Asheville Watchdog is bringing you the stories behind the staggering loss of life from Helene, the children, parents, grandparents, multiple generations of a single family, all gone in one of the worst natural disasters to hit the mountains of western North Carolina. This is the fourth installment.
Sarah Moore describes the sensation she felt that afternoon, shortly after Tropical Storm Helene passed through, of her skin crawling, an uneasy feeling that something was amiss.
She searched the basement of the Woodfin home they shared and then checked with her grandmother, who lived in a trailer behind the house. No sign of him.
She ventured onto the concrete foundation where her father planned to build a garage. It was the last place she’d seen him after he ventured out with a chainsaw to clear a fallen tree.
As she got closer, her mind struggled to process the sight before her. Another tree had fallen, trapping her father.
“All I could see were his legs and his feet,” said Sarah, 31.
Sarah sped to a nearby fire station. “I just screamed for somebody to help me, and within five minutes of me finding him, they were down there cutting the tree, trying to get it off,” she said. “I was just waiting to hear…and then they told me that he passed, that he was gone.
“I can’t get that picture out of my mind.”
Timothy Moore died Sept. 27 after a tree fell on him at his Woodfin home. // Credit: obituary
Timothy Moore, 60, had been a deliveryman for Pepsi for 30 years. He was a year from retirement, his daughter said, and planned to use the garage to house his prized motorcycle, his truck and a classic car he hoped to buy and restore.
“My daddy was a strong person, redneck as hell, but he was a good person,” Sarah said. “He loved to help people. He loved kids. He used to do the Toy Run on his motorcycle.”
Moore also loved the rock band AC/DC.
“He used to work out and put in an AC/DC or Kiss album. It was usually Back in Black or Highway to Hell…and he’d blare the music throughout the house,” Sarah said. “And when the CD was over, his workout was done.”
Timothy Moore’s father had left his family when he was a young boy, and he made sure to be there for his two daughters, Sarah said.
When she was a child he would surprise her with porcelain dolls and would buy food to feed stray cats in the neighborhood.
Timothy Lee Moore with daughters Sarah, left, and Julie. // Courtesy of Sarah Moore
“He didn’t like cats,” Sarah said. “He would make sure the cats would continue to come back to me just because he saw it made me happy.”
After Sarah, who was facing medical bills, moved in with her dad about a year ago he left money around the house so that she wouldn’t have to ask if she needed a little extra cash.
“He always made sure that we had what we needed and worked his ass off to try to get us the stuff that we wanted as well,” she said. “He was just always there for us.”
Lisa Plemmons
Lisa Plemmons was due at her job cooking for residents of River Bend Health and Rehabilitation the morning Helene roared through. She never made it.
Lisa Plemmons’ car was swept away by the rising Swannanoa River. // Courtesy of Plemmons’ family
Plemmons had been staying at a campground along the Swannanoa River after a relative sold the house she was living in last year.
“Her boyfriend called and said that he was on the roof at the bathhouse at the KOA [Campground], and his van, like a full conversion camper van, and her Honda Civic car got swept away in the river,” said her son, Jackson Presnell.
For days, Presnell called the American Red Cross and authorities who were tracking those missing from the storm.
“My cousin, Mitchell, was actually out there in Swannanoa, just sitting on the bridge with all the water raging,” looking for her car, Presnell said. “He sat there for a whole day or two.”
Plemmons’ body was found six days later more than a mile from the campground. The cause of death was drowning.
Her son believes she was asleep and did not notice the river rising.
Plemmons, 52, had been a cook at nursing homes for years, her family said.
“This was her calling,” said Presnell’s grandmother, Mary. “She loved the cooking, and the people there loved her because of her cooking.”
Plemmons took time off from work to care for sick relatives and loved preparing meals for her extended family.
“She cooked seven Thanksgiving dinners on Thanksgiving,” her son said.
“She had a very caring heart,” Mary Presnell said. “She was family-oriented. You don’t see that much anymore. She really cared about her family, everybody in it. She looked after them.”
Brian Carter
Brian Carter died at his home in Asheville Oct. 2 of complications from cancer.
“Inability to attend chemotherapy session” and Helene are listed as contributing conditions, according to his death certificate.
Carter, 78, originally from Guyana, was a self-employed janitor, the death certificate said. His widow, Cynthia, declined an interview.
“Let us continue to keep the Carter and connected families in our thoughts and prayers,” his obituary said.
Jessica Kirby
Jessica Kirby, 36, died of “landslide/flooding injuries,” according to her death certificate.
Her body was found Oct. 4 near the Swannanoa River in Asheville.
Kirby, a home health aide, lived in Black Mountain, the death certificate said. She had two children, who lived in Boone, according to an obituary.
Attempts to reach her family were unsuccessful.
Investigative reporter Victoria A. Ifatusin contributed to this report.
Asheville Watchdog is a nonprofit news team producing stories that matter to Asheville and Buncombe County. Sally Kestin is a Pulitzer Prize-winning investigative reporter. Email skestin@avlwatchdog.org. The Watchdog’s reporting is made possible by donations from the community. To show your support for this vital public service go to avlwatchdog.org/support-our-publication/.
www.thecentersquare.com – By David Beasley | The Center Square contributor – (The Center Square – ) 2025-04-30 21:25:00
(The Center Square) – Authorization of sports agents to sign North Carolina’s collegiate athletes for “name, image, and likeness” contracts used in product endorsements is in legislation approved Wednesday by a committee of the state Senate.
