Buncombe County Internet Outage Disrupts Services, Aurora Schools Recover from Network Issues

BUNCOMBE COUNTY, N.C. (WLOS) — Buncombe County Government announced Thursday it is experiencing an internet outage, affecting access to IT resources and the county’s website. The outage has forced the county’s landfill and transfer station to accept only cash payments, potentially causing delays.

County employees are also unable to access phones, emails, and other network platforms, which may further delay responses to public inquiries. Buncombe County IT is investigating the cause of the outage and will provide updates as they become available.

Meanwhile, in AURORA, Colo., internet and phone service has been restored across Aurora Public Schools (APS) after a district-wide outage lasting more than a week. The outage, initially attributed to “potential suspicious activity” within the network, raised concerns about safety and operational disruptions.

APS spokesman Corey Christiansen confirmed that while service has been restored, some connectivity issues persist in specific buildings. “We want to emphasize that safety is our top priority. We have many safety measures in place at our schools, and our staff utilize numerous tools and methods to keep our students and staff safe,” Christiansen said.

The district continues to work with third-party experts to investigate the suspicious activity that prompted the network shutdown. Christiansen acknowledged the frustration among staff and community members, stating, “It has been a challenging time and has required staff and students to pivot and change in many new ways.”

APS plans to release additional information once the investigation is complete. Both incidents highlight the growing reliance on digital infrastructure and the vulnerabilities that can arise when systems fail.