May Day calls on us, as people and a city, to consider the reality of the world we face and how we can start to change it. Here are three important changes Asheville could do right now Above: City Hall under renovation. Photo by Bill Rhodes. “I am, somehow, less

A year after a controversial hotel vote set new political boundaries on the issue, Council again faces a similar dilemma with an election on the way. A look at the latest battle lines in the hotel wars. Above: An image of the proposed Embassy Suites project, an eight story hotel

Yes, this is actually happening. And Asheville’s political culture is absolutely, horribly unprepared for the coming years. That needs to change now. Above: protesters outside the Sept. 12 Trump campaign rally in downtown Asheville. Photos by Max Cooper. Over the chaos of the past few months, there’s a memory that’s

The Asheville Blade covered a lot of ground as we fought through a tumultuous, trying, important and groundbreaking 2016 alongside the people of the city we love Above: Fireworks over City Hall. Photo by Bill Rhodes. Well that was a hell of a year. As 2016 (finally!) meets its end

An exclusive, behind-the-scenes look at the planning meeting for a local, not-at-all-cluelessly-awful Black Friday promotional video for a business consortium Recently, the following promotional video has been making the rounds causing, as one might expect, some comment. The Blade has obtained an exclusive transcript of the decision-making process behind it. We’ve

Survive. Organize. Resist. A few words that must be said, about what happened, where our city and country are going and what we have to do. Above: Protesters and police outside the Civic Center entrance during the Sept. 12 Trump rally. Photo by Max Cooper. I’m not in despair because

For the first time in its 135-year history, WNC’s Central Labor Council is bringing together local unions in a united effort to get out the vote. A look behind local labor’s push to get people to the polls. Above: Representatives from local unions gather for a group photo during recent

Asheville’s political culture is lately turning to wealthy executives to craft the response the affordable housing crisis. Excluding the people most affected by the crisis while giving leadership to those who caused or profited from it is a bad idea. Above: a map of city areas by median income, from the

The controversial company managing Asheville’s bus system almost gets another three years, as a process falls out amid withheld information, major questions, dueling committees and ongoing problems Above: the aging SUV used to ferry transit passengers when the system runs out of buses due to maintenance problems. Last year, both

From Airbnb to city boards, too much of our politics focuses on property owners, but renters are half the city’s population. It’s time to listen to them seriously. City Hall under renovation. Photo by Bill Rhodes. If you haven’t heard, Airbnb and its ilk are back in the news, as