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Probe of woman's death upholds suicide finding

Henderson County News

Local climber competing in bouldering nationals

For most people, “climbing the walls” connotes anxiety. For Dawson Jacobs, climbing the walls comes naturally. By age 7, he had already developed a talent for the Spider-man behavior.   Read Story »

Henderson County News

CITY COUNCIL BOOTS TEST VOTE ON HHS PROJECT

The fate of Hendersonville High School will remain in limbo for at least three more months after the Hendersonville City Council voted on Thursday to postpone a decision on a road closing that's a crucial piece of the plan for a new HHS campus. The request to close Ninth Avenue West was made by the Henderson County Board of Commissioners after the Henderson County School Board voted in December to endorse plans for a new school on the old Boyd dealership property north of the current campus. Mayor Barbara Volk and council members Jeff Miller and Steve Caraker voted in favor of the postponement, saying they wanted give the Board of Commissioners enough time to come up with a site-specific plan that would answer questions they still have about the proposed new school. Ron Stephens and Jerry Smith, a teacher at Henderson High, voted against the postponement. The vote on the street closing was widely viewed as a critical test vote on the council's ultimate decision on the HHS plans, which have been hotly debated for the past year. Besides the road closing, the council still has the authority to say yes or no to a development permit. The council also wants time to decide whether a special use permit and a rezoning request should be submitted and approved before a vote is taken on whether to close off a portion of Ninth Avenue West between U.S. 25 and Oakland Street. Miller said after the council adjourned that the earliest the council could receive an acceptable site plan would be in May. “I am totally not comfortable with closing the road,” Miller said. “There’s a real lack of information. We’ve got the cart in front of the horse right now. Let’s get the rest of the information and go from there.” Stephens said he believes the council was being asked to “do something we’ve never done before” in voting to close a road before zoning change is in place. “It’s not sound reasoning,” Stephens said. “I think we should abandon this decision tonight.” All eight people who spoke during a public hearing before the council’s vote opposed construction of the new school, including Henderson County school board chairwoman Amy Lynn Holt. Holt said after the meeting that she wouldn’t mind continuing to seek other options for the fate of the 91-year-old school. “I would like to work with the commissioners and us to develop a plan that works for everybody,” she said. “It’s been so disheartening on our community.” David Rhode, a student at Western Carolina University, questioned whether the planned 4 acres of property on which the new school would be built is adequate. “Sixty acres is recommended for a school this size,” Rhode said. “This project is costly and nobody has supported it. It’s been a resounding ‘No.’”The future of HHS — whether to build an all-new school north of Ninth Avenue or to preserve the original classroom building and auditorium while bulldozing the gyms, band room, cafeteria and vocational ed wing — has been the subject of a drawn-out battle that has pitted the School Board, HHS alumni, the current students and faculty against the Board of Commissioners. After commissioners issued a public warning that the project would be dead if the School Board voted no, the School Board voted 4-2 on Dec. 12 to endorse the all-new construction plan. Similarly, commissioners warned that if the City Council failed to OK the rezoning, the county would drop the project indefinitely and potentially put the Boyd lot on the market.   Read Story »

Henderson County News

Performers, songs announced for HHS's senior play tribute

Principal Bobby Wilkins says the Hendersonville High School’s tribute to 90 years of senior plays will be the type of show townsfolk will regret missing if they fail to show up for the one-time only performance.“They’re going well,” Bobby Wilkins said of ticket sales. Tickets are still available at the school. “Excitement is a key word. People are going to miss out if they don’t see it. We’re afraid they’ll talk about it after they missed it but that’s OK.”With the likelihood that HHS will stage a senior play for the last time at the historic auditorium in the spring of 2020, theater teacher Todd Weakley and Wilkins, HHS class of ‘75, decided to put on a tribute to musicals. Weakley recruited singers and musicians from past shows and together the director and performers planned 14 songs and dance numbers for the show. The show is set for 7 p.m. Saturday, Feb. 18.Here’s the lineup:• Richard Cagle: “Some Enchanted Evening” from the class of 1986 production of South Pacific.• Caroline Ryan and Hunter Warwick: “How the Other Half Lives” from the class of 2015 production of Thoroughly Modern Millie.• Bart Salvaggio: “When You’re a Jet” from the class of 1987 production of West Side Story.• Don Munson (voice of the Clemson Tigers): “(Doing it For) Sugar” from the class of 1980 production of Sugar.• Kelsey Stout: “Home” from the class of 2007 production of Beauty and the Beast• John Strickland: “People” from the class of 1983 production of Funny Girl.• Frances Zogzas and Carson Calton: “All or Nuthin” from the class of 1976 production of Oklahoma.• Shelley Briggs: “Somewhere Over the Rainbow” from the class of 2006 production ofThe Wizard of Oz.• Lane Cooper: “Trouble” from the class of 1994 production of The Music Man.• Cathey Gilbert: “Sun in the Morning” from the class of 1992 production of Annie Get Your Gun.• Austin Blythe: “What’s Good for General Bullmoose” from the class of 2010 production of Lil Abner.• A special dancing number directed by Sher Shepherd, class of 2003, featuring an all-male group of parents and alumni dancing to “Greased Lightning.”• Aaron Burdett: “Beauty School Dropout” from the class of 1993 production of Grease.• Heather Durall: “Memories,” which is from Cats but was included in the class of 1990s original production White Gloves, Top Hat, and No Tails. * * * * * * Tickets, which are $5, are available at the main office of Hendersonville High School (828-697-4802). Seating is limited. Proceeds will fund scholarships for HHS students.   Read Story »

