via rss.cnn.com
Tuesday, January 31, 2012
McCrory formally announces he's running for governor
GREENSBORO - Former Charlotte Mayor Pat McCrory kicked off his second campaign for governor Tuesday night, vowing to end the Democrats' scandal-ridden "good old boy (and girl) network" and fix the state's "broken economy."
Punctuating a long unofficial campaign, Republican McCrory's formal announcement came less than a week after Democratic Gov. Bev Perdue shook up the race by saying she won't seek a second term.
McCrory's official launch came on the same day that Charlotte Mayor Anthony Foxx, McCrory's successor, took himself out of consideration for the governor's race. Also opting out Tuesday: U.S. Rep. Heath Shuler, a Democrat from Bryson City, who said now was not the time for him to run for the state's highest office.
Still mulling a run: Erskine Bowles, a wealthy Democrat from Charlotte. He has lost two runs for the U.S. Senate, but earned a national reputation as a fiscal hawk as President Bill Clinton's chief of staff and as co-leader of a national commission that advised President Barack Obama on ways to end the federal budget deficit.
Tuesday night, more than 400 people crowded into the Oriental Shrine Club outside Greensboro to see the McCrory kickoff in a hall festooned with blue and green balloons.
The onetime Charlotte mayor, who isn't expected to have any serious opposition for the GOP nomination, didn't name any opponents or would-be opponents. Instead he referred to the Democrats' "status quo of failed leadership."
"We won't be fooled again," he said after walking in to The Who song of the same name.
Then, mentioning two fallen N.C. Democrats - former Gov. Mike Easley and former U.S. Sen. John Edwards - but not Perdue, McCrory recalled headlines of "FBI investigations, felony convictions ... pay-to-play fundraisers (and) tuition hikes."
McCrory said he would be a governor who champions lower taxes and more energy exploration in the state.
Some supporters on hand Tuesday said Perdue's decision eases the way for McCrory.
"It's always good when you're running for an open seat," said Hal Weatherman, a former aide to U.S. Rep. Sue Myrick. "Even though Bev was down in the polls, she still had the advantage of incumbency."
McCrory lost narrowly to Perdue in 2008. But in recent months, he led Perdue in polls.
Surveys by Democratic-leaning Public Policy Polling found him with a lead over 13 potential opponents. Not only has he enjoyed wide name recognition, but 45 percent of N.C. voters have a favorable opinion of him, compared to 31 percent with a negative opinion.
"Those are unusually strong numbers and a reminder that Perdue's unpopularity wasn't the only reason she trailed McCrory by such a wide margin," said poll director Tom Jensen.
Not surprisingly, Democrats went on the attack even before McCrory's announcement.
"Make no mistake about it," said state Democratic Party spokesman Walton Robinson, " Pat McCrory would continue to slash education funding and would be a rubber stamp for an unpopular and irresponsible General Assembly."
Lt. Gov. Walter Dalton, one of only two Democrats so far to announce their intention to run for their party's gubernatorial nomination, also issued a statement Tuesday linking McCrory to the Republicans who run the N.C. General Assembly - and to their record of cutting teachers.
"Now that he's finally made it official, the people of North Carolina will get a chance to scrutinize Pat McCrory's agenda," Dalton said. "It is a destructive agenda that embraces a backwards-facing vision that cuts education funding, slashes teaching jobs and hurts our ability to recruit new business."
A new report shows McCrory raised $2.6 million last year, and has more than $2 million now.
Charlotte residents donated at least $547,000 to his campaign last year and Raleigh residents gave at least $225,000. McCrory received nearly $200,000 from out-of-state donors.
Many N.C. Republicans feel this is their time.
"I'm tired of celebrating the 20th anniversary of not having a Republican governor," said state GOP Chairman Robin Hayes.
The last GOP governor, Jim Martin, left office in 1993. Staff writer Gavin Off contributed
S.C. man who died aboard cruise ship identified
Authorities have identified a 26-year-old tourist from South Carolina who died aboard a Carnival cruise ship in the Bahamas last week.
Walter Bouknight died last Friday aboard the Fantasy Cruise Ship, according to reports. He was said to have jumped from one deck to the one below while the vessel was docked in Nassau.
He was declared dead at the scene.
The ship departed Charleston, S.C., on Wednesday for a five-day cruise.
Blazers' Batum out with bruised left knee
Blazers' Batum out with bruised left knee
Posted Jan 31 2012 6:46PM - Updated Jan 31 2012 7:37PMPORTLAND, Ore. (AP) -- Trail Blazers forward Nicolas Batum has a left knee bone contusion that will keep him out of Wednesday night's game against the Charlotte Bobcats.
