For some religious residents in Western North Carolina, Tropical Storm Helene not only left behind a trail of wreckage but also raised questions tied to their faith. Even still, churches across the region pulled together and found strength in their beliefs.
Community members who spoke with Xpress say they are relieved that the Swannanoa Library has been saved from the chopping block for now. But many questions still remain about its future as well as who will be involved in the decision-making process moving forward.
“The county needs to address this issue or even have an unmarked sheriff’s car keep watch at the yield sign/traffic light on U.S. 70, plus the entrance road to the school.”
Republicans Mike Fryar and Robert Pressley, as well as Democrats Amanda Edwards and Al Whitesides, stood against the 1.05-acre rezoning, while Democrats Brownie Newman and Jasmine Beach-Ferrara, along with Republican Joe Belcher, gave their approval. The county planning board had recommended against the proposal, citing concerns over steep slope development.
Asheville metro manufacturing employment grew by 1,400 jobs in the fourth quarter, the sector’s strongest performance in over two decades. Buncombe unemployment continued to be the lowest in the state, but area wages trailed state and national averages.
On Feb. 15, 1925, The Asheville Citizen proclaimed that Swannanoa had entered “the first stages of a boom.”
“Beacon was Swannanoa,” says Anne Chesky Smith, director of Swannanoa Valley Museum & History Center. “Everything that was in Swannanoa was entangled in Beacon,
Every year, MANNA FoodBank hosts a feast to fight famine with its annual Blue Jean Ball. Since 1983, the nonprofit has worked to involve, educate and unite people in the work of ending hunger in Western North Carolina, and for nearly 20 years, this signature event has raised money to support those efforts. This year’s 19th Blue […]
Warren Wilson College has partnered with the Swannanoa Correctional Center for Women to bring the innovative Inside-Out Prison Exchange Program to the correctional center. For inmate and undergrad alike, Inside-Out provides the chance to gain self-knowledge, grapple with the systemic issues of the penal system and learn from one another.
In case you missed them, here are some of Xpress’ most intriguing stories from the week of Sept. 13.
The contaminated former site of the Beacon Manufacturing Co. in Swannanoa has stood vacant since a massive fire destroyed the plant in 2003. The property’s owners are asking state regulators for permission to redevelop the site, and the public has until Sept. 29 to submit comments on the proposal.
Sally Reeske has been teaching horticulture at the Swannanoa Correctional Center for Women, a minimum-custody prison, for the past two years. While the vocational course through A-B Tech offers inmates hands-on learning and training opportunities via an instructional plot, Reeske wondered if she could do even more for the incarcerated women and the community at […]
The Buncombe County Board of Adjustment approved all the projects on its agenda during its meeting on Wednesday, June 15. A proposed 221-unit apartment complex on Overlook Road was also officially postponed to next month’s meeting.
Meredith and Brandon Ellison, and Casey and Sarah Watkins talk about how they ended up running a restaurant in Swannanoa and how they hope to help build the town’s future.
“As the tale goes, Crockett became upset over some tolls that were being charged for travelers coming up and down what is now known as Old Fort Mountain. Not willing to stand this outrage, he blazed his own road down the mountain, one that folks could traverse without interference or fees.”
A group of innovative strategies collectively known as “in situ remediation” could dramatically improve the prospects for addressing groundwater and soil contamination at several local hazardous waste sites more quickly and at lower cost.
Swannanoa residents met with members of the Community Advisory Group, federal and state environmental protection officials Thursday evening to review the 2016 Record of Decision for the Chemtronics Superfund site. The EPA also revealed the presence of a new contamination detection on the property.
The Asheville Water Resources Department shared plans for a major improvement project at the city’s 60-year-old North Fork Reservoir in four public meetings held Aug. 22-25. The $30 million to $35 million project will increase the reservoir’s capacity and bolster the dam’s ability to handle extreme rain events safely.
Asheville may be a top dream destination for many folks, but for an increasing number of newcomers and old-timers alike, the No. 1 dream destination may be just down the road a ways. With the challenges of urbanization besetting Asheville, newcomers and locals alike are turning to surrounding towns and communities in search of cheaper […]
Decades after the furor over a Swannanoa weapons plant introduced many residents to the term “Superfund site,” the focus is shifting toward potential future uses for a portion of the Chemtronics property.
For the Swannanoa Valley Museum, the spring season is an excellent time to remind people of what came before and the foundations that facilitate growth.
