July 15, 2008

ACROSS THE TARHEEL STATE.

ASHEVILLE -- Kelly Ayers, a technician with the Asheville Police Department’s Forensics Services Unit, has published an article in the July/August edition of the Journal of Forensic Identification, a prestigious scientific journal with global readership.

LENOIR -- Caldwell County deputies are searching for two inmates who escaped on their way back to jail after court appearances.

CHARLOTTE -- Five months after the residents of a northwest Charlotte home were found dead, autopsy results released Monday revealed how the three were killed. Investigators said despite the time that has passed, they are no closer to finding out who killed the three. Charlotte-Mecklenburg police Officer Bob Fey said a man seen on a convenience store surveillance tape is investigators’ primary person of interest. Investigators have not released the location of the store.

DURHAM -- Durham police are looking for information surrounding the possible homicide of an unidentified man. The man was found in a vehicle at 3020 Weaver St. and had suffered a gunshot wound.

ELIZABETH CITY -- Elizabeth City State University trustees delayed approval of a new pre-nursing program on Monday, saying the proposal needs further study. ECSU is currently working with College of The Albemarle on developing an associate nursing degree program that would allow graduates of both schools to transfer into the bachelor of science in nursing program at East Carolina University in Greenville.

ROCKY MOUNT -- A proposed 14-percent rate increase for members of a municipal electricity-buying cooperative is sparking questions about the annual salary paid the agency's chief executive. The rate committee of the North Carolina Eastern Municipal Power Agency recommended the 14-percent hike at a meeting in Rocky Mount last month. If approved later this month by the boards of the power agency and its management agency, ElectriCities, the rate increase is expected to raise electricity costs for customers of NCEMPA members by several hundred dollars annually.

BLADEN COUNTY -- The crime rate and number of calls received by the 911 center in Bladen County remained steady last year over the year before, Bladen County Sheriff Steve Bunn said. Communications took 6,648 EMS calls and 3,061 fire calls in 2007. Of the 26,229 law enforcement calls that were taken, the Sheriff’s office responded to 15,278, he said, which is about a 1 percent increase over 2006.

RALEIGH -- North Carolina has established an external quarantine for the European wood wasp Sirex noctilio for the states of New York, Pennsylvania, Michigan and Vermont. This external quarantine is needed to prevent the potential spread of the European wood wasp into North Carolina. The quarantine also will apply to other states found to be infested with European wood wasp. No federal quarantine for this wood wasp is currently in place. “The quarantine means that certain trees, nursery stock and wood products from these four states must be inspected and accompanied by a certificate or permit from the state of origin if they are moved into North Carolina,” said Agriculture Commissioner Steve Troxler.

FORT BRAGG -- Master Sgt. Mitchell W. Young died Sunday of wounds suffered when his vehicle struck an improvised explosive device in Kajaki Sofla, Afghanistan, the Department of Defense announced today. Young, 39, of Jonesboro, Ga., was assigned to the 1st Battalion, 7th Special Forces Group (Airborne), Fort Bragg.

GREENSBORO -- North Carolina Rep. Howard Coble is set to become the longest-serving House Republican in North Carolina history after more than 23 years in Congress.

CHERRYVILLE -- U.S. Rep. Patrick McHenry's staff will hold office hours from 1 p.m. to 5 p.m. Thursday, July 24, at the Cherryville Fire Department, 411 E. Church St.

ACROSS THE PALMETTO STATE

MYRTLE BEACH -- Long before Myrtle Beach became a popular resort, it was home to many Native Americans, who may have used part of it as a burial ground. Local officials say they want to find out for sure, before they make big plans for developing that area.

BEAUFORT -- The Technical College of the Lowcountry named three finalists Monday to replace outgoing president Anne McNutt. The finalists are Michael Elam, vice president for student development at Daytona State College in Daytona Beach, FL, Thomas Lietzel, vice president at Pfeiffer University in Charlotte, Jabari Simama, executive assistant to the president and vice president of community development and external relations at Benedict College in Columbia.

LEXINGTON -- For a second consecutive year, Lexington County store owners will be tantalized by but denied profits from Sunday morning sales. The nation’s economic downturn and record gas prices slowed tourism just enough to deny businesspeople the right to start selling their wares before 1:30 p.m. on the Sabbath, preliminary tax collection figures show. The shortfall will please residents who want to protect Sunday as a day of worship and family time.

