Free Daily Headlines

News

Set your text size: A A A

News

Ask Matt ... who's got milk

Henderson County News

Supervisor responds to complaint about 'out of control' referee at HMS game

A middle school basketball referee's behavior after a hotly contested girls game last week resulted in a fan's complaint and a response by the referee's supervisor. The behavior in question came after Waynesville Middle School's girls defeated Hendersonville Middle School 39-30 in a second-round playoff game on Wednesday. A fan at the game complained in an email to state high school athletics officials about the referee, who he said "was completely out of control" when a student approached him after the game. ""The teams, coaches and fans conducted themselves very well," said the email from C.P. Massey. "However one referee stepped out of line and made three flagrant ethics violations. After the girls game he was approached by a young man who asked if he needed water. The referee screamed at the young man, 'You touched me! Get out of the gym right now!' The young man stepped back with his hands up and repeated, 'Sir would you like some water?' The referee then spoke to the uniformed Waynesville police officer, 'He touched me! Get him out!'" HMS principal Luke Manuel said the young man who approached the game official is a Hendersonville High School student who volunteers at the middle school games and helps with scorekeeping and the scoreboard and in the concession stand. "The officials were leaving the court and he came over and tapped the official and then says, 'Would you like some water?'" Manuel said. The official may have thought the tap was from an angry hometown fan after a heated game. "I think the official turned around and thought somebody was trying to maybe harm him," Manuel said. Manuel said he did not see the incident but spoke to the game official about it. He told the official the HHS student would not have done anything confrontational. No one escorted the student out and he was not asked to leave the game, Manuel said. Massey perceived the episode as more serious. "This referee was completely out of control," he said. "He needs to be immediately reprimanded and reminded that, 'I will shape my character and conduct so as to be a worthy example to the boys and girls who play under my jurisdiction." Massey cited several examples from an ethics manual officials are supposed to adhere to and demanded that the referee be punished. "He needs to be immediately reprimanded and the young man involved deserves nothing less than a face to face apology," he said. Responding to Massey's complaint, Rick Smart, the supervisor of middle school referees in the area, said he had acted immediately to look into the situation. "On Jan 26, I received your email at 11:52 p.m. in reference to the verbal assault allegations," Smart wrote to Massey. (Emails were shared with other athletics officials and the press. "After reading your email I contacted the administration at Henderson Middle School at approximately 2:44pm on January 26th and had a detailed conversation with Mr. Manuel. At 3:28pm on January 26th I contacted the official who was involved in this incident. From the time I received your email and the time I contacted the official was less than 4 hours. Administrative action was taken at the time of my conversation with the official which Mr Manuel and I both feel is more than adequate. ... My position as the supervisor of the middle school officials is to always up hold the officials code of ethics as demonstrated in the NCHSAA Handbook. Rest assured this matter has been addressed." Manuel said he assumed Smart had followed through. "As far as i know it has been," he said. "I know he said he was going to take care of it. I trust that he addressed it and it's going to be taken care of." Efforts to get a further explanation from Smart and Massey were unsuccessful.     Read Story »

Hendersonville News

Activists to protest at Sen. Tillis's office here

A group of Hendersonville activists plan to hold a rally at 4:30 p.m. Tuesday in front of Sen. Thom Tillis' office at the Historic Courthouse to send a message to Sen. Tillis' about the cabinet nominees and President Trump's immigration ban. The group, called POW (Progressive Organized Women), was founded two weeks ago in a living room in Hendersonville with nine people in attendance. It now has more than 250 members on its Facebook page, organizer Jayne Jennings said. "We are collaborating with Moveon.org and Indivisible.com to voice our concerns to Sen. Tillis," she said. "Last week we had over 90 people join us. We have twice asked the Senator's Charlotte office to send someone to meet with us and they have not responded." Participants plan to record individual messages to send to the senator, whose Western North Carolina office is in the Historic Courthouse.     Read Story »

