Before we get to today’s round of questions, my smart-aleck replies and the real answers, allow me to wish you a happy 2025. This might well be a doozy of a year, but let’s go into it with a positive attitude.
So here’s to 2025 — may we have no more natural or man-made disasters! Sorry, that’s the best I can muster.
Now, to the questions…
Question: After Helene, the two rest areas on I-26 just south of the airport were appropriated for water trucks and other support equipment. The areas were “closed” by posting people in private vehicles 24 hours a day at the entrance to each area, and then posting cardboard, handwritten signs beside those vehicles stating that the area is closed. Who is coordinating this closure and who is paying people to sit in cars at the entrance? Why is the closure being handled in such a haphazard way, rather than having the highway department officially mark them as closed at the rest area approach signs and barricade them off? I pass these areas every day and constantly see confused motorists drive right up to these vehicles performing the closure because it is so poorly marked. Is FEMA involved in this?
My answer: I know when I’m driving a long distance and I pull onto the ramp for the rest area, I’m going to the bathroom somewhere. For you whippersnappers out there, this sense of urgency is just another gift of aging to look forward to.
Real answer: The reader has a point. The rest areas had become a little haphazard a couple of months into recovery, with less than optimal signage.
The good news is one of the rest areas is back open to the public.
“The North Carolina Department of Transportation allowed N.C. Emergency Management to use the two I-26 rest areas to stage equipment so that critical supplies could be delivered quickly during the unprecedented Helene response effort,” Brian Haines, a spokesperson for the North Carolina Department of Public Safety, told me via email. “Operations included a fuel vendor and an equipment vendor providing support to the Tropical Storm Helene response efforts. Both vendors had employees safely block any traffic from entering the rest areas.”
As local conditions have improved, Emergency Management has been able to scale back its operations, “and NCDOT was able to reopen the rest area on the westbound side” Dec. 19, Haines said.
“NCDOT will continue to evaluate the response needs and will reopen the rest area on the eastbound side as soon as possible,” Haines added.
I suspect because the usage was temporary, the state didn’t want to invest in real signs. I’ll note that the eastbound rest area remained closed Thursday, with a handmade sign on the ramp, as well as several bright orange traffic barrels.
While I was there a semi rolled up near the makeshift sign, came to a stop and then had to re-enter the highway. Not optimal, folks.
The red dirt mounds on the site of a new housing development called “The Landing at Meadow View” are visible from Bill Moore Community Park in Fletcher. The development company, BSC Holdings of Greensboro, says its grading contractor was called off site in October to help with Tropical Storm Helene repairs, and that stopped work on the housing project. The company hopes the contractor will be back on site at the end of the month, spreading out the dirt mounds to raise the project’s housing units farther out of the flood zone. Plans call for 216 apartments, 60 townhomes, and 23 patio homes. // Watchdog photo by John Boyle
Question: Actually, I have two questions: 1) What is going on north of Bill Moore Community Park in Fletcher with the earth moving and a mountain of red earth? 2) When do the powers in charge expect to open the rest of the path going across the bridge at Bill Moore Community Park in Fletcher?
My answer: I have two snarky answers for you: 1) This is Fletcher’s latest tourist attraction, “Red Earth Mountain.” I didn’t say it’s a particularly charming attraction; it’s just one that draws attention. 2) I think we all know for certain now that the power in charge is Mother Nature, and as the old commercial for Chiffon margarine used to say, “It’s Not Nice To Fool Mother Nature!” Also, I’m officially a geezer, as that commercial dates to the 1970s. You’re welcome in advance for these types of ancient references in 2025.
Real answer: The red dirt mountain is on the site of a new housing development called “The Landing at Meadow View,” with plans calling for 216 apartments, 60 townhomes, and 23 patio homes. Apartments will range from approximately 1,000 to 1,500 square feet, townhomes from 800 to 1,400 square feet, and villas from 1,100 to 1,700 square feet, according to the development company, BSC Holdings of Greensboro.
I wrote about the project last summer when readers began taking note of substantial tree removal on site. A home dating to the 1800s remains on site with a small copse of trees around it.
Amanda Williams, vice president of BSC Holdings of Greensboro, said last summer that they hoped construction on the buildings would begin in late summer or early fall of this year, with some units coming online by mid-2026.
But Helene had other ideas. Williams said now it’s more likely to be spring or summer 2026 before construction on buildings starts. This year will be dedicated to grading and infrastructure work, mostly.
“We’ve got a bunch of dirt to still move — as you see now, we’ve got to fill the bottom,” Williams said. “We’ve got to fix all the stuff that the water impeded down below.”
The state of North Carolina essentially borrowed BSC’s earthmoving contractor to help repair roads and other infrastructure in the wake of Helene. Williams said BSC hopes to have the contractor back on the Fletcher project near the end of this month.
The plans remain essentially the same, although Williams said they may lose three or four units on the bottom area because they’ll add even more fill dirt in the area now. Even before the flood, BSC had planned to raise the area up several feet above the town’s requirements, but now the company plans to go even higher.
“We’re talking about being seven or eight feet above,” Williams said.
Fletcher voted in December to establish a 12-month moratorium for any new proposed development within floodplains, but the Landing at Meadow View is grandfathered in. Williams said company officials visited the area about three weeks after the storm, including a stop by apartments next to Bill Moore Community Park that flooded, and decided their development would need to be higher.
Williams maintains their development should not contribute to more flooding downstream, as BSC will build up only around the buildings, and they have about 30 acres along Cane Creek that will not be developed.
Tropical Storm Helene undermined this pedestrian bridge in Bill Moore Community Park in Fletcher that leads to the rear section of a greenway. The town is working with its engineering firm to bid out repairs to the bridge, but it will be several more months before that process is completed. // Photo provided by the Town of Fletcher
“Our build-up area is only going to be where the actual buildings are and around them and where the roads are,” Williams said. “So we’re not going to be building up the whole flood area. We’re literally going to be building up — think about this like a bubble around the developed area. So there’ll still be a ton of what’s natural area.”
Eric Rufa, planning director for the Town of Fletcher, noted that the project initially was approved in 2019.
“They started earthwork last summer and are now delayed due to Helene,” Rufa said. “Some portion of the development is to be in floodplain, but the homes sites will be elevated. In the wake of Helene, the developer is also reconsidering higher elevations than required. I do not have a timeline on when they will resume work.”
Williams said if they can get the contractor back on site and the weather holds, passersby should start seeing the big red mounds start to slowly disappear this winter.
Williams told me last summer the project’s holdup from 2019 revolved mostly around permitting, as the site is near a creek and a wetland and needed approvals from the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, and the North Carolina Department of Natural and Cultural Resources. Those permits still remain in place, Williams said.
Now, regarding the pedestrian bridge. This part of the trail system in Bill Moore Park is a popular path, which I can attest to as a fairly frequent user.
But Cane Creek, which passes underneath this bridge, became a destructive demon during the Helene flooding.
“On the outer greenway trail question, the reason why it is technically closed is due to the bridge needing repairs,” Fletcher Town Manager Mark Biberdorf told me via email. “You cannot really see it from the closed side, but the bridge is not fully connected on the opposite side. The amount and force of the water caused the bank to partially wash out where it connects to the bridge.”
The metal pedestrian bridge has a concrete deck and is pretty sturdy, so that says something about Helene’s power.
“The town is currently working with its engineering firm to bid out repairs to the bridge,” Biberdorf said. “It will be several more months before that process will be completed. It involves partial FEMA reimbursement for the expenses, which complicates things.”
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.
