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McDonald touts crime reduction, community engagement

Mills River News

GF Linamar sets sights on $1 billion in sales

MILLS RIVER — Touting their gleaming new plant as an industry-leading supplier of lightweight parts for cars and trucks, officials from GF Linamar snipped a ribbon on the factory to the cheers of 300 invited guests.   Read Story »

Henderson County News

Henson to seek re-election to state House

First-term state Rep. Cody Henson announced Thursday that he is running for re-election for the House District 113 seat he won in 2016.   Read Story »

Henderson County News

Wind not rain poses biggest threat to apple crop

Tropical Storm Nate could ruin the Columbus holiday weekend as far as outdoor activities go and depending on wind velocity could threaten the late-season apple crop in Henderson County. Tracking on a path toward the southern Appalachians starting Sunday, the tropical storm could bring excessive rain and gusty winds, the National Weather Service. Our run of warm dry weather comes to an end Saturday and Sunday, when the rain chance rises to 70 percent. Chance of rain Monday is 100 percent. "I don't expect unless we get a lot of wind that it will be too bad from a crop standpoint," said Terry Kelly, the Henderson County Agriculture Extension office director. "We can use the rain though we certainly can't use 4 inches of rain. As long as it gets in and out of here and doesn't have a lot of wind I think we'll be OK." The apple harvest is winding down, he added, though growers have yet to pick late varieties. Sustained high winds could knock those off, causing substantial losses.       EARLIER STORY: Our run of near perfect fall weather could come to an end this weekend thanks to the approach of a storm brewing in the Gulf of Mexico.   Now a tropical depression, the storm would become Tropical Storm Nate if it strengthens. Forecast cones show that it could reach the Hendersonville area by Sunday night. Cautioning that it's still early, a forecaster with the National Service in Greer, S.C., said the area could see substantial rain. "It’s still too early to say with much confidence that it’s going to impact the area," meteorologist Jake Wimberley said Wedndesday. "It’s still a tropical depression but it is expected to strength as it moves over warm water of the Gulf of Mexico. Beyond that it’s even less certain whether it comes across the Carolinas or goes up to the Tennessee valley. "The forecast cone does have Hendersonville well inside the cone. There’s still room for it to change. Wouldn’t advise people to start making definite plans but it’s pretty likely that it’s going to make landfall somewhere along the mid-Gulf Coast.”Our area would see rain mainly Sunday night and Monday “if it does track as it appears most likely to track” toward the southern mountains. “It could be anywhere from a very small amount and it could be as much as 7 or 8 inches. Officially we don’t have any forecast yet.” A track toward Henderson County combined with wind could make for a big rain. “If it’s a little further west and a lot of upslope wind then Hendersonville and the surrounding area would see tremendous amount of more rainfall than they would if it tracked toward midlands of South Carolina.” In the meantime, enjoy more great weather for a few more days. The forecast calls for sunny skies Thursday after early fog, with a high of 77. Friday should be sunny with a high of 77. There's a 30 percent chance of rain Saturday, with a high of 72, then a 70 percent chance on Sunday and Monday. A chance of showers and thundershowers continues through Tuesday.     Read Story »

Henderson County News

Don't miss this week's Hendersonville Lightning (147)

You won't want to miss this week's Hendersonville Lightning.    Read Story »

