Wilson Tornado Videos April 16, 2011
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editor @ April 18, 2011
Ayden farmer pleads guilty in crop insurance fraud scheme
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RALEIGH March 21, 2011
United States Attorney George E.B. Holding announced that in federal court today TIMOTHY ALTON STANCILL, 49, of Ayden, North Carolina, pled guilty before United States District Judge James C. Dever III, to the making of false statements in connection with the federal crop insurance program, in violation of Title 18, United States Code, Section 1014 and making material false statements, in violation of Title 18, United State Code, Section 1001.
During the course of the investigation, it was determined that STANCILL filed false multi-peril crop insurance claims and crop disaster payment claims. With respect to the claims, STANCILL misrepresented his tobacco production to secure the monies fraudulently. Specifically, STANCILL sold some of his tobacco through Mark Pridgen, a previously indicted co-conspirator, was paid in cash, and failed to disclose the sale in his indemnity claims. STANCILL also paid a bribe to an adjuster so that his losses were falsely inflated, thereby increasing the amount of money he collected in connection with federal indemnity claims. Therefore, he applied for and received federal crop disaster payments based upon a false production history.
At sentencing, set for the July 5, 2011, term of court, STANCILL faces up to 30 years’ imprisonment for making false statements in connection with the crop insurance program and up to five years’ imprisonment for making material false statements. Also, as stipulated in the plea agreement, STANCILL has agreed to pay restitution to the United States Department of Agriculture, Risk Management Agency and the Farm Service Agency, in the amounts of $196,189 and $34,113, respectively, and to Rural Community Insurance Services in the amount of $36,885.
Investigation of this case was conducted by the United States Department of Agriculture, Office of the Inspector General, Risk Management Agency, Special Investigations Branch, and the Internal Revenue Service, Criminal Investigation Division. Assistant United States Attorney Banumathi Rangarajan, who is assigned to the officer’s Economic Crimes Unit, represented the government.
admin @ March 27, 2011
NC bill clarifies roadblocks illegal
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(AMP) Raleigh
If HB 375 passes the NC General Assembly and becomes law, those roadblocks which stop traffic and violate everyones’ rights might become just a bad memory of a state which was rapidly becoming a police state rather than a free state.
House Bill 375 introduced in the NC General Assembly by first-term representative Glen Bradley of Youngsville would clarify that checkpoints are illegal in the state. Law enforcement refers to roadblocks as checkpoints, check points, or safety checkpoints. US Supreme Court has ruled checkpoints are seizures without a warrant and without probable cause, and as such are unconstitutional in violation of the 4th Amendment of the Bill of Rights, but the court specifies there are exceptions which allow police to violate the law in the name of public safety. For example, if police received a tip that there are religious extremists with a bomb on the way to blow up a building, there may be good reason to conduct a roadblock. It would still be illegal, but it would be an allowed exception to the Bill of Rights.
Rep. Glen Bradley explains, he hands out copies of the US Constitution to police when he is stopped, saying the obviously “need them” (to know they are violating peoples’ rights). The US Constitution is law which limits the powers of government in order to preserve the rights of the people.
In the embedded video, Wake County Sheriff Harrison clearly wants to continue the rights violations, and opposes the bill. The Sheriff is in favor of continuing to accept federal funds (which come from taxpayers) to set up checkpoints.
The General Assembly will also review a much weaker bill regarding roadblocks and checkpoints. HB 381 would prevent police from setting up checkpoints in order to profile specific types of vehicles.
Make no mistake about it, those federal funds used to fund states to set up checkpoints do come from taxpayers wallets. The US House of Representatives is currently considering House Resolution HR 904 which would prevent the US Department of Transportation (DOT) from providing federal funds to create motorcycle only roadblocks (MOR).
admin @ March 27, 2011
Severe drought persists in North Carolina
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NC Drought Map
Raleigh – Below normal rainfall has again thrust parts of central North Carolina into severe drought, and water resources officials are encouraging communities to prepare should dry conditions persist.
“At this point, public water supplies are fine in North Carolina,” said Woody Yonts, chairman of the N.C. Drought Management Advisory Council. “But if dry conditions continue to occur, widespread impacts could quickly surface in the next few months as the temperatures begin to gradually increase and the growing season begins.”
Forty-five counties are experiencing drought in North Carolina, according to Thursday’s federal drought map. Of those, 27 Piedmont counties are in severe drought, the second worst level in the four-category system used to measure drought. Thursday marks the first time since September that any part of the Tar Heel State has
experienced severe drought.
The drought map can be seen at ncdrought.org
The introduction of severe drought is based on impacts to streamflows and the flow of rain water into reservoirs – two main factors used to determine drought categories. A lack of significant rainfall in recent months has resulted in below normal groundwater levels and streamflows and less water than needed to replenish reservoirs in parts of North Carolina.
To extend available water supplies and maintain lake levels, many reservoir managers in North Carolina are only allowing minimum releases of water. It’s unusual to take such action to maintain lake levels during the winter when rainfall typically recharges North Carolina’s reservoirs, state water resources officials said.
In addition to the areas experiencing drought, 38 mountain and eastern counties are abnormally dry, according to Thursday’s drought map. Abnormally dry is not a drought category, but means drought could emerge without adequate rainfall.
admin @ March 26, 2011
Find your beat
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nchome.us is creating an independent media network partnership across North Carolina. Many “beats” are available for journalist contributors, and editors.
Every major city in North Carolina will eventually be covered. Each of the major cities in North Carolina will have it’s own nchome.us site. At present, there is a main nchome.us website, and there are also many city.nchome.us websites, already set up and ready to go. All these sites need is reporters/writers/journalists/editors. There are also other sections, such as business, music, politics, US news and world news.
admin @ March 9, 2011
