HATCH Asheville begins: The latest on the April 15-18 festival

The first annual HATCH Asheville—a creative-arts-and-mentoring festival featuring more than 25 free events—runs Wednesday, April 15, through Saturday, April 18. The official guide, which appeared as a pullout section in last week’s Xpress, is also available at festival venues and at special distribution boxes in downtown Asheville. In addition, a full schedule, event details and […]

The Xpress kids guide

No kidding: The economy is putting a crunch on moms, dads and children. But the Xpress kids section is back again, and this year we’ve collected stories that are both relevant to these tough times and full of ideas for keeping childhood fun. Reporter Anne Fitten Glenn, aka Edgy Mama, writes about the growing phenomenon […]

Into the vault

For journalists, keeping government operations open to scrutiny—and keeping public records public—is a year-round endeavor. But once a year, during Sunshine Week (March 15 to 21), Mountain Xpress joins thousands of publications across the country in making a special push to promote official transparency. A year ago, we marked this nationwide celebration of freedom of […]

Boots on the ground

A paratrooper descends into a battle zone, sheds his parachute and hits the ground running. A minesweeper steps gingerly through a field, scanning for unexploded ordnance. A Marine slogs through the jungle, his feet fighting their way through the dense underbrush. Different warriors in different settings, but they all might have one thing in common: […]

The weather warriors

The U.S. military fights in all sorts of weather, so our armed forces know full well the value of an accurate forecast. And when commanders want a reliable weather report before moving troops, setting out to sea or calling in an air strike, they look toward Asheville. The 88 staffers of the little-known 14th Weather […]

The fallen

Thus far, the two-front “war on terror” has claimed the lives of 4,865 U.S. military personnel. One hundred nineteen of them hailed from North Carolina, and six of those called Western North Carolina home. Below are details about our area’s service members who’ve perished in Afghanistan and Iraq. Sgt. William S. Kinzer Jr., Hendersonville: Kinzer, […]