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Four Seasons Politics

McDonald thanks commissioners for OK on training center

Henderson County Four Seasons Politics

Ward comes out against Balfour Parkway

Don Ward, a candidate for the District 4 seat on the Henderson County Board of Commissioners, has come out against the Balfour Parkway, the proposed $160 million bypass that has triggered broad opposition from homeowners in its path. “The Balfour Parkway, a proposed four-lane expressway connecting N.C. Highway 191 and U.S. Route 64, would impact hundreds of homeowners and disrupt entire communities,” Ward said in a statement on Tuesday. “The homes of hundreds of county residents would be destroyed should this project be approved and homeowners are justified in their concerns of adequate compensation as well as negative impact on property values close to the project but not directly in its path. There are also legitimate concerns of possible effects to the local economy as well as the county tax base. Many feel they have not been adequately informed of the proposed project and many feel it is not needed.”
He said “stands firmly against the Balfour Parkway project (and) supports county residents and homeowners 100 percent in their opposition to this project and pledges to stand with them in protecting their homes and property.”     Read Story »

Henderson County Four Seasons Politics

County finds 'remote site' for training center, kills BRCC option

The Henderson County Board of Commissioners has identified land in "an extremely remote location" for a new law enforcement training center, eliminating an expensive indoor shooting range, moving the facility far away from Blue Ridge Community College and snuffing out a potential political in the upcoming sheriff's primary election. Commissioners first authorized an indoor training center under an acre of roof at BRCC at a cost of $20 million. But controversy over the cost, the need and the location among high school and BRCC students led commissioners last spring to direct administrators to look at other options and cut the cost.  "Since that time, we basically surveyed the county," County Manager Steve Wyatt said of the hunt for property that he, County Engineer Marcus Jones and Sheriff Charlie McDonald undertook. "We have identified a site and we have secured the right to purchase that site. The potential is there for a tremendous cost reduction as well as a site relocation, free up the community college site for community college use." Wyatt projected construction cost at $3.66 million for an outdoor range and indoor training facility and a total cost of  $4.3 million to $5.9 million counting the land purchase. That would mean a savings overall of about $22 million compared to the cost of the facility at BRCC including interest on debt. The county plans to pay cash for the new center. Neighbors aren't likely to notice the training center, Wyatt said. "The real impact folks in this neighborhood would see are police officers," Wyatt said. "You may not even know it's there except you would see black and white (police) units going there." The scaled-back facility also fits the need for training on protecting schools from violence. "The indoor training center will be able to configure in such a way to mimic frankly buildings" that the sheriff's office protects, Wyatt said. It could mock up school classrooms and school entrances, for instance, "to give real time training" in school safety. The facility also could ultimately be used for a backup 911 center. Commissioner Grady Hawkins said the center fulfilled a commitment the board made several years ago to construct a training center, starting with the use of $3.4 million it got for the sale of the Bent Creek property to Buncombe County. Although the county ended up spending most of that money for artificial turf at three county high schools, the county has since accumulated enough money from a 1-cent tax increase to cover this new capital cost, Hawkins said. Commissioner Bill Lapsley, who strongly opposed the $20 million cost of the original indoor center, praised administrators and the sheriff for substantially cutting the cost. City police departments within Henderson County would be able to use the center at no cost, Wyatt said, while agencies outside the county would pay rental or facility fees. Lowell Griffin, a Republican running against McDonald in the May 8 primary, had called the training center a waste of money and pledged to shift that amount to school safety. After the board voted unanimously in favor of the cheaper option, Chairman Michael Edney asked McDonald whether he wanted to make any comments. The sheriff, who was seated in the back of the assembly room, declined.   Read Story »

