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Candidate may become Sen. Edwards before Nov. 8

Henderson County News

Rangers issue warning on waterfalls visits

In the wake of two fatalities of waterfalls this week in Pisgah National Forest, rangers have issued warnings to waterfalls visitors.   Read Story »

Henderson County News

Harrys & Piggys thanks police, firefighters this weekend

Harry's & Piggy's wants police officers and firefighters to know they're appreciated.   Read Story »

Henderson County News

LOCAL BRIEFS: Hot Dog World, Bearkitten fundraiser, Street Dance

Valley Hill, aging agency win grant for fall prevention Valley Hill Fire Department and the Henderson County Council on Aging won a 2016 North Carolina Regional Remembering When conference scholarship.The Remembering When program, sponsored by the National Fire Protection Association, focuses on fire safety and fall prevention for older adults. Training through the Remembering When conference will provide the team with materials and information geared to help Henderson County residents reduce injuries and deaths related to fire and falls among older adults. Upon completion of the training, the Council on Aging and Valley Hill Fire Department will work together to provide presentations to older adults in Henderson County, train staff members on fire and fall prevention, and perform home visits specifically geared towards the Remembering When program.“Working together with the Council on Aging for Henderson County will enable Valley Hill Fire Department to better connect and educate the older adults that live in our community so they can continue to live independently at home in a safe environment” Valley Hill Chief Tim Garren said. With photoAppalachian Fire will perform Monday at the Street Dance, a Hendersonville tradition since 1918.CONTRIBUTED Street dance features Appalachian Fire Hendersonville’s Street Dance on Monday, July 25, features Walt Puckett as caller, Appalachian Fire and the Mountain Thunder Cloggers. The 98th annual Street Dance has been a favorite tradition in Hendersonville since local citizens took to the streets to welcome home the soldiers from WWI. Appalachian Fire features traditional bluegrass and first-rate picking on song selections that range from contemporary and classic bluegrass tunes to gospel standards.Mountain Thunder Cloggers, Western North Carolina’s largest recreational precision clogging team, have performed at many regional festivals including Bele Chere, the Mountain State Fair, Farm City Day and the North Carolina Apple Festival.Bring a chair; admission is free. The dance is from 7 to 9 p.m. at the Visitors Center, 201 South Main Street.At 6:30 p.m., caller Walt Puckett will teach audience members basic Appalachian square dance steps so everyone can join in the fun.For additional information call Henderson County Tourism Development Authority at (828) 693-9708, 800-828-4244 or visit www.visithendersonvillenc.org. HES kicks off healthy fundraiser Hendersonville Elementary School kicks off its Healthy Bodies Healthy Minds event on Friday, July 22.The annual fundraiser culminates Friday, Aug. 5, with the 3-Mile Cubcat CRAWL. The race starts and finishes on the school campus with registration check-in at 5:30 p.m. (Rain date is Friday, August 12. Strollers are welcome. Please no bicycles or pets.)Pre-registration is $15 for adults and $5 for grades K-12. Those registered by Friday, July 29, get a free T-shirt. Late registration fees are $20 and $10. Make checks payable to: HES PTO. This is a non-sanctioned race for fun and exercise. A clock will be available during event, but times will not be recorded.The Cubcat CRAWL is sponsored by the PTO. Proceeds go to buy needed items that benefit the school. Come early and let your kids have fun in the HIPP ZONE, provided by Camp Tekoa. Donation suggested for entrance. HIPP will be selling pizza from Iannucci’s to benefit the playground. Popcorn, sno-cones and drinks will be available for purchase. Registration Forms are available at hendersoncountypublicschoolsnc.org/hes or at the school.New Directions leadersto speak at Table TalkNew Directions leaders will discuss a new ministry during Table Talk at Hendersonville Presbyterian Church, 699 North Grove St., on Wednesday, July 27, at 5:25 p.m. The public is invited and there is no charge.New Directions, through its Mustard Seed Project, provides single mothers with professional Christian counseling, financial assistance for housing, legal assistance for divorce, financial counseling and restorative retreats. Founded in 1996 by Bridget and David Walls, the ministry works to restore children and families through the gospel of Jesus Christ. For those who would like to attend dinner (small charge), reservations are required. Call the church office at (828) 692-3211. Arredondo wins grant from Self-Help bank Self-Help Credit Union announced the winners of its education scholarship for students active in their community. With 18 credit union branches each selecting a $500 winner, Self-Help awarded a total of $9,000. This is the second year Self-Help has sponsored the scholarships.The winner sponsored by the Hendersonville branch, at 855 Spartanburg Highway, was Jorge Ammi Martinez Arredondo.Self-Help, a community development credit union and lender headquartered in Durham, has provided more than $7 billion in financing to 112,000 families, individuals and businesses underserved by traditional financial institutions. It serves more than 58,000 members across North Carolina.   Read Story »

