Letter writer: Thousands of small solutions exist for Asheville’s white-supremacy problem

Reading Jerry Sternberg‘s opinion piece, “Gospel According to Jerry: Confessions of a Recovering Racist” [Feb. 11, Xpress], inspired a lot of feelings in me: Irritation, disgust and confusion were the big ones, but there was also a sense of relief. Here is someone with white-skin privilege talking about racism in Asheville, acknowledging that he is a recovering racist and asking about solutions.

Asheville on Bikes shows some Bike Love, pushes advocacy, education

Asheville on Bikes wants more people to ride their bike to work, and they have a plan to achieve it. “We need to fulfill the mission of changing commuters from ‘interested but concerned,’ to ‘enthused and confident,’” said Mike Sule, director of Asheville on Bikes. Sule presented information at the group’s annual Bike Love fundraiser […]

Feasibilit­y study encouragin­g for River Arts District whitewater park

A feasibility study report delivered this week indicates that a whitewater park could conceivably be built in Asheville’s River Arts District within four years time. Colorado based Scott Shipley’s firm, S20 Design and Engineering, delivered plans for the park on the French Broad River, which is an “in-stream” concept, having multiple channels for enthusiasts of […]

Duke Energy charged with criminal violations of Clean Water Act in Asheville, 4 other plants

Update: On Friday, Feb. 20, the Associated Press reported that Duke Energy, the nation’s largest power company, has been charged with criminal violations of the Clean Water Act at five North Carolina power plants, including the plant in Asheville. The AP reports that the charges are felony violations, while the News & Observer in Raleigh reports the power company […]

Letter writer: Asheville offers multiple spiritual (and nonspiritu­al) paths

I enjoyed the cover article for a December issue (posted online on Dec. 24) entitled “Churches in the fall: local churches get back to their roots in a rapidly changing millennial culture” [Dec. 25, Xpress]. Howard Hanger, founder of Jubilee! definitely helps with the hanging chads left behind by more conservative expressions of orthodoxy and orthopraxy […]

Buncombe County Sheriff’s Office warns of new scam affecting the area

“There is absolutely no validity to this whatsoever,” the sheriff states. “If somebody calls you and tries to collect money, [saying they’re] from any government entity at the threat of arrest — [know] that [neither] the IRS nor the Sheriff’s Office call and give you an opportunity to pay … any kind of fee or fine that would result in you being arrested.”

Letter writer: Committed community leaders needed for Asheville City Schools

What could be more important than nurturing the next generation? Public education is an essential part of our democracy, and a local board of education has one of the most important responsibilities — helping steer the educational journeys of the students in our community. Our Board of Education’s decisions affect the lives of students, parents, […]

Tales from the Trail: Walking Appalachia from Georgia to Maine

Since its initial construction in 1937, 15,524 people are said to have completed the thru-hike of the Appalachian Trail — “2,000-milers,” they’re called. Inspiration behind embarking on such a physically and mentally challenging journey varies from person to person, but deep down it satiates core human needs for renewal and a reconnection with nature.

City of Asheville CIO wins Impact award for cloud computing

Whereas cloud computing is more commonly used to back up data for companies or individuals, Next City, a nonprofit and quarterly magazine based in Philadelphia, credits Asheville as being one of the first cities to use a cloud-based data recovery system — and this kind of forward-thinking is winning our city (and our CIO) awards for its use of this innovation.