Tuesday, July 17, 2007
By Marcie Young
Charlotte Observer Staff Writer
GASTONIA -- Jurors in the murder trial of a Caldwell County man charged with killing his wife were to resume deliberations today after leaving the Gaston County Courthouse on Monday in a deadlock.
Shortly before 4:45 p.m. Monday, the jury foreman gave Judge David Cayer a note saying "a few of the jurors seem unwilling to state reasons why they believe one way or another."
The foreman did not say in her note how many jurors disagreed with the majority. "Opinions," she wrote, "have been stated and are unwavering."
Cayer told defense attorneys, prosecutors and jurors, who had been deliberating for nearly 15 hours, that the jury needed to discuss the case further and try for a unanimous decision.
"Given the length of this trial and the complexity of this evidence, I'm not going to stop deliberations," he said.
Jerry Anderson, 48, faces first-degree murder charges in the shooting death of his wife, Emily, and could face the death penalty.
Emily Anderson disappeared from her husband's dairy farm Dec. 29, 2005. Ten days later, her Chevrolet Silverado pickup was found 100 miles away in an S.C. parking lot. She had been shot twice and her body crammed into the truck bed's large toolbox.
Cayer has told jurors that they can find Anderson guilty or not guilty only of first-degree murder, not a lesser charge.
The motive, prosecutors have argued, was Emily Anderson's $4 million life insurance.
Attorneys for Anderson have argued that Emily Anderson had been dead two to four days when her body was found, about a week less than the prosecution said.
All content © THE CHARLOTTE OBSERVER and may not be republished without permission.
7/16/07
Deliberations continue in Anderson trial
Monday, July 16, 2007
By Marcie Young
Charlotte Observer Staff Writer
GASTIONIA --Jurors in the Jerry Anderson murder trial broke for today, after 12 hours of deliberation, without a verdict.
Anderson, 48, faces first-degree murder charges in the shooting death of his wife, Emily, and could face the death penalty if convicted.
Prosecution and defense attorneys presented nearly 500 exhibits, and more than 50 witnesses testified since the trial began on June 8.
Judge David Cayer has told jurors that they can only find Anderson guilty or not guilty of first-degree murder, not a lesser charge.
Emily Anderson disappeared from her husband's Caldwell County dairy farm on Dec. 29, 2005.
Ten days later, her Chevrolet Silverado pickup was found in an S.C. restaurant parking lot, about 100 miles from the farm. She had been shot twice and her body crammed into the truck bed's large toolbox.
Prosecutors have argued that, on Dec. 29, Jerry Anderson shot and killed his wife in a pasture behind the farm, put her body into the toolbox of her truck and, using his own pickup, hauled it to South Carolina.
The motive for the slaying, prosecutors have argued, was the more than $4 million insurance on Emily Anderson's life.
Attorneys for Anderson have argued that Emily Anderson had been dead two to four days when her body was found, about a week less than the prosecution said. His attorneys also argued that investigators decided prematurely that Anderson killed his wife and ignored evidence showing otherwise.
All content © THE CHARLOTTE OBSERVER and may not be republished without permission.
By Marcie Young
Charlotte Observer Staff Writer
GASTIONIA --Jurors in the Jerry Anderson murder trial broke for today, after 12 hours of deliberation, without a verdict.
Anderson, 48, faces first-degree murder charges in the shooting death of his wife, Emily, and could face the death penalty if convicted.
Prosecution and defense attorneys presented nearly 500 exhibits, and more than 50 witnesses testified since the trial began on June 8.
Judge David Cayer has told jurors that they can only find Anderson guilty or not guilty of first-degree murder, not a lesser charge.
Emily Anderson disappeared from her husband's Caldwell County dairy farm on Dec. 29, 2005.
Ten days later, her Chevrolet Silverado pickup was found in an S.C. restaurant parking lot, about 100 miles from the farm. She had been shot twice and her body crammed into the truck bed's large toolbox.
Prosecutors have argued that, on Dec. 29, Jerry Anderson shot and killed his wife in a pasture behind the farm, put her body into the toolbox of her truck and, using his own pickup, hauled it to South Carolina.
The motive for the slaying, prosecutors have argued, was the more than $4 million insurance on Emily Anderson's life.
Attorneys for Anderson have argued that Emily Anderson had been dead two to four days when her body was found, about a week less than the prosecution said. His attorneys also argued that investigators decided prematurely that Anderson killed his wife and ignored evidence showing otherwise.
All content © THE CHARLOTTE OBSERVER and may not be republished without permission.
7/15/07
Play me some mountain music
Sunday, July 15, 2007
By Marcie Young
Charlotte Observer Staff Writer
LENOIR -- Beneath a canopy of oak and pine trees, nestled in a Caldwell County mountain hollow, Glenn Bolick strums his guitar and sings a mellow, bluegrass tune about the things he knows.
"I'll cut timber, wherever I can," he sings. "My daddy's, daddy's daddy was a sawmills man."
Every Sunday from July to September for the past 12 years, Bolick -- a fourth-generation sawmiller -- and his wife, Lula, have hosted an informal jam session in their yard for folks wanting to pick a banjo, play the washboard or pluck the single, thick string attached to a metal washtub.
"We started this to get the young people with the old-timers," he said. "A lot of young folks get inspired by this."
Last week, about a dozen musicians -- from fiddlers to banjo players -- gathered beneath a covered ground-level stage and began playing. They played a few gospel tunes, some mountain music and, of course, bluegrass.
Lynn Feldman, 76, strummed at the washboard with metal tips covering her fingers, while her husband, Al, played the musical saw. Neither are professional musicians, but about 10 years ago, the couple -- who live in Florida and spend summers in Blowing Rock -- heard about the bluegrass jam and decided to see what it was all about.
Bolick, who jokes with his audience, tells stories and encourages them to play, held up the washboard on one of the Feldmans' first visits.
"He said, `Does anyone want to try this?' " Lynn Feldman recalled. "I raised my hand and said, `I will.' "
Now every Sunday, Lynn and Al Feldman, a retired pediatric radiologist who plays banjo and the musical saw, spend their day with Bolick's band.
"We jam around wherever we can," said Al Feldman, 78. "It's a great way to spend a Sunday afternoon."
Last week, an audience of more than 60 people sat on benches formed from planks of wood resting on top of thick cinder blocks, swayed to the tunes or tapped their feet. Some, at Bolick's prodding, got up to dance.
"If you want to do some dancing, some flatfoot, you better get on up here," Bolick said, his guitar resting on his lap.
Here, in the leafy hollow filled with a half-dozen antique, wooden buildings, the Bolicks have preserved the tradition of the Appalachians.
"Music like this," said Lula Bolick, "there's not much of it that still goes on. This is something that doesn't happen a lot, and people like it. It's laid back."
And it hasn't gone unnoticed with bluegrass fans from across the state, who make the trek to southern Caldwell County to listen, watch and learn.
"It's getting harder and harder to find," said Chip Duncan of Charlotte. "We're losing a lot of our culture in this country, and we need to remember the roots."
Duncan and his wife, Jane, are natives of the South -- he's a Virginian and she's from South Carolina -- and spend their free time traveling state to state in search of traditional mountain music.
Bolick, they said, has it figured out.
"(The buildings and music) all add to the community he's trying to construct here," Duncan said. "It's great."
Want to Go?
Spend a summer afternoon with Glenn and Lula Bolick, listening to bluegrass, gospel and traditional mountain music at the 12th season of Mountain Music Jammin' near Lenoir.
The event, from 2 to 5 p.m. on Sundays though September, is open to all musicians. Cloggers and two-steppers are welcome on the dance floor.
Seating is available, and lawn chairs are welcome. Picnic tables, restrooms and parking are also available. No alcoholic beverages allowed.
The event is at the family-owned Bolick and Traditions Pottery, about three miles south of Blowing Rock and 14 miles north of Lenoir off U.S. 321. Turn left onto Blackberry Road beside St. Mark's Lutheran Church on U.S. 321. Go one-half mile, then turn right at Bolick Road.
Details: www.traditionspottery.com/music.html
All content © THE CHARLOTTE OBSERVERand may not be republished without permission.
By Marcie Young
Charlotte Observer Staff Writer
LENOIR -- Beneath a canopy of oak and pine trees, nestled in a Caldwell County mountain hollow, Glenn Bolick strums his guitar and sings a mellow, bluegrass tune about the things he knows.
"I'll cut timber, wherever I can," he sings. "My daddy's, daddy's daddy was a sawmills man."
Every Sunday from July to September for the past 12 years, Bolick -- a fourth-generation sawmiller -- and his wife, Lula, have hosted an informal jam session in their yard for folks wanting to pick a banjo, play the washboard or pluck the single, thick string attached to a metal washtub.
"We started this to get the young people with the old-timers," he said. "A lot of young folks get inspired by this."
Last week, about a dozen musicians -- from fiddlers to banjo players -- gathered beneath a covered ground-level stage and began playing. They played a few gospel tunes, some mountain music and, of course, bluegrass.
Lynn Feldman, 76, strummed at the washboard with metal tips covering her fingers, while her husband, Al, played the musical saw. Neither are professional musicians, but about 10 years ago, the couple -- who live in Florida and spend summers in Blowing Rock -- heard about the bluegrass jam and decided to see what it was all about.
Bolick, who jokes with his audience, tells stories and encourages them to play, held up the washboard on one of the Feldmans' first visits.
"He said, `Does anyone want to try this?' " Lynn Feldman recalled. "I raised my hand and said, `I will.' "
Now every Sunday, Lynn and Al Feldman, a retired pediatric radiologist who plays banjo and the musical saw, spend their day with Bolick's band.
"We jam around wherever we can," said Al Feldman, 78. "It's a great way to spend a Sunday afternoon."
Last week, an audience of more than 60 people sat on benches formed from planks of wood resting on top of thick cinder blocks, swayed to the tunes or tapped their feet. Some, at Bolick's prodding, got up to dance.
"If you want to do some dancing, some flatfoot, you better get on up here," Bolick said, his guitar resting on his lap.
Here, in the leafy hollow filled with a half-dozen antique, wooden buildings, the Bolicks have preserved the tradition of the Appalachians.
"Music like this," said Lula Bolick, "there's not much of it that still goes on. This is something that doesn't happen a lot, and people like it. It's laid back."
And it hasn't gone unnoticed with bluegrass fans from across the state, who make the trek to southern Caldwell County to listen, watch and learn.
"It's getting harder and harder to find," said Chip Duncan of Charlotte. "We're losing a lot of our culture in this country, and we need to remember the roots."
Duncan and his wife, Jane, are natives of the South -- he's a Virginian and she's from South Carolina -- and spend their free time traveling state to state in search of traditional mountain music.
Bolick, they said, has it figured out.
"(The buildings and music) all add to the community he's trying to construct here," Duncan said. "It's great."
Want to Go?
Spend a summer afternoon with Glenn and Lula Bolick, listening to bluegrass, gospel and traditional mountain music at the 12th season of Mountain Music Jammin' near Lenoir.
The event, from 2 to 5 p.m. on Sundays though September, is open to all musicians. Cloggers and two-steppers are welcome on the dance floor.
Seating is available, and lawn chairs are welcome. Picnic tables, restrooms and parking are also available. No alcoholic beverages allowed.
The event is at the family-owned Bolick and Traditions Pottery, about three miles south of Blowing Rock and 14 miles north of Lenoir off U.S. 321. Turn left onto Blackberry Road beside St. Mark's Lutheran Church on U.S. 321. Go one-half mile, then turn right at Bolick Road.
Details: www.traditionspottery.com/music.html
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7/13/07
Murder case against farmer laid out
Prosecutor: Man shot wife, put her in toolbox to get insurance money
Friday, July 13, 2007
By Marcie Young
Charlotte Observer Staff Writer
GASTONIA - Jurors in the Jerry Anderson trial spent more than four hours Thursday trying to decide if the Caldwell County dairy farmer killed his wife, but ended the day with no verdict.
Anderson, 48, faces first-degree murder charges in the shooting death of his wife, Emily, and could face the death penalty if convicted. Jurors, who began deliberations shortly after 11 a.m. Thursday, will resume deliberations today.
For the first time, Assistant District Attorney Eric Bellas put all the pieces of testimony together to describe how investigators believe Anderson killed his wife and disposed of her body.
On Dec. 29, 2005, Bellas said, Anderson shot Emily Anderson in a pasture near the couple's dairy farm and put her body into the toolbox of her truck.
Then, Bellas said, Anderson attached the truck to one of the trailers kept on the farm and, using his own pickup, hauled it to South Carolina.
In the days after Emily Anderson was last seen in Caldwell County, Bellas argued, Anderson talked with friends and farmworkers to create false alibis.
The motive for the slaying, Bellas said, was the more than $4 million insurance on Emily Anderson's life.
"Jerry Anderson had everything to gain by Emily's death," he said.
Ten days after Emily Anderson was last seen in Caldwell County, her Chevrolet Silverado pickup was found in an S.C. restaurant and hotel parking lot, about 100 miles from the farm. She had been shot twice and her body crammed into the truck bed's large toolbox.
Attorneys for Anderson on Wednesday recounted testimony from experts who said his wife had been dead two to four days when her body was found, about a week less than the prosecution said. His attorneys also argued that investigators decided prematurely that Anderson killed his wife and ignored evidence showing otherwise.
"They have a theory," said Anderson's attorney, Lisa Dubs. "They just want to bring their opinions into the courtroom and have you decide."
Judge David Cayer told jurors they could only find Anderson guilty or not guilty of first-degree murder, not a lesser charge.
All content © THE CHARLOTTE OBSERVER and may not be republished without permission.
Friday, July 13, 2007
By Marcie Young
Charlotte Observer Staff Writer
GASTONIA - Jurors in the Jerry Anderson trial spent more than four hours Thursday trying to decide if the Caldwell County dairy farmer killed his wife, but ended the day with no verdict.
Anderson, 48, faces first-degree murder charges in the shooting death of his wife, Emily, and could face the death penalty if convicted. Jurors, who began deliberations shortly after 11 a.m. Thursday, will resume deliberations today.
For the first time, Assistant District Attorney Eric Bellas put all the pieces of testimony together to describe how investigators believe Anderson killed his wife and disposed of her body.
On Dec. 29, 2005, Bellas said, Anderson shot Emily Anderson in a pasture near the couple's dairy farm and put her body into the toolbox of her truck.
Then, Bellas said, Anderson attached the truck to one of the trailers kept on the farm and, using his own pickup, hauled it to South Carolina.
In the days after Emily Anderson was last seen in Caldwell County, Bellas argued, Anderson talked with friends and farmworkers to create false alibis.
The motive for the slaying, Bellas said, was the more than $4 million insurance on Emily Anderson's life.
"Jerry Anderson had everything to gain by Emily's death," he said.
Ten days after Emily Anderson was last seen in Caldwell County, her Chevrolet Silverado pickup was found in an S.C. restaurant and hotel parking lot, about 100 miles from the farm. She had been shot twice and her body crammed into the truck bed's large toolbox.
Attorneys for Anderson on Wednesday recounted testimony from experts who said his wife had been dead two to four days when her body was found, about a week less than the prosecution said. His attorneys also argued that investigators decided prematurely that Anderson killed his wife and ignored evidence showing otherwise.
"They have a theory," said Anderson's attorney, Lisa Dubs. "They just want to bring their opinions into the courtroom and have you decide."
Judge David Cayer told jurors they could only find Anderson guilty or not guilty of first-degree murder, not a lesser charge.
All content © THE CHARLOTTE OBSERVER and may not be republished without permission.
7/12/07
Defense: State has theory, not proof
Closing statements in Anderson murder trial to wrap up today
Thursday, July 12, 2007
By Marcie Young
Charlotte Observer Staff Writer
GASTONIA --Attorneys for Jerry Anderson, the Caldwell County dairy farmer on trial for killing his wife, argued Wednesday that prosecutors have failed to make a case and that investigators ignored evidence showing Anderson's innocence.
"If you accuse someone, you have to prove it," Anderson's attorney Lisa Dubs told the jury. "The state has a theory, a speculation about what happened ... and they're going to ask you to put it all together for them."
But Assistant District Attorney Eric Bellas said that's exactly what jurors should expect.
"The defense has told you that it is not your job to figure out the mystery," Bellas said. "But that is your job."
Dubs, in her nearly three-hour closing statement Wednesday, tried to discredit witnesses called by the prosecution, arguing that investigators "jumped to judgment" and didn't follow leads that would clear Anderson.
Investigators didn't go to South Carolina to talk to people who may have seen Emily Anderson alive in the days after her husband reported her missing, Dubs said.
And that they didn't look at Jerry Anderson's cell phone records to see if he had been making calls from Caldwell County the day his wife disappeared, she said.
Bellas argued that Emily Anderson was last seen alive Dec. 29, 2005, near the couple's Sawmills farm. Ten days later, her Chevrolet Silverado pickup was found in an S.C. restaurant parking lot, about 100 miles from Caldwell County. She had been shot twice and her body crammed into the truck bed's large toolbox.
Dubs recounted testimony from experts who said Emily Anderson had been dead two to four days when her body was found.
But Bellas argued that Emily Anderson was killed Dec. 29. Workers, he said, heard two gunshots after watching Emily and Jerry Anderson drive into the woods together. Prosecutors are expected to finish closing statements this morning.
All content © THE CHARLOTTE OBSERVERand may not be republished without permission.
Thursday, July 12, 2007
By Marcie Young
Charlotte Observer Staff Writer
GASTONIA --Attorneys for Jerry Anderson, the Caldwell County dairy farmer on trial for killing his wife, argued Wednesday that prosecutors have failed to make a case and that investigators ignored evidence showing Anderson's innocence.
"If you accuse someone, you have to prove it," Anderson's attorney Lisa Dubs told the jury. "The state has a theory, a speculation about what happened ... and they're going to ask you to put it all together for them."
But Assistant District Attorney Eric Bellas said that's exactly what jurors should expect.
"The defense has told you that it is not your job to figure out the mystery," Bellas said. "But that is your job."
