We publish a list of NewsNotes every day in our newsletter, but there’s so much happening in the area that it’s easy to miss some of the biggest announcements and updates.
So, we’ve started picking our top 10 NewsNotes every week for you. Here are the items getting the biggest buzz from the past week –
Announced: Travelers, rejoice. Uber and Lyft have resumed picking up passengers at Asheville Regional Airport after they reached an agreement that includes fees + designates an area for the ride-booking companies. More here.
Civic: New restrictions on how police officers obtain permission from drivers or pedestrians before going through their property has been made in a 5-2 vote by City Council on Tuesday night. The biggest change is that police will have to get written permission before conducting a vehicle search unless they have probable cause rather than searching a person due to a past criminal record or behavior deemed suspicious. This change was voted on to avoid racial targeting after reviewing data on police traffic stops and searches.✈
Civic: Don’t have a working smoke alarm? You can request a free one from the City of Asheville. After filling out this form, the Asheville Fire Department will contact you for a home instillation. Statistics show that no smoke alarms are present in 2 out of every 5 deaths due to home fires.🔥
Announced: Cork & Craft, a boutique wines + craft beer store, is opening on Haywood Rd. in West Asheville where Hops & Vines formerly was. The space is currently undergoing renovations and is scheduled to reopen as the new business on Friday.🍷
Announced: Here to There Adventure, a new Asheville rickshaw company, is hoping to start giving rides soon in downtown Asheville (after getting approval from the City to operate). The founders of the business were inspired by their experiences with rickshaws in India. See what they might look like here.
Dish: Pop-up restaurants are popping up this weekend. Catch the Filipino restaurant Bad Saint’s two-night residency at Buxton Hall (June 1 & 2), Baba Nahm’s Mediterranean breakfast (ends May 27) + Curragh Chase at Gan Shan West (starts May 27).🥘
Ticket: Biltmore’s summer concert series is sale now which include Creedence Clearwater Revival, Jay Leno, Lyle Lovett, and The Temptations. Prices start at $60.🎵
Community: Asheville Area Habitat for Humanity has announced the construction of three new affordable homes in its Arden neighborhood. On June 8th at 12 p.m. the future homeowners, volunteers + representatives from various sponsoring groups will meet at the construction sight (34 Beale Rd.) to enjoy a light lunch and program focused on Habitat’s impact. The public is invited to attend. 🏡
Cause: YMCA of Western North Carolina announced their new Appreciation membership program, which is a reduced membership rate with veterans, with no fees. Plus, they’ll continue to provide a free membership to deployed military families.
Legacy: Our thoughts go out to the families of WYFF news anchor/reporter Mike McCormick and WYFF photojournalist Aaron Smeltzer. They were killed Monday while out covering the rain’s impact in Polk County when a tree collapsed on their vehicle on Highway 176.
