On Spence’s Farm for Kids a mile and half north of Chapel Hill, horses graze on hay in paddocks while ponies trot around a ring with smiling kids on their backs. Chickens squawk in a coop near a garden blooming with organic vegetables, making it easy to understand why the children’s programs here have been […]
John H. Tucker
Bio: John H. Tucker is a staff writer for INDY Week.Email: [email protected]: http://twitter.com/JH_Tucker
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Hatgate Update: Appellate judges side with fired Highway Patrol trooper
Earlier this week the North Carolina Court of Appeals issued an opinion siding with a fired Highway Patrol trooper who, after losing his hat, gave a misleading story to his superiors about how he lost it. We covered the hat flap in our Oct. 23 issue, following oral arguments at the Court of Appeals. During […]
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Cops: gun shot residue found on dead teen’s hands
Durham Police Chief Jose Lopez held a press conference this morning to address last night’s clash with protesters following the vigil and march for Jesus Huerta, which marked the one-month anniversary of his death. The teenager died Nov. 19 in the back seat of a police cruiser. According to police he died from a self-inflicted […]
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In neighbors’ tussle over shrubs, the shears come out
Down Highway 98 in eastern Durham County, beyond Holloway Street’s fast-food joints and gas stations, tucked inside a trim subdivision built around a lake, at the tip of a tidy cul-de-sac with immaculate lawns, two next-door neighbors are having a spat. The feud is over three shrubs. Ligustrums. Two feet tall. No more than $80 […]
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General Assembly passes law regulating scrap metal sales
Beginning this week, metal recyclers and salvage yards will require sellers of older model cars to show proof of ownership before a purchase. In July, the General Assembly enacted House Bill 26, Strengthen Laws/Vehicle Theft, which went into effect Dec. 1. In June, we wrote about a legal loophole allowing car thieves to sell vehicles […]
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In this true crime story, twins, TVs and one weird twist
What stuck out was the black wheel. Normal rims, even dirty ones, maintain a silver sheen. But this wheel was covered in black soot. Brake dust, thought Sgt. David Labarre, who was watching a video clip of the Toyota Sequoia on his squad car laptop. This guy rode his truck hard. It was the evening […]
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Haydn “Fats” Thomas pleads guilty to drug, gun charges
Haydn “Fats” Thomas, whose name is linked to two rental cars used this summer by UNC basketball player P.J. Hairston, pleaded guilty today to gun and drug charges in Durham Superior Court. The judge suspended a prison sentence in lieu of a 36-month probation term. Thomas had been charged for possession of a gun by […]
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Updated: New indictments in UNC football scandal could include familiar names
UPDATE 11/13, 2:35 pm: The Daily Tar Heel reports that Willie Barley and Michael Johnson were the fourth and fifth individuals indicted. UPDATE 10/15, 8:55 am: WRAL reports that Patrick Jones was among those indicted. UPDATE 10/9, 12:26 pm: The Daily Tar Heel reports that Terry Watson was indicted, released on a $50,000 bond and […]
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Can police prevent domestic violence simply by telling offenders to stop?
Quick facts on domestic violence • More than 1 in 3 women (35.6%) and more than 1 in 4 men (28.5%) in the United States have experienced rape, physical violence and/or stalking by an intimate partner in their lifetime. • About 1 in 4 women (24.3%) and 1 in 7 men (13.8%) have experienced severe […]
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Getting stonewalled in the Vortex accident case
Last month, after the malfunction of the Vortex ride at the North Carolina State Fair that hospitalized five people, confusion emerged when the Associated Press reported that the Wake County Sheriff’s Office seized public records from the North Carolina Department of Labor, which is in charge of regulating amusement rides. Labor Department officials reportedly did […]
