Recent Asheville grad and Xpress intern Gabe Dunsmith shared an article of his published in the Vassar College paper, The Miscellany News, where Dunsmith is in his freshman year. Here is an excerpt: In the contemporary political sphere, calls to reform the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) often come from politicians on the far right. For […]
Author: Susan Andrew
Showing 22-42 of 186 results
NC House committee issues subpoenas to compel EPA officials to testify on CTS
A North Carolina House Select Committee has issued subpoenas to compel key EPA officials, including Superfund Branch Chief Don Rigger, to testify in a hearing in Raleigh next month, even as Mills Gap Road-area residents file a formal complaint of criminal negligence against the agency in the case of the former CTS of Asheville, and another Mills Gap home receives an emergency supply of bottled water from the EPA. Photo by Susan Andrew.
Greenpeace targets electric utilities in campaign launched in Asheville Monday
From an article in the Charlotte Observer: Greenpeace, the environmental group known for facing off against whalers on the high seas, has targeted its own behemoth in Duke Energy. The group said Tuesday it has launched a campaign to make Duke “the clean energy company that North Carolina and the United States deserve.” Greenpeace faults […]
Green Scene: Environmental antacid
The cloud of acid rain that's been hovering over Western North Carolina for decades may turn out to have a silver lining after all. A seven-year lawsuit against the Tennessee Valley Authority ended in a negotiated settlement last June. In 2004, North Carolina joined Alabama, Georgia, Kentucky and Tennessee in suing TVA over air pollution […]
Wee Trade kids’ sale expands to two weekends this month at AG Center
From Wee Trade: Wee Trade may be WNC’s most anticipated childrens’ consignment sale, where over 1400 families consign goods gathered under one roof for a weekend sale event at the WNC Agricultural Center. From strollers and nursery furniture to clothing, shoes and toys, we’ve got everything you need for infants, toddlers or teens! It’s also […]
New contamination emerges in Mills Gap; neighbors await municipal water hookups
At a kitchen table in the Mills Gap community in South Asheville last night, neighbors of the former CTS of Asheville plant met to plan next steps, after two new domestic wells nearby recently tested positive for industrial contaminants including cyanide. CTS has signed an agreement with EPA to provide filtration to all homes within a one-mile radius of the recently demolished plant; but neighbors say they were anticipating municipal water hookups.
Local organic seed growers take on Monsanto in federal court
Carol Koury, owner of Asheville’s Sow True Seed, joined some 82 organic farmers, advocacy groups, and seed companies as part of a class-action lawsuit brought in federal court today, Jan. 31, in New York against the agricultural giant, Monsanto.
Rock slide on I-40 has both westbound lanes closed
Department of Transportation crews are on the scene of a rock slide on I-40 near the North Carolina-Tennessee state line. Both westbound lanes are closed near mile marker 7. See within for an alternate route.
Green Scene: Dam your ash
A coalition of local and national environmental groups announced plans Jan. 19 to sue the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency to force the release of long-awaited rules regulating coal ash as hazardous waste. Despite evidence of leaking ponds and poisoned ground water, the EPA has delayed issuing new rules for nearly two years. Meanwhile, local environmentalists […]
The thrill of Beethoven for your midwinter
Asheville native and UNC freshman Daniel Pinelli got a great start to his undergrad career, securing a chair with the UNC Symphony Orchestra. Check out the impressive performance of this group of young people as they dig in and deliver all the drama of the third movement of Beethoven’s Fifth Symphony, in a concert recorded Dec. 8, 2011.
Red Cross: Preparing for the next disaster (are you ready?)
Ever thought of helping when there’s a disaster, like the tornadoes that struck Rutherford County recently? The local branch of the Red Cross regularly offers training for volunteers. Here’s a report from the latest session.
NC lawmakers hear testimony from DENR, CTS neighbors on contamination case
A Statehouse committee chaired by Buncombe Rep. Tim Moffitt convened in Raleigh Jan. 17 to question DENR officials and hear from residents near the former CTS electroplating facility on Mills Gap Road south of Asheville. Here, Moffitt embraces CTS neighbor Dot Rice, whose family’s spring was contaminated by hazardous chemicals used at the plant; numerous Rice family members have become gravely ill.
Where the trees are in WNC
Pamela McCown from AB-Tech’s Institute for Climate Education sent us this cool graphic, using NASA satellite data to show forest cover in green over Western North Carolina. Learn more about what’s on tap for discovery at the Institute within.
EPA rejects CTS plan for soil sampling; says more robust plan needed for Mills Gap site
The EPA has rejected a plan submitted by CTS to investigate the current extent of contamination at its former plant site on Mills Gap Road. The site is presently awaiting final approval to EPA’s National Priorities List, a move expected to place it alongside the other “Superfund” sites, the most contaminated sites on EPA’s national docket. Photo by Katie Damien.
Rep. Moffitt will chair committee to review handling of CTS site
The state’s handling of environmental contamination surrounding the former CTS of Asheville plant on Mills Gap Road is about to get some concerted attention in Raleigh, thanks to a special committee chaired by Rep. Tim Moffitt. See a detailed timeline of the long-standing CTS case after the jump. Photo by Katie Damien.
Buncombe County Commissioners consider rules that could curb light pollution
If you’ve been disturbed by someone else’s light shining where it’s supposed to be dark—a neighbor whose dawn-to-dusk flood light is aimed at your bedroom window, for instance—now’s a good time to weigh in on the process by which such lights are regulated in Buncombe County. The County Board of Commissioners will take up the issue on January 17.
Asheville Middle School brings young authors to Malaprop’s tonight
Join Moira Bradford’s eighth-grade class from Asheville Middle School this evening at Malaprop’s, as they provide readings from their own stories on character transformation. Details within.
Signs of the times: Billboard campaign promotes acceptance of immigrants
In the wake of a raid at the Shogun Buffet on Brevard Road that sent 12 immigrant workers to jail last month, a Raleigh-based nonprofit is sponsoring a series of billboards across the state that aim to put a human face on immigration.
NC Rep. Patsy Keever: ‘Frustrated with what is being done in the legislature’
Rep. Patsy Keever of Asheville circulates an e-newsletter, “A Page from Patsy,” to report on developments in the statehouse. The latest edition reveals a decidedly frustrated lawmaker. Read Keever’s assessment of our state legislature (then ask yourself: Would I want this job?).
Green Scene: Don’t tread on me
They wear out; they pile up in scrap yards and landfills, turning up in the French Broad River and along its banks. And of all the things Buncombe County residents throw away, few are more persistent than old tires, which don’t readily biodegrade. Someone’s been dumping them in Asheville's River Arts District lately, each one […]
Christmas, deflated? Yule need some strategies for coping
Do the holidays leave you feeling knocked out? Deflated? Overwhelmed? If this sounds familiar, you’re not alone. Find some tips for coping within. Photo by Calvin Allen.