News

Students Take a Stand Against Substance Abuse Through “We Are Hope” Week
HENDERSONVILLE, N.C. (March 21, 2019) – In partnership with HopeRx, students in Henderson County Public Schools’ four middle and six high schools are taking a public stand against substance abuse during the week-long “We Are Hope” campaign April 8-12, just before Spring Break. The campaign – and the students leading the substance abuse awareness events in their schools – were formally recognized Wednesday, March 20, by Henderson County Commissioners.    

It's the fifth year the schools’ student government organizations and leaders have organized the campaign with HopeRx, and community agencies are showing increasing support for the initiative. Since the first “We Are Hope” Week in 2015, the Henderson County Sheriff’s Office, Henderson County EMS, The Free Clinics, Blue Ridge Health, AdventHealth, and Champion Comfort Experts have increased their active participation in the annual campaigns.

As in years past, “We Are Hope” Week will include assemblies at each school featuring HopeRx-sponsored speakers who have either personally overcome substance abuse or seen firsthand the devastating effects of addiction. Daily awareness activities will stress the importance of remaining substance free, and high school leaders are collaborating with their feeder middle schools’ student leaders to lead activities for the younger students.

Throughout the campaign, students at each school will sign pledge banners and flags bearing the school’s mascot and a pledge to be substance free, sponsored by AdventHealth, Champion Comfort Experts, and Hendersonville Rotary Club.

Julie Huneycutt, director of HopeRx, said 2019 “We Are Hope” T-shirts will be printed for student leaders planning the campaigns at their schools, and #WeAreHope stickers will be provided for all students who sign a banner or flag to remain substance free. Annually requested by student leaders, white ribbons will be provided for students to tie around trees, bannisters, and throughout school campuses to represent the purity of the pledge.

“This year, Superintendent Bo Caldwell has declared Wednesday, April 10, 'White-out Wednesday’ during We Are Hope Week. Students and faculty are encouraged to wear white showing support to remain clean and substance free,” Huneycutt said. “Area businesses and organizations are invited to join with the schools in wearing white and to share their pics on social media with the hashtags #WeAreHope and #WhiteOutWednesday,” she said.

Students will sign the banners and flags throughout the week of April 8-12, and “We Are Hope” Week will culminate at 12 p.m. Friday, April 12, when the six high school banners will be hung from the Henderson County Historic Courthouse pillars, and the four middle school flags will be planted in the ground around the Courthouse.

About HopeRx

Superior Court Judge Robert Bell has removed public defender Paul Welch as the lead counsel for Phillip Michael Stroupe, delaying his May trial indefinitely, District Attorney Greg Newman said Wednesday.  

The new lead counsel for Stroupe is attorney Mark Melrose of Waynesville. His co-counsel will continue to be Forest City attorney Sarah Ziomek. She was appointed in 2017 to assist in representing Stroupe.

A new trial date has not been determined at this time.

“Naturally, we are disappointed that we cannot proceed to trial in May,” Newman said. “We have already issued witness subpoenas and several people have made travel arrangements for the month of May.

“The reason for this latest development cannot be made known publicly, but the new lead trial counsel is very experienced and I look forward to working with him in the case.

“I foresee a delay of several more months, but sometimes these things cannot be avoided. The judge has to do everything within his power to preserve the integrity of the trial process. I trust the judge’s decision on this issue and we will be ready to present our evidence whenever the defense team is ready to proceed.”

Stroupe remains in custody under no bond.

Welch is a Brevard attorney who has practiced law for 38 years. He was appointed as the public defender for Judicial District 29B in 2007.

COUNTY COMMISSIONERS WILL LEAVE IT UP TO SHERIFF LOWELL GRIFFIN WHETHER OR NOT TO CONTINUE THE 287-G PROGRAM.  THE SHERIFF ADDRESSED THE ISSUE WITH THE FOLLOWING STATEMENT WEDNESDAY MORNING AT THE COUNTY COMMISSIONERT'S MEETING:

:Mr. Chairman, Commissioners, Mr. Wyatt and staff, it has come to my attention that there have been conversations, questions, and even petitions concerning the Federal 287(g) program. The content of most of these questions and conversations detail misinformation associated with the program and Immigration and Customs Enforcement, commonly known as I.C.E. Recent developments across North Carolina have served as a catalyst to fuel debate resulting in public misinformation. I would like to take this opportunity to set the record straight concerning operations in Henderson County.

First and foremost, it is imperative that we recognize there is a difference between honoring a detainer placed on a criminal alien by I.C.E. and contracting with the federal government to assist in identifying criminal illegal aliens as outlined in section 287(g) of 8 USC 1357.

