With a $50,000 grant from the Ewing Marion Kauffman Foundation and a match from Buncombe County, A-B Tech Community College has established an Entrepreneur in Residence program that “supports develop, implement and manage the process of identifying local, early stage companies with high growth potential. The EIR — Tom Ryan — will “coach, mentor and advise […]
Author: Xpress Staff
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Wildlife-hazard training at Asheville Regional Airport June 25
On Thursday, June 25, Asheville Regional Airport personnel will receive training for handling wildlife hazards to aviation. The North Carolina Department of Transportation’s Division of Aviation is leading daylong workshops across the state. While the sessions are free for airport personnel, “any aviation users” are encouraged to attend. Here’s more information: Division of Aviation to […]
Lenoir-Rhyne University hosts Asheville Wordfest 2015 in May
How would you tell Asheville’s story? What’s the city’s narrative? Wordfest 2015, sponsored by Lenoir-Rhyne University, will celebrate “the many voices that make up a place” and “create spaces for people [to] tell their part” of the story. Here’s the university’s information about the event, while occurs Friday-Saturday, May 1-2: LENOIR-RHYNE UNIVERSITY PRESENTS ASHEVILLE WORDFEST […]
Jackson County wins award for its Water Recharge Ordinance
The North Carolina Source Water Collaborative recognizes programs and agencies that support local drinking-water protection and highlights successful initiatives that can be duplicated statewide. On March 18, Jackson County earned an award for its Water Recharge Ordinance. Adopted in 2013, the ordinance establishes “standards to help assure ground water that is withdrawn by wells and […]
David Jacklin joins Homeward Bound of WNC as Henderson County director
Here’s the news from the Asheville-based Homeward Bound of WNC, which works to end the cycle of homelessness in the region: Asheville, NC (April 6, 2015): Homeward Bound of WNC, a nonprofit based in Buncombe and Henderson counties, is proud to announce that David Jacklin has joined the team as its new Henderson County Director. […]
Public hearing April 8 in Lincolnton on water permits for Duke Energy plants
The North Carolina Division of Water Resources is accepting public comment on proposed Clean Water Act permits for three Duke Energy coal plants, including one in Marshall. The permits, say state officials are “aimed at better protecting water quality at several of Duke Energy’s largest coal ash storage facilities.” Environmental groups, such as Clean Water for NC, […]
The 40 nuns return April 7 to celebrate Sister Bad Habit Amber Ale
The 40 nuns return to downtown Asheville on Tuesday, April 7, to celebrate Thirsty Monk’s release of Sister Bad Habit Amber Ale. Here’s the info from event ringleaders LaZoom Bus Tours and Thirsty Monk: A Party Like Nun Other! — Sister Bad Habit Amber Ale, Tuesday, April 7, Release If you’re in downtown Asheville on [Tuesday], […]
Air quality improved, DENR recommends changes to auto-emissions testing
Emissions tests for vehicles are “no longer necessary to protect air quality” in several North Carolina counties, including Buncombe, say North Carolina Department of Environment and Natural Resources. “We studied the air quality improvements for this report and concluded that we could eliminate emissions testing for motor vehicles in numerous counties without harming air quality or violating […]
Dada Vedaprajinananda will launch new memoir April 10 at Malaprops
FROM BROOKLYN TO BENARES AND BACK: DADA VEDA Mesmerizing Memoir Launch at Malaprops Asheville, NC: At 7 p.m. on Friday, April 10, 2015 at Malaprops Bookstore, Dada Vedaprajinananda will launch his new memoir, From Brooklyn to Benares and Back. In a clear, accessible style, Dada demystifies Eastern spirituality, painting it with the earthy brush of […]
Update on the Weed Lane fire near Ridgecrest
The U.S. Forest Service says the Weed Lane fire — which burned 752 acres near Black Mountain and Ridgecrest Conference Center — has “calmed down considerably.” Firefighters attribute overcast skies, cooler temperatures and higher humidity with the change. The Forest Service notes, however, that Ridgecrest trails are closed for the holiday weekend, and that fire […]
