CHARLOTTE, NC (WBTV)- A man who shot and killed two Charlotte police officers in northeast Charlotte in 2007 has been denied an appeal to overturn his murder conviction.

In September 2010, Demeatrius Antonio Montgomery was found guilty of two counts of first-degree murder in the slaying of Officers Sean Clark and Jeff Shelton at the Timber Ridge Apartments in east Charlotte in 2007.  He is currently serving two consecutive life sentences without parole.

His new attorney filed an appeal, 217 pages long, in September 2011 in an attempt to get the conviction overturned. Several of the 16 reasons for appeal deal with Montgomery's mental competency.

The court ruled that the appeal was without merit and that the trial court did not err in procedure.

However, Montgomery's appellate defender, Andrew DiSimone said he is reviewing the possibility of filing a petition with the NC Supreme Court.

CHARLOTTE, NC (WBTV) - Mecklenburg county is one of 61 counties in North Carolina that is suffering from a moderate drought condition.

Experts say our river levels are low, there is low moisture, and the county is getting less than 50% of the rain the area should be getting. Those signs point to moderate drought conditions.

Neighbors are concerned by this news. They think it's a bad sign.

"That we were going to have a really dry summer," Neighbor Amy Jarrett said. "Really nervous - it's barely spring."

Jarrett claims the moderate drought has taken a toll on her friends.

"I have friends that planted early," Jarrett said. "And they said their plants are looking bad."

Some believe the recent rainfalls the area has received could help.

"This rain will definitely help ease those worries." Campbell's Nursery Expert Brad Miller said.

CHARLOTTE, NC (WBTV)- If there was ever any question about how fast Charlotte has grown in the past 25 years take a look at this video of a drive through Charlotte in 1986.

You'll notice some of the Queen City's most recognizable buildings and landmarks are not there.

But others, like Carowinds and the old uptown Belk department store can be seen as the car drives around the city.

One thing you'll notice a drastic change in is the gas prices, listed at 69 cents for regular gasoline at the gas station in the video.

Independence Boulevard, Interstate 77 and the construction of Interstate 277 can also be seen in the video.

But perhaps most obvious to how much 'smaller' Charlotte was just a quarter of a century ago, the driver has no problem driving around town as the roads seem almost abandoned compared to today's rush hour gridlock.

Copyright 2012 WBTV. All rights reserved.