Authorize NIL Agency Contracts, known also as Senate Bill 229, is headed to the Rules Committee after gaining favor in the Judiciary Committee. It would likely next get a full floor vote.
Last year the NCAA approved NIL contracts for players.
Sen. Amy S. Galey, R-Alamance
NCLeg.gov
“Athletes can benefit from NIL by endorsing products, signing sponsorship deals, engaging in commercial opportunities and monetizing their social media presence, among other avenues,” the NCAA says on its website. “The NCAA fully supports these opportunities for student-athletes across all three divisions.”
SB229 spells out the information that the agent’s contract with the athlete must include, and requires a warning to the athlete that they could lose their eligibility if they do not notify the school’s athletic director within 72 hours of signing the contract.
“Consult with your institution of higher education prior to entering into any NIL contract,” the says the warning that would be required by the legislation. “Entering into an NIL contract that conflicts with state law or your institution’s policies may have negative consequences such as loss of athletic eligibility. You may cancel this NIL agency contract with 14 days after signing it.”
The legislation also exempts the NIL contracts from being disclosed under the state’s Open Records Act when public universities review them. The state’s two ACC members from the UNC System, Carolina and N.C. State, requested the exemption.
“They are concerned about disclosure of the student-athlete contracts when private universities don’t have to disclose the student-athlete contracts,” Sen. Amy Galey, R-Alamance, told the committee. “I feel very strongly that a state university should not be put at a disadvantage at recruitment or in program management because they have disclosure requirements through state law.”
Duke and Wake Forest are the other ACC members, each a private institution.
Note: The following A.I. based commentary is not part of the original article, reproduced above, but is offered in the hopes that it will promote greater media literacy and critical thinking, by making any potential bias more visible to the reader –Staff Editor.
Political Bias Rating: Centrist
The article primarily reports on the legislative development regarding NIL (name, image, and likeness) contracts for collegiate athletes in North Carolina. It presents facts about the bill, committee actions, and includes statements from a state senator without using loaded or emotionally charged language. The piece neutrally covers the issue by explaining both the bill’s purpose and the concerns it addresses, such as eligibility warnings and disclosure exemptions. Overall, the article maintains a factual and informative tone without advocating for or against the legislation, reflecting a centrist, unbiased approach.
SUMMARY: Donald van der Vaart, a former North Carolina environmental secretary and climate skeptic, has been appointed to the North Carolina Utilities Commission by Republican Treasurer Brad Briner. Van der Vaart, who previously supported offshore drilling and fracking, would oversee the state’s transition to renewable energy while regulating utility services. His appointment, which requires approval from the state House and Senate, has drawn opposition from environmental groups. Critics argue that his views contradict clean energy progress. The appointment follows a controversial bill passed by the legislature, granting the treasurer appointment power to the commission.
www.thecentersquare.com – By Alan Wooten | The Center Square – (The Center Square – ) 2025-04-30 14:47:00
(The Center Square) – Called “crypto-friendly legislation” by the leader of the chamber, a proposal on digital assets on Wednesday afternoon passed the North Carolina House of Representatives.
Passage was 71-44 mostly along party lines.
The NC Digital Assets Investments Act, known also as House Bill 92, has investment requirements, caps and management, and clear definitions and standards aimed at making sure only qualified digital assets are included. House Speaker Destin Hall, R-Caldwell, said the state would potentially join more than a dozen others with “crypto-friendly legislation.”
With him in sponsorship are Reps. Stephen Ross, R-Alamance, Mark Brody, R-Union, and Mike Schietzelt, R-Wake.
Nationally last year, the Financial Innovation and Technology for the 21st Century Act – known as FIT21 – passed through the U.S. House in May and in September was parked in the Senate’s Committee on Banking, Housing and Urban Affairs.
Dan Spuller, cochairman of the North Carolina Blockchain Initiative, said the state has proven a leader on digital asset policy. That includes the Money Transmitters Act of 2016, the North Carolina Regulatory Sandbox Act of 2021, and last year’s No Centrl Bank Digital Currency Pmts to State. The latter was strongly opposed by Gov. Roy Cooper, so much so that passage votes of 109-4 in the House and 39-5 in the Senate slipped back to override votes, respectively, of 73-41 and 27-17.
Note: The following A.I. based commentary is not part of the original article, reproduced above, but is offered in the hopes that it will promote greater media literacy and critical thinking, by making any potential bias more visible to the reader –Staff Editor.
Political Bias Rating: Centrist
The article presents a factual report on the passage of the NC Digital Assets Investments Act, highlighting the legislative process, party-line votes, and related legislative measures. It does not adopt a clear ideological stance or frame the legislation in a way that suggests bias. Instead, it provides neutral information on the bill, its sponsors, and relevant background on state legislative activity in digital asset policy. The tone and language remain objective, focusing on legislative facts rather than promoting a particular viewpoint.
