The North Carolina Department of Health and Human Services has confirmed the first fatality of 2015 in relation to the mosquito-borne West Nile Virus, according to a press release from NC DHHS. The state health organization is urging residents across the state to take precaution to prevent infection through the late summer and early fall […]
Update: According to an automated call from Asheville High School officials just before 11:00 am, the Asheville Police Department has finished their investigation of the called in threat. And the students are returning to their regularly scheduled classes. Original post: Asheville High School students and staff have been evacuated following an unspecified threat to the school, […]
An email sent out this past Sunday is calling on residents to voice their concern to City Council over the fate of Asheville’s last stand of mature oak trees. Organizers are encouraging residents to attend today’s Council meeting at 5 p.m. to call for city officials to consider preserving a section of mature oak trees […]
Warren Wilson College, located in the bucolic Swannanoa Valley, has been called a lot of things in its 121-year existence. The liberal arts college has even marketed itself as being “not for everyone” in the past. But now it can add “place of meditation and intuition” to its resume, according to a new ranking. The […]
Unless you’ve just emerged from the wilderness after several decades, chances are you’ve heard some of the roiling discussions going on across the country concerning the current state of the health care system. Whether it’s presidential candidates working on a policy speech or an individual making home budgeting decisions, implementing a comprehensive health care reform […]
WNC Magazine is calling for submissions to their annual “Images of Western North Carolina” photo contest, according to an email sent out by the publication. The deadline for submitting photo entries is September 30. The bi-monthly publication is looking for photographs and images depicting scenes from around the region that illustrate the natural beauty and […]
The North Carolina Arts Council has announced it has awarded arts programs across the state with grant funding for the 2015-2016 fiscal year, according to a press release from the organization. Approximately 240 grants will be awarded to artists and art organizations in all 100 counties of North Carolina. Funding for the grants has been […]
North Carolina has always had a complicated relationship with alcohol. However, alcohol has consistently been an economic driver in North Carolina, as it still is, with 130 craft breweries as of 2014 – the most of any Southern state. As the craft brewing industry in the region grows into a multimillion-dollar business, the desire to review the statutes and improve communication with state officials has come to the forefront.
Most of the time, seeing a hearse parked outside your favorite downtown bar or restuarant wouldn’t excite feelings of fun and excitement. But a new haunted tour company is trying to change that perception as they open up shop for thrill seekers and horror lovers to experience the dark side of Asheville legend and lore […]
The Community Foundation of Henderson County is calling for applicants for its Fall 2015 General Grants cycle ahead of the September 1 deadline for submission, according to a press release from the organization. Grant funding is open to any applicable nonprofit, 501(c)(3) organizations or IRS-equivalent or accepted fiscal agents wanting to be considered for the […]
The local chapter of the nonprofit organization Wheels4Hope is sending out a call for Asheville area residents to donate vehicles to their program and assist families in need of reliable transportation, according to a press release from the organization. “We are gaining speed and building momentum!” says the organization’s spokesperson Jamie Beasley. “We have received […]
The Shakori Hills Community Arts Center in Pittsboro, North Carolina will hold it’s sixth annual “Stars in the Round” fundraiser on August 29 at its 1439 Henderson Tanyard Road location in Chatham County, according to an official press release. The event will feature several local singer-songwriters switching off at the mic between songs. This year’s […]
Western Carolina University announced Thursday that it has hired a new director of emergency services for the 2015-2016 school year. Stephen “Shane” Stovall, former coordinator of emergency management programs for True North Emergency Management in Fort Worth, Texas, will take over at the position ahead of this Fall’s semester, according to a press release from […]
As part of Xpress’s coverage of the current shortage of foster care homes and facilities in Western North Carolina, we attended one of CARING For Children’s monthly foster family picnics. These picnics are a vital part of the organization’s support network for foster parents and children and we were lucky enough to have the chance […]
As of March 31, there were 2,386 kids in foster care in the 28 western counties. While innovative agencies and evolving state standards are making strides in streamlining the system and reuniting families, the available resources can’t keep up with the growing numbers of children needing foster care.
If you popped into the Harris Teeter on Merrimon Avenue for lunch earlier today, you might have been surprised to see a 7-foot-tall bloodied and battered chicken with some passionate activists in tow hanging around outside. Animal rights activists with the group Mercy For Animals held a demonstration in front of the grocery store in North […]
The Appalachian Sustainable Agriculture Project (ASAP) is spotlighting several local businesses and organizations’ contributions to “Tomato Month,” an annual celebration of the staple crop around the Asheville area and part of the nonprofits “Get Local” campaign. Businesses celebrating this year’s Tomato Month include The Marketplace, which is featuring an heirloom tomato salad, a tomato vinaigrette […]
Local confectioner Postre Caramels has announced that it will be launching an online retail store this Fall, according to a press release from the company. “After a successful product launch and placement of our Sea Salt Caramel Sauce in multiple retail accounts” across the Southeast, Postre Caramel says it will be bringing its “truly artisanal […]
At a small liberal arts college like Warren Wilson, it’s difficult not to build up personal relationships with the people you live, work and study with everyday. It also makes moving on from long-time staff and faculty a bit more complicated, as was demonstrated last Friday when college administrators announced several staff positions would be […]
San Francisco-based online vacation-lodging middleman AirBnB seems to have set its sights on opening up Asheville’s restrictions on short term rentals, according to city council member Gordon Smith. Smith posted a message on the Asheville Politics Facebook page Saturday morning saying he has received a “deluge of emails” from potential visitors to the region expressing […]
Beginning August 22, the Asheville Art Museum will feature an exhibition of internationally acclaimed artist and dog lover William Wegman, Cubism and Other-isms. The exhibit will highlight work from over 25 years of Wegman’s life, including early black and white photographs and later digital renderings. Described as a “pioneer video-maker, wry conceptualist, performer, photographer, painter, […]
