Safe Passage: Wildlife groups, NCDOT collaborate on crossings
- Volume 27
- / Issue 34
Cover Design Credit:
Scott Southwick
Cover Photography Credit:
Bridget Donaldson, Virginia Transportation Research Council
Local conservation groups are pushing for animal-friendly pathways across Interstate 40 between Asheville and Knoxville. And a new children’s book by Frances Figart, A Search for Safe Passage, builds awareness of the issue among a new generation of wildlife advocates.
arts
Community efforts seek to stop the rise in musician ODs during the COVID-19 pandemic
Asheville-area musicians and harm reductionists work together to reverse a troubling trend.Around town: Author Tommy Hays named to The Order of the Long Leaf Pine and other arts happenings
Tommy Hays, local author and former executive director of the Great Smokies Writing Program, is named to The Order of the Long Leaf Pine. Also: music contests, arts scholarships and…Holophonic Theatre debuts with audio-only dystopian cyberpunk musical
Nye and Terran discuss their labor of love and launching a new inclusive theater company.
food
WNC Food Justice Planning Initiative collaborates for system change
The initiative has identified six strategies: healthy food distribution, community gardens, agriculture networks, food waste, cooking and nutrition education, and the development of a regional food council.Spring brings new opportunities for local restaurants and food companies
We Give a Share plans to increase its capacity, Cúrate Spanish Wine Club hosts a series of virtual wine tastings and cooking demos and chef Susi Gott Séguret relaunches her…
living
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,…New children’s book highlights wildlife crossing project
Eastern Tennessee-based author Frances Figart is helping children understand the realities of wildlife-vehicle collisions through her new book, A Search for Safe Passage.
news
Haywood Street restrooms face permanent closure
Of the various downtown bathroom options available prior to the pandemic, only the city-owned facility at 29 Haywood St. was available 24/7. Since it closed, unsheltered residents have very few…Parent’s story highlights difficulties connecting with Asheville City Schools
Asheville City Schools Superintendent Gene Freeman disputed the account of a parent who said administrators failed to respond to repeated requests for information about what the closure of Asheville Primary…ACS preschool changes draw commissioner, community critiques
“The path we’re on right now is a collision that puts us backwards and actually takes classrooms offline,” said Buncombe County Commissioner Jasmine Beach-Ferrara, regarding the Asheville City Schools plan…$51M in federal COVID relief on way to Buncombe
The funds, equal to roughly a quarter of budgeted property tax revenue for the current fiscal year and more than its budgeted spending on general government administration, represent by far…
opinion
Letter: Ask commissioners to support conservation effort
"There has never been what seemed like such a crucial time for understanding how we can continue to feed, clothe and sustain ourselves without crushing the natural world to death."Letter: No tax relief in sight
"Brownie Newman says that if we give tax relief to businesses that have suffered from the pandemic, we would have to raise taxes on everyone else in order to maintain…Letter: Boost funding to educate, train police
"In fact, funding for our people in blue should be increased to better educate them on conflict resolution and sensitivity training."Step up now to save Buncombe County’s farmland
"Faced with significant development pressures, we must do what we can to protect some of the region’s natural habitat and biodiversity, as well as our most productive farmland."Letter: Don’t overlook construction trades
"But I think many in our community are overlooking a segment of our economy that can provide a very good and stable income for someone who may not be college…In one ear…
Letter: Development proposal is all wrong for Charlotte Street
"It will completely change the character of the neighborhood I have lived in for over 37 years, increase traffic problems and move large, impersonal commercial spaces further into residential neighborhoods."Letter: Plan, then vote to send students back
"There is no excuse that these educational professionals [did] not have a concrete and specific plan set in place before voting to send students back."Road reports
Letter: The many benefits of urban food gardens
"I, like you, worry about the sharp rise in homelessness, but urban gardens are not to blame in the least."Letter: Join Asheville High to help reverse global warming
"Throughout April, let’s witness how our individual actions collectively add up to real, positive impacts."