HILTON HEAD -- The American Red Cross is seeking blood donors because inventory in the region is at critically low levels, both local and regional Red Cross officials said last week. Across the region, blood inventory levels are so low the Red Cross has been unable to sufficiently meet hospitals' demand, according to a press release from its Southern Blood Services Region in Atlanta.

GREER -- Greer’s new City Hall opened for business Monday and the first customer, Sam Pruitt, fittingly needed a business license.

COLUMBIA -- After twice rejecting a death sentence for Freddie Eugene Owens, the South Carolina Supreme Court on Monday unanimously upheld a third attempt to impose capital punishment for the man convicted of killing a Greenville convenience store clerk who was the mother of three.

BAMBERG -- A special election is scheduled for July 15 for Bamberg County Treasurer. The election is necessary to fill the vacancy left by the retirement of veteran Treasurer Ann Clayton, who left office April 30.

CHARLESTON -- The police chief of South Carolina's largest coastal city says he isn't trying to mount an anti-drinking campaign, but merely wants the city streets to be safe.

LEXINGTON -- Lexington County narcotics officers arrested two brothers Monday after they say they were keeping cocaine, crack, and marijuana at their home. After obtaining a search warrant, officers seized 1.6 ounces of cocaine, about 1.5 ounces of crack cocaine, and a small amount of marijuana. They also recovered $2,300 in cash and equipment that is used to convert cocaine into crack. The drugs which were found inside the home have a combined street value of more than $10,000, officers say.

ROCK HILL -- A Rock Hill man is in critical condition after being ejected from his pickup truck Saturday night. After striking a power pole, the truck landed on top of him, authorities said.

Across The Nation

AL -- Alabama's chief election official is expecting very low turnout for the runoff election Tuesday.

AK -- Gov. Sarah Palin appointed Kenai police chief Charles "Chuck" Kopp the new public safety commissioner Monday. Kopp, 43, takes over the job from Walt Monegan, who was fired Friday.

AZ -- An Ahwatukee charter school's roof collapsed over two classrooms Sunday from accumulated rainwater left by the weekend monsoon storms. Ahwatukee Foothills Prep School near Elliot Road and 51st Street was closed Monday after the roof collapsed at about 8 p.m. Sunday. Streams of water were rushing out of the school's parking lot Monday morning as crews pumped out nearly 3 inches of water

AR -- Lt. Gov. Bill Halter addressed attendees of the inaugural Arkansas Victim Assistance Academy that opened Sunday for a six-day course providing counselors and advocates skills and training to help the victims of crime.

CA -- A San Francisco man faces prison time for a counterfeiting operation that was uncovered after he paid a Craigslist seller with fake bills, according to prosecutors.

CO -- The search for an African lion on the plains east of Colorado Springs has been called off. The El Paso County Sheriff's Office suspended the search about 3 p.m. today, saying there isn't enough evidence to corroborate reports of an African lion roaming the area.

CT -- New Haven’s new police chief took the helm of the department Monday with little fanfare. James Lewis took the oath of office Monday afternoon and launched what is expected to be a period of aggressive change in the department.

DC -- Metro accidentally published the Social Security numbers of almost 4,700 past and present employees on its Web site last month, according to the transit agency. The numbers were posted with a solicitation to companies for workers' compensation and risk management services. They were online from June 9 until June 25. The employees received a letter warning them about the breach. Metro is providing them with a year of free credit report monitoring, $25,000 in identity theft insurance and counseling services.

DE -- Fourteen fire and EMS companies from Delaware, Maryland and Pennsylvania participated in a full-scale mass-casualty disaster exercise Sunday morning at the University of Delaware.

FL -- A star football player at Lakewood Ranch High School has been arrested as a suspect in a fatal shooting Sunday night. Detectives arrested Timothy Brooks, 18, today on a murder charge in the shooting death of 19-year-old William White Jr.

GA -- The Georgia Ports Authority today unanimously approved the acquisition of 1,518 acres of land on the Savannah River for the planned Jasper Ocean Terminal. The South Carolina State Ports Authority Board is set to consider a similar resolution at its regular meeting in Charleston tomorrow. The port authorities in Georgia and South Carolina will share ownership of the site. The property, which is in South Carolina but currently owned by the Georgia Department of Transportation (GDOT), will be paid for and owned jointly by the SCSPA and the GPA. The land transfer could close by July 28, the Georgia Ports Authority said.

