The Buncombe County Planning Board initially approved the plans for the Maple Trace subdivision in November 2014. At that time, the design called for 140 household units to be built in a rural Weaverville community with traffic directed through two exists. However, revisions to the plan have residents concerned that poor visibility and high traffic may result in dangerous driving conditions.
Identifying the challenges facing the Future I-26 project is fairly straightforward; implementing the needed improvements is more complicated. So how does an ordinary highway become an interstate? And when might the stretch north of downtown Asheville make the interstate grade?
“Needless to say, your news about the high rate of students smoking casts a cloud over the image of Warren Wilson.”
When Xpress asked local educators for ideas about the focus of the annual Kids Issue, two distinct ideas rose to the top: activism and a kid’s view of the world. This week we focused on activism.
When we purchased our Barnardsville-area property years ago, we chose it primarily because it backed up to national forest lands. We felt this ensured that the land would be protected for our family and for future generations. Why are we now considering creating roads to slice through the forest so that logging trucks can cut […]
A student-generated idea to help the environment by getting rid of Styrofoam lunch trays in the school cafeteria is becoming a reality at Asheville’s Vance Elementary School.
I am writing to express my dismay when I drive or walk by the Urban Outfitters store in downtown Asheville and see their large double doors propped wide open, no matter what the weather. In the summer, you are blasted with cold air from their AC on the sidewalk. In the winter, the heat must be […]
The North Carolina Wildlife Resources Commission and NC State University have wrapped up the first year of urban bear study in Asheville. “While it is too early in the study to make any conclusions, we were impressed by the size and health of the yearling bears we handled,” reads a passage from NC Wildlifer.
On Thursday, Nov. 13, the Asheville-based investigative news outlet Carolina Public Press hosted its first Newsmakers series — in this case, a lively discussion that dived questions about the U.S. Forest Service’s draft plan for 1 million acres of public lands in Western North Carolina. (photos by Pat Barcas)
Recently, Mountain Xpress sat down with Alexandra Guest, the AmeriCorps Forest Keeper who’s helping lead a new initiative in Western North Carolina.
It was my first prescribed burn. After weeks of training, and months of anticipation, I was finally on the ground – drip torch in hand – ready to apply fire to restore the mixed pine-hardwood forests at the edge of the Blue Ridge Mountains, on the Grandfather Ranger District of Pisgah National Forest.
Don’t allow fracking in Western North Carolina. That was the clear message from the nearly 90 people who spoke to members of the state Mining and Energy Commission on Sept. 12 in Cullowhee. They were voicing their concerns at the last of four public hearings on proposed rules for hydraulic fracturing, a drilling method that […]
On Tuesday, Aug. 12, the People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals released a statement, video and photo gallery (link below) claiming a Western North Carolina dairy farm mistreats its animals. The video showed cows on the farm knee-deep in their own manure, trudging through the sludge while feeding, sleeping and before milking. PETA reported many of […]
After passage of the Energy Modernization Act in June opened the door to fracking in North Carolina, the state’s Mining and Energy Commission is accepting public comment through Sept. 15 on the draft rules for regulating the controversial practice.
No leaks have been discovered at Duke Energy’s Asheville plant, which runs on coal — like the one on the Dan River where a broken pipe released thousands of gallons of coal ash. But the N.C. Department of Environment and Natural Resources has ordered the company to provide its engineer’s assessment, saying that “portions of […]
A proposed limit on the total volume of biofuels that must be added to conventional fuels each year has prompted Woody Eaton of Blue Ridge Biofuels to ask President Obama for help. More than 50 businesses and individuals signed Eaton’s letter to Obama in a grassroots effort to highlight the potential impact of the U.S. […]
By Rachel Ingram, Volunteer Intern, U.S. Forest Service National Forests in North Carolina I thought I knew it all. Only 22 years old, I had done more than my fair share of backpacking, kayaking, hiking and fishing. So when I, as a junior in the Mass Communications department at UNC Asheville, saw the posting on […]
Members of the Western North Carolina Alliance showed overwhelming support for a proposed merger with the Environmental and Conservation Organization and the Jackson-Macon Conservation Alliance on Monday, May 12, in an overwhelming 177-to-2-vote.
Quietly, day after day, the dedicated staff at CMLC works to protect special open space lands for the public to enjoy. In 2013, the nonprofit had its biggest year ever, conserving about 4,000 acres, including Bearwallow Mountain (pictured above).
The mission of Xpress’ first annual Get It! Guide is to provide locals and visitors with an introduction to the many ways we can engage and have a stake in creating a vibrant, sustainable community.
Hundreds of locals perused the booths at Mother Earth News Fair this weekend, purchasing local seeds, soaps, gardening supplies and other wares on the grounds of the Western North Carolina Agricultural Center.
