TRIANGLE: Man who plead guilty in UNC murder gets life in jail • Page 3A
The Sanford Herald TUESDAY, MAY 25, 2010
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HARNETT
KIWANIS CHILDREN’S PARK
911 tape released in murder, suicide
SPORTS
JACKETS WARY OF RED-HOT APEX TEAM
Brother of man who killed parents, self described gruesome scene to operator
Lee County faces conference foes Apex at 7 tonight at home in the fourth round of the state 4-A baseball playoffs Page 1B
By BILLY BALL bball@sanfordherald.com
ENTERTAINMENT
ASHLEY GARNER/The Sanford Herald
Arriana Ballard spins around and around in the swings at Kiwanis Children’s Park in this Herald file photo.
‘LOST’ FINALE STIRS EVEN MORE QUESTIONS For six seasons, the ABC mystical thriller has kept its audience guessing and arguing as well as entertained. But after the much-awaited finale, criticism and debate went into hyperdrive. Page 9A
New way to play Lee County Parks & Recreation outlines a $27k plan to give Sanford’s kid-friendly park a facelift By BILLY BALL bball@sanfordherald.com
GULF OIL SPILL
FEDS CAN’T STEP IN FOR BP IN CLEAN-UP EFFORT The Obama administration’s point man on the oil spill rejected the notion of removing BP and taking over the crisis Monday, saying the government has neither the company’s expertise nor its deep-sea equipment Page 8A
SANFORD — Kiwanis Children’s Parkplace is getting a facelift this July. Lee County Parks and Recreation Director John Payne outlined a plan Monday for more than $27,000 in upgrades to the aging, kid-friendly park off of Tryon Street. The improvements include replacements for some of the play areas, as well as pyramid-like umbrellas to provide shade and musical equipment that allows children to play with percussion and tones. “That’s our gateway into town,” Payne said. “We want it to look more fresh and exciting.” Payne explained the plan
“That’s our gateway into town. We want it to look more fresh and exciting...Children grew up there playing on that equipment and some of them are old enough to drive cars now”
— John Payne — Director, Lee County Parks & Recreation
at a Lee County Parks and Recreation Commission meeting Monday. He said installation of the new equipment should start in the second week of July. Equipment at the children’s area, part of a larger network of family parks in Sanford, was installed in
1992, Payne said. Parents were vocal of late about urging upgrades for Kiwanis. “Their children grew up there playing on that equipment and some of them are old enough to drive cars now,” Payne said. Payne added that the county will keep some of the more popular play equipment that is in better shape, and transport some of the older items to Buchanan Park on Cameron Drive in southeast Sanford, which is without a children’s play area. The renovation work should also include more than $3,000 in repairs to the tattered fencing surrounding the Kiwanis park. “We’re pretty excited about it,” Payne said.
SPRING LAKE — Harnett County investigators have released a pair of harrowing 911 calls made from the site of an apparent murder-suicide north of Spring Lake Saturday. The calls were made by a Harnett County man and his friend after the man found his parents and his younger brother dead in their home Saturday morning. According to officials with the Harnett County Sheriff’s Office, 22-year-old Richard William David ONLINE Thompson Hear a censhot his parents, 67-year- sored version of the 911 call old James from the scene Thompson of an alleged and 60-yearmurder-suicide old Carolyn by clicking on Thompson, this story at our before turnwebsite. ing the gun sanfordherald.com on himself. All three were reportedly dead by the time they were found Saturday by another son, 37-year-old James Thompson Jr., and his friend, Shannon Thompson, of no relation to the family, at a residence located at 12665 N.C. 210 South. According to the 911 calls, James and Carolyn Thompson were found in separate rooms with gunshot wounds and Richard Thompson was found in a bed with a gunshot wound to the head and a single-barrel shotgun in his hand. “I can’t believe he turned around and killed my ---- parents,” James Thompson Jr. can be
See 911, Page 6A
SOUTH CAROLINA TEA PARTY CANDIDATE FOR GOV. DENIES AFFAIR Tea party favorite Nikki Haley, a Republican candidate for governor, vehemently denied allegations Monday that she had an inappropriate relationship with a political blogger several years ago Page 10A
STATE STATE GOP NOT THRILLED WITH TEA PARTY NOMINEE Republican officials are taking the rare step of trying to derail the campaign of one of their own candidates — a risky move for party leaders trying to harness the power of the tea party movement while not letting it grow beyond their control Page 7A
Vol. 80, No. 121 Serving Lee, Chatham, Harnett and Moore counties in the heart of North Carolina
SMALL BUSINESS WEEK
DRY SPELL BROKEN
Entrepreneurs vital to state’s economy By BOB JOYCE President, Sanford Area Chamber of Commerce
E
very year since 1963, the president has proclaimed National Small Business Week to recognize the contributions of small employers to the economic well-being of our country. Small businesses are major contributors to the strength of our economy. More than half of Americans either own or work for our nation’s 27.2 million small businesses. As the creators of between 60 and 80 percent of new
HAPPENING TODAY n Terry Stoops, director of education studies for the John Locke Foundation, will speak at the Central Carolina Community College Science Building, Room 9106, from 6:30 to 8 p.m. on “Why spending more money is not the answer.” CALENDAR, PAGE 2A
jobs, small employers drive innovation and increase America’s competitiveness. Joyce Successful small businesses come in many different shapes and sizes. From a one person shoe repair shop, accounting firm or insurance office to a multifaceted machine shop with engineers and technicians. Doctors of-
See Business, Page 6A
ASHLEY GARNER/The Sanford Herald
Rain collects on a plant at Kiwanis Park in Sanford Monday. A relatively dry spring has been relieved by storms over the past three days. Rain is expected to remain in the forecast today and returns to Lee County Friday and Saturday.
High: 80 Low: 63
INDEX
More Weather, Page 10A
OBITUARIES
SCOTT MOONEYHAM
Sanford: Gwen McIver; Anne Morgan; Leonard Thomas, 78; Mary Vandermark, 42 Cameron: Robert Pegram Jr., 74
The right is completely wrong on this year’s state budget plan, which cuts taxes
Page 4A
Abby, Graham, Bridge, Sudoku............................. 6B Classifieds ....................... 9B Comics, Crosswords.......... 7B Community calendar .......... 2A Horoscope ........................ 6B Obituaries......................... 5A Opinion ............................ 4A Scoreboard ....................... 4B