Facing years of financial instability, Brother Wolf announces funding gap and a new effort to rectify administrative policies that led to the current adversity.
![Leah Craig Fieser](https://mountainx.com/wp-content/uploads/2019/05/Photo-2-e1557778701209-330x319.jpg)
Facing years of financial instability, Brother Wolf announces funding gap and a new effort to rectify administrative policies that led to the current adversity.
Around 100 people attended Asheville City Council’s nearly five-hour meeting on March 14, during which 27 speakers declared both resistance and support for the conversion of the Flatiron Building into a hotel.
Asheville City Manager Debra Campbell said both the city and the private sector need to pitch in to make progress on the issue. “What that says to me is collectively, not individually, we gotta work on this. We need tons of resources to address this issue,” she said.
After an unexpected delay on April 23, Council members will have the final say on the rezoning of the historic structure at their regular meeting on Tuesday, May 14.
The results of the Point-in-Time survey reflects a rising homeless population in Buncombe County.
The painting over of Biltmore Avenue’s ‘Before I Die’ wall reminds residents that nothing lasts forever.
“Rain barrels don’t catch much, but you can do an open-ground dry stream with stone and a creek bed,” explains Steve Ambrose about the craft introduced to him by friend and business partner Rafael Moreno-Baron. “It will last forever, and you can build it with stuff you found onsite.”
Smith, who volunteers and serves on the library’s board, says the nonprofit has reached more than 300 paid members and is still growing. As a result, items such power washers and circular saws spend more time building and cleaning than they do collecting dust.
Community members took the opportunity to discuss the issues surrounding the tourism industry in Asheville and hear a presentation from the WNC Green Party about restructuring of hotel occupancy taxes during an April 24 “Re-Imagine the TDA” public meeting.
Curry says his new line of shoes — made using natural hemp fiber — is both practical and environmentally conscious. “It was chosen because it deals well with water. It doesn’t rot; it doesn’t degrade with UV [ultraviolet radiation] compared to cotton or jute or other things. It’s really a strong, amazing material,” Curry says.
The total cost of those buses, according to a city staff report, would be approximately $1.5 million, of which Asheville would contribute $225,000 in matching funds. Some members of the public commented that the switch from battery-electric to hybrid buses represented a step backward in the city’s efforts to reduce carbon emissions.
Asheville City Council will decide the fate of the historic Flatiron Building during the April 23 meeting.
Last summer, Smith took his love for okra to new heights through his work with the Utopian Seed Project, a organization that aims to create diverse and integrated food systems. He catalogued more than 75 varieties of the vegetable, which he hopes will promote resilience against pests, disease and climate change while providing greater food security.
With wedding season right around the corner, local wedding vendors are ramping up options for local couples.
Rituals that draw on the traditions of indigenous, non-Western cultures are part of a growing industry at the intersection of health, wellness and spirituality. Some in Western North Carolina have raised concerns about whether it’s appropriate for non-native practitioners to offer and profit from traditional practices and techniques.
Parks and Recreation Director Roderick Simmons fielded criticism over the parking changes from multiple community members and athletic groups. The city’s efforts to reduce the burden of event parking in the East End, Edgehill, Hunt Hill and Oakhurst neighborhoods, they said, had hampered their access to the athletic facility.
The annual Asheville Wordfest, which takes place April 12-14, promises to bring three days of Appalachia-focused workshops and readings by area writers, readers and thinkers.
Mihalas received the Distinguished Service Award for Youth Education from Trout Unlimited last year for her work in creating a new generation of conservation-minded youth. She challenges young people to share photos of fishing or having outdoors fun with friends on Instagram to bridge the gap between nature and social media.
Thomas’s UpStaff Personnel, an offshoot of the nonprofit Green Opportunities, connects unemployed and under-resourced community members with employers. Unlike other staffing agencies, he explains, the company also provides employees with a network of support, including transportation, child care and counseling.
As Brother Wolf founder Denise Bitz steps away from the organization that she formed 12 years ago, Leah Craig Fieser joins the organization as executive director. While Fieser maintains that the shift in leadership will steer Brother Wolf back to its original mission of rescuing local cats and dogs, questions remain regarding the development of the sanctuary property, financial transparency and the overall stability of the organization.
Kit Cramer, president and CEO of the Asheville Area Chamber of Commerce, is sold on the business benefits of family-friendly workplace policies, and other area businesses are getting on board. Xpress explores how some local employers are supporting the family needs of their workers.