CHILI COOKOFF: Thomasville contest puts taste buds to test. 1B
HIGH POINT – The president of the International Home Furnishings Center is seeking to dismiss a lawsuit filed against him earlier this year for breach of contract and unfair business practices by his former employer, Merchandise Mart Properties Inc. Tom Mitchell became the top
executive of the IHFC in the summer of 2008 after spending 10 years with Merchandise Mart Properties in High Point. In July, Mitchell Merchandise Mart Properties filed a civil lawsuit against Mitchell in Guilford County Superior Court, accusing him of breaking an
SECOND CHANCE: Wake Forest welcomes another shot at Pack. 1C
50 Cents Daily $1 Sundays
employment contract. Merchandise Mart Properties argues that Mitchell infringed on the terms of the contract by recruiting furniture showroom tenants from Merchandise Mart Properties buildings after Mitchell took the job at IHFC. The IHFC and Merchandise Mart Properties are the top two furniture showroom building operators in High Point. The lawsuit
doesn’t name IHFC as a defendant, only Mitchell. In a 13-page answer filed with the court Thursday, Mitchell’s attorney argues that Merchandise Mart Properties doesn’t make “a claim upon which relief can be granted, including, without limitation, any claim for punitive damages or for unfair or decep-
LAWSUIT, 2A
BY PAT KIMBROUGH ENTERPRISE STAFF WRITER
taurants between North Carolina and New York. “The economy is bad, so people can come into the pizzeria to eat and bring their families.” New York and gourmet style pizzas will be offered as well as sandwiches, salads and pasta dishes. “We believe in the combination of more than 50 years of experience between us, and we look forward to serving people,” Basile said. Looz opened Elizabeth’s Pizza in 1982 and Mama Mia’s Italian Restaurant in 2005. The pizzeria will be open 10:30 a.m.-10 p.m. Monday through Thursday, 10:30 a.m.-11 p.m. Friday and Saturday and 11 a.m.-10 p.m. Sunday.
HIGH POINT – Two people have been sentenced to prison after pleading guilty in connection with a fatal home-invasion robbery. Reco Terren Baskins and Christopher Nathaniel Little are the second and third of four co-defendants in the Dec. 18, 2007, shooting death of Jermaine Quentine Collins to have their cases resolved in court. Baskins and Little, both of High Point, each pleaded guilty to second-degree murder, robbery with a dangerous weapon, kidnapping and burglary. Baskins, 20, was sentenced to a minimum of 23 years and a maximum of 30 years in prison, while Little, also 20, received a prison term of at least 13 years and eight months. Baskins Their cases followed the August trial of Floyd Calvin Cody, who was the first person convicted in the case. A Little jury found him guilty of first-degree murder, and he was sentenced to life in prison. Cody, Baskins and Little broke into 511 Jeanette Ave. in a plan to rob Collins, 28, who lived at the residence with his girlfriend and son, according to prosecutors. Baskins allegedly shot Collins, and the perpetrators stole electronics and Christmas presents. They fled in a white pickup truck driven by the fourth co-defendant, Emmanuel Charles Sellers. Baskins, who testified against Cody, and Little initially faced first-degree murder charges before agreements were reached allowing them to plead to lesser offenses. The murder charges were initially capital, but prosecutors later elected not to seek the death penalty against any of the defendants. The only case yet to be disposed of is that of Sellers, 25, of Thomasville, who remains in the Guilford County Jail in High Point under no bond.
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pkimbrough@hpe.com | 888-3531
DON DAVIS JR. | HPE
Party’s over High Point’s final Ilderton Beach Music Blast of the year was complete with a pirate, “Capt. Jim” Light (above) and his parrot Max, who impressed Billye Tillman on Thursday. At right, The Embers closed out the series. All proceeds go to the Children’s Home Society of North Carolina and to revitalize the downtown area.
DON DAVIS JR. | HPE
High Point restaurant owner expands to Wallburg BY PAM HAYNES ENTERPRISE STAFF WRITER
DON DAVIS JR. | HPE
A new Mama Mia’s restaurant is under construction at the intersection of N.C. 109 and Gumtree Road. casual than fine dining.” Tony Basile, general manager of the restaurants, said the new building, totaling 2,800 square feet, will seat between 80-90 people. He said the pizzeria would be a combination of items served at Mama
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Two sentenced in 2007 murder
WALLBURG – The owner of two High Point restaurants soon will expand his business into the Wallburg area. Salvatore Looz, owner of Mama Mia’s Italian Restaurant on 701 Whittier Ave. and Elizabeth’s Pizza on 2505 Westchester Drive, will open Mama Mia’s Pizzeria in Wallburg. The restaurant is under construction in the Food Lion Plaza at the intersection of N.C. 109 and Gumtree Road, next to Wendy’s. It is scheduled for completion in late winter 2009 or early 2010, Looz said. “The area is centrally located to High Point, Wallburg and WinstonSalem,” he said. “This restaurant will be more
October 2, 2009
FREE CAR: United Way of Greater High Point selects finalists. 2A
IHFC president seeks dimissal of lawsuit BY PAUL B. JOHNSON ENTERPRISE STAFF WRITER
FRIDAY
Mia’s and Elizabeth’s Pizza in High Point, but it would target workingclass diners with its atmosphere and prices. “Our main goal at this restaurant is to serve working people like ourselves,” said Basile, who has owned seven res-
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WHO’S NEWS
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Lauren Erin Brown was hired as assistant professor of U.S. history in the Department of History at High Point University. Brown is currently teaching abroad in Moscow at the Russian State University for the Humanities, where she is a Fulbright Scholar.
INSIDE
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FALL CELEBRATION: Festival set in Asheboro on Saturday. 1B OBITUARIES
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Raymond Deal Jr., 80 Vada Dennis, 97 Patricia Ellington, 77 Jerome Hutchins Sr., 86 Gertrude Jarvis, 91 Grady Lain Sr., 88 Robert McKeithan, 38 Mozelle Owens, 68 Harriet Page, 52 Charles Warde, 69 Lee York, 64 Obituaries, 2B
WEATHER
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Mostly sunny High 76, Low 57 6C
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