights Baptist Church of Shelby.

In addition to her parents, she was preceded in death by her husband, Wilbur Roberts.

She is survived by her daughters, Rachel Miller of Matthews and Brenda Atchley of Forest City; sisters, Annie Hester of Portsmouth, Va., and June McMahan and Carolyn Ensley, both of Newdale; three grandchildren; two step grandchildren; two great-grandchildren; and two step great-grandchil-dren.

Funeral services will be held at 3 p.m. Monday at Westwood Heights Baptist Church with the Rev. David Costner officiating. Visitation will be held from 2 to 3 p.m. at the church.

Memorials may be made to Westwood Heights Baptist Church, 650 Dellinger Road, Shelby, NC 28152-7172.

McKinney-Landreth Funeral Home is serving the Roberts family.

A guest register is available at www.mckinneylandrethfuneral-home.com.

Flossie CallahanFlossie Smith Callahan, 82,

a resident White Oak Manor in Rutherfordton, died Saturday, Jan. 2, 2010, at Rutherford Hospital Inc.

She was the daughter of the late Horace Smith and the late Mary Jane Smith. She was the widow of the late Birch Callahan Jr.

She was a member of First United Methodist Church of Rutherfordton.

She was also preceded in death by a daughter Cathy Gail Callahan and a brother James Clarence Smith.

She is survived by two daughters, Sharon C. Porter and Pamela C. Hutchins, both of Rutherfordton; two sisters:

Kittie Lee Henderson, LaBelle, Fla., and Bobbie Grace Cook of Ruther-fordton; and one brother, Horace Dupree Smith of Gastonia

Arrangements are being handled by McMahan’s Funeral Home & Cremation Services,

Funeral services will be at First United Methodist Church, Rutherfordton, at 2 p.m. Monday with the Revs. Ed Hillman and Tonya Hill officiating. Visitation will follow the service in the fel-lowship hall. Interment will be at Rutherfordton City Cemetery.

In lieu of flowers memo-rials may be made to First United Methodist Church; 264 N. Main St.; Rutherfordton NC 28139.

The family will be at the home of Sharon & Ronnie Porter; 171 Edwards Street; Rutherfordton.

Guest register at www.mcmahan-sfuneralhome.com

Lenox HinesLenox Hines, 94, of

Rutherfordton died Saturday, Jan. 2, 2010 at Carolinas Medical Center in Charlotte.

Arrangements will be announced later by McMahan’s Funeral Home and Cremation Services.

Gladys BillingsleyGladys Billingsley of

Ellenboro died Saturday, Jan. 2, 2010 at Rutherford Hospital.

Arrangements will be announced later by McMahan’s Funeral Home and Cremation Services.

Jeannette Scola TrapaniSAN FRANCISCO (AP) —

Jeanette Scola Trapani, one of the oldest survivors of the

1906 San Francisco earth-quake and fire, has died at age 107.

Trapani had clear memo-ries of the disaster, even though she was only four years old at the time, Legge said.

The April 18 cataclysmic quake was followed by days of fire that left much of San Francisco in ruin.

Trapani was born on San Francisco’s Telegraph Hill on April 21, 1902 and she was raised in the city. She mar-ried Vincent Trapani in 1929, and they remained married until his death in 1996.

Deborah Howell WASHINGTON (AP)

— Former Washington Post ombudsman Deborah Howell, a veteran editor who helped lead two news orga-nizations to three Pulitzer Prizes, has died. She was 68.

Raised in Texas, Howell worked for newspapers there before moving to Minnesota to work as a reporter and editor for the Minneapolis Star. She later was top editor at the St. Paul Pioneer Press, leading it to two Pulitzers.

Her staff at Newhouse News Service also won a Pulitzer while she was there.

Bill Powell CANTON, Ohio (AP) —

Bill Powell, the first African American to build, own and operate a golf course, died Thursday. He was 93.

The PGA of America said Powell died at Aultman Hospital in Canton following complications from a stroke.

William TuohySANTA MONICA,

California (AP) — Pulitzer Prize-winning foreign corre-spondent William Tuohy has died at 83.

Tuohy won his interna-tional reporting Pulitzer in 1969 for his coverage of the Vietnam War as the Los Angeles Times’ Saigon bureau chief.

Sheriff’s Reportsn The Rutherford County

Sheriff’s Department responded to 113 E-911 calls Friday.

Rutherfordtonn Rutherfordton Police

Department responded to 29 E-911 calls Friday.

Lake Luren Lake Lure Police

Department responded to one E-911 call Friday.

Forest Cityn Forest City Police

Department responded to 50 E-911 calls Friday.

Spindalen Spindale Police

Department responded to seven E-911 calls Friday.

Arrestsn Lori Huskey Haynes,

35, of 2298 Oakland Road; charged with failure to appear on a misdemeanor-speeding; released on a written promise to appear. (RCSD) n Billie Ruppe Russell,

34, of 524 Hemphill Road; charged with breaking or entering and assault and bat-tery; released on a written promise to appear. (RCSD) n Charles Ray Hemphill,

36, of 524 Hemphill Road; charged with second degree trespassing; released on a written promise to appear. (RCSD) n Keith Morris Shell, 23,

of 1071 Walls Church Road; charged with driving while impaired and drive left of center; custody release. (RCSD) n Michael James

Hackworht, 44, of 983 Rolands Chapel Road; charged with possession of a schedule II controlled sub-stance (meth) and possession of drug paraphernalia; placed under a $25,000 secured bond. (RPD)n Phil Douglas Sith, 34, of

380 Happy Lane; charged with failure to appear on a misdemeanor-fishing with-out license; placed under a $5,000 secured bond. (RCSD)

EMS/Rescuen The Rutherford County

EMS responded to 24 E-911 calls Friday. n The Volunteer Life Saving

and Rescue, Hickory Nut Gorge EMS and Rutherford County REscue responded to 19 E-911 calls Friday.

Fire Callsn Cherry Mountain fire-

fighters responded to a motor vehicle accident. n S-D-O firefighers

responded to a motor vehicle accident.

WILMINGTON (AP) — One person has died and four others were injured in an early morning fire at a North Carolina apartment complex.

Multiple media outlets report the fire began around 3 a.m. Saturday at the Cypress Pointe Apartment Homes in Wilmington.

The fire destroyed four apartments and damaged all 16 units in the building. It took firefighters 30 minutes to get the blaze under control. More than a dozen people spilled into the parking lot, most in pajamas in the freez-ing cold.

Authorities say 23-year-old Rory Michaelson died in the fire. She graduated in December with a degree in special education from nearby University of North Carolina Wilmington.

Fire officials say they are trying to determine the cause of the blaze, but don’t think it was intentionally set.

Flossie Callahan

Flossie Smith Callahan, 82, a resident White Oak Manor in Rutherfordton, died Saturday, Jan. 2, 2010, at Rutherford Hospital Inc.

She was the daughter of the late Horace Smith and the late Mary Jane Smith and the widow of Birch Callahan Jr.

Flossie was a member of First United Methodist Church of Rutherfordton. She was preced-ed in death by a daughter Cathy Gail Callahan and a brother James Clarence Smith.

She is survived by two daugh-ters: Sharon C. Porter and hus-band Ronnie, of Rutherfordton, and Pamela C. Hutchins, and hus-band Ronald of Rutherfordton; two sisters: Kittie Lee Henderson, LaBelle, Fla., and Bobbie Grace Cook, Rutherfordton; and one brother, Horace Dupree Smith of Gastonia.

Arrangements are being handled by McMahan’s Funeral Home & Cremation Services.

Funeral service will be at First United Methodist Church, Rutherfordton at 2:00 PM, Monday, Jan. 4, 2010. Officiating will be Rev. Ed Hillman and Rev. Tonya Hill. Visitation will follow the service in the fellowship hall. Interment will be at Rutherfordton City Cemetery.

In lieu of flowers memori-als may be made to First United Methodist Church; 264 N. Main St.; Rutherfordton NC 28139.

The family will be at the home of Sharon & Ronnie Porter; 171 Edwards Street; Rutherfordton.

Guest register at www.mcmah-ansfuneralhome.com

Paid obit

Obituaries

Deaths

Police Notes

One killed, four injured in blaze

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THE DAILY COURIER

Published Tuesday through Sunday mornings by Paxton Media Group LLC dba The Daily Courier USPS 204-920 Periodical Postage paid in Forest City, NC.Company Address: 601 Oak St., P.O. Box 1149, Forest City, NC 28043.Phone: (828) 245-6431Fax: (828) 248-2790Subscription 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.comThe Daily Courier is not responsible for advance subscription payments made to carriers, all of who are inde-pendent contractors.

Mary Pearl Jenkins

Mary Pearl Jenkins, age 87, of Goodes Creek Community, died Saturday, January 2, 2010 at her residence.

A native of Rutherford County she was born January 11, 1922 to the late Grover Willis and Mary Elizabeth Green Scruggs. She loved flowers, reading and her dog Rascal. She worked as a quiller operator at Spindale Mills for 13 years. She was a life-long member of Goodes Creek Baptist Church.

In addition to her parents, she was preceded in death by her husband Aster Jenkins Sr. and her sister Ro-salee Scruggs.

She is survived by her son Hen-ry Jenkins Jr.. and Dot of Goodes Creek Community; two daughters Joyce Farris and Virgle of Chase Community and Lillian Camp-bell and husband William of For-est City; 14 grandchildren Sherry Bridges, Roger Campbell, Terry Campbell, Wanda Stephens, Henry Jenkins III and Sheli Jenkins, all of Forest City, Rena Campbell of New House, Karen Reid of Rutherford-ton, Linda Randall of Sandy Mush, Barbara Hutchins of Caroleen, Dan-ielle Jenkins of Caroleen, Ken Far-ris of Billings, MT, Lisa Hamrick and Tonya Dysart, both of Goodes Creek Community; 22 great grand-children and six great-great grand-children.

Funeral services will be conduct-ed at 3 p.m. on Monday, January 4, 2010, at Goodes Creek Baptist Church with Reverend Cecil Love-lace and Reverend Hubert Street officiating. Interment will follow in the church cemetery. The family will receive friends from 6 until 8 p.m. on Sunday, January 3, 2010 at Harrelson Funeral Home.

Harrelson Funeral Home is serv-ing the family.

An online guest registry is avail-able at www.harrelsonfuneralhome.com

Paid obit

Mary Alma Easley RobertsMary Alma Ensley Roberts, 88,

of 124 Salina Trail, Rutherfordton, died Saturday, Jan. 2, 2010, at Ru-therford Hospital.

A native of Yancey County, she was born Oct. 3, 1921, a daughter of the late R.T. and Tassie Mae Hall Ensley. She was a former sales clerk at Belk’s Department Store of Shelby and a member of Westwood Heights Baptist Church of Shelby.

In addition to her parents, she was preceded in death by her husband, Wilbur Roberts. She is survived by her daughters, Rachel Miller and husband, Johnny, of Matthews, and Brenda Atchley and husband, Gary, of Forest City; sisters, Annie Hester of Portsmouth, Va., and June Mc-Mahan and Carolyn Ensley, both of Newdale; grandchildren Andy Montgomery and wife, Tracy, Joey Montgomery, and Pamela Elam Bradford and husband, Gregg; step grandchildren, Russ Atchley and Kevin Atchley; great-grandchil-dren, Reynolds Montgomery and Surrilda Bradford; and step great-grandchildren, Asheton Atchley and Sammy Campbell.

Funeral services will be held at 3 p.m. Monday, Jan. 4, 2010, at West-wood Heights Baptist Church with the Rev. David Costner officiating. Visitation will be held from 2 to 3 p.m. at the church.

Memorials may be made to West-wood Heights Baptist Church, 650 Dellinger Road, Shelby, NC 28152-7172.

McKinney-Landreth Funeral Home is serving the Roberts fam-ily. A guest register is available at www.mckinneylandrethfuneral-home.com.

Paid obit


Calendar/loCal

recovering states in the nation.Dalton bases the state’s econom-

ic recovery on its 2009 accolades, including being voted No. 1 as the Best Business Climate eight of the last night years by Site Selection maga-zine; n Received the top place in the U.S.

to locate data centers, according to Tishman Technologies, October 2009n Voted No. 2 Most Competitive

State, Site Selection, May 2009n No. 2 Best State for Business by

CEOs, Chief Executive magazine, February 2009n No. 3 Pro-Business State, Pollina

Corporate Real Estate, June 2009n No. 5 Forbes Best States for

Business, September 2009.“We are seeing more companies

inquiring about locating or expand-ing jobs in North Carolina and we see things are improving,” Dalton said.

“We have done a lot of things right,” he said of the state’s reputation across the nation and world as being a place to locate and prepare others for the global economy.

“There are concentrated efforts to get contracts for jobs in North Carolina,” he said, especially in small businesses.

In the recent past North Carolina has received more of is fair share of military contracts for the manufac-ture of military clothing and equip-ment. First Choice Armor in Spindale is among companies to receive the military contracts and First Choice also contracts with another local busi-ness to support their business. They also manufacture law enforcement clothing.

There is also a possibility for a resurgence of business for All American Homes if the company receives some of the contracts for the construction of new housing barracks at Ft. Bragg and Camp LeJeune. “Companies will be bidding” on these jobs, Dalton said, and hopefully some of the jobs will come to Rutherford County.

The economic problems didn’t hap-pen overnight and certain legisla-tion was imposed on the nation from Washington, including seeing the state and country lose so many of its manufacturing jobs to the Southeast Asia. “These things were imposed on us, they did not happen in Raleigh,” Dalton said.

Dalton believes there will be more jobs created in the future in areas of health care as the Baby Boomers will be seeking additional retirement liv-ing facilities, health care, and physical therapy, assisted living and hospital care.

“We are doing what we can do to create business and to be successful,” he said.

Young entrepreneurs are coming to the state with new business ideas and creating jobs.

He recalled how the Wright Brothers, two brothers working in a bicycle shop in Ohio, came to North Carolina and built the first airplane and thus the aeronautics industry was begun.

Dalton said Western North Carolina is becoming more widely known for its Bio/Technology business oppor-tunities with its infrastructure for Google and Apple and now other companies are looking at the area.

“The state is very pleased with the Data Center (located off Hwy.74A) and there is room behind there for a Call Center,” he said. “The state is pleased with the growth,” he said. Maybe in the future, more jobs will be there.

Dalton talked about his Joining Our Businesses and Schools (JOBS) Commission, aimed at forging a

stronger link between high school curricula and local economies. His 20-member commission, which fea-tures business and education leaders from across North Carolina, is focus-ing on creating more rigor and rel-evance for North Carolina high school students and raising the career readi-ness of graduates.

The Commission will build on the success of the state’s award-winning early college themed high schools, which give high school students a head start on a college degree, an associate’s degree or a job. Dalton authored the 2003 Innovative Education Initiatives Act as a mem-ber of the state Senate, which led to the establishment of more than 70 early college high schools across North Carolina.

Rutherford County’s early high school. ReACH is located on the campus of Isothermal Community College.

Through a partnership between the Golden LEAF Foundation, North Carolina Rural Economic Development Center, and the Center for Community Self-Help, Dalton was also instrumental in establishing Small Business Initiative program to provide loans to assist small business-es during difficult economic times. Dalton worked diligently with the General Assembly to have $500,000 appropriated to the Rural Center for programs to benefit small businesses.

Small businesses are the backbone of the economy, Dalton said, and this is a great program to assist them in remaining viable during times of hardship.

He is also assisting with Gov. Perdue in working on logistics of transpor-tation and infrastructure “that will resonate with people across the state. Dalton said there weren’t many sur-prises for him when he took the oath of office in Raleigh nearly a year ago. Having served in the State Senate 12 years and as chairman of the Senate Appropriations Committee, he said he observed Dennis Wicker and Beverly Perdue in the role for years.

“I wasn’t really surprised,” he said, although the amount of travel over

the past year was a surprise. He and wife Lucille Dalton have trav-eled between 700 and 800 miles per week across the state and only since Thanksgiving, has the couple found any time for relaxation from the travel schedule.

As the chair of the Senate Appropriations Committee, he became well acquainted with all the senators across the state and their particular areas of concern and needs, but as Lt. Governor, he’s seeing a more diverse and bigger state and see-ing so many kinds of people.

People are looking for hope and leadership for the tough times ahead.

“And they have been very receptive as they are looking for hope,” he said.

“I tell people, there is hope North Carolina will rebuild first and will win out as a top business location and there is assurance that I will work as hard as possible and as much as we know how to create jobs and to pro-vide educational opportunities for the 21st Century, with an education to match the job needs,” Dalton said.

Dalton said 2009 has certainly been a difficult time, but “we’ll see things improve, not as rapid-fire, but we will recover.

About his future in politics, he is taking his job a day at a time, work-ing hard to find jobs for the people of North Carolina and responding to invitations to travel across the state.

When he became Lt. Gov. in 2009, he knew the transition from being a State Senator to Lt. Governor would be significant, primary because for the first time in his career, he would not be making his living as an attor-ney and would not be in his law office.

Last week, Dalton petitioned the state for his In-active Status as an attorney. He will no longer be licensed to practice law in the state of North Carolina.

“Now, that was a moment of reflec-tion,” he said of his lifelong career as an attorney, now fulltime politician.

Contact Gordon via email:[email protected]

red CrossBlood drives schedule:Jan. 5 — Cedar Grove United Methodist Church, 406 Toney Road, Bostic, 3 to 7:30 p.m., call 245-9114 for an appointment; Jan. 7 — Concord Baptist Church, 720 Old Hwy. 74, Bostic, 3 to 7:30 p.m., call 245-6130 for an appoint-ment; Jan. 9 — Goodes Creek Baptist Church, 7:30 a.m. to noon, call 245-3513 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 — January 5, begins at 8:30 a.m. Adult CPR — Jan. 14, begins at 6 p.m. Child, Infant CPR — Jan. 15, begins at 6 p.m.All classes must be paid in advance. Call 287-5916 for further informa-tion.

Health/educationCommunity Health Clinic of Rutherford County provides access to primary medical care, well-ness education, medications and preventative programs. The clinic, open Monday through Thursday, is located at 127 E. Trade St., B 100, Forest City. Patients seen by appointment only. The clinic does not accept patients with private insurance, Medicaid or Medicare. Call 245-0400. The Medication Assistance Program provides access to medications at reduced rates or free of charge to those who qualify, call 288-8872.

Students/schoolsFinancial aid workshop: Monday, Jan. 4, 6 to 8 p.m., R-S Central High School; parents of college bound seniors encouraged to attend.

Meetings/otherAthletic Boosters: Chase High Athletic Boosters will meet Monday, Jan. 4, at 6:30 p.m. in the office conference room.

TOPS group: TOPS (Take Off Pounds Sensibly), weight-con-trol organization, meets each Monday, at Caroleen Baptist Church. Weigh-in 5:30 p.m., meeting 6 p.m. For more infor-mation call 245-0672.

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 (retired) Carlson Trio; sponsored by Fairview Baptist Church and Cherry Mountain VFD.

Lost Playwrights: Lost Playwrights of Western North Carolina will not meet in December. The next meet-ing is Saturday, Jan. 23, 4 p.m., at Doc’s Deli in Hendersonville; a pre-sentation of short plays will follow at 7 p.m. The meetings are open to anyone interested in any aspect of theatre.

Alcoholics Anonymous: The Tri-City Alano Club meets every day at 1201 Oakland Road, Forest City, (first door on the left). For more information and meeting times call 288-2700.

FundraisersFish 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.

MiscellaneousLow-cost rabies clinic: Saturday, Jan. 9, noon to 1 p.m.; Thunder Road Animal Hospital; $9 cash, one-year rabies; $10 cash, three-year rabies; other discounted vac-cines available; call 286-0033.

Art Exhibit: Rutherford County Visual Arts Guild presents the Young Budding Artist exhibit through Jan. 30, at Norris Public Library, Rutherfordton. The young

artists are students of Judy Ockert.

Weatherization Assistance Program: The Weatherization Assistance Program is accepting applications for eligible clients for possible assistance. Applicants must provide proof of ownership, verification of income on each household member and past 12 months usage history on their util-ity bills. It is also open to tenants, providing the landlord gives written permis-sion and contributes a portion of the cost to receive Weatherization measures. For more information contact Becky McKelvey at 828-287-2281 ext. 1238.

daltonContinued from Page 1A

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

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

Circulation

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

Business officeJessica Higgins . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .202Cindy White . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .200

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

ClassifiedErika Meyer . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .205

MaintenanceGary 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 .

About us...

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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 edi-tion.

If you do not receive your paper on either Saturday or Sunday and call by 8 a.m., a customer service repre-sentative 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 cir-culation customer service.

Phone: 245-6431 Fax: 248-2790 www.thedigitalcourier.comE-mail: dailycourier@thedigitalcourier .com

Daily Courier file photoLt. Gov. Walter Dalton says North Carolina will recover from the current economic recession, but it may take some time.

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State tax forms not at library, PO

FOREST CITY – If you need additional North Carolina tax forms this year to supplement the ones you receive in the mail, you won’t be able to find them at the libraries and post offices anymore.

The N.C. Department of Revenue announced in late 2009 it would no longer provide tax forms to public facilities in an effort to reduce printing costs and encourage electronic filing.

“We had people in for them all the time,” said Martha Schatz, director of the Ruther-ford County Library. “We put them in the lobby and a lot of people came in and knew that’s where they’d find them.”

Schatz said each year there were leftover forms the library would take to be recycled, but that didn’t mean there weren’t many people who utilized being able to get them there. “It’s going to be inconvenient to the people, and if they were available, we would provide them.”

Individual taxpayers may order forms by mail at no cost by calling the department at 1-8-252-3052 or by requesting them online at www.dor.state.nc.us/request. The forms can also be downloaded and print-ed online at www.dor.state.nc.us/downloads/individual.html.

Library patrons may down-load and print forms at the library, but it does cost 15 cents per page to print items.

According to a release from the N.C. Department of Revenue, “Taxpayers are also encouraged to file their taxes electronically. It’s quick and convenient and it reduces the chance for errors on your return.”

Local accountants are pre-paring for more e-file custom-ers as well.

“Usually the people I hear from are already clients and I’ve set up for e-filing this year,” said Beth Sitton, a CPA in Forest City. “I think we will see more e-filing this year since the forms will not be available. I think they aren’t providing the forms because of the bur-den of setting up space and getting communication with the state and getting the forms sent to the state. People don’t have to do anything different. I would recommend that people keep a hard copy and any con-firmation from the state that they receive on filing with their records.”

