LaRossa was stabbed repeatedly in the back last April. His estranged wife, Carole LaRossa, was charged with first-degree murder – a crime punishable by life in prison or death.
Now, the family of the slain officer is attacking Mecklenburg prosecutors for offering a deal that would allow Carole LaRossa, 48, to plead guilty to voluntary manslaughter – a crime that carries a punishment range of three to 17 years in prison.
“We are desperately trying to draw attention to this injustice,” Lauren Cox, the victim’s niece, wrote in an email to the Observer. “My uncle’s family and friends feel … that we have been let down by the state of North Carolina. Their legal system has failed us.”
Cox said prosecutors informed her family on Friday about the voluntary manslaughter plea offer.
Mecklenburg District Attorney Andrew Murray told the Observer Tuesday that he and his prosecutors are ethically prohibited from discussing pending cases.
“It’s an ongoing case,” Murray said. “I can’t say a thing about it. I can’t talk about a pending case.”
James LaRossa, 51, was stabbed to death at his Rea Road apartment in south Charlotte. A prosecutor said during a court hearing in May that the former police officer was stabbed 19 times by his estranged wife.
Defense attorney David Rudolf said there was a history of domestic violence between the couple – Carole LaRossa also had stab wounds when police arrived, though her injuries were not life-threatening.
Carole LaRossa was out of jail on $250,000 bond at the time of the hearing.
In August 2010, Carole LaRossa made a domestic violence complaint against her husband in Union County. The complaint was voluntarily dismissed, records show, and she was granted a temporary restraining order against him.
Carole LaRossa’s attorneys could not be reached for comment Tuesday.
Cox on Tuesday described her family as “outraged, devastated and heartbroken” by the prosecutors’ decision to offer the plea bargain.
“We believe in justice and the law,” she told the Observer. “We put our faith in the DA’s office and the police department. We felt they would do what’s right. This is a slap in the face.”
In her email to the Observer, Cox wrote that James LaRossa’s family had spent the weekend “reaching out” to congressmen, senators, the governor and the mayor of Charlotte to tell them about the case.
“We have stayed silent and sat back respectfully and allowed them to work on this case since April 10, 2012,” she wrote. “We will no longer sit back quietly while they lazily try to dismiss a murder case so that they don’t have to do real prosecution work.”
“Do you think if the tables were turned and Carole had been the one stabbed to death in her home that night, that my uncle would have gotten out on bond? That my uncle would have been allowed to keep custody of their minor daughter? Probably not.”
Cox pointed out that her uncle was disabled.
“He was forced to retire from the NYPD after a spine injury that caused him to suffer through multiple back and neck surgeries,” she wrote. “He had steel rods put in his spine, but suffered physically every single day of his life. The man had difficulties tying his shoes – how could he have the physical strength to defend himself in a knife attack.”
2013年1月8日星期二
2012年10月10日星期三
People can sometimes be overwhelmed
There has been a lot of talk this election season, in the presidential campaigns and in the race to choose Indiana's next U.S. senator, about the Constitution and our nation's founding principles. Some of those who most loudly call for a "return to constitutional principles" also view "compromise" as a dirty word. This is ironic, because the suggestion that compromise is bad would have been anathema to our nation's founders. The Constitution itself was the product of grand compromises -- between small and large states, between different interests, and over slavery. Without a willingness to compromise, our great republic -- the world's oldest and most successful democracy -- would have been stillborn.
The most accurate source for the Founders' original intent is the Federalist Papers, a series of arguments written in 1787 and 1788 in support of the Constitution's ratification. These brilliant and timeless documents, penned mostly by James Madison and Alexander Hamilton, are studied to this day in college classrooms, law schools and by Supreme Court justices.
Hamilton, speaking of the importance of compromise, wrote in Federalist No. 85 that "I never expect to see a perfect work from imperfect man. The result of the deliberations of all collective bodies must necessarily be a compound, as well of the errors and prejudices as of the good sense and wisdom of the individuals of whom they are composed." The United States and its republican form of government must "necessarily be a compromise of as many dissimilar interests and inclinations." The Founders, believing that no person or faction had a monopoly on the truth, designed a system to take human nature into account. The checks and balances built into the Constitution require compromise and collaboration for that system to function.
