Your WBFJ Family Station Forecast: Sunny skies. Breezy and cooler…High only 62 FROST possible overnight into early Saturday morning…Stokes, Surry, Yadkin and Wilkes Counties
Update: Earlier this morning, rescue crews were evacuated from that West Virginia coal mine where four miners are still missing…after the crews ran into heavy smoke.
Last night: Rescuers reached a first refuge chamber, stocked with air, food and water, and found it unused. They were on their way to a second chamber when they had to retreat.
Some good news: A miner who survived the mine explosion has been released from the hospital…but his family has asked for privacy.
http://www.foxnews.com/us/2010/04/08/west-virginia-miner-survived-explosion-released-hospital/
Some neighborhoods doing some ‘clean-up’ today. Strong storms blowing through the Piedmont last night bringing some intense wind and rain. WXII reporting several trees down last night in the Winston-Salem in the Buena Vista area and Robinhood Road. Winds shifted a mobile home off its foundation in Surry County. Another structure was destroyed in Wilkes County.
Dozens of storm victims in High Point and Davidson County will get some financial help. Yesterday, Governor Perdue declared a state disaster for Davidson and Guilford counties to help pay for home repairs caused by the tornadoes on March 28. The U.S. Small Business Administration also has issued a disaster declaration, which makes low-interest loans available to help pay for repairs.
State Emergency Management officials will help storm victims complete loan applications at disaster recovery centers.
When: 9:30 a.m. to 6:30 p.m. today through Thursday. Closed Sunday.
Where: In High Point at the Fire Station #12 on Barrow Road. In Lexington at the Government Complex on west Center Street
http://www.news-record.com/content/2010/04/08/article/perdue_declares_tornado_strikes_a_state_disaster
Hundreds of voters have switched their political party affiliation in Davidson County leading up to next month’s primary. The Board of Elections in Davidson County reports more than 600 Democrats have switched to another affiliation since January of this year. Of those, 144 became Republicans. Today (April 9) is the last day for North Carolina voters to change affiliation for the 2010 primary. Absentee voting for the May 4 primary begins on Tax Day April 15.
http://www.co.davidson.nc.us/government/topics.aspx?SMID=22&SMTID=3&SMName=Board%20of%20Elections
NC State Board of Elections: http://www.sboe.state.nc.us/
The N.C. Department of Transportation closed the U.S. 29/70 southbound bridge over the Yadkin River today after an inspection found exposed rebar, deteriorating concrete and deep cracks in the structure. The bridge, which runs parallel to the Interstate 85 bridge over the river, was already scheduled to be taken out of service as part of the I-85 Corridor Improvement Project. http://www.myfox8.com/wghp-wilcox-bridge-closed-100408,0,7945794.story
The Bishop McGuinness girls' basketball team, which has won five consecutive Class 1-A state championships, has been honored with their picture on the front of a Wheaties cereal box. Only 16 commemorative boxes were made, enough for coaches and members of the team.
http://www.myfox8.com/wghp-bishop-mcguinness-wheaties-100408,0,3904663.story
SPORTS: The Master’s in Augusta...Fred Couples leads going into Friday.
Minor league play: The Winton-Salem Dash winning their first game of the season
on the road last night…7 – 1 over the Kinston Indians.
The first game at BB&T Ballpark will be this Tuesday (April 13) against the Potomac Nationals. BTW: It’s sold out. http://www.wsdash.com/
Greensboro Grasshoppers season opener was suspended at the top of the 5th inning last night because of heavy rain and wind. The Grasshoppers and Augusta Green Jackets will play a double header this evening starting at 5:30pm.
Call him the ‘Good Samaritan’? Grasshoppers pitcher Curt Petersen stopped an attempted robbery Wednesday morning in the parking lot of the Walmart on Battleground Avenue.
The 6-foot-3, 180-pound right-hander from Aubrey, Texas, said he was leaving Walmart when he saw a man attack a woman and steal her purse.
The woman, April Dixon, told police she had stopped to get school supplies when she was attacked. Petersen said he dropped his things, ran to Dixon's car and grabbed the thief. Petersen and Walmart employees detained the attacker until police arrived. Petersen is 20 years old and the fifth starter in the Grasshopper rotation. Peterson will likely start on Monday against Delmarva. http://www.news-record.com/content/2010/04/09/article/hoppers_pitcher_thwarts_robbery_attempt
