“Ultimately it asks: What is a family?” That’s how local playwright Larry Donahue frames his new comedy, Dreamland Motel, which debuts this week at the BeBe Theater. “I mean, is it your blood relatives? Or can you put a band of misfits together and create a family?” It’s a good question. As most musicians would […]
I appreciate the citizen’s opinion that was published in a recent Mountain Xpress on the life of a firefighter [“We Become Heroes by Saving,” Aug. 31]. However, I believe that the citizen is a bit misinformed. One of the main arguments made was that people in other professions die every day and do not get […]
Feasting for FEAST, a fundraiser for Slow Food Asheville FEAST program, takes place on Thursday, Sept. 22 at The Venue, a two-story event space on Market Street. FEAST is an acronym for fresh, easy, affordable, sustainable and tasty — what the organization emphasizes that food can be. To that end, FEAST provides free hands-on cooking […]
According to the American Heart Association, 61 percent of people surveyed nationwide about heart health said that they believed sea salt was a low-sodium alternative to table salt. What's the skinny? Both contain the same amount of sodium, says the AHA, meaning that you can't exactly eat it by the boatload. The minerals present in […]
On Sunday, Sept. 25, Table's Jacob Sessoms will host Lexington, Ky. chef Jonathan Lundy for a market-inspired dinner. Though both Lundy and Sessoms are James Beard nominees running southeastern restaurants, their styles are somewhat different. Lundy is a Kentucky native, and the food he serves at Jonathan at Gratz Park (which he opened with his […]
Remember the movie School of Rock? Well, think of local guitarist Anne Coombs as the Jack Black of Asheville (just a lot less sweaty). Two year ago, the veteran musician and longtime music instructor created The Rock Academy, an offshoot of the Asheville Music School (which Coombs founded in 1996). It’s a place where kids […]
There was a time, a couple of years ago, when you couldn't read anything about San Francisco's Girls without having to slog through their origin story. It made sense; it's quite the tale. Singer and songwriter Christopher Owens was born into the now-infamous Children of God cult. His brother died early in his life because […]
Albert Schweitzer said, "think occasionally of the suffering of which you spare yourself the sight," and those words were never far from mind while reading "Feral Pigs, Beaver and Watermelon" in the Aug. 10 Xpress. Over half a dozen species unwillingly and unnecessarily lost their lives so that local "foodies" could “pay homage to the […]
I always take out-of-town visitors to the magical spot on the parkway where the entire French Broad valley opens for a long-range view of the Biltmore Estate, downtown and the Grove Park Inn, and have always hoped that an overlook would one day be built. There are existing overlooks where you can see Enka-Candler, several […]
Got those change-of-season allergies? It’s no coincidence that WNC’s apple season officially kicks off when the sniffles start — a local apple a day keeps the doctor away, right? If you didn’t get your fall supply at the North Carolina Apple Festival earlier this month, don’t worry. September is all about apples in ASAP’s Get […]
I suppose I appreciate City Council thinking about our recycling bins and making them bigger and costlier, but couldn't we keep things the way they are and just have the trucks come around every week instead of every two weeks? I need to empty my recycling bins every week, not my garbage. Can we be […]
Bill Russell withdraws from Council race; Governor revs up I-26 connector schedule; Facebook-savvy police surprise Patton Avenue cruisers, call for moderation; Thermo Fisher Scientific will expand Asheville operations and add 110 jobs
As the upcoming and very important City Council elections approach, I encourage my fellow Asheville residents to vote for Jan Davis. Mr. Davis has served our city very well for the past eight years as a cohesive and coalition-building voice on City Council. Davis is a life-long resident, a successful downtown small-business owner and former […]
When our family first moved to Montford five years ago, it was Lael Gray who arrived first on our porch, offering to introduce us to her family, her neighborhood and the city she loved. She opened her heart to us, offering her vast store of knowledge about Asheville. She helped us to feel at home […]
Shame on the Asheville Symphony and partner Pack Square Park Conservancy for its concert at Diana Wortham Theatre. The repertoire was distinctively non-labor and slanted toward militarism. The concert began with the “Star Spangled Banner,” with a uniformed military color guard at attention, holding American and military flags. The conductor midway through the concert made […]
See the Blue Ridge Orchestra in action at an open rehearsal on Wednesday, Sept. 14 at 7 p.m. Held at UNCA’s Reuter Center. Info: http://www2.unca.edu/ncccr or 251-6140. Learn more about the candidates for Asheville City Council at a meet and greet sponsored by the Montford Neighborhood Association on Thursday, Sept. 15 from 7-9 p.m. Held […]
August was one of the most deadly months for the U.S. during our more than 10 years of occupation in Afghanistan. August was also one of the worst for our economy in the U.S. Are we getting the message yet? Are our country's priorities in the right place? Many think not. Peacetown Asheville, along with […]
What: The Doxita film festival captures the imagination with four films, each less than 40 minutes in length. One of the highlights is Arsy Versy, a quirky Slovakian documentary about a man who follows the whims of his spirit. Other films include Guañape Sur, an Italian film about Peruvian workers who harvest soil from an […]
• Local Alzheimer’s patient
chased through streets by
patriots after failing to
remember 9/11 attacks
• Man wields two-by-four to
steal dump truck and cash
Police do not consider him
a suspect in a recent string
of cyber crimes
• Wells Fargo name goes
up on former Wachovia
banks, though terms of
merger call for Wachovia
name to be used on all
Wells Fargo stagecoach
routes
• Hurricane Irene orphans
thousands of baby squirrels
Local volunteers work tirelessly
to rescue them into tasty
stews and winter hats
• CDC reports U.S.
circumcision rates drop,
as reported health
benefits of the procedure
have become hooded in
controversy
• KISS band member Gene
Simmons to wed longtime
girlfriend in tasteful,
full-makeup ceremony
Steve Martin played with the Steep Canyon Rangers at the Mountain Song Festival in Brevard Friday night
In this edition of Local Matters — the Xpress weekly news podcast — reporter David Forbes talks about City Council member Bill Russell dropping out of his bid for re-election, Pisgah Legal Services efforts to increase access to legal help for the poor, and the recent claim by NC State Sen. James Forrester that Asheville is a “cesspool of sin.”
