“One thing that has been a constant throughout all my job and career paths has been my vision to live a creative life.”
Women in business: Follow the path that interests you
“Who knew I’d go from scooping up some poop to running a business that is fighting to stop climate change?”
Overcoming obstacles: The Gospel According to Jerry
“Hopefully, all the dedication, caring, support and love nurtured by the Arthur Edington Center will help these wonderful youngsters survive the racism, crime, drugs and poverty that they encounter almost daily and go on to become professionals, businesspeople and/or social and community workers.”
How to make Indigenous Peoples Day mean something
“As we collectively move to recognize Indigenous Peoples Day in Asheville, my hope is that actual Indigenous people and the issues they confront are at the forefront of what we do, how we reflect and how we acknowledge the deep responsibility we have to the land we inhabit.”
It’s long past time we ended pointless wars
“Veterans have earned the care the Charles George affords them, but how much better would it be if we pursued peace and didn’t ask our citizens to participate in military actions the world over?”
Adventure stories: Start with being loose
“My granddaughter Kennedy and I have been adventuring around Western North Carolina for as long as she can remember.”
Adventure stories: Lessons learned while tubing
“Ella at 7 loved the gentle rapids but yearned to be released from our ‘stay in the inner tube’ rule.”
Adventure stories: Readers and writers share their tales
Xpress readers and writers share their own true tales of adventure — from unexpected encounters with nature to wild career rides and more.
Adventure stories: Adventures in stupidity
“Several months into what turned out to be a yearlong stint in Latin America, I ill-advisedly took it into my head to spend the night atop a highly active Guatemalan volcano.”
Secrecy surrounding Pratt & Whitney deal raises critical issues
“Does this mean the county commissioners were dealing in the dark, even down to the $27 million tax incentive package they gave Pratt & Whitney, a $20 billion company?”
Beyond a monument: Creating change for local Black communities
“This raises the question of what funds are being used for advancing diversity, equity and inclusion and how they can be better allocated all around to create a positive cycle of change.”
I accuse: Channeling Emile Zola in today’s Asheville
“I am certain the French author would take no offense at a less talented voice borrowing his ‘J’Acuse’ model. What better way to challenge a home community that is similarly darkened by discounted vanities, harms and pretense?”
Asheville needs less shouting, more listening
“Each segment of the community is yelling at the elected officials to promote its particular point of view, but there’s no structure for helping us all listen to one another across differences, en route to achieving mutually agreeable solutions.”
A better solution for Charlotte Street
“Can we allow for growth and address our affordable housing needs while also combating climate change and maintaining the character of our neighborhoods?”
RIP Vance Monument: A modest proposal revisited
“To maintain civic cohesion, we must convince these souls that despite the failure of their cause, they can return to the fold as legitimate members of this community. Think of it as a kind of reconstruction.”
Conservation proposal protects Buncombe’s future
“The funds would be used to help farmers and others in the county place their grasslands and forests under conservation easements to preserve them for future generations.”
101 Charlotte St. deftly balances conflicting priorities
“Asheville is changing, and since affordable housing is already in short supply, every neighborhood has a responsibility to accept its share of new, denser residential projects, despite the inevitable protests by vocal citizen groups.”
Buncombe commissioners must rein in the TDA
“Other cities have used their occupancy taxes to direct millions to infrastructure and social programs while still supporting vibrant tourism industries. Why can’t we?”
Please don’t trample Heller’s blazing star (and other rare treasures)
“Help us make a difference with some of our rarest species by joining thousands of visitors in the simple act of staying on trails and heeding any ‘area closed’ signs.”
Soul medicine: The green splendor of rich cove forests
“Appalachian rich coves are among the most diverse plant communities in North America, home to three times as many rare plant species as are found in other forest types.”
From bigotry to advocacy: The Gospel According to Jerry
“To be honest, it was those very acts of civil disobedience — the lunch counter sit-ins by dignified young Black people, the reasoned speeches of Martin Luther King and the angry voice of Malcolm X — that gradually opened my eyes.”