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First Mickey Marvin award winners announced

Henderson County News

'Brunch bill' allows booze on Sunday morning

RALEIGH — No discussion. No debate. No drama. A lopsided vote. A couple of hours after slipping through a skeptical Senate Rules Committee, Senate Bill 155, aka the brunch bill, breezed through the full Senate Thursday by a 32-13 vote. Republicans were split, 22-12, and those divisions became apparent, mainly during a Wednesday meeting of the Senate’s Finance Committee and to a lesser extent at the Thursday Rules session. If the House concurs with the Senate and the bill becomes law, North Carolina distillers will be able to sell five bottles per customer annually to patrons who take a distillery tour. The current annual limit is one bottle. Distilleries will be able to hold tastings at festivals, trade shows, and conventions that allow alcohol tastings. Restaurants and retail outlets also will be able to serve and sell alcohol beginning at 10 a.m. Sundays rather than at noon with the approval of local governing bodies. This will put North Carolina evem with 47 other states that allow alcohol to be served Sundays before noon, noted Sen. Rick Gunn, R-Alamance, the bill’s chief sponsor. The five-bottle provision would take effect July 1, if the bill becomes law by then. Taylor Howard, co-owner of H & H Distillery in Asheville, says the five-bottle law will help distilleries the most of any part of the bill. It would bring more people in more often, making the distillery more like a brewpub. “It’s not that we’re not trying to not support ABC stores, but being able to push our products out of the distillery would be a huge aspect for growth,” he said. The major objection among Rules members came from Sen. Jerry Tillman, R-Randolph. He scoffed at a provision in the bill charging a $750 per-event fee to auctioneers marketing beer, wines, and spirits — primarily aimed at auctions of high-dollar vintage merchandise or from estates. The events happen rarely. Legislative staff estimated the provision would raise a mere $3,000 a year, but said business might improve if they could include vintage spirits and other rare alcoholic beverages. The Rev. Mark Creech of the Christian Action League implored the committee to reject the bill on religious grounds, giving a speech much like the one he delivered at the Finance meeting. Scott Maitland, proprietor of Top of the Hill Distillers in Chapel Hill, owner of the popular Top of the Hill Restaurant, and president of the N.C. Distillers Association, told the committee the law would make a huge impact on distilleries. The five-bottle rule would make a big difference at his business and allowing alcohol sales before noon on Sundays would boost his restaurant’s business (and its ability to employ people) dramatically, Maitland said. The committee approved the bill by voice vote in what appeared to be a narrow margin. But when the bill reached the Senate floor, it passed quickly without any discussion or debate.   Read Story »

Hendersonville News

City tax rate going up by 1 cent

City residents will see a property tax increase of 1 cent per $100 valuation under a $38.7 million budget the Hendersonville City Council adopted Thursday night. Water customers will see a small increase in their bills, too, ranging from 42 cents for a light user to $1.14 a month for a heavy user of water.City Manager John Connet attributed the overall increase in the budget to a 25 percent premium increase in the city’s employee health insurance plan, a $3 million to $5 million capital investment in a new police headquarters, the hiring of three new firefighters and the addition of two police officers, who will take up animal control service after the sheriff’s office quit covering those calls in the city. The animal control officers will be regular sworn officers, Connet said, and will be able to respond to all calls and work backup whenever they're needed.The budget is made up of a general fund of $15.4 million covering most city services, a water and sewer fund at $21 million, environmental services (garbage and recycling) at $1.5 million and other funds totaling $782,000. The tax rate goes up from 46 to 47 cents per $100 valuation. The tax rate for special taxing district downtown and in the Historic Seventh Avenue District remain unchanged. The water rate increase of 1½ percent outside and 2 percent inside continues the City Council’s efforts, under pressure from the county Board of Commissioners, to move outside water customers closer to the rate paid by Hendersonville residents.A hearing on the budget drew just one local resident, frequent commenter Ken Fitch, and no discussion from the City Council, which had looked in detail at capital spending priorities, water and sewer line expansion and operating budgets during two workshops.Personnel and benefits are up 12 percent, Connet said, because of salary adjustments the city made after  a pay and classification study.Debt service goes up 13½ percent because the city bought a new fire truck. The budget also allocates money for street paving and park improvements and sets aside money for new gateway signs that will be installed in the city as part of a new countywide signage program in the upcoming fiscal year.Because of the continued high cost of insurance, the council directed Connet and the staff to study ways the city could lower its health care cost. The city pays employees’ health insurance premiums now and will continue to do so provided employees participate in a series of wellness mandates, including checkups, health screenings and wellness classes.“In year 1, as long as they do those they will continue to have their health care premiums paid 100 percent,” Connet said. In 2017, the city will begin an effort to be a 100 percent smoke-free workplace. Employees will have a year, starting Jan. 1, to complete a smoking cessation class and quit smoking.“If they’re unable to go through the smoking cessation program and they cannot quit smoking and then beginning in July 2019 they will be required to pay a portion of their health insurance.”The new health insurance requirement drew no comments from council members. They will must be formalized and approved by the City Council.   Read Story »

