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Was Helene a tropical storm or a hurricane in WNC? Fletcher pickleball courts damaged? Why don’t we have water towers? • Asheville Watchdog

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avlwatchdog.org – JOHN BOYLE – 2024-11-26 06:00:00

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.

The pickleball courts in Fletcher, which just opened in 2023, sustained mostly fence damage from Tropical Storm Helene. The town says repair costs will likely exceed $40,000. // Watchdog photo by John Boyle

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.”

Asheville does have water storage tanks, but it does not have the type of water tower – shown here in Bremen, Ga. – that features a large rounded tank sitting atop a tall pole. // Credit: istockphoto.com/halbergman

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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News from the South - North Carolina News Feed

What is Chronic Venous Insufficiency? Will Trump be okay?

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www.youtube.com – WRAL – 2025-07-18 12:56:16


SUMMARY: President Trump has been diagnosed with chronic venous insufficiency, a common condition in people over 70 causing leg swelling due to blood pooling in veins. The White House confirmed no deep vein thrombosis, arterial disease, or heart issues were found, with normal cardiac function and no signs of systemic illness. Despite visible ankle swelling and bruised hands, attributed to frequent handshaking and aspirin use, the president remains in excellent health and experiences no discomfort. At 79, he stays active, working continuously. The White House emphasized these symptoms are minor and consistent with his busy public engagements and cardiovascular prevention measures.

Swollen legs led to President Donald Trump being diagnosed with what’s called chronic venous insufficiency. It’s a fairly common condition among older adults but requires a thorough checkup to rule out more serious causes of swelling in the legs. Here are some things to know.

Chronic venous insufficiency, or CVI, happens when veins in the legs can’t properly carry blood back to the heart. That can lead to blood pooling in the lower legs. In addition to swelling, usually around the feet and ankles, symptoms can include legs that are achy, heavy feeling or tingly, and varicose veins. Severe cases could trigger leg sores known as ulcers.

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US House votes to yank funding for NPR, PBS, foreign aid, sending bill to Trump’s desk

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ncnewsline.com – Jennifer Shutt – 2025-07-18 05:46:00

SUMMARY: On July 2, 2025, the U.S. House approved legislation to cancel $9 billion in previously authorized spending on public broadcasting and foreign aid, marking only the second time in over 30 years Congress approved a presidential rescissions request. The 216-213 mostly party-line vote sends the bill to President Donald Trump for signature. The Corporation for Public Broadcasting will lose $1.1 billion in funding for NPR, PBS, and local stations. The bill also cuts $8 billion in foreign aid but protects HIV/AIDS, tuberculosis, malaria, and maternal health programs. This follows Senate approval with some adjustments and reflects the White House’s push to focus spending on American interests.

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Missing voter information the objection of NC search

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carolinapublicpress.org – Sarah Michels – 2025-07-17 14:07:00


North Carolina State Board of Elections Executive Director Sam Hayes is launching the Registration Repair Project to rectify missing identification info in 103,270 voter records. Missing data include driver’s license numbers, last four Social Security digits, or affirmations of lacking both. The board will send letters in August requesting these details; non-compliant voters will be flagged and cast provisional ballots, counting only for federal contests. Voters providing alternate ID at polls can vote regularly but are still encouraged to update records. The plan, approved unanimously despite concerns about voting barriers, aims to ensure accurate rolls amid ongoing legal disputes and compliance issues.

North Carolina State Board of Elections Executive Director Sam Hayes is setting off on a mission to correct 103,000 North Carolinians’ voting records from which some information is missing. 

He maintains that the process, dubbed the Registration Repair Project, will not remove any eligible voters from the state’s voter rolls. 

According to the state elections board, 103,270 North Carolina registered voters have records that lack either their driver’s license number, the last four digits of their Social Security number or an indication that they have neither. 

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Last year, this missing information became the stuff of headlines, lawsuits and the high-profile election protest of Republican Court of Appeals Judge Jefferson Griffin, who lost his bid for state Supreme Court to the incumbent justice, Democrat Allison Riggs, by 734 votes. 

In April, the North Carolina Supreme Court declined to remove ballots from the count based on missing identification numbers; they said the state elections board, not voters, was responsible for a faulty voter registration form that didn’t make it abundantly clear that this information was required. 

While Griffin lost, the issue he raised remains salient for a newly Republican elections board and the U.S. Department of Justice, which promptly sued the state board over alleged violations of the federal Help America Vote Act’s voter registration provisions.

Thursday, Hayes told reporters that a process he unveiled in late June to gather these missing identification numbers had begun in earnest.

“We must put this issue behind us so we can focus our attention squarely on preparations for accurate and secure municipal elections this fall,” he said. 

