WLOS Special Reports

Special Report: Carolina Boundary Redrawn, Residents Moved

Wed, May 22 2013, 06:40 PM EDT

Bud Leonard's home on Panther Mountain Road looks like your average house. But what you can't see is that it's split in half.

"If we eat breakfast in the kitchen, we're in North Carolina, if we eat breakfast in the dining room, we're in South Carolina," says Leonard, while sitting in his living room - in North Carolina. ...

Special Report: The Last Jam

Wed, May 22 2013, 02:20 PM EDT

Some call it the music of the mountains, bluegrass. For more than half a century, musicians flocked to Ms. Hyatt's Music House in Asheville, to carry on the tradition. But the house was caught in the middle of a family dispute, putting the local legacy at risk. ...

Special Report: Gift of Life

Wed, May 22 2013, 08:52 AM EDT

Her young life has been anything but carefree.

Burns scar her body and restrict the use of her hands, but as News 13's Jay Siltzer explains in this special Health Alert, one mountain community has come together to provide a 3-year-old girl the "Gift of Life. ...

Special Report: Music Man

Tue, May 21 2013, 06:05 PM EDT

This is not an overnight success story. Some would question, if this man is a success at all.

Timothy McGlynn says bus route 170 gives him a fighting chance.

"It's gonna take a lot of patience," he tells us. ...

Special Report: Special Delivery

Mon, May 20 2013, 05:56 PM EDT

Don't be surprised to see an Asheville mom sporting a gorilla suit or dressing up like Prince.

"I've always been kind of intrigued by singing telegrams," says Jillian Isele AKA Sarah Nade.

"Put another candle on your birthday candle on your birthday cake, your birthday cake," she recited recently, pounding her chest in the fuzzy gorilla outfit. ...

Investigative Report: Alarming Failures Part V

Fri, May 17 2013, 06:29 PM EDT

Parents and teachers are expressing concerns after a News 13 investigation exposes potential safety issues at Buncombe County schools. Some are now demanding that school officials be held accountable for not addressing these violations.

District officials now have to permit and inspect work that has been neglected for years. ...

Special Report: Instant Approval

Thu, May 16 2013, 10:12 PM EDT

A new social trend has parents of young girls questioning where to draw the line. More and more teens and preteens are posting their photos online and asking their family, friends, and even boys for comments about how they look. But what does that say about their self image and is it healthy?

In recent months, thousands of girls have started tagging their photos with the phrases "beauty pageant" or the questions "hot or not" and "am I pretty?"

Francie Black has a 14-year-old daughter. ...

Investigative Report: Alarming Failures Part IV

Thu, May 16 2013, 06:18 PM EDT

A News 13 investigation into safety issues at Buncombe County schools is already getting results. After our reports, county officials began investigating electrical work done at schools without the required permits or inspections. Now some are wondering if the district's mistakes will end up costing taxpayers. ...

Investigative Report: Alarming Failures Part III

Thu, May 16 2013, 10:13 PM EDT

Buncombe County's school Superintendent is reacting to a News 13 investigation into serious safety issues throughout the district. For the past two nights, we've shown you how district workers and private contractors failed to permit and inspect work involving life safety issues at dozens of schools for years. ...

Investigative Report: Alarming Failure II

Tue, May 14 2013, 05:26 PM EDT

A News 13 investigation is digging deeper into problems plaguing the Buncombe County School District. Last night we told you about dozens of fire code violations reported year after year. Now, we've uncovered more work that was done at schools without the proper permits and without the proper inspections for years. ...

Investigative Report: Alarming Failures Part I

Mon, May 13 2013, 06:33 PM EDT

A News 13 investigation exposes serious fire code violations at Buncombe County schools. We found violations have been reported year after year and now a former electrician for the school district is blowing the whistle, claiming school officials told him not to pull the required permits and life safety issues were not inspected. ...

Special Report: Furniture Fatalities

Mon, May 13 2013, 09:07 PM EDT

More children are getting hurt or killed by falling furniture. Statistics show a child dies every three weeks from a furniture related tip over. But most of the accidents are preventable.

Two-years ago, a dresser fell on Lindsay Hart's son. Safe Kids Western North Carolina says installing furniture straps is a quick and easy way to prevent accidents. ...

Special Report: The Great Gatsby

Fri, May 10 2013, 10:04 PM EDT

The "Great Gatsby" starring Leonardo Dicaprio opens in movie theaters across the country. It's a re-telling of the story that weaves romance and murder with the lives of high-rollers in the 1920's. But the novel that made F. Scott Fitzgerald a giant in American literature wasn't very kind to the author. ...

Special Report: A Killer Diagnosis

Fri, May 10 2013, 10:10 AM EDT

In June of 2004, the body of 60-year-old Dalton Gilmer was found mutilated along a road in Southern Virginia. His son, former doctor Vince Gilmer of Fairview, reported him missing 12 hours later. When Vince learned his father’s body had been found, he told News 13 he was “devastated. ...

Special Report: Digital Life After Death

Thu, May 09 2013, 07:19 AM EDT

Death is a fact of life, but dying in the digital age is altogether different. Even when a person passes away, their online presence remains. Many of people log on to our bank accounts, e-mail, and social media profiles every day. And sometimes your loved ones aren't prepared for your digital afterlife. ...

Special Report: Atomic City

Tue, May 07 2013, 10:23 PM EDT

An Asheville author hits it big with a New York Times best-selling book, "The Girls Of Atomic City".

It's the true story of a group of young women who worked during the early 1940's, in the mountains of Eastern Tennessee, at a place called Oak Ridge. ...

Special Report: Wi-Fi Worries

Mon, May 06 2013, 06:33 PM EDT

Computer hackers can steal your sensitive information in a matter of minutes, but there are simple steps you can take to avoid being a victim.

Local experts say to first change the name of your home wireless network. Don't leave it as "Linksys" or "Netgear". ...

Special Report: Suspending Disbelief

Thu, May 02 2013, 04:50 PM EDT

Over the years, school suspensions rates across the country have dramatically increased. Suspensions are how many schools deal with problem students. It's cheap and convenient to send them home for days at a time and hope they learn their lesson. ...

Special Report: Tannerite Terror

Wed, May 01 2013, 09:31 PM EDT

A legal explosive is now being used for illegal purposes here in the mountains.

Tannerite is made to be an exploding target, used for rifle practice. You buy the canister, combine the ingredients, shake it up, shoot it, and it explodes.

But over the last three months in Rutherford County, there have been 2 confirmed reports of illicit use. ...

Special Report: Seeing isn't Believing

Wed, May 01 2013, 03:10 PM EDT

It's often times hard to imagine things we can't see, but one Asheville woman teaches us to have faith.

"There are certain things that i miss out on," says Imke Durre. "Things like non-verbal communication, pretty mountain views."

But, Durre has found a way to shine a bright light on a seemingly dark world. ...