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Memorial service set for Lastein, Flat Rock park designer

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 »

Henderson County News

KnollsCam catches baby raccoons sniffing around

Thomas Brass's wildlife camera at the top of Haywood Knolls captured a bunch of baby raccoon sniffing around the trail. Check it out https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=m8JGG3pU5VIhere.   Read Story »

Henderson County News

McCrory appoints Edwards to Senate

Chuck Edwards, the Republican nominee for the seat vacated by tom Apodaca, will go into the election with the title of Sen. Edwards. Gov. Pat McCrory appointed Edwards to the vacancy after Republican representatives from the 48th Senate District recommended Edwards in a meeting on Aug. 14. "I don't see that it's going to change our strategy or our goal whatsoever," Edwards said of his new title. "We're still focused on winning the general election on Nov. 8. What I do see is it's replacing a vacancy to try to provide constituent service. People have been calling me with different opinions and different problems and now that I have direct access to the staff in Raleigh I can better get answers and connect them with the resources they need." Edwards faces Democratic nominee Norm Bossert, a school principal from Pisgah Forest, in the Nov. 8 general election. The Republican leader of the Senate praised Edwards, who, like Apodaca 14 years ago, enters the senior chamber  with a business background and no electoral experience. “Chuck Edwards is an embodiment of how hard work and perseverance pays off," North Carolina Senate Leader Phil Berger said in a statement. "McHe started working at McDonald’s while in high school, learned the business from the ground up and went on to open several of his own franchises. The North Carolina Senate and the people of the 48th District will benefit greatly from his tireless work ethic, sharp business sense and drive to tackle tough policy challenges.”   Read Story »

Henderson County News

Henderson County among big gainers in tourism

Henderson County was one of four counties with the largest increase in tourism spending by domestic visitors, up by 4.7 percent to $257.95 million over 2014 figures, new state figures showed. Henderson County was ranked 15th in travel impact among North Carolina's 100 counties in 2015. Total payroll generated by the tourism industry in Henderson County was $46.85 million. State tax revenue generated in Henderson County totaled $11.74 million through state sales and excise taxes, and taxes on personal and corporate income. Approximately $10.99 million in local taxes were generated from sales and property tax revenue from travel-generated and travel-supported businesses, a $259.43 tax saving to each county resident. Visit North Carolina, a unit of the Economic Development Partnership of North Carolina, released the 2015 county economic impact numbers. The annual study is commissioned by Visit North Carolina and conducted by the U.S. Travel Association. The study uses sales and tax revenue data, employment figures and other industry and economic data to determine the overall impact of visitor spending in North Carolina.     Read Story »

Henderson County News

LIGHTNING EDITORIAL: GOP aims to win control of School Board

Rick Wood made a small bit of history a couple of weeks ago when he switched from the Democratic Party to unaffiliated.   Read Story »

Henderson County News

Applications available for King Apple parade

Applications are still available to enter 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.   Read Story »

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