What’s in the news: Banks are scared of a fugitive, murder trial continues and nobody went to the fair Friday

Question: Why did WLOSers stop going to Ananda to get their hair did and switch to Carmen!Carmen! at Belk? Isn’t that a step down?

Anyway, on to the news:

Beavers trial continues
John Beavers, on trial for shooting Dr. Brian Ling to death last march, remained on the stand Friday an described the moments leading up to the shooting. Charu Khumaria has been covering the trial for us.

Beavers told the jury he was angry with Ling over the death of his son. Beavers said Ling told him “it was just his time to go,” and Beavers said with a bit of a snarl that that’s “when I pulled out the gun.” Beavers said he only remembers pulling the trigger twice.

Other testimony showed that Beavers had refused recommended treatments for his son, and that both he and his son were “difficult” with doctors and staff. A defense expert said Beavers had some sort of personality disorder. Court resumes Monday

Fugitive manhunt
The crafty, elusive, sometimes friendly fugitive Anthony Ray Artrip, who escaped from a Kentucky jaiil three months ago, remains on the loose. Earlier this week, he crashed his truck into an embankment at Ledgewood Apartments in Oakley and took off running. He’s been on the run since.

Somebody at Blue Ridge Savings Bank on Smoky Park Highway said they thought they saw him casing the joint, so they closed the front doors and ordered everyone through the drive-thru. Pat Simon showed us revealing internal bank memos that explained exactly how they were dealing with the threat of a bank robber on the loose: if you see him, lock your doors; get his description; and don’t put yourself in danger.

It rained!
WLOSers were conflicted during their report – they wanted to complain about all the rain we got, yet they knew they couldn’t because we need the rain so bad. So over an over, they kept telling us how the rain caused slick roads and some wrecks (including a bus with no kids on it), but we sure did need it.

Mike Cuevas said we set a record at the Asheville airport, which recorded right at about 3 inches of rain for the day.

Out at the Mountain State Fair, intrepid Russ Bowen said things were looking up weather-wise, but there was obviously hardly anyone there. In tossing the story to Russ, Larry Blunt gave us a “yee-haw” and then was itching to do a rendition of “Singing in the Rain.” Cuevas said he had a pole and an umbrella for Larry. Oy. Save us.

In other news…
The Salvation Army in Hendersonville is shutting down its stores and reorganizing. They’ll reopen in just one store in downtown Hendersonville. A spokesman said people were dropping off a lot of trash at their stores, and it was costing them $1,600 a month to dispose of the junk… New shops around the old Dayco site that is being remade into a Super Wal-Mart and Home Depot have to be redesigned, according to the town of Waynesville, which rejected their first design… And the documentary “Moonshine Over Cataloochee” will be shown tonight in Maggie Valley.