If you would like to e-file, instructions can be found at www.dor.state.nc.us/electronic/e-file.html.

Federal tax forms will still be available at the library, Schatz said, and will be in the lobby.

New crop disaster program finally open

RUTHERFORDTON — The long awaited new disaster pro-gram for the 2008 crop year is open for applications beginning Jan. 4, 2010.

An ending date for this 2008 signup period has not yet been established. Only producers who had crop insurance or NAP insurance on all their crops that contributed signifi-cantly to their farming opera-tion, or who “bought in” to the program in 2008, or beginning farmers and limited resource farmers are eligible to partici-pate 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.

BusinessNotes

Christian Sanfilipo Jr. works on the floor of the New York Stock Exchange on the final trading day of the decade Thursday in New York.

NEW YORK (AP) — Few analysts forecast this year’s remarkable stock market rebound as major indexes were plunging to 12-year lows last March. Now, with most experts pre-dicting the pace of stocks’ gains will slow in 2010, there’s reason to believe they will be proven correct.

Stocks began the dramatic turn-around in March after Citigroup Inc. and other big banks said they were making money again, and then climbed at a fairly steady pace as signs of an economic recovery from the Great Recession became more pronounced.

Investor fears about a potential financial system collapse played a big role in the early year slump in stocks. Once it was clear that wasn’t going to happen, the Standard & Poor’s 500 index roared back 64.8 percent from its early March low, the biggest move since the Depression. For the full year, the index rose 23.5 percent, its best showing since 2003.

But sustaining that momentum in the new year likely would require a big drop in the unemployment rate and strong corporate profit gains, along with stable borrowing costs — a combination few analysts are fore-casting.

“The easy money has been made already,” said Bill Stone, chief invest-ment strategist for PNC Wealth Management. “You’re not going to see another 65 percent move in the next nine months.”

In the last day of the year, more signs of healing first pleased inves-tors, then had them concerned about the economy’s ability to thrive without government help. Light trading vol-ume exaggerated the market’s moves, sending the Dow Jones industrial average down 120.46, or 1.1 percent, to 10,428.05.

The year’s stats tell an incredible story across the financial markets:n By March, the Dow Jones indus-

trials had tumbled 53.8 percent from

a record high in October 2007 to a low of 6,547.05, its lowest level since 1997. It then rocketed 59.3 percent in the final nine months of the year . The Dow is still down 26.4 percent from its 2007 peak of 14,164.53.n U.S. stocks have gained about

$5.2 trillion in value since the low in March, putting the gain for the year at $2.6 trillion. But the climb was still not enough to give investors a win for the decade. The S&P fell 24.1 percent from 2000-09, its first loss for a decade. S&P says it managed to advance during the Depression thanks to dividend payments.n A share of Citigroup Inc., one of

the banks hit hardest by the 2008 financial crisis and the recession, reached a high early in the year of $7.59, then fell to 97 cents in March. It ended the year at $3.31.n Technology and financial stocks

posted some of the biggest gains in

Please see Market, Page 8A

NEW BUSINESS

Encore Consignments & Collectibles, owned by John Zaleski, is now open at 480 South Main Street in Rutherfordton. Encore offers a variety of consignment items, collectibles, antiques, bulk herbs and spices, kitchen wares and more. At Encore customers can find great quality items that have been recycled, re-purposed and are ready to be reused, all at great prices. Store hours are Monday to Friday from 10 a.m. to 6 p.m. and Saturday from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. The phone number is 828-287-4319.

Larry Dale/The Daily Courier

CHICAGO (AP) — Cash-strapped communities have a message for cor-porations that promised jobs in return for tax breaks: A deal’s a deal.

As the economy sputters along, municipalities struggling to fix roads, fund schools and pay bills increasingly are rescinding tax abatements to com-panies that don’t hire enough workers, that lay them off or that close up shop. At the same time, they’re sharpening new incentive deals, leaving no doubt what is expected of companies and what will happen if they don’t deliver.

“We will roll out the red carpet as much as we can (but) they are going to honor the contract,” said Brendon Gallagher, an alderman in DeKalb, Ill., where Target Corp. got abate-ments from the city, county, school

district and other taxing bodies after promising at least 500 jobs at a local distribution center.

So when the company came up 66 workers short in 2009, Target got word its next tax bill would be jump-ing almost $600,000 — more than half of which goes to the local school district, where teachers and programs have been cut as coffers dried up.

The newfound boldness comes from communities and states that have long bent over backward to lure compa-nies and jobs by offering abatements and other incentives — to the tune of an estimated $60 billion a year in the United States, according to the Washington-based economic devel-opment watchdog group Good Jobs First.

The willingness to write — and enforce — the “clawback” provisions comes even as companies across the country struggle and against a broad-er backdrop of governments getting tough on business practices.

What’s more, the poor economy has communities thinking about how the tax breaks they dole out will play with residents who have grown increas-ingly angry at the thought of anything that hints of corporate welfare.

“The public is a lot more aware of tax abatements and there’s a climate of skepticism about what can be per-ceived as corporate handouts,” said Geoff McKimm, a member of the

Please see Breaks, Page 8A

Government reclaiming tax breaks

Associated Press

Most expect market gains to slow

7/


Business/finance

market value in 2009. Among them: Apple Inc., Microsoft Corp., Google Inc., Bank of America Corp. and IBM Corp.

n Stock mutual funds are valued at about $4.6 trillion, up from $4.04 trillion at the beginning of the decade.

n The Chicago Board Options Exchange’s Volatility Index, known as the market’s fear index and a measure of investor worry, is down 45.8 percent for the year, and also down about 76 percent from its high of about 89, reached at the height of the financial crisis in the fall of 2008. It ended 2009 at 21.68.

n The yield on the 10-year Treasury note, used as a benchmark for interest rates on mortgages and other con-sumer loans, stands at 3.84 percent, up from 2.22 per-cent a year ago.

Investors are no longer fleeing to the safety of U.S. government debt.

n The ICE Futures US dol-lar index, which measures the dollar against a basket of currencies, fell 4 percent for the year.

The dollar gained 4 percent in December on expectations that a strengthening econo-my will lead to an increase in interest rates and make the dollar a more attractive investment. Analysts expect

the dollar will remain strong early in 2010 but are divided over whether it can hold its gains if the economy struggles.

n Gold gained 24 percent for the year, rising as high as $1,227.50 and closing at $1,096.20 as investors looked for high returns ways to shield their money from inflation.

Stock market gains often come months before econom-ic recoveries are confirmed.

That’s because investors tend to bet on how they think business conditions will be six to nine months in the future.

In downturns during the past 60 years, the S&P 500 index hit its bottom an aver-age of four months before a recession ended and about nine months before unem-ployment reached its peak.

There are reasons to hope the market will start off 2010 well. In the first January after stocks start to recover from a bear market, the aver-age gain in the S&P 500

index has been 3.7 percent, according to S&P’s records.

But analysts don’t expect a straight line higher, in much the same way that the 2009 rally stalled in June, September and October. And, there are no guarantees about January, especially since companies will be releasing their fourth-quar-ter earnings.

Earnings are likely to look good on the surface due to what the market calls easy comparisons — when held up against the dismal perfor-mance of the fourth quarter of 2008, profits are bound to look better.

But businesses have relied on layoffs and other cuts to slash costs for the past year, and investors need to see a pickup in sales for them to believe the market’s 2009 rally wasn’t premature.

Stocks are also likely to turn on companies’ forecasts for the coming quarters.

If sales or company predic-tions fall short of expecta-tions, investors may well decide it’s safer to pull some

money out of stocks until it appears the recovery is truly picking up momentum.

Ron Kiddoo, chief invest-ment officer at Cozad Asset Management in Champaign, Ill., said the market can con-tinue its rally through 2010 only if investors see that companies are again hiring, bringing the unemployment rate down for its present 10 percent rate, and that con-sumers start spending more.

“We can only go on promis-es of economic growth for so long without actually seeing it take place,” he said.

Kiddoo added, however, that the market could see a tug-of-war because the Federal Reserve will be reluctant to raise inter-est rates to ward off infla-tion if the economy doesn’t strengthen.

If rates remain at record lows, returns on cash and investments like government bonds will remain weak and create demand for riskier but higher-paying investments like stocks.

Investors still have tril-lions of dollars in cash avail-able, and many are anxious to get better returns than the minuscule yields offered by money market funds and short-term Treasurys.

“It becomes no alternative place to put your money,” Kiddoo said.

Ryan Detrick, senior tech-nical strategist at Schaeffer’s Investment Research in Cincinnati, said the market’s 2009-10 moves could paral-lel the period from 2003-04,

when stocks took off then idled.

In 2003, the S&P 500 index gained 26.4 percent as the economy pulled out of recession.

Then, in 2004, the S&P 500 index peaked early and sputtered along before end-ing the year with a 10.7 per-cent surge in little more than two months.

Detrick expects stocks will end 2010 10 percent to 15 percent higher, but he said he also wouldn’t be surprised to see a drop of 10 percent to 12 percent for certain periods of the year.

“You’re going to need to have some pullbacks and some breaks,” he said.

Dan Cook, senior market analyst at IG Markets in Chicago, said he could see the Dow Jones industrials rising about 500 points to the 11,000 level in January but then pull back as the government withdraws some of its economic support, like low-interest loans to banks.

He projects the market could fall about 15 percent from where it stands, put-ting the Dow industrials at the 8,800-9,000 level a year from now.

Cook is concerned that a rally that goes too high, too fast could set investors up for a hefty psychological blow.

“I can only jump so high and then I’m going to hit the ground,” he said. “If I get on a trampoline and I go super high and then fall to the ground, it’s going to be a lot more painful.”

Monroe County Council in Indiana.

With that in mind, county officials drew up an agree-ment with Printpack, a packaging company, that includes a provision requir-ing the company to refund either $197,000 or that year’s abatement, whichever is more, if the number of employees at a new factory falls below 140.

Another provision requires Printpack to refund the entire abatement if it employs fewer than 75 people — a guarantee meant to pre-vent companies from leaving a “skeleton crew” at a loca-tion to avoid paying up.

“With so many businesses going to Mexico, communi-ties are desperately trying to hold onto jobs,” said Amy Gerstman, the county’s audi-tor. “This was a carefully put-together abatement.”

And businesses increasing-ly are being forced to hold up their end of the bargain.

In Texas, where compa-nies can get money from the Texas Enterprise Fund

if they promise to create a specific number of jobs, the number of clawbacks rose to nine in 2008, compared to a total of seven for the previ-ous three years combined, the governor’s office said.

In Illinois, the number of companies from which the state sought to “recapture” incentive money has steadily climbed, from six in 2005 to a total of 37 by 2008.

Meanwhile, more com-munities are contemplating similar action.

In St. Louis County, offi-cials have told Pfizer Inc. that if it cuts 600 jobs, as planned, they’ll rethink the $7 million in tax breaks they promised to give the drug-maker for the next 10 years.

And in Detroit, while the state was approving expand-ed tax credits in exchange for General Motors Co.’s promise

not to move its headquarters, the city council was talk-ing about cracking down on tax breaks for GM and other major employers.

“We know that there are more clawbacks getting trig-gered because more deals are falling short,” said Greg LeRoy, executive director of Good Jobs First, who has written extensively on claw-backs.

It’s unclear exactly how much is being recovered because nobody collects com-prehensive statistics on claw-backs, LeRoy and others say. States that do keep statistics track only their own deals, not those initiated by local governments. Communities also may revoke the entire abatement or only a portion of it, while others sometimes simply rule out future abate-ments, LeRoy said.

Finally, some communities crack down on companies quietly, out of concern that they could scare off other potential employers, LeRoy said. He said that fear per-sists even though there is no evidence that having or enforcing clawbacks poisons the business climate.

“We were told that we were going to ruin Topeka’s abil-ity to attract businesses; we’d give Topeka a black eye,” said James Crowl, assistant county counselor in Shawnee County, where last year offi-cials approved a settlement that calls for Target to pay $200,000 a year for 10 years after failing to create as many jobs as it had agreed to.

So what happened?“Last year we opened a

Home Depot distribution center right next door,” said County Counselor Rich Eckert.

In DeKalb, some officials were concerned about send-ing a bad message to other businesses considering locat-ing there, said Gallagher, the alderman. But he didn’t buy it.

“We are 65 miles from Chicago (and) if someone

wants to locate 120 miles from Chicago, I can’t stop them,” he said.

Besides, he said, $600,000 means less to Target than to a struggling community, where he said the city alone is facing a $2 million revenue shortfall.

Target was disappointed, but understood the deci-sion, spokeswoman Jill Hornbacher said.

“We are very committed to DeKalb and that distribu-tion center and proud to be there,” she said.

And don’t expect communi-ties to back down soon, offi-cials said.

“There is much more (lan-guage) tied to jobs now because of economy,” said Lee Garrity, city manager in Winston-Salem, N.C., which along with the surrounding county is sharing more than $26 million that computer giant Dell Inc. paid after announcing it will close its assembly plant next year.

Garrity said officials are thinking about provisions that are even more specific.

“We are discussing whether we need to require the jobs of the company go to people who live in the city,” he said.

MarketContinued from Page 7A

BreaksContinued from Page 7A

It’s unclear exactly how much is being recovered because nobody collects com-prehensive statistics on clawbacks, LeRoy and others say. States that do keep statis-tics track only their own deals, not those initiated by local governments.

Dan Cook, senior market analyst at IG Markets in Chicago, said he could see the Dow Jones indus-trials rising about 500 points to the 11,000 level in January but then pull back as the government withdraws some of its economic support, like low-interest loans to banks. He projects the market could fall about 15 percent from where it stands, putting the Dow industrials at the 8,800-9,000 level a year from now.

STOCKS OF LOCAL INTERESTWk Wk YTD

Name Div Last Chg %Chg%ChgWk Wk YTD

Name Div Last Chg %Chg%ChgAT&T Inc 1.68 28.03 -.07 -0.2 -1.6Amazon ... 134.52 -3.95 -2.9+162.3ArvMerit ... 11.18 -.71 -6.0+292.3BB&T Cp .60 25.37 -.50 -1.9 -7.6BkofAm .04 15.06 -.19 -1.2 +7.0BerkHa A ...99200.00+305.00+0.3 +2.7Cisco ... 23.94 -.02 -0.1 +46.9Delhaize 2.01 76.72 +.09 +0.1 +21.8Dell Inc ... 14.36 -.43 -2.9 +40.2DukeEngy .96 17.21 -.06 -0.3 +14.7ExxonMbl 1.68 68.19 -.47 -0.7 -14.6FamilyDlr .54 27.83 -.19 -0.7 +6.8FifthThird .04 9.75 -.47 -4.6 +18.0FCtzBA 1.20 164.01 +1.12 +0.7 +7.3GenElec .40 15.13 -.31 -2.0 -6.6GoldmanS 1.40 168.84 +4.87 +3.0+100.1Google ... 619.98 +1.50 +0.2+101.5KrispKrm ... 2.95 -.03 -1.0 +75.6

LeggPlat 1.04 20.40 -.05 -0.2 +34.3

Lowes .36 23.39 -.26 -1.1 +8.7

Microsoft .52 30.48 -.52 -1.7 +56.8

PPG 2.16 58.54 -1.03 -1.7 +38.0

ParkerHan 1.00 53.88 -1.08 -2.0 +26.7

ProgrssEn 2.48 41.01 -.35 -0.8 +2.9

RedHat ... 30.90 -.46 -1.5+133.7

RoyalBk g 2.00 53.55 +.15 +0.3 +80.5

SaraLee .44 12.18 -.27 -2.2 +24.4

SonicAut ... 10.39 -.51 -4.7+161.1

SonocoP 1.08 29.25 -1.06 -3.5 +26.3

SpectraEn 1.00 20.51 -.07 -0.3 +30.3

SpeedM .36 17.62 +.13 +0.7 +9.4

Timken .36 23.71 -.84 -3.4 +20.8

UPS B 1.80 57.37 -.75 -1.3 +4.0

WalMart 1.09 53.45 -.15 -0.3 -4.7

STOCK MARKET INDEXES

MUTUAL FUNDS

WEEKLY DOW JONES

10,580.33 6,469.95 Dow Jones Industrials 10,428.05 -92.05 -.88 +18.82 +18.824,213.61 2,134.21 Dow Jones Transportation 4,099.63 -88.23 -2.11 +15.90 +15.90

408.57 288.66 Dow Jones Utilities 398.01 -5.36 -1.33 +7.35 +7.357,288.23 4,181.75 NYSE Composite 7,184.96 -70.04 -.97 +24.80 +24.801,887.23 1,234.81 AMEX Index 1,824.95 +.57 +.03 +30.58 +30.582,295.80 1,265.52 Nasdaq Composite 2,269.15 -16.54 -.72 +43.89 +43.891,130.38 666.79 S&P 500 1,115.10 -11.38 -1.01 +23.45 +23.45

11,711.07 6,772.29 Wilshire 5000 11,548.64 -120.24 -1.03 +27.09 +27.09635.99 342.59 Russell 2000 625.39 -8.68 -1.37 +25.22 +25.22

3,089.66 1,789.23 Lipper Growth Index 3,058.30 -29.30 -.95 +39.17 +39.17

52-Week Wk Wk YTD 12-moHigh Low Name Last Chg %Chg %Chg %Chg

THE WEEK IN REVIEW

PIMCO TotRetIs CI 114,653 10.80 -0.9 +13.8/C +6.8/A NL 5,000,000American Funds GrthAmA m LG 65,022 27.33 +2.7 +34.5/C +2.9/A 5.75 250American Funds CapIncBuA m IH 58,268 47.89 -0.1 +20.5/D +3.6/C 5.75 250Vanguard TotStIdx LB 56,221 27.45 +2.9 +28.7/B +0.9/B NL 3,000American Funds CpWldGrIA m WS 56,060 34.08 +1.4 +32.3/C +6.1/A 5.75 250Fidelity Contra LG 55,503 58.28 +3.0 +29.2/D +4.7/A NL 2,500American Funds IncAmerA m MA 49,018 15.49 +0.9 +24.3/C +2.7/B 5.75 250American Funds InvCoAmA m LB 48,458 25.95 +2.4 +27.2/C +1.7/B 5.75 250Vanguard 500Inv LB 47,844 102.67 +1.9 +26.5/C +0.3/C NL 3,000Vanguard InstIdx LB 43,018 101.98 +2.0 +26.6/C +0.5/C NL 5,000,000American Funds EurPacGrA m FB 40,409 38.34 +1.2 +39.1/A +7.8/A 5.75 250Dodge & Cox Stock LV 39,492 96.14 +2.3 +31.3/A -0.7/D NL 2,500American Funds WAMutInvA m LV 38,894 24.64 +1.5 +19.0/D +0.2/C 5.75 250Dodge & Cox IntlStk FV 35,777 31.85 +2.3 +47.5/A +5.6/A NL 2,500American Funds NewPerspA m WS 32,502 25.64 +2.2 +37.4/B +5.7/A 5.75 250Fidelity DivrIntl d FG 31,850 28.00 +1.7 +31.8/D +3.8/C NL 2,500American Funds FnInvA m LB 30,369 32.73 +2.3 +33.4/A +4.0/A 5.75 250PIMCO TotRetAdm b CI 30,253 10.80 -0.9 +13.5/C +6.6/A NL 5,000,000American Funds BalA m MA 29,744 16.21 -0.1 +20.4/D +1.9/C 5.75 250FrankTemp-Franklin Income A mCA 28,628 2.07 +3.6 +35.0/A +3.7/B 4.25 1,000Vanguard Welltn MA 28,113 28.85 +0.4 +22.2/D +4.8/A NL 10,000Vanguard 500Adml LB 27,983 102.67 +1.9 +26.6/C +0.4/C NL 100,000American Funds BondA m CI 27,836 11.80 -1.0 +15.0/B +2.4/E 3.75 250Fidelity GrowCo LG 27,285 68.98 +5.1 +41.2/B +4.5/A NL 2,500Vanguard TotStIAdm LB 26,873 27.45 +2.9 +28.8/B +1.0/B NL 100,000Vanguard TotIntl FB 25,417 14.41 +1.5 +36.7/B +5.3/B NL 3,000Vanguard InstPlus LB 24,423 101.98 +1.9 +26.7/C +0.5/C NL200,000,000Fidelity LowPriStk d MB 23,633 31.94 +4.2 +39.1/B +3.2/A NL 2,500T Rowe Price EqtyInc LV 15,231 20.99 +1.9 +25.6/B +0.7/B NL 2,500Hartford CapAprA m LB 9,646 30.68 +2.6 +42.8/A +3.6/A 5.50 1,000Pioneer PioneerA m LB 4,251 35.72 +2.5 +24.2/D +1.1/B 5.75 1,000Goldman Sachs ShDuGovA m GS 1,416 10.31 -0.6 +3.8/B +4.7/A 1.50 1,000Alliance Bernstein GrowIncA m LV 1,228 2.94 +2.2 +20.9/C -1.7/E 4.25 2,500DWS-Scudder REstA m SR 415 13.96 +6.1 +30.0/B +0.4/B 5.75 1,000Hartford GrowthL m LG 185 15.02 +2.7 +33.5/C -0.1/D 4.75 0

Total Assets Total Return/Rank Pct Min InitName Obj ($Mlns) NAV 4-wk 12-mo 5-year Load Invt

CA -Conservative Allocation, CI -Intermediate-Term Bond, ES -Europe Stock, FB -Foreign Large Blend, FG -Foreign LargeGrowth, FV -ForeignLarge 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 withsame objective: A is in top 20%, E in bottom 20%. Min Init Invt: Minimum $ needed to invest in fund. Source: Morningstar.