Understanding that people can sometimes be overwhelmed by their passions or their narrow self-interests to the detriment of society as a whole, the Founders intended the Senate to take the long view and be somewhat isolated from the immediate and potentially radical demands of the citizenry. With its six-year terms of office -- longer than that of the president -- the Senate could serve as "a defense to the people against their own temporary errors and delusions," noted Madison in Federalist No. 63.
In words written 225 years ago that arguably presaged today's tea party, Madison went on to observe in No. 63 that "there are particular moments in public affairs when the people, stimulated by some irregular passion, or some illicit advantage, or misled by the artful misrepresentations of interested men, may call for measures which they themselves will afterwards be the most ready to lament and condemn. In these critical moments, how salutary will be the interference of some temperate and respectable body of citizens, in order to check the misguided career and to suspend the blow mediated by the people against themselves, until reason, justice, and truth can regain their authority over the public mind?"
That "temperate and respectable body of citizens" would be the Senate. In his classic book "House and Senate," political scientist Ross Baker notes: "What Madison and the other proponents of the Constitution wanted was, not an unresponsive Senate, but one that responded to popular demands only after careful deliberation." These deliberative senators would be people of great character and broad thinking. In Federalist No. 62, Madison described "the nature of the senatorial trust," which required a "greater extent of information and stability of character."
For 36 years, Dick Lugar embodied the Founders' vision of the Senate, always thinking of the national interest, always looking over the horizon for both Indiana and the United States. Next month, Hoosiers will decide who will replace this elder statesman. Whichever candidate wins the bid to fill Lugar's shoes, be it Joe Donnelly or Richard Mourdock, I hope he will understand the Senate's purpose, be willing to collaborate on occasion with the other party for the greater good of the country, and will thus grow into the role of senator intended by our nation's Founders.
The most accurate source for the Founders' original intent is the Federalist Papers, a series of arguments written in 1787 and 1788 in support of the Constitution's ratification. These brilliant and timeless documents, penned mostly by James Madison and Alexander Hamilton, are studied to this day in college classrooms, law schools and by Supreme Court justices.
Hamilton, speaking of the importance of compromise, wrote in Federalist No. 85 that "I never expect to see a perfect work from imperfect man. The result of the deliberations of all collective bodies must necessarily be a compound, as well of the errors and prejudices as of the good sense and wisdom of the individuals of whom they are composed." The United States and its republican form of government must "necessarily be a compromise of as many dissimilar interests and inclinations." The Founders, believing that no person or faction had a monopoly on the truth, designed a system to take human nature into account. The checks and balances built into the Constitution require compromise and collaboration for that system to function.
Understanding that people can sometimes be overwhelmed by their passions or their narrow self-interests to the detriment of society as a whole, the Founders intended the Senate to take the long view and be somewhat isolated from the immediate and potentially radical demands of the citizenry. With its six-year terms of office -- longer than that of the president -- the Senate could serve as "a defense to the people against their own temporary errors and delusions," noted Madison in Federalist No. 63.
In words written 225 years ago that arguably presaged today's tea party, Madison went on to observe in No. 63 that "there are particular moments in public affairs when the people, stimulated by some irregular passion, or some illicit advantage, or misled by the artful misrepresentations of interested men, may call for measures which they themselves will afterwards be the most ready to lament and condemn. In these critical moments, how salutary will be the interference of some temperate and respectable body of citizens, in order to check the misguided career and to suspend the blow mediated by the people against themselves, until reason, justice, and truth can regain their authority over the public mind?"
That "temperate and respectable body of citizens" would be the Senate. In his classic book "House and Senate," political scientist Ross Baker notes: "What Madison and the other proponents of the Constitution wanted was, not an unresponsive Senate, but one that responded to popular demands only after careful deliberation." These deliberative senators would be people of great character and broad thinking. In Federalist No. 62, Madison described "the nature of the senatorial trust," which required a "greater extent of information and stability of character."
