If the 23 mature oak trees at 11 Collier Ave. on Asheville’s South Slope are to escape the chainsaw, it will have to be without the city’s help. While City Council followed through on its commitment to explore possible strategies for preserving the urban forest, in the end Council decided that committing resources to the effort in advance of significant private fundraising wasn’t a responsible use of taxpayer assets.
Government agencies and departments from Buncombe County and the City of Asheville are pursuing a slew of initiatives that will reduce the barriers to active modes of transportation like walking, biking and using public transit. In addition to their environmental benefits, these coordinated efforts also promote mobility, health and well-being.
At City Council’s annual retreat on Fri., Jan. 29, at noon Mayor Esther Manheimer announced that the N.C. Supreme Court has agreed to hear the city’s case opposing a state-mandated transfer of the Asheville water system’s ownership to the regional Metropolitan Sewerage District of Buncombe County.
City Council appointed Franzi Charen to the Downtown Commission and Barry Bialik and Laura Collins to the Affordable Housing Advisory Committee at its Jan. 26 meeting. Council also passed a “Ban the Box” measure, meaning that applicants for most city positions will no longer be required to answer questions about past criminal convictions on their initial job applications.
From a press release from Mountain BizWorks: Business of Farming Conference Saturday, 2/20/2016 UNC Asheville ASAP’s annual Business of Farming Conference is a day of learning and networking for farmers and those seriously considering farming as a profession. The conference offers business and marketing workshops, networking opportunities, and resources to help farmers grow and diversify […]
From Mountain BizWorks press release: Working on It is a network of women and minority small business owners recently formed by the City of Asheville. Mountain BizWorks will be hosting their next meeting to include coffee, networking and a short presentation on access to capital opportunities for small business. The event is free and open […]
From Just Economics press release: The People’s (VOTE) Voice on Transportation Equality, a group of concerned Asheville area residents, emerging from Just Economics of WNC’s Voices for Economic Justice Leadership Training Program, will hold a State of the Transit Campaign Press Conference and Rally on Tuesday, January 26th at 3:50 p.m. at the ART Transit […]
On Tuesday, Jan. 26, City Council will take up the Ban the Box initiative for city hiring, potentially removing questions about an applicant’s past criminal history from the initial application form for certain positions. Council also will hear public comment on matters including reallocation of unused affordable housing development grant funds, an airport hotel and a controversial apartment complex proposed for Mills Gap Road.
UPDATE Jan. 24: Organizers for the Moral Monday town hall and news conference have cancelled the event due to weather conditions. From the Asheville-Buncombe branch of the National Association for the Advancement of Colored People (NAACP): The Asheville-Buncombe Branch of the NAACP will host a Moral Monday Town Hall and News Conference with Rev. Dr. William Barber […]
From Living Web Farms: Take a look on the menu of just about any popular restaurant in Asheville, and you’re sure to find some cured meats. Sausages, terrines, rillettes, and confits are becoming wildly popular for their beauty and their bold flavors. All these items are forms of charcuterie, which is a French term for […]
The Sierra Club has announced a protest for Tuesday, Jan. 26 at 7 p.m. at the Buncombe County Courthouse to speak against Duke’s application to build a third gas power plant at the Lake Julian plant for peak loads in the Asheville area. From a Sierra Club notification: Duke Energy just applied to replace the retiring […]
Can new ways of structuring the rules that govern how organizations gather information and make decisions help our community move beyond entrenched positions and polarizing rhetoric? Some local consultants say yes, and point to local organizations that are already using new tools to increase participation in developing and implementing solutions to challenging issues.
Marching in the tradition of the civil rights movement, people of all ages set off on foot and on wheels from St. James AME Church on a bright cold MLK Day morning on Mon., January 18. The Peace March culminated in a rally at Pack Square Park. Several hundred marchers turned out to remember King’s life and legacy, sing, dance and hear remarks from community leaders.
A capacity crowd of nearly 1,200 attendees filled the largest ballroom at Asheville’s Crowne Plaza Resort to celebrate the life and legacy of Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. on Sat., January 16. Dedicated to the memory of Clara Jeter, the theme of the 35th annual event was “A Call to Service.” View the photo slideshow.
Local leaders reflect on King’s influence and legacy nearly half a century after his assassination on April 4, 1968. Whether or not they were alive during King’s lifetime, all agree that his work and example had a profound impact on American society that continues today. Here’s what they had to say, along with some compelling quotes from King himself.
Wrap up of key City Council decisions from Jan. 12 meeting, including renovation of the former BB&T building, preliminary utility fee waiver for Lee Walker Heights redevelopment for purposes of securing financing, Givens Estates Creekside redevelopment approval and the apparent end of the line for the effort to save the Collier Street Wood on Asheville’s South Slope.
Oralene Simmons founded Asheville’s Martin Luther King, Jr. Prayer Breakfast in 1982 for residents of the neighborhood surrounding the Montford Recreation Center. It quickly grew into an Asheville tradition that’s still going strong as Simmons plans this year’s 35th community commemoration of Dr. King’s life and legacy.
From a press release from the First Congregational United Church of Christ (FCUCC) of Laurel Park and Sugar Hollow Solar, of Fairview: First Congregational United Church of Christ (FCUCC), of Laurel Park, and Sugar Hollow Solar, of Fairview, have announced that they are kicking off a project to install 60 solar panels on the church […]
In conjunction with the opening of its latest art show, ZaPow gallery has put out a first-ever call to artists wishing to contribute artwork to a memorial shrine honoring the late artist David Bowie. ZaPow invites artists to contribute pieces following these guidelines: Bring or ship your art to ZaPow from noon to 7 p.m. on January […]
On Tues., January 12, City Council will turn its attention to matters including naming the second Monday in October “Indigenous People’s Day,” voting on the redevelopment of the former BB&T building as a luxury hotel and considering a resolution declaring the redevelopment of the Lee Walker Heights public housing community a “redevelopment project.”
Rev. Dr. William Barber outlined a joint campaign launched by the North Carolina NAACP and Democracy NC to empower voters through supporting access to voting and providing education on key issues.
