The Lee Walker Heights overhaul is one of the largest housing deals in Asheville’s history. It just took a major step forward, as the city also cut a deal with Duke. A look at the complicated history of power, poverty and race behind the project Above: The Lee Walker question,

Body cameras, public housing, the fate of a public square and no action on LGBT protections as Council swings back from the end of winter Above: Mayor Esther Manheimer. File photo by Max Cooper. February was an unusually light month for Asheville City Council. So many items from what would

A divided Council decides on a ‘McKibbon standard’ for new hotels, approving an overhaul of one of downtown’s most notorious buildings Above: Council member Gordon Smith. File photo by Max Cooper. After the hibernation of the holidays, city politics sprang back to life again on Jan. 12 as Asheville City Council

An end to animal circuses, a push for supporting arts education, the contemplation of stinking parking decks and more as Council tackles a wide variety of topics at its mid-summer meeting Above: Council member Jan Davis, file photo by Max Cooper During Summer, Council meetings come a bit more sparsely

Local groups rally around labor, public housing, immigrants’ rights, fair wages and more to mark May Day in a changing Asheville Above: A red flag flies above the crowd gathered at Asheville’s May Day rally as protesters listen to speakers talk about labor and social justice issues. Photo by Max

It’s not just Asheville. In a region where abject poverty and mansions rub shoulders, about 10,000 households rely on housing assistance to survive Above: the numbers of public housing units and housing vouchers in each county in WNC. Chart courtesy of Carolina Public Press As many of our readers know,

Asheville’s mayor talks about her first year in office, controversies, a defense of the city’s actions, turf battles and more Above: Mayor Esther Manheimer, photo by Max Cooper In 2013 Esther Manheimer, after a term on Asheville City Council, won the mayor’s seat decisively. But her first year in office

There’s a major debate about the future of Asheville’s public housing. Here’s a regularly updated account of what’s happening and why it matters. Above: a 1964 booklet from the Housing Authority of the City of Asheville touting “urban renewal” programs. The devastating impact of that program continues to cast a