Remember the bear? The state offers advice

Remember the bear popping up throughout Cleveland County last year. Now we have the turkeys. But on the bear issue, the N.C. Wildlife Resources Commission has issued a statement on dealing or not dealing with bears in Western North Carolina. By the way, if you see a bear, give us a call.

Part of the statement from the state

"With the number of bears ­– and people – increasing in the western part of the state, the N.C. Wildlife Resources Commission is warning people not to feed animals, either purposely or inadvertently, that wander into residential areas.

"While black bears are rarely aggressive toward people, they can become bold when they are used to feeding on human-provided foods, such as garbage and bird seed.

"Over the past decade, the commission has received a 70 percent increase in the number of complaints of human-bear conflicts in western North Carolina, including bears rummaging through trash cans, tearing down bird feeders, peering in doors and windows and frightening homeowners.

"However, many of the incidents, most of which occur in the spring and summer, can be resolved if residents take just a few simple steps.

"They include:
Secure bags of trash inside cans stored in a garage, basement or other secure area, and place outside as late as possible on trash pick-up days – not the night before.
Purchase bear-proof garbage cans or bear-proof your existing garbage container by outfitting it with a secure latching system.
Discontinue feeding wild birds during spring and summer, even with feeders advertised as "bear proof." Bears can still be attracted to seed that spills on the ground.
Do not "free-feed" pets outdoors. If you must feed pets outdoors, make sure all food is consumed.
Clean all food and grease from barbecue grills after each use. Bears are attracted to the food odors and may investigate."

Ready or not, 'Grand Theft Auto' hits stores

Today’s the day. “Grand Theft Auto IV” hits stores and eager kids and adults alike will want a copy. Parents should keep in mind that this game is rated M for mature, which is intended for those 17 and over.

This title, which has picked up some of the best reviews I’ve ever seen a game receive, is the video game equivalent to a rated-R movie. It’s sure to be controversial, attract a lot of positive and negative attention and sell millions of copies. But this thing is for adults.

It’s available only on the PlayStation 3 and Xbox 360 and the realism level will hit a new high for the series. Imagine the movie “The Departed,” where it’s easier to count the survivors than the victims, as a video game and you’re getting the right idea on the level of violence.

My nephew is 16 and I know he’s already lobbying my sister for a copy. She’ll call me up and ask for my opinion and I’ll say … actually I’m not sure yet.

Hey, presidential candidates: What about here?

Day after day, I receive e-mail after e-mail on these presidential campaigns and candidate visits to North Carolina. We haven't even gotten Chelsea to show up in Cleveland County. It seems to me, at least, a smart candidate would see Cleveland County has had a number of economic challenges in recent years. People might be receptive to listening ... if someone shows up.

My latest e-mail includes Bill Clinton hitting 11 cities and towns in the state, none of them in Cleveland County.

"The Clinton campaign today announced new details of President Bill Clinton’s visit to the Tar Heel State this Tuesday, April 29 and Wednesday, April 30. Clinton attends “Solutions for America” events in Boone, North Wilkesboro, Elkin, and Mt. Airy on Tuesday, and in Apex, Sanford, Lillington, Dunn, Hope Mills, Lumberton, and Whiteville on Wednesday."

Have fun in Dunn.

Waiting on the light

We ran a letter to the editor in the past six months over the lack of a right turn lane where Dekalb Street meets Grover Street across from the hospital.

I always had good luck there until today, when I was really busy -- and the road was really busy. I found myself behind a bunch of cars waiting to make a right turn, but they were all blocked. At least I got through in one cycle of the light instead of missing the light and having to wait again. And I also had time to take a picture.

Good TV, but where's the sound?

I actually watch PBS. I don't really know a lot of folks who do, but it's a nice option to have in the face of shows such as "American Idol," "Survivor" and "American Gladiator," network TV's vision of primetime viewing.

An example of how good PBS can be is "The War," the recent documentary series by Ken Burns focusing on World War II. He's the guy who got famous after putting together the Civil War documentary as well.

PBS started airing another documentary Sunday night, "Carrier." It's about the USS Nimitz as it heads toward the Persian Gulf and the war. I DVR'd part one on UNC HD, but the voicetrack was missing for the first 40 minutes. Was it the TV, the recording, the cable, UNC HD, PBS? I'll never know what went wrong, but it's going to be tough to get into a 10-hour documentary after missing almost the first hour. We'll see.

Did you hear that noise?

At first I thought it was thunder. Then I feared it was gunshots. Then it sounded like the back of a moving truck being closed loudly. Someone from work happened to call and I asked if they had heard anything loud. It was the fireworks from the Merry-Go-Round Festival on Saturday night.

I didn't see them, but judging from the sound, they must have been pretty spectacular.

A possible new community watch group

I live in Patton Oaks, a cool little neighborhood of townhouses with great, caring neighbors. I went to a homeowners association meeting recently and we're considering starting a community watch or neighborhood watch group in our neighborhood because it never hurts to be cautious. Someone said at the meeting that there are about 32 such groups in Shelby. I don't know the exact number, but perhaps we'll be the newest organization.

And maybe we'll get some of these signs soon or something like it. Watch groups show how much the residents care about their community and their neighborhoods.

Are you without power?

Duke Energy keeps an online Web page where it tracks power outages by county. Right now in Cleveland County, there is one residence without power, according to the site. Rutherford is reporting one outage as well and Gaston County is reporting two.

When a lot of folks are without power, it's news. When one person is without power, it's bad luck.

Is Springsteen educational?

A heard one North Carolina teacher was taking his class to a Bruce Springsteen concert and they are trying to hold lessons to make it educational in nature. Here's what they'll learn: Springsteen is great in concert. He makes a lot of money. End of lesson.

On a side note, our city editor, Graham Cawthon, is going to his concert. I can't wait to find out what Graham learns on this educational journey.

Actually, I'm a huge Springsteen fan. I have all his CDs, even the Tracks box set of rarities. I became a fan in college, but that didn't help me one bit in my studies at Appalachian State.

American Idol, iTunes, Journey and The Sopranos

I pretty much hate "American Idol." I just don't get it, although my boss apparently does. But if I would watch the show I might understand strange jumps in popularity with songs on iTunes. A few weeks back I couldn't figure out why Jeff Buckley's cover version of "Hallelujah" suddenly skyrocked into the top 100. I've now heard somebody sang it on that show and that's all it takes these days. By the way, Leonard Cohen wrote the song, but Buckley did the most popular version and numerous TV shows and movies have used it over the years, the best use (in my opinion) being an episode of "The West Wing."

"Imagine" by John Lennon also took off in popularity after somebody covered it on "American Idol."

By the way, "Don't Stop Believin'" by Journey hit the iTunes Top 100 after "The Sopranos" used it to finish out that series on HBO. It has pretty much stayed in the Top 100 ever since but at one point fell out. Now it's at No. 66 again. Did they sing that one on "American Idol" or is it still riding high on the strength of the exit episode of "The Sopranos?" That a long time to sustain popularity for any song, even Journey's apparently overlooked classic.

Restaurant re-opens after kitchen fire

Taste-T re-opened a day after a grease fire broke out. Judging by the amount of cars in their parking lot at lunch on Friday, they probably made up what they lost in business from Thursday's fire. It looked absolutely packed.