HI -- An Ookala biomass power plant and Hawaii Electric Light Co. have signed 20-year power purchasing agreement, and HELCO is talking with two other Hamakua groups planning to burn plant matter to produce electricity.

ID -- Test scores show that students in all K-3 grades showed significant improvements in reading from the beginning of the school year in Fall 2007 to Spring 2008.

IL -- Police are seeking help in finding a man and a van linked to a campus rape at the University of Illinois.

IN -- The Fort Wayne Fire Department Hazardous Materials Team was asked to respond by New Haven Adams Township Fire Department to a report of a chemical spill at Brenntag Corp., 1615 Estella Ave., shortly before noon Monday.

IA -- Southwestern Community College has reached a financial settlement with a professor who was fired after telling students the biblical story of Adam and Eve should not be taken literally.

KS -- Antique vehicles and weapons from both world wars and the Vietnam War are among the items that will be on display during a fundraising event on July 26. The event’s purpose is to begin raising funds for a veterans’ memorial at the front gates of Ray Miller Park.

KY -- The state’s new child booster seat law that goes into effect Tuesday will require children 7 years old and younger between 40 and 50 inches tall to ride in a booster seat.

LA -- A Louisiana State Penitentiary inmate allegedly slashed two security officers with a prison-made knife Saturday in Angola’s Camp D, West Feliciana Parish Sheriff J. Austin Daniel said.

ME -- While gas prices continue to reach new heights, Maine state government does not appear to be among the wave of state governments actively encouraging or imposing alternative work arrangements.

MD -- Officials still are searching for a man they say went swimming from his boat near Love Point Sunday night and never resurfaced.

MA -- Governor Deval Patrick took his veto pen to the state budget yesterday, striking $122.5 million in spending on lawmakers' pet projects, while asking the Legislature for expanded power to make midyear cuts to state services if needed.

MI -- General Motors Corp. is planning to announce some restructuring moves Tuesday in response to falling U.S. sales.

MN -- Lisa Potswald will be Duluth’s next chief administrative officer, Mayor Don Ness announced today. Potswald, of Duluth is deputy county administrator for operations for St. Louis County, a position she has held since May 2005.

MS -- The group that creates artificial fishing reefs is asking Harrison County for help with that ongoing project. The president of Mississippi Gulf Fishing Banks took that request to county supervisors Monday morning.

MO -- The Bill Emerson Memorial Bridge suffered minor damage Monday morning when a towboat carrying a crane caught the underside of the deck.

MT -- Qwest is investigating the cause of a service outage Monday, as well as the extent of service affected. 911 service is affected in Bridger, Columbus, Fromberg, Joliet, Laurel, Park City, Roberts and Red Lodge. Residents of these communities are told to call the direct line to the emergency services department they need to reach until the problem is repaired.

NE -- A group of students from Granville Central High School in Stem, NC, "Run to Vote" was in Lincoln, Nebraska Sunday registering people to vote. For every person that actually registers to vote with them, someone from the team runs a quarter of a mile. By the end of their journey to each of the lower 48 states, each person of the five member team expects to have run 20 miles.

NV -- A Carson City man stabbed his girlfriend's pet frog with a kitchen knife and stuck it to her wall following an argument this weekend, a Carson City police report said.

NH -- A New Hampshire man accused of a 22-year-old killing is on his way to Maine to face a murder charge.
Investigators say forensic evidence subjected to updated analysis methods and new information gleaned from interviews point toward Roger Bernier. Bernier was the last person known to have seen victim Mary Kelley alive before her body was found on April 26, 1986, in the bathtub of her Portland apartment.

NJ -- Maryland residents Ray Charles Lockamy and "Mister'' Morris passed through New Jersey on Monday on their charity horseback ride from Maine to Florida. Lockamy said he's raising funds for "Hands and Hooves'' a Maryland-based organization that takes rescue horses to use with at-risk children. Morris is riding for a battered women's shelter in Alexandria, Va., called "Doorways for Women.''

NM -- El Capitan Precious Metals Inc. has signed a memorandum of understanding with the U.S. Forest Service regarding the permitting of 112 exploration drill holes in Lincoln County, New Mexico.

NY -- A lawyer for an office worker for a pricey escort service that led to the resignation of former New York Gov. Eliot Spitzer says his client has agreed verbally to a plea deal.

