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2 days ago
- Politics
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Commissioner Martin Moore launches campaign for Buncombe County district attorney
ASHEVILLE – Buncombe County Commissioner Martin Moore has launched a bid to become the county's next district attorney, a role currently held by Todd Williams, a fellow Democrat who has said he would prefer not to run for reelection. Moore, a former public defender and now attorney and mediator in private practice, made the announcement in a July 29 news release. 'If elected D.A., my emphasis will be on prosecuting cases of domestic violence and criminal cases involving gun crimes,' Moore said in the release. 'Our community is most severely impacted by these types of violent crimes and the court calendar will reflect these priorities under my leadership.' Moore added that misdemeanor cannabis charges would be his office's 'lowest priority.' Moore, 37, was elected to a four-year term on the County Commission in 2022 and is now the board's vice-chair. He represents District 2. In 2024, Moore ran for a seat on the state's Court of Appeals, losing to Republican Christopher Freeman in the November general election. Williams, 55, was first elected district attorney in 2014 and is currently serving his third term. He said he would not run for reelection should a qualified candidate step forward, the Citizen Times previously reported. Williams told the Citizen Times on July 29 that he believes Moore to be qualified for the post but said he will not make a final decision on running for a fourth term until closer to the end of the official candidate filing period, which is in December. Still, Moore, a graduate of UNC-Chapel Hill and UNC School of Law, has the backing of several local elected leaders. According to his campaign's July 29 new release, state Reps. Eric Ager, Lindsay Prather and Brian Turner, are all backing Moore, as are state Sen. Julie Mayfield, Register of Deeds Drew Reisinger, former Buncombe County Commissioner Jasmine Beach-Ferrara, and current commissioners Al Whitesides, Parker Sloan, Drew Ball and Board Chair Amanda Edwards. More: Buncombe County District Attorney announces his "preference" not to run for reelection More: Asheville Citizen Times staff recognized for journalism excellence in Helene coverage Jacob Biba is the Helene recovery reporter at the Asheville Citizen Times, part of the USA TODAY Network. Email him at jbiba@ This article originally appeared on Asheville Citizen Times: Buncombe County district attorney: Commissioner Moore enters race Solve the daily Crossword
Yahoo
24-07-2025
- General
- Yahoo
An Asheville respite supports the unhoused after hospital stays. It is now expanding.
ASHEVILLE - Trokon Guar was finally walking without a wheelchair. He'd come to Haywood Street Respite eight months earlier with a fractured leg. In July, the respite's screened-in porch dimmed the summer heat, an alcove tucked away from the near-constant activity of the downtown church. Guar demonstrated a few calf raises, grinning. He is a composer and musician. When it comes to genre, he's not picky — R&B, rock, jazz. But he favors spoken word hip hop. In a new music video on his YouTube channel, snippets of footage are filmed in Haywood Street Congregation's sanctuary, backlit by stained glass. The 12-bed respite offers post-acute, short-term care after hospitalization for people experiencing homelessness. The intervention is intended to give them a place to recover, rather than ending up directly back on the street. 'This place has changed my life," Guar, 34, told the Citizen Times July 17. He has been homeless for years. In-and-out of the hospital. If not for the respite, he said, "I had nowhere else to go." More: Homelessness after Helene: With final Buncombe disaster shelter closed, what's next? Respite expansion underway The respite is slated for expansion using funding from a $1.6 million grant, awarded by Buncombe County via American Rescue Plan Act dollars in September. The Continuum of Care recommended funding for the program after issuing a request for proposals last year to bolster area shelter beds. The project will grow the respite to 25 beds, more than doubling its capacity, adding a second-story addition to the building, along with an elevator and 3,300 square feet of new offices, bedrooms and common areas. Haywood Street Congregation, an urban ministry with the mission, "relationship, above all else," opened the respite in 2014. The brick church sits on the outskirts of downtown. It hosts a midweek Downtown Welcome Table, often a refuge for the city's unhoused. If the welcome table is the ministry's "hub," respite is its "heart," said Executive Director Laura Kirby. The city began processing its permit application July 1. Construction on the $1.9 million project is expected to begin construction in late September, Kirby said. It will take about 12 months. The respite will temporarily relocate residents to allow for uninterrupted operations. Respite Director Nicole Brown said the expansion will mean, first and foremost, turning less people away. Staff will also have more flexibility to keep people longer, leading to better outcomes for residents. A stay starts at two weeks, but lasts 45 days on average. Placements are made by referral, with