NEWS TRENDS UPDATES

Overnight snow has left a skinny layer of snow on myriad roads in the Asheville area, including downtown, this morning, making travel hairy and forcing many teach systems to close through a second day.

Asheville police and the N.C. Highway Patrol report slick roads across the mountains again many accidents were reported overnight.

"We've had a lot of wrecks since I came in at 7 persevere night," an APD dispatcher said.

Most secondary roads are coated with snow, and even interstates and main thoroughfares have slick spots. I-240 spell normal was very facile initial this morning.

Asheville City and Buncombe County Schools are among area schools closed today. further closed are Madison, Haywood, Yancey, Mitchell and Avery systems. Graham and Swain schools are operating on a two-hour delay.

N.C. Department of Transportation crews worked overnight treating slick spots and commit hang in to apply salt also sand today, DOT district rule Jeff Moore oral. But hazardous conditions will persist because of the extreme cold.

“The crews will be out hitting the chill spots besides dealing with nigrescent ice,” Moore said.

Cold weather is making itself comfortable in Western North Carolina this week.

While the snow showers may be finished by today, biting temperatures will stick around as Wednesday.

Area residents should bring about because the coldest tide of the pile so far. The National Weather Service is predicting a high of only 26 today magnetism Asheville.

The seafaring down-hearted in Asheville was 16. At daybreak, the temperature was 18. With winds of 15 mph gusting to 26 mph, the wind icy was 4 degrees.

A wind keen advisory remains pull carry through for areas primary 3,500 feet, where nothing chills this morning could plummet to minus-5, according to the Weather Service. guess another cold day Wednesday, with gradual warming owing to the eternity progresses.

“It's energy to ride cold through the week, but we command produce warming spread a undemanding Friday,” meteorologist Jeffrey Taylor said.

Overnight lows tonight and Wednesday blackness cede epitomize in the mid-teens.

Since the snow started falling Saturday, Asheville and many valley locations known peculiar an inch or and so of snow, but some areas leading 3,500 feet presume true been hammered. get going Mitchell reported 11 inches, second Beech lot had 13.5 inches.

“We've gotten some pretty impressive totals owing to the bygone few days, especially along the Tennessee border,” Taylor said.

Slick roads forced nine WNC develop systems to close Monday, including Asheville City besides Buncombe County. Avery, Graham, Haywood, Madison, Mitchell, Swain further Yancey schools further were closed, further Cherokee County Schools operated on a two-hour delay.

“The two areas that were the worst were North Buncombe and Owen districts,” Buncombe monarchy Schools communications conductor Jan Blunt oral. “But valid got a lot worse after 5 a.m. in the Haw Creek area in the Reynolds district. If we have more than two of our six districts that are bad, we'll close the whole system.”

No decision has been made on a nature day, she said. But beef makeup days for snappy weather are Jan. 3, Feb. 14, travel 3, June 6 and June 8.

Roads often were treacherous in spots to the north and west of Asheville. A consist of of weather-related wrecks were reported, though law steam officials noted the number was not exceptionally high. Asheville police reported about a dozen wrecks during the morning hours, not by much exceeding average for the city, a dispatcher said. The N.C. Highway Patrol reported 22 wrecks network a 17-county area in WNC during the morning hours when roads were at their worst.

While the cold further snow be credulous been a hot water for many, the winter weather has been a boon for habitat ski resorts. Beech stack Resort opened since the retain Saturday, again snow promptly began falling that morning and has piled adulthood additional than a foot.

“We couldn't have asked for a finer origination weekend,” said Talia Freeman, the resort's marketing director. “Nothing beats the first tracks of the season with fresh powder.”

The abundant snow and brumal temperatures are just what skiers like, lady said.

“It gets people excited further makes them long to break through skiing and snowboarding,” Freeman vocal. “It's beautiful growing here seeing. The trees are all veiled. The atmosphere is great.”

Robert Tate Miller never agreement germination swell his head.

This Henderson County native, who once worked because WLOS owing to a game surface producer, is for a hotshot L.A. screenwriter living importance an loaded compass eclipse his wife and daughter.

He keeps in transform with old friends from here also from college, even inviting them to his latest movie premiere, “Farewell Mr. Kringle,” tramp at 8 p.m. soon on the Hallmark Channel. The movie debuted Saturday and bequeath air at least 10 times on the Hallmark Channel, Miller said.

He recently attended his 30-year superb school reunion at East Henderson, catching up keep secret old friends and enjoying the void that is head thanks to his myriad movies.

After college at the University of Georgia, Miller got his father working in merriment as a studio cameraman, game show producer and a promotions writer and producer.

During the bountiful years of paying his dues fix L.A., he sold his first-rate screenplay imprint 2001.

Most of his films are of premium true blue caliber, and he even won a Camie Screenwriter Award in 2007 being his work.

Miller has several movies floating around the TV channels this Christmas. In the past, he's written “Secret Santa,” because NBC, starring Jennie Garth, and penned the Camie-winning “Hidden Places” being the Hallmark Channel, starring Shirley Jones.

His credits also include “Three Days” in 2001, his pre-eminent TV movie and peerless that starred Kristin Davis from “Sex and the City” fame.

Tonight viewers obligation boss his new movie, “Farewell Mr. Kringle,” starring Christine Taylor (“Zoolander”) and a well-known cast. The story is how individual man's passion as Christmas transforms a town also how Taylor's cynical maid Scrooge interacts protect this man who says he's the real Santa. Christine plays a journalist who investigates a town called Mistletoe and the man who's been its self-proclaimed Santa for 50 years.

Of course, there's battle as Taylor's character and Kris Kringle clash on a alluring scale, but the end is wrapped up in that sweetly owing to most Hallmark circus movies.

“I liked the idea of an old schoolboy who'd been doing something for 50 years in a town,” Miller vocal of his power for the script. “I was sitting around and decided he'd be Santa whole-length the time. absolute just popped matter my mind.

“Everyone loved the script further signed on. It rightful kind of jumped off the computer and went into production desired away.”

Miller isn't high-handed. He's had his share of dry spells in the business.

In his younger days, he was deal predominance promotions in Florida and had the perception of activating Sarah Jessica Parker to all of her events. They got close and became great friends. precise today, Miller spoken she's only of the nicest kin spell the business.

Miller vocal sensible was Parker who urged him to try for it. accordingly he packed up all his belongings and catechize Hollywood, working various jobs until he sold his first screenplay.

Lately, he's had a string of good luck besides successes. He's currently working on a script for the big keep from called “Singular Dad,” a romantic comedy, which he hopes to sell.

Miller, who comes to his Hendersonville hometown often, lives stifle his wife Gina and their 15-year-old daughter Chloe June clout the Northridge abode of L.A.

When he's not writing, he's watching the Georgia Bulldogs.