MyrtleBeachOnline.com: North Carolina & Regional - Wire

Unknown disease killing off Florida's state tree

Wed, 23 Jul 2008 12:43 EDT

The sabal palm, Florida's state tree, is under attack by a microscopic killer that has scientists stumped.

An unknown but growing number of sabal palms in the Tampa Bay area have died from a mysterious disease that researchers are struggling to identify. Even after scientists pinpoint the disease - and that could take years - they will have to learn what insect spreads it. The disease will be tough to stop.

"It's not simply a matter that we will be able to eradicate," said Monica Elliott, a University of Florida plant pathologist. "That's not very likely."

Fort Jackson gets fewer soldiers for summer surge

Wed, 23 Jul 2008 12:28 EDT

Fort Jackson's usual summer "surge" of Army recruits who enter basic training after high school graduation will slip by about 3,000 soldiers this summer, but the reduction isn't worrying officials at the service's largest training installation.

The cut is due to a simple lack of beds: Fort Jackson is three years into a $1billion, eight-year barracks renovation.

Other basic training installations are picking up the slack for a time, and there will be no slide in the overall number of recruits entering the service, according to Fort Jackson's chief operating officer.

2 Charlotte police officers plead to drug charges

Wed, 23 Jul 2008 12:08 EDT

Two former Charlotte-Mecklenburg police officers have pleaded guilty to drug charges.

Gerald Holas and Jason Ross each pleaded guilty Wednesday to one charge of conspiring to possess with intent to distribute cocaine. The two have resigned from the police force.

Prosecutors have said the men helped a suspected drug dealer with information about an impending drug bust. The two later told investigators they were protecting the dealer in exchange for information they could use to arrest the man's suppliers and customers.

Lenoir furniture factory to add 100 workers

Wed, 23 Jul 2008 11:28 EDT

Thomasville Furniture says it will add more than 100 workers to a North Carolina plant and increase production by a third because of increased costs of doing business overseas.

The company said its decision was caused by higher labor costs abroad and rising fuel and shipping prices.

Company officials said employment will increase to more than 800 workers by December. The Lenoir plant is Thomasville's last U.S. plant to make wooden furniture.

NC agriculture chief seeks calm on state peppers

Wed, 23 Jul 2008 11:09 EDT

State agriculture officials are trying to ease concerns about the safety of North Carolina peppers after federal health officials warned buyers to avoid fresh jalapenos.

State Department of Agriculture spokesman Brian Long said Wednesday the state's farmers are already having problems selling their product, even though some growers haven't even pulled chilies from the vine.

North Carolina farmers grow about 1,000 acres of chili peppers.

Immigrant's arrest strands children on NC highway

Wed, 23 Jul 2008 10:41 EDT

An advocacy group is questioning whether police acted properly when they left three children in a car with a family acquaintance after arresting their mother along Interstate 85.

The News & Observer of Raleigh reported Wednesday that an Alamance County deputy sheriff stopped Maria Chavira Ventura about 2 a.m. on June 14. She was traveling from her home in western North Carolina to Maryland to visit the children's father.

She was jailed on charges of driving without a license and displaying a false license plate. Authorities also put her under a federal deportation order.

Woman with 5 dead spouses indicted; charges added

Wed, 23 Jul 2008 10:21 EDT

Authorites in Stanly County say a grandmother with five dead spouses has been formally indicted for trying to hire a hit man to kill her fourth husband.

Authorities had already charged 76-year-old Betty Neumar with a single count of solicitation to commit first-degree murder in the July 1986 death of Harold Gentry.

The indictment handed up Tuesday adds two more counts. Grand jurors allege she tried to hire three different people to kill Gentry between May 1, 1986 and July 13, 1986 - the day before his body was found in his rural North Carolina home.

NC studio says it will build huge production stage

Wed, 23 Jul 2008 09:56 EDT

A studio said it plans to build a huge new production stage at its North Carolina facility that will include an indoor tank for underwater filming.

EUE Screen Gems Studios announced the stage project Tuesday, although some information had been reported two months ago, the Wilmington Star-News reported Wednesday.

"This is our dream stage," said company President Chris Cooney. He said plans have been submitted and crews have begun preliminary clearing work and ordered building material.

VCU administrators resign from leadership posts

Wed, 23 Jul 2008 09:46 EDT

Several Virginia Commonwealth University administrators are stepping down following an investigation into the improper awarding of a bachelor's degree to Richmond's former police chief.

University officials confirmed the resignations but aren't linking them to the diploma investigation. One administrator was dean of the college that awarded the degree and two others criticized how VCU officials conducted the probe.

Robert D. Holsworth is resigning as interim dean of the College of Humanities and Sciences. The noted political analyst will continue as political science professor and special assistant to the provost. A telephone message and e-mail left for Holsworth on Wednesday wasn't immediately returned.

Embattled York County coroner to step down

Wed, 23 Jul 2008 09:41 EDT

York County Coroner Doug McKown said he is resigning less than two months after returning to the job following his acquittal on three felony drug charges because his heart is no longer in it.

McKown told The Herald of Rock Hill on Tuesday that his last day will be Aug. 13. He expects chief deputy coroner David Chambers will take over.

The governor suspended McKown for nearly two years after he was arrested on drug charges. A jury found him not guilty of the most serious charges in May, but did convict him of a misdemeanor drug count. He was placed on probation for a year.

A dozen to hospital from Charlotte grocery

Wed, 23 Jul 2008 07:46 EDT

Twelve people have been taken to the hospital in Charlotte after suffering apparent carbon monoxide poisoning in a downtown grocery store.