many coming from Mission Hospital and the county's community paramedics. Those in respite care have a safe place to rest, meals, transportation to follow-up appointments and assistance accessing services and support. In 2022, the National Institute for Medical Respite Care selected Haywood Street's program, along with four others in the country, to receive capacity building assistance to increase the integration of medical respite with behavioral health care. There is a licensed clinical social worker on staff, as well as an in-house case manager, a peer support specialist, nurses and other 24/7 support. Asheville faces lack of affordable housing The goal is to create an exit plan for each person in respite care, like working toward long-term housing or connecting them with a behavioral health provider. It ensures people are added to the by-name list — a standard practice for an area Continuum of Care, with real-time information used to prioritize people to be slated for available housing programs dedicated to those exiting homelessness through coordinated entry. Asheville's list includes 690 people actively engaged with providers, according to Emily Ball, manager with the city's homeless strategy division. For the respite's first decade of operation, 70% of residents went somewhere other than the streets upon departure, and 87% were newly connected with primary care, with most attending at least the first follow-up appointment, according to Haywood Street figures. Guar, for example, is awaiting documents he needs to replace his identification and Social Security card before he can take next steps toward housing. He is hopeful for placement in a group home, before eventually moving into his own place. Others are waiting for housing at Vanderbilt Apartments or the housing authority. As the ministry shifted its model to work with people facing more complex issues — like those with intersecting medical and behavioral health needs — it can be more difficult to exit them into shelter, Brown said. Some shelters also may not be structured to support people in wheelchairs or on oxygen. 'So it might be that they're going outside, but they're going outside hopefully a lot more supported than they were when they came in," Brown said. Asheville also faces a lack of affordable housing options, Brown said. The city's 2024 Affordable Housing Plan found that 36% of all Asheville households are "cost-burdened," meaning they spend more than 30% of their income on housing costs. Between 2015 and 2021, median rent increased 33%, from $866 to $1,152, while median wages for workers in Asheville's top industries increased only 15%, the study found. Asheville has among the highest rents in the state. For this reason Haywood Street embarked on its own housing venture: constructing 41 permanently affordable apartments less than a half-mile from the church, aiming for occupancy by November. More: Haywood St.'s 41 affordable apartments named for Asheville activist Gloria Howard Free Community 'changes things' In the respite's kitchen July 17, hospitality manager Elizabeth Bower, affectionately referred to as the "house mom," was serving up a baked potato bar. She and Brown remembered the earliest days of Haywood Street Congregation's welcome table, back in 2010, making large batches of scrambled eggs in a residential kitchen. They didn't know the color changed when kept warm for too long. Faced with a pot of green eggs, they just made ham, too, Bower said. At the kitchen table was Tracy Fowler. He was homeless for about three years before coming to respite. 'I've been able to get the rest I've needed, get off the streets, get regulated on my meds. Become myself again," Fowler, 57, said. Accepting someone into a community is crucial to respite's mission, Brown said. "(It) just instantly changes things," she said. 'While the stay in respite might be short, the relationships that you build, and the support we offer, is long term with that connection with Haywood Street.' John Madden, 78, who prefers to go by "Jaunito," was living in Mexico when he fell ill. Unable to afford a doctor there, he came back to Asheville, where he lived for more than a decade before the pandemic in 2020. "I came back with no plans but to stay alive, if I could, or find out what was going on,' he said. He's experienced homelessness before — he estimated about 25 days total in the last five years — but the 10 days on the street before securing a spot at respite were brutal. One night on the street, "and I unravel in a way that is startling," he said. 'This place has been beyond miraculous," Madden said of the respite. "The staff are astonishing. I call them ninjas, because they have to handle every kind of problem, from psychological to housing ... I started to exhale once I got through the door.' Phillip Lucero, 65, was clear about the emotional and physical toll homelessness takes. He was in shelters for about three years, and on the street "fairly recently." 'This can really happen to anybody. I had a very good job. I had a really good apartment … And it just, piece by piece, fell apart in a matter of months," Lucero said. 'A couple of bad decisions and here I am. And it is extraordinarily difficult to survive." Places like respite make it possible, he said. They do a good job to make you feel "at home." He, Madden and Fowler are on various housing waitlists. Lucero said he has been on some of them for years. 