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Dollar Tree joins battle for shoppers at south gateway

Henderson County News

Former Sandburg chief in spotlight with Trump paycheck

Tyrone Brandyburg, who served as superintendent of Carl Sandburg Home National Historic Site for more than four years, had a cameo in political theater Monday when he represented the National Park Service as it accepted President Trump’s donation of his first presidential paycheck.Trump received a paycheck for $78,333 for the period from his inauguration on Jan. 20 through March 31 and signed it over to the Interior Department. Critics pointed out that the donation would restore .005 percent of the $1.6 billion the Interior Department would lose if Congress enacted Trump's recommended budget. Interior Secretary Ryan Zinke said the money would go to the National Park Service to make a small dent in a big backlog of work. The park service has $229 million worth of deferred maintenance at 25 national battlefields, Zinke said.Brandyburg, a 32-year National Park Service veteran, left his Flat Rock post on Feb. 24 to take over as superintendent of the Harpers Ferry historic site in West Virginia.He stood between Zinke and White House press secretary Sean Spicer during the six-minute ceremony and held the over-sized check for a photo but did not speak.During the campaign, Trump vowed that he would not take the $400,000 annual salary as president if elected and repeated that promise after his victory in November. After consulting with legal counsel, Trump agreed to make the donation to a government agency.   Read Story »

Henderson County News

WHHS names women's basketball coach

The administration of West Henderson High School has named April Bryson – a ’93 West graduate and 3-sport Varsity standout – the new head women's basketball coach, effective immediately. In her first year of teaching at West, Bryson is joining the Falcons with years of head coaching experience in club and recreation sports.   Read Story »

Henderson County News

LIGHTNING EDITORIAL: 'Ready, fire, aim' on indoor range

The biggest news to come out of Sheriff Charlie McDonald’s public trip to the woodshed last week was how many questions remain about his $20 million training center.   Read Story »

Henderson County News

Tip results in drug bust at Southern Aire

Acting on a tip that heroin sales were occurring at the Southern Aire Motel at 2990 Chimney Rock Road, the Henderson County Sheriff’s Office Direct Enforcement Team along with members of the North Carolina Department of Public Safety conducted a search of the room and residence of Shannon Leigh Puttick. During the search on Feb. 22, deputies located and seized 3.5 grams of methamphetamine, 3.5 grams of heroin, 3.5 grams of marijuana, $8,250 in cash, Alprazolam and drug paraphernalia. Charged were: Tyrone Jermaine Suggs, 41 of 2990 Chimney Rock Road, was arrested and charged on February 22, 2017 with: felony possession with intent to sell and deliver methamphetamine, felony possession with intent to sell and deliver heroin, felony possession with intent to sell and deliver marijuana, felony conspiracy to sell and deliver methamphetamine, felony conspiracy to sell and deliver heroin, felony conspiracy to sell and deliver marijuana, felony maintaining a dwelling for the purpose of sale and delivery of controlled substances, misdemeanor possession of paraphernalia and misdemeanor possession of Schedule IV controlled substance. Suggs was released from the Henderson County Jail after posting a bond of $71,500. Shannon Leigh Puttick, 43, of 2990 Chimney Rock Road, was arrested and charged on March 1, with the following: felony maintaining a dwelling for the purpose of sale and delivery of a controlled substances, felony conspiracy to sell and deliver methamphetamine, felony conspiracy to sell and deliver heroin, felony conspiracy to sell and deliver marijuana, misdemeanor possession of drug paraphernalia and two counts misdemeanor probation violation. Puttick is still incarcerated in the Henderson County Jail under a $55,000 bond and is also being held on a probation violation for the state of Utah. In an unrelated event on March 19, while conducting patrols in a high crime area, Henderson County Sheriff’s deputies stopped a vehicle on North Allen Road for a motor vehicle violation at 1:30 a.m. The vehicle was operated by Lucas M. Spatuzza, 19, of 154 North Clear Creek Road. After further investigation, deputies charged Spatuzza with felony possession of cocaine, felony maintaining a vehicle for controlled substances and possession of drug paraphernalia. Spatuzza was jailed on a $40,000 bond. Spatuzza was out on bond for prior felony drug charges at the time of his arrest on March 19.     Read Story »

Laurel Park News

Laurel Park sets drop-ins on U.S. 64, greenway studies

LAUREL PARK — Laurel Park has scheduled separate drop-in meetings next week to hear feedback on its corridor and greenway studies.   Read Story »

