MedleyStory

Businesses at revamped Huntersville intersection say design driving away customers

Fri, 25 May 2012 18:47:50 -0400

Businesses in Huntersville are suffering, and they blame it on a radical new traffic design at one of the busiest intersection in the Charlotte area.

The design is called a quadrant left and it was installed on Highway 73 at Statesville Road earlier this year.

Now, some business owners said customers are avoiding the area and their businesses because of the confusion.

Employees at Valeria Salon, Spa and Boutique, just off of NC 73, said their clients are frustrated.

“A lot of people are starting to avoid even coming here,” said Tricia Buck.

An employee at Sun Trust Bank across the street said they have noticed fewer customers using their ATMs. People at nearby Physicians Plan Weight Loss Center said some clients have stopped coming there, too.

“It has been a nightmare,” said Katherine Wassung.

She said business is down about 27 percent from this time last year. Wassung said some clients can’t even figure out how to get across the street.

Town Commissioner Danny Phillips said he has been contacted by several businesses that are upset with the changes. He was not on the town board when plans for the pattern originated, but he said he is one of the biggest proponents of fixing any problems.

“We cannot afford to lose those types of businesses, not for a small town like Huntersville,” he said

Other town leaders said they have heard from several drivers who are happy about the changes because there is less congestion now.

Phillips said the town is waiting until the pattern has been in place for six months.

Then, if businesses are still noticing problems, they will meet with North Carolina Department of Transportation officials to see if anything can be done to help them.

New CMS chief lays out entry plan for July

Fri, 25 May 2012 18:41:37 -0400

The new superintendent for Charlotte-Mecklenburg School starts on July 1, but on Friday, Heath Morrison unveiled his plan for the district.

He said the plan could bring change throughout the district, but some people are still skeptical.

Morrison is quick to point out it’s just an entry plan; a way for him to find out what CMS has and needs. He knows it will include building trust with parents and teachers, but some parents said they will believe it when they see it.

In front of the school board and district employees, Morrison said his entry plan will focus on connecting with parents who feel out-of-touch with the district.

Kathey Dailey said that describes her.

“I feel stuck,” she said, because she has two children in west-side schools that she feels do not get the same attention as other parts of the district.

Morrison said he will make it a point to seek out inequalities and the underrepresented.

“I’m waiting to see that. I really want to see that. That’s something I’m interested in seeing,” Dailey said.

Morrison said his approach will be simple and promised to talk with parents outside of the school setting as well.

“Then there’s a lot of parents we’re going to be leaving out of the equation, so going into the community, having meetings exactly where we can find our parents; I think that’s part of it,” Morrison said.

His focus will also be on the CMS central office.

There are three major roles to fill already, and he said he will make sure the right people are in the right seats.

“I think there’s going to be changes throughout the organization, but what I want to make sure is that we have a clear understanding of what we’re doing and how we’re structured,” Morrison said.

Morrison said Friday he and his family are contracted to buy a home in south Charlotte. He said that is where his children will go to school.

Former CMPD officer convicted of sex assaults released from prison

Fri, 25 May 2012 18:12:54 -0400

The former Charlotte-Mecklenburg officer who sexually assaulted several women was released from prison Friday.

Marcus Jackson stepped out of prison shortly before noon.

Jackson sexually assaulted six women while he was on duty and in uniform. He pleaded guilty in 2010, got credit for the nearly 21 months he spent behind bars leading up to his guilty plea, and was sentenced to an extra 18 months in state prison.

He spent that time in Pamlico Correctional Institution, a medium-security prison east of New Bern.

Within 20 minutes of his release, he appeared on the state’s sex offender registry. It listed everything from his tattoos to his address on Tuckaseegee Road.

No one was at home Friday afternoon. The next-door neighbor opened the door, but did not speak.

A few doors down, Danielle Boyd said she is worried about any sex offender living in the neighborhood.

“I’m a female. As me being a female, that kind of concerns me a lot,” she said.

According to the state’s sex offender handbook, offenders have to check in regularly and deputies with periodically check in on them. Jackson is not allowed to live near a school or day care center.

He is also barred from having a commercial driver’s license and may not start a Facebook page.

While he starts the new chapter in his life, some of his victims are still working on closure in their lives. They sued the city of Charlotte.

