Why is the traffic so bad these days? Can I keep my bear-proof trash cart when FCC Environmental takes over? Is it ‘Poe-table’ with a long ‘e,’ or ‘pot-able’ as in ‘pot? • Asheville Watchdog
Today’s round of questions, my smart-aleck replies and the real answers:
Question: Why, if there is a 70 percent drop-off in tourism in Asheville, is the traffic so very intense? Roads are open. On a recent Sunday, I-26 was solid going north, as viewed from the Haywood bridge at 2 p.m. and 4 p.m. Haywood Road is backed up every day. Other places I’ve driven are the same — east Asheville, Montford. Seems even more than last year when there was no Helene. Is there an answer, or is this a new norm?
My answer: You know, it’s taken a couple of months, but I think we can all agree the new normal sucks a little bit.
Real answer: I think it’s safe to say that anyone who lives around here has noticed the traffic congestion. I live down south, and I’ve endured it pretty much every day on I-26, Hendersonville Road and Airport Road.
North Carolina Department of Transportation spokesperson David Uchiyama told me, “Traffic patterns in the greater Asheville area have certainly changed since Helene.”
Some areas are seeing more congestion, but others are experiencing about the same or in some cases, less, he said.
Uchiyama and NCDOT Division Engineer Tim Anderson offered updated statistics on road issues at the daily Buncombe County Helene update Nov. 26.
“NCDOT has reopened more than 1,100 roads since the storm, and we are reporting less than 270 closed across all of western North Carolina,” Uchiyama said. “As of last week, 8,795 locations were identified as damaged. That includes 813 bridges and 852 culverts.”
Buncombe County alone had 90 damaged bridges, and 27 will have to be replaced, Anderson said.
NCDOT estimates that about $5 billion will be needed to restore roads, bridges and other transportation infrastructure.
Anderson spoke about Buncombe repair and recovery efforts specifically.
“Our NCDOT crews after the storm have identified nearly 2,000 damage sites within the county,” Anderson said. “Damage severity varies widely from a small site that may take half a day to repair to a major repair like a bridge replacement or a major slide. So our crews have kind of transitioned from stabilizing temporary access, moving into more long-term repairs.”
Obviously, closed roads cause motorists to take other routes, which can increase traffic.
Uchiyama noted there has been a higher concentration of larger vehicles in our area since Helene.
“As an example, NCDOT and its contractors had more than 120 dump trucks operating in Yancey County on a given day,” Uchiyama said. “Add in power crews, supply trucks, repair vehicles, private contractors, tree companies, and others — there are larger, slower vehicles on roads in areas impacted by Helene.”
One of the areas experiencing less congestion is I-40 west of Asheville, mainly because of the closure of the interstate in the Pigeon River Gorge, where the westbound roadway washed out. The NCDOT hopes to have that reopened in January with one lane in each direction.
I-240 east of Asheville has more congestion because of the closure of U.S. 70, including a bridge that was heavily damaged, and Swannanoa River Road, the NCDOT said.
“(On) the U.S. 70 bridge near exit 55, the concrete work is done,” Anderson said, noting the storm washed out much of the material beneath the bridge. “So we had to develop a repair that included concrete repair around those (pilings) to protect them.”
The contractors are now working on the backfill.
“Once the backfill is complete, then we’ll pave,” Anderson said. “Our goal is to have that road open — Highway 70 through that section — by the middle of December.”
On the east side of town, Uchiyama said one permanent traffic counter between exits 7 and 8 on I-240 shows about a 23 percent increase in traffic since the storm.
On Swannanoa River Road, contract crews have completed most of the field work between Fairview and Azalea roads, Anderson said.
South of Asheville, congestion along I-26 and U.S. 25 through Henderson County remains at about the same level as before Helene, Uchiyama said.
Multiple Asheville Watchdog readers have asked about increased traffic on local roads since Tropical Storm Helene. NCDOT says traffic is up in some areas, partly because some roads remain closed, and we have seen an influx of heavy trucks and other work vehicles. This photo shows Long Shoals Road in south Asheville. // Watchdog photo by John Boyle
But north of Asheville is a different story.
“When I-26 opened to one lane in each direction in Tennessee, congestion increased north of Asheville,” Uchiyama said. “That will likely decrease when the (Pigeon River) Gorge opens to one lane in each direction, hopefully, by New Year’s Day. And it will increase in Haywood County.”
