listen live
Beau Lovelace

ON AIR STAFF
Beau Lovelace
full schedule

on the air
clear sky 58° Mar 28's Weather
Clear
HI: 62° LOW: 54°
Your Forecast

News

The City of Hendersonville Public Works Department is updating Hendersonville's Parks and Greenspace Master Plan. This plan will establish a vision and blueprint for future parks, greenways, and greenspaces in the City of Four Seasons. Community members are invited to provide their ideas in a community survey. 

The Parks and Greenspace survey is available at https://www.publicinput.com/cohparks and will be open until the end of the year. 

Hendersonville's Parks and Greenspace Master Plan will prioritize the Parks Division's funding and resources, review staffing, and envision where and what types of parks, greenspaces, and greenways will be needed in Hendersonville in the future. The original plan was produced and adopted by City Council in 2011. An update to the plan is currently underway and expected to be adopted in the summer of 2024. 

The City of Hendersonville is also in the process of updating its Comprehensive Plan, which helps inform future land use including the development of parks and green space. The information provided by the community in the Gen H Comprehensive Plan survey provides high-level input, but by filling out the Parks & Greenspace survey, the public can provide more specific ideas and feedback on individual parks and greenspaces.

Additional information and a link to the survey is available at www.hvlnc.gov/cohparks.  

The City of Hendersonville’s Water & Sewer utility was awarded a 14.75-million dollar check by Representative Jennifer Balkcom at the City Council’s November 20th Special Call Meeting. These funds will be designated for solids management improvements to promote resiliency, sustainability, and cost savings to the utility by constructing a new Biosolids Thermal Drying Facility, and a Water Treatment Residuals Storage Building. 

“We are grateful to receive this funding that will be put towards projects in our capital improvement plan,” said City Manager John Connet. “These projects will make our water and wastewater treatment operations more resilient and sustainable and will translate to future savings for our utility customers.”  

The request was made by Representative Jennifer Balkcom and was strongly supported by Senator Tim Moffitt. The funding was a direct appropriation from the NC General Assembly as part of the state budget process. Representative Balkcom was thrilled the funding would be meeting a local need and expressed her appreciation to the City of Hendersonville for their collaboration during the process.  

Garrett DeMoss, Wastewater Treatment Facilities Manager, and Ricky Levi, Water Treatment Facilities Manager, accepted the check on behalf of Hendersonville Water & Sewer.  

The City of Hendersonville’s utility owns and operates water and wastewater treatment facilities that serve a population of approximately 80,000+ (water) and 20,000+ (sewer) customers in Hendersonville and surrounding areas in Henderson County. Recently, disposal of water and wastewater treatment solid residuals at area landfills has become costly and unreliable. Since the number of active landfills in western North Carolina is limited, rejection of solids has forced Hendersonville to transport the materials to various landfills at greater distances. 

To mitigate current costly and unreliable solids disposal practices, Hendersonville intends to construct a new Biosolids Thermal Drying Facility at its Wastewater Treatment Facility (WWTF) and a Water Treatment Residuals Storage Building at its Water Treatment Facility (WTF). The new Thermal Dryer will produce a high-quality, nutrient-rich biosolid product produced from the wastewater treatment process that can be beneficially re-used as a fertilizer or soil amendment. The Water Treatment Residuals Storage Building will provide Hendersonville a location to temporarily store water treatment residuals at the Water Treatment Facility before proper disposal. 

We are sharing information we received.

Hello WHKP-AM,

I wanted to let you know about doxo's recently released report called: U.S. Mobile Phone Market Size and Household Spending Report 2023. Featured in Fierce Wireless, the report found that, on average, Americans spend $119 per month on their mobile phone bills. In comparison, Hendersonville residents spend $110 per month, 7.6% lower than the national average.

In addition to this report, doxo has cost of living data like this for more than 4k cities across the U.S. Specifically for Hendersonville, doxo’s data shows:
• The average Hendersonville household pays $1,461 per month, or $17,533 per year for the 10 most common household bills
• This makes Hendersonville the #134 most expensive city in North Carolina
• The cost of living in Hendersonville is 28.6% lower than the national average of $2,046, and 23.6% lower than the state average of $1,913.
• Hendersonville households spend 31% of their income on household bills
• North Carolina residents spend $111 per month on mobile phone services
 

Hendersonville, North Carolina bills are $7,024 per year lower than the US average.


The avg. household in Hendersonville, North Carolina pays $1,461 per month, or $17,533 per year on bills.
#134 in North Carolina

Hendersonville, North Carolina is the #134 most expensive city in North Carolina for household expenses.
28.6% lower

Household expenses in Hendersonville, North Carolina are 28.6% lower than the US average.
31% of income

Household bills account for 31% of annual household income of $56,032 in Hendersonville, North Carolina.

