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The Hendersonville Fire Department recognized two members during the annual awards ceremony held before the holidays. Firefighter Chris Norrington was presented the Firefighter of the Year award and Lieutenant John Herring was awarded Officer of the Year.

“Both of these individuals go above and beyond for our department and the City of Hendersonville,” said Fire Chief D. James Miller. “These awards are especially significant because the men and women who make up our department select the honorees.”

Firefighter Chris Norrington joined the Hendersonville Fire Department in 2021 and has made a big impact in a short amount of time. He was selected for the award because of his love for the Fire Service, positive attitude, and passion for serving the community. Firefighter Norrington has accelerated through the probationary period, receiving high scores on his written and practical exams. An example from a nomination form describes his work ethic: “Firefighter Norrington took it upon himself to clean the chains that are located on Engine 9, a task that may seem burdensome to others. Firefighter Norrington wanted to ensure that every piece of equipment on the apparatus was in the best shape possible.”

Lieutenant John Herring joined the Hendersonville Fire Department in a full-time capacity in 2015. At the beginning of his career, he participated in a ride-along, attended the fire academy, and has worked his way through the ranks, achieving Lieutenant in 2020. Lt. Herring walks into the station with a great attitude and is someone that members go to for advice. He is always training with his crew and shift and serves as a mentor to other firefighters. An excerpt from a nomination form reads: “He leads from the front and is the first to volunteer for tasks that need to be completed.”

We congratulate Firefighter Norrington and Lieutenant Herring on their well-deserved recognition. Their names will be added to the Firefighter and Officer of the Year plaques displayed at Fire Station 2.

 A Henderson County Sheriff's Office employee was involved in a crash Tuesday morning after a vehicle ran a red light.

Johnny Duncan, a public information officer for the Henderson County Sheriff's Office, tells News 13 a vehicle ran a red light on the morning of Jan. 4 and struck a sheriff's office vehicle.

In an email, Duncan says the passenger vehicle then "struck one or two more vehicles before coming to a stop."

Allison Justus, the communications manager for the City of Hendersonville, confirms the crash took place around the intersection of Kanuga Road and Hebron Road.

In an email to News 13, Justus says the crash involved a passenger vehicle, deputy vehicle and a tractor trailer.

Justus also confirms, "The driver of the passenger vehicle received minor injuries (minor cuts to head) but refused EMS transport," and that she was charged with a red light violation.

 

STORY & PHOTO COURTESY OF ABC 13 WLOSVehicle runs red light, strikes sheriff's office vehicle, officials report | WLOS

 

Henderson County leaders are taking a stand on proposed abortion legislation in the North Carolina General Assembly. County commissioners passed a resolution in support of proposed “heartbeat bill” legislation Monday night.

“The baby doesn’t have a chance, so somebody needs to look out for the baby,” commission Vice Chair Rebecca McCall said.

According to McCall, Henderson County leaders are not alone as other county commissions across North Carolina have passed similar resolutions in support of “heartbeat bill” legislation.

“It shows people where our position is, and, if more get behind a resolution, then it could possibly make a difference,” she said.

The resolution was applauded by the crowd in attendance at Monday night’s commission meeting, but Henderson County Democratic Party Chair Cindy Ellis is speaking out against the move. She sent News 13 the following statement:

“It’s nothing but posturing on the commission’s part. It’s an issue that has nothing to do with county business or governance, and is taking a stance on an issue that is divisive amongst their constituency. It’s a bill that even Republican state lawmakers don’t seem to want to get behind, as it was filed almost a year ago and hasn’t even begun to move through several committees.

"This resolution is nothing but a political show to drum up support among the Republican base on an issue that does not affect Henderson County,” Ellis said.

“I don’t see how they can say it doesn’t affect Henderson County, it affects all of us, it affects our entire state and effects our entire nation,” McCall said in response to the statement from the Henderson County Democratic Party.

According to McCall, the passed resolution will be delivered to state leaders in Raleigh.

 

STORY & PHOTO COURTESY OF ABC 13 WLOSHenderson Co. Commission supports proposed abortion legislation, Democratic Party responds | WLOS

 A winter storm that moved through Western North Carolina on Monday left downed trees and power lines and closed roads in its wake.

