Early voting in Mecklenburg County's local elections opened last week and continues through Nov. 2. Voters will cast their ballots in races for Charlotte Mayor and City Council, Charlotte Mecklenburg School Board, small town mayors and town boards and for or against county education and local bonds. Early voting is available this coming week at the county’s Hal Marshall Annex in Charlotte, then beginning Oct. 26 at a total of 15 sites, including libaries and government buildings. Election day is Nov. 5th. More information about early voting is on the county Board of Elections website at MECKBOE.org.
SERVICES MON. FOR SAM SPENCER, COLLEGE PRESIDENT
A memorial service is scheduled in Davidson Monday afternoon for Samuel Spencer Jr., the former president of Davidson and Mary Baldwin Colleges. Spencer died Wednesday at age 94. He led Davidson’s conversion from an all-male college to a co-educational institution and also pushed for the admission of minority students. He also reformed the college’s exclusionary fraternity system and raised the value of its endowment. Services are Monday at 2:30pm at Davidson College Presbyterian Church. (See an obituary on our news partner, DavidsonNews.net.)
DRIVER DIES IN EASTWAY CRASH
A 28-year-old driver died Saturday afternoon after he struck another car head-on in a crash on Eastway Drive in Charlotte. Police say Ramon Bonilla was turning his 1992 Honda Civic from Shamrock Drive onto Northbound Eastway Drive when he struck a 2001 BMW X5 that was coming south toward him. Police say it appears Bonilla was speeding. It’s not known if alcohol was a factor as well. Bonilla was pronounced dead at the scene. A backseat passenger in his car was seriously injured when he was thrown through the windshield. The driver of the BMW had only minor injuries.
POLICE SAY MAN KILLED 2 WOMEN WITH HIS CAR
A Rock Hill man has been charged with murder after police say he used his car to run down and kill two women in his neighborhood Friday night. The Rock Hill Herald reports that 34-year-old Joshua Grose has been charged with two counts of murder, attempted murder and grand larceny. Police are continuing their investigation into the incident which happened after 6pm Friday. One of the women lived in the river Pines subdivision, around the corner from Grose’s house. The newspaper said the man has past convictions for DUI and drugs. He was jailed awaiting an appearance in court.
FURNITURE MARKET REBOUND?
The head of the High Point Market Authority is hoping that a recovery the furniture market saw last spring will continue into the fall. CEO Tom ConleytoldThe News & Recordof Greensboro he's looking for signs of improvement at the market, which opened Saturday and continues through Thursday. An analyst will present a report Sunday on the furniture industry, and it’s expected to show a "much improved" selling environment because of higher employment, low mortgage rates and rising home sales. The market attracts more than 75,000 people to High Point for its twice-a-year shows and is open only to those who work in the furniture industry.
2-YEAR DIES OF GUNSHOT AFTER FINDING GUN
Fayetteville police say a 2-year-old girl has died after finding a loaded handgun inside a home. Police say they found the child when they responded Saturday afternoon to a call about a shooting. They say the girl found the loaded handgun, which then discharged and struck her. The girl was taken to Cape Fear Valley Medical Center, where she died.
PROJECT RUNWAY CONTEST TO KEEP TEACHING
A Raleigh man who was a finalist on TV’s "Project Runway" says he plans to keep teaching at N.C. State University as he designs a fall-winter collection for 2014. Justin LeBlanc, the reality show's first deaf contestant, finished third in the finale Thursday on the Lifetime network. He wouldn't have gotten past the sixth episode, when the judges eliminated him, except that mentor Tim Gunn used his save to keep LeBlanc in the competition. It was the first season that Gunn had a save, and LeBlanc said he had forgotten about it. In an email with The Associated Press, he said thought he was leaving the show. LeBlanc says when the drama got too intense in the show, he would remove his cochlear implant so he wouldn't be able to hear what was going on.
AT THE BEACH, YOU'RE ON SECURITY CAM
If you go to the beach in South Carolina these days, you might be on TV … well … on security cameras. The towns of Surfside Beach and Pawleys Island have installed surveillance cameras to improve safety and assist police investigations. Myrtle Beach has had cameras for several years, primarily on Ocean Boulevard. Five cameras were installed in Surfside Beach last week at cost of almost $19,000. The town's officers will soon have access to them at the precinct and from patrol cars. Pawleys Island police Chief Mike Fanning says that town started using a new camera system in late September. It cost about $35,000.