Hendersonville Four Seasons Politics

LIGHTNING PHOTOS: Hundreds march for school safety and gun control

Hundreds of people of all ages marched from Hendersonville High School to the Historic Courthouse on Saturday morning as smalltown Hendersonville joined cities across the world in an extraordinary moment of protest in favor of protecting kids in schools and condemning gun violence. Carrying signs that said "Protect Kids Not Guns," "Thoughts and Prayers Are Not Enough," "Pencils Not Pistols" and "Grab 'Em By the Midterms," the chain of protesters filled five or six blocks of Main Street as it slowly made its way eight blocks to the courthouse plaza.Organizers and those who attended said they were stunned at the turnout in cool weather under overcast skies. There were not counterprotests and incidents along the route. Hendersonville police deployed a crossing guard at Church Street at Bearcat Bouleward and kept watch during the march. "We're tired of going into our schools and just not feeling safe for fear of gun violence," said Liam Daniels, 16, of Tryon. Daniels was with a dozen or more classmates from his school, the Outdoor Academy in Brevard, who had donned bright orange safety vests for the event. "I'm here because it's our safety that's at risk because of their not having any gun regulations," said Mia Prausnite Weinbaum, an Outdoor Academy student from Atlanta. Across the world, protesters carried signs, chanted and marched in solidarity with the young students from Parkland High School in South Florida spurred to activism by the slaughter of their classmates and teachers at their school on Valentines Day. "I was impressed to see all the kids here because it's all about the next generation, isn't it?" said Ann Commito, who is from Frederick, Maryland, and was visiting friends here. "They're going to be voting soon. I think it's frankly amazing. This shows you how important this is to everybody. It's not a Democrat or Republican issue as much as it's a public safety issue."   THIS IS A DEVELOPING STORY. RETURN TO THE LIGHTNING FOR MORE.   Read Story »

Henderson County Four Seasons Politics

POLITICS BRIEFS: Training center, lunch & learn, Democratic convention

Did Grady Hawkins just offer Sheriff Charlie McDonald cover to recast the purpose (and slash the cost) of a controversial training center?   Read Story »

Henderson County Four Seasons Politics

Budget 'embraces polar opposite' of conservative goals, Meadows says

U.S. Rep. Mark Meadows, leader of the Freedom Caucus, ripped the $1.3 trillion budget that the House passed on Thursday, saying the spending plan "flatly rejects" promises conservative Republicans made to voters. Here's his statement Meadows issued Thursday: This omnibus is nowhere close to what Republicans promised to fight for. When the American people sent us to Congress, their message was loud and their mandate clear: Secure the border; Repeal and replace Obamacare; Protect Second Amendment rights from bureaucrats in Washington; Defund Planned Parenthood; Cut wasteful spending; ‘Drain the swamp’ and change the unsustainable way Washington, D.C. does business. This budget embraces the polar opposite of these principles. We are not funding the wall. We are putting Second Amendment rights at risk. We are failing to provide families relief from Obamacare. We are still sending taxpayer dollars to Planned Parenthood. We are not cutting federal funds to sanctuary cities. We are growing the size of government at a break-neck pace. And we are doing all of this through a 2,300 page spending bill, written privately by four leadership members, that became public only 24 hours ago. This is wrong. This is not the limited government conservatism our voters demand. Our constituents—our employers—deserve better. Republicans in Congress today were faced with a choice: Vote ‘yes’ and fund the military while embracing record levels of spending with a list of unfulfilled promises; or vote no, go back to the drawing board, and get to work on a real proposal, with a real process, that funds our troops and actually fights to deliver the bill of goods that we promised the American people. Members of the Freedom Caucus chose to vote no, because this omnibus doesn’t just forget the promises we made to voters—it flatly rejects them.   Read Story »

