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Hendersonville Moose Cafe closes

Henderson County News

NYT columnist David Brooks to keynote UNCA Founders Day

New York Times columnist David Brooks, a leading analyst of American culture and politics, will deliver the keynotes remarks at 7 p.m. Tuesday, Sept. 12, at UNC Asheville’s Founders Day celebration of its 90th anniversary. Advance tickets will be available on Aug. 12 at events.unca.edu. Doors open at 6 p.m. Supported by the David and Lin Brown Visionary Lecture Series and the Van Winkle Law Firm Public Policy Lectures, the event is in Kimmel Arena on campus. Brooks is regularly featured in The New York Times op-ed pages, where his columns have appeared biweekly since 2003; on NBC’s Meet the Press; on the PBS Newshour, where he discusses politics with liberal counterpoint Mark Shields; and NPR where he is a regular Friday contributor on All Things Considered. As a public speaker, Brooks addresses contemporary culture and issues with humor and quiet passion. His commentaries examine American ways of life as a window into present-day politics. After graduating from The University of Chicago in 1983 with a degree in history, Brooks stayed in Chicago to begin his professional career as a police reporter, an experience which he says had a conservatizing influence upon him. The next year, he accepted an internship at the prominent conservative journal, National Review, and then was hired as a reporter at The Wall Street Journal, where he remained for nine years, ultimately becoming editorial page editor. He also was senior editor at The Weekly Standard before accepting his current position with The New York Times. In addition to his journalism work, Brooks is a senior Fellow at Yale University’s Jackson Institute for Global Affairs, and has taught courses at Yale on humility. His thinking on that subject led to his 2015 book, The Road to Character, which he describes as an attempt “to shift the conversation a bit. We live in a culture that focuses on external success … a fast, distracted culture. We’ve lost some of the vocabulary other generations had to describe the inner confrontation with weakness that produces good character. I am hoping this book can help people better understand their own inner lives, their own moral adventures and their own roads to character.” Brooks’ other books include The Social Animal: The Hidden Sources of Love, Character and Achievement; On Paradise Drive: How We Live Now (And Always Have) in the Future Tense; and Bobos in Paradise: The New Upper Class and How They Got There. Brooks is also the editor of the 1996 anthology, Backward and Upward: The New Conservative Writing. He also serves on the Board of Trustees of his alma mater, the University of Chicago, and on the Board of Advisors of the university’s Institute of Politics.   Read Story »

