Top Charlotte Area Local News Stories
Source: MedleyStory
A woman and two children escaped a house fire in Cornelius on Sunday.
Firefighters said the fire started at the home she rented on Brinkley Street around 6 a.m.
Police said the woman left candles burning and fell asleep. They said the fire was accidental.
There was heavy damage to the front of the home, but it is not a total loss.
The American Red Cross is assisting the family.
Published: Sun, 12 Feb 2012 12:46:54 -0500
A sex offender is back in jail Sunday after being accused of raping a child.
Officers in Morganton arrested Anthony Robinson Friday night at his home on Center Street.
Robinson is charged with statutory rape.
According to the sex offender registry, he was convicted in 2002 of taking indecent liberties with a minor.
Published: Sun, 12 Feb 2012 12:30:52 -0500
Snow ended in the mountains overnight, but drivers are still dealing with slick roads and very low wind chills. Meteorologist Katie Virtue said winds will continue to gust over 30 mph in Ashe, Watauga and Avery counties. Temperatures will slowly rise through the teens under sunny skies, but the wind will make it feel like the single digits. Snow and ice will stick around on untreated roads, sidewalks and parking lots through the rest of the day.
A gusty breeze will also continue in Charlotte and the surrounding area this afternoon. Temperatures will rise to near 40 degrees with wind chills near 30 degrees.
Published: Sun, 12 Feb 2012 11:28:46 -0500
There is a winter storm is blasting North Carolina Saturday night, bringing snow and ice to the mountains and blustery winds to Charlotte. Also, there are sub-zero wind chills in Ashe and Watuga counties, placing them under a winter weather advisory.
“It’s a little bit numbing if you’re not used to it,” said Lorry Mulhern, manager at the Green Park Inn in Blowing Rock.
Snow combined with 30 mph winds are creating brutal conditions in the mountains and in some neighborhoods, making it difficult to walk around.
Eyewitness News saw people at hotels and restaurants in Blowing Rock struggling against the wind to get to their cars.
“When you get those gusts and you’re enveloped in snow and your body starts to rock, it’s kind of a different sensation,” Mulhern said.
The Green Park Inn works with nearby ski lodges to offer package deals but said this ski season business has been down about 50 percent.
“The ski season hasn’t been so great up here and we’ve all been wondering where winter has been and here it is all at once, all in one weekend," Mulhern said.
Published: Sat, 11 Feb 2012 22:21:00 -0500
A tree fell and trapped a woman in her car in northeast Charlotte Saturday night on the 1300 block of W. Rocky River Road.
A large limb came through the front windshield and knocked out her driver's side door.
Firefighters had to cur the roof off to get her out of her vehicle.
Medic paramedics determined her injuries as potentially life threatening. She was transported to CMC Main Saturday night.
Published: Sat, 11 Feb 2012 19:02:00 -0500
The director of music at a Charlotte Catholic Church is out of a job because he married a man.
Steav Bates-Congdon showed Eyewitness News a copy of the letter given to him by Saint Gabriel Church in South Charlotte. The letter said that Congdon's recent decision to marry his partner is a contradiction of Catholic Church teachings.
Bates-Congdon had worked for the church since 2004.
"I took the job because it was a program that wanted
to grow," he said.
He said he made it clear when he took the job that he was openly gay and in a 15-year relationship with his partner Bill.
Bates-Congdon said he told them "so they couldn't be blind-sided the way I was blind-sided a week ago."
He said a week ago the pastor of Saint Gabriel handed him a letter of termination. It said that
his October marriage in New York was in "direct opposition to the teachings of the catholic church."
Eyewitness News tried reaching out to the church via e-mail and by phone Saturday. However, we did not hear back from them in time for this report.
Bates-Congdon told us he was diagnosed with Parkinson's Disease recently, and the church will continue to pay his health insurance and salary through the end of June.
Published: Sat, 11 Feb 2012 18:58:17 -0500
Hickory police were able to identify and capture two accused bank robbers within only 30 minutes of the alleged crime.
Police said Jason Setzer and Rebecca Therrien robbed a Wells Fargo bank and tried to escape in a yellow cab.
