Mills River sells Banner Farm land to craft brewery

Mills River News

Mills River Town Council elects Davis as mayor

MILLS RIVER — The Mills River Town Council elected Chae Davis as mayor on Thursday night, making her the second female mayor in Henderson County. The town of Mills River under its charter elects the mayor from among the five council members. Davis was one of three new members to win election in the November election, defeating two other candidates to win the seat  incumbent Shanon Gonce vacated after three terms. Davis, vice president and general manager of Shuler Forest Lawn Funeral Service, presided at the regular meeting of the Town Council, which held its organizational meeting after she and new members Richmond Meadows and Brian Caskey.  District Court Judge Athena Brooks swore the members in. Meadows defeated incumbent Billy Johnston and Caskey defeated Larry Freeman, who had served as mayor since December 2013. The council honored Johnston and Gonce with plaques thanking them for their service; Freeman did not attend the meeting.       Read Story »

Henderson County News

Prototype wayfinding sign debuts on Church Street

After more than two years of design and discussion, new signage will be rolled out across Henderson County next spring. The first prototype of the wayfinding signs, featuring white letters on a sky blue background, just went up on Church Street. It points to the Visitors Center. Sixty-seven more signs, pointing to attractions or common destinations like City Hall, the Flat Rock Playhouse and parks, will go up around the county by early June, said Lew Holloway, the city’s downtown development director, who coordinated the project for the Tourism Development Authority.“They’ll be from Bat Cave to DuPont to all corners of the county,” he said. “The concentration will be in and around the city but there are destinations that we’ll point to that are all over the county.”Low bidder for the project, Color-Ad Inc., of Alexandria, Virginia, will manufacture and install the signs. Single post signs will show one, two or three destinations, with a taller sign if there are three. A larger two-post sign for speed zones of 25 mph or higher also contain one to three destination and have larger lettering. A vertical sleeve on the back of each sign shows the name of the town it’s in and each town has a different color.The city of Hendersonville and the TDA split the original design cost. The TDA is footing the bill, almost $500,000, for making and putting up the signs.“We’ve gotten pretty positive feedback so far,” he said, adding he was pleased with the prototype that’s now up downtown. “I thought it stood right out.”     Read Story »

Henderson County News

ABC donation helps Safelight start teen crisis line

Safelight has received a grant in the amount of $10,000 from the Hendersonville Alcoholic Beverage Control Board to help start a new crisis hotline for teenagers. Safelight Executive Director Tanya Blackford accepted the check from Hendersonville ABC Board member Marcie Kane. “Part of the mission of the ABC Board is to strive to support responsible alcohol consumption within the community it serves, with an emphasis on adolescent deterrents,” Kane said. “We hope this Teen Crisis Hotline will be a vehicle where alcohol or drug abuse can be identified and addressed by trained specialists, as it impacts a teen or a teen's family.” “We are very grateful for the support of the Hendersonville ABC Board and their belief in Safelight’s mission,” Blackford said. “Teens who experience or have trauma, in particular from physical or sexual abuse are more likely to engage in risky behaviors and are at greater risk for dating violence, substance misuse, or suicide.” The 24-hour hotline will not only receive phone calls but also texts. “Being able to get help and have someone listen to you is incredibly important," Blackford said. "This service will identify teens who may need ongoing help and be able to partner them with the appropriate resources. Partners such as Henderson County Public Schools and the School Based Health Centers operated by Blue Ridge Health will be crucial to ensuring that students have the ongoing care and support they need.” Raising more than $10 million since its inception in 1955, the Hendersonville ABC System gives back to the community in a variety of ways, including education and prevention of underage drinking. Safelight provides hope and healing for families in Henderson County affected by trauma. The organization responds to domestic violence, sexual assault and child abuse by offering free, confidential help for adults and children. By removing barriers to getting help, Safelight’s many programs heal lives and create a safer, healthier community. For more information, visit www.safelightfamily.org.   Read Story »

