A Day in the Newsroom (video)

Last Thursday was Career Day for the high school kids in Cleveland County and, as I was drafted / volunteered to be The Star's speaker for the day, I thought it might be best to give the prospective journalists an up close and personal look at what goes on in a newsroom.

I grabbed a video camera and here's what I came up with. This is all completely off the cuff entertainment.

Let me know what you think. Who knows - maybe there will be an eventual sequel.

Oil Truck Overturns on 85

Traffic was diverted for several hours on I-85 Friday evening after an oil truck overturned.

N.C. Highway Patrol Trooper J.L. Singlevitch said it was too early to know exactly why the truck ran off the road, near Exit 4, shortly before 7 p.m. but he said the driver did not suffer life-threatening injuries.

Members of the Cleveland County Hazardous Materials Team were seen opening bags of oil absorbent and pouring the contents onto the side of the road.

I wasn't allowed close to the wreck but Singlevitch, while waiting for a wrecker to tow the truck, said a ditch on the other side of the road was full to the brim of gasoline which had poured out of the Culp Petroleum truck.

I-85 was closed off at Exit 2 but residual traffic continued to go past in a single lane until about 7:45 p.m. Traffic was bumper to bumper as diverted vehicles made their way towards NC 161.

Kings Mountain Police, Bethlehem Volunteer Fire Department and N.C. Highway Patrol assisted at the scene while the Grover Volunteer Fire Department helped divert traffic at various exits.

GWU Crisis Training

The realism of Thursday's crisis training at Gardner Webb University didn't really set in until I heard gunfire down the hallway at the GWU Football Center.

They were blanks but I still jumped. And, though surrounded by officers from Boiling Springs and university police, I wasn't the only one to do so.

The four-hour session, which reinforced what most of them already know when it came to searching buildings for gunmen, is held yearly. But it's even more timely this year, coming just 10 days after the mass killing at Virginia Tech.

Various scenarios were held - a lone shooter ... two shooters ... a shooter and a victim ... a shooter attempting suicide - to give as close to a real life situation as possible.

After speaking with the officers and watching the scenarios unfold over the course of the day, I eventually found myself a participant.

Standing in the breezeway of the football center, yards away from the field, I was handed a BB gun and jacket to protect me from the BB assault that would be waiting for me inside.

A group of us would go in together. I would be the second man and would immediately cover the left corner of the room while the first man covered the right.

Our bodies ducked down, we rushed inside the room with our guns drawn. No shooter. At least none that was obvious.

Then the gunfire came from the right back corner. But, with my face covered in a protective mask, I couldn't even tell there was anyone there.

The scenario was over and I didn't get one shot off. On the plus side, I wasn't shot either.

Round 2

Same plan, I cut to the left, the first man cut to the right. A victim lay near the doorway.

The gunfire came faster this time and it seemed I fired a couple dozen rounds at the shooter hiding underneath a chair. The gun locked up a few times, with me having to snap it back in place before returning fire.

Again, I wasn't hit. But it got my heart pumping to be in that situation.

"Graham, what did you think about that, buddy?" asked GWU Police Chief Barry Johnson.

"It was fun," I replied, my heart beating fast.

But I'd hate to do it for real.

Photo captions: 1) BS Officer David Humphries instructs BS Officer Jose Lopez after a scenario; 2) A group of officers search the breezeway for a shooter; 3) Humphries targets a shooter on the third floor of the football center; 4) Officers go over a scenario; 5) Officers wait to go through a scenario; 6) BS Police Chief Marty Thomas looks for a shooter after finding a victim; 7) Humphries instructs the officers after a scenario where the shooter was on the stairwell; 8) Officers handcuff a shooter as Humphries looks on; 9) GWU Officer Barry Lane plays the role of a suicidal shooter; 10) Two officers wearing protective masks engage a shooter in the hallway

I-85 Wreck

This is the end result after police say the pink Honda Civic lost control this afternoon on I-85 south.

Yes, the pink car. The one pinned against the guardrail.

Kings Mountain Police say the pink car lost control causing a tractor trailer to clip the red Toyota Celica, with the Celica then t-boning the Civic.

No one suffered life threatening injuries.

"When I got out of that truck, I was so afraid," said Shirley Thompson, who drove the tractor trailer. "The Lord was with us today. Nobody's life is threatened, I hope."

PSN Meeting @ Community Garden

Residents, local officials, and police were among those on hand at Monday's Project Safe Neighborhood meeting at the site of the future community garden in West Shelby.

No date has been set to break ground at the site but it's expected to come within the next few weeks. The garden will both provide fresh produce for and be maintained by residents.

PSN members are on the look out for all the help they can get - whether it be gardening tools or financial assistance.

