Alaska Gov. Sarah Palin says she will resign from office July 26.

Her spokesman wouldn't say why Palin decided to step down, but the announcement stirred speculation that she would focus on a bid for the 2012 Republican nomination for president.

STAFF REPORTS

DENVER, NC – Webb’s Chapel United Methodist Church in Denver, NC will hold their 2nd Annual All American July 4th Breakfast this year beginning at 7:00 a.m. and will serve breakfast until 11:00 a.m.

The church is located at 4640 Webb’s Chapel Church Road in Denver. Their phone number is 704-483-9434 should you need directions or further information.

The delicious breakfast will consist of country ham, bacon, livermush, homemade buiscuits, eggs, hashbrowns, grits, sausage gravy, fruit, pastries, coffee and juice.

STAFF REPORTS

LINCOLNTON - Daniels Lutheran Church, 3290 Reepsville Road, Lincolnton will worship in Whisnant Chapel at Lutheridge Camp in Arden, NC on Sunday, July 26 at 10:30 am.

A picnic lunch will follow in the Lakeside Lodge at Lutheridge.

A signup sheet will be in the Daniels narthex for those who can transport someone who does not wish to drive.

There will be a brief chapel service at 10:30 am in the Daniels sanctuary for those unable to travel. The loose offering will be given to Lutheridge/Lutherock to support their ministries.

The Washington Post asked lobbyists and business leaders to pay $25,000 to attend a dinner discussion with government officials and journalists at the home of its publisher, and then canceled the event after the invitations became public.

The newspaper's executive editor, Marcus Brauchli, said Thursday that no one in the newsroom had vetted the invitation and its journalists would not participate.

By Jeff Mixon

RALEIGH - Latest efforts by North Carolina leftists to mainstream homosexual lifestyles succeeded this week in the North Carolina General Assembly. Senate Bill 526 was sold to lawmakers under the pretense of stopping bullies in our schools. Under the guise of standing up for victimized children, the bill’s advocates successfully convinced the narrowest majority to include sexual orientation for the first time in a state statute.

Misleadingly titled the “School Violence Prevention Act,” the bill began its journey during the last legislative session. Despite passing the House during the 2007 long session, the bill languished in the Senate and was never passed into law.

By John Hood

RALEIGH - North Carolina is experiencing something unprecedented in modern times: an unpopular first-term governor.

I’d have worded the statement even more forcefully – that North Carolina hasn’t had an truly unpopular governor in recent memory – if you were reading this column a couple of years ago. But then came the implosion of former Gov. Mike Easley. During 2007 and 2008, Easley’s political fortunes took a massive turn for the worse, thanks to revelations about a mismanaged reform initiative in mental health, his frequent practice of making personal trips on the taxpayers’ dime, his disdain for the state’s public records laws, and his wife’s costly overseas travel and “job” at North Carolina State University.

By the end of his second term, Mike Easley was one of the least-popular governors in the United States. The putrid aroma emanating from the Governor’s Mansion was a major handicap for the Democrat seeking to replace Easley, Beverly Perdue. That she just barely won against Republican Pat McCrory in one of the most pro-Democratic election cycles in decades can be attributed in large measure to the failures of her predecessor.

STAFF REPORTS

LINCOLNTON - The following listing represents incident and arrest reports from the Lincoln County Sheriff’s Office.

This listing does not necessarily mean anyone at the listed address was accused of any crime, only that a report was made at that location. Also, it is advisable to understand that many people may have the same or similar names.

Local law enforcement asks that anyone with information about any of these incidents or to report a crime call CrimeStoppers at (704) 736-8909. CrimeStoppers allows you to remain anonymous and pays up to $1,000 for information that leads to an arrest.

Incident reports are brought to you by Helms Security, Inc. in Lincolnton. Follow update “tweets” on Twitter at http://www.twitter.com/helmssecurity .

INCIDENTS
2009-04362
Breaking & Entering, 1st Degree Burglary
Assigned: Detective Hutchens
Location: 7557 Treefarm Rd.
Victim: Matthew Lawrence
Suspect entered residence
Date Reported: June 29, 2009
District C

The question of when and where a public memorial service will be held for Michael Jackson has finally been answered. But how city officials will handle the likelihood of a massive crowd remains to be settled.

A public memorial for the late singer has been set for 10 a.m. Tuesday at the Staples Center in downtown Los Angeles, according to a press release from the office of the Jackson family's publicist. A press conference to announce further details was planned for Friday.

