What’s our grade? School leaders anticipate release of state grades

The 1.5 million children enrolled in North Carolina’s public schools this year will not be the only ones receiving grades soon. State officials plan to release a performance-based, letter-graded report card for each school, starting Feb. 5, and for some education leaders in the Asheville area, anticipation is high. Chip Craig, vice chairman of the […]

Low-income taxpayers pay nearly twice the rate of high-income taxpayers in NC

According to a study from the The Institute on Taxation and Economic Policy and the Budget & Tax Center, North Carolinians with the lowest income pay more than 40 percent more in taxes (as a percent of their income) compared to the state’s wealthiest residents. The ITEP even calls the state and local tax system “unfair,” […]

Cold front predicted to bring single digit-temperatures mid-week

The National Weather Service has issued a Hazardous Weather Outlook for multiple Western North Carolina counties Wednesday, Jan. 7, and Thursday, Jan. 8. “Wednesday, cold wave likely,” reads a passage from the NWS’s report. “An arctic airmass will settle Southward across the region starting Wednesday and persist into Friday. Temperatures will likely run 10 to […]

Statehouse candidates debate: Ramsey vs. Ager

There wasn’t much tension between Nathan Ramsey  and John Ager at the Council of Independent Business Owners’s early-morning debate, Friday, Aug. 29 perhaps because of a personal history. “John’s my neighbor,” said Ramsey. “I’ve known John since I was probably about two years old.” Not only are the two candidates personal acquaintances, both grew up in the […]

Storify: Moral Monday protest comes to the mountains of WNC

The weekly protests that have condemned decisions made by the North Carolina General Assembly for almost three months at the state capital continue today with the arrival of the Moral Monday movement in Asheville. These are the tweets, photos and videos from before, during and after the Mountain Moral Monday event. (Photo courtesy of Twitter user @PlantyHamchuk)