Ameena Batada, co-director of the University of North Carolina – Asheville – UNC – Gillings Master of Public Health program, discusses community support, her work to address health inequities and the power of friendship.

Ameena Batada, co-director of the University of North Carolina – Asheville – UNC – Gillings Master of Public Health program, discusses community support, her work to address health inequities and the power of friendship.
If it wasn’t for Kerri Eaker’s son, Dakota Kirkland, she would never have received the Jack B. Hefner Memorial Award for her disability rights advocacy work. In fact, as Eaker noted in her Nov. 2 acceptance speech, “Dakota has always proudly stated that he made his mama’s career.”
An agreement between Asheville and the Buncombe County Sheriff’s Office, approved by City Council in a 4-1 vote Jan. 24, will allow the APD to use a county-operated camera network to monitor the public.
Under the new system, similar to that employed by the national Living Wage For Us campaign, businesses could remain in the Living Wage Program if they agreed to an $18 hourly minimum wage and “committed annual increases” toward a $20.10 wage rate.
Mountain City Public Montessori is projected to open for kindergarten through 6th grade in August.
Wayne Simmons, operations manager for Asheville Parks & Recreation, speaks about health and wellness programs that the city offers, the benefits of physical activity and his favorite ways to stray in shape.
North Carolina can support as many as nine Las Vegas-style casinos with gambling throughout the state, including one in the Asheville area, according to a report commissioned by the General Assembly.
Hathaway spoke to Xpress about having an impact on the community’s health care, how the opioid epidemic affected him as a cardiologist and his excitement over becoming a grandparent.
The reparations commission unanimously approved a recommendation for the city of Asheville and Buncombe County to “stop further harm” to the Black community by “ceasing the repetition of institutional processes that lead to racially disparate outcomes.” The audit is meant to ensure that such harms have actually ceased and that local governments are in compliance with applicable laws and regulations.
Asheville’s McCormick Field has been home to a minor league baseball team every season since 1959, but the city has come close to losing baseball several times in that span. As the Tourists seek $30 million in improvements to the antiquated ballpark, the future of the national pastime in Asheville once again is in doubt.
Although Asheville has numerous shelters for the homeless population, its organizers say this particular shelter fills gaps in the city’s current system. “The focus is on intact families,” explains shelter worker Gene Ettison.
The proposed audit, presented to the Buncombe County Board of Commissioners on Jan. 17, would look at whether the city and county are complying with “federal and state laws, regulatory bodies, codes of conduct, court orders and consent degrees,” with a focus on damage caused to the Black community by noncompliance.
The new plans call for three buildings with a combined total of 585,360 square feet, as well as 463 parking spaces and truck loading docks. The project is tentatively scheduled to come before Asheville City Council for final approval on Tuesday, Jan. 24, where the public will be allowed to provide further input.
The deadline for local students to share work for possible publication in Mountain Xpress’ 2023 Kids Issues is Friday, Jan. 27.
For at least five years, Asheville City Council members have debated and grappled with some of the most pressing issues facing Asheville in regularly scheduled private meetings with city staff — meetings that are outside of public view.
As the popularity of automobiles grew in Western North Carolina, traffic issues soon followed. One of the earliest problems involved drivers parking their cars on the trolley lines. By 1923, residents and city officials alike began seeking answers to the conundrum.
The annual report and accompanying presentation were created by Buncombe’s Domestic Violence Fatality Review Team, which was formed in 2018 to prevent domestic violence deaths in the county.
Since 2019, Travis Rountree, assistant professor of English at Western Carolina University, has worked to help archive Western North Carolina’s LGTBQ+ community.
During their meeting of Jan. 12, members of the Buncombe County Board of Education unanimously approved a resolution that supports amending the state’s school calendar law. The document blasts the current law for a range of woes, from learning loss to difficulty in providing teacher training.
For decades, officials have been looking for ways to revitalize historic Pack Square in the heart of downtown Asheville. With yet another reimagining under way, we take a look back at key some of the key changes that have transformed the city center since the 1960s.
On Dec. 30, the nonprofit completed the purchase of 34 acres in Brevard to expand the preserve. The new land will bolster the existing 395-acre park, owned by the city of Brevard, which connects to the Pisgah National Forest.