On Monday morning, drivers on Brevard Road had to turn around when they discovered the road was closed from Clayton Road to Parkway Crescent, where a large section of power lines that had been knocked to the ground by a tree that had fallen.

Another large tree blocked the main entrance of A.C. Reynolds High School.

"We’ve seen a lot of downed trees, tree limbs, and that’s brought down pole and wires and created a messy situation across the state,” Duke Energy spokesperson Jeff Brooks said.

Brooks said most of the power had been restored in Buncombe County, however, there were still many without power in Henderson County.

By midafternoon, the Duke Energy power outage website showed about 4,000 power outages remained across Western North Carolina.

Brooks encouraged people to give power crews plenty of space to do their jobs. He also urged anyone who encounters a downed powerline to avoid it and assume it’s active.

 

STORY & PHOTO COURTESY OF ABC 13 WLOSWinter storm leaves downed power lines, trees across WNC | WLOS

Pardee UNC Health Care now has a limited supply of therapeutic antibodies.

It can be used in treating the omicron COVID-19 variant.

But health officials say due to the limited supply, the criteria for who can get it is more strict.

 

"Unfortunately there's very little bit of it available," said Dr. David Ellis Pardee UNC Health Care's chief medical officer. "Only about 100 doses came to WNC. We have about 35-40 of those doses at Pardee. Because of this the criteria, for getting the antibody it's much more stringent."

In order to receive the treatment, patients must be 70-years-or-older if they're unvaccinated, and 80-years-or-older if they are vaccinated.

Patients must be referred by a doctor in order to receive the treatment. Updated eligibility criteria can be found online here.

The news comes as a follow up to the hospital's previous announcement in December that it would be closing its outpatient COVID infusion clinic due to an increase in cases, the spread of the omicron variant and supply issues.

While the monoclonal antibody treatments previously available for infusions were highly effective at treating COVID-19 and the most recent variants, they are not as effective at treating the omicron-driven cases.

"Even though there is no way of verifying variant status at a local level, it is now believed that the majority of current COVID cases are the result of the highly contagious Omicron variant," Pardee said in a press release.

Dr. Ellis shared the following statements, in part, in a press release, urging everyone to stay cautious during the holiday season:

We cannot underscore enough the importance of taking this new variant seriously... Clearly being vaccinated is no longer a guarantee of not contracting the virus; however, it does provide a certain level of protection from serious illness, hospitalization and death.
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 

Hendersonville Police have a man in custody in connection to vandalism at a local church that happened just days after Christmas.

On Wednesday, Dec. 29, around 11 a.m., authorities brought Kane Joshua Kelly, 40, of Hendersonville, into custody in relation to graffiti found at Ebenezer Baptist Church.

Pastor Steven Blanton said security camera footage taken Monday, Dec. 27 shows a man spray-painting graffiti on the brick walls of the church around 1 a.m.

Law enforcement found a man resembling the person in that security footage wandering around the church Wednesday afternoon. They questioned him and took him into custody.

They also discovered more graffiti that had not been there before, which Blanton said he believes the suspect painted Tuesday night or Wednesday morning.

Michael Lonon, a longtime member of Ebenezer Baptist Church, said he was disappointed to hear of the vandalism at his place of worship.

"I don't like it at all," Lonon said. "It's very, very upsetting."

Blanton said he has gone through a lot of emotions in the last few days. He said he hopes for some measure of accountability, but above all -- he forgives the person responsible.

"When I was first made aware of it, obviously there's anger and frustration. Why would somebody want to do that? But then I felt very quickly, the Lord just speak to my heart, and challenged me to extend forgiveness, which I did immediately," Blanton said. "I also asked the Lord to give me the opportunity to extend forgiveness."

Blanton told News 13 he was given that opportunity on Wednesday, as he watched law enforcement take Kelly into custody. He said he was able to speak to Kelly and tell him he forgives him.

Officials said Kelly has been charged with three counts of damage to property.

Henderson County Sheriff's Office assisted with the investigation and the arrest.