Henderson County News

Tourism industry braces for crowd of sky watchers

How do you plan for a once-in-a-lifetime event? That’s the challenge facing tourism officials across Western North Carolina – not to mention all of us who live here – as the area prepares to experience the total eclipse of the sun on Aug. 21.It’s the first total eclipse in the continental United States since 1979, when five states in the Northwest witnessed the sun’s blackout, and the first in this area since the 1800s.In Hendersonville, sky watchers need to set their watches for 2:38 p.m. on that day to experience the maximum eclipse that the city will see — 99.76 percent of the sun will be obscured, according to Christi Whitworth, the director of learning experiences at the Pisgah Astronomical Research Institute (PARI) in Rosman.To experience 100 percent totality you’ll have to drive to Brevard or points west in Transylvania County or southeast to Travelers Rest or Greenville in South Carolina.Be prepared. You’ll be on the road with thousands of like-minded seekers. Think hurricane evacuation and you’ll have an idea of how many people will be in their cars, trying to reach the prime spots to see this extraordinary astronomical event.“We wish we knew how many were coming,” said Clark Lovelace, executive director of the Transylvania County Tourism Development Authority. “It’s a unique thing. We’re doing the best we can.”“The larger hotels, motels and inns have been sold out,” although there may be some independent rooms still available, he said. ‘Traffic at a standstill’ Lovelace expects traffic to number in the thousands, but he doesn’t know whether it will be 10,000 or 40,000. “Traffic will be at a standstill. People will be pulling off to the sides of roads,” Lovelace said. “The Sheriff’s Office will have officers assigned to specific areas” to try to provide traffic control.Expect that day to be a traffic nightmare everywhere in the path of the total eclipse, he and Whitworth warn.“Be in place by Sunday night,” Whitworth told the Rotary Club of Hendersonville on July 18. “Park and stay till Monday.”Her advice: Find a mall or shopping center parking lot and camp out if you don’t already have plans for lodging at hotels or with family and friends in Transylvania County or in Greenville, Columbia or Charleston or other points along the path of totality.Whitworth expects people to be driving from all over the country to experience the phenomenon everywhere in the 68-mile-wide band of totality. The eclipse will enter the United States at Lincoln City, Oregon, and exit at Charleston and continue over part of the Atlanta Ocean. The rest of the country will experience a partial solar eclipse.Beth Carden of Henderson County’s Tourism Development Authority expects Henderson County to absorb the overflow of guests who want to find lodging near the band of totality. Unlike Transylvania County, the business community here did not react strongly to doing something special for the eclipse, she said.“We’ll definitely see an influx in hotels and eating and shopping,” Carden said. But businesses “did not take it upon themselves to do something special. August is a big month and (the eclipse) is an added bonus for us with the Apple Festival” that happens the first weekend in September. In Brevard, a four-day event In Transylvania County, “There’s a lot going on in the four days around the eclipse,” Lovelace said, and most of the events are sold out.PARI advertised 400 tickets at $100 each and sold out in two weeks, Whitworth said. PARI is a radio observatory that was established in the 1960s. She said this is the first time a radio observatory has been in the path of totality, so NASA scientists will be on site to conduct experiments.The Brevard Music Center plans four days of activities focused on the eclipse. Only the movie events on Saturday and Sunday night still have tickets – “Apollo 13” on Saturday and “2001: A Space Odyssey on Sunday.” Lyle Lovett and His Large Band on Friday night and the Monday eclipse experience (at $100 per person) sold out long ago.The Earthshine Discovery Center in Lake Toxaway also sold all its $30 tickets fast.If you leave your house at zero-dark-thirty, you might reach these opportunities:• Brevard College – 8 a.m. to 5 p.m., an all-day experience, with eclipse viewing glasses provided. Bring your telescopes and other viewing devices.• Gorges State Park – gates open at 5 a.m. for the first 1,500 cars. Gorges also has planned family-friendly events from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. Aug. 19 and 20.• Rosman High School – The eclipse viewing event has sold out all tickets (priced $25 to $40 to benefit the school), but you might be able to shoehorn into the town for a viewing spot and your own picnic.• Oskar Blues Brewery – The Solar Eclipse Party starts at noon with music, a food truck, bouncy house, viewing glasses and, of course, beer.Will there be a way to measure the economic impact of the eclipse? Lovelace and Carden aren’t sure. Hotel occupancy rates and sales tax receipts might provide some indication when compared year over year, but it will be hard to gather and compare data on dining, shopping and gas receipts. But it has been a great marketing opportunity for Western North Carolina, Lovelace said.And if it’s cloudy during the afternoon of Aug. 21? The show still goes on – darkness will fall, you’ll still need to wear your solar glasses during the whole time of the partial eclipse, nature will react and scientists will get their measurements.But everyone has their fingers crossed that it will be bright and sunny day —for all but 2½ minutes. * * * * * For details about the events in Transylvania County, go to https://www.visitwaterfalls.com/eclipse/   Read Story »