NYSE7,184.96 -70.04

AMEX1,824.95 +.57

NASDAQ2,269.15 -16.54

WEEKLY STOCK EXCHANGE HIGHLIGHTS

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 least50 percent within the past year. rt = Right to buy security at a specified price. s = Stock has split by at least 20 percent with-in the 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 redemptionfee. 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: TheAssociated Press. Sales figures are unofficial.

dd uu ddGAINERS ($2 OR MORE)

Volume

Name Vol (00) Last ChgPwShs QQQ1796890 45.75 -.23Microsoft 1267952 30.48 -.52Intel 1072948 20.40 +.07MicronT 1029099 10.56 +.40Cisco 833345 23.94 -.02ETrade 774325 1.76 -.05Dell Inc 685706 14.36 -.43Oracle 680555 24.53 -.42Apple Inc 647128 210.73 +1.69Nvidia 582093 18.68 +.59

MOST ACTIVE ($1 OR MORE)

LOSERS ($2 OR MORE)

Name Last Chg %ChgQuixte 6.37 +3.81 +148.8ICxTech 9.52 +4.54 +91.2Entorian rs 5.53 +2.32 +72.3FstChestr n 9.15 +3.65 +66.4PAB Bksh 2.20 +.80 +57.1SevenArts n 2.54 +.89 +53.9eOnComm 6.10 +1.92 +45.9AutoCh wt 16.46 +4.94 +42.9AutoChi n 21.98 +5.48 +33.2Optelecom 2.81 +.66 +30.7

Name Last Chg %ChgAthersys 4.13 -1.39 -25.2ZionO&G wt 3.98 -1.03 -20.5OakRidgeF 4.25 -1.05 -19.8EuroTech 2.13 -.52 -19.6AlliancB 2.85 -.63 -18.1RadioOne 3.03 -.62 -17.0BrdwindE n 8.09 -1.65 -16.9Trimeris 2.62 -.52 -16.6TricoMar 4.54 -.87 -16.1pSivida 3.59 -.64 -15.1

DIARYAdvanced 1,262Declined 1,598New Highs 330New Lows 45Total issues 2,942Unchanged 82

5,070,699,524Volume

Name Vol (00) Last ChgPhrmAth 168069 1.96 +.57Rentech 131200 1.23 -.06Intellichk 105153 3.75 +2.43NovaGld g 92171 6.13 -.36GoldStr g 88720 3.12 -.13ChNEPet n 84819 9.25 +1.29NA Pall g 78491 3.50 +.54UQM Tech 71374 6.85 +.94Taseko 70773 4.22 -.18Oilsands g 59360 1.15 -.01


GAINERS ($2 OR MORE)

LOSERS ($2 OR MORE)

Name Last Chg %ChgIntellichk 3.75 +2.43 +184.1AdcareH wt 2.60 +1.10 +73.3ASpectRlty 22.29 +5.04 +29.2ChinNutri n 4.26 +.89 +26.5IncOpR 8.40 +1.65 +24.4ComndSec 2.65 +.49 +22.7NA Pall g 3.50 +.54 +18.2WinnerM n 7.38 +1.13 +18.1ChNEPet n 9.25 +1.29 +16.2UQM Tech 6.85 +.94 +15.9

Name Last Chg %ChgHeraldNB 3.42 -.68 -16.6VirnetX 2.94 -.56 -16.0MercBcp 3.01 -.49 -14.0B&HO 2.67 -.43 -13.9GeoGloblR 2.07 -.33 -13.8ChinaMda 10.60 -1.60 -13.1BioTime wt 2.05 -.30 -12.8NTS Rlty 4.47 -.48 -9.7MinesMgt 2.81 -.27 -8.8Vicon 5.27 -.51 -8.8

DIARYAdvanced 299Declined 205Unchanged 59Total issues 563New Highs 8New Lows 4

Name Vol (00) Last ChgCitigrp 9215940 3.31 -.04BkofAm 3623300 15.06 -.19FannieMae 3385583 1.18 +.13SPDR 2770703 111.44 -1.04FredMac 1922441 1.47 +.21GenElec 1822067 15.13 -.31FordM 1705314 10.00 -.13iShR2K 1288619 62.44 -.92iShEMkts 1190787 41.50 +.32SPDR Fncl 1113157 14.40 -.13


GAINERS ($2 OR MORE)

LOSERS ($2 OR MORE)

Name Last Chg %ChgPrime pfB 5.68 +1.12 +24.6Enterra gh 2.04 +.29 +16.63Par 11.85 +1.57 +15.3BrkfldH 8.00 +1.05 +15.1SLM pfB 46.50 +5.90 +14.5L-1 Ident 7.49 +.93 +14.2Heckmn un 6.42 +.72 +12.6MLGS flt 18.68 +2.07 +12.5GpTMM rs 3.76 +.41 +12.1VersoP h 2.61 +.28 +12.0

Name Last Chg %ChgDow30Enh 10.94 -2.75 -20.1Primedia 3.61 -.56 -13.4BlueLinx 2.77 -.42 -13.2Dow30Pr 14.74 -2.10 -12.5Medifast 30.58 -4.23 -12.2Rostelecm 27.35 -3.74 -12.0PimcoHiI 10.85 -1.36 -11.1LaZBoy 9.53 -1.10 -10.3AlonUSA 6.84 -.76 -10.0US Airwy 4.84 -.54 -10.0

DIARYAdvanced 1,026Declined 2,029Unchanged 107Total issues 3,162New Highs 173New Lows 2

2,236,703,020Volume 125,639,123

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1-week change: -92.05 (-0.9%)

Dow Jones industrials

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Weather/NatioN

Fire kills parents, 2 kids GREENWICH, Ohio (AP) — Two

young children and their parents died in a fire in an Ohio mobile home Saturday, and a third sibling is being treated for injuries at a hos-pital.

Ohio fire marshal’s spokesman Shane Cartmill said firefighters were called to the trailer at 6:30 a.m. in Greenwich, about 75 miles southwest of Cleveland.

John and Lisa Schunatz and their children, 6-year-old Jeffery and 4-year-old Valerie, were killed in the fire.

Daniel Schunatz, 5, was taken to a hospital in Akron, but his condition was not known.

Raymond Reed, manager of the mobile home park, said the Schunatz family had lived there for about five years.

Reed was somber as he watched firefighters clear debris from what was left of the mobile home.

“I’m at a loss for words,” he said. “It’s just a horrific thing.”

The cause of the blaze is not known.

Rap producer chargedMcDONOUGH, Ga. (AP) — Music

producer Demetrius Lee Stewart, known as Shawty Redd, is being held in a suburban Atlanta jail on a murder charge.

Henry County Police Capt. Jason Bolton says Stewart was arrested Friday morning.

Stewart is accused of shooting 35-year-old Damon A. Martin of Detroit in an argument at Stewart’s home in Hampton, about 30 miles southeast of Atlanta.

The 28-year-old Stewart is charged with murder and was being held without bond in the Henry County jail Saturday. His first court appearance is scheduled for Jan. 12. Police didn’t know whether Stewart has a lawyer.

Stewart has worked with Young Jeezy, Snoop Dogg and other major artists.

Meth lab in back seatMURFREESBORO, Tenn. (AP) —

Police say a driver passed out in his car at a Tennessee gas station while a batch of methamphetamine was cooking in the back seat.

An employee at the gas station in Murfreesboro, about 30 miles southeast of Nashville, called police

because the car was sitting at the pump for about an hour on New Year’s Day.

Police say a chemical process to make the drug was in progress. Some meth-making ingredients can be explosive.

Murfreesboro Assistant Fire Chief Allen Swader told The Daily News Journal that gas pumps were shut off as a precaution.

Thirty-one-year-old Nathan E. Beasley is being held on a $15,000 bond on charges of driving under the influence, driving on a suspend-ed license, reckless endangerment and manufacturing meth. No attor-ney was listed in police records.

Fire kills 5 in CaliforniaPALM SPRINGS, Calif. (AP) —

A 30-year-old mother, her three children and a 32-year-old man were killed in a fire that engulfed a mobile home on New Year’s Day.

The fire was reported at 5:15 a.m. at the Western Village Mobile Home Park in Palm Springs, accord-ing to the Riverside County Fire Department.

Firefighters initially found the bodies of the two adults and later discovered the children — an 11-year-old girl, a 7-year-old boy, and a 6-year-old girl.

A statement from the Riverside County Sheriff’s Department said the victims’ names will not be released until the bodies are posi-tively identified.

Police shoot suspectFORT COLLINS, Colo. (AP) — A

Colorado man suspected of kidnap-ping his former fiancee and later fleeing a Wyoming hotel just before authorities moved in to rescue her was fatally shot by police Friday, the FBI said.

The shooting during a confronta-tion between three Fort Collins police officers and Dennis Gene Cox followed an extensive manhunt that had been centered about 69 miles away in Laramie, Wyo., authorities said.

Laramie police began searching for Cox Friday after a woman he was suspected of kidnapping from Brighton, Colo., was found safe at a Laramie hotel Friday morning.

Julie Ann Kilgore, a 48-year-old nurse, left her home with Cox on Tuesday, Brighton police spokesman John Bradley said.

HONOLULU (AP) — An al-Qaida affiliate in Yemen apparently ordered the Christmas Day plot against a U.S. airliner, training and arming the 23-year-old Nigerian man accused in the failed bombing, President Barack Obama said Saturday.

“This is not the first time this group has targeted us,” Obama said, reporting on some of the findings of an administration review into how intelligence agencies failed to prevent Umar Farouk Abdulmutallab from boarding Detroit-bound Northwest Flight 253.

In his most direct public language to date, Obama described the path through Yemen of Abdulmutallab. He also emphasized that the United States would continue its partner-ships with friendly countries — citing Yemen, in particular — to fight ter-rorists and extremist groups.

The U.S. plans to more than dou-ble its counterterrorism aid to the impoverished, fragmented Arab nation in the coming year to support Yemen’s campaign against al-Qaida.

Obama’s homeland security team has been piecing together just how Abdulmutallab was able to get on the plane. Officials have described flaws in the system and by those executing the strategy and have delivered a pre-liminary assessment.

A top counterterrorism official said Saturday that al-Qaida and others extremists are working to test U.S. defenses and launch an attack on American soil.

The failed attempt against the plane “is the starkest of reminders of the insidious terrorist threats we face,” said Michael Leiter, director of the National Counterterrorism Center. “We know with absolute certainty that al-Qaida and those who support its ideology continue to refine their methods to test our defenses and pursue an attack on the homeland,” he said.

The center, part of the Office of the Director of National Intelligence, draws experts from the CIA, FBI, Pentagon and other agencies who try to ensure that clues about potential attacks are not missed.

A senior administration official had said the United States increas-ingly was confident of a link between Abdulmutallab and an al-Qaida affiliate, but Obama’s statement was the strongest connection between the two. The official said regular updates from the White House Situation Room and from his homeland secu-rity advisers gave Obama enough confidence to use this radio address — typically, focused on domestic priorities — to communicate a stark

message about Abdulmutallab.“We know that he traveled to

Yemen, a country grappling with crushing poverty and deadly insur-gencies. It appears that he joined an affiliate of al-Qaida, and that this group — al-Qaida in the Arabian Peninsula — trained him, equipped him with those explosives and direct-ed him to attack that plane headed for America,” the president said in his weekly radio and Internet address. It was released by the White House during Obama’s vacation in Hawaii.

Officials have said Abdulmutallab’s father warned the U.S. Embassy in Nigeria that his son had drifted into extremism in the al-Qaida hotbed of Yemen. Abdulmutallab’s threat was only partially digested by the U.S. security apparatus and not linked with a visa history showing the young man could fly to the United States.

Obama has ordered a thorough look at the shortcomings that permitted the plot, which failed not because of U.S. actions but because the would-be attacker was unable to ignite an explosive device. He has sum-moned homeland security officials to meet with him in the White House Situation Room on Tuesday.

Intelligence officials prepared for what was shaping up to be uncom-fortable hearings before Congress about miscommunication among anti-terror agencies and sweeping changes expected under Obama’s watch.

Obama noted that in recent years, the al-Qaida affiliate in Yemen has bombed government facilities there as well as Western hotels, restau-rants and embassies. An attack on the U.S. Embassy in 2008 killed one American.

“So, as president, I’ve made it a priority to strengthen our partner-ship with the Yemeni government — training and equipping their security forces, and working with them to strike al-Qaida terrorists,” he said.

The United States provided Yemen $67 million in training and support under the Pentagon’s counterterror-ism program last year. Only Pakistan got more, with some $112 million.

Obama said the money had been well spent: “Training camps have been struck, leaders eliminated, plots disrupted. And all those involved in the attempted act of terrorism on Christmas must know — you too will be held to account.”

The U.S. general who oversees the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan told reporters in Baghdad on Friday that U.S. counterterrorism aid to Yemen would more than double.

Let’s Go For A Ride

The Daily Courier Weather

Moon Phases

Almanac

North Carolina Forecast

Today’s National Map

Last1/7

New1/15

First1/23

Full1/30

Today

SunnyPrecip Chance: 0%

36º

Tonight

ClearPrecip Chance: 0%

17º

Monday

Mostly SunnyPrecip Chance: 5%

37º 19º

Tuesday


38º 18º

Wednesday


42º 20º

Thursday

Rain/SnowPrecip Chance: 30%

40º 17º

Sun and Moon

Local UV Index

Sunrise today . . . . .7:36 a.m.Sunset tonight . . . . .5:28 p.m.Moonrise today . . . .9:11 p.m.Moonset today . . . . .9:43 a.m.

TemperaturesHigh . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .48Low . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .24Normal High . . . . . . . . . . . .50Normal Low . . . . . . . . . . . . .26

Precipitation24 hrs through 7 a.m. yest. .0.00"Month to date . . . . . . . . .0.04"Year to date . . . . . . . . . .0.04"

Barometric PressureHigh yesterday . . . . . . .30.09"

Relative HumidityHigh yesterday . . . . . . . . .87%

City Hi/Lo Wx Hi/Lo Wx

Asheville . . . . . . .25/14 s 27/16 sCape Hatteras . . .35/29 s 38/31 sCharlotte . . . . . . .36/16 s 38/20 sFayetteville . . . . .37/18 s 38/20 sGreensboro . . . . .34/16 s 35/19 sGreenville . . . . . .36/20 s 38/21 sHickory . . . . . . . . . .33/16 s 35/20 sJacksonville . . . .38/21 s 41/21 sKitty Hawk . . . . . .35/26 s 38/28 sNew Bern . . . . . .37/21 s 39/23 sRaleigh . . . . . . . .35/18 s 36/19 sSouthern Pines . .36/18 s 37/20 sWilmington . . . . .38/20 s 44/20 sWinston-Salem . .33/16 s 34/18 s

Around Our State

Across Our Nation

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

sn/snow; t/thunderstorms; w/windy

Today Monday

City Hi/Lo Wx Hi/Lo Wx

Atlanta . . . . . . . . .36/19 s 38/19 sBaltimore . . . . . . .32/23 s 35/23 pcChicago . . . . . . . .16/12 s 20/14 mcDetroit . . . . . . . . .23/16 sn 24/16 snIndianapolis . . . . .17/9 s 20/11 sLos Angeles . . . .77/50 s 73/49 sMiami . . . . . . . . . .66/43 s 66/50 sNew York . . . . . . .29/21 mc 33/26 sPhiladelphia . . . .31/19 s 34/21 mcSacramento . . . . .53/41 s 53/41 sSan Francisco . . .58/46 pc 59/47 pcSeattle . . . . . . . . .45/39 mc 46/40 shTampa . . . . . . . . .56/36 s 56/35 sWashington, DC .33/23 s 35/22 s

Today Monday

Cold Front Stationary Front Warm Front Low Pressure High Pressure

L H

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

LH

L60s

50s50s

50s

60s

70s

60s

40s

40s

30s

30s

30s

20s

20s

10s10s

0s

3 50 - 2 4 6 8 107 9 11+

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

Statistics provided by BroadRiver Water Authority through7 a.m. yesterday.

Elizabeth City35/21

Greenville36/20

Wilmington38/20

Greensboro34/16

Raleigh35/18

Charlotte36/16

Forest City36/17

Fayetteville37/18

Kinston36/20

Durham34/18

Asheville25/14

Winston-Salem33/16

Shown is today’s weather.Temperatures are today’s highsand tonight’s lows.

Weather

Associated PressPresident Barack Obama, with daughter Sasha Obama, 8, center, and other family friends, enjoy shave ice at Island Snow in Kailua, Hawaii Friday. The Obamas are in Hawaii for the holidays.

Associated PressFrank Torres of Brighton, Colo. pulls his son Brandon on a sled while taking a break from ice fishing Saturday on Lake Hattie in rural Albany County, Wyo. Cold weather continues to plague potions of the nation.

Obama cites apparent al-Qaida link in bomb plot

Nation Today

9/


NatioN/world

Remains of old plane foundADELAIDE, Australia (AP) — Remains of the

first airplane ever taken to Antarctica, in 1912, have been found by Australian researchers, the team announced Saturday.

The Mawson’s Huts Foundation had been searching for the plane for three summers before stumbling upon metal pieces of it on New Year’s Day.

“The biggest news of the day is that we’ve found the air tractor, or at least parts of it!” team mem-ber Tony Stewart wrote on the team’s blog from Cape Denison in Antarctica’s Commonwealth Bay.

Australian polar explorer and geologist Douglas Mawson led two expeditions to Antarctica in the early 1900s, on the first one bringing along a single-propeller Vickers plane. The wings of the plane, built in 1911, had been damaged in a crash before the expedition, but Mawson hoped to use it as a kind of motorized sled.

Stewart said the 1911-14 Australian Antarctic Expedition used the plane to tow gear onto the ice in preparation for their sledging journeys.

But the plane’s engine could not withstand the extreme temperatures and it was eventually abandoned.

The plane, the first from Britain’s Vickers fac-tory, had not been seen since the mid-1970s, when researchers photographed the steel fuse-lage nearly encompassed in ice.

Bus plunges off cliff in MexicoTIJUANA, Mexico (AP) — A bus carrying farm

workers and their families home has plunged off a cliff in northern Mexico, killing 14 people.

A police report says the bus was traveling along a treacherously winding stretch of highway when it plummeted off the 40-meter (130-foot) cliff halfway between the border cities of Tijuana and Mexicali.

The workers were returning home to Sinaloa state from farms in Baja California state. Tijuana Red Cross director Fernando Esquer says infants were among those killed.

Hopes fade in hunt for survivorsANGRA DOS REIS, Brazil (AP) — Firefighters

using heavy machinery, shovels and bare hands dug for survivors Saturday but only found corps-es under a mountain of red earth and crushed lodgings — the worst of a spate of mudslides and floods that killed at least 64 people in southeast-ern Brazil.

At least 26 people died in the New Year’s Day slide that buried an upscale resort on the island of Ilha Grande, including the 18-year-old daugh-ter of the couple who built the waterfront lodge at the foot of a cliff side covered with rain forest.

Authorities said no foreigners were known to be among the dead and there were few details about those who died.

KABUL (AP) — A chastened President Hamid Karzai must submit new Cabinet picks after defiant law-makers rejected 17 of his 24 nomi-nees Saturday, including a powerful warlord and the country’s only wom-an minister.

The Afghan parliament rejected nominees viewed as Karzai’s political cronies, those believed to be under the influence of warlords and others deemed unqualified.

“I think, unfortunately, that the cri-teria were either ethnicity or bribery or money,” lawmaker Fawzia Kufi said of Karzai’s picks.

The vote was a setback to Karzai, though one political analyst in Kabul speculated that it could free up the president to appoint qualified pro-fessionals rather than settle political debts.

“There were lots of demands on Karzai from people asking for Cabinet positions because they cam-paigned for him,” Mohammad Qasim Akhgar said. “This was the only way he could reward them and if parlia-ment didn’t approve them, it wasn’t his fault. Very soon, Karzai will come out with a new list with the names of people he really wants to have in his Cabinet.”

The new Cabinet is a bellwether for the U.S. and other nations hop-ing a stronger government will keep

disenchanted Afghans from siding with the Taliban after Karzai won a second five-year term last year in a disputed election rife with ballot-box stuffing.

The lawmakers approved a hand-ful of incumbent ministers favored by the West and instrumental to the war effort.

Karzai has defended his choices, which he announced late last month after several delays. He said his pro-posed Cabinet represented a balance of the nation’s ethnic factions.

But parliamentarians weren’t hap-py. They complained the list looked too much like the existing Cabinet and spelled another five years of business as usual for the Karzai gov-ernment, which has been criticized as being corrupt and ineffective.

Of the 12 incumbent ministers Karzai sought to retain, the parlia-ment approved only five: Defense Minister Gen. Abdul Rahim Wardak; Interior Minister Hanif Atmar; Finance Minister Omar Zakhilwal; Agriculture Minister Muhammad Asif Rahimi; and Education Minister Ghulam Farooq Wardak.

Karzai had wanted to keep Water and Power Minister Ismail Khan, a warlord in Herat province during the civil war of the 1990s who retains considerable local power.

FORWARD OPERATING BASE COBRA, Iraq (AP) — The nearly two-month delay in hold-ing Iraq’s nationwide elections will not keep American combat troops from leaving the coun-try as scheduled by the end of August, the top U.S. commander in Iraq told The Associated Press in an interview Saturday.

“The plan that I put together originally gave me plenty of flex-ibility, and part of that flexibil-ity was that the election would be delayed, so I built flexibility into our plan,” Gen. Ray Odierno said at a military base in Iraq’s Diyala Province. “I feel comfort-able that we’re on track.”

Iraq was originally scheduled to hold key elections in January that will determine who will lead the country as American forces go home, but political wrangling over how to apportion votes in a law needed to carry out the balloting delayed the vote until March 7.

Under a U.S. plan, all combat troops are slated to leave Iraq by the end of August. The remain-

ing 50,000 U.S. forces will be doing non-combat operations such as training.

Around early May, if the coun-try is on stable footing, Odierno will be begin moving troops out of Iraq. There are currently about 110,000 U.S. forces in Iraq, and Odierno said by March 7 there will be roughly 100,000 troops here.

“We have it well planned out. They have excess equipment that is leaving now ahead of time. ... It’s four months, and what we really plan on doing is 12,500 (troops) a month, and that should see us through,” he said.

When asked why the U.S. needs to keep 100,000 troops — more than the number of U.S. forces in Afghanistan — in a country that has seen such an improvement in security, Odierno said the U.S. troop presence would provide psycho-logical and physical support for Iraq as it goes through what he described as vital elections.

“This is in my opinion the most important election that has been held to date in Iraq,” Odierno

said. “We want to come down in such a way that it is deliberate, and in such a way that Iraqis are gaining confidence in themselves to provide their own security.”

The United States has been consolidating bases around the country as it draws down forces. Under a security pact signed with the government of Iraq, all U.S. forces are to be out of the country by the end of 2011.

