A Grateful Dead cover band celebrates a milestone. Plus, a new book from Asheville native; a celebration for the Hominy Creek Greenway; and more.
New Stories
Letter: Spend public money on public schools
“Any public money to any religious school is completely and wholly unconstitutional.”
Opinion: The most intractable problem in Asheville — courtesy of Whole Foods — has become ‘just inhumane at this point’
The store’s main entrance sits on Merrimon Avenue, but to the rear lies Maxwell Street, a short, shaded route that runs between Chestnut and Broadway streets. The problem is that on this end of the building, Whole Foods has a loading dock, which was issued a permit by the city two decades ago.
Development Roundup: Planning and Zoning Commission to discuss Pack Square plan
The Planning and Zoning Commission will review a request from Durham-based civil engineering firm McAdams Co. to adopt the vision plan for the Pack Square Revitalization Project that was released to the public July 21.
Letter: North Asheville’s parking lot
“Congratulations! To the City of Asheville and all the others involved in deciding and implementing the changes that have turned Merrimon Avenue into a parking lot!”
My Story: An elder’s brave bike venture
“But alas, that old saying ‘It’s just like riding a bike’ doesn’t hold up anymore. Not because riding a bike is any different, as much as I am. Different.”
Letter: City should provide public toilets and more in West Asheville
“The public toilets and drinking water access points are exactly what our tax dollars should support. No excuses, Mayor Esther Manheimer!”
From CPP: The battle for wild and scenic status, part 2
Getting a river “wild and scenic” status is a balancing act between conservation and various group interests. Many oppose this designation, fearing government overreach. Some believe that lands within the national forest are already sufficiently protected, while others feel the designation may restrict landowners who rely on water access for farming or ranching.
Letter: How about a new auditorium on the South Slope?
“Why not buy the finished ghost garage on the South Slope from troubled developers for pennies on the dollar and use the balance of the land for a new Thomas Wolfe?”
From CPP: The battle for wild and scenic status, part 1
Despite the challenges of achieving wild and scenic river status, a portion of the French Broad has made the cut of eligible rivers. That’s just the first step, though, in the lengthy process to protect it.
Buncombe Schools superintendent touts improving grades
For the first time since 2015, students at 20 Buncombe Schools exceeded growth expectations during the 2022-23 school year, eight more than last year.
Council to vote on funding for more beds for homeless shelters
Asheville City Council will vote on funding to support 43 new high-access shelter beds to aid the homelessness crisis. If approved, the city would enter an interlocal agreement with Buncombe County, with each of the two municipalities allocating $875,000 of their ARPA funding to support the initiative.
Questions persist about county property appraisals
Tax Assessor Keith Miller says he is “very confident” that the changes he’s implemented will improve the process used in the next reappraisal in 2025. However, consultant Joe Minicozzi of the Asheville-based Urban3, whose unsolicited, unpaid analysis was what prompted the commissioners to establish the reappraisal committee, says those changes haven’t gone far enough and that the committee itself wasn’t given a sufficient opportunity to review his firm’s work.
Asheville’s mobile tours adapt to tourism trends
Representatives from LaZoom and Gray Line discuss their experiences with summer’s tourism decline.