Top Charlotte Area Local News Stories
Source: MedleyStory
The Flying biscuit where Danielle Watson was murdered is holding a daylong vigil on Saturday to honor her memory.
Police said she was killed by her co-worker, Mark Cox, during a robbery at the Flying Biscuit Cafe in Ballantyne.
Watson was two months pregnant.
The store has been donating all proceeds this month to a memorial fund in her honor.
In addition to the two murder charges, Mark Cox is also charged with robbery and larceny.
Published: Sat, 18 Feb 2012 14:01:31 -0500
North Carolina troopers are looking for a car investigators said caused a deadly accident near Pineville overnight.
Troopers said David Bell, 14, of Chester, S.C. was killed when the SUV he was riding in overturned on Interstate 485.
The roof of the SUV was nearly flattened to the ground.
Troopers said the SUV was traveling west on I-485 when another vehicle tried to pass it on the paved emergency shoulder.
Investigators said that vehicle then side swiped the SUV, causing it to overturn. There were five people in the SUV.
Bell and two others were ejected. Troopers said the others hurt in the crash, do not have life threatening injuries.
Published: Sat, 18 Feb 2012 10:12:57 -0500
The following is the full transcript from our 10 questions for the YouTube dad, Tommy Jordan, from Stanly County. Jordan also posted the full interview on his Facebook page.
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1. WSOCTV.COM: What is it like knowing that 26.5 million people (as of Friday afternoon) have watched your video?
Jordan: "It's still surreal to me and to my family. I had a guy today in the McDonalds drive thru line toss me a thumbs-up from across the parking lot. We have received letters from almost every country on the planet. It's crazy. I just don't understand it. A few people have stopped me in the mall or in public as far as 200 miles from home this past week to say hi. Others snap pictures when they think we're not looking. The online response though... it's been simply amazing. I had no intention for this to happen and no idea that it possibly could."
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2. WSOCTV.COM: What was your daughter’s reaction to the video?
Jordan: "It was what you'd expect I suppose if you came home and found your parents had tossed/broken/destroyed/or given away any toy you had as a kid. She was mad, but in the end she got over it pretty quickly. She didn't have the sensationalized response people seem to be assuming she would. Where we live though, guns to us aren't an anathema. They're a constitutional right that we enjoy being able to utilize fairly often. She's being raised around guns just like she's being raised around hammers. I think she would have had the same reaction if I'd smashed it with a hammer instead. If you mean "was she humiliated and forever scarred knowing people knew it"... No. She was embarrassed about being called out for the language she used. She was embarrassed her parents and grandparents and people from church were able to see it. She really doesn't seem bothered by what the world at large feels about it though. That may change over time, but that's true for now. Time will tell."
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3. WSOCTV.COM: Did you buy her another laptop?
Jordan: "Really? You mean did I feel so overwhelmed with guilt for embarrassing her that I'd go back on my word and give her another one just because I felt bad? No. I have plenty of them around the home and office but she knows they're off limits. She can get another one when she gets a job to get one. Other than that, she uses the ones at the school computer lab just like every other student who doesn't own one at home. And no, to those that have asked; You can't send her one."
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4. WSOCTV.COM: What is the craziest response you have received from a viewer?
Jordan: "Honestly? That snarky retort the other morning by the woman on the far right, on NBC today. I don't remember her name. She's the one sitting opposite Star Jones. I've received plenty of four-letter explicative-filled responses calling me everything from a bad father who has forever scarred his child's psyche to "Way to go Dad - I wish I'd thought of it first" comments, but that lady and her "I hope child protective services is at his house right now" comment.. well, she's not my favorite person.
She's uneducated about what constitutes child abuse apparently, and as a talking-head should have better sense than to spout off that kind of thing on a public venue.
You all know CPS was already called. You already know they've investigated. And obviously both the State and the overwhelming response on THEIR OWN POLL show that most of America (3 out of 4 to be precise) don't agree with her or with their definition of what child abuse is. I know I certainly don't.
Does she really think the flurry of calls she's going to spur is going to help them (CPS) do their jobs any better?
Child abuse is SERIOUS and CPS has a job do to that's important and when they have to step in on a normal family with normal family dynamics it wastes both their time and brings undue stress to that family. Couple that with the media attention it received and they feel under double or triple scrutiny to investigate every inch of that family's life. So guess what, lady? Somewhere some kid IS getting beaten half-to-death by some coke-addicted parent but they can't go investigate because they're over at my house playing legos with my kids.
