Web Run

Felony death charge reinstated in crash
[Mar. 9, 2005] The N.C. Highway Patrol has reinstated a felony death by vehicle charge against a Pittsboro man who allegedly was drunk when he crashed his truck into an oncoming vehicle Saturday night, killing its driver. Bonita Ray Cumbie, 54, of Bowman Bare Road, Pittsboro, died in the accident on N.C. 87 about a mile north of Pittsboro about 9:30 p.m. James Daniel Lovingood, 37, of 921 Elmer Keck Road, Pittsboro, was charged with felony death by vehicle Tuesday night. He also faces charges of felony hit and run and driving left of center. By WEB RUN - Herald-Sun

Chatham ex-deputy wins suit on firing
[Mar. 9, 2005] A jury decided Wednesday that former Chatham County Sheriff Ike Gray wrongfully fired a deputy who tried to report racism by a high school principal and took an informant to the FBI about missing marijuana. The jury awarded former deputy Dan Phillips $101,754 after spending about five hours going through a set of questions on the verdict sheet that asked them to determine why Gray fired him and whether Gray acted with malice or corruptly when he did. On each question, the jury ruled in Phillips' favor. By WEB RUN - Herald-Sun

Jury gets case vs. former sheriff
[Mar. 9, 2005] Did former Chatham County sheriff Ike Gray act with malice or in a corrupt manner when he fired deputy Dan Phillips in January 2001? That is the question a Chatham County jury will likely decide today in a civil lawsuit in which Phillips is suing Gray for wrongfully firing him. After a day of attorney arguments and the judge's instructions on the law, jury members got the case late Tuesday afternoon, but only deliberated for about 40 minutes before deciding to go home for the day. They are scheduled to return at 9:30 a.m. today to resume deliberations. By WEB RUN - Herald-Sun

Troopers want DWI charge reinstated in fatal wreck
[Mar. 8, 2005] North Carolina State Highway Patrol troopers are trying to get a drunken driving charge reinstated against the suspect of a weekend wreck that killed a woman. A Chatham County magistrate dismissed the driving while intoxicated charge against James Lovingood, 37, of Pittsboro, for a lack of probable cause.
Lovingood was arrested Saturday and charged in connection with a Friday night wreck in which a truck collided head-on with a Dodge Caravan on North Carolina Highway 87 at Chicken Bridge Road. The accident killed Bonita Cumbie, who was driving the minivan, authorities said. The truck overturned following impact, and the driver climbed out and fled the scene on foot, authorities said. A search involving dogs and a helicopter led to Lovingood's arrest about six hours later. By WEB RUN - NBC17

Chatham looks at needs, growth
[Mar. 8, 2005] Chatham County is looking at approximately $152 million in upcoming capital projects, including more than $103 million for school projects. But commissioner Mike Cross has concerns about how residential development is going to pay for county needs. While not calling for a full moratorium on residential development, Cross would favor limiting the number of homes per development, for a period of time, while organizing and addressing concerns. He notes that he has no desire to restrain local developers, builders or real estate professionals' ability to do business, "but I think it's time for this discussion." By WEB RUN - Sanford Herald

Chatham commissioner eyes slowing down development
[Mar. 8, 2005] One Chatham commissioner is proposing a limit on any more residential growth so the county can prepare for what's already coming. Commissioner Mike Cross listed about two dozen county needs on Monday that must be attended to before new developments are improved, including a $103 million school bond request, a reworking of the Compact Communities Ordinance and worrisomely low water and sewer capacities in some areas. Noting that Chatham has some 22 developments being built, approved or ready for approval and upwards of 9,000 homes on the way, Cross said he wants to step back and consider how the county will deal with the growth spurt. By WEB RUN - Herald-Sun

Ex-Chatham sheriff denies accusations
[Mar. 8, 2005] Former Chatham County Sheriff Ike Gray said he wasn't upset that Dan Phillips took an informant to the FBI and was not involved in any way in the school system's controversy over racism at a high school. Gray took the stand in his defense Monday in a civil trial in which former deputy Dan Phillips is suing him for wrongfully firing him in January 2001, just a month and a half after Gray was appointed sheriff of Chatham County. Phillips claims that Gray fired him for being a whistle-blower in two controversial Chatham County events in 2000 and 2001. One was the theft of 5,000 pounds of marijuana that the sheriff's office had seized in a February 2000 raid. The other was allegations of racism at Chatham Central High School among students and Principal Buddy Fowler. By WEB RUN - Herald-Sun

