Some good news today for those who pay homeowners insurance. Rates will be going down in Wilkes county. The latest changes to the state's homeowners insurance rates were settled Wednesday when a Wake County Superior Court judge dismissed an effort to stop a deal negotiated in December between insurance companies and state regulators from taking effect. The N.C. Rate Bureau, an independent group representing insurers writing policies in North Carolina, typically asks for rate increases each year, some substantially higher in areas prone to damage from natural disasters. The state's insurance commissioner seldom agrees to the bureau's request, but instead typically approves a lower increase or a decrease for each of the state's 18 territories as measured by risk. Homeowners in Alleghany, Ashe, Avery, Davie, Rockingham, Stokes, Surry, Watauga and Wilkes counties will experience a 1.2 percent rate decrease rather than the requested 9.2 percent increase -- an average savings of $52 on a $150,000 house. "This is an issue that effects everybody in North Carolina, not just the folks who see an increase or see no change" in insurance premiums, said Kristin Milam, a spokeswoman for the insurance department.