Here's the story:

UNC Asheville has many players, but none like Kenny George. A 7-8 360lb megazord of a man to be exact. With the draft coming up, it made me wonder, is a 2nd round draft pick to high of a price to draft a giant? Obviously from watching the highlights of Kenny grab rebounds without lifting a fiber off his shoe off the floor, effortlessly dunk the ball over defenders almost half his height, he looks appealing to the naked eye, but he’s much more than that.

Here's what Mary at animalperson.net has to say:

I used to complain--a lot--to my husband about living in South Florida. I felt a kinship with almost no one, I was a freak to all, and the closest vegan restaurant is 70 miles away. I wanted to move back to New York, or perhaps to San Francisco or even Chicago (where he's from). Maybe even Asheville. All I know is I wanted to feel like my community had a clue and was doing something other than holding events for $500/ticket where $200 goes to the cause, filet mignon is served, few people eat it (because they might gain weight), and it is promptly tossed into the garbage.

...

When people say that veganism is easy, I can't help but think: It's easy for you. Try having to go out to lunch and/or dinner with clients every day in a snooty town that has not one vegan restaurant (oh, and neither one of us enjoys Indian food). Whether or not it's easy to be a vegan largely depends on where you live and how you've set up your life. If we lived in Manhattan I wouldn't be writing this.

Being vegan is easy for me because I have near-total control over my environment. I buy and prepare the food I want to eat, I'm rarely at the mercy of anyone else's restaurant choice, and when I am I might eat before I go and have a fabulous glass of wine and call it a day (or night).

But not everyone has the luxury of living the way I do, and I think we have to acknowledge that and say there are myriad factors involved in whether going or being vegan is easy (like, is your partner or parent/s vegan; where do you live; what is your work situation like; is your community friendly to the idea).

Doug Beatty, the man who built Barley's when there wasn't much happening in downtown Asheville more than a decade ago, has his eyes site on bringing back the downtown of Kingsport, Tenn. If anybody can do it, Beatty can. (Beatty's the guy in the middle.)

Here's the Kingsport Times-News story:

KINGSPORT — Doug Beatty looked around the vacant second floor of the three-story structure and envisioned lots of people laughing, eating and enjoying one another in the heart of a vibrant downtown district.

“We as a group believe in bringing back landmark buildings and creating places where the community can come together to share good food and good times,” Beatty said. “That’s what this is all about.”

Beatty and his business partners, Jeff Lane and Kanishka Biddanda, recently formed Adapt Core, a new development company focused on restoring old buildings to promote community and cultural renewal in the downtown area.

Adapt Core’s first project is a big one — the three partners have leased the old Kingsport Grocery Co. on Main Street with an option to purchase the property.

The building dates back to 1916, and was used for years as a wholesale food supply warehouse for area grocers. For the last 30-plus years, different restaurants have located in the building, and it’s housed a comedy club on occasion.

One chilly morning last week, the three partners took a walk through the empty building. Remnants of the past — handcrafted stained glass windows, an antique mantle piece, a black iron vault bearing the name Kingsport Grocery Company — sit amid exposed brick and timber.

The three plan to renovate the property, restore its historical character, and in a couple of months open a restaurant here that bears its original name, Kingsport Grocery Co.

“This building is a downtown landmark. It needs to be brought back and filled up,” Beatty said.

The restaurant will be similar to Barley’s Taproom & Pizzeria, a chain founded by Beatty with locations in Asheville, Knoxville and Greenville, S.C.

An Asheville wood carver is at work in Charlotte:

Bill Clinton is working his way toward Asheville today as part of his whirlwind tour of the Tar Heel state. Here's a sample of what he's saying about his wife, Hillary Clinton, whom he's campaigning for:

Clinton in Kannapolis:

KANNAPOLIS --Former President Bill Clinton, during a nearly hour-long speech in Kannapolis today, had a message for people who think his wife should drop her presidential campaign: "That's a bunch of bull." Clinton pointed out that he did not sew up his party's nomination in 1992 until June. And he said his wife, Democratic Sen. Hillary Clinton, has the ability to make changes to improve people's lives. "You need change you can depend on," Clinton said to a crowd of several hundred people in the A.L. Brown High School gym. It was one of several Charlotte-area stops to support his wife's bid to be the Democrats' presidential nominee.

