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1 person arrested in connection with packages.

David Wright ‏ Verified account @DavidWright_CNN 3m3 minutes ago More Just in: Federal authorities have arrested a man in Florida in connection to the suspected explosive packages, according to multiple law enforcement sources -- @evanperez @ShimonPro @MarkMorales51 @brynnCNN report

The fake news of the day has been disingenuously pretending that any those persons to whom the fake bombs were addressed were in any danger. They were not. Who sends bombs to people who do not open their own mail? As Roger L. Simon wrote, it doesn't matter who built those little fake not-pipe bombs, the intent is clear. The message? See, it isn't only the left that is vicious and violent. The right is violent too! Whoever is guilty of perpetrating this latest stunt is irrelevant; their intent is obvious. Demonstrate that there are lunatics on the right too!...

A 35-year-old man from Mecklenburg County, North Carolina has reportedly spotted a "dinosaur-like, creature in a man-made lake. The man, who wished to remain anonymous, reported his findings to CryptoZoology.com, a website that reports on strange occurences. “I was on a boat with my friends,” the man told the website. “We where near the lakes main channel when we saw something splashing around in the water.” While boating on the man-made Lake Norman, the man, along with several of his friends spotted the creature, describing it as “splashing around in the water." He noted it was around 10-feet-long and reminded...

CHARLOTTE, N.C. - Charlotte-Mecklenburg police supervisors offered prizes to officers who wrote the most traffic tickets during an eight-day period over the July Fourth holiday. Five officers from the department's North Division earned $10 gift certificates to Dick's Sporting Goods, although officials Wednesday couldn't say how many tickets were issued between July 1-8. Police Chief Darrel Stephens and Maj. John Diggs, who oversees the division, said they were not aware of the contest until they were contacted Wednesday by The Charlotte Observer. "I don't think there is anything inherently evil or bad about rewarding officers for putting in extra effort...

CHARLOTTE, N.C. -- A federally funded program will train 10 sheriff's deputies in Mecklenburg County, giving them more power to identify, detain and remove illegal immigrants who go through the jail system. After the four-week course, the deputies will be certified immigration officers. "We, as local officials, can sit around and wring our hands and say, 'I wish someone would do something,'" Sheriff Jim Pendergraph said at a news conference Monday. "We're going to do something, and we're going to try and do our part." The training comes from the U.S. Bureau of Immigration and Customs Enforcement, the largest investigative...

Posted on Fri, Jan. 20, 2006 2 children dead at S.E. Mecklenburg homeSTEVE LYTTLEslyttle@charlotteobserver.com Five-year-old twin girls were found dead Friday afternoon at a home in southeast Mecklenburg County, and police say they are questioning a suspect in connection with the case.The children's mother and older siblings are in seclusion while police continue their investigation.WCNC-TV, the Observer's news partner, reports a man called 911 early Friday afternoon and said he had stabbed his two children.Charlotte-Mecklenburg Police spokesman Keith Bridges would not confirm if the children's father was the suspect being held. He also would not comment on the cause...

RALEIGH, N.C. -- Speaker Jim Black on Friday named 20 House members to a study committee that will examine how the death penalty is carried out in North Carolina. The panel also will recommend possible changes to the law for the General Assembly to consider during its session next spring. Reps. Joe Hackney, D-Orange, and Beverly Earle, D-Mecklenburg, will co-chair the House Select Study Committee on Capital Punishment. (snip) Committee members also plan to consult with representatives of victims and law enforcement during their study, Black's office said. The panel, comprised of 13 Democrats and seven Republicans, will include at...

Rally for America Charlotte, NC * Date: Sunday, March 30, 2003 * Time: 1 PM * Location: Freedom Park, East Blvd, Charlotte NC * Bring your flag, your family, and signs. Come Out and Show Your Support for: * The United States of America * President Bush * U. S. Military * Protection of America * Liberation of Iraq * Defeat of Saddam Hussein Rally will feature patriotic music. We will sign a giant Thank You Card to be sent to our troops. Thank you for your support.

When it comes to District 1 school board candidates, the Republican Party's choice is Larry Gauvreau. The Mecklenburg County GOP's executive committee voted 84-11 Tuesday night [Oct 6, 2005] for Gauvreau, the incumbent, over his challenger, Rhonda Lennon. "I'm glad I got it," said Gauvreau. "I'm not much on endorsements in general, but this one I wanted because the party does match more core values." The GOP decided to endorse candidates in the non-partisan race when it became apparent that in two districts, two Republicans were running against one Democrat. That was in districts 5 and 6. That wasn't the...

