CPP: 2014 SAT scores show improvement in NC; Asheville, Watauga students post highest scores in WNC

From Carolina Public Press By Angie Newsome The N.C. Department of Public Instruction released new information Tuesday showing how well North Carolina high school students performed on the SAT college admission test in 2014. According to The College Board, the state’s seniors averaged 1483 this year, up four points from 2013 graduates. The number of […]

Smart bets: Secret Agent 23 Skidoo

When Secret Agent 23 Skidoo hits the stage, kids hit the dance floor. The California-based “kid-hop” artist serves a potent combination of kid-friendly lyrics, parent-friendly wordplays and crowd-friendly beats. 23 Skidoo’s music has been praised by NPR and Time magazine, and his latest single, “Unwind,” went straight to the top of Sirius/XM’s family music channel. […]

Smart bets: Thee Hobo Gobbelins

“Get these songs all up in your nightmares without delay!” Thee Hobo Gobbelins exclaim on their Facebook page, advising fans to experience the band’s latest album, Oddities and Entities. The California creatives use labels like “dark carnival” and “post-apocalyptic” to describe their unpolished brand of accordion-laden melodies, but the group underlines many songs with a […]

Google Connect hosts livestream presentation for local business owners and marketers Oct. 15

From a press release: Asheville, NC (Oct. 1, 2014) – Google Partner ClearPoint Marketing Communications will host a livestream presentation from Google on Wednesday, October 15, 2014, from 2:00 to 3:00 p.m. in downtown Asheville. This Google Connect event offers local marketing directors and business owners the opportunity to gain insights and tips from Google […]

Smart bets: Waveforms 2.0

Electronic music producers Daniel Merrill and Michael Folk describe their joint sound as “emotionally charged future music that rides on hypnotic breakbeats, deep infectious basslines, dubby soundscapes and glitchy experimentation.” Performing as Aligning Minds, the duo are proud to announce “WAVEFORMS 2.0” — a month of performances at Asheville Music Hall aimed at bringing “top-notch […]

FernLeaf Community Charter School applies to create public charter school in Henderson County

From a press release: The Board of Directors of FernLeaf Community Charter School is pleased to announce it has submitted an application to the NC Department of Public Instruction Office of Charter Schools to operate a new public charter school in Henderson County. FernLeaf is a different kind of public school created by local educators, […]

Motherhood and livelihood­: Asheville women juggle multiple roles

Women-owned businesses are on the rise, both nationally and in North Carolina. Locally, women owned 29.3 percent of Asheville’s 12,773 businesses, putting the city above both national and state averages (28.8 percent and 28.2 percent, respectively). Xpress profiles four local women who’ve brought the mother-child dynamic into their self-run enterprises.

Smart bets: Rural Academy Theater

The Rural Academy Theater will “clop its way into your backyard and heart,” claims a press release by the horse-pulled production’s organizers. This year, the annual mobile mini-circus includes a slapstick interpretation of North Carolina’s pro-fracking legislation, a depiction of human presence on a geological timeline and an evening showing of Georges Méliès’ 1902 silent […]

Smart bets: Noam Pikelny and Stuart Duncan

We’ve all heard of “Dueling Banjos,” but Noam Pikelny and Stuart Duncan are two string virtuosos who work together. Collectively, the musicians have collaborated with a brimming Rolodex of A-list artists, including Fiona Apple, Wilco, Béla Fleck, Dolly Parton and even the Jonas Brothers. Pikelny, Grammy nominee and banjoist for Punch Brothers, says he’s long […]

Smart bets: Die Fledermaus

“Die Fledermaus,” a libretto often rewritten and performed with local flair, will soon transform into its Asheville incarnation with the help of Asheville Lyric Opera. Set in Western North Carolina’s famous Giltmore home and based around the Southern mountain charm of the Vanerburgh family, ALO’s adaptation is intended to “create a deeper sense of appreciation […]

Hendersonville Tree Board to plant 50 trees on Bearcat Loop Parkway on Oct. 10

From a press release: (HENDERSONVILLE, NC, September 26, 2014) – Starting at 10 a.m. on Friday, October 10, over 50 trees will be planted along Bearcat Loop Parkway by the City of Hendersonville for a project coordinated by Hendersonville Tree Board. From U.S. 64 W. the trees will enhance the entryway to Hendersonville Elementary School […]

Go Local Card unveils new design

Asheville Grown Business Alliance announces: We are proud to announce that with the participation of over 400 locally owned, independent businesses the 2014 Go Local Card was able to raise $7,720 for our city’s public schools, $8,240 for the Asheville City Schools Foundation (ACSF) and $7,825 for the Asheville Grown Business Alliance (AGBA). Thanks to […]

Sola Salon Studios opens on Pack Square

From a press release: ASHEVILLE (Sept. 29, 2014) – Mailander LLC announces the opening of Asheville’s first Sola Salon Studios location on Pack Square. Located on the second floor of 124 College Street in downtown Asheville, the 5,800- square-foot salon overlooks the Pack Square green and the Visitor’s Center. This central, well-trafficked location offers studios […]

UPDATE: Faces in the crowd: WNC crowdfundi­ng initiative­s

Crowdfunding platforms make it possible for individuals and organizations of any size to harness social networks and raise start-up capital for projects that might otherwise fail due to lack of funding. Each week, Xpress highlights notable WNC crowdsourcing initiatives that may inspire readers to become new faces in the crowd.