From Staff Reports 

RALEIGH,  N.C. — A state audit released on Oct. 21 flagged UNC Asheville employees for making nearly $48,000 in improperly authorized purchases using university-issued procurement and travel cards. 

The review, conducted by North Carolina State Auditor Dave Boliek’s office, covered transactions between July 2025 and February 2026.

The audit divided the problematic spending into two main categories: completely prohibited items and poorly documented travel expenses.

In a breakdown of prohibited apending ($23,044), auditors flagged 18 transactions that violated university policies as follows:

• $10,602 for Verizon cell phone service (9 transactions)

• $5,299 for unapproved legal fees (3 transactions)

• $4,450 for alcohol at university events (4 transactions)

• $2,693 for technology — specifically six iPhones and an iPad (2 transactions)

As for deficient travel documentation ($24,922), an additional 24 transactions compeletely lacked proper administrative oversight as follows:

• Missing pre-approvals: The majority consisted of travel expenses made without required prior authorization.

• Airbnb metrics: Three transactions lacked the mandatory cost-savings documentation showing that renting an Airbnb was cheaper than booking standard lodging.

• Widespread card access: During the audit period, roughly 300 employees held school-issued cards, representing roughly 42 percent of UNCA’s total full-time workforce.

The context and university response was as follows:

• The state auditor’s office attributed the issues to inadequate monitoring, insufficient staff training and inconsistent policy enforcement. Specifically, State Auditor Dave Boliek noted these gaps increase the risks of “fraud, waste, abuse and misuse of school resources.”

The review of UNCA was not an isolated incident; it was part of a rolling, system-wide crackdown by the State Auditor’s office into payment card usage across the UNC System.

From Staff Reports 

ASHEVILLE, N.C. — Asheville City Council unanimously voted Oct. 13 to approve conditional rezoning and technical modifications for Western North Carolina’s first Costco wholesale development.

Project details and location include the following:

• Location: A roughly 25-acre retail footprint (part of a 39.6-acre site) at Enka Commerce Park spanning 264 and 274 Enka Heritage Parkway and 1455 Sand Hill Road (near Candler and West Asheville).

• Facility: A 168,258-square-foot warehouse featuring groceries, an optical center, and automotive/tire services, alongside a 32-pump fuel station.

• Parking and infrastructure: 914 surface parking spaces (with flexibility up to 950), 50 bicycle spaces, a 10-foot multimodal path, and the preservation of the historic Enka Clock Tower with a public plaza.

• Jobs and economicimpact: Projected to create 225 to 250 jobs on day one, scaling to over 400 positions upon full build-out, with an estimated $250 million in annual sales volume (built with zero taxpayer or economic development incentives).

City denies the accusations in lawsuit filed by a former S.C. senator and a former mayor

From Staff Reports 

GREER, S.C. — A lawsuit filed against the City of Greer in mid-October alleges that municipal officials illegally raised property taxes after a reassessment and improperly skirted state debt limits.

Specifically, former state Senator Lewis Vaughn and former Greer Mayor Don Wall filed the lawsuit against the City of Greer, Mayor Rick Danner and the nonprofit organization ForGree.

The lawsuit was originally filed in July — and was amended and refiled in mid-October. The plaintiffs in the updated lawsuit also include Michael Douglas Greer, James Edward Wall and the South Carolina Public Interest Foundation.

Key claims in the lawsuit are as follows:

• Insufficient tax rollback: Under South Carolina law, cities and counties must “roll back” tax rates after a property reassessment year (such as Greenville County’s 2025 reassessment) to prevent a windfall from rising property values. The suit alleges Greer only rolled back its millage rate by 2 mills instead of the required 6 mills, resulting in an unlawful tax hike. (A millage rate — or mill rate — is the tax rate used by local governments and taxing authorities to calculate property taxes. A “mill” is equal to $1 of tax for every $1,000 of a property’s assessed taxable value.)

• Circumvention of debt limits: The South Carolina constitution caps local government general obligation debt at 8 percent of total assessed property value (roughly $23.6 million for Greer). The lawsuit alleges the city created the nonprofit ForGreer as an “alter ego” to borrow over $100 million for capital projects — most notably a $60 million sports and events center slated to open in 2027 — without voter approval.

