Rather than a progressive place with an innovative approach to substance use, Asheville has created a culture that exacerbates the overdose crisis. An inside look at how a city zoning crackdown can cost locals their health and lives Above: A pro-harm reduction message painted on…

Strange applause, another broken promise on policing and massive blind spots mark a dismaying turn in City Hall Above: Asheville City Council, file photo by Max Cooper As one, all seven Asheville City Council members marked the opening of their Sept. 25 meeting by rising…

A breaking transit system, an attempt to sweep the Rush attack under the rug, an early start to budget battles, land use wrangling and the public comment that wasn’t Above: Pictures taken by bus drivers of a major oil leak on an Asheville transit system…

In a new feature focusing on the tally of Asheville City Council’s latest doings, we look at a bus system overhaul, a grassroots push for community space and the ongoing battle over policing and racism Above: A map of proposed overhauls to Asheville’s bus system.…

The return of a state plan to gerrymander city elections and break black voting power gets a surprising boost from a Democratic senator — and sets the stage for a major civil rights fight Above: A map of gerrymandered Asheville City Council election districts in…

City Attorney Robin Currin’s far-right legal views have played a key role in halting progressive change. Now she’s resigning. A look at the damage she did, and what might happen next Above: Asheville City Attorney Robin Currin, file photo by Max Cooper The announcement came…

The choice facing Asheville is clear. In fights over NAACP reforms and the annual budget, City Hall is ground zero for the long-brewing fight between pushes for reform and the city’s historic racism, now openly backed and defended by the police chief and law enforcement…

Insistence on a controversial police expansion and pay hikes for top-level staff bust a hole in Asheville’s finances and bring social justice proposals to a halt in this year’s hidden city budget fight Above: City Hall by night. Photo by Max Cooper [Editor’s note: While…

The District Attorney and Sheriff’s primaries cast an illuminating light on the divides in our area — and some of the fights that lie ahead Above: the map of election results from the Democratic primary between incumbent Todd Williams and challenger Ben Scales. Precincts that…

The Asheville Blade’s guide to the primary that will shape who’s the county’s top law enforcement officer in a time where local policing’s under increasing scrutiny Buncombe County Sheriff is a key position, one of the most powerful on the ballot. Elected, rather than appointed,…