Henderson County News

Don Henley-Phil Collins tribute opens tonight

A musical tribute to Don Henley and Phil Collins starring Music on the Rock favorites Dustin Brayley and Aaron LaVigne opens Thursday night at the Flat Rock Playhouse Downtown. Brayley, last seen on the Mainstage in Smokey Joe’s Café, and LaVigne, of the highly acclaimed Music on the Rock Beatles show, will perform “Against All Odds,” “Boys of Summer,” “You’ll Be In My Heart,” and more music from the two dazzling drummers. Playing alongside Brayley and LaVigne will be Flat Rock Playhouse favorite Ryan Guerra on bass, Will Moss on synthesizer and backup vocals, Bill Altman on guitar and Paul Babelay on drums. Moss will also serve as music director.Running through June 11, the show is performed at 7:30 p.m. Thursday, 8 p.m. Friday and Saturday and 2 p.m. Saturday and Sunday. Tickets are $15-30 and can be purchased by calling the Playhouse box office at 828-693-0731, toll-free at 866-732-8008 or online at www.flatrockplayhouse.org.   Read Story »

Henderson County News

Tip leads to arrest on meth charges

Henderson County sheriff’s deputies arrested two people on felony drug charges on Wednesday after responding to a call that a suspicious item had been left at a local business. Detectives were able to determine the suspicious item contained approximately 12 grams of methamphetamine. After investigating, the detectives charged Wendy Danielle Presnell (Davis), 33, of 5554 Old Linville Road in Marion, with Felony Possession with Intent to Manufacture, Sell or Deliver Methamphetamine, Felony Conspiracy to Sell/Deliver Schedule II Controlled Substance, Misdemeanor Possession of Drug Paraphernalia and Misdemeanor Driving While License Revoked; and Robert William Shook, 34, of Asheville, with Felony Possession with Intent to Manufacture, Sell or Deliver MethamphetamineFelony Conspiracy to Sell/Deliver Schedule II Controlled Substance. Shook also had outstanding warrants out of Buncombe County. He was released from the Henderson County Jail under a $20,000 secured bond. Presnell had outstanding warrants out of McDowell County. She was released from the Henderson County Jail under a $22,000 secured bond.     Read Story »

Henderson County News

Doc Lampley, an original Pardee physician, dies at age 96

William A. “Doc” Lampley, a surgeon whose life pursuits included sports car driving, woodworking, hunting and fishing, scuba diving and flying, died early Thursday at the Elizabeth House a few days after suffering a stroke. He was 96.   Read Story »