The plan to collect missing information

There are two groups of voters under Hayes’ plan. 

The first group includes registered voters who have never provided a driver’s license, the last four digits of their Social Security number or an affirmation that they lack both. The state elections board has asked county election boards to check their records for these numbers, in case they were provided but not correctly entered into the voting system. 

In early August, the state elections board will send letters to the remaining voters in this group requesting the missing information. If affected voters do not comply, they will vote provisionally in future elections. The elections board will create a flag on these voters’ records for poll workers. 

The second group includes registered voters whose records do not show that they’ve provided an identification number, but have shown additional documentation at the polls proving their identity and eligibility under HAVA. These voters may vote a regular ballot. 

However, the elections board will still send them a letter in a second mailing asking for the missing identification number to bolster the state’s voter records. Even so, if they do not oblige, they still will not be at risk of being disenfranchised, NCSBE General Counsel Paul Cox said. 

County election boards have already made progress, and their work will continue as the mailings go out, Hayes said. 

Voters can check to see whether they’re on the list of those with missing information by using the Registration Repair Search Tool. If voters don’t want to wait for the August mailing, they can submit an updated voter registration form using their driver’s license through the online DMV portal or visit their county elections board in person with their driver’s license or Social Security card. 

“We anticipate the number of voters on the list will decrease quickly as word spreads about this important effort,” Hayes said.

The State Board of Elections unanimously approved the plan last month, despite some concerns from Democrat Jeff Carmon about putting up an extra obstacle for voters because of a problem with missing information that the voters didn’t cause. 

“It’s hard to understand starvation if you’ve never felt the pangs of hunger,” Carmon said. “It’s the same situation with voting obstacles. Your perspective of an obstacle may not be the same as someone who’s consistently had their identity and their validity questioned.” 

Nonetheless, Carmon and fellow Democrat board member Siobhan Millen ultimately voted in support of the plan.

Same ballot, different rules 

Normally, when a voter casts a provisional ballot, the county elections board determines whether their ballot counts by the post-election canvass, held nine days after an election. 

Voters may have to provide documentation or information to prove their eligibility to vote in order to be accepted. 

The same process applies to the 103,000 affected voters, with a catch. Their vote may be accepted for federal contests, but not state contests, due to a difference in law. 

According to the DOJ’s interpretation, the National Voter Registration Act requires all provisional votes of “duly registered voters” to count, Cox said. 

But the state elections board has interpreted the state Supreme Court and North Carolina Court of Appeals’ decisions in the Griffin case as requiring a driver’s license, the last four digits of a Social Security number or an affirmation that a voter has neither before accepting their votes in state and local contests. 

Under a recent election law change, county election boards have three days to validate and count or reject provisional ballots. 

But sometimes, mismatches happen during validation due to database trouble with reading hyphenated names or connecting maiden and married names, for example, Cox said. The board has designed a “fail safe” in case this comes up. 

When there’s a mismatch during the validation process, state law allows voters to provide additional documentation — like a driver’s license, bank statement or  government document with a voter’s name and address — to prove their eligibility. 

“A big chunk of these voters will have already shown HAVA ID, and that’s because in the past, when this information was not supplied, the county boards would still require these voters to show that alternative form of HAVA ID when they voted for the first time,” Cox said. 

Poll workers will ask provisional voters to provide this additional documentation so that they can mark it down for later, if validation doesn’t work, he added.  

Democrats threaten countersuit 

Last week, the Democratic National Committee threatened the state board with litigation if they went ahead with their plan regarding those with missing information. 

The letter claimed that the plan would remove eligible voters from the rolls illegally. 

Hayes disagrees. In his view, he’s just following the law. 

“It’s not the fault of the voters,” he said. “But at the same time, we’re required by the law to go back and collect this information, which should have been done at the time, and it certainly should have been done in the intervening time.”

He also clarified that North Carolina’s photo voter ID requirement won’t suffice for the impacted voters. They still have to vote provisionally so that their identification numbers can go through the validation process, he said. 

As for whether his fully fleshed out plan will appease the DNC? 

“We hope so,” Hayes said. 

This article first appeared on Carolina Public Press and is republished here under a Creative Commons Attribution-NoDerivatives 4.0 International License.

The post Missing voter information the objection of NC search 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: Centrist

This article presents a balanced and factual report on North Carolina’s voter registration issue, focusing on the administrative process and legal context without overt editorializing. It includes perspectives from both Republican and Democratic figures, highlights legal rulings and procedural details, and covers concerns from Democrats alongside the state elections board’s explanations. The language is neutral, aiming to inform about the complexities of voter ID requirements and the Registration Repair Project without endorsing a particular political stance or framing the issue through a partisan lens.

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