North Carolina News
State Rep. Chuck McGrady, the go-to specialist on environmental legislation in the state House, has been appointed to co-chair of a commission that will look into an industrial plant's discharge of the chemical GenX into the Cape Fear River in Bladen County.
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Henderson County News
A 25-year-old Hendersonville man was sentenced to 30 years in prison this week after he was convicted of second degree murder in the death of Deque DeAngelo Taylor in December 2015.
Shawn C. Hollifield and Savannah Rose Walker were charged in in the death of the 28-year-old Fletcher man, whose body was thrown from a vehicle on Ninth Avenue West just as school was getting out. Walker was convicted in March and sentenced to 10 years in prison.
In other convictions in the July 24-Aug. 11 term of Superior Court:
Joseph L. Fleischer, of 108 Fish Hawk Drive, Hendersonville, pleaded guilty to Habitual Felon, two counts of Felony Flee/Elude Arrest with Motor Vehicle, Break or Enter Motor Vehicle, Larceny after Breaking and Entering, Felony Larceny, two counts of Larceny of a Firearm, Safecracking, Larceny of a Motor Vehicle, Conspiracy to Break and Enter Building, Felony Possession of Schedule II Controlled Substance, Simple Possession of Schedule II Controlled Substance, Possession Marijuana, Maintain Vehicle/Dwelling/Place for Controlled Substance, and Driving While License Revoked. Fleischer was sentenced to 119 months in prison.
Jaquan M. Davis, of 819 1st Avenue West, Hendersonville, pleaded guilty to Attempted Robbery with a Dangerous Weapon and First Degree Burglary. Davis was sentenced to 65 months in prison.
Charles M. Fleischer, of 66 Leisure Lane, East Flat Rock, pleaded guilty to Assault with a Deadly Weapon on Government Official, Felony Flee/Elude Arrest, Aggressive Driving, Possession of Marijuana, and Driving While License Revoked. Fleischer was sentenced to 43 months in prison.
Marqui A. Miller, of 541 Ponder Road, Mill Spring, pleaded guilty to Habitual Impaired Driving, Possession of Firearm by Felon, Reckless Driving to Endanger, and Driving While License Revoked. Miller was sentenced to 37 months in prison.
Carl. S. Heatherly, of 1014 5th Avenue West, Hendersonville, pled guilty to Fail to Report New Address of Sex Offender. Heatherly was sentenced to 37 months in prison.
Dasha C. Norman, of 70 John Road, Pisgah Forest, pleaded guilty to Assault Inflicting Serious Bodily Injury. Norman was sentenced to 30 months in prison.
Meisha M. Becker, of 14 Roberts Street, Fletcher, pleaded guilty to Possess / Distribute Methamphetamine Precursor. Becker was sentenced to 25 months in prison.
Timothy S. Paris, of 57 Emily Drive Lot 1, Hendersonville, pleaded guilty to Possession of Methamphetamine. Paris was sentenced to 23 months in prison.
Daren E. Griffin, of 324 Sugar Street, Hendersonville, pleaded guilty to Receiving Stolen Goods/Property, Possession of Stolen Firearm, Possession with Intent to Manufacture/Sell/Deliver Methamphetamine, Possession of Methamphetamine, and two counts of Possession of Drug Paraphernalia. Griffin was sentenced to 19 months in prison.
Ryan K. Sayles, of 1679 Charlotte Highway, Fairview, pleaded guilty to Felony Attempt to Flee/Elude Arrest with Motor Vehicle. Sayles was sentenced to 17 months in prison.
Elvin Antunez-Maldonado, of 40 Bumble Bee Drive, Hendersonville, pleaded guilty to Accessory After the Fact / Common Law Robbery. Antunez-Maldonado was sentenced to 15 months in prison.
Steven Neal, o f132 Hidden Acres Road, Mill Spring, pleaded guilty to Misdemeanor Larceny and Disorderly Conduct. Neal was sentenced to 180 days confinement.
Robert F. Reich Jr., of 164 Pleasant Grove Road, Hendersonville, pleaded guilty to Assault on a Female. Reich was sentenced to 75 days confinement.
Blake Loftis, of 1538 Lincoln Circle, Hendersonville, pleaded guilty to Misdemeanor Possession of Stolen Goods/Property. Loftis was sentenced to 45 days confinement.
Nancy L. Ward, of 404 Burns Creek Road, Etowah, pleaded guilty to Misdemeanor Larceny and was sentenced to five days confinement.
The Superior Court judges Jeff Hunt, Tommy Davis, and Jeffrey Carpenter presided. Read Story »
Henderson County News
The Henderson County Public Library has received national recognition from the Urban Libraries Council for addressing technology needs across the county and improving services for each of the county’s unique populations.
Edge is an initiative led by the Urban Libraries Council and developed by a national coalition of leading library and local government organizations with support from the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation. The Edge Initiative is dedicated to helping libraries improve public technology services.
