Cultural change at the APD must continue
In the controversy over Chief Anderson’s departure, it’s easy to forget the improvements of recent years, changes that must continue Above: the cover of the Asheville Police Department’s strategic plan, unveiled this summer During the discussion about the current turmoil and fraught history of the…
A quick guide to Cityspeak
Strategic goals! Best practices! Benchmarks! Here’s a guide to that jargon city officials are so fond of, what it means and why it matters Above: City Hall at night. Photo by Max Cooper If you’ve attended an Asheville City Council meeting, pored over one of…
The blind spot
Asheville’s diverse — if you’re white and cisgender. For trans people and many, many others, it’s a far harsher place Above: the Transgender Pride Flag. It may be awhile before this one hangs on City Hall. Today is Transgender Day of Remembrance, an international day…
Exit the chief
As APD Chief Anderson declares his retirement amid controversy, the city faces a police department with a fraught history and an uncertain future Above: APD Chief William Anderson, photo by Max Cooper. In the hallowed tradition of big government news announcements, this one came after…
Quick hit
Asheville City Council dishes out housing grants, passes rezonings, takes criticism and goes behind closed doors in a short meeting Above: A map of a proposed subdivision on South Charlotte Street, bordering downtown, from city documents. Compared to the multi-controversy cavalcade that was the last…
Asheville needs — and can pass — a real minimum wage
Asheville’s workers are badly underpaid. Local government could change that by requiring businesses to pay a living wage. Will they? Above: a map from the National Low Income Housing Coalition showing how many hours working for the current $7.25 minimum wage are required to afford…
The name wars
As another piece of public space might be named after a private organization, Ashevillians are again set to debate exactly who gets to name what in our changing city Above: a rendering of the area in front of the Asheville Art Museum, which might be…
Policing the police
Amid ongoing public controversy and internal divisions, an in-depth look at city government’s plan to overhaul the Asheville Police Department Recent weeks have seen a contentious struggle over the leadership of the Asheville Police Department, with a petition by 44 officers calling for four major…
Redrawn
Asheville City Council mulls affordable housing solutions, forms ‘innovation districts’ in three neighborhoods and continues its long contemplation of graffiti Above: the borders for the South Slope “innovation district” Asheville City Council passed Oct. 14 Some of the biggest news at Asheville City Council’s Oct.…
The state of our Asheville
A frank, honest discussion about the state of our city, following the mayor’s Oct. 1 “TED talk” presentation on where Asheville’s going. Above: skyline of downtown looking toward the Flat Iron building, photo by Max Cooper Concluding thoughts, Oct. 5: I’m awed. Since the original…
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