Asheville Citizen-Times from Asheville, North Carolina • Page 13

Mountains tfiJSS WEDNESDAY June 24, 2009 ASHEVILLE CITIZEN-TIMES Mountains Editor Thomas Fraser, 236-8971 or BRIEFS ex-ed revamp clears Senate Bill keeps focus on abstinence but incorporates safe sex options By Jordan Schroder THEV0TE RALEIGH The state Senate vot was Sen. Stan Bingham, R-Davidson. How Western North Carolina sera-tors voted: YIm: Steve Goss, D-Watauga; Martin Nesbitt, D-Buncombe; Joe Sam Queen, D-Haywood. No: Tom Apodaca, R-Henderson; Debbie Clary, R-Cleveland; John Snow, D-Cherokee. State senators endorsed the bill on a 25-21 vote.

Sen. John Snow, of Murphy, was one of three Democrats to vote with Republicans in opposition. The others were Sens. David Hoyle, D-Gaston, and A.B. Swindell, D-Nash.

The bill's lone Republican supporter proved on a 25-21 mostly party-line vote, it will go to Gov. Bev Perdue for her signature. It's different from what passed the House this spring at the urging of Rep. Susan Fisher, an Asheville Democrat The House wanted parents of seventh-, eighth- and ninth-graders to choose between abstinence education and what suppor-'. ters call comprehensive education.

Senate Democrats discarded those labels and proposed merging the two philosophies into a single curriculum. Teens would learn more Students would hear more about birth control than they do Please tee BILL on B3 NHro, Belgian Mallools trained to detect explosives, gets a hug at a presentation by Buncombe County Sheriff's Department K-9 Untt tralnor Joff Diako at tho Salvation Army Boy ft Girls Club In Ashevllle. Accompanying Drako were two dogs. Visit for a photo gallery. ed Tuesday to overhaul what is taught about sex in North Carolina schools.

The measure senators ap- proved would keep the sex education curriculum's focus on abstinence until marriage, while offering other protection options to teens who might have sex despite what they're told. The vote means an end could be near for a debate that has brought some PG-13 topics to the legislative halls. Sea Malcolm Graham, a Char- local school systems across the state." If the House accepts the version of the bill authored by Graham and other Senate Democrats and ap lotte Democrat, told senators they ought "not to be ashamed of this conversation, because these conversations are happening every day within (teens') peer groups in Mi 1-40 wrong-way driver charged with DWI CANTON An Atlanta man accused of driving on the wrong side of Interstate 40 and causing numerous accidents has been charged with driving while impaired. John Durham, 59, was charged Monday with DWI, N.C. Highway Patrol trooper Mark Jones said.

Hospital records obtained through a court order showed Durham had "illegal drugs" in his jjw--' system at the time of the incident, Jones 1 "It COLBY Judges review the final dishes at the Asheville Top Chef cook off at Ashevllle-Buncombe Technical Community College on Tuesday afternoon. Six teams consisting of bloggert and chefs competed In the event Contest heats up 'Foodtopia' voy; Anthony Cerrato of Fiore's Ristorante Toscana; Tres Hun-dertmark of The Lobster Trap; and Michael Gentry of the Swan-nanoa School of Culinary Arts. The winning pair was Petri and Allison McConnell of Humble Gourmand, an online food magazine. The duo prepared fennel blueberry goat cheese salad and a main course of trout, red quinoa, chorizo risotto and yellow squash and basil slaw. The ACVB has dubbed Asheville a "Foodtopia" a place where local farmers, chefs and food artisans have come together to create a community of healthy, pleasurable eating.

By Kate Harrison KHARRIS0NOASHEVIU.GANNETT.COM ASHEVILLE It took less than an hour Tuesday for local chefs and culinary bloggers from across the nation to turn a boxful of meat, herbs and vegetables into six distinct, flavorful dishes. They were competing in a cook-off hosted by the Asheville Convention and Visitors Bureau at Ashevilie-Buncombe Technical Community College. The competition involved area chefs teamed up with popular culinary bloggers from across the nation. The event was put together by the ACVB as a part of its mission to increase Ashevilie's promi- WEB EXTRA Visit for a photo gallery of the cook-off. nence as a culinary 'destination.

"We have a great food story here," said Maria TambellinL assistant wice president of ACVB. "There is a distinctive epicurean experience here that we want to become more widely known." The pairs had 15 minutes to come up with a menu. The local chefs included Adam Hayes, chef at the Grand Bohemian Hotel; Michel Baudouin of Bouchon French Bistro; Annie Petri of Sa said. He declined to specify the alleged substances. The N.C.

Highway Patrol started getting calls about 5:30 p.m. June 15 reporting a vehicle was traveling east in the westbound lanes near Exit 27, Jones said. The vehicle, a 2004 Subaru, caused four collisions involving seven other ve-: hides over at least a 4-mile span. The incident ended in a head-on crash. Durham and two others were taken to Mission Hospital for non-life threatening injuries.

Durham remained hospitalized Tuesday in fair condition. He has also been charged with driving the wrong way on a dual-lane highway, reckless driving and hit and run. Court upholds death row case RICHMOND, Va. A federal appeals court has upheld a North Carolina death row inmate's conviction and sentence. Terry Alvin Hyatt was sentenced to death for the 1979 robberies, rapes and murders of two women in Buncombe County.

