News

 Brian Pahle, Assistant City Manager of the City of Hendersonville, has recently been awarded the Credentialed Manager designation by ICMA, the International City/County Management Association. This recognition places Mr. Pahle among the distinguished cohort of over 1,300 local government management professionals who have earned this credential through the ICMA Voluntary Credentialing Program.

Hendersonville City Manager John Connet commended Mr. Pahle's achievement, stating, "Brian Pahle is dedicated to fostering exceptional leadership within our organization and throughout the state. His commitment to excellence is evident in his pursuit of this rigorous certification, reflecting his dedication to delivering the highest level of service to our residents and overseeing the personnel and projects under his management."  

            ICMA’s mission is to advance professional local government through leadership, management, innovation, and ethics and by increasing the proficiency of appointed chief administrative officers, assistant administrators, and other employees who serve local governments and regional entities around the world. The organization’s 13,000 members in 27 countries also include educators, students, and other local government employees. 

To receive the prestigious ICMA credential, a member must have significant experience as a senior management executive in local government; have earned a degree, preferably in public administration or a related field; and demonstrated a commitment to high standards of integrity and to lifelong learning and professional development.

            Brian Pahle has seven years of executive experience in local government and holds a master’s degree in public administration from Appalachian State University. Throughout the past decade he has served the residents of the City of Hendersonville in various capacities, including Budget & Management Analyst, Budget & Evaluation Director, and his current role as Assistant City Manager. He has also served as the President of the North Carolina Local Government Budget Association President and is a graduate of the North Carolina School of Government’s LGFCU Fellows Program and Municipal County Administration Program. 

            For more information regarding the ICMA Voluntary Credentialing Program, contact Jenese Jackson at ICMA, 777 North Capitol Street, N.E., #500, Washington, D.C. 20002-4201; This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.; 202-962-3556.

About ICMA

ICMA, the International City/County Management Association, advances professional local government worldwide. The organization’s mission is to advance professional local government through leadership, management, innovation, and ethics.

ICMA identifies leading practices to address the needs of local governments and professionals serving communities globally. We provide services, research, publications, data and information, peer and results-oriented assistance, and training and professional development to thousands of city, town, and county leaders and other individuals and organizations throughout the world. The management decisions made by ICMA's members affect millions of people living in thousands of communities, ranging in size from small towns to large metropolitan areas.

 The contract between UNC Health and UnitedHealthcare is in jeopardy of coming to an end.

Ginger Talbert, a Hendersonville resident, reached out to News 13 on Monday to express her concerns about a letter she received stating Pardee Hospital will no longer accept UnitedHealthcare coverage as of April 1 if an agreement is not reached between the two. Talbert said that she also received a letter from UnitedHealthcare on Feb. 2 that informed her that their current contract with UNC Health is in jeopardy of ending.

She said she’s very concerned for her and her husband because of their age and having to try and find care outside of where they live.

“We’re old, my husband just had a hip replacement and a pacemaker," Talbert told News 13. "We don’t like driving all the way to Asheville to get our health care, my husband has several doctors, we don’t want to change our insurance."

She said it’s affecting a lot of “old folk" in the area.

“We will not have any of our doctors that are currently in network," Talbert expressed her concerns. "I have two and my husband has seven that are in the Pardee network. We will have to find replacements for those doctors which is difficult. We will have to get all of our records transferred, we will have to basically start all over."

UNC Health released the following statement to News 13 regarding the ongoing negotiations:

UNC Health continues to negotiate with UnitedHealthcare, seeking a new and fair agreement that allows us to continue providing the region’s highest level of care. Unfortunately, UnitedHealthcare is not engaging in good-faith negotiations.

For now, nothing changes. Patients should continue to visit UNC Health hospitals, facilities, and physicians as normal. Cost of the visits continues to be covered under the existing contract according to the same benefits. They should continue to schedule appointments and receive care at all UNC Health facilities and with all associated UNC Health healthcare providers.

However, to continue to fulfill our mission, we need fair and equitable reimbursement from UnitedHealthcare as well as a fair partnership with them on administrative processes. Without these, we cannot maintain the level of care, scope of access, and quality of service that we provide for patients throughout our communities.

UnitedHealthcare must put patients first, just as we do, by reaching an agreement with us that protects access to all UNC Health services. Otherwise, we cannot continue our relationship with UnitedHealthcare.

