Jason Sandford
Jason Sandford is a reporter, writer, blogger and photographer interested in all things Asheville.
Soldiers laid to rest
In two funerals on Tuesday, families buried Kevin Akins and Joseph Ray, Army reservists and members of the 391st Engineering Battalion who were killed in a roadside bomb attack in Afghanistan.
WLOSers had both funerals covered. Akins was buried in Burnsville, while Ray’s funeral was held in West Asheville. There were lots of tears and people talking about how full of life the men were.
Gay rights
Cherub Charu had an interview with Helen Carroll, the former coach of the UNCA Lady Bulldogs who won the NAIA women’s championship in 1984. Carroll is now a gay rights activist, and she was in town speaking at a NOW event. Carroll told Charu that Ashvegas can “lead the way for the South” if City Council approves a local law giving gay couples working for the city the same benefits as married couples. City Council will take up that discussion in a couple of months, said Councilman Brownie Newman, who’s pushing the issue.
Illegal marriage
Mary Judlicka had an odd story out of Polk County. She brought us a couple who said they just recently found out that their marriage wasn’t legal. The couple said they didn’t get a marriage license or have a blood test – they just relied on their pastor to do everything. What he did was print a fake certificate off his computer.
The pastor created some big rift in the church and the fake marriage came to light. The upset couple got married for real last weekend. Mary said the pastor is “charged with a misdemeanor.” But for what, dammit? Tell us, Mary?
Green Power
There was a little event at the former Buncombe County landfill, where they’re capturing methane gas from the decomposing garbage and using it as part of the NC Green Power program. The Metropolitan Sewerage District already uses some of the captured methane for power. Now Progress Energy will use methane gas to offset some of its demand. The methane gas it can snag is enough to power to light about 650 homes. The extra cost to produce the energy is not passed along to customers. Progress Energy customers across the state can donate an additional $4 on their monthly electric bills, and that money is used to bring alternative energy sources online.
Those crazy Lippizaners
Jon “Punnyman” Le had a pretty boring report on the Lippizaner horses, although he did have some cool slow-mo video showing the unique jumps these horses perform. Everyone Le talked to said the horses were amazing, but aside from the little jumps, they just looked like pretty horses walking around the ring.
In other news
Buncombe County commissioners approved tighter restrictions on development on mountain sides… North Carolina lottery tickets will go on sale March 30 after a Wake County judge ruled that selling the tickets was not a tax… Claudia Nix of Liberty Bikes is working to update local bike path maps… The Asheville-Buncombe Drug Commission is fighting drugs with new posters… Lots of luggage is lost at airports, says Susan Mundy… The Haywood County TDA is still bickering over Wade Reece and thinks if meetings can be held in a new room where they can be videotaped, it will help the group get along…
The marriage license story reminds me of the letter Dear Abby received from the couple in Haywood County, who asked "If a husband and wife get divorced, does that mean they’re still cousins?"
– Bulldog
Oh, my God, one can only hope Stewart and Terri David missed the Lippizaner spot. They’ll go ballistic over the horses being training for human entertainment since they don’t have a Civic Center circus to rail about.
– Bulldog
That’s what I love about Kentucky, the application for a marriage license boils down to:
"So, are you two related?"
"No, ma’am."
"Excellent, sign here."
No blood test required. 🙂