“Other than a Planned Parenthood ad, I saw no mention whatsoever of the effect of that Supreme Court decision on Buncombe County or on family planning services in this area.”
Tag: N.C. General Assembly
Showing 1-21 of 114 results
Letter: Keep government’s hands out of short-term rentals
“I am concerned with the ‘power’ that the government would have to ‘regulate’ Airbnbs.”
How Buncombe’s newly elected N.C. House members are settling into office
Lindsey Prather, Eric Ager and Caleb Rudow have a lot to learn over the state legislative session that started Jan. 25. All three Democrats won their first elections in November after the retirement of three multi-term representatives from Buncombe County.
Can Asheville draw on the past to build its future?
“Today, Asheville’s a tourist destination fueled by wealth-take-all capitalism beset with growing urban issues such as parking, pollution, land use, development, affordable housing, crime and allocation of tax revenues. Yet are all these intractable problems with only temporary solutions? Not really.”
Letter: A threat to our voting rights
“Our courts and not local politicians need to make the decisions as to whether submitted district voting maps are fair.”
Five takeaways from Buncombe’s 2022 general election
Complete Democratic control of the Buncombe County Board of Commissioners, a better-than-expected performance by Jasmine Beach-Ferrara and $70 million in new spending for county initiatives all emerged from this year’s midterm election results.
2022 General Election Voter Guide
In preparation for the 2022 general election of Tuesday, Nov. 8, Xpress sent questions to all candidates in contested local races representing Buncombe County voters. Responses from candidates for the N.C. General Assembly, Buncombe County-level races, Asheville city government and local school boards are all collected here.
2022 General Voter Guide: N.C. House
General election candidates for the 2022 N.C. House races in Districts 114-116 share their positions with Xpress.
2022 General Voter Guide: N.C. Senate
General election candidates for the 2022 N.C. Senate District 46 and District 49 races share their positions with Xpress.
Letter: Pay teachers what they’re truly worth
“The bottom line is: Without higher salaries for educators, not only will our students suffer, but so will the entire community.”
GA short session yields both change and inertia for WNC
From occupancy tax allocations and hemp production to private bar membership, state legislators voted on several measures that are consequential to WNC in their recently concluded short session.
Letter: Yes to allowing medicinal cannabis
“Yes, yes, yes. Legalize medicinal marijuana!”
How zoning, land-use rules work
Court rulings and state laws sometimes mean local governments can’t adopt zoning rules their constituents might like — and in some cases, it’s uncertain just how much authority municipalities have, say Asheville City Attorney Brad Branham and other lawyers working in the field.
Letter: Let’s push Asheville to regulate single-use plastics
“Because the presence of a pollutant that is harmful to both human health and the environment has been documented in our region (we have the water samples to prove it), Asheville and Buncombe County not only have the power to act, they have a legal duty to protect its residents.”
2022 Primary Voter Guide: N.C. Senate District 46 — Republican
Candidates in the N.C. Senate District 46 Republican 2022 primary share their positions with Xpress.
2022 Primary Voter Guide: N.C. Senate District 49 — Democratic
Candidates in the N.C. Senate District 49 Democratic 2022 primary share their positions with Xpress.
2022 Primary Voter Guide: N.C. House District 115 — Republican
Candidates in the N.C. House District 115 Republican 2022 primary share their positions with Xpress.
Let’s ban open burning in Buncombe County
“Residents’ health shouldn’t have to suffer when there are practical alternatives to open burning.”
Letter: Hoping Supreme Court requires fair district maps
“It is wrong for politicians of either party to create maps that serve themselves rather than their constituents.”
Letter: General Assembly needs to work together
“First, he noted that the maps drawn for North Carolina followed previous court orders. That in no way should imply that the maps were drawn fairly.”
N.C. House vacancies pave way for new faces in 2022
The planned retirements of Reps. John Ager, Susan Fisher and Brian Turner — all three multi-term Democratic members of the N.C. House from Buncombe County — mean the county’s state-level representation is set for a big shift in the upcoming election.