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Republican School Board candidates serve up red meat on education

Henderson County News

Two School Board candidates rip commissioners for ignoring HHS recommendation

Two Republican School Board candidates say the Henderson County Board of Commissioners overstepped its authority when it overruled the School Board’s recommendation on the future of Hendersonville High School.   Read Story »

Henderson County News

Playhouse's Studio 52 calls for young actors, singers

The Flat Rock Playhouse will hold an open house at its Studio 52 youth theatre space from 5:30 to 7:30 p.m. Tuesday to provide parents and potential students the opportunity to tour the facility, talk to the faculty and enjoy light refreshments. A general information meeting will be held at 6:30.   Read Story »

Henderson County News

LOCAL BRIEFS: Nature filmfest, bike plan, garbage export ban, Big Sweep

Sierra Nevada hosts Wild & Scenic Film Festival   MountainTrue and Sierra Nevada Brewing Co. present the 2016 Wild & Scenic Film Festival at the brewery in Mills River on Thursday, Sept. 1. The Wild & Scenic Film Festival features the year’s best short-form nature, wilderness and outdoor adventure films. Sponsored by Mountain Xpress, Blue Ridge Energy Systems, BorgWarner, Holly Spring Farm, JAG Construction and Mosaic Community Lifestyle Realty, the festival features 12 films covering a range of subjects from the story of the ancient stream-dwelling Hellbender salamander to rock climbing the Baatara gorge in Lebanon to grassroots indigenous activism in Honduras.The 2016 Wild & Scenic festival will take place under the open sky at Sierra Nevada’s new outdoor amphitheater on the banks of the French Broad River. The event begins at 7 p.m.; show starts at 8 p.m. The movies are:• Avaatara: The First Route Out - David Lama achieves first ascent of the Baatara gorge in Lebanon, a surreal ‘Avatar’-like landscape, unexploited and untouched.• Leave it as it is - The Grand Canyon is one of the most iconic landscapes on the planet. But this natural masterpiece of the Colorado River faces a battery of threats.• The Last Dragons - An intimate glimpse at North America’s Eastern Hellbender, an ancient salamander that lives as much in myth as in reality.• Diversity & Inclusion in our Wild Spaces - A campfire discussion on improving the diversity of both the visitation and the employment within our parks and wild spaces and brings light to important issues facing today’s conservation movement.• Mile for Mile - A trio of professional ultrarunners travel 106 miles through the newly opened Patagonia Park in Chile to celebrate and highlight Conservacion Patagonica’s efforts to re-wild this vast landscape.• Co2ld Waters - Five of the most respected names in the fly fishing world converge on a single creek in Montana to talk about their passion and to discuss the single biggest threat to their timeless pursuit, climate change.• Parker’s Top 50 Favorite Things about Northwest Rivers - This fun film celebrates the best things about Northwest rivers from a kid’s perspective.• In Current - Rowing a dory in the Grand Canyon is considered by some as the most coveted job in the world. Amber Shannon has been boating the Grand Canyon nine years, trying to work her way from the baggage boat to a dory, while spending as many days as possible in current.• Comes with Baggage - This lighthearted history of bicycle travel in the Americas makes you want to sell all your possessions, quit your job and escape on a bike.• Mother of All Rivers - Berta Cáceres rallied her indigenous Lenca people to wage a grassroots protest that successfully pressured the government of Honduras and the world’s largest Chinese dam builder, SinoHydro, to withdraw from building the Agua Zarca Dam. Narrated by Robert Redford.• The Thousand Year Journey - Jedidiah Jenkins quit a job that he loved to ride his bicycle from Oregon to the southern tip of Patagonia. Friend and filmmaker Kenny Laubbacher joined him for a month and a half to pose the question “why?”• The Accidental Environmentalist - John Wathen was just an average guy until coming into contact with toxic chemicals, stumbling upon a video camera, and discovering his passion for protecting Alabama’s waters. Tickets, $15 and $10 for students, can be purchased at http://bit.ly/WSFFWNC. For more information contact Susan Bean at susan@mountaintrue.org or 828-258-8737 or visit mountaintrue.org. Bike plan drafters invite public input The steering committee for the Hendersonville Bike Plan is inviting the public to participate in the next phase of the plan-drafting process.The steering committee, city planners and the city’s consulting engineers will receive input from noon until 7:45 p.m. Wednesday, Aug. 31, at the main branch of the Henderson County Library. County sets hearing on flow control regs The Henderson County Board of Commissioners postponed a public hearing on a proposed ordinance on garbage