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White House drops Meadows for chief of staff role

Henderson County News

SCHOOLS CLOSED THURSDAY

Schools are closed again Thursday, school officials announced, citing hazardous driving conditions for buses and student drivers and the NCDOT's reports of impassable secondary roads.   Read Story »

Henderson County News

Community Foundation grant will help park build Tot Lot

Flat Rock Park and Recreation Foundation Inc. has been awarded grant of $20,000 by the Community Foundation of Henderson County. Park Foundation executive director Maurean Adams said the grant will be used towards the construction of the Tot Lot Playground at the Park at Flat Rock. “The Park Foundation in partnership with Village Council, private and public donors has raised funds for the Park at Flat Rock," she said. "The Park now has a community room and rest area, a pavilion, places and spaces for reflection, miles of trails, and a playground which has made headlines. This grant from the Community Foundation of Henderson County will assist with a portion of the costs for the new Tot Lot Playground, a safe play space for younger park goers. This grant also helps the Park fulfill its vision as a place for all generations." The Flat Rock Park and Recreation Foundation Inc. is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization founded in 2013 by the Village of Flat Rock, North Carolina to help raise the funds required to fulfill the vision of a signature municipal park for the community. That vision includes opportunities for recreation, health, and education for all generations while preserving the natural beauty that draws visitors from far and wide to Western North Carolina. Duncan Fraser is chairperson of the Board of Directors. Community Foundation of Henderson County, founded in 1982, supports charitable programs in the greater Henderson County area. For more information about The Park at Flat Rock and Recreation Foundation contact Adams at 828-697-8100 or maurean_adams@villageofflatrock.org.     Read Story »

Hendersonville News

Don't miss this week's Hendersonville Lightning (197)

This week’s Hendersonville Lightning may reach newsracks a little later than usual because of hazardous road conditions around the county. But, fortunately for all, the best newspaper in town will be on the street today and in mailboxes on Lightning Thursday — providing, by the way, another good reason to become a Lightning subscriber. Click here to subscribe.   Read Story »

Henderson County News

City police make arrest in bank robbery Friday

A suspect who robbed the Entegra Bank on Spartanburg Highway didn't get far in his getaway before police picked him up. Officers responding to the call at the bank on Friday were told that a white male wearing a mask robbed the bank at a teller station, got an unknown amount of cash, and left the scene on foot. It was also reported that the suspect had some type of a weapon. The Hendersonville Police Department, with the assistance of Henderson County Sheriff’s Office deputies and Laurel Park Police Department officers, quickly secured the bank and the surrounding areas and began a search for the suspect. A short time later an individual matching the suspect description was located in a restaurant on Spartanburg Highway. He was identified as Daniel Wayne Owens of Hendersonville. City police detectives conducted a follow up interview with Owens and determined that he was the person responsible for robbing the bank. Detectives charged Owens with common law robbery a few hours after the crime was reported. He was jailed at the Henderson County Detention Center on a $30,000 bond. The investigation is ongoing and anyone with additional information about this robbery is asked to contact the Hendersonville Police Department at (828) 697-3025.   Read Story »

Henderson County News

SCHOOLS CLOSED WEDNESDAY

Schools are closed again Wednesday as secondary roads have yet to be cleared and black ice is probable after refreezing overnight.   Read Story »

Flat Rock News

Brothers charged with Flat Rock crime spree

Henderson County sheriff’s office detectives charged two brothers with a crime spree in Flat Rock and East Flat Rock last month that included a break-in at the Artisan entertainment venue, theft of a car and golf cart at the Highland Lake Inn and safe cracking at Hubba Hubba Smokehouse, the sheriff's office said Tuesday.   Read Story »

Hendersonville News

City fire marshal appointed to state board

Hendersonville Fire Marshal Justin Ward has been named the western representative for the North Carolina Fire Marshals Association Board of Directors. Ward was nominated by City of Asheville Deputy Marshal Jeff Payne and was voted in by the North Carolina Fire Marshals Association state membership at a quarterly meeting on Nov. 20 in Chatham County. “I’m extremely proud of Fire Marshal Ward and his commitment to life safety and the betterment of not only the City of Hendersonville, but the entire state,” Hendersonville Fire Chief Joseph Vindigni said in a news release. Ward’s position on the board of directors will allow him to connect with regional fire inspection, prevention and investigation professionals and further the mission of saving life and property through fire prevention across the state, as well as here at home in Hendersonville. His appointment takes effect on Jan. 1. Hired as a city firefighter in 2008, Ward rose through the ranks of engineer, lieutenant and captain before he was named fire marshal in 2016.     Read Story »

Henderson County News

Meadows said to be on short list for Trump chief of staff

The mentioners in the Washington press corps are placing U.S. Rep. Mark Meadows high on the list of potential successors to John Kelly as President Trump's chief of staff.   Read Story »

Flat Rock News

Ask Matt ... about Dylan's visit with Sandburg

 Q. I heard that Bob Dylan once came to Flat Rock to meet Carl Sandburg. Is there any truth in that? Absolutely. Two years ago Thomas Crowe wrote about that meeting in the Smoky Mountain News. His source was Sandburg’s housekeeper at Connemara who some 37 years ago shared details of the event with Crowe. It was February of 1964, when Bob Dylan had just released his second album titled The Times They Are A-Changin’. He was on an unannounced mission to Flat Rock to meet the man that had inspired his own poetry and songwriting. Dylan appeared at the Sandburg home with a copy of the new album under his arm and asked to speak with Mr. Sandburg. “I am a poet; my name is Robert Dylan,” said the visitor. Crowe recounts that the two sat in chairs on Sandburg’s front porch and Dylan told the 89-year-old Sandburg how he admired his work and what an influence he had been. “Sandburg listened quietly and acknowledged Dylan’s praise and accepted the gift of the album and told Dylan that he had much work to do that day and had to get back to it, sending Dylan on his way.” There are a few related pieces that I found in a 1972 Rolling Stone biographical piece on Dylan by Anthony Scaduto. He chronicles the road trip Dylan and three others made from New York City to Flat Rock and thereafter points south and west. “The drive down had been uneventful, which is surprising considering that they were all stoned,” relates Scaduto. After spending the first night in Charlottesville, Virginia, they headed for Flat Rock and arrived late in the afternoon. Dylan got directions to Sandburg’s home from a mountain man at a gas station. There was some confusion because the man only knew Sandburg as a goat farmer, not a poet in residence. The meeting was brief, probably just ten minutes. Dylan was miffed that Sandburg never heard of him so when he got back to the car Dylan took a puff from a joint. After Flat Rock, Dylan’s entourage made more stops in the South and ended the sojourn in San Francisco. Ron Partin, who volunteers at the Sandburg Home, said that he occasionally shares the story with visitors, particularly if they ask about Sandburg the song writer. Officials at the Home said the Dylan album was not in their inventory. Maybe someone can contact Dylan and have him autograph another for the collection.  * * * * * Send questions to askmattm@gmail.com.         Read Story »

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