Asheville city seal

Council to hear 2020 census update on Nov. 12

Buncombe County had a 76% response rate during the 2010 census, in line with the state average, but Asheville officials will try to raise participation to 80% next year. The city will join Buncombe’s Complete Count Committee to work alongside county government, area schools and universities, nonprofit and faith communities, business leaders and the media to spread information about the count.

Cantrell Creek Trail ribbon cutting

Transylvan­ia County Tourism funds environmen­tal conservati­on

In 2017, the county’s tourism board launched the Transylvania Always initiative, which has since invested thousands of occupancy tax dollars into everything from hiking trail restoration to French Broad River cleanup. “I really don’t know of anywhere else, particularly anywhere else of our small size, that is doing anything similar,” says Clark Lovelace, the TCT’s executive director.

Chow Chow data

TDA approves $100,000 for Chow Chow festival

Last year, the Buncombe County Tourism Development Authority contributed $75,000 to Chow Chow through its event development incubator fund. Planning is underway for the festival’s second year, which has a projected budget of $700,000. The event is tentatively scheduled for Thursday-Sunday, Sept. 10-13, with final dates to be confirmed in November.

Savvy program promotes women’s leadership

Harrah’s Cherokee Casinos launched a new initiative this year that strives to create “50/50 representation of gender equity” across the management ranks at its properties. According to Leeann Bridges, Harrah’s regional vice president of human resources, Savvy is a resource for professional women to learn skills that help them gain access to leadership positions through […]

Asheville city seal

Expecting crowds, Council to meet Sept. 24 at U.S. Cellular Center

Asheville City Council is gearing up for a long night. Six public hearings are scheduled for the body’s regular meeting of Tuesday, Sept, 24 — including discussions of overturning Asheville’s state-imposed district election system, enacting a temporary hotel ban and approving a mixed-use hotel before that ban would go into effect.  And if the change […]

News briefs: City plans Haywood Street improvemen­ts; announces affordable housing work session

Council to discuss temporary hotel ban The city’s Planning and Economic Development Committee voted on Aug. 29 to put the question of imposing a temporary moratorium on new hotel construction to the full Council at an upcoming meeting. First proposed by Council member Julie Mayfield, a moratorium could give the city time to develop new […]