Thanks, Mountain Xpress, for the reviews you’ve been running of shows that are appearing in local theatres. Jeff Messer’s insightful commentary has helped me plan out my weekend viewing and also has gotten me interested in some productions that I might not have ordinarily seen. Blaine Greenfield Biltmore Lake

Just read the recent article regarding “The Changing Face of North Carolina Barbecue,” June 4, Xpress] It did have some good points, and enjoyed reading the viewpoints of others but, it’s only the points from the “usual” cast of BBQ people in the area that get mentioned. There ARE others in the area besides “the usual […]

Mr. [Fuller] Moore’s letter “Van Duyn and ‘Moral Mondays’ Taking us in Wrong Direction,” May 28, Xpress] represents the very worst of thought in our society and a misunderstanding of the current world. It appears that Mr. Moore wants to live in the Libertarian world of self indulgence and isolation. It would serve Mr. Moore […]

When I read the Mountain Xpress article “Power of the Press” [May 14], I thought to myself “what, nothing about Mark Olson?” Then his name came up in Arnold Wengrow’s letter to the editor the following week [“Letterpress Artist Deserves Attention,” May 21, Xpress] . It is somewhat of a puzzle that the 2010 article […]

While I wish the new owners of the market all the best, the article, “Black Mountain Farmers Market Reborn as Roots and Fruits,” [May 14, Xpress] owes an apology to Elaine Hamil, the founder and owner of the BMFM. The article quotes Tom Brody of Rise Up Rooted Farm as saying “Harry and Elaine [Hamil], […]

Who would trust progressive candidate Brian Turner? What legislator would want to work with him? He is running against Rep. Tim Moffitt for N.C. House District 116 (Buncombe District 3), and he has already made several poor and underhanded decisions. Turner has secretly recorded his so-called “friend,” County Commissioner David King (District 3). Secondly, Turner […]

On the back of every plastic and glass bottle, there is a place of text that says something like “5 cent refund for NY, MA, VT, CT” and so on. This is a list of states that will give you money for your plastic. This means if you were to keep all of your bottles […]

Photographer Brian Green (“Privacy Not Guaranteed,” May 27, Xpress) doesn’t seem to have a very strong moral compass. Addressing some folks’ concerns that his work — which seems to consist mostly of nonconsensual photographs of people in public, sometimes taken without their knowledge — is exploitative, he basically says he can’t help it, and that […]

Terry Van Duyn, who was picked to replace state Senator Martin Nesbitt, who passed away, is up to her eyeballs with the “Moral Mondays” protests, begging and demanding increased monies for North Carolina social programs. Along with Rev. William Barber, the head of the N.C. NAACP, they want unlimited unemployment insurance and medicaid expansion. In […]

In regard to the article about a grandmother ziplining [“Leap and the Net Will Appear,” May 14, Xpress], please allow me to boast. Last year, at the age of 70, I went ziplining at The Gorge, in Saluda, which is the most difficult course in the area. It consists of 11 lines, and the participant […]

Your fine article on the letterpress revival in Asheville [“Power of the Press,” May 14, Xpress] unfortunately omits one of our finest pressmen, Mark Olson of Innerer Klang Letterpress at Riverview Station, 191 Lyman Street (www.innererklang.com). Arnold Wengrow Asheville

There is nothing fun about traffic, nor do I consider it an acceptable avenue for City Council to express their civic applicability. I found nothing lighthearted about Marc Hunt’s recent cycling behavior while participating in their annual race from UNCA to City Hall this Tuesday [“Rumbles of Cheating as Biker Declared Winner in Multimodal City […]

I am writing to discuss the offensive treatment I have received and witnessed from our ART bus system. I can only use 300 words to get this to print, however I have much more to say then a mere 300 words. I hope that after reading this you will want to hear more. I will […]

Last weekend I thought I would go for a run at the TC Roberson High School track. When I went there, it was locked with a fence all around the track. I was truly shocked. The public high school track- fields up north where I used to live are all open to the public. There […]

This mountain town will soon have a new voice on the radio waves: AshevilleFM. Broadcasting as WSFM-LP at 103.3 FM from the roof of the Indigo Hotel, this all-volunteer radio station will feature locally-produced news, music, and community affairs programming, as well as national programs like Democracy Now! The folks at AshevilleFM have been producing […]

Seventeen. Seventeen, as a number, doesn’t normally mean much when compared to other numbers, does it? But, seventeen was a very significant number May 2 as 17 Haywood Community College (HCC) GED graduates were awarded refurbished computers from the PCs for GED program at HCC. They were clearly thrilled to briefly interrupt their post-ceremony celebrations […]

My name is Flannery Rokeby-Jackson, and I am a high school student at the School of Inquiry and Life Sciences at Asheville. I am writing about the importance for our government to act in the interest of its citizens’ health and, by doing so, address the issue of food deserts in our state. Food deserts, […]

Thanks for the article about the Diversity Engagement Coalition [“Hidden in Plain View,” April 30, Xpress]. However, I’d like to point out that the photographs used as the base of the cover art — credited to Just Folks, Asheville Design Center and Molly Must —are actually from the Andrea Clark Collection housed at Pack Memorial […]

As a lover of nature and of animals, I am constantly disheartened by the amount of roadkill I witness on the roads of Western North Carolina. The senseless death of so many animals seems to be one of the sad side-effects of our fast-moving society. In the past few weeks I have witnessed the deaths […]

Now that the old garage and all the rest of it has been torn down across from the U.S. Cellular Center, the cleared space and the blue sky above it is a beautiful thing to behold. Surrounded by the Grove Arcade, the Thomas Wolfe Auditorium, the U.S. Cellular Center, the Basilica of St. Lawrence, Pack […]

I look forward to eating ramps every year and was excited to see them today at my local market. Unfortunately, the roots were still attached to the savory bulbs. Digging them up by the roots kills the plant, which will decimate an already endangered species! Having dug them a time or two myself, I was […]