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avlblade.bsky.social
The Asheville Blade
@avlblade.bsky.social
23K followers 5 following 500 posts
Sharp journalism, analysis and perspectives without fear. Leftist news co-op based in Asheville.

Read our work at: https://ashevilleblade.com

Support us and subscribe at: https://patreon.com/AvlBlade

Background photo by Max Cooper
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avlblade.bsky.social
While solid public health data's been difficult to come by the last few weeks, it's now clear that covid risks in the Asheville area have declined to SUBSTANTIAL, down from High.

We may be out of this wave entirely in a week or two, but we're not there yet. Risks remain very real. #avlnews
A graph showing local covid rates based on virus in wastewater data, with rates recently dropping well into Substantial territory. An Asheville Blade risk graph with Substantial marked, including cautions to avoid crowded indoor spaces where masking is infrequent, wear an N95 in indoor spaces and review covid boundaries and risks A graphic listing anti-covid mitigations, including running an air purifier, using nasal spray and rinsing with mouthwash
November 11, 2025 at 10:41 PM
avlblade.bsky.social
Last month's marketing blitz depicted post-Helene Asheville as happy, fully recovered and ready to welcome rich tourists.

Nothing could be further from the truth: Asheville is still a disaster zone.

The first part of our new series, The Crisis After the Crisis. ashevilleblade.com?p=5349 #avlnews
A Blade graphic with the words "Asheville is still a disaster zone" in large black print over the photo of a ruined building. In smaller print, "As the official Helene remembrances fade, we're left in a city still marked by disaster. Many are manmade. This is the start of the Blade's series on the crisis after the crisis.
October 28, 2025 at 5:29 PM
avlblade.bsky.social
Some good news on the Asheville covid front. It's now clear the wave that started in August has peaked. We're reducing local covid risks to HIGH, down from Catastrophic.

Still important to get the updated shot, wear an N95 in public spaces, and use mitigations. #avlnews
An Asheville Blade graph showing covid rates declining to HIGH levels. A Blade risk graph with High highlighted, with precautions including avoided crowded indoor spaces, wearing an N95 and testing regularly Asheville Blade mitigations graphic, including running air purifiers, using nasal sprays and mouthwash, and wearing an N95.
October 21, 2025 at 2:28 PM
avlblade.bsky.social
Regular Asheville city council meeting begins at 5. @matildabliss.bsky.social and @davidforbes.bsky.social will cover live.

Main items are "downtown activatiom strategies." Apparently cops not pelting local bargoers with chemical weapons wasn't on the list. #avlgov #avlnews
A. Downtown Activation Strategies Presentation Open Streets Mini-Grants (no Council action required) Central Business District Food Trucks Pilot (no Council action required) Ordinance amending Section 10-88 (Noise Regulations) regarding increasing the event days of a Level 3 sound exceedance permit from 30 to 50 event days for a pilot program period with a sunset date of December 31, 2026. Ordinance amending Chapter 11 of the Code of Ordinances to establish a downtown event-based Social District Pilot Program for specified special events taking place in the South Slope during calendar year 2026. Screenshot of a WLOS 13 report: "APD said LRADs and pepperballs have been used five times in the past year on Lexington Avenue...
October 14, 2025 at 8:10 PM
avlblade.bsky.social
Manheimer even put Noem first on the list in her thanks.

From city hall's own press release.

Not for the first time, Asheville city government is absolutely fine with fascism. #avlgov #avlnews
“On behalf of the City of Asheville, I want to thank Department of Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem for obligating critical funds to support our community’s recovery from Tropical Storm Helene. We are deeply grateful to our partners at FEMA, the State, as well as Senators Ted Budd and Thom Tillis, and Congressman Chuck Edwards, for their continued advocacy and support of Asheville.” — Mayor Esther Manheimer
October 7, 2025 at 7:32 PM
avlblade.bsky.social
Unfortunately, amid the multiple crises our city is in, covid isn't taking a break.