Henderson County News

'Little Shop of Horrors' opens Friday

One of the longest running Off Broadway hits of all time makes its Flat Rock Playhouse debut when "Little Shop of Horrors" opens on Friday night. The show is a rock musical and horror comedy that follows the story of down-and-out florist Seymour, who discovers a magical, bloodthirsty plant, that he names after his unrequited love, Audrey. At first, Seymour is frightened by the murderous desires of the plant, but perhaps he can find something good within the bad. Little Shop of Horrors features of a score of musical theater hits like, “Suddenly Seymour,” “Skid Row (Downtown),” and “Somewhere That’s Green.” Based on Roger Corman’s 1960 horror film, the musical was written by Alan Menken (Beauty and the Beast, A Christmas Carol, Newsies) and Howard Ashman (The Little Mermaid and Aladdin). Little Shop of Horrors had a notable premiere Off-Off-Broadway in 1982 followed by a successful Off-Broadway five-year run. In the past 35 years, Little Shop of Horrors has had a film adaptation, been nominated for Drama Desk and Tony awards and has become a staple for regional theaters everywhere. Jeremiah James stars as the love-struck Seymour with Flat Rock Playhouse’s own Resident Lighting Designer CJ Barnwell voicing the infamous bloodthirsty plant. Sharing the stage with James and Barnwell is returning Flat Rock Playhouse favorite, Ryah Nixon, from last year’s "Million Dollar Quartet" and "9 to 5: The Musical," who will be performing the role of Audrey. WTZQ listeners can put a face with a voice when they see radio host Mark Warwick as the dentist, Orin Scrivello. The show also features Preston Dyar, Dorian McCorey, Gia Asperas, Khadijiah Rolle and Christopher D. Kirby. Little Shop of Horrors will be directed by Dave Hart with Christopher D. Kirby serving as Choreographer and Ethan Andersenserving as Music Director. Joining Hart on the production team are Chris Mueller, CJ Barnwell, LeeAnn Deaver and Kurt Conway as the Scenic, Light, Costume and Sound designers respectively. Bill Muñoz will be Stage Manager with Lindsey A. Mossas Assistant Stage Manager. Paul Feraldi is Props Master. The show runs through Oct. 21 at the Flat Rock Playhouse Clyde and Nina Allen Mainstage. Tickets are $15 to $50 and can be purchased by calling the Playhouse box office at 828-693-0731, toll-free at 866-732-8008 or online at www.flatrockplayhouse.org.     Read Story »

Henderson County News

Ask Matt ... who looks after roadside trees

Q. What is happening to the trees next to the Asheville Airport? Are they are dying? The trees in question were planted this year along Ferncliff Park Drive in the shoulder just below the Asheville Airport’s new runway retaining wall. So whose trees are they? NCDOT’s? Mills River’s? The airport’s? Actually, none of the above. The landscaping was done by Sierra Nevada to beautify the entrance to the brewery. Stan Cooper, director of logistics at Sierra Nevada, said the brewery got a planting plan OK’d which included the Forest Pansy Redbud trees. The brewery’s arborist says that most of the plantings are doing well but there are many trees that are discolored.Sierra Nevada will maintain the landscaping along the road. There are some challenges with extensive sunlight, poor soils and ability to properly water the trees but the redbuds should survive. If any do die they will be replaced in the fall. If you are not familiar with the redbud, when the foliage emerges in the spring it is a vibrant red or purple. Q. What is happening on the site of the old IAM facility at the intersection of 3rd Ave. West and Ehringhaus Street in Hendersonville? The Interfaith Assistance Ministry sold the 3.3-acre tract to the Iglesia de Dios - Tiempo de Restauracion (Church of God - Time of Restoration). The 120-member church is led by Antonio and Mayra González. Church services, conducted in Spanish, are being held at their current location on Whitmire Street just off Haywood Road. Iglesia de Dios plans to move to the Ehringhaus Street location by mid-December. Renovations are being made to the interior of the building, particularly to the sanctuary. Q. What’s the status of widening NC 191 in Mills River? Well, it’s on the books. The current NCDOT transportation plan shows NC 191 (Haywood Road) marked for widening beginning at NC 280 in Mills River and ending at Mountain Road with construction beginning in 2023. This 4.4-mile section is actually just the first phase of a larger project to widen Haywood Road all the way into Hendersonville. The last 2.8-mile urban section is not in the funding cycle. With so many homes and businesses close to the road, it will surely be the most difficult. We may not see this happen until the next eclipse. The entire 7.2-mile project is estimated to cost $86 million. In just three years NCDOT is planning to begin right-of-way acquisition and utility relocation on the first phase. * * * * Send questions to askmattm@gmail.com.       Read Story »

Henderson County News

Jailer who saved inmate, tackled shoplifter is honored

Detention officer Joey Garren, who helped save a choking an inmate back in June and tackled a belligerent shoplifter earlier in the year, has been named Detention Officer of the Year Award by the North Carolina Jail Administrators Association.   Read Story »