Detainers are issued by federal officials from I.C.E. The detainers that are transmitted to a local agency, typically via fax, are the result of the identification of a criminal alien after they are arrested and processed into a local jail. During any arrest process, certain biometric information, such as fingerprints, are obtained and submitted to the state and federal government electronically. I.C.E. may use this information to discover that an alien has a previous history with I.C.E., or the criminal justice system, and choose to place a detainer on the person for deportation proceedings. I.C.E. will then transmit a detainer to the county jail where officers have the authority to place a hold on the criminal alien for I.C.E. Once the person detained has met the conditions of release concerning the state charges for which they were initially arrested, I.C.E. has 48 hours to take custody of the detainee. This process does not only apply to counties with a 287(g) contract, it applies nationwide. Some Sheriff’s in North Carolina have made the decision not to honor the federal detainers. Only 4 counties in N.C. have a 287(g) contract with a total of only 78 counties nationwide participating in the 287(g) program.

The key point to the federal detainers is that the detainee is identified due to their biometric identifiers being in the system from a previous investigation or arrest. An illegal immigrant who has not had prior contact with I.C.E., or the criminal justice system, will not have identifiers in the system.

The 287(g) program is mistakenly used synonymously with the federal detainers. The 287(g) is an act of the federal government which allows local agencies to partner with I.C.E. in identifying and detaining criminal aliens. This program only allows the Henderson County Sheriff’s Office to identify an illegal alien ONLY AFTER THEY HAVE BEEN ARRESTED AND BROUGHT INTO THE JAIL ON STATE CHARGES. The Henderson County Sheriff’s Office has no authority to even ascertain the immigration status of an individual in the field, and certainly no authority to detain an illegal immigrant in the field. The authority of the Henderson County 287(g) officers rests SOLELY WITHIN THE WALLS OF THE JAIL.

Under the current 287(g) contract, the Henderson County Sheriff’s Office has the authority to identify and place detainers on criminal illegal immigrants. Only officers that are certified and deputized by I.C.E. can place these self-initiated detainers. These officers must travel and spend over a month out of state training at the Federal Law Enforcement Training Center to be able to identify and place a hold on an illegal immigrant. The initial training is followed up by annual in-service training that must be completed by all 287(g) officers.

The identification of aliens and creation of detainers in house can take from 2 to 12 hours to accomplish. The research and background checks that must be accomplished leading up to the placement of a detainer is extremely time consuming. This very act can be redundant as many times the 287(g) officer will spend valuable time identifying an alien only to have I.C.E. officials transmit a detainer through the process described previously.
The 287(g) process is burdensome to the operation of the jail and taxpayers as federal government provides NO funding for the program in Henderson County. The only funds that the program could provide is for housing and transportation, which go hand in hand. Henderson County is no longer able to contract to house federal inmates due to our rising jail population and the lack of available bed space.
Currently I.C.E. has agents assigned in Henderson County that work hand in hand with our jail officers. We will continue to maintain a strong working relationship with these federal I.C.E. agents assigned to Henderson County. I believe the most efficient way to pursue the criminal aliens in our area is to work directly with federal I.C.E. agents.

I will sum this up with a few points:

I.C.E. detainers are placed on criminal aliens regardless of participation in the 287(g) program and Henderson County will continue to honor these detainers.
The 287(g) program is burdensome to local taxpayers. There is no funding for the local program from the federal government and continuing the current contract will require additional county funding.
Regardless of the 287(g) program, the Henderson County Sheriff’s Office has no authority, and has never had the authority, to participate in any I.C.E operations outside the walls of the jail.
The Henderson County Sheriff’s Office only becomes involved in matters of immigration status after the person has been charged with a state crime and is committed to the Henderson County Jail.
Federal I.C.E Agents are assigned in Henderson County and work routinely with the Henderson County Jail Officers.

The most efficient way to identify the criminal illegal aliens in Henderson County is to work directly with the federal I.C.E. agents and support them as they investigate and detain criminal aliens.

In closing, I want to express that I intend to serve ALL the people of Henderson County. My priority will always be to keep the people safe and focus on getting the criminals off our streets. I refuse to offer sanctuary to the CRIMINAL ELEMENT of any demographic. The surest way to keep the Henderson County Sheriff’s Office from looking into a person’s background, including their immigration status, is to avoid committing a crime that will bring them into the Henderson County Jail.

Sheriff Lowell S. Griffin

Fletcher’s Easter Egg-Stravaganza Scheduled for April 13th!    

