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Local News Headlines
Rabies case confirmed in HAYWOOD COUNTY The first case of rabies in Haywood County in 2008 has been confirmed in the Clyde area near the Shook House museum. On Monday, a rabid raccoon attacked a dog. The dog owner killed the raccoon and luckily the dog had a current rabies vaccination. On Wednesday, Haywood County Animal Control officers distributed fliers to residents and businesses within three miles near the Shook House to make citizens aware of the rabies case. Animal Control and the Haywood County Health Department are encouraging pet owners within a three-mile radius of the Shook House Museum to keep their pets on their property and to make sure their rabies vaccines are current. Beginning on Monday, Haywood County Animal Control and the Haywood County Health Department will co-sponsor a series of rabies clinics throughout the week to encourage citizens to get their pets vaccinated. According to North Carolina law, in order for an animal’s rabies vaccine to be considered current, all dogs and cats 4 months old and older must be vaccinated against rabies. Also, North Carolina courts have ruled that to be in compliance with the law, a licensed veterinarian must administer the rabies vaccination. 5.9.08CRUSO FIRE CLAIMS LIVES LEAVING COMMUNITY TO MORN A house fire in Haywood County that claimed the lives of two children and their grandmother yesterday has left a mountain community saddened and shaken up. A neighbor of the family on Pisgah Creek Road in the township of Cruso called 911 when she saw flames shooting into the sky about 3:00 a.m. Thursday morning. Firefighters arrived minutes later but it was too late to save the family. Investigators say they don't know what caused the fire yet but say they can't rule out the possibility of arson. The Haywood County Sheriff's Office, the State Bureau of Investigation, and the Fire Marshal's office spent hours on the scene Thursday morning sifting through the charred remains of the home. The identities of the victims have yet to be released by investigators, but neighbors say two little girls, ages six and ten, lived there with their grandmother. It is the first fire fatality in the town of Cruso's history and one that has left the community in a state of mourning. 5.9.08 TESTIMONY REVELED FORMER Sheriff BOBBY MEDFORD KNEW HIS OFFICE WAS INVOLVED IN ILLEGAL ACTIVITY Former Buncombe County Sheriff Bobby Medford had warning over three years ago of allegations his office was involved in bribes and illegal video poker payouts, according to federal court testimony Thursday. Jerry Miller, who was an assistant U.S. attorney in Asheville from 1980 to 2004, said he learned of the allegations from a high-ranking Democratic Party official. At the time, Miller was working for Medford as a deputy with the rank of Major over community relations. The warning came as federal authorities were investigating illegal video gambling in Western North Carolina. Miller said in court he researched the law on the machines and would later advise Medford that he could use his authority as sheriff to ban them from Buncombe County, yet the former sheriff never did. Medford and volunteer Capt. Guy Kenneth Penland are on trial in U.S. District Court in Asheville on allegations of using their positions to extort money from gambling operators, money laundering and conspiracy to run an illegal gambling business. 5.9.08 |
