Mountain Xpress crossed the line between “journalism” and “media” in printing the arrest record of Reid Thompson in “The Long Goodbye” [“Inappropriate Behavior?” sidebar, Jan. 9]. … Nothing except what Reid has been charged with in regards to the city of Asheville, Greenlife and John Swann personally is remotely relevant to this story. And the […]

I hope that many people have seen the movie The Great Debaters, which opened in Asheville on Christmas day. This movie recounts a moment in our racial history that is both exhilarating and deeply disturbing. Lest anyone think that the lynching scene in the movie was just for show, please know that the Tuskegee Institute […]

In a recent letter to the editor [“Good Ol’ Stomp-and-Chant,” Jan. 2], reader Jason Korol attempts to address some of the interesting questions posed by Lady Passion, Diuvei and Coven Oldenwilde in these pages [Let’s Have a Good Ol’ Stomp-and-Chant,” Dec. 26], who have challenged the fire-breathing Carolina Stompers to a live debate that they […]

First off, a huge thanks to all that made Eaties Cereal Bar awesome! Sadly we are closed for good. I truly wished to create a space for community to come together, and I think that wish came true. But wishes don’t pay the bills. Some of you may believe my desire to move was why […]

I was delighted to read Alli Marshall’s retelling of the story of Pwyll and Rhiannon in the Holiday Guide [“Holiday Folk Tale,” Dec. 19, 2007]. I was equally pleased to read Michael Newton’s letter to the editor [“Pwyll and the Celts,” Jan. 2]. I am from Wales, and Welsh is my first language. Our culture […]

This building is condemned! We have all seen this sight—a dilapidated building looking like it is going to fall in on itself, plastered with that ominous sign: Warning! Danger! This building is condemned. DO NOT ENTER! So we tread lightly around this building, making sure we are at a safe distance, noting that at any […]

How has it happened that our government is spending [over a] billion dollars to provide a nonessential form of entertainment to everyone in America? Children all over this country go to bed hungry every night. People live in misery or die prematurely because they cannot afford medical care. Our country supposedly doesn’t have enough money […]

For a long time, I have been wanting to make this point: When I was taught the driving laws of the state where I came from, I was told that if you choose to drive at a slower pace, to always keep to the right in the right lane. I was also taught if you […]

Regarding your recent dreadful review of Joltwagon’s album [“Sound Investment,” Dec. 26], you twice mention bluegrass. Bluegrass is defined by the Scruggs’ three-finger picking style using metal picks. I play clawhammer banjo or frailing style, which is what you hear in old-time music. Sorry you didn’t like the album, but as someone who lives in […]

I am sick of all TV political ads, in particular those from Romney and Huckabee. I find them offensive. They are playing to only one segment of the U.S. population and say only what their “people” want to hear. Like all Republicans, they are not interested in serving or representing “we the people,” but only […]