Free Daily Headlines

News

Set your text size: A A A

News

Construction surges in county

Henderson County News

The Top 10 (10, 9, 8, 7, 6, 5): Emergency HQ, big snow, Publix, 7th Avenue

The evolving restaurant scene, a stunning election upset, the sustained power of homeowners pushing back against new roads and a big December snow storm made the Lightning’s Top 10 news stories of 2018. Here’s our seventh annual look at the top stories of the year. No. 10. Emergency headquarters Dedicated on Nov. 2, the county’s new Thomas H. Thompson Emergency Services Center proved its worth with weeks. “In this case we had a trial by fire because we’ve been in it a month and then we had 2 feet of snow,” County Manager Steve Wyatt said of the Dec. 8-9 snowstorm that paralyzed the county. Soon after the county activated the Emergency Operations Center for the first time in the new facility on Saturday afternoon, Dec. 8, first responders would feel its benefits. “It gives them a base that is heated and there’s places for them to rest and you’re not freezing,” Wyatt said. “You can actually have a place to rest between calls. It’s a good environment. It’s a good investment.” Emergency Management Director Jimmy Brissey was along the county leaders who helped design the 57,000-square-foot facility. “I call it a model facility,” he said. “It’s a great example of collaboration and a great example of the commitment the commissioners made to public safety.” No. 9. Megan’s miracle   CutlineMegan, shown with Chloe, a Yorkshire teacup, back home in Hendersonville two months after getting a new heart.   A torrential downpour deprived Megan Edney of an emergency helicopter transport from Mission hospital to Levine Children’s Hospital in Charlotte. That was just the first day of what her father, County Commission Chairman Michael Megan EdneyEdney, would later describe as a “rollercoaster ride from hell.” Thanks to the work of a cardiologist and heart surgeon and their team at Levine, the ride would end happily for Megan and her family. In an astonishingly short time, the transplant network located a new heart for Megan, who suffered from a rare disease that results an abnormal thickening of the heart muscle. A heart transplant is the only cure. “Miracles do happen,” Michael exulted on Facebook when Megan’s new heart was found. Added her mom, Lisa: “They never had another heart patient to our knowledge that got a heart that quick. We were expecting the long haul.” A month after the successful transplant, Megan returned for one of what will be regular checkups. “She looked amazing,” said Dr. Gonzalo Wallis, her cardiologist. “That girl is resilient and those parents are resilient. She basically went through three surgeries back to back to back and she recovered amazing.” 8. A white (pre-) Christmas A big winter storm, rare for December, broke single-day snowfall records, caused almost 12,000 homes to lose power and closed school for a week. Days after the Dec. 8 and 9 storm, many secondary roads were impassable. Duke Energy staged more than 800 crew members out of its Hendersonville operations center. The National Weather Service reported snowfall totals of 11 to 18 inches. Declaring a state of emergency, Gov. Roy Cooper urged North Carolinians to stay off the roads. “Enjoy the beauty but respect the danger,” he said. While Hendersonville shops and restaurants lost a weekend of Christmas shopping and more, hotels did a big business housing storm refugees and emergency crews.   7. Publix opens The opening of another supermarket a few hundred yards from three other grocery stores might not seem like big news. Publix was, because of the anticipation, its brand (“where shopping is a pleasure” and its location (“where shopping’s in a floodplain”). News broke of the store in 2015 (the Lightning’s No. 6 story that year) and two years passed before the Florida-based grocer broke ground. Engineers filed and refiled requests to build at the chronically flooded corner of Greenville Highway and White Street. But Publix knew what it was doing all along when it picked a spot — come hell or high water — that would intercept Flat Rock and Kanuga shoppers before they could push on to the many incumbent competitors. Grand opening crowds overflowed the store’s lot and parked across White Street near Stein Mart and ever since the new store on Mud Creek has remained busy. 6. Foodie festival, Libation Nation A new French restaurant, the (promised) debut of the long-awaited rooftop restaurant, a coffee-shop/taproom/bottle shop, pizzerias, soul food with a Jamaican accent, fare from the tip of South America, new microbreweries and even a brandy bar headlined the beverage and dining scene in 2018. Downtown, the opening of Shine, in the 200 block of North Main, A server celebrates on opening day at Dry Falls Brewing Co.combined with the newly opened French Broad and Harvey’s at The Henderson, ramped up what downtown development coordinator Lew Holloway calls the growing “foodie destination” appeal of downtown. Some spots flickered out, too. Although Lime Leaf Thai Fusion, Flat Rock Ciderworks and Jongo Java all closed their doors this year, their spaces were snapped up immediately. The French Broad opened in the Lime Leaf’s old digs at 342 N. Main, Mike’s on Main annexed the cider taproom space for Mike’s 303 and Never Blue chef/owner Jesse Roque leased the Jongo Java spot for an expansion with a promised new menu. Beyond Main Street, diners could get everything from oxtail to southern fried chicken at Dreadlife Kitchen in Edneyville and sample specialties from Chile, Peru and Puerto Rico at Cono Sur in Mills River. Appalachian Coffee Co. drew crowds to a renovated coal supply depot along the railroad tracks on Fifth Avenue West. And on the craft brewery front, Triskelion opened its taps on Seventh Avenue, Dry Falls blazed the southern frontier on Kanuga’s Busy Bend and Mills River Brewing Co. broke ground on a new brewhouse and taproom on Banner Farm Road. 5. Seventh Avenue renaissance   Although the promise of revitalization on Seventh Avenue has been a perennial on the Lightning’s Top 10 list for five years, 2018 felt like the year that the revival was taking hold. Marco’s Pizza, Triskelion, the Brandy Bar and the Amazing A rendering shows a possible residential development in the Historic Seventh Avene District.Pizza Co. all opened, checking the private development box. The Hendersonville City Council checked the public box of public-private partnership in a big way — committing to a new cop shop on Ashe Street, adopting a zoning overlay district to encourage commercial and residential development and rolling out a new streetscape proposal. A pioneer of the then-struggling commercial area, Southern Appalachian Brewing Co., is about to get a new neighbor up the hill, in Guidon brewery, and Bearwallow Brewing Co. plans to open on Seventh at Locust. That raises the potential for the brewery district as a destination. If the city can install more inviting crosswalks across Sixth Avenue to reach the district, the link from Main Street and a renovated Grey Hosiery Mill to once-bustling Seventh Avenue would be complete. Coming Dec. 26: Nos. 4 and 3   Read Story »

