Candidates in the Asheville City Board of Education 2022 primary race share their positions with Xpress.
Green in brief: MountainTrue seeks ban on single-use plastics
A study conducted by MountainTrue found an average of 19 microplastic particles — pieces smaller than 5 millimeters, formed by the breakdown of larger plastics — per liter of water in local river systems. Exposure to microplastics has been tied to allergic reactions and other health impacts in humans, as well as negative effects on fish.
The Waters and Harvey Show celebrates a milestone
“We try to bring a little soul, a little blues and jazz to the conversation,” says Darin Waters, co-host of “The Waters and Harvey Show,” on BPR. “We try to show that the life of a scholar doesn’t have to be, and isn’t, boring.”
Youth-focused nonprofits prioritize equity in new efforts
Read to Succeed, OpenDoors of Asheville and Big Brothers Big Sisters of WNC have all begun to focus more intentionally on closing race-based opportunity gaps in recent years.
Local teens find their passions while giving back
Delaney Burke, who directs youth operations for the YMCA in Western North Carolina, says she notices that adolescent volunteers get as much out of their service as do the younger kids with whom they work. “They take leadership roles,” she says. “And when they see themselves as leaders, they become more confident.”
Theater education programs encourage bright futures for area youths
The Parkway Playhouse, Montford Moppets and Flat Rock Playhouse’s Studio 52 instill life skills in local young people through the magic of theater.
Q&A: Tonia Plummer, operations manager at the YMI
Plummer shares her thoughts on the Young Men’s Institute Cultural Center, which celebrated its 129th birthday Feb. 12.
Local groups tackle period poverty
People who work on the issue in Western North Carolina agree that period poverty is more widespread than it may seem due to the cultural stigmas of both poverty and menstruation. And financial issues wrought by the COVID-19 pandemic have made menstrual hygiene products even more inaccessible for many.
Women’s empowerment: Inspiring confidence and unity
Porsha Carter of SILSA’s Glitter Sisters discusses working together with fellow women of color to build each other up.
Women’s empowerment: Turning classroom inspiration into action
Trinity Brown, co-president of Mars Hill University’s National Organization for Women chapter, discusses creating the campus group, feminism’s global nature and her ongoing work.
Buncombe floats $7.5 million pre-K expansion
Commissioner Jasmine Beach-Ferrara, who chairs the county board’s Early Childhood and Development Committee, outlined a plan for $7.5 million in additional spending on pre-K expansion over the next two years. Funding would come from the county’s roughly $27 million in remaining federal American Rescue Plan Act money.
Women’s empowerment: Feminism as a way to elevate all
Rebecca Hart, a senior at Western Carolina University and the student body president speaks to the leadership roles that women hold at WCU, the goals of inclusivity and the threats women face on campuses across the nation.
Women’s empowerment: A better tomorrow
Sarah Boler, co-president of Mars Hill University’s National Organization for Women chapter, discusses role models, racial equity and taking back the night.
Asheville City Schools will revisit desegregation order
The Asheville City Board of Education asked attorney Chris Campbell to speak on the desegregation order’s history and legal status during a Jan. 28 meeting. While the board took no action, Chair James Carter indicated that members would consider asking the court to change or end the order in the coming months.
Q&A with Julie Silver, school nurse for Buncombe County Schools
Julie Silver wanted to be a school nurse from the time she was in nursing school. “It was fun because you got to do rotations through the different nursing careers and shadow them,” says Silver. “I really enjoyed going to do my shadows with the school nurses because it’s not just boo-boos and Band-Aids. There’s […]
WNC teens face additional struggles during COVID
While the overall number of emergency department visits was lower in 2020 than in 2019, potentially due to people avoiding hospitals out of COVID-19 concerns, the proportion of visits by teens with thoughts of suicide increased. Among North Carolina kids age 10 to 14, suicidal ideation visits accounted for 3.5% of all ED visits in 2020, up from 2.4% in 2019.
Local educators find peace after walking away
Area teachers discuss their decisions to leave the classroom and how their lives have improved as a result.
Parents of toddlers navigate masks, day care and feelings
Katie Ford, a family therapist, says it’s too early to tell if the societal shifts spurred by COVID-19 will have long-term effects on children born into this world. But she stresses that it’s more important than ever to validate kids’ feelings and let them know they’re not alone.
Local resources support WNC’s first-generation college students
In April, Tanya Ledford left a 22-year-long education career teaching history and English at public schools in Henderson and Polk counties. But Ledford’s new job hasn’t taken her far from the classroom. She is now assisting Hispanic high school students, many of them the first in their family to seek a college education, through the […]
Asheville settles lawsuit over ACSF scholarships
The lawsuit was brought by WNC Citizens for Equality, led by former Council member and Buncombe County Republican Party Chair Carl Mumpower, and charged that the scholarships excluded otherwise eligible applicants on the basis of race.
Pisgah wildlife education hub to close after flood damage
When Tropical Depression Fred tore through Western North Carolina in August, among the casualties was the Pisgah Center for Wildlife Education. The N.C. Wildlife Resources Commission’s executive board has moved to close and demolish the facility, replacing it with an expansion to the adjacent Bobby N. Setzer Fish Hatchery.