An oil and gas production platform exploded today after a well that was connected to the platform caught fire roughly 100 miles off the central coast of Louisiana. The flames engulfed the entire vessel, forcing 13 people overboard. Luckily, all 13 people were found and rescued, and despite earlier reports claiming one person was injured, no one was hurt in the explosion. Earlier reports also said that the fire was started after an explosion, but according to officials the fire started at one of the seven wells connected to the platform, then causing the explosion. According to various reports, the platform remains on fire at this moment, but helicopters and cutters from the Coast Guard are on the way to put out the blaze. According to the owner of the platform, Houston-based Mariner Energy Inc., there was no chemical spill, but new reports have surfaced that an oil "sheen" more than a mile long can now be seen. This recent explosion comes more than four months after the Deepwater Horizon drilling rig exploded on April 20th, killing 11 people and causing one of the worst environmental disasters in U.S. history.
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An oil and gas production platform exploded today after a well that was connected to the platform caught fire roughly 100 miles off the central coast of Louisiana. The flames engulfed the entire vessel, forcing 13 people overboard. Luckily, all 13 people were found and rescued, and despite earlier reports claiming one person was injured, no one was hurt in the explosion. Earlier reports also said that the fire was started after an explosion, but according to officials the fire started at one of the seven wells connected to the platform, then causing the explosion. According to various reports, the platform remains on fire at this moment, but helicopters and cutters from the Coast Guard are on the way to put out the blaze. According to the owner of the platform, Houston-based Mariner Energy Inc., there was no chemical spill, but new reports have surfaced that an oil "sheen" more than a mile long can now be seen. This recent explosion comes more than four months after the Deepwater Horizon drilling rig exploded on April 20th, killing 11 people and causing one of the worst environmental disasters in U.S. history.
Winston-Salem native and Grand Ole Opry performer George Hamilton IV is coming to Valle Crucis this month. Hamilton will be presenting "An Evening of Friendship and Song" at Holy Cross Episcopal Church in Valle Crucis on Sunday, September 26th at 7pm. Hamilton just celebrated 50 years on the Grand Ole Opry this past February and his family has deep roots in Ashe County. A life-long friend of Holy Cross Interim Priest John Shields and several other parishioners at Holy Cross, Hamilton travels to Valle Crucis to make a joyful noise in celebration of his friendships. Hamilton earned teen-idol status back in 1956 when he recorded "A Rose and a Baby Ruth." His country hits include "Abilene" in 1963, "Truck Drivin' Man" in 1964, "Break My Mind" in 1967 and "She's A Little Bit Country" in 1970. Known as the International Ambassador of Country Music, Hamilton will share stories of the people he has met and songs he has sung while traveling the globe for the past half century. He was a frequent performer on Billy Graham's crusades and in 1974 he became the first American artist to play behind the Iron Curtain. The concert is free to the community, although donations would be appreciated, and it will be held at 7 pm on Sunday, September 26th in the sanctuary of the stone church with the red door on NC 194 in Valle Crucis. Coffee and desert will be served in the parish hall next to the church following the concert. For more information, please call the church office at 828-963-4609.
Do you remember the report of the Indonesian toddler who was smoking as many as 40 cigarettes a day? Well, two-year-old Aldi Suganda was finally checked into rehab by his mother, and according to reports, he is now heading home having kicked his addiction. The chain-smoking boy gained national attention after a CBS News team traveled to his hometown to find out if the rumors circling about this young boy were true. When the crew found him with a cigarette in hand, and saw how addicted he was, his story spread rapidly. After struggling with getting Aldi to kick the habit, his family finally checked him into rehab and sent him through multiple tests and x-rays that showed a thickening on the left wall of his heart. According to doctors, the thickening of a wall of Aldi's heart is because he's obese, so his heart has to work harder, and not from the smoking, which hasn't affected his health...yet. To help limit Aldi's nicotine withdrawal symptoms, doctors had Aldi participate in play therapy, to keep his mind occupied. Now, the true test will come as he returns to his hometown.
Have you seen this guy? His name is Alain Robert, and he is a French skyscraper climber that climbs with nothing but his bare hands and climbing shoes. Nicknamed "Spiderman," Robert took his latest climbing skills to a 57-story building in Sydney, but after finishing his climb he was promptly arrested. Robert is known for climbing some of the world's tallest and most famous buildings. The 48-year-old claims he has climbed over 70 skyscrapers around the world, including the Empire State Building, the Sears Tower and the Petronas Towers in Kuala Lumpur. But today he was arrested after his latest attempt to climb the Lumiere building in downtown Sydney. But arrests are nothing new for Robert, as many of his previous climbs have resulted in arrests and fines. He has not yet been charged yet, but last year, Robert was fined 750 Australian dollars, or $676 U.S., for climbing the 41-story Royal Bank of Scotland building in Sydney. Now, of course not wanting to see his efforts go unnoticed, Robert has his own website, complete with photos, videos, and more at www.alainrobert.com. 
Credit card users may want to check their bills. Credit card companies have begun spiking interest rates on credit cards to make up for their losses in late fees. After new rules were put in effect to protect you with how much you are charged in late fees, banks have pushed credit card rates up. According to a research company, Synovate, interest rates on existing credit cards has reached its highest level in nine years at 14.7 percent. That increase marks the largest gap in twenty two years between credit card interest and the prime rate. The new rules that were put into effect are being blamed for the high interest rates, now that credit card companies can not charge more than a 25 dollar late fee and can not charge a fee greater than that if the minimum payment due is under 25 dollars.With these new rules, credit card companies can no longer raise interest rates to recover loses without at least 45 days notice, and if you have reached the limit on your credit card, your purchase will be denied, instead of making you pay an overdraft fee. Credit card companies are required to notify you if they are raising your rates, but professionals say that the best response is not to close you account. Your credit score can be lowered by closing your account, so instead of getting rid of your credit card, officials tell the public to just not use them, or use them very scarcely because due to the new rules, credit card companies can no longer charge you inactivity fees.