Hendersonville News

Train buff pushing passenger service to Asheville

Larry Morton’s survey of visitors to Hendersonville depot is decidedly unscientific, one might even say biased toward an answer he likes hearing. If you could, he asks visitors to the Apple Valley Model Railroad Club exhibit at the historic depot, would you take a train to Asheville?“Overwhelmingly, they say, ‘Yes, absolutely.’ I’m telling you, I am getting a lot of enthusiastic response to this,” Morton told the Seventh Avenue Advisory Committee on Monday night.Morton knows that the threshold question is the same one that supporters of a rail-to-trail project must get answered. Would the owner of the tracks, Blue Ridge Southern Railroad, allow a use other than its sole stock-in-trade — freight service? When Morton put that question to Darl Farris, general manager of the Blue Ridge operation, he didn’t get a no.Farris’s answer, Morton said, was: “We wouldn’t be averse to thinking about passenger service.”“A green light went off in my head” and he started seriously pursuing a push for Hendersonville-to-Asheville passenger service.Morton, who is president has taken on the sales job practically fulltime. He’s made presentations to the city’s Downtown Advisory Committee and the Western North Carolina Rail Committee and talked to officials in the rail division of the NCDOT.“I’m doing one tomorrow for the Asheville Multimodal Transportation Commission and I’m doing one for the Tourism Development Authority. Those are the ones that I have scheduled so far.”Kansas-based Watco Transportation Services, one of the largest short line operators, in the U.S., bought 92 miles of track from Norfolk Southern in 2014. The Blue Ridge Southern Railroad reaches as far west as Dillsboro. The southern-most point is East Flat Rock. Although he did not sound like he was ready to start boarding passengers, Farris did not completely dismiss the idea either.“I talked to Larry a little bit about his ideas,” he said. “I have not had an opportunity really to listen to all of his ideas. Watco is a freight railroad. Our business is freight. But at the same time we’ve got business-minded people that are willing to listen if there’s a business model out there that might fit and might be mutually beneficial. We are a growing company and we’re aggressively looking for business opportunities.”Morton appeared before the Seventh Avenue Advisory Committee, which oversees improvement in the historic district, in part because he wanted to warn the group to make sure Maple Street improvements don’t interfere with the needs of a passenger excursion train.“In your plans to do Maple Street I would hate to see you do something and we wind up with a passenger train coming through here where you would have to rip up what you’ve built because of parking,” he said.He said it wouldn’t be practical to use the depot for boarding because it contains the model railroad exhibit. He envisions instead a shelter for passengers and he said Farris was receptive to the idea.“When we talked about this I asked him, ‘Would you be opposed to us building passenger shelters on your right of way?’ He said, ‘No, not at all.’”Morton’s idea would be to have a morning and afternoon trips Wednesday through Saturday, with stops on Seventh Avenue and Biltmore Village. One of his ideas is that the train conductor would notify the Biltmore Estate of how many passengers were on board with plans to visit the attraction so Biltmore could send a shuttle. The class 2 track between the two cities allows passenger trains to travel up to 30 mph — faster than driving, Morton said, adding, “I timed it.”“Asheville and Hendersonville are big tourist towns,” he said. When he pitched the idea to Henderson County Tourism Development Authority executives, they were “crazy about it,” he said. “Everybody I’m talking to is wildly enthusiastic to get this done.”   Read Story »

Henderson County News

Don't miss this week's Hendersonville Lightning (156)

