Don’t Inhale Yet: Hemp industry fears potential flower ban
Volume
25
/ Issue 49
Cover Design Credit:
Scott SouthwickCover Photography Credit:
Laura Hackett
Local hemp growers hold their breath while state lawmakers and law enforcement agencies struggle to get a handle on the hazy legal nuances of regulating the new industry. On the cover: Libby Meier examines some dried hemp flowers.
arts
News briefs: Thomas Wolfe Auditorium survey, WNC nonprofits receive $900K in awards
The questionnaire will advise the city on which updates and renovations of the Thomas Wolfe Auditorium best serve community needs. Once the survey is completed, Earl Swensson Associates Architects will…‘Push TV’ group show features TV and film pop-art mashups
Creations by Joshua Marc Levy, Greu and Travis Medford have an opening reception on June 28 at Push Skate Shop & Gallery.Smart Bets: Billy Jonas Band
The Asheville-based all-ages band plays The Grey Eagle on June 30.Michelle Malone plays her first show at Isis Music Hall
Working with other artists became a steady through-line in Michelle Malone’s career. Her latest album, 2018’s Slings and Arrows, includes songs she co-wrote with Randall Bramlett and up-and-coming Atlanta artist…Smart Bets: Chamber Music Society of the Carolinas
The former Swannanoa Chamber Music Festival adopts a new name for its 50th year, which runs June 29-July 22.Theater review: ‘The Odd Couple’ at SART
The show was probably played as contemporary from its 1965 Broadway premiere through at least the early 1990s, but it's become a bit of a relic of its era, with…The Grey Eagle celebrates its 25th anniversary
Music booker Jeff Whitworth says that he often hears positive comments. “People will tell me, ‘Thank you for hosting metal shows at The Grey Eagle,’ or, ‘I'm glad somebody’s booking…Smart Bets: Oshima Brothers
The Maine-based folk/pop siblings play Isis on June 27.Asheville Percussion Festival focuses on local rhythms
The 8th annual Asheville Percussion Festival runs through Monday, July 1, with workshops, demos and concerts.Smart Bets: Death by Sparkle
The staged reading of Barbie Angell’s play opens The Magnetic Theatre’s New Play Development Program on June 27.food
Beer Scout: Few local breweries market to Asheville’s thirsty Latinx community
Catawba and New Belgium are among the select Asheville breweries that try to reach beer-loving immigrants from Central and South America.Some brick-and-mortars in the Asheville food and beverage scene are going mobile
It's common for food truck owners to aspire to one day transition to a brick-and-mortar restaurant, but sometimes that dynamic is reversed.Small bites: Vegan Barbecue Cookoff returns
The BLOCK Off Biltmore will host the second consecutive Great North Carolina Vegan Barbecue Cookoff. Also: The Market Place Restaurant celebrates 40 years; Tupelo Honey hosts pairing brunch; and more.living
Western Carolina University hosts annual Cullowhee Native Plant Conference
The conference's five days of field trips, lectures, workshops and networking opportunities has made it "a model for similar native plant gatherings around the country," says organizer Bobby Hensley.Green in brief: Asheville releases guide to climate resilience, RiverLink plans sale of French Broad land for restaurant
“Building a Climate-Resilient Asheville,” debuted during a June 19 meeting of the city’s Sustainability Advisory Committee on Energy and the Environment at The Collider, focuses on practical steps individuals can…movies
Screen Scene: Local film news
Local filmmaker Erin Derham's taxidermy documentary has its Asheville premiere June 29 at The Orange Peel.news
Asheville Archives: The Tyler Building’s earliest occupants, 1928
On Nov. 11, 1928, The Sunday Citizen announced the opening of the Tyler Building. The three-story building, which still stands today, totals 90,000 square feet. It took five months to…Prepare to Merge
ASHEVILLE, N.C.Buncombe County faces a lack of affordable, accessible child care
While more than 1,500 Buncombe children received care through state-funded vouchers that reduce the costs for working parents, hundreds remain on the waiting list for assistance.Ready, Set, Go
ASHEVILLE, N.C.Biz briefs: Employment, home prices and visitor numbers all trending upward
Asheville metro manufacturing employment grew by 1,400 jobs in the fourth quarter, the sector's strongest performance in over two decades. Buncombe unemployment continued to be the lowest in the state,…Budding hemp industry holds its breath over potential flower ban
In late May, the N.C. State Bureau of Investigation proposed banning all smokable hemp flower, in addition to more stringent regulation of hemp processing and a host of other precautions.…New Mission execs tout initial growth, promise continued investment
While returning repeatedly to messages of growth and their commitment to long-term investments in the region’s health care infrastructure, the CEO and CFO for HCA Healthcare's new North Carolina division…Commissioners OK $455.5 million county budget
The Buncombe County Board of Commissioners approved the proposal — including over $334.5 million in general fund spending, the portion primarily funded by property taxes — in a 6-1 vote…Buncombe shares early goals for tourism dollars
The county's strategic thinking on tourism, explained Director of Intergovernmental Projects Tim Love, has focused on “the circulation of tourists to our unique, eclectic and vibrant community destinations.” That mission…opinion
Letter: A vote for new Movies format
"I personally prefer the present mode of reviewing movies, barring the return from the grave of Cranky Hanke."Letter: Hopes for alternative baseball in Asheville
"I am also the commissioner/director of the Alternative Baseball Organization, a 501(c)(3) authentic baseball experience for teens 15-plus and adults with autism and special needs across America. We are searching…Letter: A miracle return, thanks to microchipping
"So, in closing, please, please microchip your pet(s) if you haven't already. It’s worth the peace of mind — if the almost unthinkable happens as it did to us —…Letter: Greed, corruption and the decline of Asheville
"Low wages, corporate landlords, lack of rent control, high prices, brutal traffic, the fake homeless, street crime and white collar crime have all combined to make Asheville an increasingly undesirable…