The general said he would be looking at whether there is a significant increase in violence after the election or major prob-lems seating a new government when he makes his decisions about whether to continue with the drawdown as scheduled.

However, he did say he did not expect the Iraqi government to actually be seated by May. No single party or political bloc is expected to gain an outright majority in the March vote so there will likely be a prolonged period of negotiation to deter-mine who will become prime minister and who will hold posi-tions in the Cabinet.

Gen. Ray Odierno, the top U.S. commander in Iraq, shakes hands with soldiers at Forward Operating Base Cobra in the Diyala province, north of Baghdad, Iraq, Saturday, Jan. 2, 2010.

US commander in Iraq says troop drawdown on track

World Today

Afghan parliament rejects Karzai’s Cabinet list

Associated PressAfghan President Hamid Karzai, left, is greeted by local people in Lashkar Gah, in Helmand province, Afghanistan, Saturday. Karzai went to offer his condolences to families who lost their loved ones in an alleged coalition forces air strike recently.

Associated Press

10/

As your celebrated newspaper careerdraws to a close, and you begin to

write a new chapter in your life, yourfriends from The Sanford Herald wishyou Godspeed, good fortune, much

happiness and a mostly-deadline free“retirement”!

Thanks, Jim, for your commitment tothe newspaper industry and your

friendship over the years.

Bill Horner & the staff of The Sanford Herald

Au revoir,Jimbo!

The Sunday Courier, Forest City, NC, Sunday, January 3, 2010 — 1B

Inside

Scoreboard . . . . . . . . . . Page .2BSugar .Bowl . . . . . . . . . Page .3BNFL . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Page .8B

I am of two minds when it comes to Florida quarterback Tim Tebow.

Tebow will leave Florida with legendary status, a Heisman Trophy and two national cham-pionship rings.

What isn’t clear is what that means for the NFL.

I can envision two different scenarios.

One has Roger Goodell say-ing, “With the first pick of the 2010 NFL Draft the St. Louis Rams select Tim Tebow, quar-terback, University of Florida.”

The other has Roger Goodell saying, “With the 19th pick of the NFL Draft ...”

The point being will Tebow draw such interest after his record-setting Sugar Bowl performance that the NFL salivates to the point of dehy-dration, or are they under-impressed.

Will Tebow be the next Dan Marino? A quarterback that was highly valued in college, but NFL teams, based on faulty information, and even faultier scouting, let him slide. What the scouts missed led to Marino becoming an elite and unique individual NFL talent.

Or, will Tebow be another Tim Couch? A highly valued college quarterback, who never made the adjustment to the professional game.

The collection of NFL mock drafts that can be found on the internet have Tebow going from the No. 1 overall pick to being selected somewhere in the top of Round 2. That is an enormous difference. It is also a huge difference in money.

There was an interesting moment in the game against Cincinnati on Friday.

Tebow took the shotgun snap (let’s not discuss taking snaps under center) dropped back and he had a two read pass play. The first read was to the slot receiver, who was running a slant. He was covered.

The second read was the X receiver, who was running a post pattern. He was covered.

It was just a three man rush, but Tebow got caught in the pocket and dropped for a sack.

He got caught in the pocket because he was confused by the defense. Tebow looked confused as he made the read, and I believe, as I watched the replay, that he looked up and saw a defense he hadn’t expect-ed to see.

In the NFL, that will happen on nearly ever snap his first two seasons in the league.

If, in fact, Tebow goes high in the first round he will go to a team that isn’t very good.

One of the places Tebow may wind up is in Jacksonville, and at least there he will have Maurice Jones-Drew and Mike Sims Walker, two good offensive weapons. But, Jacksonville’s offensive line has been mediocre at best, and rookie QBs and bad offensive lines are not a good mix. Ask David Carr.

I like Tebow, I really do. I have every reason to hate anything with a Gator on it, or anything that comes from Florida, but I can’t make myself dislike Tebow.

Maybe, it’s the Biblical pas-sages that he references on his eye black; maybe it’s the never quit, never doubt attitude he displays; maybe it’s the tough-ness that is so important in football, but whatever the rea-son, I hope Tebow has a leg-endary NFL career to go along with his legendary college career.

But, the future is always fuzzy.

Scott .Bowers

Off The Wall

The .fuzzy .future .of .Tim .Tebow

Bobcats win on the road, beat the HeatMIAMI (AP) — Stephen Jackson

scored 13 of his season-high 35 points in the fourth quarter, D.J. Augustin add-ed all 13 of his in the final 11 minutes and the Charlotte Bobcats won a road game for just the second time this sea-son, beating the Miami Heat 107-97 on Saturday.

Jackson shot 11 of 20 from the floor, added eight rebounds, and his 3-pointer in front of the Heat bench with 1:50 left sealed it for Charlotte, which erased an early 19-point deficit and improved to 2-14 away from home.

Dwyane Wade finished with 29 points and 11 assists for Miami, which dropped its third straight and plays host to Atlanta and Boston before play-ing 20 of its next 27 games away from home. Quentin Richardson scored 20 for Miami, which got 14 from Michael Beasley and a 13-point, 10-rebound effort from Udonis Haslem.

Gerald Wallace scored 15 for Charlotte.Wade hit a 3-pointer with 7:33 left,

raising three fingers to the crowd, and giving Miami an 83-81 lead. That was essentially the last hurrah for the Heat, as Jackson answered on the next Charlotte possession with a 3-pointer of his own — and, in turn, threw up three fingers as well.

Augustin hit a 3-pointer three minutes later for a five-point lead, and Charlotte held on, dealing Miami — coming off a 30-point loss in San Antonio — one of its most frustrating losses of the season.

The beginning of the game never would have suggested that was possible. The Heat opened the first half sizzling, then went into intermission steaming.

Associated PressCharlotte Bobcats guard Stephen Jackson (1) goes up for a shot against Miami Heat forward Udonis Haslem, left, during the second quarter Saturday, in Miami.

Associated PressSouth Carolina quarterback Stephen Garcia (5) drops back to pass against Connecticut during the Papajohns.com Bowl on Saturday, in Birmingham, Ala.

BIRMINGHAM, Ala. (AP) — Andre Dixon rushed for 126 yards and a touchdown and resil-ient Connecticut ended a trying season with a 20-7 victory over South Carolina in the Papajohns.com Bowl on Saturday.

The Huskies (8-5) are 3-1 in bowl games since moving up to Division I-A (now FBS) in 2002. They won their final three regular-season games and overcame the October stabbing death of cor-nerback Jasper Howard to reach a bowl.

UConn made the most of the trip. The nation’s 95th-rated pass defense throttled South Carolina

Please see UConn, Page 3B

UConn runs over South Carolina, 20-7

Arkansas squeezes by ECU in OTMEMPHIS, Tenn. (AP) — Alex

Tejada kicked a 37-yard field goal in overtime to give Arkansas a 20-17 win in the Liberty Bowl on Saturday night after East Carolina’s Ben Hartman missed two field goal attempts late in regulation and another in the extra session.

Hartman missed from 39 yards with 1:03 remaining and from the same distance on the final play of the fourth quarter, then missed from 35 in over-time. Tejada, who has struggled with kicks in pressure situations himself, made his attempt to end the game.

Arkansas won despite going 0 of 13 on third down.

It was the second straight overtime game for the Razorbacks (8-5), who fell 33-30 to LSU in the regular-sea-son finale. Tejada missed a kick to end that game and also missed from 43 yards in the fourth quarter Saturday.

That was nothing compared to what Hartman went through. He missed four attempts in all, each at the same end of the field. He was short from 45 yards in the first quarter, then hit the left upright with just over a minute left. He was wide right on the second

potential game-winner, then wide left in overtime.

East Carolina (9-5) lost in the Liberty Bowl for the second straight season. Last time it was a late fumble return by Kentucky that did in the Pirates.

Arkansas had won only two of its previous 14 bowls, and the Razorbacks insisted they were unusually focused on this one. It didn’t show. Arkansas’ vaunted offense had the ball for only 22:05. Ryan Mallett was named most valuable player, but he went only 15 of 36 for 202 yards and a touchdown.

Arkansas run-ning back Dennis Johnson (33) gets past East Carolina defenders Linval Joseph (97), Jay Ross (90), and C. J. Wilson (95) in the first quarter of the Liberty Bowl NCAA college football game on Saturday, in Memphis, Tenn. Blocking for Johnson at left is DeMarcus Love.

Associated Press

b front/

2B — The Sunday Courier, Forest City, NC, Sunday, January 3, 2010

sports

FOOTBALLNational Football League

AMERICAN CONFERENCEEast

W L T Pct PF PAx-New England 10 5 0 .667 400 251N.Y. Jets 8 7 0 .533 311 236Miami 7 8 0 .467 336 360Buffalo 5 10 0 .333 228 319

South W L T Pct PF PAx-Indianapolis 14 1 0 .933 409 277Houston 8 7 0 .533 354 306Jacksonville 7 8 0 .467 273 357Tennessee 7 8 0 .467 337 389

North W L T Pct PF PAx-Cincinnati 10 5 0 .667 305 254Baltimore 8 7 0 .533 370 248Pittsburgh 8 7 0 .533 338 300Cleveland 4 11 0 .267 222 358

West W L T Pct PF PAx-San Diego 12 3 0 .800 431 300Denver 8 7 0 .533 302 280Oakland 5 10 0 .333 184 358Kansas City 3 12 0 .200 250 400

NATIONAL CONFERENCEEast

W L T Pct PF PAy-Philadelphia 11 4 0 .733 429 313y-Dallas 10 5 0 .667 337 250N.Y. Giants 8 7 0 .533 395 383Washington 4 11 0 .267 246 313

South W L T Pct PF PAx-New Orleans 13 2 0 .867 500 318Atlanta 8 7 0 .533 343 315Carolina 7 8 0 .467 292 298Tampa Bay 3 12 0 .200 234 380

North W L T Pct PF PAx-Minnesota 11 4 0 .733 426 305y-Green Bay 10 5 0 .667 428 290Chicago 6 9 0 .400 290 352Detroit 2 13 0 .133 239 457

West W L T Pct PF PAx-Arizona 10 5 0 .667 368 292San Francisco 7 8 0 .467 302 275Seattle 5 10 0 .333 267 373St. Louis 1 14 0 .067 169 408

x-clinched divisiony-clinched playoff spotSunday’s GamesChicago at Detroit, 1 p.m.Pittsburgh at Miami, 1 p.m.New England at Houston, 1 p.m.Indianapolis at Buffalo, 1 p.m.San Francisco at St. Louis, 1 p.m.Atlanta at Tampa Bay, 1 p.m.New Orleans at Carolina, 1 p.m.Jacksonville at Cleveland, 1 p.m.N.Y. Giants at Minnesota, 1 p.m.Tennessee at Seattle, 4:15 p.m.Philadelphia at Dallas, 4:15 p.m.Washington at San Diego, 4:15 p.m.Kansas City at Denver, 4:15 p.m.Baltimore at Oakland, 4:15 p.m.Green Bay at Arizona, 4:15 p.m.Cincinnati at N.Y. Jets, 8:20 p.m.

Bowl Glance

Saturday, Dec. 19New Mexico BowlAt Albuquerque

Wyoming 35, Fresno State 28, 2OTSt. Petersburg (Fla.) Bowl

Rutgers 45, UCF 24

Sunday, Dec. 20New Orleans Bowl

Middle Tennessee 42, Southern Miss. 32

Tuesday, Dec. 22Las Vegas Bowl

BYU 44, Oregon State 20

Wednesday, Dec. 23Poinsettia Bowl

At San DiegoUtah 37, California 27

Thursday, Dec. 24Hawaii BowlAt Honolulu

SMU 45, Nevada 10Saturday, Dec. 26

Little Caesars Pizza BowlAt Detroit

Marshall 21, Ohio 17Meineke BowlAt Charlotte

Pittsburgh 19, North Carolina 17 Emerald Bowl

At San FranciscoSouthern Cal 24, Boston College 13

Sunday, Dec. 27Music City Bowl

At Nashville, Tenn.Clemson 21, Kentucky 13

Monday, Dec. 28Independence BowlAt Shreveport, La.

Georgia 44, Texas A&M 20

Tuesday, Dec. 29EagleBank BowlAt Washington

UCLA 30, Temple 21

Champs Sports BowlAt Orlando, Fla.

Wisconsin 20, Miami 14

Wednesday, Dec. 30Humanitarian Bowl

At Boise, IdahoIdaho 43, Bowling Green 42

Holiday BowlAt San Diego

Nebraska 33, Arizona 0

Thursday, Dec. 31Armed Forces BowlAt Fort Worth, Texas

Air Force 47, Houston 20 Sun Bowl

At El Paso, TexasOklahoma 31, Stanford 27

Texas BowlAt Houston

Navy 35, Missouri 13 Insight Bowl

At Tempe, Ariz.Iowa State 14, Minnesota 13

Chick-fil-A BowlAt Atlanta

Virginia Tech 37, Tennessee 14

Friday, Jan. 1Outback BowlAt Tampa, Fla.

Auburn 38, Northwestern 35, OT Capital One BowlAt Orlando, Fla.

Penn State 19, LSU 17 Gator Bowl

At Jacksonville, Fla.Florida State 33, West Virginia 21

Rose BowlAt Pasadena, Calif.

Ohio State 26, Oregon 17Sugar Bowl

At New OrleansFlorida 51, Cincinnati 24

Saturday, Jan. 2International Bowl

At TorontoSouth Florida 27, Northern Illinois 3

Cotton BowlAt Arlington, Texas

Mississippi 21, Oklahoma State 7PapaJohns.com BowlAt Birmingham, Ala.

Connecticut 20, South Carolina 7Liberty Bowl

At Memphis, Tenn.Arkansas 20, East Carolina 17, OT

Alamo BowlAt San Antonio

Michigan State (6-6) vs. Texas Tech (8-4), late

Monday, Jan. 4Fiesta Bowl

At Glendale, Ariz.Boise State (13-0) vs. TCU (12-0), 8 p.m. (FOX)

Tuesday, Jan. 5Orange Bowl

At MiamiIowa (10-2) vs. Georgia Tech (11-2), 8 p.m. (FOX)

Wednesday, Jan. 6GMAC BowlMobile, Ala.

Central Michigan (11-2) vs. Troy (9-3), 7 p.m. (ESPN)

Thursday, Jan. 7BCS National Championship

At Pasadena, Calif.Alabama (13-0) vs. Texas (13-0), 8 p.m. (ABC)

Saturday, Jan. 23East-West Shrine Classic

At Orlando, Fla.East vs. West, 3 p.m.

Saturday, Jan. 30Senior Bowl

At Mobile, Ala.North vs. South, 4 p.m. (NFL)

Saturday, Feb. 6Texas vs. The Nation All-Star Challenge

At El Paso, TexasTexas vs. Nation, 3 p.m. (CBSC)

BASKETBALLNational Basketball Association

EASTERN CONFERENCEAtlantic Division

W L Pct GBBoston 23 8 .742 — Toronto 16 17 .485 8 New York 13 20 .394 11 Philadelphia 9 23 .281 14 1/2New Jersey 3 30 .091 21

Southeast Division W L Pct GBOrlando 24 8 .750 — Atlanta 21 11 .656 3 Miami 16 15 .517 7 1/2 Charlotte 13 18 .416 10 1/2 Washington 10 20 .333 13

Central Division W L Pct GBCleveland 27 8 .771 — Chicago 13 17 .433 11 1/2Milwaukee 12 18 .400 12 1/2Detroit 11 21 .344 14 1/2Indiana 9 22 .290 16

WESTERN CONFERENCESouthwest Division

W L Pct GBDallas 22 10 .688 — San Antonio 19 11 .633 2 Houston 20 13 .606 2 1/2Memphis 15 16 .484 6 1/2New Orleans 14 16 .467 7

Northwest Division W L Pct GBDenver 20 12 .625 — Portland 21 13 .618 — Oklahoma City 18 14 .563 2 Utah 18 14 .563 2 Minnesota 7 27 .206 14

Pacific Division W L Pct GBL.A. Lakers 26 6 .813 — Phoenix 21 12 .636 5 1/2L.A. Clippers 14 18 .438 12 Sacramento 14 18 .438 12 Golden State 9 22 .290 16 1/2

Friday’s GamesNew York 112, Atlanta 108, OTOrlando 106, Minnesota 94L.A. Lakers 109, Sacramento 108Saturday’s GamesCleveland 94, New Jersey 86Charlotte 107, Miami 97Indiana 122, Minnesota 111San Antonio 97, Washington 86Toronto at Boston, lateOrlando at Chicago, lateHouston at New Orleans, lateOklahoma City at Milwaukee, lateDenver at Utah, lateMemphis at Phoenix, lateDallas at Sacramento, lateGolden State at Portland, lateSunday’s GamesIndiana at New York, 6 p.m.Charlotte at Cleveland, 6 p.m.San Antonio at Toronto, 6 p.m.Philadelphia at Denver, 8 p.m.Dallas at L.A. Lakers, 9:30 p.m.Monday’s GamesAtlanta at Miami, 7:30 p.m.Oklahoma City at Chicago, 8 p.m.New Orleans at Utah, 9 p.m.Portland at L.A. Clippers, 10:30 p.m.

HOCKEYNational Hockey League

EASTERN CONFERENCEAtlantic Division

GP W L OT Pts GF GANew Jersey 39 28 10 1 57 113 86Pittsburgh 41 26 14 1 53 130 107N.Y. Rangers 41 19 17 5 43 108 115Philadelphia 40 19 18 3 41 113 111N.Y. Islanders 42 16 18 8 40 101 129

Northeast Division GP W L OT Pts GF GABuffalo 40 25 11 4 54 111 93Boston 40 21 12 7 49 105 95Ottawa 41 21 16 4 46 115 121Montreal 43 21 19 3 45 114 119Toronto 41 14 18 9 37 114 142

Southeast Division GP W L OT Pts GF GAWashington 40 24 10 6 54 144 114Atlanta 40 18 17 5 41 127 129Tampa Bay 40 15 15 10 40 100 120Florida 41 16 18 7 39 117 133Carolina 41 11 23 7 29 102 146

WESTERN CONFERENCECentral Division

GP W L OT Pts GF GAChicago 40 27 10 3 57 126 85Nashville 41 24 14 3 51 118 118Detroit 40 20 14 6 46 104 103St. Louis 40 17 17 6 40 105 115Columbus 42 15 18 9 39 110 140

Northwest Division GP W L OT Pts GF GAColorado 42 23 13 6 52 125 122Calgary 40 23 12 5 51 111 97Vancouver 41 24 16 1 49 129 102Minnesota 41 20 18 3 43 108 119Edmonton 41 16 21 4 36 114 134

Pacific Division GP W L OT Pts GF GASan Jose 41 26 8 7 59 138 105Phoenix 42 25 13 4 54 110 95Los Angeles 41 23 15 3 49 122 119Dallas 40 18 11 11 47 121 124Anaheim 40 16 17 7 39 112 129

Friday’s GamesBoston 2, Philadelphia 1, OTBuffalo 4, Atlanta 3, OTSaturday’s GamesCarolina 2, N.Y. Rangers 1, OTVancouver 3, Dallas 1Tampa Bay 3, Pittsburgh 1Los Angeles 2, Washington 1N.Y. Islanders 6, Atlanta 5, SOColorado 3, Columbus 2Toronto at Calgary, lateChicago at St. Louis, lateDetroit at Phoenix, lateNew Jersey at Minnesota, lateAnaheim at Nashville, lateEdmonton at San Jose, lateSunday’s GamesPhiladelphia at Ottawa, 1 p.m.Buffalo at Montreal, 3 p.m.Pittsburgh at Florida, 5 p.m.Anaheim at Chicago, 7 p.m.Monday’s GamesBoston at N.Y. Rangers, 7 p.m.Los Angeles at San Jose, 10:30 p.m.

Scoreboard

NEW YORK (AP) —Ray Whitney scored 3:45 into overtime and the Carolina Hurricanes earned a split of their home-and-home series against the New York Rangers with a 2-1 victory on Saturday.

Whitney controlled the puck amid pressure along the left wing boards, moved it to Matt Cullen behind the New York net and then took a return feed in front for his 11th goal. Carolina, which has an NHL-worst 29 points, won on the road for just the third time this season (3-13-4).

Cam Ward made 27 saves, and Tom Kostopoulos staked the Hurricanes to a 1-0 lead in the second period.

Henrik Lundqvist, who appeared to be shaken up after making a save late in regulation, kept the Rangers in it by stopping 17 shots. Lundqvist, in his 15th straight start, allowed two goals or fewer for the 11th time in 14 games.

Marian Gaborik scored the lone goal for the Rangers, 5-1-2 in their past eight.

New York opened the series with a 2-1 win at Carolina on New Year’s Eve. The Rangers are 2-0-1 against the Hurricanes this season.

Gaborik, who moments earlier fired the Rangers’ fifth drive off the post in the game, got a puck past Ward to tie it 1-1 at 9:08 of the third period.

Central’s Beaver selected for NC Preps 3A team

RUTHERFORDTON — R-S Central’s right tackle Nick Beaver has been selected to the 2009 NCPreps.com 3A All-State football team.

Beaver helped lead Central’s Wing-T offense to just over 3,000 total yards of offense as the Hilltoppers made the second round of the 3A play-offs for the first time in 20 years.

2009 NCPreps.com 3A All-State Football Team:OFFENSE

QB - Tyler Brosius - TuscolaRB - K.P. Parks - West RowanRB - Martese Jackson - ErwinWR - Dee Williams - South JohnstonWR - Eric Nelson - TuscolaWR - Ryan Murphy - West CravenOL - Tim Pangburn - West RowanOL - Corey Robinson - HavelockOL - Graham Fisher - TuscolaOL - Nick Beaver - RS CentralOL - Nick Easton - Hibriten

DEFENSEDL - Jamil Hawes - AshevilleDL - Chris Smith - West RowanDL - Jeff Lynch - WilliamsDL - Eli Goodson - West RowanLB - Stephone Anthony - Anson CountyLB - Darius Lipford - HibritenLB - Tre Jones - HavelockDB - Keenan Allen - Northern GuilfordDB - Josh Dula - HibritenDB - Tyrone Johnson - WestoverDB - Danny Webster - Havelock

Whitney’s OT goal lefts Canes over Rangers

Associated PressCarolina Hurricanes’ Ray Whitney (13) moves the puck during the third period against the New York Rangers Saturday, in New York. Whitney scored the game-winning goal in the Hurricanes’ 2-1 win in over-time.

