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Chris Collins, an HHS graduate in Congress, charged with insider trading

Hendersonville News

Here are streets the city will repave this summer

Crews will pave 3½ miles of city streets this summer and fall as part of the city’s annual road improvement program funded by state and local money.   Read Story »

Henderson County News

Don't miss this week's Hendersonville Lightning (185)

You won't want to miss this week’s Hendersonville Lightning.   Read Story »

Asheville News

Buncombe officials indicted in massive kickback scheme

Former Buncombe County Manager Wanda Greene and two assistant county managers dined on expensive meals and wine and took all-expense paid pleasure trips to Key West, Boston, Martha’s Vineyard, Napa Valley, and the Grand Canyon and cities abroad in kickback scheme with a county contractor, the U.S. Attorney’s office announced Tuesday.   Read Story »

Henderson County News

Judge denies Schalow's double jeopardy motion

The long and convoluted prosecution of Leonard Paul Schalow has at least one more chapter after a Superior Court judge delayed what would have been his third trial on assault charges.   Read Story »

Hendersonville News

County boots Boyd property sale

The Henderson County Board of Commissioners on Monday delayed the proposed sale of the Boyd property next to Hendersonville High School, issuing a stay of execution of sorts on a vote three weeks ago that HHS alumni feared would mean the end of the high school on the city campus. Now, it's back to the drawing board for the School Board, which won the commissioners' grudging consent to look at other construction options.   Read Story »

Mills River News

What are nominations for Mills River greenway name?

MILLS RIVER — Fertile Crescent, Forge Mountain, Mills & Hills, Pisgah Path and a Cherokee word for “hello all” are among 74 submissions to name a greenway along N.C. 280 from N.C. 191 at the Triangle Stop to the French Broad River. Some people want to name the path to honor Tommy Bryson, a beloved native who was murdered in July 2017, or Howard B. “Doc” Norton, a longtime physician in Mills River who died on July 22. Others were straightforward: Mills River Run, the Mills River Walking Path.The submissions came after the town invited residents to suggest a name for the greenway. The French Broad River MPO last month announced that the NCDOT had approved a grant for the design of the Mills River greenway, the only bike and pedestrian project in Henderson County to win one.“We got some decent ones to sort through,” Town Manager Jeff Wells said. “The idea is to make a summary I guess you could say and initiate a discussion. We thought it was about time it had a name. We've been calling it the 280 multi-use path for a while.” The council may choose one it likes or decide to seek more nominations, he said.     Read Story »

Henderson County News

18 cottages planned for Greenville Highway

The owner of the Rose Cottages on Greenville Highway plans to add 18 more small rental units at a price that would be more affordable than many area apartments.Joe Bartholomew bought the cottages about four years ago from Stuart Rubin, a Miami real estate investor who owns commercial property in and around downtown Hendersonville. Bought the property at 1418 Greenville Highway about four years ago.“It was kind of a wild west when I bought it,” Bartholomew said. “I had to throw people out.”Bartholomew, who owns a commercial and industrial roofing company, designed the 580-square foot homes. They will have one bedroom and one bath with an optional washer-dryer hookup. They would rent for $750 a month.“We’re just trying to do a little small house concept that makes it affordable,” he said. “I already have some cottages on the property that rent pretty fast. They all stay rented.”Bartholomew plans to keep nine of the 12 units currently on the 5.76-acre parcel and add 18 more for a total of 27. The existing units were built in 1940, according to county land records. The parcel, which is narrow and deep, is just south of AAA Storage on the east side of Greenville Highway. The property and cottages are valued at $855,600 on the county tax roll.The site design would keep 71 percent of the land as open space and devote 20 percent to common space, well above the requirements of 40 percent and 10 percent respectively. The city requires stormwater control plans and design standards, which Bartholomew says he’ll meet. The proposal goes before the city Planning Board for a site plan review next Monday. On land zoned Greenville Highway Mixed Use, the project does not require approval by the City Council.   Read Story »

Henderson County News

Chimney Rock closed for road repair

The Chimney Rock section of Chimney Rock State Park is closed to the public beginning today for work by the N.C. Department of Transportation to restore a one-lane washout of the main entrance road in the park.   Read Story »

Henderson County News

Ask Matt ... about mailing kiosk, Chimney Rock elevator

Q. The new post office location at the mall is missing a self-service kiosk and a drive-up mail drop. What happened? The plan is to put in a newer model kiosk at the mall location in August. It will be able to issue stamps and mail packages. Drive-up mail drops are not put on two-way public streets and we know of no current plans for one at the mall. I know of two driver’s side mail drops in downtown Hendersonville — one is on Church Street (one-way) between Third and Fourth avenues and another is in the HomeTrust Bank parking lot. At the request of city officials, the Postal Service placed a mail box near the old Fifth Avenue West location. It’s on the north side of Fifth between Economy Drug and the Flower Market. But you can’t access the slot from your car (again, a two-way street). The slot is on the sidewalk side. Q. I understand that the elevator at Chimney Rock State Park is finally working again after almost three years. What took so long? Let’s start with some quick history. The elevator was built in 1947. The vertical shaft is 258 feet high and it’s all inside a cliff of solid granite. But before they could build the shaft, they had to blast out a 198-foot tunnel. It took two years before the elevator was finished and opened to the public. That was back when the park was privately owned. The elevator has served well over the years but when the state acquired the park in 2007, the elevator, along with much of the park, had to be upgraded and that work began immediately. The last time the elevator was modernized was in the 1980s so it came as no surprise that many problems were encountered. One of the first problems was getting reliable power to the elevator — something particularly important for passengers. Chimney Rock officials could not put the public at risk so a back-up generator was installed. Next came the job of bringing the old Otis elevator control unit up to modern standards. A new controller from a different manufacturer was installed but it did not function properly so engineers decided to switch back to an Otis brand controller. Then the elevator motor was replaced and more troubleshooting was needed to find the cause of the “dirty power” they were getting from Duke Energy. All this added to elevator down time. Finally, there were issues with natural occurring condensation. A 64-story shaft through solid rock is basically a cave – cold and damp. Moisture can wreak havoc on sensitive electrical equipment so a gutter system was designed to remove the water. Finally, air conditioning and a dehumidifier were installed in the penthouse room at the top of the elevator.  Park superintendant Mary Jaeger-Gale has had her hands full with one elevator problem after another not to mention the damage to the upper parking lot following last May’s storms. Since the upgrades began, the state has expended about $4 million at Chimney Rock State Park, but the elevator is now back in service and eight people can ride to the top (and back down) in just 32 seconds. The walk is cool too – only 499 steps. * * * * * Send questions to askmattm@gmail.com.       Read Story »

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