Virus upends life in Asheville, across WNC
Volume
26
/ Issue 35
Cover Design Credit:
Scott SouthwickCover Photography Credit:
Getty Images
A closed sign is now a familiar sight around Asheville and WNC, with many local businesses and even Asheville City Hall closed to the public — though City Council meetings have moved to livestreams. In this issue, we chart the ongoing effects of COVID-19 concerns on our local community.
arts
Pimps of Pompe and Up Jumped Three release new self-titled albums
Though both ensembles are working within the jazz idiom, the styles of music they create as worlds apart.Smart Bets: Music for Quarantine
Asheville singer/songwriter Hannah Kaminer connects local musicians with homebound fans.Smart Bets: Guidance for Arts Professionals & Organizations
Asheville Area Arts Council is providing assistance in the form of an online resource.food
How to navigate eatery closures and support restaurant industry workers
Suddenly, hundreds of restaurants and thousands of employees, from chefs to dishwashers, are out of work. The ripple effect is profound, affecting farmers and suppliers who rely on the restaurant…movies
Screen Scene: Local film news
While temporarily closed, Asheville-area movie theaters will creatively engage with patrons online.news
Asheville Archives: The city’s mixed response to the women’s suffrage movement, 1894
“All hail to this new movement known as woman’s suffrage!" wrote one enthusiastic Asheville resident in a letter to the editor, published on Nov. 23, 1894.Asheville City Council contemplates next year’s budget amid COVID-19 fears
“Anybody that follows the economy or follows the news will tell you that there’s a big elephant in the room that we can’t measure, and we’re all thinking about it,…Volunteers organize to sustain WNC through COVID-19
Myriad nonprofit and community groups are springing into action to help locals persevere through the crisis. As existing organizations adjust their work to focus on COVID-19 needs and new efforts…Hospitals brace for COVID-19 cases, clamp down on visitors
Area hospitals have taken somewhat differing approaches to the question of whether to stop performing elective surgeries and other medical procedures. There are worries nationally about whether there will be…Jobs picture darkens in wake of coronavirus shutdowns
N.C. Gov. Roy Cooper issued a March 17 executive order making it easier for people statewide who have lost their jobs in the wake of business closures related to the…Xpress faces unprecedented COVID-19 challenges
Due to cancellations and closures among music venues, restaurants, performing arts spaces and other businesses — some of the newspaper's biggest advertisers — about half the revenue that supports Xpress'…Commission approves $500K for COVID-19 response
The budget allocation approved during the meeting was double the $250,000 request listed on the Buncombe County Board of Commissioners agenda, which was published on March 11. Of the new…opinion
Letter: A speech about racial equity that resonated
"We desperately need to learn from and listen to each other without seeking to impose our own views, not only within our own communities but in a spirit of outreach…Letter: Myths and mentalities
"[W]e’ve learned at 12 Baskets that by adopting a mentality of abundance, we can find ways to more evenly and equally distribute wealth and resources, especially food."Letter: Asheville should address redlining’s tragedies
"We cannot in good faith be praised for tourism, gentrification or other tributes to the mostly white recipients of American hospitality and opportunity without showing up in other ways to…Letter: Why do adults forget lessons in sharing?
"Thankfully, there is 12 Baskets, a place that knows what it means to share with one’s community."Doing their part