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 […]

For a long time, Mountain Xpress has been my kind of paper. The stories are, in my opinion, the ones that should be written and engage our local community in thoughtful discussion on who we are and who we want to be. So many in the Asheville area view Mountain Xpress as our community paper […]

As a lover of nature and of animals I am constantly disheartened by the amount of road kill 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 […]

After six months in and around Asheville, it did not take the recent article on diversity [“Hidden in Plain View,” April 30, Xpress] to know that there is a lack of it. The lack of reggae music was my clue. An incredible amount of posters and listings for  shows, clubs/venues indicates there is a consistently […]

I saw recently that the city is revisiting the issue of adding of more speed humps. Granted, traffic speeds along in most areas, particularly neighborhoods, at an unprecedented speed. It’s a shame we don’t post speed limits – oh yeah, we do. But speed humps are a joke. In my experience, and particularly since I […]

I was very disappointed to hear Miranda DeBruhl, candidate for Buncombe County Commissioner in District 3, criticize the county’s plan to reduce its energy usage [“The Politics of Sustainability,” April 16, Xpress]. The sustainability plan does require an upfront investment of over $800,000, but that investment is estimated to be paid back and save the […]

To the town of Asheville, especially the mayor: Here are more citizens who strongly favor NO Building – YES Park on the property on Haywood in front of Basilica of St. Lawrence downtown. Please, please do not make money from builders in the short term, so that we have to live with an increasingly crowded city […]

The city of Asheville owns the property that lies adjacent to the Basilica of St. Lawrence  and US Cellular Center, and it is a proposed site for yet another downtown hotel. There are new hotels slated for the BB&T, Three Brothers, and TK Tripp sites. In a survey last year by Asheville’s People Advocating Real Conservancy […]

I will be voting for Todd Williams for district attorney in the May 6 Democratic Primary. Ecclesiastes 3:1-8 reads, “There is a time for everything, and a season for every activity under heaven. A time to be born and a time to die, a time to plant and a time to uproot.” Indeed, it is time for […]

Asheville Writers in the Schools serves our community well in providing workshops for young writers. We’ve had many opportunities to work in tandem with Janet Hurley and AWITS and we applaud their efforts. 
We applaud Xpress‘ major coverage of the re-emergence of poetry in Asheville [“Versify,” April 9] however we are disappointed that you failed […]

I’m a relatively normal guy, so the title “Nymphomaniac Vol. II” intrigued me a bit and I cozened myself into going before reading the Mountain Xpress review [“Nymphomaniac Vol. II,” April 9, Xpress]  I arrived at the theatre on a day and time when there were a total of 12 people in the house.  I […]

The primary election for Buncombe County and throughout North Carolina is just around the corner. Early voting begins on April 24, and I encourage all citizens to get out and vote. One of the most important races in Buncombe County is the race for district attorney in the Democratic primary. Since there will be no […]

Over the years I have appreciated the letters from Stewart and Teri David published in the Mountain Xpress. They have consistently articulated a deep respect and compassion for animals and advocated for a vegan diet that reflects that ethical concern. I was sorry to see publication of a letter in Mountain Xpress attacking Stewart David. He has long […]

Did you notice in The Bywater advertisement on page 51 [April 9, Xpress] that the child looks terrified? I was appalled to see the picture of a very young child grabbed by a giant rabbit with sharp teeth. This is wrong on so many levels. Are you aware that April is National Child Abuse Protection […]

I am writing to express my concern about a letter to the editor that was published in the Mountain Xpress on Wednesday, April 2 [”Had Enough of Stewart David’s Letters.”].  The letter was written by Winthrop E. Dow. This letter consisted of a personal attack on Steward David, a citizen of Asheville who has consistently […]

We locals are known for our strong opinions but we also have a culture of tolerance.  In fact, respect for others’ differences is what makes our area such a desirable place to live. This respect was violated in the April 2 edition by your publishing a rebuttal letter [“Had Enough of Stewart David’s Letters,” Xpress] […]