Campus Life: When will it return and what will it look like?
Volume
26
/ Issue 45
Cover Design Credit:
Courtesy of Brevard CollegeCover Photography Credit:
Scott Southwick
Leaders of local private colleges and universities are staying positive about evolving plans to reopen this fall as they juggle concerns about finances and the health and safety of students, faculty and staff.
arts
Musician April Bennett gets creative in finding her ‘new normal’
Instead of a packed house, musician April Bennett and local hip-hop band Lyric played to a nearly empty space at the Orange Peel for the May 15 livestream of Downtown…Smart Bets: Come Together Asheville
Asheville Music School's online variety show is a substitute for its annual Sound Effects benefit concert.Smart Bets: The Great Reset
The podcast series features interviews with a variety of local figures who seek a better, sustainable world post-COVID-19.CaroMia releases new EP, enjoys slower pace of life
The Asheville-based singer/songwriter's collection "Green" was released May 15.Smart Bets: Mugs on a Mission
Proceeds from local ceramicist Libba Tracy's series benefit Bounty & Soul and the Black Mountain Center for the Arts.Smart Bets: Mark Bumgarner
The local Americana artist's new album "Just Above the Waterline" was released June 2.Local art class leaders meet COVID-19 challenges with creativity
For three local makers and educators, keeping art available is important to the local economy and to the Asheville area’s need for creative outlets as part of recovery from COVID-19…food
Kickback AVL keeps it local
When N.C. Gov. Roy Cooper closed restaurant dining rooms in mid-March, the Kickback AVL website became "a madhouse," says owner Jennie Townsend.Independent restaurants grapple with whether and how to reopen for in-house service
Dazed and confused might best describe the reaction from local restaurateurs to Phase 2 of the state's COVID-19 reopening plan, with side orders of determination and ingenuity.news
Safety measures tighten as the city combats the 1948 polio outbreak
In July 1948, as the number of polio cases and related deaths increased in Asheville, the city's health department began enacting orders to limit social gatherings. Initial ordinances were directed…Green in brief: Small firms claim exclusion from local public solar process, Forest Service OKs Buck Project
Mike Diethelm, president and founder of Asheville-based SolFarm Solar Co., says a $10 million construction bond requirement for would-be bidders on the solar projects "knocks out so many local medium…Expanded programs support behavioral health issues during pandemic
“You don’t have to be a psychiatrist to know that when you take away people’s routines and jobs, it’s difficult for them, especially if they have a mental illness,” says…Private colleges and universities plan amid uncertainties
This past spring, COVID-19 required schools to shift from in-person to online classes. Come fall, private colleges and universities are eager to reopen their campuses. For many of these institutions,…Biz briefs: Buncombe continues to see high COVID-19 unemployment, business closures
The county, North Carolina’s seventh-most populous, was fifth on the state’s list of counties by number of pandemic-related first-time unemployment insurance claimants in April. Of those claims, 21.7% were from…Turning 21 in quarantine
Turning 21 is a milestone. And for many, the celebration is often a raucous event. But for one Brevard College student, her big day was spent in quarantine on the…Commenters oppose housing incentives ahead of Council vote
Trees and trash proved contentious topics as members of Asheville City Council considered two Land Use Incentive Grants for affordable housing projects during a May 26 virtual meeting.Local doula offers virtual guidance during pandemic
When Buncombe County’s stay home, stay safe mandate went into effect, doulas were deemed nonessential. The classification was a hard pill to swallow for business owner Chama Woydak, who has…Asheville protests escalate as demonstrators respond to George Floyd killing
Asheville Police used tear gas and rubber bullets as demonstrators protested police brutality and racial injustice the evening of May 31.BCTDA to resume marketing with ‘soft call to action’
“Our objective is to safely and responsibly encourage travel, working hand-in-hand with our local health officials and government, as we move toward that direct invitation of visitors to our community,”…Campbell proposes 2021 Asheville budget amid ‘major uncertainty’
The total fiscal 2020-2021 city budget proposal stands at $184.6 million, a 3% decrease from last year’s total of $190.3 million, and will continue funding for existing services while limiting…opinion
Letter: Caskey works to recruit higher-paying jobs
"Brian Caskey, Democratic candidate for the Senate’s 48th District, is part of the Mills River team working to bring higher-paying jobs to our area."Letter: Action still needed on climate change
"We need to act now to set better targets before society returns to business as usual."Letter: Stand against those who take law into own hands
"It’s time to stand against those who take the law into their own hands through acts of racial hatred, intimidation and domestic terrorism."Letter: The freedom to stay healthy
"Let’s spend our money in places and in businesses that willingly follow the ordinances/laws that protect our families."Letter: A tip for those awaiting unemployment benefits
"If anyone is still trying to receive benefits at this time, I strongly suggest you contact your state senator."Meanwhile at the bird feeder
COVIDtown Crier: June 3, 2020
“Why are they publishing this Crier rubbish?” you may be asking. We certainly are. The rest of this edition of Mountain Xpress can’t help but show the tough times WNC…N.O. M.A.S.K.