Saturday, November 28, 2009, Forest City, N.C.

Holiday HoopsThe 2009-10 prep basket-ball season is getting under way. The Courier previews the area teams beginning with the SMAC.

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50¢

Heritage Singers will lead program — Page 3

Early signs are looking good for retailers

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Low: $2.49High: $2.61Avg.: $2.55

NATION

GAS PRICES

SPORTS

UConn tried to topple No. 7 Blue Devils

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DEATHS

WEATHER

RutherfordtonBrent Ammons

EllenboroAudrey Philbeck

CaroleenColleen Deaton

ElsewhereHazel QueenMary BenfieldArvis Pitchford

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Today, sunny. Tonight, clear.

Complete forecast, Page 10

Vol. 41, No. 284

Classifieds. . . 13-14Sports . . . . . . . . 7-9County scene . . . .6Opinion. . . . . . . . .4

INSIDE

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Now on the Web: www.thedigitalcourier.com

Sports

By SCOTT BAUGHMANDaily Courier Staff Writer

RUTHERFORDTON — Shoppers braved early morning hours and cold temperatures to get Black Friday deals around the county and the region.

Various shops around the county hosted some deals, but most shoppers were trying to be cagey and avoid the crowds.

“We tried to avoid the big stores and the big crowds,” said Freda Greene who was shopping

at Main Street Emporium with her daughter, Stephany. “To be honest, we went to Marion to be at their Wal-mart at 5 a.m. But there wasn’t as much of a crowd there so we were done and out by 5:25 a.m. so we could go shopping in Rutherfordton.”

The family tackled a large Christmas gift list picking up toys for children and various other items.

Please see Shoppers, Page 6

By LARRY DALEDaily Courier Staff Writer

FOREST CITY — A Charlotte girl with Rutherford County connections dreams big, but unlike most 8-year-olds, she is making her dreams come true on behalf of sick chil-dren.

Katie Greene is trying to raise $8,000 to buy Christmas presents for the children who will have to spend this holiday in four hospi-tals in the region.

The hospitals are Levine Children’s Hospital in Charlotte, Mission Hospital in Asheville, Monroe Hospital and Jeff Gordon Hospital in

Concord.This is the third year Katie has raised funds

to help hospitalized children, and each year she has raised more money.

Katie and her parents, Dean and Elizabeth “Liz” Greene, visited The Daily Courier office this week to talk about her mission of helping others. Dean is a graduate of East Rutherford High School and still has family in the coun-ty.

“I was walking through Wal-Mart (in 2007), and I found a Care Bears toy and I picked it

Please see Dreams, Page 3

From staff reports

FOREST CITY — An average of 16.7 percent of Rutherford County residents — around 10,211 people — lived in poverty between 2006 and 2008, almost a full 2 percent more than the state average.

The statistic was one of several con-tained in a report on employment, income, poverty and inequality from

the North Carolina Justice Center, an advocacy and research organization whose mission is to end poverty in North Carolina by ensuring that every house-hold has access to the resources, services and fair treatment it needs to achieve economic security.

Statistics in the report are based on three-year averages from the American Community Survey.

Other statistics released in the report include: n Rutherford County’s unemployment

rate was 8.8 percent in August 2008; the state rate was 6.6 percent. In August 2009, the county unemployment rate increased to 15 percent; the state rate increased to 10.8 percent.

Please see Poverty, Page 6

County poverty rate tops state average

And the rush is on ....

By SCOTT BAUGHMANDaily Courier Staff Writer

FOREST CITY — Christmas tree vendors around the coun-ty are seeing green in more ways than one this holiday season, with several stands set up and open for business.

A sampling of merchants around the area showed sales ramping up.

“We’re selling trees from Boone this year,” said Benny Sane, who was running a tree stand on Main Street in Spindale. “This is the first year I’ve sold in Spindale, but we’re doing okay so far. Roger Vance is our supplier. We go up to his farm every so often and get more so they’re fresh. I think we’ll get between 300 and 500 trees all together.”

In Forest City, another stand was open for a slightly differ-ent take.

“We selling trees we grow on our farm in Ashe County,” said Melissa Padgett who was with her husband, Danny. “My father, Terry Hagaman, runs the Grace of God Rescue Mission, so this year we’re going to donate part of our sales to the mission.”

The Padgett’s have about 7,000 trees on their farm and said it took about three hours to drive back to get more trees.

“We’re going to be here through Sunday and then come back on the following two weekends,” Padgett said. “In addition to the trees, we have pine ropes, wreathes and even some syrup. During the year we grow all kinds of berries, shiitake mushrooms, potatoes, sweet potatoes and more.”

The tree growing season in North Carolina has been excellent this year, accord-ing to the North Carolina Department of Agriculture.

“We have one of the best crops we’ve ever had,” said

Please see Trees, Page 6

Garrett Byers/Daily CourierFreda and Stephany Greene were among the many shoppers at Main Street Emporium in Rutherfordton for Black Friday sales. The Greene’s were doing some mother - daughter shopping for Vera Bradley hand-bags.

Shoppers chase holiday deals

Christmas tree sales reported as brisk

Girl has big dreams for others

Katie Greene

Jim Wantuch, co-owner of Dovetails and Rusty Nails antiques in Forest City, shows off some 20th century baseball cards to Mike and Donna Tormeno. The shop saw several customers inter-ested in speciality items for Black Friday shop-ping.

Garrett Byers/Daily Courier

1/front

2 — The Daily Courier, Forest City, NC, SaTurDay, November 28, 2009

local

SheDances Benefit Concert

Father’s Vineyard will host SheDances benefit concert on Friday, Dec. 11, at 7 p.m., featuring Thalon (above) and LP “Like Paul” (right), with special guest David Coffin (left). Admission is $10. Father’s Vineyard is located at 724 Oakland Road, Spindale. Sponsored by Krucifyd Ministries, www.krucifyd.org. SheDances is a non-profit organization whose mission is to provide heal-ing, hope and a future for girls who have been victims of human traffick-ing, www.shedances.org. For more information call (828) 243-3445.

Music/concertsThe Swansons will be in concert Sunday, Nov. 29, at Trinity Weselyan Church, 291 Harmon St., Forest City. Music begins at 6 p.m.

Singing: Sunday, Nov. 29, 6 p.m., Bostic Missionary Methodist Church; featur-ing Winners Either Way.

Kyle Matthews of Greenville, S.C., will be in

concert Sunday, Nov. 29, at Crestview Baptist Church, Forest City. The program begins at 6 p.m. Kyle pres-ents a unique blend of musical and storytelling talents.

Singing: Sunday, Nov. 29, 6 p.m., Fork Creek Baptist Church; featuring the Golden Valley Crusaders.

Singing: Sunday, Dec. 6, 6 p.m., at Haynes Memorial Baptist Church in

Henrietta; featuring Chris Smith, also known as the one-man quartet, and for-merly of The Inspirations. Gospel singing: Sunday, Dec. 6, 2 p.m., Village Chapel Church, 141 Huntley St., Forest City; featuring the Glory Bound Singers from Mayo.

Singing: Sunday, Dec. 6, 7 p.m., Riverside Baptist Church, Hogan Road, Harris; featuring The

Hamptons.

ChristmasHanging of Greens: Sunday, Nov. 29, 6 p.m., Caroleen Baptist Church.

Live Nativity: Dec. 4-6, 6 to 8 p.m., Prospect Baptist Church, Mooresboro, near Duke Power Steam Plant; drive through, church vans and buses welcome; hot chocolate and cookies; no admission.

Messiah: The Rutherford County Chorus will pres-ent selected choruses from Messiah on Monday, Dec. 7, at 8 p.m., in the Foundation auditorium at Isothermal Community College. Singers who are familiar with Messiah are invited to join the choir for this event. Rehearsal with the orches-tra will be from 5 to 7 p.m., the day of the performance. Contact Tony Spencer at tspencer@bellsouth.net for more information.

Special servicesAdvent Lutheran Church will observe the beginning of a new church year on Sunday, Nov. 29, during the 11 a.m. worship service. The Advent season is encom-passed by the four Sundays prior to Christmas Day. Advent is located at 102 Reveley St., Spindale.

Pastoral anniversary ser-vices: In honor of Pastor Gladys Logan; Nov. 27-29, at Angel Divine Faith Church, Rutherfordton; speakers include Sister Laura Singleton on Friday; Elder Fulton Parham, Saturday; Elder John Twitty, Sunday morn-ing; Bishop James Wiley, Sunday evening; a banquet will be held Nov. 28, at 6 p.m., at New Bethel AME Zion Church, Forest City; tickets are $10 each.

Video presentation: Sunday, Nov. 29, 6 p.m., Florence Baptist Church, Forest City; Dr. Harry Vanderwal and Echo Vanderwal (Luke Commission) will present a video report on the mission to Swaziland.

Rally: “12 Tribes of Israel” rally; Sunday, Nov. 29, 3 p.m., New Zion Baptist Church, Henrietta.

Guest speaker: Dec. 3-5, 7 nightly; Temple of Jesus, Lake Lure; Pastor Ricky Murphy of Pentecostal Church of God, Waynesville, will speak; Rev. Lloyd Montgomery, pastor.

FundraisersCountry ham supper: Saturday, Dec. 5, 4 to 8 p.m., Duncan’s Creek Presbyterian Church, 1658 Duncan’s Creek Road, Ellenboro. Christmas sale: Saturday, Dec. 5, begins at 8 a.m., Crestview Baptist Church, Forest City; sausage biscuits, baked goods; Christmas decorations and related items; all proceeds for the building fund.

Poor man’s supper: Saturday, Dec. 5, 4 to 6 p.m., New Hope United Methodist, Lee Cudd Road, Rutherfordton; proceeds for Heather Blackwell’s mission trip to Japan.

3rd Annual Christmas Home Tour: Saturday, Dec. 5, 2 to 8 p.m.; van departs at 2 p.m., and 5 p.m., from Long Branch Road Baptist Church; tour directions also available for anyone who wants to provide their own transportation; tickets $5 per person; proceeds for

a new fellowship hall; call 248-9555 or 287-1408 for more information.

Christmas House Walk: Monday, Dec. 7, 9 a.m. to 11:30 a.m., sponsored by the women of Fairfield Mountains Chapel; tickets are $10 per person, and $15 if you plan to attend lunch (12:30 p.m.) afterwards at Lake View Restaurant; includes the homes of Angelo and Pat Grillo, Edward and Kathy Higbee, Woody and Linda Turner, and Chris and Carol Wolfe; for more information con-tact Anne Gundel at 828-625-9400.

Other “The Way Home”: A sup-port group for anyone recovering from an addic-tion; meetings are held each Monday at noon, in the basement of Harvest House Church, Big Springs Ave., Forest City; call Sheila at 828-447-1880 for more information.

Mom’s Hope is a minis-try that offers hope and support for mothers who face daily struggles and fears when their children are addicted to drugs or alcohol. The group meets at 6:30 p.m. the second Thursday of each month at Missionary Wesleyan Church, 811 Doggett Rd., Forest City. For more information contact Chris Park at 289-6467, or Karen Elliott at 286-2308.

“Celebrate Recovery” is a weekly Christ-centered program that meets every Friday from 6:30 to 9 p.m., at Cornerstone Fellowship Church, 1186 Hudlow Rd., Forest City. The group is open to anyone who wishes to find healing no matter what you’re going through. For more information call 245-3639.

Soup KitchensSamaritan Breakfast: Thursdays from 6 to 8 a.m., at St. Francis Episcopal Church, 395 N. Main St., Rutherfordton. Carry-out breakfast bags.

St. Paul AME Zion Church, Forest City, each Monday at 6 p.m.

St. Gabriel’s Episcopal Church, Wednesdays from 11 a.m. to 1 p.m., 330 N. Ridgecrest Ave., Rutherfordton.

“Helping Hands Outreach”: Members of Caroleen Congregational Holiness Church hold a monthly soup kitchen each Saturday from 5 to 7 p.m. The church is located on Walker Store Rd.

First Baptist Church in Spindale, 11:30 to 12:30 p.m. each Tuesday.

New Beginnings Soup Kitchen, Thursdays from 4:30 to 6 p.m. at Green River Baptist Association, 668 N. Washington St., Rutherfordton.

Spindale area to kick off Advent, Christmas season

SPINDALE — Churches in the Spindale community will once again kick off the Advent and Christmas season with a candlelight walk Sunday, Nov. 29, beginning at 6 p.m., from perspective churches to the Spindale House.

The churches involved include Spindale United Methodist, New Zion Baptist, St. Lukes Episcopal, First Baptist Church of Spindale, The Church of The Brethren, Main Street Baptist, Spindale Presbyterian, Advent Lutheran, Mt. Hebron United Methodist, Mt. Vernon Baptist, Well Springs United Methodist, and Spencer Baptist Church. The outly-ing churches will either gather with one of the town churches or meet at another location to begin the walk through town toward the Spindale House.

Others who would like to partici-pate are encouraged to join this pil-grimage from one of the listed loca-tions. There are two purposes for this celebration: One is to signal the beginning of the season. The other is to symbolize the unity of the church-es in their ministry to the town.

Once every one has gathered at The Spindale House at 6 p.m., there will be a time of singing led by a brass ensemble. Donald Brown will serve as the master of ceremony. Jim Whitlow and Dennis Tomlinson will read the Christmas Story from the Gospel of Luke, and Billy Vaughn

will read from the children’s book, The Christmas Miracle of Jonathan Toomey.

In addition, Andy Evans and Bill Kirk will share prayers, and Ron Fink will bring a short meditation on the meaning of Christmas.

Spindale Mayor Mickey Bland will turn the lights on the tree to signal the beginning of the season.

The public is invited to participate. Everyone is encouraged to bring a sheltered candle (such as in a jar) and join in the celebration.

‘Lanterns of Light’ house tour today in Ellenboro

ELLENBORO — “Lanterns of Light,” a Christmas house tour in the Ellenboro community is Saturday, Nov. 29, from 5 to 8 p.m.

Lanterns of Light begins at Walls Baptist Church, Walls Church Road. After a brief visit and refreshments, visitors will begin the tour of other homes. Most all homes are located on Walls Church Road.

After the first visit at Walls Baptist, the public is invited to visit the homes of Mark and Lisa Carter, Rita and Edgar Hollifield, Eugene and Teresa Dodson, Heath and Cindy Bridges, and Yvonne and James Bridges.

Each home owner will welcome visitors with the Lanterns of Light. Tickets are $5 with all proceeds going to the Walls Baptist Church soup kitchen.

Church News

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Worldwide, it is estimated that there are over 100 million homeless people. On any given day in the United States, it is believed that at least 800,000 people are homeless, including approximately 200,000 children. In the United States, homelessness is considered a “revolving door” crisis. That is, although many

people find themselves homeless for only short periods of time, each day there are new additions to the legions of the homeless. And, while there are some who are classified as “chronically” homeless, many more fall into the category of the temporarily homeless. Like many of the conditions which call for the corporal works of mercy, homelessness is made worse by poverty, physical and mental disabili-

ties, and the lack of affordable housing and good jobs. However, there is much that can be done to allevi-

ate this problem, both individually and as a soci-ety. Individually, we can volunteer to help at local homeless shelters, donate money and/or supplies to help keep shelters operating, and make a personal commitment to treat the homeless with dignity and respect. As a society, we can work to remedy the factors which lead to and exacerbate homelessness: lack of affordable housing and living wage jobs; physical and mental disabilities, including substance abuse and alcohol problems; and the lack of good schools and training programs which help people acquire and retain decent-paying jobs.

Shelter the HomelessIs not this the fast that I choose: to loose the bonds of wickedness, to undo the thongs of the yoke...Is it

not to share your bread with the hungry, and bring the homeless poor into your house...R.S.V. Isaiah 58:6-7

Pleasant Grove Baptist Church

The Daily Courier, Forest City, NC, SaTurDay, November 28, 2009 — 3

local

up, and all of a sudden I had this idea inside of my head, and I wanted to give presents all over the world,” Katie said Wednesday.

Her grandmother, Nellie Smith of Ellenboro, recently explained, “She said that she didn’t see why she couldn’t get some toys for all the sick children in Levine Children’s Hospital in Charlotte. And she said, ‘Daddy, did you know that some of the parents wouldn’t get to come because they live way off. They don’t have the money to come, and they might not get to see them at Christmas. And they can’t go home. Why can’t we do this?’ He didn’t think they could. He’s not a rich man. He said, ‘Katie, where did you get that idea?’ And she said, ‘I got it out of my head.’ So they went to helping her.”

The first year, in 2007, she raised a little less than $200. Last year the more-organized fund-raising effort sur-passed $2,600.

Her parents knew all along that Katie’s vision of helping others was a noble, but daunting task.

“I don’t think she thought too much about whether she could do it or not,” her father said Wednesday. “It was just, ‘Let’s get started on it.’ Each of these years when she set her goal, I thought, goodness gra-cious, that’s too much.

“And last year she passed her goal with a wide margin. And I never thought she would raise $8,000 this year, but she has already passed $5,000. She’s just got this faith that it will happen. And so we just try to work with her and kind of help her.”

Katie’s mother said she, too, got a lesson in the faith of a child ear-lier this year.

In about January or February, she said, she asked Katie if she want-ed to raise money again. Katie responded with an enthusiastic yes, and her mother reminded her that she needed to set a goal for the effort. Katie said she wanted to raise $7,000.

While mom and dad were trying to digest the thought of that large goal, Katie came back with a revision.

“About three weeks later she came to me and said, ‘Mommie, I need to talk to you about something. I need to change my goal.’

And Katie’s mother probably was silently grateful that her daugh-ter was going to set a more realistic goal. Katie said, “You know, I’m going to be eight, so I’d like to make it $8,000.”

“I said, ‘You under-

stand that is a lot of hard work,’” Liz noted. “I said, ‘You’ve got to start working on it,’ and she did. Katie does everything an 8-year-old can do, and we do the rest.”

Katie has worked diligently. She has done craft shows and has raised money by hav-ing raffles. She pet sits and speaks at churches with a PowerPoint pre-sentation, and she sends mailers that she writes herself. So, undertak-ing the large project is a good learning experi-ence for Katie, her par-ents noted.

Her Rutherford County relatives have kicked in their time and talents, too. Dean’s nephew, Todd Lavender of Sunshine, designed Katie’s logo. Dean’s cousin, Chad Medford, from the Ellenboro area, shot the video that is on Katie’s Web site, and the Web site itself was put together by another of Dean’s cous-ins, Jason Pittman, who lives in Birmingham, Ala., but who was born and raised near Ellenboro.

