Jason Sandford
Jason Sandford is a reporter, writer, blogger and photographer interested in all things Asheville.
Here’s the WLOSer news at 5:30. We’re breaking it up since it looks like WLOSers woke up and actually started covering some news on Thursday:
Suspicious school smell
WLOSer Carolyn “Little Red” Ryan handled the big story of the day at 5:30 – the sickening of 46 students and adults at Roberson High School. Ryan said a “suspicious odor” made everybody sick. The source – something called “Repulse,” a rape deterrent, said Ryan. At the school, the odor was connected to a trash can, Ryan said. The smell was described as a nauseating burnt plastic smell, Ryan said. Good description, Carolyn.
The school was put on lockdown and the school used an automated phone calling system to notify parents, who were complaining to Ryan that they couldn’t get good information. One woman said the incident was described to her as a chemical spill initially.
More at 6.
DWI charges in question
WLOSers said that Buncombe County District Attorney Ron Moore sent letters to 50 people charged with DWI telling them that they might be retrie because the charging officer hadn’t renewed his Intoxilyzer certification. The officer had been serving in Iraq and came back to work. The people were charged between October 2005 and 2006.
They’re just now figuring this out?
Fletcher police sued
WLOSer Sherrill “Sheraldo” Barber said a guy named John King has filed a lawsuit in federal court saying his civil rights were violated by Fletcher police who he says used excessive force in arresting him last summer.
The dude says police responded to a complaint about him playing his music too loud and he wouldn’t let them in his house because they didn’t have a warrant. The cops busted his door down. In another incident, police used pepper spray on him for no reason, King said.
Sheraldo said four of six misdemeanor charges against King have been dropped. King has felony convictions in Pennsylvania, Sheraldo said.
New store at Biltmore Square Mall
The clothing store Steve & Barry’s is opening up at the Biltmore Square Mall on Saturday. Mall officials hope it will breath new life into the dying mall. Good luck with that.
New general manager at WNCW
His name is Dana Whitehair. That’s all WLOSers said about him.
Fund-raiser at Asheville Pizza and Brewing
There’s a big bash at Asheville Pizza tonight to raise money for French Broad Rafting, a Madison County company that lost everything in a fire last year. The local band Joltwagon is playing.
Crappy weather
We set a new record for rainfall total on this date – it has rained 1.04 inches and it hasn’t stopped yet, said weather-guesser Mike “Cuervo” Cuevas.
So, the Fletcher Police seem to have learned much from their leader, huh?
Jer, i did notice the reference to the officer’s action as an "inadvertent mistake." Talk about taking sides! they also didn’t mention the officers name, Matt Rice, until the very end of the story.
Three observations on the 6pm newscast:
1. The school-smell report was so incredibly overblown. Whether that was WLOS’ fault or the fault of the parents who raised hell because weren’t called when the school smelled funny is debatable. Regardless, overblown.
2. Anyone notice how when an anchor does a toss-off to Larry he says "Yeah…" (or, as he pronouces it, "Yah") before proceeding with the rest of the story?
3. I love how they referred to the officer not updating his breathalizer certification as an "inadvertent mistake." As opposed to a deliberate mistake, of course.
Saw a sight in Downtown AshVegas around 1:30 today when a Buncombe County patrol car siren and lights on escorted a school bus followed by an ambulance with lights and siren. Looked like they took the kiddes to Mission Hospitals via school bus. Wonder how many tikes got to open up and say "Ah"?