As the sun rose above St. Basilica of Lawrence, a crew bustled to raise small shelters in the hot parking lot across the street. The largest building was about 10 feet wide and 13 1/2 feet long, its arched walls and ceiling giving plenty of headroom to passersby who stopped to check it out. Nearby, several […]
PRESS RELEASE Angel Medical Center, FHS Athletic Program present football & spirit clinic (Franklin, NC) Angel Medical Center and the FHS Athletic Department will offer a football and spirit clinic on Saturday, August 9th at Franklin High School. The clinic is open to all rising K through 6th grade students only. The event will be held from 9:30am to 11:30am […]
What to do about coal ash, the toxic byproduct of burning coal to produce electricity? The North Carolina Senate and House have dueling views on what should be done, and environmentalists say neither approach does enough to clean up existing coal-ash impoundments and prevent spills like the one that released tens of thousands of gallons into the Dan River this February.
The Friends of Connect Buncombe have raised nearly half the $20,000 needed to help study the proposal to build a new greenway, the Asheville Citizen-Times reported on July 5. According to the group’s fundraising website, the new route would connect “the French Broad River Greenway to the Farmer’s Market, [N.C.] Arboretum and Bent Creek trails and Biltmore Park” — Imagine being […]
On Tuesday, June 24, Asheville City Council will vote on the annual budget, which holds the property tax rate steady and pumps millions into capital improvements such as sidewalks on Hendersonville Road, greenways at Town Branch and Clingman and a roundabout at Five Points. According to the agenda, Council will also review a rezoning request that […]
No leaks have been discovered at Duke Energy’s Asheville plant, which runs on coal — like the one on the Dan River where a broken pipe released thousands of gallons of coal ash. But the N.C. Department of Environment and Natural Resources has ordered the company to provide its engineer’s assessment, saying that “portions of […]
On June 17, former Asheville Police Department evidence-room manager William “Lee” Smith got 10 months jail time for embezzling government property. Local media outlets, including Xpress, had sued for release of an evidence-room audit tied to the case but withheld by Buncombe County District Attorney Ron Moore. That report will be released on Thursday, June […]
Rep. Tim Moffitt says he plans to introduce an amendment that would repeal the Buncombe County Cultural and Recreation Authority, created less than a year ago to manage libraries, parks and recreation facilities. The authority’s original purpose was to consolidate county parks and recreation facilities with those of Asheville and other local municipalities, but state legislators later revised the law to ban cities […]
WLOS reported earlier tonight, June 6, that the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency and state officials evacuated three families who live near the CTS superfund site on Mills Gap Road in South Asheville. A few weeks ago, local citizens groups and EPA officials announced that a “significant amount of trichloroethylene (TCE) is dissolved in a mass […]
Asheville’s proposed 2014-2015 operating budget maintains the property tax rate, according to documents in City Council’s agenda packet for the Tuesday, June 10, meeting. Council will review the budget and take public comment on the proposed $147.5 million proposal, which includes a 3 percent pay increase across the board for city employees but keeps the tax rate at 46 […]
Mountain Xpress has resolved a labor dispute with the National Labor Relations Board. After the Communications Workers of America filed charges during the last six months, the NLRB had brought several unfair labor practice complaints against the paper. The complaints, which were resolved last week, involved the separation of employment of Max Cooper and David […]
Kirk Ross with Carolina Public Press breaks down the new state budget: State employees would see a $1,000 raise and teachers who are willing to give up their due process rights would get an 11 percent bump in salary as part of a $21.1 billion budget plan passed by the Senate just after midnight on […]
One year ago, the city of Asheville filed suit to block a state bill that mandates the transfer of the water system to the Metropolitan Sewerage District of Buncombe County. On May 23, a Wake County judge heard both sides plead their case. And both say that no matter the judge’s decision, an appeal is […]
US Airways Magazine features the WNC Cheese Trail, founded in 2013: With more than 40 producers scattered across [North Carolina, the state] is a leader in the South in terms of farmstead cheese. Inspired by the Vermont Cheese Trail, a group of ten cheese makers formed the Western North Carolina Cheese Trail in 2013. “It’s […]
Residents of Western North Carolina know that our weather is hard to predict. So does NASA, which has launched a campaign aimed at better understanding precipitation patterns in the Appalachian Mountains: From NASA: Rain, ice, hail, severe winds, thunderstorms, and heavy fog — the Appalachian Mountains in the southeast United States have it all. On […]
Asheville Voice for Animals has called for a protest and boycott of the Ringling Bros. Circus, which will be in Asheville this coming week. Planned to take place at the U.S. Cellular Center in downtown Asheville starting Thursday, May 8, the protest is one in a series planned as the circus visits various towns. From an […]
The Asheville Citizen-Times’ John Boyle explores the effects of increased development on South Asheville Roads already prone to traffic jams: Hendersonville Road, Sweeten Creek Road and Mills Gap Road.
Early voting starts across in Buncombe County on Thursday, April 24. Some key local races are for Buncombe County commissioners (see below), the district attorney (Ron Moore vs. challenger Todd Williams) and district judge. In the races for commissioners, District 3 incumbent David King faces challenger Miranda Debruhl; District 2 incumbent Ellen Frost faces former […]
Hi-Fi Café owners Aaron Gibbs and Katie Baird have launched a crowdfunding campaign at GoFundMe.
excerpt from Carolina Public Press “In One WNC county, a Jobs Implosion,” by Gwen Albers … The closing will mean the elimination of 400 jobs in the rural Western North Carolina county that, in a string of recent months, has had one of the highest unemployment rates in the state. N.C. Department of Commerce data […]
Press release from the League of Women Voters League of Women Voters’ concerns over voter caging and challenged voters Asheville, North Carolina, Thursday, March 27, 2014 The League of Women Voters of Asheville-Buncombe County has raised serious concerns regarding the legitimacy and intent of the 182 voter challenges brought by the Raleigh-based Voter Integrity Project. […]