Henderson County News

LOCAL BRIEFS: Lastein joins sales team, trail campaign, play opens

Kelton Lastein joins Spake real estate firm Kelton Lastein has begun work with Spake Commercial Real Estate.Lastein, a Hendersonville native, 2012 graduate of Christ School and Troop 627 Eagle Scout, has a degree in entrepreneurship from Western Carolina University. He traveled extensively after his college graduation and aspired to live “anywhere but here.”Then last July, his father, Ed Lastein, died suddenly of a brain aneurysm at age 59. Kelton came home to be with his mother, Sandy, and brother, Teak, and sister, Kristen, after Lastein’s death, which shocked the community.Kelton, 23, decided to try the commercial real estate business, one of the areas that his father had worked in along with his specialty as a landscape architect and site planner.“Nobody can do what he did with landscape architecture,” Kelton said. “He was an artist. I could never try to replace that. He was a land planner.”Kelton said he and his family look forward to a ceremony naming the Park at Flat Rock walking trails in honor his father on Sept. 9.“It could have been a bunch of soccer fields and ballfields,” he said of the former Highland Lake golf course. “My dad said, ‘No, it needs to be something with some class and some esthetics.”Lastein designed the master plan for the park after serving as the landscape adviser for the Village of Flat Rock for years before that.John Spake took Kelton on a provisional broker. He can get his commercial broker license after completing three 30-hour courses. One of Lastein’s properties is a 40-acre tract on Upward Road at South Allen Road listed at $8 million. “That’s my first goal — to get it marketed and sold,” he said. Park at Flat Rock launches $300,000 trails campaign The Flat Rock Park Foundation and the Village of Flat Rock will launch a $300,000 campaign next month to complete walking trails that are a part of the updated Park Master Plan. The Flat Rock Park Foundation Board of Directors voted unanimously to endorse a matching grant program started with a $150,000 challenge. “Our community in Flat Rock and Henderson County has generously supported the Park at Flat Rock’s development in the early stages,” foundation president Duncan Fraser said. “Now more and more individuals and businesses have the opportunity to see this park fully develop into a world-class place. Richard Eppler’s generous estate gift was made with the hope of seeing it grow to support the park. Our board is pleased to announce that the planned trails expansion campaign will utilize up to $150,000 of Mr. Eppler’s gift to match donations from the community.”“The Flat Rock Park Foundation is committed to making the trail expansion a reality,” development chair Marcia Caserio said. “The first of our efforts will be ‘Feast and Frolic,’ a dinner and dancing fundraising event on Aug. 12 at Kenmure.” For more information or to sign up for the fundraiser call Maurean Adams at 828-697-8100. NAMI presents free seminar The National Alliance on Mental Illness affiliate serving Henderson and Polk Counties, NAMI Four Seasons, is conducting a free seminar on Eye Movement Desensitization and Reprocessing at 6 p.m. Tuesday, June 13, in the Trinity Room at St. James Episcopal Church, 766 North Main Street.EMDR has helped more than two million people of all ages relieve many types of psychological distress, including Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder, complicated grief, pain disorders and addictions, among others. The session will be facilitated by Sherry A. McKisson, a certified EMDR therapist.More than 30 studies have been done on EMDR therapy. Research funded by Kaiser Permanente found that 100 percent of single-trauma victims and 77 percent of multiple- trauma victims no longer were diagnosed with PTSD after only six sessions. EMDR is recognized as an effective form of treatment by the American Psychiatric Association, the World Health Organization, the Department of Defense, and the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services. Community Theatre presents ’Night Mother Hendersonville Community Theatre (HCT) continues its season with a production of ‘Night, Mother on June 2 through June 11. ‘Night, Mother is a mother/daughter story about taking control of life in the face of isolation and despair. The play opens on a Saturday night in the home of Jessie and Thelma. Faced with the feeling that her life no longer has any significant meaning, Jessie has decided to end her life and makes her intentions clear to her mother, Thelma. The viewer is left anxiously awaiting the outcome as Thelma desperately tries to alter her daughter’s plans. HCT’s production is co-directed by Molly Carlin-Folk and Jonathan Forrester and the featured actors are Shari Azar as Jessie and Annette Hobbs as her mother, Thelma. Performances of ‘Night, Mother are at 7:30 p.m. on Fridays and Saturdays and at 2 p.m. on Sundays. Tickets are $16 general admission, no reserved seating. Guests may arrive early and enjoy a complimentary glass of wine or beer and hors d’oeuvres. HCT is located in Downtown Hendersonville at 229 South Washington Street. For more information, call the HCT Box Office at 828-692-1082 or visit HendersonvilleTheatre.org. Cardiologist joins Pardee heart practice Pardee UNC Health Care announced that Martin Sullivan, M.D., a board-certified cardiologist, has joined Pardee Cardiology Associates.Sullivan specializes in heart disease prevention and noninvasive methods for diagnosing and treating heart conditions. He has extensive experience in nuclear cardiology, echocardiography, transesophageal echocardiography (TEE) and vascular imaging.Sullivan earned his medical degree from The Ohio State University College of Medicine, where he also completed his internship, residency and cardiology research fellowship. He then completed a fellowship in cardiology at Duke University Medical Center. A member of the American Heart Association (national and North Carolina chapters) and Council on Atherosclerosis, he is a fellow of the Council on Circulation and the Council on Clinical Cardiology. Sullivan is also the recipient of several awards, including the Bayer Cardiovascular Research Award and the American Heart Association Established Investigator Award. Dr. Sullivan is often able to see new patients within 48 hours. To schedule an appointment, call 828-697-7377 or visit pardeehospital.org.   Read Story »

Henderson County News

One family, 10 HHS graduates over 22 years

You won't want to miss this week’s Hendersonville Lightning. You may need a book mark for our special project called the Last Kraus, which tells the story of a Hendersonville family whose children ties to Hendersonville High School spans 22 years and 10 graduates. We cover the HHS graduates starting with Ken Kraus, class of 1977, and ending next week with the graduation of Kraus No. 10, Meredith. You'll also read our coverage of a $600,000 settlement of the local Presbyterian Church split, Memorial Day services, a new music outreach program for young people, the popular Stuck in the Late Middle by Bill Humleker and 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• McDonald's, Spartanburg Highway• Norm's Minit Mart, Spartanburg Highway• Hendersonville Co-op• Burger King/BP, Spartanburg HighwayIngles SupermarketSouthside 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