My daughter was WAY more stressed out about some lady with almost-police powers that have the legal ability to barge into her home or school any time of day or night than she was the laptop or the embarrassment. My children are healthy and happy and we get along great.
Fox Houston already ran a very similar poll almost a week before, and their numbers were almost identical. I think when 75% of America polled say they disagree with her stance, she should just drop it or at least have the tact to express herself in a manner appropriate for TV. And before someone says "Wait! Who are you to talk about tactful displays of emotion - you gun-slinging redneck?" please understand that I was a distraught father that assumed about 15 people were going to see what I said. She's on a national television morning show spouting off her drivel so she's well aware of the impact of her words. Normally I don't much agree with polling figures because someone will put together a national poll with a total of a couple hundred samplings of probably-not-random people, but yesterday 124,000 people spoke up and just about 100,000 of them agreed with me. Parents in America are tired of the entitled generation of "give-it-to-me-for-nothing" kids. And I for one, won't be raising of those if I can prevent it."
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5. WSOCTV.COM: "How many talk shows have you been offered?"
Jordan: "If you mean how many of our OWN shows, none. I thought we had one show offering, but that was just another offer to be the subject of a show. The voicemail wasn't too clear on it and I delayed calling back because I just assumed it was too crazy to be true.
If you're asking how many shows we've been invited to; well I have no idea. Almost every major and most minor news networks from the US, a few from Canada, Britain, Germany, Australia, and some others I'm probably forgetting. No, we haven't received letters from Leno, Letterman, or anyone else known simply by their last name. lol. Dr Phil is the only one I think I'd classify as a talk-show that's called. The rest were news outlets I think."
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6. WSOCTV.COM: Does your daughter still do the dishes?
Jordan: "No more or less than the rest of us do. Yes, she still has her chores. No they haven't been reduced, but no they havent' been added to either. Chores are a necessary part of everyday life.
As adults we do them at work, at home, for our kids, for our spouses, for our pets, for the sake of our yard, etc. As a new person about to enter the work-force at the bottom-rung of some company, she's going to get a lot worse at her first job most likely. I know I did.
There are hundreds of chores we all (people in general) do daily. The few my kids do won't hurt them. And as far as "dishes" go, we're a busy house; gone all day at work and school, and home enough for usually one meal together at night if we're lucky enough to get that. So it's not like the loading/unloading of a dishwasher is going to kill her, nor is it a demeaning chore. I did it as a kid and so do my kids. I have to do it as an adult too. I'm not sure why anyone finds that cruel and unusual punishment. Maybe I'll even have the only kid at the college laundromat who knows how to separate whites from colors in the washing machine. Oh what a tough life..."
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7. WSOCTV.COM: Did your daughter consider the job offer at the ice cream shop?
Jordan: "Not really, but to be fair to the ice cream shop, that's only because they're over an hour away from us. If they were here in town I feel quite certain a child her age would think all kinds of fun things about the opportunity to be surrounded by ice cream all day. lol.
A child today does have a hard time finding a job for two reasons. First, the job market is crap. Let's just be honest. I know plenty of grown adults fighting for positions we would never have considered doing back in 2008. Employers have a much larger pool to pick from right now. Why hire a teenager with no experience when you can hire a grown adult with reliable transportation and a good résumé for the same price?
Second; at her age she would have to get a job she can either take the bus to from school or one close enough that one of us can be sure she can get to and from work. We don't live in an area where cabs are common so she has that challenge as well. Is that unfair? Well some might think so, but it's also called "reality" and it's the same for everyone else in the world who has a job at her age."
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8. WSOCTV.COM: "Is your daughter still grounded?"
Jordan: "Oh yeah."
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9. WSOCTV.COM: What would your best advice be to parents of teens who use social media?
Jordan: "That they need to accept that the idea that a young teen has a right to privacy online is a joke. That's my advice.
Your job as their parents first and foremost is to protect them and love them. All the rest is secondary. If I can protect them, love them, AND give them lots of freedoms to do things they enjoy then so much the better, but if I can't do all those things, I refuse not to be able to protect my kid from harm.