Henderson County News

Hendersonville police now carry drug overdose antidote

Hendersonville police officers are joining more than 130 law enforcement agencies across the state in partnership with the North Carolina Harm Reduction Coalition to carry naloxone, a drug overdose antidote. Here is Chief Herbert Blake statements about the use of the naloxone, which has a brand name Narcan: "We were prudent and deliberate in our research before deploying Narcan. We came to the conclusion that we can positively serve our community and potentially save lives by having our police officers equipped with naloxone. Our officers are at times, the first to arrive on the scene of an overdose. We owe it to our citizens to ensure our officers have the training and the necessary tools - naloxone, to make a difference when it matters the most. According to the NCHRC, as of last August service providers that have Narcan kits have successfully administered naloxone more than 3,750 times. The number of reversals for North Carolina responders have been responsible for is substantial — 312 as of Dec. 1, 2016. So adding naloxone as an option is a positive step. This is a chance to save lives. Moreover, very recently there was a story about a life being saved by reversing an overdose because an upstate South Carolina police department had their officers equipped and trained to administer Narcan. All of this said, as of the release of this information, a concrete policy to include a detailed naloxone reporting form have been adopted by us. Hendersonville Police Officers have been duly trained to administer Narcan and are ready to execute if needed. I would like to thank Lieutenant Mike Vesely for taking the lead in this affirmative endeavor and assuming the task of Narcan Coordinator for our agency. Mike has made this implementation smooth and cost effective. I would also like to acknowledge the support and the encouragement we received from city leadership in regards to this endeavor. To end, we encourage our citizens to contact us if they have questions or concerns about the Hendersonville Police Department’s narcan initiative.”     Read Story »

Mills River News

Sheriff, deputies to greet Mills River residents

MILLS RIVER — Henderson County Sheriff Charles McDonald will host a Town Hall meeting in Mills River from 5:30 to 7:30 p.m. Thursday.   Read Story »

Henderson County News

Three schools receive Duke grants

Three public schools in Henderson County have received Duke Energy Foundation grants to support teaching on the environment. Glenn C. Marlow Elementary, Hendersonville Elementary, and Apple Valley Middle schools are receiving a total of $3,533 in NC Beautiful Windows of Opportunity Grants from the Duke Energy Foundation. With a mission of “Empowering Environmental Education,” NC Beautiful provides WOO grants of up to $1,500 to certified K-12 teachers to “help foster environmental stewardship through environmental education,” according to NC Beautiful Programs Manager Louise Carey. Both elementary schools are using their grants to design, build and plant educational gardens at their schools, where students can read and study flora and fauna. The Hendersonville Elementary School garden will feature a morning glory “teepee” to shelter early readers, and the Glenn C. Marlow garden will feature annuals provided by Van Wingerden Greenhouses (Mills River), and will be constructed using donated lumber, topsoil, plants and other materials from Builders First Source (Hendersonville), Riverside Stump Dump (Mills River), The Kinsey Family Farm (Gainesville, Ga.) and Watermark Land Services (Hendersonville). “The gardens are themed to focus on birds, bees, and butterflies so that I can use them to teach about ecosystems,” said Geoff Kinsey, 4th grade teacher at Glenn C. Marlow Elementary. Like Kinsey, Hendersonville Elementary kindergarten teacher Kim Heery plans to have her students plant sunflowers and butterfly bushes in the Hendersonville Elementary garden, and hang feeders to attract birds. At Apple Valley Middle, the WOO grant will provide materials for a courtyard revitalization project, featuring the work of Exceptional Children students currently learning to build raised beds and make compost for the project. The courtyard is accessed by most of the student body as they change classes throughout the day, and is in need of a facelift, said Alicia Lyda, 8th grade English teacher at Apple Valley. Flowers and vegetables will be planted in the raised beds built by EC students, and existing flowerbeds will be revitalized with perennials, butterfly bushes, and bird feeders. All three projects will be completed by students with the help and guidance of teachers and community volunteers, ensuring the student communities take ownership of and pride in their beautification projects. “Our students are hardworking and strive to involve themselves in our school culture,” Lyda said. “As they work in the gardens, students will practice reading and following directions, basic math, and the science behind growing and working with soil and plants.”   Read Story »

