One ordinance to be approved by Asheville City Council would grant Mayor Esther Manheimer the authority to proclaim any new regulations deemed “reasonably necessary to maintain order and protect lives or property during a state of emergency.”
Borrowing time: Exploring Asheville, Buncombe bond issues
Over the 30-day period that began Feb. 27 and runs through March 26, the city and county are planning to issue a total of nearly $233 million in debt. With so much funding set to flow into local coffers, Xpress looked at what goes into a local government credit ratings and their influence on money management.
Barren City
ASHEVILLE, N.C.
Asheville Archives: Helen Morris Lewis fights for women’s suffrage, 1894
“Why should North Carolina be behind in forming woman’s suffrage organizations?” asked local Asheville resident Helen Morris Lewis in a Nov. 15, 1894, address to fellow community members.
First Buncombe, Henderson residents test positive for COVID-19
Although a case of the disease caused by the novel coronavirus had previously been reported in a visitor to Buncombe County on March 16, the two newly announced cases are the first to be confirmed in residents of Buncombe and its surrounding counties.
Bitter Pill to Swallow
ASHEVILLE, N.C.
Buncombe County suspends COVID-19 test sites
Dr. Jennifer Mullendore, the county’s interim health director, said during a March 20 press conference that the decision was made primarily to conserve resources for “the long haul” in Buncombe’s management of the disease caused by the novel coronavirus.
Xpress announces staff cuts
Xpress announces staff reductions in response to business impacts of the COVID-19 epidemic.
Jobs picture darkens in wake of coronavirus shutdowns
N.C. Gov. Roy Cooper issued a March 17 executive order making it easier for people statewide who have lost their jobs in the wake of business closures related to the coronavirus epidemic to get unemployment benefits, but many workers will find the pot of gold at the end of that rainbow to be comparatively skimpy.
Buncombe responds to COVID-19: March 19
Buncombe County’s revised emergency declaration restricts gatherings to 10 people or less, a stronger mandate than the current statewide prohibition of gatherings of over 100 people. The mandate also requires gyms, fitness centers and exercise facilities, indoor pools, spas, movie theaters, live performance venues and arcades to close until further notice.
Xpress faces unprecedented COVID-19 challenges
Due to cancellations and closures among music venues, restaurants, performing arts spaces and other businesses — some of the newspaper’s biggest advertisers — about half the revenue that supports Xpress’ community-focused reporting has vanished in a matter of days. Publisher Jeff Fobes asks you to chip in and help Xpress through this challenging time.
Buncombe responds to COVID-19: March 18
Fletcher Tove, Buncombe County’s emergency preparedness coordinator said that a local mandate to shutter businesses and facilities that bring people into close, sustained contact — including gyms, pools, spas, hair salons and barber shops — is being developed and could be announced soon.
From CPP: Coronavirus forces changes in forest plan public meeting schedule
All meetings on the U.S. Forest Service schedule of open house sessions planned for March across Western North Carolina have been cancelled, with the 90-day comment period underway.
Commission approves $500K for COVID-19 response
The budget allocation approved during the meeting was double the $250,000 request listed on the Buncombe County Board of Commissioners agenda, which was published on March 11. Of the new amount, $350,000 will go to public safety, with an additional $75,000 spent on both human services and general government.
Sunflower Diner serves breakfast and cheer all day long
When West Village Market owner Rosanne Kiely proposed Bouras turn a corner of the space into a diner, Bouras says, “I gave into it. I kept trying other things, but I’ve always gravitated back to the kitchen.”
Buncombe responds to COVID-19: March 17
Buncombe County has opened two drive-through testing sites, which will be open Wednesday, March 18, from 2-6 p.m. The first site is Biltmore Church at 35 Clayton Road in Arden, and the second is UNC Asheville at One University Heights.
Small bites: Outbreak affects food orgs
Ivory Road Café and Kitchen offers a themed, multicoursed Family Meal event every Wednesday. Also, in local food news: a fermenting workshop at Hickory Nut Gap Farm and food-security initiatives and ways to support WNC’s service industry in the face of the COVID-19 pandemic.
WNC responds to COVID-19 concerns
As our community considers the impact of the disease caused by the novel coronavirus (COVID-19), Xpress will track event cancellations and postponements throughout Western North Carolina.
State, local governments respond as Buncombe’s first contact with disease is confirmed
The effects of the public school closure and a mandatory statewide ban on gatherings of 100 or more people are rippling through the community. And the county health department confirmed that an individual with COVID-19, the disease caused by the new coronavirus, visited Buncombe County March 10-13.
Asheville Council member Kapoor to resign
Asheville City Council member Vijay Kapoor announced that he will resign his post to move to Pennsylvania this summer. Kapoor’s term was to have run through 2022.
Going Viral
ASHEVILLE, N.C.