You won't want to miss this week’s Hendersonville Lightning. You will read our exclusive story on an effort to start a Hendersonville-Asheville commuter train and our scoop on friction on Seventh Avenue over an alley that's getting busier because of construction and foot traffic at the Rescue Mission. We've got the latest news on the Kanuga Road widening project. There are also pages and pages of local and business briefs, the popular Stuck in the Late Middle by Bill Humleker and Ask Matt by Matt Matteson as well as the weekly TV Guide and Sudoku.You've got to get a copy because it's only in print and it's only in your Hendersonville Lightning.Here’s where you can pick up a LightningHendersonville• 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 Gen. Store)• Black Bear Coffee Co., Main Street• The 300 block of North Main Street(McFarland's Bakery / Mike's on Main). Pardee Hospital in the lobby. Flat Rock Playhouse, downtown(100 block of South Main Street)Southside Hendersonville(Spartanburg Highway)• Hairstyles by Charlene, Joel Wright Drive •Ingles, Spartanburg Highway • McDonald's, Spartanburg Highway• Norm's Minit Mart, Spartanburg Highway• Hendersonville Co-op• Burger King/BP, Spartanburg HighwayIngles Supermarket, Highland LakeSouthside Hendersonville(Greenville Highway)Carolina Ace HardwareWhitley Drug StoreFlat Rock/East Flat Rock• Flat Rock Post Office• Zirconia Post Office• East Flat Rock Post Office• Orr's Family Restaurant, Spartanburg Hwy• Energy Mart Exxon, Upward Road & I-26• Triangle Stop, 754 Upward Road & I-26Village Café and PubPage 2Hendersonville(Kanuga Road)• Hot Dog World, Kanuga Road• Mr. Pete's Market, Kanuga Road• Norm's Minit Mart, Kanuga RoadHendersonville(Fifth Avenue)Hendersonville Post officeFifth Aenue ShellLaurel Park• YMCA H'ville, Sixth Ave & Oak Str• Laurel Park Village, Rite-Aid.• Energy Mart Exxon, Brevard Road at Daniel DriveDixie Diner, Brevard RoadHighway 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, EtowahHighway 191(Haywood Road)• Joey's New York Bagels, Hwy 191• One-Stop Store #8, Haywood Road (Hwy 191)• Dollar General, Hwy 191 & Mountain RoadMills River• Triangle Stop, 4197 Haywood Road, Mills River• Mills River Family Restaurant. Food LionInglesPage 3Eastside Hendersonville and Four Seasons Boulevard• Norm's Minit Mart, Dana Road• Fatz Cafe, Dana Road & Four Seasons Blvd• Grocery Outlet, off Four Seasons Boulevard• McDonald's, Four Seasons Boulevard• Energy Mart Exxon, Four Seasons BoulevardMustang CafeHighway 64 East(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. Griffins Store, EdneyvilleShell station, 64 East and Sugarloaf RoadIngles, Howard Gap RoadMoose CafeHighway 25 North(Asheville Highway)• The Ugly Mug Coffee Shop, Hwy 25-N• Triangle Stop, Hwy 25-N, Balfour• Mountain Home Post Office• Fletcher Post OfficeInglesNaples Post OfficeTravel Plaza, US 25 and I-26Southern & Eastern Henderson County, Polk County• Dana Post Office• Rosco's Grocery, Green River• Saluda Post Office• Triangle Stop, 1487 Ozone Road, SaludaAll Henderson County Ingles StoresAll Henderson County Post Offices   Read Story »

Henderson County News

Edwards to run for re-election to state Senate

State Sen. Chuck Edwards announced on Tuesday that he would run for re-election next year, saying he wanted to continue his work in Raleigh to boost the economy, lower taxes and promote more efficient government.   Read Story »

News Archive

• Whooping cough, flu season prompt visitor restrictions     Comments
• Time, location changed for funeral of former Flat Rock mayor     Comments
• 'No excuse' for slide that makes light of drug overdose, sheriff says     Comments
• NCDOT proposes three roundabouts in south gateway plan     Comments
• LIGHTNING PHOTOS: Whew! That was a surprise.     Comments
• Caraker describes narrower Kanuga widening project     Comments
• City honors three officers for racing into burning building     Comments
• Revised plans for Kanuga, Highland Lake pushed back to spring     Comments
• Red kettle volunteers jingling for the jingle     Comments
• LIGHTNING REVIEW: Playhouse show channels meaning of Christmas     Comments
• Don't miss this week's Hendersonville Lightning (155)     Comments
• Police investigating skeleton found at Mud Creek     Comments
• Pisgah gets new district ranger     Comments
• Commissioners make their football championship picks     Comments
• Special needs vendors to sell crafts Saturday     Comments
• Board re-elects Edney as chair, Hawkins vice chair     Comments
• Second class of Walk of Fame honorees announced     Comments
• LIGHTNING EDITORIAL: Saying no to positive assets     Comments
• Bike lanes becoming first casualty of war on widening     Comments
• Leaders pitch Mud Creek greenway to replace Kanuga bike lanes     Comments
• City moves to ease zoning on pet sitting     Comments
• Local roaster plans coffee, beer and wine bar on Fifth     Comments
• Guidance counselor sent to prison for Medicaid fraud     Comments
• Valley Hill fire rating improves     Comments
• Police identify officer, suspect in shooting death     Comments
• Saluda depot receives $20,000 grant to support 'Train Tales'     Comments
• Brooks Tavern is packed and getting rave reviews     Comments
• Whooping cough outbreak now up to eight cases     Comments
• Don't miss this week's Hendersonville Lightning (153)     Comments
• Sanctuary Brewing Co. announces nonprofit rescue farm     Comments