Breaking through: Local women challenge political glass ceiling

While the number of women in politics has definitely grown over the last few decades, “Politics is still a gendered space,” says Debbie Walsh, director of the Center for American Women and Politics. “Women see these institutions and don’t see a lot of people that look like them in charge, and that may lead to a reluctance to run for office.”

Asheville water belongs to Asheville

I applaud former Mayor Leni Sitnick's stand against the forces in Raleigh that would rob Asheville of its water rights without due compensation. Rep. Tim Moffitt — he who was re-elected only because of gerrymandering — has been the stalking horse for the takeover of Asheville's rights by the corporate drones whom he represents. He […]

An opportunit­y wasted

A meeting was held April 30 at the Westwood Baptist Church in West Asheville, ostensibly to address the issue of voter disenfranchisement and the new Voter ID laws being promulgated by the tea party and Republicans. But a funny thing happened on the way to the forum: The disenfranchised population of Buncombe County, those most […]

From brown to green

The more I wrote about drought this spring, the more it rained. I considered starting a second career as a contrarian rainmaker. I could lease my talents out to water-hungry towns, an editor suggested. Still, I wondered what I would write about. The rain gave me more time indoors, even as I fell behind in […]