We publish a list of NewsNotes every day in our newsletter, but there’s so much happening in the area that it’s easy to miss some of the biggest announcements and updates.

So, we’ve started picking our top 10 NewsNotes every week for you. Here are the items getting the biggest buzz from the past week –

Number: 19,000. The number of educators + supporters who marched in Raleigh last week, with the goal of holding legislature accountable to teachers + students during the summer term. N.C.’s per-pupil funding is currently $6,115, which is $600 less than it was 9 years ago. This currently puts our state at 43rd in per-pupil funding. More than 80 schools were closed from at least 37 school districts so that teachers could participate.👩‍🏫

Outdoors: The Blue Ridge Parkway launched a major project to repave 65+ miles of the road between Milepost 359 (about 30 miles north of Asheville) to Milepost 469 in Cherokee. 🏞 Work will be done on weekdays through September. Another section undergoing rehabilitation, the Linn Cove Viaduct, is expected to reopen by Memorial Day Weekend.

Opening: Green Sage Cafe is opening a fourth location this fall. The former Atlanta Bread Company (633 Merrimon Ave.) will become Green Sage in celebration of their 10th year as a business. Bonus: They will be adding a juicery + completing their goal to offer 95% organic produce.🍅

Drink: Daidala Ciders, a new small-batch cidery in Asheville, is open at the Historic Cotton Mill in the Andy Herod Gallery (122 Riverside Dr., Studio G). On tap now: Watermelon Rosé, Kiwi Kin, Rum Barrel (with chai spices), and the IPA-style Green Glory. Daidala also serves a sangria-style cider and several other ciders not typically sold in Asheville.

Announced: Asheville Tea Company will introduce the first local Tea CSA this spring. Similar to a vegetable/farm CSA, Asheville Tea Company will offer several options throughout the year featuring seasonal tea combinations + ingredients. All of these loose leaf teas are great hot or cold and can be served in a high ball on ice with herbs, or made into a cocktail.🍵

Health: Seven new cases of whooping cough have been confirmed in Buncombe County this week (all of these cases involve children at four different Buncombe County Schools). As of now, 13 cases have been confirmed in the county this year.

Contest: It’s that time of year again: The Images of WNC Photo Contest is open for 2018. Submit photos of scenic vistas, mountain life, nature + more for the chance to win cash prizes and to be published in the January/February 2019 issue of WNC magazine. One winner will be selected in each category with online voting to pick the Reader’s Choice winner.

Announced: The Better Dads Festival is making its return to Downtown Asheville on June 16 from 2–9 p.m. on the Roger McGuire Green. This festival is for everyone, bringing together a diverse community of men and women who want to foster healthy relationships with their families. The free event includes games, food, a drum circle, photo booth, music, and more. 🎷

Asked: “What’s going on with Karen Cragnolin Park by Carrier Park? Any idea when it’s supposed to open or how the bio-remediation is going?” The 5.33-acre park, which is between two existing parks on the Wilma Dykeman Greenway, has been undergoing cleanup and remediation for a decade. In late 2017, RiverLink, who purchased the property, published a call for designs for the park. RiverLink selected Nelson Byrd Woltz Landscape Architects, a landscape design firm, earlier this month. RiverLink will host a meeting with the design team on May 30 from 4:30–5:30 p.m. at 190 Amboy Rd. Thanks to reader Vann for this question.

Viral: Three years ago, the internet was thrown into a frantic debate over whether a dress was black + blue, or white + gold. Now, Reddit users are asking whether you hear 'Laurel’ or ‘Yanny'. While there is a scientific explanation as to why users hear two different translations, everyone is still picking sides. Which team do you rep? Let us know in a response to this email.