A zoning controversy pitting residents against a big retail project landed in front of the Buncombe County commissioners last week. Although it’s the kind of battle that’s become almost commonplace within the Asheville city limits, the county typically doesn’t face the same type of heated controversies — even in the two townships that have land-use […]

Seeking to head off potential action by the state, members of the local mental-health board have scurried to protect its assets and programs from being devoured by legislative changes. The Blue Ridge Area Authority (the public governing board for the Blue Ridge Center) took two controversial steps at its Dec. 6 meeting to soften potential […]

How would you like to buy a house without the land it sits on? Some folks might say, “No thanks,” but a local group believes the concept could be a key to creating affordable housing that stays affordable. Neighborhood Housing Services of Asheville, a 10-year-old private nonprofit organization, plans to launch a community land trust […]

His hand resting on his great-grandmother’s well-worn Bible, Nathan Ramsey was sworn into office last week as the new chairman of the Buncombe County Board of Commissioners, before a crowd of enthusiastic supporters at the Buncombe County Courthouse. Ramsey, a Republican, and the four returning Democratic commissioners all took their oaths of office on Dec. […]

Challenging the legitimacy of state government is no easy task — especially in the unlikely venue of a car-repossession hearing. But that’s just what Doug Stehling tried recently at the Buncombe County Courthouse. Stehling is one of a group of people seeking to legally re-establish the state of North Carolina under the constitution it had […]

From standing ovations to verbal accolades, Tom Sobol’s last Buncombe County Board of Commissioners meeting as chairman turned into a virtual love-fest. About 50 people who packed the commissioners’ chambers rose to their feet and erupted into applause as Sobol entered the meeting room on Nov. 21. Sobol lost his bid for reelection on Nov. […]

A group of listeners concerned about public-radio station WNCW sounded off last week to the community-college board that holds the station’s license. Although the Isothermal Community College board of trustees listened attentively, they decided in the end to let the college’s president handle the many concerns raised at their Nov. 14 meeting in Spindale. Bill […]

On Election Day, the general voting frenzy clearly overshadowed the action at the Buncombe County Board of Commissioners meeting. In fact, the board barely took any action in their Nov. 7 meeting, which lasted slightly more than an hour before breaking up so commissioners could watch the election returns. (Later that evening, election-watchers learned that […]

WNCW has always pushed the envelope of what a public-radio station should be. With its eclectic programming and fresh attitude, the Spindale station has built a devoted following, including thousands of listeners in Western North Carolina and throughout its listening area. But some of the very people who love the station also say they’re troubled […]

By the time you read this, you’ll probably already know who emerged victorious in the much-ballyhooed race for the five seats on the Buncombe County Board of Commissioners. But in the feverish days before the Nov. 7 election, none of that was known — which could help explain the commissioners’ remarks about the county’s financial […]

You could say that next week’s election for the Buncombe County Board of Commissioners pits Team Challenger against Team Incumbent. And it’s true that a cohesive Republican slate has emerged to take on the Democratic incumbents. But the matchup may be more like an Olympic individual-gymnastics competition than the final game of the World Series. […]

Short and to the point: That’s the best way to characterize the Buncombe County Board of Commissioners’ Oct. 10 meeting, which lasted all of 22 minutes. That description could also apply to Chairman Tom Sobol‘s admonition at the beginning of the meeting’s public-comment section — a clear attempt to head off the contentiousness that marked […]

With just a few weeks remaining until the Nov. 7 election, last week’s Buncombe County Board of Commissioners’ meeting sailed along on a sea of calm. That was at least until an opposition candidate tried to rock the boat at meeting’s end. The commissioners — all of whom are running for re-election on the Democratic […]

Five months ago, seven black-robed men and women in Raleigh made a couple of decisions that could uncork a flood of lawsuits against local governments across the state. On April 7, the N.C. Supreme Court trashed a legal defense cities and counties have used for decades to get certain kinds of negligence cases thrown out […]

The saga of the Asheville Wingate Inn involves millions of dollars, thousands of building-code violations, a toxic-mold infestation, a couple-dozen lawyers — and a lot of finger-pointing. A growing catalog of documents at the Buncombe County Courthouse charts the story of a hotel so poorly constructed that it had to be stripped back to its […]

Following the lead of other local governments, the Buncombe County Board of Commissioners unanimously agreed last week to set up a committee to oversee the annual county audit. “It’s a great idea,” proclaimed Commissioner David Young at the board’s Sept. 19 meeting. County Finance Director Nancy Brooks told the board that only three other local […]

Buncombe County library lovers will have a new reason to smile next year. The Board of Commissioners voted unanimously last week to issue $3.95 million in general-obligation bonds to pay for library construction and improvements to the county health center. The biggest impact may be for west-Buncombe residents, who’ll get a new branch library in […]

Neighbors of the mysterious Ark Foundation in Madison County have won a small victory. At their request — and at the urging of a county commissioner — the Madison County Board of Adjustment voted unanimously to permanently close the Ark Foundation’s access to Wilson Branch Road. The board made the closing a condition for granting […]

After more than an hour of closed-door discussion, the Western North Carolina Regional Air Quality Agency board voted Aug. 14 to issue an emissions violation against Carolina Power & Light. The board voted 3-1 to uphold its hearing officer’s recommendation that CP&L be fined $2,500 for emitting too much sulfur dioxide last November from the […]