collection until Sept. 21 at 9 a.m. at the Historic Courthouse.The ordinance requires waste collectors and haulers serving households and businesses in the unincorporated area of the county to deliver all applicable waste to Henderson County’s waste transfer station on Stony Mountain Road. County officials say that by imposing the flow-control regulation the county will capture enough solid waste to ensure that revenue through tipping fees covers the landfill expense.Anyone wishing to comment in writing on the proposed changes may submit the comments prior to Sept. 21. Send written comments to 1 Historic Courthouse Square, Suite 1, Hendersonville, N.C., 28792.Rec Department seeksvolunteer soccer coachesThe Henderson County Parks & Recreation Department is seeking volunteer coaches for the fall soccer program. Practices may start the week of Aug. 29 and matches will run through October. A coaches meeting and training will be held on Thursday, Aug. 25. All coaches must pass a background check. To learn more contact Laura Rice at lrice@hendersoncountync.org. Applications available for King Apple Parade Applications are still available for entering the King Apple Parade, the Apple Festival-closing event that takes place on Labor Day beginning at 2:30 p.m.The Apple Festival has categories including commercial and non-profit entries and has professional floats available for lease again this year. If you are interested in a professional float, please contact the office. For information on how to participate visit www.ncapplefestival.org and go to the Parade tab. The cutoff date for entries is Aug. 26. For more information, contact the North Carolina Apple Festival at 828-697-4557. Presidential historian speaks at Porter Center American historian, best-selling author and CNN presidential historian Douglas Brinkley is the 2016 J. R. McDowell speaker, sponsored by the Transylvania County Library Foundation in partnership with Brevard College.Brinkley’s presentation, “The Wilderness Warrior: Theodore Roosevelt and the Crusade for America,” will be held at 6:30 p.m. Thursday, Sept. 22, at the Porter Center for Performing Arts at Brevard College. Tickets for the event are $10 and will go on sale Sept. 1 at the Transylvania County Library.Brinkley is a professor of history at Rice University and the best-selling author of numerous books including The Wilderness Warrior: Theodore Roosevelt and the Crusade for America which became an instant New York Times best seller and was the recipient of the 2009 “National Outdoor Book Award.” His most recent book, Rightful Heritage: Franklin D. Roosevelt and the Land of America, examines the environmental legacy of FDR and the New Deal. He is a sought-after commentator on U.S. presidential history and has written books on Theodore Roosevelt, Franklin Roosevelt, John F. Kennedy, Gerald Ford, Jimmy Carter and Ronald Reagan. CNN has described Brinkley as “a man who knows more about the presidency than any human being alive.”Brinkley completed his bachelor’s degree at Ohio State University and received his doctorate in U.S. Diplomatic History from Georgetown University in 1989. He then spent a year each at the U.S. Naval Academy and Princeton University teaching history. He is a contributing editor for Vanity Fair and a frequent contributor to The New York Times, The New Yorker and The Atlantic Monthly.This annual speaker series, named for Transylvania County Library Foundation Board member emeritus J. R. McDowell, is designed to present a wide array of viewpoints on challenging and thought-provoking topics. For more information, call the Transylvania County Library at 828-884-3151. Convertibles needed for parade Classic, antique and newer convertibles are needed for the Henderson County King Apple Parade on Labor Day. It is anticipated that there will be an increased need this year to carry Apple Festival dignitaries, veterans and candidates.Bring your convertible to the old Boyd Pontiac, Buick, Cadillac new car showroom on Asheville Highway across from Hendersonville High School at Five Points at 1 p.m. on the day of the parade. For more information call 828-329 4971 or e-mail noirs@aol.com. Volunteers sought for Big Sweep cleanup The community is invited to help clean up Henderson County’s rivers and streams on when MountainTrue hosts the annual Henderson County Big Sweep on Saturday, Sept. 10.The countywide litter cleanup program brings citizens and community organizations together to clear trash from their waterways. Civic organizations, scout troops, church groups, school groups, Adopt-A-Stream teams, neighborhood associations, city and county departments, local businesses and individuals can all pitch in to make streams and creeks cleaner and healthier. To participate register at bit.ly/hcbigsweep. Teams will hold cleanups from 9 a.m. to 3 p.m. in waterways throughout the county. For more information or to volunteer visit bit.ly/hcbigsweep or call (828) 692-0385 ext. 1001.   Read Story »