Dubs, in her nearly three-hour closing statement Wednesday, tried to discredit witnesses called by the prosecution, arguing that investigators "jumped to judgment" and didn't follow leads that would clear Anderson.
Investigators didn't go to South Carolina to talk to people who may have seen Emily Anderson alive in the days after her husband reported her missing, Dubs said.
And that they didn't look at Jerry Anderson's cell phone records to see if he had been making calls from Caldwell County the day his wife disappeared, she said.
Bellas argued that Emily Anderson was last seen alive Dec. 29, 2005, near the couple's Sawmills farm. Ten days later, her Chevrolet Silverado pickup was found in an S.C. restaurant parking lot, about 100 miles from Caldwell County. She had been shot twice and her body crammed into the truck bed's large toolbox.
Dubs recounted testimony from experts who said Emily Anderson had been dead two to four days when her body was found.
But Bellas argued that Emily Anderson was killed Dec. 29. Workers, he said, heard two gunshots after watching Emily and Jerry Anderson drive into the woods together. Prosecutors are expected to finish closing statements this morning.
All content © THE CHARLOTTE OBSERVERand may not be republished without permission.
Richardson to challenge Cohen
Says decision took `a lot of arm-twisting'
Thursday, July 12, 2007
By Marcie Young
Charlotte Observer Staff Writer
Less than two years into retirement, the former president of Western Piedmont Community College is looking to become mayor of Morganton.
Jim Richardson, who stepped down in November 2005 after 25 years as the college's president, announced this week that he'll challenge 22-year incumbent Mayor Mel Cohen.
Richardson, who didn't have any plans to work after retirement, said the decision to run didn't come quickly or easily.
"It took a lot of arm-twisting," he said. "A lot of folks feel like a lot of great things have happened in Morganton, but that it's time for a change."
The Morganton mayoral races are nonpartisan, meaning candidates are not affiliated with political parties, and Cohen has won past elections with crushing margins over his opponents or has been unopposed.
In the last election, Cohen secured his ninth term by defeating challenger Tom McCurry, 920 to 263. In 1999, when he faced what many considered a formidable opponent -- Burke County attorney Dan Kuehnert -- Cohen won with 72 percent of the vote.
But Cohen, who was elected in 1985, said he expects Richardson to be a tough opponent.
"He's very much a challenger. He has built a reputation in the community and ... (is a) bona fide, reputable candidate," Cohen said. "(But) this is something I have to work for every four years."
Richardson said he's running because many city residents have told him they're looking for a new face in City Hall. But he's still learning about where people want to see change, he said.
"I don't know exactly," Richardson said, "But that's what I want to find out. I want to know what they think we need."
Richardson said he is most interested in economic development, providing opportunities for Morganton youth and offering aid to residents on fixed incomes.
Cohen, meanwhile, said residents only have to look around the city to see why he's the better candidate.
"Our downtown is a crown jewel," he said. "And we've become a model town in North Carolina for what we've done."
His vision for the city, which has included the development of the greenway and recreational facilities, reviving downtown and offering city-owned cable and electric systems for less cost than mainstream providers.
"I've only been in 22 years," Cohen said, "and I've done a tremendous job."
All content © THE CHARLOTTE OBSERVERand may not be republished without permission.
Thursday, July 12, 2007
By Marcie Young
Charlotte Observer Staff Writer
Less than two years into retirement, the former president of Western Piedmont Community College is looking to become mayor of Morganton.
Jim Richardson, who stepped down in November 2005 after 25 years as the college's president, announced this week that he'll challenge 22-year incumbent Mayor Mel Cohen.
Richardson, who didn't have any plans to work after retirement, said the decision to run didn't come quickly or easily.
"It took a lot of arm-twisting," he said. "A lot of folks feel like a lot of great things have happened in Morganton, but that it's time for a change."
The Morganton mayoral races are nonpartisan, meaning candidates are not affiliated with political parties, and Cohen has won past elections with crushing margins over his opponents or has been unopposed.
In the last election, Cohen secured his ninth term by defeating challenger Tom McCurry, 920 to 263. In 1999, when he faced what many considered a formidable opponent -- Burke County attorney Dan Kuehnert -- Cohen won with 72 percent of the vote.
But Cohen, who was elected in 1985, said he expects Richardson to be a tough opponent.
"He's very much a challenger. He has built a reputation in the community and ... (is a) bona fide, reputable candidate," Cohen said. "(But) this is something I have to work for every four years."
Richardson said he's running because many city residents have told him they're looking for a new face in City Hall. But he's still learning about where people want to see change, he said.
"I don't know exactly," Richardson said, "But that's what I want to find out. I want to know what they think we need."
Richardson said he is most interested in economic development, providing opportunities for Morganton youth and offering aid to residents on fixed incomes.
Cohen, meanwhile, said residents only have to look around the city to see why he's the better candidate.
"Our downtown is a crown jewel," he said. "And we've become a model town in North Carolina for what we've done."
His vision for the city, which has included the development of the greenway and recreational facilities, reviving downtown and offering city-owned cable and electric systems for less cost than mainstream providers.
"I've only been in 22 years," Cohen said, "and I've done a tremendous job."
All content © THE CHARLOTTE OBSERVERand may not be republished without permission.
7/7/07
Witnesses refute day woman died
She was alive after the day prosecutors say she was killed, workers say
Saturday, July 7, 2007
By Marcie Young
Charlotte Observer Staff Writer
GASTONIA --Witnesses in the trial of a Caldwell County dairy farmer charged with killing his wife testified Friday that they saw Emily Anderson alive several days after the prosecution claims she was killed.
And a forensic anthropologist also testified that Anderson had been dead only three or four days when her body was found in South Carolina, further countering the prosecution's version of events.
The double blow came during the first day of testimony by defense witnesses in the trial of Jerry Anderson, 48, who is on trial for murder in the death of his wife, Emily, 49.
The prosecution wrapped up its case Thursday, arguing that Jerry Anderson shot and killed his wife on their Caldwell County farm on Dec. 29, 2005.
On Jan. 7, 2006, Emily Anderson's body was found in the parking lot of an S.C. restaurant and Quality Inn, about 100 miles from Caldwell County. Her body had been stuffed into the large tool compartment of her pickup.
But two witnesses testified Friday that they saw Emily Anderson alive in South Carolina days after her husband reported her missing on Dec. 29, according to the Observer's news partner, WCNC.
Betty Dillard and Tammy Beltcher worked at the Quality Inn in December 2005 and January 2006, and both women testified Friday that they had seen Emily Anderson in the parking lot Jan. 3, according to WCNC.
Forensic anthropologist Murray Marks also testified that Emily Anderson likely died just a few days before her body was found in the large toolbox attached to her pickup.
Prosecutors have argued that Emily Anderson was shot and killed Dec. 29 in a pasture behind her husband's dairy farm. But Marks testified that "there's no way she had been dead for nine days" when her body was found Jan. 7. "The body was pretty fresh," he said.
Marks estimated that Emily Anderson had been dead between three and five days.
Prosecutors spent nearly a month trying to show that Anderson was responsible for the murder of his wife.
Assistant District Eric Bellas argued that the Andersons' marriage had become loveless and that Anderson was overburdened by increasing debt and fixated on expanding his dairy business.
Court documents show that Emily Anderson's life was insured for more than $4 million, and authorities have said they believe at least part of the motive in her slaying was financial gain.
All content © THE CHARLOTTE OBSERVER
and may not be republished without permission.
Saturday, July 7, 2007
By Marcie Young
Charlotte Observer Staff Writer
GASTONIA --Witnesses in the trial of a Caldwell County dairy farmer charged with killing his wife testified Friday that they saw Emily Anderson alive several days after the prosecution claims she was killed.
And a forensic anthropologist also testified that Anderson had been dead only three or four days when her body was found in South Carolina, further countering the prosecution's version of events.
The double blow came during the first day of testimony by defense witnesses in the trial of Jerry Anderson, 48, who is on trial for murder in the death of his wife, Emily, 49.
The prosecution wrapped up its case Thursday, arguing that Jerry Anderson shot and killed his wife on their Caldwell County farm on Dec. 29, 2005.
On Jan. 7, 2006, Emily Anderson's body was found in the parking lot of an S.C. restaurant and Quality Inn, about 100 miles from Caldwell County. Her body had been stuffed into the large tool compartment of her pickup.
But two witnesses testified Friday that they saw Emily Anderson alive in South Carolina days after her husband reported her missing on Dec. 29, according to the Observer's news partner, WCNC.
Betty Dillard and Tammy Beltcher worked at the Quality Inn in December 2005 and January 2006, and both women testified Friday that they had seen Emily Anderson in the parking lot Jan. 3, according to WCNC.
Forensic anthropologist Murray Marks also testified that Emily Anderson likely died just a few days before her body was found in the large toolbox attached to her pickup.
Prosecutors have argued that Emily Anderson was shot and killed Dec. 29 in a pasture behind her husband's dairy farm. But Marks testified that "there's no way she had been dead for nine days" when her body was found Jan. 7. "The body was pretty fresh," he said.
Marks estimated that Emily Anderson had been dead between three and five days.
Prosecutors spent nearly a month trying to show that Anderson was responsible for the murder of his wife.
Assistant District Eric Bellas argued that the Andersons' marriage had become loveless and that Anderson was overburdened by increasing debt and fixated on expanding his dairy business.
Court documents show that Emily Anderson's life was insured for more than $4 million, and authorities have said they believe at least part of the motive in her slaying was financial gain.
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and may not be republished without permission.
Shots fired from car in chase
Incident ends with one driver crashing into telephone pole
Saturday, July 7, 2007
By Marcie Young
Charlotte Observer Staff Writer
Several shots were fired at a Newton man driving along U.S. 70 in Hickory after he began chasing the driver of another car, police said.
On Wednesday night, Kelvin White, 34, of Newton stopped his Pontiac Grand Prix behind a Honda parked at a red light on U.S. 70. When the light turned green, White told police, the Honda didn't move, so he started honking his horn, said Capt. Clyde Deal of the Hickory Police Department.
White told police that the driver of the Honda stepped out of the car holding a metal pipe and began yelling, Deal said. White told police he also climbed out of his car and then saw that the Honda's passenger was brandishing a gun.
Both men got into their vehicles and headed east on U.S. 70, Deal said. White told police that the passenger in the Honda began shooting at White and his passenger, 38-year-old John William Powers of Hickory. One bullet hit the middle of White's windshield, Deal said.
The driver of the Honda sped through a red light, White told police, and he followed, Deal said. White had to swerve to avoid hitting another car entering the intersection of 25th Street Boulevard and slammed into a telephone pole, Deal said. White was not charged.
Police are looking for Honda's driver and passenger, who witnesses said were two males in their early 20s.
Anyone with information is asked to call the Hickory Police Department at 828-328-5551.
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and may not be republished without permission.
Saturday, July 7, 2007
By Marcie Young
Charlotte Observer Staff Writer
Several shots were fired at a Newton man driving along U.S. 70 in Hickory after he began chasing the driver of another car, police said.
On Wednesday night, Kelvin White, 34, of Newton stopped his Pontiac Grand Prix behind a Honda parked at a red light on U.S. 70. When the light turned green, White told police, the Honda didn't move, so he started honking his horn, said Capt. Clyde Deal of the Hickory Police Department.
White told police that the driver of the Honda stepped out of the car holding a metal pipe and began yelling, Deal said. White told police he also climbed out of his car and then saw that the Honda's passenger was brandishing a gun.
Both men got into their vehicles and headed east on U.S. 70, Deal said. White told police that the passenger in the Honda began shooting at White and his passenger, 38-year-old John William Powers of Hickory. One bullet hit the middle of White's windshield, Deal said.
The driver of the Honda sped through a red light, White told police, and he followed, Deal said. White had to swerve to avoid hitting another car entering the intersection of 25th Street Boulevard and slammed into a telephone pole, Deal said. White was not charged.
Police are looking for Honda's driver and passenger, who witnesses said were two males in their early 20s.
Anyone with information is asked to call the Hickory Police Department at 828-328-5551.
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and may not be republished without permission.
His 2 great loves: Baseball, biking
Firefighter flew to Charlotte to start annual summer trek
Saturday, July 7, 2007
By Marcie Young
Charlotte Observer Staff Writer
Call it his Tour de South.
Jeff Sambur, a 52-year-old cyclist from Colorado, is taking to Southern roads this summer, riding from city to city to catch minor league baseball games in the Carolinas and three other states.
He's been in North Carolina less than a week, but the Fort Collins firefighter already has covered more than 100 miles.
He flew into Charlotte on Tuesday, and by Friday afternoon had already taken in a Knights game, watched the Hickory Crawdads play and fought U.S. 321 traffic as he headed into Boone.
"I'm batting 1,000 so far," he said.
By the end of his nearly six-week journey, Sambur -- who has been cycling since 1980 and has biked with seven-time Tour de France winner Lance Armstrong -- will have traveled about 1,800 miles through five states and cheered for the home team at a couple of dozen games.
Sambur is an old hand at traveling long distances on his bike. He cycled from Paris to Barcelona, Spain, for the 1992 Olympics and from Washington, D.C., to Atlanta for the games four years later.
In 2002, he rode through the Midwest to watch nine minor league games, and two years ago, he biked about 4,000 miles through the Nez Perce National Historical Park, spread among four states in the Northwest.
"That was the best thing I've ever done," he said of the trip, which tracked the route of the Nez Perce Indians in 1877, when they were forced off their homelands. "You got to see history right there."
These summer trips, Sambur said, is why he never married and why he works long hours, weeks and months for about nine months out of the year. He saves the other three for traveling.
"That's the big joke in the fire department," he said. "What's Jeff going to do this summer?"
Randy Callahan, one of Sambur's colleagues, has taken trips with the Bronx native and said no one knows how to enjoy cycling like Sambur.
"That guy can ride a bike like nobody I've ever met," he said. "He lives for the summer on his bike. ... He knows how to do it."
Sambur may be retiring next year, but he said that's when he'll start making a dent in his 30-page list of rides he wants to take.
"The first thing I'm going to do is go cross country diagonally, from San Diego to Maine," he said. "There's so much to see."
All content © THE CHARLOTTE OBSERVER
and may not be republished without permission.
Saturday, July 7, 2007
By Marcie Young
Charlotte Observer Staff Writer
Call it his Tour de South.
Jeff Sambur, a 52-year-old cyclist from Colorado, is taking to Southern roads this summer, riding from city to city to catch minor league baseball games in the Carolinas and three other states.
He's been in North Carolina less than a week, but the Fort Collins firefighter already has covered more than 100 miles.
He flew into Charlotte on Tuesday, and by Friday afternoon had already taken in a Knights game, watched the Hickory Crawdads play and fought U.S. 321 traffic as he headed into Boone.
"I'm batting 1,000 so far," he said.
By the end of his nearly six-week journey, Sambur -- who has been cycling since 1980 and has biked with seven-time Tour de France winner Lance Armstrong -- will have traveled about 1,800 miles through five states and cheered for the home team at a couple of dozen games.
Sambur is an old hand at traveling long distances on his bike. He cycled from Paris to Barcelona, Spain, for the 1992 Olympics and from Washington, D.C., to Atlanta for the games four years later.
In 2002, he rode through the Midwest to watch nine minor league games, and two years ago, he biked about 4,000 miles through the Nez Perce National Historical Park, spread among four states in the Northwest.
"That was the best thing I've ever done," he said of the trip, which tracked the route of the Nez Perce Indians in 1877, when they were forced off their homelands. "You got to see history right there."
These summer trips, Sambur said, is why he never married and why he works long hours, weeks and months for about nine months out of the year. He saves the other three for traveling.
"That's the big joke in the fire department," he said. "What's Jeff going to do this summer?"
Randy Callahan, one of Sambur's colleagues, has taken trips with the Bronx native and said no one knows how to enjoy cycling like Sambur.
"That guy can ride a bike like nobody I've ever met," he said. "He lives for the summer on his bike. ... He knows how to do it."
Sambur may be retiring next year, but he said that's when he'll start making a dent in his 30-page list of rides he wants to take.
"The first thing I'm going to do is go cross country diagonally, from San Diego to Maine," he said. "There's so much to see."
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and may not be republished without permission.
7/6/07
That's no turtle! It's another alligator
Youths' discovery is 2nd in region in a week; it's likely to be euthanized
Friday, July 6, 2007
By Marcie Young
Charlotte Observer Staff Writer
N.C. wildlife officials on Thursday picked up a 31-inch alligator that was found in a Maiden pond and planned to euthanize it.
The alligator, trapped by Catawba County authorities Wednesday, was nearly 250 miles away from its nearest natural habitat.
Three boys were fishing at the pond, on Fairview Drive in Maiden, about 40 miles northwest of Charlotte, when they saw something swimming near the water's surface, said Eric Kanipe of the Maiden Rescue Squad.
"They thought it was a turtle," he said, "and one of them threw a stick at it. That's when the alligator popped its head out of the water."
Kanipe and Marty Lee, another member of the rescue squad, lured the alligator out of the pond with a piece of bologna tied to a string. The animal, Kanipe said, was calm and appeared used to being handled by humans.
"It was probably somebody's pet," he said, "and it outgrew whatever space they had, so they let it go."
Keeping an alligator as a pet is against N.C. law.
It's the second alligator found in the Charlotte area in a week. On June 27, Charlotte-Mecklenburg Animal Control captured a 20-inch, 5-pound baby alligator in east Charlotte.
But pet alligators aren't the only dangerous and illegal animals that have been found recently in the area. On June 28, a Mount Holly man fishing in the Catawba River caught a piranha, which are indigenous to South America.
Kanipe, who has worked with snakes and other reptiles since childhood, said the Maiden alligator was likely between 11/2 and 2 years old. The animal's skin was smooth and free of pond buildup, and the alligator had probably been in the water for less than six weeks, he said.
Officials said the animal would likely be euthanized because it had been domesticated and might approach humans if it were freed, Kanipe said.
In North Carolina, alligators are native only to coastal areas from Wilmington south, said Alan Feduccia, a professor of biology at UNC Chapel Hill.
