A Fayetteville man is facing several
charges after deputies said he caused a fire at a store in Cumberland County.
Deputies were called at 11:39 p.m.
on Thursday to a reported fire at the Blue Sky Family Feed Store
on Sunnyside School Road. Deputies said 53-year-old Larry Ezella Baldwin was seen on
video pouring an ignitable fluid onto a pallet of firewood before leaving
the store.
Deputies said a fire started from the fluid.
Baldwin was arrested and now
faces several charges, including burn commercial structure-unoccupied, breaking
and entering and possession of drug paraphernalia.
He is being held in the Cumberland County
Detention Center on a $20,000 secured bond.
The investigation is still ongoing.
Deputies said anyone with information is asked to call the Fire Investigation
Unit Detective J. Morge at (910) 677-5573.
Anonymous tips can also be submitted
to the Fayetteville/Cumberland County Crimestoppers at (910) 483-TIPS (8477),
online or by downloading the free “P3 Tips” app available for Apple devices in
the Apple App Store and Android devices in Google Play.
“It is a reflection, a remembrance and a renewed commitment to the values Dr. King championed,” the longtime Charlotte-area filmmaker and record producer said.
The four-minute, 15-second song was written and sung by Dr. A.L. Bradford and Paul Murphy of Southern Pines and recorded in a Fayetteville studio, Greene said.
Tim Greene, a Charlotte-area actor, film director and writer, record producer and motivational speaker, recently recorded the song, “M.L. King Anthem For An American Hero,” in a Fayetteville studio. Tim Greene
Greene crosses the country as an actor, film director and writer, and motivational speaker. Charlotte is among the cities where he’s based his Tim Greene Films company for 25 years.
Years ago, he was a personality on the former Kiss 102 in Charlotte. He later was a morning radio personality, music director and assistant program director at Gaston College radio station WSGE 91.7 FM.
“I have been in Charlotte back and forth since there was only one tall building in uptown, so I have seen how Charlotte has grown,” he told The Charlotte Observer at a benefit with Santa Claus that he organized at Mighty Dollar in Gastonia in December.
“Everybody can be great”
Greene said he hopes the song inspires listeners “to pause, reflect and carry” King’s message forward.
The civil rights icon “reminded us that everybody can be great, because everybody can serve,” Greene said.
Greene said he descended from enslaved people from Atlanta. His personal connection to King’s legacy and longtime community service inspired him to produce the song, he said.
A former grand marshal of the Martin Luther King Kingdom Day Parade in Los Angeles, Greene described the anthem as “a tribute intended to resonate across generations for many years to come.”
“As we approach his birthday, this tribute invites us all to serve — through unity, compassion and action,” Greene said.
The song aims to “spark conversation, encourage hope and honor a legacy that continues to shape generations,” he said.
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Joe Marusak has been a reporter for The Charlotte Observer since 1989 covering the people, municipalities and major news events of the region, and was a news bureau editor for the paper. He currently reports on breaking news. Support my work with a digital subscription
Election workers told WRAL that turnout was strong all day long, with lines stretching out the door at some precincts.
Colvin and Jensen have both held office in Fayetteville since 2013. Colvin first won the mayor’s office in 2017. He announced in June he wouldn’t seek reelection, before reversing course a month later.
With about 30% of the vote counted, Colvin had a 55% to 42% edge on Jensen.
Voters who backed Colvin told WRAL they liked his experience, and the direction he’s taken Fayetteville in over the last few years.
“I like the fact that the city seems to be moving in a progressive manner,” said Keith Morrow, a longtime Fayetteville resident and veteran, originally from Virginia. “He’s looking forward and not behind.”
“His priorities resonated more with me and my family,” said Sontiel Torrence. “Community engagement for sure, that’s a big thing. Youth involvement. That’s very important as a father with up and coming children.”
Voters who favored Jensen told WRAL they liked her business experience, and want to see Fayetteville go in a new direction.
“I know we need a change,” said Dwight Lucas, a 45-year Fayetteville resident. “I look up at Fuquay Varina, the Apex area, the Raleigh area, I see a lot of business, a lot of industry going up. And the only thing going on in Fayetteville is 7/11s being built.”
