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Revised plans for Kanuga, Highland Lake pushed back to spring

Henderson County News

Red kettle volunteers jingling for the jingle

Salvation Army Capt. Chris Lyles says people might not realize the difference they’re making when they make a donation at a red kettle at Christmas.   Read Story »

Hendersonville News

LIGHTNING REVIEW: Playhouse show channels meaning of Christmas

In 1857 lithographer Nathaniel Currier offered his accountant, James Ives, a partnership in his printmaking business. With their simple, hand-colored lithographs of Victorian Christmas scenes, Currier and Ives soon became the keeper of the Christmas tradition for many Americans.   Read Story »

Henderson County News

Don't miss this week's Hendersonville Lightning (155)

You won't want to miss this week’s Hendersonville Lightning.   Read Story »

Henderson County News

Police investigating skeleton found at Mud Creek

Hendersonville police are investigating after a contractor making tests at an abandoned landfill site between Mud Creek amd Green Meadows found a human skeleton on Monday. The contractor notified City Manager John Connet and City Attorney Sam Fritschner when they found a skull and other bones of what investigators believe to be a male of unknown age. Investigators collected the body parts and sent them off to the state medical examiner’s officer in Winston-Salem, said police Capt. Chris LeRoy. “There’s no obvious signs of a cause of death that we could see,” LeRoy said. “We’re theorizing that it’s a male based on the size of the bones but we have no other information.” City police detectives and sheriff’s investigators are reviewing all their missing reports to see if they come up with any leads that could match the Green Meadows circumstances, LeRoy said. The skull was on top of the ground and separated from other bones, which the investigators surmise had been scattered by wildlife. “All the remains that we found did not look like it had been buried at all,” he said. Investigators don’t know how long the body had been on the site. “We’re hoping the folks in Winston-Salem can give us some idea” on a time of death, LeRoy added. A contractor working with the city of Hendersonville and the state Department of Environmental Quality has been testing soil and gas levels at the site, which operated as an unregulated dump before 1971, when the Hendersonville Housing Authority bought the property to build Green Meadows. City Manager John Connet notified property owners on Martin Circle and Lincoln Circle in September that the contractor testing for contaminants had found low levels of landfill gases and no methane gas. The city is working on the next phase of the Mud Creek dump investigation, Connet said, including surface water testing, soil and groundwater evaluation, deeper soil evaluation and determining the total volume of waste. The evaluation and cleanup, if one is needed, is coordinated by the state DEQ’s Pre-Regulatory Landfill Program.   Read Story »

Henderson County News

Pisgah gets new district ranger

The National Forests in North Carolina announced that Richard Thornburgh will oversee management and operations as the new District Ranger on the Appalachian Ranger District of the Pisgah National Forest beginning Jan. 7. "Richard brings a variety of experiences to this position that include development of large collaborative projects, managing an exceptionally large and diverse recreation program and well as complex land use issues," said Forest Supervisor Allen Nicholas. "His administrative, business, and legal background will also augment the exceptional skill sets contained with the leadership team of the National Forests in North Carolina." Thornburgh has worked for the U.S. Forest Service for the last 17 years beginning in the Washington, D.C. office. He was most recently the Pacific and Placerville District Ranger on the Eldorado National Forest near Sacramento, California. His background includes roles such as Forest Planner, NEPA Coordinator, and Chief Financial Officer on the San Bernadino National Forest, and Budget Analyst in the Pacific Southwest Regional Office. Prior to the Forest Service, Thornburgh worked as a mediator of environmental and public policy disputes in Pennsylvania. A native of eastern Tennessee, he was born and raised in Chattanooga. He received his Bachelor's Degree from the University of Notre Dame, a law degree from the University of Tennessee at Knoxville, and a master's degree in public administration from Syracuse University. A bluegrass musician, Thornburgh is looking forward to being back in the Appalachians. He and his wife, Katherine, a high school Spanish teacher, have a 9-year-old son and a 7-year-old daughter. One of their favorite things to do is go hiking with their dog, Shasta. "I'm excited to build on my experience with collaboration and partnerships to address the many challenges facing the Appalachian Ranger District," Thornburgh said. "I find those are generally the keys to success, whether it's trying to provide quality recreation experiences in the midst of increasing use, or working with local communities to improve the fire resilience of the forest around them so that we can try to avoid the next catastrophic wildfire." "I also enjoy connecting people, especially young kids, with their national forest so they realize and appreciate what an amazing treasure we share," he added.   Read Story »

