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AVL wins $18M grant

Hendersonville News

One for the thumb for HMS Lady Bearcats

The Hendersonville Middle School Lady Bearcats soccer team continued its dominance in the Blue Ridge Conference, beating Apple Valley Middle School to finish the season undefeated and claim the conference title for the fifth year in a row.   Read Story »

Henderson County News

Teachers of the year honored at Education Foundation event

Henderson County teachers, administrators and education supporters honored 23 teachers of the year on Thursday during the 15th annual Education Foundation Hall of Fame dinner at the Boone Building at the WNC Ag Center. The honorees were: Holly Kolarova, Apple Valley Middle School Suzanne Burnette, Atkinson Elementary School Anthony Johnson, Balfour Education Center Theresa Parks, Bruce Drysdale Elementary School Grace Quick, Clear Creek Elementary School Aramis Mugica, Dana Elementary School Carly Allman, East Henderson High School Melissa Duncan, Edneyville Elementary School Margaret Melonie Watts, Etowah Elementary School Tony McMinn, Flat Rock Middle School Amy Youngblood, Fletcher Elementary School Andrea Smith, Clenn C. Marlow Elementary School Tom Savage, Henderson County Early College Tara Anderson, Hendersonville Elementary School Walt Cottingham, Hendersonville High School Katherine Gash, Hendersonville Middle School Cody Merriman, Hillandale Elementary School Holly Bader, Mills River Elementary School Lucy Joyce, North Henderson High School Ashley Wellman, Rugby Middle School Ryan Mitchell, Sugarloaf Elementary School Diane Norgan, Upward Elementary School Jason Livingston, West Henderson High School.       Read Story »

Henderson County News

Ed Foundation honors Hall of Fame inductees

The Henderson County Education Foundation celebrated teachers who have devoted their lives to teaching and guiding children, demonstrating a dawn to dusk work ethic, fueling students' enthusiasm and keeping their colleagues inspired with their energy and dedication. About 270 people, one of the largest crowds ever, turned out for the 15th annual event at theBoone Building at the WNC Ag Center. Presented by Pardee UNC Health Care, the dinner also honored county schools principal of the year Bobby Wilkins of Hendersonville and teachers of the year from all 23 county schools. This year's program was trimmed down substantially from the three-hour ceremonies of the past. After a 6 p.m. dinner, the program got under way at 6:45 p.m. and concluded about 8:20 p.m. Since 2003, 119 individuals have been honored with induction into HCEF Hall of Fame. This year’s inductees include: June Barnwell, Henderson County native, worked for 34 years as a Chemistry teacher and Math teacher with the Henderson County Public Schools. Mrs. Barnwell’s service included a stint at Flat Rock High School (1958 – 1962) and then she began at East Henderson High School where she taught until her retirement in 1986. Mrs. Barnwell was a sponsor of many school activities and received several awards during her career, including Henderson County Teacher of the Year in 1986. Lynn Carter began her teaching career in Henderson County in 1979 after several years in the Wake & Swain County School Systems. She taught English and Social Studies at Rugby Middle School (formerly Rugby Junior High) from 1979 until her retirement in 2005. In 1990 Mrs. Carter received Teacher of the Year at Rugby Middle and in 1995 she received her National Board Certification - Early Adolescence/Language and was the first teacher in Henderson County to receive this very prestigious honor. Robert Joubert had an exemplary 35 year career with the Henderson County Public Schools. He started in June 1970 as a Special Education teacher at Edneyville High school where he worked until the school closed in 1992. Mr. Joubert worked briefly at North Henderson High School until he became Assistant Principal at Flat Rock Middle in 1993 where he worked until his retirement in 2005. Mr. Joubert was known for his leadership and his heart for all students. Accepting for Joubert, who died in August 2015 at age 66, was his wife Rosemary. Michael Pressley began his career in Henderson County Public Schools in 1973 as a Mathematics teacher at Rugby Junior High School. Mr. Pressley became Assistant Principal at Rugby from 1985 to 1988 before becoming Principal at Fletcher Elementary School (1988 – 1991), Balfour Elementary School (1991 – 2002) and Clear Creek Elementary from 2002 until his retirement in 2009 after 35 years of service. Mr. Pressley was recognized as a leader among his peers and received Henderson Couny Principal of the Year two times in his tenure, 1992 and 1995. Beverly Wood, a native of Western North Carolina, was a physical education teacher for 41 years, 19 of those years in Henderson County Public Schools. She began at Edneyville Elementary in 1988 before becoming the first physical educator for the new Glen C. Marlow Elementary School in 1999 until her retirement in 2007. During her career she received number awards including 1995-1996 Edneyville Elementary Teacher of the Year and 2002 recipient of the Kiwanis Club Lou Ann Morgan Leadership Award.     Read Story »

