Lawson Creek Boat Ramp Closed
Craven
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7/3/2009 |
New Bern's 4th of July fireworks will be launched from a different spot this year, and that has some people who like to watch from the water struggling to make arrangements.
Construction on broad street has moved this year's fireworks from Union Point Park to Lawson Creek Park. Now many boaters don't know where to launch their crafts.
The Lawson Creek boat launch will be closed from 11:00 p.m. Friday until 11:00 p.m. Saturday.
There are a couple of options for boaters who still plan on hitting the water. People can still launch for free at either Union Point Park or Glenburnie Park.
Organizers say closing the boat ramp is the safest option for everyone, and it may help avoid a major traffic jam on Broad Street.
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Gov. Palin to Step Down
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7/3/2009 |
Not only has Sarah Palin decided not to run for re-election as Alaska governor, she has decided to leave office at the end of this month. It is adding to speculation that she is going to focus on a run
for the White House in 2012.
The surprise announcement was made at Palin's home in Wasila. The former GOP vice presidential candidate says she will step down
on July 26, but she is not announcing her plans after that.
In a statement released by her office, Palin says once she made
the decision not to seek re-election, she also decided that if she
were to "embrace the conventional Lame Duck status," it would
amount to "another dose of politics as usual." She said that is something she "campaigned against and will
always oppose."
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Afghanistan Offensive
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7/3/2009 |
The British are announcing the death of the most senior U.K. officer to have died in combat in Afghanistan.
A roadside bomb killed the officer this week in the area where Marines are moving into villages in Taliban strongholds. The
Marines are still meeting little resistance on the second day of
the operation, but one Marine was killed yesterday.
In the country's east today, the deputy governor of Paktia
province says a roadside bomb has killed three Afghans and a
foreigner working on a road construction project.
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Mother Remembers Son
Onslow
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7/3/2009 |
Mary and Brian Wheat are celebrating their wedding anniversary, but they're still dealing with the grief of losing a child.
Their son, Specialist Robert Bittiker, was killed Monday when his humvee hit an IED in Iraq.
"This is his second tour in Iraq and we kind of though this would be the easiest tour with things kind of winding down," Mary Wheat said.
She says she found out about the accident while watching TV.
"And then they continued to say that four soldiers had been killed when an IED struck their humvee -- or when their humvee ran over an IED. And I remember thinking, gosh, I feel bad for those families."
45 Minutes later, Mary found out that she was one of those families.
"I opened the door and first thing I saw was the chaplain's cross and I just said, I know why you're here, come in."
Three other Eastern Carolina men died in the attack with Spc. Bittiker. Sgt. Roger Adams Junior of Jacksonville, Sgt. First Class Edward Kramer of Wilmington, and Sgt. Carlos Baldeosingh of Newport were all in the humvee.
The four men were part of Company A with the 120th Combined Arms Battalion headquartered in Jacksonville. All four have received numerous awards and medals, including the Purple Heart and Bronze Star.
Mary Wheat says she has some peace knowing her son died for his country, and will honor him this Independence Day.
"We're going to go watch the fireworks tomorrow night from the Marine Cafe boat. We kind of think some good ol' American patriotism would be good for us tomorrow night." |
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Man Accused of Raping Child
Pitt
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7/3/2009 |
21-year-old Jubante Stevenson is charged with first degree rape after police say he sexually assaulted a 4-year-old child. Friend, and roomate, Danielle Meners says the man's innocent because he loves kids.
after an police investigation authorities tell us the child contracted a sexually transmitted disease from the suspect. The Greenville Police Department is not releasing specifics due to the nature of the case and the victim but when News Channel 12 spoke with neighbor, Nettie Sprueill, the news caught her off guard. She said the whole thing is hard to believe.
Meners says the man has a 2-year-old daughter and believes someone wrongly reported him to social services. Meanwhile, there's no word on how Stevenson knows the alleged victim or if the child is a boy or girl. For now, the man's friend says his family will stand behind him. |
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Pentagon Confirms Guard Deaths
Eastern NC
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7/3/2009 |
The Pentagon confirms tragic news for our military community. The four soldiers killed in Iraq earlier this week are National Guardsmen from eastern North Carolina.
They were assigned to the 120th Combined Arms Battalion in Wilmington.
