From Staff Reports

ASHEVILLE, N.C. — The University of North Carolina at Asheville “has made some changes to its stadium development timeline,” Asheville television station WLOS (News 13) reported on Nov. 6.

“This comes after 15,000 community members signed a petition to stop the university from developing its proposed 45-acre urban forest into a stadium, mixed student housing and a childcare center,” News 13 noted.

“After months of pushback, the school hired a real estate consultant group to help form a commission that will utilize community input in its development plans. They planned for the newly formed commission to finish their work by January at the latest. But now, no commission has been officially formed, and they will not make the January timeline.”

In response to News 13’snquestions about the timeline change, UNCA — in part — responded in a statement the following:

“To allow time for the consultant group to conduct research, meet with members of the greater Asheville community — local government, local businesses, residents, staff, faculty and alumni, among others.”

Save the Woods organizer Elizabeth Pritchitt told the TV station that her group hopes UNCA will allow community members to join the commission.

“We’ve asked questions. We’ve asked whether any representatives will be on the commission, whether community members, whether students, whether faculty, and UNCA hasn’t made any commitments to put anyone in particular on at this point,” Pritchitt told the TV station.

Save the Woods was able to meet with the consultants on Oct. 31 to give their input, Pritchitt added, noting that the group was grateful for the opportunity.

“We really appreciated being included and getting to be interviewed, and we’re hoping and we’re asking that UNCA put community members on the commission,” Pritchitt told News 13.

“I wouldn’t say that it’s a win that it has been pushed back, but we do value any additional time that we have to do the work that we need to do,” Pritchitt added.

From Staff Reports 

ASHEVILLE, N.C. — The holidays are underway at Biltmore as estate employees gathered on Oct. 29 morning to place the finishing decoration in Biltmore House, the Biltmore Company stated in an Oct. 29 press release. 

Specifically, “a majestic 35-foot-tall Fraser fir weighing 2,500 pounds took its place in the Banquet Hall as the centerpiece of Christmas at Biltmore,” the release noted.

 “The tree-raising tradition signals that the estate is ready to welcome guests when Christmas at Biltmore and Candlelight Christmas Evenings begin this Saturday, Nov. 1, and run through Jan. 4, 2026

“ Christmas at Biltmore is one of the South’s most beloved holiday traditions, drawing visitors from around the country to experience the grandeur of America’s Largest Home and the charm of Asheville during the holidays. 

“This year’s celebration has special significance: it marks the 130th anniversary of the first Christmas in Biltmore House, celebrated in 1895 by George Vanderbilt,” the Biltmore release stated.

From Staff Reports

ASHEVILLE, N.C. — A man accused of displaying a gun at Biltmore’s security gate and attemping to flee from police recentlywas arrested at the Biltmore Estate here, according to the Biltmore Company Police.

About 8:46 p.m. Oct. 26, security was alerted that a suspicious man in a black Toyota Tacoma truck displayed a firearm at the gate — and its assistance was requested, an incident report stated.

When Biltmore Company Police attempted to intercept the vehicle at the admissions gate, the man drove away, leading to a brief pursuit on Approach Road. The pursuit ended when the man was seen exiting his vehicle with a weapon in hand.

Biltmore Company Police — reportedly — quickly apprehended the suspect without incident. No one was harmed.

The Asheville Police Department, which was requested, transported the suspect — later identified as Jonathan Brian Eubanks — to the Buncombe County Detention Facility.

From Staff Reports 

ASHEVILLE, N.C. — While the Asheville area’s peak tourism season ends with the fall foliage in early to mid-November, recently released travel industry data from the summer and early fall indicates that the local tourism industry “is still lagging almost a year after Tropical Storm Helene,” the Asheville Citizen Times reported on Oct. 30.

“In July and August, lodging sales — one of the best metrics to indicate the tourism industry's performance — declined more than 20 percent,” the ACT noted, citing data released Oct. 29 by the Buncombe County Tourism Development Authority.

“July 2025 sales were nearly $49 million compared to over $61 million in 2024. August 2025 sales were $46 million, compared to over $57 million in 2024.”

The ACT added, “July is typically the second busiest month for the travel industry in Western North Carolina and is behind only October, which draws tourists to the region to watch foliage change colors in early fall, often leading to seasonal windfalls for both local businesses and hoteliers. Tropical Storm Helene's impacts on WNC, however, have lingered.