For 36 years, Dick Lugar embodied the Founders' vision of the Senate, always thinking of the national interest, always looking over the horizon for both Indiana and the United States. Next month, Hoosiers will decide who will replace this elder statesman. Whichever candidate wins the bid to fill Lugar's shoes, be it Joe Donnelly or Richard Mourdock, I hope he will understand the Senate's purpose, be willing to collaborate on occasion with the other party for the greater good of the country, and will thus grow into the role of senator intended by our nation's Founders.
2012年9月26日星期三
Hotter Shoes sets sights on 19 new stores for 2012
Hotter Comfort Concept Shoes have been on a mission to bring their stylish shoes with built in comfort features to the nation welcoming over 100,000 customers through their doors each week. This year the retail team at Hotter have already successfully opened 13 new stores across the UK, reaching out to their customers in towns and cities such as Cheltenham, Harrogate, Oxford, Tunbridge Wells and Winchester.
The comfy shoe brand now has 38 stores, which will soon be 40 when they open stores in Shrewsbury and Inverness in October and they plan to open a further 4 before the end of the year.
"What's more, it looks like 2013 will be another busy year for our retail team as we've already identified a further 15 locations for stores," commented John Nicholas, Retail Director.
"We have developed a winning formula of wonderfully stylish comfort products combined with a high level of service which we find brings customers back to us time after time. Our team members are hand-picked to ensure they are friendly, helpful, passionate and knowledgeable about our products.
"Each store offers a personalised fitting service to ensure customers find their perfect fit every time. We even create a comfortable and relaxed environment for our customers to shop, with comfy seating and a 'home like' feel."
To find Hotter Shoes stockists, customers can visit Hotter's store locator page, and can join Hotter on Facebook to keep to date with the latest store news.
Hotter Shoes can also be purchased via mail order by calling 0800 525 893, or online.
About Hotter Shoes:
Hotter Comfort Concept is the UK's biggest shoe maker, with one of the most advanced production facilities in Europe.
Hotter Shoes makes a range of ladies shoes and men's shoes - including extra wide shoes - all of which incorporate 'Comfort Concept' features including smooth internal seams, removable insoles, soft leather uppers and soft padding. The nearly 1.6 million pairs of comfortable shoes designed and made in Hotter's UK factory during 2012 will have shock absorbing soles which contain millions of air bubbles, making Hotter shoes incredibly light and giving the feeling of walking on air.
The comfy shoe brand now has 38 stores, which will soon be 40 when they open stores in Shrewsbury and Inverness in October and they plan to open a further 4 before the end of the year.
"What's more, it looks like 2013 will be another busy year for our retail team as we've already identified a further 15 locations for stores," commented John Nicholas, Retail Director.
"We have developed a winning formula of wonderfully stylish comfort products combined with a high level of service which we find brings customers back to us time after time. Our team members are hand-picked to ensure they are friendly, helpful, passionate and knowledgeable about our products.
"Each store offers a personalised fitting service to ensure customers find their perfect fit every time. We even create a comfortable and relaxed environment for our customers to shop, with comfy seating and a 'home like' feel."
To find Hotter Shoes stockists, customers can visit Hotter's store locator page, and can join Hotter on Facebook to keep to date with the latest store news.
Hotter Shoes can also be purchased via mail order by calling 0800 525 893, or online.
About Hotter Shoes:
Hotter Comfort Concept is the UK's biggest shoe maker, with one of the most advanced production facilities in Europe.
Hotter Shoes makes a range of ladies shoes and men's shoes - including extra wide shoes - all of which incorporate 'Comfort Concept' features including smooth internal seams, removable insoles, soft leather uppers and soft padding. The nearly 1.6 million pairs of comfortable shoes designed and made in Hotter's UK factory during 2012 will have shock absorbing soles which contain millions of air bubbles, making Hotter shoes incredibly light and giving the feeling of walking on air.
2012年6月20日星期三
Buddy Holly's high school sneakers find a home at the Buddy Holly Center
After spending 22 years in another country, a pair of Converse high-top sneakers that once belonged to rock ’n’ roll legend Buddy Holly have returned to Lubbock.
The white Converse Chuck Taylor All-Star shoes, trimmed in red along the rubber soles, went on display this week at the Buddy Holly Center.
The initials B.H. were written in ink on the canvas above the outer heel of each shoe.
“For being more than 50 years old, they’re still in pretty good shape. The rubber is still supple,” said Jacqueline Bober, curator of the Buddy Holly Center.