Fletcher News

Embezzlement case limited to manager who was charged

An investigation into the embezzlement of $330,000 from Fletcher Fire & Rescue targeted only the agency’s office manager and no other arrests are expected, a spokeswoman for the U.S. Justice Department said.Brenda Glenn Livingston pleaded guilty last month to embezzling the money over a seven-year period. She has not yet been sentenced.“Mrs. Livingston was the only target of the investigation and we don’t anticipate charging additional individuals,” said Lia Bantavani, a spokeswoman for the U.S. attorney’s office of the Western District of North Carolina.Mills River Fire Chief Rick Livingston was married to Brenda Livingston and is now estranged from her. She no longer lives in Henderson County.“From the beginning of this investigation, Rick Livingston has been completely forthcoming and cooperative with law enforcement, including the SBI and the U.S. Attorney’s office, and is glad that their investigations support his claims that he was not involved at all,” said Anderson Ellis, who represents Rick Livingston.   Read Story »

Henderson County News

Memorial service set for Lastein, Flat Rock park designer

A memorial service for Ed Lastein will take place at 11 a.m. Friday, Aug. 26, at Grace Lutheran Church. A reception will follow in Grace Stull Hall.A resident of Flat Rock, Lastein was a landscape architect who designed much of the outdoors public space for the Village of Flat Rock and guided development of the Park at Flat Rock. He drew the first master plan for the park and had worked with the Village Council and Flat Rock Park Commission on revisions and updates up until his death.Many of the improvements in the way of walking trails, reforestation, a playground, welcome center and pavilion went from concept to reality under his guidance and more plans are in the works. When the work is finished a few years from now, “the park will be a monument to Ed Lastein,” Flat Rock Mayor Bob Staton told a website that covers the landscaping industry.The family asked that memorials be directed to the park. As of the Aug. 11 meeting of the Village Council 19 donors had given $2,700 in his honor. He died of an aneurysm on July 21 at the age of 59.   Read Story »

Henderson County News

Investigators send Meadows inquiry to Ethics Committee

An investigation into whether U.S. Rep. Mark Meadows improperly paid his chief of staff for 10 months after barring him from congressional offices over a personnel matter was referred last week to the House Committee on Ethics.   Read Story »

