September 2, 2015 – mountainx.com

Economic Development Coalition to unveil next job creation plan at Metro Economy Outlook

September 2, 2015 by Hayley Benton

On Thursday, Sept. 17, at the 16th annual Asheville Metro Economy Outlook, the Economic Development Coalition for Asheville Buncombe County will present their next iteration of the AVL 5×5 initiative, the EDC’s job creation strategy.

Drug epidemic: Heroin use spikes in Buncombe County

September 2, 2015September 2, 2015 by Clarke Morrison

Asheville is also seeing an upsurge in heroin use and overdoses, says Asheville police department’s Drug Suppression Unit. The department began tracking overdoses March 29, 2014, as they became strikingly more prevalent. Through July of this year, officers responded to 25 overdoses.

Letter writer: Where do City Council candidates stand on future of lot near Basilica?

September 11, 2015September 2, 2015 by Letters

“This is not the only issue in the election, but it is an indicator of whether candidates will be responsive to residents or to the developers.”

Conscious party: Author David Baldacci speaks at dinner and auction to bolster local literacy

September 2, 2015 by Kat McReynolds

This year’s fundraising dinner — prepared by Michael Marshall of the Renaissance Hotel with pours from Biltmore Wines — will enable the Literacy Council to secure volunteer tutors for some 350 locals lacking reading, writing and language skills.

Financing the future: Self-Help Credit Union lauded for $76 million in solar loans

September 6, 2015September 2, 2015 by Ned Ryan Doyle

Now that the cost of ‘going solar’ on a home is equivalent to buying a new car, the challenge is no longer technical but affordable financing. America’s ubiquitous automobiles would not be us without financing. So why not finance solar in the same fashion? This question and others regarding investing in clean energy, from residential … Read more

Smart bets: Kathleen Lewis

September 2, 2015 by Kat McReynolds

A selection of work from the artist’s Kenilworth-based company Kathleen Lewis Designs will be displayed in Woolworth Walk’s front gallery for the month of September, with a free meet-and-greet reception planned for Friday, Sept. 4, from 5-7 p.m.

A mossier, more magical world: Local ‘mosser’ releases new book on moss gardening

September 2, 2015 by Carrie Eidson

Annie Martin — or Mossin’ Annie — is a Western North Carolina native, educator, landscape designer, farmer and champion — of mosses. She’s designed moss gardens for the North Carolina Arboretum and the Highland Botanical Station and her book, The Magical World of Moss Gardening, is being published by Timber Press and released this month.

Gather around the table: WNC rallies for Hunger Action Month

September 2, 2015September 2, 2015 by Gina Smith

With one in six people in Western North Carolina lacking consistent access to food, MANNA FoodBank and its partner agencies are uniting to host hunger-awareness events and initiatives in September for national Hunger Action Month. MANNA also hopes to wrap up its Space to Erase Hunger capital campaign this month, allowing for crucial expansions to the organization’s capacity that will impact hungry families in 16 counties.

Small budget, big flavor: An interview with cookbook author and food activist Leanne Brown

September 3, 2015September 2, 2015 by Gina Smith

Good food doesn’t have to be expensive. That’s the message of Leanne Brown’s new cookbook, Good and Cheap: Eat Well on $4/Day, which is aimed at empowering people on very tight budgets to cook food they love. Brown visits the Asheville area on Friday as part of MANNA FoodBank’s calendar of Hunger Action Month events.