As of now, East Rutherford (10-2, 8-2) and R-S Central (12-2, 9-2) baseball are still battling for second and third overall in conference play and for the first 2A seed in the SMAC. Central may have the pitching edge, but East is probably better from an offensive standpoint. Still, both are really good baseball teams as we get into the last 6 games or so of the regular season.

With over thirty years of experience as a professional audio engineer, Dennis Jones, is busy making waves in WNCW's Studio B. This week, Dennis is setting up his equipment for a live to air recording session of a newly discovered band out of Asheville, North Carolina, interestingly named "Black Robin Hero".

As for Martinsville, sometimes, your right as I correctly predicted Brad Keselowski to win on Sunday. It was just a matter of time before he won there. Placing runner-up twice in the last four attempts, it was just meant to be.

Don't you just hate driving around while looking for that perfect spot to park? You know the one that is just right. It's nice and wide and easily accessible. Well, look no more because Rutherford County is teaming with great parks!

Email your questions, pictures, scores, etc. to photos@rutherfordweekly.com

In 2003, ROC President, Jerry Stensland, saw a need for an organization that could help improve outdoor recreation in Rutherford County. He created Rutherford Outdoor Coalition (ROC) to fill this need.

Softball

R-S Central softball (7-1, 5-0) is still on a roll, aside from the 1-0 non-conference loss to Chesnee, the Lady Hilltoppers are undefeated in conference play. The pitching has been solid with Haley White and Madison Crain. Hitting was a question coming into the season, but they have answered that issue pretty handily.

Jackson Corbin comes from a long line of beekeepers, but it wasn't until he was in his early 20s that he began to consider becoming one himself.

"I was watching a TV show on bees and thought that it might be something I'd like to get into," he said.

Local Sports:

R-S Central softball (5-1, 4-0) is legit, but they did fall to a very tough Chesnee last week in non-conference play. They will have East Burke this Friday (3/17) and East Rutherford on 3/24.

East Rutherford (2-1, 1-1) lost their first game last week to Burns, but this young group should be interesting to watch. Scoring hasn't been a problem with 19 runs in 3 games.

Chase (3-1, 2-1) has battled to gain a couple of close wins so far, but lost their first game to Crest last week. They host KIngs Mountain on the 21st.

As the season changes, now is the perfect time for parents to be considering safety so their children won't be singing the summertime blues.

Kids in Rutherford County are already heading outside to play, and keeping them safe is a top concern for Safe Kids Rutherford County as well as area pediatricians.

Sometimes Goliath falls....such is the case with East Rutherford's Men's Basketball team this year. I hate to make the comparison, but East Rutherford was the team to beat coming into the 2A postseason.

Nestled in the Grahamtown Community is a museum that serves to preserve the heritage of the community and the county.

The African American Heritage Museum of Rutherford County began in 2012, and received its non-profit status last fall. The museum is located in the Old Dunbar Community Center on Hardin Road, and is open by appointment.

A quest for a 2A state title is still alive for the East Rutherford Men's basketball team.

East Rutherford beat Mount Pleasant and Huss. Then they took down T.W. Andrews Saturday night in the third round.

There are nearly half a million children in North Carolina under the age of 18 who live in poverty. NETworX Rutherford believes that through the community's support, those numbers can decrease.

February has been Heart-2-Heart month on the campus of Isothermal Community College, and on Valentine's Day the Student Government Association hosted an event that focused on all matters of the heart.

Well, the men of East Rutherford's basketball team just completed a 26-0 season. Six more wins and they become state champs for the second time since 2011.

An insurance policy changed Kirk Wilkerson's life.

Wilkerson, owner of Covenant Advisory Group, went to write an insurance policy on himself and instead of getting the preferred rates he had pictured, he was instead declined.

East Rutherford got past R-S Central for the second time this season in a 61-49 victory to remain unbeaten at 23-0, 16-0.

Willow Ridge Rehabilitation and Living Center now has a permanent way to honor those who have served in the Armed Forces at their Rutherfordton facility.

There we all were...it was the third quarter and New England stared at a 25-point deficit. Nobody had ever comeback from that margin to win the Super Bowl. Well, nobody has seen a quarterback and coach as focused to winning as Tom Brady and Bill Belichick.

The oldest continuously family-owned and operated retail store in North Carolina is located in none other than Rutherford County. And while Washburn General Store has that distinction, and has become a tourist destination over the years, for those in the community it's simply the place to be.

East Rutherford basketball is still undefeated (19-0, 12-0) as we end the regular season. The Cavs just beat Shelby for the second time in 10 days. The toughest contest looks to be R-S Central down the stretch.

Anniversary Celebration
Foothills Nursing Consortium's 25th anniversary celebration
Friday, Feb. 17, at noon
The Foundation Performing Arts and Conference Center
Cost: $20; tickets may be purchased online at foundationshows.org
Dr. Tony Atala, director of the Wake Forest Institute for Regenerative Medicine and the W. Boyce Professor and Chair of Urology at Wake Forest will speak. Dr. Atala is a practicing surgeon and a researcher in the area of regenerative medicine. His work focuses on growing human cells, tissues and organs. His work was listed in 2007 as Time Magazine's top 10 medical breakthroughs of the year, by Discover Magazine in 2007 as the Number 1 Top Science Story of the Year in the field of medicine, by Smithsonian Magazine in 2010 as one of 40 things to know about the next 40 years, by Time Magazine in 2011 as one of the top 5 medical breakthroughs of the year, by the Huffington post in 2011 as one of 18 great ideas for the future, and by Time Magazine in 2013 as one of 5 discoveries that will change the future of organ transplants. Dr. Atala was named by Scientific American in 2010 as a Medical Treatments Leader of the Year for his contributions to the fields of cell, tissue and organ regeneration, by U.S. News & World Report in 2009 in as one of 14 Pioneers of Medical Progress in the 21st Century, by the American Association of Retired Persons in 2012 as one of the 50 influential people who will make life better, and by Scientific American in 2015 as one of the world's most influential people in biotechnology.

It's been 17 games and all 17 have went into the win column for the East Rutherford Men's Basketball team.

Tracy Williams can't imagine doing anything but working with at-risk youth. It's a path, she said, God put her on more than 25 years ago.