Report: NC farmland, solar industry can work in tandem

From NC News Service: By Stephanie Carson North Carolina has almost 5 million acres of farmland, but a new crop of solar installations popping up around the state has some concerned that renewable energy could make some of that land unavailable. Yet that’s not the case according to a new study released by the North Carolina […]

N.C. lawmakers introduce bill to limit protests

From N.C. News Service: by Stephanie Carson As historic numbers of North Carolina citizens are engaging in the political process, some state lawmakers are looking for ways to criminalize protesting. House Bill 249, known as the “Economic Terrorism Bill,” would outlaw acts of protest such as disrupting traffic or business, or taking part in actions […]

Warmer winters create uphill battle for NC ski resorts

From North Carolina News Service: by Stephanie Carson When Boone businessman Mike Doble started his website Ski Southeast more than 20 years ago, North Carolina had eight ski resorts. Now, the state is down to six. With interest in skiing and snowboarding still consistent among outdoor enthusiasts, Doble and other insiders don’t attribute the decrease to declining […]

NC businesses, including New Belgium Brewing join fight for clean water

Article from N.C. News Service: North Carolina’s clean water is a valuable commodity for thousands of businesses across the state, including New Belgium Brewing in Asheville. The fourth-largest craft brewery in the U.S. is one of 234 businesses that this week joined an amicus brief urging a federal court to uphold the Clean Water Rule, finalized […]

Carolina Public Press reports: Jai Lateef Williams had previously faced felony charges, questions mount

By Frank Taylor, Carolina Public Press This story is from Carolina Public Press, a nonprofit online news service focused on in-depth and investigative reporting in Western North Carolina. ASHEVILLE – Contrary to several previous news media reports, Jai Lateef “Jerry” Williams had faced charges of serious criminal activity prior to July 2 when an Asheville Police Officer shot him, […]

From Carolina Public Press: Mentally ill sent to Nutz R Us, despite name, bad inspection­s

Nutz R Us, a Buncombe County company that incorporated under that name in 2008, operates assisted living facilities catering to mentally ill adults, according to a story filed by Frank Taylor, managing editor of Carolina Public Press. Multiple officials with state and local public health agencies have told Carolina Public Press that they find the […]

City, state argue Asheville water case before Supreme Court

by Ted Strong, Carolina Public Press The General Assembly’s bid to force the regionalization of Asheville’s water system is an unconstitutional over-reach, the city’s attorney argued Tuesday before the state Supreme Court. An attorney representing the state countered that a literal, absolutist interpretation of a provision of the state Constitution barring the legislature from making […]

State holds line at two natural gas units for Duke

Published by Carolina Public Press by Frank Taylor If Duke Energy-Progress is disappointed with the N.C. Utilities Commission’s decision Monday to approve only two of the three natural gas units the company had requested permission to build at its Lake Julian site, the company’s official response did a good job of hiding it. “We appreciate the […]

Duke Energy threatens to stick with coal at Asheville plant if commission rejects plans

After a Monday, Feb. 22 hearing disrupted several times by protests, the chair of the state Utilities Commission said he expects to meet a legislative deadline for a decision on Duke Energy-Progress’ conversion of its Asheville facility. Duke warned that it may not phase out its coal-fired units at the site if its petition is denied.

Carolina Public Press: Speakers question Duke’s Asheville plans

The following is a full reprinting of a Carolina Public Press article written by Frank Taylor on January 27, 2016. Frank Taylor is the managing editor of Carolina Public Press, ftaylor@carolinapublicpress.org. Duke Energy Progress’s petition to replace its coal plant on Lake Julian in Asheville with a complex of mostly natural gas plants received harsh criticism from customers Tuesday night […]

Special Showing of Still Alice at Fine Arts Theatre: Community Awareness & Opening Up the Conversati­on: Dementia & Alzheimer’­s Disease

It’s time to wear purple, the official color of the Alzheimer’s movement Go Purple, and view the newly released film, Still Alice, based on the bestselling novel by Lisa Genova, starring Julianne Moore in the role of Alice, a 50-year-old Columbia linguistics professor diagnosed with early-onset Alzheimer’s Disease. Moore’s performance has earned rave reviews, including wins for a […]

Photograph­y exhibit depicts child labor in NC during the early 1900s

Peering from across a century, many children look older than their years in photographs captured by Lewis Hines in the mill villages of Cabarrus, Gaston, Lincoln, Rowan and other North Carolina counties. The 40 images in the free exhibit, The Photography of Lewis Hine: Exposing Child Labor in North Carolina, 1908-1918, on loan from the N.C. Museum of History,will be shown at the N.C. Department of Cultural Resources Western Office June 23 to Oct. 3, during regular hours Monday through Friday, 10 a.m. to 4 p.m., and in special evening and Saturday programs.