Waverly Inn's Sunday brunch now open to the public

Strawberry and Mascarpone French Toast Bake, Caprese Italian Sausage Quiche Beet, Crispy Goat Cheese and Arugula Panini will be on the menu this weekend when the Waverly Inn opens its Sunday brunch to the public for the first time. The 1898 inn has been serving overnight guests for 119 years. "Now the general public can access the same great food that our guests have raved about," innkeeper Mike Burnette said in a news release. Brunch is served from 10:30 a. until 2 p.m. each Sunday and features a fixed price menu for $18.98 that includes four courses and all beverages (coffee, tea, juices, milk, lemonade and sodas). Menu will be posted on the Café at Waverly Inn Facebook page each week and at cafe.waverlyinn.com. Here is this week's menu: The baked starter is Honey Thyme Lemon Scones SALAD, choice of:Fruit tossed in citrus mint dressingSpinach salad with strawberries, toasted almonds and poppy seed vinaigrette SOUP, choice of:Vegetarian- Carrot gingerMeat- White bean chicken chili MAIN, choice of:Strawberry and Mascarpone French Toast BakeCaprese Italian Sausage QuicheBeet, Crispy Goat Cheese and Arugula PaniniDessert is Vanilla Panna Cotta with Ganache and Orange Syrup Chef Lily Krupp will feature “familiar favorites infused with twists of the unexpected” at brunch, Burnette said. Krupp began her cooking experience at the award winning Never Blue in downtown Hendersonville and was most recently the executive chef at Ivory Road in Arden. The inn will take both reservations and walk-ins. Call 828.693.9193 to make reservations or with questions. The oldest operating inn in Hendersonville, the Waverly is owned by Mike and Tracey Burnette.     Read Story »

Henderson County News

Driver in fatal crash remains in jail under $200,000 bond

The driver in a crash that resulted in the death of a 17-year-old East Henderson High School senior in December remains in jail two weeks after his arrest on a charge of second-degree murder. Matthew Joseph Schmieder, 36, of Hendersonville, was arrested May 16, one day after a grand jury issued an indictment on the second-degree murder charge in the high-speed crash that killed Derek Lane Miller on Kanuga Road three days before Christmas. Judge Athena Brooks set a $200,000 bond during a first appearance in Henderson County District Court on Thursday morning and as of Tuesday morning the accused had not been able to make bail.Schmieder, who initially had hired criminal defense attorney Roy Neill, was rolled into the courtroom in a wheelchair. In an affidavit of indigency, he declared that he had living expenses of $545 a month and assets of $3,600, including $600 cash and a 2004 Jeep Grand Cherokee worth $3,000. Judge Brooks appointed assistant public defender Beth Stang to represent him.The State Highway Patrol said Schmieder was driving 60 mph when he attempted to pass a vehicle on a double-yellow line and collided head-on with a 1991 Chevrolet pickup driven by Miller, who died as a result of the crash. Schmieder was airlifted to Mission hospital in Asheville and hospitalized for four weeks with multiple injuries.Schmieder, an accountant, was not charged with driving under the influence or driving with a suspended license and his blood alcohol level has not been made public. But District Attorney Greg Newman told Judge Brooks that alcohol, marijuana and tranquilizers were a factor in the fatal crash.“All of those issues are going to be included in the second-degree murder case,” Newman told the Hendersonville Lightning the day before Schmieder’s District Court appearance. “When I first took the initial call it occurred to me and to the state trooper that there may be a criminal case, it may be more than a traffic case going bad with an unfortunate fatality. I asked the SBI. they were the actually the ones that did the investigation along with the State Patrol.”There are “a number of different components to the evidence,” Newman said. “We charge what we can support. This is a criminal case and we’re going to treat it that way.”Schmieder had numerous speeding tickets and other traffic violations since age 17, according to a search of public records by the Lightning last January. The search turned up a total of 15 traffic violations or cases resulting from moving violations such as failure to appear in court or failure to pay fines from 1998 to last November.He was stopped for driving 80 mph in a 50 mph zone and failing to stop for a siren and flashing lights in Henderson County January 1980. He received eight more speeding tickets from that time until 2013, according to court and Division of Motor Vehicles records. He was also caught driving 84 mph in a 65 mph zone in 2013 in Rutherford County. In 2005, a Laurel Park police officer charged him with possessing a half-ounce of marijuana after a traffic stop, records show.Troopers investigating the crash said they suspected Schmieder was under the influence of alcohol or drugs in the crash, which occurred at 8 o’clock at night on Kanuga Road a few hundred yards from Schmieder’s apartment on Maxine Lane.   Read Story »

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