Clinton in High Point:

IGH POINT, N.C. — Former President Bill Clinton on Friday talked about his wife's plan to give tax credits to some college students and cited the couple's own financial hardships at Yale University. "We were young and broke, too, but we could borrow money from the government at 2 percent interest," Clinton told about 250 people at High Point University.
Hillary Rodham Clinton's plan would provide $4,500 tax credits to help some students shoulder the cost of higher education.
Bill Clinton, on a whirlwind tour of the state, said the credit could allow students to attend community college virtually free. He said the government also needs to increase Pell Grants, the nation's premier financial aid program for low-income students, to keep up with inflation.

Clinton in Greensboro:

GREENSBORO, N.C. - Former President Bill Clinton on Friday told North Carolina voters that his wife, presidential hopeful Hillary Clinton, is the only candidate helping to get health care costs under control.

Bill Clinton said the key difference between the New York senator and her Democratic opponent, Illinois Sen. Barack Obama, was in her support of universal health care coverage.

"We can never get control of costs unless we cover everybody," Clinton told about 150 people gathered at a YMCA in Greensboro, his first stop on a daylong, seven-city tour of the state.

Clinton asked how many people in the audience knew someone without health care coverage, and about half raised their hands. He nodded, responding: "Until we take care of the people that raised their hands, you can't control health care costs."

Bill Clinton is coming to town. It's not often that an ex-president comes to Ashvegas. It's a big deal. So I need your help - if you're out and about in Asheville tonight, tell me what you see and hear. If you're going, send me a pic. Tell me about your experience.

If you're not going, tell me about how you got stuck in traffic or tell me about what else is happening in town tonight.

From what I've seen and read, Bubba will speak at Asheville High School's gymnasium at 9 p.m., with doors opening at 8 p.m. There's no ticketing procedure that I'm aware of. You park at the school.

That's all I've got right now. If you see something, lemme know.

Loyal reader C writes me:

DAMN! Have you seen how fast they are working to build the new bridge over the French Broad at Long Shoals Road? A bridge to nowhere? LS Road dead ends at 191 and.... what? Nothing! 4 lane to 191? Why? Money talks here. The folks at Biltmore must be fast tracking this. A lot of money going into this project, fast too..... so who benefits? Haven't seen any of this on WLOS.... I guess they are too busy working on their audio problems...

No, I hadn't noticed. But it is interesting.

I haven't read any of this guy's books, but it might be worth checking out:

A Mars Hill College English professor who was named the "Next Great Crime Writer" by truTV (formerly Court TV) will read his new novel during an April 2 event at the college. Hal McDonald's novel The Anatomists was released March 25 by HarperCollins. A reading, sale, and signing session is scheduled for Wednesday, April 2, at 7:00 p.m., in Broyhill Chapel.

McDonald, a member of the Mars Hill College faculty since 1990, was one of more than 900 authors to submit entries in the TV network's "2007 Search for the Next Great Crime Writer" competition. His story, "A Simple Case of Revenge," was a mystery which took place in 1825 London. The grand prize included the opportunity to sign a book deal with HarperCollins. Executives there liked his story enough to move forward, which gave McDonald just six weeks to develop the short story into the novel.

The book is currently available as a mass-market paperback and e-book. It will also be offered in hardback through the Book-of-the-Month Club and the Mystery Guild Book Club.

New blogs I've encountered:

carolinamornings.com: "A blog written by the employees of Carolina Mornings Asheville Cabins. We provide a guide to Asheville and the Western North Carolina area, interesting tidbits - including dog care, and our monthly special rates on vacation rentals!"

thegraceofblakely.com: "My blog is not Asheville specific by any stretch, but I do have a habit of including some nice shots (I think) of local sites. My specific locale is up on I-26, so I'm particularly partial to distant vistas and some of the back roads in detail."