2nd-graders learn scientific concept of matter
[Mar. 7, 2005] Second-graders don't learn just reading and math skills. Through simple experiments, the students begin to explore the world of science. They learn about controls, hypotheses and conclusions -- without really using those words. Then they experiment, watching as simple reactions happen before their eyes. "What have we been learning about?" Perry Harrison teacher Matthew Monette asked his students on a recent afternoon. By WEB RUN - Herald-Sun

Club to talk environment with Chatham leaders
[Mar. 6, 2005] Chapel Hill - A local grassroots environmental group is taking Chatham leaders to TV this week, questioning them about how the county's rapid development will affect neighboring Orange County. Two Chatham commissioners and leaders of two slow-growth groups will meet with Sierra Club members Wednesday to discuss the traffic, air pollution and water problems they say will be paired with the growth. The discussion will air at 7:30 p.m. on public access television. It will be filmed live at the Chapel Hill Town Council chambers. By WEB RUN - Herald-Sun

James Lovingood charged in fatal hit-and-run
[Mar. 6, 2005] Authorities in Chatham County caught up with a man they say was intoxicated when he caused a fatal wreck Friday night near Pittsboro, then fled the scene. At 4 a.m. Saturday, authorities found suspect James Daniel Lovingood, 37, at his home at 921 Elmer Keck Road in Pittsboro. Lovingood faces seven charges, including accusations of driving while impaired, causing the wreck that killed Bonita Ray Cumbie, 53, of Pittsboro, having several open beer cans in his truck and fleeing the scene of an accident. Cumbie, of 415 Bowman Bare Road in Pittsboro, was driving home from a meeting for a cancer fund-raiser, friends said. She was heading north on N.C. 87 about 9:30 p.m. and had just passed the intersection of N.C. 87 and Chicken Bridge Road. That's when a 1974 Dodge truck driven by Lovingood came into a curve too fast and hit the front driver's side of Cumbie's Dodge Caravan head-on. Cumbie was pronounced dead and the driver of the truck, now overturned in a ditch, was nowhere to be found. By WEB RUN - N&O

32 vie for post as Chatham school superintendent
[Mar. 5, 2005] With 32 candidates competing for the position, the Chatham County school board is moving forward with its search for a new superintendent. The current head of the district's schools, Larry Mabe, plans to retire this June. The board is slated to interview a select group of the candidates during closed sessions this weekend. The board began searching for a superintendent last fall, soon after Mabe announced he planned to retire. Mabe has been superintendent of the Chatham system, which has 15 schools and 7,300 students, since 1994. He came to the district in 1974 as the principal of J.S. Waters School in Goldston. In 1979, he became the principal of Northwood High School, and in 1984, he moved to the central office. By WEB RUN - Herald-Sun

Testimony paints harsh picture
[Mar. 5, 2005] Testimony in the wrongful termination lawsuit filed by a former Chatham County sheriff's deputy painted a portrait of an organization that quashed dissent in the ranks and retaliated against those who spoke out against wrongdoing. Former Sgt. Dan Phillips is suing former Sheriff Ike Gray for wrongful termination. Phillips contends he was fired in 2001 for alerting the FBI about the theft of marijuana from the old county landfill. Phillips also contends he was fired because of his attempt to expose racism in the Chatham County schools. By WEB RUN - N&O

BOE chairman running for sheriff
[Mar. 4, 2005] Allan "Ziggy" Zimmerman, chairman of the Chatham County Board of Education, has announced that he will run for sheriff in 2006. The position is currently held by Richard Webster, who is serving in his first term. Zimmerman, of Goldston, was in law enforcement for 25 years and retired from the N.C. Highway Patrol. By WEB RUN - Sanford Herald

Problems must be dealt with
[Mar. 4, 2005] It's interesting to see that Lee County schools aren't the only ones in need of more buildings. The Chatham County Board of Education has shared its list of needs to county commissioners - to the tune of almost $90 million. And that's if the projects were to start today. The projected three-year escalated cost is more than $103 million. By WEB RUN - Sanford Herald