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Notepad
So you wanna be a lawmaker? It’s no secret that politics is a complicated, often messy business — which probably discourages many capable community residents from seeking public office. But for anyone who’s interested in getting more politically involved, the Asheville Chamber of Commerce is hosting a Political Institute, which will focus on local government […]
Notepad
Believe it or not As if we needed any further proof that our region is exploding, in terms of both population and development, a recent study found that Buncombe County now leads the state in overall economic-development performance. According to the Greenville, N.C.-based research firm Problem Solving, Inc., Buncombe ranked first among the state’s 100 […]
Letters to the editor
No more Little Red Sambo Cuman Dockery says — in regard to those in the community who want to see the American Indian mascots changed at Erwin High School — that he hopes the Buncombe County School Board “does not cave in to the small group of extremists who have no interest in the education […]
Buncombe County Commission
Can the Buncombe County Board of Commissioners undertake $68 million worth of school-improvement projects, while holding the line on property taxes? At the board’s Dec. 15 meeting, no one could really say; all the commissioners could do was look at the existing data, using educated opinions and past projections, and hope for the best.? County […]
The family way
Veteran bluegrass musician Ralph Lewis knows a thing or two about overly enthusiastic fans. Take the time he was playing a huge arena in Tokyo in the mid-’70s, during his stint with the legendary Bill Monroe and the Bluegrass Boys: “Bill would always close his shows with a medley of sacred songs, like ‘I Saw […]
The poetic joy of Glenis Redmond
Going on 10 years ago, Glenis Redmond made a decision that caused some to question her sanity. Pregnant with twin girls, Redmond dropped out of her doctorate program in sociology and decided to become a full-time poet. But Redmond, who also holds a master’s degree in counseling, never looked back. A member of the National […]
Letters to the editor
The problem with vermin I am responding to the letters from Barley’s Taproom owners Michael Neel and Doug Beatty [Dec. 2 ]. I’m sure some of the folks you two guys sling beer to are overjoyed that you’ve appointed yourselves the saviors of downtown Asheville. It seems that a key part of your strategy for […]
Yes, Virginia—there is a free lunch
“We refuse to ask permission to eat!” That’s the legend emblazoned on posters placed around town announcing Food Not Bombs’ Dec. 2 free-food rally in Pritchard Park. But on Dec. 9, the group did ask Asheville City Council for permission to regularly feed the hungry in a public park — and to waive the $25-per-occurrence […]
Notepad
How to make a lot of money (and save a watershed, too) Michael Morgan is a man with a plan — to save Swannanoa’s Beacon watershed, that is. His plan utilizes a time-tested strategy for saving any piece of valuable property, whether it be Brazilian rainforest or Carolina old-growth: Turn a profit from it, and […]
On the fly
Think about it: If you were the director of a regional airport, and you had a major construction project on your hands — say, a multimillion-dollar, multilevel parking deck — and you knew that the window of opportunity for getting the project done was several months less than the time it was estimated to take, […]
Buncombe County Commission
How should the county proceed in negotiating a franchise agreement involving two local cable companies? Should they accept the terms as offered, or should they hold out and aggressively bargain for a better cable deal? That was the key question at the Buncombe County commissioners’ Dec. 1 meeting, as they weighed the pros and cons […]
Notepad
Bar none According to the National Fire Protection Association, 16 people die in fires each year across the U.S. — trapped in their own homes or apartments by security bars. That has Asheville Fire Chief John Rukavina worried, because many such devices — meant to keep intruders out — don’t have latches that allow them […]
Blue-chip Blotter
The Blotter Boys have recorded only 12 songs to date and played just a handful of live shows. But don’t call this group — whose name is often preceded by the qualifier “all-star band” — a bunch of novices. Band members’ collective experience spans almost five decades, and their resumes read like a Who’s Who […]
Living through the blues
Sheila Carlisle, vocalist extraordinaire for The Cascade Street Blues Band, sings the blues from a level of experience that few people live to tell about — the kind of firsthand knowledge that isn’t based on rhythms or keys or slide-guitar licks. No, Carlisle knows the deep-down, dirty bottom of the blues — the kind that […]
Letters to the editor
Underage drinking kills One young man lies dead, and six others are charged in connection with [a Nov. 21] beating and shooting [in Raleigh]. This was not an inner-city gang war, or even a bad drug deal. All the young people involved are students at North Carolina State University. [Editor’s note: Six North Carolina State […]
Letters to the editor
It’s up to you adults how the cops treat us kids I’m writing about the big article regarding the kids at Vance and the cops [“No shirt, no shoes — no service?”, Nov. 18]. I am one of those “young people sporting jewel toned hair,” and I was really happy this article came out. The […]
Notepad
Human rights, human responsibilities Thursday, Dec. 10, marks the 50th anniversary of the U.N. General Assembly’s adoption of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights. To commemorate the day, UNCA students and faculty will hold a discussion about the future of human rights and responsibilities. The event, which is open to the public, will also be […]
An examination of faith
An anthropologist once told a Yanomami tribesman that he should watch out, because his hut was infested with termites. The tribesman shrugged off the warning without worry. When the roof finally fell in, though, he blamed it on witchcraft. “But I told you about the termites,” the anthropologist uttered in disbelief. “It was witchcraft,” the […]
Honoring the American
Martin Sexton never planned to take the acoustic folk circuit by storm. His original goal was simply to make music for a living, and to do it sounding like a hybrid of his biggest influences: Led Zeppelin and the Beatles. But after years of playing in cover bands and strumming for pocket change in Boston […]
Swingin’ with an attitude
“It’s better than working in a coal mine,” reckons Squirrel Nut Zippers trumpet man Je Wiedenhouse, describing the perks of playing in a band that, in four short years, has gone from spontaneous jams held on the front porches of rickety Chapel Hill houses to international acclaim. Wiedenhouse — a semi-professional organic farmer who lives […]