Dennis Hodgson likes to eat and drink coffee at the old Eckerd’s lunch counter in north Asheville, and that’s why Asheville’s fourth sister city is Karpenisi and not some other Greek town, says his wife, Barbara Hodgson. Dennis is a former president of the Asheville Sister Cities board, among other civic service, and one day, […]
Author: Margaret Williams
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From Russia with love
If you think it’s easy to set up a sister city program, talk to Kitty Boniske. “Vladikavkaz was our third try,” the longtime Asheville Sister Cities volunteer recalls. Two other Russian cities—Klintsy and Kislovotz—just didn’t pan out. Snowy cathedral: The major religions in Asheville’s first Sister City, Vladikavkaz, are Russian Orthodox and Islam. Photo courtesy […]
Full-circle Maya
Sister city initiatives are all about forging connections and recognizing what a small world we live in. That’s clearly the case with one of Asheville’s newest sister cities: Valladolid in southern Mexico’s Yucatan Peninsula. The circle begins in Barnardsville, where retired National Geographic Society archaeologist George Stuart lives. Distinguished visitor: Vallalodid, Mexico, officials honored Barnardsville […]
The Green Scene
Two days after President Obama signed the stimulus package into law, DeWayne Barton and Dan Leroy were in D.C. for the “Good Jobs, Green Jobs” conference. But the two men—co-founders of the Asheville Green Opportunity Corps—were not content with merely attending the event and eyeing the new funding possibilities. With help from Barton’s D.C. brother […]
Outdoor Journal
A cinematic celebration of the bicycle: As a benefit for the Mars Hill College Cycling Team, three eclectic cycling films will be screened at Asheville Pizza and Brewing Co. on Thursday, March 5, at 9:30 p.m. Klunkerz chronicles the birth of mountain biking during the 1960s and ‘70s in northern California. Chris Hoy: Just a […]
Count your butts and win
Asheville GreenWorks is giving away cigarette-butt receptacles.
The Green Scene
Pam McCorkhill had noticed the gray dust in her neighborhood, Lake Julian Trails, since she moved there in 2006. But to the former grade-school science teacher, the sandy material was merely an annoyance that meant extra cleaning indoors and regular deck washing. “I’ve never complained about it, and [at first] I didn’t know what it […]
Outdoor Journal
Less climbing, more peregrines: Heed the biologists and stay away from peregrine-falcon nesting sites this year. The crow-size peregrines—the world’s fastest birds—have nesting sites in Western North Carolina, particularly atop the high, broad cliffs often favored by rock climbers. Almost 30 years ago, the species was near extinction, but the banning of the pesticide DDT—a […]
The Green Scene
Susan Roderick was driving down Clingman Avenue one recent Sunday afternoon when she spied a young man toiling on a steep wooded slope across from The Grey Eagle. In recent years, many young homeowners in the neighborhood have undertaken cleanup projects, says Roderick, whose office is nearby, and she wondered if he’d like to plant […]
Outdoors: Getting your groove back
The weather around here likes to throw curve balls. On a recent morning, the thermometer registered a frigid 4 degrees. Later that day, I managed to get my partner’s Jeep Cherokee stuck in the 8-inch-thick bed of snow covering our driveway. (In my defense, I didn’t have much experience with it growing up in L.A.—lower […]
Outdoor Journal
MPAC on the horizon: A multipurpose sports facility in north Buncombe may (really) be coming soon. Organizer Randy Bassham recently announced an agreement to purchase property located at the corner of Murphy Hill Road, Old Mars Hill Highway and Interstate 26. But Bassham has less than 100 days to raise the funds to finalize the […]
Shuler votes against revised stimulus package
One of just seven House Democrats to do so, Rep. Heath Shuler voted against the $790 billion compromise stimulus bill today. Earlier this year, Shuler also voted against the House version of the bill, citing concern that it did not include sufficient infrastructure spending.
The Green Scene
Elevated arsenic levels have been found in a preliminary sampling of water and sediment collected downstream from Progress Energy’s Skyland power plant and coal-ash pond. A water sample taken from an unnamed French Broad River tributary nearby contained arsenic at slightly above the permissible level for surface waters—and seven times higher than the U.S. Environmental […]
Outdoor Journal
Cold feet: It’s time for the Frostbite 5K Run, hosted by Park Ridge Hospital on Sunday, Feb. 22. The 17th annual run begins at 2:30 p.m., followed by a more leisurely and kid-friendly 1-Mile Fun Run/Walk at 3:15 p.m. Both events start and finish at the hospital’s Leila Patterson Center, located at the intersection of […]
Board of Realtors: New prez for tough times
When Kimberly Evans first tried her hand at real estate in 1985, it was in Texas, where, she says, “We had more foreclosures than new sales and mortgage rates were 18 percent.” President for a year: Kimberly Evans takes the helm as the Asheville Board of Realtors’ 2009 president, with the motto, “Adapt and prosper.” […]
The Green Scene: Finding stable ground in landslide country
Every year, at least one damaging landslide occurs in Western North Carolina. Nikki Donin knows that statistic up close and personal
Outdoors: Build it, walk it, bike it
About 10 years ago, I took a walk in Richmond Hill Park, back when trails were few and visitors fewer still. Leaving my car at the end of a local road, I set out down an unmarked trail threading between the pines. An old man, tall and in his 80s, was my guide. I’ve been […]
Outdoor Journal
Natural arts, natural words: Explore the beauty of the natural world by spending an afternoon with the writer/artist couple George and Elizabeth Ellison, on Feb. 15, from 2 to 4 p.m. at the N.C. Arboretum. Through their words, illustrations and drawings, the couple will share examples of their work and their reverence for the natural […]
The Green Scene
Here’s a roundup of recent local environmental news. Greenville, S.C., gasses up As a global-warming catalyst, methane packs a punch: The Environmental Protection Agency says the gas “is 21 times more powerful at warming the atmosphere than carbon dioxide, by weight.” Decomposing wastes produce methane, making landfills the biggest source of the gas in the […]
Outdoor Journal
Get the kids walking: With New Year’s resolutions well under way, there’s no better time than January to get out and walk with your kids. Diamond Brand Outdoors Community Outreach Manager Gary Eblen is broadening his Tuesday-morning program “Walks with Gary” by offering “Saturday Walks on the Greenway.” The new jaunt allows working parents and […]
State asks for more info about The Cliffs project
The North Carolina Division of Water Quality has requested more information from The Cliffs at High Carolinas about future impacts at the development.