Home Care In Leicester, NC

Asheville (N.C.) Citizen-Times

ASHEVILLE, N.C. — Against the backdrop of the Newfound Mountains, Frank King is looking for the next super food on his farm north of Asheville, N.C.

His herd of 300 majestic bison graze the rolling pastures — for their leaner, healthier meat. But Leicester, N.C., is more than where the buffalo roam.

The farm also is home to a herd of 23 camels — humped dromedary camels, familiar in tour shots of the Egyptian pyramids, and double-humped hairy Bactrians, native to Asia and comfortable in mountain cold. "Those are the animals that built the Great Wall of China," King said.

Now King hopes to build a new business on the camel's milk. Long a staple food in the Middle East, camel milk could provide nutrition and dietary supplements and sell at prices starting at $18 a pint in this country.

We are largely what we eat, King argues. "Epigenetics suggest that we can actually change our genes by how we live. Right now in modern society, we are like polar bears released into a Death Valley environment. When people connect with nature, they feel better, and wild is better."

Camels are some of the most adaptive animals on the planet, able to endure blazing hot Saharan deserts and bitterly cold Mongolian steppes. Consuming their milk could provide health benefits. Some Amish parents, for example, believe that camel milk can help their children with autism and attention deficient disorders, King said. The Amish have started their own camel dairies in this country.

"The milk is tasty. The dromedaries' milk has a slightly salted taste and creamier. The Bactrians' is less salty," King said. King and his family are drinking about four doses a day for better health.

Healing foods

King has always been interested in health. He trained as a chiropractor and naturopathic doctor in Atlanta. In 1989, he opened his King Bio plant in Leicester, creating homeopathic remedies with a distilled water base. In the past year, King's pharmaceuticals have gone mainstream, appearing over the counter in shelves at Whole Foods, Earthfare, Walmart, CVS, Walgreen's, Target and other top retailers. King Bio employs more than 100 people. It reported revenue of around $10 million last year. King expects revenue could double this year.

Looking for a better diet led King into the bison business. Bison was the staple of the American Indian and has less fat and cholesterol than many fish or conventional beef. King has turned Carolina Bison into a more than $3 million business that will harvest and sell some 5,000 bison this year in local stores and restaurants.

Homeopathy, bison meat and now camel milk all fit into King's philosophy of a Healing Revolution — a line of books and videos he's promoting with his products.

Bison, camels don't mix

The farmhands keep the wild bison and the domesticated camels in separate pastures behind electrified fencing. "We don't want to see a bison horn in a camel's side," King said.

Farm manager Mike Ellington finds that caring for both the strong and unpredictable bison and the more passive and friendly camels makes for an interesting work day.

Old Jack, the herd's bull camel, stands about 8 feet tall at his hump and probably weighs in at around 1,900 pounds. He wanders over to the gate, looking for handouts of hay. "Old Jack, he's just a people person," said Ellington, a veteran livestock man who once rode bulls and worked as a rodeo clown before joining King's operation.

The camels are milked by hand, producing about two gallons a day. The farm hands put the mothers in with their babies to get the milk flowing, then move the youngsters aside. "You don't have to bend over," King said. "You can milk standing up."

They are still experimenting with pasteurization methods, required by federal law if the milk is to be sold across state lines, although King hopes that rules will be relaxed for raw milk products in the future. For now, they have a 15-second flash pasteurization method that leaves more of the nutrients intact.

Through his Wild Food Foundation nonprofit, King is pursuing research on camel milk as well as products from 29 Himalayan yak and a pair of exotic African Watusi, a kind of herd animal whose 8-foot-long horns put Texas longhorns to shame. African tribes blend Watusi milk and blood together in a fermented drink.

A healthy prophesy

King is also breeding another rarity — white buffalo, which occur in nature only perhaps one in a million. With about 18 white buffalo, King may have the largest collection in the country.

Considered sacred among some American Indian tribes, the white buffalo will not be harvested for meat, but King sees potential profit in their lighter cooled wool, which is 40 times warmer than sheep's wool.

"There's something peaceful about being around the white buffalo. You don't feel the same aggressive power as among the other bison. I feel it."

The North American continent once was home to an estimated 60 million bison, which were hunted nearly to extinction in the 19th century, with only about 1,000 survivors.

