…And not a drop to drink. In the aftermath of the massive flooding caused by the remnants of hurricane Frances, the city of Asheville is looking at millions of dollars of damage. According to city officials, flood maps and other data indicate that there are 345 structures flooded. Of those, 30 are residential and 315 […]

Brown Mountain lights reproduced in lab The popular paranormal-themed television series The X-files might not seem like the best source of information on an actual phenomenon. But in an episode titled “Field Trip,” in which Mulder and Scully travel to Western North Carolina to investigate some suspicious skeletons found at a site near Brown Mountain, […]

Amy, what you gonna do? Award-winning broadcast journalist Amy Goodman is headed for Asheville. The host of Pacifica Radio’s highly acclaimed news show Democracy Now, Goodman has seen her reputation steadily rise over the past two years. “Amy Goodman is one of the most important journalists working in the United States today,” proclaims Wally Bowen, […]

Help where it’s needed Rape is the ultimate interpersonal power play, objectifying and invading the victim in the most intimate and terrifying manner. And if the victim feels helpless, so, too, do well-meaning citizens who might want to proffer help. But there is a way to get involved. Our VOICE — a regional, nonprofit rape-and-domestic-violence […]

Riding the Ridge Are you a cyclist looking for a serious challenge? Check this out: a two-day, 160-mile bike ride through the North Carolina mountains that happens Saturday and Sunday, Sept. 11-12. Dubbed the Sacred Summits Cycling Tour, the winding route from Valle Crucis (near Boone) to Lake Logan (near Canton) is peppered with climbs. […]

It ain’t over till it’s over Under North Carolina law, if no candidate in a primary receives more than 40 percent of the vote, the second-place candidate can request a runoff against the leader. That’s what happened with the July 20 Democratic primary for the office of superintendent of public instruction. Marshall Stewart barely edged […]

The road less driven Back before the Blue Ridge Parkway was completed, tourists had few choices for a leisurely panoramic drive. But they did have Old Toll Road. In the early 1920s and ’30s, tourists would caravan up the narrow pass that ran from Black Mountain to Mount Mitchell’s Camp Alice. The round trip could […]

Antiques fair burnishes the past At 58, the Asheville Antiques Fair is becoming, well, a bit of an antique. But it didn’t become a community heirloom by simply aging. Proceeds from the annual fair are donated to local charities, civic projects, historical restoration and scholarships — making the yearly event more than just a curio. […]

The MAIN thing “With corporate media consolidation leading to less local news and a rising tide of Kobe Bryant and Laci Peterson ‘info-tainment,’ local communities are hungry for alternative media strategies,” proclaims Wally Bowen, founder and executive director of the Mountain Area Information Network, an Asheville-based nonprofit Internet-service provider. Earlier this month, Bowen traveled to […]

In Xpress‘ 2004 primary-election coverage, our reporters asked the candidates a number of questions. For our print edition, we used a grid format and chose the five questions and their condensed answers that we thought would be most helpful to voters in sorting through the field. Here are the expanded responses from the three candidates […]

When you think about summer activities, casting a vote in the primary election might not immediately leap to mind. But because state-level wrangling over the boundaries of legislative districts delayed the primary (usually held in the spring), that’s exactly what’s in store for North Carolina voters. This year’s primary happens Tuesday, July 20. Local candidates […]

For Xpress‘ 2004 primary-election coverage, our reporters asked the candidates a number of questions. We used a grid format in our print edition, publishing condensed answers to 10 questions that we thought would be most helpful to voters. Here are the expanded responses from the two candidates vying in the Democratic primary for a shot […]

BC 2004 Sure, Bele Chere is about to turn a venerable 26 — but if you think that means this year’s festival is going to be the same old same old, you better reboot that ol’ gray matter. Here’s the shortlist of some of the new takes on old favorites — and outright firsts — […]

Local film hits LA Many of the cast and crew of the locally-made 35mm feature film Sinkhole were on hand in Los Angeles recently for the film’s world premiere at the Dances With Films festival, a showcase for films with “no names, no politics, no bullsh*t.” It was an awesome experience, says director (and one-time […]

Task force takes aim at downtown problems The Downtown Social Issues Task Force will unveil its revised recommendations for dealing with graffiti, public drunkenness and panhandling at a public meeting on Wednesday June 30 at the Pack Place Forum (4:30-7 p.m.). After a series of presentations explaining its recommendations, the task force will hear public […]

Cooling off the elderly It’s only June and already the temperatures are exceeding 80 degrees on a regular basis. We all feel the heat and humidity, but the elderly are particularly vulnerable to heat exhaustion and heat stroke. Fortunately, Operation Fan-Heat Relief is now underway across North Carolina. Managed through the Division of Aging and […]

Step into the past What if you could go back in time and talk to a notable American, someone who had a real influence on our country’s culture and history? What would you say to them? You can get a taste of what that might be like at this year’s Buncombe County Chautauqua, which runs […]

Naked in Asheville Billed as “the world’s largest naked event since the dawn of the textile industry” by its organizers, the World Naked Bike Ride is coming to Asheville. In 25 cities in 10 different countries, naked bike riders are expected to take to the streets on Saturday, June 12 as a “protest [against] oil […]

Friends in deed For more than a quarter-century now, the Land-of-Sky Regional Council has been recognizing organizations and individuals who’ve made a significant contribution to restoring and enhancing the French Broad River. The 28th annual Friends of the River Dinner — part of this year’s French Broad River Month celebration — happens Tuesday, June 8, […]

A community report card An upcoming State of Our Community Meeting, co-hosted by the Asheville Area Chamber of Commerce and VISION, will give area residents a chance to check in with local leaders on how things are going, explains Betz Bigelow, director of the nonprofit Asheville-Buncombe VISION. This free community event takes place Thursday, May […]