Perhaps your business needs startup capital to make your idea fly. Or maybe rubbing elbows with lawmakers will give you an edge. Opportunities for building business skills, attracting investment and developing business relationships abound in WNC throughout the late summer and into the fall, and our business news in brief will keep you in the know.
A federal grand jury returned a bill of indictment on Aug. 7, bringing charges against three former Buncombe County officials: former County Manager Wanda Greene, former County Manager Mandy Stone and former Planning Director and Assistant County Manager Jon Creighton.
After internal disagreement among the Buncombe County Board of Elections members, the North Carolina State Board of Elections has accepted a proposal for 11 early voting locations. Local board member Jake Quinn championed the continued use of the Grant Center to ensure access for the African-American community in the area.
Many accused the representative, in his House leadership position as chief deputy majority whip, of giving a free pass to President Donald Trump for behavior they believe to be unethical. McHenry responded by saying he’s chosen to focus on achieving legislative goals, not sharing his opinions on Trump’s communication style.
Buncombe County’s judiciary is set to remain unchanged with none of the incumbent judges facing opposition in the polls. So far the board of education races are shaping up similarly but there is still time for others to file and the Soil and Water board could see changes with five candidates vying for two seats.
In November, North Carolina voters will choose whether to add the right to hunt, fish and harvest wildlife to their constitution. If the amendment passes, the state will join 21 others, including all of the South save Florida, Maryland and West Virginia, in explicitly affirming this right.
Over 1,000 people from Asheville and Western North Carolina participated in the “Families Belong Together” rally on downtown Asheville’s Haywood Street on June 30 to protest family separation at the country’s southern border and the current administration’s zero-tolerance immigration policy.
Local legislators and environmental advocates share their thoughts on which state budgetary and policy decisions could have a big impact on WNC’s environment in the coming fiscal year and beyond. They cited issues including the state’s response to novel contaminants like GenX chemicals, the budget for the N.C. Department of Environmental Quality and funding for the Clean Water Management, Parks and Recreation and Farmland Preservation trust funds.
ASHEVILLE, NC
Three Xpress reporters joined WPVM 103.7 FM radio host Mark Lieberman for a chat about our primary election coverage — among other topics — on May 15.
Amid calls for increased public access to policing data, Asheville City Council left the city’s volunteer board dedicated to hearing residents’ concerns about law enforcement in place for now. At the same time, the elected officials noted many vacancies on the Citizens Police Advisory Committee and signaled their longterm intent to dissolve the body once the newly forming Human Relations Commission has gotten up and running.
The primary election on May 8 produced a combination of expected and surprising victories. We talk to some of the local winners.
N.C.’s tenth and eleventh congressional district primary results finalize fall races with McHenry and Meadows maneuvering to defend their seats.
With the hard-fought primary now behind them, some Buncombe County candidates can breathe a sigh of relief, while for others the hard work is only beginning.
Mission Health President and CEO Dr. Ron Paulus sees system expansion through mergers as a nearly inevitable survival tactic in the current healthcare environment. “There are many leaders — not me, but Mayo Clinic and others — that believe within 25 years, there will be maybe four or five health systems in the U.S.,” he said.
Henderson is the only WNC county that takes part in the federal government’s 287(g) program, which enlists local law enforcement personnel to help implement federal immigration law. That participation has become an issue in the race for Henderson County Sheriff.
Buncombe County Democrats are picking their choice for a new sheriff in the primary election on May 8. The five Democratic candidates have differing takes on how to shape the next iteration of the office. And though they find common ground on topics from drugs to community engagement, competition is fierce as they vie for […]
If this year’s primary race for Buncombe County district attorney seems a bit familiar, that could be because it’s happened before. After then-defense attorney Todd Williams upset six-term officeholder Ron Moore in the 2014 Democratic primary (with no Republicans or Libertarians competing), Ben Scales collected nearly 8,000 signatures to get on the general election ballot […]
In preparation for the May primary, Xpress sent questions to candidates fighting for their party’s nomination for various local and national offices. Read their responses here.
Several hundred students from Asheville-area schools gathered in front of the Vance Monument before marching to Pack Square Park on Friday, April 20, in protest of gun violence and support of gun law reform. The rally, organized by student leaders from Odyssey High School, was part of a nationwide student walkout on the anniversary of […]
Since the state legislature divided the Buncombe County Board of Commissioners into election districts in the run-up to the 2012 election, races in District 2 have been tight. That first districted year, there were races for both seats, one for a two-year term and one for a four-year term, so the top two finishers in […]