Most of the women have settled their lawsuits. Two of the women split $225,000; one woman received $350,000.

Two of the women have not settled, saying the city’s offer was too low. If an agreement is not reached, they are set to go to trial next year.

Family Focus: Charity helps military families in emergency situations

Fri, 25 May 2012 17:52:36 -0400

A local organization that rescues military families in financial crises just received a big donation.

Patriot Charities donated $30,000 to Operation Home Front.

Navy Petty officer Thomas Perry and his wife, Carla, reflected on the trying times they experienced after their son, Jackson, was born prematurely. He weighed barely 1.5 pounds.

As they struggled to get by emotionally and financially, Operation Home Front stepped in to help with gift cards and formula.

“Whatever the need was, it was like they had an answer for all of it,” Perry said.

Operation Home Front President Jane Weaver Sobel said the charity provides emergency funding for the lowest-ranking, lowest-paid servicemen and women.

“We pay the rent, mortgage, car repair and car insurance. We put food on the table to keep them from falling through the cracks,” she said.

If the families qualify, there is no limit to the amount a military family can receive. Applications are done online.

“It’s all kept anonymous because, for many people, it’s an embarrassment that they are having trouble, and especially in the military, they want to feel like they are strong and able,” Sobel said.

Jackson Perry is now a healthy and strong 4-year-old.

He and his parents feel like family at Operation Home Front, having received aide from the agency twice over Jackson’s four years.

They said they do not know what they would have done without the assistance.

“It’s quite a blessing to have,” Perry said.

Operation Home Front has chapters all over the country, but all the money donated locally stays with local military families.

To learn more, click here.

2008 Edwards interview may play big in jury’s mind

Fri, 25 May 2012 17:41:20 -0400

A 2008 interview with ABC News may turn out to be a key piece of evidence in John Edwards’ campaign finance trial.

Some legal experts said Friday the interview may be pivotal since Edwards did not testify.

The tape was one of 20 exhibits they requested on Thursday, before receiving all of the evidence in the trial at the suggestion of the judge.

As Edwards spends his days walking around the federal courthouse, waiting, all eyes are on him outside.

But now inside, jurors are able to watch him as well, in that interview.

'"I think it's problematic for John Edwards because it brings up all the lies," legal analyst and former federal prosecutor Kieran Shanahan said.

Prosecutors rested their case with the video.

In it, Edwards lies about the length of his affair with Rielle Hunter and denies being the father of her baby.

The defense has said Edwards is a liar but not a criminal.

Near the end of the interview, he addressed allegations now at the center of some of his criminal charges.

Edwards denied knowing about money his then-finance chairman, Fred Baron, spent to hide Hunter.

"I had nothing to do with anybody being paid," Edwards said. "If somebody was being paid, it wasn't being on my behalf."

Prosecutors said Edwards was well aware of the payments and the money and payments from another donor, Bunny Mellon, are the equivalent of campaign contributions misused to protect his 2008 presidential campaign.

Without Edwards testifying, some legal analysts say it's key, because it's the only time jurors see him responding to some of the charges and it's after he lied when answering other questions.

"I think being able to see him, in color, in that jury room is very powerful, adverse information," Shanahan said.

The jury is expected to resume deliberations Tuesday at 9:30 a.m.

Before deliberations continue, the judge is meeting with attorneys early Tuesday morning to discuss the jury.

‘Giggle Gang’ amuses spectators at Edwards trial; Jurors end 6th day of deliberations

Fri, 25 May 2012 16:55:21 -0400

When jurors wrap up deliberations for the day in the John Edwards trial, they will embark on a three-day holiday weekend.

Their 90-hour break from the case will be almost three times longer than the 33 hours they have spent deliberating so far.

It’s been a long week for everyone inside the federal courthouse in Greensboro. While the judge instructed the jury to put the case out of their minds over Memorial Day weekend, there is no doubt it opens up the possibility that they might discuss the case with family and friends.

“They’ve taken an oath, and they know how serious it is, and I’m sure they understand there’s consequences if they violate that oath,” said legal analyst Kieran Shanahan. “It could be terrible.”

Shanahan said the extended time away may mean it will take jurors a few extra hours to get back into the mindset of deciding someone’s fate on Tuesday.

