“the current debate over the Confederate flag symbolizes not only racial but also social and class divisions in Southern society, all papered over by the election of a black president but exposed by the massacre in Charleston.”
Warren Wilson professor’s new book shows multicultural influence in southern Appalachian dance
Warren Wilson College Appalachian music professor Phil Jamison is set to release “Hoedowns, Reels, and Frolics: Roots and Branches of Southern Appalachian Dance.”
On the ball: an Asheville golf manifesto
“Maybe the two local country clubs could open [their golf courses] to the riffraff once a week, or the Grove Park Inn could run a Tuesday Plebeian Special. And the often empty local courses could open as general-use parks now and then, to benefit non golfers.”
TAPS healing retreat unites children of deceased veterans
A healing retreat held by the Tragedy Assistance Program for Survivors helps adult children of fallen soldiers cope with the lose of a parent.
Booze and bucks in Buncombe
“Local enforcement of federal and state liquor laws has long come with a big swig of hypocrisy.”
When past is present: Zeb Vance and his monument
“Wouldn’t it be nice have a few more parks, squares, green spaces, libraries and Urban Trail stops named after other important figures in Asheville’s and Western North Carolina’s history? You might be surprised by how many are not white males.”
Wings of Life documentary explores the lives of pollinators
In its continuing recognition of Asheville’s Pollination Celebration week, Bee City USA hosted a screening of Disneynature’s Wings of Life at the Fine Art Theatre on Thursday, June 19. The screening, which served as a benefit for Bee City USA, offered attendees a chance to understand the mysteries of pollination as told from the perspective of several types of flowers.
Michelle’s story: Closing the health insurance coverage gap
Michelle Wisda is a 44-year-old wife and mother. For 14 years, she and her husband raised their son in Chapel Hill, N.C., where Michelle worked in the public school system as a behavioral modification specialist, and her husband ran his own car-detailing business. In 2009, the recession hit hard, and her husband’s business felt the […]
Why are N.C. lawmakers pushing the use of drones without public debate?
“Unfortunately — especially given the feelings of paranoia that drones, by their very nature, tend to spur in a lot of people — open discussion and debate have not featured prominently in the equation in North Carolina. “
Student input must be part of search for new UNC president
If the next [UNC] president can’t first and foremost be an advocate for students, then what is the point?
Soaring ideals: Rethinking Asheville’s Vance Monument
“I urge all those attending the June 6 rededication to see it as the time to reconsider this person and time period, in part, as cultural artifacts. Rather than focusing only on honor and glory, I implore speakers and audience members alike to face history’s shadow side, and our own, to address this complex story in a way that embraces all the impacts.”
The Gospel According to Jerry: Moonshine memories
“Moonshine” was produced by the light of the moon, to prevent law enforcement from detecting the smoke from the fire required to distill the resulting alcohol. All that was needed to distribute joy and pleasure (or pain and suffering, depending on one’s viewpoint) to consumers was a delivery system.
Foraging for food, fun and adventure
Foragers live along a spectrum, and I’m fairly moderate, somewhere on the tamer end. I tag along occasionally with those who hew to a wilder code of living and eat closer to the land. The other day I served as assistant to well-known local, Alan Muskat, “The Mushroom Man,” on a wild foods tour he had arranged for some out-of-towners.
30 Days Out: a look at upcoming concerts
In this issue, I take a look at some truly remarkable artists coming to town, in styles ranging from rock to avant-garde (but accessible) minimalism, from R&B/soul to a hybrid of jazz and trance/jam.
ICYMI: Xpress feature reads from the week
How does a highway become an interstate? What happened to a teenager’s missing car? What do you know about where your ramps came from? All this and more in Xpress feature reads from the week. Did you miss it?
Arthur Morgan School installs largest solar array in multicounty area
Thanks to a fortuitous series of events, the school is finally able to mitigate its carbon footprint. This spring, solar panels are sprouting out of the ground in Moon Field.
Children First/Communities In Schools: Promoting student success
Children First/Communities In Schools (CIS) recognizes that when a child arrives prepared for school, their chances for success are exponentially increased, while the likelihood of dropping out of school is decreased.
River time: A placid day paddling the French Broad
Paddling the French Broad does not come with Class 5 Green River adrenaline needles to the senses. It’s more a Zen-like opportunity to seize the moment and appreciate life as it happens.
ICYMI: Xpress feature reads from the week
A songwriting contest offers a chance to perform at Sundance, Asheville takes up the challenge of National Bike Month and local restaurants opt for organic over GMO. Did you miss it?
ICYMI: Xpress feature stories from the week
Farm workers protest Publix, Woody Pines drops a self-titled album, Asheville’s shipping container restaurant nears completion and county commissioners can’t seem to get along in a timely fashion. Did you miss it?
Big Tobacco smokes Warren Wilson College
When I was in college back in 1969, we could smoke in class, and when I later started working in a medical research lab, we could smoke there too, even while handling blood and urine samples. We smoked on airplanes and in hospital rooms, at the bank and in movie theaters and courtrooms. Today, that dumb, tobacco-friendly world is (mostly) long gone … except, that is, when I visit Warren Wilson College’s gorgeous campus.