This hasn't made the media, but thanks to "snooping" I've already caught one thirty-year old man trying to set up a time to come over and have sex with one of my daughter's friends. My daughter happened to be over at that girl's house that night. This was about a year ago. I wouldn't ever tell the girl's name to anyone, but I called the cops and told them about it. Then I busted the same girl to the police for sending nude photos of underage boys to my daughter's facebook account. My kid was 13 at the time. The police could have buried that child UNDER the jail if they'd wanted to. Amazing... no one called CPS on that kid who actually NEEDED some intervention. You want to talk about a situation where CPS needs to get involved? Whew... Anyway, I know my children's online history. I can see every word she's ever typed, every keystroke she's ever sent across her laptop, regardless of whether she was at home or at a friend's house. With what I do for a living, I have to see it all the time with other parents, employers, etc. You see a lot in my industry that people don't think about when they think about what an IT person does for a living.
Life isnt' the same as when we were kids, even though that wasn't so long ago. When I was her age, about the only thing my mom had to worry about required someone to physically kidnap me to be able to abuse me. We didn't have cell phones, or Facebook, or super-private ways for our parents not to know what's going on with us. Today technology is smarter and "bad" people don't have to watch your kid from across the playground. They can communicate with hundreds of kids from anywhere and pretend to be anyone. We live in an age of pederasts, pedophiles, and perverts and they're all capable of the same things they used to be, just on a much larger scale thanks 100% to the Internet. I'm a tech-savvy parent and I encourage EVERY parent to make it a goal to know more about the technology their kids use than their kids do. Yes, I'm lucky that my job requires it, so it comes easier to me. That's ok. My company teaches parent's how do to the same thing. Don't call me necessarily, but make it a point to call SOMEONE and learn how to protect your kids digitally from others and from their own bad decisions.
Example:
If my daughter were to leave school in the middle of the day for any reason, as soon as her cell phone's GPS footprint triggered outside the normal 3 mile radius she's supposed to be in I get a text alert. (whether someone thinks they're smart enough to disable the gps or not) Then I can push a few buttons and turn on her phone's speaker, track her GPS location in real-time. I make it a point to know how to get to my child better than any police could dream of in this day and age. Nothing short of an FBI swat team find my child better than I can. I could make a call to 911 and tell the police turn-by-turn directions to where she was within about 500 feet. I can do the same with her laptop. I can remote activate the web camera, track the ISP node the laptop is closest to - within about one mile and constantly record what happens on the screen if I need to. Call me over-protective if you want, but I know what the technological capabilities of the bad people are because we use them too in our industry, though for different purposes.
I've never used ANY of these tools on my children's computers and phones except in the instance of the pervert mentioned earlier and to test that they're still working, but you simply have GOT to know how to protect your kids online. Don't give them top-of-the-line toys you yourself dont even understand without realizing the consequences you're subjecting them to. Even if you have great kids... how do you know the integrity of the rest of the people they're dealing with?"
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1o. WSOCTV.COM: Is WSOC-TV your favorite station in Charlotte?
Jordan: "LOL. What a loaded question! I'll have to look back at the spin you've given my story thus far before answering that one! I DO like your channel though."
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Head on over to our Facebook page and leave your opinion on Jordan's answers to our questions.
Published: Sat, 18 Feb 2012 10:11:07 -0500
Family and friends of Dara Watson, 30, gathered in Boone for a candlelight vigil Friday, after praying for her since she disappeared.
Marshall Bristle learned Watson, her best friend, was missing just a few days ago.
"It's just a sick feeling, for one, not knowing where your friend is," Bristle said.
Bristle was one of hundreds of people in the small town of Boone that pushed past their own pain to support Watson's family at the vigil.
"We want to show the support they need. It's a hard time for everybody, but I can't imagine going through what they are right now," said Bristle.
Watson's mother spent the day in Mount Holly on Friday. Her father arrived in the city Monday night.
Watson was last seen on February 6. Investigators believe her fiance killed himself in the home they shared a few days later.
Investigators in South Carolina said they found a body in the woods near where her car was found last week. They are still working to identify the body.
Published: Fri, 17 Feb 2012 23:12:02 -0500
A woman told police that a man told her he was a maintenance worker to get into her hotel room before stealing her cellphone.
The victim was staying at the Days Inn at 118 Woodlawn Road in Charlotte on Feb. 11 when a man knocked on her door.
Police said he claimed to be a maintenance worker, so she let him into the room. He looked around and then left, but came back a few minutes later.
She told police he was in the bathroom for a few minutes before coming out and trying to take her phone away from her. She then pulled out a knife and fought with the man.