Fletcher’s Easter Egg-Stravaganza Scheduled for April 13th!Join the Fletcher Parks and Recreation Department at Bill Moore Community Park on Saturday,

April 13th, for the Town of Fletcher’s Easter Egg-Stravaganza! This event will feature children
inflatables, face painting, crafts, photos with the bunny and more!

Our annual egg hunt, for children 11 & under, will feature over 10,000 eggs! To participate, all
children must be able to walk on their own. Participants should take note, this year’s egg hunt
schedule will have different times for different age groups. All egg hunts will take place on the
soccer field. Please see the schedule below.

Egg Hunt Schedule
Ages 2 & under – 12:15 p.m.
Ages 3-4 – 12:30 p.m.
Ages 5-6 – 12:45 p.m.
Ages 7-8 – 1:00 p.m.
Ages 9-11 – 1:15 p.m.
All activities will run from 12 p.m. – 2 p.m. Baabals Ice Cream and Cane Creek Dogs hot dogs
will be available for purchase!

This event is sponsored by State Farm Agent, Tabatha Hamlin, United Federal Credit Union,
Pepsi, and Fletcher Library.

For more information on Fletcher’s Easter Egg-Stravaganza!, please visit
www.FletcherParks.org or call (828) 687-0751.

City of Hendersonville Receives Funding to Make Water and Sewer Upgrades
March 20, 2019

The City of Hendersonville is pleased to announce that funding has been approved to complete water and wastewater improvement projects in the Ashe Street neighborhood and along Fourth Avenue East.

On Tuesday, March 19, 2019, Governor Roy Cooper released a list of 96 projects from across the state that are set to receive $127 million in loans and grants. The City of Hendersonville was approved for a loan from the Drinking Water State Revolving Fund in the amount of $812,000 and a loan from the Clean Water State Revolving Fund in the amount of $1.8 million.

“These areas have been in our Capital Improvement Plan for a number of years,” said City Engineer Brent Detwiler. He explained the existing water and sewer infrastructure in the Ashe Street neighborhood is aging and a replacement of the lines will improve the system and minimize the frequency with which crews are making repairs in the area.

The project description for the sewer infrastructure portion also includes rerouting and replacing portions of a sewer line that runs along Fourth Avenue East toward Jackson Park. Undersized and aging clay sewer mains will be replaced in addition to the replacement of aging brick manholes. A section of a “cross country” sewer main that receives significant infiltration and inflow will be abandoned and re-rerouted within public roadway right-of-way.

These replacement projects exist in areas of downtown that are ripe for commercial and residential revitalization. The plans are preliminary at this point, and City Engineer Brent Detwiler explained that once the city receives an official letter from the state, it is typically two years before construction will begin on the projects.

“Clean water is critical for our health and our economy,” said Governor Cooper in a release. “These funds will help communities improve their water and sewer systems to ensure clean drinking water, support good jobs, and be better able to withstand future storms.”

The press release from the Governor’s Office can be accessed at https://governor.nc.gov/news/nc-communities-get-127-million-improve-water-and-sewer-systems-protect-clean-water

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Allison Nock

IN THEIR MEETING ON WEDENESDAY COMMISSIONERS HEARD MORE        

 Residents are continuing to express their opposition to n a plan to widen a road in Mills River.

The plan calls for expanding a four-and-a-half-mile section of Highway 191, also known as Haywood Road, to four lanes.

On Wednesday, residents brought their concerns to the commissioners meeting, claiming the Department of Transportation is simply not listening to their concerns.

Those residents are also upset at the Board of Commissioners who, they say, has closed their minds to the concerns of residents.

The residents claim the NCDOT and the Henderson County Board of Commissioners has ignored their research which they claim shows a three-lane widening would better fit the proposed corridor between Mountain Road and state road 280.

The Department of Transportation plans to turn the corridor into a four-lane roadway, including a 10-foot multi-use path between Ruby Middle School and West Henderson High School.

The NCDOT has said traffic is too high on the current corridor and the crash rate is about 35-percent higher than the state average on similar roads.

The plan was altered to affect fewer properties along the corridor in the spring of 2018.

Property acquisition is expected to begin later this year at a cost of $7.5 million.

Construction is expected to begin in 2021

Hendersonville Police Captain Completes Executive Law Enforcement Program   

Captain Chris Leroy of the Hendersonville Police Department Criminal Investigations Division has completed the Law Enforcement Executive Program (LEEP) offered at North Carolina State University. LEEP 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.”

