In the wake of the recent catastrophic floods, the role of FEMA, local emergency responders, insurance companies and others involved in cleaning up the damage has been much in the news. But stream banks in the area also suffered severe erosion in many places, and restoring them is the job of a relatively little-known branch […]
Author: Cecil Bothwell
Showing 421-441 of 525 results
Up close and personal
Like the late Rodney Dangerfield, county government can’t get no respect. Like Dangerfield, it isn’t particularly sexy, and if it isn’t as bug-eyed as he was, its meetings have occasionally been known to make some observers bug-eyed with boredom. Of course, the reason for all of the above is that county government, like Dangerfield, is […]
Candidates for Buncombe County Board of Commissioners Chairman
Vote for one. The candidates are Ed Hay, Democrat, and Nathan Ramsey, Republican. Ed Hay Age: 55Address: 210 Blake Mountain Circle, AshevilleOccupation: AttorneyYears in Buncombe County: 28Education: Law degree, University of GeorgiaPolitical party: DemocratPolitical experience: Six years on Asheville City Council, two as vice mayor 1. What sets you apart from your opponent? “I have […]
Candidates for Buncombe County Board of Commissioners: Mike Morgan
> Vote for four. The candidates are Mark Crawford, Republican; David Gantt, Democrat; Mike Harrison, Republican; Mike Morgan, Republican; Carol Weir Peterson, Democrat; Bill Reynolds, Republican; Bill Stanley, Democrat; and David Young, Democrat. Mike Morgan Age: 47Address: 18 Panorama Drive, AshevilleOccupation: Self-employedYears in Buncombe County: 47Education: Electronics, UNCA, radio disc jockeyPolitical party: RepublicanPolitical experience: At-large […]
Candidates for Buncombe County Board of Commissioners: Bill Stanley
Vote for four. The candidates are Mark Crawford, Republican; David Gantt, Democrat; Mike Harrison, Republican; Mike Morgan, Republican; Carol Weir Peterson, Democrat; Bill Reynolds, Republican; Bill Stanley, Democrat; and David Young, Democrat. Bill Stanley Age: 75Address: 21 Valle Vista Drive, AshevilleOccupation: Retired school administratorYears in Buncombe County: 47Education: Master’s degree in biology, Appalachian State UniversityPolitical […]
Candidates for Buncombe County Board of Commissioners: David Young
Vote for four. The candidates are Mark Crawford, Republican; David Gantt, Democrat; Mike Harrison, Republican; Mike Morgan, Republican; Carol Weir Peterson, Democrat; Bill Reynolds, Republican; Bill Stanley, Democrat; and David Young, Democrat. David Young Age: 44Address: 172 Wembley Road, AshevilleOccupation: Owns Fugazy TravelYears in Buncombe County: 18Education: Bachelor’s degree, UNC-Chapel HillPolitical party: DemocratPolitical experience: County […]
Leaf-color predictor perfected
Chlorophyll production will drop sharply throughout the northern hemisphere in the third quarter of 2004, according to analysts who have tracked deciduous plant growth over the past 67 million years. Barring collision with an asteroid, this year will be no different — despite a late summer ramp-up of hurricane activity. With diminution of green pigment, […]
University without walls
Outside of sex (and, possibly, food), is there anything more exciting than learning? And even eating is often set aside (or at least delayed) in favor of some sufficiently compelling diversion. Who among us hasn’t hung on to finish a chapter, listen through to the end of the news from Lake Wobegon, wrap up a […]
Buncombe County Commission
In its final session before the Nov. 2 balloting, the Buncombe County Board of Commissioners took no prisoners — and no chances — unanimously approving the few matters requiring votes. Determined to adjourn in time for a 5:30 p.m. reception honoring emergency workers and other county employees who pitched in during the recent floods, the […]
The circle game
To many environmentalists, recycling seems a given — a way to conserve resources, curb pollution, reduce energy use, and avoid sending usable material to the landfill. It all seems so simple, and so right. But even dedicated local recyclers might be surprised to learn some of the realities that lie behind the recycling bin. A […]
Recycling 101
In Asheville and Buncombe County, all recyclables now get tossed in together, whether you have curbside pickup (green and blue plastic bins in the city, blue bags in the county) or use the drop-off points located behind Asheville Pizza & Brewing Co., in the Tunnel Road Wal-Mart parking lot, at Curbside Management’s headquarters in Woodfin, […]
And now for something really confusing
The full story on plastics recycling turns out to be far more complex than the simplified version presented in our story. (Who has time for nuances when you’re dealing with 320 tons of trash each month?) Asheville resident Sandi Childs, who’s spent the last 15 years in the region’s recycling industry, filled in Xpress about […]
Treasure maps
As the justly famous garden expert Yogi Berra once observed, “You can see a lot just by looking.” Hey, they don’t call them “farm teams” for nothing. And baseball seasons are bracketed by first and last frosts. But as far as I can determine, Yogi never went public with the essential companion wisdom that he […]
Oh, I could read a case of you!
Proprietors of the Grove Park Inn set considerable store by the army of notables who have spent time beneath its tiled dormers and stone porticos. Though many a restaurant and hotel boast a wall of fame, GPI’s entry comprises a staggering who’s-who of the 20th Century. “Staggering” is sometimes too apt — and probably no […]
The patient French Broad
Asheville’s own French Broad has been waiting a long, long time for this city to live up to its reputation as the Paris of the South. But looking around in the autumn of 2004, it seems the river’s patience has finally been rewarded. Start with a stroll past the Grove Arcade, whose five restaurants plus […]
Buncombe County Commission
Perhaps taking its cue from Thomas Paine’s aphorism “That government is best which governs least,” the Buncombe County Board of Commissioners, meeting for the first time since Aug. 3, decided to continue their recent pattern of widely spaced deliberations at least through October. That proved to be the most contentious matter addressed in the Sept. […]
Looking south from the Amboy Road off-ramp on I-240 W, in West Asheville
photo by Cecil Bothwell Sep 8, 2004, 11:45 am: Looking north from the Haywood Road bridge toward the Smoky Park Bridge (Patton Ave., visible in the background). Riverside Drive runs in front of the buildings on the right. Vehicles (including an R.V. visible on the upper left) lie submerged in parking lots all along the […]
Looking north from the Haywood Road bridge toward the Smoky Park Bridge
photo by Cecil Bothwell Sep 8, 2004, 11:30 am: Looking south from the Craven St. bridge. Riverside Drive is underwater to the left of the line of telephone poles. The river bank would normally be to the right of the line of trees on the right
Looking south from the Craven St. bridge
photo by Cecil Bothwell Sep 8, 2004, noon: Facing south toward I-40 on Biltmore Ave. Flood waters cover the road from Riverside drive (in the foreground) past the intersection with Sweeten Creek.
Facing south toward I-40 on Biltmore Ave
photo by an Xpress reader Sep 8, 2004, midday: Looking south across the entry road to Biltmore Estate at the intersection with Hendersonville Road. The Biltmore Estate ticket office and vehicles are surrounded by churning water. The flag may suggest that the water belongs to the French Broad River, but at this point the Swannanoa […]
Looking west from railroad tracks near Lyman Road and Clingman Avenue
photo by Brian Sarzynski Sep 9, 2004: Two days after the storm, flood waters still cover the parking lot in front of Curve Studios on Riverside Drive.