Swannanoa Valley Museum opens Easter weekend
From the Swannanoa Valley Museum: Free Admission for everyone! We will be open Friday and Saturday of Easter Weekend, bring your friends and family. This year’s special exhibits include artifacts from the Roaring Twenties English Tudor estate In the Oaks and an examination of the North Fork Valley, a historic community displaced by the City of Asheville […]
Blue Ridge Parkway Foundation puts $600,000 to improvements, programs for the scenic route
With part of the $600,000 committed by the nonprofit Blue Ridge Parkway Foundation, a youth conservation crew from the Conservation Trust for North Carolina will repair trails and campgrounds in the Highlands District, and a partnership with Friends of the Mountains to Sea Trail will help build a bridge over the Boone Fork near Blowing Rock, N.C. The Parkway Foundation announced […]
Asheville NOW launches monthly ‘Power Hour’ with April 8 film screening
The inaugural gathering of Asheville NOW’s “Power Hour” will be held Wednesday, April 8, at Avenue M on Merrimon Avenue and includes a screening of an hour-long documentary about the 1911 Triangle Shirtwaist fire in which 123 women died.
Wildfire forces trail closings in McDowell County
From the U.S. Forest Service: Temporary Trail Closures Announced Due to Wildfire in McDowell County Nebo, N.C., March 31, 2015 – An estimated 40 acre wildfire burning near the Ridgecrest Conference Center in McDowell County will require temporary closure of the Point Lookout, Kitsuma (#205) and Young’s Ridge (#206) trail systems. The N. C. State […]
White-nose syndrome continues to affect bat populations in WNC
From the N.C. Wildlife Resources Commission: Bat-Killing Fungus Continues in North Carolina ASHEVILLE, N.C. (March 31, 2015) — White-nose syndrome, a fungal disease that has killed millions of bats in the eastern United States, continues to affect bat populations in western North Carolina, although the declines associated with the deadly disease appear to be leveling off […]
EPA seeks input on ban or restriction on TCE as a commercial degreaser
The EPA, which noted trichloroethylene’s link to cancer several years ago, asks for comment on proposed rules to reduce the risks associated with using the commercial degreaser. TCE contamination was a key factor in getting the CTS of Asheville site on Mills Gap Road placed on the federal Superfund list.
Friends of the Smokies hosts April 14 spring hike in Cataloochee
Hiking guide/author Danny Bernstein will lead a Tuesday, April 14, spring hike in the Cataloochee Valley.
Laurey’s closes its doors
Longtime downtown favorite Laurey’s Café is closing effective immediately.
No overnight camping in Graveyard Fields after bear sighting
The U.S. Forest Service has closed the Graveyard Fields to overnight camping after “a bear entered a tent and removed a hiker’s backpack,” according to today’s March 20 release (see below). Bear sightings are common in the area, located at milepost 418.8 about an hour from Asheville: “In springtime bears are opportunistically looking for food […]
Bent Creek property once again in the spotlight with sale to Buncombe County
On March 17, before diving into a review of the 2015 budget, Buncombe commissioners went into an emergency closed session to discuss an unnamed economic-development issue. Two days later, John Boyle with the Asheville Citizen-Times reported what it was about: At a cost of nearly $7 million, the county plans to buy a 137-acre plot on the French […]
Waynesville, Morganton, Hendersonville win N.C. Main Street awards
Several Western North Carolina cities earned North Carolina Main Street awards: Tryon for an economic restructuring project at St. Luke’s Plaza; Morganton for Best Public Relations Effort, Best Image-Building Campaign and Best Business Retention, Expansion or Recruitment Effort; Waynesville for Best Business Retention, Expansion or Recruitment Effort; and Hendersonville for Best Outdoor Space Improvement. Details are in […]