Henderson County News

Church closes on post office purchase

First Baptist Church closed on the purchase of the post office on Fifth Avenue West last week for $1,003,000, according to documents at the register of deeds office. With the purchase, the church picked up a lease for the U.S. Postal Service until Oct. 1, 2017. A postal service real estate specialist is looking for a space for a smaller facility that will offer counter service and post office boxes and handle passport applications. The post office is downsizing from the 20,000-square-foot building at 427 Fifth Avenue West to about 5,000 square feet.The real estate specialist, Richard Hancock, said he prefers an existing building and needs 40 to 45 parking spaces. First Baptist Church plans to bulldoze the post office and make a parking lot when the postal service moves out.   Read Story »

Henderson County News

Man charged in theft of narcotics from hospital

Law officers charged a 44-year-old Wadesboro man with the theft of narcotics from a locked container in a secured surgical area of Park Ridge Hospital. Charged with felony breaking and entering, felony safecracking, and felony larceny after breaking and entering was Marc Hayes Thompson. The charges stem from a July 4 incident where Thompson is suspected of stealing narcotic medications after breaking into the cabinet. Thompson was arrested Wednesday and jailed in Randolph County on a $50,000 bond.No court date has been set for Thompson’s charges in Henderson County.     Read Story »

Henderson County News

Board balks at property tax rollback

When they passed a 5-cent tax increase in June, Henderson County commissioners said they’d be willing to look at a rollback of the tax rate if county voters approve a quarter-cent sales tax in November.Given the chance to make that a commitment in writing, three commissioners said no — at least for now.Despite the strong urging from commissioners Bill Lapsley and Grady Hawkins — the same two no votes on the 2016-17 budget and 5-cent tax hike that funded it — commissioners Tommy Thompson, Charlie Messer and Michael Edney voted no. The three opponents of Lapsley’s motion said they wanted to take a closer look at Lapsley’s proposed 3-cent rollback and vote on it later.Lapsley produced an accounting that showed that the county’s new budget had added $2.5 million in new spending while passing a tax increase that would raise a projected $6.6 million. That leaves a $4 million surplus that he said should go back to taxpayers. The quarter-cent sales tax would raise an estimated $2.5 million.“It will be extremely difficult if not impossible for this board or the staff to go before the public and ask them to approve a sales tax of $2.5 million to add on top of more than $4 this county is going to receive because of property tax,” Lapsley said. “We would have over $6 million of new revenue that is not earmarked and in my view is not needed. … “I think the tax increase this board voted for is raising substantially more funds than those items (cost).”His motion would have committed the board to reduce the property tax rate by at least 3 cents next spring when it adopts the 2017-18 budget.“I totally agree we need to lower it if we possibly can but I also agree we need to do more study before we totally commit ourselves,” Edney said.County Manager Steve Wyatt pointed out that Lapsley’s chart omitted $1.28 million worth of annual debt service for a new law enforcement training center that could cost up to $15 million.“That’s the concern I would have because the discussion was to head in that direction and the planning is under way for that,” Wyatt said.Lapsley responded that even if $1.3 million is subtracted from the surplus, that leaves plenty of cash to cover obligations.“Unless we tell the voters a specific number then the voters I believe will perceive it’s a false number,” he said. “They’re going to think we’re going to lower it by one tenth of one percent. I just think if we have any hope of that sales tax being approved, we’ve got to put a number in there.”   Read Story »

Henderson County News

Commissioners urge ban on refugees

The Henderson County Board of Commissioners on Wednesday approved a resolution urging a ban on refugee resettlement in the county a couple of hours after speakers condemned the resettlement program as a threat to security.   Read Story »

Henderson County News

Commissioners OK $13M emergency services complex

Henderson County will be getting a new emergency management complex on the site of the old Balfour Elementary School.   Read Story »

Henderson County News

No, the bears aren't stolen

The news that Renzo Maietto's bear was stolen last night was greatly exaggerated.   Read Story »

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