News

With those city taxrs remaining the same this year, it's the anticipated costs down the road that's giving the Hendersonville City Council some uneasy feelings.

The property tax rate will stay as is, and remain at 49 cents per $100 of property valuation for the 2019-20 fiscal year that begins July 1st, the council determined during a budget workshop held on Thursday.

There are four top priorities city officials must consider in the coming years:

Streetscape improvements to Seventh Ave, the police headquarters, employee medical insurance benefits for departments, and a hefty increase for fire protection facilities and personnel.

City Council is scheduled to meet again at 8:30am May 3rd to further discuss the budget.

Come celebrate spring in the mountains at the annual festival at Historic Johnson Farm, on Saturday April 27th. Enjoy the warm breezes, savor the sunshine and enjoy the seasonal flowers with family and friends. This one of a kind venue and event has been held every spring since 1991. 

Enjoy the farm while listening to live music, visiting farm animals, touring the 1880's farmhouse, watching heritage demonstrations, buying homemade crafts and more. There will be wagon rides, a bake sale, food, children's games and activities, Heritage Weavers and Fiber Artists, and one room schoolhouse lessons. All activities take place on site of the non-profit farm, listed on the national register of historic places.

The event runs 10am-4pm Saturday April; 27th. Adults are $5, students are $3 and children under 5 are free. Parking is across the street at Rugby Middle School, and buses will provide transportation from across the street to the farm and back. For more info call 891-6585.

 Starting today, local youth organizations can earn up to $1,000 through U.S. Cellular’s Community Connections program. Now in its fifth year, Community Connections provides sponsorship support to help youth groups pay for expenses such as travel, equipment and uniforms. Since launching the program in 2015, U.S. Cellular has awarded more than $1.3 million to nearly 2,900 groups, including traveling sports teams, STEM programs, school marching bands and dance squads.

Academic and athletic groups representing kids and teens up to 12th grade can sign up now at www.uscellular.com/communityconnections to become eligible to receive sponsorship funds. Once registered, groups have 14 days to rally their friends, families and supporters to complete online activities that include following U.S. Cellular on its social channels, watching a video or answering a short survey. The money goes directly to the organization, and each group can earn up to $1,000.

“We know there are thousands of kid-focused organizations and groups that are in need of financial support, and the Community Connections program is one way that we can help them achieve their goals,” said Nathan Waddell, director of sales for U.S. Cellular in western North Carolina. “As a company, we have a longstanding commitment to kids and education, and we want to help provide them unique and meaningful experiences, something we know these groups can provide.”

For more information and to view the official rules, please visit www.uscellular.com/communityconnections.

About U.S. Cellular
U.S. Cellular is the fifth-largest full-service wireless carrier in the United States, providing national network coverage and industry-leading innovations designed to elevate the customer experience. The Chicago-based carrier offers coverage where the other carriers don't and a wide range of communication services that enhance consumers’ lives, increase the competitiveness of local businesses and improve the efficiency of government operations. To learn more about U.S. Cellular, visit one of its retail stores or www.uscellular.com. To get the latest news, promos and videos, connect with U.S. Cellular on Facebook.com/uscellular, Twitter.com/uscellular and YouTube.com/uscellularcorp.

Additional I-40 Slide Repairs in Progress
Repairs expanded for additional safety:

NC Department of Transportation engineers have expanded the size of a repair project beside Interstate 40 to increase safety for motorists traveling in the area near the Tennessee state line.

After expanding the project, engineers granted Harrison Construction an additional 30 days to complete all repairs.

Transportation officials hope the additional repairs will better help prevent future slides and closures near the Harmon Den exit.

“The benefits of performing these additional repairs should pay off in the long run,” NCDOT resident engineer Nathan Tanner said. “It’s wise to perform this additional work now while we have the opportunity. The extra repairs should help keep traffic moving through the Pigeon River Gorge for a long time instead of reducing lanes again at a later date.”

Engineers are targeting the weekend of May 3 as the new date to reopen all four lanes to through traffic near mile marker 7. Traffic has been reduced to one lane heading in each direction since Feb. 28.

A rockslide on the night of Feb. 22 closed all four lanes between the state line and exit 20 for five days, which allowed NCDOT and contract crews to clear debris. The closure also allowed crews to transform the two eastbound lanes into one lane each direction with a concrete median and new lines at the slide.

The cleanup and repairs have included removing more than 10,000 tons of debris, installing rock anchors, hanging wire mesh and building a retaining wall. Additional repairs include additional scraping of rock, more anchors, and expanding the area covered by wire mesh.

Motorist driving through the area should expect delays, especially during peak hours. Attentive driving will play a critical role in reducing the possibility of crashes. The speed limit has been lowered to 45 MPH until the repairs are complete to protect transportation crews in the work zone.

“Everybody has been working long days and with the weather turning, long weeks,” Tanner said. “We’ll continue that effort until we’re able to safely open up the interstate.”

For real-time travel information, visit DriveNC.gov or follow NCDOT on social media.

Due to multiple sources stating the forecast for Friday, April 12th is between 70%-100% chance of rain in the morning hours followed by thunderstorms, the Special Olympics Henderson County Spring Games will be rescheduled to May 3rd, 2019.