Mills River News

Mills River brewery creates this year's Oktoberfest seasonal

Sierra Nevada Brewing Co. will introduce this year's special Oktoberfest beer — created at Sierra Nevada's Mills River plant — during its two big Oktoberfest in September. For the past three years, Sierra Nevada has partnered with a different German craft brewery to create an authentic fest beer fit for celebrating the world’s largest beer festival right here at home. This year, Brauhaus Miltenberger, one of Germany’s most highly regarded craft brewers, was tapped for the collaboration. “Cornelius and his team from Brauhaus Miltenberger embody the spirit and tradition of Oktoberfest,” says Brian Grossman, second-generation brewer for Sierra Nevada and manager of the Mills River plant. “It was great to host them at our brewery in Mills River for the creation of this year’s fest beer. They brought literally centuries of family brewing experience to the mix and helped us create the ultimate festival beer.” “We tried to re-create a classic Oktoberfest beer in the true German tradition,” says Cornelius Faust, fourth-generation brewmaster for Brauhaus Miltenberger. “We used traditional techniques to create layers of rich malt notes that remain light and crisp to the taste. That’s the secret of an authentic fest beer—complex malt flavor in a lager that remains easy to drink while you are celebrating the Oktoberfest season.” Sierra Nevada Oktoberfest is a deep golden lager weighing in at 6.1% ABV with an authentic, rich, and layered malt flavor balanced by traditional German-grown hops. New for 2017 is Oktoberfest in 12-ounce cans, in addition to 12-ounce bottles and draught offerings. Named one of America’s best Oktoberfest festivals, the event is a big celebration of German culture and tradition, with live music, dancing, costumes, contests and, of course, beer. Mills River welcomes guests Saturday, Sept. 30.     Read Story »

Henderson County News

Indian tractor maker moving U.S. headquarters here

Indian auto company Mahindra Vehicle Sales and Service Inc. announced Thursday that it would locate its North American  corporate headquarters in Fletcher.   Read Story »