As a result, we have informed UnitedHealthcare that without a new and fair agreement, patients at many UNC Health practices as well as most UNC Health hospitals who are covered by United Medicare Advantage, Individual and commercial plans through their employer will be considered out of network beginning April 1, 2024. Notably, UNC Health Appalachian, UNC Health Blue Ridge, and UNC Health Southeastern are excluded from the negotiation.

UNC Health encouraged all patients to visit a section of their website to find answers to their questions.UNC has also set up a patient assistance line at 1-833-917-1224, or email This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it..

UnitedHealthcare shared the following statements with News 13 on Monday afternoon:

Our top priority is to renew our relationship with UNC Health and to ensure continued, uninterrupted access to the health system. We are committed to utilizing the time remaining on our contract to reach an agreement that is affordable for North Carolinians and employers. We provided a proposal to UNC Health on Jan. 8 that included significant movement along with meaningful rate increases that ensure the health system is reimbursed at market-competitive rates. UNC Health responded last week with a counterproposal that would increase health care costs by approximately $400 million. We are in the process of responding to UNC Health’s proposal and have committed to continued meetings with the health system with the goal of reaching an agreement that is affordable and sustainable for consumers and employers.

A UnitedHealthcare spokesperson shared the following:

• Negotiations with providers occur every day in our business and in our industry. Typically, these negotiations go largely unnoticed because they’re a routine part of insurers and providers working together. We negotiate thousands of contracts nationally each year, and almost all of them are resolved professionally behind closed doors with no external noise.
  
• Our track record of renewing contracts with providers is strong, as evidenced by the fact that we maintain relationships with more than 7,000 hospitals and 1.7 million physicians throughout the country, including more than 160 hospitals and 64,000 health care professionals who participate in our network in North Carolina. Consistent with this history, we remain optimistic we will reach agreement with UNC Health on terms that are fair and reasonable for both organizations, just as we have successfully done in our past four negotiations with UNC Health.
• The significant rate increases UNC Health is demanding would take effect in the first 24 months of our contract and are not affordable or sustainable for North Carolinians and employers.
• Our top priority is to renew our relationship without any disruption while helping ensure health care is affordable for North Carolinians and employers.
• If we are unable to reach an agreement, the majority of UNC Health’s hospitals, facilities and its physicians will be out of network for employer-sponsored, individual and Medicare Advantage plans, effective April 1, 2024.
• We have a separate contract with UNC Health for Medicaid, which is not impacted by this negotiation and continues to remain in-network, regardless of the outcome of this negotiation.

STORY & PHOTO COURTESY OF ABC 13 WLOSPotential end of UnitedHealthcare contract worries some elderly Hendersonville residents | WLOS

 

 

 

 

 A local veteran received a special honor Friday, Feb. 9, through the We Honor Veterans program and the Military Officers Association of America.

Bill Troutman became the 1,000th veteran to be pinned in Henderson County through the Four Seasons Hospice when he received three pins with his wife, Elaine, looking on.

The ceremony was held at the American Legion post in Hendersonville.

"It's special to us to be able to honor those who have served our country, whether it be for three years or 30 years. Saying thank you and giving back to them for the service they provided is very important for our organization," Four Season Hospice's Sybil Arnold said.

Troutman, a Vietnam veteran, worked on the Honest John missile program in Germany.

"Feels good in here, feel honored," Troutman said Friday.

Troutman was also presented with a flag that flew over the capitol that came from Congressman Chuck Edwards' office.

STORY & PHOTO COURTESY OF ABC 13 WLOSVeteran Bill Troutman receives special honor as 1,000th pin recipient in Henderson County | WLOS

Fill the hole with a load of rocks

Dr. Glenn Mollette

Sixty minutes reported, on Sunday evening February third, about a gap in our border wall. The gap is reported to be about sixty miles east of San Diego and is a global destination for migrants from around the world. The news source reported that during a four day watch they personally witnessed about 600 illegal entries come through the small gap.

According to the report people from China are the fastest growing number of illegal immigrants coming into our country. Over 37,000 just last year which is a growing number. Stories were told about people who had sold their houses and gave up everything to make the trip. The trip had cost one person $14,000 and another reported the trip took ten days traveling through multiple countries.

