News briefs: VTC graduates 6th class; Bissette to speak on public higher education

Buncombe County Veterans Treatment Court helps veterans of the armed forces pursue healing rather than jail time for offenses related to substance abuse or behavioral health issues. The court is about to graduate its sixth cohort of participants. A group of UNC Asheville political scientists leads efforts to analyze global human rights data.

Paradigm shift: City urges denser, greener developmen­t

The city of Asheville has taken initial steps toward rezoning real estate in four places around town in hopes of encouraging new development that would offer a denser mix of housing, shops and office space, similar to Biltmore Park Town Square or Reynolds Village in Woodfin. “Asheville wants to move in a direction that is more urban, that is more walkable, that has a greater mix of uses,” says city planner Vaidila Satvika.