Local News

RALEIGH, N.C. (AP) — Elections officials are deciding which voting machines are cleared to use in North Carolina, and whether they must count ballots that can be checked by human eyes.

(ASHEVILLE, N.C. - Aug. 22, 2019) - Asheville Police Department (APD) has charged Robert Charles Austin, 66, of Asheville with first degree murder after a man who was lit on fire passed away this morning. APD discovered 58 year-old Larry Donnell Alston suffering from severe burns when responding to a call just before 2 a.m. Sunday at 1360 Tunnel Road. The initial investigation indicated someone had poured an accelerant on the man and ignited the substance. Alston was transported to Wake Forest Baptist Health Burn Center in Winston-Salem on Sunday where he passed away due to his injuries at approximately 4 a.m. this morning.

APD arrested Austin on Wednesday as a result of the incident.

APD is asking for assistance from the public in identifying two potential witnesses in the case. The drivers of the white GMC Sierra pickup truck (driver photo attached) and silver Jeep Liberty SUV depicted in the surveillance photos may have information that would be beneficial to the investigation due to their presence in the area not long before the incident took place. Neither driver is considered a suspect in the case.

Anyone who has information concerning the incident in question or potential witnesses is asked to call APD at 828-252-1110 or Asheville-Buncombe Crimestoppers at 828-255-5050. Callers may remain anonymous with both numbers.

Original Ariticle Homeless Man Set On Fire, APD Search for possible witnesses

ASHEVILLE, N.C. (AP) — A telemarketer has been sentenced to more than five years in prison for his role in a $10 million telemarketing scheme.

CHARLOTTE, N.C. (AP) — Big institutions including universities and retail chains can now start moving into getting more of their power from the sun.

(ASHEVILLE, N.C. - Aug. 21, 2019) - Asheville Police Department (APD) arrested Robert Charles Austin, 66, of Asheville just before 2 a.m. Wednesday at 17 Tunnel Road. Austin had been charged with attempted first degree murder in the investigation of a fire that took place early Sunday morning at 1329 Tunnel Road, which resulted in a 58 year-old man suffering from severe burns. Officers were responding to an alarm at Papa’s and Beer when they discovered Austin outside the back of the business and took him into custody without incident.  

Raleigh -- (AP) North Carolina Governor Roy Cooper Office Press Release : Aug 21, 2019

RALEIGH, N.C. (AP) — A one-month difference over when to ban smokable hemp in North Carolina risks scuttling final passage this year of broader legislation designed to regulate the rapidly expanding hemp industry.

Press release from Haywood County Sheriff’s Office:

An inmate at the Haywood County Detention Center, Zachary Nathaniel Lambright, 20 years old, was pronounced deceased at Haywood Regional Medical Center on Monday, August 19, 2019, at 3:02 p.m. following an apparent suicide in his assigned cell in the Haywood County Detention Center.

Cullowhee Valley has been home to many over the centuries, most notably the Cherokee people, with transformative generations etched upon the landscape before the establishment of Western Carolina University.