Registration is open for the May 2-4 summit.

Three days after a WNC church secured funding for solar panels, the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) froze $20 billion in climate and clean energy grants, putting energy efficiency and resiliency projects in limbo across the country.
Registration is open for the May 2-4 summit.
As part of Xpress’ new monthly feature, “Off the Shelf,” we ask local residents to offer a book recommendation. This month’s suggestion comes courtesy of Kayla Pressley Seay, site manager at the Thomas Wolfe Memorial.
Hit hard by Tropical Storm Helene, WNC Nature Center exceeds its own expectations by opening March 17 with a few renovations and expansions too.
Held March 17-18, at the Renaissance Asheville Downtown Hotel, the DIY Tourism Marketing Conference drew professionals from across the country, some from as far as Hawaii.
While two events in the last three years have shaken the confidence of Asheville’s 125,000 water system customers, the purity of the region’s water has been a driver of growth for two centuries, according to a new book from Michael Holcombe.
“After the storm, my heart turned to Psalm 70,” says Rev. Dusty Black. “The psalmist is pleading with God for victory over his enemies, as well as praying that the Lord would be worshipped.”
The Year in Beer crew takes a field trip to the Black Mountain brewery, now celebrating its 20th anniversary.
Pink Dog’s exhibition of work byJoanie Krug and Alan Wieder opens April 4.
As of January, the most recent figures available, Asheville had a 6% unemployment rate — the state’s highest — according to the N.C. Department of Commerce.
In an effort to suggest how debris-removal contractors could gently remove the remaining stumps and root balls, archeology students from Western Carolina University (WCU) spent the week of March 10 — their spring break — studying and uncovering graves near tree falls.
Six Buncombe County libraries are operating fewer days than normal because of a hiring freeze. Officials say the changes are just temporary.
The floodplain rules come from the federal Flood Risk Management Standard, which President Trump rescinded by executive order on Jan. 20.
Plus, post-Helene reopenings for several area restaurants and breweries.
The April 6 event will help the urban community farm get growing this spring.
“I accompanied a senior citizen friend while he moved from his home to a Hendersonville nursing home, and the first thing the nursing home did was to put an electronic bracelet on him to prevent him from leaving.”
“Being in a place that has experienced a disaster is not just witnessing destruction. It is witnessing the power of the human spirit to rebuild, reimagine and rise stronger than ever before.”