With nearly two dozen annexation foes on hand, many sporting red shirts in a show of solidarity, the Asheville City Council spent a good portion of its marathon Feb. 27 meeting examining its ability—or rather inability—to lawfully expand the city limits. Take me to the river: Gradual rezoning of Asheville’s River District could help transform […]
Author: Hal L. Millard
Showing 295-315 of 335 results
Shuler sticks to pro-union vote
If you listen to local right-wing radio, perhaps you’ve heard them: Ads that disparage a proposed labor union reform bill and warn freshman Congressman Heath Shuler to vote against it. In Shuler’s case, it seems they wasted their time and money.
Small steps to a big payoff
All business: Departing local-business promoter Jim Roberts lays out nine ways for Asheville to increase economic development. On Feb. 17, just two days after his 30th birthday, Mikal Getz hopped in his VW Jetta and motored out of Asheville, perhaps for good. “I may come back here to live in 30 years, when I retire […]
Asheville City Council
Bele Chere, Asheville’s annual July blowout, inspires a wide range of emotions in city residents—everything from pure love to sheer hate to major ambivalence. That goes double for people who live or work downtown: Some leave town to avoid it; others circle the dates on their calendars to make sure they don’t miss out. But […]
Latest Shuler post expands his influence
When Democrat Heath Shuler ran against long-time Rep. Charles Taylor, one of the knocks against the upstart challenger was the fact that he wouldn,Aeot be able to bring home the bacon and that constituents would lose an influential voice in Congress ,Aei thanks to Taylor,Aeos 16-year incumbency and his seats on various committees and subcommittees vital to local interests.
Bele Chere’s a ‘keeper’: How do you want it?
Love it or hate it, Bele Chere is here to stay ,Aei but it could use a few tweaks. So say upwards of 100 people who attended a City Council public forum on the festival,Aeos future Tuesday night at the Asheville Civic Center.
Homegrown and growing
Movin’ on up: Mountain BizWorks Communications Manager Rachel Miller and CEO Greg Walker-Wilson discuss the explosive growth of the formerly named Mountain Microenterprise Fund, which,Walker-Wilson says, is no longer “micro.” photos by Jonathan Welch Walter and Wendy Harrill left stressful careers in medical technology to raise blueberries and raspberries on a farm in Fairview. And […]
Asheville City Council
Asheville City Council member Carl Mumpower‘s continuing campaign to beef up drug-interdiction efforts claimed the spotlight at Council’s Jan. 16 session. A heated e-mail exchange in the days leading up to the meeting (see sidebar, “The Straight Dope“) set the stage for Council to tackle the matter. Asheville police Chief William Hogan said his department […]
Asheville City Council Extra
Before the breach: APD Chief Bill Hogan, left, and Council member Carl Mumpower inspected drug paraphenalia together last October. photo by Jonathan Welch Council member Carl Mumpower has found himself increasingly at odds with his Council colleagues, city staff and police Chief William Hogan over the city’s efforts to combat drug trafficking. But a recent […]
Appreciation: Art Buchwald uber mensch
Besides the sun and surf, the greatest thing about being a young newspaper reporter on tony Hilton Head Island, S.C., was the opportunity to meet with and write about the various celebrities that came through or had vacation homes on the famed resort island. Despite interviewing or covering the likes of Muhammad Ali, Bill Clinton, […]
On Biz: Another sign of the apocalypse
This is not good news.
The U.S. Census Bureau on Jan. 29 reported that the nation,Aeos housing-vacancy rate for ownership units hit an all-time high in the fourth quarter of 2006 ,Aei 2.7 percent, or about 50 percent higher than two years ago, when the rate was 1.8 percent. And before 2006, it should be noted, the rate had never cracked the 2 percent ceiling.
The mountains at war
Col. Robert Morgan, the acclaimed pilot who flew the equally famous Memphis Belle, may be the most glamorous name in Asheville’s roster of military heroes. But a new pictorial book goes way beyond the dashing bomber pilot in exploring Western North Carolina’s wartime legacy. Part of the “Images of America” series, Asheville and Western North […]
Asheville City Council
The first portion of the Asheville City Council’s Nov. 21 work session was enough to turn your stomach. A graphic and unsettling presentation by Grier Weeks, executive director of the Asheville-based National Association to Protect Children, focused on child pornography. Weeks advised any parents watching the proceedings on the local-government cable channel to make sure […]
Mean streets?
A couple of decades ago, before Asheville’s downtown renaissance kicked in, the city core could be a desolate place where crime, vice and menace of various sorts were not uncommon. Lexington Avenue was one of a number of areas where inner-city rot had planted deep roots. But while residents now brag about the city’s distinctive […]
Mr. Shuler goes to Washington—and a very different Congress
Washington bound: Heath Shuler thanked Jesus and his supporters during his acceptance speech at the Renaissance Asheville Hotel. photo by Jonathan Welch Once considered virtually invincible at the polls thanks to weak opponents, his considerable personal fortune and his penchant for bringing home the bacon, Rep. Charles Taylor met his match this time around in […]
Uncivil discourse?
“As far as the e-mails are concerned, a lot of those issues are beyond me. I don’t have the ability to allocate funds for our soldiers. If I could, I would.” — Mayor Terry Bellamy Trib-ulations: The Oct. 12 Asheville Tribune took City Council to task for raising the Army Reserve Center’s rent, sparking some […]
Asheville City Council
“That story was only used to divide the community. … It was only done to incite anger.” — Asheville Mayor Terry Bellamy War is hell — and, sometimes at least, so is politics. Asheville Mayor Terry Bellamy says she’s received death threats and other negative communications in the wake of a recent City Council vote […]
What’s left?
Gordon Smith: “I decided to stop being angry. … I found that action was the best antidote to that pessimism and disenfranchisement.” photo by Jonathan Welch Whether working at the grassroots level or in the blogosphere, local liberals, progressives and moderates are hoping that the upcoming elections will mark a leftward shift in the political […]
Asheville City Council
“I’ll be able to send out a lot of nice letters to tell people of your actions tomorrow.” — City Manager Gary Jackson Asheville’s water system continues to be a bugaboo for City Council. At their Sept. 19 work session, Council members agreed in principle to reduce the new capital-improvements fee for a handful of […]
An honest day’s pay?
There are any number of reasons people choose to live in Western North Carolina. For some folks, it’s always been home and always will be, regardless of how freaky it may get. Outsiders often move here for the natural beauty, for the diversity of lifestyles or for Asheville’s remarkable cultural offerings. But it seems safe […]
Asheville City Council
“Right now it’s not an overwhelming problem.” — Police Chief William Hogan on crimes committed by illegal immigrants Despite a less-than-warm reception last month, Council member Carl Mumpower once again urged his colleagues to beef up policing of illegal immigrants in Asheville and the people who employ them. But at the Aug. 16 work session, […]