As a resident of Asheville for 18 years and an active member of my community, I’m always excited to see inspiring women leaders step up to their calling in politics and run for office. It is that time for Julie Mayfield, and I’m pleased to see her candidacy for Asheville City Council. Julie is an […]
Author: Letters
Showing 2563-2583 of 2807 results
Letter writer: Zoning laws could ensure future buildings complement natural beauty
I recently returned from a visit to Scottsdale, Ariz. All of the houses and businesses there are set back 200 feet from the roads. The exterior of all the buildings match the sand of the desert floor and none of them are more then two stories high. Billboards are nonexistent As a result, when you […]
Letter writer: Asheville needs looping technology to help those with hearing loss
[Xpress has] been carrying articles related to wellness, emphasizing the whole person. But if you are going to deal with the health of the whole person, you need to consider hearing loss and the limited availability of means for dealing with it. It can lead to gross isolation, which can be a life and death […]
Letter writer: Will Asheville make Oregon’s density mistakes?
In the late ’70s, Oregon embarked on a strategy to limit urban sprawl and became the first state to adopt an aggressive “Smart Growth” methodology of zoning. Its goals were exemplary but failed to anticipate that the most “efficient” way to populate the cities was directly opposed to the way that people actually wanted to […]
Letter writer: Asheville drivers should share the road with runners
Asheville, N.C., Voted Worst Place to be a Runner! Well, not exactly the worst place to be a runner by any means. To be fair, Asheville is probably one of the greatest cities in the world to be a trail runner. I happen to be training for a road race, though, and that requires pounding […]
Letter writer: Set a better example, Urban Outfitters
I am writing to express my dismay when I drive or walk by the Urban Outfitters store in downtown Asheville and see their large double doors propped wide open, no matter what the weather. In the summer, you are blasted with cold air from their AC on the sidewalk. In the winter, the heat must be […]
Letter writer: Off-duty rescue workers saved my life
I have been hearing about the Asheville “vortex” ever since moving here in 2011 but did not realize that the city is also host to a number of angelic beings. Three weeks ago, I suffered a severe psychotic break and found myself wandering down Biltmore Avenue, trying to make it to the hospital on foot. […]
Letter writer: Asheville’s reactions to growth show how people dislike change
It seems that a lot of Asheville residents have strong opinions as to what our city should be and the types of people who should live here. I cringe to see the occasional “Keep Asheville Weird” and “Don’t Move Here” bumper stickers. Who among us can claim the rights to any place, really? The boundary lines […]
Letter writer: Blaming visitors will not solve community’s problems
I have been reading more and more calls to make Asheville for locals, and it feels unnecessarily divisive. Who is a local? I moved here with my family in 1966 — but I’m not a native. Do you have to live here full time to be invited to enjoy this city? What about students at UNC […]
Time to act, while there’s something left to save
No doubt you have already noticed that with the passing of each year, there is less and less of what many of us love the most about living in Asheville. The nature. The destruction happens faster and faster each year. Look well upon every tiny little nook and cranny where a few trees provide habitat […]
‘American Sniper’ an ‘endless abomination’
I saw the incredibly violent American Sniper on M.L. King’s nonviolent birthday in a Biltmore Grande theater packed with other Ashevilleans. Director Clint Eastwood succeeded in depicting how brilliantly brave sniper Chris Kyle was tragically traumatized, and then murdered, in part by America’s Middle Eastern policy. The movie is mainly an endless abomination of kicking […]
Hanke’s comment might prove hurtful to victims of child abuse
Reviewing Inherent Vice [Jan.7, Xpress], Ken Hanke wrote, “I suspect there are people who can resist a movie with lines like, ‘He forced my little girl to listen to original Broadway cast albums while he had his way with her,’ but I am not one of those people. That is just one of the many nuggets of […]
Two Henderson County wineries omitted from wine industry story
While we are always happy to see coverage of the Western North Carolina wine industry [“Grape Expectations: The Changing Face of WNC Wine,” Jan. 14, Xpress], we were very disappointed that the two Henderson County wineries — Saint Paul Mountain Vineyards and Burntshirt — were not included in the story. Failure to include these thriving wineries in your own backyard […]
In one of the coolest places to live, be cool
Western North Carolina, the Asheville area, is one of the coolest places to live. There are so many beautiful places to see, so many fun things to do and so many cool people in one area. Get yourself a “Friends of the Smokies” license plate, slap an Asheville “Go Local” sticker on your bumper and […]
Debate should include what responders do to protect and serve us
Watching the video of the death of Eric Garner in New York was disturbing. The decision by the district attorney or grand jury not to indict confuses me. The only good to come of this may be the public debate on arrest procedures and appropriate use of force. I also truly believe those New York […]
Reader likes analysis of local economy
Cameron Huntley’s analysis of the local economy, [“It’s All Good, Right?,” Dec. 31, Xpress] was well-organized, very thorough and enlightening. It should serve as a template for all future writing in the Mountain Xpress. Steve Rosenthal Asheville
Reader says racist script underlies media coverage of chief’s resignation
In response to previous letters on “Ogden: Two Officers Drive False Narrative about Chief of Police.”
Mumpower: Molton’s cartoon misses the mark
Color-habituated cartoonist Randy Molton finds evident self-gratification in his attachment to something over which people have no personal control. Like most progressives, he remains indifferent to other “C” words — choice, character, culture and conditioning — over which we do have great influence. His impetuous priority reveals a big reason we continue to stumble around […]
Hearts are broken over shooting of dog
On Christmas evening while my son was at work, his dog escaped from the yard which is enclosed in a wooden and wire fence. The pup found a way out, and somebody shot him. This friendly, lovable dog was found on the edge of my son’s field. It would have been less cruel and painful […]
Veteran disappointed in local job prospects
As a returning veteran and a local born and raised in this community, I am very disappointed in what myself and other veterans face when it is coming to getting hired in our communities. That is especially true for those [who, like me], are also currently serving in the North Carolina National Guard. What fellow […]
Reader responds to letter about police chief’s retirement
Rev. [Keith] Ogden, where have you been for the past two months? [“Ogden: Two Officers Drive False Narrative about Chief of Police,” Dec. 10 Letters to the Editor, Xpress] William Anderson denied that there was a reprimand in Lt. Bill Wilkie’s file, and that was proven untrue. Lt. Mark Byrd advised that the radar equipment […]