EIGHT-TIMES MORE: Court documents show that in 2016, NCDOT offered Bill McDowall and his wife $37,250 for four acres that included 1,000 feet of frontage on New Leicester Highway (N.C. 63). He countered with a figure about five times larger and ultimately received a settlement of $300,000 – eight times than the original price. // Watchdog photo by Starr Sariego