From CPP: Resource guide for preparing, preventing and dealing with COVID-19 in NC

By Imari Scarbrough, originally published by Carolina Public Press. Carolina Public Press is an independent, in-depth and investigative nonprofit news service for North Carolina. COVID-19, also known as the new coronavirus, is a highly contagious illness that is spreading around the world in early 2020. While the virus, which first emerged in the Wuhan province of China, causes potentially […]

From CPP: Elected officials blast HCA for first year’s performanc­e at Mission

By Neil Cotiaux, originally published by Carolina Public Press. Carolina Public Press is an independent, in-depth and investigative nonprofit news service for North Carolina. “We are writing with deep concern regarding the state of Mission Hospital Systems since the purchase by Hospital Corporation of America last year.” So began a scorching condemnation of HCA Healthcare’s […]

Paul Ridgeway, Alma Hinton and Joseph Crosswhite

From CPP: Judges block NC congressio­nal elections with current maps

A three-judge panel issued an injunction late Monday blocking use of the current North Carolina congressional district map in the 2020 election. Although not yet compelling the “coequal branch of government” to draw new maps, judges noted that legislators could proceed to do that on their own and thus avoid any disruption to the election schedule.

From CPP: DEQ says Asheville didn’t follow communicat­ion protocols during water problems

“They are supposed to notify the customers to boil the water and then take a sample to make sure there is no bacteria present in the water and then they lift the boil water advisory,” Kimberly Barnett, the regional manager for Asheville at the state Department of Environmental Quality, told Carolina Public Press. The city of Asheville didn’t follow that process after widespread water outages on April 1.

Year in review: Local media highlights

Local media operations mostly held their own in 2018. While the Citizen Times staff are now tenants in their historic building in downtown Asheville, the paper bagged first place for general excellence in a statewide competition (from which Xpress also brought home a plentiful array of awards). Learn what media expert Jon Elliston found notable on the local media scene in 2018.