Good deal

"If it weren't for drug court, I'd probably be dead," says Rebecca Robinson, reflecting on an eight-year addiction to painkillers that eventually landed her in Buncombe County's Adult Treatment Court. On the way to drug-court graduation : Rebecca Robinson says the program saved her life. Photo by Jonathan Welch An Asheville native, Robinson says she […]

Beat around town: Rounding up the local news

Of vandals and anarchy The May 1 vandalism spree in downtown Asheville continues to spur coverage and conversation. In its wake, local self-described anarchists recently submitted commentaries to the Xpress and Asheville Citizen-Times rebuking what they see as misinformed media coverage of the crimes. In both group-written commentaries, the authors take particular issue with John […]

Feeling the Moog spirit

Michelle Moog-Koussa knows her dad would've dug the spirit behind Moogus Operandi. Bob Moog, the legend. For one thing, it features an analog modular synthesizer so massive, it's known as the "Wall of Doom." And virtuoso keyboardist Erik Norlander won't be playing the monster alone. An orchestra of diverse local musicians (including Woody Wood, Ellie […]

Wheels on fire

To hear local activists tell it, Asheville is on the brink of a multimodal transportation revolution. So say the folks promoting Strive Not to Drive, which aims to boost awareness of local transportation issues and alternatives to the single-occupant car. The weeklong event runs Saturday, May 15, through Friday, May 21.

Buncombe Commission­ers: The roads less traveled ***UPDATE*­**

At its May 4 meeting, the Buncombe County Board of Commissioners:

* Welcomed a Sister City delegation from Osogbo, Nigeria.
* Passed a resolution proclaiming May “Older Americans’ Month.”
* Passed a resolution authorizing the N.C. DOT’s secondary roads construction program.
* Approved the purchase of land and a radio tower at 194 Busbee Mountain Road.

Best and highest use

A pair of controversial rezoning requests dominated the Buncombe County Board of Commissioners' April 20 meeting. The WNC Mountain Land Corp. and Fairview resident Michael Donnelly, each of whom owns a parcel along U.S. 74A, wanted their respective properties rezoned from R-LD (low-density residential district) to NS (neighborhood service district). The properties are adjacent, and […]

Pedestrian predicamen­ts

East Asheville residents came out in force April 19 for what organizers dubbed a "sidewalk summit," making the case for pedestrian improvements in their neighborhoods. Over the course of the 90-minute meeting at Charles C. Bell Elementary School, several of the roughly 100 attendees voiced a wide range of questions and concerns to officials from […]