'You become a target' The respite is working to break a cycle people can become trapped in when experiencing homelessness: bouncing from the street, to shelter, to jail, to the hospital and back. It is complicated by a lack of shelter beds. Further complicated by difficulty finding affordable housing. Sleeping or existing outside while homeless can result in a second-degree trespassing charge, Brown said. 'When you're homeless, you become a target for a lot of people. No one really cares about you," Guar said. You are arrested for disorderly conduct, for trespassing or are kicked out of buildings. It was enough to make him feel like no one "wanted anything to do with me." 'But these people here care," he said of respite. "They've shown me that there is people out there that care. My mentality has changed completely.' How to get help Call Haywood Street Respite at 828-301-3782. Learn more about respite referrals at More: BeLoved Asheville rebuilds with resilience in Swannanoa's Helene-damaged Beacon Village More: Could Asheville get alcohol-friendly social district downtown? Council may consider it Sarah Honosky is the city government reporter for the Asheville Citizen Times, part of the USA TODAY Network. News Tips? Email shonosky@ or message on Twitter at @slhonosky. This article originally appeared on Asheville Citizen Times: Downtown Asheville's Haywood Street Respite is expanding its beds Solve the daily Crossword
Yahoo
12-07-2025
- Climate
- Yahoo
Multiple fatalities reported in Tropical Storm Chantal flooding in North Carolina
Multiple people died in central North Carolina after Tropical Storm Chantal brought a deluge of rain and flooding to the area on July 6, according to officials. The Raleigh-Durham area saw nearly 12 inches of rainfall in 24 hours, while neighboring areas reported at least nine inches, according to the Asheville Citizen Times, part of the USA TODAY Network. The influx of rain caused flooding in several areas including Alamance, Chatham, Moore, Orange and Person counties, according to the Citizen Times. Chantal was downgraded to a tropical depression by July 7, but was still dumping rain across the mid-Atlantic. North Carolina Gov. Josh Stein said at a news conference on July 8 that officials from the North Carolina Department of Health and Human Services were still working to confirm the total number of fatalities from the flooding, but that there are "a handful of reported deaths to date." The NCDHHS said it does not currently have verified information on storm-related deaths but referred USA TODAY to local law enforcement. The North Carolina Department of Emergency Management told USA TODAY in a statement that the state's emergency response team "is aware of potential fatalities linked to Tropical Storm Chantal as reported by law enforcement" and is awaiting reviews from the North Carolina Office of the Chief Medical Examiner. Here's what we know. In Chatham County, which is just west of Raleigh, three people died in the floods, officials confirmed to USA TODAY. Sandra Portnoy Hirschman, 83, of Pittsboro, North Carolina, died around 11:30 p.m. local time on July 6 when her car became submerged in water, Steve Newton, Chatham County's emergency management director, told USA TODAY. Two individuals who went boating on Jordan Lake around 5 p.m. on July 6 also died, Newton said. One boater was recovered on July 8, while the second individual was found July 9 — both are awaiting positive identification from the medical examiner's office, Randall Rigsbee, Chatham County Sheriff's Office public information officer, told USA TODAY. Monica Butner was driving to work in Hillsborough, North Carolina, on the evening of July 6 when her car got stuck in floodwater, the Orange County Sheriff's Office said in a release. The 58-year-old called 911 around 10:30 p.m. local time amid the heavy rainfall, but the call disconnected, OCSO said. Firefighters soon located her unoccupied car. First responders found Butner dead around 5 p.m. on July 7. Officials said she was "almost completely obscured by fallen trees and debris approximately 120 yards downstream from her vehicle." 'The devastating power of stormwater caused Ms. Butner's tragic death, despite the heroic efforts of searchers and the work of the top-notch professionals at Emergency Management who coordinated the incoming resources," Sheriff Charles Blackwood said in the release. "I am grateful to everyone who assisted with this search, and I offer my condolences to all affected by this tragedy.' In Alamance County, two people died under the jurisdiction of the Alamance County Sheriff's Office, Byron Tucker, public information officer, confirmed to USA TODAY. Hajar Hassib, 23, of Graham, North Carolina, was reported missing in Graham and later found dead in the flooding, Tucker said. James Michael Parcell, 71 of Haw River, North Carolina, was also found dead after being reported missing to ACSO. Both were "a result of swift water across the roadway," and found within miles of each other, Tucker said. Parcell's obituary said he died in a car accident. Known as Mike, Parcell "lived life to the fullest" and "always found a way to make you laugh," according to his obituary. USA TODAY has reached out to Gov. Stein's office for more information. This story has been updated with additional information. Melina Khan is a national trending reporter for USA TODAY. She can be reached at This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: Tropical Storm Chantal flooding in NC kills multiple people