The distance from the shore and the colder winters in the Piedmont and western part of the state make their chances of survival unlikely, he said. "These are very isolated incidents and aren't anything to worry about," he said.
Still, if the area continues to see more mild winters without snow and ice, Feduccia said, an alligator likely could live through the winter.
"Alligators have a more remarkable ability to withstand cold than a lot of people think," he said. "If we head into the future with mild winters like the ones we've had, there's no reason why an alligator couldn't have easily survived."
All content © THE CHARLOTTE OBSERVERand may not be republished without permission.
Friday, July 6, 2007
By Marcie Young
Charlotte Observer Staff Writer
N.C. wildlife officials on Thursday picked up a 31-inch alligator that was found in a Maiden pond and planned to euthanize it.
The alligator, trapped by Catawba County authorities Wednesday, was nearly 250 miles away from its nearest natural habitat.
Three boys were fishing at the pond, on Fairview Drive in Maiden, about 40 miles northwest of Charlotte, when they saw something swimming near the water's surface, said Eric Kanipe of the Maiden Rescue Squad.
"They thought it was a turtle," he said, "and one of them threw a stick at it. That's when the alligator popped its head out of the water."
Kanipe and Marty Lee, another member of the rescue squad, lured the alligator out of the pond with a piece of bologna tied to a string. The animal, Kanipe said, was calm and appeared used to being handled by humans.
"It was probably somebody's pet," he said, "and it outgrew whatever space they had, so they let it go."
Keeping an alligator as a pet is against N.C. law.
It's the second alligator found in the Charlotte area in a week. On June 27, Charlotte-Mecklenburg Animal Control captured a 20-inch, 5-pound baby alligator in east Charlotte.
But pet alligators aren't the only dangerous and illegal animals that have been found recently in the area. On June 28, a Mount Holly man fishing in the Catawba River caught a piranha, which are indigenous to South America.
Kanipe, who has worked with snakes and other reptiles since childhood, said the Maiden alligator was likely between 11/2 and 2 years old. The animal's skin was smooth and free of pond buildup, and the alligator had probably been in the water for less than six weeks, he said.
Officials said the animal would likely be euthanized because it had been domesticated and might approach humans if it were freed, Kanipe said.
In North Carolina, alligators are native only to coastal areas from Wilmington south, said Alan Feduccia, a professor of biology at UNC Chapel Hill.
The distance from the shore and the colder winters in the Piedmont and western part of the state make their chances of survival unlikely, he said. "These are very isolated incidents and aren't anything to worry about," he said.
Still, if the area continues to see more mild winters without snow and ice, Feduccia said, an alligator likely could live through the winter.
"Alligators have a more remarkable ability to withstand cold than a lot of people think," he said. "If we head into the future with mild winters like the ones we've had, there's no reason why an alligator couldn't have easily survived."
All content © THE CHARLOTTE OBSERVERand may not be republished without permission.
7/5/07
Burke fire chars 5,400 acres
Thursday, July 05, 2007
By Marcie Young
Charlotte Observer Staff Writer
LINVLLE -- While national media attention has been focused on large wildfires in Utah and California, a fire in Burke County has been burning for a month and has slowly consumed 5,400 acres.
The blaze, now 95 percent contained, was helped along by low humidity and dry conditions, forest service officials said.
The fire, covering 8.4 square miles, has burned considerably less land and has not caused damage to personal property like the Western blazes, which have consumed homes, lives and, in some cases, six times more acreage. But the Burke County fire has been difficult to extinguish, Forest Service officials said, because of the steep and rugged terrain and because fire smoldered beneath layers of dry leaves and timber.
"You can't get good footing, you don't have a good escape route, you have thick brush that you can't walk through," said John Strom, a U.S. Forest Service ranger from Arkansas.
Strom spent 18 days in the Pisgah National Forest, where the blaze began June 8, and said the mulch covering the ground allowed smoke and heat to fester inches below the surface.
"This is pretty dang thick stuff, just a mass of organic matter," Strom said.
The fire consumed 1,900 acres in mid-June, and firefighters thought they had nearly contained it. But 10 days later, it sparked up again and, in a week, more than doubled to 4,517 acres, officials said.
More than 200 crew members from across the country descended on the mountain to dig dirt canals to stop flames from jumping onto unburned land, chopped at charred tree trunks to make sure fire wasn't smoldering inside and dropped water from helicopters onto the forest.
Rains that fell in the area generally missed the fire and only dampened the dry ground, offering firefighters little help.
Eric Magraner, 20, traveled from Colburn, Va., with a 15-member crew to "mop up" the area and make sure lingering smoke in extinguished and quenching the parched land with water.
The more than 15-hour days are draining, he said, but making sure the flames don't spread and destroy homes, is rewarding.
"People come up to you and say, `God bless you. Thanks for what you're doing,' " he said. "That feels good."
About 2,000 acres of the land burned was set by crews to contain the fire and control the path of the blaze.
By Tuesday afternoon, crews had the fire 95 percent contained, said Dennis Wahlers, a forest service spokesman. He said firefighters hope to fully contain the blaze by the weekend.
Even when the fire is contained and the flames have disappeared, watching for hot spots and lingering smoke is key to making sure another fire doesn't spark, Strom said.
"If you get complacent, even for a little bit, it's just like a gator coming up behind you out of the water," he said. "It's going to bite you in the butt."
All content © THE CHARLOTTE OBSERVER and may not be republished without permission.
By Marcie Young
Charlotte Observer Staff Writer
LINVLLE -- While national media attention has been focused on large wildfires in Utah and California, a fire in Burke County has been burning for a month and has slowly consumed 5,400 acres.
The blaze, now 95 percent contained, was helped along by low humidity and dry conditions, forest service officials said.
The fire, covering 8.4 square miles, has burned considerably less land and has not caused damage to personal property like the Western blazes, which have consumed homes, lives and, in some cases, six times more acreage. But the Burke County fire has been difficult to extinguish, Forest Service officials said, because of the steep and rugged terrain and because fire smoldered beneath layers of dry leaves and timber.
"You can't get good footing, you don't have a good escape route, you have thick brush that you can't walk through," said John Strom, a U.S. Forest Service ranger from Arkansas.
Strom spent 18 days in the Pisgah National Forest, where the blaze began June 8, and said the mulch covering the ground allowed smoke and heat to fester inches below the surface.
"This is pretty dang thick stuff, just a mass of organic matter," Strom said.
The fire consumed 1,900 acres in mid-June, and firefighters thought they had nearly contained it. But 10 days later, it sparked up again and, in a week, more than doubled to 4,517 acres, officials said.
More than 200 crew members from across the country descended on the mountain to dig dirt canals to stop flames from jumping onto unburned land, chopped at charred tree trunks to make sure fire wasn't smoldering inside and dropped water from helicopters onto the forest.
Rains that fell in the area generally missed the fire and only dampened the dry ground, offering firefighters little help.
Eric Magraner, 20, traveled from Colburn, Va., with a 15-member crew to "mop up" the area and make sure lingering smoke in extinguished and quenching the parched land with water.
The more than 15-hour days are draining, he said, but making sure the flames don't spread and destroy homes, is rewarding.
"People come up to you and say, `God bless you. Thanks for what you're doing,' " he said. "That feels good."
About 2,000 acres of the land burned was set by crews to contain the fire and control the path of the blaze.
By Tuesday afternoon, crews had the fire 95 percent contained, said Dennis Wahlers, a forest service spokesman. He said firefighters hope to fully contain the blaze by the weekend.
Even when the fire is contained and the flames have disappeared, watching for hot spots and lingering smoke is key to making sure another fire doesn't spark, Strom said.
"If you get complacent, even for a little bit, it's just like a gator coming up behind you out of the water," he said. "It's going to bite you in the butt."
All content © THE CHARLOTTE OBSERVER and may not be republished without permission.
6/23/07
Crash victims' love for flying is recalled
Saturday, June 23, 2007
By Marcie Young
Charlotte Observer Staff Writer
TAYLORSVILLE -- Two Alexander County men who died in a plane crash Thursday were remembered by family and friends Friday for their love of flying and desire to live life to the fullest.
Dr. Walter Long Jr. and Benny Hall Sharpe, both of Taylorsville, were killed Thursday when Long's small, single-engine plane crashed on a rural airfield and skidded into trees lining the grassy runway.
"It was Dr. Long's dream to get a plane and fly when he retired," said Mary Overton, a nurse who worked with Long for nearly 40 years. "He just loved being outside and making the most of his life."
Aviation officials Friday were investigating the wreck and expected to complete a preliminary report within 10 days, said Paul Cox, senior air safety investigator from the National Transportation Safety Board. It could take a year, Cox said, before the final investigation report is released.
The men, said friend and Statesville-based pilot Phil Hazel, were taking the Cessna 182C -- formerly owned by Dale Earnhardt, according to Observer news partner WCNC -- for a leisurely flight on a clear day. They had planned to return to the Taylorsville Airport, where their cars were parked, he said.
Long, a 75-year-old former physician, and Sharpe, a 70-year-old retired Piedmont Airlines and U.S. Airways pilot, loved flying and traveling, especially across the open wilderness of Alaska and Canada, family and friends said.
After Long retired from a nearly 40-year career as a family practitioner, he began plotting long journeys across the nearly untouched parts of North America, said Dr. Russell Faulkenberry, Long's former partner at Family Care Center in Taylorsville.
Often, usually in the early fall, Faulkenberry said, Long and his wife, Mary, would pack up their camper and head north.
"They'd drive as far as they could go, even after the road ended," Faulkenberry said. "He lived to be physically active. He was a brilliant man, and he found the world interesting."
Sharpe, too, had spent time exploring the north's rough terrain. In the early 1990s, before Sharpe retired from a nearly 25-year career as a commercial airline pilot, he bought a seaplane and mapped out, stop-by-stop, a trip over the Rocky Mountains, into Canada and across the Arctic Circle and Nova Scotia.
"He's the most methodical person I've ever seen in a plane," said his nephew, John Sharpe. "Uncle Benny flying, well, he was a perfectionist."
That attention to detail, said Sharpe's daughter, 45-year-old Constance Sharpe, was consistent in everything her father did.
"He understood the responsibility that came with the job he had, and from that perspective he taught us how to be responsible and independent," she said. "I'm proud to say I'm just like him."
All content © THE CHARLOTTE OBSERVER and may not be republished without permission.
By Marcie Young
Charlotte Observer Staff Writer
TAYLORSVILLE -- Two Alexander County men who died in a plane crash Thursday were remembered by family and friends Friday for their love of flying and desire to live life to the fullest.
Dr. Walter Long Jr. and Benny Hall Sharpe, both of Taylorsville, were killed Thursday when Long's small, single-engine plane crashed on a rural airfield and skidded into trees lining the grassy runway.
"It was Dr. Long's dream to get a plane and fly when he retired," said Mary Overton, a nurse who worked with Long for nearly 40 years. "He just loved being outside and making the most of his life."
Aviation officials Friday were investigating the wreck and expected to complete a preliminary report within 10 days, said Paul Cox, senior air safety investigator from the National Transportation Safety Board. It could take a year, Cox said, before the final investigation report is released.
The men, said friend and Statesville-based pilot Phil Hazel, were taking the Cessna 182C -- formerly owned by Dale Earnhardt, according to Observer news partner WCNC -- for a leisurely flight on a clear day. They had planned to return to the Taylorsville Airport, where their cars were parked, he said.
Long, a 75-year-old former physician, and Sharpe, a 70-year-old retired Piedmont Airlines and U.S. Airways pilot, loved flying and traveling, especially across the open wilderness of Alaska and Canada, family and friends said.
After Long retired from a nearly 40-year career as a family practitioner, he began plotting long journeys across the nearly untouched parts of North America, said Dr. Russell Faulkenberry, Long's former partner at Family Care Center in Taylorsville.
Often, usually in the early fall, Faulkenberry said, Long and his wife, Mary, would pack up their camper and head north.
"They'd drive as far as they could go, even after the road ended," Faulkenberry said. "He lived to be physically active. He was a brilliant man, and he found the world interesting."
Sharpe, too, had spent time exploring the north's rough terrain. In the early 1990s, before Sharpe retired from a nearly 25-year career as a commercial airline pilot, he bought a seaplane and mapped out, stop-by-stop, a trip over the Rocky Mountains, into Canada and across the Arctic Circle and Nova Scotia.
"He's the most methodical person I've ever seen in a plane," said his nephew, John Sharpe. "Uncle Benny flying, well, he was a perfectionist."
That attention to detail, said Sharpe's daughter, 45-year-old Constance Sharpe, was consistent in everything her father did.
"He understood the responsibility that came with the job he had, and from that perspective he taught us how to be responsible and independent," she said. "I'm proud to say I'm just like him."
All content © THE CHARLOTTE OBSERVER and may not be republished without permission.
6/22/07
Plane crash kills airline retiree, doctor
Friday, June 22, 2007
By Marcie Young and Greg Lacour
Charlotte Observer Staff Writers
TAYLORSVILLE -- Two Alexander County men, one a retired doctor and the other a retired airline pilot, were killed when a small plane crashed Thursday afternoon on a rural airfield.
Dr. Walter Long Jr., 75, and his friend Bennie Hall Sharpe, 70, were pronounced dead at the scene just east of Taylorsville.
It's unclear who was flying the single-engine, 47-year-old Cessna 182C, said Sheriff Hayden Bentley, although Long owned it. The men were "longtime friends who flew together a lot," Bentley said.
"They were well known, well liked in the community," he said.
The Civil Air Patrol reported the plane overdue about 1:30 p.m. after the plane sent a signal indicating that it was missing, authorities said. Then Statesville-based pilot Phil Hazel spotted the wreckage from a helicopter, said N.C. Highway Patrol Sgt. Eric Harris.
Vernon Kerley, who lives across from the air strip, said he saw the plane circling but heard no engine noise.
The flight appeared local, starting and set to end in Taylorsville, the FAA said.
All content © THE CHARLOTTE OBSERVER and may not be republished without permission.
By Marcie Young and Greg Lacour
Charlotte Observer Staff Writers
TAYLORSVILLE -- Two Alexander County men, one a retired doctor and the other a retired airline pilot, were killed when a small plane crashed Thursday afternoon on a rural airfield.
Dr. Walter Long Jr., 75, and his friend Bennie Hall Sharpe, 70, were pronounced dead at the scene just east of Taylorsville.
It's unclear who was flying the single-engine, 47-year-old Cessna 182C, said Sheriff Hayden Bentley, although Long owned it. The men were "longtime friends who flew together a lot," Bentley said.
"They were well known, well liked in the community," he said.
The Civil Air Patrol reported the plane overdue about 1:30 p.m. after the plane sent a signal indicating that it was missing, authorities said. Then Statesville-based pilot Phil Hazel spotted the wreckage from a helicopter, said N.C. Highway Patrol Sgt. Eric Harris.
Vernon Kerley, who lives across from the air strip, said he saw the plane circling but heard no engine noise.
The flight appeared local, starting and set to end in Taylorsville, the FAA said.
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6/21/07
Good deed doesn't go unnoticed
Thursday, June 21, 2007
By Marcie Young
Charlotte Observer Staff Writer
When Chris Jernigan decided to donate one of his kidneys to a colleague, he figured it would be a quiet surgery that would only be shared with their families, close friends and other co-workers.
"It was never intended to be like this," Jernigan said Wednesday, hours after an interview with the ABC morning show, "Good Morning America."
"The national media attention has really been a shock."
For seven years, Lisa White, one of Jernigan's employees at a Morganton foster care agency, has battled polycystic kidney disease, a potentially deadly and genetic condition that left cysts scattered along her kidneys.
But last month, after years of watching White suffer from severe infections and daily, constant pain, Jernigan gave his employee of more than 11 years what she needed most -- a transplant.
As Jernigan and White began going through the transplant process, they learned more about organ donors and the long list of people waiting for kidneys. The wait, she recalls doctors saying, can sometimes take five years.
Many of White's family have suffered from the disease, she said. Her mother died three months after receiving a kidney transplant, and an aunt and uncle died from complications of the disease.
Another aunt is doing well after her transplant, White said, but her older brother has been waiting for a donor for more than a year.
They never intended to make national headlines, but news of a boss donating a kidney to an employee has spread from CNN to The Associated Press and smaller television stations and newspapers across the country.
"It just mushroomed into this big thing," White said. " I'm not the only one who has had this done. There's so many people who have had transplants ... and need transplants."
All content © THE CHARLOTTE OBSERVER and may not be republished without permission.
By Marcie Young
Charlotte Observer Staff Writer
When Chris Jernigan decided to donate one of his kidneys to a colleague, he figured it would be a quiet surgery that would only be shared with their families, close friends and other co-workers.
"It was never intended to be like this," Jernigan said Wednesday, hours after an interview with the ABC morning show, "Good Morning America."
"The national media attention has really been a shock."
For seven years, Lisa White, one of Jernigan's employees at a Morganton foster care agency, has battled polycystic kidney disease, a potentially deadly and genetic condition that left cysts scattered along her kidneys.
But last month, after years of watching White suffer from severe infections and daily, constant pain, Jernigan gave his employee of more than 11 years what she needed most -- a transplant.
As Jernigan and White began going through the transplant process, they learned more about organ donors and the long list of people waiting for kidneys. The wait, she recalls doctors saying, can sometimes take five years.
Many of White's family have suffered from the disease, she said. Her mother died three months after receiving a kidney transplant, and an aunt and uncle died from complications of the disease.
Another aunt is doing well after her transplant, White said, but her older brother has been waiting for a donor for more than a year.
They never intended to make national headlines, but news of a boss donating a kidney to an employee has spread from CNN to The Associated Press and smaller television stations and newspapers across the country.
"It just mushroomed into this big thing," White said. " I'm not the only one who has had this done. There's so many people who have had transplants ... and need transplants."
All content © THE CHARLOTTE OBSERVER and may not be republished without permission.