 

STORY & PHOTO COURTESY OF ABC 13 WLOShttps://wlos.com/news/local/gallery/police-make-arrest-post-christmas-vandalism-graffiti-hendersonville-ebenezer-baptist-church-kane-joshua-kelly?photo=3

 

As we come to the end of another year, it is the hope of our entire RADIO STAFF...that you and your family have been blessed during this most difficult year of dealing with covid infections along with a laundry-list of so many other problems during 2021.

Here at WHKP we were BLESSED to be able to CONTINUE our BROADCASTING as we celebrated our 75th YEAR in our local community....albeit with a much-reduced staff from what we employed some years ago.

Nearly 100 broadcasters, community leaders and listeners took the time to record a congratulatory recording which we aired on our regular programming throughout the year. We are grateful for the friendship and loving messages that were sent along to us.

WE THANK EACH ONE OF YOU....for allowing us to come into your homes and cars and trucks with our daily programming which has included a 'generous dose' of REAL COUNTRY MUSIC....along with NEWS of LOCAL HAPPENINGS.along with the national FOX NEWS NETWORK....and SPORTS from our local level tof high school football to the UNC TAR HEELS football and basketball... to.APP STATE MOUNTAINEERS football and the CAROLINA PANTHERS professional football team.

Our ANNOUNCERS.....with Randy Houston opening each weekday morning from 6 til 9...to Tyler Sams taking you home each weekday afternon from 3 til 6 PM....and Charles Hayes, keeping you informed and entertained Saturday and Sunday mornings from 6 til 9 on Saturdays with the best in bluegrass music and from 6 til noon on Sundays with a generous dose of gospel tunes....and from 9 til 11 with a syndicated NASHVILLE COUNTRY MUSIC SHOW ...and then First Baptist church service broadcast from 11 til 12 noon.  WHKP's Tippy Creswell has kept programming running during this most challenging 'techical' year as we lost Rush Limbaugh and replaced his noon til 3 pm weekday program with Todd Starnes.  Tippy also 'sits in' to keep this program, along with a variety of ON SITE REMOTE broadcasts from our local merchants ON THE AIR.

THANKS TO ALL OF OUR FELLOW BROADCASTERS.

We wish ALL OUR LISTENERS the very BEST 2022 year possible.

 

 

For me, the last few weeks of the 2021 Legislative session were dominated by Government Operations Oversight hearings on our state's response to COVID-19, and the Executive Branches use of the $102 billion that our state received from the federal government. Chairing this oversight committee has been one of my most interesting assignments yet.

On top of this, as Chair of an Appropriations subcommittee, and a budget conferee to help work out the spending and tax plan differences between the Senate and the House, these last few weeks have been about as quick and intense as the first few weeks of this record-setting 11-month long session.

There's much I want to tell you about. We have some huge wins and some losses. I'll be writing you regularly over the next few weeks because there's no way to recap 11 months of work in only a few simple newsletters.

Following are a few notable highlights from Raleigh we'll begin with of which I thought you might have the most interest.

To get legislative news closer to the time it's happening, be sure to follow me on Facebook or frequently visit my website.

 No Patient Left Alone Act - SB 191

SB 191, the No Patient Left Alone Act which of course I supported, passed both Chambers and has now been signed into law.

The COVID-19 pandemic has severely restricted family visitation opportunities for patients in health care facilities. Even families of patients not diagnosed with COVID-19 have been unable to visit their loved ones in their time of need.

SB 191 requires health care facilities to provide notice of visitation rights to patients and their families. In addition, patients - including patients in hospitals, nursing homes, combination homes, and hospice care facilities - will have restored patient visitation rights and compassionate care visitations.

Compassionate care situations that permit visitation are as follows:
(1) End-of-life situations.
(2) A patient who was living with his or her family before recently being admitted to the facility is
struggling with the change in environment and lack of physical family support.
(3) A patient who is grieving after a friend or family member recently passed away.
(4) A patient who needs cueing and encouragement with eating or drinking, previously provided by
family or caregivers, is experiencing weight loss or dehydration.
(5) A patient, who used to talk and interact with others, is experiencing emotional distress, seldom
speaking, or crying more frequently when the patient had rarely cried in the past.

Health care centers are still allowed to screen visitors for infectious diseases and require personal protective equipment, but patients will no longer be forced to suffer through restricted contact with their loved ones in their greatest time of need.

