News

LOCAL BRIEFS: Blue Ridge Kids books, Art League photo show, 'We Are Hope' week

By Lightning Reports, Published: November 6, 2026

MJ Rosewood launches Blue Ridge Kids series

MJ Rosewood, a former teacher, has published The Blue Ridge Tunnel Mystery, the first book in her Blue Ridge Kids series of children’s adventures set in Western North Carolina.

MJ RosewoodIn the story, a group of friends discover that magical zircons can open doorways through time. Their journeys take them to real places, including the Frying Pan Tunnel on the Blue Ridge Parkway, the Revolutionary War battlefield at Kings Mountain, the zircon mines and Camp Ton-A-Wandah. The characters include a girl who uses a wheelchair and another who wears cochlear implants.

“I wanted kids to feel the same sense of wonder I felt here,” Rosewood said. “These mountains are full of stories. I just added a little magic so the history would feel exciting.”

Rosewood taught for 28 years. The book has reached No. 1 on Amazon’s best-seller list in the American Revolutionary War category, according to the author. The book is available on Amazon and at Joy of Books, 242 N. Main St. Information: mjrosewood.com. 

Art League hosts photography show

The Art League of Henderson County will present a photography exhibition Nov. 4-28 at Art Place Gallery, 730 Locust St., with an opening reception Friday, Nov. 6.

It is the first time the league has invited area camera clubs to exhibit alongside its members.

“Photography is such an accessible art form, yet creating an exceptional photograph requires an artist’s eye for composition, light, timing and storytelling,” said Diane Dean, the league’s executive director.

BRCC to launch ag-mech program

Blue Ridge Community College plans to start an Agricultural Mechanics and Equipment Technology program in August 2027, supported by a $250,000 state grant.

The money comes from the N.C. Community College System’s High-Cost Workforce Start-Up Grant, funded by the General Assembly, which helps colleges launch programs in high-demand fields.

The short-term program will prepare students for entry-level jobs servicing, maintaining and repairing farm equipment. Classroom and lab instruction will cover diesel engine fundamentals, equipment diagnostics, hydraulic and pneumatic systems, small-engine repair and welding. Students can earn industry credentials.

The college said it developed the program after meeting with industry partners about employer demand for technicians. Henderson and Transylvania counties have about 44,000 acres of farmland and more than 660 farms, the college said, and no other community college in the state offers a workforce continuing education program specializing in agricultural mechanics.

“Agriculture is more than an industry in Western North Carolina. It is part of our heritage, our economy, and the future of our communities,” said Dr. Monica Carpenter, BRCC’s vice president for economic and workforce development.

The Workforce Development Leadership Council has approved the program. The State Board of Community Colleges is expected to act on it in November.

We Are Hope Week fights substance abuse

Hope Coalition and Henderson County public schools will hold #WeAreHope Week Nov. 9-13 in all public middle and high schools, with substance use prevention activities for students. Since 2015, the initiative has encouraged students to make healthy choices and commit to living substance-free.

The week ends with a community banner hanging at noon Friday, Nov. 13, at the Historic Henderson County Courthouse, where banners signed by students will be displayed. The public is invited.

Hope Coalition is a Henderson County nonprofit that works to prevent youth substance use and support recovery. 

$50k grant supports Early Learning bus

Children & Family Resource Center has received a $50,000 grant from the James H. Cummings Foundation toward a building to protect its GLO Mobile Early Learning Bus and expand storage for its Full Tum, Dry Bum Diaper & Formula Bank.

GLO, short for Grow, Learn, Outreach, is a 30-foot mobile preschool that brings early learning activities, developmental screenings and parenting resources to Henderson County communities. Since launching in January 2022, it has served 159 families and 261 children, averaging 28 stops a month. Full Tum, Dry Bum serves more than 350 families a month with diapers, formula and other supplies.

The grant brings committed funding to $190,000 toward an estimated $718,000 project, the center said.

The foundation is based in Buffalo, N.Y. Its namesake, James H. Cummings, spent part of each year on a cattle farm near Hendersonville. The foundation was established in 1962.

“We hope this generous commitment inspires others to join us in building something that will benefit local children and families for years to come,” said Emily Balcken, the center’s executive director.

To contribute, contact Paula Roberts at paular@childrenandfamily.org.