http://www.charlotteobserver.com/breaking_news/index.xml News, sports and entertainment from Charlotte.com en-us Copyright 2008 Charlotte.com Breaking News 60 Wed, 09 Jul 2008 01:41 EDT http://blogs.law.harvard.edu/tech/rss McClatchy Interactive Workbench support@charlotte.com http://www.charlotteobserver.com/breaking_news/story/705188.html http://www.charlotteobserver.com/breaking_news/story/705188.html Tue, 08 Jul 2008 22:00 EDT <p/></p><p/> Wachovia Corp.'s mutual fund unit, Evergreen Investments, is getting a new leader, according to a report on the Wall Street Journal's Web site.</p><p/>Evergreen told employees Tuesday that chief executive Dennis Ferro, 63, is retiring at year end after five years in the post, the Journal reported. He will be replaced by Peter Cieszko, 48, head of global distribution. In addition, a new chief investment officer &ndash; Morgan Stanley veteran David Germany &ndash; will take over in August.</p><p/>An Evergreen spokeswoman did not immediately return a call seeking comment. Some of Evergreen's funds have struggled lately in the credit crunch.</p> http://www.charlotteobserver.com/breaking_news/story/705050.html http://www.charlotteobserver.com/breaking_news/story/705050.html Tue, 08 Jul 2008 19:50 EDT <p/></p><span class="subhead"><strong></strong></span><p/>Bank of America Corp. was named to Black Enterprise magazine's latest list of 40 Best Companies for Diversity, the magazine announced Tuesday. </p><p/>The bank was the only Carolinas company represented in the fourth annual tally. The list, featured in the July issue, analyzed companies based on supplier diversity, senior management, board involvement and employee base. Charlotte-based Bank of America is the country's second-largest bank by assets. </p> http://www.charlotteobserver.com/breaking_news/story/705046.html http://www.charlotteobserver.com/breaking_news/story/705046.html Tue, 08 Jul 2008 19:45 EDT <p/></p><p/> Bank of America Corp. on Tuesday announced a new leadership structure within its corporate and investment bank as well as the departure of a veteran executive.</p><p/>Unit head Brian Moynihan said he was elevating four leaders to his leadership team, following a change in position announced earlier this year for Tom White, whose job now includes managing the bank's trading of its own holdings. The executives now reporting directly to Moynihan are Mike Meyer, global fixed income; Ciaran O'Kelly, global equities; Bruce Thompson, global capital markets; and George Ellison, global structured products and institutional client management.</p><p/>Moynihan said the move better integrates the unit's products groups with areas that work with clients. Richie Prager, who previously led a group that included foreign exchange products, is leaving the bank.</p><p/>The changes are the latest for a unit that reacted to a slowdown in business last year by cutting jobs and replacing Gene Taylor with Moynihan.</p> http://www.charlotteobserver.com/breaking_news/story/704856.html http://www.charlotteobserver.com/breaking_news/story/704856.html Tue, 08 Jul 2008 17:50 EDT <p/></p><p/> A tree limb fell on a loaded CATS bus on Providence Road, trapping passengers as storms swept through Charlotte during rush hour. </p><p/>No one was reported injured. </p><p/>The limb fell on the front of the bus near Providence Road and Fenton Place, crashing through the windshield. It was unclear if other parts of the bus were hit. </p><p/>Firefighters and police were at the scene and at least one had come onto the bus to see if there were any injuries.</p><p/>Authorities recommend avoiding Providence Road near Queens Road. </p><p/>Mecklenburg, and Iredell counties were under a severe thunderstorm warning until 5:45 p.m. Southern Mecklenburg, Cabarrus, southern Davie, Rowan, Anson, Stanly, Richmond and Montgomery counties are also under a severe thunderstorm warning until 6 p.m. </p><p/>National Weather Service Doppler radar indicated a line of severe thunderstorms capable of producing penny-sized hail and damaging winds in excess of 60 mph. People in the path of this line of severe thunderstorms should be alert for large hail and damaging winds. Frequent lightning and locally heavy rain can occur with any thunderstorm. Seek shelter indoors away from windows and doors until the storm passes. WCNC contributed</p> http://www.charlotteobserver.com/breaking_news/story/704788.html http://www.charlotteobserver.com/breaking_news/story/704788.html Tue, 08 Jul 2008 17:15 EDT <p/></p><p/> Concord and Cabarrus County leaders met in private for about 90 minutes today to work on formalizing their $80 million incentives package for billionaire racetrack owner Bruton Smith.</p><p/>But Concord Mayor Scott Padgett said more meetings are needed, and he hopes to have a legal agreement to present to Smith by the end of the month. After the city, county and Smith agree on the deal, the two government boards plan to make the details public, hold hearings and vote on the package.