LONDON (Reuters) - World stocks fell on Friday after a disappointing U.S. jobs report and a sluggish euro zone services sector survey reinforced expectations that the process of recovery in the global economy would be long and slow.

U.S. employers cut far more jobs than expected last month and the unemployment rate hit 9.5 percent, the highest in nearly 26 years.

While analysts caution that jobs data is a lagging indicator and unemployment can still rise when the economy is turning around, it was enough to prompt investors to reduce their risk assets especially before a long weekend in the United States.

The top Republican on the Senate committee that will consider Sonia Sotomayor's Supreme Court nomination says a Puerto Rican civil rights group's papers could shed light on her judicial approach, particularly her view of racial preferences in hiring.

White House Counsel Greg Craig, however, told Sen. Jeff Sessions, R-Ala., in a letter that board meeting minutes and other papers detailing the Puerto Rican Legal Defense and Education Fund's activities while Sotomayor was an outside adviser shouldn't impact her nomination because she had no role in writing or approving them.

Profile America — Friday, July 3rd. A number of special months are being celebrated in July — three of them just naturally go together. It’s not only National Grilling Month, but also National Hot Dog Month and National Ice Cream Month. Whether we call them frankfurters — noting their German origin, weiners, or just plain hot dogs, we love them. This coming July Fourth weekend, Americans are expected to eat 150 million hot dogs — enough to stretch five times from Los Angeles to Washington, D.C. And when it comes to ice cream, we especially love the cold treat during the summer, but eat it all year long. From plain old vanilla to maple walnut swirl, each of us consumes an average of nearly 25 pounds of frozen dairy products annually.

By Jason Saine & Melany Dawn Crouse

LINCOLNTON - It's not surprising. People are crowding Fox's Fish Camp in this, the restaurants final week of serving local's favorite fish and hush puppies.

There were no parking spaces available in the parking lot and diners were forced to park along the road side just to get a spot in line.

Local people are certainly going to miss Fox's Fish Camp.

On Wednesday, there was a line waiting for carry outs, a line waiting to pay, and the phone was constantly ringing for orders.

News of the impending closing of the business circulated on Sunday evening after employees were told on Saturday night that this would be the final week of operation.

The news traveled fast after reports. Fans of the restaurant were shocked and disappointed to hear the news.

Jason Moir of Lincolnton said, "It's hard to imagine Lincolnton without Fox's Fish Camp."

(Photo by Melany Dawn Crouse.)

STAFF REPORTS

LINCOLNTON - Lincoln County Manager George Wood announced on Wednesday that a new Public Works Director has been hired.

The new director is Burn Whitaker and will begin work on July 13th.

Whitaker, according to a news release from Wood, is a professional engineer licensed in the states of North Carolina, South Carolina, Alabama and Mississippi. He has a BS in Civil Engineering from the University of Alabama, and a ME in Engineering Management from the University of Florida.

STAFF REPORTS

DENVER – A Mount Holly man faces several charges after trying to elude a Lincoln County Sheriff’s deputy who was trying to conduct a traffic stop.

Deputy R. Richard first spotted a White Mercedes heading north on Highway 16 around 2:19 a.m. last week on Tuesday. The deputy attempted to persuade the driver to pull the car over for a traffic stop but the driver accelerated instead of stopping.

Out-of-work with no place to land, the legions of America's unemployed are growing.

The Labor Department is scheduled to release a report Thursday expected to show the nation's unemployment rate edging closer to double digits. Wall Street economists predict the jobless rate will rise to 9.6 percent in June from 9.4 percent in May. That would mark a 26-year high.

Insurgents have captured an American soldier in eastern Afghanistan, the U.S. military said Thursday.

Spokeswoman Capt. Elizabeth Mathias said the soldier went missing Tuesday.

STAFF REPORTS

LINCOLNTON - The following listing represents incident and arrest reports from the Lincoln County Sheriff’s Office.

This listing does not necessarily mean anyone at the listed address was accused of any crime, only that a report was made at that location. Also, it is advisable to understand that many people may have the same or similar names.

Local law enforcement asks that anyone with information about any of these incidents or to report a crime call CrimeStoppers at (704) 736-8909. CrimeStoppers allows you to remain anonymous and pays up to $1,000 for information that leads to an arrest.

