MASTERS: Chairman publicly scolds Tiger for his behavior • Page 1B
The Sanford Herald THURSDAY, APRIL 8, 2010
SANFORDHERALD.COM • 50 CENTS
CSI:
QUICKREAD SPORTS
GOVERNMENT
MADE EASIER IN LEE CO. JACKETS, CAVS REHEAT RIVALRY ON DIAMOND
Chairman asks if county is ‘getting its money’s worth’
Lee County softball coach Miles McCaskill hopes that tonight’s battle with cross-town foe Southern Lee goes a lot smoother than Wednesday’s game against Fuquay-Varina
By CAITLIN MULLEN cmullen@sanfordherald.com
Page 1B
MINE COLLAPSE
DANGEROUS GASES HALT RESCUE EFFORTS Two full days after the worst U.S. mining disaster in a generation, dangerous gases underground prevented rescuers Wednesday from venturing into the Upper Big Branch coal mine to search for any survivors of the explosion that killed at least 25 workers
ASHLEY GARNER/The Sanford Herald
Certified Crime Scene Investigator Sgt. Matt Rosser demonstrates how fingerprints are analyzed with the county’s new Automated Fingerprint Identification System on Wednesday.
The new gadgets look and sound ‘cool,’ but they’re also helping track criminals quicker By BILLY BALL
“(People) want to see what they see on TV and they expect that ... We’ve come a long way.”
ball@sanfordherald.com
Page 8A
TOYOTA RECALL COMPANY OFFICIAL: ‘WE NEED TO COME CLEAN’
Five days before Toyota announced a massive recall, a U.S. executive at the company wrote in an internal e-mail: “We need to come clean” about accelerator problems, according to documents obtained by The Associated Press Page 10A
STATE DNA KEY IN MURDER TRIAL ARGUMENTS Prosecutors contended Wednesday that science finally caught up to a soldier accused of killing a mother and her two daughters 25 years ago in their North Carolina home Page 7A
ENTERTAINMENT VH1 CHANGING TONE OF BLACK REALITY SHOWS VH-1, the cable network synonymous with “Flavor of Love” and its sleazy spin-offs, is trading trampiness for fabulousness with a new slate of series starring well-adjusted rich and famous black Americans Page 9A
TO INFORM, CHALLENGE AND CELEBRATE
Vol. 80, No. 81 Serving Lee, Chatham, Harnett and Moore counties in the heart of North Carolina
County wants a stronger EDC
SANFORD — It was last May, and the Lee County Sheriff’s Office was searching for a pair of robbers. A Broadway man had reported a break-in at his mobile home. Someone had shattered the man’s windows and looted his home. Investigators discovered two sets of fingerprints on broken glass at the home. A computer scan courtesy of the Automated Fingerprint Identification System pointed to two Sanford men with previous run-ins with the law — Stewart James Tyner and Christopher Shane Brown.
— Capt. Jeff Johnson — Lee County Sheriff’s Office
Within days, Tyner and Brown, both of whom would eventually plead guilty, were in custody. A few weeks earlier, this process might have taken months of waiting for State Bureau of Investigation lab results. The AFIS, brought online
in February 2009, is just one of a handful of new crime scene investigation, or CSI, tools employed by the Lee County Sheriff’s Office, which has been the beneficiary of more than $65,000 in federal grants for just this purpose. The point? Bringing Lee County investigators better tools and, oh well, at least some of the nifty gadgets employed on CBS’ popular “CSI” franchise. People “want to see what they see on TV and they expect that,” said Capt. Jeff Johnson, chief detective at the Lee County Sheriff’s Office.
SANFORD — The Lee County Board of Commissioners is looking to revamp the Lee County Economic Development Corporation’s business plan and see the LCEDC take a more aggressive approach to attracting businesses in today’s economy. The board discussed ways to make the LCEDC more effective at Monday’s meeting. No action was YOUR taken, but THOUGHTS the comShould the missioners county government agreed that Lee County take the reins and be more aggresshould be doing more sive in attracting companies? E-mail to bring Editor Billy Liggett business to at bliggett@santhe area. fordherald.com to “We all share your opinion. need to be a lot more aggressive than we’re being right now,” said Commissioner Amy Dalrymple at the meeting. “I think ultimately the responsibility lies with us.” The issue stemmed from the commissioners’ retreat held March 15, when board members talked about improving the economic development outlook in the county. LCEDC Executive Director Bob Heuts said they’re in “waitand-see mode” but said he’s open to any possible changes the county would like the see.
See CSI, Page 6A
See EDC, Page 6A
LCHS
SANFORD
Company picked to handle school renovation
Truck fire causes $40K in damage By BILLY BALL ball@sanfordherald.com
By CAITLIN MULLEN cmullen@sanfordherald.com
SANFORD — Local contractor American South General Contractor will handle the multi-million dollar renovation and construction project at Lee County High School. At the bid opening Wednesday afternoon at the Heins Education Building, the lowest bid opened by project architect Jimmy Hite was American South’s, at $20,479,000. The company
See LCHS, Page 6A
HAPPENING TODAY n The Council For Effective Actions & Decisions will host a candidates forum in the upstairs courtroom of the old Lee County Courthouse on S. Horner Boulevard. The forum will begin at 7 p.m. and conclude by 9 p.m. CALENDAR, PAGE 2A
ASHLEY GARNER/The Sanford Herald
Firefighters and law enforcement officials investigate the scene of a truck trailer fire Wednesday morning on U.S. 421 South near Frontier Spinning in Sanford.
High: 82 Low: 53
SANFORD — No one was hurt in a commercial truck fire in northwest Sanford Wednesday morning, but the blaze did more than $40,000 in damage to a tractor trailer, according to the Sanford Fire Department. The truck, which was carrying plants and flowers for Huntersville-based Metrolina Greenhouses, sparked when the brakes on its back wheels locked, generating enough heat to spark a fire, said Capt. Tommy Holder
See Fire, Page 3A
INDEX
More Weather, Page 10A
OBITUARIES
SCOTT MOONEYHAM
Sanford: Edna Brogden, 89; Ed Cox, 80; Berene McLeod, 79; Jerry Quick, 62 Anderson Creek: Steven Equils Angier: Donald LJoliet, 82
North Carolina lost out on “Race to the Top” funds because of charter school cap
Page 4A
Abby, Graham, Bridge, Sudoku............................. 6B Classifieds ....................... 8B Comics, Crosswords.......... 7B Community calendar .......... 2A Horoscope ........................ 6B Obituaries......................... 5A Opinion ............................ 4A Scoreboard ....................... 4B