Fayetteville police are investigating after a person was
shot and killed on Monday.
Police were called just after 5:15 p.m. to Waterdown Drive
for reports of shots fired. When they arrived, officers said they found a
person had been shot.
Police said they were taken to the hospital, where they died
from their injuries.
Police have not released the name of the person shot nor any
information about a possible suspect.
The investigation is still ongoing.
Anyone with information is asked to call Detective B.
Ramirez at 910-309-6140. People can submit an anonymous tip by calling
CrimeStoppers at 910-483-8477, submitting an anonymous tip online, or downloading
the free P3 Tips app available for Apple devices in the Apple App Store and
available for Android devices in Google Play.
A man is dead after a motorcycle accident Wednesday afternoon in Fayetteville.
According to the Fayetteville Police Department, officers responded to a crash around 5:51 p.m. on Gillespie Street at Southern Avenue. When officers arrived, they found a motorcycle and an SUV involved in a crash.
Police said their preliminary investigation determined a 2014 Yamaha motorcycle, operated by Trenton Wayne Thompson, 22, was driving down Gillespie Street when an SUV operated by 43-year-old Hector Elias Burgos turned left onto Southern Avenue and collided with Thompson.
The force of the crash then spun Elias-Burgos’ vehicle into another SUV, driven by Larry Wayne Barber, 65.
Thompson was taken to a local hospital, where he later died. Elias-Burgos and a passenger in his vehicle. Barber was unharmed.
A vigil was held Saturday night for three young men killed in a car crash on their way home from football practice.
Trevor Merrit, Nick Williams and Jai’Hyon Elliot died Thursday evening on the way to a birthday celebration for a friend. All went to E.E. Smith High School, where they were on the football team.
Hundreds attented the vigil, with attendess whowering each other with prayer and encouragement.
“It still hurts; we just want to know why, but I know you can’t question God,” said Jamaar Merrit, Trevor’s father. “He was just an all-around good kid. Colleges were starting to look at him. It was going to be his year.”
Attendees said the three used to play at a park together long before they were teammates at E.E. Smith. Few knew the three teens better than their teammates. One of them, Deaunta Rush, spoke for others who were overcome with emotion.
“Trev was going crazy. Nick was going crazy, Jai’hyon was going crazy,” Rush said. “The boys just had so much skill and it was taken from them.”
E.E. Smith will next play at South View on Tuesday night, and that game will start with a pre-game tribute at 5:30 p.m. for the players. “South View stands shoulder to shoulder with E.E. Smith during this time of heartbreak,” said Principal Phyliss Jackson. “This ceremony is not just about football—it is about family, unity, and reminding one another that we are stronger together.”
“IT’s going to be hard, but we gotta go out there and play hard and play strong, because that’s what they would want,” said Falou Gueye, a teammate of Elliot, Merrit and Williams.
On Friday, players from Red Springs saluted the trio by carrying jerseys onto the field. The team held a moment of silence during their game against South Columbus.
Police say 21-year-old Dymond Monroe was driving and struck a power pole around 7:22 p.m. Wednesday night on Rosehill Road.
Monroe survived, but she was in critical condition as of Friday morning.
Monroe’s mother said the vehicle was on the way to a birthday dinner for Monroe’s 18-year-old brother, a friend of the three football players.
“In one blink of an eye, you can be gone,” Jamaar Merrit said. “Three lives gon in one instance, that quick, so love on each other, aint nothing worth nobody’s life.”
Since the crash, a memorial has sprung up along Rosehill Road, and a steady stream of friends and family stopped by on Friday to place flowers and grapple with the stunning loss.
“It makes me sick to my stomach because he was just here yesterday,” said Janiya Bishop. “It’s never going to feel the same without him.”
A pedestrian died Saturday after being hit by a car in Fayetteville.
According to the Fayetteville Police Department, the accident happened around 8:11 p.m. on County Club Drive.
Police said the pedestrian died at the scene. In their initial investigation, officers determined the pedestrian stepped into oncoming traffic and was hit by a passing car. The driver stayed at the scene until police arrived.
Police said they closed Country Club Drive between Clearwater Drive and Rose Hill Road in both directions while they investigate.
