The city of Asheville will hold a series of community input sessions Sept. 8 and 9, seeking input on the hiring of a new chief for the Asheville Police Department. The office is filled by interim Chief Wade Wood, since Chief Bill Hogan retied in May, amidst controversy about missing evidence and the settlement of a harassment lawsuit involving a (still-employed) APD officer.
Author: David Forbes
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Unmet needs: Center for New Beginnings helps those touched by trauma, crime
When Lori Gerber moved to Asheville five years ago, she saw a need that was going unmet: Although there are services here for victims of domestic violence and rape, there’s very little for those who’ve been traumatized by other violent crimes or natural disasters. With 25 years’ experience helping others in those situations — such as helping emergency responders in New York City after 9/11 — she co-founded the Center for New Beginnings with husband Steve Gerber. On Sept. 6, the organization will hold a ribbon-cutting ceremony and fundraiser at its new offices in downtown Asheville to call attention to the group’s work.
A quick guide to Asheville’s hashtags ***UPDATED Sept. 2***
A quick introduction to (and roundup of) the Twitter hashtags Xpress — and Ashevilleans from all walks of life — use as community forums, bulletin boards and spaces for local news. Updated, thanks to suggestions from our readers.
LIVE: Coverage of Council’s North Asheville community meeting
Follow live Twitter coverage of Asheville City Council’s North Asheville community meeting here.
Keep on truckin’
Asheville City Council Aug. 23, 2011 meeting Some restaurant owners, residents opposed Second reading slated for Sept. 13 Yet another chapter in the continuing battle over whether to allow food trucks in downtown Asheville ended Aug. 23 when City Council narrowly approved new rules rescinding a ’90s-era ban on mobile food vendors in the central […]
Submit your questions for Asheville City Council candidates
Hello, Xpress readers, nine candidates are vying for three seats on Asheville City Council this year, and we’re developing our annual election guide questionnaire. What questions do you want the candidates to answer?
APD looking for missing person
The Asheville Police Department is looking for Destiny Lynn Reifschneider, last seen in South Asheville Thursday, Aug. 25.
Loss of public employment sends Asheville jobs numbers plunging
Jobs numbers worsened across the state in July, according to data from the state’s Employment Security Commission, and the Asheville area was no exception, losing a total of 2,900 jobs, mostly from the public sector. While unemployment in the area declined slightly, combined with the net job losses, this indicates some unemployed have stopped looking for work.
Smaller is bigger
U.S. business officials refocus on innovation at the annual Southeastern Economic and Workforce Development Conference.
Asheville City Council preview: Food trucks for downtown
One issue looms large on the agenda for tonight’s Asheville City Council meeting: new rules that would allow food trucks to operate in downtown. The issue has proven controversial, with some downtown restaurant owners mounting a concerted effort against the new rules. Also: interviewing (and picking) new Planning and Zoning Commission members.
Who would you appoint to Planning and Zoning? Take our poll
Changes in the city’s rules have left the city of Asheville’s Planning and Zoning Commission with more power over development than ever before. Because of that, City Council will hold interviews with nine candidates in City Hall on Aug. 23, looking to fill three open seats. Xpress is inviting readers to look at their applications and let us know your top pick.
ACLU: Asheville must protect free speech rights of street preachers
The city of Asheville needs to be careful in any attempts to regulate street preachers at the Bele Chere festival, and any rules must apply to all groups, Katie Parker, executive director of the state chapter of the American Civil Liberties Union, says. She adds that the current situation, with vocal showdowns between preachers and their opponents “sounds like it’s already working the way it ought to work.”
Photo by Jerry Nelson
City looks into regulating street preachers
The presence of street preachers (and people opposing or arguing with them) is an annual fixture at the Bele Chere festival. Now, after complaints, the city of Asheville is looking into ways to regulate or curb the activity.
Goldsboro-based street preacher Tony Denson, speaking during Bele Chere 2010. Asheville resident Jeremy Carter, in the background, brandished a rainbow flag in protest of Denson’s remarks. Photo by Michael Muller
And then there were nine
After a slow start, this year’s Asheville City Council race is heating up, with nine contenders vying for three seats. With the mid-July filing deadline looming, a number of candidates jumped into the race, including longtime activists, political newbies and bloggers. In the end, incumbents Jan Davis and Bill Russell opted to seek another term, […]
Paying the piper
Council approves $2.2 million in Linamar incentives
LIVE: Coverage of the SEWDC economic keynote
Follow live Twitter coverage of the keynote address at the Southeast Economic and Workforce Development Conference, where U.S. Assistant Secretary of Commerce for Economic Development John Fernandez and U.S. Assistant Secretary of Labor for Employment and Training Administration Jane Oates will talk on the overall economic situation and efforts to promote job growth.
APD releases details of SWAT team standoff
Yesterday, a short video made the rounds of an Asheville Police Department SWAT team firing into an apartment and advancing. Now the APD has released details of the standoff with Erich Shakir, who police claim barricaded himself inside a North Asheville apartment filled with “a large arsenal of knives, compound bows, dart guns, and battle axes” after fleeing a domestic violence charge. According to the APD’s statement, Shakir was subdued using non-lethal methods, including tear gas and a bean-bag round.
Not too Kool
Volunteer members of the festival’s board were receptive to bringing in the 53-year-old hip-hop performer, famous for his 1996 hit “Let Me Clear My Throat,” but in the end … (DJ Kool photo by Tim Smith)
LIVE: Coverage of tonight’s Asheville City Council meeting
Follow live Twitter coverage of the Aug. 9 Asheville City Council meeting.
Asheville City Council preview: Welcoming the Canadians
At tonight’s Asheville City Council meeting, that august governing body will vote on $2.2 million in tax incentives for Linamar’s move into the former Volvo plant, where the Canadian company plans to begin making auto parts before the end of the year. Also on the agenda: larger recycling bins, rates for renting Pack Square Park and deciding which candidates to interview for the Planning and Zoning Commission.
Omitted email: City staffer believed Bele Chere head would consult with APD about hip-hop act
Sandra Travis, program director for Asheville’s festivals, has denied consulting with the Asheville Police Department before deciding not to book a hip-hop act for the Bele Chere festival. However, a new email reveals that one of Travis’ staff believed otherwise, asserting her boss would consult with the APD “about community temperament.” The city omitted the email from an earlier release to Xpress.