LauraE's blog

For victims of domestic violence in Buncombe County, the process for obtaining an ex parte (temporary restraining order) is surprisingly fast, and essentially just two steps: once one fills out the necessary paperwork, a judge will review all cases twice a day. Buncombe County is blessed with judges who understand the gravity of domestic violence, something many areas still lack, and those trying to flee dangerous relationships can generally rely on the courts to grant them a temporary order until the case can later be heard in civil court.

2009 has yet to draw to a close, but one still has to scroll the mouse a while to read the full list of homicide victims names on the North Carolina Coalition Against Domestic Violence’s website. There are almost 60 names as of October, all killed by intimate partners, family members, and some bystanders who just got caught in the fray. Of those, 47 were felled by guns. The list does not include names of perpetrators who committed suicide following their crime, but if it did, the grand total would be 58.

The proposal to ban smoking in restaurants has sparked heated responses from both its supporters and detractors over the past several years. So how about a smoking gun?