Looking for some longform (or longerform) reads to cozy up with over the weekend? Here’s a round-up of our leading feature stories from the last seven days. Happy reading!
Art
Theater Review: “Parallel Lives” at NC Stage
By Jeff Messer
Heavy on the sketch comedy formula, the show is a series of vignettes depicting the lives of the modern woman — the characters range from starry-eyed teens to sisters managing the funeral of their grandmother. The show alternates from side-splittingly funny to emotionally resonant. (Continue reading)
Author Megan Shepherd launches one series and sells another
Doug Gibson
Brevard native and best-selling YA novelist Megan Shepherd, the author of the Victorian Gothic Madman’s Daughter series, recently announced that she had sold The Secret Horses of Briar Hill, a middle-grade fantasy in the vein of The Secret Garden. The book had sold at auction, meaning that editors at several publishing houses bid for the chance to take it on. (Continue reading)
Lift off: WNC-based filmmaker Melanie Scot sends “Sangria Lift” to festivals
By Alli Marshall
The story follows a car named Sangria that is stolen for fun by a group of teens. But even though some of the film’s characters surmise the car will be found, stripped and up on blocks somewhere, what actually happens is wholly unexpected. And it’s based on a true story. (Continue reading)
ACDT stages ecological-themed Mystery of the Seahorse
By Regina Cherene
When a mysterious sickness surfaces and sea horses begin to disappear, a colorful crew of aquatic fauna must band together to identify and tackle the problem. It’s not the newest PBS Kids series; it’s The Mystery of the Seahorse, an archetypal tale of good versus evil set in Australia’s Great Barrier Reef. It’s also the latest production from Asheville Contemporary Dance Theatre. (Continue reading)
Food
The zero-waste kitchen: Ideas for honoring the true value of food
By Aiyanna Sezak-Blatt
In a consumer culture, generating waste seems to be an inevitable part of life. However, in a home kitchen, individual choice, creativity and mindfulness can change that. For local foodies, a zero-waste kitchen simply means a change in perspective: Skins, stems, pulp and bones, when seen for their potential, become much more than scraps. (Continue reading)
Brand new: Local breweries are thinking outside the bottle
By Thom O’Hearn
Highland has Scotty. Green Man has the Green Man. Hi-Wire has an entire circus. Asheville’s reputation as a beer destination is chiefly due to the high-quality ales and lagers produced here. But something else is clearly going on as well: Our breweries, by and large, have a knack for branding. (Continue reading)
Leaders of the band: The people behind Asheville’s James Beard nominees
By Jonathan Ammons
Just as Duke Ellington needed a band of skilled, talented musicians, good chefs need good support players. And Asheville’s three nominees for the James Beard Foundation‘s Best Chef Southeast tip their hats to several folks whose names you might not know. (Continue reading)
High Five Coffee takes a side trip
By Margaret Williams
Jay Weatherly likes the “side-street feel” of his new High Five Coffee location, set to open in June on Rankin Avenue in downtown Asheville. Even on a quiet Tuesday morning, the flow of pedestrians and cars is steady. “There’s just something about Rankin that just feels good, and we’ll fit in,” says Weatherly. (Continue reading)
Toast of the town: Brevard welcomes food trucks
By Geraldine H. Dinkins
It took a hearty debate and an amendment to a city ordinance, but after being given approval last fall, Brevard’s mobile food vendors are shifting into high gear for the summer season. One of the first regular stops is the Transylvania Farmers Market, where two local food trucks can be found every Saturday morning serving breakfast to hungry marketgoers. (Continue reading)
Living
Overharvesting of forest plants calls for mindful consumers
By Carrie Eidson
People in the WNC mountains have been foraging in the woods for generations, seeking out edibles like mushrooms and ramps or medicinals like bloodroot, goldenseal, black cohosh and — perhaps most famously — ginseng. But with interest in these plants rising and more novice foragers venturing into the woods, the plants are becoming harder and harder to find. (Continue reading)
Mission offers new heart surgery option
By Clarke Morrison
When Claire Orenzow’s replacement heart valve failed eight years after it was surgically implanted, the symptoms were excruciating. But doctors at Mission Hospital were able to repair Orenzow’s heart with a new procedure called valve-in-valve replacement that offers significant benefits over traditional open-heart surgery, and Orenzow says she left the hospital a few days after the operation feeling like a new woman. (Continue reading)
‘Walking the Talk’: Strive Not to Drive points out pedestrian dangers
By Jane Morrell
Strive Not To Drive, a week of multimodal awareness events held throughout Asheville, held its first ever walking tour this past Tuesday, May 19, to showcase concerns and problems facing pedestrians, bikers, people with disabilities and motorists in downtown Asheville. (Continue reading)
News
Down the road: The future of Future I-26
By Max Hunt
On the 16-mile stretch between the Forks of Ivy (Exit 13) and the Interstate 240/Patton Avenue interchange, however, the word “future” is affixed to the standard red, white and blue interstate signs.Eventually, those qualifying signs will be taken down, once a massive construction project brings this stretch of highway up to interstate standards. But how does an ordinary highway become an interstate? (Continue reading)
Spaced out: The future of parking in downtown Asheville
By Pat Barcas
Ken Putnam has a passion for parking. The city of Asheville’s transportation director says that despite complaints, he never has a problem finding a spot downtown when he drives to work. But then again, he knows where to look. (Continue reading)
Down and out in Asheville: The face of local homelessness
By Amber McGilvary
In 2005, city and county officials adopted the 10-Year Plan to End Homelessness, an ambitious collaboration involving many local agencies. Significant progress has been made: Since 2005, chronic homelessness is down 82 percent, from 293 people to just 54, city officials say. Yet there are still homeless folks on local streets. (Continue reading)
< / housing crisis > : Code for Asheville harnesses technology to help renters, homebuyers
By Hayley Benton
In an age when you can deposit a paycheck, order a pizza and instantly connect video-to-video with a friend in Seattle in under five minutes — all while walking the dog — it’s not far-fetched to think technology could be the next step in solving real-life community issues. (Continue reading)
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