New Stories
Letter: Asheville, we need to invest in ourselves
“We need to invest in ourselves — pay living wages, build or convert affordable housing, expand public transportation, house the homeless, focus spending on the people who live here.”
Letter: Goodbye, once-beautiful Asheville
“We moved here 10 years ago, but between the nasty-ass tourists and the ridiculously bad crime rate per capita, we also have decided to move away.”
Letter: Will marketing make us ‘Myrtle Beach of the Mountains’?
“Isn’t this like telling a family of eight living in a two-room house that you’re persuading a couple of baseball teams to move in with them?”
Asheville lowers proposed tax increase ahead of budget vote
While City Manager Debra Campbell is still recommending a property tax increase to help cover $8.7 million in new city spending, a staff report available before the meeting explains that a lower rate can be achieved by using other revenue sources.
Letter: Asheville is missing the Good Neighbor clause
“The debate over impact is ongoing, so maybe the question is how many are too much; the only thing going forth and multiplying harmoniously is the virus.”
Letter: See (the new) Rock City
“What a great opportunity for Asheville and the Chamber of Commerce to pronounce Asheville as Rock City, N.C., in competition with Rock City, Tenn.”
Green in brief: Solarize reaches lowest pricing for community solar
The Solarize rate of $2.45 per watt of electricity generation is roughly 9% cheaper than the statewide average of $2.67 per watt listed by EnergySage, an industry website. The program, spearheaded by the nonprofit Blue Horizons Project, is able to offer the discount through bulk purchasing of solar equipment for Buncombe County residents.
Low-barrier shelter may fill temporary housing gaps
Newly formed Asheville nonprofit Accessing Needed Crisis and Critical Help Outreach and Resources is proposing a low-barrier, high-access shelter that would forego many of the usual rules for tenants. Start-up costs could reach $6.5 million, with annual operating costs of $3 million, and would initially be funded through Asheville’s approximately $26.1 million in federal coronavirus relief.
WNC health care providers work to cut opioid prescriptions
Drug abuse changed during the 13 years that Adam McIssac has been working as a drug and alcohol counselor in Asheville. At the beginning, McIssac mostly saw clients who were addicted to methamphetamine. But over time “pills,” including opioids like oxycodone (OxyContin) and hydrocodone (Vicodin), became the main drugs that his clients abused. Opioid abuse […]
Local board game designers unite
Local board game designers team up to create new adventures.
Letter: Charlotte Street, affordable housing and Asheville’s lure
“We’re losing why people want to move here: nature and beauty.”
Buncombe budget hikes taxes, funds rebate program
Buncombe County’s fiscal year 2021-22 budget — passed unanimously by the Board of Commissioners on June 15 — includes an effective property tax increase of 2 cents per $100 of valuation. It also includes $300,000 toward property tax relief grants.
What’s new in food: Queens on the stage, chefs on the move and cider meets cheese
Asheville Drag Brunch is back, Session Café & Bar gets a new chef de cuisine, Steve Goff takes over the kitchen at Jargon and more local food news.
Two downtown historic buildings emerge as dining destinations
As Asheville businesses begin to resurface from the crushing effects of COVID-19, the S&W Building and the Grove Arcade are being reimagined as vibrant, food-focused community gathering spots.