AC-T: Mad Mountain Mud Run benefits Hands On! kids’ museum

More than 1,500 muddy runners took part in Saturday’s Mad Mountain Mud Run and obstacle course in Hendersonville, benefitting Hands On! A Child’s Gallery, the Asheville Citizen-Times reported Sunday. Rain didn’t fall on the third annual Mad Mountain Mud Run Saturday afternoon, but there was plenty of wet, gooey earth in and around Berkeley Park […]

WCU accepting nominations for 2014 Mountain Heritage Awards

From press release   CULLOWHEE – Western Carolina University is accepting nominations for the 2014 Mountain Heritage Awards, honors bestowed annually on one individual and one organization that have played a prominent role in the preservation or interpretation of Southern Appalachian history and culture. Nominations for the awards will be accepted through Monday, June 30. […]

Exhibits highlight anniversaries of Western Carolina University, Mountain Heritage Day

From press release:   CULLOWHEE – Western Carolina University’s Mountain Heritage Center is unveiling new exhibits that highlight two big milestones that are happening this year – the 125thanniversary of the university’s founding and the 40th anniversary of WCU’s fall celebration of mountain culture, Mountain Heritage Day. An exhibit titled “The Dearest Spot of All: Western […]

AC-T: Fallen Asheville firefighter’s name placed on memorial

The plaque honoring Asheville firefighter Capt. Jeff Bowen was unveiled Saturday at a memorial  outside the Buncombe County Courthouse, the Asheville Citizen-Times reported  Sunday. About 75 people, including Bowen’s widow, Stacy Bowen, took part in the ceremony. Bowen, 37, died on July 28, 2011, while fighting a blaze set by an arsonist inside a commercial structure previously known as […]

Hagan announces aid for Stanley Furniture workers in Robbinsville

From press release:   Washington, DC – U.S. Sen. Kay R. Hagan (NC) Tuesday announced that workers at Stanley Furniture Young America in Robbinsville, NC are eligible to apply for Trade Adjustment Assistance (TAA), as well as Alternative Trade Adjustment Assistance (ATAA) for older workers. In April, increased imports caused Stanley to close its Young America […]

Asheville-Buncombe Memorial Day ceremony scheduled Monday

From press release:  ASHEVILLE – The City of Asheville Mayor’s Committee for Veterans Affairs will host the annual Memorial Day ceremony on the Roger McGuire Green stage of Pack Square Park starting at 2:30 p.m. on Monday, May 26, 2014. Event highlights will include musical performances by the Tennessee Air National Guard’s concert “Band of the South”.  The Reuter Center Singers […]

ASAP celebrates local greens during May

From press release:   ASHEVILLE, NC (May 19, 2014)—This month ASAP is celebrating local greens for their Get Local campaign – a year-round initiative that brings together farmers, chefs, and community members to highlight a featured local food. Local greens mean that spring is really settling in and summer isn’t far off. From classic Southern […]

Biltmore Farms Hotels to transition Sleep Inn Biltmore to Biltmore Village Lodge

From press release   Asheville, N.C. – Biltmore Farms Hotels, the largest locally-owned hotel group in Asheville, announced today its decision to transition the company’s Sleep Inn Biltmore property to the Biltmore Village Lodge.  The conversion will commence this summer, with the hotel operating under the independent name at the end of July. The 64-room […]

AC-T: In many ways, Caleb Johnson has already won

While a second-place finish Wednesday on “American Idol” might be a crushing defeat in the short term, Asheville’s Caleb Johnson may have already won for the long haul, the Asheville Citizen-Times reports. Whether he fulfills his dream of becoming a stadium-straddling rock star or not, his “American Idol” stint has been an impressive worldwide audition for […]

Hands Across the Land: National Day of Action coming to Asheville on May 17

From press release: Local citizens to say “No” to Keystone XL and “Yes” to clean energy!WHAT: A rally will be held on Saturday, May 17 at 5 pm at Vance Monument to ask the president and local officials to reject the Keystone XL pipeline and other dirty fuel projects that threaten our communities and destabilize our climate. This […]

Volunteers sought for breeding bird survey work

From press release:   A partnership of organizations is seeking volunteers for the fifth year of a volunteer breeding bird monitoring and education program that will be conducted this spring and summer at two early-successional habitat sites along the Little Tennessee River. The program is a partnership between the Land Trust for the Little Tennessee […]

United Way of Transylvania and WCCA jointly honored for literacy efforts

From press release:   United Way of Transylvania County (UWTC) and Western Carolina Community Action (WCCA) are joint recipients of the 2014 Financial Literacy Community Partners Award. The award, presented Friday, May 9, at the annual Financial Literacy Awards Luncheon by OnTrack Financial Education & Counseling, recognizes the work of the Transylvania County collaborative “Families […]

Allegiant launches low-cost, non-stop flights between Asheville and Palm Beach

From press release: ASHEVILLE, N.C. May 15, 2014 – Allegiant, (NASDAQ: ALGT)  celebrates Thursday, May 15, the start of new nonstop, low-cost air service from Asheville to Palm Beach, a new Allegiant destination. In celebration of the new nonstop service, the company will offer promotional one-way fares as low as $64*.  “We are thrilled to expand our low-cost, convenient travel […]

RiverLink offers update on Ross Creek Stormwater Improvement Project

From press release: Over the past two years RiverLink has been working to improve water quality in the Ross Creek Watershed, which flows through Chunns Cove, past Tunnel Road into Kenilworth, and eventually into the Swannanoa River.   Grant funds to support this project have been received from the Clean Water Management Trust Fund and Pigeon River Fund, along […]

WRAL: ‘Moral Monday’ protests returning to legislature next week

Leaders of a protest movement that led to nearly 1,000 arrests at the General Assembly last year announced Wednesday that they will hold their first rally of the 2014 legislative session next Monday, according to WRAL in Raleigh. Led by the NAACP, the “Moral Monday” movement tapped an undercurrent of dissatisfaction with the Republican-led General […]

Doris Phillips Loomis of Asheville  appointed to UNC-TV Board of Trustees

From press release North Carolina Governor Pat McCrory has appointed Doris Phillips Loomis of Asheville to a four-year term on the UNC-TV Board of Trustees, which will run through May 31, 2018.  She succeeds George Fleming of Raleigh on the board. Ms. Loomis is an attorney for the law firm of McGuire, Wood & Bissette, P.A.  She […]

Apodaca, Berger file governor’s coal ash plan

From press release:   Raleigh, N.C. – To kick off the start of the 2014 short session, Senate Rules Committee Chairman Tom Apodaca (R-Henderson) and Senate Leader Phil Berger (R-Rockingham) filed a bill Wednesday morning consisting of Gov. Pat McCrory’s coal ash mitigation proposal. It was the first bill filed in the Senate this session. “Addressing […]

21th Annual Lake Lure Arts Festival Scheduled May 24-26

From press release: Featuring handmade creations from more than 60 artisans from across the region, visitors to the 21st annual Lake Lure Arts & Crafts Festival can enjoy a sophisticated collection including painting and graphics, photography, jewelry, leather, metal, soaps and candles, wood, glass, pottery, textiles or fiber art and more. Festival admission is free and […]