Another contributing factor to congestion has been 18-wheelers “attempting to take routes that are not designed for them,” Uchiyama said. “Once again, we ask that 18-wheelers stick to the approved routes.”
Anderson said the NCDOT is aware of the congestion around town.
“We’re going to optimize signalization in the area to try to alleviate some of those congestion concerns, but until we get a couple more of the roads open in the Asheville area, we will still experience that congestion,” Anderson said.
First Sgt. B.N. Burnette with the North Carolina Highway Patrol office in Asheville said the department has certainly noticed the traffic at its office, which is on Tunnel Road.
“You can’t go east on U.S. 70 past the bridge that’s closed, so that’s forced everybody that needs to go to Swannanoa to go by the office, to go up on I-240 that way,” Burnette said. “It’s just one of those situations where, when you’ve got so many people trying to get into one box, it takes a while to make that happen.”
He noted that U.S. 70 from Asheville to Swannanoa is a major artery for that side of town. NCDOT traffic maps show the road handles 24,500 vehicles a day near Haw Creek and 21,500 near Riceville Road.
“Anybody that has spent much time here at all knows how heavily that road is traveled in a day’s time,” Burnette said. “It’s just one of those situations that we’re going to deal with until DOT is able to get that work completed. They’ve done a great job since the storm, and they continue to do a great job.”
Question: The new county waste collection company, FCC Environmental, via a call to customer service, states that we will not be able to use our existing trash receptacles, including the bear carts. I’ve seen on the Buncombe County website where it says we can keep our bear carts. I’m not sure how that will happen, but regardless, are we really going to toss thousands of existing regular waste and recycling receptacles in the county dump?
My answer: I tell you, the bear lobby is strong in these parts.
Real answer: I asked Buncombe County spokesperson Lillian Govus about this at the Wednesday daily Helene briefing.
She gave a very emphatic answer to the query about trash bins going to the dump.
“Heck no,” Govus said.
She was also pretty strong about customers being able to continue to use their bear carts.
“So absolutely, you can use your bear carts,” Govus said. “Like everyone else who is setting up a business and hiring and establishing new employees, I’m afraid some people have gotten some wrong information from the call center. But if you have purchased a bear cart, you 100 percent can keep that bear cart. We will not take that bear cart away from you when we collect bear carts.”
Govus wanted to be absolutely clear on this point: “You don’t have to buy a new bear cart,” she said. “That would be an absolutely unfair thing to ask of our community.”
Those carts run $320, according to FCC’s website, although you can rent them for $10 a month.
Early in the briefing, Govus noted that FCC Environmental will start delivering new carts next week on regularly scheduled solid waste pickup days.
“So if your collection day is Monday or Tuesday next week, and you have already signed up for service with FCC Environmental, you may see your new cans delivered, and you may see your Waste Pro cans picked up,” Govus said.
Those Waste Pro cans will not be going to the landfill.
“Those cans belong to Waste Pro, so Waste Pro is actually going to come collect those,” Govus said.
Waste Pro is still collecting garbage through Jan. 1 when its contract runs out, but it will just pick it up from the FCC cans.
Question: Is the word “potable” pronounced “pote-able” with a long “e,” or “pot-able,” as in you’re able to put it in a pot. I’ve heard it pronounced both ways by a lot of different people.
My answer: I kind of feel like this might open up the whole “Lee-cester/Lester” argument again about how to pronounce “Leicester.” It’s “Lester” by the way, like the city in England. Oh, here we go…
Real answer: I go with the long “o” sound, as in “pote-able,” but I’ve heard plenty of people, including those with a lot of water experience, say “pot-able.”
The word potable is derived from the Latin potare, meaning ‘to drink,” according to vocabulary.com. // Credit: istockphoto.com/sonmez
I will note that Merriam Webster’s online dictionary lists the punctuation as pō-tə-bəl, with the long “e.” And when you click the little pronunciation tab, the computerized speaker pronounced it the same way.
Fun fact from vocabulary.com: “The word comes from the Latin potare, meaning ‘to drink.’”
The esteemed Cambridge Dictionary, which is very British, also goes long “e.”
