Gavin Off
newsobserver.com
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Past articles by Gavin:
Prison failed to act on inmate’s warning before officer was murdered, lawsuits say
One week before allegedly murdering a NC prison worker, an inmate told prison officials that he was having homicidal thoughts. Prison leaders did nothing to address his concerns, two lawsuits state. → Read More
NC creates new leadership role for beleaguered prisons
After years of officer deaths, inmate suicides and high staff vacancy rates, NC prison officials in Raleigh create a new leadership position to help oversee the 55 prisons in North Carolina. → Read More
NC creates new leadership role for beleaguered prisons
After years of officer deaths, inmate suicides and high staff vacancy rates, NC prison officials in Raleigh create a new leadership position to help oversee the 55 prisons in North Carolina. → Read More
Department leader gets a $23,000 raise as prison officers flee because of low pay
NC DPS secretary Erik Hooks saw his salary increase 15% in April. Some lawmakers and correctional officers question whether the raise was warranted, given the prison system’s low pay for prison officers. → Read More
Department leader gets a $23,000 raise as prison officers flee because of low pay
NC DPS secretary Erik Hooks saw his salary increase 15% in April. Some lawmakers and correctional officers question whether the raise was warranted, given the prison system’s low pay for prison officers. → Read More
Weaker job screening could make NC prisons more dangerous, critics say
The NC Department of Public Safety will no longer require all applicants take a face-to-face psychological interview. Officials say the change will save money and time - and help NC fill officer vacancies. → Read More
Weaker job screening could make NC prisons more dangerous, critics say
The NC Department of Public Safety will no longer require all applicants take a face-to-face psychological interview. Officials say the change will save money and time - and help NC fill officer vacancies. → Read More
A calm classroom, then chaos. ‘The only thought in my mind was, ‘Don’t die here.’
A look inside the UNC Charlotte classroom in North Carolina before and after suspected gunman Trystan Andrew Terrell opened fire in the college shooting that left two dead, four injured. → Read More
NC man just won $1 million lottery prize. For the second time. At the same store.
A Concord, North Carolina, man won a $1 million NC Education Lottery prize at the same store where he won another such prize. A UNC Chapel Hill statistics professor said winning a jackpot twice is rare but not impossible. → Read More
Despite NC suicide prevention program, record number of inmates die
Inmate suicides reached a record high in 2018 inside North Carolina prisons, even though the N.C. Department of Public Safety adopted a suicide prevention policy two years ago. → Read More
Florence damaged hundreds of SC roads and bridges. When will they be repaired?
When Hurricane Florence hit the Carolinas the flooding aftermath caused transportation officials to close roads and bridges. Once the waters recede, repairs could take months and cost tens of millions of dollars. → Read More
What grades did your school get this year? Search our database to see.
North Carolina released its 2018 school grades for student performance. The grades are based an an A-F scale. Search a Charlotte Observer database to see what grades your schools earned. → Read More
Mecklenburg jail faces 'urgent crisis' after four inmates die, advocates say
A 52-year-old Mecklenburg County Jail inmate died Thursday after jumping from a second floor housing pod in the jail, Mecklenburg County Sheriff’s officials said. It is the jail’s fourth inmate death in 2018. → Read More
This York County community is booming faster than any other US city
In 2016-17, every town in the Charlotte metropolitan area, including Fort Mill, Waxhaw, Tega Cay, Belmont, Harrisburg, Concord, Indian Trail and Kannapolis, saw an increase in population. But in fast-growing areas, there's tension between residential and commercial development. → Read More
Autopsies reveal brutality of NC prison officer slayings
Four newly released autopsies underscore the brutality of North Carolina's deadliest prison escape attempt last October: The victims were savagely and repeatedly assaulted, apparently with scissors and hammers. → Read More
Charged with crimes on the job, NC prison employees get little punishment
Most employees who have been charged with committing crimes inside North Carolina’s prisons have gotten off with little or no punishment, according to a recent state review. → Read More
Officer, two inmates injured during fight at Lanesboro prison
A prison officer and two inmates were injured during a fight at Lanesboro Correctional Institution Thursday morning, state prison officials said. → Read More
Investigators find multiple failures at NC prison after deadly escape attempt
A new N.C. Department of Labor report found serious safety violations at the prison sewing plant where four employees were killed last October. Four inmates allegedly used hammers and scissors to kill the workers during a failed escape attempt. → Read More
Big changes are coming to notorious NC prison. Will they end Lanesboro's problems?
Lanesboro Correctional Institution, one of North Carolina’s most dangerous and understaffed prisons, will soon be converted to a female prison — a change that state leaders hope will improve safety and security. → Read More
These are the fastest growing and shrinking counties in the Carolinas
North and South Carolina counties around Mecklenburg continue to see robust growth, according to newly released U.S. Census Bureau data. → Read More