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01 Feb Queen City Tours Combat Basic Training Tour Show your American patriotism by supporting our future troops as they train to become full-fledged soldiers who will continue…

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07 Mar Queen City Tours Combat Basic Training Tour Show your American patriotism by supporting our future troops as they train to become full-fledged soldiers who will continue…

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Stanley Area News

Dozens surround tax company demanding refund checks

Hundreds of people lined the sidewalk outside the offices of  a Charlotte tax preparer Friday, demanding answers on their tax filings.

Customers said the company, Instant Tax Service, promised them tax returns for more than a week, but many of them still have not received their checks.

Earlier this week, the company, which is based out of Dayton, Ohio, had an A+ rating with the Better Business Bureau and no customer complaints. However, six complaints were filed against the west Charlotte location as well as several others for locations in Gastonia and Rock Hill.

Friday afternoon, the BBB said the company is now under review.

“Nobody’s check is here and they can’t tell us when the check is going to be here,” said one angry customer.

“They tell me they were told to come today for their checks, but there’s still no money,” said another customer.

On Monday, the vice president of marketing for the company said customers’ advance refunds are just loans and some refunds are delayed because they were not approved by the bank. He said those customers should get their returns by the end of the month.

However, that is not the message customers heard Friday at the store.

“Some people said they got a freeze on our money because they’re being investigated and we might not be able to file until April,” one customer said.

The IRS would not confirm the company was being investigated. The attorneys general in North and South Carolina said between the two states only one complaint has been filed in Raleigh. That office is not currently investigating the company.

_{Fri, 27 Jan 2012 22:25:00 -0500}

Perdue's education record shows 3 years of improvement

It was only eight days ago that North Carolina Gov. Bev Perdue visited Charlotte, declaring she would fight for more money in the classroom. 

"This is a fight worth having," she said Jan. 19. "Let me be very direct with you. I will never back down from anything that has to do with our children."

But now she's citing that same passion as a reason for not seeking re-election, saying the fight may be too political with her Republican opponents.

The decision has local advocates paying attention

"Our belief is regardless of who the governor is, that they must make education a top priority," Bill Anderson said.

Anderson is the executive director at Meck-Ed, a non-partisan education group in Charlotte.

He said it is in everyone's best interest for students to succeed.

State graduation rates since Perdue took office in 2008 show a steady increase from 71.8 percent in the first year to 77.7 percent last year.

But Charlotte-Mecklenburg Schools get more than half of their money from the state. Since 2009, the district's budget has been reduced by nearly $200 million, costing CMS more than 2,000 jobs.

The economy took its toll, but Perdue blamed some cuts on Republicans, as did Lt. Gov. Walter Dalton.

"It's hard to make progress when you're faced in the wrong direction," he said

Dalton has already announced his plans to run for governor now that Perdue is leaving the post.

Anderson said his group and parents will be watching the race closely.

“We can't worry about what's happened in the past," Anderson said. "We have to worry about today, and tomorrow and the election that's upcoming."

_{Fri, 27 Jan 2012 22:22:42 -0500}

McCrory ready for any Dem opponent in governor's race

As the surprise of Gov. Bev Perdue’s announcement settles in, more names are being mentioned as possible Democratic candidates.

Lt. Gov. Walter Dalton already said he is stepping into the race.

Analysts said a state representative from the Chapel Hill area, Bill Faison, may have the funding to put together a campaign. And the former UNC system president and former White House Chief of Staff Erskine Bowles is being pushed to enter the race, other insiders said.

Gov. Bev Perdue’s decision to leave office after one term makes Republican Pat McCrory the front-runner in a number of ways.

McCrory said Friday he always considered the possibility Perdue would not run again, but like everyone else, he did not necessarily see it coming.

Despite Perdue’s struggling poll numbers, McCrory said he thought she would have still been his toughest match.

“Frankly, the governor was going to be a very strong opponent despite her record because of the power of incumbency, the money that she had and her position with the Democratic Governors Association,” he said.

McCrory, who was already the front-runner in some polls, has a major jump on fundraising. He said two Republican governors were already in North Carolina campaigning for him recently, and that his phone has been ringing almost continuously since Perdue’s announcement, with voters of all parties offering their help.

No matter who the former Charlotte mayor faces in November he said, his message will remain the same.

“We’re going to fix a broken government and a broken economy here in North Carolina, and it desperately needs to be fixed,” McCrory said.

_{Fri, 27 Jan 2012 22:20:30 -0500}

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