The family of a UNCW student shot dead by authorities in 2006 has sued the college. The News&Observer broke the lawsuit story today. This ongoing story changed really fast in December 2006 from a kid who got rolled for some PS3s the day the game system went on sale to a suspect in the robbery being shot [...]

By Mike Baker Associated Press RALEIGH - A new poll shows that North Carolina residents believe Democrats will do a better job handling nearly every major issue facing the country — from the economy to energy to education. An Elon University poll released Friday identified only one issue that favors Republicans — the Iraq War. Respondents [...]

The following Op/Ed piece recently appeared in The Daily News: The discovery of the body of a newborn child tossed into a garbage can in the Hubert area has once again brought to light the importance of educating women – teenagers in particular – on the legal protections they have when surrendering an infant they [...]

Eight men in North Carolina, including two area Marines, have been arrested after a year-long Internet child sex sting. An article is about the operation is Online now. Pender County Sheriff Carson Smith talks to the media Thursday about the arrests. He is flanked by Sheriff’s Sgt. Scott Lawson and NCIS Special Agent Wayne Mixon. Lawson was [...]

An update is Online now. The risk of homicide on the first day of life is 10 times greater than at any other time of life, according to the N.C. Department of Health and Human Services. The N.C. Safe surrender law can be read here. One important thing that distinguishes N.C.’s law from other state [...]

John McCain and Sarah Palin slammed the Los Angeles Times of protecting Barack Obama by withholding a videotape him at a 2003 party for a Palestinian-American professor, according to Associated Press.The Republicans say Rashid Khalidi is a former spokesman for the Palestine Liberation Organization. He denies that. Khalidi – a professor of Middle East Studies [...]

The following was contributed by Mike McHugh: Recently, several hard working Daily News employees were told their services were no longer needed. On a dreary fall afternoon, one-by-one they were ushered into the Human Resource office and given their walking papers and an empty box for their personal belongings. Minutes later they were driving home [...]

I just spoke with Dick McNeil who was very happy to say his client has been found not guilty of murder. A FreedomENC photo of Jones and McNeil outside Craven County Courthouse. The jury took a little less than an hour to come back to say Jones was not guilty of two counts of murder in the deaths [...]

The following Op/Ed piece appeared in The Daily News today: Brilliantly, Democrats have kept the issue of guns out of the presidential campaign. Guns have barely been mentioned, with the exception of Barack Obama’s gaffe about rubes clinging to Bibles and guns, his cautious support of the Supreme Courts Heller decision. Democrats have long been [...]

A high-ranking government official confirmed to me tonight that the Marine Corps has approved Christina Laurean’s leave request to visit her husband Cesar Laurean who is in a Mexican jail awaiting word on his extradition. She will travel to Mexico sometime in November. I don’t know the exact dates. I talked with a few local [...]

The article Online about the JPD arresting three more suspects in the recent Western Boulevard area armed robberies has been updated. The alleged armed robbers were foiled by a hair salon owner who chased them from her shop with a knife. The owner of the salon, Chris Teta, is a Filipino who married a Marine and [...]

Two white supremacists allegedly plotted to go on a national killing spree, shooting and decapitating black people and ultimately targeting Democratic presidential candidate Barack Obama, federal authorities told The Associated Press on Monday. This undated MySpace photo shows Daniel Cowart, 20, of Bells, Tenn., holding a rifle. Federal authorities broke up a plot to assassinate [...]

If you are a hot momma voting for Obama and can’t get your McCain man to agree or if you know you’re Right and your spouse is wrong, then The Daily News wants to hear from you. The newspaper is working on an article about families split over the election with die hard voters from [...]

Brad Cooper has been indicted in his wife’s homicide and was arrested for murder today. NC Wanted has a story on it here. News&Observer has an article here.

Sheriff’s Sgt. T.J. Cavanagh talks with a Sandy Oak resident: The taped-off neighborhood:      Photos by Mike McHugh. He also spoke to a neighbor and that will be included in the article I am writing for print tomorrow.

