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County orders report on turf fields for prep athletics

Henderson County News

Sandburg superintendent leaving for Harpers Ferry historic site

Carl Sandburg Home National Historic Site Superintendent Tyrone Brandyburg is leaving Connemara on Feb. 24 to become superintendent of Harpers Ferry National Historical Park in West Virginia. He has served the Sandburg Home for more than four years and most notably has led the park through major preservation work on the historic home and barn buildings. He also served during the park's 45th anniversary and the National Park Service 100th Anniversary during 2016. “I am thrilled to have had the opportunity to work with the talented group of employees, volunteers and partners at the Sandburg Home”, Brandyburg said. “I truly enjoyed the work we accomplished and the plans we developed to preserve the history of Carl Sandburg. I am very proud of the conservation work on the main house which included the repair of the conservatory and the design of a new ventilation system. I will remember well working with the park team to find solutions to issues within the Park.” “I am also excited about the opportunity to work with the staff at Harpers Ferry National Historical Park. I look forward to working with partners and the local communities in an effort to continue telling the stories of more than 1,000 years of human history in the region, which includes its military significance, John Brown and Storer College.” A farewell event will be held the evening of Friday, Feb. 24. If you would like to attend please call the park for more information and to RSVP at 828-693-4178. Carl Sandburg Home National Historic Site is a unit of the National Park Service. The park is located three miles south of Hendersonville off U.S. 225 on Little River Road, and is open from 9:00 a.m. to 5:00 p.m., daily. For further information, please telephone 828-693-4178, or visit nps.gov/carl.     Read Story »

Henderson County News

Don't miss this week's Hendersonville Lightning (117)

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

Henderson County News

Sheriff's office looking for missing teenager

The Henderson County Sheriff’s Office is asking for the public’s assistance in finding a missing 17-year-old last seen at her home on Monday, Feb. 6. Logan Mackenzie Anders may be in the Brevard, Asheville or Mills River areas, the sheriff's office said. Please contact the Henderson County Sheriff’s Office at (828) 697-4912 if you have any information on Logan’s whereabouts.   Read Story »

Henderson County News

Bluegrass headliner announced for Apple Country Cider Jam

Balsam Range is the lead bluegrass act for the first Apple Country Cider Jam, a hard cider festival expected to draw several hundred tasters to downtown Hendersonville on Saturday, April 22.The festival, from 1 to 6 p.m., will be a ticketed event with cider tasting, bluegrass and food trucks. Sponsored by AgHC, the nonprofit that promotes farming in Henderson County, the festival is a cooperative effort of the city of Hendersonville and the county Tourism Development Authority. Sixteen local and regional cider producers in North Carolina have been invited to set up tasting booths. Henderson County has three hard cider makers — Bold Rock, Saint Paul Mountain Vineyards and Naked Apple, which operates Flat Rock Ciderworks on Main Street.   Read Story »

Henderson County News

High winds should subside by midday, few power outages reported

High winds with gusts up to 60 mph will continue until midday before diminishing, the National Weather Service said. The weather service issued a high wind warning through 1 p.m. today. Northwest winds of 20-30 mph swept through the mountains overnight. Although forecasters said the windstorm could cause widespread power outages, Duke Energy reported just 13 customers without power in Henderson and Polk counties at 7 a.m. Monday.     Read Story »

Henderson County News

Lecture series explores world affairs

Blue Ridge Center for Lifelong Learning and Blue Ridge Community College again co-host the Great Decisions lecture series to promote international awareness of world issues through nonpartisan briefings and expert presentations on a variety of subjects. Sponsored by the National Foreign Policy Association and the Asheville World Affairs Council, the lectures are held 10-11:30 on Wednesday mornings at the Thomas Auditorium at BRCC. Cost is $40 for all six lectures or $10 each and may be paid at the door. No preregistration is necessary. For further information, call the BRCLL office at 694-1740 or email Terri Wallace at tk_wallace@blueridge.edu.Lecture dates, topics and speakers are: Feb. 15 – Conflict in the South China Sea with Jim Lenburg Emeritus professor of History at Mars Hill University. The South China Sea is a locus of competing territorial claims, and China it’s most vocal claimant. Beijing’s interest has intensified disputes with other countries in the region in recent years, especially since China has increased its naval presence. Despite rising international pressure, including an unfavorable ruling by the International Tribunal for the Law of the Sea, China staunchly defends its policies in the region. Preventing tensions from boiling over is a matter of careful diplomacy. Feb. 22 - Nuclear Security with Rick Devereaux, a career Air Force officer and student of Department of Defense military strategy. Nuclear nonproliferation was a top priority for the Obama administration. While the Iran deal was a diplomatic victory toward this end, major threats persist from both state and non-state actors. In a fractious world, which is way forward for U.S. nuclear security policy? March 1 - Saudi Arabia in Transition with Larry Wilson, past president of Marietta College in Ohio and provost at UNC-A who served on the planning and design team to establish the first women’s university, Zayed University, in the United Arab Emirates. As Saudi Arabia struggles to adjust to the drastic decline in oil revenue, Deputy Crown Prince Mohammad bin Salman attempts to boldly transform the country and shift more power to the younger generation. At the same time, many countries such as the U.S. point out the lack of democracy, women’s rights and human rights in Saudi Arabia and blame its promotion of Wahhabism, an extremely conservative version of Islam, for creating jihadists. Bipartisan criticism of Saudi Arabia is rising in Congress. Both countries need each other, but they are at a crossroads in bilateral relations. March 8 – U.S. Foreign Policy and Petroleum with Jennifer Schiff, International Relations political scientist at Western Carolina University. What is the effect of U.S. petroleum security on foreign policy? For 45 years, the country has alternated between periods of energy security and insecurity, sometimes able to wield petroleum as a useful instrument of foreign policy, sometimes not. Despite the so-called “energy revolution,” the U.S. today is by no means disentangled from foreign dependence and global trends. In order to be successful, policymakers must recognize both petroleum security circumstances and patterns in the relationship between petroleum and foreign policy. March 15 - Trade and Politics with Julie Snyder, former Commerce Department official who has had wide experience in State Department trade negotiations and monitoring. The U.S. political mood toward trade has gone sour. One need look no further than the 2016 presidential contest for the popular narrative: trade means that China wins, at America’s expense. But do the numbers support that conclusion? The metrics used to gauge economic strength—Gross Domestic Product and balance of trade—have not kept up with the realities of modern manufacturing.   Read Story »

