Yesterday’s rain helped reduce the size of the raging fire in the Linville Gorge Wilderness area from 2,700 acres to about 2,275 acres, but the blaze continues to blanket a popular site for hiking, climbing and camping. Officials are now worried that an upcoming week of warm, dry weather could challenge containment efforts.
Residents of the Mills Gap Road area, who live near the contaminated former CTS of Asheville site will hold a viewing of WLOS’ hour-long investigative report on the issue this afternoon. The residents, many active for years in bringing attention to the problem, will renew their call for accountability from the Environmental Protection Agency and a full clean-up.
On Nov. 19, Buncombe Commissioners will consider spending $69,000 on a conservation easement to protect 121 acres of land from development on Long Mountain in the Upper Hominey area.
Asheville City Council chambers were as packed as they’ve been in quite awhile as development teams, UNC Asheville staff, Boy Scouts and advocates of clean energy and civil liberties all filled City Hall for tonight’s meeting. (Photo by Max Cooper)
Multiple complaints about mold, rot, and other woes at a Merrimon Avenue apartment complex earlier this year casts doubt on the ability of local governments to deal with what many see as a serious health issue, leaving tenants feeling powerless to get their grievances addressed. And with the Asheville area having some of the highest housing costs in the state and one-third of its working population earning low wages, many local renters face similar issues.
This past summer, Asheville resident Patricia Johnson participated in the 2013 Walk for Our Grandchildren — a 100-mile protest march that aimed to draw attention to fossil fuels and the controversial Keystone XL Pipeline. Johnson writes about what it was like to be a “street medic” for the walk, in which many area residents trekked from outside Camp David to the White House.
Buncombe County Commissioners sought to find a better balance between environmental protection and private property rights Sept. 17, unanimously approving an update to their land use plan.
The CTS Corporation has appealed to the U.S. Supreme Court, asking it to overturn a June ruling from a federal appeals court that would allow 23 local citizens to go forward with a their lawsuit demanding compensation and cleanup of the company’s contaminated former Asheville site.
Commissioners will consider updating Buncombe County’s land use plan when they meet Sept. 17.
For those who know the name Wilma Dykeman but don’t know much about one of Asheville’s most famous daughters, an upcoming lecture series will explore her life as an historian, journalist, environmentalist, teacher, novelist and traveler. ” (Photo of Wilma Dykeman at Carmel, Calif. in 1936 from the Wilma Dykeman Collection at D.H. Ramsey Library Special Collections)
With wild ginseng root fetching upward of $800 a pound, untold numbers of poachers have taken to local forests, overwhelming meager law enforcement resources and leaving the plant’s survival in doubt.
The Buncombe County Board of Commissioners took a variety of actions Aug. 27. Here are some of the highlights. (Photo by Max Cooper)
A small but passionate group promoted awareness on the chemtrail and geoengineering issue on Saturday, Aug. 25. [By guest contributor Doug Johnson]
The Buncombe County Board of Commissioners will consider an energy policy update Aug. 27.
A few hundred people rallied under clear blue skies in Pack Square Park Saturday afternoon to call on Duke Energy to shutter its Asheville coal plant and advocate for clean energy. The event, called “Beyond Coal: A Rally for Our Future,” featured local speakers, singers and popular TV actor/vampire Ian Somerhalder. [Photo gallery at the bottom.]
Friends of Panthertown will host a picnic and concert to celebrate its members and encourage new volunteers on Tuesday, Aug. 20.
The wild blueberries are ripe for the picking along the Blue Ridge.
It was a relatively short meeting for Asheville City Council tonight, but they managed to consider issues ranging from the role of rising rents in homelessness to landslides to a different location for Brewgrass.
Three recent community meetings gave Buncombe County residents a chance to raise concerns with the Board of Commissioners.
Asheville filmmaker Carly Calhoun has released a series of short documentaries on the impact of coal ash, with an eye toward doing a feature-length documentary.
Asheville filmmakers Carly Calhoun and Sam Despeaux have released a series of short documentaries on the impact of coal ash, with an eye toward doing a feature-length documentary.
