Asheville is a city in,and the county seat of,Buncombe County,North Carolina,United States. Located at the confluence of the French Broad and Swannanoa rivers,it is the largest city in Western North Carolina,and the state's 11th-most-populous city. According to the 2020 census,the city's population was 94,589,up from 83,393 in the 2010 census. It is the principal city in the three-county Asheville metropolitan area,which had a population of 469,015 in 2020.
The North Carolina General Assembly is the bicameral legislature of the state government of North Carolina. The legislature consists of two chambers:the Senate and the House of Representatives. The General Assembly meets in the North Carolina Legislative Building in Raleigh,North Carolina.
John Irwin Sauls II is a Republican member of the North Carolina House of Representatives. A pastor from Sanford,North Carolina and former Lee County Commissioner,he has represented the 51st district since 2017. When Sauls returned to the NC House in 2017,he held the position of Republican Freshman Chair. He has been elected to the NC House a total of 5 times,most recently in 2020.
Philip Edward Berger is a Republican member of the North Carolina General Assembly representing the state's thirtieth Senate district,which includes Caswell,Rockingham,Stokes,and Surry counties.
Roy Asberry Cooper III is an American attorney and politician serving since 2017 as the 75th governor of North Carolina. A member of the Democratic Party,he served as the 49th attorney general of North Carolina from 2001 to 2017 and in the North Carolina General Assembly in both the House of Representatives and Senate from 1987 to 2001.
Patsy Rouzer Keever is a North Carolina educator and Democratic politician.
Duke Energy Corporation is an American electric power and natural gas holding company headquartered in Charlotte,North Carolina.
Patrick Lloyd McCrory is an American politician,businessman,and radio host who served as the 74th governor of North Carolina from 2013 to 2017. A member of the Republican Party,he previously served as the 53rd mayor of Charlotte from 1995 to 2009.
Lesbian,gay,bisexual,and transgender (LGBT) persons in the U.S. state of North Carolina may face legal challenges not experienced by non-LGBT residents,or LGBT residents of other states with more liberal laws.
Jonathan C. Jordan is a North Carolina politician and attorney who served as the legislator for the 93rd district of the North Carolina House of Representatives from 2011 to 2019. During his first term,Jordan served as the Deputy Majority Whip of the North Carolina House of Representatives. He was elected to office in the 2010 election defeating Cullie Tarleton by fewer than 800 votes. He defeated Tarleton again in 2012 and was reelected in 2014 and 2016,before losing in the 2018 midterm election to Watauga County Democrat Ray Russell,a professor who won with the help of students on the campus of Appalachian State University. Jordan resides in Ashe County,North Carolina and has two children in the public schools. He is an attorney by profession.
Patricia Ann Spearman is an American cleric,veteran,and Democratic politician from North Las Vegas,Nevada. She was elected in November 2012 to the Nevada Senate representing District 1,that is composed of the northern section of North Las Vegas and slivers of neighboring jurisdictions,after defeating incumbent John Jay Lee in the primary,and winning the general election. Spearman became the first openly lesbian member of the Nevada Legislature. She was re-elected in November 2016,and serves as co-majority whip since. Regarded as one of the most liberal members of the Nevada Senate,Spearman has introduced bills that provide equal pay for women,support LGBT rights,and support veterans. Spearman is also a supporter of the Equal Rights Amendment. Moreover,she was involved in the process of establishing the Nevada Revenue Plan during the 2015 session. On October 6,2021,Spearman entered the 2022 race for Mayor of North Las Vegas,Nevada.
The North Carolina General Assembly 2013–14 session is the state legislature that first convened on January 9,2013,and concluded on August 20,2014. Members of the North Carolina Senate and the North Carolina House of Representatives were elected on November 6,2012,when the Republican Party increased the size of its majorities in both the North Carolina Senate and House of Representative to exceed the three-fifths number of elected members required for a super-majority.
Teresa Van Duyn is a former Democratic member of the North Carolina Senate. She represented District 49,which encompasses most of Asheville and Buncombe County,North Carolina from 2014 until 2021.
William M. Brawley is a Republican former member of the North Carolina House of Representatives. He represented the 103rd district.
The Public Facilities Privacy &Security Act,commonly known as House Bill 2 or HB2,was a North Carolina statute passed in March 2016 and signed into law by Governor Pat McCrory. The bill amended state law to preempt any anti-discrimination ordinances passed by local communities and,controversially,compelled schools and state and local government facilities containing single-gender bathrooms to only allow people of the corresponding sex as listed on their birth certificate to use them;it also gave the state exclusive rights to determine the minimum wage.
In February 2014,an Eden,North Carolina facility owned by Duke Energy spilled 39,000 tons of coal ash into the Dan River. The company later pled guilty to criminal negligence in their handling of coal ash at Eden and elsewhere and paid fines of over $5 million. The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) has since been responsible for overseeing cleanup of the waste. EPA and Duke Energy signed an administrative order for the site cleanup.
Charles Marion Edwards is an American politician serving as the U.S. representative for North Carolina's 11th congressional district since 2023. A member of the Republican Party,he represented the 48th district in the North Carolina Senate from 2016 to 2023.
The Fonta Flora State Trail is a unit of the North Carolina state park system in Buncombe,McDowell,and Burke Counties,North Carolina in the United States,and it consists of 90 acres (36 ha) of conservation land and 19 miles (31 km) designated multi-use trail. The State Trail is planned as a continuous route for hikers and cyclists from Asheville to Morganton,with a loop around Lake James. The trail is a collaboration between local governments,local land conservancies the US Forest Service,and the state,with development coordinated by the North Carolina Division of Parks and Recreation (NCDPR).
Destin C. Hall is an American attorney and politician who has served in the North Carolina House of Representatives,representing the 87th district since 2017.
Brian Austin Farkas is an American politician and State Representative who served the District 9 in the North Carolina House of Representatives.
