Henderson County News
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.”
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Henderson County News
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.
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Henderson County News
Jimmy Ferraro’s first paid singing gig was in a Long Island nightclub, accompanied by his parents. He was 16.
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Henderson County News
The new Shine restaurant earns a lot of superlatives.
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North Carolina News
SmartFinancial Inc., the parent company of SmartBank, and Entegra Financial Corp., the parent company of Entegra Bank, have signed a merger agreement under which Entegra will combine with SmartFinancial in a strategic merger of equals.
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Henderson County News
Edneyville Fire and Rescue Chief Robert Griffin was named Fire Chief of the Year during a meeting of the Western North Carolina Association of Firefighterson Wednesday in Cleveland County. The WNC sssociation of Firefighters encompasses 33 counties including the Charlotte /Mecklenburg area.
Griffin began his career a junior firefighter with Edneyville in 1987 and had been a fixture at the department years before that. Griffin is a career firefighter and even traveled to Iraq as a contract firefighter for one year. He assumed the position of deputy chief of Edneyville in 2013 before being promoted to chief in 2014 . Griffin is known as an industry leader in the profession and is also a Specialized Firefighter and Emergency Medical Technician instructor. Read Story »
Flat Rock News
Elections in the cities, development in downtown Hendersonville, the next steps in the pursuit of high-speed internet service, the new sheriff’s policy changes and popular uprisings against road improvements and development highlight the forecast for 2019.
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Mills River News
Henderson County sheriff's deputies charged a Mills River man with cruelty animals after they found a malnourished Doberman pincer at his home.
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Henderson County News
Through a state Community Partners Safety Grant secured by Henderson County Public Schools and the Western Region Education Service Alliance, certified student services staff will be providing training to child- and family-focused organizations to support young children and their families in Henderson County.
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