Encourage senators to fund tobacco-prevention programs

Since 1999, North Carolina has funded tobacco-prevention programs with money from the Master Settlement Agreement between 46 states and the tobacco industry. This money was intended to recover tobacco related health care costs and be spent on tobacco-prevention programs. Unfortunately, last year's budget terminated these programs as of June 30. I recently visited the General […]

Let me introduce you to Patsy

Let me introduce you to Patsy Keever, candidate for the U.S. House of Representatives, District 10. Patsy Keever is the candidate who “puts people first.” I will tell you why. Patsy spent most of her adult life living in the mountains. That in itself tells me she is close to nature. Most of your great […]

Democrats running for congress in 10th District make their case

Two of the three Democrats running for Congress in the 10th District spoke at a Feb. 17 meeting of the Democratic Women of Buncombe County. Asheville Mayor Terry Bellamy, Statehouse Rep. Patsy Keever and writer/musician Timothy Murphy are all hoping to be the Democrat that takes on Republican incumbent – and likely nominee – Rep. Patrick McHenry in the fall.

Keever says experience sets her apart from Bellamy

Rep. Patsy Keever huddled with a group of supporters in downtown Asheville on Jan. 19 to formally announce her candidacy for Congress in the 10th District, which stretches from the mountains to Gaston County. Now she faces Asheville Mayor Terry Bellamy and a host of other Democratic challengers vying to be their party’s congressional nominee against Republican Rep. Patrick McHenry in the November election. Photo by Bill Rhodes.

Patsy Keever: I’ll run for Congress in the 10th District if redistrict­ing maps hold

Statehouse Rep. Patsy Keever confirmed today, Nov. 18, via a message on her Facebook page, that she’s planning to run for Congress in the 10th District if the redistricting maps proposed by the General Assembly become law ahead of the February 2012 filing deadline. If so, she would face Asheville Mayor Terry Bellamy in the Democratic primary.

Residents slam House redistrict­ing proposal


About 20 Western North Carolina residents shared their views on the N.C. General Assembly’s House and Senate redistricting proposals at a July 18 public hearing at A-B Tech.  The vast majority of them lambasted the House proposal as GOP gerrymandering designed to give Republicans an electoral edge at the expense of Democratic candidates and voters. Here’s a sampling of the people who came out and their views.
Photo by Jonathan Welch

Fisher, Keever urge supporters to speak out against redistrict­ing plan at July 18 hearing

In response to proposed Statehouse districts released July 13 that place Democratic Reps. Susan Fisher and Patsy Keever in the same district, both are urging supporters to speak out against the plan at a July 18 public hearing at A-B Tech. If passed, the plan would potentially pit the two colleagues against each other in a primary next year to represent a newly drawn 114th that encapsulates most of Asheville.

GOP-led state budget process places environmen­tal regulation­s at risk

It’s a volatile time in the state budget process, and North Carolina’s main environmental agency, the Department of Environment and Natural Resources, can do little but watch as legislators, led by a recently installed GOP majority, work to close an estimated $2.4-billion shortfall through sharp cuts to its budget, expected to be approved in June. This week’s negotiations included a proposal to cut DENR’s Asheville office by two thirds, and eliminate the Mooresville office (in the Charlotte area) altogether.