The bank teller saw the couple climb into the cab and alerted the police.
Authorities said they found the car and the couple at Wal-Mart.
Published: Sat, 11 Feb 2012 13:53:55 -0500
The UNC college system's Board of Governors approved a tuition increase of approximately $470 at 16 campuses on Friday.
The system plans to raise tuition and fees by approximately $470 next year.
Last Friday, students organized a march to protest against the planned increase.
The recommended plan will now go to state lawmakers for a final approval. Students are now protesting in Chapel Hill over the board's decision.
Published: Sat, 11 Feb 2012 11:28:23 -0500
A former teacher accused of having sex with an East Gaston High School student is out of jail.
Bradford Mulkey, 32, posted a $100,000 bond Friday afternoon.
Gaston County Police arrested him earlier in the day and charged him with one count of indecent liberties with a student. Police told Eyewitness News the incident happened at the school.
Police interviewed several students at East Gaston High School before the criminal charges were filed against Mulkey. They told Eyewitness News they didn't expect to file any more charges against him, unless other students came forward.
"I think it's sickening and I think he should not be allowed back at the school," said parent Sherry Charles.
Charles, along with other parents and students, was outraged by the news of Mulkey's arrest.
"I can't really believe it, because all the students liked Mr. Mulkey, you know," said student Haley Cloyd.
Many students at the school told Eyewitness News Mulkey was a good teacher and many of them knew about the alleged incident for weeks.
Mulkey was suspended without pay in December, after the school's principal found out about the alleged incident from another student. She filed an incident report with Gaston County police.
Eyewitness News knocked on Mulkey's door in Gastonia Friday, but no one answered the door.
Some neighbors said the news was especially disturbing because Mulkey lives right across the street from a day care center.
"It's shocking and upsetting. We have a lot of children in the neighborhood," said Ken Jenkins.
During the investigation, Mulkey, who worked with Gaston County Schools since 2007, resigned from his job. He is scheduled to appear in Gaston County Court for a first appearance Monday at 1:30 p.m.
Published: Fri, 10 Feb 2012 21:25:04 -0500
Iredell County Sheriff deputies stopped a speeding van on I-77 early Friday morning and found more than $66,000 worth of drugs.
Sheriff Phil Redmond said the Interstate Criminal Enforcement Team stopped Lespeth McDonald Foster, 45, of Hollywood, Fla., for speeding and failing to stay in his lane while he traveled north on Interstate 77.
After the stop, deputies searched his van and found about 440 grams of cocaine, a street value of $66,000, and 184 grams of marijuana, a $920 street value.
Foster was arrested for trafficking and possessing drugs. He is being held in the Iredell County Detention Center.
Published: Fri, 10 Feb 2012 20:41:35 -0500
William Adams Sr. and Veronica Short waited three-and-a-half years for their son's killer to be brought to justice.
A sentence was handed down Friday afternoon, but it was not enough for Adams.
"My son did not deserve what happened to him. He did not," Adams said.
Fifteen-year-old William Adams Jr. was shot and killed at Five-Points Park off Beatties Ford Road in August 2008.
For three days, then 22-year-old Reginald Johnson terrorized communities in west Charlotte.
Police said Johnson went on a violent crime spree from Aug. 19 to Aug. 21.
He stole cars, then randomly pulled up to people on the street, got out of the car, and robbed them at gunpoint. He car-jacked at least two people, and seriously injured two others, shooting a 16-year-old in the back as he tried to run, and another man in the stomach.
Then, within 24 hours the crime spree turned to murder.
Adams was shot and killed when Johnson asked him for money on the afternoon of Aug 21.
Within five hours, Johnson came upon 42-year-old Angela Davis and her husband on Keswick Avenue.
She refused to give him her purse and told him he would have to shoot her. He did, hitting Davis in the chest and killing her.
A massive manhunt quickly followed and Johnson was later found after police got a tip about the make and model of the stolen car he was driving.
He was caught after a high-speed chase.
In April 2011, Johnson appeared in court to plead guilty to all the charges against him, nearly two dozen. In court, he changed his mind and said he did not kill anyone.
The victim's family members were outraged, and had to be escorted out of the courtroom.
