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.

Forest Service identifies general time for prescribed burn at Bent Creek, week of July 25


If you see smoke in the Bent Creek area this coming week, it’s likely part of a research project: If weather conditions remain safe, the USDA Forest Service says it will conduct a prescribed burn sometime during the week of July 25. The burn is being done for research purposes on the Bent Creek Experimental Forest near Lake Powhatan, southwest of Asheville, say officials at the Southern Research Station of the USDA Forest Service.
Photo by Jonathan Welch

Boxed out: Buncombe County allows some newspaper bins, bans others

Buncombe County approved the temporary return of three newspaper boxes to their former home outside the courthouse but is continuing to ban the others removed late last month. The move comes after Mountain Xpress and the Asheville Citizen-Times jointly retained attorney Amanda Martin to write a letter challenging the county’s decision.

Photos by Jerry Nelson, JourneyAmerica.org

Keep Buncombe County together

The proposed legislative redistricting plan for the state of North Carolina would split Buncombe County into two parts: the eastern segment (including the city of Asheville) would join the 10th District while the western part of the county would remain in the 11th District with the other mountain counties. Splitting the Buncombe County electorate would […]

Deadly bat disease suspected in Buncombe County

The deadly bat disease known as white-nose syndrome is probably present in Buncombe County, according to a new report from the N.C. Wildlife Resources Commission. The news raises the number of affected counties in Western North Carolina to four. Since its initial appearance in a New York cave in 2006. the fungal disease has killed bats at a startling rate. Biologists worry that mortality from the disease is so high, we may be witnessing an extinction event.
Photo by Jonathan Welch