New Stories
Water outage report: City botched communications, mayor exerted “extreme” pressure on staff members
The outage spanned 11 days, from Dec. 24, 2022 through Jan. 4, 2023, left tens of thousands of customers without water and shut down businesses during the crucial holiday season.
Letter: How can instructional gaps be closed at Asheville High?
“We are hemorrhaging teachers, and I know the administration is in a hard spot, but leaving kids uninstructed is unacceptable.”
LGBTQIA+ resolution comes before Council
An earlier version of the resolution, which was made public during the May 23 meeting, was withdrawn due to disagreement about its contents.
Sheriff’s Report: Promised downtown partnership between Asheville police and Buncombe deputies never happened
When asked for comment on the report, Asheville Mayor Esther Manheimer issued the following statement: “The city and county partner in numerous ways and across many departments to bring services to residents. We are committed to continuing to enhance collaboration with the county and other regional partners.”
VIDEO PREMIERE: ‘Loss’ by Laura Boswell
The Asheville-based singer-songwriter-guitarist’s latest video was filmed on Roan Mountain and on the banks of the South Toe River.
Bear-human conflicts are getting more intense
Residents learn in hard and terrifying ways that bears and dogs don’t mix.
Redux: ACS selects Maggie Fehrman as superintendent
The Asheville School district selected Fehrman after Rick Cruz withdrew from the job due to a family medical emergency.
School staff and advocates speak out during budget hearing
The red-clad advocates filled the commission chambers and two overflow rooms, with about 25 speaking during the county’s budget hearing. They said the 10.3% increase for both Asheville City Schools and Buncombe County Schools in the proposed $423.6 million fiscal year 2023-24 budget was far below the level needed to meet local education’s needs.
Citizen group coalesces around police support
Shared concerns about crime and an understaffed Asheville Police Department fostered an unusual alliance in today’s partisan times. An advocacy group called Asheville Coalition for Public Safety formed in October, bringing together community members of all political stripes who are concerned about crime, mental health, drug use and the unhoused population.
Creatives of color see little change in arts equity efforts since 2020
Sekou Coleman, Jenny Pickens and Lau Malintzin discuss what’s changed and what’s stayed largely the same over the past three years.
Asheville woman writes a guide for terminally ill and their loved ones
“Dying is a big thing, and I want the details of it to be as easy as possible on my family as it can be,” Kae Mance, who has stage 4 breast cancer, says.
Fresh Dish: Katie Button on ramps, Spanish pastries and raw oysters
“One thing about ramp tops is you can puree and then freeze them in portions and have them for the rest of the year,” says Katie Button. “So it’s not just about enjoying them in the moment.”
Incoming Asheville schools superintendent withdraws from job
Once again, Asheville City Schools is without a superintendent. Rick Cruz has decided not to take the job as new ACS superintendent due to a “family medical emergency,” according to an email from Dillon Huffman, ACS spokesperson. “It is with a very heavy heart that I inform you that I will no longer be able […]
Local artists work to raise awareness about domestic and sexual abuse
“I want people to know that they have a community, that they have resources,” says singer and producer Allison “A.G.” Hammond. She emphasizes that domestic violence and sexual abuse are directed not only at women in heterosexual relationships. “It’s all across the board.”