ENTERTAINMENT: FOX may be chomping at the bits for O’Brien • Page 13A
The Sunday Herald SANFORDHERALD.COM • $1.50
SUNDAY, JANUARY 10, 2010
SUNDAYQUICKREAD SPORTS
YOUR MONEY
Stores press for fee help Kangaroo, others say swipe fees inevitably passed on to consumers owners, petitions are showing up on counters across the area asking customers to support an effort to lower credit and debit card swiping fees. When a credit or debit card is used in a transaction, swipe fees are charged by
By CAITLIN MULLEN cmullen@sanfordherald.com
FIFTH-RANKED DUKE FALLS TO GEORGIA TECH ON THE ROAD Gani Lawal scored 21 points, including a crucial shot with just over a minute remaining, and No. 20 Georgia Tech bounced back from a dismal loss with a 71-67 upset of the fifth-ranked Blue Devils on Saturday to avoid an 0-2 start in conference play Page 1B
SANFORD — Local convenience stores are hoping for customer support in fighting credit card fees. As part of a nationwide effort by convenience store
the cardholder’s bank to the retailer’s bank and passed on to the retailer, according to the National Association of Convenience Stores, which includes more than 10,000 retailers.
ONLINE n For more information, go to www.fightswipefees.com or www. nacsonline.com.
See Fees, Page 8A
LEE COUNTY HIGH SCHOOL
BLIZZARD WIZARD
NATION
SENATE LEADER REID APOLOGIZES FOR 2008 CAMPAIGN REMARK Senate Democratic leader Harry Reid apologized on Saturday for saying Barack Obama should seek — and could win — the White House because Obama was a “light skinned” African-American “with no Negro dialect, unless he wanted to have one” Page 11A
WORLD
ASHLEY GARNER/The Sanford Herald
Daniel Lewis, 15, checks the pressure on the snow machine he built outside of his home in Sanford on Friday. Lexis hopes to one day make snow on a ski slope.
Only snow in Sanford Friday came from sophomore’s snow machine By CAITLIN MULLEN cmullen@sanfordherald.com
CIA BOMBER TAPE CONFIRMS PAKISTAN TALIBAN INVOLVED In a video broadcast after his death, the Jordanian suicide bomber who killed seven CIA employees sits cross-legged on the floor next to the new chief of the Pakistani Taliban, confirming the group was behind the brazen attack in eastern Afghanistan Page 14A
STATE PRIEST ARRESTED FOR MOLESTATION A Catholic priest in North Carolina has been charged with molesting a boy in Brunswick County. Multiple media outlets report that the Rev. Edgar Sepulveda of Beulaville was arrested Friday and charged with second-degree sexual offense and sexual battery Page 9A
LIFESTYLES COMPANY USES PRESIDENT AS PITCHMAN IN BILLBOARD A larger-than-life President Barack Obama became a presidential pitchman Wednesday on a Times Square billboard that used his photo without permission Page 8B
Vol. 80, No. 8 Serving Lee, Chatham, Harnett and Moore counties in the heart of North Carolina
SANFORD — It may not have snowed elsewhere in Sanford, but some of the white stuff can be found in Daniel Lewis’ front yard. Lewis, a 15-year-old sophomore at Lee County High School, built his own snow machine using
plywood, hoses and an air compressor. The teen, who’s a big fan of skiing, said he’s always had an interest in snow and found plans to make the machine on the Internet. On Friday afternoon, an inch or two of snow covered a portion of the front yard, which took Lewis four to five hours of running the
snow machine each night since Jan. 3. “I wanted somehow to make it snow,” he said. Lewis said he was “very disappointed” that it didn’t snow Thursday night as weather reports predicted it might. The rain that ended up coming through actu-
See Snow, Page 5A
“The chance to be able to play in snow in the South is a rarity, so they really enjoyed themselves.” — JENNIFER DECOCK — Neighbor of Daniel Lewis, whose snow machine has been a hit with her children
ECONOMIC ANALYSIS
D.A.’S OFFICE
What happened in 2009?
Progam to help victims of bad checks
By BOB JOYCE Sanford Area Chamber of Commerce
I
n Lee County, our unemployment rate 12 months ago was 10.1 percent. Today, 13.6 percent of our workforce, which numbers just over 25,800, is looking for a job. Joyce During the past year, more people were out of work in Lee County than
HAPPENING TUESDAY n Rehearsals for Lee County Community Orchestra will resume from 6:30 to 9 p.m. in the Music Room at Lee County High School, located at 1708 Nash St. Call 7764628 for more information. New musicians are welcome. CALENDAR, PAGE 2A
Take with
5
Bob Joyce
Chamber President at any time in the last 35 years. Since December of 2008, $36.7 million in unemployment benefits have been paid in Lee County … $45.5 in Harnett County. (Imagine where our citizens and merchants would be
without this benefit.) Construction and manufacturing jobs were the hardest hit areas of our local economy; however, our community remains a leader in North Carolina in the percentage of people in high-wage factory jobs. Retail sales declined during the year although detailed statistics are not yet available for the Christmas season. Most analysts believe that when final figures are in, we will see a modest one percent growth
See Economy, Page 8A
High: 38 Low: 17
By GORDON ANDERSON anderson@sanfordherald.com
SANFORD — District Attorney Susan Doyle has announced a new program that helps victims in worthless check cases receive their money and offenders to pay their debts without facing criminal punishment. The program only recently
See Checks, Page 5A
INDEX
More Weather, Page 14A
OBITUARIES
BILLY LIGGETT
Sanford: Alvis Goldston, 68; Frank Jackson Sr., 81; Darrell Keeter, 57; Goldree Hughes, 79; Warren Wicker, 61; Bobby J. McKendell, 67
The editor talks television, including Conan O’Brien’s short life on “Tonight Show”
Page 6A
Abby, Graham, Bridge, Sudoku............................. 6B Business .......................... 9B Classifieds ..................... 11B Sunday Crossword ............ 7C Community calendar .......... 2A Horoscope ........................ 6B Obituaries......................... 5A Opinion ..........................6-7A Scoreboard ....................... 4B