But he added the break from the case could also help break the deadlock that seems to be unfolding inside the deliberation boiler room.

“Maybe people have come back from the weekend, and they’ve thought out their positions, and they’re now willing to come to a resolution,” Shanahan said.

Meanwhile, the four alternate jurors, who have also been holed up inside the courthouse, are now wearing same-color shirts each day.

Legal experts said they hope it’s more of a joke than an attempt to send a signal to the 12 jurors in the box.

“A week into their deliberations and they’re just letting off a little steam,” Shanahan said.

Among the spectators and media, the four alternate jurors have become known as the “Giggle Gang.”

They arrive laughing each morning, their demeanor so vastly different from the tired and serious jurors.

All 16 jurors will be back in the courthouse at 9:30 a.m. Tuesday.

Deputies, protesters meet to plan Sunday’s rally against anti-gay pastor

Fri, 25 May 2012 16:42:50 -0400

Organizers of a protest against a Maiden pastor met with Catawba County sheriff’s deputies Friday afternoon to discuss plans for the rally that is expected to draw thousands.

The protest is expected to be so large that organizers and deputies want to make sure it runs as smoothly as possible. They spent the afternoon discussing crowd control and protest guidelines.

Two thousand people are expected to converge on the town of Newton, just miles from where Pastor Charles Worley told his congregation on Mother’s Day that gays should be isolated from the rest of society so they can die off. He also called President Barack Obama a “baby killer” and a “homosexual lover.”

The sermon sparked national outrage after it was posted on the Internet.

On Thursday night, county leaders decided to allow the protest even though ordinances require a 14-day notice to protest. The American Civil Liberties Union said it would file an injunction to allow the protest.

Organizers said they look forward to a peaceful demonstration.

“I have confidence in the group that has supported us that it will be a peaceful protest,” said Laura Tipton. “People know what our message is about and know that it will be counterproductive to come out and start a yelling match.”

While a few members of Worley’s congregation have spoken out in his defense, Worley has yet to make a public comment on the outrage or the planned protest.

He reportedly clarified his Mother’s Day message the following week, but did not rescind his comments on gays or Obama.

The rally is scheduled to take place at the Newton Government Center at 11 a.m. Sunday.

Early negative ads in NC gov’s race could be sign of long, dirty campaign

Fri, 25 May 2012 16:18:17 -0400

Less than three weeks after North Carolina’s primary, a political ad against gubernatorial candidate Pat McCrory has sparked lawsuits and countersuits.

Now, McCrory has promised he will not run a negative ad about Democratic candidate Walter Dalton.

However, McCrory’s refusal to take out negative ads does not mean no one else will.

Both Dalton and McCrory said they want to focus their campaigns on the issues and avoid negative ads, but the biggest issue in the campaign right now is an ad about McCrory put out by Dalton supporters.

The ad, which centers on McCrory’s pay as a board member of Tree.com has caused McCrory to file a suit to have the ad pulled. On Friday, the group that released the ad filed a countersuit against McCrory.

So far, political expert Michael Bitzer said it’s not the issues-oriented campaign both candidates claim to want.

“This one seems to have the overtones already that this is going to get ugly,” Bitzer said.

McCrory has pledged not to use what he calls “unfair ads.” While Dalton has not commented on the pledge, a spokesman Friday said, “We don’t need misleading ads.”

“Sure, they can go out and say, ‘Don’t sling the mud,’ but wink-wink, nudge-nudge, they’re going to do it anyway,” Bitzer said.

They don’t have to do it through their official campaigns, either. Instead, they can use surrogate groups that support them.

Already the Republican Governors Association is sponsoring ads attacking Dalton. The Democratic Governors Association is doing the same thing to McCrory.

Bitzer expects voters have yet to see the worst of the ads.

“Both sides are going to have their nuclear weapons of negative ads to throw at each other,” he said.

One difference in the two campaigns right now is that McCrory is insisting he will disavow any third party ads that are distorted.

Dalton has yet to give a direct answer to whether he will disavow third party ads. He has also not said if he plans to run any negative ads himself.

Bitzer said the race could be one of the roughest campaigns in recent memory.