The Christmas mis-sion has made Katie a savvy shopper, too.

“At Christmastime, I go around and ask the managers for dis-counts,” Katie said. “We get crafts at Michael’s at a 30 percent discount. And that was very nice. And we went to buy iPods at the iPod store and they gave me a 10 percent discount and two free iPods.”

She started buying presents at the start of the new school year, “because that’s where some of the good prices are,” she said.

But the really serious shopping has to wait until closer to the big day.

“The week before Christmas is when most of it will be done,” Liz said, “because it is then before she knows how much money she has to work with.”

She noted, for exam-ple, “We were going to buy three iPods, and the bank called and said you’ve just gotten in more money. So that increased our budget. So we could use that money to buy eight additional iPods. You kind of have to wait until the end to know exactly.”

Katie is mindful that the young patients may have limited mobility, so she selects presents that don’t require a lot of movement.

The 8-year-old knows, too, that there are two

age groups of patients that might need extra attention.

“The people who need the most presents are the toddlers and the teenagers,” she said. “They get overlooked a lot.”

Katie’s gift-buying work is truly altruistic, because she doesn’t even get to see the kids that will receive the presents.

“I have germs, and they have germs, and I don’t want to get them more sick,” she said. “And I wouldn’t want to get me sick.”

The project has reminded the Greenes that this is what Christmas was meant to be.

“It is a huge undertak-ing, but it is a blessing,” Liz said. “When you talk to people who have had children in the hospital, or you person-ally know people whose children are in the hospital, and the stress that the family is under and the pressure, then you think, ‘OK, if this makes a child feel bet-ter, so that as a parent I can think about how my child is smiling today, wow, what an impact.’”

Katie added, “These parents are trying to get their children bet-ter. They don’t have any extra spending money to go and get toys for their children. And toys are what make kids smile.”

Dean noted, “Well, it’s been wonderful for me because Christmas has always been a very spe-cial time for me. But it seemed like Christmas had gotten to the point that it was just a time to do a bunch of visit-ing and eat too much. And of course I still plan to do all that, but it is so good because these last three years our Christmas has been on other people besides ourselves. And in a way it’s been the best Christmases I’ve ever had.”

Liz agreed. “It has become what our Christmas is about.”

Donations to Katie’s Kidz may be sent to P.O. Box 436, Waxhaw, NC 28173. Donations may also be made immediately through PayPal at Katie’s Web site, katieskidz.org. People may also help by making simple, inexpensive all-about-me dolls. For more information on that, contact the Greenes by calling (704) 236-6540 or (704) 562-7984 or by e-mail at katieskidz@gmail.com)

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

DreamsContinued from Page 1

Katie Greene has the support of her parents, Dean and Elizabeth, and other fam-ily and friends in her effort to raise money for Christmas pres-ents for sick chil-dren.

RUTHERFORDTON — The newly-formed Rutherford County Heritage Singers, a community choir sponsored by the Rutherford County Historical Society, will present a concert of holiday music Tuesday eve-ning, Dec. 1, at 7 p.m. at First Baptist Church, Rutherfordton.

The choir will be directed by Lesley M. Bush, and accompanied by Bob Bridges, both of Rutherfordton.

More than 50 singers from across Rutherford and Polk counties and upstate South Carolina will perform a variety of secular and sacred yule-tide classics. Contemporary pieces will include, Irving Berlin’s “White Christmas,” as well as other favorites, “I’ll be Home for Christmas,” “Home

for the Holidays” and “We Need a Little Christmas” from the Broadway musical Mame.

An arrangement of “Joy to the World” will close the concert. The choir will then lead a procession down the sidewalk in front of the church to a tree-lighting ceremony at St. John’s Historic Church, head-quarters of the Rutherford County Historical Society. The 14-foot ever-green beside the church has been festooned with 750 old-fashioned, multi-colored lights for the event.

The holiday concert will serve as the official kick-off of the Rutherford County Historical Society’s 75th year. The organization was formed in 1935.

Heritage Singers to perform

Garrett Byers/ Daily Courier

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SAVING WITH THE COUPON QUEENJill Cataldo saves hundreds on groceries by making

the cost of the common coupon count. You can, too.

JILL CATALDOWhile it’s exciting to cut your grocery bill significantly with coupons,

there are great ways to save on non-food items, too, especially per-sonal care and cleaning products. Many national drugstore chains offer what the retail industry refers to as “loyalty programs” that often feature special deals on items in these categories. These store loyalty programs include coupons for store credit that shoppers receive when they purchase one or more of the promoted products.

So how do these promotions work? Here’s an example. In my drug-store’s weekly flier, the store advertises that if I buy a certain brand of shampoo for $3.99, I will get a $3 coupon at checkout. This coupon is good for a $3 reduction on any product sold in the store. It’s almost like a gift card. I can use the $3 credit to buy anything I want, it’s not tied to any specific item. These coupons typically bear a state-ment such as, “Good for $3 off your next purchase.” However, unlike a gift card, these coupons carry an expiration date, just as a traditional coupon does. This is the “loyalty” part of the program. The drugstore wants you to come back in over the next few weeks and shop again.

Since I will pay $3.99 for the shampoo but will immediately receive $3 back at checkout for use on a future trip, the actual cost of the shampoo to me is just 99 cents. The $3 I spent on the shampoo comes right back to me in the form of store credit - the checkout coupon.

Now, it’s always fun to get money back when you shop. But the won-derful think about loyalty programs is that you can use coupons on the items involved in these promotions. And, using coupons in conjunction with the loyalty savings often results in big savings to you, the shopper.

With the shampoo example above, let’s add a coupon into the mix. For this brand of shampoo, I had a $2 manufacturer coupon. So, with the coupon my $3.99 bottle of shampoo cost just $1.99. I paid $1.99... and I also received that $3 coupon for my next shopping trip. This deal just became what I like to call a “moneymaker!” When we figure that $3 coupon into the equation, I paid less than $2 for the shampoo and got $3 back. The store paid me $1.01 to take that shampoo home.

You may wonder how often drugstores feature loyalty sales such as this. The answer? Almost every week! Check the fliers of the large drugstore chains in your area and look for items with text near them indicating that they will “pay you back” a certain dollar amount in cou-pons for purchasing the item. These kinds of payback deals are fre-quent and plentiful.

So what kinds of items are included in these sales? Almost every kind of personal care item you can imagine: toothpaste, toothbrushes, shampoo, conditioner, razors, shaving products, makeup, even over-the-counter medicines are featured regularly. Household cleaners, air fresheners, laundry and dish detergent are often included in these sales, too. If you use coupons in conjunction with the items involved, you can often get the items in question for less than a dollar, and many times, completely free. Better yet, there are times when the store will be “paying” you to take things home too. And any time the store is pay-ing me to shop, I’m smiling all the way to the checkout lane!

(c) CTW Features Jill Cataldo, a coupon-workshop instructor, writer and mother of three, never passes up a good deal. Learn more about couponing at her Web site, www.super-couponing.com. E-mail your cou-poning coups and questions to jill@ctwfeatures.com.

Loyalty programs yield big pay days

4 — The Daily Courier, Forest City, NC, SaTurDay, November 28, 2009

■ 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: dailycourier@thedigitalcourier.com

The latest report on poverty in the state produced by the North Carolina Justice Center paints a

sad picture for Rutherford County.That report shows that poverty con-

tinues to be a problem here.The Justice Center is an advocacy and

research organization dedicated to see-ing that people of the state have access to resources to improve their economic security.

The current economic recession is not helping. Much of the data in the report covers the years from 2006 to 2008. But one tidbit was more current: the number of people in the county receiv-ing assistance from the food and nutri-tion program climbed from 9,184 in September 2008 to 11,282 in September 2009.

Still, the key fact to be taken from this report is that this county does not have enough high-paying jobs. Our average weekly wage in 2008 was $548 com-pared to the state average of $764 and per capita income was at $19,864 com-pared to the state average of $25,015.

These numbers clearly demonstrate that the county must continue to pur-sue efforts to rebuild its economic foun-dations.

Our Views

Numbers point to county issues

Our readers’ viewsSalutes R-S seniors for their football efforts

To the editor:I’m a proud parent of an R-S

Central Senior Football player. I wanted to take this opportunity to thank the following for mak-ing this past season one fantastic ride.

First, much thanks to Scott Bowers, Sports Editor, for put-ting a bunch of long hours in to recognize the hard work and accomplishments of this years team.

Coach Cheek, Coach Champion and Coach Benton, I can’t thank you guys enough for all the guid-ance, teaching, and encourage-ment you gave my son, but also the way you handled the entire team this season. Fantastic job by the entire coaching staff as well.

To team Mom, Colette Owens, thank you for being there for any of the boys and for all the hard work and long hours you devoted to this school over the last four years and to Kevin Owens, Tony Wilson, and Marty Walke as well, for their friendship and relentless belief that this team of Seniors had what it took to take R-S to the next level of success.

And a big thank you as well to all of the other parents who made this season unforgettable.

Finally, to the Seniors on this year’s team.

Over the last four seasons, it was my pleasure to watch you guys perform at the highest level for your school, your community, your team mates, and for your families.

With a combined JV and Varsity record of 34 wins out of 45 games, you set the mark at R-S.

This year’s Seniors are: No. 6 Matt Adkins; No. 71 Patrick Bearden; No. 76 Nick Beaver; No. 25 Leon Brown; No. 40 William Brown; No. 16 Tyler Cole; No. 52

Bennett Evans; No. 12 Jonathon Fuller; No. 3 Keshawn Hamilton; No. 88 Logan Hartzog; No. 7 Cory Jimmerson; No. 42 William Lynch; No. 18 Todd Lynch; No. 44 Odie Murray; No. 20 Dominique Petty; No. 61 Cody Sellers; No. 4 Aris Smith; No. 82 Cody Thomas; No. 33 Drew Thompson; No. 51 Anthony Walke; No. 74 Jacob Yant; and Jordan Rumfelt

May you enjoy as much success in life as you enjoyed on the foot-ball field. Thanks for a bunch of great memories and exciting moments. Be proud!

Dan BeardenRutherfordton

Says criminal trials are right for terrorirsts

To the editor:I would like to challenge the

notion that a criminal trial for the “enemy combatants” being held at Gitmo is wrong.

How can justice be wrong? I hear it being said that a mili-

tary tribunal would make more sense.

Really? I thought the Bush administration had convinced everyone that these men weren’t actually soldiers, but merely ene-my combatants, and that’s how he justified his refusal to apply Geneva Conventions to them.

Are we now willing to admit they actually are soldiers, effec-tively conceding that the Bush administration did commit war crimes by mislabeling these men and denying them their interna-tional rights to humane treat-ment?

I’m confused, because it’s the same people who defended Bush and his “enemy combatant” deci-sion who are now crying foul and screaming for military tribunals in favor of a civilian criminal trial.

Are Gitmo detainees actual soldiers now, or are they still just

enemy combatants? Because they can’t be both.

The other argument I hear against this trial is that it will be “giving the terrorists what they want,” but that isn’t supported by facts either.

These terrorists wanted a mili-tary tribunal, where they could plead guilty and be executed as enemy soldiers.

Why? They wanted the legiti-macy such a tribunal would give them as “soldiers for Islam” and instantly elevate them to martyr status.

That is what they want, not a common criminal trial which delegitimizes them as mere crim-inals and not genuine soldiers.

And since this designation was good enough to justify their tor-ture and lack of Geneva protec-tions, it should be good enough to justify a road to justice.

You can’t have it both ways. All the rhetoric about further attacks is overblown as well. Future attacks may happen, but I would argue that they will or won’t hap-pen regardless of where these men are being tried.

There is no “national stage” because federal trials aren’t tele-vised. The news coverage would be the same regardless of venue.

This whole controversy seems like the latest in a long line of opposing any and every decision coming from the Obama admin-istration.

If it’s not, then someone needs to clarify how they supported “non-soldier status” for these men until Obama took over.

Plus, if they now believe these men are soldiers, then they must clarify their stance on Bush and war crimes. This is a slippery slope these critics are navigat-ing because you can’t be on both sides of the fence at the same time. Do they honestly not realize this fact?

Tara WrightForest City

We all have plenty of reasons to give thanksI’m penning this column on

Thanksgiving Day, as I drew the short straw and had to work on turkey day. But I refuse to let this become one of those columns where I complain about having to work. That’s not something I like doing any day, and cer-tainly not on turkey day for this year.

No, this year, having a steady paycheck is right at the top of my list of things for which I should be thank-ful. And to be honest, that’s a pretty huge list for me this year as it is most every year.

There was a time in my life when having a steady job meant the world to me. I’ve done my stint of unemploy-ment over the years and let me tell you, it isn’t fun. But in today’s economy, it seems to be worse than ever.

And I want to emphasize,

seems to be worse than ever. Because, isn’t it always true that we can be a sorrow-ful and complaining lot and never feel we’re quite up to the status of ‘enough’ when it comes to taking care of our-selves and our families?

This time of year, I’m hop-ing that each of you focuses on the good things in your life and can realize that just by living in America, you’re one of the most well-off human beings on the planet. Just living in our great coun-try is a blessing. I’ve seen reams of statistics about

how much money each of us makes in a year compared to that of the average citizens of an African country. It’s so mind boggling, it’s some-thing like what in an hour or so is what that citizen makes in a year. Really? A whole year?

Sometimes I wonder if I shouldn’t sell all my posses-sions and take that amount of money (which would appear meager in some estimations) and retire to a third world country like that and set about changing their lifestyles. Look at what kind of effect Madonna and Oprah Winfrey have had on their chosen cause countries where they have built schools for those children. Sure, I don’t really agree with the politics and motivations of Oprah or Madge 100 per-cent of the time, but I can’t

fault them for making posi-tive impacts on those areas where they’ve built those schools.

Sometimes, it really is just about education for those citizens in these countries we’d sometimes call back-wards. Granted, there are despotic rulers that keep their people down and that’s a problem, too. But teach-ing people about right and wrong is often the first step to getting them to overthrow leaders who don’t have their best interest at heart.

This leads me to another topic of thanks — one that reminds me to be thankful for a country where we have a peaceful transition of pow-er and (for the most part) leaders who are making deci-sions out of what they think is the right mindset. I don’t agree with President Obama

about government run health care or higher taxes or a myriad other things, but at least I know in a few years we’ll have another referen-dum on his job performance, and not a civil war to deter-mine who will be our next leader.

Finally, I’m also thankful for a delicious turkey dinner cooked by my lovely wife. You know, we newspaper types can get awfully lofty on reasons to give thanks. Writers love words and love to use them to their fullest extent, but sometimes the thing to give thanks for is another good meal with the ones you love. I hope you had such a Thanksgiving and maybe were able to help your fellow man who was less fortunate than you. Working together like that can lift us all up.

Scott Baughman

Some Good News

4/

The Daily Courier, Forest City, NC, SaTurDay, November 28, 2009 — 5

LocaL/obituaries

Brent AmmonsChristopher Brent

Ammons, 22, of Rutherfordton, died Wednesday, Nov. 25, 2009.

Brent was a native of Rutherford County.

He was a graduate of R-S Central High School and a member of Round Hill Baptist Church. He was also a student at ATS in Anderson, S.C.

He is survived by his father, Joel Dean Ammons of Union Mills; mother, Sharon Radford Ammons of Rutherfordton; a sister, Diamond Nicole Ammons of Rutherfordton; grandparents Buck and Christine Ammons of Union Mills, and J.B. and Jessie Flowe of Forest City.

A memorial service will be held at 4 p.m. Sunday at Crowe’s Funeral Chapel in with the Rev. J.B. Flowe officiating. The family will receive friends Sunday from 2 to 4 p.m., prior to the ser-vice at Crowe’s.

Memorials may be made to United Way of Rutherford County.

Online condolences at www.crowemortuary.com.

Audrey Philbeck Audrey Philbeck, 77, of

Tiney Road, Ellenboro, died Friday, Nov. 27, 2009, at Carolinas Medical Center in Charlotte.

Funeral arrangements are incomplete and will be announced later by The Padgett and King Mortuary.

Colleen DeatonRuby “Colleen” Head

Deaton, 74, of 275 Boss Moore Road, Caroleen, died Friday, Nov. 27, 2009, at Rutherford Hospital.

Born in Union County, S.C., she was a daughter of the late Joseph Marion Head and Margaret Ruby Suttles Head. She was a homemaker and a longtime member of Goodes Creek Baptist Church.

Survivors include her husband of 58 years, Carl Edward Deaton; three daughters, Rhonda Moore of Mooresboro, Pamela Houser of Mechanicsville, Va., and Donna Hardin of Marion; two sons, Eddie Deaton of Sandy Mush, and Phillip Deaton of Forest City; two brothers, Carl Head of Virginia, and Joseph Head of Raleigh; one sister, Nita Dale of Holly Springs; 15 grandchildren; and 19 great-grandchildren.

Funeral services will be conducted at 2 p.m. Sunday at Goodes Creek Baptist Church with the Rev. Cecil Lovelace and Daniel Bailey officiating. Interment will follow in the church cem-etery. The family will receive friends Saturday from 6 to 8 p.m. at Harrelson Funeral Home.

Memorials may be made to Goodes Creek Baptist Church, 453 Goodes Creek Church Road, Mooresboro, NC 28114; or to DaVita Dialysis Center of Rutherford County, 226 Commercial Dr., Forest City, NC 28043.

Online condolences www.harrel-sonfuneralhome.com.

Mary Benfield

Mary Ellen Morris Benfield, 78, of Bethlehem, died Wednesday, Nov. 25, 2009, at Hospice of Catawba County.

She was a daughter of the late John Howell and Vara Maltida Franke Morris.

She was a member of Fellowship Advent Christian Church in Bethlehem. She was a member of the Eastern Star and a life member of the Disabled American Veterans auxiliary. She retired from General Electric and Neptco in Hickory and Granite Falls respectively in marketing and administration.

In addition to her parents, she was preceded in death by her husband, Milas Jack Benfield.

She is survived by one daughter, Judy Ellen Moose of Taylorsville; two sons, Michael James Benfield of Forest City, and Robert Louis Benfield of Conover.

Tenn.; 10 grandchildren; two great-grandchildren; two sisters, Margaret Young of Clearwater, Fla., and Evelyn Comegys of Baltimore, Md.; and numerous nieces and nephews.

