Asheville Year in Lists 2010: Top news stories of the year

Jason Sandford

Jason Sandford is a reporter, writer, blogger and photographer interested in all things Asheville.

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I’m continuing my series of recapping the year that was 2010. Here’s my list of the top news stories for Asheville, a list there’s certainly debatable and certainly not comprehensive. What do you think the big stories of 2010 were for Asheville?

Here’s what I’ve got, in no particular order:

Obamas visit Asheville: President Barack Obama and First Lady Michelle vacationed here in Asheville back in the spring. The visit was strictly a vacation for the First Couple, which meant that news coverage largely focused on Asheville as a tourist destination, rather than any work Obama was doing. That international coverage bathed Asheville in a spotlight we’ve never seen, and led to story upon story about our glorious mountains, or lovely barbecue restaurants and our awesome resorts. 

Locals reacting to disasters: Two big disasters this year – the Gulf oil spill and the earthquake in Haiti, touched the hearts of local residents. The Haiti quake, in particular, spurred local churches, nonprofits and regular people to reach out by donating tents, cash, time and expertise. Not since the big tsunami from a few years back has an international tragedy spurred such local reaction. The oil spill touched people in a different way, I think – namely, it inspired an anger and feeling of helplessness that such an environmental catastrophe could happen. It may have also created a new awareness of the fragility of our planet.

War: As the United States continued to wage war in Afghanistan and Iraq, Asheville and Western North Carolina saw more men and women in uniform head to those danger zones. And we saw some of them return in coffins. We pay a huge price every day in actual dollars to prosecute these wars, and we’ll be paying a far deeper price for a long, long time to come.

Asheville Transit System questions: The crash of an Asheville city bus into several buildings – and one person – on College Street triggered a wave of questions about the safety and reliability of Asheville’s public transportation system. Later in the year, a bus driver struck a man at Westgate Shopping Center – an older veteran who later died. Another driver was arrested and charged with driving a bus while intoxicated. A lack of transparency about the system’s drivers came to light and is starting to be addressed. 

City Hall scandal: A public corruption scandal hit Asheville City Hall early this year when four women in the city’s human resources department were arrested and charged with felonies. The top-level administrators were accused of fraud, and at least one has pleaded guilty to the charges. There appears to be little lasting fallout, though. Asheville City Council has expressed confidence that the issues have been addressed, and in the city’s manager, whom they have the power to hire and fire.

Urban Outfitters opens: When the national retail chain Urban Outfitters announced it would be opening a store in downtown Asheville in 2010, the hew and cry of protest reverberated across town. Asheville fiercely loves and defends its independent store owners. They are what give our city its unique character, a character that’s key to attracting many a tourist, those defenders say. Urban will bring on the gentrification of downtown, and push out that independent element, they say. Others argue that a store like Urban Outfitters helps out all businesses by attracting people downtown. The verdict is out on whether the arrival of Urban will be a tipping point we’ll look back on, but it’s opening was the catalyst for the independents to launch the successful Asheville Grown campaign to urge people to shop local.

River Arts District in spotlight: The River Arts District has been a haven for working artists for years, but even with the addition of hot attractions such as the twice-annual arts walks, Clingman Cafe, Wedge Brewing and 12 Bones restaurant, it’s managed to remain low-key. Not any more. Depot Street saw the opening this year of a major new building – the Glen Rock – with its affordable apartments and retail space. The old Depot Club building got a major renovation, as did warehouse space that is now home to Pink Dog Creative artist studios. The city created a new commission to guide development along the river, the nonprofit RiverLink is pursuing its extensive greenway project and the New York Times heaped on coverage of the area. 

Pack Square Park opens: Pack Square Park finally opened this year, after about five years of construction and downtown upheaval that displaced festivals and hurt the bottom lines of area restaurants. When it was all said and done, the price tag was something on the order of $15 million, paid for mostly with private donations and some public tax money. The park’s Splashville fountain was a big hit this hot summer, and the park seemed to be fully realized during a Labor Day symphony concert praised by all who attended. It’s the jewel in the crown of Asheville parks.

Spotz’s row: Warren Wilson graduate Katie Spotz launched her incredible row across the Atlantic Ocean on Jan. 3. She took her boat 2,500 miles solo, and became the youngest person to ever do so. She did it all to raise awareness for her clean drinking water cause, Blue Planet Network, which buys water purifiers and digs wells in Haiti, India and Kenya. Spotz did good work and represented Warren Wilson, and the Asheville area by extension, in true style.