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Neal’s Gambit: Chess hall-of-famer coaches next generation
Volume
27
/ Issue 24
Cover Design Credit:
Scott SouthwickCover Photography Credit:
Thomas Calder
For the debut of Xpress' new Arts & Culture section, we check in with WNC's Neal Harris, one of only 10 members of the N.C. Chess Hall of Fame and a sought-after coach for young players.
arts
Checkmate: The Neal Harris experience
Neal Harris — one of only 10 members of the N.C. Chess Hall of Fame — discusses the game's recent rise in popularity and the challenges of teaching local chess…A&E Roundup: ‘Minari’ wins top honors from NC critics
Lee Isaac Chung’s ’80s-set drama wins four awards from the NCFCA, Jonathan Ammons releases a new album and more area arts news.food
Local produce distributor steers its business over rough roads
Making tough choices and trying out a variety of business models allowed Mountain Food Products to keep its trucks rolling through the pandemic.What’s new in food: A mix of good news and uncertainty kicks off 2021
The new year brings new restaurants and fresh collaborations while other businesses take a temporary break and a North Asheville favorite closes permanently.living
Green in brief: SAHC conserves nearly 3,000 acres; OGS gets social
The Asheville-based nonprofit Southern Appalachian Highlands Conservancy’s work included both valuable wildlife habitats, such as the Wiles Creek and Little Rock Creek preserves, and prime farmland at risk of development.…news
WNC starts to spend $600 COVID-19 payments
The $600 checks represent the first federal assistance many in WNC have received to cope with the economic fallout of the pandemic since the first coronavirus relief package was signed…With interest in birth centers soaring, local facility struggles to cover costs
When Emma Strickland learned she was pregnant with her second child, she started looking for an alternative to a hospital birth. She found it at the WNC Birth Center. The…MLK Day events shift to online platforms due to COVID-19
Since 1981, Oralene Simmons, founder and chair of The Martin Luther King Jr. Association of Asheville and Buncombe County, has watched the organization’s annual prayer breakfast grow from 50 or…Slow progress marks Buncombe vaccine rollout
Of the 1,675 doses of COVID-19 vaccine Buncombe County had been allotted by North Carolina state officials through Dec. 28, the county had given just over 1,000 doses through Jan.…opinion
Letter: NC should catch up with Michigan on death penalty
"North Carolina’s capital punishment has not done a better job deterring murder than Michigan’s life-in-prison rule: Homicide rates for the two states are virtually the same."Letter: What the numbers (and attitudes) say about Asheville area
"Apparently, Asheville has earned the dishonorable distinction of placing in the top 10% of most violent cities in the entire country."High anxiety: Welcome to Buncombe County’s new mascot
“Our plane is intended to ‘rule the skies until 2070.’”Flaming the fans
Letter: Woodfin board should address development concerns
"The community has serious concerns about the proposed development on Richmond Hill."Table for one