For more information, call Julie Young at (704) 484-8996.

Mauney Lane Fire

A fire broke out this afternoon at a mobile home on Mauney Lane.

No one was harmed in the fire and the cause is still being investigated.

Be sure to visit ShelbyStar.com as we get more info.

Civil War Wedding

Visited a Civil War wedding re-enactment earlier this afternoon. Made for a really fun story with some great photos. Sunday's Star will have a lot more on that.

And here's something I saw on the drive back to town: one of the new Project Safe Neighborhood billboards. This one is located at the corner of U.S. 74 and Marion Street.

Pedestrian Killed

Shelby Police are investigating the death of a pedestrian killed Wednesday night while crossing Grover Street around 8:15.

Not much info was able to be obtained tonight - should have more tomorrow.

Trailer Fire

A trailer home on Towery Road caught fire around 7:45 p.m. Tuesday. Firefighters at the scene said it was too early in the investigation to call it suspicious but I wanted to share these shots anyway.

The inside of the home appeared gutted by the flames but the frame was still intact.

The fire marshal was at the scene but I was told that's not unusual for him to be called out and that doesn't automatically mean the fire was set.

I'll check in with my sources tomorrow to see if there's anything new.

*Edit from Graham 4/12/07: It was an electrical fire. No foul play.*

Take a left at Chewbacca Lane ...

I was at work around 7:45 this evening when a call came over the police scanner, asking for police to drive by Darth Maul Drive and Yoda Drive.

...

I fell out of my chair.

Obviously, I thought, this was a prank.

Then I checked the Cleveland County map posted in the newsroom and - lo and behold - there IS a Darth Maul Drive and Yoda Drive.

I'm not sure what that says about this county. Is George Lucas from North Carolina or something?

KM Easter Egg Hunt

Here are some photos from this morning's Easter Egg hunt at the Kings Mountain YMCA. Well, actually they're from the petting zoo set up just outside.

It was bitter cold but the goats and sheep seemed to be enjoying themselves. Among the animals was a family of ducks waddling past the heavily bundled up children.

Notice photo #3 of the two goats getting close to the baby? You'll see a much closer (and more in focus) shot in Sunday's paper.

Gardner Street Fire

The Shelby Fire Department is investigating a suspicious fire earlier this evening at 408 Gardner St.

Firefighters arrived to the scene shortly before 11 p.m. to find the vacant home in flames. No one was injured in the blaze.

Neighbors said they hadn't seen anyone in or around the home before the fire broke out.

Man Beaten with Pipe

Robert Brady, 73, was beaten with a pipe early Tuesday.

Here are a few photos I took while speaking with Brady Wednesday at his Delaware Drive home in Shelby.

Read more in Thursday's Star about Brady's assault and investigators' search for those responsible.

New Shelby Police Officer

Mark Boris was sworn in Tuesday as Shelby PD's latest officer.

From left: Police Chief Tandy Carter, Pastor Gary Marburgur, Boris, wife Maggie, and city clerk Bernadette Parduski. In front is Mark Jr., 7, and, hidden, Brandon, 6.

Tell me a little about your background, where you grew up, education, family, etc.

I was born in Paterson, NJ. I moved to Florida when I was 2 and spent most of my life there. My wife Maggie and I moved here to Shelby with our two children, Mark and Brandon, about four and a half years ago.

What inspired you to enter into law enforcement, and specifically to join the Shelby Police Department?

My father and brother are both police officers in Florida. They work for the Broward County Sheriff’s Office. Police work is something that I have always wanted to do, but there was always something keeping me from doing it. In January 2006, I sat down with my wife and we decided that it was time for me to change careers, so I called the (Cleveland Community) college, signed up for the BLET class and here I am today. I wanted to work for the Shelby Police Department because I am a resident here and want to do what I can to make this city a safe place to live.

What do you see as the major crime problems affecting Shelby today?

The part that worries me is the gangs coming here and trying to recruit more kids into their world. The graffiti that has been appearing lately on the west side (of Shelby) sickens me.

How do you plan to do your part to make Shelby a safer place to live?

Training, training, training. We as the police have to constantly stay one step ahead of the bad guys. We do this by training and learning. The more I learn the better I will be at my job. The most important way to make Shelby a safer place is getting the community more involved in keeping an eye on their neighborhood.

Kings Mountain McDonald's Robbed

The York Road McDonald's in Kings Mountain was robbed last night and police are looking for the suspect.

Read in The Star about an employee's account of the robbery and what police know so far about the gunman.

Kings Mountain Police told me earlier this afternoon they will have surveillance footage from the robbery tomorrow morning and will release it to The Star. Hopefully we can get that online at some point tomorrow.