 

Mortgage
$1,205

 

Rent
$938

 

Auto Loans
$346

 

Utilities
$246

 

Health Insurance
$79

 

Auto Insurance
$118

 

Cable & Internet
$105

 

Mobile
$110

 

Alarm & Security
$82

 

Life Insurance
$56

  

doxoINSIGHTS Methodology
doxo’s proprietary and comprehensive dataset — based on actual bill payments across 97% of U.S. zip codes and 45 bill pay service categories, enables precision much greater than typical survey-based estimates of market size and consumer spend. The doxo Household Bill Pay dataset provides resolution at the national, state, county and city levels, enabling the deepest and most complete picture of the essential financial obligations of US Households.

This message was sent to This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it. because we thought you'd be interested in bill pay data for .
Manage Email Preferences

©2023 doxo inc. All rights reserved.
411 108th Ave NE | Suite 700 | Bellevue, WA 98004

 

 

HOME FOR THE HOLIDAYS MAGAZINE

The 36 page "home for the holidays"magazine published by WHKP's Peaks Publishing is now available.

Pick up your free magazine at any of our 50 plus advertisers in this years issue.

You can also get a copy at the Henderson County T.D.A Welcome Center on Main Street,or at WHKP here at Broadcast House.This magazine is the only holiday event magazine for Henderson County.


You can also view the 2023 issue on line...go to whkp.com and on the right hand side click the "home for the holidays" button there to see the PDF.

Tanger Outlets just announced it is acquiring the Asheville Outlets as part of the company's growth strategy.

In a release, Tanger reported the center was purchased in an off-market transaction for $70 million in cash.

In a statement, Tanger says they plan to elevate the center’s food and beverage offerings and add high-performing retail partners.

"We are excited to add Asheville Outlets to the Tanger portfolio. Asheville is a dynamic and growing market with outsized potential," said Stephen Yalof, President and CEO of Tanger. "Asheville Outlets is the dominant shopping experience in the market and will benefit from the rapidly growing residential population and tourist visits for years to come. As part of the Tanger platform, we will drive additional value by increasing center productivity through selective re-merchandising, elevating the center's food and beverage offerings and adding high-performing retail partners."

In a statement to News 13, a spokesperson said, "Tanger is excited to join the Asheville community! Effective Nov. 13, Asheville Outlets is now owned and operated by Tanger. Shoppers can continue to expect access to best-in-class stores, events and programming. Tanger plans to expand collaborations with iconic brands as well as locally owned businesses, further positioning the center as a destination that celebrates community and culture. The center will officially be renamed Tanger Outlets Asheville in January 2024."

 

STORY & PHOTO COURTESY OF ABC 13 WLOSTanger acquires Asheville Outlets in $70 million deal, plans to enhance shopping experience | WLOS

 A school resource officer for Henderson County Schools was pleasantly surprised at Monday’s Board of Education meeting.

Donnie Ross expected to be honored as the North Carolina Grange Law Enforcement Officer of the Year for 2023. Ross, who works at Rugby Middle School, was actually presented with the National Officer of the Year honor.

Sheriff Lowell Griffin broke the news to Ross. He explained to the school board that her good work is a testament to Ross as a person.

“This is not something that’s trained at the academy,” Griffin said. “This is not something that’s forced upon them from our office on First Avenue. This is something that comes from within.”

Along with Ross, SRO Shawn Metcalf was recognized for his efforts in protecting students and others in the Four Seasons Drive McDonald’s incident.

 

STORY & PHOTO COURTESY OF ABC 13 WLOSHenderson County school resource officer unexpectedly named National Officer of the Year | WLOS

 

This fall the City of Hendersonville is launching a new brush collection pilot program, with the goal of using technology to make operations more efficient and environmentally conscious. Brush trucks will run on an ‘as needed’ basis, lowering fuel consumption demands and eliminating unnecessary trips.  

“We are rearranging our brush collection service to save fuel, time, and wear and tear on our equipment,” stated Public Works Superintendent Brandon Mundy. “We will still be collecting brush each week, but it may not be on the same day as the customer’s garbage service.” He explained that City residents should still have their brush on the curb line prior to their scheduled garbage collection day, as the trash trucks will be marking the location of the piles for the brush collection trucks to pick up. Brush collection will occur later in the day after piles have been marked. This collection process is expected to prevent a brush truck from driving around looking for brush piles and instead will let the truck go directly to the piles later in the day. 

In addition, customers can track garbage, recycling, brush, and leaf collection trucks on the website using the ‘Track-A-Truck’ interactive dashboard. This online application shows the near real-time location of trucks as they drive along their collection routes. It is also a way to see what day of the week garbage will be collected in an interactive way. This online map was made possible by the Public Works and Engineering Departments to give customers additional information on their collection routes. To view the dashboard, please visit https://www.hvlnc.gov/trackatruck.

On November 7th, 2023, the Henderson County Drug Task Force with assistance from the Buncombe County Sheriff’s Office, the Asheville Police Department, the Haywood County Sheriff’s Office, the Transylvania County Sheriff’s Office, the North Carolina State Bureau of Investigation, the Drug Enforcement Administration, and the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives executed multiple search warrants in Henderson and Buncombe county. Executed search warrants were related to Operation Drip Pressure, a ten (10) month investigation by Detectives into the sell and delivery of illegal controlled substances by Zachery Micah RICE.

