Author:   Susan Andrew

Showing 64-84 of 186 results

Wells Fargo on Patton removes “Treasured Tree” that blocked new sign

Posted on by Susan Andrew

Asheville-area citizens stand by their trees, as Shannon Tuch, assistant director at the city’s planning department, can confirm. When a contractor for the new Wells Fargo bank branch at Patton and Louisiana Avenues cut down the mature trees blocking the company’s new sign recently, Tuch started hearing “a lot of outrage from the community” regarding the cutting of a designated ‘Treasured Tree.’ Her office prepared a notice of violation tagged to a $2,900 fine against Wells Fargo — only to revoke it when the N.C. Department of Transportation got involved.

Green Scene: At your service

Posted on by Susan Andrew

As consumers, we’ve all heard the phrase “The customer is always right.” But what happens when the state agency charged with protecting human health and the environment starts calling the companies it’s supposed to regulate “customers”? A recent meeting in Asheville hosted by officials from the state Department of Environment and Natural Resources provided a […]

Suspected rabid fox removed from school grounds at Haw Creek Elementary

Posted on by Susan Andrew

What school authorities first thought was a rabid fox was removed from the grounds of Haw Creek Elementary School today by animal control authorities. The animal is now believed to have been affected by distemper. Take a look at the signs and symptoms of rabies and distemper within, and be ready to call animal control or police if you see an animal behaving strangely, say officials.

EPA seeks action, demands CTS and current owners cover costs on proposed Superfund site in Mills Gap

Posted on by Susan Andrew

In a letter dated September 13, 2011, the Environmental Protection Agency has demanded payment of $6.5 million dollars to cover costs already incurred in its efforts to deal with contaminated ground water and soils near the former CTS of Asheville plant, located on Mills Gap Road in South Asheville. Meanwhile, Buncombe County Commissioners have postponed until November 1 their consideration of a decision to demolish the derelict building at taxpayer expense. Photo: Officials from EPA’s Superfund Branch stand at the gate to the CTS property during a recent sampling trip. Photo by Susan Andrew.

Access excess?

Posted on by Susan Andrew

What happens when Buncombe County physicians offer free specialty care to uninsured, low-income patients amid a down economy? A deluge. In Buncombe County alone, there were about 38,000 such residents in 2005, according to census data; three years later, that number had swelled to nearly 78,000. And year by year, the county has consistently surpassed […]

CTS property owner appeals condemnati­on

Posted on by Susan Andrew

In an Oct. 6 letter to the Buncombe County Clerk, CTS property owner Mills Gap Road Associates appealed the county’s recent order that the building be demolished, saying that it would continue to cooperate with EPA. That agency is moving to place the property on the National Priorities List, a.k.a. Superfund, which would rank the Mills Gap site among the most contaminated properties in the nation.

MSD gives itself high marks in its 2011 performanc­e report

Posted on by Susan Andrew

Every day, the Municipal Sewerage District collects and treats — and discharges into the French Broad — an average of 18 million gallons of wastewater, relying on millions of microbes to do what they’ve been doing since the Earth was young: consume organic waste. And every year, the Clean Water Act requires the utility to provide an assessment of how well they’re doing. That report was submitted to DENR August 30; let’s take a look.

Get ready for the Global Transforma­tion: Bill McKibben to provide event keynote Oct. 15 **UPDATED*­*

Posted on by Susan Andrew

If recent environmental news has gotten you down — if you can’t believe the Obama Administration backed away from the chance to establish stronger smog regulations, or if you watch with a sense of helplessness as the N.C. legislature moves to weaken the permitting process for polluting industries — here comes an event that might help you recover your inner enviro-warrior. Bill McKibben will deliver a keynote address via Skype at the Global Transformation Festival in Gerton, Saturday, Oct. 15.

Gone solar: ASU decathlete­s install their solar homestead on the National Mall

Posted on by Susan Andrew

Xpress hit the road last week to bring you an opening-day look at Appalachian State University’s entry in the U.S. Department of Energy’s Solar Decathlon — the biannual competition that pits collegiate teams against each other as they develop new innovations in solar building technology and install their creations in a “solar village” exhibit on the National Mall in Washington, D.C. The students, including Asheville High grad Janelle Wienke, survived two elimination rounds and, along with the remaining 18 competitors, have their eyes on the grand prize of $100,000 (and a selection of job prospects) when the competition wraps up Oct. 2.

County issues requiremen­ts for former CTS facility to escape demolition

Posted on by Susan Andrew

The case of the contaminated former CTS facility in Mills Gap has taken a new twist, as Buncombe County last week responded to the property owner’s appeal of its move to demolish the derelict plant building. The county provided property owner Mills Gap Road Associates with a list of measures needed to prevent demolition as scheduled.

CTS owners appeal county decision to condemn derelict plant building in Mills Gap

Posted on by Susan Andrew

As Mills Gap residents looked on, an attorney representing the current owner of the former CTS of Asheville plant appealed to local government officials, asking them not to move forward with their plan to demolish the derelict plant building. Attorney Billy Clarke, representing Mills Gap Road Associates, told the presiding officials — County attorneys Kurt Euler and Michael Frue, and County Building Inspector Matt Stone — that the owners want to stabilize the building instead.

Moving Planet Day coming to Asheville Sept. 24

Posted on by Susan Andrew

Local organizers of Asheville’s Moving Planet activities are gearing up for events that will be on tap next Saturday, Sept. 24. Organizers say this will be “at least the third major public event where Asheville has joined in solidarity with towns and cities across the globe to call attention to climate change and the necessity of immediate, coordinated, and dramatic action.” See what they have planned within.

When there’s a Superfund site next door: Neighbors anticipate demolition of CTS plant

Posted on by Susan Andrew

Larry Rice stands at the fence surrounding the spring that once provided his family’s drinking water. Contamination of the spring by hazardous chemicals, presumably from the former CTS of Asheville property immediately uphill, led to the area being fenced off by the state. EPA staff are hosting a “public availability session” regarding the site this evening at the Skyland Fire Department.

Green Scene: The past is prologue

Posted on by Susan Andrew

Who says there’s nothing new under the sun? Inspired by the days when isolated homesteads dotted Western North Carolina, a team of Appalachian State University students has designed a self-sufficient, “zero-energy” homestead that embraces the future. And this month, their creation goes head-to-head with 18 other entries in the U.S. Department of Energy’s Solar Decathlon. […]