By BRYAN STRICKLANDSpecial to the Courier

DURHAM — Duke junior Nolan Smith has endured a lop-sided loss to Villanova in the Sweet 16 of the 2009 NCAA Tournament, a second-round loss to West Virginia the year before and three losses to archri-val North Carolina in four matchups.

Still, Smith said he’s never experienced the kind of loss that he suffered in the Blue Devils’ most recent game against Clemson — at Duke or any-where.

“That’s probably the hardest loss I’ve ever had to deal with my whole basketball career — from middle school to now,” Smith said. “It was just the way they beat us. As a basketball player, you win and you lose, but the way we lost and the way I per-sonally played, everything that night just seemed so awful.

“You put in it behind you, but it’s always inside your head.”

On Feb. 4, 2009, Smith and the Blue Devils fell at Clemson 74-47, the program’s largest loss since UNLV beat Duke by 30 in the 1990 national championship game and the program’s lowest point production in 14 years.

Tonight at Cameron Indoor Stadium, the No. 7 Blue Devils face Clemson for the first time since that debacle in the ACC opener for both teams.

The No. 21 Tigers (12-2) actu-ally have beaten Duke (11-1) two times in a row, just the sec-ond time Clemson has accom-plished that in Duke coach Mike

Krzyzewski’s three decades in Durham.

The Blue Devils, however, have won 12 straight games against the Tigers at Cameron.

“We’re very excited to be a part of this little rivalry we have going on with Clemson,” Smith said. “They’re a very competi-tive team, and they come out and play their tails off against us every game.

“It’s a great series, and we’re ready for them.”

Krzyzewski said that regard-less of the specific opponent, his Blue Devils are ready for ACC play. Duke has played its best basketball of the season on either side of the Christmas break, but real validation will come only through conference play.

“I’m not saying we’re this per-fect machine, but we’re anxious to start,” Krzyzewski said. “It’s time to get going. The confer-ence exposes you — your good stuff and your bad stuff.”

Duke’s last game against Clemson certainly exposed a rarely seen side of the Blue Devils, who were dominated in every phase. Clemson’s press forced Duke into 11 first-half turnovers, and big man Trevor Booker scored 21 points, even hitting a rare 3-pointer to add insult to injury.

Booker and point guard Demontez Stitt are the only returning starters from the 2009 team, but the Tigers do have six players who played a significant role.

“We’re fortunate to have some

experienced guys in our pro-gram,” Clemson coach Oliver Purnell said. “We’re going to lean on them, especially for their leadership.

“Here we are, with our first ACC game, our first ACC road game. They don’t get much big-ger or more significant than this.”

Smith remembers that loss to Clemson as being as significant for him individually as it was for the Duke team. Smith had a sol-id start to his sophomore season, but against the Tigers he hit just 1 of 7 shots, with four turnovers and no assists.

The game started a stretch in which Smith failed to score in double digits in six of seven games — including a pair of scoreless games — a stretch that concluded when Smith suffered a concussion at Maryland.

“I remember that game as a turning point for me last year,” Smith said.

Indeed it is. Smith, back off the ball the way he was as a fresh-man, has blossomed. He’s aver-aging 18 points per game and has topped 20 points four times this season after doing so just once during his first two sea-sons.

And now that the ACC sea-son has arrived — along with Clemson — Smith knows that every point he scores will mean that much more.

“It goes up five more levels,” Smith said. “Now that it’s con-ference, in a sense those games (UConn) were warmups for this.

“It’s going to be a dogfight.”

Duke looks to open ACC play with strong start

2B/

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The Sunday Courier, Forest City, NC, Sunday, January 3, 2010 — 3B

sports

NEW ORLEANS (AP) — Tim Tebow walked toward the side-line, raised his arms above his head and shared a long embrace with Florida coach Urban Meyer.

It wasn’t quite how either of them expected this season to end. It came in the Sugar Bowl instead of the national cham-pionship game. It came against Cincinnati instead of Texas. It was about redemption instead of perfection.

Nonetheless, it was hard to top for both of them because of Meyer’s uncertain future, Tebow’s triumphant finale and a 51-24 victory over No. 4 Cincinnati that may have been as important as any of the others the two have shared during the last four seasons.

“This last week was tough, just dealing with everything and just worried about others around you and stuff,” Tebow said. “But, you know, it still was special. To fin-ish it off like this was special.”

Tebow threw for a career-high 482 yards and three touch-downs, ran for 51 yards and another score and capped a sto-ried college career with his fin-est performance. It was the best in BCS history, too.

“It was incredible,” Tebow said. “Just a great game. It was exactly how you want to go out with these seniors and these coach-es in your last game and your last time together. It just really doesn’t get any better than this.”

Well, another national title was Tebow’s plan all season.

But after a 32-13 loss to Alabama in the Southeastern Conference championship game last month, Tebow had to settle for the Sugar Bowl.

And anyone who thought the fifth-ranked Gators (13-1) wouldn’t be ready against the Bearcats (12-1) doesn’t know their emotional leader.

The 2007 Heisman Trophy winner completed his first 12 passes, led the Gators to scores on their first five possessions and finished with 533 total yards — more than anyone in Bowl Championship Series his-tory. He topped former Texas star Vince Young’s record of

467 yards set against Southern California in the 2005 Rose Bowl.

“They couldn’t stop Superman,” Gators guard Carl Johnson. “They needed some kryptonite.”

The Bearcats lost their bid for a perfect season and surely will spend the next year listening to questions about whether they belong in the big games against the biggest boys.

Florida, meanwhile, spent the last four weeks regrouping from the disheartening loss.

Things got worse when Meyer announced his resignation last Saturday, three weeks after being rushed to the hospital because of chest pain. Meyer changed his mind the follow-ing day, and instead said he would take an indefinite leave of absence.

No one knows how long he will be away or whether he will return at all.

“I plan on being the coach of the Gators,” Meyer said, adding

that he plans to do “everything I can to keep this train going in the right direction.”

He also reiterated that his gut feeling tells him he’ll be back next season.

“I just want to make sure my family and health are No. 1,” he said. “And I’ve got to get that right.”

His wife, Shelley, said she had no idea what the future holds.

“We just need to take a step back and think and relax and we’ll see what happens from here,” she said. “But this couldn’t have ended better right now, right here. This couldn’t have been a better day ever.”

Meyer didn’t look like his fiery self against his alma mater. Then again, Tebow & Co. made this a stress-free game for every Gator.

Cincinnati stacked the line of scrimmage, essentially forc-ing Tebow to beat them through the air. That worked for the Crimson Tide. It backfired for the Bearcats.

Tebow, Gators win one for Meyer

Associated PressFlorida quarterback Tim Tebow gives his coach Urban Meyer a hug near the end of a 51-24 win over Cincinnati in the Sugar Bowl football game in New Orleans, Friday, Jan. 1, 2010.

(7-6) and quarterback Stephen Garcia while rely-ing on Dixon’s 33 carries to control the ball.

Dixon was the Most Valuable Player and joined teammate Jordan Todman as 1,000-yard rushers, the first time two UConn backs have surpassed that mark in the same season.

Garcia completed just 16 of 38 passes for 129 yards while gaining 56 yards on 15 carries. He lost a fumble, was intercepted once and didn’t get much help.

UConn had a pristine performance, with zero penalties and turnovers.

The Gamecocks avoided their first shutout in three seasons on Brian Maddox’s 2-yard touch-down run with 3:24 left. Their only other pos-session ending in UConn territory resulted in a botched field goal attempt.

It was UConn’s first meeting with a Southeastern Conference team, and the Huskies were in control throughout. They downed the ball inside South Carolina’s 5-yard line at the end instead of adding to the score just as coach Randy Edsall was doused by his celebrating players.

It was another difficult postseason chapter for the Gamecocks, who are now 4-11 in bowl games and 1-3 under coach Steve Spurrier. They have been outscored 51-17 the past two years including a loss to Iowa in last season’s Outback Bowl.

UConnContinued from Page 1B

No. 1 Kansas bombs No. 18 Temple; No. 3 Kentucky tops Cards

PHILADELPHIA (AP) — Freshman Xavier Henry had 15 points and Marcus Morris had a big homecoming with 13 as No. 1 Kansas beat No. 18 Temple 84-52 on Saturday, snapping the Owls’ sev-en-game winning streak.

Sherron Collins scored 14 points for the Jayhawks (13-0), who have won nine games this season by at least 25 points. Their lead reached that in this one with 9:25 to go when Marcus Morris’ layup made it 60-35.

Ryan Brooks and Juan Fernandez both had 11 points for the Owls (11-3).

No. 3 Kentucky 71, Louisville 62LEXINGTON, Ky. (AP) — DeMarcus Cousins

scored 18 points and matched a season high with 18 rebounds to lead Kentucky past rival Louisville.

Patrick Patterson and John Wall added 17 points each for the Wildcats (15-0), who matched their best start in 40 years by breaking a two-game los-ing streak to the Cardinals.

Wall shook off a slow start by scoring six straight points during a decisive 14-3 run late in the second half after the Cardinals had surged to the lead.

3Bclass

4B — The Sunday Courier, Forest City, NC, SUNDAY, January 3, 2010

Rutherford OB-GYNAssociates

is looking for a talented and dedicated individual to join our team as

Registered NurseThe RN will be the team leader forclinical services and will ensure that

the daily clinical operation is efficient and provides the best careand service to our patients.

The RN will serve as the lead staff member for clinical Electronic Medical Record processes. RN with leadership

experience in a medicaloffice preferred.

Print application from:www.rutherfordobgyn.com

Please submit application & resume to:Rutherford OB-GYN

Associates, P.A.Attn: HR

446 NC 108 HwyRutherfordton, NC 28139

No Phone Calls Accepted! EOECaring for Women…Caring for Life

ROSEDALE PHASE IAPARTMENTS

121 Holly LaneForest City, NC 28043

Family Households

1 BEDROOM APARTMENTS

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Appropriate Bachelors & experience

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Drug Free workplace Apply on-line at

www.rumblingbald.comor send resume to Dennis Buckner

112 Mountains Blvd, Lake Lure, NC 28746

No phone calls please!

Opening position for Lead teacher at

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or 2 yrs exper. in child care. 289-8774

288-2844

Help Wanted

Local bookstore seeking voracious

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must have dynamic personality,

outstanding customer service skills, a basic understanding of POS

systems, as well as computerized inventory

control and the internet. Must be able

to work flexible hours 7 days per week. Apply

in person through January 10th at

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Autumn Care of Forest City has the following

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EOE

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Instruction

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ApartmentsApartments

DEADLINES: New Ads, Cancellations & ChangesTuesday Edition.............Monday, 12pmWednesday Edition......Tuesday, 2pmThursday Edition......Wednesday, 2pmFriday Edition...............Thursday, 2pmSaturday Edition................Friday, 2pmSunday Edition......................Friday, 2pm

Please check your ad on the first day that it runs. Call

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1 WEEK SPECIALRun ad 6 consecutive

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3 DAY WEEKEND SPECIAL

YARD SALE SPECIALRun a 20 word yard sale ad Thurs.,

Fri., & Sat. for ONLY $20. Additional words are only 75¢ each. Deadline: Wed. at 2 p.m.

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Contact Erika Meyer to place your ad!Call: 828-245-6431 Fax: 828-248-2790

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Valid 1/4/10 - 1/8/10

Training GroundAs a telephone repairman, I come

across all kinds of household pets. Ionce had a dog jump right through ascreen door to greet me. Fortunately,he was very friendly.

Most recently I met an owner whotrained their dog amazingly well. AsI approached the house, the dog wasbarking and growling at me throughthe glass door. However when I rangthe doorbell, he immediately turnedaround and sat quietly in the cornerof the room.

"Wow!" I said to the gentleman ashe answered the door. "One chimeand your dog sat in the corner. That'sgreat!"

"Well thank you, but he wasn't thathard to train," the gentleman smiled."After all, he is a Boxer."

(Thanks to Frank J.)

Reader Humor

Laughs For Sale

Duane “Cash” Holze & Todd “Carry” Holze

www.ClassifiedGuys.com

Vital SignsGuinea pigs have always been popular

household pets, but here are a few pointsto consider before getting some. Theycan breed up to five times a year, gener-ating a litter of three or more offspring.Since they live an average of five years,the number of babies can add up ifyou're not careful. Their average size isabout 1.5 to 2.5 pounds and about 8 to14 inches in length. However, somebreeds have been known to grow signifi-cantly larger and live up to 14 years.

Computer MouseA popular experiment is to have

rodents such as mice or guinea pigsnegotiate their way through a maze,rewarding them at each proper turn.The goal is typically to test the animal'smemory. As technology has advanced,so has the maze experiment. Scientistshave now developed a virtual mazewhere the mouse uses a computer trackball to negotiate a picture of the mazeon a computer screen. When the mousemakes the correct turn, it is rewardedwith a treat. Who knows, with enoughwork maybe these mice will have afuture with Microsoft!

Fast FactsDear Classified Guys,A couple days ago my son's classhad "show and tell" at school. Thatnight when we sat down for dinner,he recapped what everyone brought.He told me about the girl who couldtwirl two hula-hoops and the boy whohad over 100 pictures from his sum-mer vacation at a dude ranch. Thenhe started talking about the boywho brought in his pet guineapig. Now whether imaginedor real, he has the idea in hishead that a guinea pig can betrained to do tricks. Accordingto his story, it can run a maze,come when you call, or roll over like adog. The truth is, I don't believe thispet did much of anything, but now myson wants one. I'm not against it, butI don't want him having high expecta-tions for this furry critter. Before weventure into guinea pig land, can youtell me if they are trainable and if theyreally can do any kind of tricks?

• • •Carry: "Guinea Pig Land" sounds

like a new theme park at Disney World.The main attraction would probably beone of those running wheels!

Cash: Although guinea pigs can makegreat pets, owning one does involvemore than just fun and games. Before

adding one to your family, make sureyour son is ready. While he may havehopes of making his pet do tricks at thefamily dinner table, he should be awareof what it takes to care for the animal.

Carry: Guinea pigs are notorious forsleeping in the same place they eat andsoil, therefore frequent cleaning ofthem and their cage is a must. And likeany pet, they do require a lot of affec-tion and exercise.

Cash: As for tricks, guinea pigs canbe taught a variety of behaviors. Likedogs, they learn by repetition and posi-tive reinforcement. And since they loveto eat, food is often the best reward forteaching them the learned behavior.

Carry: However, unlike dogs, guineapigs can take much longer to train andsome may never quite get the hang ofthe trick. Most of their learning willdepend on how disciplined and repeti-tive you are while training.

Cash: Some of the more commonbehaviors learned by guinea pigs arepotty training (both in and out of thecage), standing on their hind legs tobeg, rolling over, playing dead, walkingwith a leash and recognizing their namewhen called.

Carry: Although, if you really wantto impress people, you'll have to teachit to fetch the newspaper and bring yourslippers!

Ask the Guys

This rabbit must be Jewish.

©2010 The Classified Guys®

01/03/10

• • •Got a question, funny story, or just want to giveus your opinion? We want to hear all about it! Email us at [email protected].

Pet Rabbi, very cute, comes

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STATE OF NORTH CAROLINACOUNTY OF RUTHERFORD

IN THE GENERAL COURT OF JUSTICESUPERIOR COURT DIVISION

FILE NO.: 09-SP-515

IN THE MATTER OF THE FORECLOSURE OF A DEED OF TRUST EXECUTED BY JAMES WILLIAMS AND KRISTEN WILLIAMS DATED DECEMBER 29, 2005, AND RECORDED DECEMBER 29, 2005, IN BOOK 878 PAGE 594 IN THE RUTHERFORD COUNTY REGISTER OF DEEDS

SUBSTITUTE TRUSTEE: Dawson & Albritton, P.A.

NOTICE OF FORECLOSURE SALE

Pursuant to a Court Order and under and by virtue of the power and authority contained in the above-referenced deed of trust and because of a violation of the provisions of said deed of trust and a failure to carry out and perform the stipulations and agreements therein contained, and pursuant to demand of the owner and holder of the indebtedness secured by said deed of trust, the undersigned substitute trustee will expose for sale at public auction to the highest bidder for cash at the usual place of sale at the county courthouse of said county at 2:00 P.M. on January 11, 2010 the following described real estate and any other improvements which may be situated thereon, situated in Rutherford County, North Carolina, and being more particularly described as follows:

BEING all of Lot 35 as shown on survey by R. L. Greene, PLS entitled “Greyrock Subdivision Phase 1A as recorded in Plat Book 25 at Page 189 said plat being one of a series of plats recorded in Plat Book 25, Pages 188 through 192 of the Rutherford County, NC Registry, reference to said recorded plats being made for a more particular description of said Lot 35.

TOGETHER WITH AND SUBJECT TO all easements, restrictions and rights of ways of record and a non-exclusive appurtenant easement for ingress, egress and regress is conveyed over and upon all private subdivision roads for GreyRock at Lake Lure as shown on the above-described plats and to the Covenants, Conditions and Restrictions for GreyRock as recorded in Book 858, at Page 122 of the Rutherford County, NC Registry and also being recorded in Book 3827, page 764 of the Buncombe County, NC Registry.

BEING a portion of that property conveyed to LR Buffalo Creek, LLC by deeds recorded in Deed Book 855, at Page 816 of the Rutherford County, NC Registry and as recorded in Deed Book 3793, at Page 665 of the Buncombe County, NC Registry.

ALSO BEING the Deed conveyed from LR Buffalo Creek, LLC to Carl Patrick Moore, II recorded in Deed Book 891, Page 229 of the Rutherford County, NC Registry.

Save and except any releases, deeds of release or prior conveyances of record.

Trustee may, in the Trustee’s sole discretion, delay the sale for up to one hour as provided in N.C.G.S. §45-21.23.

Should the property be purchased by a third party, that person must pay the tax of Forty-Five Cents ($0.45) per One Hundred Dollars ($100.00) required by N.C.G.S. §7A-308(a)(1).

The property to be offered pursuant to this notice of sale is being offered for sale, transfer and conveyance “AS IS, WHERE IS.” Neither the Trustee nor the holder of the note secured by the deed of trust/security agreement, or both, being foreclosed, nor the officers, directors, attorneys, employees, agents or authorized representative of either the Trustee or the holder of the note make any representation or warranty relating to the title or any physical, environmental, health or safety conditions existing in, on, at or relating to the property being offered for sale, and any and all responsibilities or liabilities arising out of or in any way relating to any such condition expressly are disclaimed. Also, this property is being sold subject to all taxes, special assessments, and prior liens or encumbrances of record and any recorded releases.

A cash deposit or cashier’s check (no personal checks) of five percent (5%) of the purchase price, or seven hundred fifty dollars ($750.00), whichever is greater, will be required at the time of the sale.

An order for possession of the property 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.

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.

THIS IS A COMMUNICATION FROM A DEBT COLLECTOR. THE PURPOSE OF THIS COMMUNICATION IS TO COLLECT A DEBT AND ANY INFORMATION OBTAINED WILL BE USED FOR THAT PURPOSE, EXCEPT AS STATED BELOW IN THE INSTANCE OF BANKRUPTCY PROTECTION.

IF YOU ARE UNDER THE PROTECTION OF THE BANKRUPTCY COURT OR HAVE BEEN DISCHARGED AS A RESULT OF A BANKRUPTCY PROCEEDING, THIS NOTICE IS GIVEN TO YOU PURSUANT TO STATUTORY REQUIREMENT AND FOR INFORMATIONAL PURPOSES AND IS NOT INTENDED AS AN ATTEMPT TO COLLECT A DEBT OR AS AN ACT TO COLLECT, ASSESS, OR RECOVER ALL OR ANY PORTION OF THE DEBT FROM YOU PERSONALLY.

This 8th day of December, 2009.

SUBSTITUTE TRUSTEEDawson & Albritton, P.A.P.O. Box 6003 (27835)3219 Landmark Street, Ste. 4Greenville, NC 27834252.752.2485

NORTH CAROLINA,RUTHERFORD COUNTY

NOTICE OF FORECLOSURE SALE09 SP 520

Under and by virtue of a Power of Sale contained in that certain Deed of Trust executed by Travis Lee Hurdt, unmarried to A. Jervis Arledge, Trustee(s), which was dated June 11, 2007 and recorded on June 12, 2007 in Book 961 at Page 501, Rutherford County Registry, North Carolina.

Default having been made in the payment of the note thereby secured by the said Deed of Trust and the undersigned, Brock & Scott, PLLC, having been substituted as Trustee in said Deed of Trust, and the holder of the note evidencing said indebtedness having directed that the Deed of Trust be foreclosed, the undersigned Substitute Trustee will offer for sale at the courthouse door of the county courthouse where the property is located, or the usual and customary location at the county courthouse for conducting the sale on January 6, 2010 at 11:30AM, and will sell to the highest bidder for cash the following described property situated in Rutherford County, North Carolina, to wit:

LYING and being in Colfax Township, Rutherford County, North Carolina, and being a part of the property described in that deed recorded in Deed Book 586, on Page 663, Rutherford County Registry, and being described by metes and bounds according to a survey by Jack H. Davis dated February 12, 1992 as follows:

BEGINNING at an unmarked point in Robert Church Road, State Road No. 1774, which point is the northeast corner of that said property described in that deed recorded in Deed Book 586, at Page 663, Rutherford County Registry, said beginning point also being the northwest corner of the property of Kim Willis Putman and wife, Karen Putman as described in that deed recorded in Deed Book 531, at Page 386, Rutherford County Registry, and runs thence with the old eastern line South 06 degrees 55 minutes 11 seconds West passing through an iron stake at 31.84 feet, a total distance of 497.54 feet to an iron stake; thence North 66 degrees 06 minutes 55 seconds West 228.44 feet to an iron stake; thence North 13 degrees 38 minutes 50 seconds East passing through an iron stake at 479.77 feet, a total distance of 514.77 feet to a point in Robert Church Road, State Road No. 1774; thence along said road the following three (3) calls: South 52 degrees 38 minutes 30 seconds East 81.03 to a point; thence South 56 degrees 05 minutes 26 seconds East 62.45 feet to a point, and thence South 64 degrees 34 minutes 10 seconds East 34.47 feet to the BEGINNING and containing 2.2180 acres more or less.

