*** CORRECTION: The original version of this article contained errors. It said that former Buncombe County Sheriff’s Lt. Ronnie “Butch” Davis, who pleaded guilty in the federal video-gambling corruption case, had requested that his sentencing be delayed while he travels to New York to testify in an estate hearing and then takes a family vacation. […]
Author: David Forbes
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Buncombe Commissioners preview: Aug. 5 meeting
Coming back from a month-long hiatus, a proposal to institute district elections (and possibly a larger board), tops the agenda for the Buncombe County Board of Commissioners’ Aug. 5 meeting.
District elections, larger commish board may be on Nov. ballot
Buncombe County residents may get the chance to vote on electing the Board of Commissioners by district (with a larger board too). At their Aug. 5 meeting, the commissioners will decide whether or not to put district elections on the ballot in November.
Buncombe GOP searches for commish candidate
With former Asheville City Council member Joe Dunn dropping out of the race for a county commissioner’s seat, the Buncombe County Republican Party has put out an open call for a replacement candidate.
Bar Beat: S&W
It would be easy to miss it. Enter the recently opened S&W Steak & Wine restaurant after 10 p.m., and there might be just a few remaining diners on the ground floor winding up their meals. But take a left and go up the old stone stairs, and you’ll find quite a different scene. There […]
Commissioners delay Parkside action; Ramsey, Stanley received donations from developer
After a closed session July 25, the Buncombe County Board of Commissioners decided to delay acting on reacquiring the Parkside land until after Aug. 25, when a summary judgment in a lawsuit by George Pack’s heirs is expected. Also, campaign-finance records reveal that Parkside developer Stewart Coleman and his employees have donated $1,500 to the […]
Haywood Park development clears TRC
Asheville’s Technical Review Committee unanimously gave preliminary approval to a massive redevelopment proposed for downtown’s Haywood Park area July 21. The TRC approval came with certain conditions, however. Up and up: An artist’s rendition of the new highrises developer Tony Fraga plans for the Haywood Park project. Plans for the megaproject, which would fill up […]
Broadway doubles down
Wearing a hard hat and shades, Kevin Kerr taps a column of pinkish stone in the soon-to-be-completed Pioneer Building on Broadway just behind Greenlife Grocery in Asheville. The new neighborhood: A postcard showing the Five Points Village plan and surrounding structures that are planned for Broadway. According to the developers, the Pioneer Building will be […]
Commissioners delay Parkside action; Stanley, Ramsey received $2,100 from developer
After a closed session earlier today, the Buncombe County Board of Commissioners decided to delay acting on reacquiring the Parkside land until after Aug. 25, when a summary judgment in a lawsuit by George Pack’s heirs is expected. Also, election records reveal that Parkside developer Stewart Coleman and his employees have donated $1,500 to the re-election campaign of commissioner Bill Stanley and $600 to that of Chairman Nathan Ramsey, who have both defended the controversial project.
Commissioners consider Parkside purchase: “It’s time to get this nightmare behind us”
The Buncombe County Board of Commissioners will meet in a special closed session Friday morning to discuss the possible purchase of the Parkside property from developer Stewart Coleman, in an effort to put an end to the ongoing controversy.
Assault prompts formation of safe-streets group
It was just after midnight on July 6, and the man was walking toward LaRue’s Backdoor, a side bar located inside O Henry’s, Asheville’s (and the state’s) oldest gay bar. According to the police report, he was approached by two black males in their mid-20s who, after asking him where he was going, began punching […]
Hard times come again
It is, perhaps, a sign of the times: “People are asking us for food more than money or anything else,” says Amy Sawyer, coordinator of Asheville’s Homeless Initiative. “We’re seeing more families, more children, less of the habitually homeless. Some of them still have jobs, and things were tight before, but now they can’t pay […]
Bar Beat: The Rankin Vault
The newly opened Rankin Vault in downtown Asheville is modeled, albeit loosely, on the bars of the 1920s and ‘30s. The place is mostly wood and red velvet—an admirably simple decor that makes good use of the space. There’s even a Prohibition-era (dated 4/20/30) whiskey prescription up on the wall. Photo by Jonathan Welch Fortunately, […]
See the plans for Haywood Park
On Monday, Asheville’s Technical Review Committee voted unanimously to give preliminary approval to the massive downtown Haywood Park development. See plans for the development — and how far it extends — here.
Bar Beat: Charlotte Street Grill & Pub
Go to the Charlotte Street Grill & Pub on a weeknight, just late enough, and you will find a snapshot of our fair city. The scene on a recent visit: A couple is seated in a booth, eating and drinking; three friends are at a nearby table, holding an intellectual conversation; waiters are coming in […]
APD joins county’s anticrime team
The Asheville Police Department is joining the Buncombe County Anti-Crime Team, Chief Bill Hogan and Sheriff Van Duncan announced July 7. In 2004, the APD pulled out of the Metropolitan Enforcement Group, a joint antidrug task force involving the Buncombe County Sheriff’s Department and other local law-enforcement agencies. At the time, APD officials said that […]
Books for free
Tucked in among an array of artists’ studios at 191 Lyman St., in the heart of Asheville’s River District, the newly opened Asheville Book Exchange will let anyone get books for free. Turn a page: Ryan Clark (left), with Asheville Book Exchange co-founder Aleksey Zolotaryov, holds a sign summing up the exchange’s policies. Photo By […]
Bar Beat: Infuse—you can’t lose
For a time when the popularity of all kinds of flavored liquors is growing, very few places are preparing true infusions: the kind made with fresh fruits and vegetables, providing a far richer taste than even the best artificial flavors. Photo By Jonathan Welch Downtown-Asheville fixture The Frog Bar (upstairs from Flying Frog Café) is […]
See the original Parkside land sale
Video of the original (and ultimately controversial) sale of public parkland to developer Stewart Coleman by the Buncombe County Board of Commissioners in 2006 is now available online.
Man charged in July 4 slaying; APD gives details **With video**
The Asheville Police Department has charged Steven Gordon Shultz with stabbing Frederick Garfield McLeod in the Beaucatcher Cinemas parking lot on Tunnel Road. In a press conference this morning, Capt. Tim Splain asserted that McLeod was a crack-cocaine dealer, and that the stabbing happened during a drug deal.
Bar Beat: The Root Bar
“You’re just a bit short,” the middle-aged woman says as the plastic ring goes “thud” on the sand, just shy of its target, a plain metal pole. Photo By Jonathan Welch “Don’t tell my wife,” quips her male opponent. “I am your wife,” she retorts. The couple is playing rootball, a sport unique to the […]