New Western North Carolina football coaches embrace challenges

WEAVERVILLE Brandon Allen has already learned the first rule of being the first-year football coach.When in doubt, leave them guessing.The brand new head man at North Buncombe was not only mum on what offense the Black Hawks will run this season. He also divulged little to nothing about their defense in the recent interview. Allen was willing to share his overall impressions since being hired in late March.The kids have bought into everything weve thrown at them as well as our coaching staff has done the great job, Allen said.Its extremely exciting as the brand new coach when you are getting to do things the way you consider they should be done. But with that comes the lot of responsibility.Western North Carolina has 32 tall school football programs as well as only three of them - North Buncombe (Allen), Asheville School (Roger Harris) as well as Christ School (Mark Moroz) - changed coaches since the end of the season in December.Turnover was twice that (six changes) in 2010 as well as nearly double (five) in 2009. First-year coaches at Brevard, Cherokee, Christ School, Enka, Rosman as well as West Henderson went the combined 17-51 last year.The first day of statewide practice for public schools this season is July 30.Allen, 35, may have the toughest assignment of the three brand new coaches.The Black Hawks went 2-9 last season, as well as worse than that saw their roster dwindle from 43 players to 20 through attrition. Then in April, starting quarterback Christian Jewkes announced that he was transferring to Christ School. Jewkes threw for close to 1,000 yards as the junior last season.Still, all the adversity has not been discouraging for Allen, who played in tall school for Pisgah as well as has been an assistant coach at Mountain Heritage as well as most recently, Tuscola.One thing I can honestly tell you is that these kids are hungry, Allen said.They feel like they have the indicate to prove. They believe in what theyre doing as well as weve really made some significant strides since I got here.New! leaders forold rivalsThe entire monthly calendar year at Asheville School as well as Christ School revolves around the rivals game for the Fayssoux-Arbogast trophy, the esteem named after former coaches who spent 73 combined years at the Buncombe County private schools.

North Carolina lawmakers consider "Caylee's Law"

CHARLOTTE, NC (WBTV) -The murders of Caylee Anthony as well as Zahra Baker have sparked the movement in North Carolina. People are pushing for shift to protect children in danger. A new bill aims to close the double back hole in North Carolina's child abuse law. "Along with the sadness of the death as well as the crime as well as all that, there was the fact there was an emanate stating the missing child in timely manner to the proper authorities," Sponsor of the bill State Representative Kelly Hastings said. Hastings says this is not the political move. He gives credit to the constituents for vouchsafing their opinion be known. "It's not just Caylee - there's the whole lot of NC kids," Hastings said. Hickory's Zarah Baker was missing two weeks before her step-mother reported anything. "I hate any scenario where the child's life is put in danger but it certainly has us moving forward now to implement open policy," Hastings said. It's unclear when the new bill could be signed into law, but Hastings hopes it happens before next year. The law could be similar to the recently passed Laura's Law.That law gives harsher penalties to repeat DUI offenders. Hastings says ifthere's aggravating circumstances under this new law, the penalties would betougher as well. Copyright 2011 WBTV. All rights reserved.

Wiederer: N.C. State's Mark Gottfried focused on in-state talent

By Dan WiedererStaff writer For chosen tall school basketball players in North Carolina, the summary is being delivered with authority: Mark Gottfried wants you. It's unclear whether N.C. State will respond to which cause by blanketing the state with the new movement of the aged U.S. Army posters. But since taking the Wolfpack job 5 weeks ago, Gottfried has inked in-state recruiting tall onto his priority list as well as squandered little time spreading the word. Right out of the gates, the new N.C. State coach made it clear to his assistants which scouring North Carolina for top talent would be the primary objective. Then, the Wolfpack staff began relaying which summary to tall school coaches as well as traveling team programs around the state. "I think the young people here need to understand as well as the tall school coaches need to understand which we plan to put the tall priority on these (in-state) kids first," Gottfried said. "And then from there, we can branch out." This is far from the revolutionary recruiting strategy. And it's hardly new to Gottfried, who had the similar approach at his prior coaching stops. "Even when I was an assistant at UCLA, we inherited the situation where the most appropriate players in Southern California weren't going to UCLA," Gottfried said. "We needed to change that. We needed to get the most appropriate players there. (It was) very similar when we went to Alabama. There were great players in the state who were leaving the state. So we needed to do the great job of making sure which the most appropriate players were ours. And we built the wall basically around the state." In college basketball, where recruiting classes are often small as well as the ability to cast the net nationwide is fairly easy, strong in-state recruiting is not the prerequisite for big-time success. But for Gottfried, it can be the springboard. And, as luck would have it, his arrival in Raleigh coincides with the period in which the tall school talent inside North ! Carolina is pretty impressive, quite in the 2013 class. Already, the Wolfpack has made advances in expressing their interest in three rising juniors - standout ensure Anton Gill from Ravenscroft in Raleigh, big man Kennedy Meeks from West Charlotte as well as wing Allerik Freeman from Olympic in Charlotte. And then there's hometown star Rodney Purvis, ESPN's 10th-ranked awaiting in the Class of 2012, who recently reopened his recruitment after offering the verbal commitment to Louisville 5 months ago. The 6-foot-4-inch ensure playing at Upper Room Christian Academy is an aggressive slasher with big-time scoring ability as well as is the type of home run recruit which would immediately hint Gottfried's effort to build an ACC title contender. There's the widespread idea which Duke might quickly emerge as the favorite to scoop up Purvis with Missouri also making the heavy push. But N.C. State will positively be given the shot to be part of the chase as well as will tailor its plans accordingly. In the months as well as years ahead, Gottfried as well as his staff vouch to devote similar attention to other chosen prospects around the state. "That doesn't mean we've singular ourselves to only those guys," Gottfried said. "But I think here, there's no question there's great talent in this state. And we need to do the great job with those kids first." In 5 seasons at N.C. State, Sidney Lowe secured commitments from 6 in-state players. That list consists of C.J. Leslie, Tracy Smith, C.J. Williams, Josh Davis, Johnny Thomas as well as Class of 2012 pledge Tyler Lewis. Yet the new Wolfpack staff wonders if there isn't larger opportunity to mine North Carolina for an even better payoff. To be clear, Gottfried has no intentions of blasting the recruiting practices of his predecessor. But he has admitted which his eyes have been opened in the past month as numerous coaches around the state have welcomed the increased interaction with the new Wolfpack staff as the refreshing change.
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Showdown vs. North Carolina highlights Kentucky schedule

