Asheville City Council preview: extending downtown, and monitoring transit

Asheville City Council has a light agenda for its meeting tonight, with the only public hearing concerning extending downtown zoning. However, the consent agenda includes meatier items than usual, like $450,000 (mostly from the state) for a new public transportation monitoring system, and $380,000 for a new sidewalk project in South Asheville.

About 40 rally downtown to demand immigratio­n reform, support NC student returning home


About 40 people rallied downtown today to support Luis Gustavo, an N.C. student seeking to return to the U.S., and call for reform to immigration law. Gustavo is a “DREAMer,” an undocumented immigrant who entered the U.S. at an early age and would have been allowed to stay under the terms of the DREAM Act, but left for Mexico when the act failed in 2011. (photo by Max Cooper)

No foul

Asheville City Council members emerged from a half-hour closed session during their July 11 special meeting declaring their support for Police Chief William Anderson. An internal investigation, they said, had found no evidence that he’d tried to cover up a March car crash involving his son, as Lt. William Wilke had alleged (see http://avl.mx/vd).

Black Mountain girl dies from Rocky Mountain spotted fever

From the Asheville Citizen-Times: ASHEVILLE — Federal health officials confirmed that Rocky Mountain spotted fever caused the death of a Buncombe County child last month. Officials with the state Department of Health and Human Services said Thursday that the death of Emilee Russell, 6, is the first fatality confirmed in North Carolina linked to the […]

City investigat­ion mostly clears Asheville police chief, promises changes

At a special meeting today, Asheville City Council announced that an internal investigation had found no evidence that Asheville Police Department Chief William Anderson engaged in a coverup surrounding a March car crash involving his son, as alleged by an APD lieutenant. However, the inquiry also found that when Anderson ordered the officer to meet with him, he acted inappropriately. Council members promised improvements to the general management of the department.

Asheville City Council “may take action” on personnel matter after special Thursday meeting

Asheville City Council will hold a special closed session 9 a.m. Thursday about an undisclosed personnel matter, likely allegations about Asheville Police Department Chief William Anderson. The announcement of the meeting notes that Council may take action under a state law allowing it to announce “disciplinary action, reinstatement, transfer, or termination of a city employee and the reasons for that personnel action.”