Based on participants’ previous education and experience, LEEP assumes those who enroll already have good basic managerial skills and a strong working knowledge of North Carolina local government and police services. LEEP builds on this foundation to enable 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. LEEP also provides participants with tools that will help them resolve issues that arise on a day-to-day basis. The LEEP Program is designed to ensure officers can apply new skills developed in the program when they return to their agencies.

The Hendersonville Police Department congratulates Captain Leroy on this achievement.

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Roy Williams was named the USA Today Sports National Coach of the Year, the publication announced on Tuesday morning.

The North Carolina men's basketball head coach has guided his team to a 27-6 mark on the season, including a 16-2 record in ACC play. UNC won a share of the ACC regular season title, along with Virginia, and finished a perfect 9-0 in conference play on the road for the first time in program history.

After the conclusion of the regular season, Williams finished third in ACC Coach of the Year voting behind Virginia's Tony Bennett and Virginia Tech's Buzz Williams.

Williams, in his 16th year at the helm of his alma mater, guided UNC to the 2019 ACC Tournament semifinals before falling to Duke, 74-73. North Carolina was rewarded with a No. 1 seed in the Midwest Region for the 2019 NCAA Tournament. It was the eighth time Williams has coached North Carolina to a No. 1 seed. He also accomplished the feat five times while at Kansas.

Williams, who was an eight-time National Coach of the Year coming into this season, has posted a 451-132 record at UNC. His 869 wins rank seventh all-time.

One week left to register for free Quit Tobacco series  

Don’t pass up this opportunity to make spring
your season to quit tobacco. The Department of Public Health is offering a free tobacco
cessation program to anyone who would like to quit smoking, dipping, chewing or
vaping.  

The series begins March 26 and will meet on Tuesdays for seven weeks from 5:30 -
7:00 p.m. at the Department of Public Health, located at 1200 Spartanburg Highway in
Hendersonville.

A trained facilitator will lead discussions to explore practical ways to reduce the urge to
use tobacco, handle friends and family who continue to use tobacco, build healthful new
habits and other practical tips. Quit Day is during week four with support and additional
tips to follow.

“Spring is a great time for new beginnings including quitting tobacco. Participants will
benefit from the resources and great support of others,” said Beverly Clark, smoking
cessation facilitator. “Quitting with a group helps because individuals share challenges
they are facing and discuss strategies that have worked.”

The series, a resource book and materials are free, but preregistration is required. To
register or for more information, call (828) 694-6065 or email
This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it..

Community Invited to Berrian All-County Orchestra Spring Festival

Led by guest conductor Jennie Quinn, 7th and 8th grade
students in Henderson County Public Schools’ four middle school orchestras will come together in a spirit
of collaboration for the annual Berrian All-County Orchestra Spring Festival on Tuesday, March 26, at
Blue Ridge Community College.

Featuring middle school musicians in the spring, and high schoolers in the fall, the annual concerts are
named in honor of Dr. Mae Adele Berrian, an historic honoree of the Henderson County Education
Foundation who willed a large sum of money to the Foundation to start the long-term Berrian Fund for
the HCPS strings programs.

Each year, the festivals provide the district's orchestra programs the opportunity to learn from and be
inspired by talented professional clinicians, improve their craft by playing challenging music selections,
and give back to the community by performing a free concert.

This year, the middle school festival will feature musical selections by Deborah Baker Monday, Carold
Nunez, Brian Balmages, Soon Hee Newbold, and Richard Meyer. The orchestra this year will be led by
one of the district’s own orchestra directors; Quinn currently serves as orchestra director for Flat Rock
Middle and East Henderson High schools.

Prior to teaching in HCPS, Quinn served as orchestra director for Shelby Intermediate and Shelby Middle
Schools for 12 years. In her time teaching in North Carolina, Quinn has served as Chair of the Junior
Western Regional Orchestra Auditions, Co-Chair of the Western Regional Music Performance
Adjudication, and Western Regional Orchestra Chair. She also founded the Shelby Fiddlin’ Devils, an
extracurricular group that performed different styles of fiddle music. Quinn holds a Bachelor's of Music
Education from Eastern Michigan University and a Master's of Executive School Leadership from
Gardner-Webb University.

The Berrian All-County Orchestra Spring Festival will take place in the Technology Education &
Development Center at Blue Ridge Community College on Tuesday, March 26, at 7 p.m. Annually a
standing-room-only event, attendees are encouraged to arrive early to secure parking and seating.
As always, the concert is free to the public, though donations will be accepted by the Education
Foundation to continue support of the HCPS strings program through its Berrian Fund.
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414 Fourth Avenue Wes