Xpress asked readers to share their experiences of Tropical Storm Helene. This is one of those stories.
‘A city of heroes’: Helene showed the collective power of Asheville
Editor’s note: The following is the text of Asheville Fire Chief Michael Cayse’s speech at the Oct. 22 candlelight vigil held at Pack Square Park in downtown Asheville to honor those affected by Tropical Storm Helene. Good evening, Asheville. My name is Mike Cayse, I have the pleasure of being the fire chief for this […]
My Story: Getting trees off roofs and feeling community support
“I worked from High Point and kept answering phones and coordinating help — finding out which tree crews with cranes were where and getting that information to anyone with a tree on their house.”
My Story: Neighbors DIY it to source water for East End/Valley Street
“By Sunday, it became clear that our water infrastructure wasn’t going to improve anytime soon, and our neighbors needed a way to flush their toilets. We decided to gather creek water using buckets and bins from a friend’s property and bring it back for our neighbors.”
Handing over the keys: Xpress sponsors supply run
Xpress recently sponsored a supply run to Mecklenburg County. Distribution coordinator Cindy Kunst got the vehicle ready for Xpress managing editor Thomas Calder, who made the trip.
From first cover story, Xpress offered meaningful work
Former Xpress reporter and managing editor Cecil Bothwell reflects on his first cover story for the paper and more.
Community embraced Xpress — and it showed
Former Xpress advertising director Wanda Edney recalls the early years of the newspaper’s growth in WNC.
Road hog: The I-26 Disconnector
“But while small portions of the road do appear to be much-needed transformations, will we now turn away in disgust and denial over what we’re doing to the people, animals and environments that will be most dreadfully affected?”
Home sweet homeless: The Gospel According to Jerry
“I recently sat down with Sheriff Quentin Miller, one of our outstanding public servants and community leaders, who’s proposed a very promising solution to this problem — and it’s sitting right under our noses.”
My Story: You can’t see what lies round the bend
“Realizing that some people might assume I disliked the preacher due to his religious views, I included this sentence in the book’s acknowledgements: ‘I don’t believe in supernatural beings of any stripe, and I happily acknowledge that I could be wrong.’”
Embracing GIMBY — goodness in my backyard
“Like many people living in harmonious communities that are under constant assault, I don’t object to more neighbors per se — as long as the proper roads, sidewalks, tree buffers and infrastructure are in place before the first tree is cut, the first scoop of dirt moved, and as long as horrific decisions aren’t rushed and/or driven by panic or greed.”
The astonishing world of forest fungi
“But for all the botanical diversity these mountains are renowned for, there are roughly twice as many known species of local fungi as there are plants.”
Passing the torch: A Jew in Asheville
“Another watershed moment in the evolution of Jewish social acceptance came in 1992, when the Biltmore Forest Country Club accepted its first Jewish member.”
Let’s make the city’s pop-up parks permanent
“With the city bond proposal and some rigorous assertion of eminent domain, we could fight back against this myopic system and turn all these properties into permanent, beautiful parks — or some other development with big green spaces and little crowding.”
Changing minds: A Jew in Asheville
“I knew he was a member of the Asheville Country Club. So, seizing the moment while we were waiting in the car, I raised the delicate issue of the club’s deliberate exclusion of Jews.”
What happens if UNC dismantles diversity programs?
“In academia, DEI crosses multiple disciplines, and in the real world, as in our classrooms, DEI is about learning to pass the mic.”
Should we just stop building?
“Yet what of that distinguished legacy is reflected in our current and utterly unremarkable boom?”
Pondering waste in its many forms
“The onslaught started a few months ago, when my partner and I joined the City of Asheville’s composting program. The chore of taking our slop bucket to the East Asheville Library branch has been a revelation — of maggots.”
My Story: Paddling upstream in the Amazon (b)rainforest
“I am a modestly successful author of 17 books, only one of which ever generated a steady income. (Hence the modesty.)”
High times in the ’70s: A Jew in Asheville
“For the next 24 hours, we had armed agents guarding the gate and the driveway, and lookouts toting automatic weapons were posted on the roof.”
Why I can’t support the Woodfin de-annexation request
“The decision to begin collecting a stormwater fee was made because, prior to 2019 and 2020, Woodfin had essentially just gotten away with not satisfying the mandatory obligations of its MS4 permit.”