Discarded cigarettes cause of fire in mobile home

Discarded cigarettes in an ash tray in the bathroom is what investigators say caused a mobile home fire off Stone Street Extension Monday afternoon.
Timothy McKinnan was asleep Monday afternoon and woke up to the smell of smoke at about 12:52 p.m., said Jesse Gwynn, a fire inspector with the Alamance County Fire Marshal’s office.
McKinnan was able to get out of the trailer, located in a mobile home park off of Stone Street Extension in Haw River, but he was taken to Alamance Regional Medical Center for smoke inhalation, Gwynn said. McKinnan’s condition wasn’t immediately known.
When firefighters with Haw River and Mebane fire departments responded to the call, there was smoke and fire coming out of the bathroom window. The flames were contained to the bathroom and hallway, but there was heavy smoke damage to the trailer, Gwynn said.
The American Red Cross of Alamance and Caswell counties was called to provide emergency assistance to McKinnan.

Students charged in marijuana probe

Several Hobbs Middle School students’ education might be up in smoke after being caught in possession of marijuana.
The Press Gazette has confirmed that three students at Hobbs Middle School were charged with a second degree felony on charges of possession and intent to distribute marijuana on school property on December 9. Due to the fact that they are juveniles, their names are not being released to the public.
According to Hobbs Middle School principal Stephen Shell, 12 students were found to be in possession of cigarettes or marijuana after several students came forward to administrators about the illegal issue.
The two week long investigation started after tips from numerous students led administrators to 9 separate children who were either tipped off for being in possession, or were found to be in possession.
A second incident occurred almost a week and half later, putting three more students in the hot seat for possession. Stephen Shell, the principal at Hobbs Middle said cases like these are rare in middle school settings, and this is the second time a case like this has occurred in his 3-year term at Hobbs.
According to a Santa Rosa Sheriff’s report, .4 grams of marijuana and another bag containing marijuana joints was seized during the Dec. 9 investigation. Twenty cigarettes were also seized from the sheriff’s office as evidence.
As of press time, a representative from the Santa Rosa Sheriff’s Office was not available for comment on the case.
“This is my third year here, and we had one situation prior to that my first year as principal,” Shell said.
Shell said the incident surprised him, but was glad students were comfortable enough to come to administrators about the students.
“It’s surprising because you hope that no one is doing it, and if they are, you hope it’s not a middle school student doing it,” Shell said. “I’m glad students were comfortable enough with the administrators here and were able to open up to us (about the students).”
According to the sheriff’s report on Dec. 9, a student admitted to a teacher that he/she had paid another student $10 to purchase some marijuana. After the student admitted to the purchase, he/she supplied the teacher with the Ziploc baggie, which also contained a pack of cigarettes, which the student admitted getting from their house.
Shell, who has worked in middle school education for almost 14 years said correct action was taken towards the incident concerning both the cigarettes and the marijuana. A resource officer from Milton High School was sent out to retrieve the string of students during both occurrences.
“A resource officer from Milton High School, who also serves our school was called out and came into the school and assisted with finding the students,” Shell said.
The students in possession of cigarettes were not booked by the sheriff’s office, but instead were disciplined by the school according to the sheriff’s report.
All of the students booked with possession of marijuana were automatically handed a 10-day suspension from the school. It will now be up to the school board to decide what happens after their suspension.
“We have zero tolerance in the school system for this type of incident,” Shell said. “After a 10-day suspension, the school board will have a hearing to decide where to put the student from there.”
Right now, Shell said he is unaware of what will happen, but in most cases, the students are sent to an alternative placement school for one calendar year. If the child’s behavior improves while at the facility, they may be allowed to return to their original school before the end of their serving time.
“It’s up to the school board what will happen to them after the 10 days,” Shell said.
Despite the incident, Shell said students are prone to being exposed to illegal substances in any school system, and was glad that several came forward about the incident.
“That’s tough to do when you are a student, and it’s tough for them to take the positives out of that,” Shell said. “No matter where you are, most kids are being exposed to those things.”
Shell said the best thing a student can do when exposed to bad influences is walk away from the situation. Parents, Shell said, should also play a role in educating their children about what’s right and wrong.
“Parents should be involved in their child’s life. Parents need to be upfront with their children, and educate them on what should and shouldn’t occur,” Shell said. “The students probably feel they want to be part of a group, and don’t think of the consequences before they occur.”

Fla. wants citizens to report tobacco tax cheats

Florida is trying to enlist citizens in a campaign against tobacco tax cheats.
The state made the trade in illegal cigarettes more lucrative this year by increasing the cigarette tax by $1 a pack.
The Division of Alcoholic Beverages and Tobacco on Wednesday announced that it'll begin paying informants up to 50 percent of fines collected for illegal cigarette sales.
The agency also has set up a toll-free hot line to report sales of cigarettes without the required tax stamp.

