A bevy of items — including drug enforcement, housing and the interstate — lead to a long and occasionally contentious Council meeting Above: Asheville City Council member Julie Mayfield. File photo by Max Cooper. The Sept. 16 Asheville City Council meeting was a long one, less due to a lengthy

Despite misinformation and outright lies, you have a legal right to talk about how much you’re paid. Given Asheville’s catastrophically low wages, it’s time for this culture of silence to end Above: Tupelo Honey’s downtown location. Last year, following wage cuts for support staff at the booming chain, workers launched

After months of wrangling, Council passes a living wage for all city workers. The bond companies also weigh in, with a very different vote of confidence Above: Asheville City Council member Cecil Bothwell. File photo by Max Cooper. Two matters of money dominated the relatively short Sept. 22 Asheville City

City government will finally pay a living wage to all its employees. But the worker who raised concerns in the first place was fired. Above: Lauren Bacchus, a U.S. Cellular Center worker who raised concerns late last year about a lack of living wage for workers there. Shortly after going public

As pushes for higher wages increase, can Asheville pass its own minimum wage? A look at the legal questions and political battles over a key issue Above: Raise Up for 15 protesters near the Biltmore Avenue Hardee’s in April. Partly inspired by that regional labor movement, some locals are now pressing

While Council is set to pass a budget tonight, it will still be months before it’s clear if all city workers will actually get a living wage Above: the description of a U.S. Cellular Center job from the city of Asheville’s website last year, paying below a living wage. Asheville

The public weighs in on the budget’s ‘moving parts’ while Council gets an earful, wrangles over numbers and disagrees on a few key points Above: Mayor Esther Manheimer during the June 9 budget hearing. Photo by Max Cooper. As the Blade (and some of the area’s other media as well)

The city budget rolls out, with uncertainty over a living wage increase, a survey reveals mixed opinions on the city’s performance and Council divides with developers over housing incentives Above: Asheville City Council member Cecil Bothwell, file photo by Max Cooper The summer is often the meat of the city’s political

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 city manager tries to put the brake on living wage increases, Council wrestles with short-term rentals and a split vote on a new development as local government heads into a tense summer Above: City manager Gary Jackson, file photo by Max Cooper As summer comes on Asheville City Council