3/30/07
2 arrested after drug bust nets 32 pounds of marijuana
Friday, March 30, 2007
By Marcie Young
Charlotte Observer Staff Writer
Newton police on Thursday arrested two men on felony drug charges and were looking for a third man after they said they found drugs in two of their apartments.
Adrian Arreola Rodriguez, 30, was charged with felony trafficking and possession of cocaine and marijuana after investigators said they found 32 pounds of marijuana and eight ounces of cocaine in his apartment on 12th Street.
Police issued a warrant for his brother, 33-year-old Oscar Arreola Rodriguez, on the same charges and continued searching for him Thursday. Officers said they found cocaine and 56 pounds of marijuana at his apartment, about 100 yards from his brother's home.
A third, unidentified man was also arrested Thursday and turned over to immigration and customs agents in Charlotte, police said.
The bust was part of an 18-month investigation. Authorities believe the men smuggled the drugs into the United States by hiding them in car tires.
All content © THE CHARLOTTE OBSERVER and may not be republished without permission.
By Marcie Young
Charlotte Observer Staff Writer
Newton police on Thursday arrested two men on felony drug charges and were looking for a third man after they said they found drugs in two of their apartments.
Adrian Arreola Rodriguez, 30, was charged with felony trafficking and possession of cocaine and marijuana after investigators said they found 32 pounds of marijuana and eight ounces of cocaine in his apartment on 12th Street.
Police issued a warrant for his brother, 33-year-old Oscar Arreola Rodriguez, on the same charges and continued searching for him Thursday. Officers said they found cocaine and 56 pounds of marijuana at his apartment, about 100 yards from his brother's home.
A third, unidentified man was also arrested Thursday and turned over to immigration and customs agents in Charlotte, police said.
The bust was part of an 18-month investigation. Authorities believe the men smuggled the drugs into the United States by hiding them in car tires.
All content © THE CHARLOTTE OBSERVER and may not be republished without permission.
Authorities search for man they say shot into family's new home
Friday, March 30, 2007
By Marcie Young
Charlotte Observer Staff Writer
Authorities in Catawba County have issued a warrant charging a man with firing bullets into a family's new home in an incident that investigators said was racially motivated.
Kevin Jamal Haqq, 28, of Newton faces two felony charges for pointing a deadly weapon with prejudice and two misdemeanor charges for intimidation, said Maj. Coy Reid of the Catawba County Sheriff's Office. Authorities were looking for Haqq on Thursday.
About 11:30 p.m. Tuesday, 37-year-old Maria Olmos and her husband were moving into their new mobile home on Stove Drive in Newton when they were approached by a group of men, Reid said. Olmos told deputies that one man began yelling racial slurs and said her family wouldn't be moving in, Reid said. The men are black, and the Olmoses are Hispanic, Reid said.
Olmos, her husband and another family member were in their truck when the man slammed a gun into the hood of the vehicle and pointed it at the family, Reid said.
The family left in the truck, and Olmos told authorities that she heard numerous shots fired as they drove away, Reid said. No one was injured, but authorities found nine bullet holes in the Olmoses' trailer.
All content © THE CHARLOTTE OBSERVER and may not be republished without permission.
By Marcie Young
Charlotte Observer Staff Writer
Authorities in Catawba County have issued a warrant charging a man with firing bullets into a family's new home in an incident that investigators said was racially motivated.
Kevin Jamal Haqq, 28, of Newton faces two felony charges for pointing a deadly weapon with prejudice and two misdemeanor charges for intimidation, said Maj. Coy Reid of the Catawba County Sheriff's Office. Authorities were looking for Haqq on Thursday.
About 11:30 p.m. Tuesday, 37-year-old Maria Olmos and her husband were moving into their new mobile home on Stove Drive in Newton when they were approached by a group of men, Reid said. Olmos told deputies that one man began yelling racial slurs and said her family wouldn't be moving in, Reid said. The men are black, and the Olmoses are Hispanic, Reid said.
Olmos, her husband and another family member were in their truck when the man slammed a gun into the hood of the vehicle and pointed it at the family, Reid said.
The family left in the truck, and Olmos told authorities that she heard numerous shots fired as they drove away, Reid said. No one was injured, but authorities found nine bullet holes in the Olmoses' trailer.
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3/29/07
Average lot value up 34% in Burke
Burke revaluation may raise tax bills; it depends on the final rate
Thursday, March 29, 2007
By Marcie Young
Charlotte Observer Staff Writer
Living in Burke County could get more expensive this year.
The tax value of properties, including nearly 58,000 homes and buildings in the county, increased in value by an average of 34 percent, officials said.
Homes and land lining Lake James and along downtown Morganton's West Union Street saw the biggest jumps, said Tax Administrator Danny Isenhour, although he was not sure how much, on average, those properties increased in value.
Commissioner Chairman Wayne Abele said the increase was expected.
"You have to remember that six years ago, people out on the lake bought property for $100,000, and now they've built homes for $350,000," Abele said. "Of course the property value will increase."
State law requires N.C. counties to revalue commercial and residential properties at least every eight years, but it can be done more frequently.
The most recent revaluation in Burke was six years ago, and Abele said he hopes the county will consider revaluing property every four years instead.
"When you do a (revaluation), the idea is to get your property or house up to market value," he said. "On a four-year cycle, you won't have as much of sticker shock."
Higher tax values mean property owners could pay more in taxes this year unless commissioners lower the tax rate, now at 59 cents per $100, to compensate for the rise in property values.
"The figures we're dealing with now are so raw that it's hard to see where we're really at," said Abele. "My goal would be to get that down to 52 cents."
County Manager Ron Lewis said he expects to see taxes drop below the 59-cent mark but won't be sure how low that number could get until the county completes its budget.
"Right now it's a moving target," Lewis said, "and I don't know where it will stop."
Property owners received notice of the new values earlier this month and should expect to see the values reflected in tax bills, scheduled to be mailed in June, Isenhour said.
The informal appeal process ended Friday with 3,552 appeals filed, but Isenhour said owners who disagree with the new values are still encouraged to file a formal appeal, which should include photographs and explanations of why they think the revaluation was incorrect, with the county tax office.
How to File a Formal Appeal
Send the property appraisal, along with an explanation of what is incorrect and photographs and other supporting evidence, to the Board of Equalization and Review, P.O. Box 219, Morganton, NC, 28680. For information, call the county tax office at 828-438-5400.
All content © THE CHARLOTTE OBSERVER and may not be republished without permission.
Thursday, March 29, 2007
By Marcie Young
Charlotte Observer Staff Writer
Living in Burke County could get more expensive this year.
The tax value of properties, including nearly 58,000 homes and buildings in the county, increased in value by an average of 34 percent, officials said.
Homes and land lining Lake James and along downtown Morganton's West Union Street saw the biggest jumps, said Tax Administrator Danny Isenhour, although he was not sure how much, on average, those properties increased in value.
Commissioner Chairman Wayne Abele said the increase was expected.
"You have to remember that six years ago, people out on the lake bought property for $100,000, and now they've built homes for $350,000," Abele said. "Of course the property value will increase."
State law requires N.C. counties to revalue commercial and residential properties at least every eight years, but it can be done more frequently.
The most recent revaluation in Burke was six years ago, and Abele said he hopes the county will consider revaluing property every four years instead.
"When you do a (revaluation), the idea is to get your property or house up to market value," he said. "On a four-year cycle, you won't have as much of sticker shock."
Higher tax values mean property owners could pay more in taxes this year unless commissioners lower the tax rate, now at 59 cents per $100, to compensate for the rise in property values.
"The figures we're dealing with now are so raw that it's hard to see where we're really at," said Abele. "My goal would be to get that down to 52 cents."
County Manager Ron Lewis said he expects to see taxes drop below the 59-cent mark but won't be sure how low that number could get until the county completes its budget.
"Right now it's a moving target," Lewis said, "and I don't know where it will stop."
Property owners received notice of the new values earlier this month and should expect to see the values reflected in tax bills, scheduled to be mailed in June, Isenhour said.
The informal appeal process ended Friday with 3,552 appeals filed, but Isenhour said owners who disagree with the new values are still encouraged to file a formal appeal, which should include photographs and explanations of why they think the revaluation was incorrect, with the county tax office.
How to File a Formal Appeal
Send the property appraisal, along with an explanation of what is incorrect and photographs and other supporting evidence, to the Board of Equalization and Review, P.O. Box 219, Morganton, NC, 28680. For information, call the county tax office at 828-438-5400.
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Church files for bankruptcy
The action was taken in order to protect assets until lawsuit s settled
Thursday, March 29, 2007
By Marcie Young
Charlotte Observer Staff Writer
One of Caldwell County's largest churches, which is embroiled in a $1.9 million lawsuit, filed for bankruptcy last week, pastors said.
Mountain Grove Baptist Church, a 4,000-member congregation in Granite Falls, filed for Chapter 11 bankruptcy, said the church's women's minister, Jan Chester.
Mountain Grove is embroiled in a lawsuit with former contractor David Gray, who says the church owes him $865,835 plus interest and attorney and court fees, for a new sanctuary and gymnasium he finished building in 2000.
The church filed bankruptcy Thursday after an N.C. Court of Appeals denied a stay of execution, which would have prevented the seizure of church property while the appeal is pending.
Filing bankruptcy, Chester said, allows the church to continue holding services without worrying about assets being seized until the suit goes to the Court of Appeals in the fall.
All content © THE CHARLOTTE OBSERVER and may not be republished without permission.
Thursday, March 29, 2007
By Marcie Young
Charlotte Observer Staff Writer
One of Caldwell County's largest churches, which is embroiled in a $1.9 million lawsuit, filed for bankruptcy last week, pastors said.
Mountain Grove Baptist Church, a 4,000-member congregation in Granite Falls, filed for Chapter 11 bankruptcy, said the church's women's minister, Jan Chester.
Mountain Grove is embroiled in a lawsuit with former contractor David Gray, who says the church owes him $865,835 plus interest and attorney and court fees, for a new sanctuary and gymnasium he finished building in 2000.
The church filed bankruptcy Thursday after an N.C. Court of Appeals denied a stay of execution, which would have prevented the seizure of church property while the appeal is pending.
Filing bankruptcy, Chester said, allows the church to continue holding services without worrying about assets being seized until the suit goes to the Court of Appeals in the fall.
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Black pilot fought in deadly skies
Tuskegee airman George Shade receves award today
Lenor flierm Tuskegee comrades earn congressional gold medal
Thursday, March 29, 2007
By Marcie Young
Charlotte Observer Staff Writer
LENOIR - When Maj. George Shade was a kid, he used to make model airplanes out of wooden orange crates near his Lenoir home.
Years later during, in World War II, when Shade was in his early 20s, he was flying planes over Italy, shooting at enemy fighters and protecting U.S. bombers from oncoming fire.
Today, after more than 60 years, Shade and about 300 other Tuskegee Airman are in Washington, D.C., to receive the Congressional Gold Medal, one of the highest civilian honors awarded by Congress.
The medal is equivalent to the Presidential Medal of Freedom and given to individuals or groups for exceptional service and lifetime achievement.
Shade and his comrades join an illustrious group of recipients that includes George Washington, Nelson Mandela, Thomas Edison, Rosa Parks, the Wright brothers and former Secretary of State Colin Powell.
At 83, Shade, a Caldwell County native, is one of a few hundred surviving members of the all-black Tuskegee Airmen, one of the nation's most successful military flying squadrons. The airmen flew both fighters and bombers.
"We were like Michael Jordans, basically," Shade said. "We were just that good."
The Tuskegee Airmen, crushing the view that blacks were incapable of combat flying, flew more than 15,000 sorties and 1,500 missions over North Africa and Italy during World War II, destroyed more than 250 enemy aircraft on the ground and 150 in the air and protected the American and Allied bombers they escorted into enemy skies.
But in the years leading up to the war, American military leaders weren't expecting a lot from black pilots, men who a 1925 study by the Army War College labeled "cowards and poor technicians and fighters, lacking initiative and resourcefulness"
"At that time, they wouldn't teach blacks," Shade said. "They said we didn't have the intelligence and (that) we were inferior."
A 1941 visit from first lady Eleanor Roosevelt to the all-black Tuskegee Institute in Alabama, however, changed a few things. Roosevelt, concerned that black pilots were facing discrimination and being barred from flying, joined Tuskegee instructor Charles Anderson on a flight. The flight, according to documents from the Franklin Delano Roosevelt library, encouraged the president to use the Tuskegee 99th Squadron in combat missions.
"That was a great, getting-up moment when they got back from that flight," said Shade, who met Roosevelt during the visit.
Shade, who graduated from Tuskegee in 1943, worked with the squadron in Italy for nearly a year and guesses he flew more than 450 times.
"They called us black birds with red tails," he said. "We're a rare species."
Shade, a graduate of Lenoir's Freeman High School, was born in 1923 and became Caldwell's first black commissioned officer. His father, a mortician with Cherokee blood, and his half-Swedish mother, a teacher, valued faith and determination.
Those characteristics, Shade said, were key to his successes during his 15 years in the military.
"God was our pilot, we were just the co-pilots," he said. "You've got to fight for the right of all. If you go by pigmentation of skin, you're in trouble."
All content © THE CHARLOTTE OBSERVER and may not be republished without permission.
Lenor flierm Tuskegee comrades earn congressional gold medal
Thursday, March 29, 2007
By Marcie Young
Charlotte Observer Staff Writer
LENOIR - When Maj. George Shade was a kid, he used to make model airplanes out of wooden orange crates near his Lenoir home.
Years later during, in World War II, when Shade was in his early 20s, he was flying planes over Italy, shooting at enemy fighters and protecting U.S. bombers from oncoming fire.
Today, after more than 60 years, Shade and about 300 other Tuskegee Airman are in Washington, D.C., to receive the Congressional Gold Medal, one of the highest civilian honors awarded by Congress.
The medal is equivalent to the Presidential Medal of Freedom and given to individuals or groups for exceptional service and lifetime achievement.
Shade and his comrades join an illustrious group of recipients that includes George Washington, Nelson Mandela, Thomas Edison, Rosa Parks, the Wright brothers and former Secretary of State Colin Powell.
At 83, Shade, a Caldwell County native, is one of a few hundred surviving members of the all-black Tuskegee Airmen, one of the nation's most successful military flying squadrons. The airmen flew both fighters and bombers.
"We were like Michael Jordans, basically," Shade said. "We were just that good."
The Tuskegee Airmen, crushing the view that blacks were incapable of combat flying, flew more than 15,000 sorties and 1,500 missions over North Africa and Italy during World War II, destroyed more than 250 enemy aircraft on the ground and 150 in the air and protected the American and Allied bombers they escorted into enemy skies.
But in the years leading up to the war, American military leaders weren't expecting a lot from black pilots, men who a 1925 study by the Army War College labeled "cowards and poor technicians and fighters, lacking initiative and resourcefulness"
"At that time, they wouldn't teach blacks," Shade said. "They said we didn't have the intelligence and (that) we were inferior."
A 1941 visit from first lady Eleanor Roosevelt to the all-black Tuskegee Institute in Alabama, however, changed a few things. Roosevelt, concerned that black pilots were facing discrimination and being barred from flying, joined Tuskegee instructor Charles Anderson on a flight. The flight, according to documents from the Franklin Delano Roosevelt library, encouraged the president to use the Tuskegee 99th Squadron in combat missions.
"That was a great, getting-up moment when they got back from that flight," said Shade, who met Roosevelt during the visit.
Shade, who graduated from Tuskegee in 1943, worked with the squadron in Italy for nearly a year and guesses he flew more than 450 times.
"They called us black birds with red tails," he said. "We're a rare species."
Shade, a graduate of Lenoir's Freeman High School, was born in 1923 and became Caldwell's first black commissioned officer. His father, a mortician with Cherokee blood, and his half-Swedish mother, a teacher, valued faith and determination.
Those characteristics, Shade said, were key to his successes during his 15 years in the military.
"God was our pilot, we were just the co-pilots," he said. "You've got to fight for the right of all. If you go by pigmentation of skin, you're in trouble."
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3/23/07
Chicken truck flips; birds that survive scurry about highway
Friday, March 23, 2007
By Marcie Young
Charlotte Observer Staff Writer
A truck carrying about 4,200 live chickens overturned Thursday on a section of N.C. 18 in southwest Catawba County, killing some of the chickens and scattering the rest across the surrounding area.
Catawba County Fire Marshal David Pruitt said the birds were being taken to a Case Farms processing plant in Morganton when the truck swerved off the shoulder and flipped about 6:30 a.m.
Pruitt was not sure how many of the chickens were killed but guessed that about half survived. The driver was not seriously injured.
The highway was closed for nearly five hours while the Highway Patrol investigated the wreck and firefighters cleaned up a diesel leak. Crews from Case Farms, meanwhile, loaded the surviving birds, which were scurrying around the road, into one truck and the dead chickens into another.
All content © THE CHARLOTTE OBSERVER and may not be republished without permission.
By Marcie Young
Charlotte Observer Staff Writer
A truck carrying about 4,200 live chickens overturned Thursday on a section of N.C. 18 in southwest Catawba County, killing some of the chickens and scattering the rest across the surrounding area.
Catawba County Fire Marshal David Pruitt said the birds were being taken to a Case Farms processing plant in Morganton when the truck swerved off the shoulder and flipped about 6:30 a.m.
Pruitt was not sure how many of the chickens were killed but guessed that about half survived. The driver was not seriously injured.
The highway was closed for nearly five hours while the Highway Patrol investigated the wreck and firefighters cleaned up a diesel leak. Crews from Case Farms, meanwhile, loaded the surviving birds, which were scurrying around the road, into one truck and the dead chickens into another.
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3/22/07
Man turned in by son now faces federal charge for child porn
Thursday, March 22, 2007
By Marcie Young
Charlotte Observer Staff Writer
A Granite Falls man is in federal custody 11 months after Caldwell County investigators arrested him on child pornography charges, authorities said.
Michael Louis Shaw, 45, was charged in April 2006 with three felony counts of child exploitation and is now facing a federal charge.
