As state funding falls with enrollment and $1 million in COVID-era federal funding ends, the district is facing a $5.7 million gap before new funding requests and projected savings are considered, Superintendent Maggie Fehrman reported to the board April 15.
Many nonprofit groups throughout Western North Carolina find that focusing their efforts on specific communities is the most effective way to get results.
It’s been 10 years since Asheville City Schools displaced its once successful majority-Black alternative program from its home on Montford Avenue. At least one longtime educator calls that the worst decision the district has made this century.
If the Buncombe County Board of Commissioners approves a contract next month with global waste management company FCC Environmental Services, whose U.S. headquarters is in Texas, residents will see an almost $5 a month increase on their trash bills next year.
“A common misconception about Asheville City Council is that members are distant from everyday community concerns. In truth, Council members are community members too, deeply invested in Asheville’s well-being,” says Roberto “Bo” Hess, who is one of six candidates vying for three open seats on Asheville City Council.
Safety and hospitality ambassadors for a downtown Asheville business improvement district would be perceived as a welcome addition by some — additional “eyes and ears” on the street. But others aren’t sure that such a program is a priority.
“We need to reach across the gaps between neighborhoods, across industries and between social groups to talk to folks older and younger than ourselves and ask what they can teach us,” says Charles “CJ” Domingo, who is one of six candidates vying for three open seats on Asheville City Council.
Under Project Collaborate, funded by the U.S. Department of Labor, local community colleges are trying to train local workers in high-demand fields.
Buncombe County’s proposal, filed April 3, is just the latest development in the web of litigation that HCA faces over its management of Mission Health, which operates hospitals and other health care services in several Western North Carolina counties.
“It’s not going to be fun to point out how historically some things haven’t worked out so great and they have bad impact on business and the residents,” Coalition of Asheville Neighborhoods president Rick Freeman told the audience at the Coalition of Independent Business Owners meeting April 5.
Commissioner Terri Wells is seeking reelection in 2024, representing the newly drawn District 2.
The Buncombe County Association of Educators delivered a three-pronged request to the Buncombe County Board of Education at its April 11 meeting that had the support of nearly 1,200 teachers and more than 100 community allies.
Roughly 86% of Asheville Police officers live outside of the city limits, according to Asheville Police Department spokesman Samantha Booth.
Buncombe joined representatives from eight other municipalities and counties around the state to form a language access collaborative, which met throughout 2023 to develop a language access plan.
Bruce O’Connell is running as an unaffiliated candidate for Buncombe County Board of Commissioners District 2.
The county derives 62% of its more than $400 million budget from property taxes, which relies on the accurate assessment of thousands of properties, a process that happens every four years in Buncombe County. State law requires counties to perform reappraisals at least once every eight years.
Paul Benjamin, a Republican, is running for Buncombe County Board of Commissioners District 1.
Employers will have the opportunity to interview candidates and make employment offers on the spot, and employment experts from NCWorks Career Centers will also offer free interview and resume preparation and support.
Asheville City Council learned during an April 9 budget work session that a 4.11% pay raise for city employees next fiscal year would drive the city’s undesignated general fund balance below its preferred minimum.
The Veterans Healing Farm is seeking to raise $5 million to purchase a new location and expand its offerings year-round.
Jennifer Horton, a Democrat, is running for Buncombe County Board of Commissioners District 1.
