The path, running along an inactive railway, would stretch about 31 miles northwest from Inman, S.C., through Tryon and Saluda before terminating in Zirconia, about 7 miles southeast of Hendersonville. Hendersonville-based Conserving Carolina; Greenville, S.C.-based Upstate Forever; and Spartanburg, S.C.-based PAL are leading the effort.
Tag: UNC Asheville
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Student-led activism: Toward a carbon-neutral future
Xpress speaks with UNCA senior Lindsey Nystrom about holistic approaches to environmentalism and divestment.
Around Town: Punk rock compilation album seeks to raise awareness of naloxone
New album from Black Mountain’s Holy Crap Records aims to help prevent overdose deaths. Plus, new event highlights Brevard creators, workshop focuses on Cherokee mat weaving and local songwriter wins prestigious award.
Q&A with Janet Cone, director of athletics at UNC Asheville
by Bob Rose The UNC Asheville athletic department is a modest NCAA Division I program by comparison to other top-level programs in North Carolina, such as the North Carolina Tar Heels or Duke Blue Devils. However, the Bulldogs’ longtime athletic director Janet Cone is a mover and shaker among college sports administrators. Cone is a […]
Around Town: Asheville Symphony celebrates New Year’s Eve with ‘Queens of Soul’
Motown, soul and R&B songs will bring in the New Year at the Thomas Wolfe Auditorium. Also: UNC Asheville students and faculty launch new podcast; local author examines the history of St. Nick; and plenty more.
Green in brief: State budget brings millions in environmental funding to WNC
Among the largest allocations are $12.2 million to accelerate the purchase and opening of Pisgah View State Park in Buncombe County, $7.2 million for the removal of hazardous dams in WNC and $5 million to upgrade the city of Hendersonville’s wastewater treatment plant.
How to make Indigenous Peoples Day mean something
“As we collectively move to recognize Indigenous Peoples Day in Asheville, my hope is that actual Indigenous people and the issues they confront are at the forefront of what we do, how we reflect and how we acknowledge the deep responsibility we have to the land we inhabit.”
Buncombe broadens bulk solar plans
Two interlocal agreements up for consideration by the Board of Commissioners Oct. 5, to be signed with the town of Black Mountain and UNC Asheville, would allow those entities to combine their solar energy proposals with new county solar projects in a bid for installers.
Around town: Cat Fly Film Fest returns with live events
The Cat Fly Film Fest returns with live events after last year’s virtual gatherings. Plus, the Asheville Fringe Arts Festival offers a sneak peak, a South Carolina musician brings jazz to downtown Hendersonville, and a UNCA professor is on the move.
Green in brief: Cherokee establish framework for medical marijuana cultivation
The Eastern Band of Cherokee Indians Tribal Council passed an ordinance on Aug. 5 allowing production and use of the crop, which the body had previously voted to decriminalize on May 6.
Green in brief: American Chestnut Foundation, EBCI plan long-term restoration work
“I hope that one day in the future — 200, 500, 1,000 years from now — those generations can stand next to a 6- or 8-foot diameter chestnut tree in our mountains and be able to trace the story of that tree back to today,” said Joey Owle, the Eastern Band of Cherokee Indians secretary of agriculture and natural resources, in a press release announcing the agreement.
Asheville City Council to consider nondiscrimination ordinance
The city’s proposed nondiscrimination ordinance is nearly identical to that passed 6-0 by the Buncombe County Board of Commissioners on April 20, which prompted extensive public comment from residents in both support and disagreement.
Webinar series encourages collaboration through craft
The Center for Craft’s webinar series with UNCA views vital topics through the lens of craft.
Health roundup: Henderson County rolls out new accessible buses
Buncombe County’s new Community Paramedic and Post Overdose response team has connected 195 people who had experienced heroin and fentanyl overdoses with peer support resources. Plus, other WNC health happenings, awards and updates.
Green in brief: Green Built Alliance launches new certifications, Duke reaches coal ash agreement
“Many items that are now standard construction practices have been removed from our checklist, while we have added opportunities to gain points for new technologies,” explained Maggie Leslie, the nonprofit’s program director.
Wellness in brief: Dogwood Health Trust shifts board makeup
Retired Rear Adm. Richard Houck of Transylvania County, attorney Fred Jones of Macon County and Bishop José McLoughlin of Henderson County will join the board of Western North Carolina’s largest nonprofit as Buncombe County’s Dr. John Ball departs. The change fulfills requirements stipulated in N.C. Attorney General Josh Stein’s approval of Mission Health’s sale to HCA Healthcare.
Green in brief: Black Folks Camp Too gains national partners, Hendersonville kicks off bee mural project
Black Folks Camp Too founder Earl B. Hunter Jr. said new marketing collaborations would help him develop more interest in camping among the Black community. And later this month, Asheville-based artist Matthew Willey will begin work on a giant mural of honey bees at Hendersonville’s Hands On! Children’s Museum.
WCU, Brevard College see new COVID-19 cases
According to Western Carolina University’s COVID-19 dashboard, 17 students tested positive for the coronavirus on Oct. 12. Brevard College announced Oct. 10 that all classes would shift to remote learning for the week of Oct. 12 after three COVID-19 cases were confirmed on one athletic team.
Green in brief: Henderson planning board votes against asphalt plant
Board member Rick Livingston, who made the motion to deny the recommendation, said the proposed SE Asphalt plant’s location in a “very residential area” off the Spartanburg Highway was incompatible with both the county’s comprehensive plan and East Flat Rock’s community plan.
Letter: On-campus life offers more safety from virus
“I am a student at UNC Asheville, and I have witnessed firsthand the prompt measures that the university has taken to ensure our safety.”
‘Open lines of communication’ between local schools, health department
A week into the start of the academic year for Asheville and Buncombe County K-12 schools, local officials remain in open, weekly conversations with district administrators to help manage the spread of COVID-19.