Category: News

Name: R. Daryl Fisher Profession: I have 30+ years of law enforcement experience and almost 5 years (5 in July) of full time law enforcement training and curriculum teaching experience. The bulk of my law enforcement experience was with the Asheville Police Department where I…

The Asheville Blade’s guide to the primary that will determine who’s in charge of one of the most powerful positions on the local ballot — district attorney District Attorney is an incredibly powerful position, perhaps one of the most important on a local ballot. This…

Name: Todd Williams Profession: Attorney, Board Certified Specialist in NC Criminal Law In up to two words, describe your political affiliation: Progressive Democrat In one brief sentence, describe yourself and why you’re running: I am running to continue serving as your progressive District Attorney with…

Name: Ben Scales Profession: Attorney In up to two words, describe your political affiliation: Democrat In one brief sentence, describe yourself and why you’re running: I’m running because I believe that true progressive criminal justice reform can heal, empower and unite our community. General questions…

For years, activists asserted prominent artist Jonas Gerard used cash and intimidating legal tactics to silence allegations of sexual harassment and abuse. Documents and a former employee’s story reveal what that looks like Above: Protesters from the Asheville Survivors Coalition, which has focused on claims…

What you need to know about the police brutality case that’s causing an uproar in Asheville and making national news. What happened, how the problem stretches to the highest levels and how this violence is rooted in our city’s segregation Above: A sign highlighting the…

Video of an APD officer brutally assaulting a black man walking home from work shines a harsh light on the reality of our city. But it was enabled by a city that has repeatedly failed to take the depths of racism in its own backyard…

A road, a bailout, a hotel (again) and a parade of nuts and bolts items mark a Council meeting defined by changing power dynamics Above: Asheville City Council member Julie Mayfield. File photo by Max Cooper. After a ceremony and a brief meeting in December,…

The Airbnb wars take a decisive turn as Council passes a new ban in an attempt to halt a wave of housing losses Above: Asheville City Council member Vijay Kapoor, who asserted that the nearly-citywide ban on whole home/apartment Airbnbs was necessary due to the…

Just before a major Council vote, here’s a look at the issue that’s rocked Asheville, one that remains highly complex and as brutally simple as power, money and displacement Above: part of a map from the 2016 Blade investigation into the city’s clampdown on illegal Airbnb-style…