Two N.C. men face about
5 Years each for Ponzi schemes
CHARLOTTE (AP) — Two Charlotte men will spend about five years each in federal prison after running separate Ponzi investment schemes that prosecutors say collected a total of more than $6 million.
Federal prosecutors said Friday that Mitchell Huffman and Robert Moss each promised investors high returns on their investments. Both faced up to 25 years in prison after pleading guilty in September 2011.
Prosecutors say the 52-year-old Huffman cheated about 30 victims by falsely claiming he was generating returns of up to 150 percent a year by trading commodities futures. He was ordered to repay his victims and give up another $2.5 million in ill-gotten gains.
The 49-year-old Moss bilked 22 victims nationwide also by falsely claiming massive profits from trading in commodities futures. He was ordered to repay almost $1.5 million.

Officers seize $3 million
worth of marijuana in N.c.
MONROE (AP) — Authorities in Union and Moore counties have seized more than $3 million worth of marijuana and arrested four people.
Officers also got nearly $50,000 in crystal methamphetamine.
An undercover investigation in Moore County spread to Union County on Wednesday night.
Officers say the marijuana seized at several locations has a street value of nearly $3.3 million. Officers also seized a total of eight guns.
Three of the men are being held in Union County and the fourth man is being held in Moore County. All four face a number of drug charges.

Part of Cherohala Skyway slides about 900 feet
CHEROHALA SKYWAY (AP) A popular scenic route from the Tennessee border into North Carolina is closed because of a major landslide.
North Carolina transportation officials said about 150 feet of the Cherohala Skyway slid about 900 feet down a mountain slope on Thursday, a half-mile east of the Tennessee state line.
The mountains have been inundated with rain, which also caused a section of U.S. 441 to slide down a slope in the Great Smoky Mountains National Park.

Winter storm scoots across N.c., closes island ferry
RALEIGH (AP) — A winter storm that dumped at least 7 inches of snow in North Carolina’s mountains is also closing a ferry route that links two Outer Banks islands.
State transportation officials said Friday that the ferry route linking Hatteras and Ocracoke islands was suspended until further notice. The state’s ferry division says extremely high winds Thursday night pushed sand into the channel the hourly ferry uses, making the route impassable.
An extra trip is being added to the Ocracoke-to-Swan Quarter route starting Saturday.
The National Weather Service said Thursday’s storm dumped 7 inches of snow in Newland in Avery County. Five inches of snow were reported in Person County. Two to 3 inches were reported in the Winston-Salem and Greensboro areas.

Suspect killed in shoot-out with Halifax deputies
ROANOKE RAPIDS (AP) — Halifax County officials say a suspect has been shot and killed by two deputies who were trying to serve a search warrant.
Chief Deputy Wes Tripp says two officers were trying to serve a search warrant as part of a drug investigation shortly before 8 a.m. Friday at a home near NC 48 when a suspect fired at one of the officers.
Tripp says both officers returned fire, killing the suspect.
None of the officers at the scene was hurt.