arodonfox's Blog

Lakeside property for $12.00 a night! Need I say more. At Uwharrie- you can camp, fish, enjoy Lake Badin. There are miles and miles of trails to hike or ride O-H-V's and mountain bikes. There's a shooting range. Creeks for gold panning. There's even a horse camp. It's very diverse. Short of bad weather, I can't imagine not having a good time there. I think you could make a lot of memories without having to part with too much money.

Uwharrie is over 50, 000 acres. So even though it's only about an hour and half drive from the Piedmont- it'slike stepping into another world. It's very peaceful. If you want to rent a campsite, I highly recommend making reservations.  I imagine in the near future, I'll be going back... not to work... but to enjoy myself. Though, I have to admit, it was a fun assignment.

It caused quite a stir, but I chose to play in the youth baseball league instead of the girls softball league. I was the only girl in my league. It was akward, but I was a tom-boy and I wanted to play with the boys. We played everyday at school anyway. 

Khalil Greene- the SS for the Padres was in my Kindergarten class. He was nice enough to always pick me for whatever sport the class was playing that day. Eventhough, I was girl, he never picked me last.  I've been called A-ROD ever since I can remember.

Baseball didn't last that long. My father and I were practicing, and he accidentally drilled me in the mouth. I decided to play softball, the next year. Little secret, I actually broke my nose in high school playing softball. Like my buddy Khalil, I was a short stop. I would've been a second baseman on a good team

In response to the family crying foul in Davidson County. Their daughter signed up to play baseball and that's what she should get to play. If enough girl's didn't sign up for the softball league, she shouldn't be penalized. Likewise, if a boy wants to sign up to play softball, I think he should get to play with his age group.

Right now you can own as many cats and dogs in High Point as you'd like. That could change if Councilman Mike Pugh has his way. Mr. Pugh is an animal lover and has been contacted by DOZENS of residents regarding possible cases of animal cruelty and neglect. We get the same calls at the station. 

To put a stop to irresponsible owners, he says the city needs to consider a pet ordinance that would limit the number of animals per household. Now before you get all hot and bothered, understand, most of the city will be grandfathered in. No one will have to give away their beloved pets. Pugh says he doesn't want to penalize responsibe pet owners. He wants to set guidelines so that people who have more than the limit, will be subject to inspections to ensure the safety of the animals. Responsible pet owners shouldn't have a problem with this.

I have 2 cats, and a puppy. It's hard work keeping them feed and the house clean. I interviewed a gentleman today that has 20 dogs. How you take care of 20, I'll never know, because I'll never have that many animals. His dog's are causing controversy on Innes Street. Neighbors say he doesn't take good care of them. He's been cited by the city as a public nuisance for failing to dispose of the pet waste in his front yard. He doesn't breed the animals for profit. They're all strays he's taken in. I think he's doing the best he can to take care of them. However, I wouldn't want him to take care of my animals if I went out of town.

Are you pro pet or pro choice? Do you think the city should be able to tell us how many pets we can have?

I take good care of my animals. If I had 7 and the limit was 5. I'd have no problem paying for a kennel license (about $20.00 a year) and I'd welcome random inspections.

People keep stopping me in the street to ask me about this story. I've had radio stations across the country trying to get in touch with me. Here's the deal. A greensboro couple was romancing, when a man broke into the apartment and let himself into their bedroom and crawled under the bed. The lights were off, so the couple didn't notice the intruder. They thought the dog had crawled under the bed. Twenty minutes later, they heard more noises under the bed... and it wasn't the beagle!      

The boyfriend looked under his bed and found a 20 year old hispanic man with his pants down and a 6 pack of beer. He pulled him out by his throat and "beat him left and right." Once the cops arrested him, the guy admitted to looking into 8 other houses in Greensboro and staring over bathroom stalls at the Walmart on Wendover Avenue. He told police it was his first time ever breaking in. The scary part is he told police, he broke into the apartment plannning to spend the night. He had no idea it was the boyfriend's apartment. He saw the woman go in by herself hours earlier.

Lesson here is be very careful!!! None of the previous victims had any idea they were being watched. Police are still in the process of notifying them. This couple had a dog... a.k.a. built in alarm system. The kitchen windows weren't locked, that's how he got in.

Like most people, I heard about the raid at Horton's Pups in Virginia and assumed it was shut down. After all, the authorites moved in. Well, that is not the case. He can still sell puppies and it's perfectly legal. We got a tip and decided to check it out.

Chris Weaver (one of the finest photojournalists at FOX8) and I were paired up for the task. He wore the undercover camera on his chest, wrapped up in an ace bandage. He's very crafty. I call him McGyver. 

We were invited to the facility, after I answered an ad in the Charlotte Observer.  We went up there and did the "good" cop "bad" cop routine. I wanted the puppy. He wanted a bigger dog. So we got to talking, and next thing you know the assistant led us into a restricted area. It was a behind the scene look at how a puppy mill works. We saw several cages with small breed dogs in them. I remember thinking to myself, why on earth would you have dogs outside in this. There was 3-4 inches of snow on ground. It was 30 degrees.  Most all of the water dishes were frozen. At least one of the dogs was PREGNANT. We didn't see any blankets for them or heat. We took our video to a Veternarian in High Point and he was almost speechless.

In doing the story, we spoke to countless people who were outraged that nothing has been done to put this kennel out of business. We went to the Commonwealth Attorney for answers the 23rd of January. All he could say was he was on the verge of bringing charges. He watched our undercover video and had a lot of questions for us. We'll see if more charges are pending. The lone Animal Control officer was also invited to see our video. Turns out he hadn't been back to the facility, since the November raid. We asked why, he said he was to busy. He's the only officer and he gets calls everyday.

