Charlotte Star
CharlotteStar.com Sunday 6th July 2008 Edition 188/2008
Front Page Charlotte News
Police Investigate Dead Body Found In Southwest Charlotte Park


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CHARLOTTE, N.C. -- Charlotte-Mecklenburg police were called to the scene of a death investigation in southwest Charlotte Sunday morning.Police said around 9 a.m. someone discovered a body near a...


China Coal Mine Accident Kills 21
BEIJING -- A state news agency said 21 workers are dead after an accident at a coal mine in northern China. Xinhua News Agency said four miners were saved by rescuers, while seven escaped on their...


Police Make Arrest In July 4th Murder
CHARLOTTE, N.C. -- Charlotte-Mecklenburg Police arrested a man in connection with a July 4th murder on Georgetown Drive. William Thomas, 41, is charged with the shooting death of 35-year-old Calvin...


Lightning Struck Boat On Lake Norman
IREDELL COUNTY, N.C. -- Lightning struck a boat tied to several others at Lake Norman, in Iredell County, Saturday afternoon. No one was injured."We saw lightning hitting a lot of the lake," said...


Deadly Shots Ring Out In Northeast Charlotte Neighborhood; Police Investigate
CHARLOTTE, N.C. -- A homicide investigation is underway after police say shots were fired in a northeast Charlotte neighborhood Friday night.Officers responded to a call about a shooting around 11...


Double Shooting In Southeast Charlotte; 1 Dead
CHARLOTTE, N.C. -- Police said one person died after a shooting in southeast Charlotte.The shooting happened just before 1 a.m. Saturday on Wallace Road, off of Independence Boulevard.MEDIC took two...


Police Search For 2 Suspects In Drive-By Shooting
CHARLOTTE, N.C. -- Police are searching for two men involved in a drive-by shooting in southeast Charlotte.It happened just after midnight on Saturday.The victims said they were driving on...


CATS To Employ Shuttles To And From Fireworks In Uptown
CHARLOTTE, N.C. -- The show isn't until tonight, but the setup for the fireworks show started early this morning.The fireworks are expected to draw thousands to Uptown Charlotte tonight.It's getting...


First Spanish Radio Station In Charlotte To Shut Down Broadcast After 14 Years
CHARLOTTE, N.C. -- Families share their sorrow with local radio personalities today, as Radio Lider announces it will be going off the air. The first Spanish-Speaking radio station in Charlotte began...


Park Service May Open Statue Of Liberty Crown
NEW YORK -- The National Park Service has been looking at reopening more of the Statue of Liberty to visitors.According to documents released Friday by a New York congressman, the park service asked...


Boat Checks Stepped Up On Lake Wylie For Holiday Weekend
YORK Co., S.C. -- Boaters across South Carolina had some extra safety checks even before their boats got wet.That's why Kyle Greer didn't mind when South Carolina D.N.R officers asked to check his...


Betsy Ross, Ben Franklin Wed ... Kind Of
PHILADELPHIA -- Benjamin Franklin and Betsy Ross are celebrating this Independence Day as newlyweds.Ralph Archbold and Linda Wilde, who portray the historical figures, tied the knot Thursday night in...


Friends Reflect On Former NC Sen. Jesse Helms
Reaction to the death of former North Carolina Sen. Jesse Helms, who died on the Fourth of July at age 86: "He stood by the things that he believed in, and the incredible thing (that) was so...


France Throws Betancourt, Family Party
PARIS -- Former hostage Ingrid Betancourt has arrived in France to a hero's welcome after six years in the captivity of leftist rebels in the Colombian jungle.President Nicolas Sarkozy is meeting the...


Chestnut Is Tops In Hot Dog Eat-Off
NEW YORK -- Joey Chestnut has reclaimed the top spot as winner of the annual hot dog eating contest in Coney Island after first tying with archrival Takeru Kobayashi in a 10-minute chow-down and then...


Gov. Easley, Even in Europe a $60 Burger is Hard to Find
Posted on: Friday, 4 July 2008, 06:00 CDT By Tommy Tomlinson, The Charlotte Observer, N.C. Jul. 4--Gov. Easley, I tried. I combed restaurant Web sites all over Europe, looking for that $60 combo...