Hendersonville Christmas Parade
There is nothing I enjoy more than having the opportunity to get out and about in the District. This year's Hendersonville Christmas gave me, and thousands of onlookers the opportunity to see life return to some semblence normal, and have some fun.

It was invigorating to feel the energy of the parade, and I loved getting to see all of my constituents' smiling faces amongst the Christmas-decorated Hendersonville streets.

 State Budget Enacted

It took months of arduous negotiation, but the State Budget, SB 105 - which I cosponsored and served as a conferee- has successfully passed and is now enacted into law. This is North Carolina's first state budget since 2018 due to the budget impasse in 2019 where the governor offered the legislature the "Medicaid or else" ultimatum.

I'm gratified to have played a role to bring NC a budget that prioritizes our citizens. Among other things, SB 105 lowers personal income tax to 3.99% over six years, invests in NC infrastructure, improves veteran friendliness by exempting their military pension income from state income tax, and makes considerable investments in improving teacher pay through state-funded salary supplements, raises, and bonuses. The budget also commits to significant improvements in school choice for families, under which we can expect a capacity to provide Opportunity Scholarships for more than 55,000 students a year by 2033.

My priority when entering the budgeting process was to ensure WNC did not get left behind. I pushed for a budget that addresses WNC concerns, rather than ignored them. With over $292 million allocated to WNC, and even more invested in trust fund programs that have a history of largely serving WNC counties, I believe I was able to do just that.

To see my press release on some of the most significant budget items secured for Western North Carolina, click here. Follow along on my social media to see additional highlights impacting the entire State.

The LEHI Conference

Earlier this year, I had the honor of attending and graduating the Legislative Energy Horizons Institute administered through the University of Idaho and held in Washington, DC. The LEHI Conference's comprehensive curriculum brings policymakers, energy producers, the U.S. Dept of Energy, and other stakeholders together to discuss energy infrastructure, delivery systems, regulation, and financing to meet our country's ever-changing energy needs.

The conference was a 4 day, learning-intensive opportunity to develop my knowledge and understanding of energy policy. For completion of the program, I was awarded a certificate in Energy Policy Planning.

I am one of just over 300 legislators and policymakers in the U.S. who have graduated from the class since it began in 2009, and I am excited to begin implementing what I have learned to better energy policy in the State of North Carolina.

Ongoing Subcommittee on Use and Distribution of Federal COVID Funding Hearings

I am honored to have been appointed to Co-Chair the Government Operations Subcommittee on Use and Distribution of Federal COVID Funding, a subcommittee dedicated to ensuring COVID relief funds are being constructively spent to benefit the citizens and status of COVID in North Carolina.

The hearings have been taking place since early November, during which we have met with members of DHHS, Governor Cooper's COVID Task Force, NC HOPE, the Division of Employment Security, among more. It has been enlightening to hear from key State officials on the processes agencies have been employing to spend funds under federal guidelines.

One thing that has been made clear after the numerous hearings thus far, is North Carolina needs to focus on measures that will advance our position against COVID, rather than stagnantly pushing for masks and vaccinations with no additional plans to address the critical needs of citizens or businesses struggling due to the pandemic. I am not asserting we stop vaccinations or other preventative methods to mitigate the spread; I am simply stating that executive officials cannot continue to sit back and yell for masks while having no other plans in place. We must begin looking at ways to address the residual hardships of lockdown and COVID-19 to help North Carolina recover when the time is right. North Carolina needs a path forward. Or in the least, blueprints of a path.

There will be two final hearings to come in 2022, I look forward to hearing more about the intricacies of North Carolina's COVID response and question the Executive Branch on the oversight of their spending.

Court of Appeals Blocks Judge Lee's Order for School Closures Over Personal Budget Preference in Leandro Case

Union County Judge, David Lee, attempted to violate the separation of powers through a judicial ultimatum that would require passage of a multi-billion dollar education budget plan to avoid the closure of all state public schools. The budget plan in question was cultivated all the way across the nation in California, and developers neglected to consult with any State legislatures before finalizing it.