On April 25, 2006, Shaw's 19-year-old son, Adam Tracy Shaw contacted the Caldwell County Sheriff's Office and told investigators that his father showed him pornographic photos of girls no older than 15, according to the criminal complaint filed in the Western North Carolina District of U.S. District Court.
Authorities found more than 140 images and more than 100 videos of child pornography and erotica, according to the complaint. The girls pictured were as young as 9 months.
Shaw was convicted on 1984 and 1994 charges of taking indecent liberties with a minor.
All content © THE CHARLOTTE OBSERVER and may not be republished without permission.
By Marcie Young
Charlotte Observer Staff Writer
A Granite Falls man is in federal custody 11 months after Caldwell County investigators arrested him on child pornography charges, authorities said.
Michael Louis Shaw, 45, was charged in April 2006 with three felony counts of child exploitation and is now facing a federal charge.
On April 25, 2006, Shaw's 19-year-old son, Adam Tracy Shaw contacted the Caldwell County Sheriff's Office and told investigators that his father showed him pornographic photos of girls no older than 15, according to the criminal complaint filed in the Western North Carolina District of U.S. District Court.
Authorities found more than 140 images and more than 100 videos of child pornography and erotica, according to the complaint. The girls pictured were as young as 9 months.
Shaw was convicted on 1984 and 1994 charges of taking indecent liberties with a minor.
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3/21/07
Homesick Boy Scout rescued after 3 night lost in mountains
Child found hungry, dehydrated a half-mile from troop's campsite
Wednesday, March 21, 2007
By Marcie Young
Charlotte Observer Staff Writer
McGRADY - Michael Auberry just wanted to see his family and friends Saturday afternoon when he wandered away from his Boy Scout troop's campsite in Western North Carolina's rugged mountains.
"He was homesick," said Kent Auberry, Michael's father. "He started walking and thought he'd hitchhike home."
Michael, a 12-year-old Boy Scout from Greensboro, spent three nights lost in the rocky and steep mountains in Doughton Park before being found Tuesday morning. Rescuers, including a search dog named Gandalf, found Michael shortly before 11 a.m. walking along a rushing creek about a half-mile from where he disappeared.
Michael was dehydrated and hungry for store-bought Grandma's cookies and chicken fingers, but he was in good spirits as he recovered Tuesday evening at Wilkes Regional Medical Center in North Wilkesboro, his father said.
Temperatures dipped into the 20s at night. Michael was wearing jeans, a base layer, a fleece, a winter coat, gloves and a baseball cap.
He drank water from a stream, and told his parents he prayed he wouldn't get sick from it.
The Auberrys and authorities were still trying to piece together Michael's story Tuesday evening. When Michael was found, he was still wearing the clothing he had on when he disappeared, except for his hat and glasses.
"We've asked the park service to go find his glasses," Auberry joked.
Michael won't get in trouble for wandering away from the group, but "we'll have to cover hitchhiking with Michael later," Auberry said.
Auberry didn't know how long his son would remain in the hospital.
"Michael said he's most concerned (about) making up his schoolwork," Auberry said. "He's worried about make-up work in Miss Self's class. So if Miss Self could give him a break, he would be grateful."
Tuesday's search included between 80 and 100 rescuers from surrounding counties, said Dave Bauer of the National Park Service, who was in charge of the search.
A search-and-rescue dog team from South Carolina found Michael about 75 to 100 yards off a trail, Bauer said.
The rescue team spotted Michael across a creek, and they called out to him. Michael didn't respond at first.
Eventually, he realized they were trying to take him home. "At that point, he perked up a bit," Bauer said. "He said he wanted a helicopter ride out of there."
The team helped Michael across the creek, gave him a granola bar, crackers and water and then carried him out on a stretcher because he was weak. He suffered scratches and bruises but was otherwise in good health, Bauer said.
Auberry said his son probably knew authorities were looking for him, but he was unsure how much time had passed as he wandered through the woods looking for his troop. "What he tells us is he was on the move," Auberry said. "He slept in tree branches. He curled up under rocks."
Gandalf, the dog that found Michael, is a 2-year-old Shiloh shepherd named after the wizard in the "Lord of the Rings" trilogy.
Gandalf's trainer, Misha Marshall, of Chesnee, S.C., and her team had been looking for Michael for about two hours when Gandalf found him in an area of 30-degree to 40-degree rocky slopes, she said.
Gandalf was working off the leash, running ahead of Marshall and another searcher, Erin Horn of Spartanburg. Gandalf caught a scent of Michael, probably from a piece of clothing, Marshall said.
"He popped his head up in a direction - that's what they do," she said. "He popped his head up three times when he caught the scent."
The team of three rescuers followed Gandalf and spotted Michael. "You're totally overwhelmed," Marshall said. "You don't believe it's the person you're looking for because you want it to be him so badly."
Auberry said Michael and his family are grateful for the support and thank everyone involved in the search. "He wants to thank Gandalf especially - although he knows Gandalf ate his peanut butter crackers," Auberry said.
National Park Service spokesperson Tina White was near Michael's family when word came that he had been found alive. "I saw lots of tears," she said. "I saw lots of hugs and smiles."
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Wednesday, March 21, 2007
By Marcie Young
Charlotte Observer Staff Writer
McGRADY - Michael Auberry just wanted to see his family and friends Saturday afternoon when he wandered away from his Boy Scout troop's campsite in Western North Carolina's rugged mountains.
"He was homesick," said Kent Auberry, Michael's father. "He started walking and thought he'd hitchhike home."
Michael, a 12-year-old Boy Scout from Greensboro, spent three nights lost in the rocky and steep mountains in Doughton Park before being found Tuesday morning. Rescuers, including a search dog named Gandalf, found Michael shortly before 11 a.m. walking along a rushing creek about a half-mile from where he disappeared.
Michael was dehydrated and hungry for store-bought Grandma's cookies and chicken fingers, but he was in good spirits as he recovered Tuesday evening at Wilkes Regional Medical Center in North Wilkesboro, his father said.
Temperatures dipped into the 20s at night. Michael was wearing jeans, a base layer, a fleece, a winter coat, gloves and a baseball cap.
He drank water from a stream, and told his parents he prayed he wouldn't get sick from it.
The Auberrys and authorities were still trying to piece together Michael's story Tuesday evening. When Michael was found, he was still wearing the clothing he had on when he disappeared, except for his hat and glasses.
"We've asked the park service to go find his glasses," Auberry joked.
Michael won't get in trouble for wandering away from the group, but "we'll have to cover hitchhiking with Michael later," Auberry said.
Auberry didn't know how long his son would remain in the hospital.
"Michael said he's most concerned (about) making up his schoolwork," Auberry said. "He's worried about make-up work in Miss Self's class. So if Miss Self could give him a break, he would be grateful."
Tuesday's search included between 80 and 100 rescuers from surrounding counties, said Dave Bauer of the National Park Service, who was in charge of the search.
A search-and-rescue dog team from South Carolina found Michael about 75 to 100 yards off a trail, Bauer said.
The rescue team spotted Michael across a creek, and they called out to him. Michael didn't respond at first.
Eventually, he realized they were trying to take him home. "At that point, he perked up a bit," Bauer said. "He said he wanted a helicopter ride out of there."
The team helped Michael across the creek, gave him a granola bar, crackers and water and then carried him out on a stretcher because he was weak. He suffered scratches and bruises but was otherwise in good health, Bauer said.
Auberry said his son probably knew authorities were looking for him, but he was unsure how much time had passed as he wandered through the woods looking for his troop. "What he tells us is he was on the move," Auberry said. "He slept in tree branches. He curled up under rocks."
Gandalf, the dog that found Michael, is a 2-year-old Shiloh shepherd named after the wizard in the "Lord of the Rings" trilogy.
Gandalf's trainer, Misha Marshall, of Chesnee, S.C., and her team had been looking for Michael for about two hours when Gandalf found him in an area of 30-degree to 40-degree rocky slopes, she said.
Gandalf was working off the leash, running ahead of Marshall and another searcher, Erin Horn of Spartanburg. Gandalf caught a scent of Michael, probably from a piece of clothing, Marshall said.
"He popped his head up in a direction - that's what they do," she said. "He popped his head up three times when he caught the scent."
The team of three rescuers followed Gandalf and spotted Michael. "You're totally overwhelmed," Marshall said. "You don't believe it's the person you're looking for because you want it to be him so badly."
Auberry said Michael and his family are grateful for the support and thank everyone involved in the search. "He wants to thank Gandalf especially - although he knows Gandalf ate his peanut butter crackers," Auberry said.
National Park Service spokesperson Tina White was near Michael's family when word came that he had been found alive. "I saw lots of tears," she said. "I saw lots of hugs and smiles."
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3/20/07
Rescuers hold out hope for Boy Scout
Heat sensors used for search during night
Tuesday, March 20, 2007
By Marcie Young
Charlotte Observer Staff Writer
McGRADY - Rescuers searched through the night for a 12-year-old Boy Scout who has been missing in a mountainous, heavily wooded area of Western North Carolina since Saturday.
Search crews blocked off Doughton Park in Wilkes County, about 90 miles north of Charlotte, and used heat-sensing equipment and dogs in the dark after a daylight search on Monday did not locate Michael Auberry.
Michael was on a camping trip with a group of about six Boy Scouts and three adult leaders when he apparently wandered away about 1 p.m. Saturday.
Scout leaders say Michael was last seen at lunch with the rest of the group. The Scouts went on a hike early Saturday morning, but Michael stayed at the campsite with one adult leader, saying he wanted to sleep in.
The Scouts returned and ate lunch with Michael, who disappeared while the Scouts were eating, said Dave Weldon, Catawba County EMS director. Michael may have gotten disoriented or just walked away, Weldon said.
Adults involved in the Boy Scouts are taught to follow "Two-Deep Leadership," which mandates that at least two adults be present for all camps, trips and outdoor activities. The organization prohibits one-on-one situations between a scout and an adult.
But John Akerman, scout executive with the Raleigh-Durham area Occoneechee Council, said it would make sense to leave one adult behind with one scout if the other scouts are with other adults on an activity.
Wilkes County authorities issued a missing-person alert on Sunday that Michael was missing, said National Park Service spokesperson Tina White.
Searchers used heat sensors from aircraft overnight, White said. Auberry's mother, Debbie Hayes, told the Winston-Salem Journal that Michael had only potato chips to eat and no water. She also said he takes Ritalin for attention-deficit disorder.
Monday's search included more than 70 rescuers from surrounding counties. Boy Scouts from across the state showed up to help but were turned away because they were not trained to search.
Offers of help have come from as far away as Kentucky, White said, but only trained searchers were used Monday.
Although temperatures were expected to dip into the 20s overnight, Michael's base layer, fleece and winter jacket should keep him warm, White said. "We've had a lot of people who have been out a week or longer in colder conditions," White said.
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Tuesday, March 20, 2007
By Marcie Young
Charlotte Observer Staff Writer
McGRADY - Rescuers searched through the night for a 12-year-old Boy Scout who has been missing in a mountainous, heavily wooded area of Western North Carolina since Saturday.
Search crews blocked off Doughton Park in Wilkes County, about 90 miles north of Charlotte, and used heat-sensing equipment and dogs in the dark after a daylight search on Monday did not locate Michael Auberry.
Michael was on a camping trip with a group of about six Boy Scouts and three adult leaders when he apparently wandered away about 1 p.m. Saturday.
Scout leaders say Michael was last seen at lunch with the rest of the group. The Scouts went on a hike early Saturday morning, but Michael stayed at the campsite with one adult leader, saying he wanted to sleep in.
The Scouts returned and ate lunch with Michael, who disappeared while the Scouts were eating, said Dave Weldon, Catawba County EMS director. Michael may have gotten disoriented or just walked away, Weldon said.
Adults involved in the Boy Scouts are taught to follow "Two-Deep Leadership," which mandates that at least two adults be present for all camps, trips and outdoor activities. The organization prohibits one-on-one situations between a scout and an adult.
But John Akerman, scout executive with the Raleigh-Durham area Occoneechee Council, said it would make sense to leave one adult behind with one scout if the other scouts are with other adults on an activity.
Wilkes County authorities issued a missing-person alert on Sunday that Michael was missing, said National Park Service spokesperson Tina White.
Searchers used heat sensors from aircraft overnight, White said. Auberry's mother, Debbie Hayes, told the Winston-Salem Journal that Michael had only potato chips to eat and no water. She also said he takes Ritalin for attention-deficit disorder.
Monday's search included more than 70 rescuers from surrounding counties. Boy Scouts from across the state showed up to help but were turned away because they were not trained to search.
Offers of help have come from as far away as Kentucky, White said, but only trained searchers were used Monday.
Although temperatures were expected to dip into the 20s overnight, Michael's base layer, fleece and winter jacket should keep him warm, White said. "We've had a lot of people who have been out a week or longer in colder conditions," White said.
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3/17/07
Thousands of DVD counterfeits seized
2 are charged; devices found that could copy discs in 8 minutes
Saturday, March 17, 2007
By Marcie Young
Charlotte Observer Staff Writer
Two Lenoir men have been charged with piracy after investigators found more than $96,000 in counterfeit DVDs, compact discs and recording equipment at a Caldwell County home, authorities said.
Robert Edward Shatley, 51, was charged Wednesday with one count each of possession of counterfeit videos or DVDs and criminal use of counterfeit trademark, both felonies, according to the Caldwell County Sheriff's Office.
Authorities seized 4,300 counterfeit DVDs, 18 videotapes, 470 recordable DVDs, four computer towers and eight hard drives from Shatley's home, Sheriff Alan Jones said in a news release.
The Motion Picture Association of America valued the DVDs at $88,749, authorities said. Jones said the equipment found in Shatley's home could copy a full-length movie in eight minutes.
A neighbor of Shatley's, 34-year-old Todd Henry Lawrence, was charged with one count of felony possession of counterfeit videos or DVDs. Authorities said they found 241 copied DVDs, worth $4,888, in Lawrence's home.
Shatley was released from the Caldwell County jail on $10,000 bond. Lawrence was released on a written promise to appear in court.
All content © THE CHARLOTTE OBSERVER and may not be republished without permission.
Saturday, March 17, 2007
By Marcie Young
Charlotte Observer Staff Writer
Two Lenoir men have been charged with piracy after investigators found more than $96,000 in counterfeit DVDs, compact discs and recording equipment at a Caldwell County home, authorities said.
Robert Edward Shatley, 51, was charged Wednesday with one count each of possession of counterfeit videos or DVDs and criminal use of counterfeit trademark, both felonies, according to the Caldwell County Sheriff's Office.
Authorities seized 4,300 counterfeit DVDs, 18 videotapes, 470 recordable DVDs, four computer towers and eight hard drives from Shatley's home, Sheriff Alan Jones said in a news release.
The Motion Picture Association of America valued the DVDs at $88,749, authorities said. Jones said the equipment found in Shatley's home could copy a full-length movie in eight minutes.
A neighbor of Shatley's, 34-year-old Todd Henry Lawrence, was charged with one count of felony possession of counterfeit videos or DVDs. Authorities said they found 241 copied DVDs, worth $4,888, in Lawrence's home.
Shatley was released from the Caldwell County jail on $10,000 bond. Lawrence was released on a written promise to appear in court.
All content © THE CHARLOTTE OBSERVER and may not be republished without permission.
2 incicted after bad-permt probe
Authorities say briefs influenced process for septic-tank inspections
Saturday, March 17, 2007
By Marcie Young
Charlotte Observer Staff Writer
A private contractor and a former Caldwell County employee were indicted Friday on charges that they schemed to issue fraudulent septic permits in exchange for payoffs.
Michael Gerald Beane, 53, of Lenoir and James Brent Elliott of Denton were charged with felony bribery of a public official, said Capt. Chris Brackett of the Caldwell County Sheriff's Office.
Beane, a former environmental health specialist for the county's Health Department, was charged with receiving bribes, and Denton was charged with offering bribes.
In December 2004, authorities began looking into claims of fraudulent septic permits when the sewage system of a county resident failed, Brackett said.
Authorities found that the soil had not been properly inspected before the permit was issued, and they began looking at other permits. Several of the permits were fraudulent, Brackett said.
Beane, who had been issuing county septic permits since 1994, left his job with the Health Department immediately after the violations were discovered, Brackett said.
Authorities began looking at the permits and paperwork, Brackett said, and discovered that Beane had received payment for approving septic permits in the Anchor's Landing development, which lines the Catawba River in southern Caldwell County.
Elliott, 47, was working for Lake Norman Properties, the developer of Anchor's Landing, and was charged with offering to pay Beane for the permits, the Sheriff's Office said.
Brackett said numerous bad permits were issued, but he wouldn't give a specific number. He said authorities are continuing to find violations.
"We could get a call Monday with someone saying they have sewage pouring out of the backyard," Brackett said.
Additional bribery indictments against other contractors are likely, Brackett said. Beane could also face more charges.
Beane and Elliott were released Friday on $25,000 bond each and are scheduled to make their first court appearances May 7. Telephone numbers for Beane and Elliott were not available, and neither could be reached for comment.
All content © THE CHARLOTTE OBSERVER and may not be republished without permission.
Saturday, March 17, 2007
By Marcie Young
Charlotte Observer Staff Writer
A private contractor and a former Caldwell County employee were indicted Friday on charges that they schemed to issue fraudulent septic permits in exchange for payoffs.
Michael Gerald Beane, 53, of Lenoir and James Brent Elliott of Denton were charged with felony bribery of a public official, said Capt. Chris Brackett of the Caldwell County Sheriff's Office.
Beane, a former environmental health specialist for the county's Health Department, was charged with receiving bribes, and Denton was charged with offering bribes.
In December 2004, authorities began looking into claims of fraudulent septic permits when the sewage system of a county resident failed, Brackett said.
Authorities found that the soil had not been properly inspected before the permit was issued, and they began looking at other permits. Several of the permits were fraudulent, Brackett said.
Beane, who had been issuing county septic permits since 1994, left his job with the Health Department immediately after the violations were discovered, Brackett said.
Authorities began looking at the permits and paperwork, Brackett said, and discovered that Beane had received payment for approving septic permits in the Anchor's Landing development, which lines the Catawba River in southern Caldwell County.
