State and local briefs for Feb. 13

Jet makes emergency return to Charlotte after crew hears noise

A US Airways passenger jet traveling from Charlotte to Charleston, W.Va., had to turn around and make an emergency landing Sunday afternoon.

An airline spokeswoman said the crew heard a "loud and unsettling noise" shortly after the plane departed around 2:30. As a precaution, the plane turned around and landed at Charlotte/Douglas International Airport about an hour after it left, according to the Charlotte Observer.

The 44 passengers were then put on different flights.

It was unclear what caused the noise and the airline was investigating.

The Associated Press

Local governments to hear incentive requests from Inmar

Inmar will have its requests for $2.8 million in economic-development incentives from Winston-Salem and Forsyth County heard by both local governments today. Inmar is a reverse-logistics company based in Winston-Salem.

The city council's finance committee is scheduled at 4 p.m. to discuss the company's request for $1.75 million over 10 years. That meeting will be held at City Hall. If the committee approves the request, it could go before the city council for final approval. Separately, at the Forsyth County Government Center, the Forsyth commissioners are scheduled at 6 p.m. to discuss the company's request for $1.05 million.

According to the city council finance committee's agenda, Inmar is requesting money in exchange for its commitment to make $62 million in capital investments, create and maintain 212 jobs with an average annual starting salary of $72,783, and retain 686 jobs with an average annual salary of $69,957.

The deal would come with a "clawback" provision that would require Inmar to pay back the city all incentives if the yearly goals are not met within the first five years. After that the clawback drops to 50 percent in the sixth year — down to 10 percent in the 10th year.

Inmar, based at 2601 Pilgrim Ct., has 4,500 employees in North America.

Bertrand M. Gutierrez

Fraternity Church Road portion to be closed for bridge work

A section of Fraternity Church Road will be closed for more than two weeks to allow crews to perform maintenance on a bridge over Middle Fork Creek, the N.C. Department of Transportation said.

The road will be closed starting today and is expected to reopen at 4 p.m. Feb. 29.

The bridge is near the road's intersection with Cooper Road. Drivers will be detoured via Cooper Road to Frye Bridge, Hampton and Stratford Roads.

Paul Garber

Pipe maintenance will close four streets for one week

The following streets will be closed to through traffic for a week beginning today so that city crews can repair or replace aging water and sewer pipes:

• Brent Street between Academy Street and 644 Brent St.

• Brookwood Drive between Polo Road and Howell Street.

• Greenway Avenue between Glenn Avenue and 24th Street.

• Gilmer Avenue between Inverness and 30th streets.

Ken Keuffel

Charlotte businessman sentenced to 21 months for tax evasion

Charlotte businessman Ricky Dean Hardee was sentenced Wednesday to 21 months in prison for tax evasion in connection with a scheme to evade about $1.5 million in taxes.

Hardee, 48, operated a masonry contracting business in Charlotte from about 1997 to 2007, according to court documents. He earned gross receipts of $4.2 million from his business from 2002 to 2007, prosecutors say.

But Hardee failed to file income-tax returns and engaged in a sophisticated scheme to conceal his income and assets from the IRS, prosecutors allege.

Hardee purchased and used a system of nominee entities, sham trusts and bank accounts — including a bank account in Panama and 10 domestic bank accounts — to hide money from the IRS, according to prosecutors. Hardee pleaded guilty to tax evasion in June 2010. He has paid $1,525,150 in restitution to the IRS, prosecutors said.

McClatchy-Tribune

New tourism website caters to N.C. winery visitors

State tourism officials have launched a mobile website for wine lovers planning to visit any of North Carolina's wineries. The N.C. Division of Tourism, Film and Sports Development has also developed a 56-page brochure and has new billboards promoting wineries.

The mobile web app is at visitncwine.com. Its features include listings, directions and maps to the wineries.

North Carolina has developed a wine and grape industry, with 100 wineries and more than 400 vineyards.

Michelle Johnson