Judge Lee obtained the idea to close schools from a judge in Kansas, who faced a similar policy debate and ordered all public schools be closed until his preferred budget was passed. In Judge Lee's inquiry of the Kansas State Legislature's response, he blatantly revealed he believes a statewide school closure order would expedite the passage of his preferred plan by putting pressure on legislators. The Judge attempted to issue a mirroring order just weeks later. However, the county-level trial judge's actions are merely undermining his credibility in the judicial branch by trying to facilitate action in the legislative branch, and the North Carolina Court of Appeals agrees.

Judge Lee's repulsive attempt to degrade our Constitution has been rightfully blocked by the North Carolina Court of Appeals - citing an attempt to "devastate the clear separation of powers between the Legislative and Judicial branches" and a threat "to wreck the carefully crafted checks and balances that are the genius of our system of government".

Crossing governmental boundaries to push one's own political agenda is unacceptable and unconstitutional. Both Judge Lee and the Kansas judge attempted to utilize the public education system and our state's youth as a pawn to manipulate compliance by the Legislature on a matter in which they lack any authority. The Constitution has always been clear on the question of who decides how to spend state dollars and now the NC Court of Appeals affirms. It has always been the legislature, and only the legislature. Judicial interference is constitutionally impermissible.

Governor Vetoes to Continue Abuse of Power
HB 264: Emergency Powers Accountability Act

North Carolina is one of only fifteen states that does not set a time limit on a Governor's state of emergency declaration. Furthermore, only the issuing power of a state of emergency may rescind it. Consequently, for decades the Governor of North Carolina has had the ability to issue a state of emergency that extends for any amount of time, unchecked by others.

HB 264, which passed with my support in October, looked to address these issues. With the passage of this bill, the Council of State would have to approve emergency orders within seven days of their issuance. Additionally, an emergency order could not extend past forty-five days absent a majority vote in the House of Representatives and Senate. These limitations are necessary to ensure accountability at the executive level. No one individual, including the Governor, should have the ability to exercise unilateral authority during an emergency.

That being said, on November 1, in an act to solidify his continued abuse of emergency powers, Governor Cooper vetoed HB 264. This fixed his continued use of emergency powers devoid of a time limit. North Carolina has been under a Governor Cooper-induced state of emergency for the COVID-19 pandemic since March 10th of 2020. That is over 600 days of a consecutive state of emergency declaration; however, I maintain that no emergency can last 600 days without becoming the new normal.

At Last, Balance of Power Bill Now Enacted into Law

Governor Cooper's continued abuse of power and decomposition of democracy is unacceptable. Finally, we now have legislation that will undisputedly declare the authorities and processes under which we will function under future states of emergency. SB 105 which I co-sponsored, included terminology which provides the common-sense checks and balances necessary to regulate the Governor's authority. Despite his prior objections to similar provisions, Governor Cooper received and signed SB 105 without objections on the same day.

Effective July 1, 2021, Section 19E.6.(b) of SB 105 places a 30-day expiration date on statewide declarations of emergency without the concurrence of the Council of State, and prevents the Governor from extending such a declaration without their concurrence. The bill also requires that any extensions of an emergency declaration to more than two-thirds of North Carolina counties at once are required to obtain concurrence. If the Council of State concurs with the declaration of emergency, the issue will now have a 60-day expiration date. Following concurrence by the Council of State, a declaration of emergency may only be further extended by the enactment of a general law from the General Assembly, extending the declaration of emergency.

If the Council of State does not concur, or the General Assembly does not enact legislation, the Governor may not issue a similar declaration from the same series of events as the initial declaration. This provision of SB 105 will finally place much-needed restraints on Governor Cooper's erroneous abuse of power and can officially aid North Carolina in recovering from the initial impacts of the COVID-19 pandemic. The pandemic is not over, but North Carolina is no longer in a state-of-emergency and we must begin to acknowledge that fact and stand on our own two feet, devoid of government subsidies, to begin moving forward.