Three high school students from E.E.
Smith High Schooldied and another person was seriously hurt Wednesday night in a crash in Fayetteville.
According to the Fayetteville Police Department, the crash happened around 7:22 p.m. on Rosehill Road. Police did not identify the teenagers but said the car they were in crashed into a telephone pole.
Police said a fourth person was airlifted to UNC Hospital in Chapel Hill with serious injuries.
Cumberland County Schools on Thursday released the following statement:
“Our
thoughts and prayers are with their families, loved ones and the entire E.E.
Smith Golden Bulls community during this difficult time.
The top priority of the E.E. Smith High School administration is to provide
support to students, faculty and staff as they process this tragedy. The
district’s Student Services team will be on-site today to offer counseling and
emotional support.
Out of respect for the families of those impacted and the school community,
many of whom are still receiving this news, we are not releasing additional
details at this time. This morning, there are no interview opportunities with
the school administration as their focus remains on supporting students and
staff.”
Police closed Rosehill Road between Ramsey Street and Country Club Road while they investigated the crash, which police say is ongoing.
A WRAL photojournalist at the scene said dozens of people were trying to get to the crash site.
Anyone with information regarding this investigation is asked to
contact Officer C. Lewis at 910-818-1872. Anonymous tips can also be submitted to Fayetteville / Cumberland
County Crime Stoppers by calling 910-483-TIPS (8477).
Chateau 4 Paws, an Atlanta-based Black-owned premier pet care salon, is owned by Managing Director and CEO Janelle Russell.
Russell adores dogs; however, she never thought her passion would become her job until two unrelated events occurred.
In 2005, her then-boyfriend got her a toy poodle, and she was let go from her corporate job. This, in turn, inspired her to open her pet grooming salon, Chateau 4 Paws, in 2010. She said she used her 401(k) to fund her new business venture and asked her parents and uncle to match the funds.
Russell makes it clear she jumped head-in without knowing anything about a business or having a business plan. All she knew was she loved animals and dogs. Fortunately, one day, someone told her there weren’t any small, independent pet grooming shops in Fayetteville, GA, so Russell set up shop, assuming there wouldn’t be any competition, but she realized otherwise.
She said she learned three other grooming salons were opening in the same area around the same time, so being nervous, she confided in her dad, who offered some wise advice.
As the mother of a five-year-old, one of her game-changing business investments has been digitizing more of her management tools to streamline processes and save time. This has allowed her to spend more time with her daughter and helped her drive higher sales volumes because of the convenience it’s brought to her customers.
Russell’s world-class approach to service has allowed her and her team to create long-term personal relationships with her canine clients and their respective owners.
Q+A with Janelle Russell
The Atlanta Voice: Why did you decide to start your business? Was there a moment that inspired you?
Janelle Russell: After being laid off from my corporate job, I was lost and didn’t know what I wanted to do next. At the time, I had a little toy poodle gifted to me. Over a few months, I saw his demeanor would change when he would get groomed because it was so stressful for him. After much prayer and thought, I knew I wanted to offer a stress-free environment for grooming dogs and cats. I saw a large demand for a pet grooming salon during my initial research. That’s how Chateau 4 Paws Pet Spa was created! At the time, I only had one competitor, and I was motivated to give my customers the best service. Now, 14 years later, the business is still growing, and I’m always thankful to my clients for their support.
AV: How did you come up with the name?
JR: When thinking of a name, I knew I wanted to stand out and planned to expand into a daycare and boarding facility eventually. With that in mind, I began thinking of renowned luxury and lavish experiences, and I thought of Chateau Elan, a resort and winery in Georgia. When you visit Chateau Elan, it’s a luxurious and lavish experience. That’s what I wanted to offer for pets! Chateau 4 Paws Pet Spa is a luxury pet grooming experience for your pets, and Chateau 4 Paws Resort & Spa – our new name after expansion – will be the same!
AV: Is there a mentor in your life that inspired/inspires you as a business owner?
