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New Stories
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Panel promotes collaboration for missing middle housing reform
The forum follows the November release of a more than 150-page report from Opticos Design, a California-based company that found that Asheville’s existing zoning ordinances and other regulations encourage the construction of single-family housing over other types of housing, such as townhomes, duplexes and triplexes.
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VIDEO PREMIERE: ‘Asheville’ by Hannah Kaminer
The singer-songwriter sought to capture parts of her longtime home that endure from her youth.
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Best Medicine: Local comedians reimagine the Asheville Tourists’ mascot and name
Friday, April 5 is the Asheville Tourists’ opening day. In this month’s “Best Medicine,” co-host Cayla Clark speaks with fellow local comedians about the team and if there’s a more appropriate name for the ball club.
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Asheville’s canines clock in
Not all of Asheville’s pups live a life of leisure. There are several who work hard for the money — OK, the dog treats — in our libraries and schools as well as on our streets.
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Council greenlights Ferry Road mixed-income development
Hundreds of units of mixed-income housing are coming to a Ferry Road property, resolving years of uncertainty over the use of the land.
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Buncombe considers incentives to convert short-term rentals to affordable housing
At its meeting on Tuesday, April 2, the Buncombe County Board of Commissioners will consider launching a pilot program that could transition up to 20 units from STRs to affordable long-term rentals for residents in its first year.
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Longtime educator and advocate for the deaf recognized by NCRID
“Most deaf kids are born to hearing parents, and there’s usually a lag time of identifying deafness in a baby and often a struggle with accepting that you have a deaf child. There’s a long process in which there can be a lot of language deprivation for children. So for us, that’s a big part of our job, being language role models and teaching,” says Kim Martin, lead interpreter for Buncombe County Schools.
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Local poet revisits her father’s cocaine trafficking in latest collection
Poet Nicole Farmer describes her father as a true chameleon. “He went from the mean streets of Chicago to being a golden gloves boxer, studying acting with Lee Strasberg, appearing on Broadway and years being a college history professor before he made his bold criminal move to raise money he needed to open his own honky-tonk.”
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Buncombe begins 3-month budget approval process
County staff reported sales tax revenue growth continues to slow from a peak in 2022 and occupancy tax collections are down 3% year-to-date compared with last year. That, along with expiring funding from the American Rescue Plan Act has the county projecting essentially a no-growth budget.
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Gardening with Xpress: Replenish the soil so your plants can ‘eat’
Replenishing the soil is first step to a successful growing season.
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Business improvement district proposal praised at State of Downtown address
The mayor shared her enthusiasm about a potential business improvement district, or BID, in the city’s downtown.
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Around Town: Blue Ridge Mountains inspire debut suspense novel
A Weaverville author launches her debut novel with an event at Blue Mountain Pizza. Also in this issue: Book discussion and activism events highlight Asheville Prison Books, a Yale singing group performs at the Basilica of St. Lawrence, Mountain BizWorks’ spring Craft Your Commerce workshop series and more.
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From CPP: Former attendees describe ‘nightmare’ at therapy camp in NC mountains. DHHS suspended admissions after 12-year-old died.
The North Carolina Department of Health and Human Services has suspended admissions to Trails Carolina, a residential therapeutic camp in Transylvania County, after a 12 year boy died there Feb. 3, according to a letter DHHS sent the camp.
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What’s new in food: Couple trade corporate life for kimchi
An Asheville couple leave their corporate jobs to make kimchi; a new coffee and baked goods purveyor opens in Black Mountain, Guajiro Cuban Comfort Food gets extended hours and location, and more.
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Letter: Ask Edwards what fiscal commission would target
“If the Fiscal Commission Act of 2023 makes it into law, it creates a way to cut the federal budget, including Medicare and Social Security, largely behind closed doors.”