Henderson County News

STATE TO SEEK DEATH PENALTY AGAINST STROUPE

Prosecutors will seek the death penalty against Phillip Michael Stroupe II, the Weaverville man who was charged on Monday with first-degree murder in the death of 68-year-old Thomas Bryson of Mills River, District Attorney Greg Newman said. During a news conference Monday afternoon, sheriffs from Henderson, Buncombe and Transylvania counties thanked volunteers and paid first-responders for their work on the six-day manhunt and search for Bryson's body and detailed the 15 criminal charges Stroupe faces in Henderson, Transylvania and McDowell counties. The case is now a capital murder case in Henderson County. Besides first-degree murder charges, Stroupe, 38, faces kidnapping and car theft charges arising from the abduction of Bryson, who was on his way to take his sister to a medical appointment when he went missing Wednesday morning. “We’ll be seeking the death penalty,” Newman said. “It’s charged as a first-degree murder, and we’ll have a couple of different theories that we’ll be able to proceed upon. With first degree murder in North Carolina, you have premeditation or you have felony murder which is a death that occurs as a result of other felonies, so we have a couple of theories that we can pursue, and we will. The death penalty will have two phases of a trial, where the first phase is to see if the person is guilty of the charges and if the jury says the person is guilty, the second phase is the death phase and that can take as much if not longer than the original phase, it lengthens the process a little bit.” Newman added that he was comfortable proceeding with the death penalty prosecution given the circumstances, adding that Bryson’s family had agreed with the decision. A grand jury is set to meet Aug. 21. “The grand jury meeting determines if a person should receive a jury trial for their charges,” Newman said. “It’s a formality that’s required. We’re going to accelerate it, and bring them ahead of time by about a month just to consider this case as well as others that are related to it.”Stroupe had a brief initial appearance at the Henderson County Courthouse today where he was advised of the charges. Stroupe faces six charges in Transylvania County and six in McDowell County, including possession of methamphetamine, fleeing to elude arrest, failure to stop for police lights, reckless driving to endanger the public, resisting a law officer and posession of a firearm by a felon. Law officers believe Stroupe murdered Bryson on Wednesday shortly after he took him captive and stole his 2007 four-wheel-drive Honda Ridgeline. Bryson was “found deceased in an area in Buncombe County about 20 minutes’ drive time from where we believe he was abducted in the South Mills River area on South Mills River Road,” McDonald said.Bryson was found off of Glen Bridge Road in southern Buncombe County. Stroup had been uncooperative throughout the entire investigation while looking for Bryson, McDonald said. Newman added that a deal had not been struck between Stroup and law enforcement to find Bryson. Bryson was found by a family member who was working at the time with Skyland Fire Department, Duncan said. The family member says he was led to the site by divine intervention, said McDonald, who agrees. McDonald also added that law enforcement had reason to believe that Bryson had already met his fate when he met Stroupe and that evidence suggests that Bryson was dead by the time deputies were notified that Bryson was missing.“An officer passed him (Stroupe) on the Blue Ridge Parkway traveling, which resulted in a prolonged chase on NC 80 but ended up in McDowell County near the Pleasant Gardens community, where he was taken into custody early Thursday morning about 1:20 a.m.,” Duncan said of capturing Stroupe. Stroupe’s bond was set at $2 million for his charges in McDowell County alone in order to keep him put. “When that bond was set Mr. Bryson had not been found, so he’s going to have a new bond set when he has his warrant set or no bond for the homicide charge,” Duncan added. McDonald praised first responders for their work throughout the ordeal and thanked the community for supporting them. “This was a bump in the road, and I do not say that lightly, but this community will become stronger for it,” he said. In another development, Phillip Michael Stroupe, father of Phillip Michael Stroupe II, was arrested Sunday and charged with felony accessory after the fact of first-degree kidnapping. Phillp Michael Stroupe, 65, of Burnsville, was being held in the Henderson County jail on a $250,000 secured bond. His first appearance was scheduled in District Court in Henderson County on Monday. Henderson County sheriff's deputy Aaron Lisenbee and SBI agent C.M. Drake said in an arrest warrant that the elder Stroupe had helped his son escape and avoid arrest by "receiving material information" regarding the disappearance of Bryson on Wednesday, the day the victim disappeared. Phillip Michael StroupeBryson's body was found in a corn field in southern Buncombe County, the Asheville Citizen-Times reported. Sheriff Charlie McDonald confirmed the discovery of the body in an interview with WLOS-TV. “Unfortunately, we had to deliver the news, but at least I think we’re thankful we’re able to get them some sort of closure regarding their family member.," McDonald said. "It’s been a very difficult time for them and the Mills River community as well.” He said murder charges would be brought against Phillip Michael Stroupe II, the Weaverville man who led authorities on a six-day man hunt before his capture. Buncombe County deputies charged three people on Friday with harboring fugitive Phillip Michael Stroupe II at a Barnardsville home on Wednesday before he was caught and arrested in McDowell County early Thursday. Stroupe, who grew up in northern Buncombe County, is charged with multiple felonies arising from the six-day manhunt across Western North Carolina and is thought to have kidnapped 68-year-old Tommy Bryson, a Mills River man who remains missing. Arrested were Jennifer Elaine Hawkins and Frederick Aurther Badgero Jr. Charged and still at large was Larry Jay Hawkins. Duncan described the three as persons who, like Stroupe, have lengthy criminal histories. Duncan could not provide information on whether the two people in custody had been able to shed any light on what happened to Bryson. The three are in their late 30s or early 40s, he said. "The most important thing is to find Mr. Bryson," he said. "We hope to find Mr. Bryson alive but certainly as time goes on you have to start to expect the obvious. But right now our search teams are hoping to turn up a lead to find him alive and bring him home safely." Buncombe deputies became aware Wednesday afternoon that Stroupe may be at a residence in Barnardsville and made the arrests. "We are absolutely going to follow through with prosecution for their part in harboring and possibly being an accessory after the fact," Duncan said. "They all have lengthy criminal histories. ... they were not truthful and upfront about what transpired there." Responding to a question about Stroupe's lack of cooperation, Duncan said, "You heard what the district attorney. He spoke very plainly and I think he described the situation very well." The McDowell District Attorney Ted Bell told a judge during Stroupe's first appearance Thursday that the defendant had been uncooperative and instead had been maneuvering for a deal from prosecutors in exchange for information about Bryson's whereabouts. McDonald said Stroupe remains less than cooperative. "It's been our pleas in a couple of interviews we've had with the suspect that if there's any hope at preserving life he'd want to take those opportunities to help but he hasn't seen fit to do that," he said. "We have no idea really whether or not the victim was harmed soon after (the kdinapping) or if anything's happened besides being abducted." The Bryson family had put up a $10,000 reward for information leading to the rescue or recovery of Bryson.  "They're hoping to generate some leads and tips as well," McDonald said. Thomas Bryson's sons, Rick and Joey Bryson, told WLOS that their father was a man of deep faith who would have done whatever his kidnapper asked in order to be reunited with his family. On Thursday night investigators said they have reason to believe Stroupe may have traveled as far west as East Tennessee before turning back to the N.C. mountains, where he was involved in a chase that culminated in his capture and arrest in McDowell County.   Read Story »

