Today’s round of questions, my smart-aleck replies and the real answers:
Question: Do you know if Buncombe County intends to repair Charles D. Owen Park in Swannanoa? It was all but destroyed in Helene, but it is home to many waterfowl and other animals, and a beloved park. Thanks on behalf of everyone who used that area!
My answer: I don’t know, but if mud wrestling ever comes back in vogue, we’ve got the perfect spot for it.
Real answer: I’ve had several readers ask me about this much beloved park, which got wiped out in Helene’s flooding. It knocked out the pond walls, causing all the water to eventually drain out.
At Wednesday’s weekly Tropical Storm Helene briefing, Buncombe County Parks & Recreation Director Allison Dains addressed Charles D. Owen Park and the rest of the county’s parks system.
“We know how deeply the destruction of Owen Park has impacted our community, and we want to reassure you that we are committed to re-imagining and reopening this space,” Dains said. “This will take time, and your input will be key to the process. We’ll be gathering community feedback to ensure that the new Owen Park reflects the needs of those who love and use it the most.”
This will take time, and Dains declined to offer any detail on a restoration timeline.
The Charles D. Owen Park is home to many birds, including waterfowl, and other animals. // Credit: Screenshot of Buncombe County’s YouTube video of the park
“While it’ll take time to plan, design, fund and build, we are dedicated to bringing this park back better than before,” Dains said.
I asked Dains if she could at least give a rough estimate on how long restoration might take, and if any FEMA funding may come available.
“We don’t currently have a timeline,” Dains said, noting the immense amount of damage to the park. “But we’re committed to rebuilding that park, and we totally intend on a full community outreach and engagement in order to talk with the community and engage and see what kinds of new amenities they’d like to see built there. And during that process, we’ll be exploring every opportunity for funding in order to make that come to fruition.”
Dains reminded county residents that the parks that remain closed are shut down for good reason.
“You may see activity where debris removal is occurring, but please remember that just because debris has been cleared does not mean that the park is fully safe to enter,” Dains said. “There may still be other hazards, such as unstable ground and the parks or damaged infrastructure that prevent the park from reopening.”
Question: This could be a huge issue. We received our current bill from Duke, with a huge increase in the total bill. We called Duke and they said that a rate increase was approved by the legislature, partially or totally due to the Helene storm. Our bill had been $16.32 per month because we have solar panels. The current bill is $205.49. The additions were $96.95 for an Energy Charge, $54.82 for another Energy Charge, $2.39 for Storm Recovery, $.35 for Storm Recovery, 11.84 for Summary of Rider Adjustments, $9.03 for Summary of Rider Adjustments (These were in addition to a continuing Rider Adjustment), and the Clean Energy Rider was increased from $.16 to $1.52. Other customers must be experiencing very large increases in their rates. The Duke person said that the increases varied by the location of the customer. Many will not be able to pay these high rates. Will you look into this very important local matter and let me and our community know what is going on?
My answer: Only if you offer more specifics next time.
Real answer: So first I want to note that this reader emailed me later to say, “I am so sorry that I troubled you with my apparent Duke problem. I just discovered that my solar panel system is not generating kilowatts. I will pursue this on my own.”
By that time, I had already sent the query off to Duke Energy spokesperson Bill Norton, and he provided answers. I’m running them because I’ve also seen several other complaints about high bills from Duke Energy customers on social media.
Recent Duke rates have actually come down, Norton said.
“Residential rates for Duke Energy Progress customers dropped 4.5 percent starting on Dec. 1, while rates for Duke Energy Carolinas customers dropped 6.2 percent starting on Jan. 1,” Norton said via email. “Both decreases were primarily driven by falling prices for the fuel needed to power Duke Energy’s generation fleet, including the Asheville Combined Cycle Station, which is much more efficient than the former coal plant it replaced in 2020.”
The plant now uses natural gas.
It’s important to note that this doesn’t mean that every customer’s bill will decline, “because customers typically use more power during the peak of winter than in the preceding months,” Norton said. “But their bills are lower than they would have been without the rate drop.”
As we all know, hundreds of power crews from across North America flooded our area after the storm to help restore power, and that comes with an enormous cost.
“Restoration costs for Duke Energy infrastructure damaged by Helene are estimated at $968 million,” Norton said.
We could see bills go up eventually to cover that cost.
“Hurricane Helene storm costs are not included in the current storm recovery rider, which covers historic storms that occurred in 2018-19,” Norton said, noting that “those storm bonds saved customers $300 million on their energy bills. If the North Carolina Utilities Commission (NCUC) approves the use of storm bonds to pay for repairs to Duke Energy electricity infrastructure damaged by Helene, that would begin in late 2025 or early 2026 and likewise save customers significant money compared to traditional storm cost recovery.”
Regarding the high wintertime bills, Duke offers a bunch of tips for keeping costs down. One reminded me to change my furnace air filter, and I’m ashamed to say it looked like Chewbacca’s derriere. Gotta start swapping those out on a monthly basis.
