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Pardee makes $6 million cancer center goal

Mills River News

Beer drinkers invited to 'prost like a pro' at Sierra Nevada's Oktoberfest

MILLS RIVER — More than 2,500 people are expected to “Prost like a Pro!” with authentic German beer, food and music at Sierra Nevada's third annual Oktoberfest under tents on the brewery grounds. Tickets are still available for the celebration from 5 to 10 p.m. Saturday. Sierra Nevada brewed year’s Oktoberfest beer, available on tap and in stores since July, in collaboration with Brahaus Miltenberger of Germany, Brian Grossman, second generation brewer and vice president of Sierra Nevada, said during a media preview of Saturday's celebration on Tuesday.Sausage and kraut top the menu, along with sauerbraten and red cabbage, wood-roasted pig, German potato salad, brussels sprouts, a harvest salad and German chocolate cake cupcakes.The Minor Mishap Marching Band from Austin, Texas, will lead partiers into the tent to kick off the festivities, followed by Sirius B with its gypsy folk sound. The Mountain Top Polka Band from West Asheville closes out the night.Keg throwing is the new contest this year, joining the mustache and “Chicken Dance” contests. Hot Glass Academy and Asheville Area Arts Council will provide glass blowing demonstrations, and select items will be auctioned off to benefit the Arts Council.General admission tickets cost $45 and include the meal, a commemorative beer stein, entertainment, shuttle and one drink or pretzel. Additional beer, pretzels or cupcakes cost $5. Designated driver tickets are $30, with water, lemonade or ice tea as the beverage.Complimentary shuttles from downtown Hendersonville will start at 4:30 p.m. from the Grove Street Courthouse parking lot. Parking is also available at the WNC Agricultural Center, where shuttle service will start at 4 p.m. No parking will be allowed at the Sierra Nevada site.For more information and to purchase tickets, go to http://www.sierranevada.com/oktoberfestnc.   Read Story »

Laurel Park News

Laurel Park residents pan median, roundabouts for U.S. 64

LAUREL PARK — U.S. 64 through Laurel Park would look much different five years from now if a widening project on the drawing board at the NCDOT comes to pass. More than 100 Laurel Park residents showed up at a public meeting Tuesday afternoon to tell state highway engineers they don't like the looks of those changes.   Read Story »

Henderson County News

Local man sent to prison on drug charges

A 49-year-old Hendersonville man was sentenced to 12 years in prison after a Henderson County jury convicted him of multiple drug charges. Bruce Wayne Glover, of 249 West Poplar Drive, was convicted of Possession with the Intent to Manufacture, Sell or Deliver Methamphetamine, Heroin and Cocaine and found to be a habitual felon based upon prior felony convictions in both Henderson and Polk counties for illegal drug possession and obtaining property by false pretenses. He will be eligible for parole after serving 8 years. According to the evidence presented at trial by the office of District Attorney Greg Newman, Glover was found to be in possession of illegal narcotics at 126 Southbrook Road in Hendersonville. A probation officer received information that Glover was dealing drugs from that location. A search by both the probation officer and law enforcement subsequently occurred at the residence on Southbrook Road, resulting in the discovery of Glover and the drugs. “Glover was apparently living at this residence and had most of his personal belongings in his room,” Newman said in a news release. “It was at this point that he admitted to sheriff’s officers that he uses methamphetamine and prescription pills. He also had needles and pipes in his possession. He did not want to admit to officers that he sold drugs, but the presence of heroin, cocaine, and marijuana, plus the digital scales and baggies used for packaging found in his room, were clear indications that he participated in drug distribution."   Read Story »

Henderson County News

Theatre with the Stars is Tuesday night

Flat Rock Playhouse’s Theatre with the Stars is back on the calendar after a postponement in the spring.Five new local celebrities signed on to the third annual theatre extravaganza in which the local stars partner with Flat Rock Playhouse pros and compete with the hopes of raising the most votes to win the title, as well as $1,000 for their selected non-profit of choice.This year's stars are: • John Connet, Hendersonville city manager, competing for HopeRx. • Noah C. George, of Keller Williams Realty, competing for the Henderson County Education Foundation. • Julia Hockenberry, executive director of Boys & Girls Club of Henderson County, competing for her organization. • Sherri Holbert, of Park Ridge Health Foundation, competing for her organization • BJ Ramer, of Team ECCO Ocean Center & Aquarium, competing for her organization Flat Rock Playhouse “pros” lined up for Theatre with the Stars include Lisa K. Bryant, Victoria Dunkle, Dave Hart, Scott Treadway and Dane Whitlock.Hosted by WTZQ’s Mark Warwick, with color commentary by Tiffany Ervin, Theatre with the Stars is directed by Flat Rock Playhouse Artistic Director Lisa K. Bryant. Judges for the show include Dr. Scott Donaldson (Pardee Hospital), Kimerly Hinkelman (Pardee Hospital Foundation) and Lutrelle Livingston O’Cain (Blue Ridge Humane Society - 2016 Winner of Theatre with the Stars). The public is invited to visit www.frpstar.org to watch the library of videos featuring the five contestants and to cast a vote for their chosen celebrity by making a donation under the star’s name. The star with the most donations combined with highest judges’ score wins $1,000 for their selected charity. Online pre-voting ends at midnight Oct. 16.Voting can also take place via phone or in person by calling or visiting the Flat Rock Playhouse Box Office in the Village of Flat Rock to make a donation under the celebrity’s name.The show is at 6 p.m. Tuesday, Oct. 17, at the Flat Rock Playhouse Downtown. It’s sponsored by Horizon Heating & Air. A pre-show reception will take place in the theater lobby beginning at 5 p.m. Tickets are $50, which includes food, festivities and reserved seating. There will also be a cash bar. Tickets can be purchased online, in person, or by calling the Playhouse box office at 828-693-0731, toll-free at 866-732-8008.   Read Story »