Troopers Keep A Lookout For Drunk Drivers During Holiday Weekend
UNDATED, N.C. -- North Carolina state troopers started their holiday weekend by cracking down on speeders and drunk drivers.Troopers said this holiday weekend is more dangerous because it falls on a...


Countrywide Settlement Gets Initial OK In Delaware
WILMINGTON, DEL. -- A Delaware judge on Thursday granted preliminary approval of a proposed settlement in a shareholder lawsuit against mortgage lender Countrywide Financial Corp., which was acquired...


Court Orders YouTube To Give Viacom Video
NEW YORK, NY -- A federal judge has ordered YouTube to disclose who watches which video clips and when on the popular video-sharing Web site.Viacom and other copyright holders have argued that they...


Firework Safety For The Fourth Of July
CHARLOTTE, N.C. -- The July 4th holiday is approaching! Hot, dry, and humid weather makes fireworks especially dangerous this time of year! This is a time for celebration and fun! One way that people...


Protect Your Pet During Fireworks
CHARLOTTE, N.C. -- The Charlotte-Mecklenburg Police Department's Animal Care & Control Division is reminding pet owners that it's once again the time of year we hear fireworks, firecrackers,...


New Mobile Arrest Centers Ready For 4th Of July Uptown
CHARLOTTE, N.C. -- For the first time ever, Charlotte-Mecklenburg police will have a mobile processing unit for anyone who gets arrested in Uptown Charlotte on July 4.Police hope to build off last...


Paraglider Crashes In Iredell County Woods
IREDELL COUNTY, N.C. -- A paraglider crashed in Iredell County off highway 21 near Turnersburg Thursday night.The crash happened northeast of Statesville.Chopper 9 Skyzoom was over the crash site a...


Mini Dachshund Chews Off Owner
ALTON, Ill. -- An Illinois woman said her beloved miniature dachshund gnawed off her right big toe while she was asleep. Linda Floyd told the Alton Telegraph for a story Wednesday that her beloved...


Youth Beds Recalled Because Of Attached Chests
The federal government on Thursday issued a voluntary recall of two styles of children's beds after the death of a 22-month-old California boy, reported KCRA-TV in Sacramento.The U.S. Consumer...


Teen Shocked By Taser Died From Change In Heart Rhythm
CHARLOTTE, N.C. -- Autopsy results released this week reveal why a 17-year-old who police shot with a Taser died in March.Darryl Turner was in an altercation with his boss at the Food Lion on...


Motorcyclist Leads Lincoln County Officers On Chase
LINCOLN COUNTY, N.C. -- Deputies said a man out for a pre-dawn ride on his motorcycle led them on a nearly 20-mile chase through Lincoln County early Thursday.They said Jeffrey Loomis of Sherills...


Chamber Looks At How Charlotte Ranks Among Other Large Cities
CHARLOTTE, N.C. -- The streets of Charlotte are getting more and more crowded, but how has the Queen City handled the growth?A new study compares the region with seven other large cities across the...


Year-Old Hit By Bus In Northeast Mecklenburg Finally Recovering At Home
MECKLENBURG COUNTY, N.C. -- Tyisa Witherspoon is a smart, spunky 5-year-old girl. Her eyes light up when she talks about playing, running and swimming.But she is anything but ordinary. Her body is...


Man Caged Daughters In Truck
POSEN, Ill. -- Police said a father in suburban Chicago has admitted to locking his two young daughters in a cage in his pickup truck. Ricardo Gonzalez was arrested after officials said a woman...


Rock Hill Adult Charged After Teen Accused Of Driving Drunk
ROCK HILL, S.C. -- A 15-year-old girl was charged with driving drunk, and then she told police where she got the beer.Rock Hill police said 36-year-old Denise Deese bought beer for two teenagers...


Broken Window Leads Officer To Sick Woman
CHARLOTTE, N.C. -- Neighbors at a north Charlotte apartment called police after they noticed a broken window at another unit. When the officer arrived, he thought it was a routine break-in call, he...


Charlotte Mother Has Harsh Words For Daughter
CHARLOTTE, N.C. -- On a wall full of family photographs hangs Kellie Owens' college degree. She graduated from the University of North Carolina at Charlotte with a major in criminal justice. Now, the...