USA Today
09-07-2025
- Climate
- USA Today
Tropical Storm Chantal brought over 10 inches of rain to central NC: State of emergency, flooding
The effects of Tropical Storm Chantal brought severe weather to North Carolina on Sunday, July 6, causing flooding and damage throughout central N.C. Heavy rainfall from the storm will continue to result in flash flood concerns across portions of the Delmarva, New Jersey and eastern Pennsylvania, and life-threatening surf conditions and rip currents will likely continue at beaches along the East Coast. However, Chantal, now in the post-tropical cyclone phase, is no longer affecting N.C. as of Monday morning, July 7. As the water begins to recede in N.C., here's what we know about the effects of Chantal in the state, including rainfall amounts, effects of severe flooding and more. How much rain fell in North Carolina? NWS Meteorologist Tom Green told the Citizen Times that the highest observation in the Raleigh-Durham area was 11.91 inches in 24 hours, reported 2 miles north of Moncure in Chatham County. Another nine sites reported at least 9 inches of rain, all located in Chatham and Orange Counties. Cities effected included Chapel Hill, Pittsboro, Hillsborough, Carrboro, Durham, Efland, Siler City and Mebane. Where did it flood in North Carolina? Chapel Hill, NC flooding and more Serious flooding affected central N.C. due to the effects of Tropical Storm Chantal, with weather services and county and city authorities issuing statements throughout the past 24 hours. Chatham County, home to Goldston, Pittsboro, Siler City and part of Cary, stated on X at roughly 9 p.m. July 6 that over 100 roads across the county were flooded. Orange County, home to Chapel Hill, Carrboro, Hillsborough and parts of Durham and Mebane, also reported "significant flooding" of 5-9 inches across the county, prompting the opening of an emergency shelter for displaced residents. NWS Raleigh posted on X that the Haw River at Haw River crested at 32.5 feet at 4:45 a.m. on Monday, July 7, the second highest river stage ever reported at the site. The record was set in 1996, when Hurricane Fran caused the river to swell to 32.83 feet. North Carolina state of emergency In a July 7 statement from Gov. Josh Stein, the governor named counties in which local states of emergency have been declared including Alamance, Moore and Orange Counties. He also mentioned reports of flooding in Durham County. 'I am grateful to the first responders who are keeping people safe and for the proactive work of emergency management professionals and the North Carolina Department of Transportation,' said Stein in the statement. 'I urge all North Carolinians to listen to any guidance from local weather and local emergency management officials and be aware of any road warnings and closures before they leave the house.' North Carolina closed roads As of Stein's 12:18 p.m. statement, the NC Department of Transportation had reopened several major roads previously closed due to flooding, including I-40/85 in Alamance County. However, about 120 roads remained closed. Never attempt to pass through standing water on roads. For real-time travel information including info on closed roads, visit or follow NCDOT on social media. Asheville, NC flooding? Did it flood in Western NC? The NWS confirmed to the Citizen Times that there was no significant rainfall in WNC. North Carolina tornadoes? Tornadoes were another concern for central N.C. during the storms. Green told the Citizen Times that, as of early afternoon Monday, July 7, surveyors did not have information available on any tornadoes that may have occurred. North Carolina dam failures? While no dam failures have been reported as of early afternoon Monday, July 7, several notices were posted earlier about concerns. Orange County posted a voluntary evacuation order on X at 11:55 p.m. on Sunday, July 6, warning of the possibility of Lake Michael Dam failure. Iris Seaton is the trending news reporter for the Asheville Citizen Times, part of the USA TODAY Network. Reach her at iseaton@
Yahoo
07-07-2025
- Business
- Yahoo
Woodfin audit revised after local officials pushback; was 'misleading,' town officials say
WOODFIN - After the North Carolina Office of the State Auditor released a report stating the town of Woodfin violated a state statute governing ethics education, the auditor has revised the report and walked back several of its original assessments, including its claims the town broke the law. A May 21 report released by the office investigated a tip that "alleged potential wrongdoing between the Town Manager and the business Equinox Environmental." Woodfin Town Manager Shannon Tuch is married to the president of Equinox Environmental. Tuch was hired in March 2022, after the town entered initial contracts with the firm for work on Riverside and Silver-Line parks, which were the primary according to contracts provided by the auditor's office. At the time of her hiring, she verbally disclosed the conflict of interest to all town council members, Mayor Jim