SPORTS: Former Yellow Jacket enjoys new role as mentor • Page 1B
The Sanford Herald TUESDAY, MARCH 23, 2010
SANFORDHERALD.COM • 50 CENTS
SOUTHERN LEE FOOTBALL
COURTS
Head coach vacancy at SLHS?
Key pleads guilty to murders of father, boy
Principal says listing on jobs site ‘cautionary;’ Puryear says he’s not leaving By ALEX PODLOGAR alexp@sanfordherald.com
SANFORD — Might there be more drama in the ongoing saga that is the Southern Lee football program? Maybe. Maybe not.
In another twist for a program that has been through its fair share of ordeals since the resignation of inaugural coach Bryan Lee three years ago, a posting for a vacant head football coach appeared on the state’s school
jobs online board on Monday morning. But Southern Lee Principal Bonnie Almond called the posting, which lists a hiring date of Aug. 17, 2010,
Cavaliers head football coach Eric Puryear was 0-10 in his first year at Southern Lee. The Cavs were 1-9 the prior year.
See Coach, Page 7A
QUICKREAD
DELTA RHO SPELLING BEE
HEALTH CARE
Trinity trifecta
By BILLY LIGGETT bliggett@sanfordherald.com
SANFORD — The man accused of killing his father in 2008 and an 11-year-old Sanford boy in 2004 pleaded guilty to both murders Monday in Lee County Superior Court. Kevin Lance Key, 28, was sentenced to two life sentences without parole Monday for the Key deaths of his father, Eddie Leroy Key, who was shot and killed in his home in October 2008; and Bradley Way, the fifth-grader who was found beaten to death in 2004 after
OBAMA TO SIGN BILL, THEN HIT THE ROAD
President Barack Obama is poised to sign the landmark health care bill ushering in near-universal medical coverage for the first time in the nation’s history — and then he’ll hit the road to resume selling it to a reluctant public
See Murder, Page 7A
GOP VOWS TO CONTINUE FIGHTING TO THE END
In a last stand against a newly passed health care overhaul, opponents are trying everything they can to stop it from becoming the law of the land
ETHERIDGE EXPLAINS WHY HE VOTED ‘YES’
U.S. Rep. Bob Etheridge, who represents the state’s 2nd District, says the bill “will save lives and save money for our families, our businesses and our nation” Complete coverage, Page 8A
HAITI RELIEF
BUSH, CLINTON VISIT DEMOLISHED CAPITAL Former Presidents George W. Bush and Bill Clinton toured Haiti’s rubble-filled capital Monday to raise aid and investment for a country still reeling from a devastating Jan. 12 earthquake Page 10A
LOCAL
ASHLEY GARNER/The Sanford Herald
Barb Hruby, (from left) Christine Hilliard, and Becky Garrett work together during the annual Delta Rho spelling bee held on Monday at the Dennis A. Wicker Civic Center.
Church wins annual bee for 3rd straight year By CAITLIN MULLEN cmullen@sanfordherald.com
SANFORD — Kendra Martin’s Word of the Day calendar led the Trinity Lutheran Church-Reformer team to a third year of success at the Beginning Life With Books Spelling Bee Monday. Thirty-one teams competed in the 11th annual bee Monday night at the Dennis A. Wicker Civic Center, and after 39 words, the Trinity team won for the third year
See Spelling, Page 6A
The U.S. 421 Sanford Bypass will be the 10,000th American Recovery and Reinvestment Act project according to V.P. Biden Page 3A
Vol. 80, No. 67
cmullen@sanfordherald.com
Jeremy Currim (left) and Gene Garner from Progress Energy share a laugh as one of their balloons is popped after misspelling a word on Monday at the Dennis A. Wicker Civic Center.
Police: Suspect in Food Lion robbery also knocked off Papa John’s last week
Serving Lee, Chatham, Harnett and Moore counties in the heart of North Carolina
SANFORD — The man who attempted to rob a Food Lion store Friday also was charged with the robbery of Papa John’s Pizza. Charles Dauan Miller, 34, of 1007 James St. in Sanford was arrested and charged with one count of robbery
n The Republican Party of Lee County’s annual precinct meetings and convention will be held at 6 p.m. at Carolina Trace Country Club. For more information, contact Linda Shook at 775-5557.
CALENDAR, PAGE 2A
County’s job news a silver lining By CAITLIN MULLEN
CRIME
HAPPENING TODAY
ECONOMY
Lee only county in state without spike in unemployment
From staff reports
BYPASS TO BE HISTORIC
Man admitted to helping in boy’s 2004 murder after 2008 arrest for killing his father
with a dangerous weapon and two counts of second degree kidnapping for the incident at Papa John’s. On March 14, Miller allegedly took money from employees of Papa John’s Pizza, 722 S. Horner Blvd., by threatening the use of a handgun.
See Robbery, Page 7A
SANFORD — Lee County’s unemployment rate stayed the same from December to January, and local economic leaders said things could be looking up for the county. Of North Carolina’s 100 counties, Lee County was the only one that didn’t see unemployment rise in January. The number remained at 14.6 percent. Bob Heuts, director of the Lee County Economic Development Corporation, said he’s encouraged that the number stayed the same from December to January. “The trend right now is good,
Miller
High: 64 Low: 40
See Jobs, Page 6A
INDEX
More Weather, Page 10A
OBITUARIES
SCOTT MOONEYHAM
Sanford: J.B. Cook; Johnnie Gunter, 82; Helen Hall, 98; Ida Hilliard, 86; Edward Judd, 69; Robert Malone; John Pechota, 89; Roberts Stroud, 72
Politicians once believed in pay-as-you-go wars, not borrow-as-you-go wars
Page 4A
Abby, Graham, Bridge, Sudoku............................. 6B Classifieds ....................... 8B Comics, Crosswords.......... 7B Community calendar .......... 2A Horoscope ........................ 6B Obituaries......................... 5A Opinion ............................ 4A Scoreboard ....................... 4B