ABCCM breaks ground on Transformation Village project to triple organization’s capacity to house homeless women and children

Press release from ABCCM: Asheville Buncombe Community Christian Ministry (ABCCM) on Thursday, June 29, broke ground at Transformation Village, a building project that will transform the landscape of homelessness in Buncombe County and allow hundreds of women and children to move from hopelessness to self-sufficiency. When complete, Transformation Village will be one of the largest […]

The Savannah Sweet Tease Burlesque Revue to pay a visit to The Odditorium with “I Love the 90s” show

Press release from the Savannah Sweet Tease Burlesque Revue: Get ready to reminisce your way through one of the most trendsetting and iconic decades of all time. Prepare yourselves as these Teases take you on a trip back, with acts that include a few chart topping hits from the 90’s. So grab a pair of big […]

National Endowment for the Arts awards $25,000 grant for Native American art exhibit at the Western Carolina University Fine Art Museum, Aug. 21 through Dec. 8.

Press release from the Bardo Arts Center: It is the first NEA grant awarded to the museum in its 12-year history, after opening in 2005 with a mission to serve Western North Carolina. The Fine Art Museum is located in WCU’s John W. Bardo Fine and Performing Arts Center. “Return from Exile: Contemporary Southeastern Indian […]

Air quality forecast for Thursday, June 29: Moderate (YELLOW)

Thursday, June 29, 2017, is a code yellow air quality forecast day for the valleys and ridge tops of Asheville and Buncombe County.  Unusually sensitive people should consider limiting prolonged outdoor activities.  WNC Regional Air Quality Agency 125 South Lexington Avenue, Suite 101 Asheville, NC 28801 Phone: 828.250.6777 Air Quality Forecast for Thursday, 06/29/2017

Rally against Senate health care bill brings hundreds to street in Asheville and fires up base

Just three days before Monday’s rally in Asheville’s Pack Square Park to oppose the U.S. Senate’s version of a bill to repeal the Affordable Care Act, Lindsay Furst, a local teacher and activist, went to a coffee shop with her fellow organizers who shared her lack of sleep, she told the crowd in front of […]

Air quality forecast for Wednesday, June 28: Moderate (YELLOW)

Wednesday, June 28, 2017, is a code yellow air quality forecast day for the valleys and ridge tops of Asheville and Buncombe County.  Unusually sensitive people should consider limiting prolonged outdoor activities.  WNC Regional Air Quality Agency 125 South Lexington Avenue, Suite 101 Asheville, NC 28801 Phone: 828.250.6777 Air Quality Forecast for Wednesday, 06/28/2017

Mountain BizWorks expands training opportunities for small businesses in Western North Carolina

Press release from Mountain BizWorks: Mountain BizWorks is pleased to announce a full roster of small business training courses designed to help start and expand small enterprises in Western North Carolina. The Mountain BizWorks Foundations Business Planning Class is geared toward aspiring and existing entrepreneurs in the start-up phase. Over the course of six weeks […]

Hendersonville Tree Board offers Pollinator Safari at Oklawaha Greenway and viewing of educational garden plots

Press release from Hendersonville Tree Board: On Saturday, June 24, 10:00 – 11:30 a.m., a Pollinator Safari will be presented along the Oklawaha Greenway. Attendees will join Bee City USA safari guide Kim Bailey for a chance to see and learn about the wide diversity of pollinators that thrive in the Greenway’s flowering meadows. The […]

Muddy Sneakers’ Teacher of the Year awarded to Pisgah Forest Elementary teacher Cheryl Gardner

Press release from Muddy Sneakers: Pisgah Forest Elementary Fifth Grade Teacher, Cheryl Gardner, was recognized as the Muddy Sneakers “Teacher of the Year” at the fifth grade awards ceremony on Tuesday, June 6. Every year, the field instructors at Muddy Sneakers select a Teacher of the Year. The award is given to an educator at […]

Asheville Police Department seeking information about June 15 Brooklyn Road shooting

Press release from APD: The Asheville Police Department is seeking information from the public on a shooting that occurred on June 15 at 1:52 p.m. on Brooklyn Road. Alfed Luther Williams Jr. was shot twice in the hands and was treated at Mission for non-life threatening injuries. If anyone has information on this incident they […]

