Note: A fresh Answer Man column will publish Wednesday. Before then, enjoy this classic column that appeared Aug. 13, 2012, with an update from Aug. 27, 2012.
I don't know about you, but I sure could go for a thunderstorm.
They've been so far and few between this summer. Please, fall, come early this year.
Of course, I never tire of your burning questions. Let's get to them, along with my smart-aleck responses and the real deal.
Question: Over the last year, I have witnessed a dog riding in a shopping cart at a local grocery store. The first time I mentioned it to the manager, he said he would take care of it. A few months later it happened again, and the manager apologized and said he would take care of it. The third time it happened, the manager said he thought it was a service dog, so they had to allow it. Is this true? I have no problem with service dogs being in places that other dogs are not allowed, but to allow one to sit in a grocery cart where people put their food seems unsanitary. If it is true, then perhaps the store should designate a cart for this lady and her dog.
My answer: Call me crazy, but I worry more about what the people leave behind in the carts. Seriously, you ever think about what's in that toddler's diaper? The one who was just sitting on the little plastic platform your bananas are sitting on? You're welcome ...
Real answer: After further prodding, I found out this was occurring at the Ingles in the Reynolds community.
Ingles Markets Chief Financial Officer Ron Freeman checked into it.
"Service animals are very important to the individuals who use them, and we want to be as helpful as possible," Freeman said. "We are making arrangements to have a specific buggy for this person to use so there is no confusion in the future."
Question: When at an intersection with a right arrow light that is red, are you supposed to wait until the arrow turns green or can you turn right on red? I think the red arrow says you must wait but I've had people honk at me from behind because I didn't go ahead and turn.
My answer: Just honking? No hand gestures or bumper taps? Man, Asheville is getting so tame.
Real answer: "As long as you stop, you can turn right on red, as long as there's no sign that says, 'No right on red,'" said Jennifer Hodge, office assistant at the N.C. Highway Patrol's Asheville office.
Real real answer: Infallibility, apparently, is not my strong suit.
A couple of weeks ago I fielded a question about traffic lights with a red arrow and whether you can make a right on red on them. I talked to the Highway Patrol, and a worker there said you may indeed, unless a sign specifically prohibits right on red.
Wrong.
An alert reader, as well as Asheville Transportation Director Ken Putnam, let me know this is incorrect.
You can make a right on a red circle light, after stopping, if it's not prohibited by a "No turn on red" sign. But if you've got the red arrow, that means to stop until the light turns green, Putnam said.
"If you asked 15 police officers about this, you'd probably get about half answering each way," Putnam said, noting that confusion abounds on the topic and the state has done little to clear it up. "There was no education campaign."
Now, let's move on to the latest batch of burning answers, my smart-aleck responses and then what I hope will be flawless answers.
Question: I regularly get phone solicitations from the Asheville Firefighters Association and the Fraternal Order of the Police. I usually donate. I wonder though, what percentage of what I donate stays in our community and goes for a good cause? What is the good cause? The FOP (I have a sticker to announce that I am a VIP Supporter!) phone rep said his organization needed the money to sponsor events for needy children. Is that true?
My answer: I have a sticker that says, "If it ain't King James, it ain't Bible." Hey, that's just how I roll.
Real answer: Rondell Lance, president of the Fraternal Order of Police, said they hire a company that spends about three months making the phone solicitations. Those employees stay in local hotels, eat locally and otherwise stimulate the local economy, but mainly they raise money for FOP.
FOP gets about 60 percent of funds raised, and the company keeps 40 percent. Last year that meant the FOP got about $20,000 to use on a variety of programs, including support of Salvation Army and Boys and Girls club activities, a Little League baseball team, an Explorer Post for youngsters interested in law enforcement, support of Special Olympics, a Christmas toy buying program called "Shop with a Cop" that provides gifts for 12-24 children, and a summer camp program.
The FOP also sometimes uses some funds to help officers in need. All officers pay dues to the FOP.
"We would rather not have to use the phone solicitors, but right now the officers' dues are not enough to fund those projects," Lance said.
Scott Mullins, president of the Firefighters Association, said it raises its money mainly through two concerts. Over the last year, that was about $50,500, but Mullins said he was not sure of the breakdown of how much the fundraising company gets and what the association keeps. The company sells concert tickets through telemarketing.
The association uses the money for these programs: The Burnout Fund (a $250 donation to families in the region burned out of their homes); Fire Escape fire safety and education program aimed at middle schoolers; Fire Prevention week, an education program for second-graders; purchase of a fire safety trailer used in education programs; support for smoke detector programs, a $2,000 donation to the Red Cross; paying for fire coloring books in city schools; training opportunities for firefighters; and a donation to the St. Baldrick's Foundation event to help children with cancer.
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Classic Answer Man: Right turn on red arrow? Shopping cart dogs? - Citizen Times
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