Asheville and environs saw increased unemployment in May, state figures show. The unemployment rate ticked up in both the Asheville metropolitan statistical area and Buncombe County. Figures released by the Employment Security Commission of North Carolina show unemployment rising from 9 percent to 9.2 percent in the Asheville metro area — a state designation that […]
Author: David Forbes
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Bar Beat: Santé
Santé is nestled in Asheville's Grove Arcade, just near the winged lions that stand guard over the Battery Park Avenue entrance. It's early evening, with the sun still in the sky, and wine drinkers are scattered around the patio. Photo by jonathan welch If you don't know much about wine, but are looking to learn, […]
Views from the unemployment line
With unemployment in the Asheville area on the rise and 8,100 jobs lost since the beginning of the year, Xpress wants to hear about your experiences in these tight times.
Unemployment rises in Asheville area
Unemployment in both the Asheville metropolitan area and Buncombe County rose in May, according to state figures that show unemployment ticking up to 9.2 percent for the metro area and 8.8 percent for Buncombe County.
Buncombe Commissioners: Board approves $327 million budget
911 agreement with city clears final hurdle Energy Loop rides again Despite a declining economy and the need for cuts in every department, Buncombe County staff managed to deliver a budget that keeps core services intact and the tax rate unchanged. The “Loop” is back: Dirck Cruser’s “Energy Loop,” Asheville’s first piece of public sculpture, […]
Glen Rock Depot project breaks ground in River District
Smiling state and local officials wielding golden shovels were among those gathered June 29 for the official groundbreaking of Glen Rock Depot in the River District. The ambitious project, which calls for renovating the old Glen Rock Hotel and constructing a new 90,000 square foot building, will combine affordable housing, office space and a bar/performance […]
Bar Beat: Battery Park Book Exchange
Drinking and books: It seems like a natural combination. How many times have you had a page-turner in hand but then thought, “Hmm, I need a drink.” Photo by Jonathan Welch Or, conversely, how many times have you been drinking a delicious cocktail, relaxing on a couch and thought, “You know, an excellent book would […]
URTV board will vote on new members tomorrow
The URTV board of directors will vote on new board members in a special meeting tomorrow (Tuesday) at 4:30 p.m. in URTV’s studios, according to a notice on the public-access channel’s Web site.
Buncombe Commissioners: budget, 911 and the Energy Loop
In their June 23 meeting — the last before a month-long break — the Buncombe County Board of Commissioners passed a $327 million budget, a 911 agreement between the city and county and signed off on a new location for the Energy Loop sculpture.
Buncombe Commissioners: No relief?
Waste-management fee raised Calls for social services increase On the agenda for the Buncombe County Board of Commissioners' June 16 meeting, the matter was simply labeled “Resolution Rescinding Resolution 06-08-06,” but what it meant was far more complex, as the commissioners decided to postpone the county's next property-tax revaluation until 2014. The last revaluation was […]
URTV removes board member
On an 8-0 vote with one abstention, the URTV board of directors removed Richard Bernier from his post June 15, asserting that he hadn't dealt with conflicts correctly and had damaged URTV's reputation with his outspoken criticism of the station's management. Maintaining that he'd tried to bring up important issues of transparency that many of […]
Bar Beat: Bier Garden
It's closing in on eight in the evening, and the Bier Garden is bustling. In some ways, this long-established Haywood Street joint seems like three places in one: There are the game rooms off to the side, with people clustered around the foosball and pool tables; the high hall in the middle, with diners and […]
Buncombe Commissioners preview: Budget and Energy Loop edition
In a special meeting Tuesday, the Buncombe County Board of Commissioners will vote on the budget for the upcoming fiscal year and push forward with a new location for the Energy Loop sculpture.
Buncombe Commissioners put off tax revaluation to 2014
Asserting that the step will save county taxpayers money in a tight time, the Buncombe County Board of Commissioners voted unanimously Tuesday to delay the county’s property tax revaluation to 2014. The last revaluation was done in 2006, at the height of the housing boom.
URTV removes board member
On Monday, the URTV Board of Directors voted, with one abstention, to remove Richard Bernier from his post, in a resolution asserting that in his outspoken criticism of the station’s management he had not dealt with conflicts correctly. Bernier replied that he was trying to bring up important issues of transparency that many of the other directors had ignored.
Phish concert yields (only) 13 drug arrests
Asheville police made 13 arrests in connection with the June 8 Phish concert, all involving drug charges. In an e-mail, police spokesperson Melissa Williams emphasized that the massive crowd (more than 10,000 people) “was mostly peaceful and caused no major problems for police.” And City Council member Carl Mumpower, who’s attended past Civic Center shows […]
Police announce arrests of Crips gang members
Behind a table strewn with confiscated weapons—including assault rifles—local law-enforcement officials announced on June 11 a series of arrests and jail time that they say have decimated local Crips gangs operating out of Lee Walker Heights and Klondyke Apartments, with 24 of 37 known members behind bars and gun violence in the area down. “Swinging […]
Local Liberty Dollar official arrested
Asheville resident William Kevin Innes, regional currency officer for Liberty Services, was arrested June 2 on charges of trying to pass off the privately minted Liberty Dollars as U.S. currency. The arrest came as part of a nationwide sweep of the organization’s officials. Silver anniversary: William Kevin Innes of Liberty Services’ Asheville office in 2007. […]
Bar Beat: Raising a glass to Phish
It’s midnight in downtown Asheville, and the Phish show has just let out, pouring thousands of happy phans into the streets. Photo by Jason Sandford Here they are, at the Rankin Vault: “They really know their audience,” one Phishhead says as the bartender pours a concoction of vodka, liqueurs and cranberry juice into a towering […]
County looks to cancel tax revaluation
The Buncombe County Board of Commissioners on Tuesday will vote on a resolution that would cancel the upcoming property tax revaluation in the face of a declining economy, pushing it to 2014.
Johnson wins state GOP Vice Chair election
Late-breaking news over a domestic-violence conviction — and the ensuing fracas within the GOP — didn’t stop Buncombe County Republican Party Chair Timothy Johnson from sweeping to victory in the election for vice chair of the state party on Saturday.