Henderson County News

Sierra Nevada buys local for Taproom

Sierra Nevada Brewing Co. is reporting a big success in its goal to locally source products served in its Taproom at the Mills River brewery. The Chico, Calif.-based brewer surpassed its goal of sourcing at least 55 percent of total purchases locally in 2016, hitting 62 percent of all goods sourced from the surrounding region in some months. The wholesale purchases translated to nearly $1 million in food products spent locally this past year, the company said. The Mills River Taproom and Restaurant maintains Sierra Nevada’s “quality first” emphasis, pairing beers with artful, chef-driven food in farm-to-table, small plate, sharable, whole animal dishes sourced mainly from local, conscientious suppliers. Lamb, beef, pork and poultry all come from local farms, and even tempeh— a popular vegan-friendly protein served in the Tap Room —is sourced from the region. “We source locally because it’s the right thing to do,” says Executive Chef Jessie Massie. “It’s right for the environment, our community, the company and our values. I have a great passion for seeing local farmers not only survive, but prosper in such a hard business. I believe our food should be made from the finest and freshest ingredients, just like our award-winning beer.” With a dinner crowd that can reach 2,000 plates on a Saturday night alone, sourcing enough local food takes planning and coordination. Taproom chefs work with local farmers and onsite gardener Kate Renner to plan crops, proteins, dairy and other products by forecasting capacity to meet demand, while always seeking new local suppliers. By tracking the amount of local food used every month, the Taproom can work with area farmers to schedule season extension programs to produce crops that are in demand in a typical off-season. The planning provides the restaurant with more local food to feature on the menu and provides farmers a market for their crops in a traditionally slow time.   Read Story »

Henderson County News

Ask Matt ... about stink bugs

Q. Why do I see so many stink bugs at my house? For the record, your insect is called the Brown Marmorated Stink Bug. Just in case you hear it at a cocktail party, the word “marmorated” means marbled or veined. Anyway, these little critters have been a nuisance since they found their way across the Pacific 20 years ago and made a home in Pennsylvania. Now they’re in 41 states and the numbers have been increasing every year. Why? They have no natural predators largely because they can release a foul odor.Steve Pettis of the N.C. Cooperative Extension Service says that stink bugs show up in early spring and they seek warm places, thus finding their way into our homes. What to do? “Catch them and set them free,” says Pettis. If they keep getting in, you probably have a crack somewhere.The proliferation of the stink bug is unwelcomed news for our fruit growers. Researchers at NCSU’s research facility in Mills River are beginning to see damage to our apples crop beginning in late summer. According to Pettis, the insect stabs the fruit with its sharp mouth parts. This creates large dead spots on the apple which ruins the fruit. Both federal (USDA) and State (NCSU) scientists are working hard on the problem trying to design a program to stop the infestation. Q. Why do trucks salt our roads when there is no chance of freezing and almost no chance of precipitation? Roger Ayers, NCDOT maintenance engineer, explained DOT’s two scenarios in their road salting policy — before a snow and after a snow. In the event of a pending snow or ice event, DOT alerts their private contractor who has five trucks that service a three-county area. Each truck has a spray bar affixed to a tank filled with a brine solution. Trucks are filled at DOT’s Mountain Road maintenance yard. The brine mix is 11.5% salt and can be applied to roads 48 hours in advance. DOT’s contractors did apply brine before the Jan. 28-29 snowfall and the northern part of Henderson County did in fact get snow.After a snowfall, DOT uses its own trucks to spread rock salt on the highways. First priority is the interstate highway, then the primary roads, followed by subdivision roads on the state road system and lastly unpaved roads. Highway maintenance crews sometimes apply a mix of salt and sand if needed on steep roads to provide added traction. The mix also works best for black ice.Salt lowers the freezing temperature of water. It’s a relatively cheap commodity but it is corrosive. AAA recommends that you wash your car, the undercarriage, suspension, brakes and all after a snowstorm. Send questions to askmattm@gmail.com.         Read Story »

Henderson County News

Kanuga fatalities trigger speeding crackdown

A third fatality on Kanuga Road in the past four months has triggered a cooperative speeding crackdown effort by the State Highway Patrol, Hendersonville Police Department and Henderson County Sheriff's Office. The agencies are pooling their resources to target impaired drivers, speeders and aggressive driving. As team leaders from each agency come together to plan and strategize for this campaign, they will be using data to specifically target days of the week, times of day and locations of the most dangerous sections of roadway to guide and direct enforcement efforts. Data from the Hendersonville Police Department shows there have been 42 accidents with property damage and two accidents with personal injury in the past twelve months on the part of Kanuga Road inside the city limits. The police department will be deploying their radar equipped motorcycle unit to target speeding and aggressive drivers in this area. The Sheriff's Office will be using high visibility saturation patrols as well as utilizing the VIPs (Volunteers in Partnership) to regularly and strategically place the radar speed trailer. The State Highway Patrol, the lead agency on the three fatal collisions, has investigated 49 crashes in 2016 and 50 crashes in 2015 on Kanuga Road. While they have already increased patrol efforts on Kanuga Road, the Highway Patrol is also working with the N.C. Department of Transportation to lower the speed limit in certain areas. They are also discussing engineering aspects that could include well placed rumble strips that may further reduce collisions and fatalities when drivers are distracted or inattentive. With summer fast approaching, traffic will increase significantly on Kanuga/Crab Creek Road. All three agencies are united and committed to working together with extra patrols, speed enforcement and checkpoints to focus on meaningful solutions to traffic safety problems affecting Kanuga/Crab Creek Road, the sheriff's office said.   Read Story »

Henderson County News

BRCC administrators endorse training center

Blue Ridge Community College officials say the proposed law enforcement training center would benefit the college curriculum that trains police officers.   Read Story »

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