At first glance, the dispute between Grace Episcopal and the Facebook group members seems a clear-cut case of how social media can effect change: A concerned resident encouraged like-minded people to contact the church, they did, and the church declined to serve as a host site. Viewed through a different lens, however, the incident highlights the potential for harm that can result from jumping to conclusions — and then broadcasting them via social media.
The new amenity, which will be located at the intersection of Rankin Avenue and College Street, aims to offer residents, visitors and the unhoused a safe, clean place to go when nature calls.
McCormick Field has been home to a minor league baseball team for each of the past 64 years. The current Tourists franchise brings in roughly $9.8 million in local spending annually for Buncombe County.
Rural northern Buncombe County is the first area in the county to see the result of the American Rescue Plan Act’s quest to expand reliable broadband access. Buncombe is one of 81 NC counties that have received state funding to improve internet service.
Federal Treasury data shows that about half of the American Rescue Plan Act funds spent in WNC counties has been used on staff salaries. Nearly $98 million is still available to be allocated.
If approved, the grant would bolster two American Rescue Plan Act grants previously approved by Council earlier this year.
Haywood County is currently the only mountain county using federal pandemic relief dollars to support local community colleges.
The county’s ad hoc reappraisal committee, tasked with reviewing allegations that Buncombe’s tax assessment process was unfair to low-income residents and communities of color, presented its recommendations to the board. And commissioners approved annual funding for reparations, honoring a request from the joint Asheville-Buncombe Community Reparations Commission.
The nonprofit Mills River Farm Market has been helping farmers and consumers by doubling amount of SNAP benefits used to purchase locally grown food. The town of Mills River is now using ARPA funds to help sustain that practice.
Madison County’s ARPA manager says his job could wind down soon based on most uses of ARPA funds, but using them for broadband complicates things.
A week after the Buncombe County Board of Commissioners doled out about $4.9 million of its own American Rescue Plan Act allotment, Asheville City Council will consider over $11.7 million in ARPA projects Tuesday, May 10.
The three applications were the first to be funded out of 105 projects that had been submitted in response to Buncombe County’s latest request for proposals for American Rescue Plan Act support, which closed April 12.
The city used a scoring system to winnow the field of applicants, but at least one council member questions the fairness of that approach.
New construction at Deaverview Apartments, Asheville’s second-oldest public housing community, will consist of two three-story buildings and one four-story building containing 82 total mixed income units.
Black Mountain hopes to extend the life of a 90-year-old earthen dam using $300k from its share of federal American Rescue Plan Act money.
Aside from voting on its consent agenda, Asheville City Council isn’t scheduled to take any action during its meeting of Tuesday, April 12.
The city in North Carolina’s rainiest county is putting much of its federal American Rescue Plan Act funds toward stormwater infrastructure.
Eighteen nonprofits aiding mountain residents with services like housing, diapers, food, the arts, education and advocacy receiving more than $13.9 million of Buncombe County’s ARPA funding.
Many areas of rural mountains in NC have limited internet access or people are forced to rely on satellites. Infusion of funds may change that.
The work was launched in response to Asheville’s passage of a climate emergency resolution in January 2020, which committed the city to “an equitable and just citywide mobilization effort to reverse global warming” and set 2030 as a target for eliminating all greenhouse gas emissions within city limits.
The funding supports three different economic development projects.