WYFF, a television station serving the Asheville market, wins a national award. Sounds like a big deal, though I have no idea for sure. Maybe I should be watching Channel 4?

Here it is:

GREENVILLE, S.C., March 27 /PRNewswire/ -- WYFF 4, a Hearst-Argyle Television station and NBC affiliate in Greenville, South Carolina, is the 2008 recipient of the broadcast industry's most prestigious national community service award. The National Association of Broadcasters Service to America Television Award recognizes one television station in the country for the totality of its efforts in serving the local community. Local television stations are judged on their commitment to excellence as evidenced by the extent and consistency of ongoing community service initiatives. "The roots of our television station are planted in serving our community through a daily commitment to excellence," said Michael J. Hayes, President and General Manager. "I am proud of our team at WYFF 4 who have embraced our mission in serving our diverse community today, leading toward a better tomorrow." WYFF 4 makes a concerted effort daily to focus on relevant issues that affect the local communities in the Carolinas and Georgia. At the core of the station's outreach is its Community Task Force program, involving monthly meetings with community leaders to discuss local issues, concerns and ideas. More than 12 years ago, WYFF 4 led the way in local public service by establishing community task force groups involving leaders from 6 upstate counties and 16 local cities.

Need a job in Asheville? Want to work for a great outfit? Here's the job listing:

Webmaster wanted to maintain and develop mountainx.com! Our system is based on the Expression Engine CMS, with additional elements in OpenAds, ZenCart and direct PHP/MySQL coding. You must be able to hand-code HTML and CSS, and be at home with phpMyAdmin, FTP, BBEdit. A strong understanding of XML a plus. You will also be responsible for web-only design work in Photoshop/ImageReady and Acrobat PDF processing.

You must be able to process and coordinate data for web updates, as well as develop new features. Team and deadline driven. Please provide examples of previous projects you've worked on with your resume.

Send cover letter, resume, references and examples of previous work to webmaster@mountainx.com

Location: Asheville, NC
Compensation: 30-36,000
Principals only. Recruiters, please don't contact this job poster.
Please, no phone calls about this job!
Please do not contact job poster about other services, products or commercial interests.

The News & Observer has the story:

GREENSBORO, N.C. - Former President Bill Clinton will make two additional stops in North Carolina during a campaign swing Friday, Sen. Hillary Clinton's campaign office announced tonight.

Campaigning for his wife, a U.S. senator from New York, Bill Clinton will visit Gastonia and Asheville in addition to previously announced stops in Greensboro, High Point, Kannapolis, Salisbury and Hickory, the campaign said in a news release.

The visit comes one week after he stumped for his wife in Charlotte and Cary.

Hillary Rodham Clinton is scheduled to campaign in Raleigh, Fayetteville and Winston-Salem on Thursday.

The timing and other details of the seven stops have not been announced.

Presidential candidates Hillary Clinton and Illinois Sen. Barack Obama have increased their appearances in the state in preparation for a May 6 primary in which 115 electoral votes are at stake.

The saga of former Buncombe County Sheriff Bobby Medford continues to unfold. We've got about a month to go before trial and there's likely more news coming.

In today's Mountain Xpress, I attempt to shed a bit more light on Medford's side of the story, a side that remains largely untold.

Here's a snippet of the story, largely told through the one person who perhaps knew Medford best - his longtime girlfriend, Judi Bell:

Since that day, Bell, 60, said she’s lived in fear, dreading another knock at her door that would signal her arrest in connection with the federal government’s corruption-and-bribery case against Medford, who’s now 62. Yet she maintains that she knows nothing about any of those alleged dealings.

