Hornets Owner George Shinn "is in discussions with an
out-of-town group about buying half" of the NBA team,
according to sources of Rick Bonnell of the CHARLOTTE
OBSERVER. Shinn, who "has wanted to sell a non-controlling
interest in the team for years," was not available for
comment, and a Hornets spokesperson said that no sale was
close. Hornets VP/PR Harold Kaufman: "There have been a lot
of calls coming in about buying the team. George maintains
he'd take in a minority partner. There's nothing going on
at this time." Another source noted that he was "cautiously
optimistic" regarding the possibility of a sale occurring
within the next 60 days. Neither source revealed the group
currently talking to Shinn, "except to say that its members
are not from Charlotte." Bonnell also reports that four
sources within Charlotte's banking community said that Shinn
"is closing in on a sale" and that a 50% stake in the team
is the portion being discussed (CHARLOTTE OBSERVER, 3/25).
MORE WOES: On the front-page of today's CHARLOTTE
OBSERVER, Liz Chandler reports that SC Prosecutor Tommy Pope
will "re-examine" the '97 sexual-assault case involving
Shinn. Pope cited two new developments for his decision,
including a second woman this month who alleged a similar
sexual assault by Shinn and reports that the state's lead
investigator in the '97 case says her boss "ordered her to
ignore leads about other possible assault victims." Pope:
"I'm not saying I'm going to reopen the case, but I will dig
into this to see if it changes my mind" (OBSERVER, 3/25).