Being the same and identical property which was conveyed by Paulette Allison, single to Travis Lee Hurdt by deed dated June 11, 2008 and of record in Deed Book 935, at Page 309, Rutherford County Registry.


Said property is commonly known as:290 Robert Church Road, Ellenboro, NC 28040

Third party purchasers must pay the excise tax, and the court costs of Forty-Five Cents (45¢) per One Hundred Dollars ($100.00) pursuant to NCGS 7A-308(a)(1). A cash deposit (no personal checks) of five percent (5%) of the purchase price, or Seven Hundred Fifty Dollars ($750.00), whichever is greater, will be required at the time of the sale. Following the expiration of the statutory upset bid period, all the remaining amounts are immediately due and owing.

Said property to be offered pursuant to this Notice of Sale is being offered for sale, transfer and conveyance “AS IS WHERE IS.” There are no representations of warranty relating to the title or any physical, environmental, health or safety conditions existing in, on, at, or relating to the property being offered for sale. This sale is made subject to all prior liens, unpaid taxes, any unpaid land transfer taxes, special assessments, easements, rights of way, deeds of release, and any other encumbrances or exceptions of record. To the best of the knowledge and belief of the undersigned, the current owner(s) of the property is/are Travis Lee Hurdt.

An Order for possession of the property may be issued pursuant to G.S. 45-21.29 in favor of the purchaser and against the party or parties in possession by the clerk of superior court of the county in which the property is sold. Any person who occupies the property pursuant to a rental agreement entered into or renewed on or after October 1, 2007, may, after receiving the notice of sale, terminate the rental agreement upon 10 days’ written notice to the landlord. The notice shall also state that upon termination of a rental agreement, the tenant is liable for rent due under the rental agreement prorated to the effective date of the termination.

If the trustee is unable to convey title to this property for any reason, the sole remedy of the purchaser is the return of the deposit. Reasons of such inability to convey include, but are not limited to, the filing of a bankruptcy petition prior to the confirmation of the sale and reinstatement of the loan without the knowledge of the trustee. If the validity of the sale is challenged by any party, the trustee, in their sole discretion, if they believe the challenge to have merit, may request the court to declare the sale to be void and return the deposit. The purchaser will have no further remedy.

Substitute TrusteeBrock & Scott, PLLCJeremy B. Wilkins, NCSB No. 323465431 Oleander Drive Suite 200Wilmington, NC 28403PHONE: (910) 392-4988FAX: (910) 392-8587File No.: 09-21516-FC01

If you’re drinking during the holidayseason, give someone

else the keys to yourcar or you could be

introduced to anotherset of keys — the keys to

a cell at the local jail.Imprisonment, license

suspension, hefty fines, injury oreven death are some of the

obstacles you face when you drinkand drive. This holiday season andalways, drive sober and steer clearof trouble.

The Daily Courier

Drinking and Driving Starts Trouble.

6B — The Sunday Courier, Forest City, NC, SUNDAY, January 3, 2010

NORTH CAROLINA,RUTHERFORD COUNTY

NOTICE OF FORECLOSURE SALE09 SP 534

Under and by virtue of a Power of Sale contained in that certain Deed of Trust executed by RONALD BERG AND Ruth Berg, married to each other and Linda Morard and Oliver Morard, married to each other to PRLAP, INC., Trustee(s), which was dated July 18, 2006 and recorded on July 20, 2006 in Book 909 at Page 282, Rutherford County Registry, North Carolina.

Default having been made in the payment of the note thereby secured by the said Deed of Trust and the undersigned, Brock & Scott, PLLC, having been substituted as Trustee in said Deed of Trust, and the holder of the note evidencing said indebtedness having directed that the Deed of Trust be foreclosed, the undersigned Substitute Trustee will offer for sale at the courthouse door of the county courthouse where the property is located, or the usual and customary location at the county courthouse for conducting the sale on January 6, 2010 at 11:30AM, and will sell to the highest bidder for cash the following described property situated in Rutherford County, North Carolina, to wit:

BEING ALL OF Lot 232 as shown on survey by R. L. Greene, PLS entitled GreyRock Subdivision Phase 2A as recorded in Plat Book 26 at page 115, said plat being one of a series of plats recorded in Plat Book 26, Page 114 through Page 118 of the Rutherford County, NC Registry, reference to said recorded plats being made for a more particular description of said Lot 232.

TOGETHER WITH AND SUBJECT TO all easements, restrictions and rights of ways of record and an non-exclusive appurtenant easement for ingress, egress and regress is conveyed over and upon all private subdivision roads for GreyRock at Lake Lure as shown on the above described plats and the plats for Phase 1A as shown on plats recorded in Plat Book 25, at Pages 188 through 192, plats for 1B as shown on plats recorded in Plat Book 25 at Pages 205 through Page 208, plats for Phase 2A as shown on plats recorded in Plat Book 26, Pages 114 through Pages 118 and to the Covenants, Conditions and Restrictions for GreyRock as recorded in Book 858, at Page 122 of the Rutherford County Registry and also being recorded in Book 3827, Page 764, of the Buncombe County, NC Registry.

BEING a portion of that property coveyed to LR Buffalo Creek, LLC by deeds recorded in Deed Book 855, at Page 816, of the Rutherford County, NC Registry and as recorded in Deed Book 3793, at Page 665 of the Buncombe County NC Registry.


Said property is commonly known as:Lot 232 Grey Rock, Lake Lure, NC 28746

Third party purchasers must pay the excise tax, and the court costs of Forty-Five Cents (45¢) per One Hundred Dollars ($100.00) pursuant to NCGS 7A-308(a)(1). A cash deposit (no personal checks) of five percent (5%) of the purchase price, or Seven Hundred Fifty Dollars ($750.00), whichever is greater, will be required at the time of the sale. Following the expiration of the statutory upset bid period, all the remaining amounts are immediately due and owing.

Said property to be offered pursuant to this Notice of Sale is being offered for sale, transfer and conveyance “AS IS WHERE IS.” There are no representations of warranty relating to the title or any physical, environmental, health or safety conditions existing in, on, at, or relating to the property being offered for sale. This sale is made subject to all prior liens, unpaid taxes, any unpaid land transfer taxes, special assessments, easements, rights of way, deeds of release, and any other encumbrances or exceptions of record. To the best of the knowledge and belief of the undersigned, the current owner(s) of the property is/are Ronald Berg and Ruth Berg, married to each other and Linda Morard and Oliver Morard, married to each other.

An Order for possession of the property may be issued pursuant to G.S. 45-21.29 in favor of the purchaser and against the party or parties in possession by the clerk of superior court of the county in which the property is sold. Any person who occupies the property pursuant to a rental agreement entered into or renewed on or after October 1, 2007, may, after receiving the notice of sale, terminate the rental agreement upon 10 days’ written notice to the landlord. The notice shall also state that upon termination of a rental agreement, the tenant is liable for rent due under the rental agreement prorated to the effective date of the termination.

If the trustee is unable to convey title to this property for any reason, the sole remedy of the purchaser is the return of the deposit. Reasons of such inability to convey include, but are not limited to, the filing of a bankruptcy petition prior to the confirmation of the sale and reinstatement of the loan without the knowledge of the trustee. If the validity of the sale is challenged by any party, the trustee, in their sole discretion, if they believe the challenge to have merit, may request the court to declare the sale to be void and return the deposit. The purchaser will have no further remedy.

Substitute TrusteeBrock & Scott, PLLCJeremy B. Wilkins, NCSB No. 323465431 Oleander Drive Suite 200Wilmington, NC 28403PHONE: (910) 392-4988FAX: (910) 392-8587File No.: 09-22547-FC01

STATE OF NORTH CAROLINACOUNTY OF RUTHERFORD

IN THE GENERAL COURT OF JUSTICESUPERIOR COURT DIVISION

FILE NO.: 09-SP-531

IN THE MATTER OF THE FORECLOSURE OF A DEED OF TRUST EXECUTED BY RAUL C. GONZALEZ AND DAMARIS A. GONZALEZ DATED SEPTEMBER 5, 2007, AND RECORDED SEPTEMBER 11, 2007, IN BOOK 975 PAGE 747 IN THE RUTHERFORD COUNTY REGISTER OF DEEDS

SUBSTITUTE TRUSTEE: Dawson & Albritton, P.A.

NOTICE OF FORECLOSURE SALE

Pursuant to a Court Order and under and by virtue of the power and authority contained in the above-referenced deed of trust and because of a violation of the provisions of said deed of trust and a failure to carry out and perform the stipulations and agreements therein contained, and pursuant to demand of the owner and holder of the indebtedness secured by said deed of trust, the undersigned substitute trustee will expose for sale at public auction to the highest bidder for cash at the usual place of sale at the county courthouse of said county at 2:00 P.M. on January 11, 2010 the following described real estate and any other improvements which may be situated thereon, situated in Rutherford County, North Carolina, and being more particularly described as follows:

Being all of Lot 11 of The Estates at Greenhill as shown on plats thereof recorded in Plat Book 28 at Pages 121 and 122, Rutherford County Registry, reference to which is hereby made for a more particular description. Together with a right of way for ingress, egress and regress over and upon the roadways of The Estates at Greenhill as shown on the above plats.

The above Lot is subject to taxes for the current year, easements, restrictions and rights of way of record, including, but not limited to, that Declaration of Covenants, Conditions and Restrictions for The Estates at Greenhill recorded in Book 933 at Page 199, Rutherford County Registry, which Declaration includes a Repurchase Option in favor of Grantor in Section 3.22.


Trustee may, in the Trustee’s sole discretion, delay the sale for up to one hour as provided in N.C.G.S. §45-21.23. Should the property be purchased by a third party, that person must pay the tax of Forty-Five Cents ($0.45) per One Hundred Dollars ($100.00) required by N.C.G.S. §7A-308(a)(1).

The property to be offered pursuant to this notice of sale is being offered for sale, transfer and conveyance “AS IS, WHERE IS.” Neither the Trustee nor the holder of the note secured by the deed of trust/security agreement, or both, being foreclosed, nor the officers, directors, attorneys, employees, agents or authorized representative of either the Trustee or the holder of the note make any representation or warranty relating to the title or any physical, environmental, health or safety conditions existing in, on, at or relating to the property being offered for sale, and any and all responsibilities or liabilities arising out of or in any way relating to any such condition expressly are disclaimed. Also, this property is being sold subject to all taxes, special assessments, and prior liens or encumbrances of record and any recorded releases.

A cash deposit or cashier’s check (no personal checks) of five percent (5%) of the purchase price, or seven hundred fifty dollars ($750.00), whichever is greater, will be required at the time of the sale. An order for possession of the property 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.

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.

THIS IS A COMMUNICATION FROM A DEBT COLLECTOR. THE PURPOSE OF THIS COMMUNICATION IS TO COLLECT A DEBT AND ANY INFORMATION OBTAINED WILL BE USED FOR THAT PURPOSE, EXCEPT AS STATED BELOW IN THE INSTANCE OF BANKRUPTCY PROTECTION.

IF YOU ARE UNDER THE PROTECTION OF THE BANKRUPTCY COURT OR HAVE BEEN DISCHARGED AS A RESULT OF A BANKRUPTCY PROCEEDING, THIS NOTICE IS GIVEN TO YOU PURSUANT TO STATUTORY REQUIREMENT AND FOR INFORMATIONAL PURPOSES AND IS NOT INTENDED AS AN ATTEMPT TO COLLECT A DEBT OR AS AN ACT TO COLLECT, ASSESS, OR RECOVER ALL OR ANY PORTION OF THE DEBT FROM YOU PERSONALLY.

This 8th day of December, 2009.

SUBSTITUTE TRUSTEEDawson & Albritton, P.A.P.O. Box 6003 (27835)3219 Landmark Street, Ste. 4Greenville, NC 27834252.752.2485

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The Sunday Courier, Forest City, NC, SUNDAY, January 3, 2010 — 7B

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8B — The Sunday Courier, Forest City, NC, Sunday, January 3, 2010

sports

By MIKE CRANSTONAP Sports Writer

CHARLOTTE — The unstop-pable offense has been slowed a bit. The opportunistic defense has some holes. Perfection was dashed, fol-lowed by embarrassment a week later.

Instead of being in the middle of a New Orleans-sized celebration for capturing the franchise’s first No. 1 playoff seed, the Saints (13-2) go into Sunday’s regular-season finale against the suddenly dangerous Carolina Panthers (7-8) looking to get their mojo back.

It’s probably no surprise that coach Sean Payton plans to play his start-ers — at least for a while. The game may be meaningless for playoff seed-ing, but the Saints need a jolt of con-fidence.

Losing at home to Tampa Bay will do that.

“Everyone on the team agrees with coach’s decision to play our start-ers,” safety Darren Sharper said. “We know we still have some work to do. We need to improve as a team. Everyone knows going into the play-offs you want to be peaking and playing your best football. As of late, we are not doing that.”

The Panthers will provide a stern test to see if the Saints can improve their suddenly porous run defense and special teams while getting Drew Brees and the offense into playoff form.

Out of the postseason race for more than a month, Carolina has stunned playoff-bound Minnesota and ended the New York Giants’ postseason hopes with consecutive routs by a combined 67-16. Backup quarterback Matt Moore, a stout running game and a defense forcing numerous turnovers has made Carolina look nothing like the team that started 0-3 and lost at New Orleans in Week 9.

“Whatever their motives are, it’s not our concern,” Panthers linebacker Na’il Diggs said of the Saints. “Our concern is finishing on a high note and finishing up strong.”

The Saints have been a bit off for more than a month. They narrowly beat non-playoff teams Washington and Atlanta to improve to 13-0. Then came a home loss to Dallas to end hopes of a perfect season.

They seemed to have bounced back in building a 17-0 lead over the Buccaneers last week before a melt-down and a key missed field goal gave them the distinction of being

the first team with 13 wins to lose to a team with only two victories.

“How did it happen? That’s not us,” said Brees, who needs just 12 yards passing to become the first quar-terback in NFL history with four consecutive seasons of 4,400 yards. “That’s not the team we are. But after looking at the film there are some things, some areas where we have to be better.”

Still, backup QB Mark Brunell expects to play Sunday, too, along with many other offensive reserves. Payton will weigh risk of injury against getting his team prepared for the NFC divisional round, which means the defense may see more playing time than the offense.

The Bucs rushed for 176 yards and New Orleans has dropped to 24th in the league in total defense. Now the Saints face a running game that has been running over opponents.

Jonathan Stewart, filling in for injured Pro Bowl pick DeAngelo Williams, rushed for a franchise-record 206 yards in Carolina’s drub-bing of the Giants. Williams and Stewart are only the sixth pair of teammates since the 1970 AFL-NFL merger to each rush for more than 1,000 yards.

Throw in Moore’s nearly flawless performance the past two games (six touchdown passes, no intercep-tions) and the Panthers are suddenly potent on offense after struggling to score with Jake Delhomme at quar-terback. But Carolina will be without star wideout Steve Smith, who broke his arm catching a touchdown pass against the Giants.

“It’s good to not have to face him on Sunday,” said Sharper, who is tied for the NFL lead with nine intercep-tions.

The game will end a tumultuous season for Carolina, hobbled by inju-ries and uncertainty. Coach John Fox is expected back next season, but hasn’t been offered a contract exten-sion beyond 2010 and could try to seek other jobs. Defensive end Julius Peppers could be in for another free agency tussle after leading the team with 10 1/2 sacks and earning his fifth Pro Bowl berth.

“I think he loves it here,” defensive tackle Damione Lewis insisted. “I think he does want to come back.”

The Saints don’t have to worry about end-of-season roster talk this weekend. They know a Super Bowl berth requires only two home victo-ries. But they first want to finish 8-0 on the road and erase memories of an ugly two weeks that also included

backup defensive end Bobby McCray being arrested on a drunk driving charge.

Indeed, there’s been little celebrat-ing this week.

“Looking at the last two weeks, we haven’t played out best football by any means,” Brees said. “I think the objective is to have a great week of

practice and then to go out and play very well on Sunday, as well as we can play, to execute just to look sharp and do our best to win the game.

“But obviously with the mindset of we have a week off and we’re playing the divisional playoff game here, and obviously we want all our weapons and to be as healthy as possible.”

NFL Regular Season FinaleSaints seeking to get confidence back vs. Panthers

Associated PressCarolina Panthers quarterback Matt Moore (3) looks to pass against the New York Giants in the fourth quarter of an NFL football game Sunday, in East Rutherford, N.J. The Panthers won the game 41-9.

BARRY WILNERAP Football Writer

NEW YORK — Now that all the unbeaten shenanigans are out of the way, the final weekend of the regular sea-son is spiced up by the NFC East showdown between the Eagles and Cowboys.

Dallas, maligned in recent years for struggling through December, has won its last two in impressive style after a tight loss to San Diego. Philadelphia has taken six in a row, although only Denver of those opponents has a shot at the postseason.

The Cowboys are a 3-point favorite, which usually is caused by being the host. Dallas edged Philly 20-16 in November; the Eagles then lost at San Diego and have not been beaten since.

Both sides have produc-tive offenses spiced by big-play Pro Bowl perform-ers: Eagles receiver/kick returner DeSean Jackson and Cowboys wideout Miles Austin and tight end Jason Witten. The Dallas defense has come on lately, while Philly has been able to out-score everyone, average 31.2 points during the winning streak.

“Our main goal this year was to finish strong and to finish together,” Cowboys cornerback Mike Jenkins said “We’re doing it.”

Can they do it against high-flying Philly and walk off with the division crown? Sure.

COWBOYS, 24-23

Tennessee at SeattleAfter 0-6, the Titans really

want that .500 record as a boost toward 2010.

TITANS, 28-7

Atlanta at Tampa BayFalcons seek that winning

record for second consecutive season — for first time in team history.

FALCONS, 21-16

Cincinnati at N.Y. JetsDecades of history tell

us Jets fail in these situa-tions. Recent history tells us Bengals won’t play starters

for long. Still ...BENGALS, 10-9

Baltimore at OaklandRaiders have beaten some

good teams, but not with this much at stake.

RAVENS, 21-10

Kansas City at DenverFrom dynamic (6-0) to des-

perate (8-7), Broncos will do their part to remain in play-off picture.

BRONCOS, 21-13

Pittsburgh at MiamiMan, will Steelers be kick-

ing themselves for sloppy losses this season.

STEELERS, 24-23

N.Y. Giants at MinnesotaVikings need to get straight

before playoffs, Giants need to do so before vacation.

VIKINGS, 27-20

San Francisco at St. LouisNiners want to avoid sev-

enth straight losing season. Rams get No. 1 draft spot.

49ERS, 20-3

Green Bay at ArizonaThese guys very likely will

play each other next week, so stay healthy, gents.

PACKERS, 23-21

New England at HoustonSlight chance these guys

could meet next weekend, too. Texans get first winning season.

TEXANS, 24-14

Washington at San DiegoChargers will use backups

to finish with 11 consecutive victories.

CHARGERS, 21-7

Jacksonville at ClevelandJags once were in control of

wild-card race. Browns fin-ish with flourish.

BROWNS, 14-13

Chicago at DetroitYou really have to be a fan

to watch this one.BEARS, 23-9

Indianapolis at BuffaloPeyton Manning will get a

few snaps to keep consecu-tive starts string intact.

BILLS, 17-10

New Orleans at CarolinaSaints don’t want to finish

with three straight losses, but do want to be healthy for postseason.

PANTHERS, 20-17

Big One in Big D: Eagles vs. Cowboys for NFC East

Associated PressNew Orleans Saints quarterback Mark Brunell (11) throws a pass against the Atlanta Falcons during an NFL football game in Atlanta. Coach Sean Payton has decided to start Mark Brunell in place of the star quarterback for Sunday’s game.

8B/

The end of a decade brought new per-sonalities to the newsroom and in Rutherford County and they became newsmakers and memorable charac-

ters in 2009.Some of those touching my life and worthy of

another mention include —Brittany Heber, a 2009

graduate of Rutherford Opportunity Center, headed off to Appalachian State University in the fall, touch-ing the hearts of a lot of peo-ple with her incredible story of survival. ASU’s president heard her story, and present-ed her a laptop computer and othe rassistance from the university.

Jeffrey Scott Webber III arrived at Rutherford Hospital’s Birth Place on Jan 1, 2009, at 12:54 a.m., claiming the bragging rights as the county’s first baby born in the new year. He is the son of Amber Mercer and Jeffrey Scott Webber Jr. The family lives in Cleveland County.

Rutherford County’s Pam Whiteside discov-ered she was a diabetic after coming into the presence of Dr. Oz in Times Square, New York City, in November. After being tested at the clinic on the sidewalk, she and her sister, Ann Twitty, are participants in a 12-week program with Dr. Oz and Dr. Mike Roizen, 12 week dia-betes awareness project. We’ll keep you posted on their success.

A courageous Iris Sechriest of Forest City,

shared the heartbreak of her life, the loss of daugh-ter Sybil to cancer in her book “Sybil’s Choice,” released in December.

A number of World War II veterans trav-eled to Washington, D.C., on Honor Flight to view the memorial built in their honor. Making the jaunt in November were Clyde Tomblin, Jack Flack and Marion Amos.

Sgt. Brian Gilreath, NCHP, became a U.S. Marshal at the inau-guration of President Barack Obama, joining several other Rutherford County folks at the historic day for America.

What about Gunnery Sgt. Michael Barrett’s war stories from Iraq and sharing some of those at the Marine’s birthday ball at R-S Central High School in November before his proud father, Sgt. Major Donald Barrett of Rutherfordton, instructor with the JROTC program?

The day before a shooting massacre at Fort Hood, Texas, Spec. Brian Marlowe, 30, of Rutherford County, was at the medi-cal building for a re-check of immunizations. Fortunately, Marlowe was back home on the Army Base when at least 13 soldiers were killed and about 30 others wounded in the worst shooting on a military base in American history. Marlowe, who is now in Afghanistan, was at home with his wife, Kelley, and their daughter, Emma, as well as his mother Patti Marlowe of Union Mills, his sister, Jill Simmons of Union Mills, her two children and his grandmoth-er, also of Rutherford County.

Another vet, Jerry Nelon, joined his fel-low Vietnam veterans for a reunion in Wilmington of the Charlie Company of the 2nd Battalion, 3rd Infantry Regiment.

Thelma Goode shared her touching tran-sition story of moving from her home to an assisted living facility, a decision she made on her own while still able to do so.

