Editor’s note: The following is the text of Asheville Fire Chief Michael Cayse’s speech at the Oct. 22 candlelight vigil held at Pack Square Park in downtown Asheville to honor those affected by Tropical Storm Helene. Good evening, Asheville. My name is Mike Cayse, I have the pleasure of being the fire chief for this […]
Tropical Storm Fred caused massive flooding in Canton in 2021. Then the mill closed, crushing the town. Now, the damage Helene wreaked on the mill and the town’s wastewater facility has the once-enthusiastic buyer — E.J. Spiritas Group — reconsidering its options.
According to North Carolina Board of Elections data, 13,355 people voted in Buncombe County during the first two days of early voting.
“I worked from High Point and kept answering phones and coordinating help — finding out which tree crews with cranes were where and getting that information to anyone with a tree on their house.”
“By Sunday, it became clear that our water infrastructure wasn’t going to improve anytime soon, and our neighbors needed a way to flush their toilets. We decided to gather creek water using buckets and bins from a friend’s property and bring it back for our neighbors.”
“We’ll join as one and remember,” writes Asheville City Council member Maggie Ullman. “We’ll remember what was here before. We’ll remember when life seemed simpler somehow. We’ll remember and reaffirm how important it is to care for each other.”
Asheville and other areas in Western North Carolina already have largely unaffordable housing markets for many residents, and Helene threatens to make the problem worse.
A boil water notice means there is contamination due to impacts from Hurricane Helene exceed Safe Drinking Water Act standards initially used to restore water pressure. Your water may look cloudy and/or have a chlorine odor.
At a hospital without running water, Asheville’s Mission Hospital and its union of nurses have come to a long-awaited agreement, ratifying a new three-year contract just two weeks after Tropical Storm Helene devastated the city.
The State Board of Elections initially requested $2.1 million to help run elections in 13 counties; instead, they will receive $5 million to aid the 25 counties that were part of the federally declared disaster area last week.
No colleges have reported any injuries or fatalities, though UNC Asheville is still working to account for some of its students. A tree fell on a student-filled residence hall at Lees-McRae college in Avery County, but no one was hurt.
The deadline to apply for aid is Nov. 27.
Many communities and businesses, such as the homes in Micaville, 7 miles east of Burnsville, were overwhelmed by floodwaters from Tropical Storm Helene in Yancey and Mitchell counties, among the highest locations in the Eastern United States.
Conversations with ordinary people in Asheville about what recent days have been like, their hopes and fears after Tropical Storm Helene.
Systems are still assessing damage to school buildings and confronting the transportation, energy and supply difficulties that will likely plague them for weeks to come.
The North Carolina State Board of Elections released the beginnings of a plan Monday to address voting access in the western part of the state following devastation wrought by Tropical Storm Helene.
Former Xpress reporter and managing editor Cecil Bothwell reflects on his first cover story for the paper and more.
Former Xpress advertising director Wanda Edney recalls the early years of the newspaper’s growth in WNC.
Between an office downtown and tickets to local festivals and performances, long-time Xpress office manager enjoyed the best Asheville had to offer.
This vote has the potential to give the union much more leverage in its negotiations with HCA, the Tennessee-based for-profit hospital chain that acquired the hospital’s parent company, Mission Health, in 2019.
The strike decision comes as parent company HCA faces increased pressure over its management of Asheville hospital and others across Western North Carolina in the Mission Health chain.