Funeral services will be conducted at 11 a.m. Saturday at Fellowship Advent Christian Church in Bethlehem with Pastor David Ross officiating. The body will be placed in the church 30 minutes prior to the ser-vice. Burial will follow in the church cemetery. Visitation was held Friday from 6 to 8 p.m. at Alexander Funeral Service, Taylorsville.

Memorials may be made to Fellowship Advent Christian Church, 833 Icard Ridge Road, Taylorsville, NC 28681.

Online condolences www.alexfu-neralservice.com.

Hazel QueenHazel Jeanette Phillips

Daves Queen, 81, of Broadway Towers, Knoxville, Tenn., died Thursday, Nov. 26, 2009, at St. Mary’s Residential Hospice.

A native of Ellenboro, she was a daughter of the late John and Sadie Phillips, and also preceded in death by her first husband and father of her children, Roy Daves, and her second husband, James Queen.

She was a member of North Knoxville Baptist Church.

Survivors include two daughters, Connie Cavanaugh of Knoxville, and Betty Grandy of Leesville, S.C.; stepsons, Ron Daves and Jerry Daves, both of Knoxville; 11 grandchil-dren; eight great-grandchil-dren; one sister, Katherine Chambers of Knoxville; and several nieces and nephews.

A funeral service will be held at 4 p.m. Sunday at Rose Mortuary Broadway Chapel in Knoxville with the Rev. Guy Milam officiat-ing. The family will receive friends from 2 to 4 p.m. Sunday, prior to the service at the chapel.

Family and friends will meet at 2 p.m. Monday, Nov. 30, at Race Path Baptist Church cemetery in Ellenboro for an interment service beginning at 2:15. Dr. Tony Beam will officiate.

Memorials may be made to The Love Kitchen, P.O. Box 6839, Knoxville, TN 37914; or to St. Mary’s Residential Hospice, 7447 Andersonville Pike, Knoxville, TN 37938.

Online condolences www.rosemortuary.com.

Arvis PitchfordArvis “Red” Pitchford, 74,

of 2314 Emerald Mine Road, Shelby, died Thursday, Nov. 26, 2009, at Peak Resources.

A native of Gainesville, Ga., he was preceded in death by his parents, Edd and Maude Carroll Pitchford, and also preceded in death by his wife, Mattie Marilyn Lail Pitchford.

He retired as an animal control officer after 23 years of service with the City of Shelby. He was a former member of Shelby Freewill Baptist Church and a current member of Elliott Memorial Baptist Church.

Survivors include a

daughter, Debra Mellon of Lattimore; four sons, Tony Pitchford of Ellenboro, Robert Pitchford of Boiling Springs, Marty Francis and Kenny Francis, both of Shelby; one sister, Cecile Bridges of Lawndale; 10 grandchildren; and seven great-grandchildren.

Funeral services will be conducted at 2 p.m. Monday at Cleveland Funeral Services Chapel in Shelby with the Rev. Leroy Melton officiat-ing. Burial will follow in the Cleveland Memorial Park. Visitation will be held Sunday from 5 to 6:30 p.m. at the funeral home.

Memorials may be made to Elliott Memorial Baptist Church or to Hospice of Cleveland County.

Online condolences www.cleve-landfuneralservice.com.

Al AlbertsPHILADELPHIA (AP) —

Al Alberts, a founding mem-ber of the singing group, The Four Aces, and a long-time TV talent show host in Philadelphia, has died. He was 87.

Alberts featured child singers and dancers on his “Al Alberts Showcase” for more than three decades in Philadelphia.

He was a founding mem-ber of The Four Aces, which recorded such hits as “Three Coins in the Fountain,” and “Love is a Many Splendored Thing.”

Edward StimpsonBOISE, Idaho (AP) —

Edward Stimpson, an avia-tion advocate who pushed to rejuvenate struggling small aircraft manufacturers in the 1990s by limiting lawsuits against them, has died after a five-month illness. He was 75.

Mike MeeseKELSEYVILLE, Calif. (AP)

— The lead investigator in the 1993 Polly Klaas kidnap-ping and murder case has died.

Meese was a sergeant with the Petaluma Police Department when he and an FBI agent obtained a videotaped statement from Richard Allen Davis confess-ing that he had abducted and strangled the 12-year-old Polly.

Davis later led Meese and other officers to a field out-side Cloverdale where he revealed the location of the girl’s body.

ObituariesPolice NotesSheriff’s Reportsn The Rutherford County

Sheriff’s Office responded to 98 E-911 calls Thursday.

Rutherfordtonn The Rutherfordton Police

Department responded to 51 E-911 calls Thursday.

Spindalen The Spindale Police

Department responded to nine E-911 calls Thursday.

Lake Luren The Lake Lure Police

Department responded to five E-911 call Thursday.

Forest Cityn The Forest City Police

Department responded to 61 E-911 calls Thursday.

Arrestsn Rogelio Felipe, 19, of 149

Chambers Drive; charged with no operator’s license; placed under a $1,000 secured bond. (RCSD)n Daniel Elbert Earehart,

36, of 149 Greenleaf Rd.; charged with assault on a female; placed under a 48-hour hold. (RCSD)

EMS/Rescuen The Rutherford County

EMS responded to 15 E-911 calls Thursday.n The Volunteer Life Saving

and Rescue, Hickory Nut Gorge EMS and Rutherford County Rescue responded to four E-911 calls Thursday.

Fire Callsn Bill’s Creek firefighters

responded to a woods fire.n Cliffside firefighters

responded to an industrial fire alarm and to a power line fire.n Chimney Rock firefight-

ers responded to a power line fire.n Ellenboro firefighters

responded to a power line fire.n Fairfield firefighters

responded to a woods fire.n Green Hill firefighters

responded to a motor vehicle accident.n Hudlow firefighters

responded to a motor vehicle accident.n Rutherfordton firefight-

ers responded to a motor vehicle accident and to a resi-dential fire alarm.n Spindale firefighters

responded to a motor vehicle accident and to an industrial fire alarm.n Sandy Mush firefighters

responded to a brush fire.

Woman accused of killing manSTATESVILLE (AP) — A North Carolina woman has been charged with murder in the shooting death of man with whom she lived.

The Charlotte Observer reports 41-year-old Cheryl Dhonayle Davis of Statesville was arrested and charged Thursday morning in the shooting death of 47-year-old Rodney Herron, who lived at the same address.

Davis is in the Iredell County jail.

Officials say Herron was shot around 6 a.m. and taken to the hospital where he later died.

Couple sentenced in Satanism abuse case

DURHAM (AP) — A North Carolina couple has been sentenced on misdemeanor charges in a case involving abusing other adults during Satan worship.

WRAL reported that 25-year-old Joseph Scott Craig and his 30-year-old wife Joy Johnson were each sentenced Friday to two 60-day suspended sentences and a year of probation.

Carolina Today

Deaths

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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.

Whitney “Jack” Leake November 25, 1941- Novem-

ber 25, 2009Sergeant Major Leake was

born on 25 November 1941, in Charlotte, North Carolina. He initiated his enlistment into the Marine Corps while still fifteen and reported to the Recruit Depot, Parris Island, South Carolina, seven days into his sixteenth year; he was assigned to Dog Company, First Battalion. He next completed training at Infantry Training Regiment, Camp Geiger, with How Company, Second Battalion.

Sergeant Major Leake’s first permanent duty station was Second Machine Gun Platoon, Mortar-Machine Gun Company, Schools Demonstration Troops, Marine Corps Schools, Quantico, Virginia. He then spent almost a year at the Marine Aviation Detachment, Memphis, Tennessee and was released from active duty in November, 1961. In December 1961, Sgt. Major Leake reenlisted and was transferred to the Third Anti-Tank Battalion on Okinawa. This was followed by a return trip to Camp Lejeune for a tour with the Second Anti Tank Battalion. He then spent three years recruit-ing in Detroit, Michigan. During two tours in Vietnam in 1968 and 1969 with the Second Battalion, Twenty-sixth Marines, Sgt. Major Leake served as a Platoon Sergeant, Company Gunnery Sergeant, Platoon Commander and Battalion Operations Chief. He returned to CONUS to become to the Unit Gunnery Sergeant, J & J Staff, San Bruno, California. He volunteered to the “new” 5800 MOS, was selected on the first list, and was transferred to Camp Pendleton, California, where he subsequently served as Duty Warden, Section Leader, and Operations Officer for the Brig and Correctional Custody Facility, respectively. Sgt. Major Leake next served as the First Sergeant, Headquarters and Headquarters Squadron, Marine Corps Air Station, Cherry Point, North Carolina, then as the com-bat service support concept was implemented at Cherry Point. He then became the first Sergeant, Echo Company, Second Battalion, Fourth Marines, on Okinawa. During this period, Sgt. Major Leake doubled as the Company Executive Officer for ten months and was present during the trag-ic fire at Camp Fuji, Japan, 19 October 1979. Upon his return to CONUS, he was assigned to Headquarters and Service Company, Infantry, Training School, Camp Pendleton. Selected for Sergeant Major, he assumed that post IJS and served in that capacity until ordered to duty with the Marine Barracks Japan, Yokosuka, Japan. Following an accompanied tour of fifty one months, Sgt. Major Leake reluc-tantly returned to CONUS where he was assigned to the Third Battalion, Tenth Marines, for his third tour at Camp Lejeune. After eighteen months, he was assigned to the Tenth Marines, Camp Lejeune, North Carolina, as the Regimental Sergeant Major. He retired his position in 1987.

Sgt Major Leake’s per-sonal awards/decorations include the Purple Heart, Navy Commendation Medal, Combat Action Ribbon, and the Vietnamese Cross of Gallantry with Bronze Star. While with the 2/26, the unit earned two Presidential Unit Citations, three Navy Unit Commendations and the Meritorious Unit Commendation.

Sgt. Major Leake spent five years at the Carteret County News-Times performing several positions. He then began work for the Carteret County Board of Education in Beaufort, North Carolina, and retired as Assistant Supervisor of the warehouses after 10 years.

Sgt. Major Leake met the love of his life, Angie in 1989. He married her on 9 March 2000. Sgt. Major Leake’s chidren are: Whitney, Jack Huxley, Jeffrey, Alex, Leah, Nicole and Kasey. He has fourteen grandchildren.

Sgt. Major Leake and his love-ly wife then moved across the state to Bostic, North Carolina, to enjoy the beautiful mountainous views and their retirement.

The Funeral Service will be held at 2:00 PM Sunday, Nov. 29, 2009 at Salem United Methodist Church. Rev. Lynda Ferguson will officiate. Burial will follow in the church cemetery with Masonic Rites by the Hollis Lodge, and Military Rites rendered by the Rutherford County Honor Guard.

The Visitation hours will be from 5 PM until 8 PM Saturday at Washburn & Dorsey Funeral Home.

Memorials may be made to the Sondra Treadaway Fund, in care of Salem UMC, PO Box 220, Bostic, NC 28018 or Hospice of Rutherford County, PO Box 336, Forest City, NC 28043.

Friends may sign the online guest book @www.washburn dorsey.com.

PAID OBIT

Brent AmmonsChristopher Brent Ammons,

22, of Rutherfordton, died Wednesday. He was a native of Rutherford County. Brent was a graduate of RS Central High School and a member of Round Hill Baptist Church. He was a student at ATS in Anderson, SC.

He is survived by his father, Joel Dean Ammons and fian-cee’ Julie Hayes of Union Mills; mother, Sharon Radford Ammons of Rutherfordton and her fiancé Brad Causby of Bostic; a sis-ter, Diamond Nicole Ammons of Rutherfordton, and grandparents Buck and Christine Ammons of Union Mills, and J.B. and Jessie Flow of Forest City. He was pre-ceded in death by his grandfather Bob Radford.

A Memorial Service will be held Sunday, November 29, at 4 PM at Crowe’s Funeral Chapel in Rutherfordton with Rev. J.B. Flowe officiating. The family will receive friends Sunday from 2 until 4 PM prior to the service at Crowe’s Mortuary.

Memorials may be made to United Way of Rutherford County.

Online condolences at www.crowemortuary.com

PAID OBIT

6 — The Daily Courier, Forest City, NC, SaTurDay, November 28, 2009

Calendar/loCal

n The county’s August 2009 unem-ployment rate was 9.1 percentage points higher than the 2000 rate of 5.9 percent. n 31,352 workers were a part of

Rutherford County’s labor force in August 2009.

n On average, 42.7 percent of Rutherford County residents were low-income between 2006 and 2008, meaning their incomes were less than twice the federal poverty level ($21,200 for a family of four in 2008.) n In 2008, the Rutherford County’s average weekly wage of $548 equaled

71.7 percent of the statewide wage of $764. n Median household income in the

county averaged $36,022 between 2006 and 2008, which equaled 78.1 percent of the statewide income of $46,107. n Per capita income in Rutherford

County was $19,864 on average between 2006 and 2008, which equaled 79.4 percent of the statewide per capita income of $25,015. n The richest 5 percent of

Rutherford County households had an average income that was 21.7 times greater than that of the poorest fifth of households and 5.7 times greater than that of the middle fifth of house-holds between 2006 and 2008. n In September 2008, 9,184

Rutherford County residents received assistance from the food and nutri-tion program. In September 2009, the number increased by 25 percent to 11,282 residents.

n A working family in Rutherford County with two adults and two chil-dren needs to earn, on average, a total of $40,687 annually to afford basic living expenses in the county. This total is 191.9 percent of the 2008 fed-eral poverty level for a family of four ($21,200). The county’s living income standard for this family requires them to earn a combined hourly wage of $19.56, which is $5.06 more than then $14.50 per hour earned through working two minimum wage jobs ($30,160 annually.)

“We got some guy toys for my dad,” said Stephany. “They went to Sears and got tools and stuff. And then we went and stood in line for a little while to get some things for my com-puter at Staples.”

But while the Greenes left the coun-ty for a bit of early morning shopping, the opposite was happening as well with some visitors from out of town coming to shop locally.

At Dovetails and Rusty Nails

Antiques in Forest City, Mike and Donna Tormeno had made a trip to check out the collectibles.

“We drove over from our house in Lake Lure,” said Donna. “But we’re up from Florida. We just love to come into town this time of year to see everything like the decorations and check out the local stores. They have so many unique things.”

The couple inspected vintage base-ball cards while the store’s co-owner Jim Wantuch explained about each of the players featured.

“This are some great finds,” said Mike. “We are always happy to check

out the stores here and see what peo-ple have for sale.”

With antique Coke bottles, fur-niture, posters, comic books, ball cards, toys and dozens of other items, Wantuch said the shop had seen a steady stream of visitors Friday.

“I guess you could say I’m doing my part to help the local economy,” Donna said.

“Yeah, at least, that’s what she tells me to make me feel better,” Mike added with a laugh.

Contact Baughman via e-mail at sbaugh-man@thedigitalcourier.com.

red CrossBlood drives scheduled:Nov. 30 — Red Cross Chapter House, 2 to 6:30 p.m., call 287-5916 for an appointment;Dec. 2 — Isothermal Community College, 10 a.m. to 2:30 p.m., con-tact Ruth Colnot at 286-3636, ext. 489;Dec. 8 — Thomas Jefferson Classical Academy, Avondale, 11:30 a.m to 4:30 p.m., contact Jennifer Hoyle at 657-9998;Dec. 11 — Forest City Fire Department, 1 to 6 p.m., contact Keith McCurry at 245-2111;Dec. 16 — Harris Elementary, 1:30 to 6 p.m., contact Don Ingle at 248-2354Dec. 21 — Oak Grove Methodist Church, Ellenboro, 4 to 8:30 p.m., contact Dawn Kanipe at 289-1279;Dec. 28 — Red Cross Chapter House, 2 to 6:30 p.m., call 287-5916 for an appointment.Classes:Adult, Child, Infant CPR: Saturday, Dec. 5, begins at 8:30 a.m. Adult CPR: Monday, Dec. 14, begins at 6 p.m. Child, Infant CPR: Tuesday, Dec. 15, begins at 6 p.m. First Aid: Thursday, Dec. 17, begins at 6 p.m., Preventing Disease Transmission.

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.

Meetings/otherAnnual board meeting: Rutherfordton Little League will hold its annual meeting and board elections on Monday, Nov. 30, at the county annex. The meeting begins at 6 p.m. Contact Donna at 287-9213 or Amy at 287 0316 for more information.

DAR meeting: Griffith Rutherford NSDAR Chapter Meeting; Wednesday, Dec. 2, 3 p.m., at the home of Catherine Washburn, 2401 Bostic Sunshine Hwy., Bostic; pro-gram by Caroline and Kristi King.

Christmas party: Thursday, Dec. 3, 6:30 p.m., Union Mills Community House, 6097 Hudlow Road, Union Mills; bring a covered dish and fruit, candy or nuts for Christmas Cheer boxes and shut-ins; also bring Bingo prizes.

Meeting: The Rutherford County Historical Society book club and history discussion group will meet Thursday, Dec. 3, at 7 p.m., at St. John’s Church, Main St., Rutherfordton. The group will discuss the classic Southern novel, “The Member of the Wedding,” by Carson McCullers.

Shag Club: Rutherford County Shag Club meets Friday, Dec. 4, at Club LA in Spindale. Dance starts at 8 p.m. All interested shaggers are welcome. For information call 287-9228.

Annual meeting: S-D-O.- Fire Department will hold its annual Board of Directors meeting Saturday, Dec. 5, from 1:30 to 3:30 p.m., at the fire department; all tax payers in the S-D-O District are eli-gible to vote; bring picture ID and proof of property owned.

CHS Boosters: Chase High Athletic Boosters will meet Monday, Dec. 7, at Mud Bones in Rutherfordton. Dutch treat. Meeting begins at 6:30 p.m.

Music/concertsConcert of holiday music: The Rutherford County Historical Society will host a concert of holiday music performed by the Rutherford County Heritage Singers, on Tuesday, Dec. 1, at First Baptist Church, Rutherfordton. Music begins at 7 p.m.

MiscellaneousHospice Resale Shop will hold a storewide half-price sale Dec. 3-5. Entire stock including collectibles, furniture and more. Also includes select items already priced at 25 cents. Store located at 631 Oak St., Forest City.

Foothills Harvest Outreach Ministries will hold a storewide half-price sale Nov. 30 - Dec. 5 (excludes a few select items). Located at 120 E. Trade St., Forest City.

Chase Corner Ministries: Regular hours resume Monday, Nov. 30, at Chase Corner Ministries. Located on Chase High Road.

Agriculture Commissioner Steve Troxler. “Both the selection and qual-ity are very, very good. Cool weather and adequate rainfall have combined to help our growers harvest and han-dle the freshest trees possible.”