During the struggle, one of her hands was cut, and the man managed to run from her room with the phone, according to police.
The thief is described as a black man in his 30s with a medium to large build, a receding hairline and gold in his mouth. He was last seen wearing a two-piece jogging suit with a design on the front and back and glasses.
Police said he left the hotel in a light-colored Crown Victoria-type vehicle.
Anyone with information regarding this case is asked to call 911 immediately or call Crime Stoppers at 704-334-1600.
Published: Fri, 17 Feb 2012 22:45:09 -0500
The family of a 13-year-old student kicked out of school for handing a friend a bag of oregano is considering a lawsuit if he's not immediately allowed back to school.
At the end of January, the eighth-grader at Cuthbertson Middle School handed a classmate a baggie of oregano and told him it was marijuana.
The school immediately handed down a 10-day suspension. When that suspension ended the school added an additional 45-day suspension to be served at a special alternative school.
The student's family lost an appeal Thursday to get him back into Cuthbertson and is now being represented by an attorney.
The boy's mother agreed to talk to Eyewitness News as long as her identity wasn't revealed. She said she's worried his "childish prank" will hurt his chances to get into college.
"I don't know if this is going to come back to haunt him," she said. "It just seemed a ridiculous response for a 13-year-old child that's playing a prank to be sentenced for 45 additional days for a bag of oregano. It just seemed crazy. Over the top."
The teen was immediately suspended for 10 days and ordered to attend a drug class when he handed his friend the bag of oregano on Jan. 20.
"I actually was not fighting the 10-day suspension, even though I still thought it was a little much for having a bag of a substance that's not illegal," said the mother.
Eyewitness News reviewed the Union County Student Code of Conduct. Because the teen said he had marijuana and gave it away on school property, the district's policy mandates a minimum 10-day suspension. Then, a hearing is held to determine if the suspension should be extended.
When the school principal recommended an additional 45-day suspension, the teen's family appealed the decision. Cuthbertson's principal, assistant principal, several school board members, and an assistant superintendent were at the appeal hearing Thursday morning.
The boy's mother said the principal asked her how she would feel if the baggie really contained marijuana.
She said she replied, "That's beside the point. It was oregano."
Her appeal was denied.
The family is now being represented by attorney John Whitehead with the Rutherford Institute in Virginia.
He plans on suing if the teen isn't allowed back into his regular school immediately.
"If it was marijuana? Sure. It should be dealt with seriously. I think it should be dealt with probably by the police. But this is oregano, folks! This is what you put on pizza. It was a joke," he said.
District spokesman Luan Ingram said she couldn't discuss this case specifically, or go into detail about the teen's disciplinary record. She said the decision was made with thoughtful consideration.
"He told his classmates he had marijuana to give away. It's not a zero-tolerance policy, but we use judgment in our decisions," Ingram said.
As it stands now, the teen won't be allowed back in Cuthbertson until March 29.
"If his records are not expunged, this will follow him around the rest of his life. He did not have a drug. He was joking around," Whitehead said.
Published: Fri, 17 Feb 2012 21:35:42 -0500
An ultralight plane made an emergency landing on Highway 97 near Smyrna, S.C. on Friday afternoon.
York County Emergency officials tell Eyewitness News that a small group of the planes were flying around the area most of the day.
One of the pilots began experiencing engine trouble, so he quickly landed on Highway 97.
No one was hurt.
Published: Fri, 17 Feb 2012 18:34:37 -0500
Police in Charlotte have a warning for people who are about to file their taxes: someone is stealing Social Security numbers and using them to collect refunds.
Fraud detectives say they have gotten dozens of reports of identity theft over the last couple of weeks from victims who said they went to file taxes and found someone had already used their identities.
"Someone had filed in my name with my Social Security number and my address," said Dolores Guy, 74.
"We've seen several -- numerous -- over the last few weeks," said Sgt. Walt Bowling, who supervises CMPD's Fraud unit.
Bowling says the thieves don't discriminate, using the Social Security numbers of young people as well as the elderly, but said tracking them down can be difficult because most of the victims don't know when or how their identities were stolen.
"The number could've been used anywhere in the country and it's hard to get the information from the IRS to find out where the taxes were filed," Bowling said.
More information:
Published: Fri, 17 Feb 2012 18:03:21 -0500
A Concord woman says her son's football coach failed to take the proper steps to detect a serious brain injury after a game.
But the coach says he did everything necessary.