Henderson County News

Zoning board narrowly upholds event barn permit

Residents wearing stickers that read "Revoke!" fell silent and supporters of event barn owners Bill and Tamra Crane clapped and cheered after the Henderson County Zoning Board of Adjustment voted 3-2 to uphold a permit for the facility, which has sparked a bitter neighborhood dispute and triggered a broader discussion of commercial uses in residential zones.   Read Story »

Mills River News

Missing person report could be connected to fugitive

Law officers say they're treating the disappearance of a 68-year-old Mills River man as a possible kidnapping and that they believe he may have been abducted by the fugitive they've been hunting for since Saturday. Authorities are requesting the public’s assistance in locating a silver Honda Ridgeline with tag number AAR-7345. The vehicle has a West Henderson Falcons tag on the front and a West Henderson magnet on the back. Bryson left his home in the South Mills River Road area at approximately 8:35 a.m. on Wednesday. Stroupe has a shaved head and a large, distinct tattoo on his neck just under his chin as well as tattoos on his arms and chest. He is considered armed and dangerous. The hunt entered a fifth day with 18 law enforcement agencies supported by 10 other agencies, churches or businesses with no new sightings but with plenty of tips and fears that a missing person's report could be connected to the fugitive, the Henderson County sheriff's office said. The Henderson County Sheriff’s Office and Transylvania County Sheriff’s Office are jointly coordinating the hunt for Phillip Michael Stroupe II after someone reported seeing him in the North Mills River campground. Henderson County Sheriff’s deputies supported by the Rutherford County Sheriff’s SWAT team conducted mobile operations overnight in the Mills River area. Numerous community tips were received and followed up on by Law Enforcement assets. Henderson County Sheriff’s Office criminal investigations will be following up on any leads developed overnight. Operations are continuing throughout the day today utilizing assets from multiple counties, the sheriff's office said. Meanwhile, authorities asked for the public’s assistance in locating Thomas A. Bryson, a 68-year-old man who was last seen at 8:35 Wednesday morning. Bryson, who is 5-9 and 175 pounds with a gray mustache and gray hair, was wearing a plaid, dark colored shirt, brown cargo shorts and tennis shoes and driving a silver Honda Ridgeline with a West Henderson Falcons tag on the front. Anyone with information on Mr. Bryson's whereabouts was asked to contact the Henderson County Sheriff's Office at 828-697-4911. As of this time, no further sightings of Phillip Michael Stroupe II have been confirmed. Law Enforcement operations in the Mills River area will continue, but be advised that the case has been adopted by the US Marshal’s Fugitive Task Force. The Henderson County Sheriff’s Office would like to thank the following community partners who have provided assistance since the operation moved to Henderson County: Community Partners:Mills River Fire/Rescue DepartmentHenderson County EMSHenderson County Rescue SquadHenderson County Emergency Services Department (EM)Mills River United Methodist ChurchSouth Mills River Baptist ChurchCamp HighlanderBojangles, Mills RiverIngles Markets, Mills RiverNorth River Farms Both Sheriff’s Offices would like to thank the following Law Enforcement Agencies for their support:Avery County Sheriff’s OfficeJackson County Sheriff’s OfficePolk County Sheriff’s OfficeBuncombe County Sheriff’s OfficeRutherford County Sheriff’s OfficeGaston County Sheriff’s OfficeHaywood County Sheriff’s OfficeBrevard Police DepartmentHendersonville Police DepartmentAsheville Police DepartmentNC Highway PatrolNC Alcohol Law EnforcementNC Dept. of Public Safety K9 UnitNC SBINC Bureau of License and TheftNC Wildlife EnforcementUS Marshal’s ServiceUS Forest ServiceUS Park PoliceDepartment of Homeland SecurityUS Customs and Border Control   Read Story »