Sgt. Juan Carlos Baldeosingh of Newport, Sgt. Roger L. Adams, Jr. of Jacksonville, Spc. Robert Bittiker of Jacksonville, and Sgt. 1st Class Edward C. Kramer of Wilmington were killed on Monday when an improvised explosive device went off near their vehicle in Baghdad.
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Man Accused of Raping Child
Pitt
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7/3/2009 |
A man is behind bars under a $1 million bond, for allegedly raping a 4-year-old.
Greenville police arrested 21-year-old Jubonte Stevenson, after getting word from the Department of Social Services.
During the investigation, it was discovered that the 4-year-old was raped, and had contracted a sexually transmitted disease.
Stevenson is being held in the Pitt County Detention Center. |
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Marine Drowns in Quarry
Pender
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7/3/2009 |
A Camp Lejeune Marine has died after drowning in an abandoned quarry.
Demorion Bryant was swimming last weekend with friends at the old quarry in Maple Hill in Pender County.
Bryant went under the water and never came back up. Rescue divers found his body in about 20 feet of water. |
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Update: Victim Identified
Pamlico
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7/2/2009 |
NewsChannel 12 has learned the name of the victim in Thursday night's fatal wreck on Highway 55 in Pamlico County.
Highway Patrolman say 80-year-old Estelle Dixon Hodges was killed when a garbage truck slammed into her vehicle.
Highway patrolman say the woman was traveling east on Highway 55, as a garbage truck turned off of Keystown road in Grantsboro. Troopers say the garbage truck was turning left on Highway 55 and failed to yield. The woman died on impact.
Officers don't believe speed was a factor in this wreck.
We're told the driver of the truck is Swanne Felton Jr. of Newport. He has not been charged.
Felton was treated and released from the hospital, and will now have to take a drug and alcohol test, which is part of his company's policy.
Highway patrol says they do not suspect drugs or alcohol to be a factor.
That garbage truck belongs to Waste Industries of Raleigh.
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Greenville Double Murder
Pitt
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7/2/2009 |
Crime Stoppers are offering a $10,000 reward for information leading to the arrest of a double murder suspect.
James Earl Richardson is accused in a drive-by shooting early Tuesday morning that killed two innocent bystanders, Drew Kirby and Landon Blackley. Police say Richardson has family in Raleigh, Durham, Greensboro, Charlotte, and Atlanta, and could be in any of those places, or still in our area. He is considered armed and dangerous.
Meanwhile, the Medical Examiner's Office has confirmed the causes of death of Blackley and Kirby. They both suffered gunshot wounds to the chest. A death certificate reports Kirby was also shot in the arm. ECU student Landon Blackley was shot once in the chest.
A local civil rights group fears race retaliation in the wake of the shooting. Members of the Southern Christian Leadership Conference spoke out Thursday morning, saying some neighbors in the black community fear a white retaliation.
President Rufus Huggins says threatening internet blogs have surfaced. Members are calling on the city to spill the truth about the ongoing investigation, and its reasons for accusing suspect James Richardson.
"You got a segment of the white community that is trying to make a racial issue out of it, and you got a group going back to the 50s and 60s wondering if this is going to happen now, what happened back then?" says Rufus Huggins, with SCLC, Pitt County.
The Greenville Police Department says it has no comment, and that it is focused on the investigation. |
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Man Sentenced For Murder
Onslow
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7/2/2009 |
At least 12 years, that's how long an Onslow County man will spend in prison, for committing murder.
Jay Oldaker was sentenced this afternoon to 12 to 16 years. He pled guilty to second degree murder in the 2008 beating death of Michael Kozak.
Two co-defendants, Dustin Newcome and Jason Blackmon, also pled guilty to the crime. |
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Local Soldier Killed in Iraq
Onslow
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7/2/2009 |
A deep sense of duty. That's how friends describe Juan Carlos Baldeosingh, and his drive to serve the Army National Guard after getting out of the Marines.
A commitment that didn't waver when he was deployed to Iraq three months ago.
"I knew the dangers that he would be putting himself in and I spoke to him about that. But I also understood that he had a sense of duty, honor and country that was unwavering," said co-worker John Lee.
Baldeosingh used to patrol the halls of Carteret General Hospital every day with Stephon Gaskill. Now Gaskill wears a black band over his badge to remember his friend who was killed in action Monday in Iraq.