The results of an MRI on Tuesday show no breaks or tears in Batum's knee, which he injured late in the Blazers' 93-89 loss to the Utah Jazz on Monday night. Batum had to be helped off the court and the injury appeared to be serious.
The 6-foot-8 forward from France welcomed the results of the MRI.
"When I came home and saw the video, it was like, `I'm done for the season."' Batum told reporters at the Blazers' practice facility. "I couldn't sleep last night."
Blazers coach Nate McMillan was also relieved.
"Looking at it on tape last night it looked like that knee really buckled," the coach said.
Batum is averaging 11.4 points and 4.1 rebounds off the bench this season with the Blazers.
He was initially concerned that his status for the Olympics in London this summer may be in jeopardy. Fellow French national team member Tony Parker texted him after seeing the injury.
France has already earned a berth in the London Games.
Batum will be reevaluated after the Charlotte game and is considered day-to-day. He said he'll travel with the Blazers to Sacramento for a game Thursday night, but is unsure if he'll play.
via nba.com
Cavaliers' guard Gibson released from hospital
Cavaliers' guard Gibson released from hospital
Posted Jan 31 2012 6:25PM - Updated Jan 31 2012 6:57PMCLEVELAND (AP) -- Cavaliers guard Daniel Gibson could be sidelined for a few more days with a neck infection that landed him in a Boston hospital.
Gibson was released Tuesday from Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center with a "soft tissue" infection in his neck. Gibson stayed behind after the team played the Celtics on Sunday night. The 25-year-old is being treated with antibiotics.
Cavs coach Byron Scott said Gibson will undergo more tests Wednesday in Cleveland.
"He's feeling a lot better," Scott said before the Cavs hosted the Celtics. "I do know the Cleveland Clinic (doctors) are going to do more tests to make sure everything is OK. But other than that, we're just glad he's OK."
Scott said Gibson's return to the floor will be determined after he's evaluated by team doctors. The Cavs play at Orlando on Friday and host Dallas on Saturday.
With both Gibson and Anthony Parker (back) out, rookie Mychel Thompson made his first career start at shooting guard against the Celtics.
Thompson played the entire fourth quarter in Cleveland's comeback win on Sunday in Boston, and Scott was impressed with the youngster's poise.
"He'll be fine with the veterans we have out there," Scott said of Thompson, whose father, Mychal, was a No. 1 overall pick and played 12 seasons in the NBA. "I thought he was excited to get in and play. When I called his name I looked dead at him and didn't get the deer-in-the-headlights look. He just took his shirt off like he was ready to go and he went out there and played that way."
Parker doesn't know when he'll be back. He's had a back issue for several weeks and he aggravated the ailment in the first quarter on Sunday.
via nba.com
CEO says Bears will apply franchise tag to Forte if necessary
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via nfl.com
Melo returns; Knicks rout Pistons
- Source:
Anthony returns, Knicks rout Pistons to end slide
NEW YORK (AP) -- Carmelo Anthony came back and the New York Knicks ' offensive woes went away.
Anthony scored 25 points in his return to the lineup, Landry Fields added 16 of his 18 in a flawless first half, and the Knicks snapped a three-game losing streak with a 113-86 victory over the Detroit Pistons on Tuesday night.
Tyson Chandler had 17 points and Amare Stoudemire 15 for the Knicks, whose slumbering offense awoke in just their second victory in 11 games. They shot 60 percent from the field - amazingly the first time they bettered 50 percent all season - and fell just a point short of matching their highest scoring effort.
"A lot of that is Melo," Knicks coach Mike D'Antoni said. "You could see he was well, he looked good and we play a lot off him and he draws a lot of attention, makes it easy for everybody else, kind of puts everybody else back in their roles that they do. And we struggled with him out or with him hurt."
Anthony had missed two straight games because of injuries to his ankle, wrist and thumb, finally shutting it down after shooting just 31.7 percent in six games since he was hurt on Jan. 12 at Memphis. But he drove easily and shot well after deciding shortly before the game he was ready to go, going 9 of 14 from the field and handing out six assists.
"My legs felt great out there tonight," Anthony said. "I felt refreshed. Just taking these five, six days off that I did really helped me out big time. I could feel me having my explosiveness back. A lot of the things that I was doing prior to the Memphis game, it came back tonight."
Jonas Jerebko scored 15 points and Greg Monroe had 13 points and 12 rebounds for the Pistons (4-19), who lost their sixth straight and are struggling to even be competitive while playing without Ben Gordon, Charlie Villanueva and Will Bynum.
"We're not even putting ourselves in a position where these games are in doubt," Pistons coach Lawrence Frank said. "We're all embarrassed that we're not doing better. We all have to raise our hands and figure out ways we can improve."