In a recent interview, Bell talked for three hours about her 20-year relationship with Medford, describing a hard-working, pack-and-a-half smoker who loved animals. She talked about a “street cop” who continued to go out on calls even as sheriff. She told of time off with Medford, including trips to gamble at casinos in Nevada. And she described a man who, after his arrest, felt stripped of the thing that meant the most to him—his reputation, his name.

“If Bobby was guilty, he’d tell you,” Bell said. “He’d own up to what he did.”

When you read the story, you'll also see a copy of a letter Medford wrote to Bell while he was jailed in Caldwell County. And you'll see a second story about a number of Medford supporters, who maintain his innocence.

The Hendersonville newspaper has the story:

ASHEVILLE -- The Folk Heritage Committee announces the summer 2008 dates for two celebrated mountain traditions in Asheville: Shindig on the Green and the 81st annual Mountain Dance and Folk Festival. Both events feature old timers, as well as the newest generation of traditional and mountain string bands, ballad singers and big circle mountain dancers and cloggers, resulting in fun-filled and authentic evenings enjoyed by kith and kin of all ages.

Shindig on the Green, a free event with a stage show and informal jam sessions, takes place on Saturday evenings June 28; July 5, 12, 19; and August 9, 16, 23, 30. Locals and visitors alike gather "along about sundown," or at 7 p.m. for those who wear a watch, at Martin Luther King Jr. Park on Martin Luther King Drive. in downtown Asheville. This year Shindig on the Green kicks-off its summer season a little earlier than usual beginning instead on the last Saturday in June. Since the outdoor event's inception in 1966, hundreds of thousands of individuals from across the region and throughout the world have shared and enjoyed the rich traditional music and dance heritage of the Southern Appalachian Mountains in this outdoor setting.

The 81st annual Mountain Dance and Folk and Festival , a ticketed event at Diana Wortham Theatre at Pack Place in the heart of downtown Asheville, takes place at 7 p.m. nightly, Thursday through Saturday, July 31 through Aug. 2. The sister event to Shindig on the Green, the Mountain Dance and Folk Festival was founded by Bascom Lamar Lunsford in 1928. The nation's longest running folk festival, the Mountain Dance and Folk Festival showcases the best of the region's mountain musicians and dancers during its three evenings of indoor performances. Tickets are on sale from the Diana Wortham Theatre at Pack Place box office, 257-4530, and www.dwtheatre.com.

The non-profit Folk Heritage Committee's mission is to produce Shindig on the Green and the Mountain Dance and Folk Festival in order to support the preservation and continuation of the traditional music, dance and storytelling heritage of the Southern Appalachian Mountains.

For more information about Shindig on the Green or the 81st Mountain Dance and Folk Festival call the Folk Heritage Info Line: 258-6101 ×345, or access: www.folkheritage.org.

Here's the press release:

Students of One World Healing Arts Institute will host a benefit concert March 30th at the Garage at Biltmore. Featured performers include Laura Reed & Deep Pocket, Woody Wood & Hollywood Red, Snake Oil Medicine Show, the Archrivals, Robert Greer from Town Mountain with Friends and Cactus, a kid favorite. The benefit concert is an all-ages show, doors open at 5pm and tickets are $15 adults, $5 kids. www.owhai.com.

Asheville, NC, March 24, 2008 (PR.com) After the doors closed at NC School of Natural Healing on Riverside Drive, herb students of the school (Mountain Spirit School of Herbalism) were 1/3 of the way finished with their 1 ½ year program when their herbalism instructors promised to honor their educational contracts with limited funding. Students are grateful that their displaced community has found new vision and a new location in west Asheville at 2 Sulphur Springs as One World Healing Arts Institute (OWHAI). The students of OWHAI have organized a benefit concert made possible by Asheville’s supportive community of independent businesses and musicians on March 30th at the Garage at Biltmore. Featured performers include Laura Reed & Deep Pocket, Woody Wood & Hollywood Red, Snake Oil Medicine Show, the Archrivals, Robert Greer from Town Mountain with Friends and Cactus, a kid favorite. The benefit concert is an all-ages show, doors open at 5pm and tickets are $15 adults, $5 kids. Catering by Ophelia’s and French Broad Brewery beers will be available for purchase. Raffles from local sponsors and herbal products will be for sale. All proceeds will benefit One World Healing Arts Institute.

