Thank you Jerry Sternberg

I would like to thank [frequent Mountain Xpress Commentary contributor] Jerry Sternberg for bringing the subject of domestic violence to the attention of Xpress readers by offering the proceeds from his book, The Gospel According to Jerry, to Helpmate, the local nonprofit agency providing shelter for [domestic-violence] victims and their children, a 24-hour hotline, counseling, […]

Wellness by the numbers

Health is always a complicated picture, and gauging the overall health of Buncombe County residents offers no exception. Rated one of the best in the state in access (with Mission Hospitals sometimes lauded nationwide), the county nonetheless witnesses rising numbers of the uninsured, whose ranks have more than doubled in the past 15 years. Especially […]

Appeals court upholds jury verdict in case against local air agency

On Jan. 11, the U.S. Appeals Court, Fourth District, upheld a jury’s judgment that the board of the WNC Air Quality Agency discriminated against Melanie Pitrolo when it passed over her for a key promotion in 2005. The ruling overturns a District Court finding that had reversed the jury and allowed Buncombe County — which oversees the agency — to compel Pitrolo to pay its legal costs. Now, Pitrolo may get to recoup her legal costs from the county. 

Buncombe County Commission­ers wrap up short meeting

Buncombe County commissioners wrapped up their Sept. 7 meeting in less than an hour. Among the actions they took and reports they heard was this tidbit: Commuters are the county’s second-largest source of carbon emissions, making up 18 percent of the total. More than 90 percent of county employs drive to work, averaging a roundtrip of almost 28 miles. In other actions and reports…

URTV: Channel vision

Depending on who you talk to, URTV is either facing imminent shutdown or adequately funded through next June. In the space of a few weeks, representatives of the public-access channel have given widely conflicting accounts of its financial status. “We’ll be out of money as of August,” Executive Director Pat Garlinghouse stated early last month […]