photo by Jodi Ford Jeff Brubaker‘s face has intensity written all over it. And then there are the scars — souvenirs of a 10-year career in the National Hockey League. During that time (and in the subsequent two decades of coaching), Brubaker has bounced around the country, the consummate hockey journeyman. From skating with Gretzky […]

It’s been 200 years since the Lewis and Clark Expedition trekked from Illinois to Oregon on a reconnaissance mission commissioned by President Thomas Jefferson. It’s a big anniversary, and the news is thundering through Western North Carolina in various forms. Asheville author Allan Wolf‘s lyrical novel, New Found Land: Lewis & Clark’s Voyage of Discovery […]

The Buncombe County Board of Commissioners, County Manager Wanda Greene, Planning Director Jon Creighton, Associate County Attorney Keith Snyder and Clerk to the Board Kathy Hughes traveled south to sit in at the Henderson County Board of Commissioners’ Feb. 16 meeting. Discussion centered on the legislative agenda drawn up by the N.C. Association of County […]

The Pack Square Conservancy’s plan for a major reconfiguration of Pack Square and City/County Plaza got a big boost at the Buncombe County Board of Commissioners’ Feb. 15 formal meeting. courtesy of Pack Square Conservancy Architect’s rendering of Pack Square renovation; from Biltmore Avenue on left to County Courthouse and City Hall on right Conservancy […]

Mental-health care in North Carolina has been towed into the garage for a major overhaul. At the moment, there are parts spread all over the workbench, grease spots and wrenches on the floor, and a cluster of experts poking around under the hood, shaking their heads. Some maintain that this baby will run better than […]

Following a brief public hearing at their Feb. 1 formal meeting, the Buncombe County commissioners unanimously approved a three-year financial-incentive package for one of the county’s largest employers. The $250,000 grant to Sonopress LLC was made in response to the company’s recent investment in its manufacturing facilities and the resulting expansion of its work force. […]

The natural-foods scene has seen radical change since this reporter first stumbled on a “health-food store” in a low-rent shop in Orlando, Fla., back in 1969. Poorly lit shelves sparsely stocked with nondescript packages were jammed up against a rack featuring a smattering of strangely titled magazines and books. The scent of incense permeated everything, […]

It wasn’t all dull reports and fat sheaves of paper at the Buncombe County Board of Commissioners’ annual planning retreat, held Jan.17-18 at the Crest Center & Pavilion on Ben Lippen School Road in Emma. Some of the most revealing discussions took place during meals and fireside chats — perhaps because the blazing fire created […]

Years of wrangling over the creation of public-access television in Buncombe County culminated in a unanimous vote of support from the Board of Commissioners at their Jan. 18 meeting. The board approved both a 10-page management contract with URTV Inc., a nonprofit corporation, and a funding-distribution plan that will substantially underwrite operations at the station […]

It may be too soon to tell whether cutting-edge technologies will prove to be the tourniquet that stanches Western North Carolina’s continuing hemorrhage of manufacturing jobs. But if not, it won’t be for want of trying. As the new year begins, a variety of high-tech programs and projects are moving ahead. In late December, AdvantageWest, […]

Newly elected Buncombe County Commissioner Carol Weir Peterson kicked off the Board of Commissioners’ Dec. 7 formal meeting with her first official act: presenting a certificate of appreciation to Jeff Shelton for his 10 years of managing the county animal shelter. Shelton thanked the commissioners for their support, giving credit for any success he’s achieved […]

“While the inn and the city stand to make millions on this project, what does the neighborhood get?” — Clay Ballantine, Grove Park Neighborhood Advisory Committee A Nov. 23 public hearing on the Grove Park Inn’s latest development plans began with a swarm of more than three dozen witnesses gathered around the Bible to be […]

As the deadline for deciding where to site a new “destination center” for the Blue Ridge Parkway draws near, there appears to be considerable confusion on the part of both Parkway officials and members of the nonprofit Southern Highland Craft Guild about multiple aspects of the project. After three public meetings at which planners have […]

In the final meeting of the outgoing Buncombe County Board of Commissioners, unanimous decisions concerning millions of dollars in county funding blew through the chamber like driven snow, passed laughingly and with almost no discussion. There wasn’t even a token snowball fight. But it wasn’t all fun and games on Nov. 16, and for those […]

“Our orders were, ‘Don’t worry about where [Brian Medford] goes,’ even if he came in at 1 a.m. We were told, ‘Don’t worry about what’s in his locker.’” — Capt. Don Fraser, former jail annex supervisor (now retired) The Buncombe County Sheriff’s Department’s hiring of Brian K. Medford, the sheriff’s son, four years ago appears […]

Touch-screen voting machines in at least two Buncombe County precincts failed to display one of the races on the ballot in the Nov. 2 election. And because the county’s Sequoia electronic machines don’t provide a paper record, it’s impossible to determine how many votes — and which ones — were lost. At the time, Lucy […]

How sustainable is the sustainable-farming movement? Well, if simple longevity means anything, the Carolina Farm Stewardship Association’s Sustainable Agriculture Conference certainly measures up. This year’s event, scheduled for the weekend of Nov. 12-14 at Asheville’s Great Smokies Holiday Inn SunSpree Resort, is the 19th edition of the popular annual gathering, which is generally a sellout. […]

The candidates are Doug Jones, Democrat, and Wilma Sherrill, Republican. Doug Jones Age: 27Address:24 Elkmont Drive, AshevilleOccupation: TeacherYears in WNC: 9Education: B.A., UNCA; M.A., Appalachian State; M.Sc., University of EdinburghPolitical party: DemocratPolitical experience: President, Buncombe County Young Democrats 1. What sets you apart from your opponent? “Where do I begin? I think my youth sets […]

Two Buncombe County residents have filed a formal complaint with the North Carolina State Board of Elections, alleging that Rep. Wilma Sherrill (R-Buncombe), who is seeking re-election, is constitutionally ineligible to hold office. The state constitution forbids elected officials from concurrently holding a second elective office, as well as most appointed positions at the local, […]