The One World Healing Arts Institute offers alternative educational programs and a healing clinic unique to the Appalachian Mountains and Asheville.

The Atlanta Journal Constitution has the amazing, disturbing, chilling details of the last days of Meredith Emerson at the hands of Gary Hilton. Hilton is a suspect in the death of John and Irene Bryant of Henderson County.

In the following hours and days, Emerson kept Hilton off-balance by repeatedly giving him the wrong PIN for her ATM card but assuring each time that this time the numbers were correct.

She bought time with that ploy. Three days.

"That's one thing that broke my heart in this case," Bridges said. "She was doing everything she was supposed to do to stay alive, and we didn't get there in time."

In recounting conversations with Emerson, Hilton revealed himself as a killer without shame or remorse —- and unwittingly provided testament to her resolve.

Hilton said he and Emerson camped all three nights during a spell of bitter cold.

To keep her from running away, he usually kept a chain or nylon rope around her neck and she was often tethered to a tree or inside the van. When they slept, Emerson was tied to him so he would know if she tried to escape.

Hilton claimed he tried to make Emerson comfortable, at one point saying he gave her the warmer sleeping bag because temperatures had dropped to 4 degrees. He offered her aspirin for a lingering headache that followed their fight the first day.

"I was solicitous of her ... comfort and everything else," said Hilton, seemingly oblivious to the contradiction.

Perhaps one of the most chilling details followed, as Hilton nonchalantly told Bridges, he raped Emerson that first night. He was angry she'd made him drive around from bank to bank and still had nothing to show for it.

Their second day together, Hilton set up camp in Dawson Forest, where they hiked for several hours. He insisted she was free, but he also said he told her he would shoot her and anyone around if she tried to get away.

"We took both dogs and went hiking along Shoal Creek," Hilton said. He said she was not bound while they hiked.

If she appeared to be going along with her abductor, as Hilton described, Keenan said it was only to survive. "She struggled to live," the GBI director said.

Hilton knew he was a wanted man, telling investigators he had followed the AJC's coverage of Emerson's abduction. On the day she died, Jan. 4, he was pictured on the newspaper's front page alongside a story in which police named him a "person of interest" in the Buford hiker's disappearance.

That day, Hilton said that he told Emerson "she was going home."

"I said, 'I'm giving you all your stuff back.' I had all her stuff bagged up together. I made a point of showing her."

They drove to the spot where he would kill her. On the way, they passed a law-enforcement officer.

"I waved at him," Hilton said. "It was that close."

Though a police bulletin had been issued for Hilton's van with a DeKalb County license plate, by then he had switched that tag for a stolen North Carolina tag.

"I walked her into the woods," Hilton said. He carried two sleeping bags, an air mattress "for her to sit on," two bags and a chain.

"Secured her to a tree. Walked back to the van. Kinda got myself together. Made some coffee."

Killing was difficult

When he came back to her, Hilton said with a little laugh, Emerson told him, " 'I was afraid you weren't coming back.' "

He gave her a book to read, "Cannibals and Kings: Origins of Cultures" by Marvin Harris, walked behind her as if he were going to remove the chains holding her to the tree and hit her several times with the handle from a tire jack.

Hilton both killed and decapitated Emerson in a vain effort to destroy evidence that might incriminate him.

Hilton was worried about another piece of evidence that might link him to the slaying —- Emerson's dog. She had told him the Lab-mix carried a microchip identifying it as her pet.

"If I wanted to ensure that no one would associate the dog with her, I would've killed the dog," Hilton said. "But there's no way I could do that."

When I want to know what's happening in the High Country, I go to BooneWeb.com. Love it. Then I go to Blue Ridge Blog. Then I go to the Mountain Times web site. Then I go .... well, you get the picture.

