Damages Top One-Billion To NC Farms (Undated)
The impact of Hurricane Florence is running deep among North Carolina's farms. The Department of Agriculture is estimating losses to the state's crops and livestock is around one-point-one-billion-dollars. The number far outweighs the impact of Hurricane Matthew two years ago. The U.S. House of Representatives approved nearly one-point-seven-billion dollars in emergency relief funding related to Hurricane Florence yesterday.
Father Of Missing Gastonia Boy Speaks Out (Gastonia, NC)
The father of a missing boy in Gastonia says he ran out of sight when they were at a park last weekend. Ian Ritch spoke out yesterday for the first time since six-year-old Maddox vanished at Rankin Lake Park. Ritch added that he lets his son run ahead of him when they are outdoors, but he usually comes back. The child has autism and doesn't speak. Emergency crews haven't given up the search for Maddox.
Police Look For Suspect In Deadly Shooting (Asheville, NC)
Asheville Police are still looking for the suspect in a shooting that killed one woman and injured a man late Tuesday night. Both were found inside a car parked at a home near the Bartlett Arms Apartments in the South French Broad neighborhood. The Asheville City Council had passed a proclamation against gun violence just hours before.
Sports Complex Proposed In Swannanoa (Asheville, NC)
Plans are in the works for a large sports complex at the site of the former Beacon Manufacturing Company plant in Buncombe County. The proposal calls for a 26-million-dollar, 118-thousand square foot facility which will house a range of sports courts, a training space, climbing wall and more. The Tourism Development Authority said the facility could potentially bring in a large amount of tourism dollars to the Swannanoa area. The former plant was vacated when the business closed and was later burned to the ground.
Waynesville Mayor Keeps Job After Guilty Plea (Waynesville, NC)
A Waynesville man who pleaded guilty to forging a signature will keep his position as mayor. Gavin Brown told WLOS-TV that it was a stupid thing to do when he forged a legal assistant's name and used her notary stamp on a property deed two years ago. Waynesville's town attorney said the plea wouldn't disqualify Brown from being mayor. The forgery happened while he was practicing law, which he said he hasn't done in some time.
French Broad River Safe For Swimming (Asheville, NC)
The French Broad River is safe again for recreational use in Buncombe County. Latest samples from the site of a sewage spill came back with safe levels of bacteria. More than 400-thousand gallons of sewage flowed into a branch of the French Broad last Friday when officials believe a concrete slab fell and cracked a 100-year-old pipe.