Hendersonville News

Ask Matt ... where the sidewalk (clearing) ends

Q. What is the City’s policy on snow removal for downtown sidewalks? After a snowstorm, the city crews scrape the sidewalks in the downtown business district and also in the Historic Seventh Avenue District. That’s as far as they go. No other sidewalks in the City get this attention nor is sand or ice melt applied on other sidewalks. The downtown and 7th Avenue areas are singled out because district property owners pay additional taxes that are used to provide the extra service. Hendersonville has an ordinance that requires businesses and homeowners to clean the sidewalks in front of their property but according to City officials, that policy is not presently enforced.OK, if you don’t hang around downtown Hendersonville after a major snow event, here’s what typically happens. City public works crews, using both a John Deere tractor with a front-mounted blade and a Kubota tractor with a front bucket, start moving snow. The Kubota is small enough to maneuver around the benches, trees, planters and, yes, the mountain fountain too. The larger John Deere clears the parking lots and side streets. For a major snow event, the City brings in even larger equipment to remove the snow that was pushed up in the parking spaces and haul it off to a vacant lot. After that, it just melts, but you knew that. Q. I read where some abandoned North Carolina landfills are being used as solar farms. Has our County looked into putting solar panels on the Stoney Mountain landfill? Yes, the County has considered it but has not pursued it. Here’s why. North Carolina law requires that after a solid waste landfill is closed, it must be capped with a protective layer of soil and grass. This cap actually requires a good deal of maintenance, particularly for our Stoney Mountain site which is about 20 years old – relatively young for a closed landfill.Henderson County Engineer Marcus Jones explained that there is still “seepage” from decomposing trash in the ground. This liquid, also known as leachate, must be drained and the way to do that is to bore holes down into the decomposing trash itself. So mounting solar panels in close proximity to one another on the side of the landfill could hinder draining the leachate and complicate landfill maintenance.For the record, North Carolina has 675 closed landfills and the one that Charlotte is leasing to a solar farm company is 30 years older than ours. So perhaps one day when there is no risk of seepage we may have solar panels on the mountain side but for now it’s wait and see. * * * * * Send questions to Askmattm@gmail.com.   Read Story »

Hendersonville News

Lifelong Learning announces spring lineup

Blue Ridge Center of Lifelong Learning, a program designed for those who are still interested in learning and/or enjoying talks about various subjects, announced course offerings for the spring term. Most courses are presented, in Room 150 of the Patton Building, on the Blue Ridge Community College campus. Courses are:• Folk Tales from Around the World: Wisdom for the Ages: 1-3 p.m. Mondays, Feb. 6, 13, and 20; 1:00 - 3:00• Fly fishing: 1-3 p.m. Thursdays, Feb. 16 and 23.• Pisgah Forest: A History: 10 a.m.-noon Tuesdays, Feb. 21 and 28.• Movies with an Unexpected Ending: 1-4 p.m. Wednesdays, March 1, 8, 15, and 22.• Temperate Rainforests of the Southern Highlands: 1-3 p.m. Thursdays, March 2 and 9.• National Security, Foreign Policy and Defense Strategy: 1-3 p.m. Mondays, March 6 and 13.• American Homefront after World War II: 1-3 p.m. Tuesdays, March 7, 14, 21, and 28.• Finding Your Story Treasure Trove: 1-3 p.m. Thursdays, March 16 and 23.• Astronomy: The Sun: 10 a.m.-noon Mondays, March 20, 27, April 3, 10.• True Forensics: 1-3 p.m. Wednesdays, April 5 and 12.• The Songs We Sing: Where Do They Come From? 10 a.m.-noon Tuesday, April 11.Industry visits include:• Ingles Market: 9-11 a.m. Thursday, March 30.• Current, Powered by General Electric: 10 a.m.-noon Thursday, April 6.• Echoview Fiber Mill: 10-11:30 a.m. Thursday, April 13.Edventures, (one-day fieldtrips) include:• Taste of the South Culinary Tour: 11 a.m.-3 p.m. Wednesday, March 29.• Tyron Arts & Crafts School: A Day of Creativity: 10 a.m.2 p.m.Tuesday, April 4.• Fontana Dam and Environs: 7:30 a.m.-8:30 p.m. Thursday, April 27. To register or for more information visit www.brcll.com or call 828-694-1740.   Read Story »

Henderson County News

Sixth Avenue property sparks bidding war

A second upset bid has been submitted in the potential sale of property on Sixth Avenue owned by Henderson County.Dr. Leon Elliston in November offered $172,000 for the property, roughly half the tax value. Lemuel Oates, the owner of Manual Woodworkers and Burntshirt Vineyards and a commercial real estate investor, submitted an upset bid of $180,650 — the minimum allowed under the law. Elliston then submitted an upset bid of $225,000. A new upset bid may be submitted by 5 p.m. Feb. 6 for a minimum amount of $236,300. Bidders also must put up a deposit of 5 percent of the total new bid plus legal advertising costs.There is no limit to the number of times prospective buyers can submit upset bids. The Henderson County Board of Commissioners also is not legally obligated to accept a final offer. Commissioners voted in December to advertise the property for sale after Elliston submitted his initial offer.The property at 714 Sixth Avenue West contains a two-story 5,436-square-foot house that was home to the Sixth Avenue Clubhouse, a facility operated by Thrive, a mental health provider. The 112-year-old house is valued at $170,400 and the entire parcel has a tax value of $372,400.   Read Story »

Henderson County News

Fast riders expected for Seventh Avenue races

Organizers hope for a turnout of 300 to 400 speedy bicyclists for the Historic Seventh Avenue Criterium on Sunday, Feb. 26.   Read Story »

Hendersonville News

Wyatt says revised plan addresses HHS parking issue

State Rep. Chuck McGrady said the ongoing fight over HHS construction might force him to abandon his practice of staying out of intergovernmental warfare.   Read Story »

