ASHEVILLE, N.C. (828newsNOW) — As we wrap up our first full calendar year of 828newsNOW, we wanted to take a look back at the stories that mattered to our community most in 2025. From all of us on the 828newsNOW team, thank you for reading, sharing and supporting our local journalism. Here’s to 2026.

In 2025, we published 2,386 stories. Out of those, there are stand-outs in every section. Read on to find the most-read 828newsNOW stories of the year.

News

Arts and Culture

Out of all the arts, music was the most important to Asheville last year, with a free concert series and an Elvis tribute artist dominating the Arts and Culture charts. However, don’t count out Thomas Dambo’s trolls – the North Carolina Arboretum sculptures made a troll-ific impact.

1. Free Biltmore Park concerts to be held once a month all summer long

2. ‘Like Elvis in his prime’: Tyler Christopher brings the King to Wortham Center

3. Curious trolls coming to Asheville to study … humans

Business

Last year, a legal feud between Asheville titans The Orange Peel and Asheville Pizza and Brewing Co. spawned two of our biggest business stories – as well as the Asheville Yards concert venue. However, the rest of Business wasn’t all sunshine and Happy Meals, proven by the McDonald’s protest story in spot number two.

1. Orange Peel sues Asheville Brewing over Rabbit Rabbit contract breach

2. Protesters to boycott McDonald’s owned by Rep. Chuck Edwards

3. Asheville Pizza files response to Orange Peel’s Rabbit Rabbit lawsuit

Crime and Safety

In Crime and Safety, the stories Asheville read most were from all over Western North Carolina, including a controversy in Clyde, a rescue in Broad River and a tragedy in Arden.

1. Driver says he was attacked, truck flipped at private Clyde landfill

2. Hiker airlifted after fall at waterfall in Western North Carolina

3. Body of missing 14-year-old found in Arden area

Tropical Storm Helene

One of the biggest milestones of 2025 was the one year anniversary of Tropical Storm Helene landing in WNC. While one of our most popular Helene stories did revolve around storm damage, what resonated most was the rebuilding which has followed in its wake, including a massive I-40 undertaking and work in the devastated Lake Lure region.

1. Crews face snakes, storms and steep slopes in $1.3B I-40 rebuild

2. Final Helene report puts numbers to the damage

3. Water emerges as more storm debris cleared from Lake Lure

Lifestyle

Sometimes, a break from breaking news can be nice. Our most popular Lifestyle stories among readers included a father and daughter’s quest to find gold, the spectacular appearance of an aurora in Asheville and preparations for a major downtown protest.

1. Father, daughter find $26,000 treasure in Mars Hill forest

2. Asheville could see northern lights again Wednesday night

3. 1500+ people projected to show for downtown rally Saturday

In Memoriam

Asheville lost several luminaries over the last year, including a local cat-carrying community member and a beloved 911 dispatcher. We also reflected on those who perished during Helene, a list of names carried all the way to New York City by a local Asheville radio host.

1. Asheville icon: Remembering Alex ‘The Catman’ McPherson

2. Buncombe County dispatcher remembered for kindness, service

3. From Asheville to NYC, radio host carries names of the lost to Gracie stage

Politics

In the political landscape of 2025, the things that were most important to our readers were local health care, local businesses and national politics. Our top three Politics stories of the year reflected each.

1. Supreme Court clears way for AdventHealth’s Weaverville hospital

2. Town of Black Mountain vs. Black Mountain Brewing: Controversy explained

3. PHOTOS: Thousands fill Asheville’s Pack Square for ‘No Kings’ rally

Weather

To quote Paul Rudd in “Forgetting Sarah Marshall,” “the weather outside is weather.” While our forecasts are a routine part of our coverage, we had a couple of outlying stories which rose to the top, including a feature on nature-based predictions, winter storm consequences and winter weather preparations.

1. Reading nature’s signs for winter’s forecast

2. Winter storm hits WNC, causing power outages and road closures

3. Prepare for frigid and wintry conditions, National Weather Service says

Features

In 2025, we ran five distinct feature series: 828reviewsNOW, a movie review column, “Fork and Dagger,” a restaurant review column, “Hikes of WNC,” a column about local hikes, “Strangeville,” a series on regional oddities and “Tombstone Tales,” a series examining the interesting lives of the dearly departed. Read on to find the most popular stories from each.

828reviewsNOW

1. The drama and yawns of ‘Juror #2’ and ‘A Complete Unknown’

2. Top 5 animated movies of 2025

3. 5 new movies to see, stream or skip in November 2025

Fork and Dagger

1. Fork & Dagger: A saltless disaster at Rye Knot

2. Fork & Dagger: Black Mountain café serves up brunch worth the drive

3. Fork & Dagger: Crusco breathes rarified air into River Arts District

Hikes of WNC

1. Hikes of WNC: Rattlesnake Lodge

2. Hikes of WNC: Waterrock Knob Trail

3. Hikes of WNC: Catawba Falls River Trail

Strangeville

1. Strangeville: The mystery of Cornelia Vanderbilt

2. Strangeville: Broughton Hospital – Hauntings, horror, and a history that won’t stay buried

3. Strangeville: Three-time presidential nominee’s house in Asheville

Tombstone Tales

1. Tombstone Tales: World’s heaviest twins were pro-wrestlers from Hendersonville

2. Tombstone Tales: Hero of the Balsam Mountain Crash of 1903 remembered at Riverside Cemetery

3. Tombstone Tales: Incarcerated African Americans built WNC railroad

Overall

At 828newsNOW, we are incredibly fortunate to get to tell the stories that matter to our community. From Pruett, Dee, Shannon and Braden, thank you for all your support in 2025. Now, what’s the next scoop?