Joining the Family Justice Center in the building would be tax collections, tax assessment, election services, permits and inspections, planning, air quality and environmental health.
From CPP: Transylvania health care woes. Leaders voice frustration with HCA hospital management in NC mountain community.
A new independent monitor, selected by Dogwood Health Trust to gauge the communities’ opinions of HCA and the company’s ongoing compliance with the terms of its acquisition of the Asheville-based Mission Health chain, is already losing the trust of Brevard’s leadership.
County makes progress toward affordability goals
Amid a housing crisis that has seen costs continue to skyrocket as supply can’t keep up with the rising demand, many families are just one bad break away from becoming homeless. But this fiscal year, Buncombe County is making its biggest investment yet in affordable housing. For the first time in years, county commissioners are sounding an optimistic note.
Asheville Unpaved learns from community pushback
“Initially, we had a lot of community support for that project,” Sule says about plans for an unpaved trail near Asheville Middle School. “I think as it started to get nearer toward actually getting funded and approved in an easement, some [people] came up and opposed that project.”
Asheville Police Department pushes to expand panhandling restrictions despite decline in calls reporting panhandlers
Asheville Police Chief Mike Lamb wants to increase the number of places designated as High Traffic Zones, areas where it is illegal under city code for a person to verbally solicit and/or panhandle. Solicitation with a sign is still permitted in these areas.
AdventHealth, Novant Health, Mission again vie for hospital bed expansion
A public hearing will be held at 11 a.m. Aug. 19 in the Ferguson Auditorium of AB-Tech Community College, 340 Victoria Road in Asheville.
YWCA acknowledges financial woes, closes pool
The organization cited lingering economic effects of the COVID-19 pandemic, inflation, shifts in funding priorities and the need for facility repairs as reasons for the shortfall.
Homes bought by NCDOT for I-26 Connector becoming havens for drug users
Residents of East West Asheville say vacant homes now owned by the NCDOT to make way for the upcoming I-26 Connector project have become havens for drug users and people experiencing homelessness, the Asheville Watchdog reports.
Golden Agers: For the love of gardening
For the past four years, local resident Glenn Jolappa has given back to his community by creating a series of gardens in his apartment complex.
Churches welcome homeless families in Safe Shelter initiative
On April 29, Grace Episcopal opened its doors to Safe Shelter and provided overnight accommodations to five families and six adults who were homeless, says Safe Shelter director Christian Chambers. Among them were four working adults and a senior couple on disability, who stayed at Safe Shelter until an apartment became available.
Stephens-Lee alumni work to keep legacy alive 100 years after first graduating class
Growing up in Buncombe County, Angel Redmond never thought much about Stephens-Lee High School, the institution that educated Black students in Western North Carolina for four decades until it closed in 1965. “I did have aunts and uncles who went there, but I didn’t realize how much of an impact Stephens-Lee had,” says Redmond, who […]
Homeless veteran finds a new life in Asheville
“What female veterans have in common with male veterans is they were part of a tribe, a larger family with a greater purpose. And when they’re released from the military, [there’s] a significant sense of loss … of no longer being a part of this greater purpose,” says the Rev. Scott Rogers, executive director of ABCCM.
Possibility of Mission nurses’ strike rises as labor contract expires
Mission Hospital and the Mission Nurses United union didn’t reach a deal on a new labor deal by midnight July 3, the expiration date for the current contract, increasing the possibility of a strike. Nurses told Asheville Watchdog that they and the hospital remain far apart on key issues, including compensation and retention.
Edneyville teacher recalls part in D-Day anniversary celebrations in France
Jordan Chambliss went to France as part of the D-Day 80th Anniversary Collegiate Mass Band. She spoke with Xpress about how she got into music, why she decided to join the D-Day band and how her experiences in France affected her.
PFAS – forever chemicals linked to serious health issues – found above safe levels at Buncombe, Henderson mobile home parks
Residents of five mobile home parks in Buncombe and Henderson counties rely on water systems that exceed the limit of PFAS compounds, known as forever chemicals, putting them at greater risk of cancer and other illnesses, Asheville Watchdog reports.
Asheville City Schools considers staff cuts
Even after making some cuts to increased expenditures and allocating $3 million from reserves, the district may need to cut staff to close the $1.2 million budget gap, she said.
Buncombe school board opposes private school vouchers
The Buncombe County Board of Education is not happy with the direction state legislators are taking in funding schools.
Green Roundup: Landowners along Ecusta Trail win $5M claim against federal government
After several years of litigation, a recent court ruling has required the federal government to pay over $5 million to 164 landowners along the proposed 19.4-mile Ecusta Trail. Compensation to individual property owners ranges from $223 to $191,061. The multiuse greenway, scheduled to be completed in 2028, will run along an unused railway corridor connecting […]
BCTDA gets overview of AVL airport’s growth, construction
Forward, the airport’s construction and design initiative, is expanding the airport from seven gates to 12 with a new baggage claim, two concourses, a concession plaza, and windows throughout the terminal to make the airport brighter
Council approves rezoning near RAD against staff recommendation
“This is a straight rezoning, not a project,” Mayor Esther Manheimer said. “A sidewalk is not a requirement we can make.”
Small town activists share stories behind local Pride festivals
Pride events in smaller towns foster community, support homegrown talent and highlight local services, such as gender-affirming health care.