Local divisions of the N.C. Department of Transportation won recognition in the state’s annual Wildflower Awards, while the city of Asheville studies noise and the Buncombe Partnership for Children deploys a $400,000 grant to train up to 60 new early childhood educators in Buncombe, Henderson, Madison and Transylvania counties.
In this week’s business briefs, local businesses make new hires, celebrate new locations and anniversaries and more.
In Part II of Xpress’ annual Kids Issues, we present even more superpowered art and writing from area students — plus extensive listings for area summer camps, along with a plethora of other kid-focused content.
Our community has learned a lot about the limits of open government law over the past year, as indictments of former Buncombe County employees Wanda Greene, Mandy Stone, Jon Creighton and Michael Greene revealed corruption and embezzlement concealed from both the public and the media over many years.
For this year’s Kids Issues, we asked local K-12 students to submit art and writing around the question: “What would you do if you had superpowers for a day?”
Women make up over half of the local nonprofit’s construction staff and work in roles that provide new construction, home repair, volunteer coordination and construction administration. Each year, the Women Build Advocacy Team — aka WomBATs — recruits female volunteers and raises funds. This year’s Women Build House will come together on May 7.
“The importance of black history and the contributions of many African-Americans in our state and national history cannot be overstated.”
The Buncombe County Board of Commissioners doled out a $2.2 million loan for an affordable housing complex in Swannanoa and over $200,000 in economic development incentives at its Feb. 5 meeting. The city of Asheville held two public sessions seeking input on the selection of a new police chief. Residents can also weigh in via an online survey through March 1.
Crying about the year’s area government scandals doesn’t do much good — but bursting into song just might!
You asked, they answered: sage advice from Buncombe County Commissioner Al Whitesides, Dr. Carl Mumpower (chair of the Buncombe County GOP), Abby Roach (aka The Spoon Lady), former City Council member Cecil Bothwell, Asheville Mayor Esther Manheimer and Asheville City Council member Julie Mayfield.
Sharing is caring, as the old saying goes. But it is also proving to be a nifty way for start-up businesses to get a piece of Asheville’s economic pie — not to mention a source of consternation for city officials struggling to regulate the growing industry. In the wake of last October’s controversy over the […]
Best place to find your soulmate while in Asheville for a bachelorette party The Pubcycle — All you have to do is shout “Woo!” loudly enough, and he/she/they shall appear. Mission Hospital ER — This is going to make the funniest story someday. The Hot Spot. Worst busker Anybody with an amplifier. The yelling man. […]
Inspired by “Emily Dickinson’s Patreon” by Riane Konc in The New Yorker, Xpress dreamed up for arts-related Kickstarter projects (led by local and international personalities) that would surely be worth funding — if only for the choice perks.
2019 prediction: Town of Biltmore Forest will greatly expand its influence in county government by allowing trees to vote.
By Able Allen, Virginia Daffron, David Floyd and Daniel Walton Welcome to Mountain Xpress’ 2018 general election voter guide. We’ve asked pertinent questions of all the local candidates, and now the choice is yours. At Xpress, we believe a well-informed voter considers more than a candidate’s party affiliation, making choices based on a leader’s character, values […]
Editor’s note: All of the candidates for Buncombe County Board of Education are running in different districts and are unopposed. They are not running against one another. For the sake of concise organization Xpress is listing them together. All voters in Buncombe County School Districts will see all the candidates on their ballots. Pat Bryant […]
Editor’s note: Todd Williams (Buncombe County District Attorney) and Steve Cogburn (Buncombe County Clerk of Court) are unopposed this election. For the sake of concise organization Xpress has listed them together in one page. Todd Williams Incumbent, Democrat, unopposed What are your top three priorities for the next term? 1. I created a task force […]
Editor’s note: Voters in Buncombe County will be asked to choose up to two of the following candidates for two seats on the five member board of Buncombe County Soil and Water District Supervisors. Alan Ditmore Website: facebook.com/Elect-Alan-Ditmore-for-Buncombe-SWCD-1822097381207746 Occupation: Handyman/pet sitter/small engines Previous candidacy or offices held: I stood (as they say in England) for […]
Part of the 2018 Mountain Xpress General Election Voter Guide
Donna Ensley Democrat Website: electdonnaensley.com Occupation: Retired development professional Previous candidacy or offices held: None Key endorsements: Sierra Club, Buncombe County Association of Educators, Sen. Terry Van Duyn, AFL-CIO, Buncombe County Democratic Women Amount of money raised: $28,497 Top three donors: Ron Edgerton, Dr. Charles Weiss, Dr. Bruce Rogers Why are you running for county […]
Amanda Edwards Democrat Website: electamandaedwards.org Occupation: Executive director, A-B Tech Community College Foundation Previous candidacy or offices held: I am a first-time candidate Key endorsements: Buncombe County Association of Educators, Police Benevolent Association, Sierra Club, AFL-CIO Central Labor Council of Western North Carolina, Rep. John Ager and Annie Ager of Fairview Amount of money raised: […]