“While Buncombe County's seasonally adjusted unemployment rate reached 3.2 percent in August — well below the 6.8 percent unemployment rate the county started out with in 2025, but still 1 percentage point above 2024 levels — the county's hospitality market has yet to recover from the storm,” the ACT stated. 

“As of August, the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics estimated 26,400 were employed in the Asheville Metropolitan Statistical Area's leisure and hospitality industry, 9.6 percent below 2024 levels.”

Meanwhile, Vic Isley, president and CEO of Explore Asheville and the BCTDA, announced the following during the BCTDA’s’s Oct. 29 meeting:

 "Unfortunately, what we're showing month over month is a continual drag in terms of hospitality."

Despite the lag, many of the BCTDA's hospitality partners are reporting "stronger booking demand and more confidence in booking pace through the end of 2025" in the Asheville market, Isley added.

HENDERSONVILLE, N.C. — The scheduled speaker was a no-show at the the Henderson County Republican Men’s Club breakfast meeting on Nov. 8, but the club didn’t miss a beat as it called on various attendees — either elected or seeking election or involved in political jobs — to speak of their aspirations and to field questions.

About 50 people attended the 60-minute meeting at American Legion Post 77 in Hendersonville.

The speaker was to be Andrew Murray, who is the district attorney for the counties of Henderson, Polk and Tramsylvania. 

To that end, Bill Fishburne, vice president of the Men’s Club, who led the meeting in the absence of President Bruce Hatfield, speculated tht Murray may have missed the meeting because of a commications breakdown, as Hatfield remains hospitalized with  health problems.

(When the Daily Planet followed up with Fishburne on Murray’s absence mid-afternoon on Nov. 8, Fishburne said he still had not heard from Murray. Fishburne also noted that he could call the DA because he does not have his telephone number.)

However, at the meeting, with a smile, Fishburne then gave a health update on Hatfield, his ailing friend. 

Specifically, Fishburne said, “Bruce is in Duke University Hospital in Durham, after having been transferred there from UNC Pardee in Hendersonville on Oct. 6 morning... Bruce has cancer. As a result, he’s had heart failure and kidney failure... They had to put him on dialysis in the (DUH) intensive care unit,” where he remained as of Nov. 8. “The dialysis is to clean up his blood... So far, so good.”

Next, Fishburne called on club Treasurer Ed Carlyle to give a membership report, during which Carlyle noted that the HCRMC now has 82 members, including 57 men and 25 women. 

At that point, Fishburne noted that he recently read a report stating that “the murder rate in Charlotte is up 200 percent over last year, with (an average of) eight murders per week, mostly unsolved... They also have a habit of releasing suspects.”

In one case, he said it was reported that a 15-year-old boy in Charlotte had been arrested 111 times  over a two-year period. “He’s a juvenile, so he’s out on the street now,” Fishburne said, with decided sarcasm.

Then, Fishburne opened the meeting up to any elected officials, appointed officials or candidates to speak — and answer questions.

Among the first to greet the crowd was Jay Egolf, a member of the Henderson County Board of Commissioners.  

An unidentified woman complained to Egolf about having to fight the kudzu that is overtaking the area around her home — and the difficulty “to get off the mountain.”

Egolf, who admitted that he did not have either paper or a pen with him, asked the woman to “write down your name and number and I’ll have someone give you a call. Sheila (Franklin, another commissioner) and I aspire to be transparent. If you have a problem, let me know. I may not know the answer, but I’ll put you with someone who does know the answer.’

Another unidentified woman asked for an explanation on what she termed “the controversy over money withdrawn from Edneyville.” She also asked Egolf for his thoughts on (state Rep.) Jennifer Balkcom’s alleged poor performance on the removal of funds from the Edneyville sewer project. 

Smiling, Egolf said, “You know, yesterday (Nov. 7) I spoke with Jennifer Balkcom — and he emphasized that they had a “civil conversation” about the issue.

Persisting, the woman asked, “Was she the ‘author’ of it (the loss of state funds for the Edneyville sewer project)?”

Egolf replied, “I don’t want to say she was the ‘author’….”

He then explained that “there’s about 2,000 gallons a day” in sewage” produced by Edneyville Elementary... We’ve got to work out something with Edneyville Elementary.”

While he acknowledged rumors of an Ace Hardware store being planned for the Edneyville area, Egolf said, “Personally, I’m not for … I don’t want to see Edneyville... developed… Everybody’s talking, but that’s it.”