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/.
SUMMARY: A scientist reflecting on the politicization of science warns that ideological influence undermines objectivity, breeds mistrust, and hampers public understanding. The FY2026 budget proposal cut NIH funding by about 40%, saving taxpayers $18 billion, but only 1.5% of the total federal budget, while increasing defense spending by 13%. These cuts severely impact states like North Carolina, where science drives $2.4 billion in tax revenue and thousands of jobs. The cuts target indirect costs vital for research infrastructure and diversity efforts, mistakenly seen as ideological rather than essential scientific practices. The author calls for unity to prioritize facts over politics and protect scientific progress for societal and economic health.
www.thecentersquare.com – By Alan Wooten | The Center Square – (The Center Square – ) 2025-06-15 02:01:00
North Carolina’s U.S. House members voted along party lines on two Republican-backed bills: the “One Big Beautiful Bill Act” (H.R. 1), which cuts \$1.6 trillion in government spending, and the “Rescissions Act of 2025” (H.R. 4), which eliminates \$9.4 billion from entities like USAID and public broadcasting. Republicans called it a purge of waste, citing spending on drag shows and foreign projects. Democrats criticized the cuts as harmful and symbolic, calling the effort fiscally irresponsible. H.R. 1 passed 215-214; H.R. 4 passed 214-212. No Democrats supported either. A few Republicans broke ranks and voted against their party on each bill.
(The Center Square) – North Carolinians in the U.S. House of Representatives were unwavering of party preference for two bills now awaiting finalization in the Senate.
Republicans who favored them say the One Big Beautiful Bill Act, known also as House Resolution 1, slashed $1.6 trillion in waste, fraud and abuse of government systems. The Rescissions Act of 2025, known also as House Resolution 4, did away with $9.4 billion – less than six-tenths of 1% of the other legislation – in spending by the State Department, the U.S. Agency for International Development (USAID), the Corp. for Public Broadcasting (PBS, NPR), and other entities.
Democrats against them say the Department of Government Efficiency made “heartless budget cuts” and was an “attack on the resources that North Carolinians were promised and that Congress has already appropriated.”
Republicans from North Carolina in favor of both were Reps. Dr. Greg Murphy, Virginia Foxx, Addison McDowell, David Rouzer, Rev. Mark Harris, Richard Hudson, Pat Harrigan, Chuck Edwards, Brad Knott and Tim Moore.
Democrats against were Reps. Don Davis, Deborah Ross, Valerie Foushee and Alma Adams.
Foxx said the surface was barely skimmed with cuts of “$14 million in cash vouchers for migrants at our southern border; $24,000 for a national spelling bee in Bosnia; $1.5 million to mobilize elderly, lesbian, transgender, nonbinary and intersex people to be involved in the Costa Rica political process; $20,000 for a drag show in Ecuador; and $32,000 for an LGBTQ comic book in Peru.”
Adams said, “While Elon Musk claimed he would cut $1 trillion from the federal government, the recissions package amounts to less than 1% of that. Meanwhile, House Republicans voted just last month to balloon the national debt by $3 trillion in their One Big Ugly Bill. It’s fiscal malpractice, not fiscal responsibility.”
House Resolution 1 passed 215-214 and House Resolution 4 went forward 214-212. Republican Reps. Warren Davidson of Ohio and Thomas Massie of Kentucky were against the One Big Beautiful Bill and Republican Reps. Mark Amodei of Nevada, Brian Fitzpatrick of Pennsylvania, Nicole Malliotakis of New York and Michael Turner of Ohio were against the Rescissions Act.
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 straightforward report on the partisan positions and voting outcomes related to two specific bills, highlighting the contrasting views of Republicans and Democrats without using loaded or emotionally charged language. It neutrally conveys the Republicans’ framing of the bills as efforts to cut waste and reduce spending, alongside Democrats’ critique of those cuts as harmful and insufficient fiscal discipline. By providing direct quotes from representatives of both parties and clearly stating voting results, the content maintains factual reporting without promoting a particular ideological stance. The balanced presentation of arguments and absence of editorializing indicate a commitment to neutrality rather than an intentional partisan perspective.
SUMMARY: Fort Bragg soldiers joined thousands in Washington, D.C., to celebrate the U.S. Army’s 250th anniversary on June 14, coinciding with Flag Day and President Trump’s birthday. The event featured an elaborate parade down Constitution Avenue, showcasing the Army’s evolution—from muskets to advanced technology like robots and aircraft. More than a thousand Fort Bragg soldiers participated, including Sergeant Brian Lieberman, honored for saving a girl’s life. Attendees expressed deep respect for veterans and soldiers, emphasizing the Army’s sacrifices. The celebration included interactive exhibits, senior leadership presence, and cake-cutting ceremonies, marking a historic and patriotic milestone for the military community.
There was a lot of patriotism from people who came to witness this historic event.