Henderson County News

McGrady pledge nudges IAM close to capital goal

Interfaith Assistance Ministry is on the last leg of its $2.6 million capital campaign for its new facility, thanks to a matching grant pledge from state Rep. Chuck McGrady.   Read Story »

Hendersonville News

Mud Creek dump may reach homes, city says

The city of Hendersonville has notified 11 private property owners that a long-abandoned landfill near Green Meadows could encroach on their land.The city will hold a drop-in meeting next week during which residents can ask questions about the old Mud Creek dump, a site of eight acres or more that was used for solid waste before the early 1970s. The meeting is from 6:30 to 8 p.m. at the City Operations Center.At least two in-depth studies have attempted to define the boundaries of the old dumps and to find out exactly what’s buried in them but they’ve never been cleaned up. The area is mostly woods and thick underbrush and until recently uninhabited. Now there are lots of people around the old dump because it’s close to the popular Oklawaha Greenway.City officials have known about the old landfill since the early 1970s but there has been disagreement about whether cleaning it up was worth it. When the Hendersonville Housing Authority was building the Green Meadows neighborhood, officials considered grading and compacting the site, covering it with two feet of dirt and turning it into a park.Three years ago, when the city was running a new sewer line along Mud Creek, contractors discovered buried material beyond the previously identified boundaries of the dump, said City Manager John Connet. That triggered a fresh look at the problem, which has now stretched into a three-year grind involving an environmental consultant that is under contract with the city but gets guidance from the state Pre-Regulatory Landfill Program, a part of the Department of Environmental Quality. The state reimburses costs associated with delineating and cleaning up the Mud Creek dump through the Pre-Regulatory Landfill Program.City attorney Sam Fritschner has worked out agreements with the potentially affected property owners to allow soil boring and vapor testing to find out what, if anything, is underground. So far, no hazardous waste or harmful vapors have been identified.“As we have moved up the hill, those were the sites that were identified as potential locations of landfill matter,” Connet said. “Most of it as we understand it is in the area near the greenway. There was never an exact boundary” of the landfill. “We are once and for all trying to determine where it is, what it is, and are there any potential issues of concern from a public safety and public health issue. At this time, we have no indication that there is any public safety and public health issue. We’re trying to get to the bottom of it once and for all.”Even though the dump has been studied off and on for seven years, the city and state still don’t know the extent of it. That study is under way now, through a Charlotte-based contractor that has broad experience in hazardous waste cleanups and landfill closures. It’s not been decided yet whether to try to excavate the contents of the dump.The 39-acre site was part of the 80-acre Northeast Urban Renewal Project, which involved the demolition of dilapidated housing and clearing of land for Green Meadows in the early 1970s. Officials knew about the dump then and even tried to get help from the TVA to clean it up.“Our budget does cover the cost of clearing the sites but in no way does it cover the high cost of clearing and filling the dump areas,” Executive Director Ruth G. Last wrote on Jan. 11, 1972. She appealed for help on the grounds that the dump was a “breeding grounds for rodents” and impossible to police even with signs prohibiting dumping. Removing the dump “would make life far more livable for the project residents. … We are obligated to find some way of accomplishing the necessary clearance, compaction and grading of these dump areas as quickly and economically as possible.”But Marshall Staton, the city’s director of sanitary engineering, said at the time that removing the waste would worse than doing nothing.“This area has been used for many years and there is a large concentration of municipal solid waste that would create a major problem if it were attempted to remove it from the site,” Staton said. The most economical way to convert the land into a park or playground would be to grade it and cover it with two feet of compacted dirt, he said. “This method has been used in many areas of the state and it does provide excellent facilities for park and playground purposes.”There are no drinking water wells on the site. At least 29 structures, including duplexes, single-family homes and a daycare center, were a part of the study site. The site is bounded by thick woods and underbrush on the north and south, Mud Creek on the east and Lincoln Circle on the west.“These were in municipalities all over North Carolina,” Connet said. “Our particular city dump was on a list in this group.” The Mud Creek dump site didn’t get much attention because “they deal with the ones that are the greatest public health risk first.” * * * * * The public drop-in meeting on the Mud Creek dump is 6:30 to 8 p.m. Tuesday at the City Operations Center on Williams Street.   Read Story »

