2A
NEWS/ The Charlotte Post
Thursday, August 28, 1997
McDonald’s up for sale
One of Charlotte’s best vocalists
in recent memory showed up in
the QC this week.
Maria Howell, jazz diva
deluxe, was in town to catch up on
old times and share the 411 with
friends and fans alike. Fly
thought girlfriend had ‘bout
dropped off the faa; of the planet,
but noooo. Chick done upped and
got hitched to Louis Dukes, a
leatherneck stationed in
Okinawa. If ya dunno where that
is, use a map - it ain’t in Dixie.
As for her career, Miz Howell is
doing gigs across the Pacific and
Asia and it seems as if the locals
just can’t get enough of that voice.
There’s talk of recording a CD and
doing some acting out that way
before the pair move stateside.
Way to go, girlfriend! And come
see us again, ya heah?
• Da bomb...Fly hears the fine
folks down at the Department of
Social Services are pretty fired
up. According to DSS workers,
some nut, probably a victim of
welfare reform, threatened to
blow the Freedom Drive location
sky high.
Anyway, rather than announc
ing the problem, the folks in
charge opted to leave voice mail
messages for all the employees to
check around for anything out of
place. An hour after the threat,
workers say they were finally
evacuated, but their clients were
See FLY on page 6A
Foreclosure
auction set for
September 15
Continued from page 1A
McDonald’s Restaurant. FDY
Catering vice president Keith
Haywood also refuses comment.
The facility would remain closed
during renovations. Gantt report
edly h^ asked developer Ron
Deeper for an estimate of renova
tion and fix-up costs.
A vibrant McDonald’s Cafeteria
is considered a cornerstone of
efforts to sustain redevelopment
of the Beatties Ford Road corri
dor. The facUify anchors the north
end of the current redevelopment
district.
Many call it a community trea
sure and several efforts have
been made to preserve the com
plex since McDonald’s death in
1995. His widow, Eunice, has
managed the establishment since
her husband’s death.
Many in the black community
say they want the restaurant to
remain in African American
hands. Several investor groups
have tried unsuccessfully to work
out purchase agreements.
McDonald learned to cook in
New York City and returned to
Charlotte to set up a restaurant
that became widely known for its
good food. It was also known as a
place where the communily could
gather - informally over break
fast or lunch and formally in the
dozens of dinners and banquets
in the facility's banquet rooms.
Troubles have mounted as
restaurant patronage dechned
and the facUity fell into disrepair.
Restaurant employees were laid
off on Aug. 17, many angrily com
plaining of not being treated fair
ly after years of service. Some had
worked at McDonald’s as long as
25 years.
On Aug. 20, a fire started in a
room of the adjacent McDonald’s
Inn. The blaze was intentionally
set, but police have not made an
arrest, said arson investigator
A.E, Taylor, a member of the joint
police-fire department Arson
Investigation T^k Force.
‘yfe are calling it a set fire,”
Taylor said Wednesday. He would
not discuss how the fire was set,
but estimated damage at less
than $25,000.
Only two guests were in the
hotel at the time of the fire, which
began about 3:30 p.m. in a third
floor room. Most of the damage to
the third and fourth floors was
from smoke, fire officials said.
Spann appeal rejected by judge
Continued from page 1A
Blume continued. “Sterling
should get a new trial on either
the evidence or the fact his
lawyers did not do a good job. It
has got to be one or the other. It
can’t be neither.”
An earlier appeal on the compe
tence of Spann’s first lavsyers
failed, leading to the latest effort
to free him.
Blume admitted 15 years was a
long time to fight tut a new trial,
even in a death penalty case.
But, he said, *1118 ease is mote
screwed up than the average case.
'There have alwi^ttlMn serious
questions about tal Bompetency
of his represcfttphtt at trial.
Judges have said not have
mattered, but thdtship before this
new evidence «at pfiMnlited.”
The new evidei«l| indudes con
fessions of parWldiition in the
crime for the m*d 'Who pleaded
God's Creation
In Concert
4:00PM
September 7,1997
Where: Chappell Memorial
Baptist Church
110 Bradford Dr.
Charlotte, NC
Reverend Norman E. Kerry Jr., Pastor
Featuring
Arry McCauley • Carol Croutch
Maria Reaves • Rosemary McDowell
“I will praise the Lord with my whole heart, I will be
glad and rejoice in Thee; I will sing praises to thy name,
O most high.”
Psalms 9
O'Zion iK Zion Qiurdi
presents
WORKSHOP '97
featuring
DR. MARGARET PLEASANT DOUROUX
of Thousand Oaks, California
“We’re Blest”
“One More Day”
“Give Me A Clean Heart”
“Mercy That Suits”
“He Decided To Die”
“Home Over The Mountain”
at
O’Zion AME Zion Church
13921 Hamilton Road
Charlotte, NC 28278
Thursday, September 11th thm Saturday, September 13,1997
Registration each night at 6pm, Saturday at 9am,
Concert Saturday night at 7pm
Pre-Registration $8, On Site Registration $10; Children ages 5-15 $5
on site only
Groups of 5 or more $7 pre-registratioin on or before
Tuesday, September 9th
FOR MORE INFORMATION CALL: 7044I4MH35 or
the church 7(M-58»4253
ALL ATTENDEES BRING YOUR BIBLES!
guUty in the third murder in the
series and analysis by two lead
ing forensic scientists tying the
three murders together and
removing Spann as the murderer.
'The three murders occurred
within 12 miles of each other in
western York County, in and
about Clover. All three victims
were strangled and sexually
assaulted.
Spann was already in jail on
charges in the NeiU murder when
the third murder occurred on
Nov. 16,1981.
The first victim, Mary Ring,
was found is her bathtub on July
18, 1981, almost two months
before Neill was found on Sept.
14.
Among the new evidence is a
videotaped confession by Wilham
Johimy Hullitt, who is serving a
fife sentence for the third murder,
of Bessie Alexander, 69. Hullitt
and his brother-in-law had a pro
duce sales route in the area of the
deaths.
Hullitt refused to answer ques
tions about the Neill killing dur
ing the November hearing. He
refused to acknowledge that he
confessed to the Neill murder.
But forensic pathologist Werner
Spitz and forensic psychiatrist
Emanuel Tanay testified NeiU’s
murder was one of the three 1981
murders of elderly white women
done by one killer.
'They concluded the murders
were committed by a “sadistic
sexual predator."
Even if you haven’t
SAVED A LOT
for a home,
you’ve probably saved
ENOUGH.
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