In January, something once considered unthinkable will come to pass. Across North Carolina—once the heartland of tobacco—smoking will be banned in bars and restaurants. Smoke ‘em if you got ‘em (for now): Hookah Joe’s owner Joseph McHugh and bartender Cara Diggins enjoy a puff. Hookahs fall under the new state smoking ban, which will take […]
Tag: public health
Showing 22-31 of 31 results
First Buncombe case of H1N1 virus found in hospital worker ***UPDATED 3:05 p.m.***
An unnamed Mission Hospitals employee is the first confirmed case of the H1N1 virus, also known as swine flu, in Buncombe County, health department officials confirmed in an announcement today.
What do you think about the new state-wide smoking ban?
Come Jan. 2, 2010, smoking in bars and restaurants will be illegal throughout North Carolina, due to a bill signed into law yesterday by Gov. Beverly Perdue. What do you think about the coming smoking ban?
Getting the lead out
New lead-testing rules due to take effect Feb. 10 have local booksellers, toy retailers, crafters and even libraries struggling to understand what the regulations mean for them. Ruled out?: Leslie Hawkins, owner of Spellbound Children’s Bookshop on Wall Street in downtown Asheville, worries that new lead-testing regulations could her force her out of business. Photo […]
Buncombe County announces new health director
The Buncombe County Board of Health has chosen Alma “Gibbie” Harris as the county’s new health director.
Buncombe County Board of Health holds closed meeting
The Buncombe County Board of Health held a closed meeting at 7:30 a.m. on Friday to discuss a personnel issue.
A great day for quitters
An estimated 45 million Americans still smoke cigarettes, but come Thursday, Nov. 20, those numbers might drop a bit. It’s the American Cancer Society’s 33rd annual Great American Smokeout—a day when anti-tobacco forces rally on behalf of smokers, and would-be ex-smokers are encouraged to spend the day puffless in solidarity with each other. Puffed enough?: […]
Study finds no cancer clusters near CTS site
An analysis by the North Carolina Central Cancer Registry has found no evidence of cancer clusters in the immediate area surrounding the former CTS of Asheville site. But the small sample size places sharp limits on the reliability of the conclusions, researchers caution. And other types of studies being undertaken now may yield a more […]
Buncombe Commissioners
CTS contamination spreads New storm-water rules approved The Buncombe County Board of Commissioners sold a piece of parkland to developer Stewart Coleman; now they want it back. But they’re asking the city of Asheville to make it happen. At their June 24 meeting, the commissioners unanimously approved a resolution encouraging the city to agree to […]
Welcome to Wellville
Asheville and environs has a rich history as a health haven, ranging from 19th- and early 20th-century resorts and tuberculosis care to today’s diverse healing arts. And that focus seems likely to grow in years to come, thanks partly to the N.C. Center for Health & Wellness. About 100 people braved a brisk spring wind […]