• Other projects: The dispute also centers on other “ForGreer” initiatives, including a public safety training facility (which opened in September) and a proposed parking garage.

The city’s response was as follows:

• Denial of wrongdoing: City officials and lawyers have firmly denied the allegations, stating that the financing structure with ForGreer is 100 percent legal, complies with all state codes, and mirrors approaches used by other local governments in South Carolina. What’s  more, City Administrator Andy Merriman and Mayor Rick Danner have defended the ForGreer capital projects as lawful and necessary tools to manage rapid growth and enhance local quality of life.

From Staff Reports

DANA, N.C. — Two Spartanburg, S.C., residents recently were arrested and a third remains at large following a months-long string of AT&T utility wire thefts in the unincorporated Dana community of Henderson County, according to the Henderson County Sheriff’s Office, which announced the arrests and charges on Oct. 22. 

The HCSO said that, after it received complaints of wire thefts, an investigation was launched. 

The HCSO identified three suspects, all from Spartanburg, and noted the charges as follows:

• Timothy Robert Harrison (25): Still wanted and at large. Warrants for his arrest include three counts each of injury to utility wire, possession of stolen property, and felony conspiracy, along with one count of conspiracy to obtain property by false pretense.

• Justin Tayler Bunch (27): Arrested. He faces four counts of injury to utility wire, four counts of possession of stolen property, six counts of obtaining property by false pretense, and four counts of felony conspiracy.

• Candace Lynn Pierce (28): Arrested on one count of felony conspiracy in connection with the theft ring.

As for the investigation, according to arrest warrants, the trio cut and stole AT&T utility lines over a period of several months. 

Investigators discovered that Bunch subsequently sold the stolen copper utility wire to a metal recycling center located nearby, netting $1,060.50 from the sales. The HCSO did not identify the name of the metal recycling center that bought the wire.

Anyone with information regarding the whereabouts of Timothy Robert Harrison is asked to contact the HCSO.

Meanwhile, research by the Daily Planet indicated that outsiders target AT&T utility wires in communities like Dana, primarily to strip and sell the high-value copper inside for quick cash.

Specifically, outsiders reportedly travel to rural and unincorporated communities to commit the thefts due to a combination of economic incentives and geographic vulnerabilities as follows:

• High value of scrap copper: Copper is a much-prized commodity. When global demand drives prices up, the financial payout for stolen wire increases significantly.

• Vulnerable rural infrastructure: Dana is a rural community east of Hendersonville. Its utility lines run through heavily wooded, isolated or sparsely populated areas, providing thieves the cover of darkness and less risk of immediate civilian detection compared to tightly packed suburban neighborhoods, according to reports.

EDITOR'S NOTE: Because of a production error by the newspaper, an article — on the backlash faced by Henderson County School Board member Shelia Dale —appearing on the front page of the print edition of the Hendersonville Daily Planet on Oct. 28 included an erroneous picture of Mary Ellen Kustin, that incorrectly appeared above the accompanying photo caption for "Sheila Dale."

Kustin, who has no connection to the controversy in which Dale has been embroiled, is a Democratic candidate for a seat on the Henderson County School Board.

The general election in which Kustin is running will be held on Nov. 3.

The Hendersonville Daily Planet regrets the error.

•

From Staff Reports 

HENDERSONVILLE, N.C. — Henderson County School Board member Shelia Dale is facing intense public backlash and widespread calls to resign after reports emerged that she posted bond for an accused child predator. 

Specifically, Dale posted a $62,500 bond on Sept. 15, 2025 for Christopher Raymond Smith, a 46-year-old man charged with 12 counts of statutory sex offenses involving a 14-year-old junior firefighter who he allegedly groomed at the Etowah-Horse Shoe firehouse.

Key details surrounding the controversy include the following:

• The bond action: Shelia Dale posted the $62,500 bond for Smith, who later received a 60-year prison sentence.

• Public outcry: Residents, political candidates, community members, and the victim publicly called for Dale’s resignation and accountability during a Henderson County school board meeting. Critics argued that an elected official tasked with protecting children should not use personal resources to bail out someone accused of severe child sexual offenses.