Tomorrow, August 7, is the second Tuesday of the month, which can only mean one thing: It’s time for the Buncombe County Board of Commissioners regular monthly meeting.
Author: Kent Priestley
Showing 232-252 of 403 results
Bully for Burr: Senator gets national parks leadership role
Earlier this week, the National Parks Conservation Association congratulated Sen. Richard Burr on being appointed by his fellow senators to the post of ranking member on the Senate Committee on Energy and National Resources Subcommittee on National Parks, which oversees the national park system.
Gray days ahead
Predictions: • Population shift fueled by retirees • County population crowds 300,000 If you happen to be living in Asheville two decades from now, you’ll probably notice that your neighbors are sort of old. Baby boomers—the biggest and wealthiest generation in American history—are starting to retire en masse, and a lot of them are cashing […]
A fly in the ointment
On the Internet last week, an ominous voice taunted Asheville’s bottom-up campaign to bring about a referendum on the matter of partisan elections. Sabotage?: Blogger “Green Wizard” claimed to have forged numerous signatures on the Let Asheville Vote petition in an effort to derail the referendum drive. “I read with glee the failure of the […]
Outdoor Journal
They’re serious about bass: Pigeon Valley Bassmasters will meet on Monday, Aug. 13 at 7 p.m. at the new Canton Library. Proceedings will include election of club officers, an awards presentation and selections of lakes to be fished during club events. Nonmembers are invited to attend and revel in the fish tales. Also, the club […]
The word on the street
A grassroots drive to force a referendum on partisan elections in Asheville appears tantalizingly close to success, but the full accounting won’t be known until the end of July. Checking it twice: Let Asheville Vote organizer Charlie Hume counting signatures on the afternoon of July 16, hours before the petition was due. Photo by Jonathan […]
Some like it hot
A few nights ago, Al Gore came to me in a dream. Dressed in white robes and sporting a beard, he sat at the foot of my bed and stared at me. The best protection?: The author finds the black jack oak more useful than a fig leaf during a visit to the Devil’s Tramping […]
Outdoor Journal
Mo’ money: In a recent round of grants, The American Hiking Society awarded nearly $50,000 to 16 nonprofits across the country that work on trail-related projects. One of the winners is the Nantahala Hiking Club. The grant money will go toward creating a pilot workshop to bring hiking into the physical education curriculum of local […]
The Let Asheville Vote petition: It ain’t over till it’s over
Recent news reports may have sounded the death knell a tad too early for a citizen petition drive aimed at forcing a referendum on the matter of partisan elections for Asheville’s mayor and City Council members.
Local fiddler’s influence lives on
The life and music of the late fiddler and singer Marcus Martin will be toasted on Tuesday night, July 24, at Warren Wilson College.
Outdoor Journal
Wake up and smell the accolades: In its August issue, Outside magazine counts Asheville among the nation’s best cities for outdoor pursuits, joining such vaunted locales as Iowa City, Iowa, and Burlington, Vt. In its review, Outside describes a city “cradled in a lush green bowl and surrounded on all sides by the Appalachian Mountains […]
Mental health coverage wins support in N.C. General Assembly
This week, state lawmakers passed a bill that extends health-insurance coverage to some mental-health diagnoses.
Outdoor Journal
Cast of thousands: Every Wednesday through Sept. 5 -— weather permitting -— Diamond Brand Outdoors will offer fly-casting lessons at Fletcher Park, beginning at 6 p.m. and lasting an hour. Each program is limited to six participants, so call soon to reserve a spot. To register, call the Diamond Brand Outdoors Fly Shop at 684-6262. […]
Wake up and smell the accolades
In its August issue, Outside magazine counts Asheville among the nation’s best cities for outdoor pursuits, joining such vaunted locales as Iowa City, Iowa, and Burlington, Vt.
Who’s thirsty?
Six years ago, when “Worst Asheville” still seemed an appropriate if damning nickname, there were no pubs to speak of along Haywood Road, West Asheville’s main artery. Sure, there were establishments that had long served the locals, but they were grittier places whose patrons tended to speak in heavily accented English and wore Wrangler jeans, […]
Playing his dues
Just after 7 on a Sunday night, an NPR news update trails off with dire reports of the rising price of gasoline, the most recent suicide attack in Baghdad and the international community’s vain hopes of stopping global warming. Seconds later, a welcome sound fills the air. It’s bluegrass band Doyle Lawson and Quicksilver, shimmying […]
Outdoor Journal
Roan if you want to: The Southern Appalachian Highlands Conservancy will host a half-day hike through the Highlands of Roan on Saturday, July 10, beginning at 10 a.m. The hike will follow the Appalachian Trail from Carver’s Gap to Big Grassy Bald, taking in stretches of spruce-fir forest and Roan’s globally rare grassy-bald ecosystem. The […]
Pub crawling in West Asheville
Next week’s edition of Xpress will feature a story about the growth of West Asheville’s pub scene.
Buncombe County Commissioners
Bill Newman‘s term as chair of the Buncombe County Planning Board expired nearly two years ago. Same goes for Roy Chapman and Karl Koon, who also serve on the nine-member body. But despite pitched public outcry over the past several months, the county commissioners don’t seem to be in any hurry to replace them. Are […]
Malt on the march
For the last decade and a half, Asheville Brewers Supply has been located at the head of Wall Street in downtown Asheville. From its utilitarian digs within the Miles Building, the company has trafficked in considerable amounts of malt powder, hops, pure yeast strains, Belgian candi sugar, French oak chips, canned grape juice, caps, corks […]
Never ride alone
I recently bought a set of clipless pedals and a pair of those stiff-soled cycling shoes that look like something a second-tier superhero might wear. It’s tempting to pass these things off as necessities, but the truth is I don’t ride my bike much, and they’re probably the first dim flickerings of a midlife crisis. […]