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Extension agent to test pressure cookers at farmers market

Henderson County News

Nitrograss headlines Sandburg folk festival

Carl Sandburg Home National Historic Site will host the 31st annual Carl Sandburg Folk Music Festival on Memorial Day, Monday, May 29. This free festival offers live music performances from 11 am to 3:30 pm. The folk festival honors Carl Sandburg and his preservation of traditional folk music as found in his collection The American Songbag. The festival’s performers each skillfully demonstrate the tradition of performing live music to tell stories while capturing the heritage of America through song. • At 11 a.m., Don and John Humphries perform folk music from Carl Sandburg’s American Songbag.• At noon, The Gypsy Swingers perform uptempo jazz in a style reminiscent of the European swing jazz scene.• At 1 p.m., Nitrograss performs old-time and bluegrass music on banjo, mandolin, bass and guitar. Two-time national banjo champion Charles Wood has appeared on the David Letterman show performing with Steve Martin and Earl Scruggs.• At 2 p.m. Peggy Ratusz and Daddy Longlegs perform swing, jazz and slow burning Blues. Peggy Ratusz has placed in the top ten or been voted the very best in Blues in WNC for 8 straight years. In 2016 she captured additional 1st place wins in categories for Best Vocalist and Artist Who Gives Back. Her band includes Duane Simpson, one of Asheville's finest guitar players; internationally acclaimed bassist Shannon Hoover and “Big” Tez Sherard, drummer for platinum recording artist Edwin McCain.• Steve and Jean Smith will be performing Hammered dulcimer music at the historic barn area from 11:00 am -3:00 pm. Carl Sandburg began playing the guitar in the early 1900s to enhance his lectures and performed during the era of Pete Seeger and Woody Guthrie and was the mentor for Burl Ives. The festival began in 1987, and is supported by the National Park Service, Friends of Carl Sandburg at Connemara, Eastern National and a grant from the North Carolina Arts Council administered by the Arts Council of Henderson County.   Read Story »

Hendersonville News

Bear visits downtown

Maybe the bear just wanted to see the newest edition of the Main Street bears.   Read Story »

Henderson County News

Hotel guests busted for guns, meth and opioids

Hendersonville police charged two hotel guests with drug and weapons felonies after hotel employees smelled marijuana smoke coming from their room. Hendersonville officers were dispatched to the Cascades Mountain Resort at 201 Sugarloaf Road at 7 p.m. Sunday. They met with Cascades employees who complained of a strong odor of pot smoke coming from a room in the hotel.Officers made contact with the occupants and gained access to the room. Officers seized two handguns, 217 grams of methamphetamine, 26 doses of oxycodone and 2.86 grams of pot. Arrested at the scene were Felix Garcia Jr., 34, of Immokalee, Fla., and Martin Santos Garza, 21, of Asheville. Garcia is charged with trafficking in methamphetamine, maintaining a dwelling for the purposes of controlled substances, possession of schedule II controlled substance (oxycodone) possession of a firearm by a felon, possession of marijuana and two counts of possession of drug paraphernalia. He was jailed on a $62,000 bond. Garza is charged with trafficking in methamphetamine, maintaining a dwelling for the purposes of controlled substances, possession of schedule II controlled substance (oxycodone), possession of marijuana and two counts of possession of drug paraphernalia. He was jailed on a $57,000 bond.   Read Story »

Henderson County News

Rain here through Thursday, NWS issues flood watch

A cold front pulling moisture from the Gulf of Mexico is expected to bring rain, heavy at times, through Thursday. The National Weather Service issued a flash flood watch for most of the area and said the heaviest rainfall was likely to be along the Blue Ridge and just east of the ridge, moving south to north throughout the day on Sunday. The forecast called for cooler temperatures, with highs in the high 60s, and showers and thunderstorms through Thursday. Sun doesn't return until Friday, when the high should be around 70.   Read Story »

Henderson County News

Ask Matt ... what's going up on Fifth Avenue West?

