Charles George VA Medical Center to close, or is that just a rumor? Upcoming development in Fletcher? Will other towns get HUD funds? • Asheville Watchdog
Today’s round of questions, my smart-aleck replies, and the real answers:
Question: Employees were told this week that the Asheville VA will close by the end of year. This is considered one of the best VA’s in the country. It is thought this is another scare tactic. What is your scoop? Thanks!
My answer: From here on out I think we can expect solid rumors on every single federal agency in our area possibly shutting down. President Musk, ahem, Trump, is on the prowl, you know.
Real answer: The rumor mill is indeed running overtime.
“These allegations are unfounded,” Charles George VA Medical Center spokesperson Kathie Ramos said via email. “There has been no official communication disclosing the closure of our VA facility. The Western North Carolina VA Health Care System will continue to provide excellent care to all patients.”
Ramos said the VA’s executive leadership team did conduct an employee town hall meeting last week “to discuss the recent federal policy changes and address questions employees may have.”
“The Western North Carolina Veterans Affairs Healthcare System is considered one of the best VA medical centers in the country, thanks to the dedication and commitment of every member of our organization,” Ramos said.
Readers have asked what’s going on with a sizable grading project in Fletcher on Hendersonville Road. // Watchdog photo by John Boyle
Question: What is going on with the work on a lot at the Hendersonville Road entrance to the Southchase neighborhood in Fletcher? A lot of grading work and fill dirt coming in and being spread out. What’s it going to be? And did the property owner have to do any kind of study on what impact all that fill dirt might have on future flooding?
My answer: I’m thinking of changing my Answer Man slogan from, “Answering your burning questions since 1999,” to, “Answering your dirt-moving questions since the dawn of time.”
Real answer: This topic has come up several times over the past few weeks, as the grading is on a highly traveled section of U.S. 25 through “downtown” Fletcher.
For the time being, it’s just grading.
“There is no proposed development of this site at this time,” Teresa Ralya, a planning technician with the Town of Fletcher, told me via email. “A couple of years ago permits were approved for Dodge’s Convenience store; however, they did not move forward with development. It is my understanding that they have cleared the property of old structures and are preparing/grading the land to advertise it for sale.”
On the flooding front, Ralya said, “There is no study required, as the property is not in an area of special flood hazard.
“Once sold, a new owner will have to present a development plan and structural designs for review/approval by the Town’s Planning Board, because the parcel is in the Heart of Fletcher overlay district,” Ralya continued. “Future development will also go through staff review. The Henderson County Engineering Department will review for stormwater and drainage design of the site when building permits are applied for.”
Question: In light of the recent announcement from HUD awarding $1.4 billion to North Carolina in 2025 — with $225 million specifically for the City of Asheville, what other western North Carolina cities and towns have funding designated for them? What are these amounts?
My answer: It may be wise to double check on this federal funding to make sure it’s still there and hasn’t been rerouted to video game purchases by some of Elon Musk’s teenaged Treasury trolls.
Real answer: Republican U.S. Rep. Chuck Edwards, who represents NC District 11, announced Jan. 6 that western North Carolina will receive $1.65 billion in Community Development Block Grant Disaster Recovery (CDBG-DR) funds to help communities rebuild after Helene. The lion’s share of the funds will be administered to most of western North Carolina through the Department of Housing and Urban Development, Edwards noted in the news release.
Asheville will receive and administer $225 million in separate CDBG-DR funds.
Maria Kim, Edwards’ communication director, said Asheville received its own grant “as it already does business directly with HUD and has the infrastructure in place to administer that money.
“The rest of WNC will receive $1.43 billion, 80 percent of which, by law, must go to the most-distressed/most-impacted ZIP codes,” Kim said. “HUD gives those funds to the state of North Carolina to administer, and the state will disburse those funds to the affected counties after the counties come up with an approved spending plan.”