An article is Online now about an arrest made in a series of recent armed robberies in the Western Boulevard area of Jacksonville. On Oct. 18, I blogged that the cops would soon catch the stickup men. Two more arrests are expected soon, probably today. I said the JPD would catch these guys really soon.  [...]

We have a story Online now about the body of a newborn baby being found in a garbage truck in the Hubert area. Read it here. I just got off the phone with the medical examiner and she told me the baby was in such a state of decomposition that it was impossible to tell [...]

Contributed by Mike McHugh: Gallons of black ink and miles of newsprint have been used to describe the actions of the leftist organization, ACORN (Association Community Organizations for Reform Now) during this Presidential election season but few stories have drilled deep into the nut to reveal the root goal of this radical group now currently [...]

Okay, Sometimes I am a jerk and don’t even know it. I mean most times when I’m a jerk, it’s intentional, but this was not one of those times. My oldest brother, Dan lives out in Seattle or somewhere. He stumbled across this blog while looking me up on the Internet to see what I [...]

The Real John McCain? Before casting your vote Nov. 4, ask yourself, “Can we trust the Hanoi Candidate?” What do we really know about John McCain? McCain was a Navy officer in 1967 when the USS Forrestal was almost destroyed by a 24-hour-long fire. Some have said this was an act of Communist sabotage on [...]

On my way out the door I just got a call from Phil Babbitt. Well to be precise, a man who claimed to be Phil Babbitt and whose phone number showed up in my caller ID as Babbitt, Phil. So he says, “You got it all wrong.” I say, “You have to be more specific.” [...]

An article about the county looking to finance the debt for the new jail is Online now. I understand the article I wrote on Sunday upset some officials in the county governemnt because it highlighted the need to raise taxes to pay for the jail.   I bet today’s article really pissed them off. Not [...]

An article about a convicted child sex offender being sentenced to continuous satellite-based monitoring is Online here. I wrote about the Orwellian aspects of monitoring child molesters back July when the governor signed it into law. As the father of five children, I certainly want the government to monitor convicted child sex offenders as much as [...]

Some of y’all said that you would vote for Colin Powell if he were running for president. I asked what you would say when Powell supports Obama. Well, since Powell is now supporting Obama, I ask again, what say you? Powell on “Meet the Press.”

The JPD is looking for two suspects in a string of hold-ups around Jacksonville. These two guys are running toward a central location – the Myrtlewood Circle area – from their targets. The cops will get these guys soon. Just hope it’s before someone gets hurt. View Larger Map                         

While I was surfing WRAL.com today, I came across this article. I remember this case from reading the local newspaper while going to college and working as a night watchman in Sanford. The carrier would deliver the paper at about 4 a.m. every morning to the faucet manufacturing plant I was working at. I looked [...]

WRAL’s Gerald Owens interviewed me about a week ago in reference to the William Miller cold case. The story posted on NC Most Wanted and WRAL‘s Web sites today. The video package includes interviews with Sheriff’s Capt. Rick Sutherland and myself.  ————————————————————-  Also, edited for space in the last cold case article about Court Street – the bludgeoning death [...]

Mary Lauterbach was on the Today Show this morning talking about Cesar Laurean’s extradition appeal. Watch. The Lauterbachs’ lawyer said the “real tragedy of case – this is a murder that could have been avoided; it’s an escape to Mexico that could have been prevented. Those things concern us because there were opportunities that would [...]

My good friend, Dr. Charles Garrett testified during the Vaughn Jones trial today. Read the story here. Defense attorney Dick McNeil has seen two hung juries in this case. State law says the prosecution could go on with retrial after retrial until a jury reaches an unanimous decision. But I don’t know how many times Jones [...]

