A proposal to increase fees for developers and change subdivision regulations to comply with the state fire code failed last week when the Buncombe County Board of Commissioners deadlocked. The road to that stalemate, however, was marked by an odd series of moves that had commissioners opposing the very changes they’d voted for a moment […]
Author: Tracy Rose
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Former budget director loses lawsuit
Nearly two years after he was fired, former Buncombe County Budget Director Ken Goble has lost a court battle with the county. The eight-year county employee was fired in June 2000 for alleged insubordination. He sued in October of that year, saying he’d been illegally dismissed — a claim the county denied. Goble claimed he’d […]
Buncombe County Commission
We’re sitting in our own stew — and it’s making us sick. That was a cornerstone of the message air-quality advocates did their best to impress upon the Buncombe County commissioners at their May 7 meeting. Alan McKenzie, who chairs the WNC Regional Air Quality Agency’s board, tried to debunk a popular myth — that […]
Culture clash
Once upon a time, in a land not so far away, there lived an aged and benevolent king who had twin sons, both of whom happened to be fools. One day, the king decided it was time to step down from the throne. “I’m ready to retire and kick back,” remarked King Edmund (a.k.a. Rod […]
The philosophy of nature
If you’re looking for the ideal setting for connecting with nature, Dave Guerin thinks you won’t do much better than Lake Logan. That’s why the self-described philosopher chose the Haywood County spot for an event he’s dubbed the Lake Logan Earth/Spirit Gathering, a weekend filled with speakers, song, dance and, of course, philosophical discussions. The […]
Buncombe County Commission
A hodgepodge of issues faced the Buncombe County commissioners last week — from a pitch for a veterans memorial to tactics that would limit the state’s ability to snatch money away from the county. But the item that drew the most people to the board’s April 23 meeting had to do with stream buffers and, […]
A new face for the Water Authority
The owner of an Asheville lumber company was appointed last week to fill a seat on the Regional Water Authority of Asheville, Buncombe and Henderson. On a split vote, the Buncombe County Board of Commissioners chose Ed Metz, president of Westall-Chandley Lumber Co., to fill the seat vacated by Gary Semlak, who resigned March 19 […]
Who’s minding our children?
The simple words of a well-worn hymn tumbled out of the teenager’s mouth in what seemed the unlikeliest of settings — the formidable confines of the Swannanoa juvenile detention center. “Amazing Grace,” 16-year-old Calvin sang softly, his voice taking flight with the melody. “How sweet the sound, that saved a wretch like me. I once […]
On their own
In Buncombe County, parents who don’t want to leave their middle-schoolers home alone after school have precious few options. The SOS program (which stands for Support Our Students) offers free after-school activities for 82 students five days a week, says Director Laura Williams. The YWCA of Asheville operates the state-funded program, with sites at North […]
Giving melancholy a chance
In the rear of a garagelike rehearsal studio in the River District, puppeteers Yoko Myoi and Robyn Strawbridge are sweating over their puppet tango scene from The Anatomy of Melancholy. With a face resembling an African mask and a body like a wooden doll, Strawbridge’s male puppet spies Myoi’s female puppet standing on the other […]
Grassroots revival
Walk into the West End Bakery & Cafe on Haywood Road in West Asheville and you can quickly sense that something is afoot. On a balmy evening in early April, the place fairly crackles with energy as 30-some neighborhood residents shoot the breeze over a potluck dinner before tackling a discussion about launching a new […]
Boys will be boys
The well-worn lines will seem familiar to anyone who ever trekked through Romeo and Juliet in high-school English class: Parting is such sweet sorrow/That I shall say good night till it be morrow. But delivered by New York actor Ramon de Ocampo, the wistful words of Juliet Capulet promise multiple levels of meaning in a […]
A First Amendment story
Up until last Friday, you could walk into Bed Tyme Stories on Hendersonville Road and pick up videos with titles that included Eager Beavers, Anal Cravings #6 and Flesh of the Lotus You also could procure copies of Big Bazooms and Man’s Man magazines (though a sign warned customers against removing the plastic magazine wrappers […]
What would Jesus do?
At 6-feet-1-inches tall, the blond-haired, blue-eyed S. Michael Wilson might not fit the traditional image of Jesus Christ depicted in countless devotional portraits over the past couple of millennia. That Wilson considers himself to be Pagan (in a broad sense of the word) and is openly gay suggests that a few more conventions may be […]
Down the garden path
You might figure the odds of running across a perfectly manicured Japanese garden in Madison County to be a tad on the slim side. Ditto for happening on a nest of carnivorous swamp plants in a renovated gas station in Hendersonville, or a diminutive version of the Alps in Burke County. But armed with a […]
Buncombe County Commission
The vision of thousands of motorcycle enthusiasts cruising into the county over the July 4 weekend dominated last week’s meeting of the Buncombe County Board of Commissioners. At the board’s March 19 work session, supporters of the proposed Blue Ridge Bike Bash touted the event’s potential economic benefits, while a parade of law-enforcement personnel and […]
Rail redux
In the 1970s, the dominance of the automobile and the resulting lack of ridership sounded the death knell for Asheville’s passenger rail service. Now, however, the city is the most requested destination in the country that’s not served by Amtrak, reports Judy Calvert, who chairs the WNC Passenger Rail Corridor Committee. The group has been […]
A long and winding road
For most locals, every attempt to navigate one of Asheville’s traffic-choked arteries — whether by car, bike or other means — is likely to bring the city’s transportation woes into sharp focus. How did we ever come to this? The long answer to that question begins at least in the 18th century, when travelers were […]
Against the current
Like a cluster of Muses, a host of feminist visions held wordless sway over the tide of people coursing through the recent opening of From the Gut: A Feminist Fine Art Show. Those images — ranging from a collection of mermaids to contemplations of the vulva — hinted at the range of potential interpretations of […]
Buncombe County Commission
On a split vote, the Buncombe County commissioners decided last week to prohibit recreational vehicles in mobile-home parks. That was the only controversial item at the board’s sparsely attended March 5 meeting. The proposal had been unanimously recommended by the county’s Manufactured Home Park Review Board (which is dominated by mobile-home-park owners and developers). When […]
Where there’s smoke, there’s firing
“Public employment, whether you like it or not … is not Joe’s Burger Shack.” — Asheville attorney John Hunter When Buncombe County Budget Director Ken Goble was fired in June 2000, the news hit with a splash. When he sued, claiming he’d been illegally dismissed, it created a few more waves — especially since the […]