Medicaid expansion will benefit tens of thousands of people, especially throughout WNC. The refusal to expand it threatens hospitals and families. Above: a doctor holds a sign supporting Medicaid expansion at a Moral Monday protest. Photo by Leslie Boyd. Imagine living in a place where 17,000 people die in a

For over a decade my family tried to make our lives in Asheville. But by this year, we simply couldn’t make it here anymore. Above: Downtown Asheville at night. Photo by Bill Rhodes. A few weeks ago, we ran a column by Noor Al-Sibai, a young journalist and writer who’d

The truth about the decades-long fallout from racist government programs offers some harsh reminders — and important lessons for Asheville today. Above: The 1937 HOLC map for Asheville. The areas in red, most of them African-American, were designated “unsafe” for investment.  Over the past week, I’ve been incredibly pleased to

The rising use of credit checks, just to allow one to rent housing in Asheville, excludes much of its working class and increasingly pushes them out of the city they make possible There was an important point raised in the Asheville Citizen-Times‘ June 30 forum on family homelessness, and one that hasn’t gotten

Local photographer Zen Sutherland sends a before/after image to highlight the contributions — and plight — of artists in the River Arts District. The studios here were recently shut down by the city of Asheville, citing a lack of maintenance, code violations and safety concerns. — At the southern tip

Thank you, Asheville, for your amazing support of the Blade. In just one month, you’ve shown that reader-funded journalism has a future in this city Above: the skyline of downtown Asheville, photo by Max Cooper. One month ago today I went live with the Asheville Blade’s Patreon campaign, asking the

The Moral Monday protests that brought out thousands in Asheville last year return Aug. 4. Leslie Boyd, a local health care advocate and protester, writes about why she participates. Above: North Carolina NAACP leader Rev. William Barber and other Moral Monday speakers at the first ‘Moral March to the Polls’

I moved to Asheville for college thinking I’d found a home. But between an impossible job market, a lack of amenities and a city filled with too many ghosts, it’s time to go. Above: Skyline of Asheville. Photo by Bill Rhodes. “Why are you leaving Asheville?” It’s a short question,

One view on the long, twisted road to making the APD evidence room audit public, and how it changed Asheville Above: District Attorney Ron Moore talking to press June 19, beside the 15-volume audit of the APD evidence room. Honestly, I never expected the day would come. There, on a

The city’s current tack amounts to exploiting artists’ work while ignoring them and pushing societal homogeneity. There’s a better way. Photo by Zen Sutherland. “It’s a waste of time debating the merits of illegal graffiti,” says Gus Cutty, a local muralist and street artist, but that has not stopped the argument from