For 20 years, Asheville attorney Joe Connolly has served as Buncombe County Attorney. But an Aug. 7 e-mail announced that the Board of Commissioners will interview new candidates for his job.
Year: 2009
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The final giveaway! Akron/Family, War on Drugs ***Update: Tickets gone!***
Win two guest-list spots for the final Transfigurations show on Saturday night at the Grey Eagle. Featuring Akron/Family, War on Drugs, Circulatory System and Jonathan Kane. Wow wow wow!
Win guest-list spots for The Books, Mount Eerie and Villages! ***Update: Tickets won!***
Only two giveaways left, and here’s one of ‘em: Win guest-list for the Saturday evening Transfigurations show at Diana Wortham, featuring The Books, Mount Eerie and Villages.
Asheville City Council brief: Aug. 11 meeting
In a 4-3 vote, Council declined to pass a proposed 100-foot zone around Pack Square Park that would force Council approval of new construction there.
This weekend on a shoestring
Start the weekend early. Thursday has a ton of not-to-be-missed events, from a local short film festival to Vendetta Creme in Saluda. Then ease on into the weekend. Got 5 bucks? Catch a punk show at the Boiler room or a rock band at Mo Daddy’s. Got 3 bucks? Check out a gospel festival or a Dead cover band. Got nothin’? Relax: there’s plenty to do for free, too.
Buncombe Commishioners: Back to the barricades
Board approves $3.1 million Pack Library renovation Commissioners expand county smoking ban County transfers Health Center operations to nonprofit It was a hot-button meeting for the Buncombe County Board of Commissioners. After a monthlong hiatus, the board reconvened Aug. 4 to confront a room packed with anti-zoning protesters and an agenda that included a proposed […]
Campaign calendar returns next week
It's been nearly a month since the deadline for candidates to file for Buncombe County races, so it's time once again to fire up the Xpress Campaign Calendar. We invite candidates and campaigners to send us information on events that are open to the public. Xpress will list them, along with important voter information, both […]
From Parkside to pilsner
A Pack Square building once slated for demolition now looks to find new life as a bar and restaurant. The Hayes & Hopson Building, which developer Stewart Coleman had planned to tear down to make way for his controversial Parkside condominium project, is instead being renovated and converted into Pack's Tavern. A pint at Pack: […]
Immigration by the numbers
Illegal immigrants' counterfeit documentation can be so plausible that small-business owners may not be able to tell what's legit and what is not, according to an Aug. 4 presentation by U.S. Department of Homeland Security officials. In fact, said Special Agent Darren Vazquetelles, the department itself is barely staying on top of the counterfeit game. […]
Attempted murder charge dropped in cyclist shooting
A grand jury has dropped the charge of attempted first-degree murder against Charles Alexander Diez, the Asheville firefighter accused of shooting at a cyclist. Diez is now facing a felony assault charge that carries a much lower potential penalty. Currently free on a $200,000 bond, Diez was served a warrant Aug. 6 on a charge […]
Deputy accused in road rage incident suspended
An undercover deputy accused in a road-rage incident will be suspended without pay for an unspecified period, Buncombe County Sheriff Van Duncan announced Aug. 3. Duncan said the deputy, whose identity was not disclosed due to the nature of his work, had made unprofessional remarks to 911 dispatchers. "Some very teachable moments": Buncombe County Sheriff […]
Troubled waters ***UPDATED***
***Note: In the Xpress story below, we stated that the $350,000 UNC Asheville claimed to be saving by closing the Environmental Quality Institute would be on a per year basis. In fact, communications from UNCA officials did not indicate those were annual savings. In this letter from EQI Director Steven Patch, he says the university […]
The Green Scene
A December 2008 coal-ash spill in Tennessee appears to have spurred North Carolina legislators to increase oversight of 12 dams that hold back the toxic material — two of them in Buncombe County. Gov. Bev Perdue signed Senate Bill 1004 into law July 31. The legislation requires Department of Environment and Natural Resources staff to […]
From folk ballads to food music
To celebrate five years of music, discovery and community, Harvest Records is bringing 16 bands to town, for a three-night, three-venue extravaganza dubbed Transfigurations. Friday and Saturday nights feature an earlier show and a later show, so no one has to miss any of the music. Plus on Saturday, Harvest brings in four independent record-label […]
Happy anniversary, Harvest
On a recent Saturday afternoon, when clouds climb over the mountains and spit a little rain every half hour or so, Harvest Records teems with customers — customers who don't come in just to consume, but who seek safe haven among fellow fans, freaks and collectors. They hang out (oftentimes for hours), shoot the breeze, […]
"Love over gold"
There are still a few small record labels committed to hunting down hidden sounds, releasing obscure music from all corners of the globe, reissuing forgotten classics and unearthing overlooked gems. Representatives from four of these vanguard labels will join in a panel moderated by Asheville Free Media's Greg Lyon at 1 p.m. Saturday at the […]
Smashing tambourines
Swedish multi-instrumentalist, composer and band leader Gustav Estjes describes the music of his band Dungen as "heavy, but soft as well." While Dungen is unabashedly heavy, there remains great subtlety in the songs, conveyed through extensive use of flute, violin and keyboards. Dungen's sound is a swirling mix, informed by psychedelic rock and European folk. […]
Mean streets
As much as I love cycling in Asheville, it is not without its challenges: steep terrain, erratic weather, a lack of infrastructure and harassment by hostile motorists. The latter peril was graphically illustrated July 26, when Asheville firefighter Charles Diez allegedly harassed Alan Simons verbally, pointed his gun at Simons' head and pulled the trigger […]
Getting your goat
While outsiders might associate mountain cuisine with ramps and corn liquor, Western North Carolinians know the region's most iconic local-food product of the 21st century is goat cheese. It's not surprising that a region as devoutly locavore as ours would embrace goat cheese, which elegantly encapsulates all the best attributes of local food. Goat cheese […]
Outdoors: All wet
Morning is an especially nice time for a summer mountain-bike ride at Bent Creek: The bugs aren't mobilizing yet, the thermometer hasn't hit 90 degrees, and you don't have to fret about afternoon storms. Hoping to avoid those terrible three, I recently confronted a gray, wet rag of a sky that seemed sure to let […]
The Dirt: The great tomato caper
Our tomato plants need more sun, less rain and more heat, my mother declared recently. This wasn't news, and she made the observation under gray skies that promised yet another unusually cool summer day. It's rained so much that the plants' identifying tags have been washed clean, and I can't remember what varieties I brought […]