Hendersonville Four Seasons Politics

Student-led March for Our Lives set for Saturday

After the Parkland High School shootings, Ashleigh Jackson started seeing talk about school safety locally on social media sites.“I saw a family who really wanted to protest as a family and they have some elementary age kids,” she said. “A lot of people were saying some really rude things to them. I told them if you guys are serious I will start this up.”That’s now Jackson took on the leadership role in Saturday’s March for our Lives in Hendersonville. Students, parents and others plan to gather at 11 a.m. outside the Hendersonville High School auditorium and march on Main Street to the Historic Courthouse. After that, there will be a congregation at Sanctuary Brewery “for anyone and everyone who wants to express their opinions,” organizers said in a Facebook posting.
“I just think there were a lot of students and people in the community who wanted to stand up in Hendersonville,” said Jackson. “I met a group of students in Hendersonville who were eager to march but a lot of them didn’t want the responsibility of leading it. I think it’s important. I have worked hard to keep it about school safety vs. making it about the gun divide.”She said people have asked her what they should write on their signs.“I’ve just given them the freedom to put whatever they want on their signs,” she said. “When I have talked about it, I’ve made it about school safety.”A Facebook site and a March for Our Lives website indicate around 120 people have said they plan to march.“But I have also seen people who say they someone who hasn’t signed up that I know are coming,” she said.A 2015 graduate of East Henderson High School, Jackson, 20, works fulltime as a preschool teacher and attends Blue Ridge Community College. She marched in the Philadelphia women’s march and has participated in other protests.“We just want all community members to feel welcome and feel free to say whatever they want to say,” she said.     Read Story »

Henderson County Four Seasons Politics

Blue wave more like a ripple, GOP is told

Republican leaders in Washington sweat about a blue tide in November. Talking heads on (non-Fox) cable TV news predict Democrats will take control of Congress. Court rulings threaten legislative maps gerrymandered to ensure a supermajority of safe seats for the Republican Party. The leader of the party is a polarizing figure who infuriates opponents and bewilders allies with a steady stream of White House tweets.   Read Story »

