Were Stars Servin’ Up Love celebrities paid for appearances? When will Spectrum remove wiring, debris? Will Karpen Soccer Fields be restored? • Asheville Watchdog
Today’s round of questions, my smart-aleck replies, and the real answers:
Question: My daughter and I had a great time at the Stars Servin’ Up Love event at the Civic Center (Harrah’s Cherokee Asheville). She asked the question if the players and celebrities were paid. I told her I wasn’t sure if there was an appearance fee along with paying for flights, food and board. So are they paid? How much?
My answer: I attended with my wife after buying tickets at a fairly steep price. This whole dream of being a local celebrity and getting all kinds of free swag is really not working out for me.
Real answer: This feel-good event has an even better vibe to me now.
Chris Corl, the city of Asheville’s director of community and regional entertainment facilities, sent me the participants’ signed waivers, which state in part: “I am providing my services for the charity event Stars Servin’ Up Love on Sunday, Feb. 2, 2025 at no cost to the City of Asheville or any other entity or individual.”
“We called in numerous favors, which allowed these agreements to be so basic,” Corl said. “All participants provided their services free of cost. We offered to cover travel expenses for all participants. Some covered their own travel expenses and even purchased tickets for friends and family.”
The big-name tennis stars were Andre Agassi, Andy Roddick, Emma Navarro, and Jessica Pegula. Celebrities included “Survivor” host Jeff Probst, musician Pete Wentz, and actor Esai Morales.
More than 4,000 people attended the event, which offered excellent tennis and good chuckles. Hey, Andre Agassi is 54 and doesn’t move like he used to, but he’s got a good sense of humor about it.
Explore Asheville, the convention and visitors bureau, promoted the event and noted afterward that it “has generated over $1 million in post-Hurricane Helene ticket sales, sponsorships, donations, and auction sales.”
“One hundred percent of all net proceeds will benefit the Always Asheville Fund, United Way of Asheville and Buncombe County, Asheville Area Habitat for Humanity, and Asheville Tennis Association,” Explore Asheville noted on its website. “The event was developed by recent WNC transplant Jim Curley, a 12-year former Tournament Director for the U.S. Open who moved to Asheville in 2022.”
Question: Along Town Mountain Road and elsewhere, there is much debris and wiring that belongs to Spectrum that is hanging from trees and on the ground. AT&T and Duke Power have removed theirs weeks ago. The county Solid Waste department says this is not their responsibility but did not know where to refer. We are told this should not be cut up and taken to the landfill. Of course, it is not possible to reach Spectrum, except for an out-of-state call center which is of no help. Who should be contacted?
My answer: I’m shocked to hear someone had a less than stellar customer service experience with Spectrum. I’ve had only about 3,000 emails to that effect since Helene hit.
Real answer: Patti Michel, regional communications director for Spectrum, said the company continues to work on this.
“As you know, Hurricane Helene devastated Western North Carolina, including our network,” Michel said via email. “Our first priority during restoration was bringing service back online. We appreciate our customers’ patience as our crews are now in the process of cleaning up temporary lines and debris as quickly as possible.”
I asked for specifics on a timeline, but Michel offered a general response.
“We are actively working in impacted areas to clear away any remaining debris as quickly as possible,” Michel said.
Buncombe County Parks & Rec says it is working to repair and reopen the Karpen Soccer Fields in the Weaverville area. // Photo provided by Buncombe County
Question: What is the status of the Karpen Soccer Fields? There are the remains of trailers from the next door lot still on it. I know the Weaverville community would show up for a work day if they advertised it. It is really missed.
My answer: I have to think these trailers could be converted into goals pretty easily.
Real answer: Buncombe County Parks & Recreation Director Allison Dains addressed these fields, along with other park facilities, at the Tropical Storm Helene briefing Jan. 29. While Dains did not provide a timeline for restoration, she said the department recognizes the importance of the fields to the community.
“We’re also working hard to restore the Karpen soccer fields,” Dains said. “We understand how important this space is for local teams and families, and we’re doing what we can to restore this amenity as quickly as possible, and look forward to the day that we can reopen this important amenity.”
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/.
SUMMARY: April is Child Abuse Prevention Month, emphasizing the importance of proactive support for families to prevent child maltreatment. Currently, only $1.50 of every $10 spent on child welfare goes toward prevention. The Positive Childhood Alliance advocates for stronger, community-based support systems to address root causes like financial insecurity and lack of healthcare. North Carolina Governor Josh Stein’s proposed tax relief aims to help working families manage costs and strengthen family foundations. By investing in policies like affordable childcare, paid leave, and housing assistance, we can reduce child maltreatment and foster a healthier, more stable environment for children to thrive.
www.thecentersquare.com – By Alan Wooten | The Center Square – (The Center Square – ) 2025-04-18 14:16:00
(The Center Square) – Planning and response to Hurricane Helene with early voting already underway has been deemed worthy of an award for the North Carolina State Board of Elections.
Fifty-three programs from 258 nominations earned the Exemplary Contingency Planning and Emergency Response Efforts award from the U.S. Election Assistance Commission. Additionally, election boards in the counties of Buncombe, Currituck, Durham and Wake won 2024 Clearinghouse Awards, and those in Durham, Rockingham and Union counties earned honorable mention.
Helene killed 107 and caused an estimated $60 billion damage.
The storm made landfall as a Category 4 hurricane in Dekle Beach, Fla., on Sept. 26. It dissipated over the mountains of the state and Tennessee, dropping more than 30 inches in some places and over 24 consistently across more.
Election Day was six weeks away. The disaster area declared included 25 counties and coordination with the state board; county boards; lawmen on the federal, state and local levels; the state National Guard; the U.S. Postal Service; and information technology professionals on multiple levels.
Voter turnout in the 25 counties was 74.9%, a tick higher than the state average of 72.6%.
“We are extremely proud of the efforts of our state’s election officials and our partners to pull off a successful election under the most trying of circumstances,” said Karen Brinson Bell, the state board’s executive director. “Hundreds of thousands of western North Carolinians were able to vote in the important 2024 election because of state board planning, along with the hard work and resiliency of county election officials and the invaluable assistance of our emergency management and law enforcement partners.”
The award is a different kind of light for the state board.
Between July 22 and Sept. 12, seven lawsuits were filed against the state board of Democrats Alan Hirsch, its chairman, Jeff Carmon and Siobhan Millen; and Republicans Stacy Eggers and Kevin Lewis; and Bell. More followed the election and are still unresolved along with the state Supreme Court race between Democrat Allison Riggs and Republican Jefferson Griffin.
SUMMARY: U.S. Sen. Chris Van Hollen met with Kilmar Abrego Garcia, a Maryland resident mistakenly deported to a mega-prison in El Salvador. Van Hollen, a Maryland Democrat, traveled to El Salvador to check on Abrego Garcia, who has been held for over a month at the Centro de Confinamiento del Terrorismo (CECOT). The Trump administration acknowledged the deportation error. Despite challenges in securing a meeting, Van Hollen met Abrego Garcia and shared an update with his wife. El Salvador’s President Nayib Bukele mocked the meeting, commenting that Abrego Garcia would remain in custody.
