Federal statistics puncture myths about Asheville’s wages, which are staying stagnant, rising slowly or even declining in key sectors as the cost of living sharply increases Above: The skyline of downtown Asheville. Photo by Max Cooper. Every May, the federal Bureau of Labor Statistics releases detailed breakdowns of pay for

The State of Black Asheville, Dwight Mullen and the call for consequences for this city’s institutions — and their failures Above: UNCA professor Dwight Mullen, speaking at a Martin Luther King Day event at Kenilworth Presbyterian. Photo by Max Cooper “It would be considered a state of emergency if you

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

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’

The log for the volunteer escorts at the Femcare clinic, June 7. Photo by Byron Ballard. At the end of this month FemCare, currently the last clinic in the Asheville area providing abortion services, will close. Last year, the clinic was controversially shut down for nearly a month by NC inspectors