9.20.2010

Monday, September 20, 2010

First Day of Autumn is this Thursday (September 23)
…11 days until the start of the Dixie Classic Fair

Your WBFJ Family Station Forecast: Sunny and dry through the end of the week…High near 90

NEWS…
Bed bugs mean big business for several companies in the Triad.
The nationwide outbreak of bedbugs has many of us secretly inspecting our bed sheets and even fumigating our homes. The Triad is by no means the hardest hit, but area businesses of various kinds are seeing opportunities and new business from the new national pastime of battling bed bugs. Check out the story from the Triad Business Journal: www.bizjournals.com/triad/
The bedbug problem in North Carolina is expected to worsen.
www.journalnow.com/news/2010/sep/20/nc-bedbug-problem-expected-to-worsen-ar-407753/

An experienced surfer died yesterday afternoon while surfing in the waves at Surf City. The 21-year-old man, whose name was not released, was an experienced surfer and was pulled from the water on Sunday afternoon. The National Weather Service had issued a High Surf Advisory over the weekend because of Hurricane Igor. Hurricane Igor has been downgraded to a tropical storm after slamming Bermuda overnight. http://www.news-record.com/content/2010/09/20/article/man_dies_while_surfing_off_nc_coast

The Salvation Army of Greensboro is helping many families battling foreclosure. Need Help? The assistance hotline is 235-0368.

The BP oil well is officially ‘dead’. After a weekend of pouring cement into the base of the ruptured oil well in the Gulf of Mexico, pressure tests conducted early Sunday confirmed the seal was holding. The April 20th blowout killed 11 workers and spilled nearly 5 million barrels of oil into the Gulf. www.cnn.com/2010/US/09/19/gulf.oil.disaster/index.html?hpt=T2

A wildfire apparently sparked by machine gun fire at a National Guard practice range outside Salt Lake City has forced the evacuation of more than 1,000 homes in Utah. More than 100 firefighters are battled the wildfire overnight. www.cnn.com/2010/US/09/20/utah.wildfire/index.html?hpt=T1

The families of the 33 miners trapped underground fear that Chilean President Sebastian Pinera may be playing politics with the rescue operation to boost his popularity. A third drill started boring a hole on Sunday. www.cnn.com/2010/WORLD/americas/09/19/chile.mine.president/index.html?hpt=C1

The Swiss government will not BAN assisted suicide groups in their country…but will propose new rules to restrict their work. Assisted suicide is legal in Switzerland provided the ‘helper’ doesn't personally benefit from a patient's death. The government also wants to cut down on "suicide tourism," where scores of foreigners travel to Switzerland every year to end their lives. www.wxii12.com/health/25048743/detail.html

Police are looking for a registered sex offender in the death of 23-year-old Valerie Hamilton…the daughter of Concord Police Chief Merl Hamilton. Police are searching for 34-year-old Michael Neal Harvey. (The Charlotte Observer)

Blue Cross and Blue Shield of North Carolina and the state Insurance Department say they'll discuss how national health insurance reform affects the company's requested 7% rate increase. The company last month asked for the department's permission to raise rates next year on about 300,000 customers who buy their own health insurance. Blue Cross insures 3.7 million in North Carolina. http://www.news-record.com/content/2010/09/20/article/blue_cross_nc_regulator_talk_about_premium_hike

Well, he looked the part. Chicago Transit officials reporting that a man stole a uniform and posed as a bus driver, driving around the city for several hours and picking up passengers. The man drove a Chicago Transit bus from 8 p.m. to midnight last Thursday. The suspect was found out when he returned the bus to a CTA garage on the city's South Side and hit another bus.
www.npr.org/templates/story/story.php?storyId=129939704

SPORTS (NASCAR) The chase for the Championship: Tony Stewart runs out of gas, Clint Bowyer gets the win at New Hampshire.

NFL: QB Matt Moore was benched during the Carolina Panthers loss to Tampa Bay…20 – 7.

Winston-Salem Dash losing to the Potomac Nationals on Friday. The Nationals winning the Carolina League Championship. http://www.wsdash.com/