The state’s 2009 Christmas tree harvest should top 5 million trees from more than 1,500 growers, Troxler said.

“Choosing a real Christmas tree can become a great family tradition,” Troxler said. “Plus, real Christmas trees are renewable. Each tree that is harvested is replaced with one or more new trees. And after the

holidays, the trees can be recycled as mulch or used as habitat for wildlife and fish”

North Carolina was second in the nation in cash receipts from Christmas trees in 2008, with sales of about $100 million.

Contact Baughman via e-mail at sbaugh-man@thedigitalcourier.com.

ASHEVILLE (AP) — North Carolina police say a man kidnapped an elderly woman while she sat in a car outside the Asheville hospital where she was being discharged.

The Asheville Citizen-Times report-ed Friday that 29-year-old Anthony

Blaine Messer is accused of second-degree kidnapping, theft of a motor vehicle, and other charges.

Police say a 77-year-old woman wearing a gown, house coat and slip-pers was in the front passenger seat of her car while her daughter went back

into Mission Hospital to get some-thing.

Police say Messer hopped into the car and drove to a restaurant where she was told to get out.

The woman said she considered fighting the man even though she was recovering from vascular surgery.

PovertyContinued from Page 1

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

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TreesContinued from Page 1

ShoppersContinued from Page 1

Garrett Byers/Daily Courier Benny Sane shows Christmas trees to David Staley at a tree stand in Spindale. Sane said business was brisk on the days lead-ing up to and following Thanksgiving. “People came up to buy them even before we had finished unloading the truck,” he said.

Man charged with kidnapping woman at hospital

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Inside

Scoreboard . . . . . . . . . . . Page .8ACC .Football . . . . . . . . . Page .8App .State . . . . . . . . . . . . Page .9

On TV

Son .of .Rutherfordton .residents .wins .World .Championship

RUTHERFORDTON — David Claroni, son of Paul and Sally Claroni of Rutherfordton, won the World Association of Bench Pressers and Dead Lifters World Championship on October 28 in Reno, Nevada.

Claroni bench pressed 325-pounds and dead lift-ed 485-pounds to win the title in the 180-pound body weight division of the Law Enforcement Category. Both lifts are state records for the state of Maine, where he resides.

Claroni is employed as a police officer in Calais, Maine.

Over 500 weight lifters participated in the World Championship event repre-senting more than 11 different countries.

No . .2 .Bama .squeaks .past .Auburn, .26-21

AUBURN, Ala. (AP) — No. 2 Alabama found its champion-ship form in the nick of time.

Outplayed most of the game, the Crimson Tide stayed unbeaten with a 26-21 victory Friday over Auburn, taking the lead with a nearly perfect drive that was capped by Greg McElroy’s 4-yard touchdown pass to Roy Upchurch with 1:24 left.

Alabama (12-0, 8-0 Southeastern Conference) com-pleted a second straight per-fect regular season in the Iron Bowl, but did it the hard way against its bitter rival.

The Tide fell behind in the opening minutes, but came out ahead to do its part to set up 1 vs. 2 showdown with top-ranked Florida in the SEC championship game.

But forget the national and league championship, the state title almost slipped away.

Auburn (7-5, 3-5) pushed the ball to the Alabama 37 on the final drive, but Chris Todd’s pass to the end zone was batted down by the Tide defense.

10 a.m. (ESPN2) English Premier League Soccer Teams TBA. 12 p.m. (WBTV) (WMYA) College Football ACC — Teams TBA. 12 p.m. (WSPA) College Foot-ball Mississippi at Mississippi State. 12 p.m. (ESPN) (ESPN2) Col-lege Football Teams TBA.12:30 p.m. (FSS) College Football Oklahoma State at Oklahoma.2 p.m. (WYFF) College Football State Farm Bayou Classic — Grambling State vs. Southern. 3 p.m. (TS) Women’s College Basketball UCLA at Tennes-see. 3:30 p.m. (WBTV) (WSPA) College Football Florida State at Florida. 3:30 p.m. (WSOC) (WLOS) (ESPN) College Football Teams TBA. 3:30 p.m. (ESPN2) College Basketball La Salle at Vil-lanova. 6 p.m. (FSS) College Football Texas Tech at Baylor. 7 p.m. (ESPN) College Foot-ball Arkansas at LSU. 8 p.m. (WSOC) (WLOS) Col-lege Football Teams TBA. 8 p.m. (ESPN2) College Foot-ball Teams To Be Announced.10 p.m. (FSS) College Foot-ball UCLA at USC. 10 p.m. (HBO) Boxing Lib-rado Andrade vs. Lucian Bute. 11 p.m. (SHO) Boxing Sho-Box: The New Generation.

Editor’s note: This is the first of a two-part series on the three Rutherford County basketball programs in the South Mountain 3A/2A Athletic Conference. Today’s preview is on boys basketball and the girls basketball preview will run in Sunday’s edition of the Daily Courier. Thomas Jefferson previews will run separately.

By KEVIN CARVERDaily Courier Sports Correspondent

FOREST CITY — The 2009-10 North Carolina High School Athletic Association Prep Basketball season is under way through-out the state.

Although most eyes in the state remain fixed on the prep football playoffs, locally, area schools are turning their attention to basket-ball.

This past summer, Chase, East Rutherford and R-S Central moved from the 2A/3A Southwestern Conference into the 2A/3A South Mountain Athletic Conference. Burns and Shelby, from Cleveland have moved along with them, as well as a historically-solid Freedom basketball program and a school with a rather short history, Patton.

The new conference should provide for an interesting year of high school hoops.

Chase .remains .young, .but . . . .athletic .as .program .improves

CHASE — Chase had a topsy-turvy year of basketball last season.

While the Trojans upset R-S Central once and stayed competitive with East Rutherford in two games, Chase wasn’t able to produce enough wins to find the postseason a year ago.

Luckily, Chase boys basketball coach Ken Hines does have some talent back and a few

Please see Hoops, Page 9

2009-10 .Hoops .Preview3 county prep programs ready for SMAC play

Garrett Byers/Daily CourierEast Rutherford’s Devince Boykins, a junior, is drawing interest from several college programs including those in the ACC.

Associated PressDuke’s Lance Thomas, left, takes a charge on Connecticut’s Kemba Walker during the first half of an NCAA college basketball game, Friday at Madison Square Garden in New York.

NEW YORK (AP) — The win-ningest matchup of Division I coaches was definitely one-sided.

Seventh-ranked Duke and Mike Krzyzewski won another NIT Season Tip-Off on Friday with a 68-59 victory over No. 13 Connecticut and Jim Calhoun.

The Hall of Fame coaches set the record for total career wins in a game and Krzyzewski now has 839, fourth on the all-time list, and Calhoun still has 809, good for sixth place.

The Blue Devils (6-0) dominated the Huskies (4-1) in every category in extending its winning streak in the tournament to 12 games with their third straight title (2000, 2005) and fourth overall (1985).

The win also snapped Connecticut’s four-game winning streak in the series with the last two victories both coming in Final Fours.

Tournament MVP Jon Scheyer had 19 points to lead Duke, while Nolan Smith had 16 points.

Duke tops UConn

Associated PressCharlotte Bobcats’ Tyson Chandler (6) ties up Cleveland Cavaliers’ LeBron James (23) in the first half of an NBA basketball game in Charlotte, Friday.

Bobcats .wrestle .win .from .Cavs

CHARLOTTE (AP) — Gerald Wallace had 31 points and 14 rebounds while outplaying LeBron James, and the Cleveland Cavaliers looked disjointed in Shaquille O’Neal’s return from injury in a 94-87 loss to the Charlotte Bobcats on Friday night.

The surprising Bobcats won their third straight game following a seven-game los-ing streak behind Wallace, who beat James in numerous 1-on-1 matchups in the post. Wallace topped 30 points for the second straight game, while James scored 25 points.

O’Neal recovered after missing five of his first seven shots to finish with 11 points and eight rebounds. He had missed the past six games with a strained left shoulder, and Cleveland fell to 6-4 when he plays and 5-1 when he’s out.

Coach Mike Brown said before the game he wanted to limit O’Neal to about 25 minutes. O’Neal played 29, hitting 5 of 11 shots and 1 of 3 free throws.

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8 — The Daily Courier, Forest City, NC, SaTurDay, November 28, 2009

sports

FOOTBALLNational Football League

AMERICAN CONFERENCEEast

W L T Pct PF PANew England 7 3 0 .700 290 164Miami 5 5 0 .500 242 244N.Y. Jets 4 6 0 .400 213 189Buffalo 3 7 0 .300 155 228

South W L T Pct PF PAIndianapolis 10 0 0 1.000 269 157Jacksonville 6 4 0 .600 199 235Houston 5 5 0 .500 232 208Tennessee 4 6 0 .400 209 272

North W L T Pct PF PACincinnati 7 3 0 .700 215 167Pittsburgh 6 4 0 .600 231 184Baltimore 5 5 0 .500 237 171Cleveland 1 9 0 .100 115 263

West W L T Pct PF PASan Diego 7 3 0 .700 269 205Denver 7 4 0 .636 196 189Kansas City 3 7 0 .300 169 239Oakland 3 8 0 .273 115 258

NATIONAL CONFERENCEEast

W L T Pct PF PADallas 8 3 0 .727 255 182Philadelphia 6 4 0 .600 266 204N.Y. Giants 6 5 0 .545 272 261Washington 3 7 0 .300 146 178

South W L T Pct PF PANew Orleans 10 0 0 1.000 369 204Atlanta 5 5 0 .500 252 228Carolina 4 6 0 .400 193 239Tampa Bay 1 9 0 .100 164 294

North W L T Pct PF PAMinnesota 9 1 0 .900 306 193Green Bay 7 4 0 .636 296 215Chicago 4 6 0 .400 206 225Detroit 2 9 0 .182 193 335

West W L T Pct PF PAArizona 7 3 0 .700 250 197San Francisco 4 6 0 .400 208 210Seattle 3 7 0 .300 196 233St. Louis 1 9 0 .100 113 270

Thursday’s GamesGreen Bay 34, Detroit 12Dallas 24, Oakland 7Denver 26, N.Y. Giants 6Sunday’s GamesMiami at Buffalo, 1 p.m.Carolina at N.Y. Jets, 1 p.m.Seattle at St. Louis, 1 p.m.Tampa Bay at Atlanta, 1 p.m.Indianapolis at Houston, 1 p.m.Cleveland at Cincinnati, 1 p.m.Washington at Philadelphia, 1 p.m.Kansas City at San Diego, 4:05 p.m.Jacksonville at San Francisco, 4:05 p.m.Arizona at Tennessee, 4:15 p.m.Chicago at Minnesota, 4:15 p.m.Pittsburgh at Baltimore, 8:20 p.m.Monday’s GameNew England at New Orleans, 8:30 p.m.Thursday, Dec. 3N.Y. Jets at Buffalo, 8:20 p.m.Sunday, Dec. 6St. Louis at Chicago, 1 p.m.Oakland at Pittsburgh, 1 p.m.Denver at Kansas City, 1 p.m.Philadelphia at Atlanta, 1 p.m.Detroit at Cincinnati, 1 p.m.New England at Miami, 1 p.m.New Orleans at Washington, 1 p.m.Tennessee at Indianapolis, 1 p.m.Tampa Bay at Carolina, 1 p.m.Houston at Jacksonville, 1 p.m.San Diego at Cleveland, 4:05 p.m.Dallas at N.Y. Giants, 4:15 p.m.San Francisco at Seattle, 4:15 p.m.Minnesota at Arizona, 8:20 p.m.Monday, Dec. 7Baltimore at Green Bay, 8:30 p.m.

College Football Scores SOUTH

Alabama 26, Auburn 21EAST

Rutgers 34, Louisville 14MIDWEST

Akron 28, E. Michigan 21Bowling Green 38, Toledo 24Buffalo 9, Kent St. 6Cent. Michigan 45, N. Illinois 31Cincinnati 49, Illinois 36Ohio 35, Temple 17

SOUTHWESTTulsa 33, Memphis 30, OT

FAR WESTNebraska 28, Colorado 20Wyoming 17, Colorado St. 16

BASKETBALLNational Basketball Association

EASTERN CONFERENCEAtlantic Division

W L Pct GBBoston 11 4 .733 — Toronto 7 9 .438 4 1/2Philadelphia 5 10 .333 6 New York 3 12 .200 8 New Jersey 0 15 .000 11

Southeast Division W L Pct GBOrlando 12 4 .750 — Atlanta 11 4 .733 1/2Miami 9 5 .643 2 Charlotte 5 9 .357 6 Washington 4 9 .308 6 1/2

Central Division W L Pct GBCleveland 11 4 .733 — Milwaukee 8 5 .615 2 Indiana 6 7 .462 4 Chicago 6 8 .429 4 1/2Detroit 5 10 .333 6

WESTERN CONFERENCESouthwest Division

W L Pct GBDallas 11 4 .733 — San Antonio 7 6 .538 3 Houston 8 7 .533 3 New Orleans 7 9 .438 4 1/2Memphis 5 10 .333 6

Northwest Division W L Pct GBDenver 11 4 .733 — Portland 12 5 .706 — Oklahoma City 8 7 .533 3 Utah 8 7 .533 3 Minnesota 1 14 .067 10

Pacific Division W L Pct GBPhoenix 12 3 .800 — L.A. Lakers 11 3 .786 1/2Sacramento 6 8 .429 5 1/2L.A. Clippers 6 10 .375 6 1/2Golden State 5 9 .357 6 1/2

Thursday’s GamesOrlando 93, Atlanta 76Utah 105, Chicago 86Friday’s GamesWashington 94, Miami 84Charlotte 94, Cleveland 87Atlanta 100, Philadelphia 86Boston 116, Toronto 103Dallas at Indiana, lateL.A. Clippers at Detroit, lateSan Antonio at Houston, lateNew York at Denver, lateMilwaukee at Oklahoma City, latePhoenix at Minnesota, lateNew Jersey at Sacramento, lateMemphis at Portland, lateSaturday’s GamesCharlotte at Washington, 7 p.m.Dallas at Cleveland, 7:30 p.m.Portland at Utah, 9 p.m.Orlando at Milwaukee, 9 p.m.L.A. Lakers at Golden State, 10:30 p.m.Sunday’s GamesPhoenix at Toronto, 1 p.m.

Atlanta at Detroit, 1 p.m.Memphis at L.A. Clippers, 3:30 p.m.Orlando at New York, 6 p.m.Boston at Miami, 6 p.m.Philadelphia at San Antonio, 7 p.m.Houston at Oklahoma City, 7 p.m.Minnesota at Denver, 8 p.m.New Orleans at Sacramento, 9 p.m.New Jersey at L.A. Lakers, 9:30 p.m.

HOCKEYNational Hockey League

EASTERN CONFERENCEAtlantic Division

GP W L OT Pts GF GAPittsburgh 25 17 8 0 34 77 69New Jersey 23 16 6 1 33 63 50Philadelphia 22 13 8 1 27 75 60N.Y. Rangers 24 13 10 1 27 74 66N.Y. Islanders 25 9 9 7 25 68 76

Northeast Division GP W L OT Pts GF GAOttawa 23 13 7 3 29 69 66Boston 25 12 8 5 29 60 61Buffalo 21 12 7 2 26 54 52Montreal 25 12 12 1 25 63 72Toronto 23 5 11 7 17 61 85

Southeast Division GP W L OT Pts GF GAWashington 25 14 5 6 34 87 73Atlanta 21 11 7 3 25 73 61Tampa Bay 22 9 6 7 25 59 67Florida 23 10 9 4 24 63 73Carolina 24 5 14 5 15 55 86

WESTERN CONFERENCECentral Division

GP W L OT Pts GF GAChicago 23 16 5 2 34 77 51Nashville 23 14 8 1 29 57 60Columbus 24 12 9 3 27 73 86Detroit 23 11 8 4 26 68 66St. Louis 22 9 9 4 22 54 57

Northwest Division GP W L OT Pts GF GAColorado 25 14 7 4 32 77 75Calgary 23 14 6 3 31 71 63Vancouver 24 13 11 0 26 71 61Edmonton 25 10 12 3 23 73 78Minnesota 23 8 12 3 19 55 70

Pacific Division GP W L OT Pts GF GASan Jose 26 16 6 4 36 87 69Los Angeles 26 14 10 2 30 77 80Dallas 24 11 6 7 29 73 69Phoenix 25 13 11 1 27 60 61Anaheim 23 9 11 3 21 66 77

Thursday’s GamesOttawa 2, Columbus 1Vancouver 4, Los Angeles 1Friday’s GamesNew Jersey 2, Boston 1, SOBuffalo 4, Philadelphia 2Minnesota 5, Colorado 3N.Y. Islanders 3, Pittsburgh 2Anaheim 3, Chicago 0Atlanta 6, Carolina 4Calgary 3, Detroit 0N.Y. Rangers at Tampa Bay, lateToronto at Florida, lateSt. Louis at Nashville, lateDallas at Phoenix, lateSan Jose at Edmonton, lateSaturday’s GamesN.Y. Islanders at New Jersey, 1 p.m.Ottawa at Boston, 7 p.m.Carolina at Buffalo, 7 p.m.Washington at Montreal, 7 p.m.Philadelphia at Atlanta, 7 p.m.Calgary at Columbus, 7 p.m.N.Y. Rangers at Pittsburgh, 7:30 p.m.Florida at Nashville, 8 p.m.Detroit at St. Louis, 8 p.m.Tampa Bay at Dallas, 8:30 p.m.Minnesota at Colorado, 9 p.m.Edmonton at Vancouver, 10 p.m.Chicago at Los Angeles, 10:30 p.m.Sunday’s GamesPhoenix at Anaheim, 8 p.m.San Jose at Vancouver, 10 p.m.

Scoreboard

Contributed PhotoRSYFCA Hilltoppers 9- and 10-year old football team won the Rutherford County Super Bowl on November 21 in Rutherfordton. The Hilltoppers are: Tyler Weaver (front, l to r), Seth McGraw, Dwayne Ledbetter, Steven Hargett, Harley Upton, Cade Hamilton, Chuck Cureton, Chris Miller, Jacob Bailey, Isiah Twitty; Damien Henderson (middle, l to r), Da Da Godfrey, Burt Hamrick, Kanaan Brock, Joshua Searcy, Tyler Simmons, Jacob Sharkey, Reggie Hines, Tyrese Tate; coaches Michael Waters (back, l to r), Avery Hamrick, Mark Hargett, Kevin Brock and Bill McGraw.

