Are millions of plastic water bottles getting recycled? Why hasn’t UNC Asheville fully reopened? Craven Street bridge and Tunnel Road bridge reopening estimates? • Asheville Watchdog
Today’s round of questions, my smart-aleck replies and the real answers:
Question: What’s to become of all the plastic bottles that we’re all forced to use for our drinking water? I recall that recently one of the major recycling companies in our area declared that there is no market for recycling plastic bottles. Is that true nationally and/or internationally? Are local landfills big enough to bury all the plastic we’re generating? I fear we are trading one environmental disaster for another one.
My answer: I just know that I’m giving out empty water bottles to everyone I know for Christmas this year. They make great stocking stuffers, you know. You can also make an entire fake Christmas tree out of them.
Real answer:Abe Lawson, president of Curbside Management, the main recycling handler in our area, first noted that, yes, “There has been an abundance of bottles and other recyclables being produced as a result of the storm and aftermath.” The company is most often called “Curbie,” by the way.
In the daily Helene briefings, Asheville City Manager Debra Campbell has offered a running tab on plastic water bottle and carton disbursements, noting Monday it stood at 3.5 million. So that’s a lot of plastic hitting the stream (Curbie also recycles cartons).
But as we reported in August, Curbie does have a good market for plastic bottles and tubs, so that material does get recycled. That’s really the key wherever you live — if the recycling handler has a good market, materials get recycled.
Abraham Lawson, co-owner of Curbside Management, said “We have plenty of capacity to bring all of those bottles into our facility to process and ensure that they are properly recycled.” // Watchdog photo by Starr Sariego
“We have plenty of capacity to bring all of those bottles into our facility to process and ensure that they are properly recycled,” Lawson said via email. “Markets may go up and down on plastics and other commodities. However, we have and will always accept plastic bottles for recycling.”
You can recycle them through the regular means of recycling you use. Also, after Helene, Curbie has been offering a drop-off center at its 116 North Woodfin Ave. facility for residential recyclable materials only. For the time being, it’s available from 8 a.m. to 4 p.m., Monday through Friday.
Back in the summer, Lawson noted that recycling plastic really comes down to your local recycling company, and whether it can find a market for plastic bottles, tubs, yogurt cups, milk jugs and more. Curbie does have a good market regionally for these plastics, called polyethylene terephthalate or PET.
“We’ve got three or four different vendors that we ship to, and those three or four vendors are either turning that PET into carpet, or some of them are grinding it up and washing it and turning it into a flake or pellet, that can be really turned back into anything,” Lawson said in August. “But carpet is probably the largest consumer of that plastic in this region.”
Question: Why hasn’t UNC Asheville returned to in-person, face-to-face classes? All the other colleges and universities in the area that were impacted by the storm, as well as Asheville City Schools and Buncombe County Schools, are having face-to-face classes. At the university, courses that involve such things as lab sciences or musical performance groups are impacted to a very high degree. I’ve heard that there is great dissatisfaction among students and their parents as well as many faculty. These students lived through distance education during COVID and are extremely frustrated. I was told by someone with campus connections that many students are considering transferring. What is the university’s explanation for why they have continued with online classes? Will there be any level of refund of either tuition or student fees based on the current situation?
Not recommended
My answer: Back in my day, we used beer instead of water in college — for everything. Toothbrushing? Beer. Making coffee? Beer. Cooking spaghetti? Beer. I once watered my weed plants with beer. They thrived.
Real answer: John Dougherty, chief of staff and general counsel at UNC Asheville, answered this one. He said the university made the decision on Oct. 9 to transition to online instruction for the remainder of the semester.
“This decision was based on ensuring the safety and continuity of education for all our students,” Dougherty said. “We communicated this decision well in advance, before classes resumed on Oct. 28, to provide clarity and allow ample time for faculty to adapt their courses. At the time, the outlook on water availability in Asheville was uncertain, making it challenging to plan for a full return to in-person operations.”
The shift was vital to maintain academic access for students, he added.
“Following Hurricane Helene, some of our students, faculty and staff, experienced damage to property, loss of housing and transportation, and other significant barriers including relocation, like many members of our Asheville community,” Dougherty said. “The flexibility of online learning has allowed these members of our community to continue their work and studies without further interruption.”
He said faculty have been able to engage with students in “innovative ways,” and the quality of instruction “has not diminished across the online format.” Faculty have restructured courses with a mix of synchronous (real-time) and asynchronous (self-paced) instruction.