JR: There are two prominent mentors in my life. First is my late father, a general manager at a large restaurant chain. When I first opened my business, I was stressed about how to bring customers in the door. My dad gave me pointers and advice on how to offer discounts and introduce referral programs to attract customers. Second is my uncle, John Battle, who runs a multimillion-dollar landscaping business in Dallas. Before starting my business, I didn’t know how to run a company. I didn’t have a business plan or idea of creating goals for myself. I just knew I loved dogs and wanted to create a safe space for them. My uncle told me many times that running a company takes more than that. He donated his time and money to help me create a business plan and gave me important advice on taxes and reporting. I’m grateful for both of them.
AV: What are your business goals for the remainder of the year?
JR: My business goals for the remainder of the year include continuing our current marketing strategy to bring in new customers and expanding our business to include pet boarding and daycare at our current facility. Expansions like this are a big undertaking, but through my POS provider, Clover, I’ve been able to offer these new services by taking advantage of their Clover Capital program, which provides a cash advance based on my anticipated future sales. It’s played a huge role in my business expansion for nearly five years. I can use the money to fund expansion without the strings of a traditional bank loan. It’s been an easy and unique way to allow us to create a state-of-the-art facility to provide the best care and services to our four-legged clients.
AV: Any advice to future business owners about taking the plunge?
JR: I would tell future business owners to stay consistent! You can’t build a successful company overnight. It takes dedication, patience, and hard work. Find other entrepreneurs in your industry. Surrounding yourself with like-minded people will help you in your journey. Lastly, equip yourself with the tools you need to be ready for your clients, for example, finding the right technology. Building a great website and online presence can make a huge difference. Also, picking a POS system that can help you take payments and manage your entire business – like I have with Clover – can save you time and money. Set yourself up for success!
RALEIGH, N.C. (WTVD) — First Alert Day-Today: Thunderstorms will develop through evening across Central NC. There is a Level 1 severe risk for most of the ABC11 viewing area. The main concerns will be damaging wind gusts and hail. A few quick downpours will also be possible.
Any existing thunderstorms in the viewing area this evening will diminish after sunset and should be gone by midnight. Skies partially clear tonight and this allows some radiation fog to form later, mainly to the south and east of the Triangle. Any fog that does form will dissipate quickly tomorrow morning.
Tomorrow will be fairly similar to today, with afternoon heating and a little instability aloft likely to generate a few scattered afternoon and evening thunderstorms. The dynamics tomorrow will be a little less than this afternoon, so any storms that form are likely to be run-of-the-mill, none-severe storms.
Sunday still looks to be the driest day of this weekend as brief ridging moves in, and we see more sunshine with temperatures reaching the low 90s. However, the dry weather won’t last long as our next, more potent trough moves across the Great Lakes on Monday.
This trough will usher a cold front into the region on Monday, raising the likelihood of thunderstorms for Memorial Day. More widespread activity will be farther to the north, closer to the low. However, any thunderstorm in our viewing area could bring damaging winds, hail, and flooding downpours. The best chance continues to be in the afternoon.
Tuesday into Thursday will be much cooler with highs in upper 70s and low 80s and overnight lows in the cool, middle and upper 50s. There will be a fair amount of sunshine each day. A storm developing to the south and east this period may send some clouds our way, but any showers remain off to the south and east.
FAYETTEVILLE, N.C. (WTVD) — In an unanimous vote Monday, Cumberland County commissioners approved $1.3 billion in bond funding for American Titanium Metals, LLC. to build a new plant in Fayetteville.
The proposed site, located at 557 Bethune Drive off U.S. 401, takes up some 65 acres behind the Goodyear Tire plant that sits immediately in front of the property.
During Monday’s meetings, commissioners learned American Titanium Metals was also interested in other sites across the country and had yet to decide on where to plant roots.
However, the Bethune address is among the list of contenders.
The funding will come from Cumberland County’s Industrial Facilities Authority because American Titanium will reprocess the metal and assist in recycling into other products.
The deal would also mean taxpayers, nor the County, would be on the hook in the event that American Titanium fails to ultimately pay back its debt.
“So there is no liability on that,” added Commissioner Glenn Adams. “This is required by what is pursuant to the statute.”
Meanwhile, the Foushee family, who live near the proposed site and have been there for decades, were unaware of the proposal until learning about it from ABC11.
