Safety and reducing criminal activity downtown closely followed homelessness among the top concerns. Survey respondents were asked to evaluate downtown in terms of how safe they felt. The average score was 3.5 out of 5 for perceived safety during the daytime, dropping to 1.9 out of 5 at night.
In the latest installment of our recurring “WTF?” feature — Want The Facts — Xpress looks into the practice of local ballot initiatives to answer some of the biggest questions.
A conditional zoning request for The Avery, a 187-unit housing development slated for 363 Hilliard Ave. in Asheville’s downtown, was denied by Asheville City Council in a Feb. 22 meeting. Two weeks later, Council approved the request after employing a rarely-used rule to rescind its prior decision.
Council will vote on whether to reconsider a previous vote denying a conditional zoning for the project. If approved, Council members will have the opportunity to vote again on an updated proposal.
In February, Asheville unveiled a plan to reduce the number of advisory groups from 20 to four. Each of those boards would be capped at 11 members, meaning the number of residents who serve in a regular advisory role would be cut by roughly 80%.
The project, located at 343 and 357 West Haywood St., will consist of affordable one-, two- and three-bedroom units available for residents of mixed income levels.
Plummer shares her thoughts on the Young Men’s Institute Cultural Center, which celebrated its 129th birthday Feb. 12.
Members of the public wishing to speak live will be required to attend in-person and sign up at the meeting.
A moment in 2012, when Preston Blakely was a senior at Asheville High School, would prove pivotal to voters in Fletcher nine years later. “I was turning 18 at the end of October, and Election Day was coming up, and I would finally be able to register to vote,” says Blakely. “I remember voting for […]
Five Democratic candidates aiming to represent Buncombe County as part of North Carolina’s 14th Congressional District participated in the forum held at the Ferguson Auditorium at A-B Tech.
In our debut WTF feature, Xpress looks into Asheville City Council check-ins to answer some of the biggest questions about the little-known practice that was cast into the spotlight in late January after Council members were found to have discussed a controversial food distribution ordinance during so-called “check-in” meetings.
Press release from the Buncombe County Sheriff’s Office: The Buncombe County Sheriff’s Office is attempting to locate a missing 17-year-old from the Asheville area. Diamond Aaliyah Hughes is approximately 5’ 8” and 125 pounds with burgundy medium length hair. She was last seen on February 11th around 11 p.m. at her residence. Anyone with information […]
Cooper is a self-described change agent who provides support and resources to people recovering from addiction and re-entering the workforce after incarceration.
The bike taxi would be allowed to operate daily from 7 a.m.-3 a.m., serving streets with speed limits of 35 miles per hour or less.
During a Feb. 4 meeting of the Council of Independent Business Owners, Paul Maurer, president of Montreat College, told attendees that the private, Christian liberal arts school has rapidly become one of North Carolina’s foremost cybersecurity institutions.
Despite near-freezing temperatures and gusty winds the night of Jan. 25, Asheville city staff and volunteers trudged throughout Buncombe County with the goal of counting every homeless resident. Emily Ball, the city’s homeless services lead, will present an update on that effort, known as the Point in Time Count, to members of Asheville City Council Tuesday, Feb. 8.
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.
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 […]
“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.
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.
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.
