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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 »

Henderson County News

Partnership aims to boost minorities' access to college

A philanthropic organization dedicated to making a college degree more affordable and accessible for Latino and African-American students on Monday announced a partnership with the Henderson County public schools and the local chapters of the NAACP and El Centro. Modern States Education Alliance recently launched “Freshman Year for Free,” the first-ever catalog of tuition-free online courses for 40+ core collegiate freshman subjects, enabling learners to earn traditional academic credits at more than 2,900 major colleges and universities. Taught by professors from leading schools, Modern States’ free courses prepare students for the well-accepted Advanced Placement and College Level Examination Program exams offered by the College Board. “The Modern States courses provide a wonderful opportunity for our students to earn college credit tuition-free,” said Jan King, the school system's assistant superintendent for curriculum and instruction. “District administrators believe in providing our students with alternative paths to college. Modern States is another resource we can offer to help them define and reach their college, career and life goals.” To help enroll additional participants in the Modern States program, the Henderson County NAACP is developing a coalition of partners to assist with promoting, tutoring, mentoring, monitoring and otherwise motivating prospective enrollees. “We are developing a promotional program in collaboration with local high schools to assist in ensuring that students are aware of the Modern States opportunity,” NAACP chapter secretary Harold Hellickson said. “We hope other NAACP chapters in North Carolina and elsewhere will join us.” As part of the partnership, El Centro of Henderson County, an organization dedicated to creating a more inclusive community for Latinos, will assist high school students with realizing their educational goals. “We have leaders in different areas of the community and are effective in helping get the word out,” said Carolina McCready, co-director of El Centro of Henderson County. “We think this is really exciting.” Earlier this year, Modern States announced it will pay the College Board test fees for the first 10,000 students who complete a Modern States course. The offer enables learners to earn a single college credit or up to a full year's worth of credits for free, reducing the cost of a traditional four-year college degree by 25 percent. “Many students across the nation want a college education but can’t afford it. I founded this philanthropy to help make a college education accessible for everyone,” said Steve Klinsky, founder and CEO of Modern States. “I am enthusiastic about our new partners in North Carolina.” The Modern States courses are taught by faculty members from some of the nation’s best universities, including Columbia, Purdue, Rutgers, MIT, Johns Hopkins, Tufts, Baruch College, University of Texas and Cal Berkeley. Modern States aspires to help more than one million learners earn credit at no tuition cost, saving students and taxpayers approximately $1,000 per course and over $1 billion in total, while also creating a practical “on-ramp” into the traditional college system for anyone who seeks it.     Read Story »

Fletcher News

Whooping cough, flu season prompt visitor restrictions

The increasing number of cases of highly infectious whooping cough and the onset of flu season has prompted area hospitals to impose visitation restrictions.   Read Story »

Flat Rock News

Time, location changed for funeral of former Flat Rock mayor

Because of the snowstorm, the funeral service for Terry Hicks, the former mayor of Flat Rock, has been moved from the United Universalist Fellowship church to the Grand Old Hall at Highland Lake Inn and postponed until noon.   Read Story »

Henderson County News

'No excuse' for slide that makes light of drug overdose, sheriff says

Sheriff Charlie McDonald is strongly condemning a slide leaked from an interoffice email that mocks the use of the drug overdose treatment Narcan, calling the image "a tasteless attempt at humor" that he had not authorized and had never seen. An image under the title "Laugh of the Day" shows the drug being sprayed from a syringe. A tagline underneath says, "Robbing Darwin of his bountiful harvest since 1971." The image and the phrase implies "that the many lives that have been saved by the timely use of Narcan to reverse the deadly effects of opioid overdoses were not worthy of being saved," McDonald said in a statement his department sent to media organizations on Friday afternoon. "This was the first time I was aware of the existence of this slide." The slide had appeared in an interdepartmental email about crime analysis information on May 23, he said. The sheriff became aware that someone had leaked the image to news organizations. "As families struggle with the sudden loss of their sons, daughters, mothers and fathers our Sheriff in Henderson County thinks this opioid crisis is funny," an anonymous source said in an email to reporters and editors who cover Henderson County. The picture, the email writer continued, suggests "Charlie McDonald thinks these deaths are funny and by this picture thinks lives should not be saved. Time for a change in Henderson County." Nothing could be further from the truth, McDonald said in the news release. "The Henderson County Sheriff's Office has worked very hard to lead the way in combatting the devastation inflicted on our community by this nationwide crisis," he said. "We were one of the first law enforcement agencies in our area three years ago, to train and equip our deputies with this life-saving tool. To date we have over 20 reversals of opioid overdoses by Henderson County deputies and detention staff. I am aware that every person saved is someone's child, parent, spouse, neighbor or employee caught in a desperate web of addiction from which, I am certain, they desire to be free. I am well aware of the resulting heart-ache, pain and gut-wrenching despair that addiction brings to those who struggle with this disease." As for the slide and the subordinate who included it in an email to deputies, McDonald said there's "no excuse for it, regardless of the intention ... I am told it was an attempt at dark humor but it was in no way humorous and I know it does not reflect the true heart of the actual sender." The department dealt with the issue according to its policy and guidelines, McDonald said, although he did not identify the sender nor specifiy what consequences the sender faced. "As Sheriff, I accept the fact that this happened on my watch, in my agency, by one of my employees," he said. "It showed a lapse in judgment and has been appropriately addressed." He called the episode "an opportunity for humility, true remorse and lessons learned. I assure you that all have taken place and I apologize that in this instance there was a failure to maintain the highest standards of what I believe is 'a brotherhood in pursuit of excellence.'"     Read Story »

Henderson County News

NCDOT proposes three roundabouts in south gateway plan

Dramatic changes are in store at Hendersonville’s south gateway if new traffic patterns proposed by state transportation engineers win approval.   Read Story »

Henderson County News

LIGHTNING PHOTOS: Whew! That was a surprise.

  The unexpectedly prodigious snowstorm left much of the area under a foot of snow or more before finally moving out of the area and giving way to sunny skies on Saturday afternoon. In Henderson County 5,834 customers remained without power Saturday afternoon and another 9,401 power outages remained in Buncombe, Duke Energy said. A winter weather advisory remained in effect until 7 p.m. The low overnight Saturday was expected to plunge to 19, meaning slush remaining on roads could freeze, creating hazardous conditions. The high was expected to reach 38 under sunny skies on Sunday and then climb to 48 on Monday. Forecasters had initially predicted up to 6 inches of snow from the storm that started early Friday but a jet stream moved further north than predicted, bringing moisture from the Gulf of Mexico.     Read Story »

Henderson County News

Caraker describes narrower Kanuga widening project

Residents of Kanuga Road heard some good news for the first time in months on Thursday night when Hendersonville City Council member Steve Caraker described a compromise that would significantly reduce the footprint of the $20 million road widening from Church Street to Little River Road.   Read Story »

Henderson County News

City honors three officers for racing into burning building

The Hendersonville City Council on Thursday recognized three police officers with the Police Department Commendation Life Saving Award for racing into a burning apartment building to evacuate residents from a fire that soon engulfed the entire structure.   Read Story »

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