Much is afoot in the local literary world, from readings and announcements of publications to book sales and signings. The latter is good news for those in need of a unique holiday gift: A good book is always welcome; a signed copy is even better.
Year: 2009
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This weekend on a shoestring
Here it is, Wednesday already and time to make plans for the weekend. Budget-friendly shows, openings and events coming your way.
No zoning!
Asheville City Council
Asheville facing $5.1 million budget shortfall next year Asheville City Council Nov. 24 Council contemplates living-wage requirement for city contractors Council members approve federal-stimulus-backed infrastructure projects City signs off on parts of Woodfin annexation deal For the Asheville City Council, Nov. 24 was a day of transition. It marked the last meeting for Kelly Miller, […]
Going Viral
Six months have passed since the first case of H1N1 cropped up in North Carolina. Meanwhile, the more familiar seasonal flu is only now about to start making its annual appearance. Take your best shot: Buncombe County's Disease Control Supervisor preps a dose of the H1N1 vaccine. The Health Department has administered 5,600 doses so […]
Justice undone?
On May 8, Stuart Peterson and two other men robbed the F&J Food Mart on Biltmore Avenue at gunpoint. A witness to the gang-related heist described their vehicle to police, and all three were soon caught and charged with armed robbery. It was Peterson's first felony arrest. A new leaf: Stuart Peterson, center, with fellow […]
Guitar auction, calendar sales to boost Moog Foundation
The Asheville-based foundation aimed at preserving the legacy of electronic-music pioneer Bob Moog has organized two upcoming fundraising events. Through the years: The Bob Moog Foundation's 2010 calendar features archival photographs of the electronic-music pioneer, his mentors and collaborators. Photo courtesy Bob Moog Foundation The Bob Moog Memorial Foundation has announced the eBay auction of […]
City seeks public input on housing allocations
Every year, the federal government funnels some $3 million in Housing and Urban Development funds to Asheville and surrounding areas to develop affordable housing. To help manage that big chunk of change, the city and the Asheville Regional Housing Consortium develops five-year plans, which are then submitted to HUD for approval. City staff and Council […]
Disney on ice
Finding fun: Children with the Buncombe County Department of Social Services' Kinship Care program play a game with skaters from the Disney on Ice "Finding Nemo" show at the Asheville Civic Center on Wednesday, Nov. 18. The Kinship Care program supports friends and family members who have stepped up to care for children removed from […]
Candler au naturel
Innovative entrepreneurs are trying to bring a natural touch to the Smokey Park Highway while injecting more local flavor into the Candler corridor. Sweet woof: MoonDoggies owner Linda Gavel shows off doggie eclairs, nutter butters and macaroons — all available for discerning canines. Photos by Jonathan Welch Linda Gavel, co-owner of MoonDoggies Natural Pet Foods, […]
Girl talk
Angie Flynn-McIver discovered Atlanta-based trio Girlyman when a childhood friend contacted her through Facebook and said something like, "If you're not listening to Girlyman, then I don't even know who you are." Effective, if dramatic; of course Flynn-McIver, producing director of North Carolina Stage Company, is in the drama business. All the real girls: Atlanta's […]
The Green Scene
Rain gardens boost water quality The kids at Francine Delany School have been learning about water quality in hands-on fashion lately. The youngest ones got to pitch in with a recent Adopt-A-Stream project, while the eighth-graders got down and dirty: They dug out, prepped and planted a rain garden at their West Asheville school on […]
Paths of destiny
From the colonial period to the modern era, America's history tells an evolving narrative of human migration. Inspired by this history, Asheville Contemporary Dance Theatre/White Dog ProjectX International explores the dynamic topic of immigration in the upcoming modern dance concert Travelogue: Stories of our Migration. Where did we come from? ACDT dancers create a portrait […]
Reinterpreting mythology
The pale industrial walls of the Flood Gallery never looked better than they do backing Virginia Derryberry's Eide/Eidola, a collection of large paintings with a sun-bleached palette, a monumental style and a subject matter of idiosyncratically reinterpreted mythology. "Seven Deadly Sins," oil on canvas, 2009. The title derives from both Plato and Alchemy, the Idea […]
You’re not broken
Singer-songwriter Jack Herranen's music is an inspiring exploration of working-class struggles from Tennessee's southern Appalachia to Bolivia's Andes Mountains. A native of Knoxville, Herranen now lives and works with his wife (a Bolivian native), and their two children in Tortokawa, Bolivia, a rural farming village at the outskirts of Cochabamba. On Friday, Downtown Books and […]
Basnight and Nesbitt
The big news in North Carolina insider politics these days is the resignation of state Sen. Tony Rand — and his replacement as majority leader by Sen. Martin Nesbitt of Asheville. Political insiders in Raleigh are asking one another why Rand would trade one of the most powerful positions in state government to chair the […]
Happy meals
One of the best things I've seen for sale recently is a novelty toddler T-shirt printed with the phrase: "I make dining out miserable." Unfortunately, the shirt only went up through size 2 — and so it was too small for my son, who's 3, and a big 3 to boot. Photo by Jason Sandford […]
Outdoors: The perfect winter woods
In December, the woods can be dark and bare. Leaves are sparse and wildflowers long gone, but with the rain we've had this year, the all-season waterfalls in DuPont State Forest are flowing spectacularly. Lingering green at Lake Julia: Nestled in the Dupont State Forest, Lake Julia was once part of a corporate retreat. Now […]
Let’s fix N.C.’s overly restrictive election laws
Seat belts, guns, inspections, taxes, picking flowers, picking up rocks or choosing whom we want to represent us — we North Carolinians find ourselves in the precarious situation of being managed. Real liberty is a person's right to choose but, more and more, the door of choice is being swindled right from beneath our fingertips […]
State funding, not Transit Master Plan, killed the Weaverville-Asheville bus route
As a member of the City of Asheville Transit Commission, I wanted to clarify some of the information presented in David Hall's letter in the Nov. 18 issue of Mountain Xpress. At this time, the city is still working on the implementation plan for the recently approved Transit Master Plan. The changes that Mr. Hall […]
The other green challenge: Animal agriculture
Thanks for your recent special section on sustainability [Nov. 18 Xpress]. I appreciated all of the suggestions about how to be green. However, I'm disappointed that you decided to omit any information about the human activity that is the largest contributor to global warming — raising animals for food. It's time to stop ignoring the […]