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Man steals car with toddler inside, ditches vehicle in Macy's parking lot

PINEVILLE, N.C. (WBTV) - A two-year-old boy was found safe after police said he was kidnapped when his mother's car was stolen.

The incident happened shortly before 8 p.m. Tuesday night at the Chinese Buffet restaurant located on Town Centre Blvd. in Pineville.

The toddler's mother told WBTV News she went inside the restaurant to pick up a to-go order, and left the car running with her two-year-old son inside.

While inside, the mother said she saw a tall, slim, possibly Hispanic man get into her car and take off. She attempted to chase the car on foot before calling police.

The suspect ditched the car in the parking lot of the Macy's department store at Carolina Place Mall, according to Pineville police.

The boy was not injured. Police have not made any arrests or said if they plan to cite the mother.

Copyright 2012 WBTV. All rights reserved.

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Commissioners call for stricter no-camping rules in Mecklenburg Co.

CHARLOTTE, NC (WBTV) - Mecklenburg County Commissioners made a move to ban camping on all county owned properties Tuesday night, but clearly they're not worried about your standard camper.

"In a sense, we owe Occupy Charlotte a thank you because had they not done what they did, we wouldn't have known that there's a weakness in our non-park property ordinance," Commissioner Bill James said during the meeting.

The Occupy camp has already been cleaned up, but now commissioners are clearly thinking about what protestors could do in other places when the DNC comes to town.

Nathan Morrison is a student, and he's homeless - now he feels like he has no place to rest his head.

"If I fall asleep is one of these red areas, I could be arrested," he told commissioners, fighting back tears.

Occupy member Ayendal Cala thinks local leaders are showing more concern for DNC visitors than the people that live her.

A look inside CMPD's top-secret DNC planning hub

CHARLOTTE, N.C. (WBTV) - You can't just walk into the top secret DNC planning hub inside Charlotte Mecklenburg Police headquarters at will.

The door can only be accessed by a select few as CMPD's security plan for the DNC is shrouded in secrecy.

But CMPD gave WBTV exclusive access to bank of offices and conference room where the planners have hunkered down for a year, hammering a blueprint to keeping the city safe come September.

"Yours is the first TV camera we've allowed in here," said Deputy Chief Harold Medlock.

The head of CMPD's planning division for DNC security, his team has been working diligently to make sure the plan is ready.

At first glance -- the super secret, secure entry DNC planning room doesn't look like much.

Then the deputy chief admits they cleaned up a bit before our cameras arrived.

"We had to put some things up and cover some things over," he revealed.  

Charlotte pleads: Scoop the Poop

CHARLOTTE, NC (WBTV) - For many homeowners, it is one of the most annoying and disgusting ways to litter their lawn. People who don't pick up after their dogs are now targets of a new county campaign called "Scoop the Poop".

The catchy slogan is actually rooted in some serious facts. Jennifer Frost with Charlotte Storm Water and Sewer Services says about 1/3 of the bacteria in local creeks come from animal waste. People leave droppings in their yards or in others' and the bacteria washes into storm drains and into creeks.

"It's the kind of situation where you don't want to be wading in it and you certainly don't want to be drinking from it. Having your pets play in the creek is not a good idea," said Frost.

There are an estimated 218,000 dogs in the county, and those dogs produce more than 72,000 pounds of waste a day.

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All-In to fight Cancer: Texas Hold 'em poker tournament

CHARLOTTE, NC (WBTV) - A poker tournament is going to raise money to help fight cancer in Charlotte. 

"All-In to fight cancer" is a Charlotte foundation established in 2010 to raise money to help fight all cancers, not any one specific kind.  The group's second annual poker tournament is this Wednesday, February 22nd at 7:30.

"It's a night of food, drink, live music, magic, raffles, door prizes and Texas Hold 'em," said organizer Steve Amedio. 

"We want as many people to come out as possible.  Everyone is invited.  You don't even need to know how to play poker to contribute.  We have free-play poker tables to learn the game!"

The DNA diet: Is the secret to weight loss in your genes?

The DNA diet: Is the secret to weight loss in your genes?

CHARLOTTE, NC (WBTV) - A workout with Pulkit Sang is no joke.

 

"I'll start at a level three on the treadmill, then go up to a six and then a nine and back down again.  I'll do that for about 20 or 30 minutes," Sang said.

He says he's learned what his body needs at the genetic level and that helped him drop pounds and keep them off.

Just two years ago he was more than 50 pounds heavier and had the frustration of trying diet after diet, only to achieve limited and temporary success.

"Every time a new diet fad comes around your ears perk up and you think is this the one?" Sang said.

Program aims to get minorities into medicine

CHARLOTTE, NC (WBTV) - The Tour for Diversity in Medicine makes a stop at Johnson C. Smith University on Tuesday. The program aims to turn young minority students towards a career in medicine.

Statistics show 26 percent of the population in the US is African-American, Hispanic, or Native American. Only 6 percent of doctors are minorities.

"It does make me sad and I guess I'm just kind of wondering, how did that happen?" said Charlotte OB/GYN Dr. Octavia Cannon.

Dr. Cannon is an African American Alumni of JCSU. She says she encourages minority youth to pursue a career in medicine. She says her career has been rewarding.

Current JCSU Senior Christina Onunu hopes to one day have the title of Doctor in front of her name. She's currently looking into schools to study to become a doctor.