July 13, 2008

ACROSS THE TARHEEL STATE.

ASHEVILLE -- The man accused of killing a state Highway Patrol trooper during a traffic stop now faces six other charges, including trying to kill a sheriff's detective. A grand jury handed up the new indictments on Monday against 37-year-old Edwardo Wong III of Ormond Beach, Fla. Wong originally was charged with first-degree murder in the June 17 death of 24-year-old Trooper David Shawn Blanton Jr. The new indictments charge Wong with attempted first-degree murder of Haywood County Sheriff's detective Bruce Warren. Wong also faces three counts of possession of a firearm by a felon, possession with the intent to sell marijuana and possession with the intent to sell the psychedelic drug ecstasy. Prosecutors have said they plan to seek the death penalty against Wong, who has a court hearing set for July 25.

ELIZABETH CITY -- A mechanical problem shut down the Camden Causeway Bridge for more than an hour Friday.The drawbridge spans the Pasquotank River, connecting Pasquotank and Camden counties along U.S. Highway 158. It was closed for an hour and a half to two hours early Friday afternoon, leading to a buildup of traffic along Water and Elizabeth Streets in downtown Elizabeth City.

CALYPSO -- Storm clouds gathered over the Calypso Fire Station Thursday night while inside the mood darkened as a standing-room-only crowd of about 350 North Duplin Jr.-Sr. High School supporters protested the Duplin Board of Education's decision to consolidate North Duplin High School, B.F. Grady Middle School and James Kenan High School.

GREENSBORO -- Someone who threatened a grocrey store employee with a gun was arrested after residents showed an officer the direction he was running away, police said Saturday morning.

ASHEVILLE -– A Safer Walk for Emma is holding a benefit 8 a.m.-noon July 19 at the parking lot of Emma Baptist Church, 520 North Louisiana Ave. The group from Emma Elementary will use the money to make the community safe for children to walk and bike to school.

CHARLOTTE -- Charlotte firefighters need the public's help in finding an arsonist. Fire officials said two more fires last night in Northeast Charlotte were intentionally set.

DURHAM -- Armed with chairs, bottles of water and umbrellas to shield them from the sun, hordes of iPhone fans flocked to the two Apple stores in the Triangle like pilgrims and refugees -- cast away from AT&T stores that had run out of the pricey gadget earlier in the day.

LEXINGTON -- A motorcyclist was killed when he passed a car on a double-yellow line on Highway 150 where it meets Highway 64 Friday evening, according to state troopers.  While trying to pass, one wheel of the motorcycle reportedly left the ground and the driver, Timothy Ray Smith, 31 of Lexington, lost control and hit another motorcycle head on.  Smith, according to troopers, died at the scene. 

FORT BRAGG -- About 300 paratroopers from the 82nd Airborne Division will return from 13-months in Iraq.

ASHEVILLE -– City police Friday charged an Asheville man with charging people to park in a church parking lot when he wasn’t authorized to do so.


ACROSS THE PALMETTO STATE

BEAUFORT -- Residents and shoppers downtown will no longer lament the inability to buy essentials like milk, bread and fine imported chocolates. In the former location of the Piggly Wiggly on Port Republic Street, local businessman Scott Myers is planning to open Olive's Gourmet Market and Café at the beginning of November. The 11,000-square-foot location also will offer catering services, a large wine selection and an on-site bakery.

GREELEYVILLE -- Clarendon County officials have taken a 17-year-old girl into custody after they say she stabbed a school counselor in the head with a pencil. It happened Friday afternoon at Willowglen Academy after officials say she got into an altercation with one of the counselors.

COLUMBIA -- Richland County EMS says a little boy drowned at a pool birthday party. Authorities say someone found a child in a pool in cardiac arrest. The child was then taken to the hospital where he later died.

GREENVILLE -- Police found an abandoned car Friday that they say was stolen from a man during an armed carjacking Thursday at Greenville Memorial Hospital, and they are looking for two suspects.

COLUMBIA -- South Carolina's top tourism agency has canceled an overseas advertising campaign targeting gay tourists.

HILTON HEAD -- The results of a survey on the future of recreation on Hilton Head Island released this week gave town officials a pretty good idea of the kind of amenities residents want. Now, officials have to figure out if its possible and how to pay for it. A new recreation facility that meets the needs and desires of island residents would require more than 30 acres and would cost upward of $20 million to build, according to the report compiled by outside survey firms and a local land planning company. The estimate does not include land acquisition and engineering costs.

GEORGETOWN -- Two teenage Georgetown County girls escaped a volley of 10 to 15 rounds fired at their SUV from another car Friday night, but police do not know why they were targeted.

