“The ultimate authority in a child’s life is his or her parents. Our schools need to reflect the wishes of those parents.”
Tag: government
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Letter: We need truly local news
“Our lives in this democratic country do not exist in a void, and we need to know about the institutions that provide essential services and a safe, livable environment — like government, schools and hospitals.”
Letter: Inform ourselves of the good in the world
“I’m motivated to share my reflections on the oneness of the people present, which represented pluralism in America; our togetherness reflected we were ‘all one’ when celebrating what matters in life.”
Multilingual government services grow in fits and starts
When activists hired Spanish-language interpreters for the May 23 meeting of Asheville City Council, some community members questioned why local government bodies aren’t already providing interpretation services at all public meetings.
Letter writer: Dissent is patriotic
“And I will not apologize for protesting, because the ability to dissent, the First Amendment’s guarantee of the right to speak out against the government, is what makes America great.”
Organic salons reject toxic beauty products
Because beauty products may contain toxic chemicals linked to health problems, many WNC salons are switching to all organic products to keep customers and workers safe.
City Council and Buncombe Commissioners to meet in joint session, Aug. 18
Although Asheville City Council members and Buncombe County commissioners frequently attend the same meetings and community events, it’s been at least two years since the two bodies met in an official joint session. Finding a meeting time that works for all elected officials is challenging, explains City Clerk Maggie Burleson, but she believes that most officials will be present for the joint meeting on Tuesday, Aug. 18.
City Council to hear preliminary steps in evaluating shape of Thomas Wolfe Auditorium
Asheville City Council has a light schedule for its regular April 14 meeting. Council members will hear a resolution to approve preliminary steps in evaluating the condition of the Thomas Wolfe Auditorium, as well as tackle some administrative tasks in Buncombe County’s purchase of a 137-acre plot on Ferry Road near Bent Creek from Henderson County.
Asheville Council retreat gathers information on economics, affordability and quality of life
Asheville City Council members unveiled their 2015 strategic operating plan Jan. 30, collecting data on three focus areas: economic growth and sustainability, affordability and economic mobility and high quality of life.
Debated: The race for District Attorney
The results of the May 6 Democratic primary will send either incumbent District Attorney Ron Moore or challenger Todd Williams to the fall election unopposed. Both men are North Carolina natives; both attended UNC Chapel Hill. Moore has been DA since 1991. In the past several years, however, he’s come under scrutiny in connection with […]
Graffiti ordinance on Asheville City Council agenda
Asheville City Council will consider an ordinance next week aimed at attacking the city’s problem with graffiti. The Council will consider tougher penalties for the perpetrators while making property owners responsible for cleanup. The ordinance calls for a three-way approach to dealing with the issue: education, enforcement and rapid removal. A city staff recommendation would […]
Tensions run high over tackling Asheville’s graffiti
Local business owners raised their voices and things got, by the moderator’s own admission, “a little out of hand” at Friday morning’s Council of Independent Business Owners meeting when it came to the issue of graffiti. With the district attorney, city leaders and a state representative on hand, opinions differed — sometimes sharply — on possible solutions and who should foot the bill.
Asheville City Council preview: housing for the homeless and tech for the economy
While Asheville City Council’s meeting next Tuesday, April 8, doesn’t include any hot-button public hearings, it does include projects meant to tackle the lack of housing, especially for the chronically homeless, and improve economic development by bringing in a tech sector “fellow.”
Commissioners approve $50,000 for Mountain BizWorks microloans on party line vote
Buncombe Commissioners voted along party lines April 1 to give Mountain Bizworks $50,000 toward a new microloan program that will help small local businesses get needed capital. The local business nonprofit will leverage the county funds to receive an additional $300,000 from the federal Small Business Association Microloan Program.
Buncombe commissioners to consider $50,000 for Mountain Bizworks microloan program
As Mountain Bizworks continues to restructure its services, Buncombe commissioners are considering a plan to give the influential local business nonprofit $50,000 toward a new microloan program.
Spring brings increased risk of ozone danger
As spring weather returns to Asheville, so does the risk of dangerous levels of ozone pollution. To raise awareness and help notify the public when ozone levels become hazardous, environmental agencies will start issuing daily air quality forecasts Tuesday, April 1, for Asheville and other metropolitan areas across the state.
City rolls out new zoning plan for Haywood Road tomorrow night
After months of preparation, city of Asheville staff will present a new “form-based” zoning plan for the Haywood Road corridor at a meeting tomorrow night, Thursday, March 27. The new plan is a very different approach from the city’s previous development rules, and could provide a model for overhauling other neighborhoods’ zoning as well.
Overlooked: Burton Street leaders raise serious concerns about I-26 push
Burton Street community leaders are asserting that the neighborhood’s needs are being overlooked in a growing push to move forward with the Interstate 26 connector. They worry their neighborhood, already heavily impacted by interstate construction, will be further damaged.
Unstated power: behind the City Attorney’s role
For the first time in 16 years, Asheville has a new city attorney: this past week City Council appointed Robin Currin, a Raleigh attorney with particular expertise in land use and zoning law, to the job. The role is one of the most powerful positions in city government, especially in an era of frequent court battles.
Asheville City Council preview: dueling futures
As a renewed push to move the Interstate 26 connector forward continues, Asheville City Council gets its turn on Tuesday, March 25, to consider a joint resolution seeking to make the long-delayed highway overhaul a reality, even as a number of community groups vocally oppose the plan. Council will also consider what to do with vacant property on Haywood Street across from the Basilica of St. Lawrence, another contentious issue.
The group behind the I-26 push
After being off the radar for years, both the Buncombe County Board of Commissioners and Asheville City Council are voting to push the Asheville section of Interstate 26 connector forward. This new push is in part the result of a small group of local officials and leaders who have met to draft a new resolution and make some sort of I-26 overhaul a reality.