News from the South - North Carolina News Feed
Was Helene a tropical storm or a hurricane in WNC? Fletcher pickleball courts damaged? Why don’t we have water towers? • Asheville Watchdog
Today’s round of questions, my smart-aleck replies and the real answers:
Question: OK, was Helene a hurricane or a tropical storm? And which came first? Was it a tropical storm that grew into a hurricane, or a hurricane that diminished into a tropical storm? And why do we use both terms? Calling it a tropical storm somehow seems to downplay its severity.
My answer: I vote for referring to storms like this as “Tropical Menace” in the future.
Real answer: David Easterling, director of the National Climate Assessment Technical Support Unit at the National Centers for Environmental Information in Asheville, answered this one.
“Helene started in the western Caribbean Sea on Sept. 22, 2024, as an unnamed tropical depression with wind speeds below 39 mph,” Easterling said via email. “Once the storm became organized enough to produce sustained maximum wind speeds of 39 mph or greater it was classified as a Tropical Storm and given the name Helene from a predetermined list.”
As we well know, Helene wasn’t done, though. It got stronger and reached hurricane status — wind speeds of 74 mph or greater.
“As Hurricane Helene moved over the warm waters of the Gulf of Mexico, it underwent rapid intensification to a Category 4 hurricane — wind speeds between 130-156 mph — before landfall,” Easterling said. “As it moved inland, away from its power source, the warm waters of the Gulf of Mexico, it began to lose strength, and once maximum sustained wind speeds dropped below 74 mph, it was reclassified to a Tropical Storm as it moved over central Georgia and then western North Carolina.”
While downgraded, Helene still clearly packed a punch when it hit our area Sept. 27.
“Even as a tropical storm, Helene produced devastating amounts of rainfall and winds, proving once again that wind speeds alone from a tropical cyclone don’t always indicate the destructive potential of such a storm, since more people die from drowning in the storm surge and flooding than from winds,” Easterling said.
Asheville Regional Airport recorded 14.19 inches of rain from Helene and the two days preceding the storm, according to the National Weather Service.
Question: It looks like Fletcher’s new pickleball courts and the tennis court sustained damage from Helene. How bad is it? It looks like mostly fencing damage. How long will it take to repair them and get the courts back open? How much will it cost?
My answer: Rest assured that no matter how severe the natural disaster, someone will ask about pickleball.
Real answer: Fletcher Town Manager Mark Biberdorf said via email the damage was indeed “mostly contained to the fencing.
“There appears to be some damage to the surface of the pickleball courts that we may be able to patch or repair in the short-term. It is going to take months to repair all of this, as we will have to bid out the repairs and carefully follow protocols for potential FEMA reimbursement.”
Biberdorf said that it’s hard to determine what that will cost but estimates it may be $40,000-plus.
“We will have a better idea as we get closer to bidding the project,” he said.
Question: I’m here with a question nobody seems to have asked yet: What about water towers?
Why don’t we have any? What would be the impediments to having one? They seem to be a more secure way to store and deliver clean water. I’m sure there are good answers for this, but I’m not sure what they are.
My answer: Great. Now people want me to supply good answers to these questions. So much work…
Real answer: When I brought this up at the Nov. 20 daily Helene briefing, Assistant City Manager Ben Woody noted that the city does have water storage tanks, but it does not have the types of water towers you often see in cities and towns — a large rounded tank sitting atop a tall pole. In cities that have them, water is pumped into the tower and then sent out to customers.
“Those cities are probably flat,” Woody said, pointing out one impediment to locating large water towers in Asheville — the mountains. “Generally, I think what we’re able to take advantage of with our storage tanks is just the naturally occurring elevation that we have here in Buncombe County.”
The city’s water system, as we’ve reported, is complex, with 54 unique pressure zones, 1,800 miles of lines and 37 water storage tanks.
The online publication “WaterWorld Magazine” had an article about water towers in December 2022 that noted, “In some hilly regions, a water tower isn’t needed. Instead, a water tank can be placed on the highest hill.”
Tanks at a high elevation serve the same purpose a tower would — using gravity to disperse the water.
The article also listed the pros and cons of water towers. On the plus side:
- “Water towers make it easy to maintain consistent pressure in a public water system, which is normally very difficult.
- Water towers provide a good reserve of water to cope with times of peak demand.
- As long as the water tower is elevated enough, it should effectively distribute water with hydrostatic pressure, driven by gravity, alone.
- Installing a water tower means that money doesn’t have to be spent on a water pumping system that’s powerful enough to keep up with peak demand.”
And these are the cons:
- “Even the best water tower can’t prevent a slight drop in water pressure during surges in demand.