Henderson County News

So how does Duke go about restoring power?

It starts with the forecast.   Read Story »

Henderson County News

Ask Matt ... about open-box returns

Q. Blue Ridge Bargains gets items from Amazon for resale. How does all that work? Need a brand new crock pot, shop vac or cooler? Check out these items and more at Blue Ridge Bargains located on the corner of Jackson Loop Road and Upward Road a mile north of I-26. Owner David Portugal took me through the warehouse surrounded by apple orchards. Most of the items on the shelves were still in their distinctive Amazon shipping boxes. Portugal said the business is "open box return" where he receives tractor trailer loads of items returned to Amazon. His team opens, inspects, photographs, prices and finally routes each box either to the retail shelf or to a holding area for online sales. A quality control system ensures that all parts are included with the product and if it's an electronic item – that it works. I watched a technician test a returned microwave. If the unit was dented in shipping a radiation leak detector would have been used. Portugal said that he seldom gets TVs because they are hard to fix. He said he sells no damaged goods and offers a return policy. The items in Blue Ridge Bargains inventory were first returned to Amazon for any number of reasons such as the purchaser got another toaster as a gift, or the deep fryer didn't work when they plugged it in or the bike rack they ordered didn't fit. "About 5 percent of Amazon's shipments get sent back and they don't have the manpower nor the time to handle returns," said Portugal. That's where Blue Ridge Bargains fits in. They purchase items by the truckload without even knowing item for item what's in them. Everything is mixed together although Portugal admitted he has a better idea of what he's buying than a speculator who bids on abandoned storage lockers. Portugal's business in unique and his closest competitor is 300 miles away in Nashville, Tennessee. Blue Ridge Bargains does a lot of business online (blueridgebargains.com) and ships right from the warehouse. Kristen Jones heads up a team of customer service agents, part of the 16 company employees. The online inventory includes mostly small or specialty items. Heavy items such as car seats or rubber yoga mats typically don't get shipped long distances and are put on the shelves for local resale. Those items are discounted 25%, 50%, and 75% from list price and each week the discounts are rotated. This adds interest to the savvy customer who could get that weed trimmer today for 25% off list price but two weeks later the price might be cut in half – if, of course, the trimmer is still there. The hottest selling items at Blue Ridge Bargains are car seats, cookware and baby items. I saw a hoverboard listed for $150 but I'm not betting it's a hot seller. * * * * * Send questions to Askmattm@gmail.com.   Read Story »