Henderson County News

Commissioners make their football championship picks

Henderson County commissioners covered all four choices in their annual college football championship picks, a tradition started several years ago by County Manager Steve Wyatt. The college football playoff includes Clemson, Oklahoma, Georgia and Alabama. "I said last year that my first son and my money went to Clemson and I had to go with Clemson," Commissioner Bill Lapsley said. "I’ll go with them again." Grady Hawkins: "I’m going to go with one of my alma maters: Oklahoma." Michael Edney: "We all know the Georgia Bulldogs are going to win." Charlie Messer, who picked Alabama over Clemson last year, stayed with the Tide. Tommy Thomson, who doesn't follow sports, also went with Alabama. After saying, "I’m going to pull for Appalachian," Wyatt, a big Mountaineer fan, predicted an Oklahoma win.   Read Story »

Henderson County News

Special needs vendors to sell crafts Saturday

More than 35 special needs children and adults from Western North Carolina and Upstate South Carolina will display and sell their crafts at a special expo from 9 a.m. to 1 p.m. Saturday, Dec. 9, at the Henderson County Athletics & Activity Center, 708 S. Grove St. The event is being coordinated by Special Needs Sports of WNC in an effort to let the athletes (and others who may not be athletes) show off their talents to the community and raise some extra funds during the holidays. There is no charge to display or to attend, and organizers hope for a great turnout to support the special needs population. “We’re still getting calls from people every day wanting to participate, even people who have never participated in our sports league, and we won’t turn anyone away, even on the day of the event,” said Donnie Jones, executive director of Special Needs Sports. “Now we need the community to come out and do their holiday shopping with us.” Items for sale include artwork, crafts, lotions, baked goods, soaps, decorations, signs and more. Everything has been handmade by the “vendor” and the event is not intended to be a fundraiser for the organization. Proceeds from the sales will be kept by each seller. The event is co-sponsored by Four Seasons Rotary Club, which supports Special Needs Sports through financial and in-kind donations, as well as Henderson County Parks and Recreation Department, which is donating the space. “We’re excited to help promote and support this event for our special needs athletes,” said Tiffany Ervin, past president of the Four Seasons Rotary Club. “Several of the kids would bring their artwork to the baseball games this summer to show it off, and we wanted a way to spotlight their talents to others. Baseball season ended in October, and we won’t start basketball until January, so this is a great way to keep them active during the ‘off-season’ and help them make a little extra spending money at the same time."   Read Story »

Henderson County News

Board re-elects Edney as chair, Hawkins vice chair

The Henderson County Board of Commissioners re-elected Michael Edney as chairman and Grady Hawkins as vice chair Monday night, keeping the same lineup of leaders for the next year. There was no discussion and no other nominees for the top two spots. Hawkins, a retired Air Force colonel, is in his fourth term on the board. Edney, an attorney who is up for re-election in 2018, is also in his fourth term.     Read Story »