Thanks go to Rutherfordton police offi-cers who delivered a baby boy in the park-ing lot of the One-Stop Food store in August.

Thanks to Carnegie Medal recipients Joshua Bumgarner and Brandon Rothrock for rescuing Mamie Gumbs from the fire that destroyed her home and museum.

Rutherford County Transit drivers Gail Crawford and Toni Campbell were recog-nized for lifesaving efforts while on a rou-tine drive.

Also Forest City Fire Chief Mark McCurry received the state’s top firefighter award.

Natalie Brock led the annual March of Dimes walk for children and in November, flipped the switch to light up the town of Forest City, as its honored citizen.

Rutherford County native Kevin Grantt played music in his home county, join-

The Sunday Courier, Forest City, NC, Sunday, January 3, 2010 — 1C

InsideOut & About . . . . . .Page 2CA love story . . . . . . .Page 6CSunday Break . . . . .Page 7C

Ordinary people,

Noteworthy newsmakers of 2009

Jean Gordon

Sunday Brunch

Billy Honeycutt, seen here on the roof of a house, and dozens of other volun-teers, gave unselfishly throughout the year to respond to the needs of others. Honeycutt, president of Rutherford Housing Partnership, returned to the roof top after recuperating from a serious injury in 2007, when he fell from a roof in Rutherfordton.

Brittany Heber graduated from the Rutherford Opportunity Center in June and is a freshman at Appalachian State University, where the presi-dent presented her a laptop.

extraordinary stories

2009 was a year for the arts in Rutherford County with the long awaited and much antici-pated grand opening of the Rutherford County Visual Artists Guild’s Center on Main Street, Rutherfordton. The non-profit group of more than 50 artists opened the center, featuring the work of various artists. Here Artist Steve Sane introduced his creative Bottle Tree during an exhibit at the Cooperative Extension last March.

Please see People, Page 8C

Landyn Johnson, 5, cut the ribbon and his friend, Jacob Jenkins, 8,held the ribbon at the annual Relay for Life Survivor’s Walk. Both are leu-kemia survivors.

c front

2C — The Sunday Courier, Forest City, NC, Sunday, January 3, 2010

local

Out & AboutCanines... tired of walking? Darby Dolls Rescheduled

Rutherford County Arts Council has rescheduled its Christmas musical, “Darby Rumbles’ Dolls,” for Friday, Jan. 8, at 10 a.m., for a public and stu-dent performance at The Foundation Performing Arts Center, Isothermal Community College. The play was cancelled due to weather on 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 charm-ing tale of an eccentric old woman and her dolls who come to life, danc-ing, clowning, singing and fighting. “Darby Rumbles’ Dolls” is an original musi-cal by Rutherfordton author Drew Sherer (Diane Tucker). The doll characters are based on her own doll collection.

Garrett Byers/Daily Courier

Jean Gordon/Daily CourierThese three pooches kept their van running and warm while its driver made a brief visit to a resident at Fair Haven Rest Home last Sunday evening. When the pooch behind steering wheel heard the door shut at the facility, it appeared to have scared the dog, and immediately he fell on the horn, blowing it at least three times before realizing what was going on.

Lodge No. 91 Honors Flack

Contributed photoKolen Flack (second from right) was honored recently at Western Star Masonic Lodge No. 91 in Rutherfordton. He has served Masonry with distinction for 60 years, as a past master of Western Star and Bryson City lodges, as well as many years on the Board of Custodians (two of those years as chairman) at the Grand Lodge in Raleigh. He has received numerous awards and Masonic commendations and is also a past District Deputy Grand Master and past District Deputy Grand Lecturer.

John Mojjis, for-mer general man-ager of the Lake Lure Inn, reminds us this week Patrick Swayze stayed in Room 205 when he was film-ing Dirty Dancing. It seems another room number may be identi-fied as his room, but Mojjis says Swayze’s room 205. If you’re staying at the Inn for that purpose, request Room 2005, He is in the process of writing a book about the adven-tures and even suggests “the folks at Lake Lure should commission a statue with Patrick and Jennifer (Grey) in the dance lift in bronze as a memorial on the lake. “Perhaps the state would donate some dol-lars as it would bring

in revenue for the entire area,” the Florida resi-dent said in a letter.

Lake Lure police officer Leslie Meade received the Jack Powell Top Gun Award during the department’s Firearms Qualifying at the Firing Range. Meade is the first female officer to ever achieve the award in its 10 year history.

The 2010 Official North Carolina Travel Guide is now online. Produced annu-ally by the Division of Tourism, this guide is published by Journal Communications and has become increasing-ly popular with visitors in its online version. In addition to all of the

information contained in the “hard copy” edi-tion, nine embedded videos on the feature stories have been added and the online version includes four addition-al videos – featuring Grandfather Mountain, Battleship North Carolina, zip lines and deep sea fishing. To view the guide online, visit www.visitnc.com/travelpubs.

Blue Ridge Wedding Show, Saturday, Jan. 9, at the new Carolina Event and Conference Center, Hudlow Road, Forest City, 10 a.m. to 3 p.m. Mother-Daughter Brunch 10 to 11 a.m. For more information call (828) 447-2674 or visit the website www.freshstartwes.com.

The Unity in the Community Organization shared the true spirit of Christmas by hosting “Sharing in the Community Christmas Social.” The event was held Sunday, Dec. 27, at Zion Grove A.M.E. Zion Church in the G. Riddle Banquet Hall, Rutherfordton.

The purpose of the event was to offer the senior citizens of Polk and Rutherford counties an opportunity to be pampered. The special guests were treated to a sit-down catered meal with live entertainment. A com-plete fine dining atmosphere was cre-ated with decorations, lighting, print-ed menus, catered food, and volun-teer servers. A segment of the social was designated for fun and games.

More than 70 seniors attended the event. In addition, each participant received a gift basket, fruit basket, and an assortment of wrapped gifts. The remaining gift and fruit baskets were distributed to needy individuals and families in area by local pastors. Special recognition was also given to Addie L. Hines of Rutherfordton, who celebrated her 93rd birthday on Dec. 30.

This Christmas Social is funded by a grant from the Polk County Community Foundation. The catered meal was prepared by Mountain View Barbeque and Deli, Columbus. Entertainment was provided by Allen McEntyre, and India Godlock. Rev. Keith Knox, pastor of Garrison Chapel Baptist Church, Tryon, served as Master of Ceremonies.

Others participating were Alicia Twitty; Rev. Barbara Phillips, pas-tor of St. Luke Baptist Church; Rev. Arnie Twitty, pastor of Green Creek Baptist Church; Rev Eleanor Miller, pastor of the New Zion C.M.E. Church, and Rev. Rob Roy Staley, pastor of Zion Grove Church.

Hines

Forest City Sparkles

Jean Gordon/Daily CourierOn a quiet Sunday evening, Dec. 27, the lights in downtown Forest City, was a reflection of the Christmas season as passers-by and motorists from east to west Rutherford County visited the city that has drawn state and national attention for its “hometown holidays.”

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local

CHARLOTTE – The Bechtler Museum of Modern Art, the only museum dedicated to the exhibition of mid-20th-century modern art in the southeastern United States, celebrat-ed its grand opening Saturday in Charlotte. The day begans with a ribbon cutting cer-emony at noon and free admission all day fol-lowing the ribbon cut-ting.

The museum is named after the family of Andreas Bechtler, a Charlotte resident and native of Switzerland who inherited and assembled a collection of more than 1,400 artworks created by major figures of 20th-century modernism. He donated the collec-tion to the public trust. The Bechtler collection reflects most of the important art move-ments and schools from the 20th century with a deep holding of the School of Paris.

The Firebird, a 17-foot-5-inch outdoor sculpture, stands on the museum’s plaza. The Firebird was stored in a warehouse in Rutherfordton for Bechtler by Bob and Sharon Decker. The sculpture is a whimsi-

cal, bird-like creature covered from top to bottom in pieces of mirrored and colored glass. Created in 1991 by French-American artist Niki de Saint Phalle, the sculp-ture was purchased by museum patron Bechtler specifically for placement in front of the Bechtler Museum of Modern Art.

“When I saw the Firebird, I knew it was outstanding. I knew it would be great for the museum,” Bechtler said in an interview with NPR. “The Firebird is joyful, uplifting and engaging. It makes you feel that life is good.”

The museum build-ing was designed by world-renowned architect Mario Botta. Botta’s design for the 35,600-square-foot Bechtler uses strong, formal contrasts to surprise and engage visitors. Outside, the building looks mono-lithic, a square terra cotta tile-covered box. A boldly cantilevered fourth-floor gallery hangs over a plaza with a swelling column set in the middle. An interior four-and-one-half story glazed atrium contra-dicts that weight. Once inside, museumgoers

experience an explosion of soaring, light-filled space.

The collection com-prises artworks by seminal figures such as Alberto Giacometti, Joan Miro,

Jean Tinguely, Max Ernst, Andy Warhol, Alexander Calder, Le Corbusier, Sol LeWitt, Edgar Degas, Nicolas de Stael, Barbara Hepworth and Picasso. In many instances, the holdings by a particular artist are across vari-ous media (painting, sculpture, drawing, prints and decorative arts). Some works in the collection are also accompanied by books, photographs and letters illustrating personal connections to the Bechtler family.

Many of the artists in the collection were close friends of Hans and Bessie Bechtler (the patrons, now deceased, who started the col-lection in the 1940s) and their son Andreas. Some of the most important and fascinat-ing works were gifts to the family by the art-ists themselves. The Bechtlers were dedi-cated and inspired col-lectors who identified some of the most influ-ential figures in mod-ern art early in their careers and formed per-sonal relationships with some of them.

Only a handful of the artworks in the Bechtler collection have been on public view in the United States. Until now, the collec-tion was privately held by the Bechtler family of Switzerland and has since been committed to the city of Charlotte.

The Bechtler Museum of Modern is part of

a public-private part-nership that is creat-ing new and enhanced cultural facilities along Charlotte’s South Tryon Street corridor. Joining the Bechtler on the Wells Fargo Cultural Campus are the Mint Museum Uptown (opening fall 2010), the Knight Theater and the Harvey B. Gantt Center for African-American Arts + Culture.

The Bechtler Museum of Modern Art is locat-ed at 420 South Tryon Street in Charlotte with regular operat-ing hours are Monday, Wednesday, Thursday, Friday and Saturday 10 a.m. - 5 p.m.; Sunday 12 p.m. - 5 p.m.; closed Tuesdays. Admission is $8 for adults; $6 for seniors, college students and educators; $4 for youth (11 to 14) and free for children (up to 10). For museum details vis-it www.bechtler.org.

“The Bechtler is excit-ed to celebrate the great legacy of Niki de Saint Phalle with the place-ment of the Firebird – a piece that we trust will serve as an exciting and welcoming gesture to Charlotte visitors and everyone who comes to the Wells Fargo Cultural Campus,” said museum President and CEO John Boyer.

The Bechtler Museum of Modern Art is named after the fam-ily of Andreas Bechtler. Bechtler assembled and inherited a collection of more than 1,400 art-works created by major figures of 20th-century

modernism and com-mitted it to the city of Charlotte.

The Bechtler collec-tion comprises art-works by seminal fig-ures such as Alberto Giacometti, Joan Miro, Jean Tinguely, Max Ernst, Andy Warhol, Le Corbusier, Sol LeWitt, Edgar Degas, Nicolas de Stael, Barbara Hepworth and Picasso. Books, photographs and letters illustrating personal connections to the Bechtler fam-ily accompany some of the works in the collec-tion. Only a handful of the artworks have been on public view in the United States.

The Bechtler Museum of Modern Art is located at 420 South Tryon Street in uptown Charlotte. The muse-um opens to the pub-lic January 2, 2010. Operating hours will be Monday, Wednesday, Thursday, Friday and Saturday 10 a.m. - 6 p.m.; Sunday 12 p.m. - 5 p.m.; closed Tuesdays. Admission is $8 for adults; $6 for seniors, college students and educators; $4 for youth (11 to 14) and free for children (up to 10). For museum details visit www.bechtler.org.

For more informa-tion contact: Pam Davis, Director of Communications and Marketing, Bechtler Museum of Modern Art, [email protected], office 704-353-9204, mobile 704-975-2363.

Bechtler Museum of Modern Art introduces collection

Contributed photoThe Firebird, a 17-foot-5-inch outdoor sculpture, stands on the museum’s plaza. The Firebird was stored in a warehouse in Rutherfordton for Bechtler by Bob and Sharon Decker.

Contributed photoThe Bechtler Museum of Modern Art (exterior shown) celebrated its grand opening Saturday in Charlotte. The museum is named after the family of Andreas Bechtler, a Charlotte resident and native of Switzerland, who inher-ited and assembled a collection of more than 1,400 artworks created by major figures of 20th-century modern-ism.

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localEagle Scout Awards

Contributed photoTwo members of Ellenboro Scout Troop 126 recently received Scouting’s highest honor at St. Francis Episcopal Church in Rutherfordton. Receiving the Eagle Award were (back row, left) Ben Conner and David Martin (right), shown with Scoutmaster Thomas Tisdale (center). Also pictured are (l-r): in front — Ben’s parents, Thomas and Julie Conner, and David’s parents, Lisa and Ronnie Martin.

College News

BOILING SPRINGS — Gardner-Webb University recently held its 2009 fall commencement exercises where a total of nearly 300 students graduated.

Among those graduates were Anna Cable, who received a BS degree and majored in Criminal Justice, and Rebekah Withrow, who received a BS degree and majored in Elementary

Education, Cum Laude, Alpha Chi.Gardner-Webb University is home

to over 4000 students from 39 states and 21 foreign countries. Gardner-Webb seeks a higher ground in high-er education – one that embraces faith and intellectual freedom, bal-ances conviction with compassion, and inspires in students a love of learning, service and leadership.

Gardner-Webb awards degrees during fall graduation

New ArrivalsRUTHERFORDTON — The

following babies were born at Rutherford Hospital.

Linda Blanton, Henrietta, a boy, Gavin Gerardo Blanton, Dec. 13.

Glenn Bradley and Glenesa Causby, Forest City, a boy, Payton Glenn Bradley, Dec. 16.

Michael Holland and Katelynn Lane, Forest City, a girl, Nevaeh Alexzandreah Holland, Dec. 16.

Jeremy and Brandi Beheler, Ellenboro, a boy, Elijah Cain Beheler, Dec. 17.

Mr. and Mrs. Barry Lowery, Spindale, a girl, Alyx Jane Lowery, Dec. 17.

Scott and Shelley Vallecillo, Rutherfordton, a boy, Jackson Lee Vallecillo, Dec. 17.

Mr. and Mrs. Anson Grissom, Spindale, a girl, Alyanna Susan Grissom, Dec. 18.

Christopher Radford and Brittany Lovelace, Spindale, a girl, Christalynn Rachel Radford, Dec. 18.

Andre Moore and Tiffanie Spears, Forest City, a girl, Keyanah Mechelle Moore, Dec. 18.

Adam Tipton and Brooke McCurry, Bostic, a girl, Kagen Storm Tipton, Dec. 19.

Billy Joe Causby and Alesha Summers, Forest City, a girl, Emma Ann Causby, Dec. 21.

Edgar Garcia and Nicole Wright, Henrietta, a girl, Liberty Nichole Garcia, Dec. 22.

Josh Roberson and Candace Jenkins, Ellenboro, a girl, Paiten Elizabeth Roberson, Dec. 23.

Christy Waters, Columbus, a girl, Amiyah Christina Waters, Dec. 24.

Mr. and Mrs. Lance Kuykendall, Mooresboro, a girl, Emma Grace Kuykendall, Dec. 25.

Mr. and Mrs. Hiroaki Ishikawa, Green Creek, a boy, Isaiah Naruto Ishikawa, Dec. 25.

Shannon Bradley and Cristy Hardin, Forest City, a girl, Madyson Leigh Bradley, Dec. 26.

Carson L. Curtis Jr. and D’Asia C. Logan, Forest City, a girl, Ashanti Marie Curtis, Dec. 26.

Cesar Martinez and Destiny Bradley, Forest City, a girl, Brooklyn Adriana Martinez, Dec. 27.

GREENVILLE, SC — Making Memories Breast Cancer Foundation,™ a non-profit organi-zation dedicated to granting wishes to men and women battling stage IV breast cancer, has kicked off its Brides Against Breast Cancer™ Nationwide Tour of Gowns and will be stopping in Greenville/Spartanburg, S.C., on Friday, Jan. 15, and Saturday, Jan. 16, at the Hilton Greenville.

Local brides-to-be will have an opportunity to find their dream gowns while making wishes come true for metastatic breast cancer patients. The charity wedding gown sale features hundreds of beautiful gowns donated by designers, retail-ers, manufacturers and individuals. Specific gown prices range from $99 and up, including hundreds of brand name and designer gowns valued up to $8,000. Tiaras, veils, crinolines and other accessories will also be

offered. Bridal gown donations will also be accepted for gowns 2006 and newer at the sale.

Headquartered in Portland, Ore., Making Memories Breast Cancer Foundation™ is a non-profit organi-zation dedicated to granting wishes, including memory-making events, for stage IV breast cancer patients, while continuing to support, edu-cate and increase awareness of breast cancer. Since its founding in 1998, Making Memories has devel-oped various fundraising divisions including Brides Against Breast Cancer™, Pink Envelope Project, and Diamonds for Dreams.

Admission is free to the general gown sale, which runs Friday from 2 to 8 p.m., and Saturday from 10 a.m. to 3 p.m. The Hilton Greenville is located at 45 W. Orchard Park Dr., Greenville. For more information about the tour, visit www.bridesa-gainstbreastcancer.org.

SHELBY — “Ten Resolutions for Caregivers” will be the topic of the January 19 meeting of the Family Caregiver group at Life Enrichment Center in Shelby.

This meeting is open to the public and free of charge. Anyone who is a family caregiver is invited to attend.

The meeting is from 5:30 to 7 p.m., but caregivers are welcome to come whenever they can. Late arrivals are

welcome because we know the stress-es that caregivers have.

There will be a free sitter service for the adult who needs care, but a reser-vation must be made for the service by calling Linda at 704-484-0405.

Life Enrichment is an adult day care and health service for adults of all ages. The Shelby center is located at 103 T.R. Harris Dr., across from the Senior Center.

‘Ten Resolutions for Caregivers’

FOREST CITY — Nicole Seitz will bring her new novel, “Saving Cicadas,” to Fireside Books & Gifts Friday, Jan. 8 for a book signing at 4 p.m.

“Saving Cicadas,” told through the voice of a young child, is a moving narrative about family, loss and long-ing and the transforming power of truth. “Saving Cicadas” is an eloquent reminder that life is a miracle — and even the smallest soul is always a gift, said book publicist Peter Wentworth.

Seitz’s writing has been praised by Library Journal, observing Seitz’s writing style recalls that of Southern authors like Kaye Gibbons, Anne Rivers Siddons and Sue Monk Kidd.

The book is the revelatory and haunting journey of a struggling

single mother from South Carolina who discovers she’s expecting another child. Unafraid to confront issues with no simple answers, Seitz has constructed a story of ultimate redemption in “Saving Cicada,” told through the voice of an 8-year-old girl.

In “Saving Cicadas,” Seitz paints an original story about love, families and the power of choice in a sur-prisingly creative tale that will leave readers guessing until the end.

“She has written with purpose and passion about the things that are closest to her heart,” said River Jordan, author of “Saints in Limbo,” “The Messenger of Magnolia Street” and “The Gin Girl.”

Seitz grew up on Hilton Head Island, where she was surrounded by palmetto trees, marsh grass, sandy beaches and unique Southern characters. As an author, artist and speaker, her work is deeply influ-enced by her faith and the mystique and charm of the Lowcountry.

Seitz was named “Best Local Author Who Also Paints” in Charleston City Paper’s Best of Charleston 2009, and in 2007, she was named one of Charleston Regional Business Journal’s “Forty Under 40” for her professional suc-cesses and community involvement.

She recently appeared on Oprah. •

Author coming to Fireside BooksGuitarist in Concert

Seitz

“Saving Cicadas” (bookcover, left) is an eloquent reminder that life is a miracle — and even the smallest soul is always a gift, said book publicist Peter Wentworth.

Contributed cover photo

“She has written with purpose and passion about the things that are closest to her heart,” said River Jordan, author of “Saints in Limbo,” “The Messenger of Magnolia Street” and “The Gin Girl.”

Guitar diva Liz Melendez will bring her high energy electrified southern fried blues to Asheville’s Jack of the Wood on Saturday, Jan. 23. Music begins at 9 p.m. Born and raised in Albuquerque, New Mexico, Liz maintains a regular touring schedule to promote the national release of her most recent recordings as a highly sought-after performer, songwriter and record-ing artist. Copies of her newly released CD “Liz Melendez LIVE” will be available at the show. Web site www.jackofthe-wood.com.

Contributed photo

‘Brides Against Breast Cancer’ national gown tour

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localOfficers InstalledThe Carlson Trio

Contributed photoAn appreciation day is scheduled for Saturday, Jan. 16, in honor of Wayne McCurry, at Sunshine Elementary School. The event kicks off with a chili supper beginning at 5 p.m. The Carlson Trio (pictured) will come out of retirement for this special occasion and their friend Wayne to perform following the supper at 6:30 p.m. The event is sponsored by Fairview Baptist Church and Cherry Mountain VFD. The trio will also sing Sunday, Jan. 17, during the 11 a.m. worship service at the First Baptist Church of Bostic. The public is invited to attend both days.

Contributed photoWestern Star Masonic Lodge No. 91 in Rutherfordton, recently held its installation of officers for 2010. They are (l-r): in front — Ron Simpson, junior deacon; James Womack, senior warden; B.L. Basden, treasurer; Jimmie Callahan, master; John Byrd Jr., past master; in back — Jon Ward, junior warden; Reid Medlin, chaplain; William L. Hamrick, secretary. Absent from the photograph are James Larry Harris, junior steward; Reid Humphries, senior steward; and Howard Lane, Tyler.

From staff reportsCHIMNEY ROCK —

North Carolina’s state parks will pay tribute to its winged residents and visitors in 2010 by celebrating the “Year of the Birds,” according to the N.C. Division of Parks and Recreation.

