Free Daily Headlines

News

Set your text size: A A A

News

Social media buzzes about Stephen Colbert sighting

Henderson County News

Ask Matt ... about hidden apples, Church Street paving

Q. We recently, discovered some little bronze apples hidden in easy-to-miss locations in downtown Hendersonville. Who put them there? The idea is a spin-off of Greenville’s “Mice on Main,” where nine unique bronze mice sculptures are placed along Main Street from the Hyatt to the Westin Hotel. Kids of all ages are given clues to their whereabouts and they hunt for them. The idea was the brainchild of a high school student who raised the money for the project.Hendersonville has apples. Twelve bronze apples, each about the size of a tangerine, are hidden along seven blocks of Main Street. Aptly named “Apple Quest,” the scavenger hunt project was launched last year by Girl Scout Troup 1886. Clues to the whereabouts of the apples are available in the Visitors Center on Main Street.Oh yeah, Huntsville, Alabama, has a “Lucky Duck” scavenger hunt with 14 bronze ducks hidden downtown. Anderson, S.C., has two dozen bronze birds. Paducah, Ky., had a leprechaun hunt last March, but I suspect that was a onetime deal with those little guys. Q. When will they pave King and Church Streets? The pot holes and ruts are getting worse. Both Church and King Streets in downtown Hendersonville are part of U.S. 25 and are state maintained. According to my sources at NCDOT, repaving these sections is not on the list for resurfacing in the next three years but the good news is that our folks in the highway department reevaluate the paving list each year and they may accelerate a project based on changing conditions and, of course, available funding. Q. Will DOT plant trees in the medians in the new section of Upward Road? I thought that this was going to be a “boulevard type” roadway since it is a major entryway into town. NCDOT officials have informed me that everything that was presented to the public and communicated to local officials was a “grassed median.” According to Keith Blazer, NCDOT’s Division Roadside Environmental Engineer, there are no plans to install any plant material (trees or shrubs) in the Upward Road medians. Q. Now that they are going to close Ninth Avenue for the new High School, can anything be done to widen the narrow portion of North Main Street in front of Pop’s Diner? There is only enough room to stack one car at a time for a driver to “turn right on red” onto Asheville Highway. It’s bound to get worse when the school project gets underway. I am informed that NCDOT is aware of this problem and it will be discussed during review of the project. Unfortunately, the state does not have sufficient right-of-way to make the needed improvement under current conditions. * * *Send questions to askmattm@gmail.com.   Read Story »

Hendersonville News

Wolfe's Angel cleaned and repaired

Kara Warren taps a chisel with a hammer, gently chipping off rock-hard adhesive bit by bit.   Read Story »

Henderson County News

County simplifies recycling

A new compactor system at the county recycling center will mean quicker and easier recycling, eliminating the need for most sorting.   Read Story »

Henderson County News

Event barn fuss triggers broad review

The Henderson County Planning Board is plunging into a broad review of potentially disruptive land uses in residential zones after neighbors raised concerns about an event barn in an R-2 zone.   Read Story »

Hendersonville News

Don't miss this week's Hendersonville Lightning (136)

You won't want to miss this week’s Hendersonville Lightning.   Read Story »

Henderson County News

Man sent to prison for robbing Hendersonville woman

A 28-year-old Pisgah Forest man was sentenced to nine years in prison after a Transylvania County jury convicted him of the armed robbery of a Hendersonville woman last October, District Attorney Greg Newman announced Jonathan Antonio Richardson, of 100 Marley Road, was sentenced by Judge Eric Morgan in a June 12 court term. Evidence presented at trial was that Christine Hampton of Hendersonville stopped at the One Stop convenient store in Pisgah Forest on the evening of October 15. When getting back into her truck, she was approached by Erin Hogsed, also of 100 Marley Road in Pisgah Forest and a recent employee of the store, who asked for a ride home. Ms. Hampton agreed and Ms. Hogsed entered the passenger side of Hampton’s truck while her boyfriend, Mr. Richardson, let himself into the backseat. Ms. Hampton had not seen Richardson when approached by Ms. Hogsed. Ms. Hampton was directed by both Hogsed and Richardson to take them to Crab Creek Road and then to turn onto Heath Drive. It was at this point where Richardson reached up behind Ms. Hampton and held a rough shaped object to her throat while saying, “If you do not cooperate, you will die.” Ms. Hampton was then forced out of her truck and Richardson and Hogsed drove off leaving Ms. Hampton to flag down a motorist to ask for help. The Transylvania County Sheriff’s Department responded quickly and, through the use of a photo line-up with Ms. Hampton, identified Richardson. Ms. Hogsed was identified by the store clerk on duty who knew who she was. Through the use of phone records, social media and statements of persons familiar with the suspects, both Richardson and Hogsed were arrested in San Diego, California, on Oct. 25, 10 days after the incident. They were transported back to Transylvania County for prosecution. Ms. Hogsed provided a statement to the Sheriff’s Department upon her return home. Richardson did not give a statement, but did testify in his own defense at trial. Ms. Hampton was suffering from cancer at the time of the incident and she died earlier this year. Her video-taped interview with sheriff’s detective Geoff Bishop on the crime date was played for the jury. “I want to compliment the work of Sheriff Mahoney’s department in this case”, Newman said. “They acted swiftly and it is impressive that they located our suspects in California in less than two weeks. I commend Detective Geoff Bishop and the other officers who investigated this violent crime. I had the honor of meeting Ms. Hampton before she died and she expressed to me her appreciation for how capably the investigation was conducted. As always, I appreciate the community’s support of our efforts to prosecute these cases. There is a high respect here in Transylvania County for upholding the rule of law and I am fortunate to serve such great people."   Read Story »

