By Mark Starling District Attorney Newman Removed From Office (Henderson County, NC) -- Greg Newman is out as district attorney for Henderson, Polk and Transylvania counties. A Superior Court judge issued a ruling yesterday to immediately remove Newman from office based on his findings from a three-day hearing earlier this month. Newman had been accused of misconduct in a number of cases, including a sexual assault case at the center of the most recent hearing. The judge's order cited what amounted to the D-A's willful misconduct, or acts done intentionally in bad faith. Asheville Passes Discrimination Ban (Asheville, NC) -- A discrimination ban is going into effect soon in Asheville. The city council passed an ordinance unanimously yesterday which prohibits local employers and public accommodations from discriminating against someone over sexual orientation, race, gender identity and more. Businesses face an initial 100-dollar civil penalty for not following the ordinance beginning July 1st. The order aligns with a similar measure passed by Buncombe County commissioners last week.