Two ardent supporters of two very different plans for the controversial I-26 connector, Asheville City Council member Brownie Newman and Asheville Area Chamber of Commerce CEO Rick Lutovsky, will make their cases on Wednesday at an Asheville Leadership Forum luncheon.
Coverage of the Jan. 20 Buncombe County Board of Commissioners meeting
A confidentiality clause in an oath administered to members of public-access channel URTV‘s board at their last meeting has sparked criticism — and Buncombe County’s attorney’s office is looking into whether the vow is in line with the state’s open-meetings law.
Last week, development activist Steve Rasmussen released a report blasting the proposed Downtown Master Plan. Now Goody Clancy, the consultants behind the master plan, have fired back with their own report, asserting that the plan provides more public input, promotes smarter, greener growth and has substantial “teeth” to control development.
Former Buncombe County Commissioner David Young has been tapped by Gov. Bev Perdue to throw his hat in the ring in the race for the chair of the North Carolina Democratic Party and he’s got some powerful backing.
Asheville resident Lewis Kyle Wilson, charged with the brutal assault and kidnapping of a prostitute, has been dubbed a “person of interest” in a 2006 murder and several similar attacks. Search warrants reveal details about this case, while people who know him shine light on community reactions. Warning: this material is extremely graphic.
At tonight’s meeting of the Buncombe County Board of Commissioners, the board unanimously approved a series of rule changes, including televising public comment after a years-long blackout.
The years-long blackout on televising public comment at meetings of the Buncombe County Board of Commissioners’ meetings may end soon, as a vote to change their meeting rules tops the Jan. 20 meeting agenda.
With tonight’s forum, the city of Asheville kicks off a three-week public-comment period on the Downtown Master Plan draft. Share your thoughts on this controversial blueprint for the future of downtown.
Asheville activist Steve Rasmussen has released a report critiquing the Downtown Master Plan draft, asserting that its enforcement powers on development issues are weak and that much control would be turned over to unelected boards to the benefit of developers.
This venerable and much-mythologized liquor is now at Zambra, and Bar Beat goes to investigate: with video!
In a tense 3-2 vote at their Jan. 6 meeting, the Buncombe County Board of Commissioners endorsed alternative 3, a controversial route for the Interstate 26 connector through Asheville. “My late grandfather worked hard for that home”: Burton Street resident Stephen Waters, who said he will lose his family home if Alternative 3 is selected, […]
It’s far from the easiest time to be a Buncombe County commissioner. As the economy sinks (and, with it, tax revenues), demand for the array of social services the county provides is rising. Those were just a few of the issues on the commissioners’ minds as they gathered Jan. 9 and 10 for their annual […]
The Buncombe County Law Library will be closed from now until April, according to County Manager Wanda Greene. Boxed up: The empty shelves of the Buncombe County Law Library, which will be closed until April for renovations. Photo by Jonathan Welch. “We have serious space limitations,” Greene said. “When we renovate it, the computers will […]
Absinthe is one of the most mythologized of all liquors. Depending on which legends you believe, it either rots the brain or is a magic key to artistic genius. Photo by Jonathan Welch. First distilled from anise, fennel and wormwood (among other herbs) in the 1700s, this extremely high-proof drink took the world by storm […]
The State Bureau of Investigation is examining the claims of a Polk County woman that police tasered her 16 times while she was handcuffed to a chair, according to a report from WLOS.
In a tense 3-2 vote at their Jan. 6 meeting, the Buncombe County Board of Commissioners endorsed alternative 3, a controversial route for the Interstate 26 connector through Asheville.
As the economy faces tough times, demand for food stamps has risen sharply — 11 percent since last July — according to figures from Buncombe County’s Department of Social Services.
At a retreat yesterday, the Buncombe County Board of Commissioners instructed county staff to investigate moving offices for all or most county services into a single location, a move that could cost from $30-60 million, depending on whether the county buys or builds the facility.
At their annual retreat today, the Buncombe County Board of Commissioners broached the idea of changing their public-comment period: televising it for the first time in years and shifting it to the end of the meeting. The board will vote on the proposed changes Jan. 20.
The recently-released draft of the Downtown Master plan, if approved, would drastically reduce Asheville City Council’s authority over the development process, with only the most massive projects coming up for a vote before Council.
