What's causing a grinding sound from my driver's side front tire?

Last night I had to make a very sharp and hard turn to avoid missing my exit and this morning I noticed clear grinding sound (comparable to a knife being sharpened) coming from the left front tire area. This is a 2001 Ford Escort. It's rather sporadic but occurs sometimes when starting from a dead stop, turning or braking. The tire (which I just bought new at the end of Oct.) does not seem to be rubbing against anything and does not appear to have sustained any damage. Any ideas on what may be causing this. Any and all answers greatly appreciated.