Census data from 2019 show that almost 30,000 Buncombe County residents lacked health insurance, but options such as sliding-scale clinics and direct primary care offices aim to make health care affordable and accessible to all.
Author: Brooke Randle
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APD is seeking the public’s help
Press release from the Asheville Police Department: On Sunday, Jan. 30, at 3:38 a.m., the Asheville Police Department responded to the 100 block of Spruce Hill Lane for a report of gunshot wounds. APD officers on scene found Carle Lee Ellington Jr. (12/22/1997) and Staekwon Tyjai Taylor (12/8/1998) who had both shot multiple times. Both […]
‘Leaking’ Council faces ire over proposed food-sharing limits
“There are a lot of conversations that could have been had around this conversation that were limited — they were hindered, they were gaslit, they were triggered and electrified — just because bad information was released to the public,” said Vice Mayor Sheneika Smith.
Council to hear climate justice update
The work was launched in response to Asheville’s passage of a climate emergency resolution in January 2020, which committed the city to “an equitable and just citywide mobilization effort to reverse global warming” and set 2030 as a target for eliminating all greenhouse gas emissions within city limits.
Asheville settles lawsuit over ACSF scholarships
The lawsuit was brought by WNC Citizens for Equality, led by former Council member and Buncombe County Republican Party Chair Carl Mumpower, and charged that the scholarships excluded otherwise eligible applicants on the basis of race.
APD data on homeless encampments shifts debate among Council members
During a presentation, Capt. Mike Lamb of the Asheville Police Department cited data showing that 10% of overall crime in Asheville from Jan. 1, 2020 to Jan. 9, 2022 — including 14% of violent crime and 8.5% of property crime — occurred within 500 feet of an encampment.
Council to consider denser zoning along South Tunnel Road
Asheville City Council will consider rezoning roughly 128 acres of property along South Tunnel Road, including the sites of the Asheville Mall and a Whole Foods, to Urban Place zoning.
N.C. House vacancies pave way for new faces in 2022
The planned retirements of Reps. John Ager, Susan Fisher and Brian Turner — all three multi-term Democratic members of the N.C. House from Buncombe County — mean the county’s state-level representation is set for a big shift in the upcoming election.
Year in Review: Residents and local leaders reflect on Asheville’s growth and tourism
With growth comes worsening traffic, rising housing costs and long lines of tourists waiting at locally beloved bars and restaurants. But it’s not all bad, as 2021’s Year In Review participants note in their reflections on Asheville’s development and tourism sector. These residents and local leaders shared their growth gripes and hopes as they look forward to the coming year.
Q&A: H. Byron Ballard, Asheville’s village witch
Ballard specializes in Appalachian folk magic and folkways.
Council to consider new Ramada shelter proposal, homestay updates
The city has been under contract to purchase the 148 River Ford Parkway property since August, and is now considering converting the hotel into permanent supportive housing.
Could holistic redevelopment reduce crime in public housing?
The Asheville Housing Authority is charged with maintaining secure and livable public housing communities. But is the authority doing enough to protect residents against gun violence and other crimes? Could redeveloping other local housing complexes along the lines of what’s currently being done at Lee Walker Heights make these residents safer?
Q&A: Charlie Jackson, founder of Appalachian Sustainable Agriculture Project
At many grocery stores in the area, consumers can find at least some local produce, meat or dairy products. Plenty of restaurants tout local ingredients on their menus and farmers markets are ubiquitous here. But it wasn’t always that way. “It’s hard to remember what it was like 20 years ago, but there was not […]
County authorizes nearly $1.7M in pandemic funding for economic development
The funding supports three different economic development projects.
Q&A with Jane Carter, therapist and small business coach
There are thousands of books containing business advice on topics like brand development, marketing, startup funding and networking. But less frequently addressed are the psychological and emotional impacts of being a business owner. That’s where Jane Carter, who holds dual professions as a therapist and a business coach, comes in. She guides her clients through […]
Q&A with Stephanie Swepson-Twitty, CEO of Eagle Market Streets Development Corp.
The Block, an area that spans Eagle and South Market streets in downtown Asheville, was once home to a vibrant residential and commercial district for Black residents. But between the 1950s and 1980s, Asheville’s urban renewal policies that sought to address allegedly “blighted” areas of the city by removing homes and businesses to make way […]
City forum highlights Asheville’s growth despite pandemic
This year’s event — the first since the start of the pandemic — covered affordable housing, hotel regulations, Urban Place Zoning and more.
Q&A with Joseph Jamison, United Way equity and network specialist
“One of the biggest challenges students face is a lack of voice in a lot of decision-making within our schools and the community at large,” Jamison explains. “For example, debates over masks or virtual over in-person learning. We’ve all heard a lot of loud adult voices at the table, but I think most people would be hard-pressed to recall a news clip or an article where they heard what students thought about those decisions.”
Temporary Asheville space-sharing may become long term
The AVL Shares Space program expanded business operations onto public sidewalks and parking spaces, loosened minimum parking requirements so that businesses could use their own parking lots for expansion and created temporary curbside pick-up zones in downtown and West Asheville to accommodate increases in takeout sales.
Q&A with Shannon Kauffman, homeowner services manager for Habitat for Humanity
In 2013, after years of struggling, Kauffman became a first-time homeowner thanks to Asheville Area Habitat for Humanity. Today, she helps other area residents become homeowners themselves as Habitat’s Homeowner Services Manager, where she says her personal experience not only informs her work but inspires others.
Council to consider 911 services consolidation
Per the agreement, all city 911 dispatchers would be hired by Buncombe County, which would eliminate all transferring between the county and city, and the city would reimburse the county for the cost of its dispatches.