Henderson County News

Butterworth appointed to N.C. Charter Schools Board

Jeanette Butterworth has been appointed to the N.C. Charter School Advisory Board by the North Caolina General Assembly, Sen. Chuck Edwards announced. House Bill 1111 which passed both chambers unanimously confirmed her appointment.   Read Story »

Henderson County News

Don't miss this week's Hendersonville Lightning (191)

You won't want to miss this week’s Hendersonville Lightning. It's our annual Top 10 News Stories of the year, plus an explainer on how Duke Energy plans and executes the work to restore power in a big snowstorm. There are tons of community briefs and local briefs, the popular Stuck in the Late Middle and Chapter 5 of our Civil War saga, Brave Women.Here's where you can pick up a Lightning: Downtown Hendersonville• Hendersonville Lightning Office, 1111 Asheville Hwy.• Pop’s Diner, 5 Points, North Main Street• Triangle Stop, 701 North Main Street• The 500 block of North Main Street(First Citizens Bank / Mast General Store)• Black Bear Coffee Co., Main Street• The 300 block of North Main Street(McFarland’s Bakery / Mike’s on Main )• 100 block of South Main(Flat Rock Playhouse) Southside Hendersonville(Spartanburg Highway)• Ingles, Spartanburg Hwy.• Hairstyles by Charlene, Joel Wright Drive• McDonald’s, Spartanburg Hwy.• Norm’s Minit Mart, Spartanburg Hwy.• Hendersonville Co-op• Burger King/ BP, Spartanburg Hwy. Flat Rock/East Flat Rock• Flat Rock Post Office• Flat Rock Bakery• Zirconia Post Office• East Flat Rock Post Office• Whitley Drug, Greenville Hwy.• Energy Mart Exxon, Upward Road & I-26• Triangle Stop, 754 Upward Road & I-26 Along Kanuga Road• Hot Dog World, Kanuga Road• Mr Pete’s Market, Kanuga Road• Norm’s Minit Mart, Kanuga Road Laurel Park Area• Economy Drug on Fifth Ave. West• Fifth Avenue Shell• YMCA Hendersonville, Sixth Ave & Oak St• Laurel Park Village, RiteAid• Energy Mart Exxon, Laurel Park• Dixie DIner, Brevard Road West on Highway 64 (Brevard Road)• Horse Shoe Post Office• Mr Pete’s Market, Etowah, Hwy. 64-W• Blue Ridge Pizza, Etowah, Hwy. 64-W• Etowah Shopping Center, Etowah• Ingles, Brevard Road• Bandana’s Restaurant, Brevard Road North on Highway 191 (Haywood Road)• Joey’s New York Bagels, Hwy. 191• One Stop Store # 8, Haywood Road (Hwy. 191)• Dollar General, Hwy. 191 & Mountain Road• Triangle Stop, 4197 Haywood Road, Mills River• Ingle’s, Mills River, Hwy. 280 Eastside Hendersonville (Four Seasons Blvd.)• Norm’s Minit Mart, Dana Road• Fatz Cafe, Dana Road & Four Seasons Blvd.• Grocery Outlet, off Four Seasons Blvd.• Energy Mart Exxon, Four Seasons Blvd.• McDonald’s, Four Seasons Boulevard• Mustang Cafe, Dana Road East on Highway 64 (Chimney Rock Highway)• Triangle Stop, 2545 Chimney Rock Road, Hwy. 64-E• Mr Pete’s Market, East, Hwy. 64-E• Griffin’s Store Edneyville, Hwy. 64-E• Edneyville Post Office• Edneyville General Store• Walmart Shopping Center North on Highway 25(Asheville Highway)• The Ugly Mug Coffee Shop, Hwy. 25-N• Alykat, US 25-N• Triangle Stop, Hwy 25-N, Balfour• Mountain Home Post Office• Fletcher Post Office• Ingles, FletcherSouthern & Eastern Henderson County • Dana Post Office• Rosco’s Grocery, Green River• Saluda Post Office The Hendersonville Lightning is available at mostHenderson County post offices and Ingles supermarkets     Read Story »

Henderson County News

School makeup days tacked on to year end

Having lost a full week of school last week for the big December snow, the Henderson County school year will be extended for a week and end June 14, administrators announced. The makeup days apply to traditional and Henderson County Early College calendars, with a few other minor changes to satisfy the state’s requirement of instructional hours.   Read Story »

