Sunday’s lone flute

Lee Pate, Asheville Resident, practices his flute playing under the Interstate 240 Overpass on North Lexington at 2 a.m. Sunday morning, March 20. Pate says the acoustics caused by the concrete help him to hear the notes clearer. I don’t know about that. But there is something hauntingly beautiful about flute sounds in the wee morning hours on a deserted street.

photo by Jerry Nelson

Local Matters Special Edition: Talking nuclear with Ned Ryan Doyle and Jerry Nelson

In the 1980s, U.S. officials considered storing nuclear waste in Sandy Mush just outside of Asheville. Residents fought the proposal, and it was tabled — but not forgotten. On Jan. 7, a busload of area residents met before dawn in Asheville; with the aim, in part, of making sure Sandy Mush didn’t crop up again as an option, they headed to Augusta, Ga., for a meeting of the Blue Ribbon Commission on America’s Nuclear Future. Xpress talked with two folks who took the trip that day — alternative-energy advocate Ned Doyle and photographer Jerry Nelson.

photo by Jerry Nelson