1. The Daily Reflector
B
Friday, December 30, 2011
Local&State
INSIDE
• Obituaries and death notices, B2
• U2 is top touring act in 2011, B4
• Today’s TV listings, B4 BONO
of the
band u2.
Officers investigate 11 homicides in 2011
■ Seven deaths took place in the city and four in All of this year’s Pitt mer Place as a homicide. No suspects and died at Pitt County
the county; 10 deaths were reported in 2010. County incidents led to ar- Drive. have been named and no Memorial Hospital. Nobles
rests. Two of the Greenville Chief Wil- warrants have been issued. was stabbed but later recov-
homicides remain unsolved liam An- ■ No arrests have been ered.
BY mICHAEL ABrAmOwITz city and four in the county. and still are being investi- derson reported following a Dec. Anderson said a group
the daily Reflector In 2010, there were 10 gated. acknowl- 4 fight at a Pirates Cove of 10-12 unidentified Crips
homicide victims reported ■ Police have reported e d g e d apartment party where De- gang members crashed the
Law enforcement offi- to both agencies, accord- little about the Nov. 20, Burgwardt metrius Lamar Boone and party, but no warrants have
cers in Greenville and Pitt ing to figures from police death of Michael Roy Burg- Anderson was shot Rayshawn Nobles, both followed.
County have investigated and sheriff’s officials, split wardt, 64, a landlord whose once in 18 and from Winterville, Anderson faced pressure
a combined 11 homicide evenly between both juris- body was discovered in the chest and said detectives were assaulted. Boone had
deaths in 2011, seven in the dictions. an apartment at 212 Sum- were investigating the death been shot multiple times See hoMiCide, B3
Christmas trees transformed Gas facility
rule violators
rarely fined
■ An audit says that
even when facilities State aUDit
repeatedly violated ■ inspectors for the
regulations, they standards division of
the state department of
seldom had to pay. Agriculture and Consumer
Services found 7,466
BY EmErY P. DALESIO violations representing
the associated Press potential threats to public
health and safety.
RALEIGH — A state
agency responsible for ■ The viola-
tions included
checking the safety of
nearly 200
propane and other lique- cases in
fied petroleum gas facili- which
ties rarely fined operators emergency
even when they repeat- shutoff
edly violated regulations, valves didn’t
Rhett ButleR/the daily ReflectoR according to an audit re- work.
DELBErT BrYANT, sanitation supervisor with the city of Greenville, discards a christmas tree at the city’s mulching leased Thursday.
■ other
center on hooker Road on Wednesday afternoon. Inspectors for the stan-
violations in-
dards division of the cluded gas stor-
Recycling program turns holiday firs to mulch state Department of Ag-
riculture and Consumer
Services found 7,466 vio-
age plants that were not
locked when unattended,
leaks around tanks and
lations representing po- pipes, and documentation
BY GINGEr LIVINGSTON Christmas tree mulch to use in
the daily Reflector plant beds throughout the com- ColleCtioN iNfo tential threats to public
health and safety in the
deficiencies.
munity, he said.
■ The city of Greenville will start year after October 2009,
The holidays are coming to a Last year, Christmas tree recy-
curbside pick up of Christmas trees when the agency was au- percent of the violations
close and Christmas trees will soon cling produced five tons of mulch next week. All decorations, lights thorized to impose stiffer were repeat discoveries of
line the curbs of cities and fill the for the city, Bryant said. and tinsel should be removed from civil penalties, the audit problems that hadn’t been
bins of county collection sites. The town of Winterville is asking the trees. by State Auditor Beth fixed, with some operators
The city of Greenville and other its residents to set out trees Monday
■ Winterville residents are asked Wood’s office found. LP having as many as seven
Pitt County municipalities will through Wednesday, when regular
set out trees Monday through gas can burn or explode if repeat violations, the re-
start curbside pick up of Christmas yard debris is picked up.
Wednesday. it comes in contact with a port said.
trees next week. The trees will then Grifton begins tree pick up on
■ Grifton begins tree pick up on spark. While the Agriculture
be turned to mulch either for city Tuesday and will continue pick ups
Tuesday and will continue pick ups on The violations included Department could have
or community use. on Mondays and Tuesdays.
Mondays and Tuesdays. nearly 200 cases in which assessed fines of up to $2.5
“We are asking residents to put Farmville will pick up trees until
emergency shutoff valves million, it instead hit two
(the trees) out after the New Year,” Jan. 31. ■ Farmville will pick didn’t work, the report facilities with fines total-
said Delbert Bryant, Greenville Ayden officials could not be up trees until said. Other violations in- ing $7,100, the report said.
sanitation supervisor. “They should reached for comment. Jan. 31.
cluded gas storage plants Those fines were negoti-
be separated from yard debris.” Attendants at Pitt County’s re-
that were not locked when ated down to $4,000, state
All decorations, lights and tinsel cycling and solid waste collection
unattended, leaks around auditors said. About 80
should be removed from the trees sites reported trees already have
tanks and pipes, and doc- percent of fines collected
so the mulch isn’t contaminated, he been dropped off at several loca-
umentation deficiencies,
said.
The city of Greenville puts its See TreeS, B3 the report said. Nearly 10 See GAS, B3
The Day Across the State
JACKSONVILLE FAYETTEVILLE PErquImANS COuNTY rALEIGH
Christmas trees used in dunes Suspect in N.C. death arrested New law, teen drivers log hours
It may be time to take down the Christ- Cumberland County authorities say a Starting next week, teenage drivers in
mas trees, but that doesn’t mean they have man accused of killing his girlfriend and North Carolina must write down how
to end up in a landfill. kidnapping their 22-month-old daughter many hours they spent practicing before
Fort Macon in Carteret County has has surrendered to police in Connecti- they can get a full license.
used Christmas trees to build dunes for cut. A state law taking effect Sunday requires
about 30 years. Fort Macon Superinten- Sheriff’s office spokeswoman Debbie them to turn in a log of their driving time
dent Randy Newman says the area gets Tanna said 23-year-old Alexander Zelaya before they can move up to the next level
about 1,500 trees a year. was arrested Thursday morning in the of the graduated licensing system.
The trees are staked and tied along the town of West Haven. The law requires teenagers with a learn-
dune line in areas that have been depleted. Tanna said Zelaya drove to a Walmart er’s permit to have signed logs showing
The tree limbs collect the sand, replenish- in town and asked how to find the nearest they drove 60 hours with an adult driver.
ing the dunes. police station. Novice drivers then will need 12 more
In Hendersonville, an annual recycling Investigators said Zelaya shot and hours over the next six months to qualify
event that will be held on Jan. 7 offers a killed 22-year-old Miriam Reyes and fled for a full license.
chance to turn Christmas trees into mulch. Fayetteville in a stolen vehicle with their the daily advance Parents or guardians will have to cer-
Residents can drop off trees at Jackson daughter, Juliana. He dropped the little LErOYA BANKS closed out her successful tify the driving logs.
Park, or the Environmental Conservation girl off at a Food Lion in Newport News, high school track career by winning the
Organization will pick them up for $15. Va. on Wednesday. state 1a championship in the 100. From Associated Press reports