Aerial view of the UNC Asheville campus, pre-Helene // photo courtesy UNCA
“Regarding financial considerations, we have communicated information about housing, dining, and parking credits as well as a spring tuition grant for our students,” Dougherty said. “Additionally, the university has encouraged our students to apply for emergency grants for students made available by the North Carolina General Assembly.”
You can find more information about the grants and credits here.
Those grants and credits, Dougherty said, are in addition to more than $300,000 that UNCA distributed to impacted students and employees through institutional hardship grants funded through private philanthropy.
Students with concerns can send an email to helene@unca.edu, Dougherty said, or they can contact the Dean of Students Office.
In a Nov. 13 press release, the university noted that safe drinking water had returned to campus. Safe drinking water returned to the rest of Asheville Nov. 18.
UNCA started working with the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers about a month ago to construct a temporary water treatment facility on campus. The university also consulted with the Environmental Protection Agency to ensure the water is safe to drink.
Question: Can we get an update on the Craven Street bridge? What is the damage? When will it be reopened? Also, can you share more about the bridge by the Veterans Restoration Quarters, and give us an update on how progress is being made there for restoration?
My answer: Thanks. Now I have Simon & Garfunkel’s “Bridge Over Troubled Water” stuck in my brain. That’s a real sapfest, you know.
Real answer: Regarding the Craven Street Bridge, NCDOT resident engineer Tom Veazey said the contract for the repair has been advertised and they are awaiting bids.
“The repairs on this one are very straightforward, so it should be open within a couple weeks once crews begin,” Veazey said. “The alternate routes include the Haywood Road Bridge and Lyman Street to access Riverside Drive.”
Veazey also had good news about the Tunnel Road Bridge near VRQ. Major repairs were to wrap up last week.
“Then, crews will begin placement of roadway fill (this) week, with hopes of placing asphalt and opening the bridge by the end of November,” Veazey said.
Both bridges sustained damage from the Sept. 27 floodwaters of Tropical Storm Helene.
Asheville Watchdog is a nonprofit news team producing stories that matter to Asheville and Buncombe County. Got a question? Send it to John Boyle at jboyle@avlwatchdog.org or 828-337-0941. His Answer Man columns appear each Tuesday and Friday. The Watchdog’s reporting is made possible by donations from the community. To show your support for this vital public service go to avlwatchdog.org/support-our-publication/
www.thecentersquare.com – By Alan Wooten | The Center Square – (The Center Square – ) 2025-05-01 08:16:00
(The Center Square) – Taxpayers in North Carolina will face an average tax increase of $2,382 if the 2017 Tax Cuts and Jobs Act expires at the end of the year, says the National Taxpayers Union Foundation.
Results of analysis were released Thursday morning by the nonprofit organization billing itself a “nonpartisan research and educational affiliate of the National Taxpayers Union.” Its four state neighbors were similar, with South Carolina lower ($2,319) and higher averages in Virginia ($2,787), Georgia ($2,680) and Tennessee ($2,660).
The Tax Cuts and Jobs Act of eight years ago was a significant update to individual and business taxes in the federal tax code. According to the Tax Foundation, it was considered pro-growth reform with an estimate to reduce federal revenue by $1.47 trillion over a decade.
Should no action be taken before Jan. 1 and the act expire, the federal standard deduction would be halved; the federal child tax credit would decrease; higher federal tax brackets would return; the federal estate tax threshold will be lower; and some business tax benefits will be gone.
The foundation, in summarizing the impact on North Carolina business expensing, says the state conforms to Section 168(k). This means “only 60% expensing for business investments this year and less in future years. State policymakers could adopt 100% full expensing, particularly since the state conforms to the Section 163(j) limit on interest expense and the two provisions were meant to work together.”
The foundation says business net operation loss treatment policies in the state “are less generous than the federal government and impose compliance costs due to lack of synchronization with the federal code and are uncompetitive with most other states.”
The National Taxpayers Union Foundation also says lawmakers “should at least be conscious of any retroactive provisions when selecting their date of fixed conformity.” North Carolina is among 21 states conforming to the federal income tax base “only as of a certain date” rather than automatically matching federal tax code changes – meaning definitions, calculations or rules.
