Asheville Citizen-Times from Asheville, North Carolina • Page 1

3 jt CHAMPS Page Dl ASHEVILLE ylratf morning jog-otherwise, partly sunny High 64, Low 47 WEATHER, D6 CITIZEN-TIM Tuesday January 8, 2008 i- VOICE OF THE MOUNTAINS a. i IN TODAY'S PAPER 3l 1 vvti Vll SoDinecflion hit yg TRYING AGAIN: Former Buncombe County Sheriff Bobby Medford gets a new attorney, and lawyers in Medford's gambling case hope to persuade a judge to let the former lawman go free until trial. Page A2 inter ca Edwards camp holds on to hope By Jordan Schrader and Doug Abrahms GANNETT NEWS SERVICE Barack Obama may be surging in the polls, and Hillary Clinton may be keeping up with him in the money race, but John 24-year-old's body found in N. Georgia By Mike McWilliams Andre Rodriguez Searchers found the body of a missing Georgia hiker Monday, hours after investigators huddled to go over clues that could link the case with another' in Western North Carolina. Gary Michael Hilton, who is charged in.

the Georgia case, led authorities to the body of 24 -year-old Meredith Emerson, John MORE MONEY: Buncombe County Sheriff Van Duncan wants county commissioners to increase his department's budget by $922,000 to better handle a big rise in calls for service. PageA2 TECHNICAL PROBLEMS: A computer issue forced the state to stop issuing driver licenses Monday. Page A2 PHONE COMPANY SALE: Brevard's Citizens Telephone Co. will be sold to a South Carolina firm, in part because the brothers who have owned the firm for decades feared taxes that might be imposed if one of them died. Page Bl VIEW FROM THE TOP: Dan Gilbert, owner of Dan Gilbert Insurance Inc.

of Fletcher, sees room for growth in the coming year. Page Bl THREAT FROM IRAN: As President Bush prepares to go to the Mideast today, a new Iran threat emerges as an Iranian fleet charges at and threatens to blow up a U.S. Navy convoy passing near Iranian waters. Page B3 AWARDS SHOW CANCELED: The traditional Golden Globe Awards ceremony has been canceled and will be replaced with a news conference format. The move came after striking writers threatened to picket the event.

Page B6 CRIME DECREASES: Crime dipped slightly for the first half of 2007, the FBI reported Monday, signaling a stop to a two-year increase in violence nationwide. Page B6 i' towards supporters in Western North Carolina are warning not to count him out. "John's still in it," Asheville engineer and V'- Jit 1 5 John Edwards blogger Tom Cagle, special agent in charge with the Georgia Bureau of Investigation's Field Division, said Monday night. Emerson disappeared on New Year's Day. North Georgia residents had report Sullivan said.

"I've got friends on the ground in New Hampshire who are working in his campaign. They are very upbeat. They say they're getting a very positive reception." It may not be enough. Edwards' second-place Meredith Emerson ed seeing Hilton's van in the Dawson Forest where the Management Area, BEN GRAYTHE ASSOCIATED PRESS Gary Michael Hilton, left, listens to his public defender, Neil Smith, right, Monday after a first appearance in Union County Magistrate Court In Blairsville, Ga. Hilton is charged in the dlsappeJ'ance of hiker Meredith Emerson.

SiXTH-GRADERS TAKE A STAND: An in-class project at Erwin Middle School resulted in a stack of letters to the editor about the environment Read the story and find photos on Page C3. WEB EXTRA View a video report on Hilton at showing in Iowa won't help his lagging fundraising, experts say. The former North Carolina senator is running more aggressively in New Hampshire than four years ago but is being outspent by Clinton and Obama, said Dante Scala, a political science professor at the Please see EDWARDS on A5 ROUND 2 Sen. Barack Obama is the Democratic front-runner in New Hampshire. Page B6 WEB EXTRA Visit for a database of 2008 presidential candidate campaign contributions from WNC.

body was found, and a search of the area had been planned in the area, miles from where Emerson was last seen, before Hilton told authorities where to look, Cagle said. Also on Monday, a judge denied bond for Hilton, 61, who authorities said was the last person seen with Emerson. Hilton is charged with kidnapping with intent of bodily injury, but District Attorney Stan Gunter said it is likely he could face additional charges. Three bloody fleece tops and a blood-stained piece of a car's seat belt were found in a trash bin beside a convenience store where Hilton had used a pay phone, according to a police warrant. Investigators handling the killing of a Henderson County woman and the disappearance of her husband in Pisgah National photo of man wearing a yellow jacket using a bank card belonging to Jack and Irene Bryant to withdraw $300.

