Free Daily Headlines

News

Set your text size: A A A

News

LIGHTNING REVIEW: 'Little Shop' is big fun at Playhouse

Laurel Park News

County wins 5-bloom rating for gardens, beautification

Henderson County's fourth effort to show off its gardens, landscaping, environmentalism and volunteerism has paid off with top honors. The county received a 5-bloom rating out of a possible five blooms and special recognition for its Environmental Efforts during the 2017 America in Bloom National Awards Program in Holliston, Mass., on Oct. 7. Henderson County also received a special award for “Best Example of Water-Wise Gardening.” American in Bloom judges Ed Hooker and Leslie Pittenger, AIB judges, visited communities of similar populations and spent two days touring each town, meeting municipal officials, residents, and volunteers. Other competitors in the 25,000-50,000 population category were Mansfield, OH; Saratoga, CA; and St. Charles, IL. Henderson County, Hendersonville, Laurel Park, Mills River and Flat Rock participated in the local America In Bloom effort, which  gardeners first organized in 2014. Last year Henderson County scored four out of five blooms and its newly dedicated veterans-honoring painting on North King Street won a special award for Most Striking Public Wall Mural. This was the first year the county won five blooms. Communities were evaluated on six criteia: overall impression, environmental awareness, heritage preservation, urban forestry, landscaped areas, and floral displays. Additionally, they were judged on their community involvement across municipal, residential, and commercial sectors. America in Bloom is the only national awards program that sends specially trained judges to personally visit participants. In addition, each participant receives a detailed written evaluation that can be used as a guide to future improvements. “America in Bloom is helping towns and cities of all sizes achieve their potential," America in Bloom Executive Director Laura Kunkle said. "Every year our participants raise the bar, and the accomplishments and progress shown by this year's group is again remarkable. These are, without a doubt, some of the best places to live in America.” To date, more than 250 communities from 45 states have participated in the program and more than 22 million people have been touched by it. Registrations for the 2018 national awards program can be submitted until February 28, 2019. Eligible participants include towns, cities, college and university campuses, business districts, military installations, and recognized neighborhoods of large cities.   Read Story »

Hendersonville News

Sanctuary Brewing Co. wins three medals

Sanctuary Brewing Company took home three medals this week in the North Carolina Brewer’s Cup, the premier beer competition in North Carolina. The brewery won a Gold in the category of Amber Bitter European Style for Country Roads, a Bronze in the category of Best Fruit Beer for Apple Pie Saison and a Bronze in the category of Best Strong American Ale for Anniversary IPA. The NC Brewers Cup is an official competition sanctioned by the Beer Judge Certification Program and the North Carolina State Fair. A panel of certified judges selected the finest examples of each beer style submitted by professionals and homebrewers from across North Carolina’s thriving craft beer scene. The 2017 NC Brewers Cup featured the stiffest competition in the event’s history, with 599 commercial entries and 141 homebrew entries competing for medals over 3 days of judging by beer experts from around the Southeast. The competition is organized by the NC Craft Brewers Guild, and sponsored with support from Total Wine and More. Sanctuary Brewing Company, at 147 First Avenue East, is a brewery and taproom committed to enriching the lives of both humans and animals through excellent craft beer, kindness, and philanthropy.     Read Story »

Henderson County News

4 SEASONS POLITICS: Democratic Women, Freeman endorsed

Democratic Women celebrate 40th anniversary The Democratic Women of Henderson County will celebrate its 40th anniversary at an annual fall luncheon on Thursday, Oct. 12, at the Hendersonville Country Club, with North Carolina Democratic Party Chairman Wayne Goodwin as keynote speaker.The organization looks back 40 years to its formation in 1977 when 144 women became charter members, led by Mae Alexander, Phyllis Capps, Elizabeth Clark, Billie Dalton, Pat Gossett, Lucy Miller, Marilyn Miller, Ruth Semashko, Bea Sumner and Sylvia Waters.The DWHC founding members saw the expansion of women into the workforce beyond traditional roles; the landmark Roe v. Wade Supreme Court case; and the introduction of the Equal Rights Amendment (ERA). To buy tickets to the luncheon or to learn more about the organization, call 828-692-6424 or visit MYHCDP.COM. Health care on menu at Democratic breakfast Speaker Lance Goller, MPA, will speak about the current health care debate during the Henderson County Democratic Party’s monthly breakfast at 9 a.m. Saturday, Oct. 7, at party headquarters, 905 Greenville Highway. All-you-can eat buffet is $9 for adults, $4.50 for children under 10 and free for first-time attendees. Meadows endorses Freeman’s re-election U.S. Rep. Mark Meadows has endorsed Mills River Mayor Larry Freeman for re-election in the Nov. 7 city election.Freeman was first elected to represent Mills River’s Town Council District 1in 2009 and was re-elected without opposition in 2013. For the past four years he has also served as the town’s mayor, which is elected by the council.“In the years that I’ve known him, Larry Freeman has been an outstanding friend and a rock in the Henderson County community,” Meadows said. “His strong and steady leadership has been critical not only to serving the people of Mills River locally but also in assisting people like myself as we look to serve and meet the needs closest to home.”Freeman faces Brian Caskey in the District 1 race. One-stop voting starts Oct. 19.   Read Story »