Henderson County News

Rain forecast postpones Bear Reveal

A forecast of rain has prompted the city to postpone the 2017 Bear Reveal from Friday to Monday, May 15. The National Weather Service office in Greer, S.C., forecasts showers and thundershowers on Friday and Friday night. The forecast for Monday is sunny with a high of 79. The event at the First Citizens Bank Plaza starts at 5 p.m. with music followed by the bear unveilings and recognition of artists and sponsors.   Read Story »

Henderson County News

Candidates, physician to speak at 'Missing Meadows' town hall

Two political candidates, a physician and an environmental activist are scheduled to speak when Hendersonville Indivisible holds its "Missing Mark Meadows" town hall at 10 a.m. Saturday at Jackson Park. Meadows has declined to hold a town hall meeting to hear constituents' concerns about health care and other topics. His office says that he is maintaining his usual practice of holding town hall meetings during the August recess of Congress. Speakers at Saturday's event include Dr. Brian P.Mitchell and local writer Leslie Boyd, who will speak about health care;Henderson County Young Dems Chair Amber White and environmentalist and educator Tate MacQueen, who will address environmental concerns; Matt Coffay, a Democratic candidate for the 11th Congressional District seat; and Norm Bossert, a candidate for state Senate District 48.For more information, contact coalition activist Gayle Kemp at 828-551-6169 or gaylekemp@gmail.com.   Read Story »

Flat Rock News

Playhouse supporters celebrate old and the new

Local folks know of the early days of the Flat Rock Playhouse on the Great Flat Rock — the circus tent, the Lowndes House and then the performance barn still used today. But the theater founder’s plunge into drama was 80 years ago, when young Robert William Smith boarded a ship in Liverpool for Baltimore.   Read Story »

