More news than you can shake a stick at, whatever that means

Hepatitis A, again
Carolyn Ryan, inexplicably wearing a silk camisole under and open jacket, went out to Earth Fare on Hendersonville Road to give us the latest on the latest hepatitis A case in Ashvegas. Carolyn, were you goin’ out clubbin’ or something after the 11?

A worker at a coffee bar inside Earth Fare tested positive for hep A, which triggered the Buncombe County health department to give everyone at the store an immune globulin shot. The health department also alerted the public that anyone who had a coffee drink at Larry’s coffee bar Sept. 9, 14 or 21 might be at risk for hep A and should get a shot.

The health department is open Saturday from noon until four, but everybody’s going to be at Brewgrass gettin’ drunk. Ashvegas suggests that the health department set up on The Block at Brewgrass, so people can get a hit of their triple Belgian Trappist ale and a shot of globulin, all at once. New slogan for the fest: Bare Your Ass at Brewgrass.

Carolyn got the best quote of the day, which should make us all stop and think. In reaction to the latest hep A case, tne guy told Carolyn, “I’d say no matter where you go, somebody’s got something.”

As you’ll recall, it was just a couple of weeks ago that a Trevi worker tested positive for hep A. The restaurant owner closed the Biltmore Village restaurant, saying he didn’t have the time and money to stick with restaurant as it rebounded.

Cherokee water getting back to normal
Holly Headache told us that water on the Cherokee Indian Reservation is safe to use, but not to drink. The news came after it was discovered that gasoline had leaked into the reservation’s water system.

EPA workers tested the water and said there wasn’t much petroleum in the system. But to be safe, everyone should boil water for at least one minute before using it for drinking or cooking.

In other news…
Borg Warner announced that it will cut 850 jobs from its North American plants. That means that one of two Borg Warner plants in Fletcher will lose some jobs, but we don’t know how many. Borg Warner blamed cuts at the Big Three U.S. automakers for the downsizing… There’s some sort of “world wide” educational conference in Ashvegas this weekend, with educators talking about the “invitational education” theory. Cherub Charu never explained what the hell the theory was, so we don’t care… Hangar Hall, the school for girls, is looking for new digs. Howard Hanger started the school seven years ago with four girls. Now there are 44 enrolled, with more expected next year. Hanger said he needs a new, bigger location or he’ll have to stop growing the school…. Saturday is the first day of fall. … Wal-Mart has done away with its lay-away program…. The suspect wanted for shooting and killing his estranged wife at a Jackson County domestic violence shelter may have been spotted in the Midwest. Police aren’t talking… A power outage that his parts of Ashvegas was caused by a squirrel who got caught in insulation at a sub-station… And Henderson County veterans will be flying to Washington, D.C., this weekend to see the WWII Memorial. A local group called Honor Air raised money to fly the vets up for a day. The vets say they wouldn’t have been able to see the memorial without this special trip.