As a new year emerges from the melted puddle of the old, it can be instructive to glance backward, surveying the landscape we’ve just traversed, and make some course adjustments ere we roll on. In this year’s edition of our annual tradition, Xpress has gathered fruit and pits from our 51 weekly editions in 2003 […]

A chip off the old tree Over the holidays, I heard about a community that recycles its Christmas trees by hauling them to the local zoo and letting the resident elephants chow down on them. Henderson County is a bit short on elephants, but it does boast an annual Christmas-tree recycling project coordinated by the […]

Red Cross Needs Holiday Blood Donations The American Red Cross has issued a request for blood donations as soon as possible. “The recent blast of winter weather caused the cancellation of several blood drives, preventing the collection of approximately 360 units of blood,” reports Randy Edwards, chief operating officer for the organization’s Carolinas Blood Services […]

Water you doing on Saturday? Rivers are only as clean as the myriad creeks that feed them. But how do you take care of a creek? Sounds like a job for creek keepers (trained volunteers who do just that). French Broad Riverkeeper Phillip Gibson wants to deputize a boatload of such folks to help him […]

The MAIN connection When the Mountain Area Information Network was founded back in 1994, only two Western North Carolina counties had commercial Internet service. Today, MAIN provides reliable, low-cost Internet service to some 5,000 subscribers in 14 counties. The nonprofit also offers other services, such as the Blue Ridge Web Market (which gives hundreds of […]

Plan Colombia comes to Asheville Luis Gilberto Murillo is the former governor of Choco, Colombia’s poorest state. His election as the youngest governor in that country’s history followed years spent organizing on behalf of environmental and ancestral-lands issues. During his tenure, Murillo became one of the most recognizable Afro-Colombian figures in the country, renowned for […]

West Asheville in a nutshell When I heard about the west Asheville slogan contest sponsored by the Haywood Road Corridor Committee, I walked around the office soliciting ideas. Here are some of the slogans my co-workers came up with: “How the west is one,” “Baptists, bakers and good coffee makers,” “Asheville’s Five Points,” and “It’s […]

What price violence? Despite the brilliant sunshine on Oct. 30, the mood at Pritchard Park could not have been more somber. About 30 people — including a half-dozen law-enforcement officers — gathered for the first Domestic Violence Victim Memorial Walk in memory of those who’ve died over the past 10 years due to family violence. […]

Edible architecture Get ready to don your apron and dig out your spatula — and, while you’re at it, brush up on your engineering skills! The Grove Arcade is holding a cake-baking contest as part of its first-year anniversary celebration from noon to 5 p.m. on Saturday, Nov. 22. Participating cake creators are asked to […]

Fueling the learning curve The city of Knoxville will soon debut four hybrid propane/electric-powered trolleys to serve its downtown area. And within the next five years, the Tennessee city aims to replace most of its fleet of buses, trolleys and vans with alternative-fueled vehicles, according to Barry Greenberg of Knoxville Area Transit. “These [trolleys] are […]

On Tuesday, Nov. 4, Asheville voters will choose three of the six people vying for a seat on City Council. Xpress asked each candidate the questions listed below. Their answers appear in the grid on the following pages. We first asked the six how much each plans to spend on the campaign. Terry M. BellamyWill […]

The art of making money Most artists would probably prefer to spend all their time at their easel, pottery wheel, laptop or loom. On the other hand, a lot of them would probably love it if they could make their art pay well enough that they could give up their day jobs. The second annual […]

The doggone fun just won’t stop If your pleasure-seeking pooch didn’t get enough of a waggish good time at the Doggie Carnival a couple of weeks back, here’s another opportunity: As part of this year’s Make a Difference Day, the Volunteer U will present an Animal Wellness Fair on Saturday, Oct. 25, 11 a.m. to […]

A doggone good time Make no bones about it — whether you’ve got a Max or a Maggie, a Pooky or a Pepe, the Asheville Humane Society’s third annual Doggie Carnival will give him or her something to chew on. The event happens Saturday, Oct. 11, 10 a.m.-4 p.m. at Phase IV of the French […]

A doggone good time Make no bones about it — whether you’ve got a Max or a Maggie, a Pooky or a Pepe, the Asheville Humane Society’s third annual Doggie Carnival will give him or her something to chew on. The event happens Saturday, Oct. 11, 10 a.m.-4 p.m. at Phase IV of the French […]

Trout saddles? Do mountain trout buck when you ride ’em? Well, RiverLink has sure raised the question, anyway. The local agency is hosting the Swannanoa Appreciation Day and Trout Rodeo at the Buncombe County Recreation Park, adjacent to the Nature Center, on Oct. 5 from 12-4 p.m. The free event will feature trout fishing from […]

At the cusp of a new year, most of us pause to reflect on the 12 months just past, in a spirit of celebration or regret, with an eye to improvement or, at least, making different mistakes as we roll on. In the pages that follow, Xpress has collected both the high points and the […]

One of the largest local gatherings to commemorate the events of last Sept. 11 will undoubtedly be the “Spirit of America Day of Caring and Remembrance.” United Way of Asheville and Buncombe County (in partnership with the city of Asheville and Buncombe County) is coordinating activities aimed at paying tribute to the victims and rescuers […]