Video poker roundup
Carolyn “Little Red” Ryan told us that N.C. Alcohol Law Enforcement officers, working with the Buncombe County distirct attorney’s office, wrapped up an 18-month-long investigation into illegal gambling operations on Wednesday.
Some 21 business, and two homes, were busted up for handing out cash payouts to people playing video poker. The pool hall on U.S. 70 in Swannanoa was one of the businesses Carolyn mentioned. Big cash payouts are apparently illegal, but Carolyn didn’t really explain it. Cops seized 50 machines and $2 million in cash. Yeah, that’s what the cop told Carolyn – $2 million, cash.
ALE agents posed as players, the cops said. The investigation started after people called them saying their family members were addicted to the machines, spending entire paychecks on the games.
Carolyn said no arrests have been made.
Breaking news: Maggie Valley cancels Christmas parade
After 25 years of holiday parades, Maggie Valley has thrown in the towel this year because not enough people signed up.
Indictment sought in child deaths
Rutherford County police say they’ll ask a grand jury to look at the evidence and indict the mother of three little girls who died last week on charges of involuntary manslaughter. The girls were found in hot car and had been there for about five hours, police said.
Breaking news: Hot Springs has cellphone service
Holly Headache went out to Madison County to tell us that Hot Springs now has cell phone service. There’s a new U.S. Cellular tower on Pisgah National Forest land.
Holly said people said it’s great because they feel safer having a cell phone handy. Emergency workers say it will help them communicate more quickly. But at least one person said they’re worried that more towers will come, which will ruin the mountain views.
Nasty weather
There was a high wind warning yesterday and a flood watch because it rained a lot. Today should be clearer and colder, the weather-guessers said. Btw, Larry Blunt tossed it to the “Accu-Center Weather” when he meant to toss it to the Accu-Weather Center. It’s ok, Larry.
Official visit
WLOSers had a brief at 11 saying that U.S. Attorney General Alberto Gonzalez and Homeland Security chief Michel Chertoff will be in Ashvegas for a conference Thursday, meeting with their Canadian counterparts.
Breaking news: Lost luggage is a pain in the ass
That was the story that Russ “Beefcake” Bowen brought us. More bags are being checked because of new rules about what can’t be carried onto planes, so more bags are being lost. Everybody Russ talked to at the Ashvegas airport said yeah, lost luggage sucks.
MediaCom vs. Sinclair
Sheraldo did a story about Henderson County commissioners passing a resolution asking MediaCom, the local cable company, to keep Sinclair station WLOS on the air. The commissioners have no pull, but Sheraldo quoted the commissioners saying they can’t live without their WLOS. WLOS will go off of MediaCom on Dec. 1 if the two sides can’t reach a financial agreement.
Black boxes on cars
Larry had a sweeps report about cars being out-fitted with “little black boxes,” gizmos called event data recorders that collect information just before, during and after a crash. They’re installed in millions of cars, but people don’t know about them. Even a car salesman that Larry talked to didn’t know about ’em, despite the fact that Larry said salesman are supposed to tell buyers if a car has a black box.
Larry talked to an attorney who said he used black box info to defend a trucking company that was being sued following a car wreck. Larry said some people see the black boxes as an invasion of privacy, and said 10 states have passed laws restricting any information from being downloaded without the vehicle owner’s consent. And a new federal law just passed that will require a note in an owner’s manual informing the owner there’s a black box in the car.
Seven wonders of WNC
John “Punnyman” Le picked up on USA Today and Good Morning America’s series declaring the new Seven Wonders of the World (only he only mentioned GMA). He took the GMA bus and started revealing the seven local wonders.
First was Ashvegas City Hall. Yes, it’s a pretty building. But a wonder?
Second was the Blue Ridge Parkway. Now that’s legit. The other wonders will be revealed on other WLOS shows in coming days.
In other news
A man was arrested and charged with felony hit-and-run in the Oct. 21 death of a teen on Merrimon Avenue… A local woman, Mary Allen Woods, who has ridden a horse in the Ashvegas Christmas Parade for the past 32 years is a Navy reservist deployed to Kuwait, so she’ll miss the Saturday event. But her horse will walk the route nonetheless. It will be decked out in yellow ribbons… Continental Teves is getting $4 million in new equipment and will add 10 jobs and wants some taxpayer money to help pay the tab… There was an alternative energy summit at Western Carolina University in Cullowhee Wednesday. Lt. Gov. Beverly Perdue was there… There’s a flu shot clinic Thursday at the Biltmore Square Mall. Pat “Simple” Simon says U.S. Airways made an offer to buy Delta, and a merger might not be a bad thing. Those are the two biggest carriers at the Ashvegas airport. A bigger airline would mean more destinations and bigger hubs and more amenities. One flyer said yeah, but the service would still suck… George Clooney is People Magazine’s sexiest man alive for the second year in a row.
In still other news…
There was a school bus wreck on Hendersonville Road. An activity bus carrying 40 Valley Springs Middle kids rear-ended a car. Nobody hurt… A 23-year-old convenience store clerk admitted to stealing a lottery scratch-off ticket worth $21,000. She got 60 days house arrest, three years probation and has to pay the money back… And there was an emergency drill Wednesday so emergency workers and school officials could get together and practice their response.