TikTok has a video that provides all the details on where to find the gap and how to obtain the help needed in Mexico to get to the destination.

Who are these people? Are they simply well intended people who are coming here to make our country better? Is this a move to fill our country with Chinese soldiers who may be positioning themselves to attack America from inside? Hopefully, it’s just a large group of people trying to escape from a bad country where life is not good.

The dumbest part of this “60 Minutes” story is the four-foot gap so many are coming through. Reportedly, there isn’t any federal money allocated to fix the gap. We’ve sent billions to Ukraine and Israel but we don’t have any money to plug up a hole used by people who are essentially invading our country. We don’t call them invaders, but they come illegally and in massive numbers. It may not feel like an invasion in Iowa but it does to people who live on the U.S.-Mexico border.

Why doesn’t someone take a dump truck or two of rocks and close up that gap? If President Biden wanted to improve his dismal ranking in the polls, then he should coordinate such an effort. He and VP Kamala Harris could each drive a big truck of rocks and dump into the gap. I bet he would have an impressive convoy of people who would join him in the effort. I can’t see how it would be that much of a strain on the federal budget. Of couse he won’t do that nor will any other politician. There is probably some kind a rule or law that forbids such an action.

One elderly man who owns property close to the gap fired a gun in the air because migrants were burning trees on his farm. He was arrested for trying to protect his property.

Fixing that hole in the wall seems like a simple common-sense thing to do. When you bring Washington into the process there is no common sense.

Find books by Glenn Mollette at Amazon.com Learn more about his books, columns and music at GlennMollette.Com
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The League of Women Voters of Henderson County will host a panel discussion “Navigating
Immigration Pathways to Legal Status“ on February 22, 2024, from 11:30am – 1:00 pm in the
Trinity Room, St. James Episcopal Church, 766 N. Main Street, Hendersonville, NC 28792.
Attendees are welcome to bring lunch. Drinks and dessert will be provided.
Pisgah Legal Services Immigration Attorneys, Angie Peña and Leonel Gonzalez will discuss
their role in finding options for immigrants with specific or special needs. These programs
include legal aid to survivors of domestic abuse, child abuse or neglect, and human trafficking.
The program will also include ways that volunteers can help.
LWVHC celebrates Diversity, Equity and Inclusion by welcoming all members of our
community. For more information please go to the website www.lwvhcnc.org

Former Hendersonville High School Football quarterback Robert Livingston has been hired as defensive coordinator for the University of Colorado Buffaloes, whose head coach is former football standout Deion Sanders.

Livingston is a 2004 graduate of Hendersonville and is heading to Boulder, Colorado after spending the last nine seasons as safety coach with the Cincinnati Bengals.

Most of Livingston's coaching experience has been with the Bengals with college coaching limited to Furman in 2010 and Vanderbillt in 2011.  He played college football at William and Mary.

The 7th Avenue Brooklyn Community Garden Expansion & Revitalization Project signifies the culmination of various community advocates and partners with the City of Hendersonville such as Master Gardeners, A Place

to Go, Black History Research Group, Caregivers of Mother Earth and more to revitalize and expand the Brooklyn Community Garden. The project is expected to be completed in late spring and project highlights include

ADA accessible beds, a children's area, pollinator and native plantings, and more.

On March 4, 2024, the City of Hendersonville will begin its spring bulk leaf collection service for City residents. Bulk leaf collection will continue throughout the month of March and conclude on March 29.   

During bulk leaf collection, City residents should pile loose leaves at the edge of the street along the curb, without placing the leaves on the sidewalk or roadway. Leaves should not be bagged by City of Hendersonville residents.   

Residents can help prevent safety hazards by keeping leaf piles off the sidewalks. Obstructed sidewalks may force people to walk into the street and pose a danger for pedestrians and motorists. Keeping leaf piles out of the roadways and sidewalks also helps prevent debris from being washed into the storm drains which can cause flooding.   

The bulk leaf collection process is separate from brush collection crews; therefore, residents will need to keep their brush and leaves in separate piles until bulk leaf collection has concluded at the end of the year. Leaf piles should be free of tree limbs or other objects that may damage collection equipment. Fall bulk leaf collection typically occurs from mid-October through December.  