Watching homegrown Ingles Markets change over the past few years has been fascinating. The grocery store chain in recent years has gone the "bigger-is-better" route, a trail obviously blazed by Wal-Mart. In no particular order, Ingles started by building bigger stores; then Ingles got into selling gasoline and built little convenience stores to go with the gas pumps.

The newest trend for Ingles is to add garden centers to their massive shopping complexes. Here's a clue - on Monday, a city advisory group will take up the following request:

Requests by Ingles Markets for exceptions to city zoning rules so the company could put garden centers in parking lots at stores at 915 Merrimon Ave. and 1141 Tunnel Road.

The expansion isn't going over well with some folks. WLOSer Pat Simon had a decent report about controversy over the planned expansion of Ingles' Black Mountain store. The expansion includes a garden center.

Ingles representatives are proposing expansion plans for the Black Mountain store. They want to build a new garden center, add 165 parking spaces, along with a new gas station and convenience store. Some residents are worried that will take away more business from Mom & Pop stores.

I also keep hearing rumors that Ingles plans to expand its warehouse in Swannanoa. And there have been rumors that Ingles would be building a big new frozen foods warehouse on the site of the former Beacon plant. Ingles bought the site for a song after the fire several years ago. Anybody got an update?

This WLOS story by Charu caught my interest. As we all await the trial of former Buncombe County Sheriff Bobby Medford, Charu tells us that a form of video poker, which was outlawed last year, is still happening here and around the state. As you'll recall, North Carolina outlawed video poker machines in 2006 and phased them out last year.

Charu's story wasn't very well reported, but she did show us the video machines at Norton's Bar and Grill, and she mentioned a lawsuit being reported by Greensboro newspapers. She also talked to people who played the games. Good job by Charu to bring this story to our attention.

I went searching to learn more. And sure enough, I found this story by the Greensboro News & Record. Here's the meat of the story:

GREENSBORO — The man sitting at a computer terminal inside the G&S Food Mart on Lawndale Drive declines to give his name as video tumblers spin on the computer screen in front of him.

Are the video slot machines legal? Join the discussion at the Debatables blog.

No luck. The mix of sevens, cherries, bars and other symbols don't make a meaningful combination. His account balance goes down a few dimes.

According to companies that distribute the machines and software, he's playing a sweepstakes, a premium offered in exchange for buying a couple dollars' worth of long-distance service. Guilford County prosecutors agree and have dropped at least one case related to these video slot machines.

But prosecutors in Rockingham County and state Alcohol Law Enforcement officers disagree, saying the machines are illegal and their owners should be prosecuted.

"They appear to fall squarely under the prohibition of a slot machine in the North Carolina statutes," said Alan Fields, the ALE supervisor for the region including Guilford County.

Two weeks ago, ALE agents raided several businesses in Rockingham County, charging 10 people with owning illegal slot machines or allowing their operation.

Some of those Rockingham County machines were little more than desktop computers with specialized software and a reader that can scan a prepaid phone card.

Others were retrofitted video poker machines.

In Greensboro, you can find them in bars and convenience stores, as well as storefronts that have nothing but a row of computers loaded with the slot machine software.

"Each jurisdiction is looking at it," said Tom Carruthers, an assistant district attorney in Guilford County. And different prosecutors are interpreting the state's gaming law differently in relation to the machines.

"It is the perfect problem for the legislature to solve," he said.

The General Assembly banned video poker in 2006 after years of lobbying by law enforcement and the advent of North Carolina's lottery. The stand-alone terminals often found in convenience stores and bars had become notorious, and operators were frequently arrested for allowing payouts way beyond legal limits.

Those old-style machines were phased out by July 1, 2007.

Instead of bootlegging whiskey to back-room speakeasies, a new breed of video gaming operators puts their machines front and center, once again locating them in convenience stores and bars.

