Author of ‘Flags of Our Fathers’ to speak at Asheville School on April 26

From the press release: ASHEVILLE, N.C. (March 26, 2012) Bestselling author of Flags of our Fathers, James Bradley, will speak at Asheville School on Thursday, April 26, at 7:15 pm in the Graham Theater during the school’s Founders’ Day Convocation. This presentation is part of the Asheville School Pope Series for the Humanities and is […]

Locals making historic 1940 U.S. Census searchable online

From the press release: The Old Buncombe County Genealogical Society announced today its participation in the 1940 US Census Community Project. The society is encouraging local volunteers to help make the 1940 U.S. Census easier to search for everyone. This unique crowdsourcing project will make the 135 million individuals found on tens of thousands of […]

Locals question firing decision made by Henderson County Sheriff’s Office

From the Times-News: Downtown merchant Eva Ritchey is holding a public meeting this week to discuss new Sheriff Charlie McDonald’s decision not to keep a longtime employee. Ritchey is holding the meeting Tuesday at 117 South Main St. because she believes Sgt. Ben McKay was wrongfully dismissed from the department when McDonald took office earlier […]

LIVE: Twitter coverage of Democratic candidate 11th Congressio­nal District debate

Tonight at 7:30 p.m., Brevard College will host a congressional debate for the Democratic candidates running for the 11th Congressional District. Cecil Bothwell and Tom Hill will face each other tonight. Hayden Rogers says he was unable to attend this debate due to a scheduling conflict. Use #avlelect to appear in our Twitter feed.

CarePartners receives statewide recognition for excellence in Healthcare

From the press release: North Carolina – NC Governor, Bev Perdue, presented the Governor’s Award of Performance Excellence in Healthcare for 2011 to CarePartners at the NC Hospital Association’s Winter Membership Meeting in Raleigh on Feb. 16, 2012. Tracy Buchanan, president and CEO of CarePartners, accepted the award on behalf of the organization. “This is […]

In a heartbeat

When Dianne Cooks suddenly felt weak during a trip to the mailbox, she knew something wasn’t right. The pain was different: It didn’t feel like acid reflux. Cooks was going into cardiogenic shock. “It’s like trying to steer an oil tanker when the heart starts to fail like that,” explains Dr. Jan Pattanayak of Asheville […]

Mobile hospital exercise in WNC planned for tomorrow

From the press release: RALEIGH – The nation’s only full-service civilian mobile hospital will be mobilized and set up next week at the Western North Carolina Agriculture Center in Fletcher to test deployment skills for the hospital’s logistical support personnel and provide valuable training for surgeons, and volunteers. The National Mobile Disaster Hospital is a […]

Friends of Great Smoky Mountains National Park present “Books to Take Backpacking” event

From the press release: History, poetry, and children’s literature inspired by the Great Smoky Mountains will be featured in “Books to Take Backpacking,” presented by the Friends of Great Smoky Mountains National Park. Historian Margaret Brown, poet Thomas Rain Crowe, and children’s author Ann Clayton will read from their works at 3 p.m. Sunday, April […]

Despite high number of authorized sterilizations, no one in Buncombe has come forward as victim

From the press release: RALEIGH – While data from early years of the N.C. Eugenics Board’s sterilization program reflect inconsistent recordkeeping, reports from the program’s most active years clearly identify counties where the highest number of procedures were performed. By a wide margin, Mecklenburg County had the most reported procedures. Documented sterilizations authorized by and […]

North Carolina earns a C- on corruption risk report card


According to a study released by the Center for Public Integrity and Global Integrity, North Carolina gets a C- on its corruption risk report card and failed in three areas: public access to information, state budgeting processes and redistricting. The report cards are a part of the State Integrity Investigation project. (Image courtesy of the State Integrity Investigation project)

City workers in Hendersonville find old train tracks from Laurel Park Railroad

From the Times-News: Nowadays you may see a trolley on wheels zipping around Hendersonville, but a hundred years ago the city had a trolley on tracks that took residents from Hendersonville to Laurel Park. City workers uncovered the track lines recently during construction work on Main Street. In 1905, the Laurel Park Railroad began operating […]

Free shoulder screening to be offered at MedWest-Harris on March 29

From the press release: Sylva, N.C. – MedWest physical therapy will offer a free shoulder screening from 2-3 p.m. Thursday, March 29th in the rehabilitation services department at MedWest-Harris. The screen will be conducted by Grant Shanks, PT, a licensed physical therapist. Through the screen, the therapist is able to provide recommendations and next-step treatment […]

Local rabbi shares opinion in letter about Buncombe County Board of Education religion policy

With a decision about the Buncombe County Board of Education’s religion policy Policy 652AR and Policy 653 postponed until the next meeting, members of the community are making their opinions known. Rabbi Rob Cabelli, of Asheville’s Congregation Beth Israel, wrote a letter about his thoughts on the policy. Below is a portion of his letter […]