At its meeting tonight, Sept. 11, Asheville City Council will decide an issue which has fueled months of debate: whether or not to sell city property across from the Basilica of St. Lawrence to the McKibbon Hotel Group. The public hearing on the matter is the only major item on Council’s agenda.
Diane Ruggiero oversaw many of the city’s arts programs, including Bele Chere, Easel Rider and the W.N.C. Nature Center. Her last day will be Sept. 15.
Today, Sept. 6, Xpress and the other media outlets involved an an open-records lawsuit against the Buncombe County District Attorney’s office and the city of Asheville received word that Judge Bradley Letts had dismissed their push for the release of an audit of the Asheville Police Department evidence room.
Attorneys for an alliance of local media (including Xpress), the city of Asheville and Buncombe County District Attorney Ron Moore laid out arguments before Judge Bradley Letts this morning over whether or not an audit of the Asheville Police Department evidence room should be released. Letts will likely issue a ruling within the next 30 days. Photo by Max Cooper.
Buncombe County District Attorney Ron Moore and Mike Wright, who audited the Asheville Police Department’s old evidence room, have filed affidavits in response to the open records lawsuit from local media (including Xpress), seeking the release of the audit.
On Tuesday, Aug. 28, Asheville City Council continued their regular meeting until today, Aug. 30, to consider a possible change in the wording of the November water referendum. However, after a closed session briefing from legal staff, Council opted to leave the referendum the way it is.
Lawyers representing a coalition of local media (including Xpress) have filed an affidavit to bolster the case for the release of an audit of the Asheville Police Department evidence room. The lawsuit goes before a judge Sept. 4.
After the 2005 and 2008 gas shortages due to hurricanes hitting the Gulf Coast, the city of Asheville developed reserves and a conservation plan. With Hurricane Isaac moving towards the same area, Asheville Fire Department Chief Scott Burnette says the city is well-prepared. It was a common sight on I-26 during the 2008 gas shortage – tourists bringing extra gasoline with them to Asheville. (photo by Bill Rhodes)
Follow live Twitter coverage of the Aug. 28 Asheville City Council meeting, including interviews with candidates for the Planning and Zoning Commission beforehand.
The appointment of two members to the powerful Planning and Zoning Commission and a slew of reports are on the agenda for Asheville City Council’s meeting tomorrow night, Aug. 28.
In this interview with Xpress Asheville Mayor Terry Bellamy talks about the state of the Asheville Police Department evidence room situation, oversight issues, and if the city will be able to hire the number of staff recommended to keep the same problems from re-emerging. Photo by Max Cooper.
Putting a referendum on the fate of Asheville’s water system on the November ballot is front and center at tomorrow’s Asheville City Council meeting.
At its Aug. 14 meeting, Asheville City Council will vote on placing a binding referendum on the sale of the city’s water system on the ballot this November.
In this July 26 letter, City Attorney Bob Oast requests that Buncombe County District Attorney Ron Moore release part of the undisclosed Asheville Police Department evidence room audit containing recommendations for improving the facility’s practices.
The lawsuit filed by five local media outlets, including Xpress, to obtain the Asheville Police Department evidence room audit will go before Judge Bradley B. Letts on Sept. 4.
At an Aug. 7 informational meeting at the U.S. Cellular Center, the McKibbon Hotel Group laid out its plans for a hotel and plaza on city-owned property across from the St. Lawrence Basilica in downtown Asheville. The city is considering McKibbon’s proposal, but hasn’t endorsed or committed to any project yet.
In March 2009, the Asheville Police Department gave a tour of the evidence room as part of the Citizens’ Police Academy program. Xpress has obtained photographs from one of those citizens, providing a glimpse inside what would later become ground zero of a major scandal.
More information has emerged about the oversight of the APD evidence room and what might be required to solve its current disarray. Also: Mayor Terry Bellamy has not replied to questions about when she became aware of a contract clause mandating that the city receive a redacted copy of the evidence room audit.
On time and schedule, work has been completed on the fountain areas of Pritchard Park by Downtown Asheville Resident Neighbors (pictured are Trina Mullen, DARN president and fountain designer Jill Haynie, right; photo by Bill Rhodes)
Follow live Twitter coverage of Asheville’s City Council’s worksession on the fate of the city’s water system, beginning at 3:30 p.m.
The city of Asheville, the Metropolitan Sewerage District of Buncombe County, and Henderson County officials have been negotiating and discussing the possibility of merging Asheville’s water system with MSD. Here are a few documents related to the topic. For more information, see “Reluctant Partners: Asheville, MSD Take Tentative Steps Toward Merger” in the Aug. 1, 2012 issue of Xpress.
