Okay, Connie—you got my attention [“Drifting Toward Diabetic Coma,” Feb. 4]. Why rehash something that Robert Godfrey prophesized in 1987? Did you think that a craft town like Asheville would ever be anything else? Oh, Grande Dame of the Asheville Art Scene, may I remind you that circa 1997, a space was opened to showcase […]

On behalf of thousands of customers of Plum Natural Market in Forest City and Barley’s in Spindale, we are disappointed at your recent decision to quit delivering your paper to these businesses for pickup. Believe it or not, Rutherford County is considered a mountain county full of progressive-minded, environmentally friendly and healthy-lifestyle people who look […]

One recent night, a friend of mine parked in a tow-away zone [and the car was towed]. My live/work space is in the middle of downtown, and the purpose of this letter is not to complain about the act of being towed. In my neighborhood, it is an hourly occurrence and it is absolutely necessary. […]

Kimberly used to be one of the most beautiful streets in Asheville—wide, with a clean, flowing venue offering prominent glimpses of orange foliage as the deciduous trees turned each fall. Quite in contrast to the disturbing shout of brightly striped warning signs and an obstacle course of over a dozen traffic islands with prominent, high […]

Congressman Heath Shuler’s charges on Feb. 9 in Raleigh that the “House leadership and Senate leadership have really failed” in creating bipartisan support for an economic recovery bill did not help District 11 in what will prove to be a competitive race to get economic support from the bill for our part of Western North […]

Funny how Republicans never talked about bipartisanship when they were in control of Congress, or when they spent all of the monies that the Clinton administration left in the coffers when Bush’s administration took over. Bipartisanship goes two ways, and the Republicans are back at their old games. — Lloyd Kay Asheville

In his first news conference, President Obama performed impressively. Standing for nearly an hour, he answered questions from the press. Only that morning, he had made a speech in Elkhart. My guess would be he’d really need a cigarette after that. He responded forthrightly to all the inquiries with amazing accuracy. I later wondered if […]

The headline in the front section of the Asheville Citizen-Times on Jan. 11, “Buncombe County Officials Seeking New Offices,” should raise concerns with every citizen/taxpayer of Buncombe County. Please consider the following: 1. The current owners of Biltmore Square Mall paid around $20 million three years ago and are now asking $37 million (a 76-percent […]

Evangelicalism, as Scott Lessing stated, is “truly a wide and disparate movement made up of people from varied and diverse backgrounds.” But I wish his photo essay, “The Many Faces of Evangelicals” [Jan. 28 Xpress] reflected that a bit better. The two-page spread gave us stock imagery of white, clean-cut, contempo-Baptist, sloganized, mall-church Christianity. The […]

My eyes! My eyes! I read publications like yours to escape the Jesus nuts, so imagine my disappointment when I saw your recent cover! Ugh! Don’t these individuals have enough forums to spread their ridiculous message? What’s next? An article claiming that Barack Obama is not a U.S. citizen? Come on, Mountain Xpress! — Jennifer […]

Despite the severe weather, local Phish fans started lining up outside of the Civic Center on Wednesday afternoon [Jan. 28]. I arrived that evening, just after midnight, after getting a phone call that people were already in line. Those who arrived earliest had already called the Asheville Police Department to find out what rules needed […]

I hope that we don’t let this URTV controversy blow it for the only public-communication outlet around. This is metaphorically a tempest in a teapot. There was some language that needed to be changed in the description of board behavior. The commissioners expressed concern, as they should; and I’m sure the board of URTV will […]