A search continued Sunday for a 39-year-old Charlotte woman who disappeared last week on her way back from Knoxville, Tenn. Holly Fischer was last seen by her father in Knoxville on Monday.
Authorities said she used her bank card at a convenience store off I-40 East of Knoxville, and a check of mobile phone records shows she used her phone in Ashe County, on the Blue Ridge Parkway. And WCNC-TV reported Sunday that she last used her phone Monday near north Wilkesboro.
The Ashe County Sheriff's Department and other local police and rescue squads have been searching in recent days with help from a North Carolina Highway Patrol helicopter. They’ve been looking for Fischer’s 2004 silver Infinity FX35 with the NC registration plate XYH-6678, according to an Ashe County Sheriff's Department report.
Fischer is described as a white female, 5-feet 10 inches tall, about 140 pounds, and was last seen wearing a white blouse, denim shorts, and sandals. Friends and family were planning to search Sunday morning near north Wilkesboro, not far from a family condo.
ZEEKREWARDS INVESTORS SOUGHT
Investors who profited from a $600 million Ponzi scheme in North Carolina are being urged to contact a federal court-appointed receiver immediately - or face possible legal action. Receiver Kenneth Bell initially told investors who made money from Lexington-based online company ZeekRewards that they had until May 31 to contact his office to negotiate a settlement. Bell says he doesn't know exactly how many responded by Friday's deadline. But he’s still willing to negotiate with those who call soon. About 1 million investors put money into ZeekRewards, which authorities call one of the largest Ponzi schemes in U.S. history. The mastermind, 66-year-old Paul Burks, has not been charged with a crime, but agreed to pay a $4 million penalty.
S.C. LAWMAKERS HAVE WORK TO DO
South Carolina's legislative session is supposed to end this week. Yet all the reform measures that legislators of both parties and chambers called top priorities back in January remain undone. And there's no state budget yet for the fiscal year that starts July 1. What happens this week will determine whether voters will have to wait until 2014 for reforms to the state's ethics and election laws. A bill revamping the oversight of agencies' computer security is certain to carry over. Legislators will call a special session to finish work on the budget, and possibly other priority items.
FORECLOSURE SCHEMES CRACKED
Authorities nationwide have broken up schemes that allegedly fixed foreclosure auctions, including in North Carolina. More than four dozen real estate speculators and two companies in three states have been charged. Investigators say the would-be buyers worked together - appointing just one person to bid on each property, thus securing the "winning" bid. Minutes later, they would then conduct an auction among themselves, often on the same courthouse steps, and split the difference in the price. Most cases originated in California. Other rings also were broken up in Raleigh and in Mobile, Ala.
S. MECK WINS TITLE
South Mecklenburg High won its first state baseball championship since 1989 yesterday with a come-from-behind 7 to 4 victory over Fuquay-Varina. The final game victory followed a 2-1 afternoon game in which South Meck scored twice in the seventh inning to pull out the win.