Vote for four. The candidates are Mark Crawford, Republican; David Gantt, Democrat; Mike Harrison, Republican; Mike Morgan, Republican; Carol Weir Peterson, Democrat; Bill Reynolds, Republican; Bill Stanley, Democrat; and David Young, Democrat. Carol Weir Peterson Age: 63Address: 221 Racquet Club Road, AshevilleOccupation: Retired educatorYears in Buncombe County: 63Education: Master’s degree, University of TennesseePolitical party: DemocratPolitical […]
Author: Lisa Watters
Showing 64-84 of 119 results
Easy as (apple) pie
Whoever came up with the phrase “as easy as pie” obviously never tried to make one. And, in fact, a quick Internet search for the source of the simile reveals that its original meaning may well have had nothing to do with pie (or not with the making of this estimable pastry, at any rate). […]
Stripped for justice
After seeing The Rebelles perform their debut show Through Sick and Sin last July, a friend and I were so inspired that, a few days later, we marched ourselves on up to the downtown workplace of Christine DiBenedetto, the burlesque troupe’s founder. Our mission: to beg her to please, please, let us join her troupe […]
The restaurant that could
Back in 1979 — when Mark Rosenstein and his then-partners opened The Market Place Restaurant at its original location on Market Street — downtown was largely a ghost town with few businesses and plenty of boarded-up store fronts. “There wasn’t much happening,” remembers Rosenstein. Opening the restaurant was a risk, he admits, but he liked […]
The wisdom of Lorelie
“I don’t believe anymore in a straight path. … Life is not fun like that.” — Asheville artist Breah Parker OK, so Lorelie is a cartoon character — but she’s a profound one. The creation of Asheville artist Breah Parker, Lorelie dances her way through the technicolor pages of Parker’s book, Dare to Dream: Verbal […]
Lead in our veins
“We don’t want to be penny-wise and pound-foolish in trying to save a few dollars on something that can be prevented and gives us healthier children and lower health-care costs.” — Brian Peterson, Regional Water Authority of Asheville, Buncombe and Henderson New research has raised serious questions about the safety of public drinking-water supplies nationwide, […]
What you can do
The only way to know whether you have a problem is to test your water for lead, stresses Dr. Richard Maas, co-director of UNCA’s Environmental Quality Institute — “regardless of whether you have children or not, regardless of the age of your building.” Since 1987, notes Maas, the EQI has offered a two-sample testing kit […]
And you thought you were confused
In the process of researching this article, Mountain Xpress discovered that even staffers at local water departments seemed confused (or at least uncertain) about the lead content of their water-service parts. Several water-department staffers in key positions were adamant that they were using no-lead service parts — but when Xpress researched the model numbers and […]
Buzzworm news briefs
Black, white — and limited Cinema in the Park fans will be disappointed to learn that this season, the series is serving up only four Saturday evenings’ worth of vintage silent films, instead of the usual six. The reason? “Less donations,” explains organizer Rupa Vickers. “I think people generally assume that because the city sponsors […]
Notepad
Maggie gets dogged “There’s not an election in America that’s safe anymore,” observed one of my fellow Mountain Xpress staffers recently. He was reacting to news of yet another election that seems to have gone to the dogs. When Maggie, Asheville’s famous Jack Russell terrier, went up against Chanda-Leah, a toy poodle from Ontario, Canada, […]
Business notepad
Downtown projects offer lower-cost condos At first glance, neither the Interstate Motel (37 Hiawassee St.) nor the parking lot at 12 S. Lexington Ave. (between Patton Avenue and Aston Street) seems a likely spot for an innovative new condo project. One is an unassuming, ’60s-style motel perched right above Interstate 240; the other is just […]
Notepad
Is our Constitution at risk? “Some of the things that have happened [since 9/11] … in the name of fighting terrorism may compromise some constitutional rights,” warns League of Women Voters board member Nelda Holder. League members, she explains, “had these discussions, and we decided it would be a good idea to bring in somebody […]
Business notepad
Mo better trails “I may as well have driven to Australia,” says Betty Hurst of HandMade in America, talking about the 12,000 miles she drove through the North Carolina mountains in the course of updating The Craft Heritage Trails of Western North Carolina. “But it was worth it,” she adds. “We revisited everybody’s place and […]
Business Notepad
Hats off! Two weeks after opening Asheville North Carolina Home Crafts (their stall in the Grove Arcade), owners Judy Bryson Quinn and Marie Hendrix knew they were in trouble. “All our hats were gone!” Hendrix explains. Although they weren’t a hat shop, that was the item that was proving most popular with their customers. Recalling […]
Notepad
Exhibit chronicles the women of southern Appalachia “It’s a very powerful exhibit,” says Sharon Baggett, director of education at the Smith-McDowell House Museum. She’s talking about “Serving Home and Community: Women of Southern Appalachia,” on display at the museum through Sunday, April 6. Especially, she notes, “because you get to learn about these women in […]
It takes a village
Anderson Davis knows firsthand the need a kid with a bad attitude has for community intervention. “I was that at-risk child,” he reveals. “I did drugs, and it’s nothing I want anyone else to go through. I thought it was all right to do whatever you felt like you were big enough to do.” The […]
Notepad
Local shelter provides free pets to senior citizens A growing number of studies show the medical and psychological benefits to the elderly of having a companion animal to care for. One clinical research project at New York City’s Brooklyn College, for example, studied heart-attack survivors after their discharge from the hospital. The researchers tracked each […]
Notepad
Awards honor unsung heroes A lifelong resident of Elizabeth City who promotes good race relations. An Asheville mother who’s become an outspoken, fearless advocate for children with mental health and their families. An Asheville-area doctor who’s developed a holistic approach to caring for people with Alzheimer’s and other memory-loss disorders. These three North Carolinians are […]
Business Notepad
Preserving the past It began with simple curiosity. Ten years ago, John Morris was at a family Thanksgiving gathering, looking at some old photographs his grandmother had. He’d seen them before, but this time they really caught his interest — particularly one time-worn postcard. “It was obviously very old, [and] it was a panorama of […]
Notepad
Planting the seed of fatherhood “In most cultures, educational resources for mothers are everywhere, but when I began my search for resources on how to be a good father, mostly what I discovered were Web sites and books related to reclaiming custody of children,” says Accem Scott, founder of Growing the Father, a new Asheville-based […]
Notepad
Mach 3 dating Erik Field was visiting friends in Seattle last spring when he heard about speed dating, an easy and nonpressured way to meet other singles. “I’m self-employed and well past school age and am finding myself with fewer social outlets,” he explains. “Speed dating just sounded like so much fun.” Upon returning, says […]