CONWAY -- For nearly six months, the Rev. Phillip Miles was a prisoner on foreign soil, trapped by loneliness and diminishing hope. On Friday night, members from the sanctuary at Christ Community Church, and well wishers lined up to reach for a hug, a chance to touch. In late January, Miles traveled to Russia on a mission trip, a box of hunting ammunition tucked in his luggage as a present for a friend. Discovered in a Moscow airport, those rifle shells led to his imprisonment on suspicion of smuggling and, in April, a conviction and three-year prison sentence.

MYRTLE BEACH -- Lt. Gov. Andre Bauer listened to scam stories at the conference center at the former Myrtle Beach Air Force Base Friday in an effort to learn how seniors are being scammed and what can be done to stop it.

COLUMBIA -- Illegal workers in South Carolina may be shifting jobs and don't appear to be leaving the state on their own, despite stepped up federal deportations, officials say

SIMPSONVILLE -- Jurors awarded a Simpsonville couple $135,000 Friday and found the city of Simpsonville negligent in its maintenance and operation of a sewer line that residents have said led to a sewage backup in September 2006.

GREENVILLE -- State Sen. David Thomas, a Greenville County Republican, said when he was tipped to the state's participation in the ad campaign to attract gay tourists he thought it was a joke, and it couldn't be true. Thomas said he objects to advertising to gays because it is a subject matter that adheres to a social position and it is improper for the state to be going after one social position.

Across The Nation
BIRMINGHAM, AL -- Birmingham police and members of Omega Psi Phi, an international fraternity, want people to secure their firearms out of the reach of children. Birmingham City Council allocated $20,000 to give out free gun locks. It's a timely project after a nine year-old boy died in Bessemer Thursday from an accidental shooting. Birmingham Police Chief A.C. Roper says it will also take stolen guns off the streets.

ANCHORAGE, AK -- Senator John Cowdery has come under a great deal of scrutiny in a short deal of time on Thursday. First the state legislator was indicted on federal charges of bribery and conspiracy and now the state's Governor is calling for the senator's resignation. According to government attorneys, Cowdery and former VECO executives conspired to bribe an unnamed state senator for his vote on a new oil tax proposed in 2006. Cowdery is the fifth Alaska legislator to be charged in the ongoing federal investigation into corruption in Alaska.

TUBA CITY, AZ -- The former owners and operators of a gas station at the intersection of highways 160 and 264 in Tuba City have been fined $55,000 by the EPA for an underground gasoline leak that spilled thousands of gallons.

LITTLE ROCK, AR -- The African Methodist Episcopal Church has amed a new bishop for the denomination's 12th Episcopal District that encompasses Arkansas and Oklahoma. The Right Reverend Samuel L. Green Senior will preside over some 250 AME churches. He replaces the Right Reverend Richard Allen Chappelle Senior, who officially retired yesterday.

LOS ANGELES, CA -- Governor Arnold Schwarzenegger says a resolution of the Hollywood labor dispute is "critical". The Screen Actors Guild has turned down an offer from Hollywood producers. The producers and studios say they have no intention of changing their final proposal - except to perhaps reduce it because of the economy. SAG members are still working and the union says it'll provide a negotiations update Monday.

DENVER, CO -- A coalition of 10 environmental and wildlife organizations filed a lawsuit in U.S. District Court in Denver on Friday in an effort to stop hotly contested drilling on the Roan Plateau.

GREENWICH, CT -- Ferry ridership in Greenwich is up just two percent from last year, initial evidence that debunks theories that droves of out-of-towners would flock to Island Beach and Great Captains Island.

WASHINGTON, DC -- Fire officials are investigating after something killed about a dozen ducks early Saturday near the U.S. Capitol. Investigators said they found an "unknown substance" at 3rd Street and Maryland Avenue in Southwest, where the ducks were found dead in a pool. Hazardous materials crews were called to the scene and the area was blocked off for hours. Several people who had been nearby earlier in the day complained of nausea. Authorities said they are conducting air quality tests to determine what happened.

EDGEMOOR GARDENS, CT -- One day after neighbors said a group of kids killed a kitten in Edgemoor Gardens by setting it on fire, officials are still looking for a suspect and neighbors are dealing with the sadness -- and the shock.

LAKEWOOD RANCH, FL -- Keith Stansell, the Florida native held hostage by leftist rebels in Colombia for more than five years, returned to his family yesterday in Lakewood Ranch, but would say little about the years he's lost.

ATLANTA, GA -- Workers that are using bikes as their primary form of transportation is a rapidly growing group in Atlanta. The Atlanta Bicycle Campaign recently counted bikes at busy Atlanta intersections. The average was twenty-one bikes per hour.

