Advance of the ‘slim-talls’: Big new homes mark gentrification upending Asheville’s historically Black neighborhoods
Sign up for free email updates from The Watchdog. You’ll be notified whenever we publish our latest award-winning investigative reporting, John Boyle’s Answer Man and Opinion columns, Tom Fiedler’s Democracy Watch, and more!. The third of four parts. Sandra Smith has a name for the towering new...
Group behind new 31.5-mile bike path between North, South Carolina seeks community input
A local nonprofit is asking for public input on plans for the Saluda Grade Trail, a mixed-use biking and walking path set to run from Inman, South Carolina, to Zirconia, just outside Flat Rock. The Saluda Grade Trails Conservancy, the group behind the trail project, bought the Saluda Grade, a 31.5 mile stretch of...
Western North Carolina Freeze Warning Tonight: Lows Near 28° from 2 AM to 9...
Country Herald is Local News, Independent Pulse. Covering breaking local news, sports, lifestyle and events. Asheville, NC – A Freeze Warning is in effect overnight for several Western North Carolina counties and Rabun County, Georgia, as temperatures are expected to drop well below freezing early Saturday...
No Kings 2 in Asheville
Approximately 8,000 people gathered and marched in downtown Asheville as part of the No Kings 2 on October 18, 2025 rally. The event featured speakers, music, and a march through downtown. Photos: Renato Rotolo.
From revival to recovery: Some paramedics are changing the front line of addiction care
A life lost in Buncombe County in 2022 still weighs on — and motivates — Shuchin Shukla, a family physician who specializes in addiction medicine. A community paramedic had responded to an overdose involving a person recently released from jail. After reviving them, the paramedic told the patient about a...
Letter: Parton aims to make Woodfin better for all residents
It’s a rare occasion when you meet someone with integrity, intelligence and humor (and really good hair!). And when they step up to lead, it’s a good day for all of us. I’m writing in support of Chip Parton, candidate for Woodfin Town Council. Chip is a plumber and small-business owner who took an interest in his...
Trick-or-treaters unwrap spooky-sweet fun this Halloween on Vermont Avenue in Asheville
ASHEVILLE, N.C. (WLOS) — West Asheville was filled with goblins, ghouls and of course - candy. One particular area was in for a hauntingly good time this Halloween as hundreds of trick-or-treaters filled Vermont Avenue. Community members of all ages filled the sidewalks dressed as their favorite characters, ranging...
Letter: Hospital competition can’t hurt
[Regarding the Xpress newsletter question: “Is the community better served by having more hospital competition?” and the Asheville Watchdog article “Presentation on Weaverville Hospital Sparks Tense Exchange Between AdventHealth Official, Mission CEO,” Oct. 6, via the Xpress website:]. With hospitals closing all over...
Carolina Moment: Celebrating 100 years of the Asheville Sessions that shaped country music
ASHEVILLE, N.C. (WLOS) — When you think of country music, you might think of Nashville, "Music City," or even Bristol, Tennessee/Virginia, home to the Birthplace of Country Music Museum. But to truly appreciate the history of country music, you must understand its roots in Asheville. Let's go way back...
The 1925 Asheville Sessions: The Spark Before the Bang
In August 1925, two years before the famed Bristol Sessions, Ralph Peer and Okeh Records set up a temporary studio on the rooftop of Asheville’s brand-new Vanderbilt Hotel. Over ten sweltering days, local musicians cut sixty test records, capturing the raw sounds of traditional Appalachian ballads, banjo tunes, and...
