Press release from the Wildacres Leadership Initiative: Wildacres Leadership Initiative (WLI) is pleased to announce Meredith A. Doster of Madison County as the newly hired Deputy Director effective Sunday, Sept. 1. Doster is a recent graduate of WLI’s flagship program, the William C. Friday Fellowship for Human Relations. WLI Director Hunter Corn noted, “We are […]
News Bulletins
City to name new playground after Derrick Lee Jr.
Press release from Vijay Kapoor: At 4pm today in front of Asheville City Hall (in the event of rain, ground floor), we will announce that the playground at the new Lee Walker Heights housing complex will be named after 12 year old Derrick Lee, Jr., who was shot and killed there early July 1, 2018. […]
Asheville Parks & Recreation to host community meeting about Mountainside Park and Memorial Stadium bond project
Press release from the City of Asheville: Asheville Parks & Recreation Department is entering the design phase of the proposed improvements to the Mountainside Park and Memorial Stadium bond project. A community meeting to gauge support for the planned improvements will be held Aug. 1 at Stephens-Lee Recreation Center, 30 George Washington Carver Ave. There […]
Fine Amnesty Day at the library – Friday, July 26
Press release from Buncombe County Public Libraries: Have a pile of library books that you’ve had for a very long time? If they’re still in good shape, bring them to the library on Friday, July 26. We’ll check them in and forgive the fines! Do you know you have late fees and you’ve been avoiding […]
Pisgah Center for Wildlife Education hosts free August workshops
Press release from the N.C. Wildlife Resources Commission: The N.C. Wildlife Resources Commission’s Pisgah Center for Wildlife Education is offering free outdoor-related workshops for people of all ages and skill levels throughout the month of August. Online registration is required for the workshops, which are open on a first-come, first-served basis. Tuesday, Aug. 6 – […]
Asheville GreenWorks receives $100K grant from Duke Energy Foundation
Press release from Asheville GreenWorks: Asheville GreenWorks is pleased to announce it has received a $100,000 grant from the Duke Energy Foundation. The Foundation annually provides more than $30 million in charitable grants, with a focus on three areas: K to career, the environment and community impact. Asheville GreenWorks’ grant will go toward education, training […]
Vanderbilt Place lane closure near Civic Center garage July 23-29
Press release from the City of Asheville: First, the good news: The U.S. Cellular Center is getting a new air conditioning system. Now, the other news: A big crane will go up to get the new HVAC system on the roof. How does this affect you? During the assembly of the crane boom, one lane […]
Johnson Price Sprinkle hosts Qualified Opportunity Zone presentation on July 25
Press release from Johnson Price Sprinkle: Qualified Opportunity Zones (QOZ) were created as part of the Tax Cuts And Jobs Act to encourage those with capital gains to invest in economically distressed communities. WNC has multiple Qualified Opportunity Zones. “Tax deferrals, permanent exclusion from taxable income, QOZ Funds, tests, 180 days” are terms being bantered. […]
Asheville holds Aug. 6 open house on New Leicester Highway sidewalk project
Press release from the City of Asheville: Sidewalks are coming to New Leicester Highway as part of the city’s bond program. The city of Asheville will be building a sidewalk from New Leicester Highway at Patton Avenue out to the city limit around 396 New Leicester Highway. No sidewalk currently exists in this area. Installation […]
SoCon, Nexstar and Ingles partner for regional football broadcast package
Press release from Southern Conference Football: Nexstar Broadcasting, Inc., Ingles Markets and the Southern Conference announced Monday that they will partner to broadcast 13 SoCon football games this season throughout the league’s six-state footprint through a network of Nexstar stations. The “Ingles SoCon Game of the Week” broadcast package will feature one game each Saturday […]
Flash flood watch issued for Monday afternoon and evening for Buncombe and other WNC counties