"You hear about football injuries -- you just never think it's going to happen to your child," Amy Gerdeman said.
Gerdeman said her 15-year-old son, Sean, is not allowed back on a football field after a serious injury during a rough game.
"Nothing's ever going to replace wrestling or football for me," Sean Gerdeman said. He is no longer allowed to participate in contact sports.
Over the past few months, she said Sean has jumped from medication to medication to treat migraines and help him concentrate.
Now that sign-ups have started for spring football with his former team, she said she had to speak out.
"When you put your kids on the field, you trust the coaches one hundred percent," she said.
Gerdeman said her son was hit several times during a game on May 7, 2011. She said he even blacked out once.
Afterward, though, she said his coach didn't seem to be worried that Sean complained of a headache.
"The instructions to Sean when he left the game were, 'You had a rough game, go home and take some Motrin,'" she said.
Six hours later, she said Sean was rushed to the hospital with bleeding on his brain.
She said his coach should have taken a closer look at him and warned them of the possible dangers.
"They expect us to already know," Sean said.
But Coach Robert Ford, director of football for the Carolina Bears, said he followed protocol and took all the steps to check if Sean was okay.
"His pupils weren't dilated, his speech wasn't slurred. He never said anything about blacking out," Ford said. "I didn't say anything as far as monitoring him for a concussion. We said to watch him to make sure he's OK."
But the Gerdemans said coaches and the league need to take concussions more seriously and put a bigger emphasis on education for players and families.
"It really needs to be changed and it needs to be the number one focus," Amy Gerdeman said.
Ford said while they don't hold a specific class to teach families about concussions, they are mentioned at the beginning of the year when they talk about team rules.
He said all his coaches are certified, that they also talk to players about the symptoms, and said that he believes adequate information is being given out.
Published: Fri, 17 Feb 2012 17:39:01 -0500
On Friday afternoon, Eyewitness News was there as Chesterfield County sheriff's deputies loaded up dozens of starving horses and cows onto trailers.
Deputies and animal control officers spent the day walking the 175-acre farm near Jefferson, looking for some of the 160 animals that they say were left there to die.
"We're just trying to get them back, and do what we can to keep them alive," said Chesterfield County Sheriff Sam Parker.
The owner of the farm, 54-year-old Herbert Delaney, is charged with cruelty to animals and was arrested late Thursday. Delaney lives in Union County, N.C., but a man who lives on the Chesterfield County farm told deputies he hadn't seen Delaney in months.
"He told us that back in October was the last time he saw the owner to give feed or hay or anything to these animals," Parker said.
Deputies first got an anonymous call about possible animal neglect there in January. They watched the property for more than a week, and determined no one was feeding the livestock and horses.
"We found four dead animals. Carcasses. Likely starved," Parker said. "If you don't want your animals, don't put them here to die."
Deputies showed Channel 9 cows with visible ribs and back and hip bones nearly poking through their hides. Some horses were hundreds of pounds underweight, and their hooves were split or cracked.
Parker said Delaney didn't neglect the animals because of financial reasons, but appeared to just give up on them, telling deputies he didn't plan to feed them anymore.
Animal control officers don't often have to deal with large animals such as horses and cows. They're taking them to an undisclosed pasture outside the county to care for them until they figure out what to do with them.
Michael Swann heard about the charges and showed up Friday to give his time and money.
"It's sad, but this is all about the animals," he said. "I think if you have animals you need to feed them and take care of them. They can't take care of themselves."
Animal control bought 800 pounds of hay to provide temporary food, but they're in need of more donations and volunteers to ensure the animals can return to health.
If you can help, call the Chesterfield County Sheriff's Office at (843) 623-2101.
Published: Fri, 17 Feb 2012 17:21:01 -0500
Twelve artists have made it to the finals of the Democratic National Convention poster contest.
Four of the finalists are from Charlotte.
The DNC asked artists to submit a design that best displayed their vision for the convention.
The winner will get to sell their poster during the months leading up to the convention in September, and will receive $1 for every piece sold.
Channel 9 met with the local finalists at Graphix printing company in Charlotte to see their work up close. Their designs were created and submitted electronically so it was the first time the artists got to see them in print.
Steve Ward, a design teacher at York Technical College, explained his specific vision.
"I titled it 'Urban Unity,' so the coming together, so I really wanted to play on that, and have different elements, the colors, the contrast, everything coming together as a cohesive unit," Ward said.