On Friday, Adams said he was disappointed at the court system, and how his family was treated.
"You have to keep coming to court, and coming to court because you have a defendant that's playing games with the system. I hate to say it, but he ran this show," Adams said.
After losing his teenage son more than three years ago, Adams said he does have some peace now that it's over.
However, he saw no sympathy in the eyes of Johnson.
"The man has no remorse, that man doesn't have a heart. He doesn't care about any of it," he said.
As part of the plea deal, Johnson was sentenced to two life sentences without the possibility of parole. Adams said he deserved the death penalty, but it was taken off the table as part of the plea deal.
"That man still gets to eat, sleep, breathe. He gets to do all of that. My son is dead," he said.
Published: Fri, 10 Feb 2012 18:44:20 -0500
Thousands of drivers were stopped on I-77 Friday night during rush hour as emergency crews cleared a crash near Lake Norman.
All lanes of I-77 South were shut down for hours, and traffic on I-77 North stretched from Lake Norman to Huntersville.
Not only was traffic backed up for miles on the interstate, but all side streets were clogged up for hours as well.
Chopper Nine Skyzoom showed that several cars were badly damaged in the wreck. The rear end of one silver car was gone, and the back of a black car was smashed in.
Stacey Hess said she moved less than five miles in the hour between 6 and 7 p-m. Her in-laws are visiting from Michigan, and she was supposed to cook dinner.
"It's not looking real good. First impressions are (going to) be real well, with me running late and not there," Hess said. "My husband is not real happy."
At least four vehicles were involved in the crash. Eyewitness News saw a wrecker towing away a Budget rental truck with front-end damage.
The Highway Patrol hasn't told Eyewitness News how the crashes started. But the wrecker driver told Eyewitness News the Budget truck caused the crashes.
Mark Lancaster is a Lake Norman Marine commissioner, and he was stuck for hours Friday night as he tried to return to work and help his crew unload barges.
"It's kind of frustrating. I've got men on the clock, and I'm trying to get back down there and get back to work," Lancaster said.
Medic said one person is in the hospital tonight with potentially life-threatening injuries.
Published: Fri, 10 Feb 2012 18:15:39 -0500
A Wilkes County man says a mistake in the court system made him a victim of mistaken identity once. He said Friday he was not about to let it happen again.
Carl Otto Boggs Jr. received a criminal summons for not sending his 15-year-old mentally disable daughter to school.
But when he looked at that summons, he saw it had the name Carl Dean Boggs along with Carl Dean Boggs' date of birth and Social Security number.
And Carl Otto Boggs had seen it all before.
In 2009, he was facing the same charges, and the other Carl Boggs' name showed up on the paperwork. He is convinced that brought him a stiffer sentence because Carl Dean Boggs had a criminal record.
"I'm trying to show them that I'm not this man because it's getting ready to start all over again," Boggs said.
On Friday, a judge ordered prosecutors to correct the name on the summons and reschedule Boggs' court date for March.
As for how the mistake happened, a magistrate said it is possible that the magistrate who signed the summons had pulled up the wrong Carl Boggs from the court’s computer system.
Eyewitness News was not able to reach Carl Dean Boggs, whose last address was in the town of Boomer.
Published: Fri, 10 Feb 2012 17:47:40 -0500
State labor officials say they are "sending a message" about unsafe working conditions after a Marshville chicken plant is fined more than $100,000 for labor violations.
"We'd like to get the attention of other employers with similar work environments," said Dolores Quesenberry with the North Carolina Department of Labor.
The 34 violations are outlined in a long report by labor officials following an investigation into Pilgrim's Pride chicken processing plant after an explosion and ammonia leak on Aug. 16, 2011.
In the report, investigators say after the explosion, management failed to notify workers in the plant that an emergency had occurred.
"[The investigators] looked at the hazardous emergency response plan, and there were some issues with that," Quesenberry said.
Plant officials are also charged with failing to inform proper emergency officials and leaving four workers inside the plant during a mandatory evacuation.
Two weeks after the blast, investigators said two employees experienced "severe respiratory irritation" after they were exposed to toxic chemicals while cleaning the plant.
