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Sun. Headlines: Muslim Woman Removed From Trump Rally; CMPD Officer Charged With DWI

A woman was booted from a Donald Trump rally in Rock Hill Friday night, after she staged a silent protest and was heckled by Trump supporters. Meanwhile, an off-duty CMPD officer is facing a DWI charge after he was stopped in his own car Saturday. And changes are coming at Charlotte Douglas airport: New technology to save time and fuel is being introduced. And the NCDOT is asking travelers to use the Little Rock Road exit from I-85 to reach the new airport access road. Read on for our Sunday headlines.

MUSLIMS WANT APOLOGY AFTER WOMAN THROWN OUT OF TRUMP RALLY

An advocacy group wants Donald Trump’s presidential campaign to apologize after a Muslim woman standing in silent protest was heckled and then escorted out of a rally in Rock Hill on Friday.     The Council on American-Islamic Relations issued its call hours after Rose Hamid was thrown out of the Republican candidate’s rally at Winthrop University.     Hamid said she was standing up in protest to a Trump statement when members of the audience pointed her out by chanting "Trump, Trump, Trump."     The council’s National Executive Director,  Nihad Awad, also called on Trump to meet with American Muslim leaders to help stem the anti-Muslim hysteria resulting from his rhetoric and that of other GOP presidential candidates.

CMPD OFFICER CHARGED WITH DWI

Charlotte Mecklenburg Police say an off-duty officer was charged with driving while impaired Saturday night. Officer Shaheen Fadel, who has been with the department less than a year, was off-duty and in his own car when he was stopped. He’s now on administrative leave while the department conducts a criminal and internal investigation.

STATE GOP WON’T ACT AGAINST LEWIS

State Republican activists have stopped trying to remove a key legislator from a national party office. At a meeting in High Point Saturday, the state Republican Party Executive Committee voted not to begin action against Republican National Committee member David Lewis, who is also the House Rules Committee chairman.  Activists had circulated a petition complaining about Lewis's role in 2015 legislation that widened exceptions to the state’s new voter ID law … and authorized new legislative caucus committees. 250 committee members voted nearly 2-to-1 against impeaching Lewis.  Committee member Rep. John Torbett of Gastonia also says Executive Director Dallas Woodhouse received a strong vote of confidence from the committee. Woodhouse took the job last fall.

AIRPORT INTRODUCING “NEXT GEN” TECHNOLGY

New technology coming to Charlotte Douglas International Airport is expected to reduce wait times and save passengers money.  The Federal Aviation Administration said the first phase of the technology - known as "NextGen" - will be in place in May. Under the plan, air traffic controllers will send text messages to pilots instead of talking to them, reducing the chance for mistakes. An FAA spokesman says flights will be more efficient by spending less time in the air and more time on the runway, saving $9.4 million for the airport annually. That will reduce fuel use and cut airlines’ operating costs, and keep passengers from waiting.. The cost savings could be passed on to fliers.     The upgrade could take 10 years.

USE LITTLE ROCK ROAD EXIT TO REACH AIRPORT NOW

And here’s a traffic note about the airport: A couple of highway ramps in the Charlotte area will be closed this morning while the NCDOT updates signs for the I-85 Little Rock Road and Billy Graham Parkway interchanges. The new signs will direct airport traffic to use the Little Rock Road interchange – which leads to the modernized airport access road there. Ramps from I-485 Outer Loop to Exits 9 and 10, and from I-85 south Exit 30A will be closed until about noon.  You’ll still be able to other routes into the airport.  

SPORTS: HORNETS LOSE 6th STRAIGHT; CHECKERS WIN AGAIN

  • The Charlotte Hornets lost to the LA Clippers last night, 97-83 – their sixth straight loss.
  • The Charlotte Checkers won their fourth game in a row, beating the San Diego Gulls, 4-2, in California. The Checkers also beat the gulls 3-1 on Friday.
  • Marshall Plumlee scored a career high 21 points as 14th-ranked Duke beat Virginia Tech, 82-58.
  • Davidson beat George Mason 81 to 75 in an Atlantic 10 game at home yesterday.  Louisiana Tech beat UNC Charlotte, 93-90. And North Carolina won at Syracuse, 84 to 73.  
  • The Carolina Panthers have the week off, thanks to their Number 1 seed in the NFL playoffs. They’ll be at home next weekend for their first playoff game. Their opponent depends on what happens in this weekend’s Wild Card games.