“I know my mother didn’t know about it,” said Lena Foushee. “I think before they had talked about putting something (else) down here and they voted against it. We’d had some people talk to somebody and they took it away. They didn’t do it.”
For her family, they would rather not have a development disrupt the quiet they enjoy now.
“(Don’t) like it at all,” said Foushee. “The traffic and what it will do to the community.”
A spokesperson for American Titanium Metals, LLC. could not be reached for comment.
The rider was taken to Cape Fear Valley where they later died from their injuries.
FAYETTEVILLE, N.C. (WTVD) — A motorcyclist is dead after getting seriously injured in a motor vehicle crash Friday night.
At 9:35 p.m., Cotton Fire Rescue, Cumberland County EMS and NCSHP were called to the intersection of Tom Starling Road at Research Drive in Fayetteville.
Upon arrival, units said they found the motorcycle rider in the roadway with life-threatening injuries.
The rider was taken to Cape Fear Valley where they later died from their injuries. The rider was pronounced dead at 1:22 a.m. on Saturday.
Their identity has not yet been released.
Investigators said the motorcycle was traveling west on Tom Starling Road when a motorcycle hit a guardrail at the intersection of Tom Starling Road and Research Drive.
The motorcycle then began flipping, which caused the rider to be thrown from the vehicle.
The Globetrotters have been bringing fun and joy to families for nearly a century, according to their website.
On April 17, the team will play at Raleigh’s PNC Arena at 7 p.m. for their 2024 world tour. They will also stop in Fayetteville on April 19 at 7 p.m. at the Crown Coliseum.
Known as the world’s basketball team, the Globetrotters will perform in over 400 cities across 25 countries in 2024.
RALEIGH, N.C. (WTVD) — Nice this morning with clouds increasing midday and some scattered showers around this afternoon into the early evening. Could have some clouds around tomorrow morning, then becoming brighter and a little cooler in the mid-50s.
Warmer this week with plenty of clouds and some spotty showers around…Monday a few sprinkles possible, Tuesday the EURO has been bullish on some spotty showers, but the best chance for rain is later Wednesday into Wednesday night. It will be cloudy, warm and breezy too on Wednesday with highs in the low to mid 70s!
Drying out Thursday but the clouds could be stubborn, then Friday night into Saturday morning another chance at getting some rain.
Newswise — Accounting researchers at the University of Arkansas are deepening their understanding of the effect of shrinking newsrooms on the financial information of public companies.
A new study, to be published in Review of Accounting Studies, shows that local newspaper coverage significantly improved the general information about public companies, as measured by lower stock volatility and more accurate forecasts by financial analysts. Conversely, when local newspaper coverage declined, stock volatility, information asymmetry and illiquidity increased, the researchers found.
A sign of stock stability, information asymmetry refers to the difference or gap between two parties in their knowledge of relevant factors and details about companies’ value. Illiquidity simply means a security or asset that cannot be exchanged for cash or sold easily.
“Employment at newspapers has declined more than 75% since 2000,” said Caleb Rawson, assistant professor of accounting in the Sam M. Walton College of Business. “Researchers in other fields have already shown how this has a negative impact on local government, in terms of transparency and accountability of elected officials. We’re finding the same is true for businesses and public companies. These changes – that is, the decrease in local newsroom employment – have had a detrimental effect on the information environment of local firms.”
Using data from the Bureau of Labor Statistics, Rawson and co-authors Kris Allee, professor of accounting at the U of A,, and Ryan Cating, assistant professor of accounting at the University of Central Arkansas and a U of A doctoral alumnus in accounting, measured the level of local news intensity in each city (technically, each metropolitan statistical area, or MSA) as the percent of local jobs in the newspaper publishing industry. They compared this data to key indicators of firms’ financial information.
The researchers found that the above effect – reduced news intensity leading to less or poorer quality of information – was exacerbated when a given firm was more important to the local economy. For these firms, less local newspaper intensity was associated with significantly lower analyst accuracy and fewer, or more dispersed, forecasts.