On November 7th, 2023 at approximately 8:30pm, Detectives with the Henderson County Drug Task Force, and members of the Henderson County Special Weapons and Tactics Team initiated a vehicle stop on a vehicle being operated by RICE. A short pursuit ensued around the area of Bob’s Creek Rd and US Highway 25S. Following the conclusion of the pursuit, RICE and two (2) other occupants of the vehicle were taken into custody; Darion Laquinton DAVIS, age 28 of Asheville, NC and Mahogany Shanice ALTMAN, age 23 of Atlanta, GA were taken into custody with RICE.

Following the vehicle stop of RICE, Detectives with the Asheville Police Department and Buncombe County Sheriff’s Office executed three (3) separate search warrants at homes in Buncombe County. Search warrants were executed at the following locations:
275 Deaverview Rd Apt 18, Asheville, NC
88 Sky Exchange Dr Unit 202, Asheville, NC
128 Briar Glenn Dr Apt 303, Arden, NC

As a result of these search warrants and the vehicle stop on RICE, Detectives located and seized the following items:
Approximately 28 pounds of Methamphetamine
Approximately 4 pounds of Fentanyl
Approximately 4 pounds of Marijuana
Approximately 11.0 grams of Crack Cocaine
24 dosage units of Ecstasy
72 dosage units of Oxycodone
1 dosage unit of Xanax
$62,977.00 of United State currency
6 firearms (1 fully automatic Glock pistol)
1 bulletproof vest

Zachery RICE, Darion DAVIS, and Mahogany ALTMAN were all taken into custody in Henderson County. They were all three (3) charged with the following:
Trafficking in Methamphetamine by Possession lvl 3
Trafficking in Methamphetamine by Transport lvl 3
Maintaining a Vehicle for the purpose of sell/deliver a controlled substance
Possession of weapon of mass destruction

RICE and DAVIS are currently being held at the Henderson County Detention Center under a $2,500,000.00 secured bond. ALTMAN is currently being held at the Henderson County Detention Center under a $2,030,000.00 secured bond.

The following individuals were also taken into custody as a result of the executed search warrants:
Charmaine Vapreece FAIR:
Trafficking in Opium/Heroin by Possession lvl 3
Currently held at the Buncombe County Detention Center under a $100,000.00 secured bond

Gerome PARHAM:
Trafficking in Opium/Heroin by Possession lvl 3
PWISD Schedule II Controlled Substance x3
PWISD Schedule I Controlled Substance
PWISD Methamphetamine
Currently held at the Buncombe County Detention Center under a $200,000.00

Additional search and arrest warrants may be forthcoming as Detectives continue their investigation. The estimated street value of the illegal controlled substances seized as a result of this operation is approximately $1,634,100.00.

Mary Virginia Barnett Ashe died on November 5th after a long illness.

Mary was a lifelong resident of Henderson County, known and loved by many.

She was employed by WHKP RADIO in Hendersonville from 1952 until her retirement in 2019, a total of 67 years.

Mary was the daughter of Allen Francis Barnett and Frances Irene Taylor Barnett of Mills River.  Her family inclluded brothers Jimmy, Jack, Joe and  an infant Johnnrnett. Her sister, Shirley Dockery, preceded her in death on January 6th of 2023.  She is survived by three sons - Dennis Marvin Ashe of Hendersonville; Daniel Allen Ashe of Ollympia, Washington and David Lee Ashe of Rutherfordton along with two great grandchildren, four grandchildren and many nieces and nephews.

Mary was employed by WHKP RADIO in Hendersonville from 1952 until her retirement in 2019, a total of 67 years of the station's 77 year history and was one of the stockholders for a number of years. She was a faithful member of Refuge Baptist Church for many years and later attended Sunday School at Hendersonville First Baptist Church. 

Mary was a faithful servant of the Lord all her life and a wonderful mother and homemaker.  She loved working in her home and yard as well as being a gracious hostess to both newcomers and family members, equally welcome in her home.

A memorial service will be held at Mills River Presbyterian Church at 10 AM on Wednesday, November 15th.  

In lieu of flowers, the familly requests that donations be made to Four Seasons Hospice.

TODD STARNES RADIO SHOW HEARD WEEKDAYS 12 til 3 PM ON WHKP AM 1450 & FM 107.7

Newsmax Launches Todd Starnes Show
Newsmax launched “The Todd Starnes Show” last week. The one-hour show will be broadcast on the network’s N2 platform. Viewers will be able to watch live at 3 p.m. eastern on Newsmax.com and the network’s social media platforms.

Newsmax also announced plans to simulcast the third hour of “The Todd Starnes Radio Show.” Viewers will be able to watch that show on Newsmax.com at 2 p.m. eastern.

“I’m very excited about the opportunity to be a part of the great team at Newsmax,” Starnes said. “Chris Ruddy has built an incredible brand – a truly fair and balanced network.”