As APD Chief Anderson declares his retirement amid controversy, the city faces a police department with a fraught history and an uncertain future Above: APD Chief William Anderson, photo by Max Cooper. In the hallowed tradition of big government news announcements, this one came after the clock turned over to

Asheville’s workers are badly underpaid. Local government could change that by requiring businesses to pay a living wage. Will they? Above: a map from the National Low Income Housing Coalition showing how many hours working for the current $7.25 minimum wage are required to afford an average apartment across the

From the Atlantic to Salon, national media and urbanists celebrate Asheville as an example — and draw all the wrong lessons Above: Fireworks over downtown Asheville. Photo by Bill Rhodes. Periodically, the national media will rediscover Asheville. Most commonly this consists in the jet set finding out that we have good

I came north when I was 18, seeking opportunity and fleeing violence. Now the lack of a piece of plastic poses a major obstacle to me living my life Above: sample licenses from the North Carolina DMV for residents qualifying under the federal Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals program. I

A frank, honest discussion about the state of our city, following the mayor’s Oct. 1 “TED talk” presentation on where Asheville’s going. Above: skyline of downtown looking toward the Flat Iron building, photo by Max Cooper Concluding thoughts, Oct. 5: I’m awed. Since the original post went up Tuesday, we’ve

Every city has illusions about its culture. Here’s a list of Asheville’s, because it’s time we started facing our myths Above: Hieronymus Bosch’s “The Conjuror,” with a crowd getting their pockets picked while they watch an illusionist perform. Asheville’s got its own magic, a spell it casts that brings people

Pay is terrible in Asheville because there’s often no real protection for workers’ rights. To fix that, this city needs unions. Above: The rights assured to all workers under federal law, a key part of what unions help to enforce. Asheville has a wage problem, and a bad one. We’re making

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

Concerned about low pay, a lack of benefits and many other problems, a group of local service workers are organizing Above: Image for Asheville Sustainable Restaurant Workforce, used with permission of Jessi Steelman. There are over 20,000 food service workers in the Asheville area, according to the Bureau of Labor