Due to the latest public health data showing a rampant level of spread over the past few weeks, the Blade is raising the local risk level in the Asheville area to CATASTROPHIC. 🧵 #avlnews
A graphic showing covid virus in wastewater rates on a chart rising above a red line labeled "catastrophic." An Asheville Blade graphic with CATASTROPHIC RISK highlighted, including precautions to stay home whenever you can, wear an N95 in public situations and test before meeting those outside your household An Asheville Blade graphic of mitigations, including running an air purifier, using nasal spray, wearing an N95 and rinsing with mouthwash
September 30, 2025 at 9:41 PM
avlblade.bsky.social
One year ago the people of this area faced the disaster of Helene. While government officials disappeared, locals banded together to keep each other safe. They saved countless lives and prevented untold misery.

Today we still face a crisis after the crisis.

It is a surreal anniversary... #avlnews
A photo of Asheville's river district buried in floodwater, taken on Sept. 27, 2024
September 27, 2025 at 5:45 PM
avlblade.bsky.social
Heads up, y'all. Remember our experience with disaster prep, coordinate with folks close to you and stock up (without panic) on any supplies you might need. We keep us safe.

From the National Weather Service's Greenville-Spartanburg office this morning. #avlnews
An official NOAA map showing a potential storm formation aimed right at NC, circled, with the words "tropical wave could bring impacts to the western Carolinas and northeast Georgia early next week."
September 26, 2025 at 1:31 PM
avlblade.bsky.social
Sadly the news on the local covid front keeps getting worse. The height of tourism season, new variants and vaccine restrictions from the cultists running federal agencies fueling skyrocketing infections in Asheville #avlnews

Our updated covid alert: ashevilleblade.com?p=5330
A Covid Wave Alert graphic with "Skyrocketing" in red print and "Danger grow as late summer wave hits stride" A covid risk graphic with a High risk level highlighted, with precautions including avoiding crowded indoor spaces, wearing an N95 and testing regularly A covid wave chart showing risk levels in the HIGH area and reaching towards Catastrophic, with a red line steadily going up
September 16, 2025 at 7:51 PM
avlblade.bsky.social
Unfortunately, we have to raise the local covid risk level to HIGH, based on data showing rapidly increasing infections in the Asheville area.

This means stricter precautions. Wear an N95 in indoor and crowded outdoor spaces. Limit errands. Test regularly and coordinate precautions... #avlnews
A graphic showing sharply rising Asheville area covid rates based on virus in wastewater data, with the red line already above the HIGH risk level An Asheville Blade covid precuation graphic, with HIGH RISK highlighted and a list of precautions, including wearing an N95, avoiding crowded indoor spaces/limiting errands and testing regularly/coordinating precautions with others.
September 6, 2025 at 3:07 PM
avlblade.bsky.social
After the council meeting last week, where six members (including both Mayor Esther Manheimer and Council member/mayoral candidate Kim Roney) voted to gut local boards, that's exactly what happened.

Today city hall killed most boards *until at least 2027.* #avlgov #avlnews
Notice from Asheville city hall: Regular meetings of the following 13 advisory boards will remain suspended until June 30, 2027, unless noticed otherwise: Affordable Housing Advisory Committee African American Heritage Committee Asheville-Buncombe Riverfront Commission Asheville Downtown Commission Audit Committee Community Entertainment Facilities Commission Human Relations Commission Multimodal Transportation Commission Neighborhood Advisory Committee Noise Advisory Board Public Art & Culture Commission Sustainable Advisory Committee Urban Forestry Commission
September 3, 2025 at 3:34 PM
avlblade.bsky.social
Few things more of a reality check about how our area's actually doing than cheery "everything's going great" tourism propaganda (literally from the TDA) in front of a gutted building. There are spots like this all over.

Asheville is still a disaster zone, y'all. #avlnews
A gutted building in Biltmore Village peeking out from behind a "It take a village" tourism sign, with "Visit NC" visible, surrounded by overgrown plants.
August 31, 2025 at 1:56 PM
avlblade.bsky.social
In the same meeting Asheville city council's set to make poor people asking for help even more illegal, and dismantle local boards for occasionally contradicting them, they're also...

Gutting the human rights board in response to a lawsuit from racists.