Personnel at the center haven’t found a photo of Buddy wearing the shoes, but the sneakers are believed to have been worn by him during his late high school years, she said.
The Converse shoes replaced a pair of black Oxford shoes, size 11, in a display case. They appear to be about the same size, which leads Bober to think he owned them at a mature age.
The shoes were purchased by Toronto singer-songwriter Ken Blyth in a Sothebys’ auction in New York City in July, 1990, she said.
After owning them for more than two decades, Blyth sold them this spring to Civic Lubbock Inc., which made a permanent loan of them to the Buddy Holly Center, Bober said.
Blyth, 51, said in a telephone interview from his Canada home he decided to sell the shoes about a year ago.
“As much as I am a Buddy Holly nut, material items don’t add up to the music. (The shoes) were not as important as I thought they would be. I wanted them to go somewhere where they would be appreciated,” he said.
He received other offers to buy the shoes but turned them down, Blyth said.
“I truly felt they should go to the museum,” he said.
Blyth said he learned Buddy Holly items would be auctioned a year before the Sotheby auction when he was in Lubbock and visiting at the home of Buddy Holly’s older brother, Larry.
He went to the auction, hoping to make a spectacular addition to his guitar collection by winning Holly’s Fender Stratocaster guitar.
Although he was outbid on the guitar, he didn’t leave the auction empty-handed. He won the Converse sneakers, a sweater, a high school pin and a ring that had belonged to Buddy Holly.
He has sold the sweater and ring, he said.
Bober said she is happy to add the shoes to the items on display at the Buddy Holly Center.
“It feels like things are coming home. Pieces of the puzzle that was Buddy are coming back together,” she said.
She felt the same way in 2009, when Buddy’s bedroom furniture was acquired, she said.
Blyth has a band called Reminiscing, which plays Buddy Holly and Elvis Presley tribute songs with Blyth dressed and singing in the style of the late artists.
The white Converse Chuck Taylor All-Star shoes, trimmed in red along the rubber soles, went on display this week at the Buddy Holly Center.
The initials B.H. were written in ink on the canvas above the outer heel of each shoe.
“For being more than 50 years old, they’re still in pretty good shape. The rubber is still supple,” said Jacqueline Bober, curator of the Buddy Holly Center.
Personnel at the center haven’t found a photo of Buddy wearing the shoes, but the sneakers are believed to have been worn by him during his late high school years, she said.
The Converse shoes replaced a pair of black Oxford shoes, size 11, in a display case. They appear to be about the same size, which leads Bober to think he owned them at a mature age.
The shoes were purchased by Toronto singer-songwriter Ken Blyth in a Sothebys’ auction in New York City in July, 1990, she said.
After owning them for more than two decades, Blyth sold them this spring to Civic Lubbock Inc., which made a permanent loan of them to the Buddy Holly Center, Bober said.
Blyth, 51, said in a telephone interview from his Canada home he decided to sell the shoes about a year ago.
“As much as I am a Buddy Holly nut, material items don’t add up to the music. (The shoes) were not as important as I thought they would be. I wanted them to go somewhere where they would be appreciated,” he said.
He received other offers to buy the shoes but turned them down, Blyth said.
“I truly felt they should go to the museum,” he said.
Blyth said he learned Buddy Holly items would be auctioned a year before the Sotheby auction when he was in Lubbock and visiting at the home of Buddy Holly’s older brother, Larry.
He went to the auction, hoping to make a spectacular addition to his guitar collection by winning Holly’s Fender Stratocaster guitar.
Although he was outbid on the guitar, he didn’t leave the auction empty-handed. He won the Converse sneakers, a sweater, a high school pin and a ring that had belonged to Buddy Holly.
He has sold the sweater and ring, he said.
Bober said she is happy to add the shoes to the items on display at the Buddy Holly Center.
“It feels like things are coming home. Pieces of the puzzle that was Buddy are coming back together,” she said.
She felt the same way in 2009, when Buddy’s bedroom furniture was acquired, she said.
Blyth has a band called Reminiscing, which plays Buddy Holly and Elvis Presley tribute songs with Blyth dressed and singing in the style of the late artists.
