Blockbuster: Vance monument comes down
Volume
27
/ Issue 43
Cover Design Credit:
Scott SouthwickCover Photography Credit:
Andrew Celwyn
Zebulon Baird Vance was a Buncombe County native, slave owner, North Carolina governor and U.S. senator who fervently supported the Confederacy. On May 17, a crew began demolishing a monument to Vance that has stood in downtown Asheville for 123 years. The city estimated the removal would take two weeks.
arts
The art of the single
Unable to rely on touring as venues slowly reopen, local singer-songwriters are taking a new approach to making and sharing music.Asheville Middle School tackles the past
Over the course of the 2020-2021 school year, seventh graders at Asheville Middle School have worked to uncover the past as a way to better understand the present day and…Around town: Local musicians cast in ‘Yacht Stops’ reality series
April Bennett, Jaze Uries and Brennan Dugan take to the sea; the Historic Montford Garden Tour returns; and more area arts news.food
Restaurants can open at full capacity, but staffing is a challenge
In theory, Gov. Roy Cooper’s May 14 announcement lifting mandatory capacity and gathering limits and allowing fully vaccinated diners to leave their masks at home should allow North Carolina restaurants…What’s new in food
Darë Vegan Cheese receives a NC IDEA SEED grant for expansion, a new sourdough bread operation is on the rise, a new tailgate market launches in Weaverville and more local…news
Asheville Archives: Herbert Hoover Jr. convalesces in Asheville, 1930-31
For six months, Herbert Hoover Jr. lived in Asheville. During his stay, residents and reporters alike eagerly awaited a visit from his father, the president of the United States of…Asheville Archives: The three burials of Zebulon Vance
Zebulon Vance died on April 14, 1894. For a brief six weeks, his remains lay peacefully inside Riverside Cemetery. But by early June, a dispute among surviving family resulted in…Patients, staff challenge quality of care at Mission Hospital under HCA management
Since investor-owned HCA Healthcare bought nonprofit Mission Health System in 2019, stories are increasingly common of long waits in the emergency room, unsanitary conditions, broken or missing equipment, patients having…Take me to the river: What’s next in the RAD?
Some predict high demand for residential and retail space, as illustrated by several development projects planned or under construction. There are also fears that rising real estate prices may eventually…Vance Monument removal begins
Work started May 17, and demolition of the 123-year-old monument to Zebulon Baird Vance in downtown Asheville is expected to take two weeks to complete, says city spokesperson Polly McDaniel.…Asheville schools resist transparency in budget talks
Specifics on how the Asheville City Schools system spends its local allocation (at over $5,800 per student, the second-highest in North Carolina) and its plans to reduce costs have been…Libraries proposal would transform Buncombe system
Projected capital investment costs for implementing the library plan total at least $81 million over the next 15 years, including nearly $18 million for a new 25,000-square-foot facility in Enka/Candler…opinion
Letter: Asheville and Buncombe schools should be all one
"The bloated Asheville City Schools needs to be heavily doctored and combined into Buncombe County Schools for the desired all-one effect."Letter: County government spending is an election issue
"If we elect spendthrifts, the funds will be wasted. We need to be careful about who we vote for."Conservation proposal protects Buncombe’s future
"The funds would be used to help farmers and others in the county place their grasslands and forests under conservation easements to preserve them for future generations."Letter: ACS should fix two-tiered enrollment system
"It is past time to significantly update or eliminate the two-tiered enrollment system and officially recognize and figure out transportation for “out-of-district” students who live in Asheville Housing Authority projects…Letter: Buncombe County — cog in wheel of death or prizewinner?
"And within a year, Buncombe County, where Pratt & Whitney has recently broken ground, will become another cog in the wheel of death."Meet the goobs
Letter: Perplexed by shortsighted, myopic opinions
"Does no one see these things affect each other?"Letter: The occupancy tax and the soul of the city
"The secret was out long ago. So, just how many millions do we need to promote, to advertise this town?"Monument monument