County commissioners agree to cut the county budget 4% across the board and including the two school districts despite impassioned pleas not to during public comment at their Jan. 21 meeting.

County commissioners agree to cut the county budget 4% across the board and including the two school districts despite impassioned pleas not to during public comment at their Jan. 21 meeting.
Smokers formed a 12-step group in Asheville to free themselves from nicotine. Along the way, they found that community is their secret power.
Drew Ball was elected by the Buncombe County Democratic Party to fill the board vacancy left by Amanda Edwards, who was elected chair in November.
Housing advocates urged the Buncombe County Board of Commissioners to eliminate parking requirements to make housing easier and cheaper to build. They noted that affordable housing is a critical need in the wake of Tropical Storm Helene.
The biannual craft show returns Dec. 7-8 to ExploreAsheville.com Arena.
Buncombe County board sees a woman chair and a Black woman commissioner for the first time.
All say they plan to stick around to help for as long as it takes the region to recover. And they stress that recovery will come in phases, requiring them to adapt their missions in order to support the community’s evolving needs.
With her most recent venture, Mad Genius Studios, Shawndra Russell is committed to creating community and improving access to resources for WNC women in business.
“Chinese medicine is a lifelong learning process,” says Mary Cissy Majebé , co-founder of Daoist Traditions College of Chinese Medical Arts. The school is currently celebrating its 20-year anniversary.
Nonprofits recovered from a volunteer drop-off during COVID and found they can do more with less.
“Part of our mission, our desire, is to really expose people to each other,” says Ashanti Ternoir, co-founder of AVLsk8. “And then to create a space that’s fun, that’s enjoyable through movement and skating and also through music.”
The self-taught artisan has spent years perfecting her craft, and her studio is filled with finished products.
Letting your lawn get a little scruffy in early spring creates a smorgasbord of wild flowers on which pollinators can feast.
Federal funding that allowed schools to provide free breakfasts and lunches to all students ended last year. Now, area families face rising meal costs and tight subsidy restrictions.
Lindsey Prather, Eric Ager and Caleb Rudow have a lot to learn over the state legislative session that started Jan. 25. All three Democrats won their first elections in November after the retirement of three multi-term representatives from Buncombe County.
Different yoga studios, styles and teachers can each offer completely different takes on the practice, each suited for different wellness needs. Xpress set out to explore some of the varieties of yoga available in the area and spoke to a number of local teachers about their yoga journeys.
Asheville on Bikes has recently drawn attention for its successful advocacy at City Hall, but it’s just one of many community organizations that seek to pull the levers of political power in Asheville. Xpress spoke to several of these groups to learn more about how they pursue their agendas.
According to Capt. Joe Silberman of the Asheville Police Department’s Criminal Investigations Division, there is “really no hard, hard definition” for a cold case because each one is “unique.” Accordingly, the department views its cases as either open or solved. In the last five years, there have been 52 homicides, and 16 remain open
This year, seven companies were ready to pitch. Xpress takes a look at them all.
After a reduction in the number of incidents reported to the Asheville Police Department in 2021, local shoplifting numbers are rising again.
While current city ordinances place some restrictions on panhandling, in most instances it is a legal means of making money. Bill Davis, spokesperson for Asheville Police Department, says police had received 95 calls for panhandling this year as of Aug. 17, the majority of which were requests for wellness checks out of concern for those in need.