By using the Edge Toolkit, the library identified three main areas that needed attention: internal culture and services for individuals with disabilities, digital literacy services, and community partnerships to address workforce and economic development. The resulting improvements in all three areas earned them recognition in this month’s Edge Newsletter.
For more information, contact library director Trina Rushing at 828-697-4725 or visit http://www.libraryedge.org/ to read the article. Read Story »
Etowah News
ETOWAH — Henderson County Planning Board members tabled an application for a big new residential development in Etowah on Thursday, saying unanswered questions about traffic, density, wastewater treatment and neighborhood compatibility made it impossible to move forward.
A Miami developer whose proposed development of Horse Shoe Farm was denied by the Henderson County Board of Commissioners is seeking the county's OK for a similar development on McKinney Road in Etowah. John Turchin has submitted a master plan that includes a 299-unit development, including 173 single-family homes, 70 duplexes, 56 apartments, 16 guest rooms and 24 RV spaces on a 232-acre parcel on the French Broad River.
The development, called The Farm at Eagles Nest, would include a restaurant, clubhouse, art center, wellness center, pavilion, art studios and dairy barn. It would include 598 parking spaces, 109 retail-commercial spaces and 10 RV/boat storage spaces and would cover 44 acres, leaving 180 acres of open space. The development would be served by the city of Hendersonville water system and Etowah Sewer Co. The privately owned sewer company sent Turchin letter saying its system had the capacity to serve the first phase of the project but would need an upgrade to serve later phases. Barring that, the developer would have to add an on-site sewage treatment plant.
After the Board of Commissioners shot down his plan for the Horse Shoe Farm property, “we reconsidered and found this property,” Turchin told the Planning Board Thursday night. “It gave us a better campus, a bigger piece of property. We were able to spread out, using 44 acres, leaving a tremendous amount of green space. … We think we’ve put together a very comprehensive well-thought-out plan. From a marketing standpoint our marketing group really thinks we’re onto something that will be well accepted in the community.”
Neighboring property owners spoke against the development.
“How tall are these going to be — three stories, four stories? They’re going to be huge,” Bob Edwards said. “When Biltmore was adopted, they changed theirs until that was just single-family homes. Is this one of these places where people can just move in and live, in a camper?”
Turchin said the apartment buildings would be two stories high and be no larger than a single-home family.
“We didn’t move down here to look at apartment buildings and parking lots,” another resident said. “We can hear horses and cows mooing up the road now and roosters crowing. I can just imagine what we’re going to hear with this.”
County Commissioner Grady Hawkins, an ex officio member of the Planning Board, pointed out that commissioners had recently heard about the probems with Etowah Sewer Co. The privately owned sewer company needs a half million dollars worth of repairs now, he said, and is unlikely to have the capacity to take on a 300-unit residential development.
“I just don’t see that happening in phase 1, much less in two more phases,” Hawkins said. “I know of nowhere in this county you could put 300 units and not have a road problem. These roads were made in the 1920s, farm-to-market roads, little two-lane roads, and they have a tough time with the traffic they already have on them. To me this is incompatible with the land development code. To try to put this kind of density in it in my opinion is not what the land development code is about and is not what we told people was in the land development code … I just have a lot of concerns about this project.”
Planning Board members Jim Miller and Chairman Steve Dozier said they could not vote in favor of the project without more information.
The next step for Turchin Development is an Aug. 30 meeting of the Zoning Board of Adjustment, which will take up special-use permit applications for the seven eight-unit apartment buildings and the RV park.
Turchin, a Miami developer who has built the Lodges at Eagles Nest in Banner Elk, told the Board of Commissioners last December that he is interested in building cluster-style communities for baby boomers. His first application for development of the former horse farm would have resulted in rental cottages that he said would be a good alternative to apartment style developments for seniors. Commissioners denied his rezoning request based on concerns about traffic and other factors.The McKinney Road property, owned by the John Thomas Hammond, James William Hammond and Annette Hammond trust, was also the site of a proposed development by Biltmore Farms in 2007 for a 652-unit development of single-family homes, duplexes, triplexes and quadplexes with a clubhouse, walking trails and open space.
EDITOR'S NOTE: An earlier version of this story incorrectly identified the location of the new proposed development as Horse Shoe Farm. The new development is on the Hammond tract in Etowah. Read Story »
Henderson County News
Interfaith Assistance Ministry is asking for donations of backpacks for children in grades 2 through 12 as the school year approaches.
IAM provides school supplies to children of Henderson County families who are in financial crisis. Since Aug. 7, the nonprofit agency has distributed supplies to 238 children; 206 children received backpacks. In 2016, IAM helped 529 children with supplies.
Backpacks for high school students are especially needed at this time. Donations can be dropped off at the new IAM location, 310 Freeman Street near the Blue Ridge Mall. For more information, call 697-7029.