Henderson County News

PUBLIX BREAKS GROUND

A contractor broke ground today on a 50,000-square-foot Publix store on Greenville Highway at White Street expected to be finished in 10 months. Falsely rumored to have pulled up stakes, Publix and the developer of its grocery stores, Halvorsen Development Corp., have been working behind the scenes to win permits from environmental, zoning and traffic regulators.  Publix hired general contractor Benning Construction Co. of Atlanta, which paid $30,688 for building permits at the Henderson County Building Permit office on Monday. Benning described the job as a $4.4 million structure. "Halvorsen is the owner representative" for pre-construction work and development, said Anthony Long, senior project manager for Benning. "Our contract is with Publix. It'll be a 10-month project. We're just kicking off today." The contractor and representatives of the city, county, NCDOT and others met on the site under two canopies for a preconstruction meeting. Heavy equipment was being trucked in and unloaded and stacks of 24-inch pipe were already on the ground. They will be used for the intensely planned and much-scrutinized hyrdrologic engineering job to build a 50,000-square-foot store and parking lot in the Mud Creek floodplain. Engineers have designed a system of 659 geo-piers, a structural support used to support large buildings in wet areas. Motorists will see dump trucks hauling in hundreds of loads of dirt to raise the site above the floodplain. "In eight to 10 weeks they should see the building come out of the ground," Long said. Other contractors identified in the building permit were electrical contractor Haynes Heating and Cooling of Asheville, plumbing contractor Lloyd Blackwood of Woodleaf (near Salisbury) and Diboco Fire Sprinklers of Flat Rock. The city, which is the clearinghouse to check off those permits, issued a zoning permit on Friday, said city planner Daniel Heyman.“They submitted plans and they have final site plan approval,” Heyman said. “We got confirmation from DOT, from the state and all our city departments that they met all the requirements.”Charlotte-based Publix spokeswoman Kim Reynolds confirmed the approximate timeline of construction. "Weather and other factors certainly can affect construction, yet our plan is to have the store completed in mid-late 2018," she said. “We don’t have a confirmed opening date at this time."Word that the Lakeland, Fla.-based grocery giant was looking to build a store here first surfaced in February 2015 when the city attorney told the Hendersonville City Council that Publix needed a small sliver of city-owned land to complete a seven-acre site on Greenville Highway at White Street. Since then, Halvorsen has been working on getting the permits and preparing the site. After Publix bought the land for $5,795,000, in June 2016, contractors cleared the site. Receiving a permit from the Federal Emergency Management Agency consumed several more months of studies and negotiations.One of the last steps occurred last month when Publix bought a .0767-acre strip of land along Greenville Highway from Chadwick Square Shopping Center LLC, the owner of the old Food Lion site. The land cost $100,000, according to Henderson County land records.Publix also negotiated agreements with landowner William A. Pace Jr. for a drainage easement and temporary access for construction staging.The NCDOT is requiring Publix to add a northbound center turn lane into the southern-most driveway entrance. The property sale and easement agreements were recorded on June 28.Plans submitted by Halvorsen’s traffic engineers also show a 130-foot southbound right turn lane on Greenville Highway across from Copper Penny Street and a right turn lane from White Street into the store parking lot. Plans show that Greenville Highway and White Street bordering on the supermarket will be milled and repaved.   Read Story »

Laurel Park News

Laurel Park supporters spar over nonprofit

LAUREL PARK —Laurel Park residents who are questioning a proposal to change the legal makeup of a 60-year-old nonprofit that supports the "Town on the Mountain" debated the change on Tuesday night at the First Congregational United Church of Christ.   Read Story »

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