Throughout the year, birds and bird-watching will be the focus of special educa-tion programs and activities in the state parks, many of them in partnership with Audubon North Carolina, which works with the state parks system on research and management projects involving bird habitats. The state parks system is also making available a special bandana of some of the sig-nature birds found in the parks.

Whether they are wild tur-keys in the mountains, bald eagles in the Piedmont or piping plovers on the coast, birds greatly contribute to the nature experience in state parks. They’re also “indicator species,” reflect-ing the health of the natural resources and ecosystems on North Carolina’s publicly-held lands.

“Putting this special emphasis on birds in 2010 can give added depth and clarity to our interpretive programs and education efforts,” said Lewis Ledford, state parks director. “They’re a beloved part of the natural resource mosaic in our state parks.”

Chimney Rock at Chimney Rock State Park, offers excel-lent opportunities for bird watching throughout the sea-sons due to its endless vari-ety of habitats ranging from riverbanks to high cliffs, said the park’s Ornithologist Simon Thompson.

From its riverbanks to its highest cliffs, Chimney Rock State Park is a haven for birds and bird lovers, he says in a brochure. Deciduous for-

ests on the north- and east-facing slopes attract many summer-breeding birds such as Scarlet Tanagers and as many as 15 varieties of warblers and vireos. The most elusive of these are the Cerulean and Swainson’s Warblers. Cerulean Warblers can be spotted in in the tall trees immediately below the parking lot at the Chimney and the Swainson’s Warbler in the rhododendron thick-ets.

“While you’re here, don’t forget to train your binocu-lars along our cliff walls and up into the surrounding sky. You just may have the chance to see the amazing acrobat-ics of a Peregrine Falcon high above the Gorge. Slicing through the air at more than 60 mph or swooping on smaller birds in flight at the incredible diving speed of 200 mph, Peregrine Falcons (Falco Peregrinus) once again grace the skies in the North Carolina mountains.” he said.

By the early 1960s, none of these striking birds were found in the area. In recent years, these magnificent birds have made a comeback thanks to captive-breeding programs. In 1990, three of these young birds fledged from the high, nearly-inac-cessible cliffs in Chimney Rock and since then, Peregrines have been sighted in the area almost every year

State parks are regu-larly involved in annual bird counts, and the parks are among Audubon’s Important Bird Areas, sites for research about the health of bird popula-tions and habitats. Audubon North Carolina, the state parks and the N.C. Wildlife Resources Commission were also among partners that are establishing three dis-tinct birding trails in North Carolina in an effort to com-bine eco-tourism and natural

resource protection (http://www.ncbirdingtrail.org/).

“Birds and state parks share some of the most important habitats in our state,” said Chris Canfield, executive director of Audubon North Carolina. “They also share the distinction of providing a pathway for people to con-nect with nature. I’m excited by this focus for 2010 and hope all North Carolinians take advantage of it.”

In addition to prepar-ing interpretive programs, state park rangers and natu-

ral resource biologists are actively involved in proj-ects to protect and restore habitats for some of our rare and threatened birds, such as the red-cockaded wood-pecker and colonial nesting shorebirds. Park rangers and biologists also participate in multi-year bird tagging proj-ects.

State park educational programs hope to appeal to North Carolina’s bird enthu-siasts, as well as inspire new bird-watching families. A 2009 U.S. Fish and Wildlife

Service report estimated one of every five Americans is a “bird-watcher,” defined as someone who took a trip of at least one mile for the pri-mary purpose of observing birds, or someone who close-ly observed and tried to iden-tify birds around their home. These enthusiasts contribut-ed $36 billion to the national economy in 2006, according to the report.

Contact Gordon via email:[email protected]

Chimney Rock Park celebrating ‘Year of the Birds in 2010’

Contributed photoChimney Rock State Park is among the state parks celebrating “Year of the Birds” in 2010.

FOREST CITY — Imagine climbing Cape Hatteras Lighthouse under cover of darkness, aided only by moonlight and flashlight, or standing among migrat-ing monarch butterflies at the Historic Orchard at Altapass as they make their way south for winter. “Our State” magazine’s January 2010 issue includes these and 10 additional adventures, filling “The year of the North Carolina Vacation.”

“By proclaiming 2010 The year of the North Carolina Vacation we are inviting North Carolinians and visi-tors to explore the state in new and exciting ways,” says our State’s editor Elizabeth Hudson.

“These are quintessential North Carolina experiences,” says Hudson, “but with a twist. Each in-depth story gives the reader an unex-pected look at the state we all love.”

In addition, exclusively online at ourstate.com, read-ers will find printable travel guides, including recom-mendations for where to eat, shop and stay, for each of the 12 featured destinations and exclusive behind-the-scenes videos of the stories.

Published for 76 years, “Our State”, has long been a source for travel information for both residents of and visi-tors to north Carolina. With regular features including

Tar Heel Towns, photo essays capturing the beauty of the state, and Dates & Events listings, “Our State” is a per-fect resource for day trips, weekend excursions, and lon-ger getaways.

To read more about the “Year of the North Carolina Vacation” and to discover all 12 featured destina-tions, pick up a copy of the January issue of “Our State” newstands or visit ourstate.com to order a copy.

Our State magazine proclaims 2010 the year of North Carolina vacations

Magazine cover

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From staff reports FOREST CITY

— The VanderWal boys know and love Swaziland. Just ask them. Some com-ments surpass their years; others are just what you’d expect from three 8-year-olds and a 5-year-old anywhere, their father says.

All of our child-hoods reflect our par-ents’ lives. We’re not surprised, then, that Jacob, Luke, Zeb, and Zion mirror Harry’s and Echo’s passion for those who have little of this world’s wealth or health.

Once a year we like to share the boys’ pon-derings and paint an “updated” picture of their lives in Africa.

Consider this scene – a Manzini hospital bed where Simelane

lies yelling: “I want the mother of Jacob, the mother of Jacob.” The nurses do not know what to think. But this plea continues until one early morn-ing Echo stops in to see Simelane.

“This is the mother of Jacob. Thank you, mother of Jacob.” And the mystery begins to unravel.

The Swazi man had hobbled to a Luke Commission mobile clinic. Jacob first noticed Simelane who looked and smelled sick. Jacob routinely reaches out to the unlovely. “My daddy and mommy will help you,” Jacob said through the help of a translator. “I will find them. Just sit here and wait.”

Echo learned later that the crusty abscess

on Simelane’s leg had been oozing pus for 39 years. She and Harry took him to the Manzini hospital where he spent one month. His leg is healed now, and Simelane declares he will never forget his friend Jacob.

Jacob misses boys his own age, Benele and Joshua, when he comes back to North America. “I think lots about the translators, too,” he said. Age has no friend-ship boundaries in Jacob’s world.

Another day, Echo was driving American visitors through Manzini when Jacob exclaimed: “That man back there has shoes on his hands and laces on his knees!”

“I had to get Mommy to stop,” Jacob explained. “I told her he was walking like a monkey on his hands and knees. She turned the car around.”

Later that day, the man was fitted with PET wheelchair con-structed to withstand the thorns and hazards of the African bush. “It was fun to see him move fast and not look like a monkey any-more,” noted Jacob.

What about the clin-ics, we asked Jacob…

“Clinics are pretty good,” he answered, “but I like the days at home, too. A neighbor had a birthday party for her little girl. We were invited but the electric-ity went off and did not come on for the whole party, until it stopped raining.”

Jacob, Luke, and Zeb “attend” a Christian video school, while Harry grades and monitors their learn-ing. “We just finished 2nd grade,” said Jacob. “I liked learning about alphabetical order.”

Luke affirms, “Swaziland is our home now.” He raises chick-ens there. “Big Sipho said he would take care of my chickens while I am gone. Some hatched just before we left, but so many have died.”

“Swazis don’t have access to medicine like we do,” Luke noted (and yes he said “access”). “I know that’s one reason Mommy and Daddy keep going back. We help people ask Jesus into their hearts. That’s the big reason.”

For more information or to help, visit their website: lukecommission.org.

Editor’s Note: Drs. Harry (Tiger) and Echo VanderWal and their four sons are back in Swaziland, Africa, after spending a couple months in the United States, includ-ing time in Rutherford County and Forest City. The VanderWals and supporters minister with The Luke Commission, offering relief in rural Swaziland, Southern Africa, to those who have little or no medical treatment due to poverty, lack of transport, and meager resources. The Luke Commission targets communities not reached by other relief efforts. Tiger is the son of Mr. and Mrs. Harry VanderWal of Rutherford County. Tiger is an R-S Central graduate and attended grammar school at Trinity Christian School, Rutherfordton. Following is a story of how the couple’s sons, triplets, Jake, Luke, Zeb, 8, and Zion, 5, assist in the ministry, submitted by The Commission.

Contributed photosZion, (from left, above) Jacob, and Zeb cared for Makhosazana the first six months of her life. Luke is pictured (right) with his African chickens.

VanderWal boys mirror parents love for helping others

Zion hangs up tie-downs used to strap supplies in the trailer for the bumpy ride to the Swazi bush.

Zeb (above, left) holds Makhosazana, while Zion gives her a kiss. The wheelchair line up (center), assembled out in the Swaziland bush, each awaits a needy Swazi who is about to be delivered from a life of crawling. Eight-year-old Luke (far right) fills prescriptions in the TLC mobile pharmacy.

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Chase away the winter chills with seasonal drinks you can mix at home. Plain coffee, tea and hot cocoa are delicious, but there are times you’ll want to make something different. The following reci-pes have high fat content, so they’re a special treat, and you shouldn’t drink them daily. But they can help make your home more welcoming and cozy for friends and family when they pop in for a visit.

Hot-Buttered Rum Batter1 pound butter1 pound powdered sugar1 pound brown sugar2 teaspoons cinnamon1 teaspoon nutmeg1 quart French-vanilla ice

cream, softened1-1/2 ounces rum, optionalboiling waternutmegCream together the first six

ingredients, and freeze until needed. To serve: Add the rum and 2 to 3 tablespoons batter, and fill with boiling water to fill cup. Sprinkle with nutmeg. — Brenda, Missouri

Amy’s Grandma’s Eggnog6 eggs, separated1 cup sugar1 pint whipping cream (or

you can substitute soft ice cream) — I always use the whipping cream

1 pint half-and-half1-1/2 cups liquor. Grandma

was known to stand by the bowl and pour in the alcohol, never measuring anything. Hers could get a little strong!

1/4 cup rumnutmeg You can leave out the alcohol

completely, if desired. Beat the egg whites until fluffy. Gradually beat in 1/2 cup

sugar. In another bowl, beat the egg yolks until fluffy. Add 1/2 cup sugar. Add the cream, half-and-half, and liquor. Sprinkle with nutmeg. I make this in a punch bowl, with the alcohol on the side for people who want to spike their own. — Amy, Ohio

Winter Punch4 cups cranberry juice2 cups orange juice1 cup pineapple juice1/2 cup lemon juice1/2 cup water1/3 cup sugar1 teaspoon almond extractcinnamon sticksMix together all the ingredi-

ents, and stir until the sugar is dissolved. Warm in a slow cooker. Serve with a cinnamon stick in each mug. — Ellise, South Carolina

Pumpkin Latte3 cups hot milk4 teaspoons granulated

sugar1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract1 teaspoon pumpkin-pie

spice6 ounces double-strength

brewed coffee3 tablespoons sweetened

whipped creamCombine the hot milk, sugar,

vanilla and pumpkin-pie spice in a blender; blend until frothy. Pour the milk mixture into three mugs, each two-thirds full. Add equal amounts of coffee into each mug. Adjust sweetness to taste. Top with whipped cream. — Debbie, Louisiana

Sunday Break

Siblings drifting apart must come together for momDear Abby: My problem is

the relationship I have with my brother. We’re both in our 40s and married. Over the last few years our rela-tionship has deteriorated.

We live in different states, and I see him once a year when I visit Mom. I call him in between, but he never returns my calls. When we do get together, he makes it clear that he’d rather be somewhere else. It makes me sad because we have a small family and I’d like to be clos-er — like we were in the past.

Mom is in her 80s and lives alone in the house we grew up in. She has lived by her-self for more than 20 years. Although she’s very active,

the house has become a bur-den. She and I have talked about selling it and her mov-ing to a senior residence close to me. She is thrilled with the idea.

I am afraid my brother will make a fuss and try to discourage the process, since Mom would be moving out of state. I’ll be going to visit Mom soon to help with some jobs around the house. How do I get through to my brother that this would be a progressive move for Mom?

— Sensible SibDear Sensible Sib: You’re

behaving as if the decision is yours and your brother’s to make. If your mother is “thrilled” with the idea of being closer to you, it’s pos-sible that your brother and his wife are less involved in her life than you think. When you go to visit and your brother comes by acting as if he’d rather be elsewhere, start a family discussion on the subject and don’t let him hijack it. Your mother’s wishes should prevail.

P.S. I don’t know whether you and your brother will be able to re-establish the closeness you once had or the reason you drifted apart. But

a mediator might be able to help if you both are willing.

Dear Abby: I am a 22-year-old married woman in Canada. I moved from the United States to be with my husband when I was 19. People seem to react nega-tively because we married at such a young age. I am often asked, “What do your par-ents think about that?”

Abby, my mother died when I was 17 and I have had little contact with my father since I was 12 because he was abusive. I was fortunate that my grandmother took me in. She loves my husband and has no problem with my marriage as she knows I am wise beyond my years

because of my past.How can I respond to these

strangers — first about their negative reaction to my hav-ing married so young, and second, to their questions about my parents? — No Parents

Dear No Parents: Ah, the thoughtless questions people come up with about things that are none of their busi-ness! You do not have to give a stranger chapter and verse about your family history. Just smile, say, “I was raised by my grandmother, and she didn’t have a problem with it,” then change the subject immediately by asking the person a question about her- or himself.

Abigail van Buren

Dear Abby

Dear Dr. Gott: My 71-year-old husband began having bad pain in both legs in February 2009. It seems to happen most of the time after he has been sitting down and gets up to start walking. He is very active with yardwork and bowls four times a week. It never happens when he is resting or sleeping.

When this began, he went to his cardiologist immedi-ately because of his heart disease. In March, he had angioplasty to open three arteries and put stents in two iliac arteries. In May, he had a stent put in one renal artery, but the leg pain continued to bother him.

His cardiologist ordered an MRI of his spine because he didn’t believe this was a vascular prob-lem. In August, the final angioplasty was done, and he had a stent put in one femoral artery. When that didn’t help, he saw a neu-rosurgeon. The specialist read the MRI of his spine and said he saw nothing that would cause the leg pain and that my husband should go back to his cardi-ologist.

The leg pain is getting worse, and we don’t know what to do. Is this just something he is going to have to live with? Do you have any suggestions?

Dear Reader: As I

read your letter, I formed opinions along the way, paragraph by paragraph. Every step of the way, you came up with negative test results. So let’s take a dif-ferent view.

Was he on any medica-tions in February that might have leg/muscle cramps as a side effect? This is a well-known com-plication of statin medica-tions. He should have a complete review with his primary-care physician and/or cardiologist to rule out any possible connec-tion.

The causes of leg pain or muscle cramps are many and include dehydration, mineral depletion and nerve compression. Let’s begin with those possibili-ties.

Dehydration can occur following strenuous activ-ity. Perhaps once his yard-work is done, he rests in his chair for a short period of time. Had he consumed adequate liquids during any activity that preceded his rest period? Does he have a glass of water nearby so he can remain adequately hydrated by sip-ping while he sits?

Leg pain complicates lifeMaybe you’ve heard dog owners say,

“Having a dog is like having a child who never grows up.” This statement often brings skeptical looks from people who have never shared their lives with a dog, but those who have know only too well how true it is. Like children, dogs are completely dependent on their owners for all their needs — food, water, medical attention, exercise, shelter and, most important, companionship. But unlike children, dogs will never learn to pour themselves a drink or fix their breakfast. Dogs never learn to look both ways before crossing the street, and they can’t stop and ask for directions if they get lost. You can’t even send them to the baby sitter when you need a night off. People who decide to open their homes to a dog are making a deci-sion to change their daily lives and routines. For many, the years of companionship and unconditional love and devotion they receive from their dog far outweigh the daily respon-sibilities, but some lifestyles just make it impossible.

What are you looking for in a dog? Always consider the qualities and personal-ity you want, before size and appearance. For example, a large shepherd-mix might do bet-ter than a more energetic terrier in an apart-ment. Think about your lifestyle and habits and determine which breed is best suited to you. Know everything you want in a dog except what the animal looks like. Very often the pet that has the qualities you are looking for will come in an unexpected package.

You May Be the Perfect Dog Owner if You . . .

Believe caring for a dog for 15 years does not seem like a lifetime.

Look forward to big, wet kisses when you come home each day.

Like sharing your house with someone who sheds, tracks dirt occasionally and possibly drools.

Don’t mind sharing your house with some-one who will never clean up after him or herself.

Want to take care of someone every day. Love a playmate who likes to chase balls

and drag off shoes. Don’t mind a playmate who likes to slobber

on balls and toys. Would like to spend your extra money on

pet food, toys, veterinary care, chew bones and more chew bones.

Want someone to adore you even on a bad hair day.

Believe that spaying and neutering pets will help solve the pet overpopulation problem.

Can’t imagine leaving your devoted pet behind when you move.

Want to keep an ID tag on your pets, so they can always get back to you no matter what.

Enjoy unconditional love and constant companionship.

This is the last in a series of three col-umns about adopting shelter animals. The source material for this column is from the American Humane Association. Visit on the web at www.americanhumane.org.

Is a dog the right pet for you and your family?

PUZZLEYour birthday, Jan. 3;

In the year ahead, material conditions look far more favorable than they have for some time.

CAPRICORN (Dec. 22-Jan. 19) — Our words and concepts could have con-siderable influence over others at certain times, so choose your words carefully.

AQUARIUS (Jan. 20-Feb. 19) — When in the company of a friend who seems to know how to make money, do more listening than talking.

PISCES (Feb. 20-March 20) — Have faith in your assessment of things at work because your judgments regarding a new enterprise could be more accurate than those of an associate.

ARIES (March 21-April 19) — Use your brain more than your brawn to achieve a major objective.

TAURUS (April 20-May 20) — Something good is on the way, and you will hear about it first at this time. There’s a chance it will pertain to some-thing personal.

GEMINI (May 21-June 20) — Although you might have hoped for it, you didn’t think the news would turn out to be this good. Past efforts may finally pay off, in no uncertain terms.

CANCER (June 21-July 22) — It’s advisable to schedule a number of proj-ects that will keep you busy. The greater the variety of activities, the more satisfy-ing the day will be.

LEO (July 23-Aug. 22) — Taking the time to put your financial affairs in order will greatly enhance your material secu-rity down the line. It may not make you rich, but it will improve your day-to-day living.

VIRGO (Aug. 23-Sept. 22) — You’ll be much happier if you position yourself in the company of those who know how to relax and enjoy life, whether you are engaged with them at work or play. Be picky about your companions.

LIBRA (Sept. 23-Oct. 23) — An acquaintance may surprise you with some candid comments he or she shares with you. It will definitely bring you closer.

SCORPIO (Oct. 24-Nov. 22) — Keep your group involvements as small as pos-sible right now because there’s nothing to gain from being part of a crowd. Quality intimate relationships will serve you far better.

SAGITTARIUS (Nov. 23-Dec. 21) — Pride of achievement will mean far more to you than merely making money, so don’t be dissatisfied with modest returns if they come from something meaningful.

IN THE STARS Warm up winter with spices

The Pet Project

Produced byJo-Ann Close and Lynne Faltraco

Community Pet Center

Dr. Peter M. Gott

Ask Dr. Gott

by Sara Noel

FrugalLiving

7Csunday break


LOCAL

ing Country Music’s award-winning, Jamey Johnson on the stage at Isothermal Community College in April. The show raised $10,000 for Ellenboro Elementary School where Grantt’s niece and nephew attend.

And LeAnn Rimes brought her concert to McNair Stadium in September.

Monica Lee was tapped as execu-tive director of the Robert and Janice McNair Educational Foundation, a founda-tion her late father, Ron Paris, was instrumental in establishing.

Jimmy Weathers and wife, Dianne Weathers, stumbled upon for-mer vice presidential candidate Sarah Palin and her husband Todd, while they were vaca-tioning in Alaska, just days after she gave up her governorship and a month before her bestselling book was released.

Good-byes to long-time friend and District Attorney Leonard Lowe, who could capture the ears and eyes of every person in a courtroom.

Farewell to Lucius Morse, whose family established Lake Lure and Chimney Rock and whose family believed in conservation of Chimney Rock Park and sold it to the state to forever be preserved.

And when Hollywood’s Patrick Swayze passed away in the fall, the phones were ringing off the hooks at the Lake Lure Inn with

questions about the star who lived at the Inn during the film-ing of Dirty Dancing. A memorial service was held at the spot where Swayze and Jennifer Grey performed their “lift” shot in Lake Lure Also in Lake Lure, the town honored two of its long time civic lead-ers, Dorothy Washburn and former mayor Paul Wilson.

In May, 30 years after the shooting deaths of Rutherford County offi-cers Owen Messersmith, Roy Huskey and Pete Peterson, a memorial service for them and their families, was held on the grounds of the Rutherford County Detention Center.

Contact Gordon via e-mail: at [email protected].

Rutherford County’s own, Walter Dalton, was sworn in as Lt. Governor of North Carolina, shown here with wife Lucille Dalton, also a Rutherford County native.

PeopleContinued from Page 1C

Above, Kevin Grantt, formerly of Ellenboro, (right) picks on the stage with Grammy and Country Music Association award winning Jamey Johnson at The Foundation in May.

Thelma Goode, lifelong Rutherford County resi-dent, made the decision in 2009 to move from her apartment to an assisted living facility, a choice she wanted to make while she was able. She shared her story with some helpful hints for others in a fea-ture story October 4.

Steve and Paula Butler sipped hot chocolate while enjoying an early March 2009 snow, outside their home off Piney Ridge Road, Forest City.

At right, Amber Mercer and Jeffrey Scott Webber Jr. welcomed the first baby of 2009 in Rutherford County, Jeffrey Scott Webber III.

Gov. Bev Perdue’s husband, First Gentleman Bob Eaves visited his old stomp-ing ground at Harris Elementary School in September to read to a group of second graders. Here he received the applause of Lt. Gov. Walter Dalton of Rutherfordton.

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Daily Courier January 3, 2010

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