Jason Sandford
Jason Sandford is a reporter, writer, blogger and photographer interested in all things Asheville.
Celebrate the sisterhood
Diva Darcel and Tallahasee Tammy Watford high-fived over the fact that both were wearing red suits on the air today. You GO, girls!
Technical difficulties
WLOSers had some agonizing technical difficulties with video during the news at 5. They got stuck on the same video for like five minutes. Owie.
School rumors
Terrie Foster went out to Haywood County to tell us that rumors swirling around Tuscola High School kept a bunch of students from going to school on Tuesday.
There was a bloody fight at the school Monday, Foster said, and that sparked rumors that somebody was going to bring weapons to school Tuesday. Some students heard that the “Rolling 60s” gang was going to rough up some people, and Terrie had video of a bunch of white boys with cock-eyed caps and blue shirts doing a weird handshake, smoking cigs and listening to rap. Guess these were supposed to be gang members. And she talked to one guy on camera, Chris, who wouldn’t give Terrie his last name. Chris said the gang wasn’t planning any violence.
Terrie didn’t tell us how many kids stayed out of school. Terrie said there were extra police at school to make sure it was safe. And Terrie quoted the principal and sheriff as saying everything was OK.
Toddler drowns
WLOSers said a 17-month-old child accidently drowned in a pool in Rutherford County over the weekend. About 3 p.m. on Sunday, the toddler got into a backyard pool and drowned. Police said people outside thought the child was inside with grandma, while grandma thought the child was outside with others.
Freak accident kills 12-year-old
Cherub Charu went out to Fairview to tell us that a 12-year-old horse rider was died Saturday after the horse she was riding got spooked and kicked up a fence board which hit the 12-year-old in the head and killed her.
Tiffany Owenby was loved in the community, said friends Emma-Claire and Hannah. The girl was a student at Cane Creek Middle School, and her friends there plan a memorial.
In other news…
WLOSers said a Rottweiler bit a child in the hand and the child’s parent wants the dog put down… A Buncombe County jailer was convicted of accepting a bribe, WLOSers said. The jailer gave an inmate a cell phone for $1,000, a phone to be used as part of an escape plot that was later foiled… Sam Slappey, the phone caller who left threatening messages on the local Democratic Party’s answering machine, said he’s sick of the robo calls but is sorry for leaving the obsenity-laced message. WLOSers say their getting the most complaints from calls from Republican robo calls… Hendersonville is looking at a new condo project called Fountainview off of Signal Hill Road. The plan is for 280 one- and two-bedroom condo units on nearly 8 acres of land. Just down the road there’s already a plan for a new urban village of some 200 units… The new Sam’s Club in Hendersonville opens on Thursday. The store is 10,000 more square feet than Ashvegas’ Sam’s Club and employs 195 people… Archeologists from Appalachian State University started digging up an old Native American village on Biltmore Estate farmland. Julie Blunder quoted archeologists as saying the site is significant… And John Le told us that the 300 millionth American was born Tuesday.
300 million people. damn. tipping point approaching.