Textile plant lays off employees
Holly Headrick reported this story and didn’t have any live quotes – she just told us what company spokespeople said, what some employees said. The Woodland Mills plant is laying off 45 of its 105 employees she said, and weekend shifts have been cut. The yarn-maker will have three eight-hour shifts on weekdays. It’s trying to launch a new product, but some employees think the plant is doomed for closure.
In assorted crime news…
A dude who went to the Asheville Mall awhile back thinking he was going to meet a 14-year-old girl was found guilty of soliciting a child by computer. There have been convictions like this in Buncombe County, but this was the first time a case went to trial, a prosecutor said. The dude got probation and has to register as a sex offender… Investigators in Spruce Pine are looking at two fires that happened in the weeks leading up to the big recent downtown fire to see if they’re all connected. A man has been arrested and charged with arson in the downtown fire… WLOSers showed us video of two men trying to break into a shed in Haw Creek. When a neighbor approached them, the suspects shot the guy and injured him… In other crime video, WLOSers showed a convenience store robber wanted for hitting the Hot Spot on Asheville Highway and another store in Fletcher… Transyvlania County courthouse security got reviewed by some folks from the state.
In still other news…
The state’s annual Booze It and Lose It campaign was launched at the Biltmore Estate. For the next two weeks, the cops will be setting up checkpoints and looking for people who have been drinking and driving… The Civil Air Patrol is doing training at the Asheville Regional Airport. The event is called “Mountain Fury” or something weird like that… And Tammy passed Larry a tiny football to kickoff their “Football Frenzy” coverage of high school football. Stan was out at North Buncombe High School to talk about it.
In still other non-news news…
WLOSers talked to a toy-maker in Burke County who said all the recalls of toys made in China should be good for toys made in America… John Le talked to students moving into a local college. It was “move-in” day for area colleges as the dorms filled up… And Bob Caldwell tried out the fancy fishing pole he received as a retirement gift from WLOSers.