HONOLULU, HI -- Radar screens blacked out at the state's airports for nine minutes on Thursday, forcing air traffic controllers to direct passenger planes above Hawaii using just scraps of paper. Despite the potential for disaster, there were no close calls nor a single reportable delay, which is defined by a minimum 15-minute postponement.

EMMETT, ID -- Devin Nettleton was a healthy 10-year-old boy with no known medical problems when he died from heat stroke after about 3 hours under the summer sun Wednesday afternoon.

CHICAGO, IL -- Emergency crews are responding to a building collapse Saturday morning in the Southwest Side's Marquette Park neighborhood. Unconfirmed fire dispatch reports state part of the building collapsed on top of a one-story building.

GARY, IN -- After an extensive surgery earlier this week, 12-year-old Arbriana Turner, who was shot in the face outside her Glen Park home on June 28, will regain vision in both eyes.

DES MOINES, IA -- A non-traditional family is drawing stares in Des Moines. A Peregrine falcon couple welcomed two new chicks to their nest at the Iowa Statehouse.

LEAVENWORTH, KS -- The campgrounds at Riverfront Park are expected to reopen this weekend. The campgrounds, which are located near the Centennial Bridge, were closed in June as the Missouri River rose above its flood stage. City officials also closed Landing Park and a section of Second Street.

RUSSELLVILLE, KY -- A Russellville man already facing 149 sex charges involving juvenile victims may have additional charges filed before his scheduled September trial.

NEW ORLEANS, LA -- About 600 men, women and children gathered outside a French Quarter bar Saturday morning to be chased by members of New Orleans' roller derby league. Most of the runners wore white with red scarves around their waists and red bandannas around their necks - the dress for running in front of bulls in Pamplona, Spain. Thirty-three members of New Orleans' four roller derby teams signed up to chase and whack.

MACK POINT, ME -- Lobsterman from all over the state headed to Searsport to headed to Searsport to race Saturday. The boats compete in lots of different categories, and the winner gets a trophy and bragging rights.

BALTIMORE, MD -- A Baltimore County man was convicted yesterday of raping a woman 18 years ago in Linthicum. It took a jury less than three hours to find Wendell Keys, 40, of Gwynn Oak, guilty of first- and second-degree rape and false imprisonment in connection with the July 31, 1990, rape of a 26-year-old woman he met at the Safari nightclub near BWI Thurgood Marshall Airport.

SPRINGFIELD, MA -- Springfield police plan to charge a city firefighter with attempted murder after an assault that left a 45-year-old man with a slashed throat.

DETROIT, MI -- A couple of squall lines that moved across the Detroit area today delayed the start of the opening heats of the Chrysler Jeep Detroit Gold Cup Unlimited Hydroplane Race. The drivers of the nine boats are trying to earn points that will get them a place in the Gold Cup final heat that runs at 4 p.m. Sunday, the 100th anniversary of the oldest race in motor sports.

HAYWARD, MN -- Friends and family set out Saturday to honor April Sorensen by running a half marathon through Albert Lea and Hayward. The first-ever April Sorensen Memorial Half Marathon was created as a way to celebrate Sorensen’s life after she was murdered in her home in Rochester on April 17, 2007. Her killer has not been found.

JACKSON, MS -- Running unopposed, 35-year-old Jamie Franks was elected chairman of the Mississippi Democratic Party on Saturday.

COLUMBIA, MO -- Students in the department of textile and apparel management at the University of Missouri will benefit from a donation of $100,000 from alumni who have found success in the retail industry.

BRIDGER, MT -- A 26-year-old male snowboarder fell hundreds of feet down a rock face off a snow-covered backcountry chute near Sacajawea Peak in the Bridger Mountains Friday and had to be rescued by helicopter, according to the Gallatin County Sheriff’s Office.

TOBIAS, NE -- High winds during a Friday night thunderstorm blew down much of the steeple at Zion Lutheran Church near Tobias, in southwest Saline county. About two-thirds of the steeple of the historic church that is more than 100 years old collapsed due to high winds.

WELLS, NV -- Sammy Naveran of Wells won the All-Around Cowgirl title in the 23rd Annual Silver State International Rodeo last week in Fallon. Naveran, 18, brought home a three-horse slant trailer, three saddles and five silver belt buckles as prizes for her top scores in the goat tying and cow cutting events.

NASHUA, NH -- The family of a Nashua motorcyclist says his helmet saved his life as he fell four stories after crashing into a parking garage wall this week. Leon Belesca, 28, vaulted over the wall and fell to the pavement below after his motorcycle lurched forward on the top floor of a parking garage early Friday.