Fields, who has played better lately after struggling early, made all six of his attempts in the first half, including four 3-pointers. The Knicks made 23 of 35 shots (65.7 percent) in the first half, going 6 of 8 behind the arc, and kept it up the rest of the night.
The Knicks have been in a season-long shooting slump, coming into the game 29th in the NBA in field-goal percentage at 41.4 percent. D'Antoni traced much of the problems to Anthony's physical struggles, saying the Knicks had no way to attack without him.
But they've shredded the Pistons twice, dunking 13 times in a 103-80 victory on Jan. 7 in Detroit. All 12 players scored Tuesday, with reserve Bill Walker chipping in 11 points.
The Pistons trailed by double digits after one quarter in their previous two games, and were quickly down 17-7 in this one. They cut into the lead before Fields and Anthony made 3-pointers in the final 25 seconds of the period to give New York a 33-24 lead. Detroit kept it close until late in the second, but New York finished the half with a flurry and blew it open easily in the third quarter, when the Pistons managed just 12 points.
"We just didn't give ourselves a chance," forward Tayshaun Prince said. "When you're losing games and playing the way we're playing, the one thing you want to do is give yourself a chance to win, but we don't do that."
New York had botched home games against sub-.500 teams Charlotte, Toronto, Phoenix and Milwaukee, but couldn't afford to blow this one with a back-to-back-to-back set that includes Chicago and Boston starting Thursday.
They got plenty of rest for that, emptying the bench early in the fourth.
"We were moving the ball," Fields said, "and just going in tonight we wanted to make a statement going into these next three games. So I think we did that."
NOTES: The Pistons finish a stretch of three games in three nights Wednesday at New Jersey, where Frank was the Nets' coach from 2004 until he was fired after losing his first 16 games in the 2009-10 season. ... D'Antoni said he doesn't expect Baron Davis to play until next week. Davis is still recovering from a herniated disk in his back and started practicing last week, but wasn't ready to debut during their four-game road trip and sat out practice Monday. D'Antoni said Davis didn't have a setback, but the team felt it was better to give him more time.
---
Follow Brian Mahoney on Twitter: http://www.twitter.com/Briancmahoney
Packers' Rodgers blasts NFC's effort in Pro Bowl
Green Bay Packers quarterback Aaron Rodgers said Tuesday on the radio that he was “disappointed” with the effort exhibited in this year’s Pro Bowl.
“I’ll be honest with you, I was a little disappointed,” Rodgers said Tuesday during a radio interview with ESPN Milwaukee. ”I felt like some of the guys on the NFC side embarrassed themselves. There should be some pride involved in a game like that, and I was just surprised by some of the efforts by some of the guys.”
Perhaps is that lack of effort that led to a 59-41 final score, and even a smattering of boos from the crowd in Hawii.
via tracking.si.com
5-year-old left on school bus
Charlotte-Mecklenburg School officials are investigating why a child was left on a bus, despite new alarms aimed at preventing just that.
Lakesha McDowell said she got a call last week from the Hickory Grove Pre-K school.
They told her a bus driver drove away from the school with her 5-year-old son still on the bus.
He'd fallen asleep.
"He said 'I woke up mommy, and everybody was gone'," McDowell said. "He said he popped up and said, 'Hey where is everybody?' and at that point it scared the bus driver."
Last year, CMS installed alarms on all buses that force the driver to check each seat for children.
A district spokeswoman said there was a "discrepancy in the procedure", and they're looking into what happened.
CMS said the driver has been disciplined, but could not go into further detail.
via wsoctv.com
BREAKING: 10 Treated After Fire At JGR Shop
2 comments:
' + entry.content.$t + '
Mike N.
Bedford, NHPS I joke because this report clears up the injury reports: http://www.denverpost.com/sports/ci_19860836
Doug from NJ
Monday, January 30, 2012
Sixers deal struggling Magic fourth straight loss #nba @NBA
Iguodala shines in 76ers' 74-69 win over Magic
PHILADELPHIA (AP) -- Andre Iguodala had 14 points and 11 rebounds to lead the surprising Philadelphia 76ers to their third straight win, 74-69 over the Orlando Magic on Monday night.
The Sixers raced to their best start in nearly a decade by taking advantage of a soft schedule for the first third of the season, but it gets tough from here. Orlando was the first opponent in a long run of games against winning teams that includes home games this week against Chicago and Miami.
Led by Iguodala's burst in the third quarter, the Sixers (15-6) outlasted the stumbling Magic and won despite posting their lowest point total of the season. Dwight Howard's 17 points and 11 rebounds weren't enough in Orlando's fourth straight loss.
