So The Hangover Journals and What the Hell? are over it. They are done with politics. But in our particular neck of the blog woods, it was a hard week to avoid politics.

The sentencing of former Buncombe County Sheriff Bobby Medford grabbed the spotlight early in the week. But controversy over a Henderson County firing range, the closing of a Polk County textile mill and a firehouse wedding all made news this week, too.

Former Bier Garden manager Malcolm Knighten pleaded guilty on Sept. 22 to assault with a deadly weapon, selling an alcoholic beverage after hours and resisting a public officer — stemming from a fight with an ALE officer, according to his lawyer. He received a sentence of nonactive probation and will have to perform community service.

The Buncombe County Board of Commissioners delayed decisions on three important items — a controversial rezoning, borrowing more than $37 million and appointing new members to the county planning board — at its Oct. 7 meeting. The board also cancelled its Oct. 21 meeting, meaning that the commissioners will take up all the items at their meeting on Nov. 4 — Election Day.

Staff of Rep. Heath Shuler turned away reporters, photographers and citizens from a meeting this morning on the issue of groundwater contamination at the former CTS of Asheville site. The meeting’s location had been changed from Shuler’s Asheville office, and his staff would not reveal the new location or who was attending.

The national economy is taking a dump, and the detritus is affecting not only financial institutions, investors and taxpayers, but also the city of Asheville.

North Carolina is one of six states asked by Social Security Administration to investigate “extraordinarily high levels” of voter verifications by Social Security number instead of by state-issued identification.

Sen. Elizabeth Dole and Rep. Heath Shuler are both pressing the issue of groundwater contamination at the former site of CTS of Asheville on Mills Gap Road. Dole’s office announced that she’s written a letter to the head of the Environmental Protection Agency “demanding answers,” while Shuler’s staff is holding a meeting on the topic Thursday morning.

A federal judge on Tuesday ruled that former Buncombe County Sheriff Bobby Medford won’t have to report to prison until Oct. 28, two weeks after a scheduled back surgery. The judge also announced punishment for four men convicted in the government’s illegal-gambling investigation that snared Medford.

The sentencing of ex-Sheriff Bobby Medford‘s deputies finished this morning, as a federal judge sentenced former reserve Capt. Guy Penland to five years in prison and former Lt. Ronnie “Butch” Davis to 40 months on corruption charges.