ND -- A major financial magazine has named two ND cities as part of the top 100 small cities to live in in the nation. The August issue of Money ranks Fargo at number 88 and Bismarck 97th on the list. The article cites Bismarck`s rising rate of employment, business-friendly city government, strong economy, and access to nature.

OH -- President Bush will attend the funeral Thursday for Tony Snow, his former press secretary, at the National Shrine of the Immaculate Conception. Snow, a Princeton High School graduate, died of colon cancer Saturday at age 53. He is survived by his wife, Jill, and their three children.

OK -- The state's landmark Trooper Green Law led to a large reduction in the number of meth labs in 2005-2006, but only a few years later, those numbers are once again growing as law enforcement agencies work to stay on top of the trend.

OR -- Fire investigators are looking into whether two pallet fires in Tangent over the weekend were intentionally set.

PA -- A man who pleaded guilty to his role in the 2007 beating death of a man in downtown Palmerton admitted today that he made some bad mistakes while out on bail as he awaited sentencing. Michael Harrison, 18, of 1540 Liberty St., Wilson admitted he failed to show up for a meeting with his probation officer, moved without telling her and smoked marijuana. So Carbon County Judge David W. Addy revoked Harrison's $5,000 percentage bail and set new bail at $5,000 cash. Addy also ruled the $500 Harrison posted to gain his freedom would be forfeited to the county, which may also pursue the rest of the $5,000 bond.

RI -- Sen. Jack Reed said Monday he was not interested in being the running mate of Democratic presidential candidate Barack Obama, following Obama's weekend announcement that the Rhode Island Democrat would accompany him to Iraq and Afghanistan.

SD -- Nearly all the teenagers were pointing their camera at Enos Poor Bear Jr. as if he were a celebrity. Shutter after shutter clicked as they profiled the cultural interpreter at the Badlands National Park White River Visitor Center as he spoke to them about their Lakota heritage.

TN -- Chattanooga's City Court Clerk has resigned over an e-mail investigation. Edward Hammonds had been placed on leave pending an internal investigation. That investigation involved e-mails he allegedly sent to an employee. In his resignation letter today, Hammonds admits to making some "inappropriate decisions."

TX -- Kayakers and canoeists will descend on the lower Rio Grande for an event this fall aimed at raising the river's profile as a recreation hub and drawing attention to the impact the border fence could have on river access.

UT -- An alleged bank robber involved in a bizarre incident late last week, in which he stabbed himself repeatedly just as he was about to be taken into custody, now faces a federal charge.
A federal arrest warrant was issued Monday for William Duffy, 51, on one count of bank robbery.

VT -- a Vermont man used his cell phone to call for help after hurting his leg in a fall on Mount Lafayette's Old Bridle Path early Saturday evening. While crews were carrying 44-year-old John Pandolfo of Montpelier down the two-mile trail, they came across three siblings from Easton, Mass., who had gotten lost while hiking the Falling Waters Trail. Pandolfo was taken to the hospital. The others weren't hurt, but Bogardus said they were unprepared for their hike because they didn't have lights with them.

VA -- A 15-year-old has been arrested in Newport News over two robberies that took place in Aqua Vista Drive on July 5 and July 6.

WA -- Two petty officers from the "Lancers" of Electronic Attack Squadron 131 based at Whidbey Island Naval Air Station have been selected to be a part of the Navy’s Blue Angels Flight Demonstration Team for 2009.

WI -- The rat planted in a meal at a pricey restaurant was determined to be a white rat, the kind used in laboratory experiments, not the wild variety, prosecutors say. The woman accused of planting the rat, Debbie R. Miller, 41, 1824 E. Fremont St., Appleton, was charged Monday with one count each of extortion, obstructing an officer and disorderly conduct.

WV -- 97-year-old DR. Eddie Clifton Kennedy moved to Mon County in 1954, and has maintained a consistent voting record ever since. County Clerk Carye Blaney and Secretary of State Betty Ireland presented Kennedy a medal and certificate into the statewide "Voter Hall of Fame.

WY -- About 11:45 a.m. Cheyenne Police along with units from the Guard Base were called out after a driver went through two fences before slamming into the bases media sign. Police say 25-year-old Edward Dawson of Wheatland was driving north on Yellowstone when he suffered a seizure and lost consciousness.

And In The Tech World
News Corp. Chairman Rupert Murdoch plans to forgo making deals at this year's Allen & Co. media retreat, dampening the five-day event renowned as an incubator for big-time media and Web combinations.