The @#$% weather?

I’m a Mountain Xpress fan. Ask anyone. I’ve been at the loading dock Wednesday mornings to pick up early copies. Sometimes I even steal pages from my parrot’s cage to re-read a story. But there are limits.

The cover story of your Oct. 8 issue, illustrated with gay pastel shades of rain and a pink umbrella, has got to be the nadir of local journalism. The stock market falls over 2,000 points, retirement funds are wiped out, retail sales along Haywood are drying up, local citizens are losing jobs, tourism in this season of leaf-watching is down to a trickle in face of $4 gas. And Mountain Xpress, my trusted provider of news designed to “build community and strengthen democracy by serving an active, thoughtful readership at the local level,” runs a cover story on an alternative weather forecasting service.

The weather? The @#$%% weather?

Very publicly, for the past three weeks, this global economic calamity is not only changing worldwide power relationships, it is in the process of fundamentally transforming our day-to-day lives in ways we cannot yet fully imagine. And in the eye of this storm, instead of thoughtful and timely reporting of the story, the editors of Mountain Xpress have the sang-froid to coolly offer a cover story introducing us to a new source of weather information. Why? And why now?

Sure, “Local Matters.” But like the weather, a global phenomenon like collapsing world economies creates decisive local impacts. Asheville is part of the world, and when that world comes roaring up I-240 frothing at the mouth, I’d like to think Mountain Xpress is going to take note, report on the events and pass along some coping strategies our fellow citizens are employing.

Mountain Xpress covers a lot more than arts and entertainment, the environment and city hall. It covers Asheville—and sometimes, in these stormy times, an umbrella doesn’t really cut it.

— Gene Senyak
West Asheville

SHARE

Thanks for reading through to the end…

We share your inclination to get the whole story. For the past 25 years, Xpress has been committed to in-depth, balanced reporting about the greater Asheville area. We want everyone to have access to our stories. That’s a big part of why we've never charged for the paper or put up a paywall.

We’re pretty sure that you know journalism faces big challenges these days. Advertising no longer pays the whole cost. Media outlets around the country are asking their readers to chip in. Xpress needs help, too. We hope you’ll consider signing up to be a member of Xpress. For as little as $5 a month — the cost of a craft beer or kombucha — you can help keep local journalism strong. It only takes a moment.

About Webmaster
Mountain Xpress Webmaster Follow me @MXWebTeam

Before you comment

The comments section is here to provide a platform for civil dialogue on the issues we face together as a local community. Xpress is committed to offering this platform for all voices, but when the tone of the discussion gets nasty or strays off topic, we believe many people choose not to participate. Xpress editors are determined to moderate comments to ensure a constructive interchange is maintained. All comments judged not to be in keeping with the spirit of civil discourse will be removed and repeat violators will be banned. See here for our terms of service. Thank you for being part of this effort to promote respectful discussion.

2 thoughts on “The @#$% weather?

  1. September Girl

    I loved the weather issue. Weather is going to become more important than money to all of us if the world doesn’t act quickly to reduce pollution and slow down global warming. Plus, climate data management, weather forecasting and climate modeling have the potential to make significant contributions to our local economy.

  2. brebro

    I think they should be commended. I mean, everybody does something about the weather, but nobody ever talks about it.

Leave a Reply to brebro ×

To leave a reply you may Login with your Mountain Xpress account, connect socially or enter your name and e-mail. Your e-mail address will not be published. All fields are required.