Good Morning! Happy Memorial Day! In the words of Sen. Kay Hagan (D-NC), Memorial Day is a time to “honor the memories of those service members who made the ultimate sacrifice while fighting to protect the American way of life...These men and women leave behind a legacy of honor, duty and pride, and we owe them and their families an enormous debt of gratitude.”

She added, “Our thoughts are also with the more than 20,000 North Carolinians who remain overseas on their mission to disrupt, dismantle and defeat the terrorists who threaten America.”

Tuesday, Hagan hosted a lunch in advance of Memorial Day for injured service members based out of North Carolina and their families. Today, Hagan will speak at the 46th annual Memorial Day Observance at Battleship North Carolina in Wilmington.

If you are on the grill today, expect it to be a hot one. The weatherman says it will be sunny to partly cloudy with a high of 92°

Here’s what is brewing in the news:

LeBron James vs. Michael Jordan

Is LeBron James a better basketball player than Michael Jordan? Former Chicago Bull Scottie Pippen thinks he could be.

After James lead the Heat to victory on Thursday, eliminating the Bulls in the Eastern Conference, Pippen took to the airwaves comparing him to former teammate Michael Jordan - who won six titles. James is still seeking his first.

"Michael Jordan is probably the greatest scorer to play the game," Pippen said on ESPN Radio's "Mike & Mike" show Friday morning. "But I may go as far as to say LeBron James may be the greatest player to ever play the game because he is so potent offensively that not only can he score at will, but he keeps everybody involved."

He called James “the complete package.” 

After the comments received some backlash, particularly from Bulls' fans, Pippen took to Twitter saying, "For all of you that don't know, I played the game you keep watching and cheering."

He also Tweeted, "Don't get me wrong, MJ was and is the greatest. But LeBron could by all means get to his level someday."

James said Saturday that while he was humbled by Pippen’s remarks, he does not think he is a greater player than Jordan.

James told reporters, "Michael is an unbelievable player [but] I have a long way, a long way, as far as being mentioned as one of the all-time greats.

"It's not even just Jordan. There are a lot of great players who have played in this league, Larry Bird, Kareem Abdul-Jabbar, and all these guys who are floating around with multiple rings, Bill Russell, all these guys who have done it and pioneered this game for myself and [Dwyane] Wade. I'm gracious, humbled by Scottie's comments, especially with him being a teammate of his and seeing Michael on a day-to-day basis, but as far as me, I don't know. I'm not going to sit here and say that I'm better than Jordan. I'm not better than Jordan."

Question: Tell us what you think. Who is the better player, Michael Jordan, Lebron James or someone else? Sound off in the comment section below.

Read more at Fox Sports
***

In case you missed it, here’s what else made the headlines this weekend:

Gil Scott-Heron Dies

Musician Gilbert "Gil" Scott-Heron, known as “The Godfather of Rap” died Friday at age 62. Scott-Heron was known for work that reflected the fury of black America in the post-civil rights era. Fusing minimalistic percussion, political expression and spoken-word poetry, Scott-Heron spoke to the social and political disparities in the country.

One of his most famous compositions is "The Revolution Will Not Be Televised."

Scott-Heron faced a long-time battle with crack cocaine and had been living with HIV for years. The cause of his death was not immediately known.

Read more at The Charlotte Observer
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Model falls from Atlanta hotel window, dies

While celebrating her 30th birthday at a party held in her honor, LaShawna Threatt, an aspiring model, plunged to her death early Saturday after she and a friend fell 10 stories from a window  at the W hotel in Atlanta.

Police say the two women were "play fighting." The other woman, identified by friends as Ciara Williams, is hospitalized and remained in critical condition late Sunday.

Atlanta Police Lt. Paul Guerrucci said, "It appears that there was no malicious act, no foul play, they were just wrestling with each other, they hit the window, the window broke, and they fell out."

Read more at ajc.com

Photo: LaShawna Threatt (left) and Ciara Williams.
***
Mistakes cost big in auto racing

Rookie JR Hildebrand told reporters he felt “helpless” after losing Sunday in the Indianapolis 500. The 23-year-old Indy car driver was one turn away and well within sight of the checkered flag when he skidded high into the wall on the final turn. Dan Wheldon, the 2005 winner, drove past him to claim the victory.

Later on that evening, NASCAR veteran Dale Earnhardt, Jr. came close to a win, but lost after running out of gas in the final lap of the Coca-Cola 600 at Charlotte Motor Speedway.

Kevin Harvick went on to inherit the lead and claim the victory.

"I tried to save a ton of gas as best I could," Earnhardt said after the race. "I'm disappointed we didn't win. I know my fans are disappointed to come so close.

Read more at The Charlotte Observer

*** This is your chance to speak out. Use the comment section below to share what's brewing on your mind this morning.

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