“The good news is that there are many local, national and international groups that are open, alive and thriving, resisting inequality, consumerism, racism, militarism and passivity by using their hearts and minds.”
New Stories
Letter: Now I get the Merrimon Avenue plan
“Instead of wasting all that money to destroy Merrimon Avenue, why wasn’t it used to improve and fix the well-known antiquated water system that left so many people without water for extended periods over the holidays?”
Buncombe seeks more input on 20-year roadmap
Buncombe County’s Comprehensive Plan 2043, the draft of which was released in December, is now in the fourth and last phase of its development. County officials are seeking a final round of input from the community before the plan’s approval by the Planning Board and Board of Commissioners, currently slated for May.
Sunrise Recovery opens drop-in center
During the peak of the COVID-19 pandemic in 2020-21, the organization saw 14,000 peer interactions. In 2022, its peer interactions more than doubled to 33,000.
Letter: Why you should talk to your children and teens about porn
“Online pornography is free; there are no age restrictions, and I know it is hard to acknowledge, but if your child has a device and is 8 or older, they may have seen porn.”
Asheville Archives: City confronts nursing issues, 1923
In 1923, a nursing shortage inspired plenty of discussion in multiple editions of The Asheville Citizen.
Health checkup: Offering spiritual guidance to student athletes
Kelsey Davis, director of Blue Ridge Service Corps and Campus Missioner at Western Carolina University and the University of North Carolina – Asheville, discusses her role of providing collegiate athletes spiritual guidance and the challenges athletes face.
Letter: When teddy bears meet power lines
“Someone had tied some teddy bears together and adeptly tossed them over the power lines in front of the café, shorting out the power system and leaving half of the block without electricity.”
Letter: A creative solution for affordable housing
“The city would benefit by (1) selling the condos and getting repaid most or all of its investment and (2) using the sales proceeds to fund other housing options.”
Health checkup: Patience and access
Joe Wilkerson, founder of Body-Integrated Psychotherapy, discusses his efforts to serve the community and the problem of the wellness-as-commodity model.
Health checkup: More than self-defense
Tony Morris, the owner of Asheville Sun Soo Martial Arts, discusses misconceptions about martial arts, as well as the physical and mental benefits of the form.
WNC explores psychedelic mushrooms for mental health
People who use mushrooms for depression or anxiety often have a clinical history of using pharmaceutical antidepressants or anti-anxiety medication. But for several reasons — undesired side effects, acclimation to the dosage or the drugs simply not working — they find those medications wanting.
Health checkup: Working with and for the community
Ameena Batada, co-director of the University of North Carolina – Asheville – UNC – Gillings Master of Public Health program, discusses community support, her work to address health inequities and the power of friendship.
Demystifying yoga with local teachers
Different yoga studios, styles and teachers can each offer completely different takes on the practice, each suited for different wellness needs. Xpress set out to explore some of the varieties of yoga available in the area and spoke to a number of local teachers about their yoga journeys.