Henderson County News

LOCAL BRIEFS: Clear Creek honor, Kiwanis Lay Leader, AVL screening

Clear Creek wins prestigious recognition Clear Creek Elementary School is one of just six public schools in North Carolina to be named a 2017 National Blue Ribbon School by U.S. Secretary of Education Betsy DeVos.“National Blue Ribbon Schools are active demonstrations of preparing every child for a bright future,” DeVos said in a message to the award winners. “You are visionaries, innovators and leaders. You have much to teach us: some of you personalize student learning, others engage parents and communities in the work and life of your local schools and still others develop strong and forward-thinking leaders from among your teaching staff.”The National Blue Ribbon Schools Program honors public and private elementary, middle and high schools that achieve very high learning standards or make notable improvements in closing the achievement gap. On Nov. 6-7, the secretary and the Department of Education will celebrate with the honorees at an awards ceremony in Washington, D.C.“We are extremely excited to be recognized as a National Blue Ribbon School,” Clear Creek Principal Marcie Wilson said. “Our students and teachers are devoted to being the very best they can be every single day and could not be successful without the amazing support of our Cub community and families! We continue to strive to achieve success at CCS are honored to receive this prestigious recognition.” TSA announces stricter screening for tablets To ensure the security of airline passengers and the nation’s airports, the Transportation Security Administration has begun implementing new, stronger screening procedures for carry-on items at Asheville Regional Airport. The new procedures require travelers to place all electronics larger than a cell phone in bins for X-ray screening in standard lanes. TSA recommends that all travelers arrive at the airport up to two hours in advance of their flight departure time to ensure they have enough time to check in with their airline and go through security. TSA officers will begin to ask travelers to remove electronics larger than a cell phone from their carry-on bags and place them in a bin with nothing on top or below, similarly to how laptops have been screened for years. This simple step helps TSA officers obtain a clearer X-ray image. In standard screening lanes, TSA officers will be stationed in front of the checkpoint X-ray machines to guide passengers through the screening process and recommend how best to arrange their carry-on items for X-ray screening. Travelers are encouraged to organize their carry-on bags and keep them uncluttered to ease the screening process and keep the lines moving. There are no changes to what travelers can bring through the checkpoint. Kiwanis Club honors ‘son of encouragement’ Every church needs “the sons and daughters of Barnabas,” the Rev. Mark Ralls told the Hendersonville Kiwanis Club last week. An unsung hero of the Bible, Barnabas, which means “son of encouragement,” sold a field of fertile farmland and gave the money to the disciples to help the needy. Churches run on the “sons and daughters of encouragement,” said Ralls, the senior minister of First United Methodist Church. “Those are the ones who quietly fill the gap, the ones who consistently say yes in a world full of no’s, the ones who always build up in a world that we know always tries to tear down. The person we’re honoring today is a faithful, generous person, much like the son of encouragement, much like Barnabas.” Many club members had guessed the identity of this “son of Barnabas” when Ralls called on one of his parishioners, Paul Alexander. A member of the church for 25 years, Alexander was honored as Lay Leader of the Year award, the highest honor the Hendersonville Kiwanis Club gives to a club member. Born in College Station, Texas, Alexander served for 20 years in the Air Force, retiring as a captain. He served as a missionary in Africa and traveled on First United Methodist Church mission trips to Chile and Appalachia. A bass singer in the church choir, he also is a ringer in the bell choir and plays piano weekly for the Kiwanis Club. He is a member of the “Two or More” Sunday school class, a past chair of church craft shows and a leader of the church’s annual garage sale. He is publisher of the Kiwanis newsletter and active in many club events including the Spelling Bee, Terrific Kids and interclub visits. He and his wife, Leone, have twin sons, Carleton and Clifford.   Read Story »

