Josh Shaffer stories from Raleigh, NC

Josh Shaffer

Shaffer: The day it rained blood in Chatham County

The community of Bells near Jordan Lake is thought to be the approximate location of the farm where a blood shower was reported in 1884.

In 1884, a sharecropper near modern Jordan Lake reported red droplets descending over a Chatham County farm, inviting scientific inquiry from UNC.

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JOSH SHAFFER

Shaffer: Skeleton of young boy still unnamed, unclaimed after 15 years

Somebody dumped the body of a 10- or 12-year-old child on Industrial Drive outside of Mebane, and after 15 years, nobody has come looking for him.
JOSH SHAFFER

Shaffer: Elizabeth Cotten's 'Freight Train' celebrated in Carrboro

After countless guitar students have built their chops on Elizabeth Cotten's songbook, she gets a permanent landmark in Carrboro pointing out the street where she strummed her first chord.
JOSH SHAFFER

Shaffer: Searching for Rockefeller at Carvers Creek, newest state park

Land near Spring Lake is the only state park in Cumberland County and features the haunt of a rich banker who lived to be 102.
JOSH SHAFFER

Shaffer: Man finds stuffed turkey abandoned on Zebulon road

Somebody spent a lot of money for a beautifully mounted turkey gobbler -- and then let it fall off a truck.
JOSH SHAFFER

Shaffer: Mystery sheep delights, puzzles Durham neighborhood

During the past week, Bubba the wandering Barbados-Mouflon sheep has scotched every attempt to tranquilize, lasso, net and otherwise snare his bearded, big-horned body – a cloven-hoofed folk hero living like he busted out of the zoo.
JOSH SHAFFER

Shaffer: He was born in Tryon Palace barn, proud of it

Bob Kennel, 77, is the only living human being to be born in Tryon Palace, the colossal colonial mansion where our royal governors once sipped claret, raising taxes for fun. To be precise, Kennel got his start in the palace horse stable - the only structure to survive the fire of 1798 and persist...
JOSH SHAFFER

Shaffer: Hanging death a mystery in Fletcher Park

The call reached Thomas Austin early on a Sunday, bringing news a father dreads most. Police found his son dead that morning, hanging from a tree by his own belt.
JOSH SHAFFER

Shaffer: NC State scientists brew brainy beer

The idea at NC State University is to train the eyes of science onto North Carolina’s brewing trade, which now produces more than 6 million barrels a year and sparks envy nationwide.
JOSH SHAFFER

Shaffer: Crushed by the teenage Scrabble king

I challenge Andy Hoang, young Scrabble champion fresh from the tournament in Las Vegas, and lose with a few shreds of dignity intact.
JOSH SHAFFER

Shaffer: Armadillos invade NC, challenging possums for roadkill title

Biologists believe the armored mammal has appeared in at least 10 counties, mostly along the state’s southern border.