The prophesy of some tribes held that with the return of the buffalo, all people of all races would be reunited in health, King said.

"The white man wiped out the bison. Cardiovascular disease is wiping out the white man, now the bison have come back to help out the white man."

Camel dairies growing

Several farms owning collections of breeding camels are adopting camel milking programs in the states of Indiana, Michigan, Missouri, North Carolina, Ohio, Oklahoma and Pennsylvania, with new milking programs set to open in Florida, Georgia, Idaho, Louisiana, Tennessee, Texas and Virginia. The camel population in the U.S. is estimated at 5,000.

Scientific studies show:

• Levels of potassium, magnesium, iron, copper, manganese, sodium and zinc are higher than in cow's milk.

• Cholesterol in camel milk is lower than cow or goat milk.

• Camel milk is three times higher in vitamin C than cow's milk and 10 times higher in iron.

• Camel milk is also high in unsaturated fatty acids and B vitamins but lower in vitamin A and B2 (than cow milk).

• Camel milk has more fat and protein than cow's milk.

LEICESTER, N.C. (WLOS) — For 17 years, Robert Hoppenhauer's Leicester neighborhood has been charged for a service it wasn’t receiving. It amounts to tens of thousands paid to the local power company, Duke Energy Progress (DEP).

Mountain neighborhood gets refund after paying for nonexistent street lights for 17 years

“Once I realized it wasn’t just me, but everybody, then I said, we have to call somebody,” Hoppenhauer said.

News 13 and the North Carolina Public Utilities Commission Public Staff are investigating how it happened, who holds the utility company responsible, and how to check if it’s happened to you.

Nine miles outside Asheville, on a Leicester hillside, sits a quiet neighborhood.

“It’s nothing but good, hard working people. We keep to ourselves, until we don’t have to,” Hoppenhauer described his neighborhood.

When something looked amiss on Hoppenhauer’s power bill late in 2021, he had to call Duke Energy Progress.

“I’m a stickler, I’m very much a big stickler for reading my bills and understanding them,” he said. “When I called them, I played a little coy with them, oh I see this is a new charge, you know and she’s like, 'no, no it’s always been charged.' And I was like, well how long have I been paying it? And she’s like, '14 and a half years.' I said, now we have a problem."

Duke Energy’s Streetlight map highlights the issue.

What did the maps show?

“Their maps shows that there are eight street lights on this street and two of them are in backyards,” Hoppenhauer said.

It’s obvious at nightfall or during the day if you ride through the neighborhood along Slick Rock Road, while the streetlights are indicated on Duke Energy’s map, there are no actual lights in the neighborhood.

“I said to my wife, I don’t understand how not only does it show street lights, but every single one of them is working,” said Hoppenhauer.

News 13 reached out to Duke Energy Public Relations Manager Jeff Brooks.

“The lights show up on the map, but they’re not in the neighborhood, how does something like that happen?” News 13 asked.

“Well, it’s a little bit of a mystery," Brooks explained. "Somewhere when these lights were set up 20 years ago, which was a different time, those lights were put into the system but somehow, were not installed in the neighborhood."

Duke Energy’s billing change, which now shows the streetlight fee separately on your bill, helped Hoppenhauer catch the local utility’s error.

“This fall we changed the bill format to make it a little more transparent, a little easier for customers to understand the charges that they receive every month,” said Brooks.

It’s a change the North Carolina Utilities Commission Public Staff, which regulates utilities, supports.

“The old billing system that was in place was very old and it had great limitations,” said James McLawhorn, energy division director.

McLawhorn and the energy division have requested four pages of data from Duke Energy Progress.

“How long has the charge been applied to their bill, how long have they been paying it,” McLawhorn explained what they're looking into.

They also asked the power company if it “did an inventory of any street lights or poles on any street in the subdivision and if not why?”

DEP’s response provided to NC Utilities Commission public staff – “while it's unknown how they started billing the properties in question, since there are no lights installed, an inventory would not have been conducted.”

“If the investigation finds the utility was doing something wrong are there consequences?” asked News 13 reporters.

“The number one thing is correct the billing error, not just remove the charges going forward," McLawhorn said. "If a customer has been overcharged by the utility due to a misapplied rate schedule, which is the way I would interpret this one at least on the surface, then the utility has to refund the amount that the customer was overcharged and I believe it says up to the statute of limitations."