Electoral Maps Approved by Both House and Senate, Affirmed by NC Judge in First of Three Legal Challenges

After nearly four grueling months, my colleagues and I have officially passed HB 976, SB 739, and SB 740. These bills encompass the new House, Senate, and Congressional redistricting plans that depict districts within which State and Congressional candidates will be elected to serve over the next 10 years. All three bills are officially written into law, and one lawsuit has already been filed asserting foul map drawing because the legislature did not consider any racial data. Keep in mind, these are the same claimants that filed suit arguing we did consider racial data back in 2019. The legislature can not win when drawing maps. Lawsuits are inevitable in today's "sue til you're blue" strategy. This can be seen through recent legal challenges disputing the credibility of our newly drawn maps. Despite this, I must say that I am confident the House and Senate have crafted and approved constitutional maps that pass all legal scrutiny. Superior Court Judge Graham Shirley affirmed my confidence when she denied a request to put our new maps on hold, which would have delayed the next election.

With the passage of the new maps, it has also become official there will be a shift in District 48. Instead of representing Transylvania, Henderson, and a portion of Buncombe counties, District 48 will now be composed of Henderson, Polk, and Rutherford counties.

Buncombe County By-District School Board Elections:
HB 118 Update

As of November 29, HB 118, Buncombe School Bd. Election, passed the Senate and has been sent to the House for concurrence.

At the request of numerous concerned citizens, I authored this bill which will require all six members of the Buncombe County Board of Education to be elected by eligible voters from the district each of those members represents. This bill is critical to diversify and improve the support provided by the Board of Education for students across Buncombe County.

With the way the current Board of Education is elected, children in Buncombe County are not being fairly represented by members of their direct community. At-large elections distance the vote from home and allow supermajorities in densely populated neighborhoods to outvote representatives from the more spread out - yet equitably significant - districts.

Since passing the Senate floor, the bill has been re-referred to the Committee on Rules, Calendar, and Operations of the House. I look forward to seeing the bill make its' final movements through the House before being voted on. Ultimately, the vote in Buncombe County needs to be brought closer to home so accessibility to board members can improve and one's school board vote will have weight and power again. I will continue to advocate for this important piece of legislation as we head towards the short session this Spring.

Domestic Violence Awareness Month
** This message contains a discussion of domestic violence. If you or someone you know is being mistreated or hurt by a partner, reach out to the National Domestic Violence hotline available 24/7 by calling 1(800) 799-7233; or, if you are unable to speak safely, you can chat online at thehotline.org **

In the month of October, we honored Domestic Violence Awareness Month. Domestic violence is a virulent situation that can affect individuals from all walks of life. It is often an unseen issue whose burden gets carried alone by those experiencing it firsthand.

As citizens, loved ones, friends, and especially in my role as a legislator, it is important to raise awareness for victims and survivors of domestic violence and acknowledge the ongoing fight against it. For that reason, I would like to share with you some of the recent bills signed into law in North Carolina regarding domestic violence and the protection of victims and survivors of domestic violence.

One of the most recent bills signed into law is SB 693, Expedite Child Safety and Permanency. SB 693 aims to ensure the safety of children in out-of-home placements and facilitate an accelerated permanent placement process for children between homes; however, additionally - and more applicably to the issue of domestic violence - the bill works to raise awareness of child abuse and neglect by requiring public schools provide educational information and resources to make students knowledgeable of domestic violence in Grades 6-12. These resources educate students on warning signs of abuse and how to report it. They must be distributed to students at the beginning of each school year and displayed in visible areas of all public schools.

In addition to SB 693, SB 300 protects survivors and victims of domestic violence from their abusers through a stipulation permitting them to appear in, or submit an audio/video clip for, court to be heard regarding an offender's petition for the termination or modification of a satellite-based monitoring requirement. By allowing survivors and victims of domestic abuse to speak on behalf of their personal experiences with an offender prior to the courts making a decision for reduced SBM, we are ensuring that violent offenders do not have the opportunity to evade justice.

The final piece of legislation I want to discuss, I filed earlier this year. SB 431, an act to allow for permanent domestic violence protective orders, would alter Chapter 50B on Domestic Violence to permit for the issuance of life-long protective orders against violent domestic abusers. This is a change from current state law which only allows DVPO's to be active for a period of a year or less, with an opportunity for a 2-year extension. Eliminating the annual renewal of a protective order can protect domestic violence survivors and victims from having to face their abuser every 12 months. Further, it reduces the risk of contact between both parties by no longer requiring an annual court petition to renew the protective order. Currently, if a request is not filed prior to the expiration of the previous order, no action can be taken and the abuser must be released. Eliminating the risk that an order will expire at all would aid in providing peace of mind and safety to survivors and victims. SB 431 has not moved through the General Assembly yet; however, it begins a much-needed conversation on revisions to current laws that lack adequate protection for domestic violence survivors.

