New property values on the way for Buncombe homeowners
ASHEVILLE, N.C. (828newsNOW) — Thousands of Buncombe County property owners will begin receiving updated property value notices in the mail starting Wednesday, Feb. 18, marking the county’s first general reappraisal in five years. The new appraisals reflect fair market values as of Jan. 1, 2026. County officials say...
Habitual felon faces long sentence for fentanyl trafficking, guns
On Feb. 4, Ramond Doquis Lester received a sentence of 8-10 years after pleading guilty to drug trafficking and illegal weapons possession. The charges stem from an incident on Aug. 5, 2025, when Asheville Police Department officers conducted a targeted traffic stop on a vehicle Lester was driving. At the time, he...
One injured in Hendersonville stabbing
HENDERSONVILLE, N.C. (WSPA) – One person is in the hospital and another in jail following a stabbing in Hendersonville. According to Hendersonville Police Department, at around 7:27 p.m. Tuesday officers were called to Chadwick Avenue for a reported stabbing. At the scene officers found a male victim with cuts to his...
Asheville man to spend more than decade in prison in trafficking cases
ASHEVILLE, N.C. (828newsNOW) –An Asheville man was sentenced Tuesday to more than 13 years in prison after pleading guilty to multiple fentanyl and cocaine trafficking charges stemming from two 2025 investigations in Buncombe County. Terrence Antonio Lucas, 36, pleaded guilty in Superior Court to three counts of...
No crypto in Canton: Town blocks data centers and crypto mining operations
On Feb. 11, Canton’s makeshift town hall — a temporary trailer in place since Tropical Storm Fred in 2021 — was bursting at the seams with citizens ready to speak out against data centers and cryptocurrency mining. Two hours and 44 speakers later, the town board unanimously...
Adult gift shop Boutique Royale is building a royal community
ASHEVILLE, N.C. (828newsNOW) — Located just outside of Biltmore Village in South Asheville, Boutique Royale offers lingerie, adult toys and novelty items to people of all shapes, sizes and sexualities. For owners Patrick Kennedy and Katie Collins, a married couple, creating a safe, inclusive space for their community...
History Feature: Breathing Room ~ Asheville’s Early Role in Tuberculosis Care
Before visitors began flocking to Asheville for craft beer and mountain views, they came because they were dying of a disease with no cure. Starting in the late 19th century, thousands traveled to the mountains drawn by the belief that air and altitude could soothe a rattling cough. Soon enough, Asheville became one...
The Wild Truth: Help! What to Do For Injured Wildlife
Why is the little fawn all alone in the woods? Is the unmoving bird on my patio dead? Are the baby rabbits nesting in our backyard abandoned? Help! There’s a squirrel on the road with a broken leg. A lawn mower ran over a box turtle—can we save it?
New rotisserie restaurant, coffee bar planned for North Asheville
ASHEVILLE - Down, but not out, Peyton Barrell and Katie Grabach have found a new home for their rotisserie and wine bar, Gourmand Rotisserie. Gourmand Rotisserie was nearing opening day, set for November 2024 in the River Arts District, when its building was knocked off its foundation and submerged by floodwaters the...
Asheville police arrest man for arson at The Mountaineer Inn
The Asheville Police Department seeks further information from the public after a man was charged with arson following a fire at the vacant Mountaineer Inn. At 12:38 a.m. on Thursday, Feb. 5, APD officers observed a fire and an individual inside a vacant room of the building at 155 Tunnel Road. They extinguished the...