INCIDENTS
2009-04341
Possible Sexual Assault
Assigned: Detective Bailey
Location: Lincoln Park St.
Victim: Juvenile
Sexual Assault
Date Reported: June 30, 2009
District N/A

After days of soul-baring and often odd confessions and apologies about an adulterous affair, South Carolina Gov. Mark Sanford went silent as the clamor for his resignation grew.

Sanford, who has said he won't resign, made no public appearances Wednesday, as he figures out how to salvage the last 18 months of his second and last term and his 20-year marriage.

The Tar Heels will wear the swoosh for the next nine years.

University of North Carolina officials said Wednesday they have signed a 10-year contract for Nike to supply athletic equipment and apparel to its sports teams.

Two months after a positive drug test for methamphetamines, Jeremy Mayfield is getting ready to return to NASCAR.

U.S. District Court Judge Graham Mullen on Wednesday issued a temporary injunction to allow the driver to get back behind the wheel at Daytona International Speedway this weekend.

Today is Thursday, July 2, the 183rd day of 2009. There are 182 days left in the year.

Today's Highlight in History:

On July 2, 1776, the Continental Congress passed a resolution saying that "these United Colonies are, and of right ought to be, free and independent States."

On this date:

The top business news from The Associated Press for the morning of Thursday, July 2, 2009:

June jobless rate seen rising to 9.6 percent

WASHINGTON (AP) — Out-of-work with no place to land, the legions of America's unemployed are growing. The Labor Department is scheduled to release a report Thursday expected to show the nation's unemployment rate edging closer to double digits. Wall Street economists predict the jobless rate will rise to 9.6 percent in June from 9.4 percent in May. That would mark a 26-year high.
___

Profile America — Thursday, July 2nd. Only the very best at what they do earn the nickname “The King.” In stock car racing, it’s Richard Petty, who turns 72 years old today. He was born in the town of Level Cross, North Carolina, where he still lives. He was seven times national champion of NASCAR, a feat matched only by Dale Earnhardt. Petty won 200 races during his active career, a record not apt to be matched anytime soon. He started 1,184 races during 35 years, and placed among the top 10 712 times.

Each year, more than 12.5 million fans travel to at least one race of the NASCAR season to see their favorite driver.

(File photo of Richard Petty. Photo by Melany Dawn Crouse.)

STAFF REPORTS

LINCOLNTON - The following listing represents incident and arrest reports from the Lincoln County Sheriff’s Office.

This listing does not necessarily mean anyone at the listed address was accused of any crime, only that a report was made at that location. Also, it is advisable to understand that many people may have the same or similar names.

Local law enforcement asks that anyone with information about any of these incidents or to report a crime call CrimeStoppers at (704) 736-8909. CrimeStoppers allows you to remain anonymous and pays up to $1,000 for information that leads to an arrest.

INCIDENTS
2009-04269
Breaking & Entering, Larceny, Damage to Property
Assigned: Detective Stamey
Location: 4110 Hwy 16
Victim: Napa Auto Parts
Suspect cut hole in side of building
Date Reported: June 26, 2009
District C

Today is Wednesday, July 1, the 182nd day of 2009. There are 183 days left in the year. This is Canada Day.

Today's Highlight in History:

On July 1, 1867, Canada became a self-governing dominion of Great Britain as the British North America Act took effect.

On this date:

STAFF REPORTS

GASTONIA, NC – Carolina Speedway fans will be in for a real treat this Friday night as the ‘Carolina’s Action Track’ will host a full racing program plus a special fireworks show for just $12.

The full racing card will feature all six divisions with the Open Wheel Modifieds and the NDRA GM Performance Late Models taking center stage.

A 1,500-page bill to tax, regulate and penalize all U.S. hydrocarbon energy use to "save the planet" from climate Armageddon has passed the House 219-212 despite the fact that not one member read it. The Senate promises an August vote.

But average global temperatures peaked in 1998 and since have fallen slightly, even as carbon dioxide levels continued climbing. Thousands of scientists say CO2 has little effect on planetary temperatures, and there is no climate crisis. The legislation would cost millions of jobs and trillions of dollars, for a hypothetical 0.1 degree F reduction in global temperatures.

STAFF REPORTS

CONCORD, N.C. - Fireworks on the track and in the sky thrilled a spectacular crowd during round four of the Summer Shootout Series on Harrisburg Fireworks Night at Lowe's Motor Speedway.

Feature winners Scott Knox, Dennis Kiser and Ray Beebe brought as many "ooohs" and "aaahs" from the fans with their intense racing and last-lap passes as the aerial fireworks display at the conclusion of the night.