The employees were not provided with face or eye protection while scrubbing the area with a highly acidic solution that was 50 percent water and 50 percent bleach, according to investigators.
The workers sought medical attention.
The violation also said the employees using the bleach solution were instructed to remove their rubber gloves; leaving them with cotton work gloves as their only skin protection against the bleach.
According to investigators, plant management also failed to provide adequate hearing protection to all employees, asking them to pay for protective earphones.
An ex-employee confirmed the investigators' findings.
"Yeah, [the money for the earphones], it come out of your check," said Marquis Merriman.
Other violations included failure to annually train employees, missing guardrails around dangerous equipment, and exits blocked by wooden pallets.
Residents said they have heard similar stories from friends and family members who work at the plant.
"I wouldn't want nobody that I loved, that I cared about working there because that's dangerous. They might not be alive tomorrow working in a place like that," said Marshville resident Darlene Havey.
A Pilgrim's Pride spokeswoman sent out a statement that read, in part, "Safety is a core value at Pilgrims. In everything we do, we are strongly committed to ensuring the safety of our employees and the communities in which we live and work."
Eyewitness News contacted officials with specific questions about the alleged failures to adequately protect employees. A spokeswoman did not return emails seeking comment.
Pilgrim's Pride has 14 days to contest the violations or pay the $107,100 fine.
Published: Fri, 10 Feb 2012 17:31:45 -0500
A Cornelius commissioner said leaders should abandon the Red Line railroad project and move onto other solutions for relieving traffic congestion in northern Mecklenburg County.
The Red Line, the proposed commuter rail line from Charlotte to Mooresville, has come under fire lately. Several local leaders, including Iredell County commissioners and well-known transit experts, have cast doubt on the plans, mainly because of financial concerns.
Dave Gilroy, a Cornelius commissioner, said leaders should focus more on a couple of concepts mentioned earlier this week when a well-known rail critic came to town, blasted the Red Line plans, and offered alternatives to relieving congestion.
One idea makes use of driverless cars.
They have been developed and tested by Google in California. Using video cameras, artificial intelligence, and a variety of sensors, the car drives on its own.
Gilroy said driverless cars are the wave of the future and can triple of the capacity of congested roads here.
"There's a science behind how we drive and with humans behind the wheel and reflex and reactions we simply have stop and go that wouldn't exist if we were all computer-controlled,” Gilroy said.
Martin Nordenstam wasn't so keen on the driverless car idea.
"Do what we can today and keep the rest of the stuff on the back burner," he said.
Gilroy agreed, saying driverless cars are worth researching, but the focus first should be on more realistic projects, like widening I-77 and adding HOV lanes, two ideas that have been widely discussed already.
Another alternative that has not been talked about much is buying a new fleet of buses.
Unlike the ones run by CATS now, the new buses would be privately run and offer high-end features such as leather seats, Wi-Fi access, electrical outlets and even food.
The schedules and routes would change to meet user demand, too.
Gilroy said the plan for a new fleet would be less expensive than the Red Line.
"In orders of magnitude, it's cheaper than the rail line," he said.
John Woods, the chairman of the Red Line Task Force, said it is too soon to pull the plug on the project and think about other options. Woods said the task force is in the midst of a three-month review in which members are looking at every issue and concern raised regarding the Red Line.
They expect to have a final consensus plan in April.
Cindie Howard, a Davidson resident, said she is hoping the Red Line will still work. She thinks it is crucial when it comes to luring people and businesses to move to the area.
"What they need is a rail system like all big metropolises have," Howard said.
Other commissioners in Cornelius said it is likely that alternatives to the rail line, such as the bus fleet and driverless cars, will be discussed at town board meetings in the next few months.
Published: Fri, 10 Feb 2012 17:27:17 -0500
The Democratic National Convention Host Committee named 12 sites it plans to show off during the convention.
While many of the sites are widely known, such as the NASCAR Hall of Fame, there is only one site that is privately owned.
At 100 years old, the Wadsworth Estate is a piece of Charlotte history. It was the first home built in Wesley heights. During the DNC, it will be a gathering place for delegates.
Shirley Fulton noticed its charm more than 20 years ago. The home was not for sale then, but she made an offer anyway.
