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Detectives seeking ID of porch furniture thief

Henderson County News

Drug squad seizes 2 pounds of meth in Zirconia bust

The Henderson County sheriff's office drug squad seized more than 2 pounds of methamphetamine and charged two people with drug trafficking felonies after an early morning search of a home in Zirconia. The SWAT and Drug Enforcement Team executed a search warrant at 738 Mountain View Church Road and found one kilogram (2.2 lbs.) of methamphetamins. Two people were arrested as a result of the search. Ronald Shane Green, 44, was jailed under a $155,000 secured bond and charged with felony trafficking in methamphetamine by possession, felony conspiracy to traffic in methamphetamine, felony possession with intent to manufacture/sell/deliver a controlled substance and felony maintaining a dwelling/place for controlled substance. Jailed on $290,000 a bond, Nicole Marie McCoppin, 36, was charged with felony trafficking in methamphetamine by possession, felony trafficking in methamphetamine by transport, felony conspiracy to traffic in methamphetamine, felony possession with intent to manufacture/sell/deliver a controlled substance and felony maintaining a dwelling/place for controlled substance  Sheriff Lowell Griffin encouraged members of the community to report drug related information to (828) 694-2954.     Read Story »

Henderson County News

Developer proposes 1,224 homes, apartments at Tap Root Dairy

An Asheville developer has submitted plans for a residential subdivision of 1,224 homes, townhomes and apartments on the Tap Root Dairy land on the French Broad River off Butler Bridge Road. The application was filed by Ken Jackson, a third-generation developer and contractor, and engineer Warren Sugg. Plans show a develoopment of 545 single-family homes, 312 apartments and 361 townhomes on the 286-acre tract, a density of 4 units per acre. Plans submitted to the Henderson County planning department show the project buildout in 10 phases starting with 312 apartments in the first phase. The county notified surrounding property owners of the application and announced a meeting at 3 p.m. Monday during which neighbors will hear from the developer and have the opportunity to ask questions or raise concerns. Made up of apartments, the first phase would be accessed from Butler Bridge Road west of Yadkin Road. Later phases would add homes, townhomes and apartments gradually toward the west, with the last three phases going up close to the French Broad River. The four phases would include 312 apartments, 361 townhomes and 70 single-family homes. The last five phases would be made up of 475 single-family homes, according to the plans. The property is zoned regional commercial but would need a conditional zoning permit because the developer proposes more than 100 units of multifamily housing, Henderson County planner Allen McNeill said. The property is owned by the Johnston family, fourth generation dairy farmers. The family has had the property on the market for many years. In 2007, the family had a tentative deal with a Charlotte company to sell the land for a development that included a shopping mall anchored by a Bass Pro Shop, a branch of Western Carolina University and a medical clinic. Mary Louise Johnston Corn, a School Board member, said Wednesday that terms of a sale contract bar her from talking about the transaction. Sugg, an engineer with Civil Design Concepts in Asheville, said he could not elaborate on the project yet. "We've got a neighborhood meeting coming up" where more details will be revealed, he said. The developer, L.B. Jackson & Co., traces its roots to Ken Jackson's great-grandfather, who moved his family to Asheville from Georgia in 1914 and began building homes. His son, L.B. Jackson, built Asheville's first skyscraper, the Jackson building, in 1924, the company says on its website. After earning a graduate degree in construction management degree from Clemson, Ken Jackson worked in the construction field in Washington, D.C., and later for Asheville-based Beverly Grant Construction. He started L.B. Jackson & Co. in 1985. The company has built a half dozen office buildings, several grocery anchored centers, strip centers, industrial parks, residential subdivisions and residential condo projects.   Read Story »

Henderson County News

COUNTY OKS $60M HHS PLAN

The Henderson County Board of Commissioners voted unanimously on Wednesday morning to approve a new Hendersonville High School for $59 million, lowering the curtain on a political drama that has dragged on for more than four years.   Read Story »

Henderson County News

Schools closed, 'tremendous amount of wrecks' on dangerous black ice

Black ice made roads treacherous, closed schools and caused "a tremendous amount of wrecks" throughout Henderson County early Wednesday.   Read Story »

Henderson County News

Stroupe trial postponed until May

A judge agreed on Tuesday to postpone the capital murder trial of Phillip Michael Stroupe II for three months to give prosecutors and defense attorneys more time to review new evidence.   Read Story »

Hendersonville News

Narnia Studios moving across Main to historic Ewbank building

After more than two decades at the same location, Narnia Studios will cross Main Street and relocate to the historic Ewbank building at 408 N. Main Street on March 1, owner Barbara Hughes announced. Designed by Erle Stillwell and built in 1923 by Ernest Lucas Ewbank and sons Frank and Harry, the Ewbank & Ewbank building was home to the family insurance and real estate business until 2004. The building was last home of The Fountainhead bookstore. The climate-controlled shop is located in the heart of downtown right next door to another Stilwell building, the Henderson County Genealogical and Historical Society and mineral museum, which was built as State Trust Bank. Founded in 1995, Narnia Studios is a fresh flower florist as well as a source for artwork from over 50 different local artists and potters. Narnia Studios will have the same selection of goods in an even more welcoming environment. “We appreciate every purchase by our long time and brand new Narnia friends," Hughes said. "We know how important it is for our customers to have a shop they can rely on year after year. Now we will have space to better serve Hendersonville and its visitors."   Read Story »