Hilltoppers Win Super Bowl Title

RALEIGH (AP) — Deunta Williams knew someone was bound to mention North Carolina’s embarrassing loss to rival North Carolina State last year. So the Tar Heels safety was quick with a joke when asked whether anyone had hung signs in the locker room reading “41-10.”

“What’s that?” he quipped.No one in Chapel Hill really needs a refresher

heading into Saturday’s matchup. That 31-point home loss last November ended with the blue-clad home fans skipping the final humbling minutes and leaving the visiting fans in red to celebrate in a mostly empty Kenan Stadium. It also ended with N.C. State coach Tom O’Brien memorably pronouncing that “we’re the best football program in the state, without question” after the Wolfpack had swept the other four instate Football Bowl Subdivision teams.

A year later, however, the 23rd-ranked Tar Heels (8-3, 4-3 Atlantic Coast Conference) are playing their best football to close the regular season while N.C. State (4-7, 1-6) is an injury-riddled mess. And while revenge is often an overrated motivation, that loss still lingers more than most for the Tar Heels.

Devils, Deacons meet today with only bragging rights at stake

DURHAM (AP) — Duke and Wake Forest entered the second half of their schedules believing they were in good position to reach a bowl game.

And yet, when they meet Saturday, both the Blue Devils and Demon Deacons know they’re taking the field for the last time this season — and for the final time under their four-year starting quarter-backs who seemingly have been around forever.

Wake’s Riley Skinner and Duke’s Thad Lewis made their first college starts against each other in 2006. Wake Forest won that game by blocking a last-second field goal, a win that helped spark that surprising title run.

Last weekend, Duke led 16-13 at Miami before falling 34-16, meaning Lewis will end his Blue Devil career without a bowl trip.

Still, despite the disappointment of the late-season fade, Duke knows it has made a significant leap forward in its second season under David Cutcliffe. And with a win against Wake Forest (4-7, 2-5), the Blue Devils can finish at .500 — quite a feat for a program that hasn’t won more than four games since last going to a bowl 15 years ago.

No. 23 Tar Heels, Wolfpack meet in ACC finale

Lady Hilltoppers fall to Avery, while men prevail at tourney

BAKERSVILLE — R-S Central’s ladies bas-ketball team fell, 56-55, Friday to Avery in the Mitchell High Turkey Classic.

The Lady Hilltoppers’ Shannon Hines’ shot, from just inside the 3-point line, rimmed out right at the buzzer. Hines’ shot followed a one-and-one oppor-tunity for Avery that lifted the Lady Vikings to the victory.

“We get to play two good teams right off the bat, and win or lose, I think it benefits us down the road,” said Coach Darius Fuller.

Hines lead all Hilltoppers with 22 points, while Melissa McLaughlin added 11 in the season-open-er.

Central (0-1) faces host Mitchell, today, at 3 p.m.

R-S Central 72, Avery 61BAKERSVILLE — R-S Central’s mens basketball

opened the season with a 72-61 victory over Avery at the Mitchell High Turkey Classic, Friday.

Darrien Watkins lead the Hilltoppers with a double-double that included 16 points and 13 rebounds. Kyle Holmstrom also finished with 16 points, and Shaquille Wilkins added nine for Central.

The Hilltoppers rolled out to a 41-27 lead at the half in a game that left head coach Greg Wright with mixed feelings.

“I thought we played well at times and I liked our intensity,” said Wright. “We executed well in half-court sets and we still have some things to work on including turnovers. We turned it over 28 times. But, we’ve had about three days to get ready, so, I am pleased.”

The Hilltoppers (1-0) face Mitchell at 4:30 p.m.

East Henderson Turkey Tip-OffChase 54, East Henderson 51

FLAT ROCK — Chase’s ladies basketball team defeated East Henderson, 54-51, in the opening game of the Turkey Tip-Off, Friday.

The Lady Trojans’ Kaitlyn Smart posted 21 points to lead Chase, while Euletha Davis added 17 points, and Kendra Holcomb finished with 10.

“I thought we played well, but we had a lot of turnovers,” said Coach Eric Martin. “We were down by 11 at half, but turned it around and we made some key plays down the stretch.”

Chase (1-0) will face North Henderson, today, at 3 p.m., in game 2 of the tourney at East Henderson High.

East Henderson 68, Chase 59FLAT ROCK — Chase’s mens basketball team

fell, 68-59, in their season-opener against East Henderson at the East Henderson Turkey Tip-Off, Friday in Flat Rock.

The Trojans’ Keyshon Crawford posted 17 points in the defeat, while teammate Josh Mills and Wes Roach added nine points each.

Chase (0-1) will face North Henderson in the conclusion of the tourney today at 5 p.m.

ORLANDO, Fla. — Tiger Woods was injured early Friday when he lost control of his SUV outside his Florida mansion, and a local police chief said Woods’ wife used a golf club to smash out the back window to help get him out.

The world’s No. 1 golfer was treated and released from a hospital in good condition, his spokesman said. The Florida Highway Patrol said Woods’ vehicle hit a fire hydrant and a tree in his neighbor’s yard after he pulled out of his driveway at 2:25 a.m.

Windermere police chief Daniel Saylor told The Associated Press that officers found the 33-year-old PGA star lying in the street with his wife, Elin, hovering over him.

“She was frantic, upset,” Saylor said in a briefing Friday night. “It was her husband laying on the ground.”

She told officers she was in the house when she heard the acci-

dent and “came out and broke the back window with a golf club,” he said, adding that the front-door windows were not broken and that “the door was probably locked.”

“She supposedly got him out and laid him on the ground,” he said. “He was in and out of con-sciousness when my guys got there.”

Saylor said Woods had lacera-tions to his upper and lower lips, and blood in his mouth; officers treated Woods for about 10 min-utes until an ambulance arrived. Woods was conscious enough to speak, he said.

“He was mumbling, but didn’t say anything coherent,” Saylor said.

The Florida Highway Patrol said alcohol was not involved, although the accident remains under investigation and charges could be filed.

Woods was alone in his 2009 Cadillac when he pulled out of his driveway from his mansion

at Isleworth, a gated waterfront community just outside Orlando, the patrol said.

Woods’ injuries were described as serious in the patrol’s report, though his spokesman, Glenn Greenspan, issued a statement that Woods was treated and released.

Left unanswered was where Woods was going at that hour. Greenspan and agent Mark Steinberg said there would be no comment beyond the short state-ment of the accident posted on Woods’ Web site.

Saylor said his responding offi-cers did not hear anything about an alleged argument between Woods and his wife.

“Right now we believe this is a traffic crash. We don’t believe it is domestic issue,” patrol spokes-man Sgt. Kim Montes said.

The Florida Highway Patrol said tapes of the 911 call won’t be released until they can be reviewed, probably Monday at the earliest.

Police chief: Woods’ wife helped after accident

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The Daily Courier, Forest City, NC, SaTurDay, November 28, 2009 — 9

sports

upcoming JV’s that may help them be even more troublesome for opponents to deal with this season.

One of the returning players that should make some noise as a forward is Carlos Watkins.

Watkins (6-foot-3) is a monster to handle on the inside and has proven to be a powerful player in the post. Watkins, just a sopho-more, also has good basketball skills to go along with his ath-leticism.

“He is capable of producing double-double figures in scor-ing and rebounding, but that depends on how much he has matured as a player from last year,” Hines said.

Two more post players that could be probable starters are Wesley Roach and Adam Cooper.

Roach (6-foot-1), according to Hines, is a solid jump-shooter and doesn’t make very many mistakes. Cooper (6-foot-1) doesn’t have the basketball expe-rience that most of his team-mates do, but it will be hard to push him around. Cooper is considered an inside bruiser and just one of the few seniors on the Chase hoops team.

Leading at the point of attack is Keyshon Crawford. Crawford is just a sophomore but his play is crucial for Chase this sea-son. Crawford is very athletic and skillful and one player that Chase must rely on to create opportunities on and off the dribble.

Hines also spoke volumes about two more small forwards, Andrew Scruggs (6-foot-1) and Josh Mills (6-foot). Both have nice shooting range, but they need to take shots offered by opponents, according to Hines. Mills is one who can create his own shot, making the Trojans a formidable foe on any given night.

When asked about an over-view of Chase basketball, Hines wasn’t into predictions.

“I think we really need to be scrappy along the defensive end of the floor in order to make things happen for us,” Hines said. “I expect us to be competi-tive in the league, but our heart and character are starting to come around as a team.”

Key Losses: Tyshawn Simpson.

East Rutherford looking at bigger goals

FOREST CITY — East Rutherford (18-8, 7-3) had one of their best seasons in recent years of hoops play, making it to the second round of the state play-offs after a two-year stint of not being in the postseason.

The championship dreams ended early last year after being bounced out by a senior-laden Madison County team, but East returns a few players from that team and look to build from what they have accomplished as of late.

However, it didn’t take long for East Rutherford boys basketball coach Brad Levine to figure out who will be leading his chargers this season — Devince Boykins.

Boykins (6-foot-3) has played AAU ball for years and a number of Division I colleges are taking a look at the young man. Those looking at Boykins, who is only a junior, range from ACC schools to several Division II programs.

“I think our team does start with Devince and opponents will try to key on him for sure,” Levine said. “He has the natu-ral instincts and athletic ability to do things when it’s needed, but we are not going to be one-dimensional. It takes a team concept to win games.”

Another role player that the Cavaliers will depend upon is Zach Price. Price has contribut-ed over the last couple of seasons as a respectable spot shooter. But Levine noted Price is also his best defensive guard, who can also play a little bit of small forward if necessary.

The last of the three returning Cavaliers’ starters is sophomore Rob Gray. Gray is considered a smart, but skilled athlete, who has potential to play at the next level if he continues to work hard.

Former Chase Trojans guard Raheem Hampton is now at East and Levine likes what he has seen so far from out of him at practice. Possibly another guard or forward, for East, Hampton is not afraid to shoot the basket-ball.

“I think we will have good guard play, even though we are young, the maturity level should be high,” Levine said.

Mikhail Baxter and Ricky Wilkerson, seniors, should see significant minutes this season as well, mentioned Levine.

Baxter will step in as a guard and Wilkerson a forward. Last season, Wilkerson gave a good effort in a number of games and the Cavaliers hope his physical presence can assist their team concept.

Overall, East Rutherford has taken steps in getting better, but what the cards hold, Levine real-ly wasn’t much into predicting the outcome.

“If we stay healthy and keep progressing, we might can stay close to the top half of the con-ference,” Levine said. “I expect the conference to be balanced and it may even be a four or five horse race at the top. We could make a run in the playoffs, but you never know, it’s basketball.”

Key losses: Teon Beckett, Mico Miller.

R-S Central returns experienced group

RUTHERFORDTON — Want athletes, a few returners from last year and a team that has a postseason experience under their belts?

R-S Central boys basketball fits perfectly under that category with four seniors and seven kids back all together, all of which are hopeful for a second consec-utive playoff berth.

A last-second, half-court buzz-er-beater by North Buncombe closed out the Hilltoppers’ sea-son in unbelievable fashion during the first round of the NCHSAA 3A playoffs last year.

“The kids who are back with me this year have a bad taste in their mouths with the way the season ended last year,” R-S Central boys basketball coach Greg Wright said. “I expect us to have a successful year and by the middle, to the end of this season, we should be a pretty good bas-ketball team. I really believe that the team will improve and get better on a daily basis.”

One of those returners is also the school’s senior run-ning back in football, Oddie Murray. Murray (forward) has tremendous physical strength and Wright wants to utilize the workhorse on the block as much as possible.

Of all the senior return-ers, Shaquille Wilkins may be the best all-around player R-S Central will have in their arse-nal this season. Wilkins (guard/forward) is not a vocal leader according to Wright, but Wilkins does lead by example in the way

he shoots and excitement he can create on the court.

“The team feeds off Wilkins’ energy and he is a superb ath-lete, who plays well on both sides of the floor,” Wright said.

Kyle Holmstrom, now a four-year player at shooting guard for the Hilltoppers, comes back for his final season as a senior. Holmstrom has a nice shoot-ing touch, especially outside the arc, but Wright pointed out that Holmstrom also contributes defensively. Holmstrom knows his role on the team, accord-ing to Wright, and that gives the coach additional confidence that Holmstrom’s experience could pay dividends for the Hilltoppers.

Jacob Kinlaw, a junior, also returns and he will be back in the post. Kinlaw is an excellent post defender and continues to work on his jumpshot, which did find the bottom of the net at clutch times last season. Kinlaw also has a toughness about him since he became quarterback of the football team of the varsity program.

Another transfer, who is also a two-sport athlete is Corey Jimerson. Jimerson was a wide receiver on the football team, but his basketball skill has Wright projecting that Jimerson will be the team’s starting point guard.

Jimerson, who is a good shoot-er, will also be in command of getting the rest of the team in the correct positions on court. Wright stated that he has confi-dence in Jimerson running the offense and that Jimerson has accepted the challenge.

The quick guards of Todd Lynch and Everette Murray should also pan out as they return for another year at R-S Central.

Added help in the post include returner, Jonathan Fuller and transfer student, Darrien Watkins. Fuller is more of a rebounding and shot blocking threat, while Watkins can do both of those plus present a dan-ger with the ball in hands.

Wright specifically stressed that he is looking for his charges to finish plays on both ends of the court this season, but the loss of assistant coach Larry Guffey and six seniors also weighs on the mind of what is to come out of this season.

“We have the components to be a good basketball team, but the kids have to be willing to work hard and accept the roles for which they are given,” Wright said. “So far, they have worked hard, but I want us to play fundamental team basketball, because I don’t expect us to do anything fancy.”

Key Losses: Quatez Fuller, Deshawn Littlejohn and Chris Logan.

HoopsContinued from Page 7

Garrett Byers/Daily CourierCentral’s Oddie Murray (50) and East’s Devince Boykins (15) battle for a rebound during a basketball game at East Rutherford in this file photo from January, 2009. Although the annual clashes between Central and East are closely watched, the South Mountain Athletic Conference Men’s Title may run through Shelby or Freedom.

App State opens FCS playoffs again with SC StateBy JEFFREY COLLINSAssociated Press Writer

BOONE — South Carolina State gets to play the same team at the same time at the same place to open this year’s Football Championship Subdivision playoffs. Coach Buddy Pough figures the best way to make sure it doesn’t happen again is to beat Appalachian State this time.

“Our big chore now is to win a football game so that we gain some respect and maybe not have to deal with these situations in the future,” Pough said.

The Bulldogs and Mountaineers meet Saturday at noon in Boone, with the winner advancing to play the winner of Richmond and Elon.

It’s a rematch from last season, when the Mountaineers won the playoff opener 37-21 in a game that was a lot closer than a lot of people expected. Appalachian State would lose the next week, ending its pursuit for a fourth straight national title.

Both teams come into the game on a roll. The Bulldogs only loss this year came to Football Bowl Subdivision member South Carolina. They have trailed less than 15 minutes total all season against FCS teams and won 19 games in a row in the Mid-Eastern Athletic Conference.

The Mountaineers have won nine in a row after opening the season with losses to FBC mem-ber East Carolina and fellow FCS playoff team McNeese State. They are on a 20-game Southern Conference winning streak.

“They’re probably like us. They are probably a lit-tle bit better football team this year than they were last year,” Appalachian State coach Jerry Moore said.

The difference in last season’s playoff game was Mountaineers quarterback Armanti Edwards, who threw for 433 yards and four touchdowns and ran for another score.

Pough said Edwards was likely the best player in the history of the FCS, adding that watching film of Appalachian State hasn’t given him any good answers on how to stop the senior quarterback.

“I don’t know what the best thing to do against this guy is,” Pough said. “I think you’ve got to mix it up. I think you’ve got to have more than one plan, I guarantee you that.”

The Bulldogs are scoring 34 points a game against FCS teams and outgaining their opponents by nearly 137 yards a contest. Senior running back Will Ford has 1,010 yards in 2009 despite defenses keying on him, becoming the MEAC’s all-time leading rusher last week against North Carolina A&T. Their defense is fifth in all of FCS, allowing 251 yards a game.

Most importantly is South Carolina State now has playoff experience, which Moore said is more important than being familiar with his Mountaineers from last season’s playoff game.

“I think it’s an advantage just that you’ve just been in the playoffs,” Moore said. “I don’t know if it is any advantage coming back here.”

The Mountaineers have the second best offense in the FCS at 479 yards a game. But the defense is allowing 319 yards a game, ranking just 30 in the subdivision.

The Bulldogs pushed hard to host a playoff game, but lost out to economics and geography. The NCAA only guarantees the top four seeds stay home for the first two rounds of the postsea-son. After that, the selection committee matches teams to require just a bus trip and gives the home game to the team that gives the better bid. The Bulldogs couldn’t get one of those top seeds, and the Mountaineers are drawing more fans that any other FCS team.

“Although it was a disappointment, we got over it in a hurry,” Pough said.

This is Appalachian State’s 16th trip to the play-offs, compared to just the fourth trip for South Carolina State and just the second since 1982.

The Bulldogs also play in what has been a much weaker league in the playoffs. A MEAC team hasn’t won a playoff game since 1999.

But Pough said his players aren’t worried about any of that.

“I think we are more confident than we were last year. Now, the one thing you can find about kids pretty easily is that they never know when they are in trouble,” Pough said, laughing.

Armanti Edwards (14).

9/

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Weather/NatioN

Thief fails in ATM plotBOULDER, Colo. (AP) —

Authorities say a man in Colorado apparently tried to steal an ATM by hauling it away with a truck.

The plan didn’t work. The alleged attempted theft of the free-standing, outdoor ATM in Boulder set off an alarm early Wednesday morning. When police arrived they found the ATM on its side about 15 feet from its foundation outside a Chase Bank. No money had been taken.

Surveillance photos show a man hooking the ATM’s chain to the back of a U-Haul truck. The truck, which had been reported as stolen, was discovered a short distance away later that day.

Shuttle back on EarthCAPE CANAVERAL, Fla. (AP) —

Space shuttle Atlantis and its seven astronauts returned to Earth with a smooth touchdown Friday to end an “amazing” flight that resupplied the International Space Station.

Within a few hours of landing, the astronauts feasted on turkey and trimmings with their families.

“You go see the doc, you get a tur-key dinner. It’s a pain,” commander Charles Hobaugh told reporters with a smile.

