As the Western North Carolina community prepares for its first looks inside the new $400 million Mission Health North Tower, Xpress learned about some of the features of the facility, from high-tech touches to local art.
Author: Leslie Boyd
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Wise Women gather at Kanuga
“The focus of the conference is woman to woman, kind of kitchen to kitchen,” explains Byron Ballard, who will present a workshop on traditional Appalachian healing methods at this year’s Southeast Wise Women Herbal Conference at the Kanuga conference and retreat center near Hendersonville. “It’s about women being together in a women’s space and being free to talk, to do, to teach and to learn from each other.
Buncombe County tests new app for emergency responders
This fall, two Buncombe County high schools — T.C. Roberson and A.C. Reynolds — will begin using the Vitals app, which provides information about participating students’ physical, mental and behavioral conditions to school resource officers and other first responders.
School-based clinics expand access to care
Nonprofit Blue Ridge Health has opened eight school-based clinics: five in Henderson County, where the child poverty rate is 22.5% and 5% of children have no health insurance; one in neighboring Polk County (21.3% child poverty, 5.8% uninsured children); and, last month, two in Jackson County.
Voluntary registry helps police find people with dementia
Hendersonville Police Chief Herbert Blake has established a voluntary registry for residents with dementia. In the event a person on the registry wanders from home or otherwise goes missing, the information can instantly be shared with local emergency responders.
Adoptive parents open their hearts and homes to children in need
Nearly 11,700 children are in foster care in North Carolina. Eliada Homes, which has long placed and supported children in foster families, recently added adoption services to its offerings, hoping to encourage more parents to consider fostering to adopt.
Local churches open doors and hearts to undocumented immigrants
Today, at least 17 faith communities in Buncombe County and Mars Hill are offering shelter and assistance to immigrants living here without legal papers, according to Melody Pajak of the nonprofit Faith Communities Organizing for Sanctuary.
From practical to crafty to offbeat, local retailers offer gift options in WNC
Give Amazon.com a rest — Western North Carolina is full of small, independent retailers, where the only thing cookie-cutter is the display of, well, cookie cutters.
Asheville shows proposals for affordable housing on city-owned land
The three parcels currently being considered for affordable housing are on South Charlotte Street, where the city currently has its Public Works Garage and Fleet Management facilities; on Biltmore Avenue at the old Matthews Ford site and on Riverside Drive at the “Ice House.” Up to 550 new affordable rental units could be developed.
Habitat to build multifamily housing in Candler
A new Asheville Area Habitat for Humanity development in Candler will mark the organization’s first foray into constructing multifamily homes. The move is necessary, the nonprofit says, to meet the area’s need for affordable housing in the face of high land prices.
Grant will fund community-wide violence prevention efforts
Partner organizations are moving forward to implement a multi-year plan aimed at preventing violence against women and maltreatment of children. The effort is funded by an unprecedented $450,000 grant from the Women for Women Giving Circle of the Community Foundation of Western North Carolina.
A love of farming keeps WNC’s small dairy producers going
Although Western North Carolina’s small dairy farms face numerous challenges, the industry continues to be a robust contributor to the area’s economy.
BeLoved community plans tiny home village
BeLoved Asheville is developing its plan to build a community of tiny homes on about an acre of land in East Asheville.
Asheville nonprofits minister to homeless
People who are homeless often have no access to the most basic first aid, let alone full medical services. Several local nonprofits make it their mission to reach out to the homeless to help them gain access to medical care and other resources.
Asheville-area women demand more respect at gyms
Local gyms are creating safe spaces for women to work out and are encouraging them to break down gender norms by lifting weights.
Local advocates for size acceptance work to abolish fat shaming
Asheville professionals are part of a growing movement to promote acceptance of a greater diversity in body size and shape.
Caregivers of Alzheimer’s patients face challenges in caring for themselves
The Alzheimer’s Association — Western Carolina Chapter connects caregivers of Alzheimer’s patients with a variety of resources through its Direct Connect Referral Program. In Asheville, Memory Care also offers support services for people who have dementia and their families. Both organizations advise caregivers to seek help rather than go it alone.
Mt. Zion must wait to build new education facility
Relations between Mount Zion Missionary Baptist Church and its new neighbor, Asheville Foundry Inn, have been strained since construction began on the inn two years ago. A judge has now issued a temporary injunction to block the church from commencing construction on a new education building and parking lot improvements, which the hotel says would deprive it of the use of 75 parking spaces it is leasing from the church.
Low-income defendants jailed for months awaiting trial for misdemeanors
Across the nation and in Western North Carolina, people are being held in jail for days, weeks, even months awaiting trial on misdemeanor charges, because they can’t raise the cash to get out. That, in turn, can lead to job loss and homelessness. Some attorneys now argue that this is tantamount to debtors prison, which is unconstitutional.
City schools listen as pupils speak up
While it makes logical sense that students who’ve spent years attending Asheville City Schools would know better than anyone what is and isn’t working to promote their educational success, asking those students for input is nonetheless a radical proposition. That’s not stopping the system and the Asheville City Schools Foundation from carrying out The Listening Project to allow educators to learn from students’ experiences and insights.
Local agencies battle health woes of food deserts in WNC
Food deserts —areas where people do not have easy access to large grocery stores — can occur in both urban or rural areas. Food deserts exist in many areas of WNC, including Asheville and Hendersonville. Malnutrition that occurs in food deserts can lead to poor physical and mental health.
