Q&A with Fred McCormick, editor of The Valley Echo
The former Black Mountain News reporter launched the online publication in early 2020.
From CPP: NC Elections Board to review results of new election audit tests
The N.C. State Board of Elections considers a new election security measure through county-level tests, including in Buncombe County, and works to figure out whether and how to incorporate it into state practices.
Anti-domestic violence org teaches healthy relationships to teens
“Healthy relationships are the best protector against abusive relationships,” says Chaka-Khan Gordon of Helpmate, an Asheville nonprofit providing services and support for survivors of domestic violence.
Asheville Archives: Reflections on Thanksgiving amid the Great Depression, 1930
“Prayer is an attitude. Thanksgiving is a mood,” The Asheville Citizen wrote in a Nov. 27, 1930, editorial reflecting on the season of gratitude at the onset of the Great Depression.
Q&A with Ray Russell, founder of Ray’s Weather Center
The founder of Ray’s Weather Center speaks about the local forecast service’s growth over the years, how meteorologists handle the area’s tricky topography and what weather sayings carry a grain of truth.
City forum highlights Asheville’s growth despite pandemic
This year’s event — the first since the start of the pandemic — covered affordable housing, hotel regulations, Urban Place Zoning and more.
Repurposing vacant commercial property could help combat sprawl, create affordable housing
Countless existing structures of every shape and size remain vacant throughout the city, many in decrepit condition after years with no occupants. According to the National Association of Realtors’ Q3 2021 Commercial Real Estate Metro Market Report, 26% of Asheville’s currently available commercial space is vacant, including industrial, multifamily, retail and office properties.
News briefs: UNCA renames buildings after notable NC women
UNC Asheville renamed four buildings on campus to honor notable women of North Carolina. The UNCA Building Renaming Task Force was charged with making recommendations for the individuals to be honored during the 2020-21 school year, which were presented to the college’s board of trustees and dedicated at a Nov. 3 ceremony. The former Vance […]
Off-year elections shake up local municipalities
Western North Carolina bustled with electoral intrigue in 2021. From Woodfin, Asheville’s neighbor to the north, to the Jackson County seat of Sylva in the west, challengers bested incumbents in many nonpartisan town council and commission races.
Low-barrier shelter not funded by Buncombe board
The Buncombe County Board of Commissioners awarded over $11 million in federal COVID-19 recovery funding Nov. 16. Those grants did not include any money toward the city of Asheville’s controversial planned purchase of a Ramada Inn for a low-barrier homeless shelter.
Q&A with Vicki Meath, executive director of Just Economics of WNC
Many issues are close to Vicki Meath’s heart. She has spent her life in community organizing, working on environmental justice with Western Colorado Congress and striving to raise Ohio’s minimum wage with Cleveland Jobs With Justice. In 2010, she joined Just Economics of Western North Carolina, a nonprofit that advocates for a living wage, as […]
Food pantry initiatives aid underserved communities
Tranzmission’s Talya Mazuz Food Program and Asheville Buncombe Food Policy Council’s outdoor pantries were launched in response to elevated food insecurity brought on by the COVID-19 pandemic.
How local animal shelters are surviving COVID
When Asheville Humane Society adoption counselors send someone home with a new puppy, the advice is always the same: Get your pet into a kindergarten class or other training program. “It’s so important for healthy growth and healthy behavior,” Donor Relations Director Laila Johnston explains. During much of 2020, however, such classes weren’t available due […]
Asheville Archives: Salvation Army establishes a local chapter, 1890
First established in London in 1865, the Salvation Army’s local branch formed in Asheville a quarter of a century later in 1890.
$14M in COVID funds up for Buncombe grants Nov. 16
No further details on the organizations that will get new funding or the amounts they could receive were linked to the Board of Commissioners agenda. Over 125 nonprofits, community groups and governmental entities have pitched to the board over the past several months.
Local nonprofit radio stations thrive in difficult times
Coinciding with the 101st anniversary Nov. 2 of the first commercially licensed broadcast in the U.S., Xpress spoke with representatives from three local stations about the advantages and disadvantages of operating without commercial aid, as well as why radio remains a steady force in many people’s lives despite an ever-increasing number of news and entertainment options.
Second Mountain Raise highlights crowdfunding for WNC businesses
More than 100 potential investors packed into Hi-Wire Brewing’s event space Nov. 10 to hear pitches from Western North Carolina small-business owners looking to raise capital for their enterprises at a gathering hosted by nonprofit Mountain BizWorks.
Q&A with Joseph Jamison, United Way equity and network specialist
“One of the biggest challenges students face is a lack of voice in a lot of decision-making within our schools and the community at large,” Jamison explains. “For example, debates over masks or virtual over in-person learning. We’ve all heard a lot of loud adult voices at the table, but I think most people would be hard-pressed to recall a news clip or an article where they heard what students thought about those decisions.”
40 Afghan refugees being resettled in Asheville
On Aug. 15, shock rippled around the world as Taliban forces took control of Kabul, the capital of Afghanistan. Over the ensuing weeks, people watched on their TVs and phones as people crowded Kabul International Airport attempting to flee. Among those trying to leave were Afghans who had worked with the United States military, nongovernmental […]
Temporary Asheville space-sharing may become long term
The AVL Shares Space program expanded business operations onto public sidewalks and parking spaces, loosened minimum parking requirements so that businesses could use their own parking lots for expansion and created temporary curbside pick-up zones in downtown and West Asheville to accommodate increases in takeout sales.