The kennel's owner, Lanzie Horton Jr. is currently licensed to have 200 dogs over 4 months old, and unlimited puppies. His assistant let it slip, that there was another farm where they breed dogs.  So how many dogs he has is up for debate. We weren't able to get on that farm. Animal Control hasn't been there either. When we were confronted by the Horton's father, he made it clear that they are not going to stop breeding dogs. He said if they shut one kennel down, they'll open another one in a different family member's name. Horton said they lost 4-5 HUNDRED THOUSAND DOLLARS WORTH OF DOGS in the November raid. Why would they shut down? The Horton's do not believe they are doing anything wrong. It's a business. They don't see these dogs as pets, they see them as a product.

Animal activists are outraged, but until the laws change, puppy mills can and will thrive all over the country. It's up to the consumer to spot a puppy mill and not support it. Thursday, in another special report, we'll teach you how to spot a puppy mill. A Greensboro family learned the hard way. If you have any puppy horror stories, tell us.

A private contractor has been spotted in Archdale pumping thousands of gallons of water from a fire hydrant into it's trucks. It's legit. The water is purchased from the City of Archdale for construction use along the I-74/311corridor. The city is under voluntary water restrictions, but the same rules do not apply to contractors working for the state to build new highways.

A worker told us everyday the company uses about 30 thousand gallons of water. The average household uses a 100 gallons a day. 

Here's another interesting tidbit: The city of Archdale buys it's water from High Point and Davidson Water Inc. So taxpayers all over the Piedmont are paying for what some may consider a double standard. High Point is 2-3 weeks away from mandatory restrictions.

The D-O-T says it uses water from existing ponds, streams, and creeks on site. After that it's up to the contractor to buy water. While water restrictions have never applied to the contractors building highways... officials at D-O-T say that doesn't mean it won't happen. What do you think? 

America is addicted to crime dramas. Shows like CSI, Law and Order, and The Closer draw millions of viewers each week. No matter how bizarre the crime or how many intangibles investigators encounter, the guilty party is caught and goes to jail. It's an action packed hour of drama and suspense. Viewers see homicide detectives collect evidence, interview suspects, re-create scenarios with hi-tech equipment, and "put a rush" on lab results. Law and Order even mixes in the trials and tribulations of attorneys. In an hour, the investigation is solved, and the suspect is tried in court.... all in an hour.

 In the real world, we know things don't happen that fast. Or do we? While we're intellegent people, there's a part of brain that sees DNA results come back in 10 minutes, so clearly every department with a crime scene investigation unit must have it's own lab filled with attractive, intellegent, officers with perfect hair and tight fitting clothes. We know better, but real life investigators I've spoken with here in the Piedmont tell me b/c of these shows, people expect instantaneous results. The detectives we don't see on TV call it, "The CSI effect."

It can be heartbreaking. Because of the nature of the industry, I meet people at their worst. They've just had a loved one murdered, or they've been the victims of a crime. I hear their stories, and I hear what investigators have learned.  As investigators try and figure out "who done it," the grieving families are beside themselves. They want answers. They don't understand why things are taking so long. How can the SBI lab in Raleigh be backed up for months on end? Waiting for DNA results can play terrible tricks on the mind. As logical humans, we try and reason why things happen. So the brain creates every possible scenario, suspect, and outcome. It's emotional torture and it happens to every family that loses someone and has seen a "crime drama." 

It's human nature. Even as a reporter, I catch myself trying to play CSI with some of the questions I ask detectives. The answer is always the same, "You know I can't tell you that." No matter what side your on, waiting for answers is always the hard part.

For the last 2 days, we've been covering a possible High Point Road revitilization in Greensboro. My question is do you think the city should buy property to jumpstart the revitilization or clean up the area first? Is it the chicken or the egg sort of debate? Or can you do both at the same time?

In the dictionary, the literal definition of the word hero is "a person of distinguished courage or ability, admired for their brave deeds and noble qualities."  On Saturday, Spc. Ebe F. Emolo, of Greensboro was killed in combat. He wasn't born in this country, but he is an American hero. My assignment today was to learn about him so I could tell his story to the public. Before joining the Army in 2005 and serving in the 73rd Cavalry Regiment, 3rd Brigade Combat Team with the 82nd Airborne Division, Emolo worked as a security officer at the  Women's Hospital in Greensboro.

He fled a worn torn country (Africa) for this one. His former supervisor, Floyd Rollins says, "after obtaining his citizenship in this country, he decided he needed to give back." Saturday, he gave his life. He and 3 other soldiers from his unit were on patrol just south of Baghdad when a roadside bomb exploded. Rollins says before he left to join the Army he told him he just wanted to be a good soldier. I'm still trying to wrap my mind around how a person not born here would be willing to risk their life for people who might not even look him in the eye because English isn't his first language. What an awesome sacrifice.

Like Spc. Emolo, my brother was a "good" soldier. A master sergeant in the Dela Force. I was being a "good" sister when I answered the door bell (2/21/91) only to be greeted by a tall, stone faced soldier, in full military dress asking for my father using his full name. Since there wasn't a Chaplin, I thought maybe my brother was hurt and we could drive to Iraq and get him. I was only 11, but I was pretty sure my dad could be the Terminator, my uncle could be Rambo, I could drive, and together we could find my brother and bring him back safe.  I immediately called my parents, and my uncle. By the time they arrived home, I had suitcases packed. I didn't get to answer the door when the soldier returned but I still remember everything about that day... what I was wearing, what I had for lunch, my father's reaction. I had never seen him cry before. 

Thousands of families have shed the same tears. While you know the dangers of War. I think the only way you can sleep at night or even function is because you convince yourself that it won't happen to your loved one. My family found comfort in the fact that my brother died doing what he loved to do. Soldiers train for battle. In the military, there is no higher honor than to die in the line of duty.