The annual report and accompanying presentation were created by Buncombe’s Domestic Violence Fatality Review Team, which was formed in 2018 to prevent domestic violence deaths in the county.
Q&A: Travis Rountree on the history of the LGBTQ+ community in WNC
Since 2019, Travis Rountree, assistant professor of English at Western Carolina University, has worked to help archive Western North Carolina’s LGTBQ+ community.
Buncombe school board supports control over academic calendar
During their meeting of Jan. 12, members of the Buncombe County Board of Education unanimously approved a resolution that supports amending the state’s school calendar law. The document blasts the current law for a range of woes, from learning loss to difficulty in providing teacher training.
Pack Square revitalization has been a constant for decades
For decades, officials have been looking for ways to revitalize historic Pack Square in the heart of downtown Asheville. With yet another reimagining under way, we take a look back at key some of the key changes that have transformed the city center since the 1960s.
Green in brief: Conserving Carolina to expand Bracken Mountain Preserve
On Dec. 30, the nonprofit completed the purchase of 34 acres in Brevard to expand the preserve. The new land will bolster the existing 395-acre park, owned by the city of Brevard, which connects to the Pisgah National Forest.
Council approves independent committee to review water outages
The new nine-member board will include two residential water customers, one commercial customer, one emergency response or disaster relief professional, two communications professionals and three experts on public water systems.
From AVL Watchdog: Information about holiday water failures is trickling out, as Asheville officials meet in private
Asheville’s water may be restored, but the spigot of information from city officials is still clogged.
Council to vote on water review committee Jan. 10
Asheville City Council will consider establishing an “independent review committee to analyze the events and circumstances leading up to, and throughout the duration of, the recent prolonged water outage.” The group would evaluate Asheville’s emergency response, identify infrastructure needs and recommend policy changes to make the city more resilient.
Zack, Kilgore talk police recruitment at CIBO
Asheville Police Department Chief David Zack and Vice Mayor Sandra Kilgore filled in the Asheville-based trade group Jan. 6 about the city’s recent efforts to address dozens of vacancies among the APD’s patrol staff.
Businesses put humor to work along Asheville’s ‘pun corridor’
One local transit corridor inspires daily grins — and groans — through its plethora of clever roadside signs and business names. Running roughly from Mostly Import Auto Repair on Biltmore Avenue to Thyme in the Garden on Weaverville Highway, this pun-sodden stretch is a welcome sight for wordplay fans and weary commuters alike.
Manheimer addresses county board on water outages
During the Jan. 3 meeting of the Buncombe County Board of Commissioners, Asheville Mayor Esther Manheimer fielded questions about the chain of events that left tens of thousands without water over the Christmas and New Year’s holidays.
Year in Review: Not giving up
WNC’s citizens are deeply committed to making this small corner of the world a better place.
Year in Review: WNC looks back on political change in 2022
Xpress reached out to the area’s elected officials, activists and community leaders to learn more about what they took away from 2022’s political action.
Buncombe prepares for trash collection fee increase
Waste Pro, Buncombe’s waste management contractor, will bump the rate it charges customers for trash pickup by $1.62 per month at the start of the year. On Tuesday, Jan. 3, the company will also ask the county Board of Commissioners to authorize an additional rate hike of 39 cents per month in light of higher recyclable processing costs.
Year in Review: Public safety issues were top of mind in 2022
Xpress asked activists, law enforcement leaders, government officials and others to weigh in on how local crime and related issues shaped the past year.
From CPP: The uncertain future of old-growth forests in North Carolina, part four
In part four, the last in the series, CPP reports on the objections and responses to the recent decision to harvest 26 acres that encompass an old growth patch of forest on a 3,500-foot mountaintop — the Southside Project.
Year in review: News about local news, 2022
The news never stops — nor do the comings and goings of local journalists — as a roundup of 2022 local journalism news attests.
From Asheville Watchdog: Enrollment, retention plunge at UNCA as leaders depart
The declines are the worst of the 16 public universities in the UNC system, an Asheville Watchdog analysis finds.
Year in Review: Economy, homelessness and live events shape quality of life in 2022
What does quality of life mean in Western North Carolina? For the 2022 Year In Review, Xpress asked community members to share their thoughts.
Q&A: What it takes to operate Winter Lights
Since 2018, Mary Rose Ridderbusch-Shearer has co-designed the N.C. Arboretum’s Winter Lights event. She discusses the ins-and-outs of the annual gathering.
Year in Review: Development and tourism remain hot topics
Community members weigh in on the impact of visitors and “progress” throughout 2022.