In North Carolina, according to the NC Utilities Commission Public Staff, the statue of limitations is three years. Duke Energy Progress is going further than that.

“We absolutely want to make it right," Brooks said. "This was our mistake."

Duke Energy is working to reimburse the neighborhood the full amount. Hoppenhauer's reimbursement is $78.48 a year; over 14 and a half years it adds up to over $1,100. Duke included 10% interest and paid Hoppenhauer and his wife over $1,300. For the 35 neighborhood customers, its around $16,000 all tolled.

The utility company believes this is an isolated situation for them. National headlines from California to Connecticut reveal it happens with other utility providers as well, from individuals to entire cities billed for non-existent lights.

News 13 asked Duke Energy’s representative -- How would you know if this has happened to others? You didn’t even know this situation happened until these neighbors brought it to Duke Energy.

“We work to inventory assets over time and make sure that what’s on our map is what’s in the field and there’s a comprehensive process going on to do that right now across the system to verify those things,” said Brooks. But again in this instant they hadn’t inventoried lights that existed on their own maps and at least somewhere in their system to charge residents.

McLawhorn said he encourages everyone to check their bill each month. Hoppenhauer agrees and urges residents to look up their street on the map and compare it to their bill.

“Always check your phone bill, your cable bill; the hidden charges on there would probably amaze you,” Hoppenhauer said.

Details are now clearly broken down on Duke Energy bills, including the basic customer fee, hourly usage, streetlights and taxes.

“I’m just glad that everyone can be made right," Hoppenhauer said. "My wife’s all calling me 'Mr. Man,' doing chest bumps with each other, like 'you da man, who’s da man, I’m the man.' But I’m just glad people are getting money that they rightfully deserve, plus 10% interest, which is fair enough."

More information about rate options

The North Carolina Public Utilities Commission points out customers also have rate options. You can reach out to Duke Energy’s customer service to see if you’re getting the best rate.

Duke Energy provides more information on rate options for its customers. You can find more information HEREandHERE. You can also call Duke Energy customer service at 800.452.2777. You can also find more customer assistance HERE.

If you find you've been overcharged for streetlights, News 13 wants to hear from you. Email [email protected] or you can email us if you have another matter you'd like us to investigate.

Pictured: Scottish Highland cattle on Montgomery Sky Farm in Leicester. The farm, which rescues and rehabilitates animals in need and also breeds the Scottish Highland cows, just opened to the public for private tours in fall 2020. (Photo courtesy of Montgomery Sky Farm)

LEICESTER, N.C. (WLOS) — In 2017, Fran and Taylor Montgomery happened upon a 100+ year old house and dairy farm in Leicester that needed a lot of love, sweat and tears to bring the property back to life.

And that's just what they did.

“Taylor was looking for a house after he sold his Weaverville home. He was out driving around looking for places one day and passed the farm,” Fran recalled. “He stopped in and talked to the owner of the farm, who happened to be there, and he put an offer on it immediately and we bought it.”

“It was almost like it was meant to be.”

Unique family farm shares love of "fluffy" cows, rehabilitated farm animals with public

It took three years of rehabilitating the farmland and what was considered by locals to be “the condemned house” – and building a new, bigger barn after the original barn burned down – but they were able to realize their dream of owning a farm.

"I've always been a city girl, but I've always wanted a farm. I love farm life, and it's always been a dream of mine to live in a rural area, so we discovered Leicester, fell and love and never looked back," Fran said.

After the original barn burned down, Fran said although that was heartbreaking, she and Taylor took it as an opportunity. They decided to build a bigger barn and, ultimately, decided to have their wedding there in October 2019.

“We were not going to open to the public; it was just going to be our special place,” she said.

Then came the unforeseen decision to open Montgomery Sky Farm to the public in the fall of 2020.

Opening during a pandemic

Opening during a year of a pandemic? It wasn’t in the plan originally, but the pandemic was exactly why the Montgomerys decided to do it.

“We had not intended to open to the public, but my neighbor’s kids started coming over during the pandemic when they needed to get outside, and they fell in love with it," Fran said. "The kids came to life, and then to watch the animals get socialized with children, to see the animals enjoy the children... it was a no-brainer. The first Sunday I opened up tours to the public, it sold out within 10 minutes.”

