NC House Bill 66: Changing How School Board is Elected
HB 66 (S72) changes the election process by making it so only school district residents can vote for their representative and introducing partisan races. The Tribune sought the opinions of several Republicans on their views and the necessity of HB 66.
Controversy at NC GOP Convention Voting: Allegations & Unanswered Questions
The Tribune has learned of infighting in the party over the use of an electronic application called CardinalGPS used to cast votes by delegates during the convention.
Investigation Reveals Causes of Christmas 2022 Water Outage Incident
The after-incident report investigating the City of Asheville's response to the water outage last Christmas is highly critical. Recommendations ranged from hiring, training, and certifying more administrators for dealing with local media outlets; to training staff and elected officials on their roles and responsibilities in incidents; to inventorying major equipment in the water system and monitoring things regularly.
Asheville Adopts More Inclusive Pre-Development Rules
Members of Asheville City Council were scheduled to approve updates to meetings developers of large projects are now required to hold with adjacent property owners as part of the development review process. The focus of the hearing changed after a handful of residents complained about a recent pre-development meeting that went awry.
Update on Buncombe County’s New Fleet Building Construction
Bids came in way over expectations for a new repair shop for Buncombe County's rolling stock. Reasons included a desire to make the building operate solely on electricity featuring resistance heating, build a solar array across the full roof, and have a backup generator capable of running the building at full load for two days.
Composting Program Ramping Up
Asheville and Buncombe County's composting pilot is doing so well, the decision was made to operate a total of eight drop-off stations. Citizens are encouraged to compost to reduce greenhouse gas emissions and spare future county commissioners the agony of siting another landfill.
Trump, Pence & DeSantis Speak at NC GOP Convention
The presidential race for the 2024 election is picking up speed and gaining momentum, and that was apparent at the North Carolina GOP Convention held in Greensboro, North Carolina, at the Koury Convention Center from June 8th through the 11th.
Blade Changes Course: Running for Council Instead of Mayor
Josh Blade has decided to shift his focus from running for mayor of Woodfin to running for a seat on the council. In a press release, Blade expressed gratitude for the support he has received and emphasized his commitment to bringing a fresh perspective to the Woodfin Town Government.
Asheville’s Gender Resolutions
Asheville City Council had two resolutions on their consent agenda clarifying how the city's nondiscrimination ordinances and policies apply in the context of hot topics. One was tabled for more wordsmithing and the other passed unanimously.
Opioid Report: Need More of the Same
Buncombe County's Opioid Settlement Planning Report made recommendations for spending $16,177,778 the county will be receiving over 17 years. Not much new was recommended; rather, the report gave the impression that the county only needs to drastically expand services it now provides, like Medication-Assisted Treatment and naloxone distribution.