Hendersonville News

Moss column: And they said we wouldn't make it

They said we wouldn’t make it five minutes, five weeks or five months but here we are, celebrating our fifth birthday.After we created our company in February 2012, we went live with HendersonvilleLightning.com on April 24 and debuted the print issue on Wednesday, May 9, with coverage of the Tuesday primary.That issue was chock-full of news because we had gotten a head start on reporting. Since we had launched the website three weeks earlier, I had been on the street reporting for six weeks when the inaugural issue went to press.The launch gets ahead of the story.People ask me why I made the Lightning. So many ask, in fact, that’s it the topic of my standard stump speech when civic clubs invite me to speak. I made a stab at answering why I made the Lightning in a column on our second birthday, in May 2014.I recalled how I plunged back into covering news during my consulting job in 2010 and 2011 fixing broken newspapers. I had forgotten how much fun on-the-ground reporting was.At the risk of a rerun for longtime readers, here’s part of what I said then:“Because they see me at so many meetings, fundraisers and news events, people ask me if I ever sleep. Yes, I do. But I’m more excited than ever to get up early and go scout for news. Armed with nothing more than a pen, a pad and a Canon, I might fill a notebook and snap a hundred frames before noon. To me it’s fun work but also important work. Local news matters.“How come I made the Lightning? Because I wanted to try and practice a brand of journalism that was as good as our extraordinary community deserved.”I think it’s worked. What matters more is the number of people who take the trouble to tell me it’s working. I keep them all in a document called Yay Lightning! I’m now on Yay Lightning 2. It’s 4,007 words. Yay Lightning 1 was 4,748 words.Here are three recent comments:• “Thank goodness Hendersonville has the ‘Lightning.’ It is the ONLY access we now have to LOCAL news. The news is clear, concise and honest. No worries here about ‘bias’ in any form. Thank you to the entire staff!”• “In re your editorial on Walk of Fame. That took courage, Bill. Thanks.”• My favorite paper to read!!!! I like knowing what’s going on around Henderson County, not so much the whole country. Great job at covering the most important things that matter to the natives of Henderson County.” * * * * * But enough about me.We could not have done it without the Friends of the Lightning, the angel investors who took a chance and provided the working capital back in late 2011 and early 2012. I prayed that we would make payroll, cover expenses and turn the corner and we did before 2012 ended. When the Hendersonville Lightning was nothing more than a concept and a prospectus, attorney Sharon Alexander of Prince Youngblood & Massagee guided me through the process of organizing a company and trained me in corporate governance.I remember thinking, She’s a darn good business lawyer; that must be her specialty. Wrong. She’s a savvy, tough and skilled general practitioner. If I had a First Amendment emergency, she was right there. She didn’t just have good answers and good advice. She had the steel nerve to defend and advocate for the Lightning against any legal threat that might come our way. * * * * * We could never have started the Lightning without Denise Ward as our original news designer and Zollie Ward as distribution coordinator for the first three years. Paula Roberts built up our roster of advertising partners for the first 4½ years of our existence. She’s succeeded by Melanie Matteson, who is becoming a terrific advertising and marketing consultant for our advertising partners.Jan Chapin is now in the role of news designer, receptionist, office manager, legal advertising coordinator. John Dunn is our reliable and always hard-working distribution coordinator. John is the one who’s out in the predawn cold, rain and snow filling the racks so the Lightning is on the street before first light on Wednesday.Finally, our marketing and advertising sales consultant Ruth Birge has helped us in too many ways to list. I told her once I have a button on my phone that says “Panic!” It calls Ruth. If there were ever any hazardous shoals, Ruth was there to help steer.Hundreds more people deserve credit for the Lightning’s success. I don’t know all their names. They are our readers and advertising partners. Without them, the Lightning would not have made that five-week or five-month lifespan I mentioned at the top. So, thanks, y’all, for reading the Lightning and supporting the Lightning. * * * * * I’ve been lucky in my newspaper career over 41 years to have had stops at newspapers that weren’t in it primarily for the money. The first was the Salisbury Post, owned at that time by the Hurley family, and the second was the St. Petersburg Times, a half-million circulation daily that’s owned by a nonprofit journalism think tank. A newspaper that’s not in it for the money is really hard to find these days. One of my great joys is the Quixotic fight against that convention. Because we’re independent, we can’t be bossed, bullied or bluffed. We make news decisions based on what’s right for the readership and the community, not what’s right for Wall Street. Wall Street has no appreciation for one of my credos: Good journalism is good business.In my Lightning stump speech, I explain our commitment with a declaration followed by a question.“I’m the creator, founder, owner, chairman, president, CEO, publisher, editor, photographer and reporter of the Hendersonville Lightning,” I tell the audience. “Which one of these titles is the most important?”And you know what?The audience always gets it right.Reporter.It’s the job I’m proudest of. It’s the Lightning’s gift to the community, not just on our fifth birthday but every day.Plenty of towns have a newspaper that has reporters.Hendersonville has a reporter that owns a newspaper.     Read Story »

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