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Henderson County News

Ward opposes law enforcement training center

County Commission candidate Don Ward has come out against a law enforcement training center, including the new lower-cost version that the Board of Commissioners endorsed last week. "I am in opposition to any current proposal for a new training center in Henderson County at this time, at any cost," said Ward, a former two-term commissioner who is running for the District 4 seat. "It is unnecessary as adequate facilities in both county and state are already available. Training is always imperative; however, law enforcement has access to the North Carolina Justice Center locally as well as access to other state training facilities." Ward said that the county now has wasted money on architectural plans for a $20 million training center that the Board of Commissioners has now dropped in favor of a more modest facility with an outdoor shooting range. Commissioners on April 2 agreed with the recommendation by County Manager Steve Wyatt to pursue the purchase of an undisclosed "extremely remote" site for the training center, dropping their previously approved choice to put the center on the old baseball field at Blue Ridge Community College. "The use of training resources readily available prevents duplication of services while making it possible to spend tax dollars more wisely on schools, school safety and security," Ward said in a statement. "School Resource Officers must be in every school with Social Workers desperately needed as well. It is also crucial that recommendations of each newly formed School Safety Committee be met. These are necessities that our children and our schools deserve. ... "As a commissioner, I could not justify a $6 million plus tax expense on currently unnecessary training facilities. There are more immediate needs to insure safety and security in our schools that must be met; needs that can be addressed in a shorter time frame with more significant impact. The greatest challenge we have is to protect our children and give them a safe environment in which to learn and thrive. This is my commitment to the children and parents of Henderson County."     Read Story »

Henderson County News

Activists make case for arming schoolteachers

Thirty-eight people turned out for a “school safety education and awareness afternoon” on Saturday put on by activists who want the Henderson County School Board to authorize teachers to carry firearms in the classroom.   Read Story »

Flat Rock News

Village Café & Pub closes

FLAT ROCK — The Village Café and Pub, a space that has served Flat Rock as a breakfast spot and sandwich shop since the early 1990s, closed on Saturday, the owners announced with a "heavy heart." The shop at 2770 Greenville Highway operated as Dean's Deli from the early 1990s until 2013, when Shannon and Dustin Zlacki bought the business, added a beer and wine bar and renamed it the Village Café & Pub. "We have met so many wonderful people since our arrival four and half years ago and we will truly miss you all," the couple said in a note posted on the deli's door. "To all of our regulars as we say in 'the biz,' and you know who you are, we love you. You friendships will not be forgotten but cherished.... Your support, kindness, open arms acceptance and pulling for us attitude was always felt and deeply appreciated. We have learned a great deal from our experience here and will use this wisdom in all our future endeavors. We wish you all great help and happiness!" "I got a call from Starr that he is leasing the property that was the pub and cafe. He said he needed it for parking," Flat Rock Administrator Judy Boleman said. The property is owned by the Duane and Margaret McKibbin Family Ltd. Partnership, owner of Henderson Oil and the Energy Mart convenience stores. It's been leased by Starr Teal, owner of Hubba Hubba Smokehouse and the the Salt and Honey brunch restaurant, which often has a line of customers out the door. Henderson Oil owner Bill McKibbin declined to comment on the lease. A Hubba Hubba catering truck is parked at the side of the building. Teal did not immediately return a request for comment on the lease., nor did Dustin Zlacki respond to a request for more information. Built in 1971, the 4,928-square-foot building and half-acre parcel is valued for tax purposes at $156,000.     Read Story »

Hendersonville News

City to build police station in Seventh Avenue District

The Hendersonville City Council moved on Thursday to buy property on Ashe Street for a new police station and at the same time make a major investment in the revitalization of the Historic Seventh Avenue District.   Read Story »

Henderson County News

City taxpayers to foot bill for school safety

Hendersonville taxpayers will shoulder the escalating cost of protecting schools in an era of gun violence anxiety.The Hendersonville City Council agreed in principle on Thursday to hire three more school resource officers for the 2018-19 school year, a new expense that would require a 2-cent property tax increase.The four schools in the city limits currently share two SROs — one covering Hendersonville High School and Bruce Drysdale Elementary School and the other covering Hendersonville middle and elementary schools.“There was a day when that was probably more than we needed,” Councilman Jeff Miller said. “That day’s come and gone.”He said in today's environment the city needs one officer for each school and ideally would add three next year for backup.“I would like to see us bring on another one because there are many days when an officer is ill or tied up in something and that would give us a floater if we have an incident or a particular threat,” he said. “We could double them up if we need to.”Adding three SROs would require a 2-cent tax increase.Jerry Smith, a history and civics teacher at Hendersonville High School, said the county might agree to fund one or more  SROs but added that he was in favor of the increase even if the city pays.“I agree completely with Jeff that it’s 2018,” Smith said. “I think we continue to work with the county no matter what our difference are at times," Miller said. "This is something we all agree on. I see no other way around this. The only choice is whether it’s two or three. If we’re going to jump into this, I’d rather cover it properly into the future.”Police Chief Hubert Blake said he had already been looking at the need for two SROs at the new Hendersonville High School. Councilman Ron Stephens agreed.“It looks like with the size of that and with a parking lot across the street on a side street we’re going to need two people there,” Stephens said.The city’s decision would still have to be ratified by the council’s adoption of the 2018-19 budget. The City Council becomes the second local governing body to commit to a big spending increase for school security. Sheriff Charlie McDonald, the Henderson County School Board and Henderson County Board of Commissioners have all agreed that all 23 public schools will have armed guards in the upcoming school year. Two commissioners warned that the increased expense could require a tax increase, although County Manager Steve Wyatt said he thought by prioritizing spending the county could avoid a tax increase.     Read Story »

