Video: Learn more about the property revaluatio­n process

By the end of the month, every Buncombe County property owner should receive a notice in the mail from the Tax Office indicating the new value of their property for tax purposes. In this video, Buncombe County Public Relations Director Kathy Hughes discusses how those values are determined and what property owners should expect with Tax Director Gary Roberts.

Tomorrow never knows: WNC disasters past, present and future


Even as the holidays come barreling toward us, some folks around the globe fear the mythical planet Nibiru may be doing the same and will trigger some unspecified cataclysm on Dec. 21. Notwithstanding the supposed end of the Mayan calendar, however, local agencies seem focused on preparing for more realistic potential threats. Although it may not be the end of the world, Western North Carolina does remain vulnerable to a wide range of natural and human-made catastrophes, including floods, blizzards, fires and even nuclear accidents.

Local parent starts petition to increase school security

Local parent Mark Fields seeks 10,000 signatures for his petition to “provide each of our city and county public schools with an on-duty police officer or sheriff during the hours that children are in attendance, while simultaneously working to develop and implement a permanent plan to ‘Protect Our Children’ while in the custody of our public schools.” (Pictured: An incident from May, 2007, when Asheville High School was placed on lockdown. Photo by Bill Rhodes)