The Hospitality House held their annual free luncheon today to celebrate 25 years of service to the homeless in the High Country. The community luncheon was held at the Broyhill Inn and Conference Center from about 11:30am to 1pm. The festivities included representatives from the Hospitality House informing guests about the Hospitality House's history, current programs, services, and future goals. The luncheon also featured the latest news on the progress of the new facility that is being built, and had featured guest Lynn Donahue. The celebration also featured a testimonial from a resident of Hospitality House's transitional housing program who came to the shelter at the lowest point in his life. With determination, he has worked diligently with staff who are helping him become a successful member of the community again. And of course, the luncheon featured some great, and free, food that included bread, chicken salad, fruit, sweet tea, and chocolate chip cookies. The 5th Annual Food and Shelter for Hope Luncheon was made possible by support from various community sponsors and helped get the word out about what the non-profit crisis intervention agency does, and how to get involved. If you would like more information about the luncheon or the Hospitality House, please call 828-262-3461. 
How's this for a discovery? Princeton geosciences professor Adam Maloof and graduate student Catherine Rose may have found the oldest record of life on Earth. The two found fossils from Australia that reportedly show animal life on Earth that began at least 650 million years ago, which is 70 million years earlier than previous estimates. The researchers found the fossils while they were researching a massive ice age that left most of the planet covered in ice 635 million years ago, according to Princeton University scientists. Scientists originally thought that life couldn't have survived the ice age, but after inspecting a glacial deposit in south Australia, they found the fossils of the sponge-like ocean reef animals. The animals are referred to as "sponge-like" by researchers because records show them having a network of internal canals, likely for filtering food from seawater as sponges do. Until the discovery, the earliest fossilized record of sponges had been 520 million years ago, and the earliest fossils of hard-bodies animals dated to 550 million years ago, according to scientists.
A Charlotte man is making a name for himself on HD Theater. C.R. Gitterre will be featured in the upcoming show of Man TT 2010, premiering August 23 at 9 PM on HD Theater. The show will feature Gitterre with four other Americans and dozens of other riders from across the globe in The Isle of Man Tourist Trophy, the world's oldest motorcycle race. Gitterre has plenty of experience though, having competed in all five solo classes aboard his GEICO Powersports-sponsored Suzuki bikes. This was his second trip to the Isle of Man TT and first year using his own equipment. The Isle of Man Tourist Trophy is the world's oldest and longest motorcycle race, where racers circumnavigate the Isle of Man on its death-defying 37-mile course of bends, bumps, jumps, stone walls, manhole covers and telegraph poles, traveling villages and climbing a mountain of farmland and cliffs. It's known as one of the most challenging motorcycle races on Earth due to its epic road course, which features 3, 4, or 6, laps with 250 turns, where about 240 of those turns are blind and taken in excess of 100 mph. And now, for the first time ever, high definition cameras have been installed on the bikes, enabling viewers to take every wild turn right there with the racers, as well as watch the "super slo-mo" camera that provides stunning shots from the most picturesque jumps. The race will be part of HD Theater's 9-part coverage, ISLE OF MAN TT 2010, starting on Monday, August 23 at 9 PM on the Discovery Chanel. If you would like more information about the race, which has seen records of 130 mph lap averages, and 210 mph top speeds, you can visit www.dhd.discovery.com.
Well, one automaker finally had some good news come their way, but in the midst of a profitable quarter, they also lost their CEO. General Motors announced that they posted their second straight profitable quarter today, but in addition to the positive news, GM's CEO Ed Whitacre announced that he is retiring effective September 1st. The move means the company will move onto their fourth CEO in under 18 months. Former CEO of Nextel and a GM board member for just over a year, Daniel Akerson, will take over for Whitacre. GM, which is the number one automaker in U.S. sales, reported earnings of $1.3 billion for the quarter, resulting in the best quarter in six years for the company. The result for the quarter is a huge turnaround from a year ago when they lost $12.9 billion and went into bankruptcy. Revenue reached $33.2 billion, up 5 percent from the first quarter and 44 percent from a year ago. GM saw their biggest revenue improvement in its North American automotive operations, raking in $1.6 billion, which is a 31 percent increase from the first quarter, and a large turnaround from the $3.4 billion loss there in the last three months of 2009. The car company also saw it's European operating loss cut to $160 million, and with the second straight profitable quarter, it means the company can begin selling stock shares, which it plans to do within the next few days.
Well, we all enjoy our summer vacations, but let's face it, it's hard to find the time to take days off and vacations can be expensive. Those factors, coupled with many people unemployed and tight on money, has forced people to get creative to be able to take vacations. A popular method that is beginning to take the country by storm is mini-vacations, or day-cations. Cost-conscious travelers have begun looking for shorter, less expensive vacations this year, and it doesn't seem to be slowing down. According to a survey by American Express, 80 percent of travelers were trying to trim costs for summer vacations by driving instead of flying and looking for deals. But American Express isn't the only company noticing the new trend, and Americans aren't the only ones cutting back. A Gallup poll showed that 4 in 10 European residents cut their vacations in 2009. To save money, people have begun to use their frequent flier miles, and choose cheaper hotel options as opposed to big, expensive accommodations. Many hotels have begun to catch on to this change in vacation plans, and that's why experts say to look out for deals out there, such as "stay four nights, get a fifth free," because even though they are designed for you to spend more money at the hotel, they might be a great deal.