- Water can only flow to areas of lower elevation than the starting point (the water tower), so it may be limited in hilly regions.
- Water towers may affect the taste and smell of water, especially in the initial few months after installation.
- Untreated water towers may collect a layer of bacteria and sludge. They need to be cleaned at least every three to five years.”
So it looks like water tanks, not towers, make the most sense around here.
Asheville Watchdog is a nonprofit news team producing stories that matter to Asheville and Buncombe County. Got a question? Send it to John Boyle at jboyle@avlwatchdog.org or 828-337-0941. His Answer Man columns appear each Tuesday and Friday. 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/.
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The post Was Helene a tropical storm or a hurricane in WNC? Fletcher pickleball courts damaged? Why don’t we have water towers? • Asheville Watchdog appeared first on avlwatchdog.org
News from the South - North Carolina News Feed
PETA sues American Kennel Club over standards for French bulldogs, other breeds
SUMMARY: PETA is suing the American Kennel Club (AKC) over breeding standards for popular dog breeds like French bulldogs, pugs, and dachshunds. PETA argues these standards promote unhealthy traits causing lifelong suffering, such as bulldogs’ large skulls and shortened faces that impede breathing. The lawsuit cites UK research showing French bulldogs have poorer health, and notes the Netherlands banned breeding short-nosed dogs. Dachshunds’ long backs and short legs also lead to painful conditions. The AKC rejects PETA’s claims, stating it is committed to dogs’ health and well-being. This lawsuit continues a long-standing conflict between PETA and the AKC.
The animal rights group PETA sued Tuesday to try to force the American Kennel Club to abandon the standards it backs for hyper-popular French bulldogs and some other breeds, contending that the influential club is promoting unhealthy physical features.
More: https://abc11.com/post/peta-sues-american-kennel-club-breeding-standards-french-bulldogs-other-breeds/17038437/
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News from the South - North Carolina News Feed
Cellphone use in schools to be regulated under new NC law
Public school regulation of cellphone use is now law in North Carolina after Gov. Josh Stein signed House Bill 959 last week.
The new law prompts public schools to develop a wireless device policy that will limit students’ access to their cellphones and other wireless electronic devices throughout the school day. It will require the Department of Public Instruction to submit a yearly compliance report to legislators.
This completes the legislature’s mission to effectively ban cellphones in schools. This particular legislation was once a social media literacy bill aiming to “protect students in a digital age,” but previous failed attempts at cellphone regulation this session forced lawmakers to adapt.
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The signed bill calls on schools to require the regulation of students’ use of wireless communication devices during instructional time, as well as education on the dangers of social media, as was intended in the original legislation sponsored by state Rep. Hugh Blackwell, R-Burke.
Wireless communication devices are defined in the bill as “any portable wireless device that has the capability to provide voice, messaging, or other data communication between two or more parties,” and includes cellphones, tablets, laptops, gaming devices, two-way radios and pagers.
While the bill does not establish a policy itself, it requires public schools to develop their own and specifies that it shall “prohibit students from using, displaying, or having a wireless communication device turned on during instructional time.”
It allows the schools to determine the consequences for violating the cellphone policy, including confiscation and further disciplinary measures as permitted by the school’s code of conduct.
President of the North Carolina Association of Educators Tamika Walker Kelly told Carolina Public Press educators are overwhelmingly concerned about the impact of cellphones and social media on the learning environment. Students are technology consumers, and that doesn’t just stop because they are at school, she said.
“It does cause disruptions that are unrelated to the learning of our students, but more so peer-to-peer relationships in the classroom that spill over because of something that happened on social media,” Kelly said.
“Educators do welcome the level of protecting the learning environment, not only for them as the facilitators of teaching in that space, but also especially for the students, so that they have a chance to engage with one another more authentically through person-to-person relationships, but also that they are able to have that focus on the academics.”
While each school will determine its own policy, the legislation will help maintain consistency in enforcement and potential consequences, Kelly said. It also removes a burden from teachers, who have tended to be responsible for setting and enforcing device policies on a classroom-by-classroom basis.
“This actually takes one more task out of the realm of the educator, gives it to the school district to not only train and equip their school leaders, principals, assistant principals across the board, but also school district staff on how to encourage that enforcement because it allows the educator in the room to teach and not have to worry about policing cellphones in the classroom,” Kelly said.
The bill leaves room for exceptions to the cellphone law, including if a device is needed in accordance with a student’s individualized education plan or to manage a student’s health care and for educational purposes or in the event of an emergency if authorized by the teacher.
Some lawmakers raised concerns about the bill’s restrictions. Prior to the Senate’s vote, state Sen. Terence Everitt, D-Wake, said while he was generally on board with the bill, requiring students turn their phones off gave him pause.
