911 agreement with city clears final hurdle Energy Loop rides again Despite a declining economy and the need for cuts in every department, Buncombe County staff managed to deliver a budget that keeps core services intact and the tax rate unchanged. The “Loop” is back: Dirck Cruser’s “Energy Loop,” Asheville’s first piece of public sculpture, […]
Year: 2009
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WPVM starts from scratch
CORRECTION: An article in last week’s Xpress, “WPVM Starts from Scratch,” incorrectly described action taken by the MAIN board, which holds the license for WPVM. The board made a statement regarding the governing structure of the station, but did not formally approve a resolution regarding the matter. Following months of rancor, WPVM, Asheville's low-power FM […]
MAIN makes bid for rural broadband stimulus money
The competition for $7.2 billion in federal stimulus funds for rural broadband development is about to begin, and the Asheville-based Mountain Area Information Network aims to be a front-runner in securing some of that cash. Executive Director Wally Bowen says his organization will be applying as part of a coalition of locally owned Internet service […]
This final four is all about the food
They move with precision: a huddle here, a handoff there. It's all done with single-minded purpose, keeping an eye on the prize. The only difference is the playing surface: a kitchen. Culinary kudos: A squadron of A-B Tech culinary students will be one of four teams competing in a prestigious national cooking contest. Led by […]
Bele Chere goes back to basics
This year's festival will close at 10 p.m. on Friday and Saturday, an hour earlier than in the past. Two main stages have been eliminated. There won’t be any ticketed musical events, and about a dozen fewer free musical acts will perform during the festival’s three-day run July 24-26. There's one less food court, and […]
Glen Rock Depot project breaks ground in River District
Smiling state and local officials wielding golden shovels were among those gathered June 29 for the official groundbreaking of Glen Rock Depot in the River District. The ambitious project, which calls for renovating the old Glen Rock Hotel and constructing a new 90,000 square foot building, will combine affordable housing, office space and a bar/performance […]
Spork
Frigid January weather couldn't sway the legions of dedicated music lovers who checked out the four-day, 30+ band's worth of pop glory that was this year's POPAsheville. LaZoom shuttled the fans around (complete with bus-worthy musical entertainment), and by all accounts, the indie pop festival was a wild success. And while that kind of cold […]
Grab your Uncle Sam hat and your lawn chair, it’s fireworks time
Time to break out the sparklers, veggie dogs and sousaphones: July 4 has come around again. And, like a kitsch-fest the Founding Fathers probably never envisioned, this is your annual opportunity to be as red-white-and-blue-wearing, flag-waving, homemade-ice-cream cranking, watermelon-seed-spitting, patriotic-song-singing, family-bonding, parade-watching, Uncle-Sam-hat-sporting, kiddie-pool-wading, rocket-lighting, grill-dominating hokey as you want to be. (And by hokey, […]
The Green Scene
Craig Childs loves to clean things. When the 32-year-old met Xpress at a local café recently, he looked up at the ceiling and, noting the dirty ductwork, said, “It needs cleaning again!” Restaurants and home kitchens can present the toughest cleaning challenges, says the owner of the Asheville-based Pristine Clean. And sometimes you walk into […]
Junker’s Blues
The week before Michael Jackson's death I ignored a copy of Thriller I saw at the Goodwill. I already had one out at my antique booth and there was no point trying to sell it on eBay, where copies were too abundant and selling at around $5 a pop with shipping. There was no need […]
Queen of Heartless
Comparisons are the name of the game in the music biz, and Heartless Bastards' frontwoman Erika Wennerstrom says she's okay with that. “I think it's natural for people to compare something to something; I'm guilty of that myself,” she tells Xpress. “I've been compared to people I'm a really huge fan of, or others I'm […]
Forget the carrot
Chef Herve This’ accent is as thick as béarnaise sauce, but I’m pretty sure I’ve heard him right. “Barbecue, we have to avoid,” he said. This is a culinary visionary, not a vote-seeking politician, so perhaps it’s silly to imagine him marking his first trip to North Carolina by eating mounds of slow-cooked pork. But […]
Outdoors: Against the current
Sure, the French Broad boasts good length, big parks, a fun name and zealous environmental defenders — not to mention its putative status as the world’s third-oldest river. But besides it and the wily Swannanoa (carver of historic valleys and deceptively sleepy flooder of gift shops), the Southern Appalachians are striped by myriad other intriguing […]
The Dirt
I’m trying to restrain myself and not go mad over the shrubbery. This is the year I’m redoing my garden, and shrubs are essential to the plan. But which ones? Euonymus by any other name: Whether you call it winged, dwarf or burning, this Euonymus alatus will provide brilliant color come fall. Photo by Cinthia […]
Correction
An article in last week's issue, “Sneer Campaign,” incorrectly said that the radio program This American Life is produced by National Public Radio. The program is in fact produced by Chicago Public Radio and distributed by Public Radio International. — The Editors
The wrong plan for North Mills River
Pisgah National Forest is missing a golden opportunity and charting the wrong course with its proposal for the Brushy Ridge Project, an operation that sets the direction for management of the North Mills River area over the next decade. The river is well-loved and heavily used by local residents and tourists. Being one of the […]
New hotel not needed
We absolutely do not need another hotel in Asheville (they're building one at the end of South French Broad). Has anyone looked into the yellow pages of our phone book lately? Robert McGahey had it right [in his June 10 Xpress commentary, “Just Remnants”]: “We and the land are victims of overdevelopment, especially around Asheville.” […]
Tethering solutions not simple
I am responding to two letters in the June 17 Xpress about "tethering" dogs. Cynthia Etheridge "couldn't be more disgusted with Council members," and Troy Amastar complains about labeling "animal-rights activists as extremists.” For the record, I live in Asheville, voted for Obama, drive a hybrid, shop at the Co-op and don't eat meat. I […]
Eating or health care?
Here in Asheville, we have an incredible wealth of traditional healers, yet because of health-care constraints most of us cannot even afford to have what should be seen as “well-being care.” Insurance will not cover anything outside the box. And that affects all of us. We can't get health care nationally because it has been […]
Going for Gordon
I have been involved with Asheville politics off and on for over nine years. I met Gordon Smith last year and from the onset was quite impressed with his thirst for knowledge for local issues. He stays informed on what is going on in our community and truly cares about people. I was thrilled when […]
Small Bites
• Wayside Bar &Amp; Grille
• Fig Bistro
• Admiral July 4 Cookout With Homemade Hot Dogs
• Flight Wood Grill