The Charlotte Observer from Charlotte, North Carolina • 1

BOBCATS SLIDE IN NBA DRAFT Charlotte gets 9th pick Sr uk i liMr WEDNESDAY MAY 21 2008 I Price varies by county I 50C wwwcharlottecom tomami Observer Exclusive CHECKERED FLAG FOR List of possible modifications closures meant to open talks By Eric Frazier efraziercharlotteobserver com Superintendent Peter Gorman on Tuesday offered Charlotte-Mecklenburg school board members a sweeping list of potential magnet program closures or realignments The recommendations which apply to up to 40 campuses mark the start of the effort to determine the future of programs that once served as the linchpins of Mecklenburg school desegregation The magnet programs in 50 schools and serving almost 20000 students were created under desegregation orders no longer in force They have been credited with pulling thousands of middle-class students into inner-city schools attracting them with specialized programs centered on themes as varied as Chinese language immersion and the performing arts In recent decades as suburban growth patterns threatened to resegregate schools magnets helped fight the trend SEE CMS I 11A OBSERVER FILE PHOTO Motor Speedway president A Wheeler in 2000 Over the past 33 years Wheeler helped make the speedway a model for the modern race track and helped build Speedway Motorsports Inc into a company with a market capitalization of $117 billion Lowe's Motor Speedway president to retire this weekend NASCAR driver Jeff Gordon (right) talks as a costumed Humpy Wheeler looks on during a news conference at the race track after Wheeler picked Gordon to win the 2004 Nextel All-Star Challenge race By David Poole dpoolecharlotteobserver com HA Wheeler one of stock-car great showmen will take his final bows as president of Motor Speedway this weekend The Observer has learned that Wheeler is retiring from his post at the track where he has served as almost equal parts businessman and ringmaster since 1975 events people create the illusion that something is going to happen at an event so great and unique that got to be Wheeler once said when asked about his philosophy as a promoter they make that illusion become Wheeler said Tuesday he could not officially confirm end his tenure at the track as he oversees his 33rd running of the Coca-Cola 600 longest race But sources confirmed that Wheeler 69 is leaving He is working on a deal for a book about his more than 40 years in racing and will likely do more episodes of Humpy for the Speed cable network which aired a one-hour debut in January a combination of Don King Walt Disney and PT said former Motor Speedway vice president Jerry Gappens now president of New Hampshire Motor Speedway when Wheeler was named to the National Motorsports Press SEE WHEELER I 8A JASON MICZEK SPECIAL TO THE OBSERVER ASSOCIATED PRESS PHOTO Dream realized and rewarded Charlotte-Mecklenburg's teacher of the year Carl Hamm of West Mecklenburg High found his calling in the classroom students grow and achieve is a rewarding experience" said Hamm "This is why we COVERAGE ON IB More Coverage Sports 1C TOM SORENSEN: Humpy is more than a promoter and Charlotte racing be the same without its patriarch FEDERAL APPEALS CASE One-size currency hurts blind court says Democratic presidential candidate Sen Barack Obama speaks at a rally Tuesday in Des Moines Iowa The Illinois lawmaker declared himself "within reach" of the Democratic nomination Decision 2008 Oregon win brings Obama near victory Sen Barack Obatna stepped to the brink of victory in the Democratic presidential race Tuesday night defeating Hillary Clinton in the Oregon primary and moving within 100 delegates of the total he needs to claim the prize at the party convention this summer Clinton countered with a lopsided win in Kentucky a victory with scant political value in a race moving inexorably in direction The former first lady vowed to remain in the race telling supporters more than determined than ever to see that every vote is cast and every ballot is Story 9A government is denying blind people meaningful access to the currency the US Court of Appeals for the District of Columbia Circuit ruled Tuesday The decision could force the Treasury Department to make bills of different sizes or print them with raised markings or other distinguishing features The American Council of the Blind sued for such changes but the government has been fighting the case for about six years SEE CASH I 7A Discrimination claim seeb different sizes ByMattApuzzo Associated Press WASHINGTON Close your eyes reach into your wallet and try to distinguish between a $1 bill and a $5 bill Impossible? also discriminatory a federal appeals court says Since all US paper money feels pretty much the same the Online Extra Get full coverage of Tuesday's Kentucky and Oregon primaries at Charlottecom politics Local IB Insurance auditor's body found in SC Search ends a day after police charged a Charlotte insurance agent with murdering investigator Sallie Rohrbach Also in the News China's next problem: 5 million homeless i 14A Carter aide Hamilton Jordan dies i 12 a Local I 18 Charlotte police kill 21-year-old It was the third time in seven months that a man has died in a confrontation with CMPD officers Nation I 3A Kennedy has malignant tumor The Massachusetts senator will remain in the hospital two more Sen Edward days while his doctors determine a Kennedy course of treatment for a malignant glioma Warm nice High: 77 Low: 48 i Mostly sunny and pleasant this afternoon Milder overnight Forecast 8D Online Spotlight American Idol poll: This winner will he crowned tonight-cither David Archuleta 16 or David Cook 25 Vote for the David you think should win this contest wwwcharlottecomspotlight 00 The Charlotte Observer Vol 139 No 142 'Ills Ask Amy 5E Business ID Classified 9E Comics 4E Editorial 18 A Horoscope 4E Movies GE TV 6E Obituaries GB Delivery Assistance Sports 1C or to Subscribe 800-532-5350 i.