Henderson County News

Local man jailed after claw hammer attack

Henderson County sheriff’s deputies charged a 19-year-old Hendersonville man with a felony assault after he allegedly attacked a 55-year-old woman with a hammer. Deputies and medical responders were called to a Hendersonville home on Friday afternoon where the woman was badly injured after being attacked with a claw hammer. Suffering from serious head injuries, the victim was transported to Mission Hospital. Charged was John Ferry Jr. He was booked at the Henderson County Jail under a $150,000 bond and scheduled to appear in court on Monday.     Read Story »

Henderson County News

Apple growers honor Don Justus

Even if he doesn’t move as fast as he once did, Don Justus remains at the front of the pack in Henderson County apple farming.One of a handful of growers to pioneer a large U-Pick operation, Justus operates the family-owned orchard on Garren Road in Fruitland. Diagnosed with ALS in 2012, he continues to work, using his upper body strength to pull himself on to a tractor seat and to direct an operation that’s a model of direct-marketing and crop diversity.The Blue Ridge Apple Growers last week honored Justus as its grower of the year not only for his strength and perseverance today but for his innovations over the years. Besides 19 varieties of apples, Justus and his family grow pumpkins and blackberries, sell their famous fried apple pies and apple cider donuts, cider slushies, caramel apples, apple bread, jams, jellies and preserves.“I grew up on the farm,” Justus said as his fellow growers walked up to shake his hand and his family gathered around. “I’m the third generation. These guys (his sons) will be the fourth generation and he’s representing the fifth generation” pointing to his 18-month-old grandson Mason.Justus is among the progressive farmers in the county who have put in trellis systems that increase production and make pruning and picking easier. Although a late frost last spring hurt the 2016 crop, the orchard’s Mutsus, a midseason variety, survived.“That’s our bread and butter,” Justus said. “We’ve been selling pick-your-own for so long that we’ve got the second and third generation coming back (to pick).”His mother, Glenda, discovered U-Pick marketing by accident when she opened a travel trailer park across the road from the family orchard. Tourists asked if they could come over and pick apples.“They’d never heard of anybody wanting to pay to pick apples,” he said.Chris Justus, a meteorologist with WYFF-Ch. 4 in Greenville, S.C., and Cory Justus, a Henderson County sheriff’s deputy, help on the farm when they’re not on duty in their day jobs. Each is married with a toddler son, giving Don and his wife, Margo, confidence that the family farm will continue.While Chris, a 2005 graduate of North Henderson High School, and Cory, NHHS ’07, help on the farm, Don still comes up with the dreams and ideas, Margo says.“They can help with the brawn,” she says. “He’s still the brains.”   Read Story »

Henderson County News

Rep. Meadows honors Mickey Marvin

Inez Taylor and Jonathan Marvin share a light moment with U.S. Rep. Mark Meadows, who presented them with a copy of a Congressional Record tribute to Mickey Marvin, the Henderson County native who went on to football stardom with the University of Tennessee and the Oakland Raiders. Taylor, Mickey’s mother, and Jonathan, his son, accepted a plaque containing the tribute. After playing at West Henderson and Brevard high schools, Marvin won All-America honors at Tennessee and was drafted by the Oakland Raiders. He played for the Raiders for 10 years, winning two Super Bowl championships as the starting right guard. A devout Christian, Marvin came home and had a second career speaking at churches and youth conferences and leading football camps for young players. The first Mickey Marvin Scholarship Fund golf tournament last October raised $46,000. ‘Mickey Marvin is held in high esteem by the citizens in Henderson County and across Western North Carolina,’ the citation said. ‘Even in the midst of his struggle with ALS, Marvin continues to be a man of exemplary character, faith and kindness.’ Jonathan Marvin said his father, who is homebound and under nursing care, was touched by the tribute. ‘When I read it to him, he started to cry,’ Jonathan said. ‘You can tell him I cried, too,’ Meadows said.   Read Story »

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