Better Business Bureau is hosting its second “Secure Your ID” Day this Saturday in the main parking lot of the LJVM coliseum at the Winston-Salem Entertainment-Sports Complex. Residents and small businesses are encouraged to attend the event and take a key step in identity protection by shredding and properly disposing of their sensitive documents. BBB staff will be on-site to provide expert advice and tips for identity theft protection. The first BBB “Secure Your ID Day” event earlier this year yielded the largest single-day consumer turnout of this kind in national history, shredding more than 500,000 pounds of sensitive documents in one day – and officials say the event this Saturday promises to be even larger.

Last year alone, 8.1 million Americans became victims of ID theft, resulting in the loss of $45 billion, according to a 2008 report from Javelin Strategy and Research. The report notes that the majority of ID theft occurs when the thief has direct contact with the victim’s personal information, through a stolen or lost wallet, rifling through a personal mailbox or trashcan, or even lifting documents from inside a home or business.

A North WIlkesboro business is recovering from a break in over the weekend. Ebenezer’s Attic, a nonprofit thrift store on Main Street in North Wilkesboro was broken into sometime between Friday the 12th and early Saturday the 13th. According to reports, the burglar got away with an undisclosed amount of cash. Anyone with information is asked to call North WIlkesboro police, who continue their investigation of the case.

The North Carolina Association of Educators’ Political Action Committee recently announced its endorsements in the 2008 legislative races. Among those receiving endorsement is Steve Goss of Senate District 45. “We are delighted to recommend Steve Goss to our membership,” stated Sheri Strickland, President of the NCAE. “Steve Goss has demonstrated a genuine commitment to public schools and to public school employees. NCAE, the largest professional organization of educators in North Carolina, recommends candidates to its 70,000 members after an extensive interview and evaluation process. “Our process is locally driven,” Strickland explained. “Individual teachers and other school employees in local communities determine whom the Association will support.”