Upgrades to the tangled web of interchanges from the I-26 intersection at Interstate 40 through the gnarled conduit of traffic on the Bowen Bridge have been on the N.C. Department of Transportation’s radar since at least 1989. Along the way, business groups, community members, environmental advocates, designers and elected officials have all weighed in with differing visions about how the project should function and look — and whether it should happen at all.
The impending snowpacolypse — and the promise that hardcore weather prognosticator Jim Cantore will be the in Asheville area this weekend — has locals in a tizzy about the weather.
Amanda Edwards’ first day in the hot seat should be fairly chill.
To alleviate congestion and improve traffic flow, the N.C. Department of Transportation is in the early planning stages for widening Sweeten Creek Road from Rock Hill Road to Hendersonville Road.
Despite projections showing it could cost more than initially estimated, the long-awaited renovations to the East Asheville Library, located at 902 Tunnel Road, received unanimous approval on Nov. 20 from the Board of Commissioners.
The Buncombe County Board of Commissioners will vote on a new pay plan during its meeting on Tuesday, Nov. 20. The body will also consider a set of policies that would increase oversight of county contracts and purchases.
A Vegas-based developer wants to build a resort in the mountains outside Asheville. To do so, he would need commissioners to amend Buncombe County’s zoning ordinance. Staff in the county planning department have recommended that commissioners reject the changes.
Despite concern that a state law passed in June could stifle early voting numbers, counties in Western North Carolina have seen turnout more consistent with a presidential election than a midterm.
Whatever the outcome of the Tuesday, Nov. 6, general election, advocates with Women AdvaNCe, a nonpartisan education institute, aim to energize politically-engaged women during the all-day Women Moving Mountains summit on Saturday, Nov. 10, at The Collider in Asheville.
Local political action committee Angry Taxpayers sent letters to the home addresses of hundreds of Buncombe County’s roughly 1,400 employees this month, encouraging them to vote for Republican candidates for the Board of Commissioners this year.
Over the protests of Republicans, who felt the allotment was too large and would put a burden on taxpayers, the Buncombe County Board of Commissioners approved a multimillion dollar investment in early childhood education on Oct. 30.
Buncombe County commissioners will vote during their regular meeting on Tuesday, Oct. 30, on a fund to boost access to early childhood education.
Jon Creighton, former assistant county manager and planning director for Buncombe County, has admitted guilt to one count of conspiracy in a plea deal entered on Oct. 25.
The Council of Independent Business Owners hosted a debate at Highland Brewing Company between two candidates for the District 10 seat in the U.S. House of Representatives: Incumbent Patrick McHenry, a Republican, and challenger David Wilson Brown, a Democrat.
A Facebook Live forum hosted by Blue Ridge Public Radio and the Mountain Xpress on Wednesday, Oct. 17, offered District 2 candidates Glenda Weinert and Amanda Edwards an opportunity to address issues like affordable housing, opioid abuse, and the omnipresent criminal investigation into former county officials.
Citing concerns about cost, commissioners decided Oct. 16 to stop using the services of a local attorney who had been advising the board on matters involving the federal criminal investigation into Wanda Greene and other former Buncombe County employees.
Commissioners voted Oct. 16 to put a 40-hour cap on the number of hours employees can sell back to the county, a decision that could save the county about $370,000 per year.
The African Americans in Western North Carolina and Southern Appalachia Conference will take place Oct. 18-20 in Asheville. The theme this year is “Making the invisible visible.”
According to a spreadsheet showing annual leave payments to county employees from the beginning of fiscal year 2007 through March 31, 2018, former County Manager Wanda Greene benefited more than any other employee from the county’s annual leave sale policy. Commissioners will consider setting a yearly limit on the number of sellable hours during their meeting on Oct. 16.
Duke Energy has installed smart meters for a significant number of customers in North Carolina, but the rollout has experienced some pushback from consumers who have expressed concerns about the impact of RF emissions on the human body.
During a debate organized by the Council of Independent Business Owners on Oct. 5, candidates vying for seats on the Buncombe County Board of Commissioners talked school safety, affordable housing and how the county should respond to the fallout from the Wanda Greene investigation.
