Askville: High-end kids

Anyone who’s survived adolescence knows how rough it can be. The hormones, the willfulness, the rebellion, the confusion, the acne—and that’s under the best of circumstances. Imagine facing the tumult of that age in poverty, with one overworked, underpaid parent, and maybe with a family or community history of abuse or the scourge of drugs. […]

Askville: Madam president

While Hillary Clinton campaigns to become America’s first female president, Suzanne DeFerie has already made history—becoming the first woman president and CEO of an Asheville-based bank. Suzanne Deferie. Photo by Jonathan Welch Before assuming her new responsibilities at Asheville Savings Bank on Jan. 1, DeFerie, 51, had paid her dues, serving 16 years as executive […]

Askville: The cutting edge

People often pay a pretty penny to get their hair cut at Guadalupe Chavarria‘s salons. For example, prices at Studio Chavarria, his downtown-Asheville location, run from $30 for a men’s haircut to $600 for a Japanese-style “thermal straightening,” which is mostly for women clients. Guadalupe Chavarria photo by Jonathan Welch Now, however, Chavarria is marking […]

Askville: On guard

Last December, the city of Asheville announced that it had hired a ranger for Pritchard Park. The strategically sited downtown park has been the focus of disputes concerning everything from homelessness and free breakfasts to drum circles (not to mention the occasional protest-sign-wielding polar bear), and the news traveled fast. Some in the community saw […]

Askville: Green acres

Warren Wilson College graduate Chase Hubbard has spent his entire professional life in agriculture. After serving as the school’s assistant farm manager for seven years, he’s now taken charge of running the 275-acre commercial operation in the fields surrounding the campus. Chase Hubbard In the middle of a working day, Hubbard took some time to […]

Askville: On the air

As host of local talk shows Conversations, Evening Rounds and Byline, David Hurand is perhaps the most recognizable voice of public-radio station WCQS-FM. Every week, the station’s news director takes on phone calls and in-studio guests (including Xpress reporters). David Hurand After hanging around public-radio stations in San Francisco, Hurand got his first job at […]

Askville: Queen bee

Did you hear the buzz? Rachel Reeser Photo By Allie Goolrick Shortly after the Asheville Holiday Parade pranced through downtown on Nov. 17, the judges named “Beelieve in Community”—a combined effort by Asheville on Bikes and the Buncombe County chapter of the North Carolina State Beekeepers Association—the best in show. Winning for both “best spirit […]