Henderson County News

Developer proposes 198-unit project at Horse Shoe Farm

A developer who failed to win a permit for a 225 rental cottages and apartments at Horse Shoe Farm is taking another swing at a large development on the picturesque property.   Read Story »

Fletcher News

Don't miss this week's Hendersonville Lightning (116)

You won't want to miss this week’s Hendersonville Lightning. The Lightning has an exclusive story on the sentencing of the Fletcher Fire and Rescue secretary who pleaded guilty of embezzling more than $300,000 from the fire department over seven years. The Lightning reports on the law enforcement training center and efforts to make it a regional training center and contains more than two dozen other all-local stories, pictures and news briefs. You've got to get a copy because it's only in print and it's only in your Hendersonville Lightning.Here’s where you can pick up a Lightning Hendersonville• Hendersonville Lightning Office, 1111 Asheville Hwy• Pop's Diner, 5 Points, North Main Street• Triangle Stop, 701 North Main Street• The 500 block of North Main Street(First Citizens Bank / Mast Gen. Store)• Black Bear Coffee Co., Main Street• The 300 block of North Main Street(McFarland's Bakery / Mike's on Main). Pardee Hospital in the lobby. Flat Rock Playhouse, downtown(100 block of South Main Street) Southside Hendersonville(Spartanburg Highway)• Hairstyles by Charlene, Joel Wright Drive• McDonald's, Spartanburg Highway• Norm's Minit Mart, Spartanburg Highway• Hendersonville Co-op• Burger King/BP, Spartanburg HighwayIngles Supermarket Southside Hendersonville(Greenville Highway)Carolina Ace HardwareWhitley Drug Store Flat Rock/East Flat Rock• Flat Rock Post Office• Zirconia Post Office• East Flat Rock Post Office• Orr's Family Restaurant, Spartanburg Hwy• Energy Mart Exxon, Upward Road & I-26• Triangle Stop, 754 Upward Road & I-26Village Café and PubPage 2 Hendersonville(Kanuga Road)• Hot Dog World, Kanuga Road• Mr. Pete's Market, Kanuga Road• Norm's Minit Mart, Kanuga Road Hendersonville(Fifth Avenue)Hendersonville Post officeFifth Aenue Shell Laurel Park• YMCA H'ville, Sixth Ave & Oak Str• Laurel Park Village, Rite-Aid.• Energy Mart Exxon, Brevard Road at Daniel DriveDixie Diner, Brevard Road Highway 64(Brevard Road)• Horse Shoe Post Office• Mr. Pete's Market, Etowah, Hwy 64-W• Blue Ridge Pizza, Etowah, Hwy 64-W• Etowah Shopping Center, Etowah Highway 191(Haywood Road)• Joey's New York Bagels, Hwy 191• One-Stop Store #8, Haywood Road (Hwy 191)• Dollar General, Hwy 191 & Mountain Road Mills River• Triangle Stop, 4197 Haywood Road, Mills River• Mills River Family Restaurant. Food LionIngles Page 3 Eastside Hendersonville and Four Seasons Boulevard• Norm's Minit Mart, Dana Road• Fatz Cafe, Dana Road & Four Seasons Blvd• Grocery Outlet, off Four Seasons Boulevard• McDonald's, Four Seasons Boulevard• Energy Mart Exxon, Four Seasons BoulevardMustang Cafe Highway 64 East(Chimney Rock Highway)• Triangle Stop, 2545 Chimney Rock Road, Hwy 64-E• Mr. Pete's Market, East, Hwy 64-E • Griffin's Store, Edneyville, Hwy 64-E• Edneyville Post Office. Griffins Store, EdneyvilleShell station, 64 East and Sugarloaf RoadIngles, Howard Gap RoadMoose Cafe Highway 25 North(Asheville Highway)• The Ugly Mug Coffee Shop, Hwy 25-N• Triangle Stop, Hwy 25-N, Balfour• Mountain Home Post Office• Fletcher Post OfficeInglesNaples Post OfficeTravel Plaza, US 25 and I-26 Southern & Eastern Henderson County, Polk County• Dana Post Office• Rosco's Grocery, Green River• Saluda Post Office• Triangle Stop, 1487 Ozone Road, SaludaAll Henderson County Ingles StoresAll Henderson County Post Offices   Read Story »

Fletcher News

Fletcher FD secretary sentenced to prison for embezzlement

The Fletcher Fire & Rescue secretary who pleaded guilty last summer to stealing more than $300,000 from the department over seven years was sentenced to prison last week.   Read Story »

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