"He worked dayshift so he worked with me everyday, we ate lunch together everyday," Gaskill said. "When he left I didn't want him to leave, I knew what he was facing."
Gaskill says Baldeosingh was always smiling. That smile would get even bigger when he talked about his three young daughters and wife Rebecca.
"It's going to be hard forever. He was a good guy, and a very close friend," Gaskill said.
A memorial service is planned for Monday at 2:30 pm in the hospital cafeteria. |
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Extreme Makeover Family Update
Martin
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7/2/2009 |
The Cooper family made their tv debut on the ABC hit show "Extreme Makeover: Home Edition".
They say so many people gave back to them, now they want to help give back to the environment.
They're doing it by putting a wind turbine in their front yard.
The inside of the Cooper's 24 hundred square foot log cabin is also green.
The Cooper's say the new wind turbine will cut their energy costs and help the environment.
Jeff Cooper says, ''Some people have asked us why would you want something like that in your front yard, things of that nature, but you have to think about the future. We have to think about the future of our grandchildren.''
The Cooper's also plan to add solar panels to their house.
If you missed their appearance on Extreme Makeover: Home Edition, you're in luck.
It will be rebroadcast this Sunday at 8pm, here on NewsChannel 12.
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Outlook Positive For Corn Crop
Eastern NC
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7/2/2009 |
Farmers say the sign of a good corn crop is "Knee high by the 4th of July".
If that's the case, we're in for some good yields this season.
Ag experts say we're in much better shape than last year and if we continue to get some good rains, the corn yields could be double what they were in 2008.
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No Money For Easley
Eastern NC
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7/2/2009 |
North Carolina State University's top official says the school doesn't have enough money to pay a settlement to former first lady Mary Easley.
Easley is appealing her contract termination by the university. She had a five-year contract worth $850,000 to run a speaker series and create a public safety leadership center.
The News & Observer of Raleigh reports that interim Chancellor Jim Woodward says Easley certainly knew that her husband, former Governor Mike Easley, pushed officials to hire her.
A former N.C. State chancellor and provost have resigned amid disclosures about the job.
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Unsolved Cases Task Force
Edgecombe
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7/2/2009 |
A task force is looking into the killings of five women whose bodies have been found in the past four years.
Edgecombe County Sheriff James Knight says the five cases of women found since 2005, remain unsolved. The latest discovery was Monday by a farm worker. The remains were found near Rocky Mount.
Knight says the State Bureau of Investigation, the District Attorney and Rocky Mounty Police are all involved in the case. The sheriff wouldn't say if the cases are related.
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Soldier From East Killed
Carteret
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7/2/2009 |
A solider from the east is killed in Iraq.
Army National Guard Sergeant Carlos Baldeosingh was killed in action on Monday. He's from Morehead City, and worked as a member of the Safety and Security Team at Carteret General Hospital.
He leaves behind a wife and three daughters. |
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Big Rock Charity Money
Carteret
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7/2/2009 |
The winners of The Big Rock Tournament in Morehead City have already walked away with their prize money. But now, several local charities are getting a cut of the action.
This year, The Big Rock Tournament gave out more than $90,000, to 14 local charities. The biggest recipient was the Newport Developmental Center, which helps kids with severe disabilities. It got a check worth $20,000 dollars. |
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Holiday Travel Down
Eastern NC
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7/2/2009 |
For the second straight year, Fourth of July travel is down across the state.
AAA Carolinas says road travel is expected to be down nearly 3 percent, even though gas prices have been decreasing over the past two weeks.
A gallon of regular gas is now averaging about $2.61 across the state. The agency blames the poor economy, and job losses for the decline. |
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Police: Man Kills Roommate
Onslow
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7/2/2009 |
A Camp Lejeune Marine is behind bars, accused of shooting his roommate in the head.
Jacksonville police say 21-year-old Michael Everett Smith shot his roommate 19-year-old Bryan Thorkelson Wednesday night at their home on Bridgewater Court.
Investigators say Thorkelson was in the kitchen area, showing off a handgun to a group of friends, when Smith grabbed the gun and shot him.
NewsChannel 12 has confirmed that Smith is a lance corporal in the Marine Corps, assigned to the 2nd Marine Division at Camp Lejeune.
He is being held in the Onslow County Jail with no bond.
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