The Bryants disappeared on a hike Oct. 21. Authorities found Irene Bryant's body Nov. 9 and later determined she had been killed by a blow to the head. Hilton also had been seen in a yellow jacket at the time of Emerson's disappearance.

Mahoney said Monday that jacket had black reinforcing on the sleeves. The jacket in the surveillance photo did not, he said. Please see HIKERS on A5 NOT GOING TO TOUCH IT: Dr. Phil cancels his plans to examine Britney Spears' latest meltdown, saying the pop star's situation is "too intense." Page C4 Forest found some similarities in the cases after meeting with Georgia authorities, Transylvania County Sheriff David Mahoney said. They also ruled out any yellow jacket link, something that had emerged as a first similarity in the cases.

A surveillance camera at a Ducktown, bank captured a Mission kicks off Lighten Up Author: Asheville is a city of 'bliss' WOULDNT IT BE NICE: The UNC Asheville men's basketball team is ready for its meeting with the Tar Heels Wednesday. Page Dl NeWS Poll at TODAY'S POLL: Are you happy in Asheville? Go to and vote. We asked our readers if they prefer cats or dogs. As of 8 p.m. Monday, they said: By Nancl Bompey ASHEVILLE Instead of doughnuts, Danishes and coffee, there was fruit salad, green tea and a frit-tata made with EggBeaters at the official kickoff of Mission Hospitals' five-month weight-loss challenge Monday.

Along with a healthy breakfast, the hospital also provided tips on starting a diet and exercise routine, and gave personalized health assessments to each of the first 15 teams to sign up for the competition. "It's not an easy road," Laura Tolle, a dietitian at Mission told the "It's going to be tough, but you're going to be successful at it." The number of people in the Lighten Up 4 Life challenge keeps rising, with more than 1,200 now Please see LIGHTEN on A5 Cats' 30.4 Dogs 69.6 Total votes 474 By Paul Clark ASHEVILLE Asheville can add one more to its glowing list of superlatives it's one of the happiest places in the world, according to a new book. In "The Geography of Bliss: One Grump's Search for the Happiest Places in the World," author Eric Weiner writes, "Asheville has earned a singular reputation as the kind of city that Americans move 'to seek their bliss. "With a population of some 70,000 Asheville-ites enjoy many of the benefits of urban life (ethnic restaurants, a thriving arts scene) and relatively few of its drawbacks (traffic jams and high crime rates)." A self-described malcontent, Weiner took his "Asheville-ites enjoy many of the benefits of urban life and relatively few of its drawbacks." ERIC WEINER, author quest to nine countries. Weiner, 44, traveled the world for National Public Radio for 10 years and is based in Washington.

Resident Francois Manavit, an ebullient baker of breads who moved to Asheville from Paris and Los Angeles 15 years ago, agrees with Weiner's conclusion. "I think Asheville is the happiest place because we have a high concentration of creative people," he said. "Being creative and knowing you are not alone in the world, that is enough for hope." ERIN BRETHAUER Laura Tolle, a dietitian with Mission Hospital, addresses teams involved In the Lighten Up 4 Life program at the kickoff Monday. Index TO fM BUSINESS Bl-2 MOVE C2 cussmro cu-6 nauonworu) eq CROSSWORD 02 OBITUARIES MS UV1NG Cl-6 OPINION B4-5 LOTTERIES A3 SPORTS Pl-6 MOUNTAINS A2 TOUR NEWS C3 WEB EXTRA Visit getactive for healthy tips and join others in lightening up this year. The site includes blogs from people taking part in the Lighten Up 4 Life challenge, tips and articles to help you with a healthier lifestyle.

HEALTH KICK Learn to "Know your numbers" in today's Health and Fitness section, Page CI. Read about the Colbond's Lighten Up 4 Life team, Page A2. 2008 I A GANNETT NEWSPAPER VOL 139 NO. 8 30 pages CIRCULATION QUESTIONS? CALL (800) 672-2472 GOT A NEWS TIP? CALL (828) 232-5883 Airport Road East of 1-26 i r-T; 1 I I OOOX COH OOH-I OLO) OO 1-00 I I aMMaa-a4 Wi Hum II ti I.