All times on that date will remain the same. Thank you for your patience and understanding. We know this day means a lot to our athletes, friends, and families. Hope to see you in a sunny May!

Event features free activities and information
Families are invited to Chimney Rock State Park’s Earth Day Celebration at Blue Ghost Brewing Company in Fletcher on Saturday, April 27, from 2 – 6 p.m. Local environmental educators, including Chimney Rock State Park rangers, Chimney Rock Management, LLC naturalists, biologists and other environmental and outdoor enthusiasts, will share the work that they’re doing to protect the beautiful landscape of Western North Carolina. There will also be hands-on activities for kids of all ages.
“Earth Day is a reminder that human action affects the environment and in turn affects humans,’ said ranger Katherine Scheip. “Chimney Rock State Park’s Earth Day Celebration is a time to learn more about our natural environment through education, games, art and science. We hope to spark curiosity, action and fun with our event!”
Admission to the event is free, and youth ages 5-15 who collect six stamps through the event’s Discovery Trail program will earn a day pass, which allows them free day admission to the Chimney Rock section of Chimney Rock State Park. Chimney Rock is the focal point of the greater Chimney Rock State Park. Chimney Rock State Park’s annual Earth Day events have become a popular attraction, with attendance growing steadily each year.

Box 1: Presenters include:
Art Easel Rider
Blue Ridge EVE Club
Conserving Carolina
Chimney Rock Management, LLC.
Earth Shine Nature Programs
National Cave Rescue Commission
Foothills Equestrian Nature Center
Gorges State Park
Holmes Educational State Forest
Lake James State Park
NC Clean Air- Western Division
Water Cookies
Frugal Backpacker
Kids Senses Museum
Town of Lake Lure Parks and Recreation

About Chimney Rock at Chimney Rock State Park
Chimney Rock at Chimney Rock State Park is a still-developing international outdoor destination located 25 miles southeast of Asheville on Highway 64/74A in Chimney Rock, N.C. It is recognized as one of the Southeast’s most iconic sites and popular travel destinations. The Park’s 535-million-year-old monolith called Chimney Rock can be accessed via the 500-stair Outcroppings trail or by the Park’s 26-story elevator inside the mountain that has just been renovated with state-of-the –art equipment. Once on top, guests can enjoy 75-mile panoramic views of Hickory Nut Gorge and Lake Lure. The Park also features one of the highest waterfalls of its kind east of the Mississippi River, Hickory Nut Falls, at 404 feet. Hickory Nut Gorge, one of the state’s most significant centers of biodiversity, is home to 36 rare plant species and 14 rare animal species. The Rumbling Bald section of the greater State Park off of Boys Camp Road in Chimney Rock and Eagle Rock are the only other areas of the Park that are currently open
to the public. A destination for travel groups, weddings and special events, the Chimney Rock section of the Park also hosts innovative educational programs for schools, homeschoolers, scouts and summer camps. Visit Chimney Rock’s website at chimneyrockpark.com.

A few North Carolina lawmakers want to "spring forward" for good by making daylight saving time permanent in the state.

A state House committee voted on Wednesday for legislation that would avoid the twice annual time shift and have later sunsets for good-but only if Congress passes a federal law allowing states to observe daylight saving year-round.

Other states are considering similar conditional legistation on this subject. President Trump also favors the idea in a positive way, in implementing permanant daylight saving nationwide.

North Carolina bill sponsor Rep. Jason Saine of Lincolnton cited studies in suggesting a permanent shift could result in fewer health-related and transportation deaths and otherwise decrease energy consumption in the winter months. But in turn it would also mean children wait in the dark more for morning school buses.

The measure now goes to another House panel.

Tarheel state legislators are coming up with, and advancing new ways to demand the reporting of child abuse, the prosecution of offenders and the protection of children from sex offenders who are on the internet.

The senate underwent a unanimous vote on Wednesday for legislation called the "SAFE Child Act".

The measures now heading to the House required people to report felonies or "crimes of abuse" against young people to local law enforcement. They will however face a misdeamenor if they fail to do so.

This bill also extends the statute of limitations for misdeameanor "crimes of abuse" from the current two years to 10. There are currently no time limits on prosecuting felonies or other certain misdeameanors. Existing bans on social media netoworking by certain convicted sex offenders also would be altered due to a U.S. Supreme Court decision.

Turns out, fewer high school seniors dropped out of school in Henderson County during 2017-18 school year, bucking a trend of rising or stagnant rates that spanned much of the decade.

Looks like Henderson County Public Schools had 64 dropouts for 2017-18 school year, that was quite a reduction from the previous year's 82 students, according to the consolidated data report by N.C. Department of Public Instruction. It's the lowest dropout rate the school system has had since 2014-15. 

Stay in school, and make the very most of your education!

The Henderson County Board of Health heard detailed reports, Tuesday on the health department's annual communicable disease report, along with the specifics on quality improvement measures for teen services and safe sleep initiative.

Director of nursing Crystal O'Dell presented the communicable disease report, which showed an increase in confirmed cases for 2018.

Forty- two cases were confirmed last year, compared to 23 in 2017. The number is a decrease from some recent years, which includes 51 cases in 2016, 47 in 2015, and 56 in 2014.