We were delighted to read your article [“The Biz: Carland Academy’s Lessons for Area Entrepreneurs,” Oct. 31] highlighting Jim and JoAnn Carland’s new academy and their life’s work as visionary educators in entrepreneurship. We are graduates of the first cohort of their award-winning Masters of Entrepreneurship program at Western Carolina University. We signed up for […]

So PAC-man Russell has won a seat on the City Council with the help of Asheville Citizen-Times’ endorsement, which is about as surreal as their endorsing Brother Christopher (at least we know where he stands on the issues). PAC-man Russell, on the other hand, promises to preserve the beauty of Asheville while simultaneously paving it […]

Not to beat a dead horse, but what a disappointment the last few weeks have been in Asheville politics. It’s been said that people get the government they deserve. Considering the turnout for the last primary, perhaps it’s true. One of the candidates for City Council even suggested that this voter apathy means the voters […]

I recently walked by Pet Luv in the Asheville Mall, one of the two places in our area where you can buy a life, no questions asked (aside from the countless backyard breeders, of course). Three kids were jumping around their mother begging for some little fluff-ball of a puppy, and I walked away, disgusted. […]

Periodicals periodically make staff changes, from the editor’s office down to the weekly deliverers of the paper. Cecil Bothwell’s tenure as [staff writer and former editor] of the Xpress has gone down, overall, as having been good for the paper, the people of WNC and the city of Asheville. There it is: “change.” Change is […]

I appreciate and value the greater Asheville area. I have reasons. Before coming to this area of deep family roots for my wife, she and I lived in an area blanked by a deep mist of monolithic, fundamentalist theocracy. We have also lived where development avarice and political opportunism have destroyed much of natural value […]

Good move firing Cecil Bothwell! Nobody liked him anyway. Well, I thought I did, but then your courteous response that we stupid readers “don’t have enough facts to adequately assess” your decision to sack your arguably best and demonstrably most popular reporter. Where do we get off, forming opinions on this issue based on our […]

A slightly different slant. Not a very telling one, but perhaps indicative of the fact that, as radio giant Paul Harvey pointed out daily in his broadcasts, once the apparent facts are known, there can often still be “the rest of the story” [“Curious? Furious? Publisher, Editor Respond,” Oct. 14] agree that Cecil Bothwell is […]

An anonymous “dog lover” sent me a letter regarding my beautiful husky who is always out in my yard. Enclosed was a copy of another letter that had appeared in your paper [“Neglecting Man’s Best Friend,” Sept. 12], which is why I am sending my response via your letters column. Yes, I know that huskies […]