During a year when so many were shuttered in their homes, especially in the seasons of spring, summer and fall when WNC natives and tourists are accustomed to coming and going, Montgomery Sky Farm offered a safe outdoor activity that was not only refreshing for families but educational.

"We opened during COVID to allow families the opportunity to get them and their kids outdoors. They were private sessions, outdoors and social distanced, with us in masks," Fran said. "It makes for a great socially distanced and outdoor activity."

Not your typical farm

To date, 63 animals take up residence on the farm, and the couple also has a growing operation of produce. Much of the produce is grown for Urban Wren restaurant and winery in Greenville, S.C., where Taylor is the executive chef.

But the farm isn't just any typical farm.

"We're not the typical farmers," Taylor told News 13. "We're animal lovers."

The Montgomerys rescue and rehabilitate farm animals that need it, particularly species that are abandoned. Some even get dumped by people right in their driveway.

“We have chickens from slaughter homes, goats meant for slaughter -- one with a broken elbow that took three surgeries to correct -- horses we rescued from kill pens,” Fran said. “We get our greatest satisfaction from seeing those animals get to truly be ‘animals’ and come to life.”

This rehabilitation effort is at the heartbeat of their passion for animals. And the Montgomerys handle all day-to-day operations on their own, with no outside help.

"I was a vet tech for 15 years and have taken my passion to rehabilitating and taking in abandoned farm animals," Montgomery said. "We love giving them the best life possible and allowing the public to interact and love on them."

They also raise and breed Scottish Highland cattle – otherwise known as "fluffy" cows – through a nationwide effort to preserve the breed's integrity.

The Scottish Highland breed, which dates back to the sixth century in Scotland, is known for its friendly disposition and long, fluffy hair.

"We just felt, we love our place and get so much joy from the animals, we wanted to share it. Who doesn't want to hug a fluffy cow?" Montgomery said.

Montgomery Sky Farm’s 63 animals of all shapes and sizes include 10 registered Scottish Highland cattle, a haflinger horse, two miniature horses, four miniature Nigerian fainting goats, one Nubian goat who “thinks she is a dog,” 40 chickens and five dogs.

That includes several babies as well – a 6-month-old miniature horse, 3-month-old and 8-month-old cows and a 2-month-old Nubian goat, “Sprout,” who was abandoned at just 4 days old and much prefers the company of the farm dogs to the goats.

As of April 23, three of the cows were still pregnant but due to give birth any day.

“The first time a chicken, that was previously confined at a slaughter house, sees the outdoors and gets to scratch the earth; or getting to see a baby mini horse that was in a dog crate at a kill pen, get to run in a field,” Fran said. “You can see them exude their joy and gratitude so much so, that we get goosebumps every time. This is why we do what we do."

See the farm in person

The dairy farm, now 111 years old, was initially one of the founding dairies in Leicester.

It’s still a work in progress, as projects are ongoing to continue to renovate and beautify its natural beauty and functionality.

"We have had a huge response from the community, with our focal point being getting families to get outdoors safely during COVID and learn about farming," Montgomery said.

In addition to private farm visits, Montgomery Sky Farm also offers space for small, selective weddings, private events and birthday parties. Contact them at [email protected] for pricing information.

All of those offerings are just one more way they can keep the farm's mission going, with the focus on the rescue and rehabilitation of animals in need as well as breeding the Scottish Highlands.

“Our primary focus has always been to maintain a symbiotic relationship with our animals and the land, and we look forward to expanding our growing in 2021,” Fran said.

"At the end of the day, our mission stands, 'The sky is limitless.'"

Although the calendar fills up quickly when select dates for tours are opened up, the best way to schedule a private tour of the farm is by emailing [email protected] or messaging the farm’s Facebook page.

Want to give a donation to support the farm’s mission? Visit its Amazon Wishlist page HERE.

The farm also sells merchandise, which can be found HERE.

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BUNCOMBE COUNTY, N.C. (WLOS) — A Buncombe County woman faces felony animal abuse charges after authorities say 41 dogs and other animals were seized from a home in Leicester, North Carolina.

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Dozens of animals -- including dogs, tortoise, several birds -- seized in cruelty case

The Buncombe County Sheriff's Office says officers with the Animal Services Unit served a search warrant at 138 Tall Tree Lane on the morning of Jan. 31, 2023.