Henderson County News

Two charged in series of city car break-ins

Hendersonville Police charged two people with vehicle break-ins and using stolen credit cards, the city said. While investigating the reported the car break-ins at businesses on the west side of Hendersonville, detectives were able to locate surveillance footage of the suspects. Members of the police department’s Aggressive Criminal Enforcement (ACE) team, based upon previous investigations, identified the individuals. With the suspects identified, officers with the police department located the suspects immediately following another reported breaking and entering. Charged were Lindsay Chan Daniel and Phiffer Brandon Houch, both of Hendersonville. They're both charged with breaking and entering of a motor vehicle and larceny, financial transaction card theft, financial transaction card fraud, identity theft, and numerous traffic offenses. Both are being held in the Henderson County jail. Detectives with the Hendersonville Police Department continue to follow up on investigative leads. The public is asked to contact the Hendersonville Police Department at (828)-697-3025 or Henderson County Crime Stoppers at (828)-697-STOP if they have information regarding these ongoing investigations.   Read Story »

Henderson County News

Police organization treasurer charged with stealing $110K

The former treasurer of a Fraternal Order of Police Lodge has been indicted on charges for embezzling more than $110,000 from the non-profit organization, Jill Westmoreland Rose, U.S. Attorney for the Western District of North Carolina, announced on Tuesday.   Read Story »

Henderson County News

Deputies seize an ounce of meth after I-26 traffic stop

Henderson County Sheriff’s deputies seized more than an ounce of methamphetamine and arrested two South Carolina residents after stopping their car for erratic driving on I-26 near the weigh station early Sunday, the sheriff's office said. During the traffic stop at 5:15 a.m., deputies discovered the driver and occupant possessed approximately 34 grams of methamphetamine and drug paraphernalia. Deputies have charged Yesica Suheidi Moreno, 26 of Blacksburg, S.C., with felony possession with intent to manufacture, sell and deliver methamphetamine, felony conspiracy to deliver methamphetamine, felony maintaining a vehicle for controlled substances, operating a motor vehicle without a driver’s license and failing to maintain lane of travel on a highway. Moreno was arrested and booked into the Henderson County Jail under a $10,500 secured bond. Deputies also charged Kevin Matthew Grisson, 34, of Gaffney, with felony possession with intent to manufacture, sell and deliver methamphetamine, felony conspiracy to deliver methamphetamine and misdemeanor possession of drug paraphernalia. Grisson was arrested and booked into the Henderson County Jail under a $9,000 secured bond.   Read Story »