Now, I’m not going to fight anybody on this, but we all know what it means, no matter how you pronounce it. And if you can put water in a pot and cook with it, it’s OK to consume, so I understand how that may have evolved.
But if you’d like to fight me on this, or prove me wrong, go right ahead!
As long as afterward you agree potare with me at a local watering hole.
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 local reporting during this crisis 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 – ) 2025-07-12 07:01:00
A Pennsylvania-based company, part of Viatris, will pay over $284 million as part of a $720 million opioid settlement distributed among nine states, including North Carolina, California, and New York. North Carolina is set to receive $23 million, with 85% allocated to local governments. The settlement prohibits seven companies from marketing opioids, limits oxycodone pill strengths, and requires monitoring of suspicious orders. Indivior agreed to stop manufacturing and selling opioids for 10 years but can market addiction treatments. Attorney General Jeff Jackson emphasized holding these companies accountable for fueling the opioid crisis and aiding addiction recovery efforts.
(The Center Square) – A Pennsylvania company boasting the reach of 1 billion patients annually and twice consecutively recognized by TIME magazine’s most sustainable companies list is paying nine states more than a quarter-billion dollars over the next years.
The settlement state prosecutors say “worsened the nationwide opioid crisis” will yield $23 million to North Carolina. Mylan, now a part of Viatris, owns a $284,447,916 share of the $720 million going to the Tarheel State, California, Colorado, Illinois, New York, Oregon, Tennessee, Utah and Virginia.
As part of the deal, some states can get free pharmaceutical products instead of cash. Seven companies in the deal are “prohibited from promoting or marketing opioids and opioid products, making or selling any product that contains more than 40 mg of oxycodone per pill, and are required to put in place a monitoring and reporting system for suspicious orders. Indivior has agreed to not manufacture or sell opioid products for the next 10 years, but it will be able to continue marketing and selling medications to treat opioid use disorder.”
North Carolina is sending 85% of the settlements to local governments.
The companies and their amount owed to all states collectively are Mylan (now part of Viatris), $284,447,916 paid over nine years; Hikma, $95,818,293 paid over one to four years; Amneal, $71,751,010 paid over 10 years; Apotex, $63,682,369 paid in a single year; Indivior, $38,022,450 paid over four years; Sun, $30,992,087 paid over one to four years; Alvogen, $18,680,162 paid in a single year; and Zydus, $14,859,220 paid in a single year.
“These companies didn’t do enough to prevent misuse of the addictive opioids they manufactured and helped push us into the nationwide opioid crisis that continues to take lives in North Carolina every day,” said first-term Democratic Attorney General Jeff Jackson. “Today’s settlements hold them accountable for hurting the people of our state and give us resources to help people struggling with addiction.”
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 a legal settlement involving pharmaceutical companies and the opioid crisis without endorsing or criticizing any particular political ideology. It provides factual information about the settlement amounts, participating companies, and the intended use of the funds by state governments. The inclusion of a quote from a Democratic Attorney General is presented as part of reporting on the response rather than promoting a partisan view. The tone remains objective and informative, avoiding emotionally charged or partisan language, which indicates adherence to neutral reporting rather than an ideological stance.
SUMMARY: Many residents in Durham, Orange, and Chatham counties are dealing with severe flooding damage to homes, cars, and belongings. Navigating insurance claims can be challenging. The state Department of Insurance (DOI), local agencies, and nonprofits have set up a victim assistance center in Carrboro to help. Experts advise contacting your insurance company promptly, documenting all damages, making temporary repairs to prevent further harm, and verifying if your home is still safe to live in. DOI also helps resolve slow or denied claims and offers a complaint hotline for disputes, ensuring victims get the support they need.
After a storm, insurance specalists suggest following a checklist, including contacting your insurance company.
SUMMARY: Artificial intelligence is increasingly used in critical decisions like hiring, loans, and policing, but the ACLU warns it can perpetuate racial and disability discrimination. AI systems often reflect past human biases, leading to unfair outcomes, such as an autistic man being excluded during AI-driven hiring or facial recognition causing wrongful arrests, predominantly of Black individuals. The ACLU advocates for federal legislation ensuring civil rights protections for AI use, transparency requirements, and limits on technologies like facial recognition. They emphasize that digital rights must become part of civil rights to prevent AI-driven inequality and protect individuals’ freedoms.
