From Staff Reports 

ASHEVILLE, N.C. — Interim Asheville Police Chief Jackie Stepp on Sept. 24 was appointed as the city’s permanent police chief by Asheville City Manager DK Wesley.

Stepp, a Hendersonville native who has served the department for more than 20 years and spent nearly a year as interim chief, is the Asheville Police Department’s first female police chief.

Following are details of her background and career:

• Experience: Started as a patrol officer in 2005 and rose through the ranks.

• Milestones: Appointed as the ADP’s first female deputy chief in October 2023 and interim chief in November 2025.

• Education: Holds undergraduate and graduate degrees from Western Carolina University.

• Training: Graduate of the Police Executive Research Forum’s Senior Management Institute for Police, the FBI-LEEDA Trilogy Program, and the IACP Women’s Leadership Institute.

Her leadership goals are as follows:

• Focus on community-centered public safety grounded in trust, integrity, and collaboration.

• Strengthen ties between the police department, city leadership and community partners.

Mike Lamb, an Asheville native, preceded Stepp as Asheville’s police chief, serving in the role from February 2024 until his retirement in November 2025.

From Staff Reports 

ASHEVILLE, N.C. — The Buncombe County Board of Education on Sept. 24 named Dr. Jennifer Reed as the permanent superintendent of Buncombe County Schools, effective immediately. 

She succeeds former superintendent Dr. Rob Jackson and is only the second woman to lead the district since 1881.

She is a lifelong Buncombe County resident and Enka High School graduate.

From Staff Reports 

ASHEVILLE, N.C. — A minor roof and chimney fire broke out at the historic Flat Iron Hotel (formerly the Flat Iron Building) in downtown Asheville — resulting in a temporary evacuation — on the night of Sept. 14.

Following are fire response details:

• Time: Around 10:45 p.m.

• Location: 20 Battery Park Ave (flume/exhaust vent on the roof).

• Response: Fully evacuated; reportedly contained quickly by the Asheville Fire Department.

From Staff Reports 

ASHEVILLE, N.C. — Costco has officially resubmitted development plans to the City of Asheville for a new warehouse and gas station at Enka Commerce Park after withdrawing its initial application in February 2026.

Following are details of what happened before:

• Initial proposal: Filed in late 2025 for a location at 264 and 274 Enka Heritage Parkway.

• The pullout: Withdrawn in February 2026 due to rising project scope, timelines, and infrastructure/transportation costs.

• The hurdles: Included NCDOT traffic demands (adding ~16,000 daily vehicles near I-40 Exit 44) and brownfield site cleanup.

Details of the new plan and timeline are as follows:

• The revival: Asheville Mayor Esther Manheimer and city officials re-engaged with Costco and property-sellers over the spring and summer to navigate cost challenges.

• New specs: A revised, roughly166,800-square-foot warehouse, a 32-pump gas station, and a tire center.

• Next steps: Heads to the Planning and Zoning Commission at 5 p.m. Oct. 7 (in the first-floor conference room, City Hall, 70 Court Plaza, downtown Asheville), prior to a vote by Asheville City Council.

From Staff Reports 

ASHEVILLE, N.C.  Nine schools in Buncombe County improved a letter grade for the 2025-2026 school year, marking the highest number of Buncombe schools to move up in a single year since the district began tracking the metric over a decade ago. 

The data, recently published by the North Carolina Department of Public Instruction, highlights significant progress across multiple academic areas for Buncombe County Schools.

Key achievements and data points are as follows:

• Low-performing schools: The district saw four fewer schools designated as low-performing compared to the previous year.

• Reading proficiency: Performance reached the district’s highest recorded level for every grade from third through eighth, with 56 percent of students testing proficient, which amounted to a 4.6 percent increase from 2024-2025.

• Math proficiency: A district record was reached in five out of six grade levels between third and eighth grade, averaging 58.6 percent proficiency.

• Biology gains: High school biology scores saw a major jump, with 61.1 percent of students achieving grade-level proficiency, outperforming the state average of 58.5 percent and climbing 11.8 percentage points from last year.