Henderson County News

Cities honor McGrady for sinking billboard bill

State Rep. Chuck McGrady was recognized Friday as one of two recipients of the N.C. League of Municipalities’ Community Champion Award. State Sen. Paul Newton was also honored with the award.The award was presented to each legislator for dedicated support of North Carolina cities and towns during the 2017 legislative session. The presentations took place at CityVision 2017, NCLM’s annual conference held this week in Greenville.Representative McGrady is serving his fourth term in the N.C. House, representing Hendersonville and portions of Henderson County. A co-chair of the House Appropriations Committee, he was a key advocate for the defeat of harmful billboard legislation that the League actively opposed.“I so much appreciate this recognition from my kindred souls in local government,” said McGrady, a former Flat Rock Village Council member and Henderson County commissioner.Outgoing League President Bob Matheny, mayor of Zebulon, praised both Newton and McGrady for their willingness to listen to and consider the concerns of municipal officials.“We truly appreciate your work at the General Assembly and that you are willing to make the sacrifice to serve in Raleigh,” Matheny said.   Read Story »

Henderson County News

Griffin challenges sheriff on crime stats, training center

Lowell Griffin, who is running for the Republican nomination for sheriff, rebutted some of Sheriff Charlie McDonald’s claims about crime reduction and questioned the need for a $20 million indoor training center.   Read Story »

