Candidates in the 2020 general election for four seats on the Buncombe County Board of Commissioners give their answers for the Mountain Xpress voter guide.
2020 General Voter Guide: Buncombe County Soil and Water Conservation District Board of Supervisors
Candidates in the 2020 general election for the Buncombe County Soil and Water Conservation District Board of Supervisors give their answers for the Mountain Xpress voter guide.
Asheville Archives: City confronts unemployment, 1930-32
During the onset of the Great Depression, the city of Asheville authorized the formation of the Unemployment Council. The committee’s first project was the community wood yard, which employed 140 workers. Instead of a paycheck, all participants received groceries, clothing and wood.
From CPP: Lead cleanup near water source prompts federal indictment of NC city official
City leaders in Brevard stand behind a public works director facing federal prosecution over handling of contaminated soil taken to a Transylvania County landfill.
Dogwood CEO Chiang takes unexplained leave of foundation
Less than a year after Antony Chiang arrived in Asheville to lead the newly formed Dogwood Health Trust, he’s left the foundation — and despite repeated attempts, Xpress has yet to learn why.
Council to consider UDO changes, JCC expansion
Move over, police, protests and the pandemic: At Asheville City Council’s meeting of Tuesday, Oct. 13, the focus shifts to development (at least according to the agenda).
COVID-19 cases continue to climb
The N.C. Department of Health and Human Services reported 2,428 new cases of COVID-19 on Oct. 8, the highest count since July 30. Hospitalizations are the highest they’ve been all month, and in Buncombe County, viral spread is somewhat higher.
Pandemic of Love connects local needs with local donors
How did the unselfish impulses of a Florida meditation teacher and a Hollywood actress lead Asheville residents to help one another out during the COVID-19 crisis? Through the internet, of course, and via the local generosity tapped by the nonprofit Pandemic of Love.
Hemlock Restoration Initiative seeks long-term state support
A $300,000 recurring allocation for the HRI, a program of Asheville-based nonprofit WNC Communities, stalled in the N.C. General Assembly due to partisan gridlock over the state budget. A joint proclamation between the HRI and the N.C. Department of Agriculture and Consumer Services now aims to make the hemlock’s future more secure.
Tom Elmore marks 70 years with 700 miles
Elmore rode a variety of routes around Leicester and north Buncombe County, beginning and ending at his own doorstep at Thatchmore Farm in Leicester. “It started off pretty slow — maybe 30 miles a week — and worked up to over 100 miles a week,” he says, noting that he ended the tour with a 100-mile day.
Remembrance Project spotlights Buncombe County’s history of racial terror
In September, the Buncombe County Remembrance Project opened a charitable fund at The Community Foundation of Western North Carolina with the goal of raising $80,000 over the next six months. Among other things, the money will support online educational programs about racial justice and the region’s history of racial terror.
Enka barn raises questions about Buncombe special interest funding
The Buncombe County Board of Commissioners voted unanimously on Oct. 6 to award $15,000 toward the construction of an agricultural education facility at Enka High School. But as Chair Brownie Newman noted, recommendations to support such projects are normally made by Buncombe’s School Capital Fund Commission or Board of Education and funded through the regular budget cycle.
Henderson GOP will likely pick Moffitt to replace McGrady Oct. 8
With Republican N.C. House District 117 primary winner Tim Moffitt now also the presumptive candidate to replace outgoing Rep. Chuck McGrady until the Tuesday, Nov. 3, general election, how might his brief incumbency affect the outcome of the race and the new legislative session set to start in January?
COVID-19 cluster confirmed at Oakley Elementary
Five staff members at Oakley Elementary School have tested positive for COVID-19, becoming the school district’s first coronavirus cluster. Plus, North Carolina’s COVID-19 metrics are moving in the wrong direction, says Gov. Roy Cooper.
Asheville Archives: Residents at Hillcrest Apartments organize a rent strike, 1967-68
In the winter of 1967, over 30 residents joined in a rent strike at Hillcrest Apartments. The movement lasted far longer than expected and soon spread across the city’s two other public housing projects.
From NC Health News: With an eye toward enhancing the drug treatment ecosystem, feds award $1 Million to NC rural providers
Four agencies in eastern and western NC received federal grants to study and enhance drug treatment options in some of the state’s rural opioid hotspots.
Buncombe proposes $815K for COVID-19 housing, utility assistance
Public comment on a grant application for federal coronavirus relief identified help with rent, mortgage and utility bills as the county’s greatest need. The Board of Commissioners is set to vote on a plan that would direct the aid, which will likely not be available until January, toward that purpose at its regular meeting of Tuesday, Oct. 6.
Stacie Saunders takes over Buncombe’s COVID-19 response
Stacie Saunders joined the Buncombe County Health Department in August to lead the county’s COVID-19 response. Nearly two months into her role as public health director, she reflects on the pandemic and her plans for the department.
From AVL Watchdog: Equity advocates resign amid racial reckoning
Kimberlee Archie, the city’s first equity and inclusion manager, and Libby Kyles, CEO of the YWCA of Asheville, have left high-profile jobs with a mission of improving racial equity in the city within a month of each other.
Black Mountain candidates share visions for town
This year’s contest to fill three seats on the town’s nonpartisan Board of Aldermen initially drew nine candidates, a field that has since dwindled to six. Four of those candidates participated in a Sept. 21 candidate forum hosted through Zoom by Indivisible Black Mountain.
Despite decaying masonry, St. James AME Church remains Black community cornerstone
The Rev. Brent La Prince Edwards says that with gatherings now happening virtually, the COVID-19 pandemic offers an opportunity for his church to embark on a $571,000 renovation project without displacing worship services and other events.