Thursday March 10 2005 2 47 am x35 Former N.C. dentist could face assault charges in semen case 3/8/2005 12:38 PM By: Associated Press (CHARLOTTE) - The lawyer for a former Mecklenburg County dentist accused of squirting semen into the mouths of female patients expects a grand jury to charge his client as early as next week. Defense lawyer George Laughrun said he expects misdemeanor counts of assault on a female against Dr. John Hall to go to the grand jury on Monday. Mecklenburg Assistant District Attorney David Maloney confirmed to The Charlotte Observer that he plans to submit seven...

When local Republicans head to the precinct meetings scheduled next week for the Mecklenburg County Republican Party, they might be in for a more raucous affair than usual. Bill Huber has thrown his hat into the ring to challenge current Party Chairman John Aneralla for the key leadership position. Huber said it’s time for the local Republican Party to send a stronger message that resonates traditional Republican principles like low taxes, limited government, and free enterprise. In the wake of November’s election that saw Republicans lose majority control of the board of county commissioners, that message might carry extra weight....

A 31-year-old lesbian Episcopal priest in Charlotte, NC wants to start a ministry for prostitutes. So far, so good.[Kelly] Ayer hopes to open a halfway house in which women could receive medical attention and help with addiction, job skills and mental health issues. Among the issues to be worked through: Studies show that a large number of prostitutes were sexually or physically abused as children, often by family members.Only problem is:The goal would be to serve as a presence for women who don't often have someone good to turn to. The unconditional support of presence, Ayer calls it. There also...

Judge lowers sentence of ex-county Democratic chairman by 17 months. Andrew Reyes, the former Mecklenburg Democratic chairman convicted in one of Charlotte's biggest embezzlements, could be out of prison in May after a federal judge trimmed nearly a year and a half off his sentence. Sources say the reduction is likely due to his cooperation in an ongoing investigation. U.S. Chief District Judge Graham Mullen didn't handle Reyes' case and would not talk about it specifically. But Mullen, asked when federal judges can cut sentences, said: "The only way a judge can reduce a sentence is if the government moves...

More of the cost of Charlotte's light-rail line apparently will be paid from the transit sales tax after the Federal Transit Administration said Friday it will spend no more than $192.9 million on the project. With prices up $38 million in the past few weeks because of higher steel and cement costs, Charlotte hoped the federal government would offer more help. But FTA spokesman Paul Griffo said the department would not commit more money. Increasing the federal contribution would be unfair to other cities that have also seen transit costs rise, Griffo said. The FTA will pay 50 percent of...

James to appear on Fox's 'Hannity & Colmes' Mecklenburg County commissioner Bill James, a Republican, said he has been invited to appear on a live Fox News Channel show to discuss the structure of African American families. James said he will appear at 9 p.m. Tuesday on "Hannity & Colmes." A Republican representing southeastern Mecklenburg, James sparked a furor last month when he said in an e-mail that urban blacks "live in a moral sewer." James later said he could have chosen his words more carefully, and released a 14-point plan he said he hoped could reduce crime, dropout rates...

Blacks offer mixed reaction to James' assertions Not all would disagree, but commissioner is no Bill Cosby, says pastor CRISTINA BOLLING AND KEN GARFIELD Staff Writers Karen Giles is a 35-year-old black single mother from Bill James' district. Was the Mecklenburg County commissioner talking about her when he called the city's urban core "a moral sewer full of promiscuity that leads to illegitimate kids ..."? Giles thinks so. And she's mad. "Tell him to trade places with me for a week, and play catch-up on my bills. See how he likes that," she said. "And show me how he can...

CHARLOTTE, N.C. -- The North Carolina Republican Party said it has received reports that some poll workers are trying to persuade Mecklenburg County voters to vote Democrat. David Turner said it happened to him when he went to cast his early vote at the University City Library. When a poll worker told him how to cast his vote, "she reached over and literally pointed her finger to the Kerry/Edwards ticket,"Turner said Tuesday.

This July 2003 artist's rendering shows the planned Saks Fifth Avenue store. There's a big hole in the ground at the corner of Park and Gleneagles roads in south Charlotte. Developer Dee-Dee Harris wants to fill it with a glitzy Saks Fifth Avenue store -- and public money. In a rambling plea sent this week to city and state officials, Harris asked for unspecified assistance from government. Without help, she said, her $200 million project might collapse. Construction has stalled for nearly three months. Harris' letter notes that low profit expectations have made private money tough to get. "We read...

For education and discussion only. Not for commercial use. Council approves $52.5 million for 16 cars The Charlotte City Council ordered its first batch of light-rail trains Monday night, authorizing $52.5 million for 16 cars. Council members pitched their 10-1 vote as a decision that will limit future congestion and provide a much-needed alternative to automobiles. "This is an investment for a generation," said GOP council member Pat Mumford, who chairs the council's transportation committee. "And we need to prepare today because it will never be a better time than today." The light-rail cars will be built by Siemens Transportation...