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Downtown Asheville, long a great place to watch fireworks, witnessed a historic change on Thursday as the annual display moved to the steadily expanding South Slope neighborhood. From the reports, it was a popular change, story and photo gallery below the fold.
Reuniting with pet runaways, PFAS, Cooling down on the Blue Ridge Parkway, and ECBI’s decision making process around cannabis sales are among other featured stories.
Residents of five mobile home parks in Buncombe and Henderson counties rely on water systems that exceed the limit of PFAS compounds, known as forever chemicals, putting them at greater risk of cancer and other illnesses.
Two of the parks had nearly double the limit of the compounds allowed in drinking water – 4 parts per trillion (ppt) – set for the first time in April by the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency, according to water tests conducted between August and October 2023 by state environmental regulators.
State inspectors found 7.27 ppt of PFOA (Perfluorooctanoic acid), one of the compounds of PFAS, at Rangeview Acres in Candler and 8.85 ppt at Jeter Mountain in Hendersonville. Magnolia, Maple Hills, and Oak Crest mobile home parks in Hendersonville had 4.31, 4.99, and 4.71 ppt of PFOA in their water systems, respectively. All of the parks use well water.
All five parks are located within 2-20 miles of at least 40 active or inactive manufacturing companies and landfills, according to an analysis of EPA data by Asheville Watchdog. It isn’t clear if the companies use or have used PFAS.
Mission Hospital and the Mission Nurses United union didn’t reach a deal on a new labor deal by midnight July 3, the expiration date for the current contract, increasing the possibility of a strike.
Nurses told Asheville Watchdog that they and the hospital remain far apart on key issues, including compensation and retention.
“I feel like we still have a long way to go and I think (Mission) feels the same way,” union nurse and bargaining team member Kelly Coward told Asheville Watchdog before the three-year contract expired. “The main goal is, we’re focused on patients and our community. We need the resources and we need the nurses and we need retention and we need the tools in order for us to take care of our patients and our community.”
Union nurse and bargaining team member Jeanne Mould said there has been some progress on proposals centered on safety and working conditions, “but when it comes to some of the proposals that would increase nurse retention, we get a lot of, just, pushback and not even budging.”
Though nurses and Mission have planned several bargaining sessions into the summer, the union is circulating strike pledges, commitments members sign to be a part of a work stoppage.
CHEROKEE, N.C. (WLOS) — Tribal members in Cherokee are now legally allowed to buy recreational marijuana. First, it was the sale of medical marijuana, which was approved in Cherokee earlier in spring. Now, recreational sales of marijuana are approved for adults aged 21 and up.
As of right now, the recreational sale of marijuana is approved only for tribal members, and it must only be used on the Qualla boundary.
Bill Devine is already using marijuana for medicinal reasons.
“If I can get off the pain medicine and [use] something that doesn't have no side effects, then I’m all for it,” he said.
CHEROKEE, N.C. – Three weeks after passing legislation banning individually-owned hemp/cannabis stores on the tribal trust lands of the Eastern Band of Cherokee Indians, Dinilawigi (Tribal Council) has reversed that decision. Robert Mark “Bertie” Saunooke, an EBCI tribal member and owner of two hemp/CBD stores in Cherokee, submitted a protest to Dinilawigi on Ord. No. 63 (2024) which was passed on June 6.
That protest, which dealt with two floor amendments added to Ord. No. 63, was heard during a special session of Dinilawigi on Thursday, June 27.
In a protest letter to Dinilawigi Chairman Mike Parker, Saunooke wrote, “This floor amendment has the effect of shutting down all privately owned hemp stores on the Qualla Boundary. As an enrolled member of the EBCI and an interested party in this ordinance change, I hereby protest the floor amendment to the ordinance affecting hemp stores.”
I am an interested party because I own two hemp/CBD stores. My stores, which sell hemp products under the name Native Cloud, are located in Saunooke Village and near the Subway restaurant on Tsalagi Road. If this ordinance is not changed, both of my stores will have to close.”
Growing up in Buncombe County, Angel Redmond never thought much about Stephens-Lee High School, the institution that educated Black students in Western North Carolina for four decades until it closed in 1965.
“I did have aunts and uncles who went there, but I didn’t realize how much of an impact Stephens-Lee had,” says Redmond, who graduated from T.C. Roberson High School in 1994. “At Roberson, I learned nothing about it.”
Redmond serves as facility supervisor at the city-owned Stephens-Lee Community Center, which is housed in the school’s former gymnasium. She wants to make sure Asheville’s young people learn about the school that excelled in education, music and athletics and served as a cultural and civic hub for the area’s African American population.
“We try to regularly have conversations with kids at our after-school program and summer camps about the importance of Stephens-Lee,” she says. “We talk about it along the lines of respecting the space that we’re in because this space is so important to Blacks.”
ASHEVILLE, N.C. (WLOS) — For many people, the Fourth of July means fireworks. This might be fun for humans, but that is not typically the case for our four-legged friend.
The American Kennel Club says more pets go missing during Independence Day weekend than any other time of year. This is why Mabel Lujan with the Asheville Humane Society says that when coming across what could be a lost dog or cat, pay attention to their body language.
“It’s really important to pay attention to the body language of the animal. Are they cowering away and really scared or do they seem kind of approachable?" Lujan explained.
ANIMAL WELFARE GROUPS TEAM UP FOR MICROCHIP EVENT, HELP LOST PETS GET BACK TO THEIR OWNERS
If it feels safe, the first and best way to help them reunite with their family is by using one of the free microchip scanners around Asheville.
The Asheville Humane Society has a scanner in front of its building that can be used 24 hours a day.
Be sure to write the lost animal’s microchip number down. Then, go online and find one of the sites where the number can be entered, such as the Asheville Humane Society website and Lost Pets AVL.
This year's Fourth of July celebration set records for some businesses along the South Slope. As thousands of people walked along Coxe Avenue on Thursday, July 4, it resulted in thousands of dollars spent on the different restaurants and breweries in the area.
"We are thrilled with the attendance at the Independence Day Block Party,” said Hayden Plemmons, Asheville Downtown Association executive director. “Our businesses were packed, and people were having a fantastic time. I heard in the crowd: ‘This fireworks show is better than most big cities.’ We look forward to hosting on the South Slope in the future. You can’t beat amazing, unobstructed views of the 20-minute firework show and incredible support from our local businesses.”
Click the story title for a cool 17 image gallery.
Thanks for stopping by, wishing all a weekend!
“Be safe out there.” Lamont Cranston
