A few hundred people rallied under clear blue skies in Pack Square Park Saturday afternoon to call on Duke Energy to shutter its Asheville coal plant and advocate for clean energy. The event, called “Beyond Coal: A Rally for Our Future,” featured local speakers, singers and popular TV actor/vampire Ian Somerhalder. [Photo gallery at the bottom.]
Did you miss Mountain Moral Monday? Here is an Xpress photo gallery of the event, featuring protesters, signs and guest speakers.
I wonder how long Asheville Mayor Terry Bellamy would last in office if she ran the munici- pal government the way Washington, D.C., is run? She is constricted to a budget. Just like those of us who live in Asheville and Western North Carolina, we must live within our means. Why does that not apply […]
I have a few concerns after reading the Jan. 31 mountainx.com article, “Moffitt Proposes Ban on Public Female Toplessness.” (See http://avl.mx/qi.) To Rep. Tim Moffitt and all those he represents, especially Mayor Terry Bellamy and all Asheville City Council members who signed the letter asking people to avoid a rally: First of all, with all […]
Why is it that when big business asks for something, you're always ready to give it? First, it was 51 Biltmore, then it was [approval for another] McKibbon hotel facing the Basilica of St. Lawrence. Now the businessmen want a new "tax district" so they can have my tax money funneled to them directly. Now, […]
On Monday, July 9, Asheville Mayor Terry Bellamy will travel to the nation’s capital for a meeting about urban economic mobility. The meeting will take place at the White House in the Roosevelt Room.
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 […]
An April 16 mountainx.com story included photos from the Asheville Homeless Network’s visit to Mayor Bellamy’s office, where they were able to share their views with city staff about homelessness and housing in our community [“Asheville Street People Claim … Harrassment”]. At Homeward Bound, we’re grateful to be part of a community with leadership that’s […]
I am a resident of North Carolina’s 10th District and will be a new Medicare recipient in May of 2012. That makes me very supportive of the Medicare guarantee. Without it, I’m not sure that I’d be able to afford health care. I am not a wealthy individual; therefore, I need all the help I […]
I don't know about you, but the politics of mudslinging and campaign rhetoric turn my stomach. I support efforts to reform “politics as usual” and would not choose to vote for a candidate who could not respect, or knowingly maligns, his or her opponent in public speaking, campaign materials or media outreach and coverage. Thus, […]
Today, Dec. 12, federal, state, corporate and local officials dedicated the first of three Asheville solar electric vehicle charging stations.
Xpress received a large volume of letters about the proposed agreement between the city of Asheville and U.S. Cellular. Announced on Nov. 10, the deal would grant naming rights to the Chicago-based company in exchange for an investment of “up to $1.3 million over eight years.” The deal is subject to Council approval, scheduled for the Nov. 22 meeting. Dozens of readers responded with a similar argument — the negotiations were too covert; corporate sponsorship clashes with Asheville’s distinct character; the bidding process for such a deal should be open — but many of the perspectives are unique. Two readers applaud the potential deal. In the following special post, Xpress compiled the letters on the proposed agreement. (Image provided by U.S. Cellular.)
If the Occupy Asheville movement has cost the city of Asheville any extra money in pay for our police, that responsibility lies with Mayor Terry Bellamy and not the Occupy Movement [”Fully Occupied,” Nov. 8 Xpress]. It is the mayor’s view that the movement is dangerous that has caused the larger problem. So far, her […]
Yesterday, it looked like tonight’s Asheville City Council meeting would see a conflict over a proclamation recognizing the Blue Ridge Pride festival. This afternoon, however, an announcement from Blue Ridge Pride claims Mayor Terry Bellamy has agreed to sign a proclamation recognizing the event.
An e-mail exchange released by Asheville City Council member Bill Russell reveals new details about how a proclamation recognizing the Oct. 1 Blue Ridge Pride festival made it onto Council’s agenda for its Sept. 27 meeting. In the exchange, Mayor Terry Bellamy, who has not given the festival a standard mayoral proclamation, notes that she will place it on the new business portion of the agenda. Russell says he hoped for a standard proclamation instead of a contentious vote.