Emergency medical workers in Charlotte told The Charlotte Observer at least one of the people had a life threatening condition after the incident about 6 a.m. Wednesday at a Harris Teeter grocery.

The store was not open at the time.

Widow says slain trooper's baby needs `miracle'

Wed, 23 Jul 2008 07:31 EDT

The prematurely born son of a state trooper slain on a North Carolina roadside is struggling with heart and neurological problems and his mother says the baby needs "a miracle."

The Asheville Citizen-Times reported Wednesday that doctors are trying to decide whether it is safe to perform heart surgery on the son of the late Trooper David Shawn Blanton Jr.

Michaela Blanton told the newspaper she was "hoping for a miracle, yet praying for peace" for her son.

Crews work to restore power after NC storms

Wed, 23 Jul 2008 07:01 EDT

Power crews were working to restore service after storms moved across North Carolina.

Duke Energy reported early Wednesday it had more than 6,000 customers without service, mostly in Forsyth and Mecklenburg counties.

Progress Energy reported about 500 customers without service, mostly in the Raleigh area.

Tourism travails: summer fun faces uncertain times

Wed, 23 Jul 2008 07:01 EDT

The sign outside the Aquarius motel reads: "Spend a night, Not a paycheck," but some Midwest travelers have canceled reservations and other visitors stay fewer nights. On the nation's opposite coast, vacationers in Oregon worried about $4 gas splurge less on meals and skip the frills on getaways.

Record gas prices have people talking about joining car pools and trading in gas-guzzling SUVs. Now, as many Americans hit the open road, an uncertain economy is putting a crimp in summer vacation plans as well.

"For Americans, summer travel is almost a birthright," said Brad Dean, president and chief executive of the Myrtle Beach Area Chamber of Commerce. "People are still traveling but we are seeing a consistent trend of shorter stays and reduced spending."

Former environmental officer: TVA violated law

Tue, 22 Jul 2008 22:26 EDT

A former U.S. government air quality official says the Tennessee Valley Authority violated federal law by renovating and expanding power plants without installing new air pollution scrubbers.

The Asheville Citizen-Times reported Tuesday that Bruce Buckheit testified in federal court that TVA emitted more than 1 million tons of pollutants over 20 years. Buckheit is a former director of air enforcement at the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency.

Under cross-examination, Buckheit acknowledged that no court has ever convicted TVA of violating new source pollution rules of the Clean Air Act. He also acknowledged that 70 percent to 80 percent of the entire utility industry was found to be out of compliance with the Clean Air Act, including Duke Energy in North Carolina.

CEO: World Market Center expansion plans slowing

Tue, 22 Jul 2008 21:11 EDT

The chief executive of a fast-growing Las Vegas furniture industry showplace said Tuesday that rapid expansion plans are being slowed amid a downturn in the nationwide economy.

World Market Center Las Vegas CEO Robert Maricich said plans for the 12 million-square foot trade show complex remain on schedule and are not in jeopardy.

"I just want to wait and see how things are going to go for the industry," Maricich said. "It's not a matter of if we're going to do it, it's just a matter of when."

NC Realtors demand more dues from members

Tue, 22 Jul 2008 21:11 EDT

One of the most powerful interest groups in state politics wants extra cash from its members to continue fighting the land transfer tax and other issues.

But the North Carolina Association of Realtors started this month demanding one-time fees of at least $50 from each of its 43,000 members. And now some members are pushing back.

Opponents argue if they don't pay the assessment, which will increase to $70 if it's not paid before Sept. 30, they will lose access to a key database that helps members of the trade association buy and sell homes.

Charges in drug bust dropped after video surfaces

Tue, 22 Jul 2008 20:11 EDT

Authorities have dropped charges in connection with a drug bust in Lee County after video of the crime scene appeared on YouTube.

WRAL-TV reported that an officer with the Sanford Police Department videotaped the bust. The video has been removed from the site, and the unidentified officer is no longer with the department.

Two men were caught with 1,000 pounds of marijuana and arrested on Jan. 25. The marijuana was tracked from Mexico to Lee County.

Blackwater looks to rebuild name on other fronts

Tue, 22 Jul 2008 19:26 EDT

The world over, guns for hire are known as "Blackwater guys" - and that's the reason Blackwater Worldwide wants to move beyond the business of private security contracting.

But Blackwater's breakneck growth in the past decade has come largely from successfully protecting the nation's top diplomats on the world's most volatile streets. The company has earned more than $1 billion since 2001 in government contracts, much of it providing security and protective services for U.S. diplomats working in Iraq.

There's no guarantee a change in focus to more conventional contracting, including the privately held company's roots in combat training, will allow Blackwater to reach its revenue target of $1 billion a year by 2010. Meanwhile, the company faces federal investigations and civil lawsuits that could disrupt its work and the money it needs to expand.

911 calls released in NC mother's slaying

Tue, 22 Jul 2008 18:41 EDT

A friend of the North Carolina mother whose body was found near her suburban Raleigh home told authorities in a 911 call that her disappearance did not "make any sense."

Nancy Cooper was found dead last week after a two-day search, her body left in an unfinished cul de sac just outside the town limits of suburban Cary. Police there released tapes of two 911 calls Tuesday, one from a friend named Jessica Adam reporting Cooper missing and another from a man who found her body while walking his dog.

"Her name is Nancy Cooper," Adam told 911 operators at 1:50 p.m. on the day Nancy Cooper disappeared. "Her husband and her are living together, but they're in the middle of a divorce."