***UPDATED*** The deadline for residents living near CTS of Asheville to have their well water sampled by the state and EPA is tomorrow, Tuesday, Nov. 20. Buncombe County has also committed to sampling wells.
Author: Rebecca Bowe
Showing 148-168 of 322 results
Polar bears strike again in Charlotte
The protesting polar bears are back, this time with a holiday theme.
The Green Scene
Ethanol comes to WNC Western North Carolina has officially jumped on the ethanol bandwagon. The Asheville-based Blue Ridge Biofuels is now peddling the alternative fuel from a brand-new pump at the Kounty Line Exxon on Airport Road in Arden. Corny, but cheap: An alternative-fuel blend called E85, which is 85 percent ethanol, is now available […]
About that climate change business …
While environmentalists’ discussions tend revolve around how to avert catastrophic climate change, the business world is slowly starting hatch plans for adapting to the looming repercussions of an altered climate. Wired earth: On a tour of the National Climatic Data Center, staffer Carmella Watkins introduces “the magic planet,” an educational tool that creates a visual […]
Irresistibly vegan, or just some lame-ass squares?
Shortly after earning accolades for being most-vegetarian-friendly small city, Asheville restaurants get composted by a tofu snob.
The Green Scene
If you love forests, give them some space The glossy photos and poetic phrases used to market Western North Carolina’s mountain real estate are cropping up everywhere. Printed on billboards, broadcast via commercial Web sites and tucked into display ads in fashionable magazines, the sales pitches are meant to evoke the beauty of the landscape: […]
Looking for answers
Some 200 concerned south Buncombe residents packed the Skyland Fire Department on Oct. 29, peppering state and federal environmental officials with questions about CTS of Asheville, a controversial hazardous-waste site on Mills Gap Road. U.S. Environmental Protection Agency staffer David Dorian, the on-scene coordinator for the site, gave a presentation detailing its history, current status […]
Get your political party on tonight with the candidates
A roundup of tonight’s post-Asheville City Council election parties.
CTS debate sparks deeper questions
Xpress talks with Buncombe County Board of Commissioners Chair Nathan Ramsey about the Mills Gap Road contamination debacle, and hears from him on what’s wrong with a system that allows hazardous-waste sites to slip through the cracks.
The Green Scene
The brook trout, aka the speckled trout or “brookie,” is dwindling. Speaking at a recent summit devoted to protecting the endangered game fish, Bryan Moore of Trout Unlimited called the brook trout “emblematic of Southern Appalachia,” citing both its cultural and ecological significance. And since the brook trout is particularly sensitive to changes in water […]
Open the door for adoption
Years and years of education, it seems, can not fully prepare a person for the experience of becoming a parent. But for couples considering adoption or foster care, an upcoming event will provide at least a glimpse of what to expect. Trena, above, and Alexis, left, have both been cleared for adoption. The upcoming Foster/Adopt […]
Bank of America protest goes on tour
Activists opposed to mountaintop-removal mining were hanging around the Bank of America headquarters in Charlotte yesterday.
The Green Scene
Emotions ran high during the public-comment portion of the Buncombe County Commissioners’ Oct. 16 meeting. Ten people turned out to voice concern about a public-health hazard on Mills Gap Road in South Asheville, where the former CTS of Asheville plant is leaching trichloroethylene, a harmful pollutant, into ground water and flowing streams. The outcry came […]
Stirring the pot
The Windsor Hotel, an anomaly in pricey downtown Asheville, has long been something of an endangered species. A downtown fixture for decades, the boarding house on the corner of Broadway and Walnut streets was one of the few remaining housing options in the central business district for people of modest means. Many long-term residents lived […]
Live on URTV: Mills Gap residents on CTS contamination
Concerns about groundwater contamination at the former CTS plant on Mills Gap Road are on the rise. Tonight, area residents will share their experiences live on URTV from 7:30 to 9:30 p.m.
Dr. M.‘s immigration crusade
Individuals who have apparently taken it upon themselves to track and expose undocumented workers have found a friend in Carl Mumpower, who’s put their efforts to use in his ongoing campaign against illegal immigration. When the Asheville City Council member and congressional candidate caught wind of rumors that Sonopress, a digital-media manufacturer and one of […]
The Green Scene
The wastewater-discharge permit for the Evergreen Packaging Group’s paper mill in Canton, N.C., expired nearly a year ago. The former Blue Ridge Paper plant releases some 20 million gallons of treated wastewater daily into the Pigeon River, a tiny mountain stream that attracts boaters and anglers as it threads its way through the Great Smoky […]
Review: Jay Reatard
It was harsh, loud and fun while it lasted.
N.C. climate-change activists have friends in high places
James Hansen, a top climate expert and head of NASA’s Goddard Institute, weighs in on Duke Energy’s proposed Cliffside power plant. A hearing about the plant will be held in Asheville at A-B Tech this Thursday.
The Green Scene
The greening of the paper industry? “Paper is still one of our most challenging environmental issues, and there’s still much more work to be done,” says Joshua Martin, coordinator of the Environmental Paper Network. But Martin expresses hope, not cynicism, about the industry’s recent environmental progress. Logging the industry’s progress: Companies like International Paper are […]
Stompers attack Dems, get stamped for investigation
It began with a campaign that touched a nerve. What’s in a name: The Carolina Stompers have created a short film to make sure you know that nearly 110 years ago, many Southern Democrats — including Gov. Charles Aycock — were white supremacists. Image From Youtube The Carolina Stompers is a group of Buncombe County […]