New school administrators Woodfin community night weaverville


See stories on pages 2, 3 & 9 See story and pictures on page 20 WEEKLY


COMMUNITY NEWSPAPER


August 12 - August 18, 2010 Vol. 8 • No. 32 Woodfin • Weaverville • Barnardsville Fifty Cents


BlackHawks ready to bounce back Town reviews


By Matt Tate Coach Carey Metts and the rest of


North Buncombe’s squad have been repeating a single mantra throughout football practices this season. We’re going to be better than last year. Metts said the improvement is al-


ready evident as the team gears up for its opener against last year’s NCHSAA 2-A runner-up Mountain Heritage on Aug. 20. “Te unity and tempo is much high-


er than it was at any time last year,” Metts said. “Te kids are much more upbeat about this year.” After all, it couldn’t be much worse


than 2009. While most expected last year to be


a rebuilding year for North Buncombe after losing much of the squad that led the BlackHawks to back-to-back play- off appearances in 2007 and 2008, the manner in which the team lost, includ- ing five shutout defeats, frustrated both


Continued on page 11 workers’ benefits


By Clint Parker In these tough economic


times, small governments are looking at ways of tightening their belts from every angle they can, so when the Town of Weav- erville called a special meeting to review employee benefits, it got the attention of most of the town approximately 60 employees. More than two thirds of those


employees filled the town hall council chambers Monday (Aug. 9) to find out what was going on and why the council wanted to learn more about the town’s ben- efits to its employees. Te town took no action, and


council members stressed the meeting was an informal gather- ing of information. Weaverville Mayor Al Root


Spirits are higher at North Buncombe’s practices this season, according to the team’s coach. PETE


opened the meeting by saying he wanted to address rumors that might be going around. “Tis meeting is not about hurting our


HELPING OUR FRIENDS AND NEIGHBORS!


employees or cutting benefits. ... I think this council had a pretty good record for taken care of its employees,” he said. Weaverville Town Manager


Mike Morgan presented a list of benefits that included retire- ment, paid holidays annual leave, sick leave, military leave, court leave, insurance benefits, unemployment compensation, family medical leave, deferred compensation plan and addi- tional flexible benefits (see side- bar for details). During the presentation, Mor-


gan told how the town changed health plans and raised the em- ployee’s health care deductible in 2008 from $1,500 to $2,500 annual to save money. Te town added a Health Reimbursement Account (HRA) of a $1,000 for each employee to cover that additional cost thereby lowing costs from $421,000 in 2007 to


Continued on page 5 50¢


Phone 645-6300 • Fax 645-0065 • www.brankinsurance.com 9 Georgia Avenue “Just off Main Street” Weaverville, North Carolina


Megan


PATTY


LAUREN


PAUL


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