“Right now, the U.S. Forest Service is drafting the next forest management plan for the Nantahala and Pisgah national forests … and, unfortunately, the current draft is inadequate in a few very important ways when it comes to protecting water quality.”
As “congregate living settings,” migrant farmworker camps have been listed as high-risk locations for virus transmission — not just by counties throughout Western North Carolina, but by state health officials and the federal Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.
Fellow local hip-hop artist Michael “Foul Mouth Jerk” Capra pays tribute to his late friend, who laid the foundation for Asheville’s rap scene.
Masks will be required in public places on honor system except when eating or drinking. Businesses that don’t require masks may be cited.
Well before COVID-19 hit Western North Carolina, Henderson County formed a strike team to respond to outbreak in long-term care facilities. As the months wore on, the team proved invaluable to staff and residents at Cherry Springs Village, an assisted living facility in Hendersonville.
J Hackett spoke with Xpress on June 2 about his experiences as a black community leader during the coronavirus pandemic and, now, the protests and grief experienced locally in response to George Floyd’s death on May 25 at the hands of a white police officer in Minneapolis.
Police chief describes strike against medic station as preemptive because water bottles have been thrown on previous nights.
Carolina Public Press and other news media organizations filed a lawsuit May 28 to obtain public records relating to state’s tracking and handling of COVID-19 crisis.
As of May 25, according to the N.C. Department of Health and Human Services, there are zero confirmed cases of COVID-19 in Hot Springs. However, the town is still following statewide protocols to help flatten the curve of coronavirus infections, and businesses such as Laughing Heart Lodge have borne the impacts.
No one ever plans on getting sick, says Lucy Ortiz, a mother of six in Henderson County. Four members of her family have been diagnosed with the coronavirus, including her 17-month-old son.
‘I had to laugh when I heard a staffer quip that he never expected wearing or not wearing a mask would become a partisan fashion statement,’ observes state Rep. Chuck McGrady, R-Henderson.
Homeward Bound and city of Asheville coordinate to place homeless residents during pandemic at motel, as innovative stopgap at civic center winds down.
On May 1, Greg Lowe, president of HCA’s North Carolina Division, shared the Nashville, Tenn.-based health care giant’s summary of its first-year performance with four parties.
Adjustments for a second round of primary voting in NC congressional District 11 could be preview of what whole state will face in November.
Investigative reporters reviewed thousands of death certificates statewide to reveal a complicated picture of who is dying from illness related to the COVID-19 pandemic.
Carolina Public Press reports: Buncombe County’s newly launched opt-in program, Community Connect, will allow residents to create accounts and provide first responders with such potentially lifesaving information. Flinn led the creation of the program.
“I slowed my pace, and after I stopped nagging — I mean, yapping — we all felt more relaxed.”
All meetings on the U.S. Forest Service schedule of open house sessions planned for March across Western North Carolina have been cancelled, with the 90-day comment period underway.
Press release from UNC System: CHAPEL HILL, NC – The UNC System continues to consult with public health officials to monitor the evolving COVID-19 situation and prepare for the likelihood that the virus will impact our institutions. Universities provide environments where large numbers of people interact and congregate. Practicing tried and true methods for maintaining […]
After more than a month of being criticized by patients and elected officials at a series of public meetings, HCA Healthcare is responding to allegations of inadequate staffing and poor service at the Mission Health facilities it acquired last year. But even as the company speaks out, nurses from its Asheville hospitals rallied Sunday, with calls for a union to improve working conditions at the medical facilities the company acquired last year. Buncombe County Commission Chair Brownie Newman and Asheville Mayor Esther Manheimer issued a joint letter supporting the nurses’ efforts.
By Imari Scarbrough, originally published by Carolina Public Press. Carolina Public Press is an independent, in-depth and investigative nonprofit news service for North Carolina. COVID-19, also known as the new coronavirus, is a highly contagious illness that is spreading around the world in early 2020. While the virus, which first emerged in the Wuhan province of China, causes potentially […]
