The Charlotte Bobcats are in the NBA playoffs for only the second time in their 10-year history. It took an overtime victory in Cleveland last night. Al Jefferson scored 24 points, including seven in overtime, as the Bobcats beat the Cavaliers, 96 to 94. The win pushed the Bobcats over the 500 mark, with 39 wins and 38 losses. They’re now in seventh place in the Eastern Conference. Playoff tickets go on sale Monday at 10am.
MAN CHARGED WITH WEST CHARLOTTE MURDER
Police charged a 70-year-old man with murder in the shooting death of a woman on his west Charlotte street Saturday afternoon. Police were called to Seymour Drive, off Morris Field Road, around 1:25pm, where they found 51-year-old Diane Burns lying in the street with fatal gunshot wounds. Suspect Joe Willie Maddox barricaded himself in his home nearby. He surrendered when a SWAT team arrived. Maddox is at Mecklenburg County Jail facing charges of murder and possession of a firearm by a felon. Police are still investigating what happened, but said Maddox and Burns knew one another.
$10,000 REWARD OFFERED IN DUMPING INVESTIGATION
Charlotte police are offering a 10,000 dollar reward for help finding who has been illegally dumping potentially harmful PCBs into waterways leading to local water treatment plants in recent months. On Friday, Charlotte Mecklenburg Utilities reported that PCB contaminated wastewater had been discovered at the McAlpine Creek Wastewater Treatment Plant – the county’s largest. That follows previous discoveries at other plants. Officials say a multi-agency criminal task force is investigating. Anyone with information is asked to call Crime Stoppers at 704-334-1600.
DAVIDSON MENTAL HEALTH HOSPITAL OPENS
After more than three years of planning and construction, Carolinas HealthCare System will admit the first patients Monday at its new $36 million Behavioral Health hospital in Davidson. Our news partner DavidsonNews.net reports the 66-bed hospital will fill a gap in short-term inpatient mental health treatment in the region. As many as a quarter of adults has some form of diagnosable mental illness, and about 1 in 17 have serious conditions. As the Charlotte area’s population has grown in recent years, mental health treatment facilities have not kept pace. In some cases, patients are waiting in hospital emergency rooms until beds open. On Monday, the first 26 patients will arrive, completely filling beds in two of the new hospital’s three units. Treatment will be for adults in crisis because of acute psychiatric conditions, from depression and anxiety to post-traumatic stress and schizophrenia. The hospital will not treat sex offenders or more violent cases and it will not offer substance abuse detox services.
NC CENTRAL PRESIDENT INSTALLED
After nearly one year on the job, Debra Saunders-White has been installed as the 11th chancellor of N.C. Central University. Her mother, son and daughter stood alongside Saunders-White Friday as she was sworn in as the first woman to become permanent chancellor at NCCU.
500 JOBS COMING TO HIGH POINT
A customer service company in High Point is getting ready to add hundreds of jobs. APAC Customer Services says it plans to hire up to 500 full-time workers by July 31. The company said the hiring is the result of a contract with an unnamed major telecommunications client. The workers will provide customer service and sales support at the High Point center.
STEWART WINS POLE AT TEXAS
This afternoon, NASCAR’s Sprint Cup is at Texas Motor Speedway, where Tony Stewart beat out Brad Keselowski for the pole position. Stewart clocked 195.454 miles per hour to grab the top starting spot. He hasn’t been on the pole since 2012.
