From occupancy tax allocations and hemp production to private bar membership, state legislators voted on several measures that are consequential to WNC in their recently concluded short session.
Abortion ruling will impact Asheville’s Planned Parenthood
As the sole abortion provider in Western North Carolina, the Planned Parenthood in Asheville will become the closest legal abortion destination for millions of people.
N.C. may inch closer to legalizing medical marijuana
Supporters of medical marijuana and the local hemp industry want to see the state allow the use of cannabis as a treatment option for debilitating medical conditions. But there are disagreements with Senate Bill 711 as written.
Five takeaways from Buncombe’s 2022 primaries
The Buncombe County Board of Elections won’t officially certify the results until Friday, May 27, and the N.C. Board of Elections will issue its own certification Thursday, June 9. But even with those steps still to come, there’s plenty to learn from the unofficial results.
A closer look at WNC’s unaffiliated voters
North Carolina voters can register with one of three political parties — Republican, Democratic and Libertarian — or as unaffiliated. The last has become an increasingly popular option, both in WNC and across the state.
WNC primary elections 2022 live coverage
Watch this space for the latest 2022 primary election results for Western North Carolina and commentary from the Mountain Xpress news team. The post will be updated regularly throughout the evening.
Local political candidates offer takes on arts issues
AAAC Executive Director Katie Cornell discusses the latest candidate survey and the 2020 edition’s impact on local policies.
2022 Primary Election Voter Guide
In preparation for the primary election of Tuesday, May 17, Xpress sent questions to all candidates in contested races representing Buncombe County voters. Responses from candidates for the U.S. House of Representatives, N.C. General Assembly, Buncombe County-level races and Asheville City Council are all collected here.
Unaffiliated voters redefine Buncombe rolls
As of April 9, nearly 83,000 Buncombe County residents — about 40.3% of all voters — had registered as unaffiliated, compared with about 75,000 Democrats (36.5%), 46,000 Republicans (22.4%) and 1,700 Libertarians (0.8%). The shift represents an unaffiliated increase of nearly 15 percentage points since the 2008 primaries.
2022 Primary Voter Guide: Asheville Mayor
Primary candidates in the 2022 Asheville mayoral election share their positions with Xpress.
2022 Primary Voter Guide: U.S. House of Representatives District 11 — Republican
Candidates in the U.S. House of Representatives District 11 2022 Republican primary share their positions with Xpress.
2022 Primary Voter Guide: U.S. House of Representatives District 11 — Democratic
Candidates in the U.S. House of Representatives District 11 2022 Democratic primary share their positions with Xpress.
2022 Primary Voter Guide: Buncombe County Sheriff — Democratic
Candidates for the Buncombe County Sheriff Democratic 2022 primary share their positions with Xpress.
2022 Primary Voter Guide: Buncombe County District Attorney — Democratic
Candidates for the Buncombe County District Attorney Democratic 2022 primary share their positions with Xpress.
2022 Primary Voter Guide: Buncombe County Board of Commissioners District 1 — Democratic
Candidates for the Buncombe County Board of Commissioners District 1 Democratic 2022 primary share their positions with Xpress.
2022 Primary Voter Guide: Asheville City Board of Education
Candidates in the Asheville City Board of Education 2022 primary race share their positions with Xpress.
2022 Primary Voter Guide: N.C. Senate District 46 — Republican
Candidates in the N.C. Senate District 46 Republican 2022 primary share their positions with Xpress.
2022 Primary Voter Guide: N.C. Senate District 49 — Democratic
Candidates in the N.C. Senate District 49 Democratic 2022 primary share their positions with Xpress.
2022 Primary Voter Guide: N.C. House District 115 — Republican
Candidates in the N.C. House District 115 Republican 2022 primary share their positions with Xpress.
2022 Primary Voter Guide: Asheville City Council
Primary candidates for the 2022 Asheville City Council race share their positions with Xpress.
2022 Primary Voter Guide: Buncombe County Sheriff — Republican
Candidates in the Buncombe County Sheriff Republican 2022 primary share their positions with Xpress.