Alison Stearns scored one goal and assisted on another to help W.A. Hough High claim a 2-1 victory over TC Roberson in a third-round N.C. 4A girls’ soccer playoff in Asheville Wednesday night. See the full story in SPORTS»

Hough baseball beat Mooresville, 2-1, Wednesday to advance in the NCHSAA 4A baseball tournament. Read more HERE

And the girls’ softball team beat Olympic, 3-2, on Tuesday to advance.

Two weeks after Mecklenburg County Commissioners voted in favor of an independent review of the county’s 2011 property revaluation, they voted Tuesday on a timeline for the review and to require citizen involvement in the review process. Read the full story

Woodlawn School this Sunday afternoon will host a screening of the documentary “Miss Representation,” about how the media portrays women in the US and how that affects men and women, and boys and girls. Read the full story

The 20th Annual Davidson-Cornelius Child Development Center 5K & Fun Run is scheduled this Saturday, May 19, at the Davidson Village Green. After the race, join the first Davidson Farm-to-Fork ”Taste-nic,” organized by Davidson Farmers Market and Know Your Farms. Read the full story

To the editor:

Last week’s announcement at the Lake Norman Chamber of Commerce that Carolinas HealthCare System plans to build a 66-bed behavioral health hospital in Davidson was welcome. While it could be argued the former site in Huntersville was appropriate given the dramatic increase in the population of that area, the new site, with its easy access to both I-77 and I-85, may prove to be more accessible for our region. Read the full story

Firefighters struggled to contain a large outside fire May 6 that started in a collection of about 80 large hay bales of East Rocky River Road. Nearby fire companies all provided firefighters and water-supply vehicles. Also over the past week, firefighters removed four Davidson College students from a stalled elevator and helped police search for the 11-year-old boy who went missing. Details on these stories and more (along with a tally of the week’s medical calls) may be found below. Read the full story

By DAVID BORAKS
DavidsonNews.net

Davidson police officer Melvin Waller hasn’t been bicycling regularly in recent years, but recently he found a cause that inspired him to get back to it. The 37-year-old officer and about 65 other riders, including colleagues from area police departments, are in the midst of a grueling 4-day, 500-mile ride from Charlotte to Washington, D.C., to honor officers who have died in the line of duty.

The Bike to DC ride includes officers ranging from hard-core cyclists to new and returning riders with a passion, including Officer Waller. The 5-year Davidson police veteran is riding in part to honor the memory of Mark Swaney, who died on Christmas Day 1997 in an exchange of gunfire that also killed a suspect on Davidson’s West Side.

The ride as a whole has been dubbed “500 Miles for Fred,” in memory of the late CMPD officer Fred Thornton, who died Feb. 25, 2011. This year’s ride comes just before National Police Week, May 13-19.

Riders left from Charlotte Mecklenburg Police Department headquarters on Wednesday morning. They’ll arrive in Washington on Saturday. On Sunday, they’ll join a candlelight vigil at the National Law Enforcement Officers’ Memorial, where Officer Thornton’s name will be added.

Davidson’s Waller plans to take a rubbing from the memorial of Mark Swaney’s name.

Officer Waller said he was motivated to join the ride by the desire to honor fallen officers like Thornton and Swaney. “We’re giving blood, sweat and tears to remember officers fallen in the line of duty,” officer Waller said Thursday night, after a 118-mile ride from Asheboro to South Boston, Va.

Officer Waller was an “avid rider” about 10 years ago, but hasn’t spent a lot of time on a bike recently, he said. So he’s been training for the past three months with the help of John Finney, of Davidson’s Spirited Cyclist bicycle shop, which also has donated supplies for the Ride to DC. Mr. Finney also is along on the ride. (He’s from a law enforcement family: His dad is a retired state trooper.)

Riders have collected sponsorships to help pay for the cost of the ride, overnight stays and support. A portion of the money raised also will go to the Charlotte’s Finest Legacy Foundation, which provides scholarships for law enforcement students.

Officer Waller has raised more than $1,000 from local businesses and individual sponsors, and he’s still raising money as he rides.

“I just want to bring awareness to the sacrifice we give as police officers, and to the danger we go into every day,” Officer Waller said. “I’m in a lot of pain, but at the same time, those officers who lost their lives have sacrificed a lot more than what I’m sacrificing right now.”

WANT TO HELP?

To donate to the Ride to DC, click on the “donate” button on the web, at http://www.tricharlotte.com/images/policebikeride/howyoucanhelp.htm. Mention Officer Melvin Waller. Or make a check payable to Charlotte’s Finest Legacy Foundation with Officer Waller’s name in the memo line. Mail it to:

Bike to DC
c/o Ron Horton
Charlotte-Mecklenburg Police Department
601 E. Trade St
Charlotte, NC 28202-2940

Davidson’s mayor responds to concerns about Carolinas HealthCare System’s announcement of plans for a mental health hospital in east Davidson. (May 9, 2012, “Carolinas HealthCare to build psych hospital on NC 73″

By JOHN WOODS

I appreciate the opportunity to respond to some questions and comments concerning the recent Carolinas Healthcare System announcement of plans to develop a behavioral health hospital in Davidson. Read the full story