Etowah News

JUDGE ALLOWS COUNTY TO SHED SEVEN FALLS

Unable to recruit a developer to take over and faced with infrastructure costs far greater than a surety bond payment, Henderson County has given up on efforts to salvage the failed Seven Falls project and turned the money over to a court. Henderson County Superior Court Judge Mark Powell on Thursday granted Henderson County's request to be relieved of further responsibility regarding Seven Falls Golf & River Development. After a previous lawsuit against the developer's insurance writer, the county obtained the proceeds of a $6 million surety bond due to the default of developer Keith Vinson, who is currently serving a federal prison sentence for defrauding Seven Falls lenders and property buyers. Vinson sold lots for a quarter-million dollars and up and promised a premium golf course, tennis courts and a retail and services village in the 900-lot development on the French Broad River in Etowah. “After spending much effort and staff time searching for a new developer or another way to obtain the subdivision infrastructure promised to the lot purchasers, it became clear that there was neither enough money from the bond to complete the work nor an alternative method to reach that goal,” County Attorney Russ Burrell said in a news release. "While this litigation was pending, I know that I talked to 15 developers who were in the business of developing subdivisions, and I mean golf course subdivisions, not only locally but all over the country," he said in an interview. "None of them saw it as profitable enough to get involved." Burrell also began negotiating with lot owners and their attorneys to see if they would be willing to organize as a homeowners association and take on the work of competing roads, water and sewer lines and other site work. "They weren't willing to do that because they would have had to assess themselves additional money to do the work," Burrell said. Having exhausted options that they thought might salvage the project, county officials filed motion for summary judgment, shedding Henderson County from the state. Judge Powell agreed. The remaining money, $5,540,077.64, will go from the country treasury to the Superior Court. Powell will appoint a mediator, who is expected to hear from two sides who are in a dispute over how to disburse the money. About 25 to 30 property owners, represented by Sharon Alexander, say a payout should be apportioned based on how much buyers paid for their lots. Developer Scott McElrath who bought around 75 lots from a South Carolina bank that had foreclosed on them, wants the payout to be an equal amount for each lot, regardless of the purchase price. McElrath is represented by Esther Manheimer, a land-use attorney who is also the mayor of Asheville. "That is not our fight," Burrell said of the dispute. "The county will pay the remaining bond funds to the court. The court will then decide who gets what. That fight is going to be determined by the court unless there's some compromise" by the parties before then. Henderson County is also seeking a change in state law that will prevent situations like Seven Falls from happening again. State law sets out the requirement in which developers must have a surety bond as insurance against a project's failure, as happened at Seven Falls. But it says nothing about what happens "if the work isn't done and it doesn't say what happens if there's not enough money," Burrell said. Burrell has repeatedly told his bosses on the Board of Commissioners that the county was sailing in uncharted waters because state law fails to spell out what happens in a failed development with an inadequate bond. He said he spent hours this week talking with bill drafters in the state Legislature who are writing a bill that would fix the problems. State Rep. Chuck McGrady, who was on the Board of Commissioners when Seven Falls was approved in 2006, supports the bill, Burrell said.     Read Story »

Hendersonville News

Sanctuary celebrates 'beerversary' Sunday with 20 brews

A year ago Sanctuary Brewing Company took over all 20 of its taps for the first time ever. In honor of that day, the brewery is throwing its first Beerversary on Sunday.The brewery will pour old and new recipes from 20 taps, the highlight being Sanctuary’s first barrel-aged beer — a blonde sour ale crafted to be reminiscent of Chardonnay. A year in the making, this oak-forward ale delights with an approachable tartness and notes of peach and pear.The brewery will also release its first Imperial Stout, a rich and dark high-gravity ale fermented with Brettanomyces. Eighteen other brews on tap will include playful new recipes such as Oatmeal Cookie Brown Ale, Jalapeno Raspberry Saison, and a new SMaSH (single malt and single hop) brewed with Southern Cross hops. Local favorites will also be available, such as Bobby Beer Jr., a crisp sessionable Kolsch; Hop Pig IPA, a citrusy and balanced West Coast-style India Pale Ale; and the hearty Nitro Joe, a coffee-infused stout.Commemorative glassware will mark the occasion, and customers will enjoy live music all afternoon, including the Americana style of Asheville-based artist Gracie Lane (1-3 p.m.) and the self-described “Dirty Funk n Roll” fun of Virginia-based band Lord Nelson (4-7 p.m.).Founded by beer enthusiasts, philanthropists and animal advocates Joe Dinan and Lisa McDonald in August of 2015, the bar has raised thousands of dollars for local charities since opening. The brewery offers free Sunday meals for anyone in need, and the Kindness Wall outside the main entrance is always stocked with essentials bags for the local homeless population. Recently featured in Thrive Magazine, Sanctuary has even garnered the attention of big names like comedian Ricky Gervais and racecar driver (and recent visitor) Leilani Munter.   Read Story »

News Archive