Howard wants out of Orlando and criticized his teammates Friday for not playing hard enough in a loss to New Orleans. He missed eight of 13 free throws overall against Philadelphia and the Magic missed 14 of 17 shots from the floor in the third. Ryan Anderson had 14 points and 20 rebounds.
The Magic missed nine straight shots during a 6-minute stretch in the third that allowed the Sixers to build a double-digit lead. Jodie Meeks hit a 3-pointer for a 53-40 lead and the 76ers withstood three late 3s by Orlando that trimmed the final margin.
The Magic scored only nine points in the third quarter. Howard had all three baskets.
With 6 minutes left in the game, the Magic had yet to reach 50 points.
Long the fourth pro team in Philadelphia, the improved Sixers are winning back fans one victory at a time. They improved to 11-2 at home in front one of their largest crowds of the season (16,299). Heading into a timeout in the third, the Atlantic Division leaders walked off toward the huddle to a standing ovation.
Coming off a triple-double against Detroit on Saturday, Iguodala fell four assists shy of a repeat effort. The rest of the Sixers struggled to score, but Philadelphia didn't need to do much against an Orlando team that has completely unraveled.
Sixers first year CEO Adam Aron conducted as he mingled with fans and the team's retro theme song was blasted for the enthusiastic crowd. Aron and the new ownership group have overhauled the game-night atmosphere, but the biggest change has come on the court.
They'll need more than a catchy tune to get through the next two weeks. After Chicago and Miami, the Sixers play Saturday at Atlanta. They return home next week for games against the Los Angeles Lakers , San Antonio Spurs and Los Angeles Clippers .
Fans yelled "On the list!" at Howard, a reference to placing the Sixers on his short list of teams where he'd like to be traded.
Before the game, Howard walked around the locker room with a brick in each hand, playfully swinging them around and yelling, "I'm going to knock somebody in the head!"
He shot more bricks from the free throw line, not a total surprise considering he shoots 46 percent from the line.
Evan Turner scored 12 points for the Sixers and Thaddeus Young had 10.
Notes: Magic point guard Jameer Nelson did not travel with the team, sidelined with concussion-like symptoms after taking an inadvertent blow to the head and jaw in Orlando's loss at New Orleans on Friday. Coach Stan Van Gundy said Nelson could be sidelined another week. ... The 76ers played again without starting center Spencer Hawes (left Achilles strain) and his backup, rookie Nik Vucevic (left quad strain). ... Iguodala moved into fourth place on the team's career steals list, passing Charles Barkley. ... Orlando's nine points in the third was the low against Philly for a quarter.
RT@MWRteam: Part 2 of the @napaknowhow Road to Daytona video series recaping the 2012 Media Tour @MWRteam http://t.co/2eH5hEvL @MartinTruexJr56 #NASCAR
Part 2 of the @napaknowhow Road to Daytona video series recaping the 2012 Media Tour @MWRteam tinyurl.com/7r5l385 @MartinTruexJr56 #NASCAR
— M. Waltrip Racing (@MWRteam) January 30, 2012
via twitter.com
Patrick Will Race Daytona With Points From TBR @DANICAPATRICK @StewartHaasRcng #NASCAR
Monday, January 30, 2012
Patrick Will Race Daytona With Points From TBR
Danica Patrick will be a guaranteed starter in the 2012 Daytona 500, using owner points from Tommy Baldwin Racing.
Multiple sources say a deal is nearly complete to make Patrick a guaranteed starter in Stewart Haas Racing’s #10 Chevrolet in the 2012 NASCAR Sprint Cup season opener, using owner points accrued last season by driver Dave Blaney in TBR’s #36 Chevrolet. Blaney will now be forced to qualify for the “Great American Race” on time.
Danica is a lock for the Daytona 500 Patrick is scheduled to run approximately 10 Sprint Cup races this season, and TBR driver David Reutimann will run many of the events Patrick does not; also in the #10 machine. While Patrick will drive Stewart Haas cars purchased from Hendrick Motorsports in her 10 races, Reutimann will steer Baldwin’s cars in his outings.
TBR will reportedly receive technical and pit crew support from SHR as part of the deal.
32 comments:
' + entry.content.$t + 'This one could even go further with SHR supplying the cars for Patrick's 10 races only, while TBR would supply the cars for Reutimann's 26 races.
Normally I hate points swapping, however this is a good idea and perfectly legal in NASCAR.
As Tony has said from the start when they announced her races at Texas last year, her 2012 limited Cup schedule is going to be about seat time in preparation for 2013 and you can't do that by missing races. Smart move.
RISK VS REWARD might be too risky this time!
Sounds like a good deal to me, over the long haul.
BTW, I trust Moody over my speculation that this might be untrue. He's right most of the time, and actually knows people who know people. No one is perfect, but I'll take those chances any day.
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