Edwards, who breezed to reelection last November in the staunchly conservative 11th Congressional District, held eight in-person town halls in his first term and had another planned but had to cancel it due to Tropical Storm Helene.
Author: Asheville Watchdog
Showing 1-21 of 146 results
From Asheville Watchdog: I-26 bridge over Patton Avenue, nixed years ago, is quietly revived in Connector plan
NCDOT approved the change more than a year ago, but it was not publicly acknowledged until Watchdog’s query.
Mission Health appeals state’s awarding of 26 acute care beds to AdventHealth’s planned Weaverville hospital
Mission’s appeal, brought against the N.C. Department of Health and Human Services and the Division of Health Service Regulation, says those agencies’ decisions curbed Mission’s expansion efforts.
More than 100 days after Helene, state releases its long-awaited list of storm deaths, but Watchdog finds inconsistencies
On Monday, the DHHS sent a list to the media. But it contained names only — no ages, circumstances or causes of death, or even a county where each person lived or died.
Opinion: People living in tents — a real story, or a pretext for political outrage?
By now, this story of locals living in flimsy tents post-Helene has taken on a life of its own. So where does the truth lie? Are we edging into urban myth territory, or are our neighbors toughing out the coldest temperatures of the year in lightweight tents?
First round of lead tests for Asheville water customers comes back with encouraging results
“Out of 159 samples taken from mid- to late-November, nine had detectable levels of lead on the first draw,” said Water Resources spokesperson Clay Chandler.
City expects $39 million Army Corps of Engineers-led filtration system at North Fork Reservoir to start running Friday
The city and the Corps planned to start testing the system this week, and Asheville Water Resources spokesperson Clay Chandler said it should be operational by Friday.
Mission Health permanently shutters Asheville Specialty Hospital
The 34-bed Asheville Specialty included a comprehensive stroke center, dialysis services, physical and speech therapy, and traumatic brain injury rehabilitation, among other services, according to Mission’s website.
Asheville mayor, Buncombe officials among delegation headed to D.C. to appeal for more Helene assistance
The delegation of regional officials traveling to Washington is believed to be unprecedented, but “we have literally never seen a disaster like Hurricane Helene,” Amanda Edwards, chair-elect of the Buncombe County Board of Commissioners, told The Watchdog.
Asheville could have drinkable water by middle of next week, city says
The possibility of drinkable water being restored by Wednesday next week speeds up the timeline by nearly a month. Water Resources estimated earlier in November that the boil water notice could be lifted by mid-December.
Lead detected in seven schools after Asheville water didn’t undergo mitigation process for several weeks
Chandler and Dr. Jennifer Mullendore, medical director for Buncombe County’s Department of Health & Human Services, repeatedly stressed that students were not exposed to lead in drinking water.
Buncombe air quality post-Helene has not been affected greatly by dust, but smoke risk rises, agency says
“What we’re particularly concerned about is the fine particles from open burning that we expect we’re going to see more of,” AB Air Quality Agency Director Ashley Featherstone said.
FEMA to start working with homeowners in flood zones on buyouts of destroyed homes
Local homeowners who lost their homes or sustained serious damage in Helene’s floodwaters can begin applying to a federal program that may buy the home outright, or pay to have it elevated or rebuilt at a higher level.
Ingles reports storm losses up to $55 million
Four stores – in Swannanoa, Morganton, Newland and Spruce Pine – remain closed and are not expected to open for three to nine months.
‘Big week’ ahead for Asheville’s water: Turbidity drops some; curtain installation and upcoming mineral treatment should reduce it more
The curtain installation should take 24 to 36 hours, meaning the mineral application could possibly start by late Tuesday afternoon.
The lives we lost: Fairview landslides from Helene that killed 13 were among worst in North Carolina history
The loss of lives, 13 total, made the Garren Creek landslides among the deadliest in North Carolina history and accounted for the largest cluster of deaths from Helene in Buncombe County, more than one quarter of the 42 in the official count of fatalities.
With stubborn turbidity and concerns about water clarity growing, city amps up testing on the nonpotable water it’s delivering
Water Resources Department spokesperson Clay Chandler spent most of his time at the daily Helene briefing on Wednesday talking about the water testing program, but he said afterward it does not come in response to customer complaints.
Trump makes a campaign stop in devastated Swannanoa to express sympathy to victims of Helene
Following a tour of flood-ravaged Swannanoa on Monday, Republican presidential candidate Donald Trump offered his sympathy to storm victims. He also took numerous opportunities to continue to slam recovery efforts by the Federal Emergency Management Administration (FEMA).
The lives we lost: Helene took entire families, couples, children
Asheville Watchdog is bringing you the stories behind the staggering loss of life, the children, parents, grandparents, multiple generations of a single family, all gone in one of the worst natural disasters to hit the mountains of western North Carolina. This is the first installment.
Crashes, drownings, exposure, trees, blunt force: Medical Examiner’s list paints grim picture of causes of Helene deaths
According to the agency, Buncombe County suffered 42 deaths, the highest toll of the 21 counties listed. Yancey County had the next highest, with 11, followed by seven in Henderson County.
Barely 1% of Buncombe structures carried flood insurance, data show
Buncombe homeowners hit hardest by flood damage from Hurricane Helene will likely face enormous costs to rebuild with limited options to pay for it.