Flash flood watch issued at 12:20 p.m. on Monday, July 22, by the National Weather Service: …HEAVY RAINFALL MAY CAUSE FLASH FLOODING IN PARTS OF THE NORTH CAROLINA MOUNTAINS LATER TODAY INTO TONIGHT… .Numerous showers and thunderstorms will develop today ahead of an approaching cold front, within an exceptionally moist subtropical air mass. Areas of […]
Warren Wilson College plants first industrial hemp plot
Press release from Warren Wilson College: Through outreach programs and land management initiatives, Warren Wilson College has plans to work with farmers and landowners to develop hemp as an economically and ecologically viable crop for Western North Carolina. Under license of the North Carolina Industrial Hemp Pilot Research Program with N.C. Department of Agriculture and […]
WNC Nature Center celebrates sensory-inclusive certification on Aug. 3
Press release from the Friends of the WNC Nature Center: KultureCity has partnered with the Western North Carolina Nature Center to make the Nature Center a sensory-inclusive space. This new initiative will promote an accommodating and positive experience for all guests with sensory issues who visit the wildlife park. The certification process entailed the staff […]
N.C. Wildlife Resources Commission elects new leadership
Press release from the N.C. Wildlife Resources Commission: The N.C. Wildlife Resources Commission elected a new chairman and vice chairman and welcomed three new commissioners to its governing board at its business meeting on July 18. David W. Hoyle, Jr. was elected chairman of the commission after serving as vice-chair for the past two years. […]
Just Economics hosts “Unhappy Birthday Party” for minimum wage on July 24
Press release from Just Economics: July 24 marks 10 years since the federal minimum wage was last raised in 2009. The U.S. House of Representatives passed the Raise the Wage Act 231-199 on Thursday (7/18/19), which would bring the federal minimum wage up to $15/hr by 2025, though the measure has little chance to be […]
Fake news forum comes to Sylva on July 29
Nonpartisan roundtable announcement from organizers with the Jackson County Democratic Party: “Fake News, Social Media, Misinformation” will be presented by Dr. Enrique Gomez, Asst. Professor, WCU. The forum will be Monday, July 29, 6:30 p.m. at 500 Mill Street, Downtown Sylva (Jackson County Democratic Party headquarters). Dr. Gomez will present the pitfalls of social media […]
Rep. Patrick McHenry announces WNC town hall meetings
Press release from Rep. Patrick McHenry: This August, I will be holding my annual town hall meetings here in the Tenth District. During the town hall meetings, I will give an update on recent legislative activity in the U.S. Congress and what to expect in the coming months. I also look forward to taking questions […]
Asheville Police Department tips lead to four arrests
Community tips lead to investigation and arrest of four people. Following an investigation into activities at 296 Short Michigan Avenue, Apartment 2E, the Asheville Police Department (APD) Tuesday arrested three adults and one juvenile. Travis Jordan was served six felony warrants for Breaking and Entering x3, Larceny after Breaking and Entering x2, and Possession of […]
Air quality forecast for Asheville, Saturday, July 20: Moderate (YELLOW)
Saturday, July 20, is a code yellow air quality forecast day for the valleys and ridge tops of Asheville and Buncombe County. Unusually sensitive people should consider limiting prolonged outdoor activities. The rating is based on particulate matter in the air. For more information contact: WNC Regional Air Quality Agency 828-250-6777 Air Quality Forecast for Saturday, 07/20/2019
Indie presses embark on literary tour of North Carolina
This August, two indie presses – Dead Rabbits Books and Southern Fried Karma Press – will embark on a collaborative literary tour across North Carolina in an effort to bring writers, readers, and publishers together to expand and uplift the literary community. Dead Rabbits Books is a small press based out of New York & […]
Buncombe County’s Tipping Point Grant application process is open
The application process is open for nonprofits looking for mini-grants allocated for $5,000 per project. Currently in its fourth year, Tipping Point Grants are pivoting focus from open-ended projects to initiatives that supplement efforts of the Board of Commissioners’ six strategic priorities: Affordable housing Clean, renewable energy Diverse community workforce Early childhood education Justice resource […]