North Carolina law defines a slot machine as "a device where the user may become entitled to receive any money, credit, allowance, or any thing of value."

To skirt that prohibition, the new video slot operators have developed a "sweepstakes" system.

A customer buys a prepaid phone card with a few dollars' worth of long distance on it. As a premium for buying the card, one can enter what the companies making the software call a sweepstakes.

Winners of the sweepstakes are determined by playing what amounts to a slot machine video game, with any number of styles and faces.

Playing those games differs little than playing similar devices one would find in a casino. And although the typical sums are small, some prizes can run into the hundreds of dollars.

...

Other states have been taking a look at these systems.

Florida's legislature is preparing to debate legislation that would outlaw these devices, although a 1998 advisory opinion by the state attorney general would seem to indicate they are illegal already. A 2004 South Carolina Supreme Court ruling also found that such prepaid phone card schemes were illegal.

And an Aug. 1, 2007, letter by the N.C. Attorney General's office written to the Davidson County Sheriff's Office concluded the devices were illegal, as well.

"Holding the sweepstakes out as free of charge (and appending a phone card to the scheme) is a transparent effort to dodge the strictures of the General Statutes ban on slot machines and video gaming machines," wrote David Adinolfi, an assistant attorney general.

In that opinion, Adinolfi said the phone card machines do not fit under an exemption carved out by an earlier state appeals court case.

The machines' owners point to that case to say their operations are legal.

In her story, Charu mentioned an "injunction," but here's what the Greensboro paper followed up with:

HIGH POINT — For now, state agents can't shut down businesses featuring video slot machines connected to certain phone- and Internet-marketing systems, a judge ruled Friday.

However, the two companies that provide the software can't expand in North Carolina while their lawsuit against the state makes its way through his court, ordered Guilford County Superior Court Judge John O. Craig III.

And businesses that state agents closed down for using Hest Technologies or International Internet Technologies software may reopen, the judge ruled. He also said that a handful that were prevented from opening could now do so, but he cautioned the companies to limit those numbers.

Craig granted a preliminary injunction after hearing five hours of evidence and arguments — and seeing live demonstrations of the systems.

The machines, which appear to allow players to play a variety of slot machine-style games, are frequently found in bars and convenience stores. Over the past year, agents with the state Alcohol Law Enforcement Division have charged operators in Guilford, Rockingham, Alamance and Davidson counties with breaking the state's anti-gambling laws.

ALE is the law enforcement arm responsible for enforcing the state's anti-gambling laws, along with those that concern liquor and tobacco sales and sales of lottery tickets.

The two companies asked the courts March 4 for a temporary restraining order, which prohibited ALE agents from continuing raids and arrests.

Attorneys for the two companies argued Friday that their systems are legal sweepstakes. Customers get free entries when they buy phone or Internet time. They can "reveal" what they have won by asking the cashier to tell them their prize. Or they can play computer games such as Keno or Blazing 7s.

The computer games don't decide what a customer wins, which is different from the video slot machines the state outlawed, they argued.

"The bottom line," attorney Rick Coughlin said, "is this is not a game of chance. This is a way to simulate a game of chance to reveal their prize."

But Hal Askins, special deputy attorney general, and Assistant Attorney General David J. Adinolfi II argued that the machines and computers break North Carolina law. They're being used as slot machines to dispense a prize in a game of chance, Askins and Adinolfi said.

"You can't tie a valid sweepstakes to an illegal activity," Askins said.

Craig struggled to see the state's side of the argument. How, he asked, is it any different from his children going online and plugging in codes from their Pepsi or Coca-Cola caps to see if they've won a prize?

Craig wondered if the legality of such machines should even be decided by the courts.

"I think it ultimately becomes a legislative issue," he said.

The hearing drew interest from district attorneys, law enforcement agents and attorneys who came from across the state, including Union, Wake and Brunswick counties.

This is definitely a case to watch. Meantime, it looks like people will still be able to play video poker machines in Buncombe County and around the state.