“We’ve spent a lot of time in the last 15 years making sure that we promote the proliferation of handguns and firearms,” Everitt said.
“Now we’re waiting on a veto override so we can get guns in the hands of 18 year olds with concealed carry without a permit. We’re making this state more and more dangerous, and more and more dangerous for our kids at school, and what I don’t want is for some child — we’ve all heard the 911 calls, those last moments when they’re calling for help or wanting a kind word from their parents or some sort of comfort — I don’t want their last moments to be spent waiting for their phone to turn on.”
For that reason, it will be important for districts to engage families when crafting its cellphone policy and create it with these safety concerns in mind, Kelly said.
“Parents and caregivers do really have concerns, and one of the reasons why they give their children cellphones is because they have great concerns around school safety,” she said.
“It’s really important to establish guidelines and be overly communicative with parents around their safety concerns so that they understand why we want to have cellphone free learning environments. But it doesn’t mean that students won’t have access to ways to communicate in case there is a school safety emergency on campus.”
Kelly noted that many schools and classrooms have systems like cellphone cubbies or lockers that allow students’ phones to be nearby, but not physically on their persons during instruction time, which could alleviate some parents’ concerns.
State Rep. Neal Jackson, R-Moore, said this very system at Union Pine High School is what gave him inspiration for House Bill 87, one of the first attempts at cellphone regulation earlier this year.
Social media instruction and cellphones
In addition to cellphone regulation, the bill maintained its initial goal of providing social media education.
All districts will be required to include instruction on social media and effects on health at least once during elementary school, once during middle school and twice during high school beginning at the start of the 2026-2027 school year.
Legislators view the instruction as related to cellphone use, as these are a key means by which students access social media.
According to the new law, the instruction must include education on the negative effects of social media on:
- mental health such as addiction
- the distribution of misinformation on social media, methods of manipulating behavior using social media
- the permanency of information shared online, how to maintain personal security
- how to identify cyberbullying
- predatory behavior and human trafficking on the internet
- how to report suspicious behavior encountered on the internet
- personal and interpersonal skills or character education that enhances individual level protective factors and mitigates or reduces risk-taking or harmful behavior
Bipartisanship
The cellphone and social media bill passed unanimously in the House and with just one negative vote in the Senate. Both chambers have strong Republican majorities.
The governor, a Democrat, praised the bill, highlighting its bipartisanship and alignment with a report issued by the Advisory Council on Student Safety and Well-being, a council Stein organized earlier this year with the intention of focusing on student safety and cellphones in classrooms.
“When teachers don’t have to compete with cellphones for student attention, real learning happens,” Stein said in a press release.
“This bipartisan bill gives students a distraction-free learning environment so they can focus on their education, and it provides a seven-hour mental break from the unrelenting pressures of phones and social media.
“Earlier this month, my Advisory Council on Student Safety and Well-being released its first report recommending this step and outlining best practices for creating cellphone-free classrooms.
“It will serve as a resource for our school systems as they implement these common-sense policies. I appreciate the General Assembly’s work here. Let’s keep working together to set up North Carolina students for success.”
This article first appeared on Carolina Public Press and is republished here under a Creative Commons Attribution-NoDerivatives 4.0 International License.
The post Cellphone use in schools to be regulated under new NC law appeared first on carolinapublicpress.org
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: Center-Left
The article presents the cellphone regulation law in North Carolina in a mostly factual and balanced tone, highlighting bipartisan support and quoting lawmakers from both parties. However, the inclusion of concerns raised by a Democratic senator linking cellphone restrictions with broader gun policy issues, as well as the positive framing of social media education and student mental health, reflects a subtle emphasis on progressive social concerns like student wellbeing and safety. The article’s respectful portrayal of educator and parental perspectives alongside bipartisan cooperation suggests a center-left leaning, supportive of regulatory measures aimed at improving educational environments without strong ideological rhetoric.
News from the South - North Carolina News Feed
North Carolina is hit by yet another climate wake-up call
SUMMARY: Chantal, a tropical depression, unleashed up to 10 inches of rain in North Carolina on July 8, 2025, causing severe flooding and significant damage to roads like Camp Easter Rd. and N.C. 2 in Southern Pines. Scientists warn that climate change intensifies such storms by increasing air moisture, leading to more frequent and severe downpours. Aging infrastructure and inadequate warning systems worsen the impact. Despite this, Republican leaders in Washington and Raleigh oppose renewable energy initiatives, promoting fossil fuel use instead. Urgent public demand is needed to reverse these harmful policies and address the climate crisis.
The post North Carolina is hit by yet another climate wake-up call appeared first on ncnewsline.com
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