2012年6月13日星期三
Shoe Distributors Have Their Day in Court
From luxury brands to toning hooves, stylish and low-cost shoe distributors are up against the law these days. Sketchers' (NYSE: SKX ) fitness tennis shoes have come under fire in a legal case claiming their health benefits are bogus, while the striking color women have come to know and love regarding their lavish Christian Louboutin heels now signifies a bloodbath the shoe distributor underwent in a court case this week.
SKX's athletic debacle made waves for the company when it came to investor confidence throughout recent months, as its toning soles were called out for making false and unsubstantiated claims in advertisements using celebrities such as Kim Kardashian and Brooke Burke. While the tides are turning for the better since the hefty settlement , the shoe distributor is still dealing with backlash for promoting a product that its customers now feel duped by.
Skechers' shapely bottoms are not the only soles walking on thin ice, as privately-held shoe retailer Christian Louboutin has had to admit wrong-doings in court concerning its notorious red sole. Louboutin's spikey stems failed to crush the battle against Spanish clothing and accessories company Zara, a retailer that made use of the rosy underside for which Louboutin has become famous.
Here's where things get a little dicey. Christian Louboutin brought the court case on in 2008 following Zara's distribution of a $70 heel that boasted an apple-red sole. The Paris-based company believed it was the only shoe producer that had the right to push product with said bottom, as it is red in a specific context that only Louboutin's can use (according to the creator himself). Turns out, he was wrong.
While the end result of the case was not monetarily devastating to either company, Zara was able to trot away with not only $3,600, but allowance to place whatever color it so chooses on the underside of its shoes.
Christian Louboutin likely took the loss quite hard, as he has vigorously attempted to defend his high-end brand throughout the legal scuffle.
"Even in the food industry, Cadbury recently won a lawsuit against Nestlé for using purple packaging. All this proves that the colors play a part in a brand's identity. I'm not saying that red usually belongs to me - I repeat that this is about a precise red, used in a precise location," Louboutin recently told the Daily Mail.
Zara is not the first to come up against Louboutin's colorful conundrum, but will likely end up being the last new case the company takes to court over the infamous sole as the ruling was made final last week. As Mr. Louboutin heads back to court to appeal a similar case against Yves Saint Laurent, it appears that ladies will no longer have to pay top dollar to portray the elegance his red soles are made to emanate, as countless companies now have the right to bear their candy apple soles.
SKX's athletic debacle made waves for the company when it came to investor confidence throughout recent months, as its toning soles were called out for making false and unsubstantiated claims in advertisements using celebrities such as Kim Kardashian and Brooke Burke. While the tides are turning for the better since the hefty settlement , the shoe distributor is still dealing with backlash for promoting a product that its customers now feel duped by.
Skechers' shapely bottoms are not the only soles walking on thin ice, as privately-held shoe retailer Christian Louboutin has had to admit wrong-doings in court concerning its notorious red sole. Louboutin's spikey stems failed to crush the battle against Spanish clothing and accessories company Zara, a retailer that made use of the rosy underside for which Louboutin has become famous.
Here's where things get a little dicey. Christian Louboutin brought the court case on in 2008 following Zara's distribution of a $70 heel that boasted an apple-red sole. The Paris-based company believed it was the only shoe producer that had the right to push product with said bottom, as it is red in a specific context that only Louboutin's can use (according to the creator himself). Turns out, he was wrong.
While the end result of the case was not monetarily devastating to either company, Zara was able to trot away with not only $3,600, but allowance to place whatever color it so chooses on the underside of its shoes.
Christian Louboutin likely took the loss quite hard, as he has vigorously attempted to defend his high-end brand throughout the legal scuffle.
"Even in the food industry, Cadbury recently won a lawsuit against Nestlé for using purple packaging. All this proves that the colors play a part in a brand's identity. I'm not saying that red usually belongs to me - I repeat that this is about a precise red, used in a precise location," Louboutin recently told the Daily Mail.
Zara is not the first to come up against Louboutin's colorful conundrum, but will likely end up being the last new case the company takes to court over the infamous sole as the ruling was made final last week. As Mr. Louboutin heads back to court to appeal a similar case against Yves Saint Laurent, it appears that ladies will no longer have to pay top dollar to portray the elegance his red soles are made to emanate, as countless companies now have the right to bear their candy apple soles.
