Lauren Loiacono, owner of Ebb & Flow Massage Therapy Center, discusses the ghost named Sarah who haunts her business’s back hallway.
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WNC Scary Stories: Among mannequins
In 2008, I was on patrol for the Asheville Police Department when I was called to the old costume shop on Haywood Street for a break in. When I got there to take the report, I noticed there were a lot of costumes and mannequins up against the walls throughout the shop.
From CPP: NC law makes mandating affordable housing hard — did Asheville find a solution?
In Asheville, officials stopped hotel construction after a years-long boom of developer interest. And while the city didn’t call what happened next “inclusionary zoning,” the game plan did achieve something similar.
WNC Scary Stories: Jovial ghost rocks out in a hearse
When I was leading tours for our family-owned business Dark Ride Tours a few years ago, I didn’t really have many first-hand experiences with ghosts. But when we were renovating the 1972 Cadillac hearse we used to transport guests, I was told by someone I consider spiritually sensitive that our hearse was indeed haunted.
From CPP: Rural N.C. residents struggle to connect with doctors virtually
Across the entire state, an estimated 4 million North Carolinians don’t have access to reliable broadband service. This particularly affects rural residents, many of whom live in communities that tend to suffer most from a lower supply of health professionals.
Female financial advisers make their mark
“In our society, money is a taboo topic, especially for women,” says Laura Webb of Asheville’s Webb Investment Services. She and other local women are working to change that in the financial industry.
Local organizations update Buncombe on opioid response
According to figures shared with the county Board of Commissioners by Dr. Shuchin Shukla, a physician and opioid crisis educator with the Mountain Area Health Education Center, Buncombe’s rate of overdose deaths has exceeded the statewide average since at least 2016. In 2021, the county suffered 45.2 deaths per 100,000 residents, compared with 35.8 deaths per 100,000 for North Carolina as a whole.
Buncombe to vote on conserving 590 acres Oct. 4
The county’s Agricultural Advisory Board and Land Conservation Advisory Board are seeking $384,000 to fund six easement projects. Five easements would protect farmland in Asheville, Barnardsville, Leicester and Weaverville. The remaining project would help Hendersonville-based nonprofit Conserving Carolina secure an easement for Camp Woodson in Black Mountain.
From CPP: Broadband boost planned for 1,000 Buncombe County homes
Rural northern Buncombe County is the first area in the county to see the result of the American Rescue Plan Act’s quest to expand reliable broadband access. Buncombe is one of 81 NC counties that have received state funding to improve internet service.
Does pushing students to succeed foster achievement or cause harm?
“The time has come to ask ourselves: Why do we push children to succeed so tirelessly? And what does ‘success’ mean, anyway?”
From CPP: Where is federal COVID-19 relief going in NC? Most WNC counties opt to pay public employees’ salaries.
Federal Treasury data shows that about half of the American Rescue Plan Act funds spent in WNC counties has been used on staff salaries. Nearly $98 million is still available to be allocated.
Earth Day 8 walk away with a win
“We sincerely felt that we had no other recourse than to commit this act of civil resistance because of the secrecy and complicity of elected officials and the business community in making this deal.”
Forest Service rejects MountainTrue’s bid to save old-growth forest
“We were willing to match any price bid on the value of the cut timber in exchange for what would amount to a 100-year carbon lease on those acres.”
How citizen resistance derailed plan to dam the French Broad
“The more than a thousand citizen activists who came together as the Upper French Broad Defense Association, bolstered by staunch support from state Rep. Charles Taylor, forced TVA to abandon its plans in 1972.”
From NC Health News: Have you heard of the Healthy Opportunities Pilot? No? You’re not alone
While many see NC Medicaid’s new preventative health program as full of potential, they worry a lack of knowledge about the program paired with its complicated referral process could undermine its impact.
New art exhibit raises heavy questions about the future
Local artist Skip Rohde raises questions on topics such as war and gentrification in his latest exhibit, What May Be.
From CPP: Plumbing, truck driving, construction skills get boost from Haywood ARPA funds
Haywood County is currently the only mountain county using federal pandemic relief dollars to support local community colleges.
Downtown dodged a mall, but substation now looms
“What may have initially made sense on a map fails completely in reality.”
The Big Secret Family Festival debuts at Salvage Station
Taking place Sunday, July 17, 2 p.m. at Salvage Station, the inaugural Big Secret Family Festival features The Secret Agency with Secret Agent 23 Skidoo, Empire Strikes Brass, Snake Oil Medicine Show with Caroline Pond and Eastern Band Cherokee storyteller and cultural ambassador John John Grant.
From NC Health News: Asheville airport therapy dogs help anxious flyers and workers
From dentist offices to chemotherapy units, health care facilities have long embraced the use of therapy dogs. Airports are starting to see how their guests might also benefit from these pooches.
From The Center Square: Federal funds will replace Asheville airport’s control tower
The $15 million grant for Asheville Regional is one of only two grants awarded to build a completely new air traffic control tower; the other is in Peoria, Ill.