Henderson County News

TIMELINE: Meadows and West

Here is a timeline of the employment of Kenny West, chief of staff for U.S. Rep. Mark Meadows from January 2013 to April 2015. The Office of Congressional Ethics sent a referral to the House Ethics Committee recommending that it further review West’s employment and compensation after Meadows removed him from working in the Washington and Hendersonville offices in October 2014. January 2013: Kenny West, one of eight candidates who ran for the Republican nomination for the open 11th Congressional District seat in May 2012, hired as chief of staff for Meadows at $155,000 a year.Nov. 1, 2013: Meadows raises West’s salary to $167,000.Jan. 1, 2014: Meadows lowers West’s salary to $155,000.Oct. 1, 2014: Meadows raises West’s salary to $168,411.October 2014: A group of employees in Meadows’ Washington office reported to the then-deputy chief of staff that they “were uncomfortable with Mr. West’s inappropriate behavior toward them.” One witness said the group made the complaints in writing.October 2014: Witness C, a staff member in the Hendersonville district office, in the course of a performance evaluation conducted by Deputy Chief of Staff Wayne King reported “uncomfortable interactions” with West. The next day, when West appeared at the Hendersonville office, district office manager Pamela Ward “asked Mr. West to leave the office and not return again. An argument between Mr. West and Ms. Ward ensued. After Mr. West left that day, witness C never saw Kenny West again in the district office.”November or December 2014: After being made aware of the complaints, Meadows asked the chief of staff for U.S. Rep. Trey Gowdy “to interview his female employees about their interactions with Kenny West and to report back to him. Witness B’s belief was that Rep. Meadows planned the interviews so that he could assess the legal and personnel ramifications of Mr. West’s interactions with his employees.”January 2015: Meadows had a conversation with the staff in which he said he did not want anyone in the office to feel uncomfortable and promised “to take care of it,” Witness A, a staff member in the Washington office, told investigators. After Rep. Gowdy’s chief of staff interviewed the female staffers, West “never came back” to the D.C. office, Witness B told the OCE. From that point on, witnesses said, West did not return to work at either the D.C. or the Hendersonville office.Late 2014: Although he was no longer working in the office, West sent emails or made calls to the D.C. office on a sporadic basis, sometimes saying, “I’m going to be up there soon.” Although West was not present in the office and Meadows had told staffers West would not be returning, the ongoing communication through calls and emails led Witness B “to believe that Mr. West was still chief of staff and that Rep. Meadows had not terminated Mr. West’s employment.”Jan. 1, 2015: Meadows lowers West’s salary to $157,400. A month later, Meadows lowers the salary again, to $155,000.January 2015: Witness B emailed Rep. Gowdy’s chief of staff to report West’s continued communications with the congressional office. “That week,” the witness told the OCE, Meadows “was very upset” after someone approached him on the House floor and told him that he needed to terminate West’s employment. “At that point, Rep. Meadows knew Rep. Gowdy’s chief of staff had been contacted again, this time without his knowledge.” Later that month, Meadows remarked to his deputy chief of staff that “Kenny’s not allowed back into the office so it’s not a problem.” In the first quarter of 2015, West sent emails “showing some degree of official work despite Mr. West’s continued absence.” As late as March 2015, West took part in staff salary discussions with Meadows for at least one employee.April 2015: Meadows informed his staff that West was no longer chief of staff. “Significantly, witnesses also explained to the OCE that they believed Mr. West was no longer employed by Rep. Meadows.”April 1, 2015: Meadows sent an email to his staff announcing the departure of deputy chief of staff Phillip Newman (who took a job in a Senate office) and that he would also be “interviewing candidates to replace Kenny as our chief of staff.”April 9, 2015: Meadows submitted a payroll authorization form showing West’s title change, to senior adviser, (effective April 1) with the same annual salary he drew as chief of staff: $155,000.April 1-Aug. 14, 2015: Meadows continued to pay West as a House employee. In a letter he sent to OCE through his attorney, Meadows said that he and West came to an agreement that West would “resign fulltime duties from my office towards the end of May 2015 and that I would continue to pay him for a short period of time both for the sake of a smooth transition, and so he would continue to perform some special duties for me during the transition. Kenny did perform some services and was paid through August 2015.” Although the OCE asked both Meadows and West for details that would establish “whether or not Mr. West performed official work” from April through August, both “refused to cooperate with the OCE’s review.”Sept. 3, 2015: In a story under the headline “Meadows cut check for false mileage reimbursement,” Politico reported on West’s employment with Meadows’ office. In the story, Meadows communications director, Alyssa Farah, said that West received “vacation and severance pay until August 15.” In his letter to the Ethics Committee, Meadows also described the payments to West as “severance pay.”November 2015: Meadows “self-reported” the Kenny West pay matter to the House Ethics Committee, asking the committee to investigate the matter.March 18, 2016: OCE sent a “referral” to the House Ethics Committee, recommending that the committee further review the allegation that Meadows paid West for work he didn’t do.May 10, 2016: Meadows attorney Elliot S. Berke, in a letter to the Ethics Committee, asserted that Meadows had hoped to bypass the OCE’s “duplicative, costly and burdensome process” and have the committee itself conduct the investigation.Aug. 17: House Ethics Committee published the OCE’s Report and Findings. Chair Charles W. Dent and ranking member Linda T. Sanchez announced that the committee would review the OCE report, noting that that step “does not itself indicate that any violation has occurred, or reflect any judgment on behalf of the committee.” Sources: Office of Congressional Ethics; letter from attorney Elliot Berke, attorney for Rep. Meadows; statement of the House Ethics Committee.   Read Story »