WNC addiction expert to address rising opioid drug use among pregnant women at D.C. conference

Press release from Vaya Health: Insights into western North Carolina’s opioid drug epidemic will be shared with healthcare professionals across the country at a summit Thursday in Washington, D.C. The one-day event, “Opioid Epidemic: Crisis to Care in Medicaid,” is sponsored by the D.C.-based Institute for Medicaid Innovation. The summit will feature clinical, research and […]

City of Asheville to hold public input meeting on Neighborhood Coordinator position

Press release from the city: The City of Asheville is looking for your input on ways to improve community engagement in Asheville. Recognizing the important role of neighborhoods in the fabric of a healthy community, the City has been and remains committed to connecting with people at the neighborhood level. Over the past 10 years, […]

Is WNC fairly represente­d on state boards and commission­s?

“We’re certainly not overrepresented,” says Republican Rep. Chuck McGrady, who’s in his fourth term representing Henderson County in Raleigh. In fact, depending on how you break down the numbers, you could say that Western North Carolina falls a little short of genuinely proportional representation on state boards and commissions, according to data obtained from the […]

Asheville Police Chief and Buncombe County Sheriff to discuss “community policing” on June 16 at UNC Asheville’s OLLI

Press release from UNCA: Asheville Chief of Police Tammy Hooper and Buncombe County Sheriff Van Duncan will discuss the efforts to build productive relationships between law enforcement officers and the communities they serve, in a discussion titled “Community Policing,” at 1:30 p.m. on Friday, June 16, at UNC Asheville’s Reuter Center, home of the Osher […]

The Collider’s monthly climate and environmental film series continues with nature documentary for pollinator celebration

Press release from The Collider: The Collider’s monthly movie night, presented by Oskar Blues Brewery and featuring films related to climate change and the environment, continues Tuesday, June 27, at the nonprofit climate innovation center in downtown Asheville. Doors open at 6:30 p.m.; the program begins at 7 p.m. The family-friendly event is free and open to […]

Asheville Police Department requests public assistance locating Shamar Dennis Powell

Press release from APD: The Asheville Police Department is seeking public assistance to locate Shamar Dennis Powell. Powell currently has three open warrants for Possession of a Firearm by a Felon and two counts of Assault with a Deadly Weapon with Intent to Kill or Inflict Serious Injury. Shamar is described as a black male, […]

Local education, workforce development programs receive $185,000 in Duke Energy grants

Duke Energy has announced grants for more than 70 education and workforce development programs across North Carolina. The funding, which amounts to some $2.7 million, according to Grace Rountree, a Duke spokesperson, are supposed to “enhance programs and initiatives focused on science, technology, engineering and math, childhood reading proficiency and workforce training – critical building blocks […]

WNC activist groups to hold town hall on fair voting at Haywood College Auditorium June 14

Press release from North Carolina Coalition for Lobbying and Government Reform: Citizens of western North Carolina counties will meet Wednesday, June 14th from 7:00- 9:00 pm at Haywood College Auditorium for a Fair Vote Town Hall. The town hall will feature a panel of experts explaining the importance of redistricting and the need for nonpartisan redistricting […]

APD requests assistance identifying person who struck officers with a firecracker/explosive device

Press release from APD: On Saturday, June 10 at approximately 9:45 p.m. Housing Unit officers were conducing foot patrol in Livingston Apartments when an unknown person threw a large firecracker/explosive device at the officers, striking them. Four officers were taken to Mission Hospital and treated for non-life threatening injuries. If anyone has any information on […]

Asheville Lyric Opera’s Summer Young Artists concert to benefit The Free Clinics

Press release from The Free Clinics: The Free Clinics will be the beneficiary of profits from the June 24 Asheville Lyric Opera’s Summer Young Artists Concert, presented by the Unitarian Universalist Fellowship of Hendersonville (UUFH), 2021 Kanuga Road at Price Street in Hendersonville. Suggested donation is $15 and tickets may be purchased at the door.  The […]