Anna Smith's focus was primarily on Charlotte's skyline.
"And then of course, the Carolina blue skies are something I brought into the design as well," she said.
Greg Schauble, a professor at Winthrop University, said his piece was a take on a blueprint idea.
"It would be a blueprint for the future, and so I really wanted to choose kind of traditional blueprint, you know, the medium," he said.
India Simpson is a freelance artist whose message stood out.
"I felt like Americans coming together to build a better future was definitely most important, so I wanted to put emphasis on that," said Simpson.
There were more than 26,000 votes for the DNC backed contest. Hundreds of artists from across the world submitted entries.
For these Charlotte finalists, their hope is to win top pick.
To look at all 12 finalists’ designs, click here.
Published: Fri, 17 Feb 2012 15:45:27 -0500
CPCC’s Elizabeth campus will be the DNC security hub, but it just had two close calls at its satellite campuses.
The head of security and other officials told Eyewitness News that a white man, around 30 years old, was going by the name Emmanuel. They said Emmanuel said he was a vendor or repair person and that he stopped by CPCC's Harris and Harper campuses within a few hours of each other. They said the man asked for access to restricted areas where certain alarm systems are housed.
Security at both campuses were suspicious and told him no, and he left peacefully.
Security guards don't think he was a legitimate repairman. They said they're checking to make sure.
Officials said they have other information on Emmanuel and are doing an internal investigation. They've also notified Charlotte-Mecklenburg police about the two incidents.
Published: Fri, 17 Feb 2012 15:43:46 -0500
Climbing gas prices are threatening Mecklenburg County's Friendship Trays program, a nonprofit that relies entirely on volunteers.
"It's a difficult situation when you're having to fill up your tank every three or four days," volunteer Neil Foto said.
Twice a week, Foto drives about 30 miles across Charlotte to drop off a dozen meals. But with gas nearing $4 a gallon, Foto said that calling to serve has turned to concern.
Friendship Trays delivers about 800 meals a day across Mecklenburg County and relies entirely on volunteers. A handful of drivers recently dropped out, and the executive director worries the trend is only going to get worse.
"When gas prices are high, our program is jeopardized," Lucy Bush Carter said.
Many volunteers are now trying to work around the climbing cost of gas by carpooling and using drop-off locations.
For more information, including ways to get involved, visit www.friendshiptrays.org.
To look for low gas prices in your area, click here.
Published: Fri, 17 Feb 2012 15:36:46 -0500
Charlotte’s new Major League Lacrosse team is gearing up for its first game of the season, but is wondering what will happen if the stadium where the team plays undergoes a major face-lift.
Memorial Stadium in the Elizabeth neighborhood of Charlotte has structural damage on the 7th Street side.
The team agrees with residents’ desire to renovate the historic field and has arranged to use about 10,000 seats on the opposite side of the field.
“It’s kind of like our own version of Wrigley or Fenway. You see the historic rock walls, the view of the city, the location, the ties to Parks and Rec. It’s a great, great venue,” said Wade Leaphart with the Charlotte Hounds.
The Hounds will play their first home game April 28.
Renovations to Memorial Stadium will not affect their schedule, officials said.
Published: Fri, 17 Feb 2012 15:01:12 -0500
Most unclaimed money is held by the states, according to an ABC News report.
State law requires banks, brokerage firms and other companies that handle people's money to turn unclaimed funds over to the states for safekeeping if they can't locate the rightful owners.
The federal government has its own "buried treasure" that you can find, too.
Some private entities also have helpful tools for you to try. All but one listed in the ABC News report are free. If you are asked to pay a large flat fee or a percentage of the unclaimed money you find, you are probably dealing with a professional "finder." It is never necessary to pay a fee or finder for information you can quickly look up on your own.
To read the full report, click here.
More information:
Published: Fri, 17 Feb 2012 14:29:36 -0500
Police charged a Shelby woman on Friday with stabbing a man last week.
Brittney Nechell Thurman, 22, of the 400 block of Clegg St., assaulted a Ligon Street man with a “certain edged weapon” on Feb. 10, according to a warrant for her arrest. Police say Thurman had four crack cocaine rocks when she was arrested Friday, a magistrate’s order states.
Thurman was charged with assault with a deadly weapon inflicting serious injury and possession with intent to sell or deliver cocaine. She was booked into the Cleveland County Detention Center without bond.
