Asheville’s charter outlines the structure of city government, from the organization of City Council meetings to the powers held by the city manager. This is the document that would have been altered if the November 2007 referendum to move to a partisan election system had succeeded. Click here to download a PDF file of the … Read more
After Buncombe County and the city of Asheville suffered major flooding and storm damage from twin hurricanes in 2004, the Asheville- Buncombe Flood Damage Reduction Task Force was formed to determine how the area could better prepare itself for similar events in the future. The task force released an introductory set of recommendations in Sept. … Read more
A notice of intent to sue, sent on behalf of 29 residents living nearby the former CTS factory, by Hot Springs-based Attorney Gary A. Davis and Associate Rebecca Kaman. The lawsuit demands abatement of an endangerment to public health and the environment caused by hazardous waste seeping into the ground water at the CTS site. … Read more
In its convoluted history, Asheville’s River Arts District has survived fire and flood, not to mention neglect. Now it will have to survive its own growing popularity. Spaces in between: The dilapidated industrial area is fertile ground for growing Asheville’s River Arts District. Photos By Jonathan Welch You may have heard of the area. Good … Read more
Former Buncombe County Sheriff Bobby Medford and three of his officers were arrested Dec. 13 and charged with extorting money from illegal video-poker operations, among other crimes. Jailhouse blues: Former Buncombe County Sheriff Bobby Medford was arrested on multiple federal charges on Dec. 13. Photo by Jonathan Welch Arrested along with Medford were former reserve … Read more
EPA rolls in on the TAGA bus When wildfires surged through Southern California, the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency was on the scene with a TAGA bus. Chemical fire? Monitoring fumigation used to dispel Anthrax? Analyzing toxic vapors in the subsurface? All jobs for the TAGA bus. Short for “trace atmospheric gas analyzer,” the $1 million … Read more
This year’s Film Festival may have been one of the best, but there’s still room for improvement. That was the central theme to emerge from the second annual Asheville Film Festival roundtable discussion, held Dec. 12 at the Chamber of Commerce. The two-hour affair, attended by festival organizers, local filmmakers, writers and supporters, covered a … Read more
The Asheville City Council’s Dec. 11 meeting—the last one in 2007—saw some shuffling of seats as the newly elected Bill Russell replaced outgoing Council member Bryan Freeborn, and incumbent Jan Davis got the nod as vice mayor. This seat taken? New Council member Bill Russell (right) takes a seat vacated by Bryan Freeborn as re-elected … Read more
Most of us don’t pay attention to the vagaries of global agricultural production, but perhaps we should: After all, they’re finding a way into our favorite drink. Beer, if you hadn’t noticed, is getting more expensive. Drought in Australia, the weakness of the dollar against the Euro, crop-disease problems in Europe and shifting markets in … Read more
