Horse Power: Veterans find solace among equines
Volume
30
/ Issue 49
Cover Design Credit:
Scott SouthwickCover Photography Credit:
Caleb Johnson
Marine Corps veteran Jake LaRue, featured on this week’s cover, is the founder of Man With a Horse Project, a nonprofit dedicated to equine-assisted learning. Working with horses and other veterans, he says, “is what keeps me sane.” And LaRue is not alone. “There really are healing properties to just being with [horses],” says fellow veteran Samantha Simmons
arts
Dialing for dollars: Artist grants can offer key support
The grant application process can be time-consuming and frustrating for artists. Is it worth the effort?From the heart: An Asheville nurse shares her combat experience through song
A songwriting retreat with the nonprofit Freedom Sings USA helped U.S. Air Force veteran Michelle Dolan process memories about an injured Afghan child named Zahara.Landmark Kinks album inspires Chris Tullar’s ‘Not Arthur’
The leader of local pop group Carpal Tullar used The Kinks' song titles as inspiration to develop a completely original concept.The art of singing the national anthem at McCormick Field
Chuck Killian, Amanda Gentry and David Bradly share their experiences singing "The Star-Spangled Banner” before Asheville Tourists games.Around town: The Big Crafty is back
The Big Crafty returns, Weaverville library gets a new logo, Romeo & Juliet adaptation comes to NC Stage, Jewish poetry conference and more!food
What’s new in food: New Woodfin shop makes fresh tortillas daily
Tortillas La Regia specializes in both flour and corn varieties. Also in this week's food news, Cooperative Coffee Roasters adds a café, Fairview gets a new wine bar with garden…living
Veterans find healing by working with horses
The equine-human bond underpins U.S. Marine Corps veteran Jake LaRue’s own healing journey. Working with horses and other veterans “is what keeps me sane,” he says.news
Golden Agers: For the love of gardening
For the past four years, local resident Glenn Jolappa has given back to his community by creating a series of gardens in his apartment complex.Churches welcome homeless families in Safe Shelter initiative
On April 29, Grace Episcopal opened its doors to Safe Shelter and provided overnight accommodations to five families and six adults who were homeless, says Safe Shelter director Christian Chambers.…Stephens-Lee alumni work to keep legacy alive 100 years after first graduating class
Growing up in Buncombe County, Angel Redmond never thought much about Stephens-Lee High School, the institution that educated Black students in Western North Carolina for four decades until it closed…Homeless veteran finds a new life in Asheville
“What female veterans have in common with male veterans is they were part of a tribe, a larger family with a greater purpose. And when they're released from the military,…Edneyville teacher recalls part in D-Day anniversary celebrations in France
Jordan Chambliss went to France as part of the D-Day 80th Anniversary Collegiate Mass Band. She spoke with Xpress about how she got into music, why she decided to join…Asheville City Schools considers staff cuts
Even after making some cuts to increased expenditures and allocating $3 million from reserves, the district may need to cut staff to close the $1.2 million budget gap, she said.Buncombe school board opposes private school vouchers
The Buncombe County Board of Education is not happy with the direction state legislators are taking in funding schools.BCTDA gets overview of AVL airport’s growth, construction
Forward, the airport’s construction and design initiative, is expanding the airport from seven gates to 12 with a new baggage claim, two concourses, a concession plaza, and windows throughout the…Council approves rezoning near RAD against staff recommendation
“This is a straight rezoning, not a project,” Mayor Esther Manheimer said. “A sidewalk is not a requirement we can make.”opinion
Letter: Building Bridges owes debt to Greenlee
"Tyrone has helped not only Buncombe County through his facilitating of the practical and visionary aspects of Building Bridges, but he has also helped an awful lot of kids who…Letter: Support local troops in harm’s way
"Regardless of how you feel about this war now, I hope you will help and support the troops and write letters and send care packages to those on ships in…Failed mission
Letter: The crisis in K-12 public education
"Today, North Carolina ranks 48th in the country in per-pupil funding ($4,655 below the national average and dead last when it comes to school funding effort)."To a certain degree