Published: Fri, 17 Feb 2012 14:05:08 -0500
Police have suspended the search for a 30-year-old missing Mount Pleasant woman after a body was found not far from where the woman's burning SUV was discovered.
Investigators have not identified the remains found Friday afternoon in the Frances Marion National Forest.
Dara Lee Watson, who has ties to the Boone area, was last seen Feb. 6 and her charred vehicle was found the next day. Her fiance committed suicide just hours after she was reported missing, but didn't leave a note. Officials say someone who gave him a ride from the woods near where the SUV was burned saw him walking with a shovel.
SLIDESHOW: Photos of Dara Watson
SLIDESHOW: SC forest searched for missing Boone woman
WATCH: Family, friends organize vigil for missing woman
Searchers have spent nearly a week looking for Watson. Divers found her cellphone in the bottom of a pond near Mount Pleasant on Thursday.
Published: Fri, 17 Feb 2012 14:04:22 -0500
The Internal Revenue Service has issued its annual “Dirty Dozen” tax scams list, reminding taxpayers to use caution during tax season to protect themselves against a wide range of schemes ranging from identity theft to return preparer fraud.
The Dirty Dozen listing, compiled by the IRS each year, lists a variety of common scams taxpayers can encounter at any point during the year. But many of these schemes peak during filing season as people prepare their tax returns.
Illegal scams can lead to significant penalties and interest and possible criminal prosecution. The IRS Criminal Investigation Division works closely with the Department of Justice to shut down scams and prosecute the criminals behind them.
Here are five of the Dirty Dozen tax scams for 2012:
- Identity theft In response to growing identity theft concerns, the IRS has embarked on a comprehensive strategy focused on preventing, detecting and resolving identity theft cases as soon as possible. In addition to the law-enforcement crackdown, the IRS has stepped up its internal reviews to spot false tax returns before tax refunds are issued and is working to help victims of identity theft refund schemes.
Identity theft cases are among the most complex ones the IRS handles, but the agency is committed to working with taxpayers who have become victims of identity theft.
The IRS is increasingly seeing identity thieves looking for ways to use a legitimate taxpayer’s identity and personal information to file a tax return and claim a fraudulent refund.
An IRS notice informing a taxpayer that more than one return was filed in the taxpayer’s name or that the taxpayer received wages from an unknown employer may be the first tip off the individual receives that he or she has been victimized. Anyone who believes his or her personal information has been stolen and used for tax purposes should immediately contact the IRS Identity Protection Specialized Unit. For more information, visit the special identity theft page on this website.
Phishing These scams are typically carried out with the help of unsolicited email or a fake website that poses as a legitimate site to lure potential victims into providing valuable personal and financial information. Armed with this information, a criminal can commit identity theft or financial theft.
If you receive an unsolicited email that appears to be from either the IRS or an organization closely linked to the IRS, such as the Electronic Federal Tax Payment System (EFTPS), report it by sending it to phishing@irs.gov.
It is important to keep in mind the IRS does not initiate contact with taxpayers by email to request personal or financial information. This includes any type of electronic communication, such as text messages and social media channels. The IRS has information that can help you protect yourself from email scams.
Return preparer fraud About 60 percent of taxpayers will use tax professionals this year to prepare and file their tax returns. Most return preparers provide honest service to their clients. But as in any other business, there are also some who prey on unsuspecting taxpayers.
Questionable return preparers have been known to skim off their clients’ refunds, charge inflated fees for return preparation services and attract new clients by promising guaranteed or inflated refunds. Taxpayers should choose carefully when hiring a tax preparer. Federal courts have issued hundreds of injunctions ordering individuals to cease preparing returns, and the Department of Justice has pending complaints against many others.
In 2012, every paid preparer needs to have a Preparer Tax Identification Number (PTIN) and must enter it on the returns he or she prepares.
Signals to watch for when you are dealing with an unscrupulous return preparer would include that they:
- Do not sign the return or will not include a Preparer Tax identification Number on it.
- Do not give you a copy of your tax return.
- Promise larger-than-normal tax refunds.
- Charge a percentage of the refund amount as preparation fee.
- Require you to split the refund to pay the preparation fee.
- Add forms to the return you have never filed before.
- Encourage you to place false information on your return, such as false income, expenses and/or credits.
- For advice on how to find a competent tax professional, see Tips for Choosing a Tax Preparer.
