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Governor reappoints Eisenhauer to N.C. cancer committee

Henderson County News

LOCAL BRIEFS: HHS mock trial, police Capt. Leroy, Miss Julia, tulips, N.C. 191

HHS mock trial team excels at state The Hendersonville High School mock trial team finished the North Carolina Mock Trial State competition ranked fifth, the highest among public high schools in all classification. The competition, held March 8 and 9 at Campbell Law School in Raleigh, was sponsored by the Carolina Consortium for Civic Education and the North Carolina Advocates for Justice. The HHS Cats team won the Hendersonville Regional on Feb. 2. Team members are Clara Hockenberry, Ellie Stout and Miriam Smith, and second row, Madelyn Ball, Mireille Soss, Martha Smith, Jay Mullinax and Quinn Albert. At State, HHS defeated J.H. Rose High School of Greenville, N.C., in the first round. In the 2nd round, HHS lost to Village Christian Academy of Fayetteville by a combined score on three ballots of 246-240. Star Award winners, which are awards that competing teams give to each other for best witness and best attorney, were Jay Mullinax (Attorney), Ellie Stout (Witness) and Madelyn Ball (Witness and Attorney). The Best Awards are given by the scoring jurors and the trial judge. Best Attorney award winners were Madelyn Ball and Ellie Stout. The Best Witness award went to Madelyn Ball. The three Best Awards are the most HHS has ever won at a state competition under coaches Jerry Smith and Kathryn Wells. This was sixth team to make it state under Smith. Tulip Extravaganza under way The 17th annual Tulip Extravaganza blooms in downtown Hendersonville throughout April, with 8,000-10,000 bulbs bringing color to Main Street. Organized by Barbara Hughes, owner of Narnia Studios at 408 N. Main St., the event includes the week of Passover and Easter. Downtown businesses hope that residents will bring their out-of-town guests for a colorful month of shopping and dining. “The bulbs we planted in the fall should be in full bloom the second and third week of April,” said Master Gardener Scott Johnson. “Lots of tulip leaves and a few tulips are already poking through the flower beds.” In addition, the annual tulip photo contest will occur throughout the month, with the deadline to enter being April 26. Winners of the photo contest will be announced April 30. All photos entered must be taken in downtown Hendersonville.             'Miss Julia' author to appear The Henderson County Public Library will host Ann B. Ross for the launch of her latest book, “Miss Julia Takes the Wheel,” 5:30 to 7:30 p.m. Tuesday, April 2, in Kaplan Auditorium of the public library. Copies of her new title will be available for purchase.   Capt. Leroy completes management training Capt. Chris Leroy of the Hendersonville Police Department Criminal Investigations Division has completed the Law Enforcement Executive Program (LEEP) at North Carolina State University. Chris LeroyLEEP delivers executive style training to aspiring public safety managers and builds proactive leadership among law enforcement executives that enables them to manage their most critical current and future challenges effectively.“I consider leadership development and supervisory training as one of my highest priorities as police chief,” said Police Chief Herbert Blake. “We will continue to afford these kinds of excellent professional development opportunities to our staff as they become available.”The program trains participants to explore current ideas and techniques of public management as they apply to law enforcement agencies; sharpen personal skills necessary to excel as police managers; and step outside daily activities and responsibilities to think creatively about the job of managing a law enforcement agency in increasingly complex, uncertain and changing environments. Homeowners urge commissioners to oppose NC 191 project Ten homeowners urged the Henderson County Board of Commissioners last week to join them in opposing the NCDOT’s proposed widening of N.C. 191 from Schoolhouse Road to Mountain Road. Residents said they would favor a three-lane road in that area and not a four-lane divided highway because of the loss of property and increased noise from construction and traffic. They also cited issues of erosion and negative impact on the natural beauty of the area and property values.Robert Coffey, representing the Ridgeview subdivision, said that the homeowners’ association had committed to fight the widening by starting a petition to call for reassessing and revising the road plan and to address the commission at Wednesday’s meeting. Coffey also expressed concerns over the cost of construction.“We have read quotes for NCDOT projects that have exceeded the original cost estimates by over 50 percent,” he said. “Reducing the scope of this project to three lanes should be much less costly, so it should be a win-win compromise.”Commissioner Charlie Messer urged Bill Lapsley to present those concerns to the Transportation Advisory Committee, which Lapsley serves on.“I will carry the messages I heard today and discuss them with DOT and see if that has any impact on how this board feels about this project,” Lapsley said.     Read Story »

Henderson County News

City eyes grant application for Clear Creek greenway

The Hendersonville City Council on Thursday was scheduled to consider a staff request authorize a grant application to help fund a $1 million greenway along Clear Creek from Carolina Village to Berkeley Park.   Read Story »

