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Ramirez running to return to seat on county board
Former Mecklenburg County commissioner Dan Ramirez said he plans to make another run for the county board.
Ramirez, a small-business owner, was an at-large representative from 2002 to 2004 and from 2006 to 2008. He said Friday he plans to again seek an at-large seat.
Filing for office opens Feb. 8. The entire nine-member board of county commissioners is up for election.
Also this week, former Mecklenburg Sheriff Jim Pendergraph said he was considering running for an at-large seat. Among other potential contenders: teacher Corey Thompson. April Bethea
Meck briefs
Charlotte
Latino groups in Charlotte have raised more than $42,000 for relief efforts in Haiti.
The Latin American Chamber of Commerce, the Latin American Women's Association, the Latin American Coalition, and Mi Casa Su Casa raised more than $2,000 and continue to seek donations. The American Red Cross said they also received a $40,600 check from Norsan media, Jesus Ministries, and Alex Ruiz after their one day fundraiser held at Compare Foods. Franco Ordoñez
Charlotte-Mecklenburg Superintendent Peter Gorman got a national award this week for using data to improve education.
The "district data leader" award comes from the Data Quality Campaign, a project created by several national organizations representing educators, advocates and government officials. Its goal is to encourage better use of data in public education.
Gorman was recognized for using data about student achievement to shape policy and decision-making, and creating such formats as the "Data Dashboard" that makes an array of information available to the public. Ann Doss Helms
The Charlotte region is now home to a chapter of the Society of Information Management, a national organization of IT executives, academics, consultants and other professionals.
The organization will hold its first meeting at 6 p.m. Thursday at Byron's in South End, 101 W. Worthington Ave., Suite 110. Kathy Harris, a vice president and analyst for Gartner is scheduled to speak.
Jerry Pinkard, IST department director for Mecklenburg County government, will be the group's inaugural president.
The local chapter plans to reach out to professionals across the Charlotte region, plus areas like Asheville, Charleston, Columbia and Greenville.
To learn more about the Society of Information Management, visit www.simnet.org. April Bethea
Regional briefs
North Carolina
Raleigh
Gov. Bev Perdue's campaign says an internal audit uncovered 31 previously undisclosed flights on private aircraft valued at about $25,000.
The Bev Perdue Committee filed this week with the State Board of Elections information on eight more flights valued at $4,534. The committee already had disclosed 17 other flights from Perdue's successful 2008 campaign for governor in August, followed by six more in December.
Perdue's campaign says it discovered the flights during an audit after the campaign moved to a new computer reporting system. Associated Press
North Carolina's largest health insurer paid $95,000 to resolve a dispute with the state over 100,000 "robocalls" pushing the company's views on the national health care debate, officials for the state and the company said this week.
Attorney General Roy Cooper's office released a settlement agreement with Blue Cross and Blue Shield of North Carolina. The dispute centered on a wave of calls last fall by an outside political consultant, Raleigh-based Campaign Connections. The voice on a recorded message identified himself as being with Blue Cross.
The calls, made on two days in October, alerted listeners to an upcoming mailer telling recipients to sign a postcard urging Sen. Kay Hagan to oppose government-run health insurance. Associated Press
Winston-Salem
The N.C. Transportation Department plans to close the Interstate 40 Business loop through downtown Winston-Salem for two years so it can repair a one-mile section of road. The $70 million project includes work on 11 bridges, and is scheduled to begin in 2015. About 60,000 vehicles travel daily on the highway, which opened in 1960. Associated Press
Beaufort
The town of Beaufort, N.C., marked the 15th anniversary of the explosion of the space shuttle Challenger with the opening of a small museum dedicated to the local astronaut who died on the flight.
A grand opening was held Thursday for the Michael J. Smith Air and Space Mini-Museum at Beaufort Elementary School. Thursday marked the anniversary of the Challenger explosion on Jan. 28, 1986. Associated Press
South Carolina Columbia
South Carolina's $16 billion tourism industry is expected to make a slow, steady recovery this year, mirroring the national economy.
Parks, Recreation and Tourism Department spokesman Marion Edmonds said Friday room occupancy in the state dropped nearly 7 percent last year compared with 2008.
But Edmonds says the industry seems to be pulling out a slump and points out the occupancy decline for December was less than 2 percent.
He says room rates were down, reflecting competition for travelers' dollars. Associated Press
The Boy Scouts of America is turning 100 years old this year, and the S.C. State Museum is hosting a special exhibit to help the organization celebrate.
"The Centennial History of the Boy Scouts of America" opened Friday at the museum in Columbia.
The exhibit features photographs and artifacts illustrating the organization's contributions to South Carolina communities and its growth over the past century. Associated Press
Police digest
Mecklenburg County Charlotte
Authorities flew a truck driver to the hospital with life-threatening injuries Friday afternoon after a vehicle overturned at Interstate 485 and Independence Boulevard.
The driver, whose name wasn't available, was injured when a Harris-Teeter truck ran off a ramp and overturned. Medic was dispatched about 2:28 p.m., but the driver was pinned inside the tractor-trailer, said Medic spokesman Jeff Keith.
Once rescued, the driver was flown to Carolinas Medical Center. Steve Lyttle
A motorist was injured early Friday in a fiery one-vehicle crash on South Tryon Street, according to police reports.
The wreck happened shortly before 1:15 a.m. on South Tryon near Westinghouse Boulevard.
According to reports, the driver of an SUV apparently lost control of his vehicle, skidded off the road, and hit a power pole. The vehicle burst into flames, and Charlotte firefighters had to rescue the driver.
The victim was taken by Medic to Carolinas Medical Center with serious injuries. Steve Lyttle
Union County Monroe
A jury in Monroe has found a Waxhaw man guilty of first-degree murder in the death of his wife.
Dan Edwards was sentenced to life without parole Thursday.
Prosecutors say Edwards smothered his wife to death on Halloween night 2008, and then dumped her body in a river in South Carolina.
Edwards admitted killing his wife in a fit of rage. During the trial, he described confronting his wife about an online profile she created on Match.com. WCNC-TV
Catawba County Hickory
A fire that damaged a business early Thursday was arson, authorities say.
The fire caused an undisclosed amount of damage at Future Foam, on 15th Street S.W. It was reported shortly before 1 a.m., and Hickory firefighters discovered heavy black smoke and flames when they arrived at the scene.
Fire officials said an automatic sprinkler system limited damage to the building, and no injuries were reported.
Authorities did not say how the fire was started, but they ask anyone with information in the case to call the Hickory Fire Prevention Bureau, 828-323-7522, or the Hickory Police, 828-328-5551. Steve Lyttle
Chester County, S.C. Chester
A Chester man died Friday in a fire at his house, authorities say.
The fire was reported about 2:15 a.m. at a home off S.C. 97. Fire officials have not disclosed the cause of the blaze. Staff
