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LOCAL BRIEFS: Tax Aide, trunk show, Tapestry center

Fletcher News

Housing starts up by 82%

Showing strong signs of recovery, housing starts shot up by 82 percent and new commercial work rose 42 percent in 2015 over the previous year.   Read Story »

Hendersonville News

Haywood Road pizzeria promises new taste, new shape

Hendersonville has a new dining choice with the opening today of Pi-Squared Pizza, a family-friendly restaurant featuring world-famous, authentic Detroit-style pizza.   Read Story »

Henderson County News

'America's First Forest' premieres Wednesday

America’s First Forest, the first full-length, in-depth documentary film ever made about legendary forester and educator Carl Schenck, will have its broadcast premiere on UNC-TV at 8 p.m. Wednesday.   Read Story »

Henderson County News

NC 191 bridge work creates one-lane passage over French Broad

Motorists traveling on the bridge over the French Broad River overflow channel on N.C. 191 in Henderson County can expect possible congestion and delays during bridge repair work through Wednesday morning, the NCDOT said. The bridge will be down to one lane to allow crews to safely do girder and concrete repairs on the 60-year-old bridge. Motorists are encouraged to allow extra time for traveling through the area or to seek alternate routes. There will not be a detour in place. Instead, automated traffic signals at each end of the bridge will allow traffic to alternate directions crossing the bridge. The lane closure should wrap up by 6 a.m. the following Wednesday. If work progresses as planned, a similar closure and traffic restriction can be expected the following three weekends, weather permitting. Drivers are urged to slow down, use caution and pay extra attention when traveling through the work zone.For real-time travel information, call 511, visit the Traveler Services section of NCDOT.gov or follow NCDOT on Twitter.   Read Story »

Henderson County News

Barry Manilow tribute kicks off Music on the Rock

Flat Rock Playhouse will launch its 2016 Music on the Rock concert series with “The Music of Barry Manilow” on Thursday, Feb. 11, at the Playhouse Downtown.   Read Story »

Henderson County News

KnollsCam: Gray fox on white snow

Thomas Brass's wildlife camera in the woods at the top of Haywood Knolls caught a good shot of a gray fox after last weekend's snowstorm.   Read Story »

Henderson County News

Movie starring Josh Brolin filming in area

A production crew has been in Hendersonville off and on over the past several weeks filming a movie starring Josh Brolin and Danny McBride.   Read Story »

Henderson County News

Ask Matt ... about eye in the sky

Q. Is that a webcam or a security camera that sits high on the green metal pole at the corner of Church Street and Sixth Avenue West in Hendersonville? It’s a camera all right but it’s not the city’s. According to Tim Kirk, an NCDOT transportation engineer, that camera is one of many that are part of their Traveler Information Management System (TIMS). Here’s how it works. Our highway folks measure and manage traffic movement on state roads using three methods: induction loops in the road, microwave detection and traffic videos. Those video feeds originate from some 650 cameras across the state. The camera on Sixth Avenue at Church Street is just one of those and its video feed can actually be accessed by the public. Each camera takes a still snapshot once every five minutes. These are “smart photos” that can detect traffic movement. There are actually seven cameras at work in the Hendersonville area. To view these street shots, just go online and search for “NCDOT-TIMS-Asheville” and click on any camera icon.So where does this data all go? NCDOT feeds all the traffic data including the loop sensors and microwave reports into one of three traffic management centers — in Raleigh, Greensboro or Charlotte. Those centers also receive data from some of the major trucking lines. Yup, those pesky truckers help us manage our traffic. According to Kirk, mobile phones are another source of data. Each cell phone sends out intermittent pings. A private company named INRIX somehow collects and processes that information and sells it to DOT. “If there are 5,000 cell phones in cars going down the highway at 70 mph and all of a sudden they are only going 20 mph, we know that there is a problem. We see it live on the big video map on the wall here in Charlotte and we can dispatch someone to see what’s going on,” Kirk said.So yes, we are being watched, listened to and recorded on the highways and byways. Welcome to the 21st century. Q. Why did they close the First Citizens Bank in Etowah? The bank closed last October after less than two years in operation. The Etowah branch was acquired in January of 2014 following a merger with 1st Financial Services Corporation (Mountain 1st) as reported here in the Lightning (9/9/13). First Citizens does not own the now-vacant building. According to bank officials, closing the branch was a business decision. First Citizens’ departure leaves Etowah with United Community Bank on U.S. Highway 64. * * * Send questions to askmattm@gmail.com.   Read Story »

Henderson County News

Forest closes soggy single-track trails

The N.C. Forest Service has closed all single-track trails in DuPont State Recreational Forest temporarily because recent snow and wet conditions make the trails extremely susceptible to damage. Forest roads and two-track trails such as Triple Falls, High Falls and Hooker Falls trails will remain open.   Read Story »

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