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Duke Energy electricity rate increase approved

The North Carolina Utilities Commission approved Duke Energy Carolina’s request to increase their electric rate in North Carolina.

North Carolina customers will see an average increase of 7.2 percent. Duke says that would equal about $7 for the average customer.

“We believe the settlement balances the company’s need to recover investments made in the electric system with the reality that many of our customers face continued economic challenges,” said President of Duke Energy North Carolina Brett Carter.

As part of the agreement reached with NCUC, Duke must donate about $11 million of shareholder money to non-profits to help low-income residents with the energy bills.

North Carolina Attorney General Roy Cooper has been against the increase since it was first proposed.

 “I am disappointed the Commission allowed Duke’s rate increase for customers,” Cooper said. “We intend to look into the opinion and look at available options.”

Earlier this week, South Carolina also approved a rate increase for Duke Energy.

The new rates go into effect in early February.

_{Fri, 27 Jan 2012 23:38:39 -0500}

Family wants answers in unkempt cemetery full of unnamed graves

It took Jasmine McCorkle and her family members an hour searching through waist high weeds to find her father's headstone.

It appeared to be uprooted Friday when the family visited.

"It's sad in itself that I don't have my father anymore, but…” Jasmine McCorkle said as she burst into tears.

Her father was buried at Beasley Memorial Gardens in 1994. The cemetery near Mount Holly has not been maintained in years.

Bones have reportedly surfaced at other grave sites.

"This is ridiculous, uncalled for," said Vanessa McCorkle.

They don't want to point fingers. They just want Calvin McCorkle's remains moved.

"It's not what you want to come back to," Jasmine McCorkle said.

But they are not sure his remains are even by the headstone they visit.

Calls to Beasley Memorial Gardens only lead to a dead end. The number is disconnected.

The owner, Odell Beasley, was arrested in 2007 for the condition at the cemetery, but the charges were later dropped.

The Beasley Funeral Home and Beasley Good Samaritan Church own the cemetery, but both are no longer in operation.

The Gaston County's assist manager said in an email that the Beasley family has "so far been able to legally shield themselves from responsibility."

And they have left the McCorkle family wondering what has happened to Calvin McCorkle's remains.

The county has worked for years with no resolution. The county has not responded to questions about what they will do next. 

_{Fri, 27 Jan 2012 23:26:00 -0500}

Family, friends want answers in Rock Hill homicide

Donald Hardin and his older brother Alexander both retired from General Tire, and they lived only a few houses down from each other on Orr Drive in Rock Hill.

On Thursday afternoon, Alexander, known as "Boot," was found dead.

"I can't understand it," Donald Hardin said. "I don't know why anybody would do that."

The 64-year-old had been beaten in the head, possibly several days before he was discovered.

Family members became concerned for a variety of reasons. Neighbor Corey Minton had been close to Hardin for more than twenty years.

"He was like a father to me," Minton said. "He had my back."

Minton noticed on Wednesday that Hardin's dog was running loose in the street chasing the mail carrier, which was very unusual. He also missed seeing Hardin that morning. He usually saw him outside on his front porch eating breakfast.

"He'd always be yelling at me from his porch. I missed hearing him talking," Minton said. Hardin's daughter, brother, girlfriend and Minton all decided to try and get inside the house on Thursday afternoon.

"I opened the back door and let them in. They walked to the front door and found his body," Minton said. He'd been dead at least a day, possibly two.

On Friday afternoon Channel 9 was with Rock Hill police as they canvassed the neighborhood, going door to door on Orr Drive. Detectives asked neighbors if they heard or saw anything, who usually hung around with Hardin, and when they last saw him alive.

"We're just looking for any kind of information," said Lt. Brad Redfearn with Rock Hill police.

Channel 9 learned of a new detail in the case on Friday. On Sunday, a man named Larry Ellis filed a police report saying someone robbed him, and hit him in the head. The alleged incident happened outside of Hardin's home. The report is sketchy and police are investigating that case as well.

Ellis has been interviewed about the robbery, but not about Hardin's death, police said. It's not clear if that incident is linked to the slaying.

Donald Hardin said his brother never bothered anybody and that the whole ordeal is in God's hands, but he struggles to sleep at night.

"It's a hurting thing. I do my best to try and hold up, but it's hard when you're laying by yourself at night," he said.

The York County coroner has not yet pinpointed an exact time of death. It's also not known if anything was missing from the house.

_{Fri, 27 Jan 2012 23:20:32 -0500}

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