Henderson County News

BRCC names Small Business Director

Blue Ridge Community College has named Ben Smith director of BRCC's Small Business Center. Smith succeeds Ben Kish who is now teaching full-time for the college in the business administration associate degree program. Smith is responsible for administering the Small Business Center Program, providing confidential and free counseling to existing and aspiring entrepreneurs, orchestrating instruction for seminars and workshops, and serving as the college liaison to the small business community in both Henderson and Transylvania Counties. He recently served as Director of Entrepreneurship and Education and Director of Small Business and Workforce Solutions for the Cullman Area Chamber of Commerce in north Alabama. He is a graduate of the University of Alabama and holds a Bachelor of Science in Commerce and Business Administration with a focus in Entrepreneurship. “It's an honor to join Blue Ridge Community College to provide high-quality small business resources to our students and the local community," Smith said. "It's our intention to serve as an open door to any individual looking to pursue their dream of initiating or operating their own startup or small business.” Blue Ridge Community College Small Business Center is part of the Small Business Center Network, comprised of 58 Small Business Centers throughout North Carolina that support the development of new businesses and the growth of existing businesses by being a community-based provider of training, counseling, and resource information. North Carolina Community College System recently ranked Blue Ridge Community College Small Business Center #2 of 58 for the amount of service and support provided to the community.   Read Story »

Hendersonville News

Don't miss this week's Hendersonville Lightning (208)

Don't miss this week's Hendersonville Lightning.   Read Story »

Henderson County News

Edwards seeks study of DuPont Forest admission fees

State Sen. Chuck Edwards wants the state Agriculture Department to study ways to generate revenue at DuPont State Forest, including admission fees that would "favor North Carolina citizens," in order to create "a sustainable income stream to help preserve the protect the forest."   Read Story »

Henderson County News

Rep. Henson won't seek re-election

State Rep. Cody Henson, who faces a stalking charge in a complaint brought by his estranged wife, announced Tuesday that he will not seek re-election next year. Henson faced calls from Democrats to resign after a judge authorized a one-year restraining order that his wife had sought. He said he wanted to devote more time to his two young children and let someone else represent the 113th House District, which include Transylvania, Polk and southern Henderson counties. "I believe this district will find another individual who is ready and able to fight for our mountain values and be a voice we need to make sure we do not go back to the days of Western North Carolina being left behind," he said. "I will stand ready to assist my successor in any way possible." The race had already attracted potential interest by two Republicans from Polk County. Jake Johnson, chair of the Polk County Board of Commissioners, said he would look at the seat if Henson was not running. Gene Johnson, a 57-year-old attorney who practices in Henderson and Buncombe counties and lives in Polk, also was considering a run. Here is the statement from Henson, a second-term Republican incumbent: "I have said this many times but it truly has been the honor of my lifetime to serve you in the NC House for the past 2 terms. We have been able to accomplish many things since first being elected that will make our district and our great state even better places to live, work and do business. Since December 2015, I have promised to represent Transylvania, Polk and Southern Henderson Counties with the mountain values that were instilled in me early in life and that people from around the world come to our small corner of North Carolina to experience. "As you all know I have two beautiful children that are growing up quicker than any parent would like. When I started this journey Bo was only 5 months old and Presley wasn’t even thought of. Now Bo is 3 and Presley is going on 8 months and I couldn’t be more blessed with them. With that said, I wanted to let you all know that I will not be seeking re-election in 2020. With Bo starting school soon I believe it is in the best interest of my children to step away from the political scene for now and be there during these exciting times in their lives. "I believe this district will find another individual who is ready and able to fight for our mountain values and be a voice we need to make sure we do not go back to the days of WNC being left behind. I will stand ready to assist my successor in any way possible. "Until then, I look forward to continuing to serve you for the remainder of this term and continue our work on school safety, addressing immigration, continued pay increases for our teachers and a host of other issues this General Assembly is addressing. "Thank you all, from the bottom of my heart, for all the support you have shown me and my family over the years and the countless prayers on my behalf. It truly is an honor to be your voice in the NC House of Representatives."   Read Story »

Henderson County News

Career Construction Day connects contractors, job seekers

FLETCHER — Construction Career Day on Wednesday at the WNC Agricultural Center’s McGough Arena, Fanning Bridge Road, will highlight local career opportunities available in the sector.   Read Story »

Mills River News

Mills River boots budget-busting ballfield bids

MILLS RIVER — Little Leaguers and other kids and adults will have to wait another year before they can play ball at the Mills River Town Park.   Read Story »

Henderson County News

EHHS junior's 'Radiance' chosen as ArtScape banner

A piece by an East Hendersonville High School junior has been chosen to represent the youth category in the upcoming reveal of the 2019 ArtScape banners in downtown Hendersonville.   Read Story »

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