WASTE WATCHERS: Largely unheralded, the Buncombe County Metropolitan Sewerage District ensures that the waste generated by its approximately 130,000 customers is properly treated and disposed of before it enters local waterways. The agency is currently in the midst of a $266 million capital improvement project that will upgrade its plant facilities for the future. Photo courtesy of MSD

MSD upgrades its infrastruc­ture with capital improvemen­t projects

Posted on by Max Hunt

To fulfill its critical mission and increase its capacity to deal with a growing service area and customer base, MSD is in the midst of a $266 million capital improvement project, which will help ensure that the community’s waste is properly handled and safely disposed of.

WHILE THE CITY SLEEPS: The third shift varies in start time and duration, depending upon the profession. Nurses at Mission Hospital, for example, clock in at 6:38 p.m. and clock out at 7:08 a.m. Meanwhile night auditors at motels and inns typically begin at 11 p.m. and conclude between 7 and 8 a.m. Others, however, dabble in both worlds, blurring either the second and third shift or the third and first shift. Photo by Cindy Kunst

Shedding light on Asheville’s third shift

Posted on by Thomas Calder

Third shift can be challenging to acclimate to — whether it’s learning to sleep during the day, finding a healthy work-family balance or forgoing the social components that are more readily available to those who work traditional hours. But as those who spoke with Xpress note, it has its perks, too. Along with empty streets and a less harried work pace, workers tend to come across colorful personalities at night.

Nicole Townsend urges City Council to take action to remove Confederate monuments in Asheville. Photo by Carolyn Morrisroe

City stands against white supremacy

Posted on by Carolyn Morrisroe

Asheville City Council passed a resolution condemning the actions of white supremacists and racial violence in Charlottesville earlier this month. Council members also resolved to support the designation of Big Ivy as a wilderness area, and voted to move forward with a phased approach to a greenway along Lyman Street to Amboy Road. A proposal to reduce the minimum width of residential lots by 20 percent citywide was sent back to the city’s Planning & Zoning Commission for further study.

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Council to vote on affordable housing, infill strategies

Posted on by Carolyn Morrisroe

At Asheville City Council’s meeting on Tuesday, Aug. 22, Council members will consider a resolution condemning the recent actions of white supremacists and racial violence in Charlottesville, Va. The Council will hear public comment on four zoning matters, including an amendment to the city’s zoning code intended to encourage small-scale infill residential housing development.

IN THE BEGINNING: Reputed to be the third oldest river in the world, the French Broad has gone from a polluted industrial dumping ground to a key cog in Western North Carolina’s outdoor and tourism industries. This renaissance is a result of government, nonprofit, and individual efforts to improve water quality throughout the watershed. Photo by Mike Belleme; courtesy of Transylvania Chamber of Commerce & Tourism Development Authority

Communitie­s along Upper French Broad work to restore water quality

Posted on by Max Hunt

In this two-part series, Xpress invites you on a guided a trip down the river as we examine the work of various communities to write the next chapter in the French Broad’s history, beginning with Transylvania and Henderson counties.