Hendersonville News

Ask Matt ... about right on red, training center cost

Q. What’s in all those yellow crates on the vacant lot at Busy Bend on Kanuga Road? Sea-Doo jet skis. There are about two dozen stacked on the vacant lot across from Dal-Kawa Cycle Center, the motorcycle and motor sports dealership at 312 Kanuga Road. For the record, “jet ski” is actually a Kawasaki brand name for personal water craft, just like Sea-Doo.I spoke to Corey Noble, Dal-Kawa’s general manager. The dealership has been in business in Hendersonville for 47 years. They carry Suzuki and Kawasaki motorcycles plus Kymco, which makes ATVs (4-wheel all-terrain vehicles). Noble shared some big changes in the motor sports business. Last spring Hunter Volvo in Asheville closed its Patton Avenue business and at the same time acquired Dal-Kawa. After the merger, Hunter moved the Bombardier brand of power sports equipment and the Sea-Doo “jet skis” to Hendersonville, which is now the new market hub for a large region that reaches as far as Knoxville and Charlotte.The new Sea-Doo is not your father’s power watercraft. Noble said models range in price from $7,000 to $30,000. OK, but what do you get for the high end model? “Speed and power,” replied Noble. “It’s a monster with 300 hp and it can pull a water skier.” Noble expects to sell out of the Sea-Doo inventory just as they did last year. See you on the water. Q. What happened to House Bill 48? Last March I did a piece on HB 48, a bill that would have extended the “cooling off” period for state legislators where, if passed, they must wait 12 months (rather than six) after their terms end before they can become a registered lobbyist. Well, as predicted by Rep. Chuck McGrady, the bill’s sponsor, the measure died in committee. Q. What would be the increase to the county tax rate to pay for the construction of the sheriff’s proposed training facility? Technically none, according to Henderson County officials and the Board of Commissioners. The county doesn’t pay cash for major capital projects. When it’s time to start the project, which has not been approved in a final form yet, the county will borrow the money and pay it back over time. Although the law enforcement training center is budgeted in the long-range capital plan at $20 million, Sheriff Charlie McDonald is working now on cutting the cost. One might argue that taxpayers could receive a tax cut if the project was not in the county budget. Interestingly, the debt service for the law enforcement training center, $1,282,000 a year, is almost exactly the amount that 1 cent on the tax rate generates — $1,283,332. The current county tax rate is 56½ cents per $100 valuation. The county’s financial forecast shows that total debt reaches $192 million in 2019 while debt service peaks at $21.9 million in 2020. The outstanding debt goes back as far as the county jail (2001) and includes newer projects such as the Health Sciences Center, the Innovative High School, Edneyville Elementary School, Hendersonville High School and the emergency services headquarters. Q. Before I get a ticket, when driving from Asheville exiting I-26 onto U.S. 64 going toward Hendersonville, can I make a right turn on red at the stop light? There is no sign that says you can’t. Better not. This is not a true “T” type intersection; in fact, it’s more of a “Y.” Four Seasons Boulevard has multiple lanes and according to the Hendersonville police, driver visibility is poor. A right turn on red is an unsafe movement and you could be cited. That intersection is similar to the northbound turn from Spartanburg Highway to South Main Street, where there is a “no turn on red” sign. * * * * * Send questions to askmattm@gmail.com.   Read Story »

Henderson County News

Health Science Camp gives kids glimpse of medicine

This week, 24 rising 9th-11th grade students are getting a behind-the-scenes look at health science careers in their community, as well as the higher education programs offered locally that can prepare them for a career in nursing, surgery, pharmacy and other health care jobs.   Read Story »

Henderson County News

Craft coffee bar opens on Seventh Avenue

  Read Story »

News Archive