</p><p/>Last fall, Smith threatened to move his Lowe's Motor Speedway out of Concord following a dispute with the city over his plans to build a drag strip there. In exchange for the incentives, Smith agreed to stay, and move forward with the $60-million drag strip and $200 million in track upgrades.</p><p/>Local leaders were meeting to discuss revenue sources, the structure of the incentives, the projects they would cover and other details. Prior funding talks by local leaders have ranged from seeking legislative approval for a sales tax rate increase to cutting local budgets.</p><p/>Adam Bell: 704-786-2185</p> http://www.charlotteobserver.com/breaking_news/story/704330.html http://www.charlotteobserver.com/breaking_news/story/704330.html Tue, 08 Jul 2008 16:33 EDT Fugitives who turn themselves in at a Columbia church this week can talk to an attorney, see a judge and even get job counseling without having to spend time behind bars.<p/>The U.S. Marshal's Service is bringing its Fugitive Safe Surrender program to Bible Way Church of Atlas Road from Wednesday through Saturday. South Carolina is the 10th stop for the program, which has encouraged more than 13,000 people to turn themselves in since the program began in Cleveland in 2005.<p/>The program brings judges, defense attorneys and prosecutors together so they can all take a look at the case. Most nonviolent offenders should be able to leave the church with a court date and a lawyer. Others may have their charges dropped or a deal worked out after a judge reviews the case.<p/>"There may be a fine, may be community service, but you will probably leave that building without looking at time served," church spokeswoman Nicole Holland said.<p/>Holding the program at a church may make people more comfortable about turning themselves in, said Lexington County Sheriff James Metts.<p/>"A lot of people are afraid to turn themselves in at the sheriff's department for whatever reason," said Metts, who stressed several times this isn't an amnesty program.<p/>Once the program ends Saturday, deputies in both counties will begin a massive sweep for fugitives and those people will be put in jail to awaiting hearings without the additional help being offered by the Fugitive Safe Surrender program, said Richland County Sheriff Leon Lott.<p/>Lott said the program also protects his deputies. "For every fugitive that chooses to voluntarily and peacefully surrender, law enforcement officers and residents face one less potentially dangerous confrontation on the streets," he said.<p/>State Sen. Darrell Jackson said Bible Way Church, where he is a pastor, decided to help out with the program after hearing some of the success stories from other cities. A church in Detroit had more than 6,500 people turn themselves in at a program in June, while similar efforts in Akron, Ohio, Memphis, Tenn., and Phoenix have each brought in more than 1,000 people.<p/>The program includes job counselors and representatives from the state Department of Motor Vehicles because fugitives often avoid renewing driver's licenses or looking for a job because they fear their warrants will be discovered during background checks, Jackson said.<p/>"These people can now get on with their life," the Hopkins Democrat said.<p/>Once the fugitives are processed, the church plans to have people in the parking lot to discuss spiritual matters with them.<p/>"We view the church as more than just a place to go Sunday morning," Jackson said. "It ought to be a haven, a place for people to go to get their lives back on track."<p/>Up to 80 percent of those turning themselves in say having the program at the church made them feel comfortable, said Kent State University professor Dan Flannery, who collects data on the program for the Marshal's Service to review.<p/>"They feel by holding it in a church that it isn't a trick," Flannery said. "You can turn yourself in with some sense of safety and security."<p/>Follow-up studies have found more than 90 percent of fugitives who have to return to court show up, a significant improvement over regular defendants, Flannery said.<p/>And about 20 percent of the people who show up have no warrants out for them at all.<p/>"They have been avoiding working or other things because they are scared to be arrested for no reason," Flannery said. "You actually clear those cases too, because you give them peace of mind." http://www.charlotteobserver.com/breaking_news/story/704407.html http://www.charlotteobserver.com/breaking_news/story/704407.html Tue, 08 Jul 2008 16:18 EDT <p/></p><p/> Cleveland-based KeyCorp today said Thomas Bunn, a former Bank of America Corp. executive, will retire Feb. 28 as vice chairman in charge of national banking businesses. </p><p/>Bunn, who came to the bank in 2002, is fulfilling a goal to retire at 55 to focus on board commitments and other personal interests, the bank said. Before joining Key, Bunn worked at Bank of America for 23 years, serving as head of global debt capital markets in his last position.</p> http://www.charlotteobserver.com/breaking_news/story/704696.html http://www.charlotteobserver.com/breaking_news/story/704696.html Tue, 08 Jul 2008 16:01 EDT <p/></p><p/> Belmont police say alcohol probably contributed to a fight during which one man was stabbed and another beaten in the head with a baseball bat Monday night.