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New high tech way to track your child

ROCK HILL, SC (WBTV)- If you're a parent you've probably taken your kids to the park, stopped to look down at your phone to update your Facebook status then looked up and for a split second your child has disappeared.

"A mother's worst night mare is when she's lost sight of her child," said Mellen Shugart.

Shugart is a pre-school teacher and has two young children of her own to look after.

"It would be nice to have something that we could give to our children or at least know where the vicinity of they are," said Shugart.

Amber Alert GPS has such a device.  The Amber Alert GPS is the smallest GPS tracker of its kind on the market.  The owner of the company came up with the idea for the tracker in 2007 after he lost his child for a short period of time.

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Access to Catawba River closed at Riverwalk

ROCK HILL, SC (WBTV)- The Riverwalk Canoe-Kayak Launch will be closed due to
construction beginning May 16th and will remain closed for up to 60
days. 

As a result, there will be no access to or from the Catawba River
at the Riverwalk Canoe/Kayak Launch until further notice.   

The next access point downstream
is at River Park which is approximately 3 miles away. Questions can be
directed to (803) 329-5656.  

Copyright 2012 WBTV. All rights reserved.

Young York County boy dies of brain tumor; received 1000's of cards

YORK COUNTY, SC (WBTV) - A little boy who inspired his community in York County has passed away.

The family of Gavin Jones asked people to send cards to their 9-year old.  He had an inoperable brain tumor.  They were hoping to break the Guinness World Record for receiving the most cards. 

Word spread across York County in a very grass roots way.  Community groups got in on the act.  Neighbors and family and friends posted things online and helped spread the word.

Thousands of people responded by sending a card in the mail.  WBTV's newsroom sent one as well.

Gavin died over the weekend.  Some numbers on Facebook today put the number of cards he received at 15,000.  Not a record, but certainly an outpouring of support by all accounts.

Click the attached video to see what Anchors Molly Grantham and Jamie Boll said about this story on WBTV's 5:30 p.m. news.

Don't mind the rain as a dry summer is likely, officials say

YORK COUNTY, SC (WBTV)- ROCK HILL, SC (WBTV) - The sound of rain hitting the ground is music to Sam Halls's ears at the Bush-n-Vine farm in York.

Since Sunday the farm has received 2.1 inches of rain, which is good but in the farming business Hall says that won't last long.

"Always thankful for the rain," said Sam Hall. "I would say that would last for maybe the next month or so. We pump out of wells and ponds; we need them to be full so we can make it through the summer."

Rock Hill Assistant City Manager Jimmy Bagley went to a meeting today in Huntersville to talk about water and this summer.

"All the forecasts are indicating that the next 90 days are going to be dryer than normal," said Bagley.

He says The rain we've received in the last few days is far from a drought buster.

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Teen beaten by mom's boyfriend over unflushed toilet, report states

ROCK HILL, SC (WBTV)- A Rock Hill man is facing charges after police say he beat his girlfriend's son over an unflushed toilet.

Rock Hill police officers were called to Rebound Alternative School back in March to the report of an injured teen. Officers spoke with a counselor at the school who said the 13-year-old boy showed up at school with bruises and marks on his body.

The teen told officers that his mother's boyfriend, 34-year-old Deshawn Williams had beaten him the night before after getting home from work.

According to the police report, Williams came home after midnight on March 22 and "became upset when he discovered that someone did not flush the toilet."

Heavy downpours continue through Monday, flash flooding could be a problem

Heavy downpours continue through Monday, flash flooding could be a problem

CHARLOTTE, NC (WBTV)- The walls of water continue to fall in and around the Charlotte region Monday.

Between 2 and 3 inches of rain fell across the foothills in the past 24 hours. The National Weather Service in Greenville-Spartanburg issued a Flood Advisory for Burke, Catawba, Cleveland and Lincoln counties until 11 a.m. Monday.

Several WBTV viewers sent in photos of flooding in their neighborhoods. Click on the slideshow to see them.

Heavy rains along the U.S. 321 and Interstate 77 were reported along with some lightning.

Watauga County is under a Flash Flood Watch through Tuesday morning, according to the NWS.

WBTV Meteorologist Al Conklin says anyone out and about Monday should watch out for localized flooding.

You should never try to drive your vehicle through a flooded area or roadway.

Monday's highs will be in the low to mid 70s.

2 months in, Giordana Velodrome in Rock Hill already attracting tourists

ROCK HILL, SC (WBTV)-

Al and Anita Ray Robinson are what you call professional tourists from Auburn New York

This week they made a stop in Rock Hill to visit friends and hear about the new Velodrome Cycle track in town.

"It's new and interesting and we'd never seen a velodrome before," said Al Robin son.

The Giordana Velodrome opened the first week of March, but it's not the first in Rock Hill

"Rock Hill had two velodromes at the turn of the century located at Winthrop University," said Thad Fisher with the city of Rock Hill.

So far around 400 cyclists have trained or are in the process of getting certified to speed around the track.

"Our youngest certified rider is nine year old and our oldest is 81 years of age," said Fisher.

Thad Fisher says in its short history the track is gaining interest.