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Laurel Park News

O'Cains' next chapter is for the birds

As mayor of Laurel Park, Carey O’Cain helped guide the development of Rhododendron Lake Nature Park. The Audubon Society and National Geographic had designated 2018 as the Year of the Bird, O’Cain noted early last year as he talked about the large variety of birds visiting the lake and the bluebird boxes that attracted nesting birds. Lutrelle O’Cain’s work focused on four-legged animals, as executive director of the Blue Ridge Humane Society.   Read Story »

Henderson County News

Van Winkle's Ellis makes magazine's 'Legal Elite'

Anderson T. Ellis has been recognized as one of Business North Carolina magazine’s 2019 Legal Elite, the Van Winkle Law Firm announced. Ellis was honored in both the “Young Guns” and “Business” categories.   Read Story »

Hendersonville News

Cask & Vine brings stylish pub fare (plus 40 bourbons) to Main Street

Steve Bevins has cooked everything from fast food to high-end steaks to upscale Chinese. Until recently he ran his own kitchen, as the head chef at Carolina Bistro at Cummings Cove Golf & Country Club.   Read Story »

Mills River News

Mills River board OKs expansion that has split High Vista homeowners

MILLS RIVER — The Mills River Town Council on Thursday upheld a decision by the town planning board that OK’d a development plan that would add 42 units at the High Vista subdivisions, including 18 duplexes.More than two dozen members of High Vista's homeowners association organized to fight the expansion and hired an attorney who presented their appeal during the town council meeting Thursday night. The Town Board voted unanimously to uphold the Planning Board’s October decision to approve the plans by High Vista Finance, of Jacksonville, Florida, for the new dwellings on 33 acres between High Vista Drive and Country Club Road.Town attorney Sharon Alexander told the town council it had limited authority to overrule the Planning Board as long as the board had adhered to the land-use ordinance requirements. "Our purpose is to look at the airplane view, to see if we followed everything we were supposed to follow," Councilman Roger Snyder said, restating the attorney's advice. "So that’s all that we have to decide. We really don’t care whether there’s a lawsuit or a feud or whatever you want to call it." Wayne Carland made the motion, which passed unanimously, to uphold the Planning Board's Oct. 2 decision. "They went through the correct process," he said. "Therefore, I think the council should stand by what they voted for." High Vista Finance and the homeowners who support the new development say the expansion is needed to generate cash to preserve the golf course, an amenity that attracts people to the subdivision and raises home values.Opponents, who are in a dispute with High Vista Finance over covenants that govern land use in the development, urged the Town Council to kill the project. Twenty-seven homeowners signed a letter appealing the Planning Board's decision to authorize the development.The request has split the community, with golfers in support of the expansion.Failure to approve the request, wrote Katherine and Tom Davis, “will likely negatively impact the Highland Vista Golf Course. This course is important to the High Vista community. Having a golf course here benefits the broader Mills River community. … We note that every ad we have seen advertising property got sale in High Vista prominently mentions the golf course here. That is strong evidence that having a golf course here enhances the value of the property, thus enhaving tax revenues for the town.”High Vista Finance proposed a higher density development that was blocked by a vote of the homeowners association. Now the developer has proposed an expansion with as little impact as possible, Nigel Strickland wrote.“Should the golf course fail, I believe it will cause the failure of our clubhouse, tennis courts and swimming pool, all of which are supported by about half the residents,” he said. “The resulting failure will result in a ghost town center in our community, drastically pulling down property values and the attractiveness of living in High Vista.”   Read Story »

Henderson County News

10-year plan highway contains no new projects for county

The N.C. Department of Transportation on Thursday unveiled a draft 10-year transportation plan for 2020-2029 at the monthly Board of Transportation meeting in Raleigh. The 10-year plan includes no major new projects in Henderson County, the largest county in the 10-county Division 14.   Read Story »

Hendersonville News

Inez Norman, longest serving city police employee, dies at 88

Inez Norman, who started her career as a jail matron in 1965 and continued working for the Hendersonville Police Department for 53 years, died Tuesday at age 88, the police department said.   Read Story »

Henderson County News

Sinkhole closes I-26 exit at U.S. 25 connector

It may be a while before the NCDOT can reopen the exit ramp from I-26 west to the U.S. 25 south connector leading to Greenville, S.C. The NCDOT closed the ramp on Wednesday after engineers discovered a 15-foot deep hole under the cloverleaf ramp. Engineers inspecting the scene on Thursday morning said it appeared a metal drain pipe that runs underneath I-26 had failed. "It's at the end of its useful life," one of them said. For now the ramp from U.S. 25 north to I-26 west is open but replacement of the failed open could require the interstate entrance to close, too. Traffic is detoured from the closed exit 54 a mile west to exit 53 (Upward Road). From there traffic can turn left on Spartanburg Highway and travel south to the U.S. 25 interchange.   “It’s probably caused by a separated drainage structure,” Division 14 maintenance engineer Wesley Grindstaff said. “But we won’t know for sure until we are able to safely get a camera into the system.”     Read Story »