Dec. 3 is a date every college basketball fan should have marked on his/her calendar. That's a date a expected No. 1 team North Carolina will visit Rupp Arena to face a potential No. 2 team in a country, Kentucky. Kentucky released its non-conference schedule Thursday, and a game opposite a Tar Heels is a marquee matchup. Kentucky additionally will play heavyweights Kansas (Nov. 14), St. Johns (Dec. 1), Indiana (Dec. 10) and Louisville (Dec. 31). The Wildcats' non-conference schedule additionally features two other games vs. '11 NCAA Tournament teams, Arkansas-Little Rock and Penn State. The UNC game will feature plenty of projected first-round NBA bent as well as one of a many talented frontcourts in a nation with North Carolina's Harrison Barnes, John Henson and Tyler Zeller squaring off opposite a Wildcats' terrific freshmen class led by point guard Marquis Teague, brazen Mike Gilchrist and power brazen Anthony Davis, who will join returning players Terrence Jones, Doron Lamb and Darius Miller to form a iota of a SEC favorites. Nov. 11 - Marist Nov. 15 - Kansas (in New York) Nov. 19 - Penn State (in Uncasville, Conn.) Nov. 20 - Old Dominion or South Florida (in Uncasville, Conn.) Nov. 23 - Radford Nov. twenty-six - Portland Dec. 1 - St. John's Dec. 3 - North Carolina Dec. 10 - at Indiana Dec. 17 - Chattanooga Dec. 20 - Samford Dec. 22 - Loyola (Md.) Dec. 28 - Lamar Dec. 31 - Louisville Jan. 3 - Arkansas-Little Rock (in Louisville)

North Carolina bankruptcy forces Oconee plant to close doors

WESTMINSTER The bankruptcy of the North Carolina-based association is forcing an Oconee County screw machine products plant to close its doors, leaving about 10 workers out of their jobs.Beidermann Manufacturing Industries, Inc., of 273 Toccoa Highway, Westminster, will see its equipment auctioned off on July 21.The auction of the companys equipment at the Westminster plant as good as its Raleigh, N.C., facility is by order of the bankruptcy court on June 31, according to the annals of the North Carolina Eastern District Court in Raleigh.According to court records, the association filed for bankruptcy in November 2010.Calls placed Thursday to the companys main office in Raleigh were not returned.Jim Alexander, Oconee County economic development director, said he has been notified that the companys building is for sale and that he is notifying potential interested buyers.Records show the approximate asking price for the building is about $600,000.The latest figures his office has regarding the number of employees at the Westminster plant, Alexander said, is about 10.The association has given 1991 manufactured machine products at both its Raleigh and Westminster plants, primarily automotive and electromechanical metering. Another plant in Connecticut, where the association is incorporated, reportedly manufactures healing components and ordinance.A association form of Beidermann Manufacturing Industries, Inc. indicates that it had approximately 100 employees companywide and about $8 million in annual sales.