Henderson County News

Debt 'keeps me up at night,' Tillis says

U.S. Sen. Thom Tillis pulled no punches last week in a wide-ranging business roundtable that covered local, national and world issues — and, of course, President Trump.   Read Story »

Henderson County News

Home search yields drugs, felony charges

Henderson County Sheriff’s Office deputies arrested a 30-year-old Hendersonville man on multiple drug felonies after executing a search warrant at his 115 Plantation Drive home on Thursday. The search resulted in the confiscation of approximately 170 grams of methamphetamine, 12 grams of marijuana, 12 dosage units of Oxycodone, 46 dosage units of Tramadol and a 9mm submachine gun, the sheriff's office said. James Dean Duckett was charged with felony counts of trafficking methamphetamine, possession with intent to manufacture, sell and/or deliver methamphetamine, possession with intent to manufacture, sell and/or deliver marijuana, maintaining a dwelling for controlled substance and possession of a firearm by felon and misdemeanor counts of possession of schedule II (Oxycodone), possession of schedule IV (Tramadol)  and possession of drug paraphernalia. Duckett was jailed under a $101,000 bond.   Read Story »

Henderson County News

First Cider, Wine & Dine is this weekend

Three full days of events are on tap at Hendersonville’s cideries and wineries during the inaugural Cider, Wine & Dine Weekend April 20-22.   Read Story »

Henderson County News

McDonald thanks commissioners for OK on training center

Sheriff Charlie McDonald issued a statement on Wednesday thanking the Henderson County Board of Commissioners for its decision Monday night to move forward on a law enforcement training center McDonald has sought for three years. "It has always been my intention to have an outdoor facility that would allow more training opportunities as well as an indoor force options building that would allow ongoing and realistic training for deputies responding to crisis events," he said. "Recent incidents across our nation have only served to underscore the necessity of such training. We ask these men and women to respond to incredibly complex emergencies, exercising flawless critical problem-solving skills, when in many instances we have failed to properly prepare them. As your Sheriff I have, and always will, make every effort to provide the best possible training for all my personnel and I will do so with an eye toward the future as well as the present. "I promised the Board of Commissioners over a year ago, that if they would table the indoor project at Blue Ridge Community College for the time being, I believed we could find a better and more cost-efficient way to meet our growing training needs. I kept my promise to them, and I appreciate their commitment to both law enforcement and the citizens of Henderson County. Theirs is a difficult job." On his campaign website, McDonald also published "Facts about the Training Center," a timeline of his efforts to get county approval of the facility. After he took office in 2012, he identified an outdoor firing range and advanced tactical training as high priority needs. The Board of Commissioners agreed, and McDonald began looking for land. The first site he identified was a 125-acre wooded former summer camp in Green River. County commissioners unanimously rejected the site after Green River residents packed the assembly room in opposition. A second site on Pinnacle Mountain was also rejected when commissioners heard that neighboring property owners plan to oppose that purchase. "Prior to the final budget meeting in 2016, Sheriff McDonald was told that the Commission had decided that they would not be able to locate suitable land in Henderson County to create an outdoor range and they had decided to set aside tax monies to build an indoor range area meeting all specifications of the outdoor facility," the timeline went on. "This facility would be located on, and jointly used by Blue Ridge Community College. While not his first choice, Sheriff McDonald supported their proposal as the only option available to get the necessary training his deputies needed." In the timeline, McDonald reveals publicly for the first time that he met privately with commissioners one on one and asked them to table the BRCC location while he looked for "better options." "When the (BRCC) proposal was made public, the sheriff was tasked with selling the idea to the public," the sheriff's account says. "There was a great deal of opposition to locating a law enforcement training facility on the grounds of Blue Ridge Community College, mainly for safety and cost concerns. The Sheriff did his best to explain the safety protocols in place and the success of numerous other facilities of this kind located on community college campuses across North Carolina. The cost issue was discussed, with the Sheriff emphasizing that it wasn’t his first choice, but that the need for realistic training for his employees outweighed his misgivings as to cost. "In fact, Sheriff McDonald took it upon himself to meet with the Commissioners individually and ask that the $20 million-dollar law enforcement training center be placed on hold while he looked for better options. He felt, based on his years as a weapons & tactics instructor, that an outdoor facility designed properly, would be better able to meet current and future training needs, at a greatly reduced cost with minimal impact on others." For the full account, click here.     Read Story »

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