Duke Energy recommends you reduce your thermostat to the lowest comfortable setting — the lower the temperature, the more you can save. // Credit: istockphoto.com/Rawpixel
Here are the tips:
Reduce your thermostat to the lowest comfortable setting — the lower the temperature, the more you can save.
Change your air filter and schedule regular maintenance for your heating systems to increase efficiency.
Leave drapes or blinds open on the sunny side of the home to allow the sun’s rays to warm the house, but close them at night to help insulate your home.
Operate ceiling fans in a clockwise direction in the winter to push warm air back down into the room.
Seal cracks in windows, doors and vents with caulking and weatherstripping to save 10 percent to 20 percent in heating costs.
Replace standard bulbs with LEDs, which are more efficient.
Set your water heater to 120 degrees or less. Water heating is typically the second-biggest user of energy in your home.
Buy your wife a nice wool shawl and super-thick socks and insist she wear them at all times. OK, I made this one up to see if you’re actually reading, but it works like a charm in my house.
Regarding those rider charges the reader mentioned, Norton noted that they’re “neither new nor unique to Duke Energy — they are a common practice for utilities.
“A rider is a charge, not included in standard base rates, that allows a utility to recover the costs of specific programs, credits and purchases,” Norton said. “In the interest of transparency, and following improvements to our billing system that allowed additional detail, we began showing them as individual line items starting Oct. 1, 2023, for all Duke Energy Progress customers, and Jan. 15, 2024, for all Duke Energy Carolinas customers.”
Riders often advance state policy goals, Norton said, mentioning the Renewable Energy Rider, designed to bring more solar energy to the grid. Another, the Storm Recovery Charge, is intended to recoup “extreme storm repair costs through bonds rather than including the repairs in base rates, saving customers millions.”
“Regarding solar, customers are paid based on rates approved by the North Carolina Utilities Commission that ensure fair treatment for all customers whether they choose to install solar or not,” Norton said. “Earlier this year, we introduced a new program that encourages more rooftop solar paired with battery storage, which has been very well received. And just this month, we filed a proposal with the NCUC for a new voluntary solar program that would allow customers to receive the benefits of solar generation without incurring the expense to install and maintain a rooftop solar system.”
Shameless plug department: A friend in the local sports world sent me this question Thursday: “What is the ‘Stars Servin’ Up Love’ tennis event? Are there still tickets available?’”
Yes, it was a shameless ploy to drum up more interest in this event, and it worked, mainly because the event is a fundraiser for Tropical Storm Helene relief. Also, I’ve already bought tickets and plan to go, and I encourage you to consider it if you’re looking for a fun event on Sunday that also helps our community.
The event, which features exhibition tennis matches with stars Andre Agassi, Andy Roddick, Jessica Pegula and Emma Navarro, starts at 2:30 p.m. Sunday. It also features an interesting mix of celebrities, including Michael Kosta, a host of “The Daily Show;” Fall Out Boy’s Pete Wentz; Jeff Probst, host of the CBS show “Survivor;” and Esai Morales of Mission: Impossible – Dead Reckoning.
The event’s website notes that “100 percent of net proceeds” goes to support the Always Asheville Fund, Asheville Area Habitat for Humanity, United Way of Asheville and Buncombe County and the Asheville Tennis Association.
And yes, tickets do remain, and they start at $50.
See you there! And, “Fore!”
Oh, wrong sport…but still applicable to my tennis serve.
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/.
www.thecentersquare.com – By Alan Wooten | The Center Square – (The Center Square – ) 2025-04-03 14:11:00
(The Center Square) – Hurricane Helene’s death toll in North Carolina has grown to 107 and is 236 across seven states.
Gov. Josh Stein shared news of a death in the Avery County community of Newland. The wife of a couple camping was among those who died in earlier confirmations; the husband’s death was added on Thursday after his body was found.
The governor said the couple was camping on the last weekend of September when the storm hit.
This weekend marks the beginning of the 28th week of recovery. Damage is estimated at $60 billion.
Helene made landfall as a Category 4 hurricane in Dekle Beach, Fla., on Sept. 26. It was expected to come north to the Appalachian Mountains; however, the rainfall total from its dissipation there exceeded all forecasts.
Some places got more than 30 inches, most were at 24 or more. Due to terrain, water often rushed before it pooled and flooded – very unlike the flooding that happens in the coastal plains.
AccuWeather said rainfall totals were 32.51 inches in Jeter Mountain, 31.36 inches in Busick, and 26.65 inches in Hughes.
Forty-two died in Buncombe County, 11 in Yancey and 10 in Henderson.
Respective state officials say 49 were killed in South Carolina, 34 in Georgia, 25 in Florida, 18 in Tennessee, two in Virginia and one in Indiana.
