The former jail worker’s lawsuit names the former sheriff, top officers, Buncombe County and the Buncombe County Sheriff’s Office as defendants.
NCDHHS launches app to supplement contact tracing
The free SlowCOVIDNC app uses Bluetooth technology to let users know if they’ve been in close contact with someone who has tested positive for COVID-19, speeding up notifications of potential exposure.
Preservation Society quietly announces new executive director
Jessie Landl, the new executive director of the Preservation Society of Asheville and Buncombe County, discusses the challenges of stepping into a leadership role during COVID-19.
East Asheville affordable housing loan approved, hotel moratorium extended
In its latest effort to promote affordable housing, Asheville City Council voted 6-1 on Sept. 22 to approve a $1.1 million Housing Trust Fund loan to the Juna Group to develop 11 single-family units in Oakley.
From CPP: Legislators subpoena Buncombe official over DSS handling of child’s case
Confidentiality rules preventing discussion of child welfare cases may limit much of the testimony NC legislators seek.
Campbell proposes 2.5% cut to APD budget
At its meeting of Tuesday, Sept. 22, Asheville City Council will vote on a budget amendment that would fund the APD at roughly $29.3 million, a reduction of $770,000 from a previous proposal. Many activist groups, including Black AVL Demands, have called for a 50% reduction to the APD and reinvestment in community services.
Health in brief: Asheville Yoga Center hits the market, website tracks impact of opioid crisis in Buncombe
Asheville Yoga Center, a pillar of the city’s emerging “wellness district” in the area around South Liberty Street, is up for sale. The transition represents the next phase of changes brought about by the divorce of the center’s founders, Stephanie and Sunny Keach, according to Melissa Driver, the company’s general manager. Also in brief: prostate cancer screening tips for men, new programs and services and a new website that illustrates the impact of the opioid epidemic on the local community.
From CPP: Asheville nurses union vote unprecedented in NC
Labor scholar Bruce Nissen warns that HCA is signaling “not accepting the results.” But he predicts the hospital company can’t succeed after a landslide union win.
Human trafficking exploits vulnerable populations
Human trafficking takes many forms. According to a U.S. Department of Health and Human Services fact sheet, it can include not only sex for money involving coercion or fraud but also any kind of involuntary servitude. And while most folks associate trafficking with children, two-thirds of the more than 200 North Carolina cases reported to the National Human Trafficking Hotline last year were adults. The Second Annual Anti-Trafficking Summit, slated for Sept. 15-19, is co-sponsored by Mars Hill University and Life 107 Ministries. This year’s summit will be online-only due to COVID-19.
Kenilworth residents honor George Gibson
For more than 35 years, George Gibson has volunteered to help maintain the South Asheville Cemetery. In appreciation of his dedication, community members recently named a creek in his honor.
Antanette Mosley appointed to Council
As decided by Council’s six current members during a Sept. 8 vote, the attorney for Atlanta-based firm Alston and Bird will fill the seat vacated by Vijay Kapoor until 2022.
Green in brief: Henderson planning board votes against asphalt plant
Board member Rick Livingston, who made the motion to deny the recommendation, said the proposed SE Asphalt plant’s location in a “very residential area” off the Spartanburg Highway was incompatible with both the county’s comprehensive plan and East Flat Rock’s community plan.
Amanda Jo Cary starts nonprofit to bridge digital divide
When everything shifted online, Cary quickly realized the need for reliable computer access. Now, she works to distribute donated laptops to recently incarcerated people.
Local church spreads hope during COVID-19
Kathy Ziprik, an elder at Mills River Presbyterian Church, receives daily prayers in her email inbox as part of the congregation’s ongoing prayer fence project.
From NC Health News: Overdoses are on the rise. Is it time to provide medication assisted treatment in NC prisons?
COVID-19 stalled the expansion of medication assisted treatment into NC’s prisons, but the demand for it is just as high — if not increasing.
Trump visits Mills River, commits $1B to COVID-19 food relief
President Donald Trump, accompanied by his daughter, Ivanka, and U.S. Department of Agriculture Secretary Sonny Perdue, toured Flavor 1st Growers and Packers in Mills River on Aug. 24 to see firsthand how local farmers are working to feed individuals in need during the COVID-19 pandemic.
Local African American pastors express support for city officials, Asheville police
“We are here to help support tangible solutions so that resources can be put into our community-led and community-based organizations,” declared Pastor John Grant during an Aug. 24 press conference at Pack Square.
Vance Monument Task Force gets to work
Per the joint city and county resolution that established the group, a “recommendation regarding the removal and/or repurposing of the Vance Monument” must be delivered to Asheville City Council and the Buncombe County Board of Commissioners within three months of Aug. 4, when the final members were appointed.
Wellness in brief: Adult day program loses space
In April, Pardee UNC Health Care notified MountainCare that it would no longer donate the use of the 6,000-square-foot building that houses MountainCare’s Henderson County adult day program. MountainCare now must move out by the end of the year to allow Pardee to reuse or sell the building and seeks a free or low-cost space where the program can continue operating.
Single parent Jared Wheatley keeps the focus on education
The divorced dad and entrepreneur recently reconfigured his office layout to include a dedicated educational space for his two school-aged children.
One Buncombe Fund distributes over $1.3M in COVID-19 relief
Nearly 1,050 households have received over $453,000 in emergency assistance from the fund for necessities such as housing, utilities and transportation. And roughly $853,000 has been loaned to 92 area businesses to help them weather the coronavirus’s economic impacts, contributing to the retention of 674 jobs.