Henderson County News

Top philanthropist gives with 'open mind and loving heart'

Phyllis C. Rothrock’s charitable giving ranges so widely that it seems to cover every facet of need in the community, from infants to the elderly, from health care to housing, even to gardens. A longtime donor to many charities in Henderson County, Rothrock was named the 2016 winner of the Richard C. and Vina L. Sauer Award during the annual luncheon of the Community Foundation of Henderson County.“Although she would emphatically deny the compliment, she and her late husband are pillars in our charitable community who always embraced numerous causes with an open mind and a loving heart,” Shirley McGee, the Sauer recognition committee chair for the foundation, said. “By creating a legacy of giving that will support this community now and forever, she is the true embodiment of philanthropy.” Rothrock devotes "endless hours and unwavering dedication" to charitable work, McGee said. "Everyone who meets her sees a reflection of kindness and empathy," she said. Her giving "is purposely and is intended to be in perpetuity." She and her husband started an unrestricted endowment at the Community Foundation, meaning the money wold be available for needs that may be yet unknown. When asked why they had up the fund, they responded: The needs and opportunities in the community are many and varied and I thought the fund should have the maximum flexibility to dispense funds for the overall enrichment of the community." Rothrock has donated to the Children and Family Resource Center, United Agenda for Children, the Pardee Hospital Foundation, Habitat for Humanity, Council on Aging, Boys and Girls Club and the Blue Ridge Community Health Services and Bullington Gardens. "It could be said that this individual's most valuable gift would be the passion shown in each and every endeavor while engaging others," McGee said. "She shares her love of community and charitable interests with friends and community members, welcoming them into discussions about local issues and areas of concern. Her acts of charity are like ripples on calm water that continue to move people and events, leaving love in the hearts of every person she meets and a legacy that will patiently continue giving." Rothrock thanked the foundation and her fellow donors in the audience, which filled the dining room at Kenmure Country Club. "I'll have a hard time living up to the things they said about me," she said. "Our community is enriched because we have the Community Foundation." Named for Richard C. and Vina L. Sauer, who left a $1 million donation to the Community Foundation, the Sauer award honors a philanthropist who has shown great leadership in the community. Past winners were Ruth Birge, Thos. R. Shepherd, Mary R. Garrison, Dr. Stuart and Carola Cohn, Marian P. Lowry, Teddi Segal, Robert and Doris Eklund, Dr. Kathleen McGrady Family, Jeff Miller, Duane and Peggy McKibbin, Dot Marlow, Dr. Colin Thomas, Frank Byrd, Tom and Sue Fazio, Eleanora Meloun, Marcia Caserio, William "Bill" F. Stokes, Jr., William E. "Jamie" Jamison, Kermit Edney, Morris Kaplan, Kenneth Youngblood and Frank Wyttenbach Ewbank.         Read Story »

Henderson County News

Don't miss this week's Hendersonville Lightning

Don’t this miss this week’s Hendersonville Lightning.    Read Story »

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