Rawson and his colleagues also investigated how stakeholders respond to declines in local news coverage of firms. Firm managers increased the number of forward-looking financial disclosures and analysts increased their own coverage. Following decreases in newspaper employment, investors increased their own data-gathering activities as well.
“We think these results provide insights into the methods by which stakeholders attempt to improve firms’ information environments when local news coverage fades and highlight the important role that local newspapers play in the economy,” Rawson said.
Allee is the Doyle Z. Williams Chair of the Walton College’s Department of Accounting.
Apartment for rent sign displayed on residential street. It won’t be there for long.
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Rent Café has released its 2022 year-end report, which looks at the most competitive rental markets this year.
Although apartment construction is at a historic high, finding a rental in 2022 has been challenging. Nationally, the average renter had to compete with 14 other apartment seekers to secure a rental, which didn’t stay listed longer than one month.
With more than two-thirds of renters renewing their leases and an average occupancy rate of more than 95%, this year’s rental market was competitive, despite the autumn slowdown. And with demand climbing up in almost every metropolitan area, renters had the hardest time finding an apartment in Miami, Orlando, Grand Rapids and North Jersey.
Here are some highlights from the report:
Miami-Dade, Florida, was the hottest rental market in 2022, due to a high occupancy rate of 97.5% and a staggering 75% of renters deciding to stay put and renew their leases.As a consequence, despite the area’s supply of apartments growing by 2.8% in 2022 compared to the previous year, a record 32 renters competed for one vacant apartment, which got snatched in 25 days, on average.
In fact, Florida was this year’s renting hotspot: five of the nation’s hottest places to rent were in the Sunshine State, with Orlando being the third most competitive rental market nationwide, followed by Southwest Florida, Broward County and Tampa.
Apartment hunting intensified in the Midwest, especially in areas with slow construction like Grand Rapids, Milwaukee, Omaha and Lansing – Ann Arbor, all of which continue to attract young professionals from pricier metros across the country.
Despite a modest 0.8% uptick in supply, renters inGrand Rapids faced the second toughest market this year: no less than 18 people competed for a vacant apartment, which got filled in 28 days. Meanwhile, Grand Rapids’ occupancy topped at almost 97%, prompting around 70% of renters to renew their leases instead of looking for a new place.
The Northeast continued to lure remote workers seeking extra space and better deals — so much so that seven northeastern markets were among the 20 hottest.Harrisburg, where virtually no new apartments were added this year, emerged as the regional leader, ranking 4th nationwide for competitivity. This was primarily due to its lower cost of living compared to many of the larger metro areas in the Northeast, as well as its family-friendly community and proximity to the great outdoors. Another advantage to living in Harrisburg is its relative proximity to Philadelphia, Pittsburgh and Baltimore.
Central Jersey was twice more competitive than Manhattan this year. The area had the highest lease renewal rate in the nation (85%) and an average occupancy rate close to 97% (all the while its supply of apartments increased by a mere 0.9%). That said, finding an apartment for rent was quite challenging for most people in the area, as 15 renters competed for an apartment, on average. North Jersey renters were in a similar situation, despite an increase of 2.1% in apartments.
On the West Coast, California’s low-supply Orange County was the hottest renting spot, followed by San Diego, both of which continued to attract renters from Los Angeles and San Francisco. In fact, Orange County and San Diego were the only California markets to reach our top 20 this year.
Orange County was the 8th most competitive rental market nationwide.The low increase in supply (0.6%) failed to accommodate apartment seekers, mostly e-commerce workers, looking for rentals in a city where less than 3% of the apartments were vacant. Similarly, an average of 22 renters competed for a vacant apartment in San Diego, which ranked 13th nationwide.
Although large metros tend to offer more jobs and higher salaries, that doesn’t mean that smaller areas can’t be just as competitive in their own right— and Fayetteville, Arkansas is the perfect example. With a record-high occupancy of 98.3% and more than three-quarters of apartment dwellers opting to stay put this year, renters here had an extremely tough time finding an apartment for rent in Fayetteville. On average, it took just under two weeks for a vacant unit in Fayetteville to become occupied this year, with an astounding 28 prospective renters competing for one apartment.