It took a decade for her to get a response.
“Ten years later, (the owner) died. He had kept my letter in his possession, and his family found it and sent a realtor to find me,” Fulton said.
Now, it’s a place the DNC wants to show off to help tell visitors the story of the Queen City.
Delegates will take in its stained glass, cozy rooms and rocking chairs. And Fulton is excited to share the gem she found decades ago.
“We’re just overjoyed,” she said. “We are close enough to see the city, but far enough that we are not in the midst of it. I like that feeling and I think they will like it, too.”
The Wadsworth Estate has been preparing for this moment for years, hosting numerous weddings, retreats and meetings.
To learn more about the Wadsworth Estate, click here.
Fore more information on the delegate selection process, click here.
Published: Fri, 10 Feb 2012 17:21:01 -0500
Corporal punishment is not allowed in North Carolina prisons but it is in some N.C. public schools. Nineteen of the 115 districts in North Carolina allow corporal punishment as a form of discipline for children as young as age five.
WATCH Behind The Story with Dave Faherty
Channel 9 Eyewitness News discovered hundreds of instances when corporal punishment was used and cases involving children with disabilities. An overwhelming majority of parents in districts that allow corporal punishment support the policy and often prefer their child receive corporal punishment over traditional in-school suspension. Would you allow a principal or teacher to discipline your child with a wooden paddle? Tomorrow starting at 5pm on Channel 9 Eyewitness News.
Published: Fri, 10 Feb 2012 17:19:36 -0500
Corporal punishment is not allowed in North Carolina prisons but it is in some N.C. public schools. Nineteen of the 115 districts in North Carolina allow corporal punishment as a form of discipline for children as young as age five.
WATCH Behind The Story with Dave Faherty
Channel 9 Eyewitness News discovered hundreds of instances when corporal punishment was used and cases involving children with disabilities. An overwhelming majority of parents in districts that allow corporal punishment support the policy and often prefer their child receive corporal punishment over traditional in-school suspension. Would you allow a principal or teacher to discipline your child with a wooden paddle? Tomorrow starting at 5pm on Channel 9 Eyewitness News.
Published: Fri, 10 Feb 2012 17:19:36 -0500
Investigators were called to a Lincoln County home for a suicide, but later found out the woman inside was murdered, they said.
Police charged Jerry Black, the woman's boyfriend, with first degree murder. They have identified the female victim as Jennifer Costner.
Police spent Friday afternoon searching the home and questioning Black, who lived in the house, about the killing inside.
The investigation started with a 911 call from Black’s home on Untold Way in Lincolnton. The caller told dispatchers someone had committed suicide.
Police said when they opened the doors, they knew immediately that Costner did not kill herself.
Police have not said how she was killed.
One of Black’s neighbors said she called police around 1 a.m. Friday because of loud music coming from the house. She told police she heard a strange noise coming from the house a few hours later.
The officer who responded to the loud music complaint said Black and a woman were inside the home and both were OK.
Published: Fri, 10 Feb 2012 17:12:36 -0500
This year’s mild winter kept patients from knocking down doctors’ doors with concerns about the flu, but doctors say the season is long from over.
And they said the lack of concern could cost a lot of money and affect patients well into next year.
"Last year, it was so cold, and we all got the flu shot, and this year me and Kevin opted out of the flu shot,” said Ashley Walling.
Dr. Charles Bregier from Matthews Urgent Care said two-thirds of the people he sees are not getting the flu shot this year. He said they have only given 100 flu shots this year.
Last year, his office had given out several hundred.
Unused flu shots will be thrown away in June, when they expire.
Dr. Stephen Keener at the Mecklenburg County Health Department said they also have a lot of unused vaccines.
“Every year there are millions of millions of doses of flu vaccine that are destroyed,” he said.
This year, the North Carolina Department of Health spent $6.5 million on 550,000 doses of the flu vaccine.
The agency currently has 30,000 doses still on the shelf, a $290,000 loss.
But Keener said the health department must be prepared.
“It may not be the worst year in history, but it will be coming,” he said.
For information on where to get a flu shot, click here.
Published: Fri, 10 Feb 2012 17:09:59 -0500
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