Press release from City of Asheville Fire Department: Asheville, NC (July 26, 2021): Ten years ago on July 28, 2011, Asheville Fire Captain Jeff Bowen, a 13-year veteran, lost his life while battling an arson fire in a high-rise building at 445 Biltmore Ave. The Asheville Fire Department will hold a remembrance ceremony on July […]
News Bulletins
Regular Meeting of Buncombe County TDA Scheduled for Wednesday, July 28
Press release from the Buncombe County Tourism Development Authority: WHAT: The regular monthly joint meeting of the Buncombe County Tourism Development Authority, Public Authority, and the Buncombe County Tourism Development Authority, Nonprofit Corporation. WHEN: Wednesday, July 28, 9 a.m. – 10:45 a.m. WHERE: The meeting will take place IN PERSON at the Explore Asheville CVB […]
Buncombe County jail detainee dies after being found unresponsive in cell
Press release from Buncombe County: Robert Charles Austin, a detainee at the Buncombe County Detention Facility, was found unresponsive in his cell on July 23 by a detention officer who was conducting rounds. After receiving medical care from detention officers, medical staff at the Detention Facility, and EMS, Mr. Austin was pronounced deceased at the […]
BCSO holds school supply drive July 30-31
Press release from the Buncombe County Sheriff’s Office: The Buncombe County Sheriff’s Office invites you to our 2021 Back to School Supply Drive. Our deputies will be greeting shoppers outside of Walmart and accepting donations of back-to-school items. Proceeds and supplies will be distributed to Buncombe County Schools students and the Black Mountain Children’s Home. […]
Developers ask for delay on 101 Charlotte St. vote
Statement from RCG-Killian Chestnut Residential Properties: Please see the following statement from the development team regarding the 101 Charlotte Street Project. There will be no further comment at this time. We have received feedback from multiple stakeholders and interested parties over the past few weeks regarding our plans for 101 Charlotte Street. We have been […]
Asheville coalition to hold July 24 rally for single-payer healthcare
Press release from the Asheville Democratic Socialists of America: A local coalition of organizations including Asheville DSA, Asheville Racial Justice Coalition, Democratic Women of Buncombe County, HealthCare For All WNC, Indivisible Asheville/WNC, Progressive Democrats of Buncombe, Stronger Together of WNC-North, Sunrise Movement Asheville, and the Western Circle of NC Poor People’s Campaign are marching from […]
NCDOT plans overnight I-26 lane closure July 24-25
Press release from the N.C. Department of Transportation: A contractor for the N.C. Department of Transportation will shift traffic to a new section of Interstate 26 East near Brevard Road on Saturday night. Crews will reduce the interstate to a single lane starting no earlier than 9 p.m. They will move safety barriers to the new section, and […]
Asheville City Council continues with in-person meetings July 27
Press release from the City of Asheville: Asheville City Council will continue meeting in person at 5 p.m. Tuesday, July 27, and Tuesday, Aug. 24, at the Harrah’s Cherokee Center – Asheville Banquet Hall, 87 Haywood St. City Council will also hold an in-person work session beginning at 2:30 p.m. July 27 on the American […]
WNC Nature Center coyote Barney dies
Press release from the City of Asheville: It is with great sadness that the WNC Nature Center announces the passing of one of its most well-known and cherished residents. Beloved coyote Barney passed away July 22. He had been struggling with health issues over the past few months and was not responding to medical treatment. […]
BCSO seeks suspects in Fairview mail thefts
Press release from the Buncombe County Sheriff’s Office: After a months-long investigation by Detectives at the Buncombe County Sheriffs’ Office Property Crimes Division have charged two suspects who now face multiple charges related to stolen mail and the fraudulent use of credit cards. The Sheriff’s Office has charged Wesley Bryon McCrary with: 2 Counts of […]
UNCA distributes learning kits to Asheville City Schools students