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 – ) 2025-08-22 08:31:00
North Carolina’s main route through the Outer Banks, N.C. 12, remains closed on Ocracoke and Hatteras Islands after Hurricane Erin caused flooding and sand buildup. Closures are between the Northern Ferry Terminal and Pony Pens on Ocracoke, and between Marc Basnight Bridge and Hatteras Village on Hatteras Island. Road reopening depends on sand removal and pavement damage assessment. As of 5 a.m., Hurricane Erin was transitioning to a post-tropical storm about 425 miles south-southwest of Halifax, with 90 mph winds and moving at 22 mph. Hurricane-force winds extended 125 miles from the center; tropical storm-force winds reached 370 miles. No coastal warnings remain.
(The Center Square) – North Carolina’s primary driving route through the Outer Banks on Friday morning remained closed on Ocracoke Island and Hatteras Island.
N.C. 12 was washed over by water and sand from the ocean following the pass of Hurricane Erin. The closure on Ocracoke Island is between the Northern Ferry Terminal and the National Park Service Pony Pens; on Hatteras Island, it is between the Marc Basnight Bridge and Hatteras Village.
In addition to sand removal, pavement damage would determine how long sections of N.C. 12 are to remain closed.
In the 5 a.m. update from the National Hurricane Center, Erin was in the first stages of post-tropical transition about 425 miles south-southwest of Halifax, Nova Scotia, and about 700 miles north of Bermuda. Maximum sustained winds were 90 mph, and the movement had increased to 22 mph.
Hurricane force winds of 74 mph or greater were up to 125 miles from the center of the storm, and tropical storm force winds of 39 mph or greater had grown to 370 miles from the center. A gust of 56 mph was reported on Bermuda at Wade International Airport.
No coastal watches or warnings were in effect on the Atlantic Seaboard.
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 provides a straightforward factual report about the closure of N.C. 12 due to the impact of Hurricane Erin. It relays information from official sources such as the National Hurricane Center without editorializing or inserting opinion. The language is neutral and focused solely on the event and its consequences, without promoting or criticizing any political stance or ideology. This adherence to objective reporting indicates no discernible political bias in the content.
SUMMARY: On October 29, 2024, the U.S. Supreme Court ruled 5-4 to allow the Trump administration to cancel $783 million in NIH grants focused on diversity, equity, and inclusion (DEI). The Court set aside lower court rulings that had blocked the cancellations, citing jurisdictional issues and aligning with a prior decision involving the Department of Education. Democratic attorneys general and the American Public Health Association opposed the ruling, warning of harm to research and public health. Justices Thomas, Alito, Gorsuch, Kavanaugh, and Barrett supported the administration, while Roberts, Sotomayor, Kagan, and Jackson dissented, criticizing the Court’s rushed intervention and its consequences.
A Hickory woman is suing the city and three police officers over the 2023 shooting death of her son, Timothy Setzer Jr., who was shot 15 times after fleeing on foot. The lawsuit, filed by Charlotte law firms, alleges excessive, unreasonable use of deadly force violating Setzer’s Fourth Amendment rights. Despite officers’ claims that Setzer brandished a firearm, body camera footage and investigations show he was unarmed, fleeing with his back turned and never threatened police. No gun was found on him, only nearby. The complaint also accuses officers of failing to give a verbal warning, violating city policy. The lawsuit includes wrongful death and assault claims.
by Lucas Thomae, Carolina Public Press August 21, 2025
A Hickory woman is suing the city and several current and former police officers for the 2023 death of her son, who was shot and killed after officers fired dozens of times as he fled from them on foot.
Two Charlotte-based law firms that specialize in police misconduct filed the lawsuit in Catawba County Superior Court last week.
Attorney Anthony Burts told Carolina Public Press that U.S. Supreme Court precedent dictates that police cannot use lethal force simply to prevent a non-threatening suspect from getting away.
The U.S. Supreme Court decision Tennessee v. Garner established that under the Fourth Amendment — which protects people from unreasonable searches and seizures — law enforcement officers “may not seize an unarmed, nondangerous suspect by shooting him dead.”
“We need there to be appropriate law enforcement tactics being used in our communities,” Burts said.
“When deadly force is used and someone dies, that person is never coming back.”
