Should the U.S. Forest Service trade two parcels of pristine but relatively isolated public land for a smaller amount of private land, in order to increase efficiency, reduce operating costs, and help protect the Appalachian Trail? If you listen to area environmentalists, Upper Hominy residents, and the Buncombe County commissioners, the answer is a thundering […]

Locked up, but not forgotten Twelve years ago, Israeli Mordechai Vanunu blew the whistle on his country’s secret nuclear-weapons program. Since then, he’s been in solitary confinement in a 6-by-9 windowless cell. But a published letter from his adoptive parents here in the U.S. reports that he was recently allowed to “see the blue sky, […]

When the cat’s away, the mice get things done Sometimes the good guys do win. Case in point: The Affordable Housing Coalition of Asheville was recently awarded a Nonprofit Steward Award by the NC Center for Nonprofits. According to an AHC news release, the Center created the award to recognize nonprofit organizations demonstrating “exemplary stewardship […]

The WNC Regional Air Pollution Contol Agency board imposed several fines for air-quality violations and adopted new state regulations during its Oct. 6 meeting. At the same meeting, a member of the board received a coveted state award. Dr. Roy Roberts, a 90-year-old retired physician and longtime member of the board, received the Order of […]

A recent Asheville Citizen-Times article reporting that county staff are weighing the pros and cons of the county’s owning a minor-league baseball team prompted a candid and revealing discussion at the Nov. 3 county commissioners’ meeting about how county staff operates. The article detailed potential strategies for making the county-owned McCormick Field self-sustaining, in the […]

Racism and Native Americans Western North Carolina is certainly not the only area of the country to experience tension between American Indians and the Caucasian majority. But the recent controversy over an athletic-team name at Erwin High makes Charlene Teters’ Asheville visit particularly timely. Teters, one of the Native American community’s most outspoken foes of […]

[Editor’s note: This story was originally written as part of a longer article about downtown culture clashes. Some citizens say police, at the behest of downtown merchants, are selectively enforcing certain city ordinances — targeting the often unconventional-looking young people who regularly hang out around Pack Square. Look for more on this issue in an […]

Doula power Recently, 35 women from the Carolinas, Georgia and Tennessee spent a weekend attending a “Labor Support Course” at Park Ridge Hospital, seeking training as doulas. Doulas are individuals (usually women) who are trained and experienced in childbirth, and who provide physical, emotional and informational support to women giving birth. Besides providing encouragement and […]

Will loosening present junkyard laws help clean up unlicensed auto recyclers — or will it legalize currently illegal operations and cause an explosion of unsightly new businesses in Buncombe County? Because of the ambiguous nature of the industry, which can include anyone from auto salvagers to “shade-tree” mechanics, the answer proved elusive enough to give […]

Lost lobos After 2,169 miles, 15 lectures, 150 packets of ramen noodles and more than $3,000 in donations, Marcas Marx — outreach coordinator of the Southern Appalachian Biodiversity Project’s red wolf program — has finally returned to Asheville. Last month, he completed the “Wolves and Wilderness Appalachian Thru-Trek,” a six-month effort to raise awareness about […]