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The Sanford Herald TUESDAY, JULY 27, 2010
SANFORDHERALD.COM • 50 CENTS
HARNETT COUNTY
CCCC
Boy dies after lake accident
Powell to step down as chairman
Five-year-old flown to Chapel Hill Sunday after rescuers pulled him from water By BILLY BALL bball@sanfordherald.com
SANFORD — A 5-year-old Sanford boy died Monday nearly 24 hours after being pulled from the water at Caro-
lina Lakes in Harnett County. Elijah Caddick was flown to UNC Hospitals in Chapel Hill from Central Carolina Hospital in Sanford following the accident, which occurred around 2 p.m. Sunday. The
Harnett County Sheriff’s Office, Benhaven EMS and Spout Springs Fire Department responded after receiving reports of a possible drowning. According to the sheriff’s office, Caddick had been
playing in the water when he disappeared at a birthday party that included children and adults at the lake. He was eventually found unconscious
See Drowning, Page 6A
SUMMERTIME SCORCHER
Head of Board of Trustees served for past 16 years By KATHERINE McDONALD Special to The Herald
WESLEY BEESON/ The Sanford Herald
Kids gather at O.T. Sloan Pool in Sanford on Monday afternoon, their reward for completing more than 16 hours of reading during the “making a splash” summer reading program sponsored by the Lee County Library.
EVEN THE LOWS ARE HIGH Summer has brought record-breaking temperatures By ALEXA MILAN amilan@sanfordherald.com
SANFORD — The central North Carolina heat continued to climb to record-breaking temperatures last weekend portions of The Triangle reached 102 degrees Sunday. The area’s previous record high for July 25 was set in 1949 at 98 degrees. Sunday also broke the all-time record for the high-
QUICKREAD
est low temperature at 80 degrees. Meteorologist Darin Figurskey of the National Weather Service Raleigh office said the previous all-time high minimum temperature was 79 degrees, a record that was only set on Saturday. “Based on 66 years of records at RDU, there has never been a low of 80 degrees or warmer until now,” Figurskey said. Sanford faced similar tem-
peratures last weekend, with a scorching high of 100 degrees and a low of 80 degrees on Sunday. Figurskey attributes the heat to an upper level high pressure system that has been anchored over the Southeast throughout the summer. But he said he doesn’t foresee any triple-digit temperatures this week, and by the weekend the heat should cool down to a
See Heat, Page 3A
A COOLER FORECAST Sanford has seen triple digits four times in the past two weeks. A cool front will bring a welcome break this week: TODAY
High: 89 Low: 75 WEDNESDAY
High: 93 Low: 73
CRIME
Man arrested for kidnapping girlfriend By BILLY BALL bball@sanfordherald.com
EMBATTLED BP CEO TO STEP DOWN SOON BP CEO Tony Hayward will step down in October and be offered a job in Russia
SANFORD — Local law enforcement arrested a Sanford man this weekend after they say he kidnapped his girlfriend and held her at gunpoint. Police charged Brandon Gerard Gray, 30, of 547 Forestwood Park Road in Sanford, following reports from Gray’s father Sunday that he was holding his girlfriend at
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Vol. 80, No. 175 Serving Lee, Chatham, Harnett and Moore counties in the heart of North Carolina
gunpoint and threatening to kill her. Gray’s father reported the incident at his Forestwood Park Gray residence, but the man and his girlfriend had left before deputies arrived, the Lee County Sheriff’s Office said. Sanford police stopped Gray later Sunday after depu-
ties notified area law enforcement personnel to be on the lookout for Gray’s vehicle. Capt. Jeff Johnson of the Sheriff’s Office said officers found Gray’s girlfriend, 36year-old Nartarsha Alston of Sanford, unharmed in the vehicle. Johnson said officers found Gray’s pistol in the vehicle’s glove compartment. He said some of Alston’s
See Kidnap, Page 6A
SANFORD — Bobby Powell will step down from his chairmanship of the Central Carolina Community College Board of Trustees Wednesday after serving the maximum of four one-year terms allowed by the board’s bylaws. Powell has served in that position since July 2006, when the other board members first elected him as the chairman. He said he plans to continue serving as a board member, as he has done Powell for 16 years. “It has been an honor and a privilege to serve as chairman,” Powell said. “It was humbling that the rest of the board members wanted me to serve four terms. I plan to keep serving on the board as long as I know I’m being effective.” All community college
See Powell, Page 6A
CAPITOL LETTER
Perdue keeps options open for revenues Governor interested in privatizing parts of state’s ABC system By GARY D. ROBERTSON Associated Press Writer
RALEIGH — A day after Gov. Beverly Perdue signed into law a bill banning video sweepstakes games, she suggested she’d listen to proposals to legalize video poker again in North Carolina. And after Perdue signed a bill designed to reform the state Alcoholic Beverage Control system, she said she still was interested in Perdue privatizing parts of the liquor system, although the idea was panned before this year’s session began. An outside evaluation of the system is moving ahead.
See Perdue, Page 6A
ON WEDNESDAY
OBITUARIES
INDEX
n Sanford Jobseekers will meet at First Baptist Church from 8:30 to 10:30 a.m. for a time of networking, support and encouragement. This week’s meeting will focus on tweaking that resume so bring along a copy of your recent resume. For questions, call 776-6137.
Sanford: Mary Clegg, 86; Elizabeth Lawrence, 87; Wiley Thomas, 74 Cameron: Ted Nance Sr., 74 Carthage: Beulah Ferrell, 83 High Falls: Sue Lucas, 96 Pittsboro: Prestone Page, 76 Obituaries, Page 5A
Abby, Graham, Bridge, Sudoku............................. 6B Classifieds ........................ xx Comics, Crosswords.......... 7B Community calendar ...........XA Horoscope ........................ 6B Obituaries......................... 5A Opinion ............................ 4A Scoreboard ....................... 4B
SCOTT MOONEYHAM Should a candidate really tout how much money he or she raises?
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