Asheville NC

BUNCOMBE COUNTY, N.C. – North Carolina recorded a record-breaking $36.7 billion in visitor spending in 2024, according to the state Department of Commerce. But the numbers tell a split story: while most counties enjoyed growth, Western North Carolina (WNC) continued to lag behind as it recovers from the devastation...

Mark Alan Barnes, of Candler, was sentenced to 16 months in prison, followed by three years of supervised release, for collecting approximately $77,770 in Social Security Retirement Benefits intended for a deceased beneficiary.

Gov. Josh Stein on Tuesday announced that he will present the state’s highest civilian honor, the North Carolina Award, to six distinguished North Carolinians on Nov. 13 at the historic Grove Park Inn in Asheville. This is the first time the ceremony will be held outside of Raleigh. Among those being recognized is a...

A North Carolina man just won his second lottery jackpot and it came by playing a game known to have some of the best odds. Bobby White of Asheville won $1 million with a $30 scratch-off in the Max-A-Million game, the N.C. Education Lottery said in a news release. Max-A-Million has overall odds of 1 in 2.95 , which...

(WLOS) — Meet Gigi!. She is an independent and wonderful girl who would be a great cat in any home. She has two brothers, one of whom she is quite attached to. Gigi likes other cats, but she definitely likes to be the woman in charge!. If you are...

MCDOWELL COUNTY, N.C. (FOX Carolina) - Officials in western North Carolina are warning the community about an uptick in a dangerous new synthetic opioid. Deputies said they are seeing isotonitazene, also known as ISO, zene and nitazene, showing up more frequently in McDowell County. The agency said the drug is...

ASHEVILLE, N.C. (WLOS) — Asheville residents were treated to quite a unique sight on Thursday, as the iconic Oscar Mayer Wienermobile rolled its way into town. The 27-foot-long "wiener on wheels" is making several pit stops in the area this weekend. On Thursday, Aug. 28, the Wienermobile made its...

ASHEVILLE - An East Asheville shopping center sold for $45 million in early August, placing a massive 120,000 square foot shopping mall along South Tunnel Road under new ownership. It is the largest real estate sale in Buncombe County in 2025 so far, according to county property records. The shopping mall at 4 South...

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!. After three decades of studies, false starts and continued deterioration of the aging...

After several years in development, the project has cleared state environmental regulations, and work is now moving forward on the new affordable housing site on Sawmill Hollow Road just outside Burnsville. Sawmill Village will consist of 26 small homes ranging from 450 to 650 square feet to be constructed in...