Here, large employers like the University of Arkansas and Walmart, which is headquartered in nearby Bentonville, provide plenty of opportunities for both locals and newcomers. On top of that, the city is nestled in the Ozark Mountains, thereby making it a great place to live for nature lovers.
The second most competitive small market was Lehigh Valley, Pennsylvania, where lots of remote workers fleeing tighter restrictions in Philadelphia, New York City and New Jersey during the pandemic found larger apartments that better fit their budgets. At the same time, surging home prices forced many prospective buyers to keep renting until they could resume their house-hunting. Consequently, more than 80% of the people living in rental apartments in Lehigh Valley chose to stay in place this year.
Similarly, the expanding work-from-home trend led thousands of Boston, Manhattan and Washington, D.C, residents to reconsider their housing options in the last two years. Many of them chose to relocate to peaceful Portland, Maine, in search of a slower pace of life within reach of breathtaking scenery. This caused the average rental in Portland to be filled after 26 days, with a record 68 prospective renters competing for every vacant apartment this year. Of course, in all honesty, Bostonians have always had a soft spot for this charming corner of New England.
Other small markets that were highly competitive in 2022 included Lafayette, Indiana, Asheville, North Carolina, Madison, Wisconsin, Tulsa, Oklahoma, Providence, Rhode Island, Knoxville, Tennessee, North Central Florida, Little Rock, Arkansas, Columbus, Georgia, Fort Wayne, Indiana, Chattanooga, Tennessee, Wichita, Kansas, Albany, New York, South Bend, Indiana, Fayetteville, North Carolina and Albuquerque, New Mexico.
NEW YORK — Gallagher, the long-haired, smash-’em-up comedian who left a trail of laughter, anger and shattered watermelons over a decadeslong career, has died at age 76.
Craig Marquardo, in a statement identifying himself as Gallagher’s “longtime former manager,” said that he died Friday at his home in Palm Springs, California, after a brief illness. Gallagher had numerous heart attacks over the years, including one right before a scheduled show in Texas in 2012.
With a beret on his head and a few simple props, from a can of oil to a bull whip, the man born Leo Anthony Gallagher Jr. built a nationwide following in the 1970s and ’80s, appearing on the “Tonight” show with Johnny Carson and starring in numerous Showtime specials. His act included observational humor (“What about Easter? Whose idea was it to give eggs to an animal that hops”), political commentary (“They don’t call a tax a tax. They call it a revenue enhancer”), invented sports (synchronized Ping-Pong) and his trademark Sledge-O-Matic destruction.
“Ladies and gentlemen! I did not come here tonight just to make you laugh. I came here to sell you something, and I want you to pay particular attention!” he would call out in his best rapid-fire impersonation of a late-night television pitchman. “The amazing Master Tool Corporation, a subsidiary of Fly-By-Night Industries, has entrusted who? Me! To show you! The handiest and the dandiest kitchen tool you’ve ever seen.”
Sledgehammer in hand, he would then apply his full muscle to apples, grapes, lettuce and other produce, most famously the inevitable watermelon, with audience members in front showered in food bits.
Gallagher was a Fort Bragg, North Carolina, native who started out in 1960 as road manager for the comedian/musician Jim Stafford and soon began performing himself, honing his act at the Comedy Store and other clubs. He was not the only funnyman in the family: His younger brother Ron became a comedian, received Leo’s initial blessing and looked and acted enough like his better-known sibling that some audiences were unsure who they had come to see. Leo Gallagher eventually secured a court injunction barring his brother from using his routines.
The elder Gallagher became increasingly controversial in recent years, chastised for racist and homophobic remarks. Gallagher even cut short an interview in 2011 with Marc Maron after the WTF podcast host confronted him about his statements.
“I’m the problem?!” Gallagher said at one point. “Do you think when I’m dead, gays will finally have an opportunity in America? Have I really been holding them down?”
In 2003, Gallagher was among more than 100 candidates running in the recall election for California governor, won by Arnold Schwarzenegger. Over the past decade, Gallagher appeared in a Geico commercial and in the movie “The Book Of Daniel.”
Newswise — In an apparent attempt to distract investors, firms forced to disclose bad news via mandatory Securities and Exchange Commission filings are more likely to issue a press release touting unrelated news around the time of the filing.