Numbers were confirmed by The Center Square based on information supplied by the North Carolina Department of Health and Human Services; South Carolina Department of Public Safety; Georgia Emergency Management Agency; Florida Department of Law Enforcement; Tennessee Emergency Management Agency; Virginia Gov. Glenn Youngkin; and the Gibson County Sheriff’s Office in Indiana.
Helene is the fourth most deadly hurricane from the Atlantic Basin in the last three-quarters of a century. Only Katrina (2005, deaths 1,392), Audrey (1957, deaths 416) and Camille (1969, deaths 256) killed more people.
www.thecentersquare.com – By Alan Wooten | The Center Square – (The Center Square – ) 2025-04-02 14:21:00
(The Center Square) – Minority benefit against the majority giving up “agency, creativity, decision-making and other vital skills” in what is described as a valley of an artificial intelligence journey is likely in the next few years, says one voice among hundreds in a report from Elon University.
John M. Stuart’s full-length essay, one of 200 such responses in “Being Human in 2035: How Are We Changing in the Age of AI?,” speaks to the potential problems foreseen as artificial intelligence continues to be incorporated into everyday life by many at varying levels from professional to personal to just plain curious. The report authored by Janna Anderson and Lee Rainie of Elon’s Imagining the Digital Future Center says “the fragile future of some foundational and unique traits” found only in humans is a concern for 6 in 10.
“I fear – the time being – that while there will be a growing minority benefitting ever more significantly with these tools, most people will continue to give up agency, creativity, decision-making and other vital skills to these still-primitive AIs and the tools will remain too centralized and locked down with interfaces that are simply out of our personal control as citizens,” writes Smart, a self-billed global futurist, foresight consultant, entrepreneur and CEO of Foresight University. “I fear we’re still walking into an adaptive valley in which things continue to get worse before they get better. Looking ahead past the next decade, I can imagine a world in which open-source personal AIs are trustworthy and human-centered.
“Many political reforms will reempower our middle class and greatly improve rights and autonomy for all humans, whether or not they are going through life with PAIs. I would bet the vast majority of us will consider ourselves joined at the hip to our digital twins once they become useful enough. I hope we have the courage, vision and discipline to get through this AI valley as quickly and humanely as we can.”
Among the ideas by 2035 from the essays, Paul Saffo offered, “The first multi-trillion-dollar corporation will employ no humans except legally required executives and board, have no offices, own no property and operate entirely through AI and automated systems.”
Saffo is a futurist and technology forecaster in the Silicon Valley of California, and a consulting professor at the School of Engineering at Stanford.
In another, Vint Cerf wrote, “We may find it hard to distinguish between artificial personalities and the real ones. That may result in a search for reliable proof of humanity so that we and bots can tell the difference.”
Cerf is generally known as one of the “fathers of the internet” alongside Robert Kahn and for the internet protocol suite, colloquially known as TCP/IP.
Working alongside the well-respected Elon University Poll, the survey asked, “What might be the magnitude of overall change in the next decade in people’s native operating systems and operations as we more broadly adapt to and use advanced AIs by 2035? From five choices, 61% said considerable (deep and meaningful change 38%) and dramatic (fundamental, revolutionary change 23%) and another 31% said moderate and noticeable, meaning clear and distinct.
Only 5% said minor change and 3% no noticeable change.
“This report is a revealing and provocative declaration to the profound depth of change people are undergoing – often without really noticing at all – as we adapt to deeper uses of advancing AI technology,” Anderson said. “Collectively, these experts are calling on humanity to think intentionally and carefully, taking wise actions now, so we do not sleepwalk into an AI future that we never intended and do not want.”
In another question, respondents answered whether artificial intelligence and related technologies are likely to change the essence of being human. Fifty percent said changes were equally better and worse, 23% said mostly for the worse, and 16% said mostly for the better.
The analysis predicted change mostly negative in nine areas: social and emotional intelligence; capacity and willingness to think deeply about complex concepts; trust in widely shared values and norms; confidence in their native abilities; empathy and application of moral judgment; mental well-being; sense of agency; sense of identity and purpose; and metacognition.
Mostly positive, the report says, are curiosity and capacity to learn; decision-making and problem-solving; and innovative thinking and creativity.
Anderson and Rainie and those working on the analysis did not use large language models for writing and editing, or in analysis of the quantitative data for the qualitative essays. Authors said there was brief experimentation and human realization “there were serious flaws and inaccuracies.” The report says 223 of 301 who responded did so “fully generated out of my own mind, with no LLM assistance.”
SUMMARY: On March 14, 2025, President Donald Trump signed an executive order to dramatically reduce funding for seven federal agencies, including the Institute of Museum and Library Services (IMLS), which awarded $266.7 million in 2024. The order aims to eliminate non-essential functions and cut agency personnel to legal minimums. The move sparked backlash from library and museum organizations, warning it would severely impact early literacy programs, internet access, job assistance, and community services. Critics urged Congress to intervene, while the administration framed the cuts as part of efforts to reduce government waste under the U.S. DOGE Service initiative led by Elon Musk.