2011年5月5日星期四
Emperor needs new clothes
TODAY is Friday, or more specifically Office Casual Dress Friday, the most stressful day in the working week.
As a young man, oh how I heckled the females in my life who complained bitterly of the daily decision-making process about what to wear to work.
I found it difficult to relate to their problem, for my own daily routine in suiting up for work was a lay-down misere; attire for Monday to Thursday consisted of one generic business shirt, one generic pair of business pants, generic black socks and black shoes. Dressed for work in 20 seconds.
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Casual Dress Friday was then met with a spring in my step as I had the time, financial resources and relative physique to align my casual attire to the fashions. Brand-name jeans accentuated my pre-sagging gluteus maximums; fitted shirts did not subconsciously ride up over my pre-expanding man-belly; my leather shoes were bought from a high street boutique, not an orthotic clinic. In short, I could confidently mix it with my female co-workers on the office runway.
Fast forward 20 years - and 20 pounds - and the thought of Casual Dress Friday sends me into a fashion conniption.
Previously I could never understand how my partner could stand in front of a wardrobe, a virtual clothes store in itself, and gaze blankly for hours with no solution in sight.
Fast forward 20 years and that person is now me. I have become that father whose fashion sense makes his daughters cringe with embarrassment whenever I set foot outside of the house.
There is no smart casual in my wardrobe. Instead it consists of clothing from two extreme poles of fashion: beige business shirts and beige pants to accentuate my appearance as a beige accountant, bookended with holding-on-to-my-youth articles of clothing such as an old football tracksuit and a prized 1984 Bruce Springsteen Born in the USA replica T-shirt.
As for polo shirts and chino pants, there will never be a better example of mutton dressed as lamb than if I tried to squeeze my bones into anything bearing a designer label.
So what am I wearing to work today? I have put together a casual ensemble consisting of one generic work shirt with one pair of generic work pants. And the casual item? A panicked, desperado accessory in the form of dull grey PVC sneakers which, viewed from a distance of 30 metres, could be mistaken for dull grey generic work shoes.
Oh, how all the females in my life now heckle me on Fridays.
As a young man, oh how I heckled the females in my life who complained bitterly of the daily decision-making process about what to wear to work.
I found it difficult to relate to their problem, for my own daily routine in suiting up for work was a lay-down misere; attire for Monday to Thursday consisted of one generic business shirt, one generic pair of business pants, generic black socks and black shoes. Dressed for work in 20 seconds.
Advertisement: Story continues below
Casual Dress Friday was then met with a spring in my step as I had the time, financial resources and relative physique to align my casual attire to the fashions. Brand-name jeans accentuated my pre-sagging gluteus maximums; fitted shirts did not subconsciously ride up over my pre-expanding man-belly; my leather shoes were bought from a high street boutique, not an orthotic clinic. In short, I could confidently mix it with my female co-workers on the office runway.
Fast forward 20 years - and 20 pounds - and the thought of Casual Dress Friday sends me into a fashion conniption.
Previously I could never understand how my partner could stand in front of a wardrobe, a virtual clothes store in itself, and gaze blankly for hours with no solution in sight.
Fast forward 20 years and that person is now me. I have become that father whose fashion sense makes his daughters cringe with embarrassment whenever I set foot outside of the house.
There is no smart casual in my wardrobe. Instead it consists of clothing from two extreme poles of fashion: beige business shirts and beige pants to accentuate my appearance as a beige accountant, bookended with holding-on-to-my-youth articles of clothing such as an old football tracksuit and a prized 1984 Bruce Springsteen Born in the USA replica T-shirt.
As for polo shirts and chino pants, there will never be a better example of mutton dressed as lamb than if I tried to squeeze my bones into anything bearing a designer label.
So what am I wearing to work today? I have put together a casual ensemble consisting of one generic work shirt with one pair of generic work pants. And the casual item? A panicked, desperado accessory in the form of dull grey PVC sneakers which, viewed from a distance of 30 metres, could be mistaken for dull grey generic work shoes.
Oh, how all the females in my life now heckle me on Fridays.
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