To close out Domestic Violence Awareness Month, I would like to share an inspiring story entrusted to me by a domestic violence survivor in North Carolina. The survivor has encouraged that I share this story:

"For years, I went to bed not knowing if I would live to see the next day, or if that next day would be my last. Every time I saw my abuser, I was constantly reminded that he could kill me at any moment and my sons would be left without a mother. No one should have to endure the abuse that I did. At the hands of my abuser, I endured constant physical and emotional abuse and unrelenting verbal attacks against me and my children. He wanted to silence me. Now, I refused to be silent. I speak out for victims and survivors like me and fight for change."

If you or someone you know is being mistreated or hurt by a partner, please reach out to the Domestic Violence Hotline available 24/7 by calling 1(800) 799-7233, or if you're unable to speak safely, you can chat online at thehotline.org. Overcoming abuse does not happen instantly. It takes conscious, positive steps every single day. Let today be the day you start to move forward and know that you are not alone.

Our Most Difficult Decision for 2022

Dr. Glenn Mollette

2022 will be over almost quicker than you can say Happy New Year! Just look how fast 2021 sped by us all. Time rarely feels as if it's standing still unless we are waiting on something to happen. Time only drags when we need something to happen like a cure for a disease, a job to open or a relative to come home. When time drags, we make the mistake of wishing it away.

We only have a little bit of time. We all have the same in a day, a week or a year. Every year that we live we are extended the same number of days and minutes. We do all kinds of things with time. We waste time, kill time, try to make up time, lose track of time or don't pay attention to time. Regardless of how we treat time it's only doing one thing moving swiftly through the hourglass one grain or second at a time.

I'm thankful for time. I'm grateful for time with my wife and each family member. I'm grateful for this moment to sit here and type a few words out on my keyboard. I suppose one of my problems is how do I fit all I want to do into my time? I guess I enjoy doing too much. If I only enjoyed doing one or two things then my time spent might be a little easier. Each day and moment I would simply devote my full attention to one particular aspect of life. Actually, that might not be a bad idea. Could I devote 24 hours a day to my family? I could, but they really don't want me in their hair 24/7. I could devote 24 hours a day to prayer and reading the Bible or reading other good books. But then, I don't want to be an isolated religious person who never enjoys this incredible world or people. I could devote 24 hours a day to my educational work and do a lot of the work that others do. However, institutions are stronger and better when the work is spread around to others. I could spend more time simply writing books or pursuing other hobbies I enjoy.

Somehow, we have to determine what is best. I heard about this farmer who hired a man to sort potatoes. The man's job was to put the bad potatoes in one pile, the good potatoes in another pile and the best potatoes in another pile. The man agreed to the job. At the end of the day the farmer came to see how his new employee was doing and he had not done anything. He was simply standing looking back and forth at two potatoes. The farmer bewildered asked? "Why haven't you done what I asked you to do?" The hired man responded, "I just can't decide between the good and the best potatoes."

Our dilemma in 2022 may not be in deciding between good and bad but between good and best. There are a lot of good things we can do with our time in 2022. Using our time to do the best things may be our most difficult decision.

 

HCPS Superintendent, Dr. John Bryant, was one of five public school superintendents in the Western North Carolina region to receive the "Extraordinary Public Service Award" from the Land of Sky Regional Council, as part of their Annual Awards conferred last month.

Dr. Bryant was surprised with the award on Monday during the regularly scheduled school board meeting by Hendersonville Mayor Barbara Volk, representing the LOS Regional Council as board chair (photo attached).

Dr. Bryant and his peers Dr. Will Hoffman (Madison County Public Schools), Dr. Tony Baldwin (Buncombe County Public Schools), Dr. Gene Freeman (Asheville City Schools), and Dr. Jeff McDaris (Transylvania County Schools) were conferred this award in appreciation for their devotion, commitment and exemplary service to their communities throughout the COVID-19 pandemic this past year.