The foundation said nationally the average filer will see taxes raised $2,955. It estimates an increase for 62% of Americans. The biggest average increases by state are in Massachusetts ($4,848), Washington ($4,567) and Wyoming ($4,493) and the lowest are in West Virginia ($1,423), Mississippi ($1,570) and Kentucky ($1,715).
Individual wages, nationally, are expected to go down 0.5%, reducing economic growth by 1.1% over 10 years.
Note: The following A.I. based commentary is not part of the original article, reproduced above, but is offered in the hopes that it will promote greater media literacy and critical thinking, by making any potential bias more visible to the reader –Staff Editor.
Political Bias Rating: Center-Right
The content primarily reports on the potential impact of the expiration of the 2017 Tax Cuts and Jobs Act, relying heavily on analysis from the National Taxpayers Union Foundation, which describes itself as a nonpartisan organization but is known to advocate for lower taxes and limited government intervention, positions typically aligned with center-right economic policies. The article uses neutral language in presenting facts and data and does not explicitly advocate for a particular political viewpoint; however, the emphasis on tax increases and business expensing challenges following the expiration suggests a subtle alignment with pro-tax-cut, business-friendly perspectives associated with center-right ideology. Thus, while the article largely reports rather than overtly promotes an ideological stance, the framing and source choice reflect a center-right leaning.
www.thecentersquare.com – By David Beasley | The Center Square contributor – (The Center Square – ) 2025-04-30 21:25:00
(The Center Square) – Authorization of sports agents to sign North Carolina’s collegiate athletes for “name, image, and likeness” contracts used in product endorsements is in legislation approved Wednesday by a committee of the state Senate.
Authorize NIL Agency Contracts, known also as Senate Bill 229, is headed to the Rules Committee after gaining favor in the Judiciary Committee. It would likely next get a full floor vote.
Last year the NCAA approved NIL contracts for players.
Sen. Amy S. Galey, R-Alamance
NCLeg.gov
“Athletes can benefit from NIL by endorsing products, signing sponsorship deals, engaging in commercial opportunities and monetizing their social media presence, among other avenues,” the NCAA says on its website. “The NCAA fully supports these opportunities for student-athletes across all three divisions.”
SB229 spells out the information that the agent’s contract with the athlete must include, and requires a warning to the athlete that they could lose their eligibility if they do not notify the school’s athletic director within 72 hours of signing the contract.
“Consult with your institution of higher education prior to entering into any NIL contract,” the says the warning that would be required by the legislation. “Entering into an NIL contract that conflicts with state law or your institution’s policies may have negative consequences such as loss of athletic eligibility. You may cancel this NIL agency contract with 14 days after signing it.”
The legislation also exempts the NIL contracts from being disclosed under the state’s Open Records Act when public universities review them. The state’s two ACC members from the UNC System, Carolina and N.C. State, requested the exemption.
“They are concerned about disclosure of the student-athlete contracts when private universities don’t have to disclose the student-athlete contracts,” Sen. Amy Galey, R-Alamance, told the committee. “I feel very strongly that a state university should not be put at a disadvantage at recruitment or in program management because they have disclosure requirements through state law.”
Duke and Wake Forest are the other ACC members, each a private institution.
Note: The following A.I. based commentary is not part of the original article, reproduced above, but is offered in the hopes that it will promote greater media literacy and critical thinking, by making any potential bias more visible to the reader –Staff Editor.
Political Bias Rating: Centrist
The article primarily reports on the legislative development regarding NIL (name, image, and likeness) contracts for collegiate athletes in North Carolina. It presents facts about the bill, committee actions, and includes statements from a state senator without using loaded or emotionally charged language. The piece neutrally covers the issue by explaining both the bill’s purpose and the concerns it addresses, such as eligibility warnings and disclosure exemptions. Overall, the article maintains a factual and informative tone without advocating for or against the legislation, reflecting a centrist, unbiased approach.
SUMMARY: Donald van der Vaart, a former North Carolina environmental secretary and climate skeptic, has been appointed to the North Carolina Utilities Commission by Republican Treasurer Brad Briner. Van der Vaart, who previously supported offshore drilling and fracking, would oversee the state’s transition to renewable energy while regulating utility services. His appointment, which requires approval from the state House and Senate, has drawn opposition from environmental groups. Critics argue that his views contradict clean energy progress. The appointment follows a controversial bill passed by the legislature, granting the treasurer appointment power to the commission.