DOG FOUND WANDERING WITH NOTE REUNITED WITH OWNER, MCKAMEY ANIMAL CENTER SAYS

Initially on Tuesday, the sheriff's office said in a press release that more than 25 dogs were rescued from the home, along with other animals "suffering from neglect."

“We looked out the window and heard some commotion,” neighbor Bill Rogers said.

About a dozen American Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals members spent about eight hours removing the animals from the property and transporting them to an undisclosed location.

"The dogs, including nine newborn puppies, as well as a tortoise, a rabbit, a fish, and several birds, were found living in neglectful conditions in an overcrowded mobile home in Leicester," a news release from ASPCA said.

Lindsey Trevor Rue is charged with felony killing an animal by starvation, felony animal cruelty, child neglect, and resist delay or obstruct.

“The ASPCA has deep roots in Western North Carolina, so when we learned these animals were suffering and in need of immediate intervention, we quickly mobilized to ensure they could be brought to safety and receive the care they deserve,” Teresa Ladner, senior director of Investigations for the ASPCA, said in the release.

MAJOR MILESTONE: ASPCA SPAY/NEUTER ALLIANCE PERFORMS 500,000TH PROCEDURE IN WNC

“We can barely handle one, let alone 41,” neighbor Baylee Moss said. “It’s too much. “It’s really devastating.”

The computer aided dispatch (CAD) system for Buncombe County -- which records fire, EMS, and law enforcement calls for service -- shows that since Jan. 5, 2007, there have been 68 calls for service at 138 Tall Tree Drive in Leicester, the sheriff's office said. The first call for service was animal-related, and 35 animal-related calls for service had been recorded for that address as of Jan. 25, 2023. Complainants ranged from barking/nuisance issues to dogs running at large, chasing livestock and killing chickens to concerns about a lack of shelter and food for dogs and horses.

“We’ve seen so many of these dogs run through our yards,” Moss said. “To hear what’s being going on is really sad.”

The sheriff’s office has not released much about the investigation. More charges are expected to be filed against Rue.

"Animals don’t deserve to be treated like that,” Rogers said.

In a news release, Buncombe County Sheriff Quentin Miller thanked the Animal Services Unit for conducting the "long-term investigation," as well as staff and volunteers with the ASPCA.

This story is developing and will be updated.

ASHEVILLE, N.C. (WLOS) — A proposed subdivision off New Leicester Highway is moving closer to reality after being approved Tuesday night, Feb. 13, by the Buncombe County Board of Adjustment.

The proposed project, called Pentland Hills, is a 69-unit development with a mix of single-family homes and attached single-family homes, of which at least 75% are to be affordable.

Joe Quinlan, home ownership manager at Mountain Housing Opportunities (MHO), defined affordable housing as not costing a buyer more than one-third of their income while serving members of the community who are earning 80% of the area median income or less.

'FASTEST SITES FOR US TO DEVELOP' COUNTY-OWNED PROPERTY CONSIDERED FOR AFFORDABLE HOUSING

Quinlan said the proposed project on Pentland Hills Drive will be very similar to Lillie Farm Cove, an award-winning MHO development in Weaverville.

“There I think we hit more like 80-85% affordable and mixed in just a few unrestricted sales,” Quinlan said.

He estimated most of the homes will appraise for over $300,000 each, which he said will be out of the range for many of the families his nonprofit is trying to serve.

ASHEVILLE CITY COUNCIL RESCINDS PREVIOUSLY APPROVED $1.2M FOR AFFORDABLE HOUSING PROJECT

“What that means for us is, many of these families will qualify a certain amount of a first mortgage," he said. "It won’t be enough to buy the house. We never sell our houses for less than their value, we never make a gift of equity to anybody. We will lend these families what they need in the form of soft-second financing so that we’re lending them the difference between their first mortgage and what the house appraises for.”

Quinlan said there are no payments or traditional interest on the money they lend, and the loans increase in value at the same rate as the homes.

But the nonprofit is not on its own.

Dogwood Health Trust gave $1 million in grant money on the condition that 75% of the homes are affordable.

URGENT CALL FOR ASHEVILLE TO INVEST IN TRULY AFFORDABLE HOUSING: $750 PER MONTH IS THE TARGET

Additionally, the United States Agricultural Department is helping with first mortgages.

As for the next steps, the land is purchased and MHO is awaiting staff approval from Buncombe County.