The new father on the crew, Randolph Bresnik, bolted out of NASA’s spaceport when the meal was over. He flew home to Houston a day ahead of his crewmates so he

could see his newborn daughter and wife, who gave birth Saturday.

With bright sunlight glinting off it, the shuttle swooped through a clear sky and landed right on time. Mission Control said no one could remember such welcoming condi-tions: No clouds and temperatures in the 50s.

“Couldn’t have picked a clearer day,” Hobaugh said during the final approach.

“We really had truly an amazing mission,” Hobaugh said after exiting Atlantis.

Cookie run ends in crashCHARLOTTE (AP) — A 76-year-

old North Carolina man spent a cold night in his car at the bottom of a ditch after he left his rural home to buy his favorite oatmeal cream cookies.

Multiple media outlets reported that Arthur McKenzie told hospital workers a deer ran in front of his car Wednesday night and he wound up down an embankment so steep he couldn’t climb out.

McKenzie had planned to drive about five miles to the store and back to his Cleveland County home because he had run out of the cook-ies. But the trip over a winding, remote country road was interrupt-ed by the deer.

McKenzie was in stable condi-tion at Cleveland Regional Medical Center in Shelby.

JUPITER, Fla. (AP) — A Florida man opened fire on his family after Thanksgiving dinner, killing his pregnant sister, 6-year-old cousin and two other relatives before speed-ing off and initiating a statewide manhunt, police said Friday.

Police were still searching Friday evening for the suspect, Paul Michael Merhige, 35, of Miami.

He also is accused of gunning down his pregnant sister’s twin and his 79-year-old aunt. Jupiter Police Sgt. Scott Pascarella said there had been an “ongoing resentment” in the fam-ily, but did not elaborate.

“What led to this incident, we’re not quite sure,” Pascarella said. “It did not appear there was any altercation prior to this shooting.”

Pascarella said Merhige left briefly before returning to the gathering with a handgun.

Seventeen relatives had gathered in Jupiter, a small beach town about 90 miles north of Miami best known as a home to celebrities including Michael Jordan and Burt Reynolds.

Police spokeswoman Sally Collins-Ortiz said the city had never experi-enced a slaying with so many victims.

The department enlisted the U.S. Marshals in the search for Merhige, who police said had no known crimi-nal past. He was believed to be driv-ing a royal blue 2007 Toyota Camry with a rear spoiler and Florida

license plate W42 7JT.Pascarella said police first received

a 911 call from a neighbor, then another from someone inside the home. The residence, in a well-kept new subdivision with brick-paved driveways, is owned by local TV videojournalist Jim Sitton and his wife. On Friday it was surrounded by yellow crime scene tape and police crime unit vans.

Sitton’s daughter Makayla was the young victim. Police say she had gone to bed before the rampage.

Sitton told local media that his daughter was supposed to perform Friday in a holiday production of “The Nutcracker.”

“God packed a lot of sweetness into that little body,” Sitton said. “She’s just our life. I don’t know how we are ever going to recover.”

The other victims were Merhige’s twin sisters, Carla Merhige and Lisa Knight, and an aunt, Raymonde Joseph. A fifth victim, Merhige’s brother-in-law Patrick Knight, was in critical but stable condition at a local hospital. Another man, Clifford Gebara, 52, was grazed by a bullet but suffered no serious injury.

More family members gathered late Friday morning near Miami, declin-ing to talk with reporters.

Neighbors in the Palm Beach County community were shocked as police processed the home.

SPANISH FORK, Utah (AP) — The Utah cave where a 26-year-old medical student died earlier in the week will be closed permanently and his body will not be removed.

State and county officials made the announce-ment Friday afternoon, saying it was simply too dangerous to try to recover John Jones’ body.

Jones died late Wednesday about 28 hours after getting wedged into a tight, unmapped passage of Nutty Putty Cave, a site about 80 miles south of Salt Lake City.

The 6-foot-tall, 190-pound Jones got stuck with his head at an angle below his feet about 9 p.m. Tuesday. He was in an L-shaped area of the cave known as “Bob’s Push.” The area is only about 18 inches wide and 10 inches high.

State officials plan to meet Monday to discuss the best way to permanently close the cave.

=WASHINGTON (AP) — The Virginia couple who crashed a presi-dential dinner met President Barack Obama in the receiving line, the White House said Friday, as a “deeply concerned and embarrassed” Secret Service acknowledged its officers failed to check whether the couple was on the guest list.

The White House released a photo showing the Salahis in the receiv-ing line in the Blue Room with Obama and Indian Prime Minister Manmohan Singh, in whose honor the dinner was held. Obama and Michaele Salahi are smiling as she grasps his right hand with both of hers as her husband, Tareq, looks on. Singh is standing to the left of Obama.

The Secret Service earlier this week had said the president was not in danger because the couple — like others at the dinner — had gone through magnetometers. But in light of their close proximity to the presi-dent, no such claim was made Friday.

The Salahis were not on the guest list and should have been prohib-ited from entering last Tuesday’s dinner on the White House South Lawn for the prime minister of India, said Secret Service Director Mark Sullivan.

On Friday, Sullivan was apologetic in a written statement, saying the agency that protects the president is “deeply concerned and embarrassed” that procedures were not followed.

“As our investigation continues, appropriate measures have been taken to ensure this is not repeated,” Sullivan said.

Secret Service spokesman Jim Mackin said officers at the check-point had a clipboard with names of the invited guests. Even though the Salahis names weren’t on it, they were allowed to proceed. The officers should have called either someone on the White House staff or Secret Service personnel before allowing them past the checkpoint, Mackin said.

Associated PressA Jupiter police officer stands in front of a home Friday where four people were killed, including a 6-year-old girl, during a shooting at Thanksgiving dinner Thursday night. Police were searching Friday for a man suspected in the Thanksgiving shoot-ing deaths of his twin sisters, aunt and a 6-year-old cousin during a family celebra-tion.

Secret Service says officers did not follow procedures

Four family members slain in holiday shooting

Body of Utah spelunker will remain inside cave

State/Nation Today

10/

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The Daily Courier Weather

Moon Phases

Almanac

North Carolina Forecast

Today’s National Map

Full12/2

Last12/8

New12/16

First12/24

Today

SunnyPrecip Chance: 0%

61º

Tonight

ClearPrecip Chance: 0%

35º

Sunday

Mostly SunnyPrecip Chance: 5%

67º 42º

Monday

Few ShowersPrecip Chance: 50%

61º 40º

Tuesday

Partly CloudyPrecip Chance: 10%

53º 39º

Wednesday

Rain LikelyPrecip Chance: 60%

51º 41º

Sun and Moon

Local UV Index

Sunrise today . . . . .7:15 a.m.Sunset tonight . . . . .5:16 p.m.Moonrise today . . . .2:30 p.m.Moonset today . . . . .3:18 a.m.

TemperaturesHigh . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .61Low . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .33Normal High . . . . . . . . . . . .58Normal Low . . . . . . . . . . . . .32

Precipitation24 hrs through 7 a.m. yest. .0.00"Month to date . . . . . . . . .6.76"Year to date . . . . . . . . .50.58"

Barometric PressureHigh yesterday . . . . . . .29.92"

Relative HumidityHigh yesterday . . . . . . . . .93%

City Hi/Lo Wx Hi/Lo Wx

Asheville . . . . . . .59/32 s 64/37 sCape Hatteras . . .55/44 s 64/57 sCharlotte . . . . . . .60/35 s 67/42 sFayetteville . . . . .60/35 s 68/44 sGreensboro . . . . .58/35 s 65/41 sGreenville . . . . . .58/36 s 68/45 sHickory . . . . . . . . . .60/34 s 65/42 sJacksonville . . . .59/33 s 67/47 sKitty Hawk . . . . . .57/44 s 63/53 sNew Bern . . . . . .59/35 s 68/48 sRaleigh . . . . . . . .59/35 s 67/44 sSouthern Pines . .60/34 s 67/43 sWilmington . . . . .60/37 s 69/51 sWinston-Salem . .58/35 s 65/41 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 Sunday

City Hi/Lo Wx Hi/Lo Wx

Atlanta . . . . . . . . .63/39 s 65/46 sBaltimore . . . . . . .52/38 s 58/42 sChicago . . . . . . . .51/38 s 46/37 mcDetroit . . . . . . . . .46/37 s 46/33 raIndianapolis . . . .55/41 s 52/36 raLos Angeles . . . .65/48 mc 70/48 sMiami . . . . . . . . . .73/63 s 77/67 sNew York . . . . . . .52/39 mc 55/42 sPhiladelphia . . . .53/36 s 56/46 sSacramento . . . . .63/39 s 58/42 sSan Francisco . . .65/44 s 66/47 sSeattle . . . . . . . . .49/44 ra 51/41 mcTampa . . . . . . . . .68/48 s 75/56 sWashington, DC .53/38 s 60/43 s

Today Sunday

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.

L

L

H

H

70s

70s70s

60s60s

50s

50s

40s

40s40s

30s

30s

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 City56/38

Greenville58/36

Wilmington60/37

Greensboro58/35

Raleigh59/35

Charlotte60/35

Forest City61/35

Fayetteville60/35

Kinston58/35

Durham58/35

Asheville59/32

Winston-Salem58/35

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

Weather

The Daily Courier, Forest City, NC, SaTurDay, November 28, 2009 — 11

business/finance

NEW YORK (AP) — This was the sideswipe investors had feared.

The stock market is in the middle of one of the great rallies of a generation, but for weeks there has been a nagging fear that bad news was never far off. The news came from Dubai, a wealthy Middle Eastern city-state that many Americans probably couldn’t find on a map. Concerns that a government-backed investment company risked defaulting on $60 billion in debt ripped through world markets and served as a reminder of how fragile the financial system remains a year after it nearly collapsed.

The Dow Jones industrial average slumped 155 points Friday before trading ended three hours early due to the Thanksgiving holiday. The Dow fell as much as 233 points. The broad retreat from riskier assets pushed Treasury prices higher. The dollar gained against most other major currencies and commodities tumbled.

Now the question that will dog investors over the weekend is whether the markets will shrug off a financial crisis in the Middle East or seek protec-tion in more conservative investments. That could end a rally that has seen the Dow surge 57.5 per-cent since March 9.

Stocks ended well off their lows but analysts cau-tioned that the shortened day and scarcity of trad-ers meant the real test for the markets will come next week as traders return from long weekends.

The day’s gyrations made clear that investors who might have been buying up stock in the past eight months remain on edge about faults in the finan-cial system and the economy.

The latest trouble on Wall Street comes as the U.S. kicks off the unofficial start to the holiday shopping season. Investors will be tracking news from retailers for insights into how much consum-ers will spend in the coming month.

The Dow fell 154.48, or 1.5 percent, to 10,309.92. It was the Dow’s biggest drop since Oct. 30.

The broader Standard & Poor’s 500 index fell 19.14, or 1.7 percent, to 1,091.49, and the Nasdaq composite index fell 37.61, or 1.7 percent, to 2,138.44.

For the week, the Dow slipped 0.1 percent, break-ing a three-week winning streak. The S&P 500 index rose less than 0.1 percent and the Nasdaq fell 0.4 percent. Stocks are still up sharply for the month and the year.

Analysts were divided over whether Dubai’s prob-lems meant more trouble was to come.

Jeffrey Frankel, president of Stuart Frankel & Co. in New York, said U.S. investors were given a chance to digest the news with markets closed on Thanksgiving. Reports of Dubai’s problems sur-faced during trading on Wednesday and drew little initial reaction.

The yield on the benchmark 10-year Treasury note, which moves opposite its price, fell to 3.21 percent from 3.28 percent late Wednesday. The yield on the three-month T-bill, which is consid-ered one of the safest investments, fell to 0.01 per-cent from 0.03 percent.

The ICE Futures U.S. dollar index, which mea-sures the greenback against a basket of foreign currencies, rose 0.2 percent.

Commodities, which are priced in dollars, fell as the dollar gained. The move reflected an unwind-ing of trades that relied on a weak dollar to finance purchases of higher-yielding assets. Spooked traders reversing the so-called “carry trade” were demanding safe-haven assets.

Investors have been pushing into riskier assets in recent months as they seek bigger gains. U.S. inter-est rates are at record lows, making riskier invest-ments like stocks an enticing alternative to the paltry returns of safer investments.

Crude oil fell $1.91 to settle at $76.05 per barrel on the New York Mercantile Exchange after being down by more than $5. Gold fell after a 10-day climb.

By ANNE D’INNOCENZIOAP Retail Writer

The nation’s shoppers took advantage of deals on toys and TVs with some renewed vigor in stores and online on Black Friday after a year of concen-trating their spending on basic necessities.

Though the first numbers won’t be available until Saturday, early reports indicated bigger crowds than last year, with people buy-ing more and even throwing in some items for themselves.

It was an encouraging sign for retailers, which have suffered through a year of sales declines, and perhaps also for the broader economy, which could use a kickstart from consumer spend-ing.

In Chicago, Dan Montgomery and his wife carted bulging Macy’s bags, proclaiming the department stores had “killer deals.” Their favorite buy? A set of two skillets for $19.99, marked down from $100.

Still, mall operators said more shoppers were sticking to mak-ing purchases in cash and debit cards instead of credit. “I like cash because when you’re out of cash, you’re out of cash. And you don’t have the hangover in January,” Montgomery said.

Worries about jobs clearly were on shoppers’ minds. Most people buying for themselves were pick-ing up practical things that were deeply discounted such as pil-lows, pajamas and coffee mak-ers, according to stores.

“With the layoff there have been a few cutbacks, but with the great sales they’re offering this year, I think it’s, overall, going to be a great Christmas for

my two granddaughters,” said Ernest Bell of Marietta, Ga.

The nation’s retailers ushered in the traditional start of the holiday shopping season with expanded hours and deep dis-counts in hopes of getting people to spend.

Online, Walmart.com, Amazon.com and other online retailers also grabbed for a piece of the action, pushing deals on Thursday and even earlier in the week. Several large retailers, including Walmart and many Old Navy locations, even opened on Thanksgiving.

Though there were isolated reports of squabbles, the pre-dawn crowds were generally calm.

Analysts monitoring the malls said shoppers were less frenetic, having researched deals before going shopping. Extended hours also gave shoppers more time to grab deals both online and in stores than a year ago. Most Walmart stores were open on Thanksgiving to prevent the mad dash of shoppers for its Friday 5 a.m. specials.

ShopLocal, a subsidiary of publisher Gannett Co., on Friday said traffic was up 27 percent at top retailers’ online sites featur-ing their Black Friday ads.

Stores were encouraged that shoppers appeared to be a little freer with their spending. Best Buy, Sears Holdings Corp. and Mall of America, as well as mall operators Taubman Centers and Simon Property Group, offered signs people were buying more than last year.

An average of about 1,000 people were in line for midnight openings at Toys R Us stores,

CEO Gerald Storch said. After setting aside 100 Zhu Zhu Pets hamsters for each location, Toys R Us came back with several shipments of the hot toy for sev-eral of its stores Friday.

Even luxury stores, which gen-erally aren’t the big attractions for Black Friday, had brisk traf-fic, according to analysts.

More than 5,000 people were at Macy’s Herald Square store in New York early Friday, slightly more than last year, Macy’s CEO Terry J. Lundgren said. Among the most popular items were Tommy Hilfiger $99 bomber jackets, marked down from $450.

Dondrae May, a manager at a Best Buy in Framingham, Mass., said shoppers started lining up at 4 p.m. Thursday — 13 hours before opening. The biggest draws were laptops, TVs and GPS systems, he said.

The chain had sold out of all of its early morning specials within two hours of the 5 a.m. opening, spokesman Scott Morris said.

While Black Friday is not a bellwether for the season, analysts are studying Friday’s receipts to better understand the mindset of shoppers like Laura Frankito, a nurse who found her-self at Kohl’s outside Cleveland buying a Snuggie blanket-robe for her aunt and Tony Hawk T-shirts for her nephew.

She’s only giving money to her two children, and she pointed out her newfound practicality by saying she wouldn’t get a $12.99 canine version of the Snuggie for her sister’s dog.

“There would have been a year when I would have gotten that,” she said.

Dubai debt fear sends markets into decline

Early retail signs are positive

Shoppers walk past an advertisement during the traditional Black Friday shopping day at the Americana at Brand in Glendale, Calif. on Friday. The nation’s shoppers took advantage of deals on toys and TVs with some renewed vigor in stores and online on Black Friday after a year of con-centrating their spending on basic necessities.