Henderson County News

Second class of Walk of Fame honorees announced

The Henderson County Walk of Fame Committee announced 10 honorees on Monday for the second class of the figures who contributed in a significant and positive way to the county. The committee received about 30 nominations, from which it selected 10 recipients of the honor. (A maximum of 10 was a change in the rules after the committee named 17 recipients in the inaugural class.) “If you look at the list, this year we’ve got some real heavy hitters,” said Tom Orr, a retired theater teacher and county native who is the founding chairman of the Walk of Fame. “There’s just a lot of very prominent people that were selected this year. The ones that have been notified have all responded very favorably. They’re very excited about the whole thing.” Here are the 2018 honorees, with sketches provided by the Walk of Fame Committee: Louise Bailey: Mrs. Bailey was a local historian and author. She wrote the column “Along the Ridges” for the Hendersonville Times-News for 42 years. Her lasting contribution to Henderson County was leaving a recorded history of our community for generations to come. Georgia Bonesteel: Mrs. Bonesteel is an artist and author on quilting. She is a member of theInternational Community of Quilters and host of her own television program “Lap Quilting” on North Carolina Public Television and PBS. Her lasting contribution to Henderson County was giving recognition and promoting the mountain arts and crafts. A. S. "Bert" Browning, Jr.: Mr. Browning began and ran a dairy farm known as Kalmia Dairy. He went on to become a successful builder and contractor in our community. His lasting contribution to Henderson County was his work to establish the Hendersonville Housing Authority which continues to assist those in need of housing. Dr. Kenneth Cosgrove and Eleanor Cosgrove: Dr. Cosgrove practiced internal medicine with a specialty in heart disease for over 50 years. His lasting contribution, in addition to his medical career, included founding the first Pardee Intensive Care Facility, Four Seasons Hospice, Blue Ridge Community Health Center and Carolina Village Retirement Home.Mrs. Cosgrove served as Director Emeritus of The Blue Ridge Community College Education Foundation. Her lasting contributions to Henderson County included raising support funds and in leading the change from the Henderson County Technical Institute to The Blue Ridge Community College. She was also instrumental in the formation of the Henderson County League of Women Voters. Albert Edwards: Mr. Edwards was Hendersonville's longest serving mayor from 1932-1969. During this time he led our community through the Depression and World War II. His lasting contribution to Henderson County was his active support for the building of Pardee Hospital, the construction of Interstate 26, lighting for the city, and the creation of an airport. Grace Etheredge: Mrs. Etheredge was a local artist who taught classes and encouraged art in the Blue Ridge Mountains. Her lasting contribution to Henderson County was the founding of The Art League of Henderson County and helping to found the Opportunity House. Frank Ewbank: Mr. Ewbank enlisted in the army in 1942 and after his military service ran a successful insurance business for many years. His lasting contribution was as a member of the Henderson County Board of Education. He also served as a founding trustee of Blue Ridge Community College which continues to educate students of Henderson County today. Robroy Farquhar: Mr. Farquhar was a local actor, director, and member of the ProfessionalActors Union in New York. His lasting contribution to Henderson County was the founding of The Flat Rock Playhouse, the State Theatre of North Carolina, which continues to train actors and entertain people today. Josiah Johnson: Mr. Johnson dedicated his life to agriculture and truck farming. His lasting contribution to Henderson County was paving the way for future farmers to grow, sustain and market crops in our community and across the country. Robert Morgan: Mr. Morgan is a local author who has written books of poetry, fiction, and non-fiction which have brought national attention to our community. His lasting contribution to Henderson County is through his writings depicting the southern Appalachians, the Green River area and the Blue Ridge mountains. His literary works will influence generations to come. Orr announced the honorees to the Board of Commissioners and the Hendersonville City Council this week. “I want this to be representative of people from the beginning of our county to the present,” Orr said. On May 6 Carolina Village will again host a dinner honoring the recipients and the families of recipients.Orr first presented the idea for a Walk of Fame to recognize outstanding contributors to the growth and development of Henderson County in March of 2013. After the City Council and Board of Commissioners endorsed the idea and appointed steering committee members, the committee organized in December 2015. It announced the first class of honorees in December 2016. Orr rotates off the committee in June. Members elected Kaye Youngblood, a retired Hendersonville High School teacher, as chair-elect. Orr has two main goals in mind as he prepares to hand off the Walk of Fame leadership.“We need to get a financing mechanism in place that will ensure that this will continue,” he said. “The two boards gave some seed money of $1,500 each” and the committee raised money. “In the end of the year report, we had over $5,000 in the treasury. That showed we were solvent. We not only paid all our bills we exceeded that and since then we’ve gotten a donation from the Civitan Club and that makes it up to $6,000.”His second priority is education.“I think we need to let the residents and the visitors and the schoolchildren aware as to the importance of these people and what they have done in our county.” he said. “That’s what I want to get started. I want to take something to the school system that will help the schoolchildren know who C.M. Pace was and the importance of Georgia Bonesteel.”He hopes the Walk of Fame continues and that the community will continue to embrace the idea of honoring the leaders who shaped Henderson County. “Let’s just hope it has wings to fly,” he said. “I think it does.”     Read Story »

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