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Four Seasons Politics

LIGHTNING EDITORIAL: We still don't get the $20M training center

Henderson County Four Seasons Politics

'Phew! What a firestorm,' McDonald says of fuss over protest remarks

Sheriff Charlie McDonald is not reaching for a broom to sweep away the controversy over his remarks about protests.   Read Story »

Henderson County Four Seasons Politics

With new sign, county officially trusts God

Henderson County now officially proclaims that it trusts God, thanks to new 10-inch black letters on its most prominent public building.   Read Story »

Henderson County Four Seasons Politics

Local activists encouraged after meeting with Tillis aide

Leaders of Hendersonville's Progressive Organized Women said they were encouraged that they were able to meet with a top aide to U.S. Sen. Thom Tillis to discuss their concerns about national issues.   Read Story »

Henderson County Four Seasons Politics

McGrady files HB2 repeal

State Rep. Chuck McGrady, plunging into the most controversial issue in North Carolina politics over the past year, joined three other legislators in filing a bill to repeal HB2, the measure that has cost the state thousands of jobs and caused sports leagues to pull high-profile games and tournaments.   Read Story »

Henderson County Four Seasons Politics

Meadows moves to South Asheville

U.S. Rep. Mark Meadows has been a resident of South Asheville since last summer even though his official website biography still lists his home as Jackson County.Meadows and his wife, Debbie, are renting an apartment in South Asheville while they look for a home in the area. The third-term Republican registered to vote in Buncombe County on Aug. 5. “We’d had our house on the market for a long time. It finally sold,” Meadows told the Franklin Press, for a story it published on Jan. 20. “We’re renting until we figure out where we ultimately want to go.”The couple sold their Glenville home and surrounding 5.96 acres in an exclusive gated community in June for almost $1.3 million, the Franklin Press reported. The couple moved to Western North Carolina in the mid-1980s from Tampa, Fla., and lived in Highlands until about 2003, when they moved to southern Jackson County.The move puts the third-term congressman close to the district headquarters in Hendersonville and near the center of the 11th Congressional District, which stretches from Catawba County to the Tennessee line.“If they were going to pick me up it was an hour and half drive,” he said of the time the district aides spent shuttling him home from the Asheville Regional Airport. “It allows me really to fit in a few more constructive meetings. I essentially pick up another three hours of work time.”     Read Story »

Henderson County Four Seasons Politics

LOCAL BRIEFS: Business courses, top banker, controlled burn, GOP

Professional Development courses offered at BRCC The Professional Development Institute at Blue Ridge Community College will offer classes in coaching, team building, human resources and other business topics. Class instructors at PDI represent a host of local, national, and international business experience.Participants may attend classes individually or in series for receipt of leadership development certificates. The spring lineup offers classes required for the Leading Others Certificate. Summer and fall classes will reflect the Strategic Leadership Certificate and Leading from the Inside Out Certificate respectively. Classes are offered on both the Henderson and Transylvania campuses of BRCC and can be delivered at a specific business location upon request. The classes: • Effective Teams – Thursday, March 9, from 9 a.m. to 4 p.m.: Learn key characteristics of effective teams and strategies to build high performance work teams. Understand how to establish clear direction, roles and responsibilities, communication processes, rewards and accountability and decision-making processes that foster teamwork. Learn to cultivate a culture that promotes collaboration and inspires innovation. Understand the stages of team development and how to help your team progress through each. • SHRM Exam Prep – Feb. 20 to May 15: The Society for Human Resources Management (SHRM) sanctions Blue Ridge Community College as an official SHRM college. BRCC offers SHRM approved courses that prepare HR professionals for SHRM certifications. BRCC courses equips HR professionals with the necessary tools to play a strategic role in their HR departments; stay abreast of ever-changing laws, innovative strategies, and current labor practices; and successfully manage HR departments based on four pillars of professional skills. • Leadership Excellence presented by the world-renowned Disney Institute – Wednesday, May 3, from 8:30 a.m. to 4:30 p.m.: Adapt time-tested Disney business insights to assess and improve your organization. Identify the personal and organizational values that drive you as a leader to carry out your organization's vision. Establish an alignment of personal values and organizational values to enthusiastically support your organization’s vision. Understand a leader’s values-infused role in operationalizing culture-building and team support. Develop strategies to sustain your organization’s values and vision during turbulent times as well as good times. Build your own personal legacy as a leader. For more information, visit www.blueridge.edu/pdi or call (828) 694-1779. UCB banker honored for landing mortgages Carolyn Swanner, of United Community Bank in Hendersonville, was among eight individuals and six branch teams recognized for outstanding performance during the fourth quarter of 2016. She was recognized as top mortgage producer. The bank’s top performing individuals and branch teams were honored Jan. 18 at UCB’s Sales and Service Champion luncheon in Hiawassee, Ga. Based in Blairsville, Ga., United Community Banks Inc. (NASDAQ: UCBI) has $10.7 billion in assets and operates 139 offices in Georgia, North Carolina, South Carolina and Tennessee. U.S. Forest Service plans controlled burns The U.S. Forest Service plans to conduct controlled burns in Pisgah National Forest and other national forests in North Carolina over the next several months.The agency will notify the public when the decision is made to conduct controlled burns in the area. Burning days are changeable because the proper weather conditions are needed. Controlled burning will only occur when environmental conditions permit; wind and relative humidity are key factors in fire behavior, safety and smoke control. A scheduled burn may be cancelled that morning if conditions are not within the expected values.Trails and roads may be closed the day before the controlled burn for firefighter and public safety. The public is asked to heed signs posted at trailheads and roads and to stay away from burn areas and closed roads and trails.Controlled burning is an important and versatile forest management tool that can mimic natural fire disturbances and safely reduce hazardous fuels buildup. Reducing fuels is key to limiting wildfire growth. During the historic fire season of last fall, some fires were quickly extinguished because of previous controlled burning that had occurred in those areas.Controlled burns are thoroughly planned and analyzed by a team of specialists to ensure that wildlife, fisheries, rare plants and historic sites are not harmed. Burned areas can be unsightly at first; however, the forests will green up in a matter of months. Republican Men’s Club hears about youth mentors The Henderson County Republican Men’s Club will meet at 7:30 a.m. Wednesday, Feb. 22, at the Moose Café in the Wal-Mart shopping center. All registered Republicans, both men and women, are invited to attend. Speakers are Kent Parent, principal of Balfour Education Center, and Sheriff Charlie McDonald. Parent will discuss the Career Academies at Balfour, which are open to all Henderson County students. McDonald will discuss the role and need for youth mentors and the influence mentors have had in his own life. For more information call 828-329-4971 or e-mail noirs@aol.com. Judge Brooks to speak at Republican breakfast Henderson County District Court Judge Athena Brooks will be the guest speaker at the Republican breakfast at 7:30 a.m. Saturday, Feb. 18, at the Fireside restaurant on Sugarloaf Road.   Read Story »