Henderson County News

Bio sketch revisions remove reference to a four-year degree for Meadows

U.S. Rep. Mark Meadows, the House Freedom Caucus who had been prominently mentioned as a possible choice as President Trump's chief of staff, has had an update of his official congressional biography and Wikipedia biography. The biographical sketches no longer say that he earned a bachelor's degree from the University of South Florida. That's because he didn't, the Tampa Bay Times reported Tuesday. Meadows official biographical sketch on a U.S. House website listed his education as "B.A., University of South Florida, Tampa," said the story by the Tampa Bay Times, which also included a screenshot of the House bio. Instead of a four-year degree, Meadows earned an "associate of arts" from USF in December 1980, USF spokesman Adam Freeman told the Florida newspaper. That degree is "similar to a degree an individual might earn after completing two years at a community college," Freeman told reporter Steve Contorno. The House historian corrected Meadows' biography Monday after the Tampa Bay Times inquired about the discrepancy. Meadows spokesman Ben Williamson told the Hendersonville Lightning on Wednesday that no one in Meadows' office had made the Wikipedia revisions on Dec. 11 and that Meadows and his aides had never been the source of the references to a four-year degree from USF. The Washington press corps and newspapers that cover the 11th Congressional District, including the Hendersonville Lightning, have routinely repeated the reference to Meadows as a graduate of USF, sometimes reporting that his B.A. was in "business management." There's no business management degree for two-year students, Freeman told the Florida newspaper. The Tampa Bay Times was apparently looking into Meadows' upbringing and early adult years in the Tampa Bay area as the possibility increased that he would become Trump's third chief of staff. While several other possible candidates publicly took their names out of consideration, Meadows, one of the Trump's earliest and strongest supporters in Congress, made his interest clear. He told a reporter on Monday, Dec. 10, that it would be "an incredible honor" to serve in the White House. The next day, the Wikipedia page was changed. One day later, on Dec. 12, White House press secretary Sarah Sanders announced that Trump had eliminated Meadows from consideration. “Congressman Mark Meadows is a great friend to President Trump and is doing an incredible job in Congress," she said. "The President told him we need him in Congress so he can continue the great work he is doing there.” Not every reference to his college education has been changed to describe an associates degree. "He graduated from the University of South Florida with a degree in business management," Meadows' bio on the election news site Ballotpedia says, citing the National Journal as the source of the information. Although references to a B.A. or a degree in business management are common in stories about Meadows, the Tampa Bay Times report noted that "none of these stories directly quote Meadows claiming (to have) such a degree from USF. It also does not appear that Meadows has ever professed a four-year degree from USF on his Congressional website, according to a review of archived web pages." The person who tweaked the Meadows' Wikipedia bio made two other changes, removing a claim that he had "joined Sigma Chi Fraternity" at USF and that he previously had attended Florida State University. An FSU spokesman confirmed to the Florida newspaper that Meadows attended the university in 1977-78. On Wednesday the Wikipedia page had been updated yet again to reflect the facts the Tampa Bay Times uncovered.   Read Story »

Henderson County News

City honors firefighter, fire officer of the year

John Will Justice was named Firefighter of the Year and Capt. Joshua Poore was honored as Officer of the Year during the Hendersonville Fire Department's Christmas dinner on Saturday. Both honorees were nominated and selected by their peers. Hendersonville Fire Department command staff members Chief Joseph Vindigni, Deputy Chief James Miller and Fire Marshal Justin Ward presented the recipients with their awards during the ceremony. Their names will be added to the Firefighter and Officer of the Year plaques displayed at Fire Station 2. A city firefighter since June 2017, Justice was selected for the award based on his passion for the job and his eagerness to train and learn. During the presentation, Miller spoke of Justice’s positive attitude and his habit of jumping in to help wherever needed without being asked. Poore, who has been with the department since January 2007, was selected based on his support of the mission of the fire department and his ability to create an environment for those he supervisors that promotes training, fitness, ownership and personal growth. Poore is an "outstanding leader and great motivator who pushes everyone, every day, to be better," one of his peers said in a nomination.   Read Story »

Hendersonville News

LIGHTNING EDITORIAL: Hotel proposals encouraging sign downtown

The city could score a home run if one of two prospects for a downtown hotel comes to pass.   Read Story »

News Archive