Q. What is going on with the old garage door business on 5th Avenue? Rolf Marti is the new owner. As a new Laurel Park resident who frequently passed by the brick front building at 1628 Fifth Avenue West, he learned that it was up for auction. He bid on it and got the 3,000-square-foot building on a half-acre of land and is now renovating it for lease. “The previous owner let the building go,” said Marti. “There was a lot of water damage from a leaking roof and we had to take out the entire floor.”Marti had a janitorial business in Florida so the renovation work is a first for him but the retiree seems to enjoy the challenge. He will eventually shell in the walls and add a roof. He is still unsure if the unique design on the exterior brick will remain. In addition to the Indoors, Inc. garage door company, the building has been home to Kathy’s Ceramics and long before that it was a coal company evidenced by the old rusty coal scales still on the site. Q. Unclaimed Yellowbook phone directories draw attention to unoccupied homes. Is tossing the Yellowbooks in driveways littering? Littering? Probably, but good luck in your pursuit of justice. Yellowbook is produced by Hibu Inc. with headquarters in Cedar Rapids, Iowa. The company produces a landline telephone directory for many communities and “delivers” it free to every business and residence in the county. Hibu hires temporary delivery people who are paid by the number of books delivered. Delivery personnel are admonished to “place the book on the hinged side of the front door of each residence.” This is a far cry from where most books land – in your driveway and the driveway of your neighbor who might be on vacation.So what’s a disgruntled resident to do? Well, most people throw the books away or toss them on their neighbor’s front doorstep.Yes, the internet is littered with gripes about Yellowbook’s delivery system. I found a guy in Chattanooga who, after filing a complaint, actually got a response from the Hibu people. The company gave him a toll-free number for grievances (1-800-373-3280) which I tried but then quickly ran out patience.I checked with Hendersonville and Laurel Park officials and it seems that very few complaints are registered, at least not enough to pursue the littering issue. A word of caution when dealing with Hibu – just remember these guys know where you live. * * * * * Send questions to askmattm@gmail.com.     Read Story »

Henderson County News

Timeline of Mud Creek dump

The Mud Creek dump covers at least 8 acres on a 39-acre site between Green Meadows and Mud Creek owned by the Hendersonville Housing Authority. The city held a drop-in public information meeting on Tuesday to describe the environmental assessment that has been done so far. The city’s consulting engineers, Hart & Hickman, and officials from the North Carolina Department of Environmental Quality Pre-Regulatory Landfill Program were on hand to answer questions. Here is a timeline of the property and city and state agencies’ work on the issue since 2007: 1910-40: J.A. Rusher Sr. buys the property in as many as 200 different transactions. March 1971: Hendersonville Leasing Housing Corp. buys the site from J.A. “Jake” Rusher Jr. for use as a low-income housing development. January 1972: In a letter to the TVA, the Redevelopment Commission of Hendersonville says two sites — one 3, the other 9 acres — had been used for years as “semi-public dumping grounds receiving many types of refuse such as auto bodies, garbage, refrigerator bodies, scrap iron, etc.” Looking at ways to convert the land to a park and playground, the city told the TVA that its original urban renewal plan was to clear the dump in the low marshy area and cover it with fill from the rest of the construction site. November 1972: Hendersonville Housing Authority buys the site from the Hendersonville Leasing Housing Corp. December 2007: Consulting engineers Marshall Miller & Associates submit a 155-page report on Mud Creeks Dumps #1 and #2 to the Inactive Hazardous Sites Branch of the state Department of Environmental and Natural Resources. Its survey of the 39-acre area identifies an 8.3-acre dump site, which is enclosed by a chain-link fence. April 2014 and June 2014: City discovers two “areas of concern” associated with the landfill during the Jackson Park sewer line construction. It hires the Charlotte-based environmental consulting firm Hart & Hickman to complete an assessment and provide oversight during excavation of the buried debris in the sanitary sewer right-of-way. Hart & Hickman issues a detailed Geophysical, Soil and Groundwater Assessment Report on August 6, 2014, and documents Drum Area Excavation on Aug. 18 and Dump Area Excavation on Sept. 23, 2014. Oct. 20, 2014: The Department of Environment and Natural Resources notifies the city it is eligible for reimbursement of the cost of assessing Mud Creek Dump No. 1 and Dump No. 2 and developing a work plan. The city hires H&H to conduct assessment activities in accordance with the landfill unit’s guidelines. Based on an on-site review with the city and guidance from state landfill regulators, H&H developed a work plan and cost proposal for first phase remedial investigation activities.February 2015-October 2016 — Hart & Hickman continues first phase remedial investigation and Waste Disposal Boundary Delineation and Surface Vapor Survey. The study area has expanded to 49 acres, up from the original 39-acre site. In February, Hart & Hickman and two other engineering firms estimate the first phase remedial investigation will cost $46,757.February 2017 –Hart & Hickman submits a revised work plan to complete Waste Boundary Delineation, Landfill Gas Evaluation and Soil Cover Evaluation. The study area includes William H. King Memorial Park and Lincoln Center. The contractor will make 28 soil borings at 14 locations on property near the residential area and other private property. It will also install 10 permanent landfill gas probes to test for landfill gases underground. The city identifies 11 private properties for boring, including eight homeowners. Total cost of the assessment grew to $234,110. March and April 2017: Private property owner access agreements obtained by Legal Department. Field work reveals landfill boundary encroaching on private property. SOURCES: Marshall Miller & Associates report for N.C. Department of Environment and Natural Resources (2007), Hart & Hickman assessments and reports (2014 to the present), City Engineer Brent Detwiler.   Read Story »