McAllister told the Citizen Times June 13. The discussion to manage the conflict of interest is also documented in Woodfin Board of Commissioners meeting minutes before Tuch took the role, at which time the commission decided contracts with the company would be handled by a consultant, former Town Manager Eric Hardy. Despite this information being public the auditor's report was jarring, town officials said. In the original report, the auditor's office outlined seven contracts signed between Equinox Environmental, a landscape architecture firm, and the town of Woodfin from 2021-2025 for development and maintenance of Riverside and Silver-Line parks but said there was "no formal documentation of notification or public discussion" of the conflict of interest. Most of the contracts were signed as part of Woodfin's Greenway Blueway project, which includes the much-anticipated Taylor's Wave project. The auditor's office also claimed the town lacked a "formal Ethics Education program," which would put it in violation of a state statute requiring that public officials go to ethics education classes each year. But Woodfin officials said the initial auditor's report misrepresented the town's contracts with the firm and its ethics procedures. Both were readily available, but not reflected in the initial report, they told the Citizen Times. In a letter to the auditor's office, Woodfin town attorney John Henning wrote the report was "misleading" for omitting that the auditor's office found no wrongdoing between the town and business and that it neglected to acknowledge steps taken by town officials to prevent an actual conflict of interest, including hiring Hardy. By not stating that no wrongdoing was found in the report, it essentially misled those who read it, he argued in the June 18 letter. "Based upon reactions received anecdotally and online, readers of the Report are not making this leap, and have instead made comments supposing the Town to be somehow corrupt, citing the Report as evidence. This is patently unfair to the Town and the citizens it serves," Henning wrote in the letter obtained by the Citizen Times. Systems were already in place for both, town officials said. Contracts were overseen by former town manager Hardy, who was hired as a consultant, McAllister told the Citizen Times. Most contracts were signed by Hardy or prior administrators, not Tuch, according to copies of the contracts provided to the Citizen Times. Only one, which was approved by the Town Council, received Tuch's signature. "Nothing came to Shannon (Tuch) before it went to Eric (Hardy) and had been talked about with the attorney as necessary," McAllister told the Citizen Times. "We thought we had found a good solution for it." Additionally, the town already sends publicly elected officials to an ethics education program through the University of North Carolina School of Government. The letter provides certificates of completion for all town council members as verification of participation in order to comply with North Carolina General Statutes. After Woodfin's town attorney sent the letter, the auditor's office offered a revised version of the report on June 23. Though the report was revised, on June 16, Woodfin Town Council passed extra measures that all Woodfin town council members, employees and contractors would have to formally notify town administration in writing after the potential conflict is identified. It follows one of the transparency-related recommendations in the original report. The report's impacts have been felt in other areas, too. The report had led to a delay in Woodfin's admission to the State Mission Assigned Recovery Task Force, or SMART, Program, Tuch said. The program was launched in response to Tropical Storm Helene. Since then, it's gotten "back on track" but it is the "kind of thing that happens when people rush to judgment," she told the Citizen Times. Equinox and Woodfin signed contracts worth $796,492, according to the auditor's office, including one contract for $447,538 for the design of Riverside Park. Tuch took the manager position a year after that contract was signed by then-Woodfin Mayor Jerry VeHaun. When contacted by the Citizen Times, the auditor's office spokesperson Randy Brechbiel said the revision was necessary "in light of additional information received from the Town." "OSA made no findings with respect to the contractual agreements at issue, and it appears the Town took sufficient steps to address the conflict of interest," the revised report states. Tuch said the problem was not with being reviewed, it was the matter in which it was published. It needed more time, she argued. "It'd just be good if people would pause long enough to make sure that they're being fair and appropriate and thorough in the work that they're doing," Tuch told the Citizen Times. More: As insurance costs rise, NC may consider incentives for flood policies after Helene More: WNC landslide mapping, mitigation efforts recommended after Helene, but funding is unclear Will Hofmann is the Growth and Development Reporter for the Asheville Citizen Times, part of the USA Today Network. Got a tip? Email him at WHofmann@ or message will_hofmann.01 on Signal. This article originally appeared on Asheville Citizen Times: NC Auditor Woodfin report revised after officials call it 'misleading'
