Buncombe Commissioners preview: Veterans update

The Nov. 1 meeting of the Buncombe County Board of Commissioners will feature a pair of updates on local veterans service providers.

Charles George VA Medical Center Director Cynthia Breyfogle plans to tell the board the latest goings on at the local hospital. And Kevin Turner, director of the Buncombe County Veterans Affairs Department, says he’ll update the commissioners on its ongoing work. The office aims to be veterans’ “principal advocate in ensuring that they receive medical care, benefits, social support, and lasting memorials promoting the health, welfare, and dignity in recognition of their service to this Nation,” according to its website.

Commissioners will also consider a pair of proclamations. One would declare Nov. 13 “UNC–Asheville Bulldog Day” – the same day the university’s basketball team faces a tough challenge by the UNC–Chapel Hill Tarheels, one of the top ranked college basketball teams in the nation.

The other proclamation would declare November to be “Adoption Awareness Month.”

There are currently 191 children in foster care in Buncombe County and adoption is the permanency plan for approximately 20 percent of these children. Statewide, approximately 9,000 children live away from their birth parents, according to the proposed text of the proclamation. The purpose of the proclamation, it states, is “to call attention to the fact that every child deserves to grow up in a loving, nurturing, permanent home and that this experience lays the foundation for a happy, productive adulthood. …During the month of November, Buncombe County Human Services, private adoption agencies, the faith community and local advocacy groups will participate in a statewide public awareness campaign around adoption.”

In addition, commissioners will consider filling three vacancies to the Buncombe County Planning Board.

The board will meet at 4:30 p.m., Tuesday, Nov. 1, in the commissioner’s chambers, located at 30 Valley St. A short pre-meeting review of the agenda will begin at 4:15 p.m.

 

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About Jake Frankel
Jake Frankel is an award-winning journalist who enjoys covering a wide range of topics, from politics and government to business, education and entertainment.

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