Best of WNC 2022 Awards, Part One
Volume
29
/ Issue 5
Cover Design Credit:
Scott Southwick
A new day is upon us, and with it comes a fresh flock of winners from this year’s Best Of WNC balloting. In the first part of our awards, you’ll find local champions in arts and entertainment, shopping, personal services, kids and much more.
arts
Local theater companies continue work toward greater equity and inclusion
Representatives from Different Strokes, Asheville Community Theatre and NC Stage discuss making their theaters more welcoming spaces.Fall exhibits open on local college campuses
Directors and curators from local college and university galleries speak to the benefits of student and faculty exhibits.Around Town: The Cardboard Sea returns to live indoor shows with ‘The Cleaning Ladies’
Local theater troupe The Cardboard Sea returns to the stage for the first time since the pandemic hit. Plus, Ole Shakey's is back at a new location, the Flatiron Writers…food
What’s new in food: Cuban comfort food heading for the RAD
Guajiro Cuban Comfort Food gears up to open in the RAD. Also: Green Man Brewery launches ghost kitchen; North Carolina Apple Festival returns; and more!living
Caregiving advice from the local pros
Buncombe County is expecting a large increase in its elderly population in the coming decades. The need for more caregivers will increase with the rise of the aging population.Gardening with Xpress: Cucumbers, peppers and eggplants — oh, my!
This month's column features tips for when to pull summer plants, ideal peppers to grow in our region and best ways to preserve eggplant.news
How might abortion restrictions impact child welfare in WNC?
WNC retains abortion access through Planned Parenthood’s Asheville Health Center, the region’s sole provider of the procedure. What is less clear, at least at this moment, is how restrictions on…Up the river
Q&A: Tom Balestrieri on launching Weaverville Center for Creative and Healthy Living
Tom Balestrieri discusses the inspiration behind launching Weaverville Center for Creative and Healthy Living, surprises he's encountered since its debut and what it means to matriculate at UNC Asheville as…Asheville prepares Municipal Climate Action Plan
According to the city’s website, the plan, being drafted by Winston-Salem-based consultant AECOM for $95,000, “will incorporate all new additions of policies and resolutions while creating a roadmap on how…American Rivers to explore removing Craggy Dam
For more than 100 years, the Craggy Dam has divided the French Broad River near the town of Woodfin. But now Washington, D.C.-based American Rivers wonders whether it's time to…Council subsidies could bring more than 100 affordable units to Asheville
Asheville City Council unanimously approved two different approaches to support developments aimed at increasing affordable housing.opinion
Letter: You could be a voice for a child
"If you have several hours a month, you could have a big impact on the life of a child as a volunteer for the guardian ad litem program."Letter: Abortion ban violates religious rights
"Abortion access is a Jewish value, and bans on abortion are a violation of Jewish religious freedom and human rights."How citizen resistance derailed plan to dam the French Broad
"The more than a thousand citizen activists who came together as the Upper French Broad Defense Association, bolstered by staunch support from state Rep. Charles Taylor, forced TVA to abandon…Letter: Pay teachers what they’re truly worth
"The bottom line is: Without higher salaries for educators, not only will our students suffer, but so will the entire community."Letter: Yes on bond referendums
"We do have to stay vigilant as the money is distributed."Letter: Education is in crisis
"We have to value our teachers who are tired, underpaid and caught in the crosshairs of a contentious cultural and political climate."Meeting the future