Henderson County News

Two arrested on meth charges

A 30-year-old woman and 24-year-old man were arrested for trafficking methamphetamine and other charges after Henderson County sheriff's detectives stopped their car on Asheville Highway at 4:10 p.m. Friday. As one detective checked identification, a second detective noticed a marijuana joint in plain view in the passenger’s lap, the sheriff's office said in a news release. At this point, the passengers were asked to exit the vehicle while a search was conducted. The search yielded methamphetamine, a digital scale with drug residue, a loaded handgun, multiple baggies and other drug paraphernalia. The driver, Christina Whittington, of 298 Tall Timbers Trail in Hendersonville, was charged with felony possession with intent to sell and deliver methamphetamine, felony maintaining a vehicle, possession of drug paraphernalia and carrying a concealed weapon. Whittington is being held in the Henderson County Jail under a $9,000 secured bond. The passenger gave false identification to deputies and was initially charged with simple possession of marijuana. Upon further investigation, the passenger’s true identity was discovered and he was found to have felony warrants out of Florida for methamphetamine charges. Robert Dennis Livingston, of 19 Christian Walk Lane in Hendersonville, was charged with felony possession with intent to sell and deliver methamphetamine, felony identity theft, carrying a concealed weapon, resist delay and obstruct, simple possession of marijuana, possession of drug paraphernalia and possession of marijuana paraphernalia. Livingston is being held in the Henderson County Jail under a $37,500.00 secured bond.  Livingston and Whittington were also charged with trafficking in methamphetamine and conspiracy to traffic in methamphetamine. Both were served with the additional warrants while detained in the Henderson County Jail. They both received an additional $40,000 bond.   Read Story »

Henderson County News

Pardee hires Butterworth to manage community health initiative

Milton Butterworth, chief development officer of Blue Ridge Health, is moving across town to become manager of community health at Pardee Hospital, Pardee UNC Health Care announced Thursday. In this new position, Butterworth will represent Pardee as a member of the Henderson County Partnership for Health and will manage a $450,000 Healthy People, Healthy Carolinas grant the Duke Endowment awarded the Pardee in January. The Henderson County Partnership for Health, a diverse group of community organizations working collaboratively to improve community health, is now one of 15 coalitions in the Duke Endowment’s Healthy People, Healthy Carolinas initiative. “Over the years, Milton has worked tirelessly to develop the collaborative culture we pride ourselves on today,” said Dr. Richard Hudspeth, chief executive officer and chief medical officer at Blue Ridge Health. “While he will be missed, we couldn’t be happier about the opportunity to continue working with him to improve population health in this collaborative way.” Pardee and BRH have been longstanding community partners and are strategically aligned to address medical care access in Western North Carolina through the medical residency program and clinic access. “Like both Pardee and Blue Ridge Health, Milton believes everyone deserves the opportunity to be healthy,” said Johnna Reed, chief administrative officer for Pardee UNC Health Care. “We are pleased that he will lead our initiatives to improve health for Henderson County residents.” Butterworth starts the new job on July 1.     Read Story »

Henderson County News

Driver in fatal crash charged with murder

The driver in a crash that resulted in the death of a 17-year-old East Henderson High School senior in December was arrested on a charge of second-degree murder Tuesday and jailed under no bond. Matthew Joseph Schmieder, 36, of Hendersonville, was arrested 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. Schmieder is expected to ask Judge Athena Brooks to set a bond when during a first appearance in Henderson County District Court on Thursday morning. The State Highway Patrol report 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. "All of those issues are going to be included in the second-degree murder case," he said. "When I first took the initial call it occured 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." Schmieder was not charged with driving under the influence or driving with a suspended license. 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 Hendersonville 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 suspect Schmieder was under the influence of alcohol or drugs in the crash, which occurred at 8 o’clock at night on Kanuga Road just a few hundred yards from Schmieder's apartment on Maxine Lane.                 Read Story »

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