Henderson County Four Seasons Politics

McGrady's class-size fix cruises in 114-0 vote

State Rep. Chuck McGrady on Thursday celebrated a rare victory for a substantive piece of lawmaking — a unanimous vote by the House for a bill that rolls back the Legislature’s budget-busting class-size requirement.   Read Story »

Henderson County Four Seasons Politics

Lecture series explores world affairs

Blue Ridge Center for Lifelong Learning and Blue Ridge Community College again co-host the Great Decisions lecture series to promote international awareness of world issues through nonpartisan briefings and expert presentations on a variety of subjects. Sponsored by the National Foreign Policy Association and the Asheville World Affairs Council, the lectures are held 10-11:30 on Wednesday mornings at the Thomas Auditorium at BRCC. Cost is $40 for all six lectures or $10 each and may be paid at the door. No preregistration is necessary. For further information, call the BRCLL office at 694-1740 or email Terri Wallace at tk_wallace@blueridge.edu.Lecture dates, topics and speakers are: Feb. 15 – Conflict in the South China Sea with Jim Lenburg Emeritus professor of History at Mars Hill University. The South China Sea is a locus of competing territorial claims, and China it’s most vocal claimant. Beijing’s interest has intensified disputes with other countries in the region in recent years, especially since China has increased its naval presence. Despite rising international pressure, including an unfavorable ruling by the International Tribunal for the Law of the Sea, China staunchly defends its policies in the region. Preventing tensions from boiling over is a matter of careful diplomacy. Feb. 22 - Nuclear Security with Rick Devereaux, a career Air Force officer and student of Department of Defense military strategy. Nuclear nonproliferation was a top priority for the Obama administration. While the Iran deal was a diplomatic victory toward this end, major threats persist from both state and non-state actors. In a fractious world, which is way forward for U.S. nuclear security policy? March 1 - Saudi Arabia in Transition with Larry Wilson, past president of Marietta College in Ohio and provost at UNC-A who served on the planning and design team to establish the first women’s university, Zayed University, in the United Arab Emirates. As Saudi Arabia struggles to adjust to the drastic decline in oil revenue, Deputy Crown Prince Mohammad bin Salman attempts to boldly transform the country and shift more power to the younger generation. At the same time, many countries such as the U.S. point out the lack of democracy, women’s rights and human rights in Saudi Arabia and blame its promotion of Wahhabism, an extremely conservative version of Islam, for creating jihadists. Bipartisan criticism of Saudi Arabia is rising in Congress. Both countries need each other, but they are at a crossroads in bilateral relations. March 8 – U.S. Foreign Policy and Petroleum with Jennifer Schiff, International Relations political scientist at Western Carolina University. What is the effect of U.S. petroleum security on foreign policy? For 45 years, the country has alternated between periods of energy security and insecurity, sometimes able to wield petroleum as a useful instrument of foreign policy, sometimes not. Despite the so-called “energy revolution,” the U.S. today is by no means disentangled from foreign dependence and global trends. In order to be successful, policymakers must recognize both petroleum security circumstances and patterns in the relationship between petroleum and foreign policy. March 15 - Trade and Politics with Julie Snyder, former Commerce Department official who has had wide experience in State Department trade negotiations and monitoring. The U.S. political mood toward trade has gone sour. One need look no further than the 2016 presidential contest for the popular narrative: trade means that China wins, at America’s expense. But do the numbers support that conclusion? The metrics used to gauge economic strength—Gross Domestic Product and balance of trade—have not kept up with the realities of modern manufacturing.   Read Story »

Hendersonville Four Seasons Politics

Activists to protest at Sen. Tillis's office here

A group of Hendersonville activists plan to hold a rally at 4:30 p.m. Tuesday in front of Sen. Thom Tillis' office at the Historic Courthouse to send a message to Sen. Tillis' about the cabinet nominees and President Trump's immigration ban. The group, called POW (Progressive Organized Women), was founded two weeks ago in a living room in Hendersonville with nine people in attendance. It now has more than 250 members on its Facebook page, organizer Jayne Jennings said. "We are collaborating with Moveon.org and Indivisible.com to voice our concerns to Sen. Tillis," she said. "Last week we had over 90 people join us. We have twice asked the Senator's Charlotte office to send someone to meet with us and they have not responded." Participants plan to record individual messages to send to the senator, whose Western North Carolina office is in the Historic Courthouse.     Read Story »

Four Seasons Politics Archive