Henderson County News

Deputies bust 33 in drug, larceny, domestic violence sweep

Deputies and detectives with the Henderson County Sheriff’s Office arrested 33 people in December in a roundup of offenders wanted for narcotic violations, breaking and entering, possession of stolen property, larceny, domestic violence and other related offenses, the sheriff's office said. The ongoing investigations targeted offenders throughout Henderson County. During the roundup detectives seized approximately 1.5 ounces of methamphetamine, a quantity of pills, marijuana, drug paraphernalia and four gallons of moonshine. Detectives also seized two firearms from convicted felons, two stolen vehicles and a vehicle used in a breaking and entering and recovered more than $2,000 worth of stolen property. Charged were: Alicia Moore -$1,000 bond - Simple Possession of Schedule IV Controlled Substances - Possession of Drug Paraphernalia Thomas Mills - $6,000 bond - Possession of Methamphetamine Christopher Case - $ 1,000 bond - Simple Possession of Schedule IV Controlled Substance - Possession of Drug Paraphernalia Brendan Patty - $6,000 bond - Forgery Janice Gordon - $600 bond - Possession of Drug Paraphernalia Shawn Morton - $6,000 bond -Possession of Schedule III Controlled Substance Justin Morton - $5,000 bond -Possession of Schedule II Controlled Substance Adam Pressley - $30,000 bond - Possession of a Stolen Motor Vehicle - Possession Methamphetamine - Possession of a Motor Vehicle w/ Altered Serial # - Simple Possession of Schedule IV Controlled Substances - Possession of Drug Paraphernalia   Chris Pressley -$4,500 bond - Possession of Drug Paraphernalia - Possession of Marijuana - Possession of Methamphetamine Dustin Carson - $1,000 bond Jonathan Moffitt - $2,000 bond - Possession of a Stolen Motor Vehicle - Possession of a Stolen Motor Vehicle Patrick Maybin - $2,000 bond - Possession of a Stolen Motor Vehicle Morgan Tart - $10,000 bond - Possession of a Firearm by Felon Ivan Opperman - $400 bond - Possession of Drug Paraphernalia   Magdalena Serna - $2,000 bond - Carrying Concealed Weapon William Eric Laughter - $20,500 bond - Possession of Methamphetamine - Possession of Schedule III Controlled Substance - Possession of Drug Paraphernalia - $2,000 bond - Carrying Concealed Weapon Allison Whipple - $1,500 bond - Possession of Schedule III Controlled Substance - Possession of Drug Paraphernalia - $440 bond - Possession of Drug Paraphernalia Melissa Cornett - $1,500 bond - Possession of Drug Paraphernalia -Possession of Marijuana Chris Holbert - No Bond – Domestic Violence - Warrant for Arrest – Assault on a Female Heather Sams -Waiting to be Served with Arrest Warrant, currently in Buncombe County Jail. Leshe Owen $1,000 bond - Possession of Marijuana - Possession of Drug Paraphernalia Roy Barnwell - $200 bond - FTA on Misdemeanor Kristopher Bryan Duncan - $10,000 bond - Possession of Methamphetamine Jonathan Pace -$5,500 bond - Possession of Marijuana - Possession of Methamphetamine Tamara Ballard -$500 bond - Simple Possession of Schedule IV Controlled Substance Sean Hartley - $3,500 bond - Obtaining Property by False Pretenses -Possession of Stolen property Casey May - Waiting to be Served with Arrest Warrant - Currently in Haywood Jail Dillon Surrett -$15,000 bond - Possession of a Stolen Firearm Dennis Parris - $11,000 bond - Possession of Stolen Property Gary Banks - No Bond - (3) Violations of a Domestic Violence Protection Order Ruth Messer - $130,000 bond - 2 Counts Trafficking Opium - Maintaining a Dwelling for the Purpose of Sale/Delivery of a Controlled Substance - Possession of Drug Paraphernalia - Possession with Intent to Sell and Deliver Schedule II Controlled Substance Jonathan Ray Adams - $30,000 bond - Possession of a Firearm by Felon Bojana O’Riley - $9,000 bond - Possession of a Stolen Motor Vehicle - Possession of Marijuana   Read Story »

Henderson County News

Shots fired during high-speed chase of U-haul

Henderson County sheriff's deputies filed multiple felony charges against a 25-year-old man who led them on a high speed chase for several miles with shots fired along the way.   Read Story »

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