Galveston smoking ban amended, OK for tobacco shops

Smokers in Galveston will be allowed to light up in certain public spots.
The smoking ban adopted in July by the Galveston City Council, and set to take effect Jan. 1, has been amended to allow smoking in stores that sell tobacco and cigars.
A final vote came Thursday.
The change will allow smoking in tobacco and cigar stores, but those businesses are banned from selling alcohol or allowing drinking on the premises. Tobacco shops must install ventilation systems and be off limits to anyone younger than 18.

Staten Island man sentenced in stickup at Va. cigarette distributor

A Staten Island man has been sentenced to six years in prison -- and with a potential for 22 more years if he misbehaves -- for his role in an armed stickup in Virginia that netted cigarettes and cash.
Ariel Peisahovish, 26, was sentenced in Stafford Circuit Court on robbery, abduction and firearms charges, a court spokeswoman said today.
In September, Peisahovish cut a plea deal stemming from the April 10 incident at a Stafford cigarette distributor. Stafford is about midway between Washington, D.C., and Richmond, Va.
Peisahovish's two accomplices, Vyacheslav Elentulch, 24, and Dmitry Khavkin, 26, both of Brooklyn, also cut plea deals. Authorities did not provide a street address for Peisahovish.
According to prosecutor Eric Olsen, Peisahovish and Elentulch pulled a gun on a clerk after Khavkin had gained entry before the store opened. Khavkin knew the clerk.
Peisahovish and Elentulch then tied the clerk's arms to a chair with packing tape and loaded the loot into a van they had rolled up to the store, the prosecutor said.
Before leaving, the suspects took the clerk's driver's license and threatened her.
Employees at a nearby business saw the suspects leave, followed the van to get the plate number and called police. Officers stopped the van as it headed north on Interstate 95.
Cops found almost 1,200 cartons of cigarettes, $4,000 cash and two guns inside, said Olsen.

Man found guilty of smuggling E3.9m cigarettes

A man has been arrested for transporting 499 master cartons of cigarettes worth E3.9 million without the necessary papers from the customs and excise department. He was sentenced to 16 months in jail or a fine of E3 500.
Carlos Gil (28) was facing three counts was found guilty in all of them . He committed the crimes on December 8, 2008. He appeared before Nhlangano Magistrate Mandla Mkhaliphi where the Crown was represented by Deputy Director of Public Prosecutions Nkosinathi Maseko. Gil was represented by lawyer Chicken Dlamini.
On count one, Gil has been found guilty that on December 8, 2008 he was found driving a white Isuzu truck registered SD 393 MG with the 499 master cartons of cigarettes all valued at E3.9 million.
On count two, Gil has been found guilty of an offence where he was accused of being found driving the same vehicle carrying the said goods without the necessary documents from the Customs and Excise and these being goods worth E3.9 million.
He was arrested by Lavumisa Police.
In regard to count one, Magistrate Mkhaliphi sentenced Gil to seven months in jail or E1 500 fine. The magistrate also sentenced the accused to seven months in jail or E1 500 fine on the second count. On the last count, he was sentenced to two months in jail or pay a fine of E500.
The brands that Gil was transporting in the truck are:
144 YES master cartons, 290 BOSS master cartons and 65 ACE master cartons.

Tar Heel tobacco growers vote to continue funding research on crop

North Carolina tobacco growers have agreed to continue funding tobacco-agricultural research for another six years.
More than 92 percent of tobacco growers in the state who voted favored the North Carolina Tobacco Research Check-off Referendum, which calls for growers to allocate 10 cents per 100 pounds of flue-cured and burley tobacco to tobacco research and education. The referendum is voted on every six years and must be approved by two-thirds of voters to pass.
The funds are collected at buying stations by the North Carolina Department of Agriculture and Consumer Services and then allocated to North Carolina State University by the North Carolina Tobacco Research Commission. Since 1991, the program has raised nearly $300,000 a year to support projects at NCSU.
"The tobacco check-off funds have resulted in many important developments for the state's burley and flue-cured tobacco farmers, including variety development, improved nitrogen management, advanced curing technologies and breakthroughs in pest and disease management," said Johnny Wynne, dean of NCSU's College of Agriculture and Life Sciences.
Tobacco growers have been forced to fund nearly all research into improved tobacco agriculture practices. The federal government ceased tobacco research funding in 1994, and state support has declined due to budget deficits.
"This referendum is critical for North Carolina tobacco growers to remain competitive in the world market," said Keith Oakley, president of the North Carolina Tobacco Foundation. "By voting to continue this self-help program, the state's tobacco growers are making an important investment in the future of tobacco production, research and education in North Carolina."