The public does not need to contact Public Works with leaf pick-up requests as this service is automatically provided to City residents. Leaf piles are picked up from homes every ten to fourteen days but, depending on the volume of leaves placed out for collection, the piles could be picked up sooner or later than that time frame. 

The City’s bulk leaf collection service does not include pickup for yard waste generated by landscaping companies. If any residents, businesses, or nonprofits use a contractor or landscape contractor to trim or cut trees or any yard work, the contractor is responsible for removal of the debris they generate including grass clippings, bulk leaves, tree trimmings, etc. 

For questions about this service, please call the Public Works Department at (828) 697-3084 or visit https://www.hendersonvillenc.gov/public-works.  

As Part of its 2024 National Tour, the United States Navy Band to Perform at
Hendersonville High School
Ten HCPS Students Selected to join them on Stage
HENDERSONVILLE, N.C. Feb 6, 2024 – The United States Navy Band will perform a free concert
Feb. 16th at the Hendersonville High School Auditorium at 7 pm. The performance will include one song
performed with students from Henderson County Public Schools.
Ten students from across HCPS will perform John Phillips Sousa’s Washington Post March with the U.S.
Navy Band. All U.S. Navy Band performances are free and open to the public, although ticket reservations
are required.
As part of the Navy Band’s 2024 national tour, the concert is a family-friendly event, meant to connect
community members across the country with their Navy. The U.S. Navy Concert Band is the premier
wind ensemble of the U.S. Navy. As the original ensemble of the Navy Band, the Concert Band has been
performing public concerts and participating in high-profile events for 98 years. The band performs a
wide array of marches, patriotic selections, orchestral transcriptions and modern wind ensemble
repertoire.
One of the U.S. Navy Band’s core responsibilities involves touring the country. All of the band’s primary
performing units embark each year on concert tours throughout specified regions of the country, allowing
the band to reach out to audiences in areas of the country that do not have opportunities to see the Navy's
premier musical ensembles on a regular basis.
The following HCPS students have been invited to perform with the band:
1. Elijah Bandy Percussion Hendersonville High
2. Noelle Benjamin Clarinet Hendersonville High
3. Caroline Pope Tuba Hendersonville High
4. Sebastian Sanchez Trombone Hendersonville High
5. Bryce Eames Trumpet West Henderson High
6. Sean Nakano French Horn West Henderson High
7. Sam Lewis Trombone North Henderson High
8. Jacob Houston Trumpet North Henderson High
9. Jordan Magyar Bass Clarinet East Henderson High
10. Humberto Perez Hernandez Trumpet East Henderson High
The concert is Friday, Feb. 16th at 7 pm. It is free and open to the public, but attendees are required to
claim a ticket at https://usnavyband.ticketleap.com/2024-concert-band-hendersonville/

Insurance Commissioner Mike Causey rejects insurance companies' average 42.2% rate hike request
Proposed rates called 'excessive,' 'unfairly discriminatory'

RALEIGH -- North Carolina Insurance Commissioner Mike Causey today said “No” to the insurance companies’ average 42.2% proposed increase in homeowners’ insurance rates.

“I haven’t seen the evidence to justify such a drastic rate increase on North Carolina consumers,” Commissioner Causey said. “The Department of Insurance has received more than 24,000 emailed comments on this proposal, with hundreds more policyholders commenting by mail. Scores more consumers spoke during a public comment forum. North Carolina consumers deserve a more thorough review of this proposal. I intend to make sure they get that review.”

Proposed rates by the North Carolina Rate Bureau on behalf of the insurance companies writing policies in the state range from 4.3% in some of the mountain counties to 99.4% in some of the beach areas.

“Homeowners were shocked with the high amount requested by the insurance companies, and so was I,” Commissioner Causey said.

In the notice for hearing, Commissioner Causey called the insurance companies’ proposed increase “excessive and unfairly discriminatory.”

The N.C. Rate Bureau, which represents companies that write insurance policies in the state, is not a part of the Department of Insurance. The Rate Bureau was created by the General Assembly in 1977. Any insurance companies writing homeowners’ insurance or personal automobile insurance policies in North Carolina must be a member of the Rate Bureau.

Commissioner Causey has set a hearing date for Oct. 7 at 10 a.m. State law gives the Insurance Commissioner 45 days to issue an order once the hearing concludes.

— NCDOI —