Elliott, 47, was working for Lake Norman Properties, the developer of Anchor's Landing, and was charged with offering to pay Beane for the permits, the Sheriff's Office said.
Brackett said numerous bad permits were issued, but he wouldn't give a specific number. He said authorities are continuing to find violations.
"We could get a call Monday with someone saying they have sewage pouring out of the backyard," Brackett said.
Additional bribery indictments against other contractors are likely, Brackett said. Beane could also face more charges.
Beane and Elliott were released Friday on $25,000 bond each and are scheduled to make their first court appearances May 7. Telephone numbers for Beane and Elliott were not available, and neither could be reached for comment.
All content © THE CHARLOTTE OBSERVER and may not be republished without permission.
3/15/07
Merger decision on hold
Burke leaders want time to consider impact on mental health system
Commissioners meet again March 26 with Foothills directors and reps from 3 counties
Thursday, March 15, 2007
By Marcie Young
Charlotte Observer Staff Writer
Burke County commissioners told mental health workers and clients this week that they needed more time to consider merging the county's mental health services with Catawba County.
For weeks, commissioners have considered pulling out of Foothills Area Programs, the agency that administers mental health services in Burke and three other counties.
Foothills clients and employees say they worry there will be lapses in service and that Burke County wouldn't receive equal representation if it merged with the larger Catawba County.
Responding to changes in state laws governing mental-health care, Burke County commissioners are considering ending a 38-year partnership with Foothills, an agency that also administers mental-health care in Alexander, Caldwell and McDowell counties, and joining with Catawba County's mental-health department.
In a 4-1 vote Monday, Burke commissioners decided to postpone discussion of Foothills until all representative from all four counties and the Foothills Board of Directors could discuss details of the merger.
Commissioner Jack Carroll voted against recessing the meeting.
Carroll said commissioners have spent ample time discussing the details of the merger and said he's worried that delaying the vote would not allow enough time to consider all the details of the move. The merger would become effective July 1.
While commission chairman Wayne Abele voted to recess Monday's meeting, he said Foothills is plagued with administrative problems and is beyond repair.
"I have no faith in the Foothills board and upper management," he said.
Abele said the Burke County Board of Commissioners has been looking at administrative problems at Foothills for six years.
But Democrat Ruth Ann Suttle said the board has not taken given new Foothills management the time to make changes in what was previously a flawed organization.
"I think we need to recognize that management has changed there," she said. "To me, that's contradicting yourself."
Laurie Bradshaw, whose 24-year-old son is deaf, mentally retarded and has cerebral palsy, said many clients think commissioners do not have enough information to make an informed decision and that Burke County residents would benefit most if Foothills merged as a whole.
Burke County commissioners will meet March 26 with the Foothills board of directors and with commissioners from Caldwell, Alexander and McDowell counties.
Want to Go?
The Burke County Board of Commissioners will resume its meeting about merging the county's mental health services with Catawba County at 6 p.m. on March 26. Burke County Board Room, 110 N. Green Street, Morganton. Call 828-439-4341 with questions.
All content © THE CHARLOTTE OBSERVER and may not be republished without permission.
Commissioners meet again March 26 with Foothills directors and reps from 3 counties
Thursday, March 15, 2007
By Marcie Young
Charlotte Observer Staff Writer
Burke County commissioners told mental health workers and clients this week that they needed more time to consider merging the county's mental health services with Catawba County.
For weeks, commissioners have considered pulling out of Foothills Area Programs, the agency that administers mental health services in Burke and three other counties.
Foothills clients and employees say they worry there will be lapses in service and that Burke County wouldn't receive equal representation if it merged with the larger Catawba County.
Responding to changes in state laws governing mental-health care, Burke County commissioners are considering ending a 38-year partnership with Foothills, an agency that also administers mental-health care in Alexander, Caldwell and McDowell counties, and joining with Catawba County's mental-health department.
In a 4-1 vote Monday, Burke commissioners decided to postpone discussion of Foothills until all representative from all four counties and the Foothills Board of Directors could discuss details of the merger.
Commissioner Jack Carroll voted against recessing the meeting.
Carroll said commissioners have spent ample time discussing the details of the merger and said he's worried that delaying the vote would not allow enough time to consider all the details of the move. The merger would become effective July 1.
While commission chairman Wayne Abele voted to recess Monday's meeting, he said Foothills is plagued with administrative problems and is beyond repair.
"I have no faith in the Foothills board and upper management," he said.
Abele said the Burke County Board of Commissioners has been looking at administrative problems at Foothills for six years.
But Democrat Ruth Ann Suttle said the board has not taken given new Foothills management the time to make changes in what was previously a flawed organization.
"I think we need to recognize that management has changed there," she said. "To me, that's contradicting yourself."
Laurie Bradshaw, whose 24-year-old son is deaf, mentally retarded and has cerebral palsy, said many clients think commissioners do not have enough information to make an informed decision and that Burke County residents would benefit most if Foothills merged as a whole.
Burke County commissioners will meet March 26 with the Foothills board of directors and with commissioners from Caldwell, Alexander and McDowell counties.
Want to Go?
The Burke County Board of Commissioners will resume its meeting about merging the county's mental health services with Catawba County at 6 p.m. on March 26. Burke County Board Room, 110 N. Green Street, Morganton. Call 828-439-4341 with questions.
All content © THE CHARLOTTE OBSERVER and may not be republished without permission.
3/13/07
Commissioners take more time to mull mental-health merger
Tuesday, March 13, 2007
By Marcie Young
Charlotte Observer Staff Writer
Burke County commissioners said Monday that they needed more time to consider merging mental health services with Catawba County.
For weeks, commissioners have considered pulling out of Foothills Area Programs, the agency that administers mental health services in Burke and three other counties.
Some commissioners say Foothills, which also manages mental health services in Caldwell, Alexander and McDowell counties, is plagued with administrative holes, from the board of directors down.
Democrat Ruth Ann Suttle said the board has not taken enough time to fully explore the impact.
Burke County commissioners will meet March 26 with the Foothills board of directors and with commissioners from Caldwell, Alexander and McDowell counties.
All content © THE CHARLOTTE OBSERVER and may not be republished without permission.
By Marcie Young
Charlotte Observer Staff Writer
Burke County commissioners said Monday that they needed more time to consider merging mental health services with Catawba County.
For weeks, commissioners have considered pulling out of Foothills Area Programs, the agency that administers mental health services in Burke and three other counties.
Some commissioners say Foothills, which also manages mental health services in Caldwell, Alexander and McDowell counties, is plagued with administrative holes, from the board of directors down.
Democrat Ruth Ann Suttle said the board has not taken enough time to fully explore the impact.
Burke County commissioners will meet March 26 with the Foothills board of directors and with commissioners from Caldwell, Alexander and McDowell counties.
All content © THE CHARLOTTE OBSERVER and may not be republished without permission.
3/11/07
Merger raises many issues
Looming changes in mental health system rock clients, agencies and counties
Sunday, March 11, 2007
By Marcie Young
Charlotte Observer Staff Writer
MORGANTON - In 2002, Robert Cox was released from Broughton Hospital after spending 21/2 years recovering from an addiction to crack cocaine and receiving treatment for bi-polar disorder.
Outside the mental-health hospital, a still-fragile Cox attended counseling sessions and underwent intensive therapy. Within two years, Cox said, he had weaned himself off disability payments, had taken a peer-counseling job with Foothills Area Programs and bought a home.
Now, he's worried that Foothills, the agency he says is responsible for his recovery, is in jeopardy.
Responding to changes in state laws governing mental-health care, Burke County commissioners are considering merging Foothills, an agency that administers mental-health care in Burke and three other counties, with Catawba County's mental-health department.
The merger would end Burke County's 38-year partnership with Foothills, which also serves Alexander, Caldwell and McDowell counties.
The board will vote on the merger Monday evening.
But Foothills employees, clients and its contracted therapists and doctors worry the merger could interrupt services and hurt people coping with substance-abuse problems and developmental and mental-health issues.
"Any lapse in service, whether it be a day or an hour, could be very serious," said Laurie Bradshaw, whose 24-year-old son is deaf, mentally retarded and has cerebral palsy. "People with mental-health problems are very fragile."
Don Pagett, interim director at Foothills, said people are also worried that though the move is helpful for Catawba, which needs to increase its service population by more than 55,000 people to avoid state penalties, it is not so good for Foothills.
If Burke pulls out, Pagett said, longtime Foothills employees could find themselves without jobs.
"It seems odd to us that Catawba County's population problem has become our problem," he said.
Changes in state laws that were passed in 2001 but are just now taking effect require Local Management Entities, like Foothills and Catawba County Mental Health, to serve populations of at least 200,000.
Catawba County's population is 141,865, according to the 2000 Census, so it must increase the number of people it serves by the start of the next fiscal year, which begins July 1.
If it doesn't, the county could lose $320,000 in state administrative mental-health funding, said Catawba County Mental Health Director John Hardy.
Foothills serves a population of 248,000, so it doesn't need to change. But some Burke commissioners are considering the merger, they said, because Foothills is plagued with administrative holes, from the board of directors down, and is beyond repair.
Also, they said they worry that other counties in Foothills may pull out.
Commissioner Jack Carroll, who has sat on Foothills' 16-member board of directors for two years, said some board members have micromanaged the Foothills administration.
Steven Corley, former Foothills CEO, resigned in December and was replaced by Pagett.
In January, Burke commissioners asked the Foothills board to make changes, including replacing long-term board members, but they could not reach an agreement with the Foothills board.
"Do we stay with a group that we feel the management is broken?" asked commissioners chairman Wayne Abele. "Poor management leads to poor services eventually."
But commissioner Ruth Ann Suttle, the board's only Democrat, said that complaints about poor management aren't enough to justify leaving Foothills and that the county has an obligation to better explore the impact and details of the merger.
"No one can give me concrete information to what the problem really is," she said. "We should be able to work out those problems. Call in a mediator, heck, do something before you make this big decision to pull out."
And the chairman of the Foothills board said the agency has solved its management problems of the past. "The new leadership ... as well as changes in key staff positions, totally change the management style of this organization," said Rick French, who also is county manager of Alexander County.
Hardy said ongoing reform has left agencies across the state frustrated and that changes are still coming. If Burke doesn't merge with Catawba now, he said, another merger is likely just a few years off because of continuing changes in mental-health policies.
"Burke County saw this as an opportunity to stabilize things in the long term," he said. "For (Foothills), this is probably the last straw, but change is going to occur whether it happens this way, at this time or not."
The best possibility, many people on both sides said, would be a merger between Catawba and Foothills as a whole, not just Burke County.
That, however, would require coordinating merger meetings between Burke, Catawba, Alexander, Caldwell and McDowell counties, something Carroll said would be a difficult feat.
"I'd like to see everyone go along with it, and I'd vote on it in a heartbeat," he said. "But it's hard enough to get five commissioners to vote on something, not to mention five counties."
But clients like Cox and Bradshaw said commissioners aren't thinking about the real impact of the merger and how it will affect Burke County residents.
One of the biggest concerns, they said, is losing access to Foothills Education and Enrichment Center in Morganton, which provides support groups, peer counseling and activities for clients.
"This is a unique program," said Cox. "This is what is going to make mental-health reform work, and it's happening here."
Hardy said service interruptions are inevitable but would likely be minimal.
"Mental health is like a big tanker floating in the state, and you don't turn a tanker on a dime," he said. "Turning the tanker makes ripples on both sides of the ship and the shores that relate to
it, and that's what we're dealing with here."
About Foothills
Since 1969, Foothills Area Program in Morganton has provided mental-health, developmental and substance-abuse services to children and adults in Alexander, Burke, Caldwell and McDowell counties. In 2004, because of reforms in mental-health law, doctors and therapists began working with Foothills on contract. Foothills, with a service population of 248,000, last year received more than 8,500 calls for assistance.
SOURCE: Foothills Area Program
What is a Local Management Entity?
Local Management Entities (LMEs) are local government and county programs responsible for managing, coordinating, facilitating and monitoring mental-health and substance-abuse services and developmental disabilities. LMEs are responsible for developing and overseeing providers, handling client complaints and offering 24-hour, year-round access to services.
SOURCE: N.C. Department of Health and Human Services
All content © THE CHARLOTTE OBSERVER and may not be republished without permission.
Sunday, March 11, 2007
By Marcie Young
Charlotte Observer Staff Writer
MORGANTON - In 2002, Robert Cox was released from Broughton Hospital after spending 21/2 years recovering from an addiction to crack cocaine and receiving treatment for bi-polar disorder.
Outside the mental-health hospital, a still-fragile Cox attended counseling sessions and underwent intensive therapy. Within two years, Cox said, he had weaned himself off disability payments, had taken a peer-counseling job with Foothills Area Programs and bought a home.
Now, he's worried that Foothills, the agency he says is responsible for his recovery, is in jeopardy.
Responding to changes in state laws governing mental-health care, Burke County commissioners are considering merging Foothills, an agency that administers mental-health care in Burke and three other counties, with Catawba County's mental-health department.
The merger would end Burke County's 38-year partnership with Foothills, which also serves Alexander, Caldwell and McDowell counties.
The board will vote on the merger Monday evening.
But Foothills employees, clients and its contracted therapists and doctors worry the merger could interrupt services and hurt people coping with substance-abuse problems and developmental and mental-health issues.
"Any lapse in service, whether it be a day or an hour, could be very serious," said Laurie Bradshaw, whose 24-year-old son is deaf, mentally retarded and has cerebral palsy. "People with mental-health problems are very fragile."
Don Pagett, interim director at Foothills, said people are also worried that though the move is helpful for Catawba, which needs to increase its service population by more than 55,000 people to avoid state penalties, it is not so good for Foothills.
If Burke pulls out, Pagett said, longtime Foothills employees could find themselves without jobs.
"It seems odd to us that Catawba County's population problem has become our problem," he said.
Changes in state laws that were passed in 2001 but are just now taking effect require Local Management Entities, like Foothills and Catawba County Mental Health, to serve populations of at least 200,000.
Catawba County's population is 141,865, according to the 2000 Census, so it must increase the number of people it serves by the start of the next fiscal year, which begins July 1.
If it doesn't, the county could lose $320,000 in state administrative mental-health funding, said Catawba County Mental Health Director John Hardy.
Foothills serves a population of 248,000, so it doesn't need to change. But some Burke commissioners are considering the merger, they said, because Foothills is plagued with administrative holes, from the board of directors down, and is beyond repair.
Also, they said they worry that other counties in Foothills may pull out.
Commissioner Jack Carroll, who has sat on Foothills' 16-member board of directors for two years, said some board members have micromanaged the Foothills administration.
Steven Corley, former Foothills CEO, resigned in December and was replaced by Pagett.
In January, Burke commissioners asked the Foothills board to make changes, including replacing long-term board members, but they could not reach an agreement with the Foothills board.
"Do we stay with a group that we feel the management is broken?" asked commissioners chairman Wayne Abele. "Poor management leads to poor services eventually."
But commissioner Ruth Ann Suttle, the board's only Democrat, said that complaints about poor management aren't enough to justify leaving Foothills and that the county has an obligation to better explore the impact and details of the merger.
"No one can give me concrete information to what the problem really is," she said. "We should be able to work out those problems. Call in a mediator, heck, do something before you make this big decision to pull out."
And the chairman of the Foothills board said the agency has solved its management problems of the past. "The new leadership ... as well as changes in key staff positions, totally change the management style of this organization," said Rick French, who also is county manager of Alexander County.
Hardy said ongoing reform has left agencies across the state frustrated and that changes are still coming. If Burke doesn't merge with Catawba now, he said, another merger is likely just a few years off because of continuing changes in mental-health policies.
"Burke County saw this as an opportunity to stabilize things in the long term," he said. "For (Foothills), this is probably the last straw, but change is going to occur whether it happens this way, at this time or not."
The best possibility, many people on both sides said, would be a merger between Catawba and Foothills as a whole, not just Burke County.
That, however, would require coordinating merger meetings between Burke, Catawba, Alexander, Caldwell and McDowell counties, something Carroll said would be a difficult feat.
"I'd like to see everyone go along with it, and I'd vote on it in a heartbeat," he said. "But it's hard enough to get five commissioners to vote on something, not to mention five counties."
But clients like Cox and Bradshaw said commissioners aren't thinking about the real impact of the merger and how it will affect Burke County residents.
One of the biggest concerns, they said, is losing access to Foothills Education and Enrichment Center in Morganton, which provides support groups, peer counseling and activities for clients.
"This is a unique program," said Cox. "This is what is going to make mental-health reform work, and it's happening here."
Hardy said service interruptions are inevitable but would likely be minimal.
"Mental health is like a big tanker floating in the state, and you don't turn a tanker on a dime," he said. "Turning the tanker makes ripples on both sides of the ship and the shores that relate to
it, and that's what we're dealing with here."
About Foothills
Since 1969, Foothills Area Program in Morganton has provided mental-health, developmental and substance-abuse services to children and adults in Alexander, Burke, Caldwell and McDowell counties. In 2004, because of reforms in mental-health law, doctors and therapists began working with Foothills on contract. Foothills, with a service population of 248,000, last year received more than 8,500 calls for assistance.
SOURCE: Foothills Area Program
What is a Local Management Entity?
Local Management Entities (LMEs) are local government and county programs responsible for managing, coordinating, facilitating and monitoring mental-health and substance-abuse services and developmental disabilities. LMEs are responsible for developing and overseeing providers, handling client complaints and offering 24-hour, year-round access to services.
SOURCE: N.C. Department of Health and Human Services
All content © THE CHARLOTTE OBSERVER and may not be republished without permission.
County's emergency plan available to public
Residents can obtain web access at Newton Government Center
Sunday, March 11, 2007
By Marcie Young
Charlotte Observer Staff Writer
NEWTON - Officials in Catawba County are ready to handle nuclear accidents, bioterrorism threats and severe weather, according to a local emergency response plan, and they aren't shy about sharing that information with residents.
