Debate over ‘big ideas’ polarizing

I will preface the following comments with the full disclosure that I’m a white male. I sincerely appreciate and back constructive efforts on everyone’s part to erase social injustice such as racial and gender bias. But the Jan. 10 open letter chastising Mountain Xpress [“Big Ideas,” Jan. 8, Xpress] for apparent gender and racial bias […]

Feeding our future

It's impossible to discuss the health of a community without also discussing the food we eat. And when it comes to making healthy food more widely available for the underserved and at-risk members of our community, MANNA FoodBank plays a significant role. The local nonprofit exemplifies caring and compassion with programs like MANNA Packs for […]

Smart Bets: Rounding Third

Blue-collar Don is the father of the star pitcher and veteran coach; Michael is the timid newcomer who wants a special activity for his comparatively unathletic son. Scott Treadway and Charlie Flynn-McIver star in the pointed comedy Rounding Third, which makes use of the levity inherent in the Little League field to illustrate deeper life […]

Everyone’s baby

Kim Shattuck definitely wasn’t the first bassist to be terminated unceremoniously. The firings and infighting that go on within bands easily rival the Hollywood drama that each week fills up fleets of grocery store tabloids. Such happenings hardly seem newsworthy — you know, unless the bassist in question gets fired from Pixies, one of indie […]

The family kitchen

Editor’s note: In her new regular column The Family Kitchen, Asheville yoga instructor and parent Mado Hesselink will explore ways for families to eat a healthy diet on a budget. Breakfast. Sometimes called the most important meal of the day, I call it the most troublesome. When I wake up in the morning, I feel […]

Health matters

What would it take for us to be the healthiest, safest community in the nation? Research tells us that health and safety are shaped by the communities we live in and by our individual behaviors. In other words, health does not start at the doctor’s office. It is created all around us — where we […]

Smart Bets: Found Footage Festival

Most of us have taken a tumble or two down the YouTube rabbit hole. We know how a seemingly innocuous, two-minute laughing baby video can turn into a two-hour time warp. The Found Footage Festival is like that — only way better. The bizarre assemblage of videos is curated by comedians Nick Prueher and Joe […]

State of the Arts

The Center for Craft, Creativity & Design christened its new space at 67 Broadway St. with an opening reception and inaugural exhibition, Taking Shape: Celebrating the Windgate Fellowship. The center’s Friday, Jan. 24, launch was a bit of a triumph over adversity. It followed a 2013 budget cut-turned-institutional severance from UNC Asheville, a relocation from Hendersonville, […]

SMALL BITES

A-B Tech wins statewide competition Five A-B Tech students recently snagged first place and a gold medal during the statewide Hot Food Team Culinary Competition, earning them a trip to the American Culinary Federation’s Regional Competition. Team captain Alex Harris, Caroline Williams, Ruth Solis and Daniel Radle will move on to compete April 26-29 in […]

A bright start

Our experiences in early childhood shape our lives. When children are exposed to severe, frequent stress it shapes their future health and safety. Research tells us that when a child is exposed to stressful experiences such as domestic violence and substance abuse, it can rewire their body and brain. In Health and Human Services in […]

The big reveal

In the basement of a large house in Boone, a young band of self-proclaimed weirdos regularly draws an enthusiastic crowd. The musicians wail on their instruments. And disrobe. The band’s name — The Nude Party — reflects exactly what takes place in that basement. But, in the last two months, the group has begun to play […]

BEER SCOUT: Catawba’s plan B

Catawba adapts to Asheville The first brewery opening of the year is anything but business as usual. SIDEBAR: Highland Night Flight Highland Brewing Co. has come up with a way to pair nighttime, beer-drinking fun with a competitive cardio workout. In celebration of its 20th anniversary, the brewery is partnering with the Asheville Parks and […]

Autism and happiness

When it comes to services for children and adults with autism, Asheville offers an array of resources from vocational programs to mentoring to support for families. However, according to Sylvia van Meerten, founder of Empower Autism, there is a gap when it comes to teaching individuals on the autism spectrum how to be happy. “I […]

City announces that the BID board is going dormant

With prospects of a special tax to fund a downtown Business Improvement District unlikely, the city announced Jan. 24, that the Asheville Downtown Improvement District’s board was going dormant. According to a board representative, the members continue to work to accomplish the BID’s goals through other organizations and methods. “It’s because [Asheville City] Council is […]

Xpress responds

The publisher and managing editor reply: Our Big Ideas package was not meant to comprehensive. We aimed to offer a sampling of big ideas — and a short, historical timeline of them. Clearly, the timeline omits much of the Asheville area’s rich history, and without doubt it shows an unintentional bias. Some of these omissions […]

Cranky Hanke’s Weekly Reeler January 29-February 4: The Great Awkward Labor Moment

Yes! The wait is over.  The (deservedly) Oscar-nominated The Great Beauty (La Grande Bellezza) is actually opening this week. In the immortal words of Groucho Marx — “Let there be dancing in the streets, drinking in the saloons, and necking in the parlor.” I was beginning to despair — and it was with some trepidation that I called the Fine Arts on Monday morning to find out. But here it is at last. Seize the opportunity. Me? I’ll be glad to stop moving the review from week to week (and tinkering with it each time). Otherwise, this week … but, hey, The Great Beauty is opening.