7-week-old’s life saved by acting police chief whose car would not start

Fri, 25 May 2012 15:55:33 -0400

The family of a baby boy credits a local police chief and good timing for saving his life.

The family was rushing the boy to the hospital in Stanley when he stopped breathing.

Sandy Stroupe said the minute her grandson leaves the hospital, she will take him to meet Stanley’s acting police chief, Derek Summey, the man who saved the newborn’s life.

Summey said Friday he will never forget holding the 7-week-old child who was so close to death.

“He was just so small, just so frail,” Summey said.

The boy, Ethan Varner, was born five weeks early and had serious respiratory problems. On Tuesday morning, he was struggling to breathe again.

Stroupe said her daughter planned to drive him to Levine Children’s Hospital in Charlotte, but before they could leave the small town of Stanley, Varner had stopped breathing.

At the same time, Summey was headed to lunch with a friend.

“My vehicle wouldn’t start, which was kind of uncommon,” he said.

He happened to be standing by his police cruiser as Stroupe drove through town.

“Immediately, the lady started screaming that her baby was not breathing,” Summey said.

He said the mother handed him the child, who had already turned blue.

“I thought the child was too far gone,” he said.

But Summey said he had to try something, so he ran into the police department, grabbed a cardiac defibrillator and put Varner on the floor.

“It was terrifying. It was just terrifying,” Stroupe said.

Stroupe was crying so hard she did not hear another officer call 911, and she could barely watch Summey give the baby CPR and put the defibrillator’s pads on the child.

“It seemed like forever,” Summey said.

Three minutes into the 911 call, Ethan coughed. The officer talking to the 911 dispatcher relayed the information.

“I thought we had a chance by then,” Summey said.

By the time Varner was put in an ambulance, he was crying. For now, the boy is in a hospital bed, slowly improving.

“Derek Summey is my hero,” Stroupe said.

This is not the first time the acting chief has saved a life.

Six years ago, a man went into cardiac arrest in downtown Stanley. Summey and another officer were able to rush to the man and use a defibrillator to save his life, too.

I-85 open for rush hour; Crews will repair lines later tonight

Fri, 25 May 2012 15:29:54 -0400

Southbound lanes of Interstate 85 were shut down due to several downed power lines Friday afternoon.

However, to deal with rush hour on a holiday weekend, the lines were moved temporarily to allow traffic to flow on I-85 during rush hour, police said.

Crews will make repairs to the downed lines later Friday night, officials said.

Charlotte-Mecklenburg police officers are diverting traffic on to Glenwood.

Police are not sure what caused the lines to fall, but believe it may have been a hit-and-run.

Police expect the roadway will be closed through rush hour.

Road construction halted in NC for holiday weekend

Fri, 25 May 2012 14:06:05 -0400

Drivers across North Carolina will find the going easy for the Memorial Day weekend.

The state Department of Transportation is suspending most road construction work on major routes. The department says by avoiding traffic delays, motorists can reach their destinations more quickly while cutting down on fuel consumption and costs.

DOT says most construction projects along interstate, N.C. and U.S. routes will be suspended from 4 p.m. Friday until 9 a.m., next Tuesday, with five exceptions.

There's ongoing construction on I-40 between Old Fort and Black Mountain, U.S. 321/221 in Watauga County, U.S. 421 in Boone, and U.S. 17 in Jacksonville and in Windsor.

Drivers can also expect delays due to NASCAR races at Charlotte Motor Speedway. Delays are anticipated in northeast Mecklenburg County and southwest Cabarrus County.

Ride CATS to Coca-Cola 600

Fri, 25 May 2012 12:43:22 -0400

RIDE CATS TO THE NASCAR COCA-COLA 600 RACE

Charlotte, N.C., May 24, 2012 ─ The Charlotte Area Transit System (CATS) will provide extra bus service during NASCAR’s Coca-Cola 600 race on Sunday, May 27, 2012. Race fans can take advantage of CATS’ increased service on route 79X Concord Mills Express to Charlotte Motor Speedway for the race. Extra service will start at 1:00 p.m., with departures every 20 minutes from the Charlotte Transportation Center and the NASCAR Hall of Fame in Uptown. Round trip fare is only $7.

Both drop-off and pick-up locations at Charlotte Motor Speedway will be near the track’s main entrance. Return trips begin running immediately after the checkered flag as race fans make their way to the buses.