A telling image. This is Asheville. #avlnews
An image of city council's proposed gutting of the Human Relations Commission, removing the inclusion of "Black and African American; Latino/a or Hispanic; Native Americans and Indigenous People; Asian Americans; members of the LGBTQ+ community; Youth members between the ages of 18 and 25; Individuals who live in public housing; Individuals with a disability or disabled individuals; Individuals who are recognized as community leaders"
August 22, 2025 at 10:08 PM
avlblade.bsky.social
With tourism increasing, the Asheville area is back in a covid wave for the first time in three months.

That means more infections and more risks. It's time to take precautions, masking up and more, to keep you and your communities safe.

Our covid wave alert: ashevilleblade.com?p=5330 #avlnews
An Asheville Blade covid wave alert graphic with "Another wave: risks spike as schools, tourism resume" over a background of infection graphs A risk level graph with Substantial risk level highlighted, advising people to wear an N95 in indoor public spaces, avoid packed spaces with little masking and review precautions A virus in wastewater graph showing rates increasing over recent weeks A graphic listing anti-covid mitigations including running an air purifier, using nasal spray, wearing an N95 and rinsing with mouthwash
August 21, 2025 at 7:44 PM
avlblade.bsky.social
Once again, Asheville city hall is looking to punish people made homeless by a crisis their actions and policies caused, massively expanding the areas where asking for help is a crime... #avlnews #avlgov
Asheville Blade graphic with FACTS at the top and the following text over an image of city hall: Gentrify a city so badly that it turns into one of the least affordable in the country and a hell of a lot of people get kicked out on the street. Restart evictions and deny rental aid right after a massive disaster and a hell of a lot of people get kicked out on the street. It's that simple. Asheville Blade graphic with the word FACTS at the top and the following text: Now city hall is looking to, once again, punish people made homeless by a crisis their actions and policies caused, massively expanding the areas where asking for help is a crime. "There are certain behaviors that we hope we can mitigate, but it is not our intent to use this as a hammer." — City manager Debra Campbell, July 31 meeting on the expanded panhandling ban "Perfect! Yippee!" — Campbell, rejoicing at the destruction of the Aston Park homeless camp, including two arrests, April 2021 Asheville Blade graph with FACTS at the top and the following text: Asheville has a homelessness crisis because of the greed of the gentry and the actions of local governments. They have no interest in solving what they created (and keep creating, every single day). They just want to punish the poor, including the survivors of Helene, for daring to exist in public. Anything else they say is a lie. Graphic with a red border and the words: Asheville city council votes on the more extensive panhandling bans Aug. 26. There's no reason they should know a moment's peace. Manheimer 828-231-8016 Mosley 404-395-3665 Smith 704-401-9104 Turner 828-216-9284 Ullman 828-713-9488 Hess 828-759-5354 Roney 828-450-1099
August 19, 2025 at 7:43 PM
avlblade.bsky.social
Asheville city hall is once again trying to punish the poor, extending the panhandling ban. The APD claims this is necessary because panhandlers...are causing car crashes.