Sheriff’s Capt. Jon Lewis had to draw on a suspect pulling out a pistol during a narcotics bust Friday. Read the story here. The Sheriff described Lewis’ reaction as “shocked and alarmed” when the suspect pulled out a .40-cal pistol from under his driver’s seat. I’m willing to bet Lewis’ reaction was closer to “pissed off.” Lewis [...]

  Blueline has been taking a close look at the New Hanover County Sheriff’s Department and some of the stuff they have found, if true, is unprofessionally mindboggling. Check it out here. According to a memo from the New Hanover Sheriff (that Blueline has a copy of), each member of the department has to sell or [...]

The Daily News’ Web site has been acting goofy all weekend. So instead of posting a link to an article that appeared in today’s newspaper and is Online somewhere, I used the old cut and paste method (I am feeling old that cut and paste is the “old way” to do something). Here is article: [...]

The Daily News has an article Online about Cesar Laurean fighting extradition back to North Carolina. Read it here. A source within the federal government tells me the Marine Corps has denied requests by Christina Laurean to visit her husband in Mexico. Now that it could more than a year before his return, I wonder whether the Corps will [...]

The Onslow County Sheriff’s Department sent out a press release today about four teens arrested for safecracking and stealing firearms. The newspaper already ran their arrests in the blotter here and here. Brad Lackey, 17, of Bucks Branch Lane in Maysville: Pantelis Mendonis, 18, of Lynchburg Drive in Jacksonville: Torrell Griffin, 18, of Chestnut Court in Jacksonville: And [...]

I caught some flack from some of y’all for not letting you know before hand that I was going to be on Blueline Radio a few weeks ago. So I figured I tell you about this. I will be a guest on the Chicago-based “Justice Interrupted” radio talk show tonight at 11 p.m. EST. We will [...]

Michelle Obama was in town today campaigning for her husband. Did I take pictures? Of course I took pictures. Click on thumbnails for larger photos. Obama speaks to 1,500 supporters at Jacksonville Commons. JFD Fire Marshal John Reed said he estimated there was another 200 people outside that couldn’t get in. JPD Capt. Tim Malfitano checks [...]

Former Brunswick County Sheriff Ron Hewett was sentenced to 16 months in prison today. He pleaded guilty to felony obstruction of justice back in June. Here is the official press release straight from the U.S. Attorney General’s Office: RALEIGH – United States Attorney George E.B. Holding announced that RONALD E. HEWETT, 45, was sentenced in federal [...]

Two Fort Bragg soldiers facing murder charges after police say one hired the other to kill his wife made their first appearance in court today. Fayetteville police charged Army Sgt. Richard Smith, 26, and Pfc. Matthew Kvapil, 18, with first-degree murder and conspiracy to commit murder in the death of Sgt. Christina Smith, 29. Investigators believe Smith hired Kvapil to [...]

The Daily News has an article Online about Hayden’s bond hearing today. Read it here. George Hayden entering the courtroom: NCIS Special Agent Dan Carlin and Onslow County Sheriff’s Capt. Rick Sutherland waiting before the hearing: Senior ADA Mike Maultsby said something in court today I had not heard before. He said Miller was gathering [...]

UPDATE: Thomas Brock, local political guru and news critic, has posted the post about my father that I had to take down. It would probably be inappropriate for me to share the link. So I won’t tell you to take a look at this Web page. Original post: For those of you that know me personally, you [...]

The Freedom Fountain is kaput. Couple of months ago: Yesterday: Today: The fountain had to go to make room for the new jail. BOLD is looking for a new location now.

OK. After a few interesting conversations with JPD detectives, I have a few things to say. No. 1. Some of them seemed to think I was calling them stupid for not knowing the extent of Kozak’s injuries on the Monday his body was found. I was not. Of course they couldn’t tell all the injuries the poor [...]

In a comment to a previous post, Uncle Bill said I refer to a source close to the investigation “in virtually every story you write.” Huh? I have been writing for The Daily News since April 2007. In that time (not counting a repeat of something already published) I have quoted an unnamed source a [...]