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Saluda News
Raymond “Bo” Brown will look at the history of railroad Dining Cars followed by a brief history of Southern Railway at Saluda Train Tales at the Saluda Historic Depot at 7 p.m. Friday, Aug. 18.
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Henderson County News
Rhythm & Brews concert series swings back into the world of rock’n’roll with a performance by the Come Back Alice Band at 7 p.m. Thursday.
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Hendersonville News
Visitors in Henderson County spent $274.6 million in 2016, an increase of 6.5 percent over 2015, Visit North Carolina announced on Wednesday.
“Tourism is one of the top economic drivers in Henderson County bringing visitors from over thirty-nine countries from around the world and all fifty states to experience our local heritage, agritourism, culture, recreation, dining and shopping, and other attractions,” Beth Carden, Executive Director of the Henderson County Tourism Development Authority said in a statement.
Tourism impact highlights for 2016:• Henderson County was among the top 10 counties, out of 100, in percentage of growth in 2016.• The travel and tourism industry directly employees more than 2,320 in Henderson County.• Total payroll generated by the tourism industry in Henderson County was $50.33M.• State tax revenue generated in Henderson County totaled $12.57M through state sales and excise taxes, and taxes on personal and corporate income. About $11.73M in local taxes were generated from sales and property tax revenue from travel-generated and travel-supported businesses.Gov. Roy Cooper announced in May that visitors to North Carolina set a record for spending in 2016. The $22.9 billion in total spending represented an increase of 4.4 percent from 2015.These statistics are from the “Economic Impact of Travel on North Carolina Counties 2016,” which can be accessed at partners.visitnc.com/economic-impact-studies. The study was prepared for Visit North Carolina by the U.S. Travel Association.“All eight economic development regions of the state had spending growth of 3 percent or more, and 96 percent of the state’s counties saw direct tourism employment growth from 2015 to 2016,” said Wit Tuttell, executive director of Visit North Carolina. “Tourism continues to be major driver of economic development across North Carolina, which is the sixth most-visited state in the country.”Statewide highlights include:• State tax receipts as a result of visitor spending rose 5.1 percent to nearly $1.2 billion in 2016.• Visitors spend more than $62 million per day in North Carolina. That spending adds more than $5.1 millionper day to state and local tax revenues (about $3.2 million in state taxes and $1.9 million in local taxes).• The travel and tourism industry directly employees more than 219,000 North Carolinians.• Each North Carolina household saves $497 in state and local taxes as a direct result of visitor spending in the state. Read Story »
Henderson County News
Thanks to Emma Laughter, kids at Bruce Drysdale Elementary School have plenty of reading material.
Laughter, 17, a rising senior at Hendersonville High School began the book drive after research findings from a paper she wrote junior year, showed a correlation between education and poverty: the poor students had lower reading testing scores than their peers that were well-off. She collected more than 2,500 books.“Kids who come from a poverty background have a harder time thriving in school in general,” Laughter says. In particular, literacy rates suffer the most.Laughter was surprised when she found out how many students were struggling at Bruce Drysdale Elementary, where her father, BJ Laughter, is principal. Students lacked the opportunity to buy the tools necessary and vital to their learning, and they were facing the consequences.“It opened up my eyes to how much those kids do struggle,” she said of the students at Bruce Drysdale. “It’s probably the poorest school in Henderson County. Their free and reduced lunch rate is 82 percent, which is very high.”EmmacLaughter is surrounded by books.Dissatisfied with her research findings, and being closely connected through Bruce Drysdale by her father, she set up containers in the main office at the school in May, hoping to collect any number of books that she could in order to send them home with students in the summer. In the first round of collection, community members, parents and teachers helped Laughter collect more than 1,000 books for a reading camp for Bruce Drysdale students with low reading test scores.“We’re excited for her to have raised that many books for us to give to kids,” Laughter says of his daughter. “We want to make reading fun and spark the kids’ interests in different subjects. … It surprised me how many books she was able to collect. She used our school messenger and did an all-call and used social media. It started out slow but the word got out and it’s still continuing.”“It really wasn’t a complicated process,” Emma says. The drive was so popular, that a second round of donation generated another 1,000 books and is still going. “People keep bringing books in,” she adds. The newly collected books will be distributed at Green Meadows Night, on Oct. 12, where Bruce Drysdale will provide books, food and education about the importance of literacy to one of the largest communities that it educates, BJ Laughter says.The children’s book drive allows students who can’t afford books of their own to practice reading at home.“Reading at home is important to becoming a fluent reader, and so many kids don’t have access to books at home,” BJ Laughter explains. “A lot of kids have told me that they’ve never had a book read to them at home. The goal is to try to get books into the homes of these kids because a lot of them don’t have the resources.”Laughter plans to continue the drive throughout her senior year and will incorporate her love of books into her senior project at HHS.The book drive’s success has been noticed by teachers and students alike. “Teachers at the school have said how much of an impact it’s making,” she says. “When I went to reading camp, the students were just so excited to be getting books and so thankful.” Read Story »