Henderson County News

McDonald touts crime reduction, community engagement

Sheriff Charlie McDonald kicked off his re-election campaign before about 100 supporters, casting himself as a leader of ongoing change that has improved his agency. “Why do I want to be here another four years? Either I’m crazy or I have a sense of mission and purpose,” he told the gathering at the Boyd Chevrolet showroom on Sept. 14. “It’s probably both. I really believe if we can stay here another four years we will have firmly turned that aircraft carrier when it comes to how we provide service but also how we train and educate and promote and attract the right kind of people in law enforcement.”A reluctant and inexperienced candidate four years ago, McDonald has over his first term managed to attract support from across the county and throughout the Republican Party. He has a $100-a-head fundraiser scheduled next month at the Hendersonville Country Club with U.S. Rep. Mark Meadows and state Sen. Chuck Edwards as special guests.Appointed in early 2012 after the resignation of Rick Davis the previous November, McDonald has said he faced a major management task in rebuilding training, ethics and morale.“We’ve got professional standards that we’ve never had before,” he said. “We look at our folks not as expendable commodities despite what you may have heard. We do hold folks to a high level of accountability but we invest in them. We invest in them for your sake and we invest in them for their sake because we want that guy who comes in and wants to serve their community 30 years later as they’re retiring.“If morale and work ethic is any indication of how things are going I think we’ve got a tremendously successful sheriff’s office,” he continued. “Why? I’ve got a lot of support from the community. I’m going to need a lot of support from the community as we go forward once we win this election. But don’t ever forget it’s the men and women that do the job, day in and day out, who make me look good and make me proud.”McDonald also pointed to an aggressive outreach campaign and attempts to enlist neighbors and organizations in crime prevention programs and said that targeted enforcement approaches had reduced house burglaries and other crime.“One of our emphasis in the last five years has been, No. 1 return the sheriff’s office back to the community, engage with the community for the safety of itself and be able to work in partnership with the community to be able to enhance our way of life to provide better security and better interaction with law enforcement and the folks who elected us to serve them,” he said.“In the last five years we’ve reduced by four years straight we’ve reduced breaking and enterings and property crimes and Part 1 (violent) crimes by a significant amount,” he said. “If we stay on the track we’re on right now breaking and entering and property crimes has been reduced by 49 percent since we started keeping those records in 2012.“We’re an agency that’s come through a tremendous amount of cultural change. … I can tell you the Henderson County sheriff’s office, five years later, has gone through an awful lot, has endured a lot, is hands down one of the best, brightest and motivated sheriff’s office anywhere in the state of North Carolina.”He said when he encounters peers in law enforcement, they usually praise Henderson County’s sheriff’s office.“We really are the agency that most are measured by,” he said. “We’re just as committed now as we were five years ago when we started to continue to grow, to be responsive to the community, to be able always ensure that you get the professional level of service and courtesy from our folks. I’m amazed day in and day out by the calls and emails and just talking to people in the community who want to talk about and brag on what they see from our personnel.” SHIRTTAILSheriff McDonald is holding a fundraiser at 6 p.m. Saturday, Oct. 7, at the Hendersonville Country Club. Tickets are $100 per person or $175 per couple. For information or to buy tickets call Doris Hawkins 828.691.9700 or email hawkinsg@bellsouth.net. Lowell Griffin challenges McDonald on crime stats Lowell Griffin, who is running for the Republican nomination for sheriff, rebutted some of Sheriff Charlie McDonald’s claims about crime reduction and questioned the need for a $20 million indoor training center.“The incredible number that stands out is either 42 or 47 percent depending on the meeting you have attended,” Griffin said in a statement. “Any reduction in crime that dramatic would have law enforcement agency heads from across the country visiting to learn how this was accomplished. A reduction in this type of crime would mean the caseload for investigations would be reduced nearly the same 50 percent. Sounds like he could have reassigned detectives if this was actually the case instead of asking for additional personnel.”Griffin, a captain in the Polk County sheriff’s office, said that as a law enforcement instructor, “I completely understand the need for training and more training.” The proposed training center, he added, “is a facility for marksmanship training that offers little to nothing in the way of training for real world encounters. There is no provision for training in the elements, moving and shooting in multiple directions, practicing proper cover and concealment techniques on a tactical approach, etc. As a matter of fact, it offers no more than the current indoor range at the Western North Carolina Justice Academy offers other than longer shooting lanes. This proposal comes with an extravagant price tag and will not meet the needs of the officers.”Griffin, one of about eight officers that McDonald sacked after his election in November 2014, vowed to shield deputies from campaign politics.“I have a plan that I will reveal that will provide increased job security for the employees,” he said. “Henderson County deserves officers that are not afraid to do their job for fear of political reprisal. I envision officers’ productivity increasing as officers feel secure in their careers as they no longer are forced to combine the stresses of the job with political pressures from within.” Head shot ofMiller Miller holding campaignkickoff Thursday at SABFirst-term Hendersonville City Council member Jeff Miller will hold a campaign kickoff celebration from 5 to 7 p.m. Thursday, Sept. 28, at the Southern Appalachian Brewery, 822 Locust St.“I want to invite everyone to come by and visit for a while and have a bite to eat. We promise there won’t be any long speeches or anyone asking for contributions,” Miller said. “This is a time to celebrate the things we’ve accomplished over the past few years and to create some enthusiasm for all we have to look forward to here in Hendersonville.”Miller, who has served on City Council since 2013, decided to run because he felt it was important for there to be a member on the Council who had owned and operated a business in the city.“I never felt as though the Council was anti-business, but I did believe that a majority of its members did not completely understand the ramifications of some of the ordinances they passed,” he said in a news release. “I bring to the table the ability to explain things from the business side as well as understanding, from a resident’s point of view, the impact of Council’s decisions.”He added that his decisions are based on a common sense approach and always built around civil discussion with other Council members and the public.Key objectives Miller wants to pursue in a second term include balancing healthy and planned growth while maintaining Hendersonville’s “small town feel” along with water and sewer capacity/quality, road maintenance and expansion of the Oklawaha Greenway.“I am running for a second term because I would like to continue working with council and staff — there’s still so much to do,” Miller said. Head shot ofMcGrady Cities honor McGradyfor sinking billboard law State Rep. Chuck McGrady was recognized Friday as one of two recipients of the N.C. League of Municipalities’ Community Champion Award. State Sen. Paul Newton was also honored with the award.The award was presented to each legislator for dedicated support of North Carolina cities and towns during the 2017 legislative session. The presentations took place at CityVision 2017, NCLM’s annual conference held this week in Greenville.Representative McGrady is serving his fourth term in the N.C. House, representing Hendersonville and portions of Henderson County. A co-chair of the House Appropriations Committee, he was a key advocate for the defeat of harmful billboard legislation that the League actively opposed.“I so much appreciate this recognition from my kindred souls in local government,” said McGrady, a former Flat Rock Village Council member and Henderson County commissioner.Outgoing League President Bob Matheny, mayor of Zebulon, praised both Newton and McGrady for their willingness to listen to and consider the concerns of municipal officials.“We truly appreciate your work at the General Assembly and that you are willing to make the sacrifice to serve in Raleigh,” Matheny said.   Read Story »

Mills River News

GF Linamar sets sights on $1 billion in sales

MILLS RIVER — Touting their gleaming new plant as an industry-leading supplier of lightweight parts for cars and trucks, officials from GF Linamar snipped a ribbon on the factory to the cheers of 300 invited guests.   Read Story »

Henderson County News

Henson to seek re-election to state House

First-term state Rep. Cody Henson announced Thursday that he is running for re-election for the House District 113 seat he won in 2016.   Read Story »

News Archive