Asheville Mayor Terry Bellamy and members of City Council had hoped to attend a public hearing on the state’s annexation policies to bemoan the city’s inability to use water services as leverage for annexation. But since the hearing was rescheduled for yesterday and conflicted with Council’s regular meeting, a letter will just have to do.
This March 18, 2008 letter from Asheville City Council was delivered to members of the N.C. House Select Committee on Municipal Annexation, which held a public hearing in Asheville to listen to residents’ thoughts and concerns regarding the state’s annexation laws. The letter states, in part: “With respect to the City of Asheville, we believe … Read more
A Sunshine Week exclusive from The Xpress Files
A homeless man who’d been arrested 29 times last year was found dead in his jail cell March 10. Tommy Joe McMahan, 53, topped a recently compiled list of the 25 most-arrested people in Asheville in 2007 (see sidebar, “An Arresting List”). Repeat offender: Tommy McMahan, a homeless man and the most-arrested person in Asheville … Read more
Imagine if you couldn’t produce more than one-third of a shoebox worth of trash per month. Imagine if, every time you used a paper towel to dry your hands in a public restroom, you had to carry the soggy thing with you everywhere you went. Road trip! From left to right, Mark Dixon, Ben Evans … Read more
Former Buncombe County Sheriff Bobby Medford has asked for—and will receive—the records of hearings involving plea bargains by a former deputy and a longtime political ally to help prepare his legal defense against federal corruption charges, court documents show. Through his attorney, Stephen Lindsay, Medford requested transcripts—at the government’s expense—of the plea deals and accompanying … Read more
The status of a proposed north Buncombe concrete plant remains uncertain after a March 12 conditional-use hearing was adjourned midway through. Gotta testify: Board Chair Martin Lewis, far right, swears in a roomful of speakers before the concrete-plant heating. Photos By Jonathan Welch The hearing ended abruptly after it was revealed that a letter notifying … Read more
The time has come to get ready to vote! The North Carolina 2008 Primary Election, including local, state and federal races, takes place on Tuesday, May 6. In preparation, if you need to register, verify or update your registration, you may do so at the Buncombe County Election Services Office, 189 College St. in downtown … Read more
If you build it, they will come—or so hopes HandMade in America’s Jenny Moore. The associate director of the Western North Carolina nonprofit, which promotes area culture, crafts and crafters, Moore says there’s a mixture of artistic styles in the mountains. Some artists are doing very traditional work, while others focus on contemporary styles. Contemporary … Read more
