What connects RiverLink, a 6-year-old from Southern Pines, N.C., and Katy Couric? An interest in the Gulf oil disaster. CBS Evening Show host Couric contacted RiverLink recently after seeing a RiverLink blog that featured 6-year-od Skylar Fielder-Jones’ efforts to collect cleanup supplies for the oil disaster and donate them to the Asheville-based nonprofit. Here’s the full scoop from RiverLink.
Today at 3:00 it will be announced at a joint press conference by the City of Asheville, Buncombe County, the Buncombe County Tourism Development Authority, Asheville Convention & Visitors Bureau and UNC Asheville that the Southern Conference basketball tournament is heading back to Asheville for the 2012-2014 seasons.
Unless additional funding is received, public-access channel URTV — now known as the WNC Media Center — will cease operation in September of this year, according to a notice sent last week to the city of Asheville and Buncombe County. Both city and county officials claim that URTV is receiving funding as it always has.
Crews have been busy for weeks, re-doing sidewalks and installing bump-out parking areas on Clingman Avenue near the River Arts District. Most recently, lanes have been closed as workers install a new traffic circle for the road, which links West Asheville with downtown. An Asheville resident recently called Xpress to call the new circle outrageous, and at City Council’s May 25 meeting, resident Fred English was critical of the traffic-calming measures. Mayor Terry Bellamy replied that the improvements were a state Department of Transportation project.
photo by Margaret Williams