Press release from UNC Asheville: UNC Asheville faculty members Agya Boakye-Boaten, Tiece Ruffin, and Landon Ward are leading a new initiative this summer to tackle the ever-widening opportunity and achievement gap between Black and white Asheville City and Buncombe County Public Schools’ students. This year, the group, along with Colorful Pages Coalition and UNC Asheville […]
BCSO seeks missing Arden teen Julia Meadows
Press release from the Buncombe County Sheriff’s Office: The Buncombe County Sheriff’s Office is attempting to locate a missing teen from the Arden area of Buncombe County. Julia Meadows is age 16, a female, approximately 5’6” with brown eyes and blonde hair. Ms. Meadows was last seen on July 20 leaving her work place in […]
NCDHHS doubles wastewater monitoring sites to track the spread of COVID-19
Press release from North Carolina Department of Health and Human Services The North Carolina Department of Health and Human Services today announced it has expanded its COVID-19 wastewater surveillance program from 10 to 19 sites to better identify areas where virus is spreading. Since January 2021, NCDHHS has been testing wastewater samples to look for […]
Free tuition at Haywood Community College for new and returning students
Press release from Haywood Community College Haywood Community College will offer free tuition for curriculum students for the 2021-2022 school year. Through a series of funding sources, including federal, state and local funds, the college is in a position to remove as many financial barriers for new and returning students as possible. “By expanding free […]
ABCCM and A-B Tech announce education partnership at Transformation Village
Press release from Asheville Buncombe Community Christian Ministry Asheville Buncombe Community Christian Ministry (ABCCM) and A-B Tech have created an educational partnership to offer short-term credentialing programs for some of the most economically vulnerable people in our county. The programs are open to all residents at Transformation Village, ABCCM’s new intentional transitional housing facility for single […]
New business creations in North Carolina seeing unprecedented growth in 2021
Press release from North Carolina Department of the Secretary of State New business creations in 2021 are breaking the record set at this point in 2020 and very nearly match all new business creation filings in 2019, according to N.C. Secretary of State Elaine F. Marshall. Filings for new business creations are far outpacing 2020’s unprecedented […]
Air quality forecast update: Code orange
Press release from WNC Regional Air Quality Agency Today’s air quality forecast has been updated to code orange due to smoke associated with wildfires in the western U.S. and Canada. Additionally, Thursday, July 22, 2021, is also a code orange air quality forecast day for the valleys and ridge tops of Asheville and Buncombe County. […]
Asheville region had record number of home sales in June
Press release via Canopy Realtor Association The Asheville region’s housing market shows no sign of slowing down as summer sales marked yet another month of gains, with 1,296 homes sold across the 13-county area of the western North Carolina mountains, representing a 24.4% year-over-year increase over sales in June 2020. This was a record number […]
UPDATE: APD seeks missing person Ronnie Noah Ross
UPDATE (July 22, 2021): Ronnie Noah Ross was safely located on the evening of July 21. Press release from Asheville Police Department Detectives are requesting help to find a missing 19-year-old, Ronnie Noah Ross. They were last seen on June 5 on Patton Avenue. Ronnie is described as white, 5’9″ and approximately 100 pounds. They […]
UNC Asheville again earns status as Tree Campus USA and Bee Campus USA
Press release from University of North Carolina Asheville University of North Carolina Asheville has been recognized as a 2020 Tree Campus USA, joining 385 campuses across the United States with this recognition. UNC Asheville has also been certified as a Bee Campus USA, a designation that recognizes educational campuses that commit to a set of […]
Cradle of Forestry to host Cradle to Grave trail race
Press release from FIND Outdoors FIND Outdoors, a 49-year-old local nonprofit with a mission of education and recreation on public lands, will host the annual fundraising event “Hunter Subaru Cradle to Grave 30K and 10K” to benefit the Cradle of Forestry on Sept. 18, 2021. “This is the largest fundraising event that FIND Outdoors holds […]