Twenty-five teams gathered at Asheville Pizza and Brewing Company on Coxe Avenue yesterday evening. After a night of fast-paced scripting, Team UNCA was on site this morning filming their fantasy-based story.
Living lettuce: L.O.T.U.S. Urban Farm and Garden Supply
L.O.T.U.S. Urban Farm and Garden Supply does everything from greenhouse equipment sales to beehive removal. But the jewel of the business is its aquaponics system.
Developer finalizes purchase of Coggins Farm property
A controversial proposed subdivision is now becoming a reality. David Case, lead developer for Coggins Farm L.L.C., has confirmed to Mountain Xpress that his company will finalize its purchase of 169 acres of historic farmland off Riceville Road known as Coggins Farm today at 5 p.m.
Friends Against Butts aims to capture and recycle cigarette butts
Even though his organization is called Friends Against Butts, make no mistake, Rowdy Keelor wants your butts. Cigarette butts, that is. An Asheville environmentalist and host of Asheville FM’s “Best Day Ever,” Keelor and three others founded the venture earlier this year with the goal of recycling as many cigarette butts as possible
Take a magnificent look at the sun through a telescope on International SUNday
On Sunday, June 21, the Astronomy Club of Asheville will pay respect to that giant glowing ball, in celebration of International SUNday.
Castell Photography Gallery closes
Over the last six years Castell Photography Gallery has organized an uninterrupted roster of the most innovative and intelligent photography exhibitions that Asheville has yet seen. The gallery has shown some of the medium’s greatest practitioners — historic and contemporary, national and local. But that has now come to an end.
Leveling the playing field: Airbnb starts collecting taxes on Buncombe County rentals
Asheville’s status as a top tourist destination has sparked a boom in vacation lodging, including short-term rentals and homestays as well as hotels. Amid considerable controversy, local listings on Airbnb have skyrocketed in recent months.
A launch, an anniversary and a closing
Corn Close: A Cottage In Dentdale, otherwise known as Jargon #116, debuts Thursday, June 18 at The Captain’s Bookshelf. PUSH Skateshop and Gallery debuts its second full-length skate video, Left On Red, and PUSH: A Retrospective at PUSH Gallery, an exhibition of photographs and memorabilia.
Public meeting will kick off plans to bring form-based codes to the RAD
The City of Asheville will hold a public meeting on Wednesday, June 17, to discuss the process of adapting form-based codes in the River Arts District.
Buncombe approves $388 million budget for 2016 fiscal year
At the Tuesday, June 16, Buncombe County Board of Commissioners meeting, commissioners approved the $388 million budget for the 2016 fiscal year, an economic development incentive grant for Tyco Electronics Corporation and two connected rezoning requests — and tabled a third rezoning request for the board’s next meeting in August.
Weaverville subdivision gets the green light
Several Parker Cove residents stood before the Buncombe County Planning Board on Monday, June 15, hoping to convince the board to deny approval for a revised plan for the subdivision called Maple Trace. However, the board decided to give the developer the go-ahead with the revised plan.
New media alerts pages deliver instant info and strife to rural WNC counties
A new paradigm for community news may be emerging in Western North Carolina’s famously independent and insular rural counties, traditionally served mainly by small weekly newspapers. Thousands of people in these sparsely populated areas are now getting up-to-the-minute local news via Facebook.
Update: NC board of elections finishes holding hearings on how best to enforce voter ID law
Update 6/15: The canary coalition recorded the June 11th Jackson county input meeting. The group has the video of the proceedings publicly available. Today is the final day for public input on the proposed rules for accepting voter identification at polling places. Submit comments via email to rules@ncsbe.gov Lines are expected to lengthen at the polls […]
Quick dish: A slice of Greece at Papa’s Pizza
Although Papa’s Pizza’s location on New Leicester Highway is removed from the bustle of the Asheville food scene, owner Kostas Dotsikas‘s vision is one familiar to downtown foodies: Greek dishes made from scratch with local ingredients. Dotsikas bought Papa’s Pizza in 2002 and runs it with the help of his sister; wife, Amy Dotsikas; and parents, Jimmy and Tina Dotsikas, who […]
Character education: Complaint about “The Kite Runner” raises First Amendment issues
This spring, a 10th-grade honors English class was supposed to be studying Khaled Husseini’s acclaimed novel about two boys from different social classes growing up in 1970s Afghanistan. On April 27, teacher Brooke Bowman sent a letter to parents explaining the value of the 2003 best-seller as a teaching tool while warning of its mature content. In the scene in question, a servant boy is beaten and sexually assaulted by an older boy from a wealthier family.
Proposed mural to honor history of Shindig on the Green
A local visual artist has volunteered to paint a 24-foot mural in Pack Square Park to honor Shindig on the Green’s equally enormous history. The project is being supported by local groups including Folkmoot USA and the Blue Ridge National Heritage Area who are holding a fundraiser for it this Sunday.
In photos: Renaissance Hotel kicks off pollinator week with bees on the roof
Brightly colored wooden hives full of bees now sit on top of the 12-story roof of the Renaissance Asheville Hotel as part of a program to encourage pollinator activity in downtown.
Chairlift: Silver River Center for Chair Caning adds school and museum
Silver River Center for Chair Caning will be the nation’s first chair caning school and museum, bringing a centuries-old craft to Asheville’s modern-day riverside.
Buncombe County Commissioners vote on budget at June 16 meeting
They’ve heard funding requests from nonprofits and others, they’ve seen the budget draft, and they’ve considered the public comments. Now, at the Tuesday, June 16 regular meeting, the Buncombe County Board of Commissioners will vote on the finalized budget for the 2016 fiscal year.
Craft as mindset, REVOLVE as dialogue
REVOLVE, a new theory-minded artist collective and think space in the River Arts District, offers a venue for artists and craftspeople to share ideas and develop concepts.
Asheville Inline Hockey League offers free youth summer clinics
What started as a small group of youths back in the ’90s has evolved into a vibrant league, with around 100 players signing up each spring and fall. The arrival of the Asheville Smoke, an United Hockey League team, arguably had an influence on the creation of the youth league, which “officially” began in the parking lot of the Salvation Army on the west side of town almost 17 years ago.