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LOCAL BRIEFS: HHS mock trial, police Capt. Leroy, Miss Julia, tulips, N.C. 191

Team members are, first row, Clara Hockenberry, Ellie Stout and Miriam Smith, and second row, Madelyn Ball, Mireille Soss, Martha Smith, Jay Mullinax and Quinn Albert.

HHS mock trial team excels at state

The Hendersonville High School mock trial team finished the North Carolina Mock Trial State competition ranked fifth, the highest among public high schools in all classification.

The competition, held March 8 and 9 at Campbell Law School in Raleigh, was sponsored by the Carolina Consortium for Civic Education and the North Carolina Advocates for Justice. The HHS Cats team won the Hendersonville Regional on Feb. 2. Team members are Clara Hockenberry, Ellie Stout and Miriam Smith, and second row, Madelyn Ball, Mireille Soss, Martha Smith, Jay Mullinax and Quinn Albert.

At State, HHS defeated J.H. Rose High School of Greenville, N.C., in the first round. In the 2nd round, HHS lost to Village Christian Academy of Fayetteville by a combined score on three ballots of 246-240. Star Award winners, which are awards that competing teams give to each other for best witness and best attorney, were Jay Mullinax (Attorney), Ellie Stout (Witness) and Madelyn Ball (Witness and Attorney). The Best Awards are given by the scoring jurors and the trial judge. Best Attorney award winners were Madelyn Ball and Ellie Stout. The Best Witness award went to Madelyn Ball. The three Best Awards are the most HHS has ever won at a state competition under coaches Jerry Smith and Kathryn Wells. This was sixth team to make it state under Smith.

Tulip Extravaganza under way

ShirleyTulipThe 17th annual Tulip Extravaganza blooms in downtown Hendersonville throughout April, with 8,000-10,000 bulbs bringing color to Main Street. Organized by Barbara Hughes, owner of Narnia Studios at 408 N. Main St., the event includes the week of Passover and Easter. Downtown businesses hope that residents will bring their out-of-town guests for a colorful month of shopping and dining. “The bulbs we planted in the fall should be in full bloom the second and third week of April,” said Master Gardener Scott Johnson. “Lots of tulip leaves and a few tulips are already poking through the flower beds.” In addition, the annual tulip photo contest will occur throughout the month, with the deadline to enter being April 26. Winners of the photo contest will be announced April 30. All photos entered must be taken in downtown Hendersonville.

 

 

 

 

 

 

'Miss Julia' author to appear

AnnBRossCoverThe Henderson County Public Library will host Ann B. Ross for the launch of her latest book, “Miss Julia Takes the Wheel,” 5:30 to 7:30 p.m. Tuesday, April 2, in Kaplan Auditorium of the public library. Copies of her new title will be available for purchase.

 

Capt. Leroy completes management training


Capt. Chris Leroy of the Hendersonville Police Department Criminal Investigations Division has completed the Law Enforcement Executive Program (LEEP) at North Carolina State University. ChrisLeRoyChris LeroyLEEP delivers executive style training to aspiring public safety managers and builds proactive leadership among law enforcement executives that enables them to manage their most critical current and future challenges effectively.
“I consider leadership development and supervisory training as one of my highest priorities as police chief,” said Police Chief Herbert Blake. “We will continue to afford these kinds of excellent professional development opportunities to our staff as they become available.”
The program trains participants to explore current ideas and techniques of public management as they apply to law enforcement agencies; sharpen personal skills necessary to excel as police managers; and step outside daily activities and responsibilities to think creatively about the job of managing a law enforcement agency in increasingly complex, uncertain and changing environments.

Homeowners urge commissioners to oppose NC 191 project

Ten homeowners urged the Henderson County Board of Commissioners last week to join them in opposing the NCDOT’s proposed widening of N.C. 191 from Schoolhouse Road to Mountain Road. Residents said they would favor a three-lane road in that area and not a four-lane divided highway because of the loss of property and increased noise from construction and traffic. They also cited issues of erosion and negative impact on the natural beauty of the area and property values.
Robert Coffey, representing the Ridgeview subdivision, said that the homeowners’ association had committed to fight the widening by starting a petition to call for reassessing and revising the road plan and to address the commission at Wednesday’s meeting. Coffey also expressed concerns over the cost of construction.
“We have read quotes for NCDOT projects that have exceeded the original cost estimates by over 50 percent,” he said. “Reducing the scope of this project to three lanes should be much less costly, so it should be a win-win compromise.”
Commissioner Charlie Messer urged Bill Lapsley to present those concerns to the Transportation Advisory Committee, which Lapsley serves on.
“I will carry the messages I heard today and discuss them with DOT and see if that has any impact on how this board feels about this project,” Lapsley said.