Category: News

Records requests shine more light on the military surplus‚ from automatic weapons to armored cars, in the hands of local law enforcement. Above: An armored car owned by the Asheville Police Department, photographed in 2008. Photo © Jason Sandford, used with permission. A week ago, I highlighted…

In a changing Southside, a community rallies with a new event to support its youth as the school year begins. Above: Barber Don McMillan cuts a student’s hair as part of the Southside community’s Back to School Bash. Many local barbers and beauticians volunteered for…

A look at the origins, costs and clashing views on city government’s $300,000 program to remove graffiti and tagging throughout Asheville Above: Before and after shots of graffiti painted over on a building in the River Arts District. Photo by Zen Sutherland. 123 Graffiti Free…

The Asheville Blade and local media are seeking more information on the amount of military equipment in the hands of local law enforcement Above: An armored car owned by the Asheville Police Department, photographed in 2008. Photo © Jason Sandford, used with permission. The unrest in…

A year later Moral Monday returns to Asheville, tries to expand local organization and hopes for momentum at the polls. Above: the crowd at the Aug. 4 Moral Monday rally, viewed from behind the podium while Rev. William Barber speaks. Photo by David Oppenheimer –…

Amid controversy Asheville City Council overhauls Pack Place leases, lauds police plan Above: Asheville Council member Jan Davis, countering critics of the new Pack Place leases and asserting that it’s the best way to go forward. Photo by Max Cooper. Pack Place, located in the middle…

Racist government programs shaped Asheville’s ‘urban renewal,’ demolishing homes and pushing out thousands. The results still haunt the city today. Above: Priscilla Ndiaye, with her map of the homes demolished in the Southside neighborhood during urban renewal. She’s standing on the site of the house…

Concerned about low pay, a lack of benefits and many other problems, a group of local service workers are organizing Above: Image for Asheville Sustainable Restaurant Workforce, used with permission of Jessi Steelman. There are over 20,000 food service workers in the Asheville area, according…

Behind downtown’s shortened and disappearing benches is a struggle about the future of the city’s public space By David Forbes On Walnut Street, there exists a particularly odd bench, one that attracts comments from locals and tourists alike. It’s clearly supposed to be, well, a…

By David Forbes The Asheville Citizen-Times reported this morning that Asheville Council member Cecil Bothwell was charged with driving while impaired. Bothwell, driving a friend’s car, was pulled over last night by a state trooper with a blood alcohol level of .10. Bothwell, in a…