Moving on: Brother Wolf recruits new director

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.

Mike Kozen presents to the BCTDA

Tourism Developmen­t Authority approves long-term planning and research strategy

The four-phase, roughly $440,000 project is set to begin this spring and conclude in April 2020. Those funds will come from occupancy tax revenue in the Tourism Product Development Fund budget. Funding for community projects will then resume at a time yet to be determined after the planning is complete.

New report examines health care disparitie­s among transgende­r population­s

Asheville-based nonprofit Campaign for Southern Equality, along with Western North Carolina Community Health Services, released a study last month detailing the health care experiences of transgender and nonbinary people. Transgender Health in the South centers on the experiences of a diverse focus group of people from transgender communities across six Southern states, including North Carolina. […]

Scott Hardin-Nieri and Steve Norris

Activists, faith leaders hold 10-day fast and prayer for climate change

“We have been shouting about climate change for a long time, but now, we feel like it’s going to take more messaging in a different way,” says Avram Friedman of the Canary Coalition, a Sylva-based environmental activism group. “We’re showing people that we’re so committed to this, it’s so important, that I’m willing to fast for 10 days to get this message across.”