Hiding income offshore Over the years, numerous individuals have been identified as evading U.S. taxes by hiding income in offshore banks, brokerage accounts or nominee entities and then using debit cards, credit cards or wire transfers to access the funds. Others have employed foreign trusts, employee-leasing schemes, private annuities or insurance plans for the same purpose.
The IRS uses information gained from its investigations to pursue taxpayers with undeclared accounts, as well as the banks and bankers suspected of helping clients hide their assets overseas. The IRS works closely with the Department of Justice to prosecute tax evasion cases.
While there are legitimate reasons for maintaining financial accounts abroad, there are reporting requirements that need to be fulfilled. U.S. taxpayers who maintain such accounts and who do not comply with reporting and disclosure requirements are breaking the law and risk significant penalties and fines, as well as the possibility of criminal prosecution.
“Free money” from the IRS & tax scams involving Social Security Fliers and advertisements for free money from the IRS, suggesting that the taxpayer can file a tax return with little or no documentation, have been appearing in community churches around the country. These schemes are also often spread by word of mouth as unsuspecting and well-intentioned people tell their friends and relatives. Scammers prey on low-income individuals and the elderly. They build false hopes and charge people good money for bad advice. In the end, the victims discover their claims are rejected. Meanwhile, the promoters are long gone. The IRS warns all taxpayers to remain vigilant.
There are a number of tax scams involving Social Security. For example, scammers have been known to lure the unsuspecting with promises of non-existent Social Security refunds or rebates. In another situation, a taxpayer may really be due a credit or refund but the scammer uses inflated amounts to complete the return for a larger refund they'll run off with.
These are some of the Dirty Dozen Tax Scams for 2012. For a complete list, see IRS Releases the Dirty Dozen Tax Scams for 2012.
Published: Fri, 17 Feb 2012 13:59:48 -0500
A Gastonia man faces three charges of indecent liberties with a child related to activities that took place several years ago, according to arrest warrants.
Charles Stephen Rhyne, 47, of 118 Eli Circle was booked into Gaston County Jail under a $500,000 bond Thursday night.
Rhyne touched a girl who was between the ages of 6 and 11 years old in a sexual manner while the child slept, according to a warrant affidavit written out by Stanley Police Officer S.I. Smith.
The touching took place over clothes or bed sheets, according to a warrant.
A witness reported she also was touched in the chest area.
The incidents occurred between 2004 and 2009, according to warrants.
Published: Fri, 17 Feb 2012 13:54:33 -0500
Crews are working to repair a cut in a fiber optic cable that has affected MI-Connection customers much of the week.
In a news release this morning, MI-Connection said the cut in a 1,600-foot line running alongside a Lake Norman bridge occurred sometime Sunday and caused reduced bandwidth and Internet speeds for some customers.
System CEO David Auger said that one of MI-Connection’s two fiber backbone feeds went down. System officials notified XO Communications and a trouble ticket was issued to DukeNet, the carrier XO utilizes as part of their backbone run. Early Monday morning, DukeNet dispatched multiple crews to the scene of the cut.
“About mid-morning, we learned that the fiber cut was located within a span of fiber that crossed Lake Norman parallel to the 150 bridge (west of Mooresville),” he said. “We also became aware that the repair faced numerous regulatory restrictions, unlike typical fiber cuts, due to its unique location.”
Auger said that it is purely speculation at this point, but the fiber was somehow damaged, perhaps by a bullet, that creased the fiber casing and that subsequent cold weather and moisture triggered the break. The entire span will have to be replaced, which is a challenging and time-consuming process. The repair, said Auger, is expected to be complete by Friday.
Although Internet traffic has been re-routed to our other backbone provider, said Auger, the system’s available bandwidth was reduced by 50 percent. As a result residential customers may be having difficulty streaming video, particularly NetFlix. Also, some customers may be experiencing slower-than-normal speeds during peak usage hours in the evening. Commercial customers have seen little to no impact due to the greater availability of bandwidth during daytime hours.
Auger also said that prior to this incident, MI Connection had begun the process of adding another backbone provider to the two existing vendors. This will be finalized within the next 30 days and will prevent service degradation should fiber damage incidents occur in the future.
Customers who believe they have been affected, said Auger, can simply email the system at miccustomerrequest@mi-connection.com prior to March 1, 2012 and provide the account holder name, physical address and contact telephone number and a MI-Connection representative will follow up with them.
Published: Fri, 17 Feb 2012 13:53:16 -0500
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