Tickets can be purchased at the Charlotte Transportation Center, located at 310 East Trade Street in Center City. Customers can also purchase tickets online at http://secure.ridetransit.org/psales/. Passengers may bring small coolers that fit on their lap but no eating or drinking are permitted while on the bus.

New CMS chief to immediately review under-performing schools

Fri, 25 May 2012 11:51:50 -0400

Channel 9 is learning more about Charlotte-Mecklenburg School’s incoming superintendent’s plan of action when he officially takes the position.

In his plan, Heath Morrison said he will do an immediate review of the district’s central office and identify why some schools chronically under-perform.

Morrison accepted the job in April.

He will officially start the job July 1.

Earlier this week, he met with Charlotte-area lawmakers in Raleigh.

SC troopers stepping up patrols on I-77 for holiday weekend

Fri, 25 May 2012 11:22:09 -0400

The South Carolina Highway Patrol is stepping up patrols on Interstate 77 in York County for the Memorial Day weekend.

Troopers are stopping speeders and reckless drivers as holiday traffic builds.

Troopers said vacationers and race traffic are already adding to the danger on the highway.

Interstate traffic could reach double its normal volume this weekend.

The holiday weekend kicks off a deadly time on local roads.

“This begins the 100 deadliest days of summer,” said trooper Billy Elder. “That’s the stretch of 100 days that we look at where we have the majority of our fatalities in South Carolina.”

Troopers will shift their focus to DUI enforcement Friday night and will set up checkpoints on major highways.

Edwards seen 'flirting' with alternate juror, ABC News reports

Fri, 25 May 2012 11:01:45 -0400

The John Edwards trail has moved into its sixth day of deliberations on Friday as the jury asked the judge to review more evidence on Thursday.

The behavior of one of the four alternate jurors in the case is raising some eyebrows.

One of the female alternate jurors has been seen flirting with Edwards for several days. ABC News is reporting that the woman has been seen smiling and giggling at Edwards who is said to smile and blush in return.

On Thursday, all four alternate jurors showed up to court wearing matching bright yellow shirts.

Edwards is accused of misusing nearly $1 million from two wealthy donors, Bunny Mellon and Fred Baron, to hide his affair and protect his 2008 presidential campaign.

Early on, jurors focused on exhibits related to payments from Mellonm, which are counts two and three.

But on Thursday, the asked to review exhibits related to Baron, counts four and five. The judge said she would just give them all of the evidence to review.

Legal experts say it is a clear sign the jury is moving forward, but it is difficult to predict.

If the jury does not reach a verdict on Friday, the proceedings are scheduled to end at 3:30 p.m. Deliberations will start again on Tuesday.

Police arrest man for drugs, stolen moped after responding to shots fired

Fri, 25 May 2012 08:33:20 -0400

A man was arrested after police received reports of shots being fired.

Officers responded to a home on South Trade Street and found drugs and a stolen moped in Patrick Curruth’s home.

Officers arrested Curruth Tuesday.

He faces drug and stolen property charges. He has not been charged with discharging a gun.

Carowinds water park set to open after repairs

Fri, 25 May 2012 07:27:54 -0400

After passing inspection, Carowinds Water Park is ready to open for visitors Memorial Day weekend.

Safety inspectors had to sign off on the replacement of stairs and landings on the towers of two water slides after engineers found problems.

Last week, a spokeswoman for the park said they had found the problems on a routine inspection this spring.

But North Carolina state inspection records show that inspectors had identified problems on those same towers last year.

In an email, the spokeswoman said safety is their first priority and that Carowinds has one of the best safety records in the industry.

The water park is set to open on Saturday.

Man busted for stealing from race teams for years, police say

Fri, 25 May 2012 07:11:30 -0400

A man is accused of stealing from race teams at speedways across the country.

Detectives recently searched Steven Sander’s Georgia home to find wallets, cash, credit cards, Social Security cards and $130,000 in unused gift cards.

"We've traced a majority of this stuff back to victims who had documented this stuff getting stolen, again, at raceways across the country," police said.

Sanders was arrested in Daytona in March after someone videotaped him stealing from an RV.