Henderson County Four Seasons Politics

4 SEASONS POLITICS: Forums set, Progressive Women, student walk

Forums set for sheriff, D.A., commission seat   The Henderson County Republican Party along with the Republican Women’sClub  and Men’s Club will host these primary candidate forums (all at 7 p.m.): Tuesday, April 10, Community Room in the Historic Courthouse. District Attorney Greg Newman and challenger Mary Ann Hollocker. Thursday, April 12, Community Room of the Historic Courthouse. District 4 County Commission candidates Don Ward and Rebecca McCall. Tuesday April 17, Bo Thomas Auditorium, BRCC, Sheriff Charlie McDonald and challenger Lowell Griffin.    Progressive Women focus on gun control Gun control was the subject of the First Friday Focus at Sanctuary Brewing Co. sponsored by Progressive Women of Hendersonville. The group that included high school students wrote more than 700 postcards in favor of gun safety regulations and against arming public school teachers and thanking corporations that have severed ties with the National Rifle Association. John Owens, a member of Moms Demand Action and a victim of gun violence, answered questions about the goals of Moms Demand Action. The event had been planned before the February mass shooting at Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School, where a student killed 17 people and injured 16. PWH has been hosting postcard writing events for over a year on Fridays at Sanctuary Brewing Co. More than 13,000 postcards have been mailed. Local artists have designed the postcards. Postage and the cost of the postcards are provided through donations. Recently, the group decided to expand the postcard writing to include First Friday Focus where people impacted by current issues attend to facilitate citizen involvement. On Friday, April 6, the focus will be the environment. Representatives from groups who focus on protecting the environment Mountain True and Citizens’ Climate Lobby will attend to answer questions. Postcard parties are still held every Friday from 4 p.m. to 7 p.m. NCDOT engineer is guest at GOP breakfast Jonathan Woodward, senior engineer for NCDOT District 14, will be guest speaker at the Republican Party breakfast gathering at 7:30 a.m. Saturday, March 17, at the Dixie Diner in Laurel Park. A 1995 graduate of N.C. State University with a degree in civil engineering, Woodward has worked for the NCDOT for 20 years. He will talk about potential road improvements to Henderson County.  Ward announces campaign committee Don Ward, candidate for the District 4 Board of Commissioners seat, announced the appointment of his campaign steering committee, chaired by Shuford Edmisten, president of Forest Lawn Memorial Park. Other steering committee members are Fletcher Town Council member Sheila Franklin, School Board member, Blair Craven, Shaw’s Creek Baptist Church Pastor Jerry Mullinax, former Mills River Town Council member Billy Johnston and his wife, Nancy, interior designer Meghan Penny, retired teacher Rosemary Pace, Sara Boyd Grant, who works in radiation technology at Pardee UNC Health Care, Valley Hill Fire and Rescue Chief Tim Garren and his wife, Lori, who is a director of nursing, retired county Code Enforcement Officer Sam Laughter, Nancy Randall, who is retired, Tony Hill of Apple Ridge Farms, former Mills River Mayor Larry Freeman and grower Kirby Johnson of Flavor 1st and Johnson Family Farm. Incumbent Tommy Thompson is not running for re-election. Since no Democrat has filed, the winner of the Republican primary on May 8 would win the seat barring an unprecedented write-in campaign. Meadows seeks appropriation for school resource officers   U.S. Rep. Mark Meadows says more money for school resource officers — not gun control — is the best way to protect schools. Meadows introduced two bills last week to enhance school security after the mass shooting at Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School in Parkland, Florida. “Our country is in the midst of a defining moment where we have an opportunity to come together and develop common-sense solutions to safeguard our children in school,” Meadows said in a statement. One bill would appropriate $1.5 billion through the Community Oriented Policing Services (COPS) for school resource officers. A second bill, the Veterans Securing Schools Act, would allow state or local veterans to serve as school resource officers. North Carolina has a similar law allowing school districts and local sheriffs to set up a volunteer SROs program. Rockingham County Sheriff Sam Page announced plans Feb. 28 to set up such a program, with the support of state House Speaker Tim Moore, R-Cleveland, and Senate leader Phil Berger, R-Rockingham. “While gun control is not the answer, the best and most effective path forward, I believe, is one that safeguards our schools from becoming ‘soft targets,’ or areas with little to stand in the way of someone with bad intentions,” Meadows said. Henderson County Sheriff Charles McDonald expressed support for the bills. “As counties like ours look at the myriad of options to improve school safety, this initial funding for School Resource Officers is a great step to ensure that our local governments have access to the funding they need should they determine that increased officer presence is one facet of the strategy they want to adopt,” he said in a statement. — LINDSAY MARCHELLO, Carolina Journal League forum focuses on substance abuse Substance abuse and addiction, from alcohol to opioids, has reached epidemic proportions across the country and here in Henderson County, health care and law enforcement officials say. According to the Henderson County Sheriff’s Office, 75 percent of those in jail are suffering with an addiction problem. Substance abuse and addiction are vital health concerns. Drug overdose is the number one cause of accidental poisoning deaths. The League of Women Voters Henderson County will focus on the subject with a program at 4 p.m. Thursday, March 22, at the Kaplan Auditorium in the Public Library, 301 N. Washington Street. Julie Huneycutt, director of HopeRX, and Maj. Frank Stout of the Henderson County Sheriff’s Office will speak. The program is free and open to the public. For more information visit www.lwvhcnc.org or email communications.lwvhc.com@gmail.com High school students plan walk on March 24 High school students plan to march on behalf of school safety at 11 a.m. Saturday, March 24, from Hendersonville High School to the Historic Courthouse. The student-led march is a peaceful protest to let surrounding people know that students care about issues of school safety and gun control. All students are welcome. McDonald opens campaign headquarters The Committee to Re-elect Sheriff Charles McDonald has opened its campaign headquarters at 822 Locust St., Suite 400, in the Historic Seventh Avenue District. Hours of operation are 10 a.m.-2 p.m. and 4-6 p.m. Monday and 10 a.m.-2 p.m. on Saturdays. Yard signs, bumper stickers and all campaign materials are available for pick up. Tickets for the campaign’s March 24 Bluegrass and BBQ fundraiser are also available. For information call 828-595-0617.   Read Story »

Henderson County Four Seasons Politics

SCHOOL SAFETY: 'They're asking parents to parent'

Propelled into action by the Parkland High School shootings and a rise in threats to schools here, Henderson County Sheriff Charlie McDonald, elected officials, school administrators and parents on Thursday announced broad and aggressive strategies to make schools safe.   Read Story »

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