Twenty years ago, Congress passed the Emergency Planning and Community Right-to-Know Act, requiring that communities develop and update response plans in case of chemical and hazardous materials spills.
In Catawba County, officials have also expanded their emergency response plan to include mass casualties, train and plane crashes, rioting, terrorist activity and natural disasters such as floods and tornadoes.
Those plans and any revisions, Congress said, also needed to be available to the public.
In January, reporters from the Observer tested access to the plans, visiting nine North and South Carolina counties and asking for the documents.
Similar requests were made across the nation by nearly 400 journalists, students and volunteers as part of an audit for Sunshine Week, a national initiative to open a dialogue about the importance of open government and freedom of information. The week begins today.
The Catawba County Emergency Operations Plan, which is available to the public online, was easily accessible by visiting the emergency services office at the Government Center in Newton.
While residents should expect to provide their names, e-mail addresses and where they work, obtaining access to the free document should take no longer than an hour.
A login name and password will be created and e-mailed to the requestor, allowing the lengthy plan to be viewed online from home.
Catawba County's plan includes more than 100 links with information about how each county agency should respond, who is responsible and what steps should be taken. It also outlines the role of the American Red Cross and other relief groups.
"Defining the roles of each response agency reduces the confusion, chaos and conflict during an emergency and significantly decreases vulnerability of the public," the plan says.
Each year, county officials are required to tell residents about any revisions to the plan. The most recent update, according to the document, was made in August 2005.
What Are Sunshine Laws?
Sunshine laws were created under Congress' Freedom of Information Act to bring "government into the sunshine." The FOIA was passed in 1966 and amended in 2002.
Through sunshine laws, boards of commissioners, city councils and administrative agencies are required to do their work in public by holding open meetings and making documents available.
Exceptions are permitted, usually to protect national security or to safeguard the privacy of businesses.
Source: FOIA
All content © THE CHARLOTTE OBSERVER and may not be republished without permission.
Sunday, March 11, 2007
By Marcie Young
Charlotte Observer Staff Writer
NEWTON - Officials in Catawba County are ready to handle nuclear accidents, bioterrorism threats and severe weather, according to a local emergency response plan, and they aren't shy about sharing that information with residents.
Twenty years ago, Congress passed the Emergency Planning and Community Right-to-Know Act, requiring that communities develop and update response plans in case of chemical and hazardous materials spills.
In Catawba County, officials have also expanded their emergency response plan to include mass casualties, train and plane crashes, rioting, terrorist activity and natural disasters such as floods and tornadoes.
Those plans and any revisions, Congress said, also needed to be available to the public.
In January, reporters from the Observer tested access to the plans, visiting nine North and South Carolina counties and asking for the documents.
Similar requests were made across the nation by nearly 400 journalists, students and volunteers as part of an audit for Sunshine Week, a national initiative to open a dialogue about the importance of open government and freedom of information. The week begins today.
The Catawba County Emergency Operations Plan, which is available to the public online, was easily accessible by visiting the emergency services office at the Government Center in Newton.
While residents should expect to provide their names, e-mail addresses and where they work, obtaining access to the free document should take no longer than an hour.
A login name and password will be created and e-mailed to the requestor, allowing the lengthy plan to be viewed online from home.
Catawba County's plan includes more than 100 links with information about how each county agency should respond, who is responsible and what steps should be taken. It also outlines the role of the American Red Cross and other relief groups.
"Defining the roles of each response agency reduces the confusion, chaos and conflict during an emergency and significantly decreases vulnerability of the public," the plan says.
Each year, county officials are required to tell residents about any revisions to the plan. The most recent update, according to the document, was made in August 2005.
What Are Sunshine Laws?
Sunshine laws were created under Congress' Freedom of Information Act to bring "government into the sunshine." The FOIA was passed in 1966 and amended in 2002.
Through sunshine laws, boards of commissioners, city councils and administrative agencies are required to do their work in public by holding open meetings and making documents available.
Exceptions are permitted, usually to protect national security or to safeguard the privacy of businesses.
Source: FOIA
All content © THE CHARLOTTE OBSERVER and may not be republished without permission.
Planner: U.S. 321 South bridge work may need to wait a while
Sunday, March 11, 2007
By Marcie Young
Charlotte Observer Staff Writer
Though the N.C. Department of Transportation has enough money to replace the southbound U.S. 321 bridge over the Catawba River, the project is not expected to start for several more years.
The work can't begin until an environmental study is completed, expected in July 2008, said John Tippett, transportation planner with the Western Piedmont Council of Governments in Hickory. Construction is scheduled to begin before 2013 and will cost about $10 million.
The 1950s bridge needs to be replaced because of its age and to accommodate the widened highway, Tippett said. The northbound bridge, built in the early 1980s, will be widened later; the state hasn't yet set aside money for it.
The state has also not allocated construction money for the U.S. 321 widening. The 17.2-mile project has an estimated $149.4 million price tag. Tippett said the state will likely build it in phases.
All content © THE CHARLOTTE OBSERVER and may not be republished without permission.
By Marcie Young
Charlotte Observer Staff Writer
Though the N.C. Department of Transportation has enough money to replace the southbound U.S. 321 bridge over the Catawba River, the project is not expected to start for several more years.
The work can't begin until an environmental study is completed, expected in July 2008, said John Tippett, transportation planner with the Western Piedmont Council of Governments in Hickory. Construction is scheduled to begin before 2013 and will cost about $10 million.
The 1950s bridge needs to be replaced because of its age and to accommodate the widened highway, Tippett said. The northbound bridge, built in the early 1980s, will be widened later; the state hasn't yet set aside money for it.
The state has also not allocated construction money for the U.S. 321 widening. The 17.2-mile project has an estimated $149.4 million price tag. Tippett said the state will likely build it in phases.
All content © THE CHARLOTTE OBSERVER and may not be republished without permission.
3/8/07
Goal: Expand city hiring pool
Leaders say it has been more difficult to find applications for jobs
Thursday, March 8, 2007
By Marcie Young
Charlotte Observer Staff Writer
Morganton city leaders hope recent changes to the city's nepotism policy will allow more people to apply for city jobs.
After weeks of discussion, the City Council in February approved a revised nepotism policy that will allow some types of relatives to work for the city.
Under the previous nepotism policy, most people with relatives employed by the city were prohibited from a city job. The policy did not cover extremely distant relatives such as second cousins.
Under the new policy, adopted Feb. 23, aunts and uncles, nieces and nephews, cousins, in-laws and step relatives of city employees can work in unrelated departments, said Human Resources Director Cheryl Dellinger.
Over the years, the city had been forced to fire a few employees who, because of changes in their circumstances, such as marriage between extended family members, were no longer eligible to work for the city.
The city, in response, recently began re-evaluating the strict policy, which prohibited relatives of city employees from working for Morganton, even in different departments, Mayor Mel Cohen said.
But some relationships, including in-laws and cousins, the council decided, were distant enough that the city would not suffer from hiring relatives of existing employees, said City Attorney Steve Settlemeyer.
"It's no different than two good friends working for the city," Settlemeyer said. "We can't be too restrictive ... (because) we might not be able to hire the best."
The previous policy, which Cohen called "one of the toughest ordinances in the state," was adopted in March 2000 to assure that government employees were not getting preferential treatment from family members also working for the city.
Spouses, children, parents and grandparents of city employees remain ineligible for city jobs, according to the revised policy, and more distant relatives will not be allowed to work in the same department.
"In a town our size it has become more and more difficult to hire people (based on) their extended families," Cohen said. "It really gets hairy, and we've had to let quality people go."
All content © THE CHARLOTTE OBSERVER and may not be republished without permission.
Thursday, March 8, 2007
By Marcie Young
Charlotte Observer Staff Writer
Morganton city leaders hope recent changes to the city's nepotism policy will allow more people to apply for city jobs.
After weeks of discussion, the City Council in February approved a revised nepotism policy that will allow some types of relatives to work for the city.
Under the previous nepotism policy, most people with relatives employed by the city were prohibited from a city job. The policy did not cover extremely distant relatives such as second cousins.
Under the new policy, adopted Feb. 23, aunts and uncles, nieces and nephews, cousins, in-laws and step relatives of city employees can work in unrelated departments, said Human Resources Director Cheryl Dellinger.
Over the years, the city had been forced to fire a few employees who, because of changes in their circumstances, such as marriage between extended family members, were no longer eligible to work for the city.
The city, in response, recently began re-evaluating the strict policy, which prohibited relatives of city employees from working for Morganton, even in different departments, Mayor Mel Cohen said.
But some relationships, including in-laws and cousins, the council decided, were distant enough that the city would not suffer from hiring relatives of existing employees, said City Attorney Steve Settlemeyer.
"It's no different than two good friends working for the city," Settlemeyer said. "We can't be too restrictive ... (because) we might not be able to hire the best."
The previous policy, which Cohen called "one of the toughest ordinances in the state," was adopted in March 2000 to assure that government employees were not getting preferential treatment from family members also working for the city.
Spouses, children, parents and grandparents of city employees remain ineligible for city jobs, according to the revised policy, and more distant relatives will not be allowed to work in the same department.
"In a town our size it has become more and more difficult to hire people (based on) their extended families," Cohen said. "It really gets hairy, and we've had to let quality people go."
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ROTC hero saved man's life
Teen did chest compressions for 27 minutes
Thursday, March 8, 2007
By Marcie Young
Charlotte Observer Staff Writer
In 1961, Clarence Laney marched with the U.S. Army Old Guard at President Kennedy's inauguration.
Forty-six years later, on Tuesday morning in the crowded gym at Bandys High School, Laney watched the Old Guard's drill team toss their rifles and bayonets at a ceremony honoring the teenager who saved his life.
On Feb. 9, William Butler, a 16-year-old Junior ROTC cadet lieutenant at Bandys, was working the scoreboard at a girl's varsity basketball game when Laney, 70, collapsed in the stands.
"I heard people yelling, `Stop the game. Call 911,' " Butler said.
Laney was having a heart attack.
Butler and Patty Goodwin, a nurse whose daughters attend Bandys, rushed to Laney and began rescue breathing and chest compressions, Butler said.
Laney didn't immediately respond to the CPR, so Butler, a trained volunteer with the Catawba Rescue Squad, grabbed the school's defibrillator paddles and shocked Laney twice before the ambulance arrived.
"He did chest compressions for 27 minutes," said Mike Colbert, senior Army instructor at Bandys. "That's incredible."
So incredible, Colbert said, that he couldn't imagine not honoring Butler for saving Laney's life.
Tuesday, Butler was honored with the Medal of Heroism from the U.S. Army Cadet Command. The medal, said Colbert, a retired lieutenant colonel, is one of the Junior ROTC's most prestigious, and is awarded on the national level to two or three people each year.
Butler, an honor student who wants to attend N.C. State University and become a state Highway Patrol trooper, received a standing ovation from the student body.
Laney underwent quintuple bypass surgery and was released from the hospital Feb. 19, 10 days after his heart attack. "(Butler) knew what he was doing, or I wouldn't be here," he said. "He's a mighty fine kid."
Beth Queen, Laney's daughter and the Bandys girls' basketball coach, taught Butler in honors algebra and said his training and persistence is an inspiration.
"It's amazing that a man at that age is able to think so clearly. He never faltered," she said. "I always loved William as a student. Now I really love him."
All content © THE CHARLOTTE OBSERVER and may not be republished without permission.
Thursday, March 8, 2007
By Marcie Young
Charlotte Observer Staff Writer
In 1961, Clarence Laney marched with the U.S. Army Old Guard at President Kennedy's inauguration.
Forty-six years later, on Tuesday morning in the crowded gym at Bandys High School, Laney watched the Old Guard's drill team toss their rifles and bayonets at a ceremony honoring the teenager who saved his life.
On Feb. 9, William Butler, a 16-year-old Junior ROTC cadet lieutenant at Bandys, was working the scoreboard at a girl's varsity basketball game when Laney, 70, collapsed in the stands.
"I heard people yelling, `Stop the game. Call 911,' " Butler said.
Laney was having a heart attack.
Butler and Patty Goodwin, a nurse whose daughters attend Bandys, rushed to Laney and began rescue breathing and chest compressions, Butler said.
Laney didn't immediately respond to the CPR, so Butler, a trained volunteer with the Catawba Rescue Squad, grabbed the school's defibrillator paddles and shocked Laney twice before the ambulance arrived.
"He did chest compressions for 27 minutes," said Mike Colbert, senior Army instructor at Bandys. "That's incredible."
So incredible, Colbert said, that he couldn't imagine not honoring Butler for saving Laney's life.
Tuesday, Butler was honored with the Medal of Heroism from the U.S. Army Cadet Command. The medal, said Colbert, a retired lieutenant colonel, is one of the Junior ROTC's most prestigious, and is awarded on the national level to two or three people each year.
Butler, an honor student who wants to attend N.C. State University and become a state Highway Patrol trooper, received a standing ovation from the student body.
Laney underwent quintuple bypass surgery and was released from the hospital Feb. 19, 10 days after his heart attack. "(Butler) knew what he was doing, or I wouldn't be here," he said. "He's a mighty fine kid."
Beth Queen, Laney's daughter and the Bandys girls' basketball coach, taught Butler in honors algebra and said his training and persistence is an inspiration.
"It's amazing that a man at that age is able to think so clearly. He never faltered," she said. "I always loved William as a student. Now I really love him."
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3/4/07
Communication a priority for board
Commissioners want Caldwell residents to have more information
Sunday, March 4, 2007
By Marcie Young
Charlotte Observer Staff Writer
Education, economic development and improved communication between government and residents topped the list of commissioner priorities discussed when the Caldwell County board met recently for its annual retreat.
The retreat, scheduled to resume March 30, gave commissioners the chance to set individual priorities and discuss their concerns with other board members. A combined list of the top issues will be discussed at the end of the month.
"We're going to try to flesh those things out and get a better handle on where we're going," said Board of Commissioners Chairman Faye Higgins, a Republican.
While commissioners said they wanted to focus continuously on education and economic development, they agreed that increasing communication with residents and making county information more accessible is a big priority.
"If we improve public perception of how we govern, it will be easier to build better issues and move forward more quickly," said commissioner Don Barrier, a Democrat. "It's all about improving government and getting the best out of our tax dollars."
Republican commissioner John Thuss said the board is planning to expand communication with Caldwell County residents by filtering more information through the Internet and local radio, television and newspapers.
"Information availability to our citizens," Thuss said. "How do we make them listen? That's the challenge."
However, commissioner Ron Beane said that the county needs to focus on increasing educational opportunities and improving the county's economic health.
"Education drives everything else in a local economy," said Beane, a Democrat. "We need to be really involved with all segments of education, from kindergarten to the fourth year of college."
Other priorities included cross training for county employees, expanding commerce and retail, improving transportation and roads, and creating industry diversity.
All content © THE CHARLOTTE OBSERVER and may not be republished without permission.
Sunday, March 4, 2007
By Marcie Young
Charlotte Observer Staff Writer
Education, economic development and improved communication between government and residents topped the list of commissioner priorities discussed when the Caldwell County board met recently for its annual retreat.
The retreat, scheduled to resume March 30, gave commissioners the chance to set individual priorities and discuss their concerns with other board members. A combined list of the top issues will be discussed at the end of the month.
"We're going to try to flesh those things out and get a better handle on where we're going," said Board of Commissioners Chairman Faye Higgins, a Republican.
While commissioners said they wanted to focus continuously on education and economic development, they agreed that increasing communication with residents and making county information more accessible is a big priority.
"If we improve public perception of how we govern, it will be easier to build better issues and move forward more quickly," said commissioner Don Barrier, a Democrat. "It's all about improving government and getting the best out of our tax dollars."
Republican commissioner John Thuss said the board is planning to expand communication with Caldwell County residents by filtering more information through the Internet and local radio, television and newspapers.
"Information availability to our citizens," Thuss said. "How do we make them listen? That's the challenge."
However, commissioner Ron Beane said that the county needs to focus on increasing educational opportunities and improving the county's economic health.
"Education drives everything else in a local economy," said Beane, a Democrat. "We need to be really involved with all segments of education, from kindergarten to the fourth year of college."
Other priorities included cross training for county employees, expanding commerce and retail, improving transportation and roads, and creating industry diversity.
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3/3/07
2 killed, 2 hurt in fiery crash in Catawba Co.
Blaze prevents men nearby from pulling woman out of car
Saturday, March 3, 2007
By Marcie Young
Charlotte Observer Staff Writer
Two people died and two others were injured in a fiery wreck Friday in southern Catawba County.
Shortly before 2:30 p.m., a southbound 1993 BMW sedan ran off Startown Road near the Lincoln County line and veered back into oncoming traffic, said Highway Patrol Trooper B.L. Buchanan. The driver of a northbound Chevrolet Tahoe tried to dodge the BMW, authorities said, but broadsided it.
The two in the BMW - driver Daniel Glenn Blackwood, 29, and passenger Christina Lynn Gore, 31, both of Lincolnton - were killed. The two in the Tahoe - driver Gerardo Antonio Artavia Jr., 29, of Claremont and passenger Kaylan Beckham, 23, of Catawba - were taken to Frye Regional Medical Center in Hickory with minor injuries, said Trooper B.L. Albert.
After the crash, the mangled vehicles skidded across asphalt and into the grass before catching fire.
Brandon Kurczi, who works nearby, and a man who had been driving along Startown Road ran to the burning BMW, Kurczi said.
While they pulled Blackwood from the car, the occupants of the Tahoe - Artavia and Beckham - climbed through the vehicle's shattered windows.
The blaze enveloped the BMW, authorities said, making it impossible for the men to get Gore's body out.
"(We) tried to help," said Randy Schronce, who works with Kurczi and tried to put out the flames. "It's something that will stay with you."
All content © THE CHARLOTTE OBSERVER and may not be republished without permission.
Saturday, March 3, 2007
By Marcie Young
Charlotte Observer Staff Writer
Two people died and two others were injured in a fiery wreck Friday in southern Catawba County.