Police said Sanders got away with his crimes for years. So far, police said there are 43 victims.

IBM restricts employees from using SIRI due to privacy threat

Fri, 25 May 2012 07:08:59 -0400

IBM restricted its employees from using SIRI, an iPhone digital assistant, due to a possible privacy threat.

IBM is worried that the Apple data center in Catawba County may store all the information people request.

When SIRI users say a command, it is sent to the data center in Maiden where the words are interpreted and then sent back.

Apple won’t say how long the information is stored or who has access to it.

1 shot during robbery in east Charlotte

Fri, 25 May 2012 06:56:08 -0400

One person was shot in east Charlotte just before 5 a.m. Friday.

Police said it appears to have been a robbery attempt on Albemarle Road near Central Avenue.

The victim is expected to survive, police said.

Police have not released many details in the robbery.

Brazen thief robs woman in broad daylight in Pineville

Fri, 25 May 2012 06:19:11 -0400

A woman was robbed Thursday afternoon near a busy shopping center in Pineville.

Police said a woman was making a deposit for a business at the Wells Fargo on Highway 51 when the thief grabbed her purse and her store’s deposit bag around 12 p.m.

Surveillance cameras at the bank and a nearby store caught the heist on camera.

Anyone with information is encouraged to contact Pineville police.

Thousands in uptown for Speed Street means big business

Fri, 25 May 2012 06:11:08 -0400

Thousands continue to pile into uptown Charlotte for fun and festivities of Speed Street.

Charlotte-Mecklenburg police officers are on every corner where roads are shut down and they are out patrolling on foot.

The big crowds mean more business for local companies. Channel 9 spoke with a hot dog vender who is in uptown every day. She's said this week is always exceptionally busy.

“During a normal week, it’s average. During this week, it’s amazing – just nonstop, steady. (It's) three-times as busy as a normal day,” said Kimberly King with Greens Lunch.

Emergency crews were at the scene after police broke up at least one fight near the Transit Center in uptown Thursday night, following the opening day of the festival.

Police said nobody was arrested, and it’s unclear what started the altercation.

Police told Channel 9 they are going to keep track and release the number of fights this weekend.

“There was a lot more police, a lot more surveillance, a lot more security this year,” said Tee Mason, who attended Speed Street Thursday.

That increase in police presence is because of a fight last year outside the Transit Center between rival gangs that ended with one person shot and killed.

There will also be volunteers out this weekend with the group Men Who Care. The group was started after the shooting last year.

The group will hand out fliers encouraging teens to make good choices.

Police: 12-year-old girl threatened to shoot teacher in head

Fri, 25 May 2012 06:06:43 -0400

A 12-year-old Rock Hill girl was charged with disorderly conduct for threatening to kill her teacher, police said.

Police said she told several people she wanted to shoot the teacher in the head.

She has been released to the custody of her mother.

Flight from Charlotte makes emergency landing in Raleigh after engine problems

Fri, 25 May 2012 05:43:20 -0400

A flight from Charlotte to New York had to make an emergency landing in Raleigh because of an engine problem Thursday night.

US Airways flight 3736 took off from Charlotte Douglas just after 9 p.m.

The right engine had problems shortly after takeoff.

“The pilot came on and said he had to make an emergency landing due to a mechanical issue and that we had to circle the Raleigh-Durham airport to burn fuel,” passenger Brendan Beirne told WTVD. “He didn't come on again for about 40 minutes and told us we were going to circle for another 20 minutes, and then we finally landed here.”

Nobody was injured in the incident.

US Airways put the passengers up in a hotel and planned to put them on another plane to New York on Friday.

2 mobile homes in Gaston Co. destroyed by fire

Fri, 25 May 2012 05:37:10 -0400

Two mobile homes in Gaston County have been damaged by fire Thursday night and police said they appear suspicious.

Firefighters were called to one fire around 3 a.m. at the Azalea Mobile Home Park on Andrews Circle and that's when they noticed another home on fire around the corner. Multiple fire units were dispatched.

At least two mobile homes were heavily damaged by flames.

Police are looking at the possibility they were intentionally set.

Neighbors said they have had recent problems of break-ins in the area and they think they might be related to the fires.

Both homes were vacant at the time.

Stay with wsoctv.com for updates on this developing story.