An official for a state commission that oversees the handling of workers' compensation claims has referred a recent case involving a former registered nurse at Mission Hospitals to the N.C. Attorney General's office for further investigation. It's an unusual move spurred by what the official, in his Sept. 22 decision on the case, said was […]
Year: 2009
Showing 484-504 of 2958 results
Campaign Calendar
Thursday, Oct. 15: Early voting begins for all Buncombe municipal elections at the Buncombe Board of Elections, 189 College St. Wednesday, Oct. 21: Xpress publishes its general election voter guide for the Asheville City Council and mayoral elections. Thursday, Oct. 22: The Council for Independent Business Owners hosts a forum for Asheville City Council and […]
The end of Parkside: Coleman withdraws condo project
The battle over a controversial proposed condo building on formerly public parkland has officially ended, as a representative of developer Stewart Coleman informed city staff on Oct. 8 that he is withdrawing the proposed Parkside project so that he can open a tavern in the Hayes & Hopson Building. "We would like to withdraw the […]
The Green Scene
Hamming it up for plastic Did you know that every second, 100 plastic bottles are thrown away in North Carolina? And that one in five plastic bottles doesn't get recycled? Those are just two reasons state legislators passed a bill that bans plastic bottles from landfills. The law took affect on Oct. 1, and during […]
Party with the best on Sunday, Oct. 25
Back in the day, Xpress rewarded its reader-voted Best of WNC winners with (curb your enthusiasm) a plaque. That's cool and all, but most of us would agree that nothing says "Congratulations!" quite like a big fat party. So, last year Xpress got thinking, not only is the Best of WNC winners circle populated by talented folks, but when we're talking musicians, artists, dancers, chefs, bakers and brew masters, we're pretty much talking about a ready-made celebration. Food, drink and entertainment: The only missing ingredient is an audience to enjoy the revelry.
A little bit country, a little bit rock n’roll (web only)
The Osmonds were on to something with "A Little Bit Country, A Little Bit Rock N' Roll." And cheesy as they may be, that sentiment pretty well covers the lineup at the Grey Eagle Saturday. Brooklyn's Andy Friedman and the Golden Winners share the stage with Asheville's raucous Brian McGee and the Hollow Speed and […]
Soundtrack to a city
"Something about this town drew us here as musicians; now we're going to be part of the soundtrack to this town," says singer/songwriter Oso Rey. It's true that Asheville grooves to its own beat, like the snippets of buskers and the drum circle and music flowing from bars as you walk by. If a musician […]
Jerry’s Gospel on two contrasting public works
They should put huge, bright-colored condoms on all those phallic symbols standing in front of the Buncombe County Courthouse on the old City/County Plaza to remind the public what the Pack Square Conservancy has done to the community. This $8-million project to turn a park into a park has already cost $16 million in public […]
Small Bites
• French Broad Chocolate Lounge
• Buffalo Wild Wings
• Raw Food
• Grove Park Inn
The fondant files
Deceptively pretty mass-produced desserts have done a great job raising diners' expectations — but they've also corroded their sugar-coated instincts. In the late 1980s, a certain ubiquitous restaurant-supply company started hawking fully loaded cheesecakes and candy-stuccoed tortes. Remember Snickers Pie? It looked great under glass: Every mathematically pre-sliced piece was exactly the same size as […]
Outdoors: Maized!
The last time I was lost in a cornfield, I earned a billion superficial skin nicks while running through the field's sharp-edged, leafy clutches. Though I'm now less prone to such boyhood misadventures, my 7-year-old daughter, Maeve, recently inspired me to take a fall corn-maze excursion in Western North Carolina. Where o' where to go? […]
It was OK to vote on zoning before; it’s time again to Let Buncombe Vote
Mr. Joe Connolly, Buncombe County attorney, informed the attendees at the Aug. 5 commissioner's meeting that North Carolina has a law prohibiting residents from voting on the zoning issue. What he said is true, but he didn't go far enough. In spite of this law, we did vote on zoning in 1999 and set a […]
One bear attacks a human, while civilization attacks the entire WNC bear population
How ironic that a "bear attack" story would make the front page of the Citizen-Times on opening day of bear-hunting season! With the added incitement of constantly reviewing the (few) bear incidents and the declaration of record bear populations, one wonders why the Citizen-Times has declared war on Western North Carolina's most magnificent mammal. Only […]
Let’s celebrate Hendersonville’s historic gathering of gay and straight worshippers
After the recent Blue Ridge Pride festival, readers should be aware of an historical event which occurred on the evening of Sunday, Oct. 4. That event was a moving, family-friendly, interfaith worship service at First Congregational Church in Hendersonville. It was the first worship service that specifically invited gays and straights, of all abilities, throughout […]
Manheimer: pro-Asheville, inclusive and ready to get to work
I have been privileged to work with Esther Manheimber on the Jewish Community Center board for two years. During her time as chairman, she was able to facilitate the meetings with a natural ease in which everyone felt included. Esther had only one agenda and that was to support an already great organization and continue […]
Join us for the Asheville 350 gathering to cap CO2
I find it reassuring, as a recent addition to the population of Western North Carolina, that so many individuals from the region are so passionate about preserving the environment. As a recent graduate of an environmental law and policy program in Vermont, I feel that, already, I fit in among friends and advocates working to […]
Robin Cape will bring heart, drive and expertise to City Council
Robin Cape is running for reelection to Asheville City Council. She was having personal problems at filing time and did not think she could run, but later reconsidered and is now running as a write-in candidate. She is not running a protest campaign. With the support of city voters, she really can win. Robin has […]
How do we get from kindness to animals to "let’s slaughter them"?
On any given week, you'll find the Xpress teeming with pleas for adopting homeless dogs and cats. You'll also find multiple ads offering to sell you pieces of dead chickens, pigs, cows etc. Such is the schizophrenic relationship between humans and animals. Rarely, though, will you come across so much ink devoted to eating a […]
Mason’s Return of an Angel is in good theatrical company with its structure
While I agree with some of Steven Samuels' points in his review of Sandra Mason's play Return of an Angel (which appeared online at mountainx.com), I think he missed the mark a bit. His primary objections were structure, lack of naturalism and unnecessary theatrical effect. He terms Mason's breaking of the fourth wall — with […]
Those who accumulate capital inherently exploit those who don’t
Michael Moore's recent movie, Capitalism: A Love Story, is an important step toward popularizing the class war, but I was disappointed that his film stopped short of attacking one key problem of capitalism head on — the problem of accumulation. He never went so far as to illustrate how capitalism's inherent inequality of socioeconomic conditions […]
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