Oh hey, this resembles the same debunked propaganda they used in 2022 to blame homeless camps for violence. 🧵 #avlnews #avlgov
A screenshot from a recent Blue Ridge Public Radio report on the expanded panhandling ban, reading: Each of the newly proposed zones, Aardema said, was a hotspot for both panhandling activity and pedestrian-vehicle collisions. He noted that roughly 30 percent of the city’s pedestrian crashes this year had taken place within 25 feet of a reported panhandling location. Although he did not establish that panhandling had directly caused those crashes, he said the correlations were strong enough for the APD to recommend stricter rules. “There are concerns about the safety of those that are panhandling,” added Campbell. “There is a deep concern also for the business and property owners along these major corridors, and trying to mitigate any type of negative and unfortunate, possibly secondary, impacts on those particular users.” Screenshot from 2022 Blade article "War on the poor": Years of research on local criminal records has repeatedly shown Asheville police spend a shocking amount of their time arresting houseless people on frivolous charges. Indeed, from Dec. 26 to Feb. 20 the APD carried out 29 arrests for second degree trespassing, the vast majority on houseless people. In one case they arrested one houseless person four times for trespassing just during that period. Lamb touted a scare graphic asserting that crime increased dramatically 500-1,000 ft. near houseless camps, that in the past two years 25 percent of violent crime and 22 percent of overall crime in the entire city happened nearby. Screenshot of part of the 2022 Blade article "War on the poor" One of the main “crimes” mentioned on the slide, overdoses, isn’t a crime. It also lumps violence done to houseless people in camps in with incidents they’re accused of. Its radius of 1,000 feet within a houseless camp includes some of Asheville’s busiest areas. Drawing a 1,000 feet radius from the Lexington Avenue camp, for example, would take in a decent swath of downtown. This applies even more if the 1,000 feet starts not at the boundary of a houseless camp, but of a large park or plot they’re camped on. That means that incidents like drunk tourists getting in fistfights were used by the APD to blame houseless people camping in the area.
August 17, 2025 at 2:29 PM
avlblade.bsky.social
Spots like this, full of devastation and wreckage, are still all around Asheville nearly a year since Helene.

The marketing blitz is meant to cover up that we are still a disaster zone, not least because there's far more focus on bringing tourists back instead of helping locals survive. #avlnews
A destroyed building with an annihilated white car next to it
August 7, 2025 at 8:56 PM
avlblade.bsky.social
Just hours before Asheville city council meeting they've finally posted the "restructuring."

Transit, affordable housing, environment, African-American heritage, human rights boards and more shuttered, will only meet when staff/council tell them to drive.google.com/file/d/1Qzhw... #avlgov #avlnews
Screenshot of Asheville city boards turned into rubber stamps under new city hall plan, will only meet on "as needed" basis, including African-American heritage, human relations, environmental committees, arts, transit, housing and more Diagram of proposed structure that openly shows it as "top down" noting "boards must get approval" to consider anything other than what higher-ups tell them to.
July 29, 2025 at 4:24 PM
avlblade.bsky.social
So, buried in the Asheville city council agenda for tomorrow is the dull-sounding "Proposed Structure for Helene Recovery Boards." Less than 24 hrs before the meeting, no proposal is attached.

But there's some warning signs it's a power grab at the expense of the public 🧵 #avlgov #avlnews
A screenshot of part of the July 29 Asheville city council agenda, with the item "Proposed structure for Helene Recovery Boards" in the repprt section. Unusually, it has no documents.
July 28, 2025 at 10:27 PM
avlblade.bsky.social
Numbers are revealing things. This week Asheville city council backed $250,000 to save two properties from gentrification.

The funds go to the land trust, one of the few good things local governments support. But everywhere else they're putting their money offers some sharp contrasts. 🧵 #avlnews
Asheville Blade graphic with the word "FACTS" in large letters and a faded image of Asheville city hall in the background and the following text: $250,000 To help community land trust save two properties from gentrification $284,000 City manager's salary, with major raise funded by major tax hike on locals $2.1 million This year's increase in APD budget, funded by major tax hike on locals $27.2 million City hall reserves, just sitting there after Helene, funded by major tax hike on locals Does something seem off here? Asheville Blade graphic with the word "FACTS" in large letters at the top and the following text: Numbers are revealing things. On June 10 every Asheville city council member obediently followed Mayor Esther Manheimer's orders and voted for a budget with an 8% tax hike to appease wealthy investors, shovel even more cash to the cops and give City manager Debra Campbell yet another massive raise. Meanwhile the land trust, one of the only good things local government funds, gets less than Campbell's salary. This is corrupt. This is Asheville.
June 29, 2025 at 2:12 PM
avlblade.bsky.social
This has worsened during Debra Campbell's time as city manager, with routes regularly having their hours cut, most recently about a month ago.

What's driving this? Well, robust transit systems ensure that more poor and working class locals can access more of the city. Can't have that. #avlnews
A screenshot of a May 23 press release announcing cuts to four bus routes because bus drivers and other workers are badly underpaid
June 23, 2025 at 2:05 PM
avlblade.bsky.social
If you find our reporting useful and want to support our local leftist news co-op of working class trans journalists, here's how you can do so...

