From Staff Reports

ASHEVILLE, N.C — Following a downtown mass shooting, local leaders focused on violence prevention, community resource investments and federal partnerships, rather than arrests alone,

during a July 24 community briefing hosted by the City of Asheville and the Asheville Police Department at the ADP Headquarters downtown.

Prevention and support ideas that were proposed included the following

• Violence prevention funding: City Councilwoman Maggie Ullman and local groups emphasized investing in established local violence prevention programs, such as those run by the SPARC Foundation.

• Community health workers: Expanding trusted community worker networks to directly connect at-risk individuals with stable housing, healthcare, employment and food security.

• Youth resources: Addressing root causes by questioning and expanding positive youth engagement alternatives when schools are closed.

Regardjng enforcement and safety measures and federal prosecution partnerships, Interim APD Chief Jackie Stepp highlighted ongoing cooperation with federal agencies to crack down on illegal and high-powered firearms.

From Staff Reports 

ASHEVILLE, N.C — Asheville police reportedy have seized the suspect vehicle, recovered digital and physical evidence and identified multiple suspects in the July 19 mass shooting on Biltmore Avenue in downtown Asheville that left two dead and seven injured. 

No arrests have been announced yet.

Lamarius Jones, 22, and Marques Davis Jr., 24, were both killed in the shooting. They reportedly were best friends. Jones also was heavily involved with My Daddy Taught Me That, a local mentorship initiative.

From Staff Reports 

ASHEVILLE, N.C — UNC Asheville’s Millennial Campus Development Advisory Committee recommended dropping the idea of building a controversial 5,000-seat soccer stadium from its South Campus property, known as “the woods,” in its report released on July 20.

Yet, the committee still designated the 45-acre urban forest as the top priority for other commercial and campus development.

Following are background details on the stadium proposal:

• The university previously pursued a partnership with the Asheville City Soccer Club to build a $250 million stadium district on the wooded land.

• The plan triggered massive pushback from neighbors and local groups such as Save the Woods and Friends of the Woods, who gathered more than 18,000 signatures to protect the urban forest.

• UNCA paused the project in August 2025 following the ensuing community uproar and formed an advisory group to re-evaluate.

Following are the committee’s recommendations:

• The MCDA Committee’s formal report advised against building the stadium because a large sports venue “would organize development around a single use, crowding out the higher priority uses.”

From Staff Reports 

ASHEVILLE, N.C — As of July 31, Mission Hospital in Asheville is — potentially — facing renewed trouble due to a combination of federal regulatory warnings, an independent monitor flagging contract violations, and a major state lawsuit advancing toward trial.

To that end, following are regulatory and monitoring issues:

• Federal sanctions: The hospital has cycled through severe Immediate Jeopardy safety citations by the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services, threatening its crucial federal Medicare and Medicaid funding.

• Service degradation: A court-appointed independent monitor’s report, released by the Dogwood Health Trust, flagged HCA Healthcare for potential noncompliance with the 2019 asset purchase agreement, citing a reduction and degradation in emergency, oncology and other core medical services.

• Official statements: “We are confident in our compliance with the terms of the APA. As always, our foremost focus is providing high-quality care,” a July 24 statement from Mission Health noted.

The following is a summary of legal action to date:

• Lawsuit to trial: A North Carolina Business Court judge largely denied HCA Healthcare’s motion to dismiss, clearing the way for the state’s lawsuit — brought by the North Carolina Department of Justice — to proceed to trial.

• Core allegations: The legal action argues that parent company HCA failed to maintain required standards and live up to promises regarding patient care and service availability made when it bought the formerly nonprofit system.

Following is the current status and oversight of the hospital:

• Lifted status: The Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services removed the active Immediate Jeopardy designation in January after accepting a formal correction plan.

• Ongoing compliance: The hospital remains under heightened federal scrutiny and an active Enhanced Plan of Correction as state and independent monitors evaluate long-term operational changes.

From Staff Reports 

ASHEVILLE, N.C — Asheville homes are averaging 88 days on the market — the longest stretch since 2015 — driven by high mortgage rates, overpriced seller expectations and a shift toward a balanced buyer’s market, the Asheville Citizen Times reported on July 29.

The following are market factors and conditions, based on the ACT’s report:

• High interest rates: Stubbornly high mortgage rates, tied to broader economic headwinds and energy cost spikes, have — reportedly — caused buyers to hesitate and pause purchases.

• Unrealistic seller pricing: Many sellers continue listing properties based on peak historical values, failing to realize prices have adjusted downward and requiring late price drops.

• Balanced inventory: Inventory has risen to more than six months in many local brackets, giving purchasers more leverage, negotiating power and choices than in previous years.

• Mispriced vs. correctly priced: Homes properly valued from day one still move relatively quickly, while over-inflated listings sit for months.

As of Aug. 1, average mortgage rates in the Asheville area hovered around 6.77 percent to 6.85 percent for a 30-year fixed loan, and approximately 5.94 percent to 6.10 percent for a 15-year fixed loan.