The case went unsolved until a man walked into the sheriff's office in 1998 and admitted helping Hyatt abduct one of the women. A three-judge panel of the 4th U.S. Cir-icuit Court of Appeals on Tuesday reject-, ed Hyatfs claims that he was improperly questioned before he had a lawyer and that he should have been allowed to fire his court-appointed attorneys. Arden ticket holder Is big winner A Powerball ticket worth $200,000 Was bought at a convenience store in Arden. The ticket was sold at the Kounty Line store at 2628 Hendersonville Road, said Pam Walker, spokeswoman for the N.C.

Education Lottery. A drawing Saturday determined the buyer won by matching the five white balls but not the Powerball, she said. The big prize from the drawing, worth $88 million, was won on a ticket purchased at a gas station in Kings Mountain. Walker said the purchaser of the ticket in Arden has not come forward. Winners have 180 days from the date of the drawing to claim their prize.

Burnsvllle man steals from doctor Deputies say a Bumsville man stole a physician's wallet from his office and used stolen credit cards to buy items at area stores. David Wayne Anderson, 30, of Red Maple Lane, was charged with felony breaking and entering, larceny and financial transaction card theft, according to the Yancey County Sheriff Office. Lt Thomas Farmer said Anderson entered a private office at a medical practice and took the wallet while his infant child was being treated in another room. Am staff newts Family pleads I for news: in death Waynesville man found unconscious nearWater'N Hole ByJonOstendorff WAYNESVILLE The family of a 41-year-old Waynesville man who died after being found unconscious outside a bar wants witnesses to talk to the police. "If anybody knows anything, we want them to tell," Louise Bennett, the mother of James Anthony "Tony" Scar-boro, said Tuesday.

Bar patrons found Scarbo-ro bleeding from the back of his head and mouth at about 10:20 p.m. Saturday outside Waynesville's Water'N Hole on North Main Street. Two people at the bar (Sailed The first caller reported finding someone bleeding and "laying out in the parking lot." The caller said Scarboro -appeared to be breathing but -was not talking or conscious. A second caller, who said she was an employee, also said Scarboro was still breathing. "We have no idea what happened to him whatsoever," the caller said.

"He may have fell over or Scarboro was taken to Hay wood Regional Medical Cen-; ter and then to Mission Host pital in Asheville, where he died Monday. Detective Ryan Singleton said Tuesday that police are interviewing wit nesses and investigating how Scarboro died. He was a quality control manager on the second shift at Haywood Vocational Opportunities in Hazelwood, his family said. 'Just a loving person' Scarboro's mother said the family can't understand why anyone would want to hurt him. "He was so kind to everyone," she said.

"So sweet Just a loving person," Scarboro was married in March and has a 14-year-old daughter. He was born in Haywood County and grew up in Lafayette, La. He moved back home after serving a tour of duty in the Air Force. The funeral is noon on Thursday at Aliens Creek Baptist Church, Visitation starts at 10:30 a.m. Investigators are asking anyone with information about what happened to call Waynesville Police at 456-5 5363.

City Council passes $139M budget month and a bump in the cost to establish or transfer water service from $25 to $55. The monthly recycling rate will increase from $1.32 to $2.95. Tennis players also will pay more for games at Aston Park as the singles fee goes from $35 to $40. On the cost-cutting side, the city made its big-, gest reduction in the area of staff, cutting $2.9 million. That included $1.8 million in freezes to salaries and the elimination of merit and market-based pay raises.

Twenty positions will be cut, a savings of $1 million, and overtime pay will be decreased by while, are up in areas such as staff health care, which will cost $870,000 more. That left a more than $5 million gap in the main portion of the budget and sent the city searching for places to cut costs and raise money. At the start of the year, the council swore off a rate increase for property taxes, the city's biggest source of revenue and the easiest way to raise dollars. Instead the elected officials turned to fee increases that will exceed $700,000. They include a rise in residential water rates from $345 per 748 gallons of water to $3.59 per By Jo4 Burgess ASHEVILLE Taxes on homes' and land will stay the same, the cost of water will go up along with other fees and the staff that provides city services will face some cutbacks.

Those were key parts of the $138.8 million budget passed Tuesday by the City Council on a 6-1 vote. Spending for the city will creep up by about 0.2 percent from last year. Mayor Terry -Bellamy said while she didn't support all aspects of the spending plan, she felt it maintained "basic city services, which is the core ofwhoweare.f "I know this wasn't an easy budget, but looking at where we are going, I think we will land on a good foundation," Bellamy said. Councilman Carl Mumpower, who voted against the budget, said it had "extravagances" that were "less than responsible under current economic realities." State law requires the city to have a balanced budget by the start of fiscal year on July Revenue from sales taxes, the second biggest source of dollars for the city, is expected to be down 0.7 million, or 9.7 percent Expenses, mean re in some areas offpictu WLOS digital switch cuts I Mark Morris, of Edney- Many -viewers who once By Tony Hs the station's repeated announcement that it has "delayed the construction and operation of its post transition DTV service," and that this may keep some viewers from receiving the station. The station is installing a Please sm WLOS on B3 Channel 13.

You can't even listen to it" Morris said he still receives stations from Greenville, Spartanburg and sometimes Charlotte. The signal strength did not change after the June 12 suspension of analog service, according to WLOS, despite received weak or fuzzy analog signals are now unable to receive any picture. Unlike analog, poor digital reception will not produce a snowy image: Either the TV gets enough information for a clear picture or it produces ASHEVILLE, Almost two weeks after America's TV stations were required to suspend analog broadcasts in favor of all-digital signals, some viewers still are haying trouble receiving stations ville, said he no longer gets any image or sound from Ashevilie's WLOS, the ABC affiliate on Channel 13. "Before (the digital switch), it was snowy, but I could still listen to the news," Morris said. "Now, the TV won't even try to pick up over the air.

no picture at all. file nVi.