DEAL, NJ -- Margaret Deltufo Able, of Deal turned 107 on Monday. Able to walk, touch her toes and swim, Deltufo had never suffered a major illness or injury until a fall in 2005 that resulted in a hip replacement, according to her son Anthony, who lives with her. A devout Catholic, she makes it to Mass every Sunday with her son.

ALBUQUERQUE, NM -- The youth national Arabian and Half-Arabian Championship Horse Show will kick off its 16th year in Albuquerque this month. More than 1,000 horses and their young riders will be here July 26 to. Aug. 2 competing at EXPO New Mexico in the event.

MIDDLETOWN, NY -- A five-mile stretch of highway in the Hudson Valley is now named after a state trooper killed during a stand-off with a fugitive in 2007.

MINOT, ND -- The Red Cross in Minot says they need your help in helping those affected by the Rolette County tornados earlier this week. 53 homes suffered damage and 15 were totally destroyed or considered unlivable. Many residents there have no insurance and no other means of recovery. The Red Cross is asking for your help for those in desperate need of aid. You can donate by calling 852-2828 or 800-323-3179. You can also mail your donation to the American Red Cross, P.O. Box 456, Minot, ND 58702.

CINCINNATI, OH -- In Southwest Ohio, nearly 90 retailers have applied for keno licenses, and more sites are applying every day.

CLAREMORE, OK -- The Oklahoma Department of Corrections is recommending jail time for the son of Rogers County District Attorney Gene Haynes. When Haynes III was arrested June 24, arresting officers reported he was found stumbling along Highway 66 near Claremore. It was his third alcohol-related arrest in three years.

CORVALLIS, OR -- Activists and volunteers are moving forward with plans to create a drop-in homeless center in downtown Corvallis.

BETHELEHEM, PA -- Throughout the city, business owners are welcoming the thousands of visitors who have flocked to the Lehigh Valley to catch a glimpse of the Dalai Lama, Tibet's leader-in-exile.

PROVIDENCE, RI -- State lawmakers tried to soften the blow of deep budget cuts by allocating more than a million dollars for health care for immigrant children.

RAPID CITY, SD -- Stepping Stones, a subsidized housing program for young people struggling with the transition to adulthood, has a new home that almost doubles its size and a new funding source that expands the types of clients it can serve.

CHATTANOOGA, TN -- The unique Southeast Veterans Museum reopened Saturday after a make-over that includes three new exhibits. The purpose is to tell the stories of Chattanooga area soldiers, sailors, and marines who served in all of the nation's wars.

BEAUMONT, TX -- Two documents related to the Texas Revolution and the Battle of the Alamo are on their way back to the Texas State Archives collection after a judge in Southeast Texas ruled that they belong to the people of Texas and not to the estate of a prominent Beaumont-area family.

SALT LAKE CITY, UT -- The Great Salt Lake is not living up to its name this year, despite a wetter-than-normal winter and a cool spring. The lake is shrinking again and could approach the same near-record low levels seen in 2004.

MONTPELIER, VT -- Vermont will join most other states in celebrating the bicentennial of Abraham Lincoln's birth next year. But Vermont's events will not be paid for with public money. The $50,000 that was set aside to provide for a state ceremony was one of the casualties of the late-session budget trimming as lawmakers and administration officials tried to figure out how to deal with declining state revenue projections.

NEWPORT NEWS, VA -- A father's decision to take his daughter out for a boat trip across the James River on a stormy day landed him in a jail cell — and in deep water with his daughter.

WHIDBEY ISLAND, WA -- One of four Little League teams removed from a tournament due to concerns over the spread of whooping cough on Whidbey Island has been cleared to play by Island County's health officer.

GREEN BAY, WI -- The Green Bay Packers will neither comply with Brett Favre’s request for his release nor take him back as the unquestioned starter.

PRINCETON, WV -- Bluegrass songs filled the hearts of music lovers and christened a labor of love Friday evening as nationally known performers entertained the first audience at the new Chuck Mathena Center.

CHEYENNE, WY -- In the past few years, the Cheyenne Police Department has lost two officers in the line of duty. One of those was honored Friday as the city and police department dedicated Dennis Shuck Memorial Park at East Lincolnway and Nationway, across from Holliday Park.


And In The Tech World
As the heated Democratic primary race came to a conclusion last month, much discussion centered on presumptive nominee Barack Obama's superior fundraising. Hillary Clinton started the race with an edge among deep-pocket donors, but Obama roared to the nomination finish line with a substantial fundraising lead. Much of that money came in through the Internet, a trend that experts say will figure prominently in the general election to come.