Sheetz eyes Danville for facility

Sheetz Inc. is eyeing sites in Danville as well as northern North Carolina for a placement as well as food prolongation facility, company officials said. The convenience store sequence is searching from a Martinsville as well as Danville area down to in between a Triad as well as Triangle areas of North Carolina for a site for its second placement center, pronounced Ray Ryan, executive vice president of Sheetz placement services. The company aims to build or pierce into at least a 200,000-square-foot trickery that has a capability of expanding, Ryan said. Sheetz skeleton to locate a site within 6 to nine months with a goal of operating by 2014, Ryan said. The trickery would create about 200 jobs as well as would require an estimated investment near $30 million. Local as well as state incentives would play a outrageous part in a decision-making, he said. The company also considers transportation infrastructure as well as a labor market. A southern trickery would help a company expand operations in North Carolina, southern Virginia as well as southern West Virginia. Currently, a Altoona, Pa.,-based Sheetz operates one placement center in Pennsylvania. The formidable would have warehouses, offices, a bakery as well as a commissary for making cold food items like sandwiches, parfaits as well as salads. The second trickery would save on transportation costs as Sheetz currently distributes fresh food items from its Pennsylvania trickery to stores in those states, Ryan said. It would also better in front of its regional stores for growth as food products are replenished daily. Business has been going well a past few years, particularly with food as a largest area of growth, he added. We just think we can offer a better quality product as well as service our customers in southern Virginia as well as northern North Carolina more effectively down there, Ryan said. Sheetz currently has 31 stores in North Carolina, 58 in Virginia as well as 394 total. The! company is focusing a large part of its growth in North Carolina, where it aims to add in between 10 as well as twelve stores a year over a next few years, Ryan said. Local economic development officials did not return phone calls Thursday. For more information, visit www.sheetz.com.

Kansas Poultry Farm Loses 4,300 Turkeys in Heat Wave

AP2011An unidentified pedestrian walks past a time as well as temperature pointer in Lawrence, Kan., Monday, July 11, 2011. Heat advisories as well as excessive-heat warnings were issued Monday for 17 states in a Midwest as well as South. WICHITA, Kan.-- A feverishness wave that has pushed temperatures well over 100 degrees has killed tens of thousands of turkeys as well as chickens in Kansas as well as North Carolina as well as left farmers across a lower part of a country struggling to cool off their flocks. In North Carolina, about 50,000 chickens died during a farm after a power went off for less than an hour. In Kansas, one couple lost 4,300 turkeys that took 26 hours to bury. "It felt similar to a war zone. It felt similar to hell," turkey grower Holly Capron said. The feverishness wave that started over a weekend has been spreading east. Four of a nation's top turkey-producing states -- Arkansas, Missouri, North Carolina as well as Virginia -- were under a feverishness advisory Tuesday. Arkansas as well as North Carolina are also leading duck producers. Temperatures in Kansas upon Sunday reached 110 degrees, with a feverishness index of 118. It was 106 in a buildings near Columbus where Capron as well as her husband raise 22,000 turkeys for Butterball LLC. She pronounced they've been running big fans as well as fog nozzles in their ornithology buildings, as well as they've had a tractor pulling a spray wagon to water down a birds. They lost 140 birds upon Saturday, but nothing prepared them for Sunday, when 4,300 died. After receiving approval from state regulators, a Caprons, their workers as well as friends began digging a massive hole -- 60 feet long, 40 feet wide as well as 10 feet deep -- to bury a nearly 50-pound birds. They started during 11 p.m. Sunday, as well as a last turkey was buried 26 hours later. The crew worked around a clock. No one slept. "It was literally overwhelming during a night," Capron said. "I honestly wante! d to sta rt crying. My husband was in shock." She blamed a deaths upon a feverishness spike that hit about 5:30 p.m. Sunday. The Kansas Department of Agriculture's Division of Animal Health confirmed that heat, not disease, caused a deaths, department spokeswoman Chelsea Good said. In North Carolina, a feverishness wave killed about 50,000 broiler chickens during a Johnston County farm when a power went out for about 45 minutes, pronounced Gary Rhodes, a spokesman for Colorado-based Pilgrim's Pride Corp., which owned a chickens. Farmers in a Carolinas outfit their ornithology barns with cooling systems that use fans to push mists of water over a birds or pull air through a sheds during high speed similar to an air tunnel. The cooling systems have prevented family-owned turkey growers Prestage Farms from suffering a mass die-off from feverishness for more than five years, pronounced co-owner Scott Prestage. "If outside a feverishness index is during 107, similar to it is right this minute, a bird in that house is feeling something that tends to be in a midst to high 80-degree range," pronounced Prestage, whose operations produce more than 425 million pounds of live turkey a year in North Carolina as well as South Carolina. "We tend not to lose birds in those houses, not as long as all a equipment is handling properly." A power outage, though, can be deadly. "With a new ventilation systems in these houses, they can handle a feverishness pretty good," pronounced Bob Ford, executive director of a North Carolina Poultry Federation. "Most everybody's converted their houses to that type of system, as well as we just have to keep your fingers crossed I guess." John Bryan, spokesman for a Missouri Poultry Federation, a trade organization, pronounced he hadn't heard of a feverishness causing similar problems in Missouri. But he pronounced producers are vigilant during a summer, making sure a turkeys move around as well as get plenty of water. "It's sum! mer in M issouri, as well as they know a routine," Bryan said. "They're constantly out checking their flocks. They've got field managers as well as that's what they do every day. They all watch them a little more closely because it's such a feverishness wave. ... It's a same with a duck people. They're out there watching." One thing farmers watch for, he said, is making sure a turkeys haven't bunched up together in a heat, which can cause them to smother. "A lot of them will just get in a pile," Bryan pronounced "They do sometimes get by a doors, which may be will have a breeze, as well as sometimes they'll just get in a heap."