Associated Press

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STOCKS OF LOCAL INTERESTYTD

Name Div Yld PE Last Chg%ChgYTD

Name Div Yld PE Last Chg %ChgAT&T Inc 1.64 6.1 13 26.99 -.09 -5.3Amazon ... ... 77 131.74 -2.29+156.9ArvMerit ... ... ... 8.35 -.40+193.0BB&T Cp .60 2.5 17 24.26 -.73 -11.7BkofAm .04 .3 ... 15.47 -.48 +9.9BerkHa A ... ... 31101001.00-1007.00 +4.6Cisco ... ... 24 23.38 -.36 +43.4Delhaize 2.01 2.6 ... 76.34 -1.27 +21.2Dell Inc ... ... 19 14.14 -.22 +38.1DukeEngy .96 5.8 14 16.69 -.06 +11.2ExxonMbl 1.68 2.2 17 74.87 -1.60 -6.2FamilyDlr .54 1.7 15 31.02 -.46 +19.0FifthThird .04 .4 ... 9.57 -.37 +15.9FCtzBA 1.20 .8 14 151.17 -3.33 -1.1GenElec .40 2.5 14 15.94 -.24 -1.6GoldmanS 1.40 .9 19 164.16 -4.76 +94.5Google ... ... 37 579.76 -5.98 +88.4KrispKrm ... ... ... 3.14 -.11 +86.9

LeggPlat 1.04 5.3 72 19.57 -.43 +28.8

Lowes .36 1.6 19 21.96 -.19 +2.0

Microsoft .52 1.8 19 29.22 -.57 +50.3

PPG 2.16 3.6 27 59.33 -1.34 +39.8

ParkerHan 1.00 1.9 26 53.57 -1.45 +25.9

ProgrssEn 2.48 6.4 13 38.80 -.51 -2.6

RedHat ... ... 60 26.80 -.82+102.7

RoyalBk g 2.00 ... ... 53.24 -1.40 +79.5

SaraLee .44 3.6 20 12.14 -.19 +24.0

SonicAut ... ... ... 8.98 -.35+125.6

SonocoP 1.08 3.9 20 27.84 -.37 +20.2

SpectraEn 1.00 5.2 15 19.31 -.35 +22.7

SpeedM .36 2.3 ... 15.98 -.57 -.8

Timken .36 1.4 ... 24.96 -.42 +27.2

UPS B 1.80 3.1 34 57.43 -.77 +4.1

WalMart 1.09 2.0 16 54.63 -.33 -2.6

STOCK MARKET INDEXES

MUTUAL FUNDS

DAILY DOW JONES

10,495.61 6,469.95 Dow Industrials 10,309.92 -154.48 -1.48 +17.47 +16.774,066.40 2,134.21 Dow Transportation 3,922.84 -49.48 -1.25 +10.90 +11.69

388.86 288.66 Dow Utilities 375.71 -6.28 -1.64 +1.34 -1.717,266.51 4,181.75 NYSE Composite 7,070.09 -162.03 -2.24 +22.81 +26.271,887.23 1,130.47 Amex Market Value 1,760.78 -56.47 -3.11 +25.99 +29.092,205.32 1,265.52 Nasdaq Composite 2,138.44 -37.61 -1.73 +35.60 +39.261,113.69 666.79 S&P 500 1,091.49 -19.14 -1.72 +20.84 +21.79

717.75 397.97 S&P MidCap 683.79 -13.99 -2.00 +27.03 +32.9311,470.47 6,772.29 Wilshire 5000 11,166.53 -200.18 -1.76 +22.88 +24.83

625.30 342.59 Russell 2000 577.21 -14.98 -2.53 +15.57 +22.00

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

THE MARKET IN REVIEW

PIMCO TotRetIs CI 111,038 11.03 +1.4 +19.0/C +7.1/A NL 5,000,000American Funds GrthAmA m LG 61,982 26.78 +2.4 +34.0/C +2.8/A 5.75 250American Funds CapIncBuA m IH 56,647 48.03 +2.0 +23.9/D +4.2/C 5.75 250American Funds CpWldGrIA m WS 53,772 33.81 +1.9 +38.2/C +6.5/A 5.75 250Fidelity Contra LG 52,867 56.58 +2.6 +28.2/D +4.5/A NL 2,500Vanguard TotStIdx LB 52,578 26.75 +2.3 +28.2/C +0.9/B NL 3,000American Funds IncAmerA m MA 47,485 15.39 +2.6 +27.8/C +3.0/B 5.75 250American Funds InvCoAmA m LB 46,374 25.52 +3.3 +27.9/C +1.6/B 5.75 250Vanguard 500Inv LB 45,505 100.96 +2.9 +26.1/C +0.4/C NL 3,000Vanguard InstIdx LB 40,396 100.33 +2.9 +26.3/C +0.5/C NL 5,000,000American Funds EurPacGrA m FB 38,984 38.42 +1.2 +48.0/A +8.3/A 5.75 250Dodge & Cox Stock LV 37,893 93.99 +2.5 +33.4/A -0.5/D NL 2,500American Funds WAMutInvA m LV 37,017 24.42 +4.2 +19.7/D +0.3/C 5.75 250Dodge & Cox IntlStk FV 34,519 31.52 -0.2 +54.8/A +6.1/A NL 2,500American Funds NewPerspA m WS 31,027 25.32 +2.1 +42.7/B +5.9/A 5.75 250Fidelity DivrIntl d FG 30,998 27.84 +0.8 +41.5/D +4.2/C NL 2,500PIMCO TotRetAdm b CI 29,461 11.03 +1.4 +18.7/C +6.9/A NL 5,000,000American Funds FnInvA m LB 28,754 32.05 +2.6 +34.1/A +3.8/A 5.75 250American Funds BalA m MA 28,593 16.20 +3.1 +23.6/D +2.3/C 5.75 250FrankTemp-Franklin Income A m CA 27,892 2.01 +1.1 +40.7/A +3.4/B 4.25 1,000American Funds BondA m CI 27,597 11.96 +1.7 +19.6/C +2.8/E 3.75 250Vanguard Welltn MA 26,971 28.92 +2.8 +27.2/C +5.1/A NL 10,000Vanguard 500Adml LB 26,340 100.99 +2.9 +26.3/C +0.5/C NL 100,000Fidelity GrowCo LG 25,826 65.57 +2.6 +39.4/B +4.1/A NL 2,500Vanguard TotStIAdm LB 25,120 26.76 +2.3 +28.4/C +1.0/B NL 100,000Vanguard TotIntl FB 24,329 14.47 +0.3 +45.9/A +5.8/B NL 3,000Vanguard InstPlus LB 23,676 100.34 +2.9 +26.3/C +0.5/C NL 200,000,000Fidelity LowPriStk d MB 22,842 30.62 +0.9 +45.9/B +3.2/A NL 2,500T Rowe Price EqtyInc LV 14,422 20.58 +2.0 +25.8/C +0.9/B NL 2,500Hartford CapAprA m LB 9,041 29.81 +2.9 +45.5/A +3.7/A 5.50 1,000Pioneer PioneerA m LB 4,047 34.86 +3.1 +23.1/D +1.0/B 5.75 1,000Goldman Sachs ShDuGovA m GS 1,363 10.55 +0.7 +6.3/B +4.8/A 1.50 1,000Alliance Bernstein GrowIncA m LV 1,179 2.91 +2.1 +28.6/B -1.6/E 4.25 2,500DWS-Scudder REstA m SR 386 12.77 +1.4 +32.5/C -0.5/B 5.75 1,000Hartford GrowthL m LG 177 14.61 +1.7 +35.0/B +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 with same objective: A is in top 20%, E in bottom 20%. Min Init Invt: Minimum $ needed to invest in fund. Source: Morningstar.

NYSE7,070.09-162.03

AMEX1,760.78 -56.47

NASDAQ2,138.44 -37.61

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 least 50percent within the past year. rt = Right to buy security at a specified price. s = Stock has split by at least 20 percent within thelast year. un = Units. vj = In bankruptcy or receivership. wd = When distributed. wi = When issued. wt = Warrants. Mutual Fund Footnotes: b = Fee covering market costs is paid from fund assets. d = Deferred sales charge, or redemption fee.f = front load (sales charges). m = Multiple fees are charged. NA = not available. p = previous day’s net asset value. s = fundsplit shares during the week. x = fund paid a distribution during the week.Gainers and Losers must be worth at least $2 to belisted in tables at left. Most Actives must be worth at least $1. Volume in hundreds of shares. Source: The Associated Press.Sales figures are unofficial.

dd dd ddGAINERS ($2 OR MORE)

Volume

Name Vol (00) Last ChgPwShs QQQ560478 43.51 -.67Intel 351132 19.11 -.23Microsoft 285407 29.22 -.57ETrade 261705 1.59 -.07Cisco 212283 23.38 -.36Dell Inc 155534 14.14 -.22Sequenom 124834 4.13 +.28BrcdeCm 123069 7.23 -.11OriginAg 122692 11.00 +.65Oracle 122579 22.09 -.51

MOST ACTIVE ($1 OR MORE)

LOSERS ($2 OR MORE)

Name Last Chg %ChgFCtyBFL 3.49 +1.49 +74.5WestwdO n 5.71 +1.51 +36.0DNB Fnl n 7.74 +1.63 +26.7AltoPlrm 9.96 +1.37 +15.9Elecsys 4.20 +.54 +14.8JksvlBcFl 10.50 +1.25 +13.5SutronCp 7.49 +.79 +11.8WayneSvg 6.28 +.62 +10.9CmBkIN 8.00 +.77 +10.7SthnFstBsh 6.75 +.65 +10.7

Name Last Chg %ChgCtzCmtyBc 3.32 -.71 -17.6VlyNBc wt 2.04 -.36 -14.9IndiCmtyB 6.80 -1.15 -14.5TechTarg lf 5.40 -.80 -12.9FrontFn rs 3.70 -.51 -12.1SyntaPhm 3.88 -.51 -11.6AtlBcGp 4.79 -.61 -11.3PureCycle 2.54 -.32 -11.2OnlineRes 5.27 -.66 -11.1PeopBNC 4.99 -.61 -10.9

DIARYAdvanced 462Declined 2,147Unchanged 123Total issues 2,732New Highs 36New Lows 38

939,311,268Volume

Name Vol (00) Last ChgHemisphrx 87837 1.38 +.18Oilsands g 53680 1.24 +.10GoldStr g 40893 3.74 +.05Rentech 40271 1.47 -.03CelSci 37480 1.29 +.08NovaGld g 28918 5.48 -.36NthgtM g 28361 3.16 -.16GrtBasG g 16066 1.54 -.06NwGold g 15820 3.58 -.19Taseko 15602 3.09 -.15

MOST ACTIVE ($1 OR MORE)

GAINERS ($2 OR MORE)

LOSERS ($2 OR MORE)

Name Last Chg %ChgIncOpR 7.59 +2.39 +46.0ComndSec 2.13 +.15 +7.6TelInstEl 4.80 +.34 +7.6Arrhythm 3.73 +.23 +6.6PSBMetDS20.32 +1.12 +5.8HKN 3.69 +.19 +5.4PhrmAth 3.66 +.17 +4.9FullHseR 3.40 +.10 +3.1TremisEAc 7.93 +.23 +3.0MinnMuI 14.70 +.40 +2.8

Name Last Chg %ChgCmtyBT un 3.55 -.62 -14.9VistaGold 2.97 -.31 -9.5ContMatls 10.30 -1.05 -9.3UltEscapes 5.40 -.50 -8.5Lannett 5.65 -.52 -8.4StephanCo 2.65 -.24 -8.3BioTime wt 2.05 -.18 -8.1ChMda un 17.00 -1.50 -8.1MercBcp 3.60 -.30 -7.7ExeterR g 5.99 -.48 -7.4

DIARYAdvanced 132Declined 359Unchanged 55Total issues 546New Highs 4New Lows 2

Name Vol (00) Last ChgCitigrp 2370498 4.06 -.11SPDR 1005899 109.57 -1.81iShEMkts 960159 40.13 -1.62BkofAm 941881 15.47 -.48SPDR Fncl 684383 14.28 -.39DirFBear rs 596582 21.24 +1.59GenElec 596365 15.94 -.24iShR2K 474298 57.58 -1.75FordM 404197 8.73 -.08iShChina25 280499 43.11 -2.05

MOST ACTIVE ($1 OR MORE)

GAINERS ($2 OR MORE)

LOSERS ($2 OR MORE)

Name Last Chg %ChgDirxEMBear 5.78 +.61 +11.8Prime pfB 3.65 +.35 +10.6PrUShCh25 8.25 +.65 +8.6DirREBear 18.38 +1.44 +8.5DirxDMBear16.04 +1.26 +8.5DirFBear rs21.24 +1.59 +8.1ProUltSEM 12.00 +.89 +8.0ProUShPac20.52 +1.41 +7.4DirxSCBear12.72 +.86 +7.3DirxEnBear11.77 +.79 +7.2

Name Last Chg %ChgING 9.84 -2.44 -19.9WooriFn 35.00 -5.64 -13.9GSC Inv 2.10 -.28 -11.8DirxEMBull121.27-14.45 -10.6DirREBull 104.74-10.35 -9.0Hill Intl 6.10 -.60 -9.0CAI Intl 7.98 -.78 -8.9Maguir pfA 7.95 -.78 -8.9ProChina2573.52 -7.10 -8.8Shinhan 77.89 -7.34 -8.6

DIARYAdvanced 452Declined 2,567Unchanged 63Total issues 3,082New Highs 37New Lows 14

2,307,804,838Volume 80,683,177

8,000

8,500

9,000

9,500

10,000

10,500

NJ J A S O

10,160

10,340

10,520Dow Jones industrialsClose: 10,309.92Change: -154.48 (-1.5%)

10 DAYS

have you reviewed your life insurance lately?

12 — The Daily Courier, Forest City, NC, SaTurDay, November 28, 2009

12comics

SHOE by Chris Cassat and Gary Brookins

BROOM-HILDA by Russell Myers

ARLO AND JANIS by Jimmy Johnson

THE GRIZZWELLS by Bill Schoor

DILBERT by Scott Adams

THE BORN LOSER by Art and Chip SansomGIL THORP by Jerry Jenkins, Ray Burns and Frank McLaughlin

FRANK AND ERNEST by Bob Thaves

Dear Dr. Gott: In early 2006, my primary-care doctor suggested I have a colonoscopy. Although I was only 46 at the time, she had concerns, since my mother had colon cancer in 2000 and my father died from mela-noma in 1995.

As I was coming out of the anes-thesia, I remember him telling me that I had diverticulosis, but it was only one sac and, at that time, it was not a problem. He didn’t find any polyps. He also stated that he had to use a children’s scope because I am so small. I am about 5 feet 4 inches, approximately 115 pounds and very small-boned.

When I was finally healthy enough for surgery in September 2007, I had 2 feet of my colon removed and was given a temporary colostomy bag. I was 48 at the time. It was not cancer-ous. The entire surgery took about seven hours because of the extent of the infection. The surgeon also told my family that had we waited anoth-

er day I probably would have died. In January 2008, I had another

colonoscopy to be sure that every-thing had healed well. The following day, the colostomy bag was removed, and I was back to normal. I am now as healthy as ever, even more so given the past several years of suffering.

Dear Reader: I am printing your letter because it is a powerful reminder that patients have to take responsibility for their own health. Your experience is truly dishearten-ing, since your local gastroenterolo-gists failed to order simple lab and imaging tests to determine the cause of your persistent diarrhea after it failed to respond.

Missed diverticulitis causes problems

Dear Abby: My 8-year-old grand-daughter has posed a question that stumped me, and I hope you can help with an answer: Why be neat and well-groomed?

She doesn’t care what people think of how she looks. She sees no prob-lem wearing clothes that are torn, etc. I am concerned that by the time she reaches adolescence she won’t care how she looks when she leaves the house.

Her hair is extremely curly. It can’t be combed or it gets wilder and frizzier, which adds to her unkempt appearance. Her hair may improve as she gets older if she’s motivated to spend the extra time.

I am challenged by her question. How can I answer her? — Lost for Words

Dear Lost for Words: Please stop trying to have an adult conversation with an 8-year-old. Where is this child’s mother? Why is she permitted to go around in “torn, etc.” clothing? It’s time to talk to your son or daugh-ter about helping their child with her grooming. The way your grand-daughter looks is not only a reflec-tion on herself, but also the adults whose responsibility it is to care for her. While she may not care how she looks, her parents should.

Dear Abby: I’m a college freshman, majoring in French but taking other languages as well. I don’t know what

I want to do with my life, but I know that I love learning languages.

My friend, “Lacey,” has offered me the chance to stay with her family in France during our next summer break. Her family suggested it, and Lacey is urging me to go. I want to go to France, but I was planning on studying abroad through my univer-sity in a couple of years.

Lacey thinks I should stay with her family for a month or two in order to appreciate the culture. She says I could do some baby-sitting or chores to earn my keep, but I have two con-cerns: I feel it would be an inconve-nience for her family to take me in as a houseguest for the whole summer. And I don’t know what I would do with myself.

Lacey won’t be there, and I’d be living in a suburban area. — Tres Troublee

Dear Tres Troublee: Are you kid-ding? If I was offered a once-in-a-lifetime experience like this one, I’d take Lacey up on it in two seconds flat.

And I’d keep a journal.

Grandma needs help with wild child

Your brithday, Nov. 28;

There is a good chance you will have career opportunities.

SAGITTARIUS (Nov. 23-Dec. 21) — Elements of chance could be lucky for you.

CAPRICORN (Dec. 22-Jan. 19) — Put on your thinking cap, and let it start working.

AQUARIUS (Jan. 20-Feb. 19) — Adopting a positive attitude could be far more valuable than usua.

PISCES (Feb. 20-March 20) — A negative situation could suddenly shift.

ARIES (March 21-April 19) — You’re inclined to favor a group situation.

TAURUS (April 20-May 20) — Spend time engaging in some-thing that’s significant.

GEMINI (May 21-June 20) — Mental things could turn out to be rewarding for you.

CANCER (June 21-July 22) — If you have an opportunity to try your hand at a fresh pursuit, do so.

LEO (July 23-Aug. 22) — Don’t hesitate to be part of a group endeavor.

VIRGO (Aug. 23-Sept. 22) — Keep all your options open.

LIBRA (Sept. 23-Oct. 23) — Someone you haven’t seen for a while might make a happy appearance.

SCORPIO (Oct. 24-Nov. 22) — Get out and go shopping if you can.