Caleb Rawson, an accounting researcher at the University of Arkansas, studied thousands of so-called 8-K filings by public firms between 2005 and 2018 — filings accompanied by press releases on the same day — and found that compared to firms whose filings contained positive or neutral information, firms disclosing negative information were 7% more likely to concurrently issue a press release featuring positive, unrelated news.
“We think this is an interesting result beyond the typical accounting research circles,” said Rawson, an assistant professor and author of the study. “It highlights how managers are strategic about disseminating information they want covered. They make it easier and more convenient for journalists to get the information they want them to get and thus bury bad news about their firm. They know news wires are easier to pay attention to than the sometimes tedious mining of regulatory filing databases.”
SEC regulations mandate that public firms experiencing a “material event” must file a form 8-K on the SEC’s public filing database within a certain time period. These events include earnings announcements, changes in an executive or director, changes in auditor, and issuing new debt or equity. The news can be good or bad, and firms often issue news releases explaining the event.
Rawson and his colleagues at the University of Oregon and the University of Notre Dame worked with a sample of 49,652 non-earnings-related 8-Ks and chose filings in which the firms issued a press release on the same day as the 8-K. The researchers classified the public 8-K disclosures as “good” or “bad” news and used textual analysis to identify whether the press release pertained to the same event as mentioned in the 8-K.
One-third of the filings in their sample had an accompanying press release focused on an event or news different than the underlying event that triggered the 8-K. This finding invalidates assumptions held by many stakeholders that press releases on the same day are consistently related to the same event.
The researchers also found that the use of concurrent, unrelated press releases impedes the market reaction to negative news by drawing investor attention away from the disclosure. The speed of price formation following negative 8-K news was significantly slower when the firm issued a concurrent unrelated press release. The researchers corroborated these results by showing that the 8-K itself was downloaded fewer times from the SEC’s EDGAR website.
“Collectively, our findings shed light on a previously unexplored tool managers use to exploit investors’ processing capacity,” Rawson said. “There are only so many disclosures an investor can process at the same time, and when faced with multiple disclosures, it takes longer for investors to interpret what is going on. If an investor processes a disclosure, he or she will often forego the benefit of processing another one. Our findings suggest managers know this and exploit investors’ limited processing capacity for their benefit.”
FAYETTEVILLE, N.C. (WTVD) — A Fayetteville woman is rising above her own cancer diagnosis and thriving with her annual fundraiser for the disease.
ABC11 spoke with Gladys Hill in 2019 when she was diagnosed with DCIS and leading her Light Up Fayetteville Pink Campaign. Now in her fifth year of the campaign, Hill sells pink light bulbs to raise money to help pay for breast cancer screenings at the Cape Fear Valley Health Cancer Center. She urges others to get their mammograms and ultrasounds and to take advantage of early detection.
“Every woman should have screening even if she doesn’t have any money,” Hill said. “Your screening is very important. And if you can, donate $5. That’s helping someone else that’s less fortunate.”
Hill has already raised $6,000 through her campaign this month. She is trying to raise $10,000 before it’s finished. Residents and local businesses all across Fayetteville have been donating to the cause, but she’s also been receiving contributions from as far as New York and Pennsylvania.
“Somehow, everybody’s been affected by breast cancer. Either a friend, a family member, cousin, aunt, uncle. Somebody’s been affected by cancer. So people will willingly give because they know they’re helping someone else,” she said.
Hill knows the importance of screenings firsthand. Early detection helped protect her when she was diagnosed with DCIS. On Thursday, Hill said her health is doing much better now that she’s been cancer free for three years.
“When they caught mine, it would stay zero. And I didn’t have to do chemotherapy,” she said. “I chose to do 16 days of radiation as a precaution.”
Hill is asking donors to post pictures of their lightbulbs on her Facebook page. She has just 100 out of 800 lightbulbs left. If she reaches her $10,000 goal, she said she will get a tattoo of a small ribbon.
“I’m not a tattoo person but for breast cancer, I’ll do it,” she said. “Yes, I will do it for $10,000.”
Anyone looking for more info can visit the Light up Fayetteville Pink Facebook page.
