Candidates in the Buncombe County Sheriff 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.
NC-11 Republican candidates debate sans Cawthorn
The elephant has long symbolized the Republican Party. And at Rockin’ The Red, the GOP’s April 11 primary debate for North Carolina’s 11th Congressional District, there was indeed an elephant in the room: Rep. Madison Cawthorn’s absence.
District attorney candidates address CIBO
Security, crime and justice took center stage during a Council of Independent Business Owners breakfast April 1. The Asheville-based trade group’s meeting served as a forum for the three Democratic Buncombe County district attorney candidates: current DA Todd Williams, prosecutor and former Assistant DA Doug Edwards and assistant public defender Courtney Booth. (Attorney Joe Bowman […]
WTF: Ballot initiatives
In the latest installment of our recurring “WTF?” feature — Want The Facts — Xpress looks into the practice of local ballot initiatives to answer some of the biggest questions.
How state law restricts WNC residents’ access to abortion
Although abortion is technically legal in the U.S., access varies widely. State laws dictate which specific procedures are allowed, which health care providers can perform them and even who can get an abortion. Access is also shaped by how many facilities there are in a given area that are capable of providing this kind of […]
Democratic NC14 candidates hold first Buncombe forum
Five Democratic candidates aiming to represent Buncombe County as part of North Carolina’s 14th Congressional District participated in the forum held at the Ferguson Auditorium at A-B Tech.
From CPP: Tight timeline for challenge to Cawthorn’s eligibility to run
Process and legal questions about involvement in Jan. 6, 2021, events at the U.S. Capitol abound in legal challenge to candidacy of U.S. Rep. Madison Cawthorn.
From CPP: How support for protecting Nolichucky River collapsed
Advocates say community members voiced concerns with no factual basis about federal Wild and Scenic designation for river in Yancey and Mitchell counties.
N.C. House vacancies pave way for new faces in 2022
The planned retirements of Reps. John Ager, Susan Fisher and Brian Turner — all three multi-term Democratic members of the N.C. House from Buncombe County — mean the county’s state-level representation is set for a big shift in the upcoming election.
Buncombe hires attorneys to help with redistricting
The Jan. 4 agenda for the county Board of Commissioners lists “a discussion of Board of Commissioner districts and structure,” accompanied by a letter of engagement with Raleigh-based law firm Poyner Spruill dated Dec. 1.
Green in brief: State budget brings millions in environmental funding to WNC
Among the largest allocations are $12.2 million to accelerate the purchase and opening of Pisgah View State Park in Buncombe County, $7.2 million for the removal of hazardous dams in WNC and $5 million to upgrade the city of Hendersonville’s wastewater treatment plant.
From CPP: NC Elections Board to review results of new election audit tests
The N.C. State Board of Elections considers a new election security measure through county-level tests, including in Buncombe County, and works to figure out whether and how to incorporate it into state practices.
Off-year elections shake up local municipalities
Western North Carolina bustled with electoral intrigue in 2021. From Woodfin, Asheville’s neighbor to the north, to the Jackson County seat of Sylva in the west, challengers bested incumbents in many nonpartisan town council and commission races.
What happens to short-term rentals in the long-term?
The amount of money brought in by these short-term rentals in Buncombe County during the first half of this year was up 131% compared with STR revenue for January through June 2019. Consumer preferences — and choices to be made by government officials locally and in Raleigh — will affect the size of that gravy train and who will benefit from it in the years to come.
From NC Health News: Six Republican counties in WNC pledged their support for Medicaid expansion. What’s changed?
For months, the CEO of the Cherokee Indian Hospital has quietly traveled to county commission boards throughout the western part of the state, giving presentations on the benefits of Medicaid expansion. As local leaders throughout the conservative region show support for the policy, will they change the minds of state Republicans?
Commissioners condemn Edwards’ school board proposal
The Buncombe County Board of Commissioners voted 6-1 for a resolution opposing Republican Sen. Chuck Edwards’ latest legislative move, an attempt to create district elections for Buncombe’s Board of Education.
Contested Woodfin election driven by development concerns
Eight candidates are vying for three seats on the governing body for the town of roughly 8,000 people to the northwest of Asheville. Challengers and incumbents alike agree that concerns over development, particularly The Bluffs at River Bend proposal, are driving interest in a normally quiet race.
Census data paves way for WNC redistricting
The N.C. General Assembly must take census results into account as members create new voting district boundaries that reflect the state’s population growth and follow strict legal criteria. Western North Carolina’s state Senate and U.S. House districts are both likely to see changes for the 2022 election cycle.
Local rally responds to Texas abortion ban
Amid signs reading “My body, my choice, my right” and chants of “We won’t go back!”, supporters of reproductive rights gathered at Pack Square on Sept. 6 as a local response to Senate Bill 8, a ban in Texas on abortions of pregnancies of more than about six weeks. The Speakout for Reproductive Freedom, organized […]
Xpress earns national award for 2020 voter guide
The paper’s 2020 Voter Guide earned second place in the special section category of the Association of Alternative Newsmedia’s annual awards, announced on July 23. The competition included 54 publications and 598 entries from across the U.S. and Canada.