Jason Sandford
Jason Sandford is a reporter, writer, blogger and photographer interested in all things Asheville.
Will they or won’t they?
WLOSer Russ “Beefcake” Bowen did a follow-up on the potential debate between U.S. Rep. Charles Taylor and challenger Heath Shuler. The news earlier in the week was that both had agreed to debate. But discussions have broken down over nit-picking demands from each camp.
Russ talked to both Taylor and Shuler on Friday. Taylor said he’ll debate, but not on a Wednesday when a lot of people go to church. Shuler, already sounding like an arrogant incumbent, said Taylor’s welcome to show up and debate at any of a number of candidate forums already on the schedule. Taylor petulantly said he may not make every candidate forum, but he’s going to hold his own town meetings that will be open to the public.
Russ said WLOS and the Asheville Citizen-Times are continuing to work with the candidates to set up a televised debate.
New lottery game
The N.C. Education lottery unveiled a new game on Friday, the Carolina Pick Three, and WLOSers went out to see if anybody was playing the game. Nobody really was, and sales people said that’s because there’s no advertising. So far, people have spent $467 million on lottery tickets in North Carolina, with $163 million of that going for school construction, scholarships and other education stuff. Buy your ticket today!
No pumpkin shortage
Julie Blunder, sounding a lot like Jon “Punnyman” Le, did a lame story about how there’s no shortage of pumpkins in the mountains. There’s no reason “to get spooked yet,” Blunder said, noting a “healthy Halloween harvest.” All that is keeping the “pumpkin panic” out of the area. On and on she went with the lame Halloween puns and alliteration.
Redneck girl gets caught with guns
We didn’t think that was actually against the law, but turns out it is – if you bring those guns to school.
Here’s the story – a 17-year-old named Erika drove to school this week and brought along a ninth-grader. Well, the ninth-grader got busted for carring some Mary Jane, so school cops said they wanted to search everything, including the car the freshman rode in. That would be Erika’s car, and when they searched it, they found a couple of rifles that she said her boyfriend left there from a hunting trip. Guns at school is an automatic felony, so school officials said they had no choice but to charge poor Erika, and kick her out of school for a year.
But there’s more. The top school official said Erika is “semi-homeless,” works a job, and still was coming to school every day and doing all right. O, and she’s preggers. Yup. Five-months pregnant.
School officials said Erika meant no harm, and they’re going to try to help her out any way they can.
In other news…
There a zillion fall festivals and stuff happening on Saturday, including Pagan Pride Day and the Doggie Carnival… There was a wreck on Hwy. 70 in Swannanoa after somebody failed to yield… Downtown Hendersonville, from 7th Ave. to Allen Street, will have free wireless Internet service by next spring… Friday’s temps were 4 degrees below normal at 66, while the temp on Thursday was 10 degrees above normal… There’s a greenway project in Black Mountain, with a path that now connects Black Mountain Primary and Black Mountain Elementary schools… Daniel Brigman is the new superintendent of schools in Macon County… Rumors of violence kept some students away from East Rutherford High on Friday.
Slappey settles down
Sam Slappey, the nutbag who left a couple of profanity-laced messages on the answering machine of the local Democratic Party apologized for the tirade. Unclear if charges in the case will actually be filed.
The leaves are turning, but are they turning a profit?
That was the dramatic question from Holly Headache, who used that tease her story about the fall leaf season/tourist season.
The colors are coming in, and area hotels are starting to fill up. The fall colors draw tourists, which pump $100 million into our economy, Holly said. Falling gas prices are helping things, too, she said.
In still other news…
Carolyn “Little Red” Ryan partied with some Marines who are back in Ashvegas from Iraq… A dude was arrested for selling crack on Klondyke Avenue… Ashvegas may start requiring physicals for children who play in city leagues following the sudden death of a 15-year-old who died on a ballfield earlier in the week. He was playing baseball in the city’s Wooden Bat League and just collapsed and died at Oakley Park… A sinkhole developed on Emma Road near the intersection with Hazel Mill because of a bad drainage pipe… There was a giant fire at a hazardous waste disposal facility in Apex, near Raleigh… And Sheraldo says officials in Henderson County will not add three new early voting locations in the county for this year’s election.
My apologies, grrls and boys. Just my opinion. No offense intended.
But, who the heck is the social security lady and why is washing out mouths with soap?
EM – yes, 100 might be the number of people from one church who attend on Wednesday night. Might be more, might be less, depending on the church. Now, add that up across the whole 11th district, and you’ve got quite a large chunk of voters. Regardless of your political persuasion, it’s not "lame-o" for a politician to refuse to intentionally thumb your nose (or whatever show of disgust you prefer) at so many potential votes.
And whether you agree with the particular denominations that still hold Wednesday night services (and it’s not just Southern Baptists), remember that not all of the members of those churches are Taylor supporters. You can be a Democrat and still hold a religious faith — actually, one that’s much closer to the example Jesus set than is the one into which you seem to want to lump all churchgoers.
EM — I’ll pray for you and your other mis-guided Shuler supporters Wednesday night. What a thing to say in public. Maybe the social security lady should be washing your mouth out!
I prefer to call myself an Episcopagan.
My Mom grew up Baptist, and I never heard of her going to church on Wednesday. Maybe the Georgia Baptists are different.
Regardless, my point is still that many of his constituents just do not give a damn when or if this debate happens. Just do it, boys. Go for it! I’ll be watching.
EM, you god-less heathen, that’s no lame-o excuse. remember where you are – the Bible Belt, for goodness sakes. thousands of Baptists across WNC go to church on Wednesday.
People go to church on Wednesday? How many people? Like 100? That is a lame-o excuse if I ever heard one. News flash to Chuck: no matter when the debate is held, a significant number of your constituents are going to be doing something else. In fact, most of them won’t even know a debate is in process!
Poor Erika.
We actually had a gun club at my high school. There was a photo in the yearbook of all these guys standing next to the front of the school in cami carrying their shotguns. Funny how crazy that seems now.