Few crimes are more personal than sexual assault. Unfortunately, collecting evidence that may lead to a conviction of an attacker can be traumatic and invasive as well. That’s where trained forensic nurses can make a difference. And now there are more of them in Western North Carolina, due to a new team at Harris Regional […]
Navigating a dementia diagnosis in the family can be a confusing and lonely experience for both the patient and the caregiver. In Buncombe County, there are numerous nonprofits to provide education and support.
Jacob Oakes, who directs Pisgah Legal Services’ immigration program and manages its Afghan Asylum Project, calls the latest influx of evacuees an “unprecedented situation” and a “learning experience” due to its breadth and magnitude.
On any day of the week, first responders in Buncombe County might be dispatched to this common scenario: A business owner or a bystander sees a woman on the sidewalk who is agitated, yelling, screaming, and pacing back and forth. Concerned, a bystander calls 911 to get this person help; it’s unclear whether she’s injured, […]
Laurie Stradley joined Impact Health as executive director Oct. 24.
Picture books are a way for caregivers to guide children through challenging topics, like new siblings and potty training. Asheville-based child psychotherapist Jillian Kelly-Wavering wrote a children’s book to guide children ages 7-12 through another challenge: a parent’s suicide.
My Grief Is Like the Ocean is written by Kelly-Wavering and illustrated by Jessica Biles, who is based in New York. The pair worked together on the book throughout the COVID-19 pandemic and relied on Google Docs and Zoom for their collaboration.
Code Purple will have nearly 100 beds available for emergency overnight shelter for Asheville’s unhoused population when the temperature is freezing or below. The program will also operate for two additional months in the winter and spring of 2022-23.
Farmers and homesteaders can get their hands dirty all over Western North Carolina. For those with more modest ambitions, there are houseplants. Garden stores, chain stores and even pharmacies sell houseplants nowadays, but it’s also an attractive industry for many small-business owners. The Asheville area is home to several plant shops known for their intimate […]
Buskers are visible ambassadors of Asheville’s artistic community, and some downtown businesses say street performances create a convivial atmosphere. But for others who live and work downtown, amplified sound is a daily cacophony.
On Sept. 13, Buncombe County Health & Human Services issued an alert on social media and to local groups like the Homeless Coalition about a spike in overdoses in the county. “Please be advised, over the last several days there has been a continued spike in probable overdoses in Buncombe County,” the email alert from […]
The reproductive landscape in America vastly changed on June 24 when the U.S. Supreme Court ruled 6-3 in Dobbs v. Jackson that abortion is not a right under the Constitution.
On June 30, lawmakers passed Senate Bill 762 (the 2022 Farm Bill) with language distinguishing marijuana from hemp, and Governor Roy Cooper signed it. That might have seemed to be the end of the hemp industry’s woes. But local businesses say it would be premature to stop there.
Asheville Regional Airport opened a Mamava Lactation Suite Sept. 2 for travelers and employees who are breastfeeding or pumping. The suite is a free-standing pod and located inside the airport past security. It’s lockable, free to use and contains seating, an electrical outlet and hand sanitizing units. “One of the most requested passenger amenities is […]
Parents of children who attend Asheville High School, the School of Inquiry and Life Sciences at Asheville and Asheville Middle School tell Xpress the experience of a perimeter lockdown Sept. 1 was rattling, and assessment of that response was mixed.
Sona Merlin has seen a lot during her 21 years in Asheville real estate. But one house in the Peach Knob Meadows neighborhood near Town Mountain Road stands out above the rest due to a bathroom. Why? It included a miniature shower built for a dog. “They used nicer tile than my home shower has!” […]
The goal is that reading with a child will become a routine and will foster a love of reading on its own.
WNC retains abortion access through Planned Parenthood’s Asheville Health Center, the region’s sole provider of the procedure. What is less clear, at least at this moment, is how restrictions on abortion will impact the area’s child welfare system.
Buncombe County is expecting a large increase in its elderly population in the coming decades. The need for more caregivers will increase with the rise of the aging population.
The N.C. Republican Party’s Aug. 17 panel discussion in Hendersonville was billed with the theme of “Family First.”
Childhood is romanticized as the most carefree time of one’s life. But anyone who endured bullying by classmates, or was raised with an alcoholic parent, or struggled to afford basic necessities, knows childhood has never been easy. There is widespread agreement that children’s lives have become more difficult with disruptions to education and family life […]
The 66-page report depicts the landscape for working parents of children younger than 6 in WNC, early childhood education options and the education level and compensation of early childhood education providers.
