MSD gives itself high marks in its 2011 performanc­e report

Every day, the Municipal Sewerage District collects and treats — and discharges into the French Broad — an average of 18 million gallons of wastewater, relying on millions of microbes to do what they’ve been doing since the Earth was young: consume organic waste. And every year, the Clean Water Act requires the utility to provide an assessment of how well they’re doing. That report was submitted to DENR August 30; let’s take a look.

Buncombe County Register of Deeds responds to WE DO campaign

Buncombe County Register of Deeds Drew Reisinger upheld state law Oct. 3 by denying a marriage license to a number of same-sex couples, including Rev. Kathryn Cartledge and Elizabeth Eve, her partner of 30 years, among others. They were joined by a group of supporters including state House Rep. Patsy Keever and Asheville City Council member Gordon Smith, both of whom Reisinger supported in their respective elections. Later that day, Reisinger posted the following thoughts on his Facebook page

County issues requiremen­ts for former CTS facility to escape demolition

The case of the contaminated former CTS facility in Mills Gap has taken a new twist, as Buncombe County last week responded to the property owner’s appeal of its move to demolish the derelict plant building. The county provided property owner Mills Gap Road Associates with a list of measures needed to prevent demolition as scheduled.

CTS owners appeal county decision to condemn derelict plant building in Mills Gap

As Mills Gap residents looked on, an attorney representing the current owner of the former CTS of Asheville plant appealed to local government officials, asking them not to move forward with their plan to demolish the derelict plant building. Attorney Billy Clarke, representing Mills Gap Road Associates, told the presiding officials — County attorneys Kurt Euler and Michael Frue, and County Building Inspector Matt Stone — that the owners want to stabilize the building instead.

Going green

Buncombe County Board of Commissioners Sept. 13, 2011 meeting CTS building condemned, demolition planned Grants sought for Mountain Mobility Buncombe County is working to cut energy costs, lower carbon emissions and preserve farmland, various staffers told the Board of Commissioners Sept. 13 in a series of reports on current environmental initiatives. Assistant County Manager Jon […]

Loss of public employment sends Asheville jobs numbers plunging

Jobs numbers worsened across the state in July, according to data from the state’s Employment Security Commission, and the Asheville area was no exception, losing a total of 2,900 jobs, mostly from the public sector. While unemployment in the area declined slightly, combined with the net job losses, this indicates some unemployed have stopped looking for work.

Chevy Volt arrives in Asheville; City and County flag efforts to shrink our carbon footprint


Leaders from Asheville and Buncombe County governments and a host of nonprofit organizations gathered at the Asheville Area Chamber of Commerce Thursday morning, July 28, for the Land-Of-Sky Regional Council’s unveiling of the 2011 Chevy Volt, a plug-in hybrid electric vehicle, which General Motors boasts has lower emissions and is less expensive to operate than a regular hybrid vehicle, such as the Toyota Prius. Xpress’ environmental reporter Susan Andrew was invited to take the Volt for a spin.