Mills River News

Ask Matt ... where factories could locate

Q. Do we have any prime industrial sites left in Henderson County and if so where are they? Yes, we still have sites, actually a bunch. I sat down with Brittany Brady, president of the Partnership (also known as the Henderson County Partnership for Economic Development). Brady said there are 17 industrial sites actively being promoted by the Partnership. For this story I chose five that I consider prime sites because they have some or all utilities in place, good road access and are 15 acres or greater. Let's take a look. The Hudgens site encompasses 107 acres on McMurray Road near Bloomfield's (dish barn). It is plainly visible from the Interstate. It offers both water and sewer and more than half of the tract is already zoned industrial. Beverly-Hanks has the site listed for $18,360,000 (recently reduced). The property is about as flat as you can find here and can easily be developed. The Garrison Lane site includes 48 acres located behind Cracker Barrel and Appleland Business Park on Upward Road. It has access to water and sewer. You may know this property as High Hope Dirt and Mulch, a 50-year old business operated by the Garrison family. There is a high hill in the middle of the property with a lot of dirt missing. The sales price is $4.8 million. Ferncliff Park in Mills River has two prominent tenants — Sierra Nevada Brewing Co. and GF Linamar. Ferncliff has 76 acres available that can be split into three or four industrial sites. Once part of the vast land holdings of the Westfeldt family of Rugby Grange, the property contained a summer home the family called Ferncliff. One of the parcels has "back door" access to the Asheville Regional Airport, which is a rare amenity. All sites are "NC Certified" which means they have passed a rigorous prequalification process. You can buy the whole 76 acres for a cool $9 million. Broadpointe Industrial Park on Fanning Field Road off N.C. 280 has a 15-acre combined industrial site for sale. It's use for a large industry is somewhat hindered because of the power line that bisects the property. The price tag is $1.4 million. Taproot Dairy Farm on Butler Bridge Road is a mega-site totaling 320 acres although 90 are in the flood plain. It's zoned commercial and would need to be rezoned for industry. The site is easily viewable from I-26. Taproot has utilities either on site or nearby but road access for 18-wheelers may be problematic without a new interchange. That aside, the property can be subdivided and it has long been called "a developers dream." Taproot is currently owned by the Johnston family and the asking price is a cool $20 million. The next closest mega industrial site in the state is in the Greensboro area. Sites are important but new industry likes workforce skills and convenience too. Brady said that a potential industry frequently asks, "What's your 30-minute drive time?" This is because, while the commuting time for production workers is typically 20 to 30 minutes, higher paying workers will drive 45 to 60 minutes. Brady's staff can easily plot out commuting distances for an interested party. Job training is an issue locally because of the labor shortage. "Employers look for trainable workers who can move up the ladder quickly," said Brady. "The high schools and BRCC are part of the pipeline for filling those jobs." * * * * * Send questions to askmattm@gmail.com.     Read Story »

Henderson County News

Politico profile describes Meadows as 'Trump whisperer" and 'go-to guy'

U.S. Rep. Mark Meadows continues to enjoy broad influence with President Trump despite being passed over for the White House chief of staff job, Politico reports. In a story under the headline "Mark Meadows, Trump whisperer," the website describes Meadows as the president's "go-to guy," a close ally who talks on the phone frequently with Trump and serves to enforce the conservative hard-line positions that the Freedom Caucus stands for. Meadows and Trump speak several times a day on some days and sometimes for an hour. "The result is that a three-term congressman little known outside the Beltway has earned an outsized influence on shaping the direction of the Trump administration — and the country," the report said. "Meadows has the president’s ear on any number of topics, from immigration and border security to criminal justice and international affairs. And he’s used that access to push Trump toward stances aligned with the rapidly ascendant House Freedom Caucus, the hard-line conservative and libertarian caucus founded in 2015 that Meadows chairs. "In other words, Meadows — who many people, even those in D.C., probably couldn’t pick out of a lineup — might be one of the country’s most powerful lawmakers." The story traces Meadows' close relationship with Trump to the presidential campaign when Meadows, one of the first members of Congress to endorse him, became "the de facto chairman of Trump’s operation in North Carolina." While other congressional leaders were putting distance between themselves and Trump when the Access Hollywood tape broke, Meadows and his wife, Debbie, sprang to his defense. “Debbie was on a bus with Christian women on Billy Bush Saturday, which was basically the acid test for hardcore Trump supporters," a Trump campaign official told Politico. "She and Mark were at the barricades with us.”         Read Story »

Henderson County News

Power outages climb but Duke projects restoration today

A windstorm knocked out power to more than 1,600 homes and businesses in Henderson County on Sunday and wind gusts as high as 50 mph could continue to batter the area through Monday morning.   Read Story »

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