So we didn’t catch at lot of Tuesday news, except that we saw that Billy Graham’s still at Mission Hospitals recovering from intestinal bleeding; there’s a statewide outdoor burning ban because it’s been so hot and dry; and the city is working on changing some zoning rules along the French Broad Rive, but we didn’t get details.
Here’s more of what was in Monday’s news:
Companies operating illegally in flood plain?
That was the question Pat Simon was asking, as he told us the story of how RiverLink is going after Edaco, a car crushing buisness that operates off Lyman Street near the French Broad River.
RiverLink just did a deal with Edaco where the nonprofit bought out Edaco’s old Amboy Road location. But Edaco moved over off Lyman, and now RiverLink says that it’s operating in a 100-year floodplain, and that’s against state law. RiverLink was the city to take action to move Edaco out of the floodplain.
RiverLink says they don’t want to put anybody out of business, they just don’t think a car crushing biz should be located on the river. Mickey Allen, owner of Edaco, says he’s done everything he knows to make his business safe and secure “and i dont know what else i can do. They want nothing on this river,” he said.
Asheville city attorney Curt Euler says the city can’t enforce the state law because it’s being challenged by Asheville Metal, a company located right next door to Edaco. Interesting.
New sidewalks
Yes, there are new sidewalks going in on Livingston Street, and they’ll connect w/ South French Broad Ave. sidewalks.
It’s already starting to look like fall
Some people are noticing that leaves on trees are already changing color and, in some cases, falling off the trees. What’s up with that? Terrie Foster investigated, and discovered that the Easter freeze, the drought and the hot weather have stressed out trees so much that the color is coming early in some cases.
What does this mean for the fall leaf season in Asheville and the mountains? Guess we’ll have to wait and see.
Speaking of the weather – Monday’s high was 91, far from the record of 97.
McDowell deputy pleads ‘no contest
WLOSers said former McDowell County deputy Brandon Watson pleaded no contest (at first they said he pleaded guilty) to misdemeanor charges of reckless driving and such that ended in the death of 2-year-old Kennedy Frye six months ago.
The family of the little girl, and the deputy, were both in court on Monday for the plea deal and for the sentencing, wich was basically probation and community service. The family said the resolution of the case was a first step toward closure. WLOSer Jeremy Butterfield said Watson apologized to the family and said he knew what he did was wrong – speeding down I-40 at more thann 100 mph without his blue light or siren on.
In other news…
A man is facing felony hit-and-run and death-by-vehicle charges in McDowell County for a weekend wreck in which he hit a man on the side of the road and dragged him… The cops are still looking for a robbery suspect wanted for hitting convenience stores in Canton, Fletcher and Rutherford County… The search is on for two juveniles who escaped from the Swannanoa Valley Youth Detention Center on Monday. Some neighbors said they saw the two scaling the fences of the detention center… A truck driving down Ridge Cove Road at Ghost Town in the Sky in Maggie Valley hit a van going up the twisting road and carrying four visitors. Nobody was hurt… The Rev. Billy Graham remained in fair condition at Mission Hospitals after a second bout of intestinal bleeding… And short-timer Susan Mundy did a story wondering if school buses should be air conditioned. She said about a third of local buses are, but it sure is hot in the summer, so they roll down the windows on the bus and let kids take water on the bus to keep them cool.