</p><p/>The stabbing victim, Aaron Jake Barnes, 31, was listed in serious condition Tuesday afternoon at Carolinas Medical Center.</p><p/>Earlier reports indicated Tony Gunther, 33, was in critical condition at Carolinas Medical Center, but the hospital had no information of his being treated. Gunther told police he had been hit in the head with a baseball bat.</p><p/>Belmont Police Chief David James said officers responded to an assault on Crest Street near West Pecan Street around 11 p.m. on Monday. </p><p/>They went to 31 West Pecan Drive and found Barnes stabbed several times in the chest. Gunther was found on the ground at 24 Crest St.</p><p/>James said it appeared that Barnes, Gunther and Richard Morrow, 43, of Belmont were fighting, but the exact cause hadn't been determined, although alcohol was involved.</p><p/> Morrow was arrested for domestic violence after his girlfriend told police he'd punched her in the eye earlier in the day, James said. No charges have been filed in the assaults.</p><p/>Anyone with information about the incident should call Belmont police at 704-825-3792.</p> http://www.charlotteobserver.com/breaking_news/story/704650.html http://www.charlotteobserver.com/breaking_news/story/704650.html Tue, 08 Jul 2008 15:46 EDT More than two dozen schools losing assistant principals to budget cuts are scattered across Mecklenburg County, from the suburbs to the center city, according to a list released by Charlotte-Mecklenburg Schools today.<p/>CMS announced the cuts on Thursday, but officials said they hadn’t finalized the list of schools that would lose administrators. Today the district named 19 middle schools and seven – or possibly six – high schools that will lose staff.<p/>The cuts don’t necessarily mean layoffs; CMS expects to move all or most of the administrators into open positions, including some created by new schools opening in August.<p/>Middle schools losing assistant principals are Alexander Graham, Bailey, Bradley, Carmel, Cochrane, Coulwood, Crestdale, Eastway, King, Mint Hill, Northeast, Northwest, Northridge, Piedmont, Quail Hollow, Randolph, Robinson, South Charlotte and Southwest.<p/>Ardrey Kell, Berry, Mallard Creek, Providence, South Meck and Waddell high schools will each lose an assistant principal. Harding High would also lose one under the new formulas, which are based on projected enrollment, but officials say they’re still discussing whether to make that cut.<p/>Superintendent Peter Gorman is expected to unveil more cost-saving measures at his news briefing Wednesday. http://www.charlotteobserver.com/breaking_news/story/704520.html http://www.charlotteobserver.com/breaking_news/story/704520.html Tue, 08 Jul 2008 13:42 EDT Town officials this morning called on the Iredell County District Attorney's Office to investigate Police Chief John Crone's Cops for Kids program and ordered an outside audit of the program's finances.<p/>Crone told the Observer this morning that the audit will absolve him of any wrongdoing.<p/>"Any sloppy bookkeeping, I'll accept, but only after an audit comes out," Crone said.<p/>Town commissioners met in closed session for at least four hours Monday night and Tuesday morning before Mayor Bill Thunberg announced a series of steps the town will take in response to questions about the program's finances.<p/>The organization receives tens of thousands of dollars each year through donations and fund-raisers to help foster relations between officers and kids, according to WCNC, the Observer's news partner. The group also sponsors educational field trips and a Christmas party with Santa are part of their mission. <p/>Interim Town Manager Erskine Smith has directed Crone to remove himself from any association with the program, including its financial transactions, Thunberg said.<p/>Smith also has directed that all Cops for Kids records continue to be secured at Town Hall and that the Police Department evidence room be placed under the sole supervision and control of police Maj. Carl Robbins.<p/>Smith is ordering that an inventory of the police evidence room be conducted "to ensure that its integrity is uncompromised," Thunberg said shortly after 1:30 a.m. Tuesday, when the town board returned to open session.<p/>Smith also is initiating an internal investigation conducted by an independent outside party, Thunberg said.<p/>"The Town Board has been advised of this course of action and is adamant that questions be answered and this matter resolved in a timely fashion to preserve the public trust," Thunberg said.<p/>The investigation "It is the directive of the Board that the investigation into this matter be under the supervision and direction of Maia Setzer, the town's director of administration and finance, will supervise and direct the investigation and will keep the board informed of its progress, Thunberg said.<p/>Any disciplinary actions will come from the Town Manager's office, he said.