Culture clash: Facing up to Asheville’s troubled police-community relations

The task of establishing and/or re-establishing trust between vulnerable communities — especially people of color — and the Asheville Police Department will be a challenging one. And especially in the wake of controversial police use of force over the summer, there is vocal criticism of the department. But the way Chief Tammy Hooper sees it, the APD must rise to that challenge.

Medford gets new lawyer; judge delays attorney-pay question

Even though he’s already been convicted on federal corruption charges and sentenced to 15 years in prison, former Buncombe County Sheriff Bobby Medford, newly shaved bald, was back in an Asheville courtroom on Dec. 4. Medford was assigned a new attorney, Asheville-based David Belser, for his appeal, and Magistrate Judge Dennis Howell delayed consideration of […]

Judge deals out prison sentences in corruption scandal

It worked like a charm. Video-poker-machine owners slipped the gambling devices across the South Carolina state line and into the backrooms of small restaurants and country convenience stores across Western North Carolina. The money rolled in—as much as $30,000 per machine per year—and players were lured by the prospect of winning cash, rather than the […]

Medford sentencing date set

A federal judge is scheduled to announce the prison sentence of former Buncombe County Sheriff Bobby Medford on Oct. 6, despite a last-minute request from Medford’s attorney that the sentencing be delayed. The sentencing will close another chapter in the Medford case, which began last December with his arrest on federal charges related to his […]