Subscribe (the $15 tier gets you this lovely "Gentry Tears" mug): patreon.com/AvlBlade

Or donate: paypal.me/AshevilleBlade
A hand holding a mug with the words "Gentry Tears" in black print on a white background. The other side of the Gentry Tears mug, with an Asheville Blade logo, a stylized red blade with the words "The Asheville Blade" beside it.
May 30, 2025 at 2:47 PM
avlblade.bsky.social
A new pay scale for cops, including officers that only exist on paper. Massive raises for high-level officials. Appeasing bondholders by letting emergency funds sit in a bank account.

Locals now face a major tax hike to fulfill the ruling class' wish list: ashevilleblade.com?p=5315 #avlnews
Asheville Blade graphic with "The extraction budget" in large red letters, with the subhead "City hall pushes a massive tax hike on locals to fund more money for cops, major raises for higher-ups and to appease wealthy investors Blade graphic with a background image of storm devastation with the caption "With Asheville still a disaster zone, city hall is gouging the same people whose heroism saved lives during Helene, just to benefit the wealthy and powerful. The city manager alone gets an $8,000 raise from the tax hike Image of Asheville police in riot gear with the words "Over a third of the tax hike on locals goes to shovel yet more money to the already-bloated budget of the police department. This includes a new, much more expensive pay scale City hall is clearly preparing for a crackdown on increasing protest and dissent Graphic with red trim and a black background. In large red letters "City council's public hearing on the budget is May 27. They'll vote June 10 In smaller text: Sadly, they often ignore public comments they don't like, so yell at them during dinner Manheimer 828-231-8016 Mosley 404-395-3665 Smith 704-401-9104 Turner 828-216-9284 Ullman 828-713-9488 Hess 828-759-5354 Roney 828-450-1099
May 27, 2025 at 6:22 PM
avlblade.bsky.social
Asheville city hall: "ok, in the wake of Helene we have to do a major tax hike..."

Local: "Oh! To hire more transit workers and pay them well while reviving our crumbling bus system?"

City hall: "Lol no. To give cops and the city manager another massive raise." #avlnews
Screenshot of part of an announcement from Asheville city hall: FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE Date: May 23, 2025 City of Asheville | Communication & Public Engagement Department Contact: Jessica Hughes, Communication Specialist | jhughes@ashevillenc.gov PRESS RELEASE: Four bus routes temporarily impacted due to staff shortages The City of Asheville’s Asheville Rides Transit (ART) service will be temporarily adjusting operations on the following routes beginning May 27, 2025, due to ongoing staffing shortages: Impacted routes WE1 eastbound will be reduced from once every 30 minutes to once an hour at each stop. Updated WE1 schedule is available here. N2 will be cancelled, however, N1 will begin to service the stops along Beaverdam Road between Ingles and Revol Church every 2 hours. N1 may experience slight delays due to this change. Updated Route N1 schedule is available here. W6 and N3 will be reduced from once every 30 minutes to once an hour at each stop. Updated Route W6 schedule is available here. Updated Route N3 schedule is available here.
May 23, 2025 at 5:13 PM
avlblade.bsky.social
Asheville's three year covid wave — defined by sustained, substantial spread of the virus within our communities — is finally over. The post-Helene drop in tourism played a major role.

We're putting the current risk level at LOW.

More in our full announcement: ashevilleblade.com?p=5040 #avlnews
An Asheville Blade graphic with the words "Wave Over" in large font over an image of the city, and "post-Helene drop in tourism helps end Ashevilles three year covid wave" A graphic with the words "Covid risks are now Low, but they are not absent" cautioning people to still wear masks in indoor public spaces, especially crowded ones, and discuss precautions/risks with each other A virus in wastewater graph showing rates below "substantial" risk level for several weeks, thus ending the wave A graphic of covid mitigations, including running an air purifier, using nasal spray, wearing an N95 and rising with mouthwash
May 20, 2025 at 7:50 PM