Tour Extended For Marines In Afghanistan
WASHINGTON -- The Pentagon has extended the tour of 2,200 Marines in Afghanistan, after insisting for months the unit would come home on time. The 24th Marine Expeditionary Unit, which is doing...


Parents Who Put Baby On eBay Get Child Back
A baby boy, who was removed from his parents' custody after they offered to sell him on eBay for just a euro -- $1.59 -- as a joke, is back at home, a prosecutor said Thursday. "The child has been...


N.C. Rape Case Could Be Misunderstanding
DURHAM, N.C. -- The lawyer for one of three people charged in a North Carolina rape and kidnapping case that prosecutors have said included satanic ritual said it appears to involve "consensual...


Tenn. Officer Accused Of Choking Man
MOUNT JULIET, Tenn. -- The Tennessee Bureau of Investigation is investigating a traffic stop involving a Mount Juliet police officer accused of performing "vascular restraint" on a man suspected of...


CMPD Significant Event Log For July 2
July 2 11:19 a.m. Armed Robbery From Business in University City Division: The Panda Express at 9300 JW Clay Bvld. advised they were robbed at gunpoint by 3 B/Ms. The subjects are in their early...


Riverbanks Zoo In Columbia Has Four Lion Cubs
COLUMBIA, S.C. -- Riverbanks Zoo in Columbia has put its four new lion cubs on display for the first time. Three females and one male cub were born June 7 by Caesarean section because of...


CATS Gets 4th Of July Spectators Close To The Action With Special Shuttle Service
CHARLOTTE, N.C. -- On Friday, July 4, the Charlotte Area Transit System (CATS) will operate additional service to get July Fourth spectators close to the red, white and blue action. The July Fourth...


Man Convicted, Sent To Prison In N.C. Beach Rapes
BOLIVIA, N.C. -- A man has been sentenced to at least 124 years in prison for the 2001 rape and kidnapping of two teenage girls vacationing at a North Carolina beach. The Wilmington Star-News...


N.C. Teen Says He Didn
PITTSBURGH -- An Allegheny County judge must decide what degree of murder a North Carolina teen committed when he fatally shot clerk in a suburban Pittsburgh convenience store. Seventeen-year-old...


Six Flags To Increase Number, Size Of Signs
AUSTELL, Ga. -- Six Flags Over Georgia has reopened the popular roller coaster ride that hit and killed a South Carolina teenager, but state officials have told the amusement park to make changes....


Teacher Finds Baby Cruelty Video; Teen Charged
A south Georgia teenager is charged with child cruelty after an online video showed a young man launching a baby several feet across a room. The video posted on YouTube shows the teenage boy putting...


One Dead In Idlewild Road Accident In Matthews
MATTHEWS, N.C. -- Police have confirmed that one person has died as the result of an accident on Idlewild Road near Rice Road in Matthews.The driver of the car lost control and flipped onto the front...


One Dead In Overnight Hotel Fire In Monroe
MONROE, N.C. -- Police said that one man has died in a fire at the Knights Inn Hotel in Monroe.The fire started around 3:00 a.m. Thursday at the Hotel on Venus Street off Highway 74.The identity of...


Pedestrian Accident Injuries Five People In Uptown Charlotte Thursday Morning
CHARLOTTE, N.C. -- Police say at least one car struck at least two pedestrians on College Street at Stonewall Street.The others injured were occupants of vehicles involved in the accident.Five people...


Travelers Cut Costs For Holiday Travels
CABARRUS CO., N.C. -- Travelers filling up gas tanks in the Charlotte area before the Fourth of July holiday will pay yet another record price.AAA estimates the average price for a gallon of regular...


Year-Old Girl OK After Being Shot In Head
SACRAMENTO, Calif. -- Doctors said a 7-year-old girl is in good shape after a random .22 caliber bullet became lodged in her head, where it will reside until next week.Yamilet Leon was with her uncle...


Undercover Police Operation Leads To Scrap Metal Yard Owner Arrest
CHARLOTTE, N.C. -- With the jump in theft of copper wiring in across Charlotte, police said they needed to do more to curb the crime and started cracking down scrap metal dealers.Officers had the...