Hendersonville News

Fourth generation Bearcat leads HHS seniors

Suzanne Thompson’s ties to Hendersonville High School go back to her great-grandmother, Geneva Thompson, class of 1929. Almost nine decades later, Suzanne is among the leaders of the first graduating class of HHS students that knows the historic building is going to be retired. Suzanne’s grandfather, Harry Thompson, graduated in 1950, and her dad, Jeff Thompson, who graduated, was in the class of ’81. Those that married into the family, like Piggy and Suzanne’s mother, didn’t attend HHS, although the entire Thompson family lives in Hendersonville. “I feel a strong connection to it,” Suzanne says of her high school.The senior class president, she laments the decision by the Board of Commissioners to replace the historic Stillwell-designed HHS with a new school.“There’s a lot of people that think it’s just a building and that traditions carry over, but that building has something special about it,” she says. “A new building isn’t going to have the hundreds of years of history behind it, it’s not going to feel the same. It really breaks my heart that there are people that have went there and say it’s just a school.”Despite HHS’s future, Thompson is determined to give her all to the school. She looks forward to the senior play, her favorite HHS tradition. This year it will be “The Wizard of Oz.” It was her idea to paint the senior steps with a rainbow.“We wanted to connect the senior play with the steps, but still keep it part of the high school,” she says. “That’s why it’s really colorful and whimsical, because ‘The Wizard of Oz’ has a lot of magic. I did the backbone of everything, but I consulted a lot with my peers because it’s their senior steps too. It was great to see how much of a communal thing it was.” Besides her position as senior class president, she’s also president of the Keywanettes, an all-girls service club sponsored by the Hendersonville Kiwanis Club, and a member of Leadership, a faculty-selected club that organizes social events such as homecoming and the senior prom. Additionally, she plays on the high school tennis team, is a member of National Honor Society and the Spanish Club. “For me I have a social life too, and I balance it really well,” she adds. “I have a job where I try to work a few days a week, so it’s all about prioritizing.” Born into the family business The job didn’t require an application. She was born into the family business, where her grandfather Harry Thompson is the namesake of the restaurant side of Piggy’s Ice Cream Parlor and Harry’s Grill. Suzanne started working there at 14.The ice cream shop opened in 1980. It was Suzanne’s grandmother’s idea to add the ice cream parlor onto the apple stand Harry’s brother ran.“When my dad and his brothers got older, they made the ice cream parlor bigger, and then they (her grandparents) wanted to try the restaurant business,” Thompson says. “The restaurant officially opened in 1993. That was the same year that my grandfather died, but they kept it going. They started with simple things like hot dogs and hamburgers and then in the late ‘90s they started barbeque, and that’s what they’re most famous for now. We’ve been blessed to have it for this long.”Suzanne’s father, Jeff, cooks the barbecue and runs the business, working six days a week from 6 a.m. to 10 p.m. Suzanne’s mother, Tamra, helps in the restaurant when she isn’t taking care of Suzanne’s younger sister, who is 4. Jeff’s brother and sister-in-law also help in the summer.“All of our customers are personable and we have our regulars,” says Thompson, whose duties include scooping ice cream, taking orders, cooking and helping her dad with catering jobs. “They all know us by first name and we know their orders by heart before they walk through the front door.” Lots of Sallie Thompsons Although Sallie was Suzanne’s grandmother’s given name, friends and family called her Piggy for most of her life.“Whenever she was little she was chunky, and her brothers called her ‘Little Piggy’,” Thompson says. “The nickname stuck. Everyone called her Piggy through high school and college. My grandfather’s name was Harry. When they met in college, Harry and Piggy became a thing. When they started the business they decided to keep it. That’s what we call her to this day.” The ice cream shop was named after Piggy, while the restaurant was named after Harry, a combination that led to a successful business.Many of the females on the Thompson side of the family are named Sallie. It’s Suzanne’s first name as well. And her cousin, Sallie Thompson, the daughter of Michael and Elaine, is a freshman at HHS.Thompson is leaving her mark on HHS and looks forward to college; she hopes to attend Clemson University.“I like to be the leader, not the follower,” she says. “I want to lead my peers to the best of my ability, and leadership allows me to give back to the high school community. I think everyone should do that because the school itself has given a lot of people so much.”   Read Story »

Henderson County News

Four charged with drug felonies

Henderson County Sheriff's deputies charged four people with multiple drug felonies after an ongoing investigation of a home at 302 Beverly Avenue. The SWAT and drug enforcement team executed a search warrant at the home on Sept. 21 and recovered a .45 caliber handgun previously reported stolen in Buncombe County, methamphetamine and Schedule II and IV prescription medication, as well as drug paraphernalia. The Henderson County Department of Social Services also responded to the scene regarding the welfare of two children who were found to be living in the residence. Both children were placed in DSS care. As a result of the investigation to date, the following individuals have been arrested and charged by the Henderson County Sheriff’s Office with the below offenses: Donald David Lewis, 57, of 302 Beverly Avenue, Hendersonville Felony possession with intent to manufacture/sale and deliver methamphetamineFelony maintain vehicle/dwelling place for sale and delivery of methamphetamineMisdemeanor simple possession of schedule II narcoticsMisdemeanor simple possession of schedule IV narcoticsSecured Bond: $27,000 and he remains incarcerated in the Henderson County Jail Leah Maureen Staton, 19, of 302 Beverly Avenue, HendersonvilleFelony possession of methamphetamineMisdemeanor possession of drug paraphernaliaMisdemeanor child abuseSecured Bond: $10,500 and she remains incarcerated in the Henderson County Jail Alicia Jane Moore, 40, of North Marley Drive, HendersonvilleMisdemeanor possession of drug paraphernaliaSecured Bond: $500. Bond posted and released Dylan Thorne West, 24, of Knoll Ridge Road, Mills RiverMisdemeanor possession of drug paraphernaliaSecured Bond: $100. Served two days and given credit for time served on Henderson County charges; released to Buncombe County on outstanding warrants The investigation continues and charges against additional defendants are anticipated.   Read Story »

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