From Staff Reports

ASHEVILLE, N.C. — The 2026 Asheville State of Downtown address, delivered by Mayor Esther Manheimer on April 14 at The Orange Peel in downtown Asheville, was defined by a theme of “positive but uneven recovery” in the wake of Tropical Storm Helene. 

The event, drawing about 300 people, served as a critical update for business owners and community leaders regarding the city’s economic, physical, and fiscal health about 18 months after the disaster.

Manheimer described it as a positive-but-uneven recovery.

The city faces ongoing challenges following Helene, she said, highlighting as most vexing an estimated $30 million city budget shortfall.

“The event, hosted by the Asheville Downtown Association, carried an optimistic tone while acknowledging ongoing challenges,” Asheville television station WLOS (News 13) reported on April 14.

“Downtown is still in a recovery process,” Manheimer told the crowd. “There’s no getting around it. It is uneven in some places. Some folks are thriving, and some folks are still in a state of recovery...

“One thing to think about is that the challenges we face as a city are in our operating budget. Staff are turning over every rock, trying to think of all the ways to trim back a budget.”

Meanwhile, the Asheville Citizen Times reported on April 16 that, in her address, Manheimer said the city’s center is not only the heart of Asheville, “but it is the heart and engine of Western North Carolina,”

If it’s not hitting on all cylinders, if it’s not the engine it needs to be, we all dim a little,” the ACT quoted Manheimer as telling the crowd.

News 13 noted that Manheimer said festivals in Asheville will not be cut, “knowing downtown businesses depend on traffic from them. She said other funding sources are supporting major projects, including infrastructure rebuilds and affordable housing from Hurricane Helene recovery funds.”

Specifically, Manheimer asserted, “There are so many other buckets of money, where we are able to utilize funds to do a lot of capital projects.”

The Asheville TV station added, “Affordable housing remains a priority, said Manheimer. The topic was also brought up by other speakers.”

To that end, in reference to a Coxe Avenue housing project with 200 units downtown, Amanda Edwards, chairwoman of the Buncombe County Board of Commissioners, told the crowd, “The project should be open, if all goes to plan, within the next couple of years.”

From Staff Reports

ASHEVILLE, N.C. — Fox News’ April 25 report highlighting an alleged major m “decline” in Asheville, “reflects real, documented challenges regarding public safety, homelessness, and staffing shortages, though local reports suggest the situation is complex and part of a broader, ongoing urban struggle,” AI Overview noted on April 26.

Featured prominently in the Fox News report is Dr. Carl Mumpower, an Asheville native, well-known conservative, former city vice mayor and city councilman, a psychologist and a long-time columnist for the Asheville Daily Planet.

AI Overview added, “The report correctly identifies that residents and business owners have expressed concerns that the city has become less safe due to an increase in open drug use, homelessness, and a reduced police presence,.”

At the end of its analysis, AI Overview asserted, “In summary, the Fox News report is based on real concerns regarding the visible impact of homelessness and crime in downtown Asheville... 

“However, it portrays a one-sided narrative that overlooks significant improvements in violent crime statistics in 2025 and active, ongoing efforts by local authorities to address these issues.”

From Staff Reports

ASHEVILLE, N.C. — A proposal calling for an impact report and for more transparency presented by state Sen. Julie Mayfield, D-Asheville, was presented  to — and rejected by — HCA Healthcare, the owner of Mission Health’s Mission Hospital in Asheville, during the company’s annual stockholder meeting (held virtually) on April 23, Asheville television station WLOS (News 13) reported on April 24.

“Would require the company to prepare a report assessing the impacts on communities of all of its hospital acquisitions in the last decade,” Mayfield said.

She said the report would look at the number of physicians who have left since HCA Healthcare’s hospital acquisitions. It would also include what patients are saying about their care and examine nurse-to-patient ratios.

Mayfield’s proposal noted that, in the seven years since HCA purchased Mission, the hospital has been flagged with four findings of “Immediate Jeopardy.”