The man at the center of the lawsuit is Timothy Setzer Jr., who was 27 and working in construction before his death. Police were responding to reports of gunfire near a park in downtown Hickory shortly after midnight when they spotted Setzer walking and talking to himself, the lawsuit said.
Setzer matched the description of a suspicious individual who dispatchers reported being seen in the area, according to the lawsuit. Hickory Police Officer Austin Steele ordered him to stop and show his hands. Setzer raised his hands in the air but continued to walk away from the officers. After being ordered to stop again, Setzer fled.
Steele and Officer Isam Shamseldin gave chase, following Setzer into a nearby empty parking lot. According to the lawsuit, that’s when the officers opened fire with Setzer’s back still turned to them.
A third officer, Aaron Travis, who had just arrived on the scene in a patrol car driven by his trainee also fired at Setzer out of the passenger-side window of his vehicle, the lawsuit said, calling the maneuver “more suited for an action movie or first-person shooter video game.”
Altogether the three Hickory officers fired 28 shots at Setzer and hit him 15 times, killing him on the spot, according to the complaint.
The officers stated in their initial incident reports that Setzer had a firearm and had pulled it out of his waistband before they opened fire, but the lawsuit said a body-worn camera footage acquired from the State Bureau of Investigation tells a different story.
“Body-worn camera footage confirms that (Setzer’s) back remained turned to Defendant Officers, and he never (1) stopped running, (2) brandished a weapon, or (3) made threats,” the complaint stated.
Travis admitted in a SBI interview following the shooting that he never saw Setzer with a weapon and that his back remained turned to Steele and Shamseldin as he was running away, the lawsuit said.
An autopsy showed Setzer was shot several times from behind, indicating he was not facing the officers when they opened fire, the lawsuit said.
Further, the complaint alleged that the Hickory police officers never gave Setzer a verbal warning that they would use deadly force before they started shooting. Burts said violated the city’s use-of-force policy, which states that officers, when determining whether to use deadly force, should give a verbal warning “when feasible.”
No gun was found on Setzer’s person after the incident, but an SBI agent found a firearm in a wooded area near the parking lot using a 3-D scanner. SBI investigators also recovered an empty handgun magazine allegedly belonging to Setzer, although the lawsuit maintains that there is no physical evidence, including fingerprints, DNA or gunshot residue, linking it to Setzer.
“Unequivocally, there was no gun on Mr. Setzer’s person,” Burts told CPP.
Burts said he filed a petition to release the body-worn camera footage of the incident. Under North Carolina law, such footage is not a public record and requires a court order to be released.
“We want the public to be able to weigh in because Mr. Setzer is no longer here and never will be able to say what happened himself,” Burts said.
The lawsuit brings claims against three Hickory police officers — Steele, Shamseldin and Travis — for their use of deadly force, which it claims was unreasonable, excessive and violated Setzer’s Fourth Amendment rights.
The primary argument of the lawsuit is that Setzer was unarmed and nondangerous at the time of his death. Even if the firearm found near the site of the shooting had belonged to Setzer, that he did not have it on his person and that he didn’t threaten the officers should be enough to constitute excessive force, Burts said.
The complaint also brings state-law claims against the officers and the City of Hickory for assault and battery, wrongful death and negligence.
Hickory City Manager Warren Wood, who is cited in the complaint as the official who reviewed the shooting and determined it to be in compliance with the city’s use of force policy, did not respond to CPP’s request for comment before the publication of this article.
Neither Travis nor Shamseldin have active law enforcement certifications in North Carolina, according to the NC Justice Training and Certification Portal. The circumstances or timeline of their departures from the Hickory Police Department is unclear.
Steele still has an active certification associated with Hickory P.D. A public information officer with the department did not respond to a request for comment prior to the publication of this article.
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-Left
This content leans center-left as it focuses on police accountability and critiques the use of excessive force by law enforcement, topics often emphasized by progressive and reform-minded perspectives. The article highlights legal challenges to police actions and underscores civil rights concerns without adopting an overtly partisan tone, maintaining a fact-based narrative that aligns with calls for justice and reform commonly associated with center-left viewpoints.
