Advice columnist
Mary Hunt shares
IRS loophole with
readers.
See FOCUS,
Page 4
THOMASVILLE
Tuesday, February 2,2010
Inside Today
Dr. David Lipschtiz discusses the
benefits and dangers of using
alternative drug therapies.
See Health, Page 3.
119th Year - No. 53 50 Cents
www.tvilletimes.com
Snow brings fun for some, trouble for others
School
canceled
again due
to weather
BY ERINWILTGEN
Staff Writer
Though main drags
drip with only a trail
of melting snow, side
roads stiU icy from the
weekend storm kept kids
home from Davidson
County and ThomasviUe
City schools Monday and
today.
“There’s stiU a number
of roads in our school
district that I would not
want to put a bus on,”
said James Carmichael,
associate superinten
dent of ThomasviUe City
Schools. “The problem
is it may thaw out some
more, but it wiU refreeze
tonight even if it doesn’t
freezing rain.”
Student safety remains
the foremost criteria
in deciding to call off
classes, Carmichael said.
Thus bus route condi
tions sit high on the con
sideration priority list.
“If it’s not safe to put
busses, it’s probably not
safe to put anybody,”
Carmichael said.
The school districts
look at aU the bus routes
because even if some ar
eas are clear, others may
StiU be covered in snow
and ice.
“We look at hazard
ous spots that have his-
toricaUy been hazardous
throughout our district,”
said Tony Peele, assis
tant superintendent for
human resources for Da
vidson County Schools.
See SCHOOLS, Page 6
TIMES PHOTO/FRANK RAUCCIO/LISA WALL
Children and adults across the Triad made the best of the weekend snow by pulling out sleds and snow
boards and having a little wintertime fun.
Icy roads
a test for
drivers,
road crews
BY ELIOT DUKE
Staff Writer
City workers continue
digging ThomasviUe out
from under a large snow
storm that dropped at
least a half a foot of snow
on the Chair City over the
weekend.
As of Monday evening,
public works employees
were stUl scraping and
plowing primary and
secondary roads left cov
ered in snow and ice that
forced massive school
closings and even shut
down city haU for the day
With more winter weath
er expected for this morn
ing, just when city roads
wUl be completely clear is
stUl up in the air.
“This was an extremely
difficult snow to plow,”
City Manager KeUy Crav-
er said. “We’ve had ex
tremely cold weather and
it has taken us longer to
take care of the primary
and coUector streets. We
are just starting to hit our
residential areas with the
snow plows. This is prob
ably the largest snowfaU
we’ve had since 1998.”
More winter precipita
tion is expected. The Na
tionals Weather Service
issued a winter weather
advisory Monday that
goes into effect untU
Tuesday morning. Any
melting that occurred
Monday is expected to
refreeze and there is the
possibUity that freezing
rain wUl move across the
See ROADS, Page 4
Missing woman found dead
BY ELIOT DUKE
Staff Writer
Davidson County Sheriff’s Office
is investigating the finding of a dead
body late Friday night.
According to a DSCO press release,
deputies received a report of a de
ceased person laying in the roadway
on Badin Lake Road in the southern
end of Davidson County, approxi
mately 700 feet from the Montgomery
County line, Friday night at 10:33 p.m.
Several hours later, deputies identified
the body as Linda Brooks Hammonds,
56, of 195 Young Drive in Lexington.
Hammonds was reported missing
by her daughter earlier in the day Fri
day, prompting the Lexington Police
Department to begin a missing per
son investigation. At approximately 3
a.m. Saturday, DCSO deputies deter
mined the body fit the description of
the woman reported missing and was
Hammonds. Authorities are treating
the matter as a homicide.
“A lady died at the hands of another,”
Sheriff David Grice said. “I can’t say
any more than that at this time.”
Heavy snowfaU played a part in po
lice arriving at the scene, as deteriorat
ing road conditions delayed detectives
who were on the way to investigate.
“The weather complicated the inves
tigation,” said Grice. “It took longer
getting there and the time it took gath
ering evidence. It didn’t affect getting
See WOMAN, Page 6
Wiltgen joins Times staff
TIMES Staff Report
The ThomasviUe Times
is pleased to announce
that Erin WUtgen has
joined the newsroom
staff as government and
general assignment re
porter. She wiU fiU the
vacancy left by Karissa
Minn, who left to accept
a position with The Salis-
bruy Post.
WUtgen, a native of
Mequon, Wisconsin,
graduated from the Uni
versity of North Carolina
at Chapel HiU in May of
2009 with a B.A.
in Journalism and
Mass Commxmica-
tions. She double
majored with a de
gree in Anthropol
ogy, and minored
in Spanish. In her
spare time, she en
joys participating
in Ultimate Fris-
bee, TaeKwonDo and rock
climbing, to name a few.
Previously, WUtgen
worked as a freelance
writer with the Chapel
HUl Herald, and as a staff
reporter with Blue and
Wiltgen
White Magazine
and the DaUy Tar
Heel. She also com
pleted an intern
ship with the Oza
ukee County News
Graphic in Cedar-
burg, Wis., along
with freelance
work at a variety
of publications.
Times Editor Lisa WaU
says she is excited to have
Wiltgen come on board
with the Times staff.
“I believe Erin’s youth-
See WILTGEN, Page 6
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