Henderson County News

Ask Matt ... where SECU is moving

Q. I heard that the old First Union Bank Building at the corner of Asheville Highway and Haywood Road has been sold. Who bought it? Another bank, of course. The building was more recently home to SunTrust Bank but has been vacant for years since SunTrust built a new bank building on Main Street in downtown Hendersonville. The new owner is the State Employees Credit Union. The credit union will relocate its now outgrown main office on Washington Street and Third Avenue next to the County Library. The old SunTrust bank — if you can call it old — will be demolished (except for the vault) and a larger 8,500-square-foot building will be erected on the pie-shaped lot that once also contained the Mountain Aire vacation cottages. Construction is scheduled to begin by the end of the year. Q. What’s going on at the Opportunity House? I see fewer cars parked in front and the site is up for sale. Are they closing? Neither their website nor Facebook page has been updated since May. Jackie Roberts is the organization’s development director and the only paid person at the facility. She has the daunting task of keeping the doors open – figuratively and literally. “Over the past years, revenues have declined and the present model is not sustainable,” says Roberts. Ken Rhoads, president of the Opportunity House Board, has not returned my calls.The building and land is “available” for sale or lease. If sold, the asking price is $2.2 million. In either case, the operation would relocate to a smaller facility. Roberts says that if that happens, the nonprofit will still adhere to four key elements of their stated mission: cultural, social, educational and recreational endeavors. I heard from another source that a possible new direction for the organization would be to build and operate a business development center, perhaps similar to Biz 611, at 611 N. Church St. Roberts said that the Opportunity House was once more of a craft center but over time became a senior center. Even so, no one plays cards there anymore because players won’t pay the higher room rates needed to keep the facility operating. The Music Academy is the biggest revenue producer in the building. The loss of clients renting space has delayed needed maintenance work.The Opportunity House was born 60 years ago in a local church as a place where folks could learn and share new hobbies and crafts. In the 1980s, it moved to a former A&P Grocery store at 1411 Asheville Highway. In its heyday, the Opportunity House offered classes in stained glass, crocheting, dancing, painting, and ceramics, just to name a few. They even had a singles group that met there. The center supported itself by renting rooms to bridge players, potters, woodcarvers and other craftspeople. Weekend birthday parties were not uncommon.I am of the opinion that the decline in use is partly due to competition from private craft businesses and perhaps even the County’s Athletics and Activity Center which rents rooms to local groups. The Opportunity House will have to reinvent itself or fold its tent. Roberts said that if the right client came in tomorrow with a long-term commitment, the sign in front may be pulled. I suspect that it will take a lot more than the return of bridge and pinochle players to make that happen. Q. We used to have separate bins for metal, paper, plastic, etc. at the Henderson County Convenience Center. Now it’s all mixed together. Why the switch? The new system, called “single stream,” went into effect in July. So why the change? “Efficiency,” says Rachel Kipar, the County’s Environmental Programs Coordinator. “Now we can move gondola trailers full of recycles whenever they are full and not have to wait for individual trailers.” Kipar also said that when new compactors are installed at the landfill later this year, there will be monetary savings due to fewer trailer hauls to the recycling facility in Asheville. The County received $45,500 in state grants to ease the change to single stream.What’s changed at the Stoney Mountain Road Convenience Center is that all those separate bins (mixed paper, plastic, cardboard, and metal) have been reduced to just two – one for glass and one for everything else. Glass is hauled to Georgia. Sadly, in the recycling market, glass brings little revenue and its highest value comes if it’s separated from other recyclables. Hendersonville’s curbside collection will still take glass, but if you really, really want to help the solid waste system, save your glass for a trip to the Convenience Center. * * *Send questions to askmattm@gmail.com.     Read Story »

Hendersonville News

HHS to induct six into Hall of Fame

Two popular longtime teachers, a second-generation city car dealer, a Realtor and National Guard commander, an international peace negotiator and the voice of the national football champion Clemson Tigers are going into Hendersonville High School's Hall of Fame.   Read Story »

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