EVENING NOVEMBER 28 DSH DTV 7:00 7:30 8:00 8:30 9:00 9:30 10:00 10:30 11:00 11:30 12:00 12:30

BROADCAST STATIONS

# WBTV 3 8651 3 Without Good Wife Criminal 48 Hours News Without Ath

$ WYFF 4 8182 4 Griffi Griffi Merry } ››› The Incredibles (‘04) Å News Saturday Night Live

_ WSPA 7 8181 7 News Insi Good Wife Criminal 48 Hours News WSSL Trax Pant

) WSOC - 8650 9 News Edi College Football Teams TBA. (L) News 12:05 CSI: NY

WLOS 13 8180 13 For Jeop College Football Teams TBA. (L) News Housewives

0 WGGS 2 8192 16 Jeru His Joyful Os Home Gospel Van Gaither Sp. Studio Angel

5 WHNS 12 8183 21 Two Two Cops Cops Most Wanted News Wanda Sykes Sit Paid

A WUNF 6 8190 33 Holiday Rock and Roll Classics Roy Orbison & Friends Austin City

H WMYA 8 8184 40 Payne Payne } Home for the Holidays Housewives Hollywood TMZ (N) Å Q WRET 97 - - Celtic Woman: Songs Rock and Roll War, Worlds Brain in Love

Æ WYCW 10 8185 62 Fam Fam CSI: NY Å CSI: NY Å News Offi ce CSI: Miami CSI: MiamiCABLE CHANNELS

A&E 23 118 265 Executive Criminal Criminal Criminal CSI: Miami Criminal BET 17 124 329 Game Game Game } Diary of a Mad Black Woman } › The Cookout (‘04)

COM 46 107 249 } ›› Waiting ... (‘05) Å } › The Ex (‘06) Å Tosh. Tosh. Jim Breuer CNN 27 200 202 Newsroom Camp. Brown Larry King Newsroom Camp. Brown Larry King DISC 24 182 278 Dirty Jobs Dirty Jobs Dirty Jobs Dirty Jobs Dirty Jobs Dirty Jobs ESPN 25 140 206 Scoreboard College Football Teams TBA. (L) SportsCenter Football Final ESPN2 37 144 209 Score :45 College Football Teams TBA. (L) Scoreboard Fast NFL Great FNC 15 205 360 FOX Report Huckabee Glenn Beck Geraldo Jour Watch Red Eye FSS 20 - - College Football Run College Football UCLA at USC. (L)

FX 36 137 248 Fam } ›› Click (‘06) Adam Sandler. } › Epic Movie (‘07) Damages FXM 38 133 258 Satisfaction } ››› The Commitments } ››› The Commitments Commitments HALL 16 187 312 Christmas } The National Tree (‘09) } The National Tree (‘09) National Tree HGTV 29 112 229 For House Sandra Lee Color Color House House House House Color Color HIST 43 120 269 Truckers } ››› Tombstone (‘93) Å White House: Behind Tombstone LIFE 35 108 252 } ›› Secret Santa (‘03) } ›› Comfort and Joy } ›› Comfort and Joy NICK 40 170 299 iCarly iCarly iCarly Big Time Lopez Lopez Martin Lopez Lopez Lopez Lopez SPIKE 44 168 241 Lethal Weapon 3 } ››› Forrest Gump (‘94) Tom Hanks. } ›› Road House SYFY 45 122 244 } Lake Placid 2 (‘07) Å } Beyond Sherwood Forest } Ice Spiders (‘07) Å TBS 30 139 247 } ››› The Santa Clause } Jingle All the Way :45 } ››› The School of Rock TCM 42 132 256 Casablanca Devil-Webster } ››› Bedazzled (‘67) Picture-Gray TLC 28 183 280 What Not What Not What Not What Not What Not What Not TNT 19 138 245 } ››› 300 (‘07) Å } ››› Gladiator (‘00) Russell Crowe. The Guardian TOON 14 176 296 Spy Kids 2 } ›› TMNT (‘07, Action) King King PJs Boon Bleach TS 33 437 649 College Basketball Superleague 3 Soap Phen College Football USA 32 105 242 6:30 } ›› The Game Plan } ››› Elf (‘03) Å Law CI 50 Dates WGN-A - 239 307 Bones Å } Home for the Holidays News Vi Scru Scru Thelma

PREMIUM CHANNELS

MAX 510 310 512 Tropic T :15 } ››› Shrek (‘01) } › Max Payne Life Co-ed Con 3 ENC 520 340 526 Assassins } ››› Twister (‘96) Å } ›› Eraser (‘96) Å Double I. HBO 500 300 501 Flash-Genius } ››› The Wrestler (‘08) Boxing: Andrade vs. Bute Curb-Enthsm SHO 540 318 537 In NFL Dexter } The Forbidden Kingdom Boxing: ShoBox Drug STARZ 530 350 520 National Treasure: Book } ›› The International Crash Å } Hancock

IN THE STARSPUZZLE

Dr. Peter M. Gott

Ask Dr. Gott

Abigail van Buren

Dear Abby

The Daily Courier, Forest City, NC, SATURDAY, November 28, 2009 — 13

NOTICE TO CREDITORS

Having qualified as Co-Executor of the estate of THOMAS M. ROBBINS of Rutherford County, North Carolina, this is to notify all persons having claims against the estate of the said THOMAS M. ROBBINS to present them to the undersigned on or before the 28th day of February 2010 or the same will be pleaded in bar of their recovery. All persons indebted to said estate will please make immediate payment.

This is the 28th day of November, 2009.

Tony M. Robbins, Co-ExecutorPO Box 550391Gastonia, NC 28055

Sonja Robbins Ruppe, Co-Executor118 McMurray Rd.Forest City, NC 28043

Store Managerand Sales Associates

Premier Locations/U.S. Cellular, one of the country’s leading

wireless providers, is growing in North Carolina — a great

opportunity for self-motivatedindividuals to advance in a

dynamic company.Great hourly wage plus

commissions and benefits.

Send resume to: tnjobs@uscpremier.com

or fax 865-482-3761

NORTH CAROLINA,RUTHERFORD COUNTY

NOTICE OF FORECLOSURE SALE09 SP 454

Under and by virtue of a Power of Sale contained in that certain Deed of Trust executed by John Adorante, An Unmarried Person to PRLAP, INC, Trustee(s), which was dated May 29, 2007 and recorded on May 30, 2007 in Book 959 at Page 376, 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 by an instrument duly recorded in the Office of the Register of Deeds of Rutherford County, North Carolina, 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 December 1, 2009 at 2:00PM, and will sell to the highest bidder for cash the following described property situated in Rutherford County, North Carolina, to wit:

Situate, lying and being in the Town of Forest City, North Carolina, in the North side of Utah Street in said Town, and being Lots Numbers Eighty (80), Eighty-One (81), Eighty-Two (82), Eighty-Three (83), Eighty-Four (84), and Eighty-Five (85) of HARMON SUBDIVISION as shown on a plat made by J. A. Wilkie, Surveyor, now of record in Plat Book 1, at Page 112, in the Office of the Register of Deeds for Rutherford County, North Carolina, to which plat reference is hereby made for a more full and complete description of said lots.

And being that same property as conveyed by Deed dated February 14, 2007, from Sherry Wilson Tyndall and husband, Rommie W. Tyndall and Sherry Tyndall, Executrix of the Estate of Max Harris Wilson to Cynthia L. Barnwell and of record in Deed Book 926 at Page 230, Rutherford County Registry.GBarnwell2.dew

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

Said property is commonly known as:160 Utah Street &, .23 Acres Adjacent to 160 Utah Street, Forest City, NC 28043

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 John A. Adorante.

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.

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 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.

Substitute TrusteeBrock & Scott, PLLCJeremy B. Wilkins, NCSB No. 323465431 Oleander Drive Suite 200Wilmington, NC 28403PHONE: (910) 392-4988FAX: (910) 392-8587File No.: 09-20221-FC01

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

us before the deadline for the next edition with corrections.We will rerun the ad or credit

your account for no more than one day.

*4 line minimum on all ads

1 WEEK SPECIALRun ad 6 consecutive

days and only pay for 5 days*

2 WEEK SPECIALRun ad 12 consecutive

days and only pay for 9 days*

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.

Email: emeyer@thedigitalcourier.comIn person: 601 Oak St., Forest City

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

CLASSIFIEDSFOR OUR WEEKLY SPECIAL POSTED EVERY SUNDAY IN

THE CLASSIFIEDS!

Rfdtn: 820 US Hwy.221N (2nd house

past Broyhill)Saturday 7A-2PChristmas, toys, clothes, shoes,

wood-coal heater, collectibles,much more!

RAIN OR SHINE FC: 273 Forest Lake Rd. (across from church) Thanksgiving 10A-

4P, Fri. & Sat. 6A-10ATop quality items!

Ladies clothes, (sm.-med), baby crib, books, crochet afghans, quilts,

dish sets, costume jewelry, Christmas sweaters & more!

Multi-family FC:Fox Run (off Oakland)

Saturday 9A-1PExercise bike, big

variety, lots of Christmas, some new.

INSIDE FC:1552 US Hwy 221ASat. 9A-until New

and used. Household, game table, shoes, plus size clothes,

Christmas, furniture, desk!

GARAGE SALE FC: 337 Hardin Rd. (out

from Thomas Jeffersonschool) Sat. 8A-til

Big SaleFC: 182 Hawthorne Ln (off Piney Ridge Rd) Sat. 7A-1P Womens,

baby clothing and boys (size 5), appl. & furniture, household items and lots more!

FC: Inside OldFurniture Barn

Saturday 9A-3PBargains!

$1, $2, $3 yard sale,Everything must go!

Don’t miss!Rain/Shine!

Big Yard Sale FC: 427Old Caroleen Rd. Sat. 8A-until Too much to

mention! No early birds, please!

Yard Sales

Male Shih Tzu white, gray and tan, friendly, well groomed. Found

on 221. 748-1165or 748-6050

Male Rottweiler found on 11/24 at

gas station on corner of Hwy 74 and Main St., Rfdtn. 245-1871

Found

M German Shepherd/ chow mix Brown/black,

long hair, has collar.Lost 11/12 FC/Caroleen

area. Call 429-5103

Black female pit bull terrier Last seen at 1205 US Hwy 221A.

Needs her meds!248-1898 or 429-6962

Lost

Black Angus HeifersExcellent Stock

replacement cattle 14-15 months $850

each 704-519-7640 or 828-453-7563

Livestock

I PAY CASH FOR DIABETIC TEST

STRIPS Up to $10 per 100 ct. Call Frank

828-577-4197

WILL BUY YOUR JUNK Cars & Trucks

Pick up at your convenience!

Call 223-0277

Want To Buy

Square bales ofhay fescue and serrica

Call 287-3933

For Sale

Wanted 29 SeriousPeople. Put your

computer to work!!$$$ paid daily pt/ft

6FigureMoney.com

Tax office needsexperienced person in tax preparation, payrollassistance, etc. Good working environment

Full and part time. Salary based on exp.

Send resume to:Box A, PO Box 1149,Forest City, NC 28043

Searching for PT Minister of Musicfor adult and youth

choirs. Send resume to: Mt. Vernon

Baptist Church, 2676 Hudlow Rd.,

Forest City, NC 28043

Rumbling BaldResort is looking to hire for the following

positions:1 PT Houseman

2 PT Housekeepers1 FT Facilities Tech

Available immediatelyExperience PreferredDrug Free workplace

Apply on-line at www.rumblingbald.com

or In person at:112 Mountains Blvd,

Lake Lure. No phone calls please!

Help Wanted

Position AvailableSeeking energetic, open-minded, sales

oriented individual for position in well

established locally owned/operated

agency in Rutherford County. Candidate

should have minimum of average computer, multi-line telephone

and office equipment knowledge. P

insurance background a definite plus. Please

forward resume to CustomerService.CIS

@gmail.com

PIANIST NEEDEDfor Kistler’s Chapel UMC Call 286-2520

leave message

MasterCorp Inc. is now hiring

housekeepers in the Lake Lure area for weekend help only. We offer excellent

wages, training, and weekly pay.

Call 828-551-5463 to make an appointment.

NO Walk ins!!

WENDY’S is nowlooking for an

Assistant Manager in Forest City. Health

insurance, 401k, 5 day work wk, free uniforms

and much more! Please send resume to: Brandon Jones,

PO Box 1022, Pisgah Forest, NC 28768 or

email bjones@tarheelcapital.com or fax 828-633-0493

EOE

Help Wanted

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

SAGE Technical Services&

ProfessionalTruck Driver

TrainingCarriers Hiring

Today!• PTDI Certified Course• One Student Per Truck• Potential Tuition Reimbursement• Approved WIA & TAA provider• Possible Earnings $34,000 First Year

Instruction

Nice, small officein Forest City. High

traffic count. $325/mo.Call 245-0557

Office Space2BR/2BA MH Chase community All appl.,

garden tub, semi priv. lot. $400/mo. 245-7115

2BR & 3BR Stove, refrig., cable, lawn

service & trash incld. $260-$350/mo. + dep.

No cats! Long term only! Call 453-0078

or 429-8822

Nice 3BR/2BA MH in nice park in Ellenboro. Appl., a/c. $450/mo. Deposit & ref’s req.

Senior disc. 248-1909

3BR/2BA on private road, full acre, quite,

wooded. Also, large camper

accommodates 2 on private road, water

and electric provided. Must be seen. Priced right! Call 245-8734

Mobile Homes

For Rent

Beautiful 2BR/1BA on 3.5 ac. on Hudlow Rd. Hdwd floors & carport.

$500/mo. 704-376-8081

Homes

For Rent

GREAT STARTER inCleveland County!

3BR/1BA Brick ranchw/great features - brick

fireplace in family room, large eat-in

kitchen, hardwoods, in-ground pool, large

fenced backyard, swing set and

2 storage sheds remain. $94,900 #45277 Coldwell Banker Mountain View Real Estate Contact Marsha

Brown 704-284-0137

Homes

For Sale

Special $100 dep.! 1, 2 & 3BR Nice, large

Townhomes Priv. decks, w/d hook up.

Water incld.! Starting at $375/mo.

1-888-684-5072

2BR/1.5BA $400/mo & 3BR/1.5BA $475/mo. Carolina Properties

828-625-9800

2 & 3BR Close to downtown Rfdtn. D/w, stove, refrig., w/d hook up. No pets! 287-0733

Apartments

Nice 2 Bedroom Townhouse Apt &

1 Bedroom Aptacross from Super 8

Motel in Spindale $385/mo. & $515/mo.

Call 828-447-1989

2BR/1BA APT in FC Newly updated!

$425/mo. + sec. dep. Contact 828-228-5873

Apartments

Richmond Hill Senior Apts. in Rfdtn 1BR Units w/handicap

accessible units avail. Sec 8 assistance avail.

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

7-3. TDD Relay 1-800-735-2962 EqualHousing Opportunity. Income Based Rent.

Mobile Homes

For Rent

Thousands of folks who have sold their cars, homes and merchandise onour classified pages, know that the Classifieds work harder for you. And,

so do all the people who have found cars, homes and bargains on ourpages. Not to mention jobs, roommates, financial opportunities and more.

To place a Classified listing, call 828-245-6431

The Daily Courier

“If You’d Listed Here,You’d Be Sold Now!”

Next time you have something to advertise, put the Classifieds on the job.

Lost or founda pet? Placean ad at nocost to you!

YARDSALES ARE

A GREATPLACE

TO FIND A DEAL!

Sell or rentyour property

in the Classifieds!!

14 — The Daily Courier, Forest City, NC, SATURDAY, November 28, 2009

TREE CARE

Carolina Tree Care& Stump Grinding

Chad Sisk(828) 289-7092Senior Citizen Discounts

10% discount on all workValid 9/17-11/1/09

• Low Rates• Good Clean Work• Satisfaction Guaranteed• Fully Insured• Free Estimates

TREE CARE

Mark Reid828-289-1871

Fully InsuredFree Estimates

20 Years ExperienceSenior Citizens &

Veterans Discounts

Topping & RemovalStump Grinding

BUSINESS SERVICE DIRECTORY&&Does your business need a boost?

Let us design an eye catching ad for your business! Business & Services Directory ads get results! Call the Classified Department!

245-6431

ROOFINGGARY LEE QUEEN’S

ROOFINGGolden Valley CommunityOver 35 Years Experience

CHURCHES & COMMUNITYBUILDINGS

ALSO METAL ROOFS

Call today! 245-8215

5 YEAR WARRANTY ON LABORFREE ESTIMATES

✓ All work guaranteed✓ Specializing in all types

of roofing, new & old✓ References furnished✓ Vinyl Siding

✓ 10% DISCOUNT FOR SENIOR CITIZENS

ROOFING

Todd McGinnisRoofing

FREE ESTIMATES

828-286-2306

Rubberized/RoofingMetal

Fix Leaks

HOME IMPROVEMENTS

Hensley’s Power Washing

828-245-6333828-253-9107AFFORDABLE

HOUSE WASHINGWITH experience & knowledge & Great

Customer serviceWe Can Bring Water

HOME IMPROVEMENTS

Family Owned & Operated

Local Business

Licensed Contractor with 35 Years Experience

Free Estimates & Fully Insured

LicensedContractor

Bill Gardner Construction, Inc

245-6367

WINDOWS & SIDINGENTRANCE DOORS STORM DOORS

YOURAD

COULDBE

HERE!

VETERINARIAN

Thunder RoadAnimal

Hospital

Spindale286-0033

Bi-Lo

Super 8Motel

74 Bypass

Denny’s

*Dog/Cat spay/neuter program*Low-cost monthly shot clinic*Flea & tick control*Heart worm prevention *SALE*

Save Up To $4600 Today

GRADING & HAULING

DAVID’S GRADING

We do it allNo job too small

828-657-6006Track Hoe Work,

Tractor Work , Dozer Work, Bobcat Work, Trenching,

Grading and Land Clearing, Hauling Gravel, Sand,

Dirt, Etc. FREE ESTIMATE

HOME IMPROVEMENT

Specializing In Metal Roofing.....Offered In Many ColorsGuaranteed Lowest Prices on Vinyl DH Windows

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

Website - hmindustries.com Visa Mastercard Discover

828-248-1681 704-434-9900H & M Industries, Inc.Clean up at the end of each day GUARANTEED

Vinyl Replacement WindowsDouble Pane, Double Hung

3/4" Glass, Energy-Star Rated

INSTALLED - $199*

FREE LOW EAND ARGON!

*up to 101 UI

HOME REPAIR

828-657-6518828-223-0310

* roofing * concrete* decks & steps* painting * carpentry* skirting * plumbing* sheet rock* room additions* metal roofing

NNo Job Too SmallDiscount for Senior Citizens

PAINTING

John 3:16

Interior & Exterior22 years experience

Great referencesFree Estimates

TREE CARE

Carolina Tree Care& Stump Grinding

Chad Sisk(828) 289-7092Senior Citizen Discounts

10% discount on all workValid 9/17-11/1/09

• Low Rates• Good Clean Work• Satisfaction Guaranteed• Fully Insured• Free Estimates

AIR CONDITIONING & HEATING

“We’re Not Comfortable Until You Are”“Serving Rutherford & Cleveland County For 30 Years”

NC License 6757 • SC License 4299

FAST RELIABLE SERVICE ON ALL BRANDSFree Estimates • Best Warranties

All Work GuaranteedService • Installation • Duct Cleaning • IAQ

Gas / Oil / Heat Pumps / Geothermal / Boilers Residential & Commercial

245-1141www.shelbyheating.com

24 Hour Emergency

Service

LAWN CARE

* Leaf Removal

* Gutter Cleaning

223-8191

Quality Lawn Care

ADVERTISE YOUR

BUSINESSfor

Less Than$5.25

Per Day!Call

245-6431 Ext. 205

PAINTING

Interior & ExteriorINSURED

FREE ESTIMATESReasonable Rates

Owner Jerry Lancaster

286-0822

WEB DIRECTORYVisit the advertisers below by entering their Web address

To List Your Website In This Directory, Contact The Daily Courier Classified Department at (828) 245-6431 Erika Meyer, Ext. 205

AUTO DEALERSHIPS

HUNNICUTT FORD(828) 245-1626

www.hunnicuttfordmercury.com

NEWSPAPER

(828) 245-6431www.thedigitalcourier.com

HEALTH CARE

(828) 245-0095www.hospiceofrutherford.org

REAL ESTATE

(828) 286-1311www.keeverrealestate.com