It was reported that on June 3, 2011 former Presidential Candidate John Edwards was indicted on four counts of illegal campaign contributions and charges of conspiracy and false statements after federal prosecutors said he used more than $900,000 from his 2008 presidential campaign to cover up his affair with staffer Rielle Hunter and the birth of their daughter. Edwards was ordered to give up his passport.  So it is likely that as this case move forward, Edwards will either be at his home in Chapel Hill, NC or at his beach house in Figure Eight Island, NC, which is just north of Wrightsville Beach in New Hanover County.

The Wilmington Star News reported that Edwards pleaded not guilty to these charges. Edwards defense team says the money he received from his former campaign finance chairman were personal gifts, while the indictment said the payments were a scheme to protect Edwards’ White House ambitions. The indictment stated that, “A centerpiece of Edwards’ candidacy was his public image as a devoted family man.

John Edwards of Robbins, North Carolina came into the national spotlight in the 1980s and 1990s as a successful trial lawyer. He repeatedly won millions of dollars for his clients.  Later he and another attorney created their own firm. He was elected to represent North Carolina in the United States Senate in 1998, and ran for President in 2004 and 2008. During Edwards’ 2004 presidential run he came to Wrightsville Beach, NC to mingle with North Carolinians at the beach crowd.  His activities during his 2008 campaign for President are what are under scrutiny.

The National Enquirer, a tabloid newspaper, first reported the extramarital affair in 2007, but both Edwards and Hunter denied its truth. The mainstream media ignored the story because they said there was no evidence showing it was true.  In August of 2008, Edwards admitted to the affair, but denied he was the father of the child. It was not until January of 2010 that Edwards admitted he was the father.

The federal investigation took more than two years and searched every moment of Edwards political career to examine if he did anything improper. The focus of the investigation had been on the hundreds of thousands of dollars that two of Edwards’ supporters had provided him. This money went to keep Hunter and her baby in hiding in 2007 and 2008.

The legal case against Edwards will focus on whether the money that his two supporters spent to keep his mistress in hiding were campaign contributions that should have been reported publicly, or private gifts from friends. If convicted he faces up to five years in prison and a $250,000 fine on each count.

We understand why there has been outcry about the decision some schools made in having a make-up day on Martin Luther King, Jr. day, which is a federally designated holiday to honor a great American. North Carolina General Statutes § 115C-84.2 requires that a minimum of 180 days and 1,000 hours of instruction covering at least nine calendar months be scheduled and held by each North Carolina county.

We applaud Brunswick County’s decision in taking a very prudent step in designating the first makeup day on Tuesday, January 25, which was originally a teacher workday. However, unbelievably, New Hanover County which includes schools in Wilmington NC, has still not made a decision, and is not using the upcoming teacher’s work day on Monday, January 24, 2011 as a make-up Day! New Hanover County School officials have discussed using a Saturday as a make-up day, which if necessary, we understand. What we cannot understand is why New Hanover County is not acting quickly to take the common sense step to cancel the upcoming teacher’s work day on Monday and use it as a make-up day, especially because the last day schools were closed for students because of snow on January 12, 2011 was designated as teacher’s work day.

The elections are over and we are very excited that all of our friends whom we supported in their races in the Southeastern North Carolina counties surrounding Wilmington NC (Brunswick County and New Hanover County) won their elections! This was an historic election, and for the first time since 1898, the Republicans hold the majority of both houses of the North Carolina legislature.

Jon David will be the new District Attorney in North Carolina’s 13th prosecutorial district, which includes Brunswick County, Columbus County, and Bladen County. Mr. David’s office will prosecute all state crimes including infractions, misdemeanors, and felonies. Jon David has over ten years experience as a prosecutor, and has been prosecuting cases for years with his brother, Ben David, who is the District Attorney in the Fifth Prosecutorial District (which includes New Hanover County and Pender County). We know Mr. David will make an outstanding District Attorney and will work hard to seek justice in all the cases his office will handle.

Thom Goolsby will be New Hanover County’s new State Senator. Mr. Goolsby is a Wilmington, NC lawyer who practices personal injury and criminal defense in Wilmington, North Carolina. He is a conservative and will focus on creating jobs by limiting government in Raleigh. He holds both a Juris Doctor, and Master of Business Administration, and has been managing his law firm for years, so he understands business, and will make an excellent law maker.

Jay Hockenbury will continue one of our Superior Court Judges in New Hanover County and Pender County. Judge Hockenbury was challenged in this election, and soundly defeated his opponent. He also is a Republican, and he is a fair and impartial judge. He hears civil cases as well as all types of criminal cases in including misdemeanors and felonies. We are glad Judge Hockenbury will continue to be one of our excellent Superior Court Judges.

Chad Hogston, also a Wilmington attorney, will be our newest District Court Judge. Mr. Hogston has been practicing law in Wilmington for almost a decade and a half. He has experience in both civil and criminal cases, and we are sure he will be an outstanding fair and impartial District Court Judge.

Jan Kennedy will be our new Clerk of Court in New Hanover County. She has almost two decades experience in the clerk’s office, and we are confident she will make an excellent Clerk of Court, and she will make sure that the courts continue to run smoothly and efficiently. The clerk’s office manages all the files in State court including civil matters as well as all criminal matters – including all infractions, misdemeanors, and felonies.