Services on the mobile health unit include rapid testing for HIV and hepatitis C; gonorrhea, chlamydia and syphilis testing; vaccinations; distribution of COVID-19 tests; tests for fentanyl and xylazine; Narcan, the overdose reversal drug; antibiotic treatment for syphilis; and family planning services.
Help Asheville Bears closes after spending $2 million calling attention to injured animals
The grassroots nonprofit grew out of one family’s crusade following the 2019 discovery of a bear they’d named Peaches that was suddenly missing a limb.
From CPP: Future of Mission Health could hinge on what happens over the next month
The deadline for Dogwood Health Trust to deliver its opinion to the N.C. Attorney General’s office about whether HCA breached its Asset Purchase Agreement is fast approaching. And just one week remains until the contract expiration date of Mission Health’s nurses.
Longer growing seasons mean more allergy issues for WNC
Asheville-area health professionals are seeing itchy, sniffling allergy sufferers up to nine months of the year.
Coffee business offers employment opportunities to formerly incarcerated individuals
One might never know that a 650-pound industrial coffee roaster sits in the Trinity United Methodist Church basement if not for the smell of freshly roasted beans.
Mission nurses call for management to address workplace violence
Nurses at HCA Healthcare-owned Mission Hospital face a steady stream of assaults and violence in their workplace and say management needs to do more to prevent their physical injuries and emotional trauma, according to reporting by Asheville Watchdog.
Reparations Commission wrestles with legal questions around recommendations
Commission member MZ Yehudah cut right to the point at a recent meeting of the Community Reparations Commission. “Are reparations for Black Asheville legally defensible?” The answer, according to city and county attorneys, is complicated.
Business, nonprofit roundup: Rhubarb to hold wedding-vendor showcase July 21
The showcase will feature more than a dozen local vendors in the industry, including photographers, florists, musicians and stationery printers.
Around the region: Post-Paper Town, people in Canton are cautiously optimistic
The Haywood County town of Canton has been without the Pactiv Evergreen paper mill for a year. How is the place that defines itself as “paper town” doing in the absence of the mill?
County passes 2024-25 budget, property tax increase
The Buncombe County Board of Commissioners voted 6-0 on June 18 to approve a $440 million general fund budget for fiscal year 2024-25. Chair Brownie Newman said the decision to raise taxes is not easy, and this was the toughest budget season he’s been through in his 12 years on the commission.
Walking trail highlights Asheville’s Black heritage
From Asheville’s first elected Black person in 1882 to the destructive outcomes of one of the South’s largest urban renewal projects in the 1960s and ’70s on a previously thriving Southside community, the mile-long trail takes visitors through the under-told stories of Black Asheville’s long history in three sections.
Local programs offer help to new and expanding businesses
A-B Tech’s Small Business Center and Mountain BizWorks are among local organizations that aim to help new and growing small businesses thrive in Asheville.
From CPP: Proposal would make NC public records and meetings access a constitutional right
The single-page bill, filed concurrently as S.B. 911 and H.B. 1075, passed its first readings before being referred to the Rules committees of the House and Senate, where it’s unlikely to be picked back up this session.
County poised to approve budget, tax increase
If passed, the new rate — 52.35 cents per $100 of value — would mean the owner of a home valued at $400,000 will pay $2,094 in taxes to the county, $102 more than last year.
Building Bridges marks 30 years of equity education
The all-volunteer, antiracism organization grew from a single nine-week course back in 1993.
UNCA chancellor proposes four academic programs for elimination, one for reduction
UNC Asheville plans to phase out its Ancient Mediterranean Studies, Drama, Philosophy and Religious Studies programs.
Expect tax increases after Council approves BID, fiscal year 2025 budget
“We’re creating a budget that has recurring expenses,” Mayor Esther Manheimer said. “You’ve got to have a source of revenue that continues year after year.”
Brood 19 cicadas emerge in WNC
‘We haven’t really seen any widespread emergence of the periodical cicada so far, but we think it’s really going to be isolated to very small areas in southern Buncombe and around the Arden area and in Fairview,” says Owen.
County juggles aging ambulances and rising demand
As the pandemic-era backlog of emergency vehicles continues to delay new trucks from reaching Buncombe County, paramedics are left driving aging ambulances longer than they should just as they are needed more than ever before.
Asheville educator advocacy group rallies for a seat at the table
On June 10, the Asheville City Association of Educators delivered a letter signed by the Parent Teacher Organizations or parent teams from all eight of the district’s schools.
Bacoate Branch Trail hits a dead end
After several months of discussion, including a contentious meeting with the Asheville City Board of Education June 3, Mike Sule, who was spearheading the project, asked the board to remove the project from its agenda June 10.