Shortly before 2:30 p.m., a southbound 1993 BMW sedan ran off Startown Road near the Lincoln County line and veered back into oncoming traffic, said Highway Patrol Trooper B.L. Buchanan. The driver of a northbound Chevrolet Tahoe tried to dodge the BMW, authorities said, but broadsided it.
The two in the BMW - driver Daniel Glenn Blackwood, 29, and passenger Christina Lynn Gore, 31, both of Lincolnton - were killed. The two in the Tahoe - driver Gerardo Antonio Artavia Jr., 29, of Claremont and passenger Kaylan Beckham, 23, of Catawba - were taken to Frye Regional Medical Center in Hickory with minor injuries, said Trooper B.L. Albert.
After the crash, the mangled vehicles skidded across asphalt and into the grass before catching fire.
Brandon Kurczi, who works nearby, and a man who had been driving along Startown Road ran to the burning BMW, Kurczi said.
While they pulled Blackwood from the car, the occupants of the Tahoe - Artavia and Beckham - climbed through the vehicle's shattered windows.
The blaze enveloped the BMW, authorities said, making it impossible for the men to get Gore's body out.
"(We) tried to help," said Randy Schronce, who works with Kurczi and tried to put out the flames. "It's something that will stay with you."
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3/2/07
Purchase to protect habitat near rivers
N.C. wildlife resource agency buys 2,800 acres from Duke Energy unit
Friday, March 2, 2007
By Marcie Young
Charlotte Observer Staff Writer
The N.C. Wildlife Resource Commission announced Thursday that it has bought 2,800 acres of land along the Johns and Catawba rivers in Burke County, protecting thousands of waterfowl and other animals.
The commission bought the land from Crescent Resources, the development arm of Duke Energy, for $11.5 million, said Tom Kenney, land protection director with Foothills Conservancy of North Carolina.
Nearly 17 miles of undeveloped land will be added to the commission's game lands program, allowing the state to protect the wetlands, Kenney said.
"It's a wonderful natural resource ... with habitats for fowl, animals and plant life," Kenney said. "Everyone recognized the benefit in terms of conservation."
The purchase marks the state's first conservation transaction stemming from the Catawba-Wateree comprehensive relicensing agreement with Duke Energy.
Duke Energy's hydroelectric license to manage its chain of 11 reservoirs along the Catawba River expires in 2008. Duke has negotiated for more than three years with cities, government agencies and members of the public over terms of a new license.
One of the conditions is that Duke will place up to 5,900 acres in public hands. This is the first step toward that goal.
"It's wonderful to see the results of the collaborative efforts of stakeholders for the benefit of the environment and the public," said Ellen Ruff, president of Duke Energy Carolinas. "It's a win-win in all aspects."
All content © THE CHARLOTTE OBSERVER and may not be republished without permission.
Friday, March 2, 2007
By Marcie Young
Charlotte Observer Staff Writer
The N.C. Wildlife Resource Commission announced Thursday that it has bought 2,800 acres of land along the Johns and Catawba rivers in Burke County, protecting thousands of waterfowl and other animals.
The commission bought the land from Crescent Resources, the development arm of Duke Energy, for $11.5 million, said Tom Kenney, land protection director with Foothills Conservancy of North Carolina.
Nearly 17 miles of undeveloped land will be added to the commission's game lands program, allowing the state to protect the wetlands, Kenney said.
"It's a wonderful natural resource ... with habitats for fowl, animals and plant life," Kenney said. "Everyone recognized the benefit in terms of conservation."
The purchase marks the state's first conservation transaction stemming from the Catawba-Wateree comprehensive relicensing agreement with Duke Energy.
Duke Energy's hydroelectric license to manage its chain of 11 reservoirs along the Catawba River expires in 2008. Duke has negotiated for more than three years with cities, government agencies and members of the public over terms of a new license.
One of the conditions is that Duke will place up to 5,900 acres in public hands. This is the first step toward that goal.
"It's wonderful to see the results of the collaborative efforts of stakeholders for the benefit of the environment and the public," said Ellen Ruff, president of Duke Energy Carolinas. "It's a win-win in all aspects."
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Authorities work to contain oil spill behind motorcycle shop
Friday, March 2, 2007
By Marcie Young
Charlotte Observer Staff Writer
Authorities in Catawba County don't know what caused a motor oil spill at a business on Robinson Road, but they were working Thursday to make sure the spill didn't contaminate nearby property.
David Pruitt, Catawba County fire marshal, said authorities received a call last week about an oil spill on land behind Enigma Motorcycles, about two miles south of Hickory. The oil, Pruitt said, got into a drain pipe and spread throughout the property. Pruitt said the company's owner told authorities that there had been vandalism recently on the property.
Pruitt worked with the county's Division of Emergency Management and the Sheriff's Office Thursday to make sure the leak had not contaminated land at nearby businesses and homes.
"We're quickly coming to the assumption that it stayed on (Enigma Motorcycle's) property," he said.
Workers planned to flush out the pipe and collect the oil, Pruitt said.
All content © THE CHARLOTTE OBSERVER and may not be republished without permission.
By Marcie Young
Charlotte Observer Staff Writer
Authorities in Catawba County don't know what caused a motor oil spill at a business on Robinson Road, but they were working Thursday to make sure the spill didn't contaminate nearby property.
David Pruitt, Catawba County fire marshal, said authorities received a call last week about an oil spill on land behind Enigma Motorcycles, about two miles south of Hickory. The oil, Pruitt said, got into a drain pipe and spread throughout the property. Pruitt said the company's owner told authorities that there had been vandalism recently on the property.
Pruitt worked with the county's Division of Emergency Management and the Sheriff's Office Thursday to make sure the leak had not contaminated land at nearby businesses and homes.
"We're quickly coming to the assumption that it stayed on (Enigma Motorcycle's) property," he said.
Workers planned to flush out the pipe and collect the oil, Pruitt said.
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2/28/07
4 deputies involved in fatal standoff go back to work
Wednesday, Feb. 28, 2007
By Marcie Young
Charlotte Observer Staff Writer
Four Catawba County deputies involved in a fatal standoff last week returned to work Monday after spending five days on administrative leave, authorities said.
A Hickory police officer who was also put on administrative leave had not returned to work by Tuesday afternoon, authorities said.
The State Bureau of Investigation continues looking into the Feb. 20 shooting that killed Marty Dale Rogers, 32, in a field near his home north of Conover. SBI investigations can sometimes take months to complete, Catawba County Sheriff David Huffman said.
Huffman said Rogers, hiding in the field's thick brush with a semi-automatic rifle, was a threat to officers surrounding him and that authorities had no choice but to fire.
All content © THE CHARLOTTE OBSERVER and may not be republished without permission.
By Marcie Young
Charlotte Observer Staff Writer
Four Catawba County deputies involved in a fatal standoff last week returned to work Monday after spending five days on administrative leave, authorities said.
A Hickory police officer who was also put on administrative leave had not returned to work by Tuesday afternoon, authorities said.
The State Bureau of Investigation continues looking into the Feb. 20 shooting that killed Marty Dale Rogers, 32, in a field near his home north of Conover. SBI investigations can sometimes take months to complete, Catawba County Sheriff David Huffman said.
Huffman said Rogers, hiding in the field's thick brush with a semi-automatic rifle, was a threat to officers surrounding him and that authorities had no choice but to fire.
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2/25/07
New Caldwell sheriff takes reins
Jones says he’ll uphold drug initiatives, work to heal department after Clark’s death
Sunday, Feb. 25, 2007
By Marcie Young
Charlotte Observer Staff Writer
LENOIR - More than 20 years ago, when Alan Jones was attending Appalachian State University, he wasn't sure what he wanted to do after he finished school, his mother remembers.
But then, one day, he picked up a friend's criminal justice textbook and decided to make a career of law enforcement.
"We said, `Uh, like a policeman?' " his mother, Barbara Jones, recalled. "And he said, `Yeah.' We told him that was too dangerous, and he said, `Well, so is crossing the road.' "
Last week, less than two decades after graduating with a bachelor's degree in criminal justice, Lenoir native Alan Jones was sworn in as Caldwell County's newest sheriff.
But, unlike most sheriffs taking office, Jones wasn't elected.
Jones, 41, is succeeding Gary Clark, who died Feb. 2, less than three months after winning a second term as sheriff and less than two months after being diagnosed with pancreatic cancer.
Jones was appointed by the Caldwell County Board of Commissioners last week.
The biggest challenge, at least in the beginning, Jones said, will be making the transition from Clark's administration to his own. Jones, who had been friends with Clark since working with him at the Lenoir Police Department 20 years ago, said the entire department is still recovering from the loss.
"We just swore in Sheriff Clark and to do it again, it hit us pretty hard," he said after his appointment ceremony last week.
Jones doesn't have any plans to change the direction of the Sheriff's Office, he said, and will continue to focus on drug-related crime and bringing drug education into county schools.
"We'll never let up on that," he said.
That's comforting news to some Caldwell County leaders, like board of commissioners Chairman Faye Higgins, who think Clark was taking the office in a good direction.
Jones has "got some big shoes to step into," Higgins said. "Alan takes his responsibility very seriously but can make you feel comfortable when talking to him."
Capt. Scott Brown of the Lenoir police has known Jones for more than 20 years and called him "one of the most professional law officers" he has ever worked with.
"What separates good law enforcement officers from great law enforcement officers are their convictions and their ethics," said Brown, "and I've always considered him right there at the top."
The new sheriff's reputation is promising for the department, said Bob Brady, chief judge for the 25th judicial district, who administered the oath of office to Jones last week.
"He's always professional, competent and capable," Brady said. "He has his bases covered because he's an administrator and a law enforcement officer."
Jones' experience and education, which includes a master's degree in public administration, Higgins said, will help create a stronger office.
"It's a lot of hard work to have a job and go to school," she said. "But (he's) going to encourage his officers to get a higher education."
Jones has been in office for less than a week, most of which was spent at Sheriff's Association meetings in Durham, but some are already campaigning for a second term.
Terry Kemp, a retired furniture worker, has known Jones about 10 years and is already looking to 2010. Immediately after Jones was sworn in as the county's newest sheriff, Kemp pasted the first "Elect Alan Jones Sheriff" sticker on the back window of his pickup.
"I wanted to put this on my truck and be behind him," Kemp said. "He's just like Gary: honest, true. You can't expect a better man."
Alan Clinton Jones
Party: Republican.
Age: 41.
Birthplace: Lenoir.
Family: Wife, Kim; children Garrett Jones and Jillian Jones.
Professional background: Served as patrolman, sergeant, detective and lieutenant during his 14-year tenure with the Lenoir Police Department; chief deputy at the Caldwell County Sheriff's Office, 2002-06.
Education: Bachelor's degree in criminal justice, Appalachian State University, 1988; Southern Police Institute, University of Kentucky, Louisville, 1998; master's degree in public administration, Appalachian State University, 2006.
Religious/civic involvement:
Member of Central Baptist Church; member of the N.C. Sheriff's Association; member of Southern States Police Benevolent Association.
What are the top issues facing the Caldwell County Sheriff's Office?
Jones said making the transition from previous Sheriff Gary Clark, who began serving his second term earlier this year, will be one of the largest hurdles early in his administration. Beyond that, Jones said, he is planning to continue to run the office as Clark had, including focusing on drug-related crime and evaluating budget concerns.
All content © THE CHARLOTTE OBSERVER and may not be republished without permission.
Sunday, Feb. 25, 2007
By Marcie Young
Charlotte Observer Staff Writer
LENOIR - More than 20 years ago, when Alan Jones was attending Appalachian State University, he wasn't sure what he wanted to do after he finished school, his mother remembers.
But then, one day, he picked up a friend's criminal justice textbook and decided to make a career of law enforcement.
"We said, `Uh, like a policeman?' " his mother, Barbara Jones, recalled. "And he said, `Yeah.' We told him that was too dangerous, and he said, `Well, so is crossing the road.' "
Last week, less than two decades after graduating with a bachelor's degree in criminal justice, Lenoir native Alan Jones was sworn in as Caldwell County's newest sheriff.
But, unlike most sheriffs taking office, Jones wasn't elected.
Jones, 41, is succeeding Gary Clark, who died Feb. 2, less than three months after winning a second term as sheriff and less than two months after being diagnosed with pancreatic cancer.
Jones was appointed by the Caldwell County Board of Commissioners last week.
The biggest challenge, at least in the beginning, Jones said, will be making the transition from Clark's administration to his own. Jones, who had been friends with Clark since working with him at the Lenoir Police Department 20 years ago, said the entire department is still recovering from the loss.
"We just swore in Sheriff Clark and to do it again, it hit us pretty hard," he said after his appointment ceremony last week.
Jones doesn't have any plans to change the direction of the Sheriff's Office, he said, and will continue to focus on drug-related crime and bringing drug education into county schools.
"We'll never let up on that," he said.
That's comforting news to some Caldwell County leaders, like board of commissioners Chairman Faye Higgins, who think Clark was taking the office in a good direction.
Jones has "got some big shoes to step into," Higgins said. "Alan takes his responsibility very seriously but can make you feel comfortable when talking to him."
Capt. Scott Brown of the Lenoir police has known Jones for more than 20 years and called him "one of the most professional law officers" he has ever worked with.
"What separates good law enforcement officers from great law enforcement officers are their convictions and their ethics," said Brown, "and I've always considered him right there at the top."
The new sheriff's reputation is promising for the department, said Bob Brady, chief judge for the 25th judicial district, who administered the oath of office to Jones last week.
"He's always professional, competent and capable," Brady said. "He has his bases covered because he's an administrator and a law enforcement officer."
Jones' experience and education, which includes a master's degree in public administration, Higgins said, will help create a stronger office.
"It's a lot of hard work to have a job and go to school," she said. "But (he's) going to encourage his officers to get a higher education."
Jones has been in office for less than a week, most of which was spent at Sheriff's Association meetings in Durham, but some are already campaigning for a second term.
Terry Kemp, a retired furniture worker, has known Jones about 10 years and is already looking to 2010. Immediately after Jones was sworn in as the county's newest sheriff, Kemp pasted the first "Elect Alan Jones Sheriff" sticker on the back window of his pickup.
"I wanted to put this on my truck and be behind him," Kemp said. "He's just like Gary: honest, true. You can't expect a better man."
Alan Clinton Jones
Party: Republican.
Age: 41.
Birthplace: Lenoir.
Family: Wife, Kim; children Garrett Jones and Jillian Jones.
Professional background: Served as patrolman, sergeant, detective and lieutenant during his 14-year tenure with the Lenoir Police Department; chief deputy at the Caldwell County Sheriff's Office, 2002-06.
Education: Bachelor's degree in criminal justice, Appalachian State University, 1988; Southern Police Institute, University of Kentucky, Louisville, 1998; master's degree in public administration, Appalachian State University, 2006.
Religious/civic involvement:
Member of Central Baptist Church; member of the N.C. Sheriff's Association; member of Southern States Police Benevolent Association.
What are the top issues facing the Caldwell County Sheriff's Office?
Jones said making the transition from previous Sheriff Gary Clark, who began serving his second term earlier this year, will be one of the largest hurdles early in his administration. Beyond that, Jones said, he is planning to continue to run the office as Clark had, including focusing on drug-related crime and evaluating budget concerns.
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2/24/07
Rhodhiss official faces charges in scrap metal case
Saturday, Feb. 24, 2007
By Marcie Young
Charlotte Observer Staff Writer
A Rhodhiss councilman charged with embezzlement made his first appearance in court Friday, officials said.
Clarence Gary Burns, 69, councilman and former Rhodhiss public works supervisor, was charged Wednesday night with misdemeanor willful failure to discharge duties as a town employee and felony embezzlement by a public officer, said N.C. Department of Justice Public Information Officer Noelle Talley.
Burns did not return messages left Thursday. Calls to his home went unanswered Friday, and no answering service was available.
Rhodhiss Police Chief Tim Anthony said Friday that he began an investigation about eight months ago into allegations that Burns, who was the town's public works supervisor, took scrap metal entrusted to him and exchanged it for money.
The allegations span several years, after 2000, but Anthony would not say exactly when they took place.
Anthony would not say precisely how much money they believe Burns took but said that it was less than $10,000 and more than $1,000.
Anthony said he requested help from the State Bureau of Investigation about two months ago. "Because of (Burns') status within the Town Council, I felt like it would be a conflict if interest for me to be the sole investigator," he said.
The District Attorney's Office will review the SBI's completed investigation, said Assistant District Attorney Eric Bellas.
Burns, who could face additional charges, was released Wednesday night after signing a written promise to appear in court, according to the Burke County Magistrate's Office.
He is scheduled to appear in court on March 30 for the misdemeanor charge.
All content © THE CHARLOTTE OBSERVER and may not be republished without permission.
By Marcie Young
Charlotte Observer Staff Writer
A Rhodhiss councilman charged with embezzlement made his first appearance in court Friday, officials said.
Clarence Gary Burns, 69, councilman and former Rhodhiss public works supervisor, was charged Wednesday night with misdemeanor willful failure to discharge duties as a town employee and felony embezzlement by a public officer, said N.C. Department of Justice Public Information Officer Noelle Talley.
Burns did not return messages left Thursday. Calls to his home went unanswered Friday, and no answering service was available.
Rhodhiss Police Chief Tim Anthony said Friday that he began an investigation about eight months ago into allegations that Burns, who was the town's public works supervisor, took scrap metal entrusted to him and exchanged it for money.
The allegations span several years, after 2000, but Anthony would not say exactly when they took place.
Anthony would not say precisely how much money they believe Burns took but said that it was less than $10,000 and more than $1,000.
Anthony said he requested help from the State Bureau of Investigation about two months ago. "Because of (Burns') status within the Town Council, I felt like it would be a conflict if interest for me to be the sole investigator," he said.
The District Attorney's Office will review the SBI's completed investigation, said Assistant District Attorney Eric Bellas.
Burns, who could face additional charges, was released Wednesday night after signing a written promise to appear in court, according to the Burke County Magistrate's Office.
He is scheduled to appear in court on March 30 for the misdemeanor charge.
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