Planting a Legacy: Local farmers plan for the future
- Volume 31
- / Issue 37
Cover Design Credit:
Scott Southwick
Cover Photography Credit:
Adobe Stock
Across North Carolina, hundreds of farms have been passed down through generations. But without careful planning, many farmers risk having to sell their property to cover rising taxes, health care or estate issues. Locally, NC FarmLink has launched workshops to educate farmers on how to keep their farms in the family.
arts
Smart Bets: Wild Life
The local poet's latest collection was published March 17.Smart Bets: Caitlin Krisko & The Broadcast
The local roots rockers kick off this year's Downtown After 5 on Friday, April 18 in Pack Square Park.Smart Bets: Music Is Life — Band Day
N.C. Central University’s Marching Sound Machine visits the Asheville High School football field on Thursday, April 17.Smart Bets: Breast Cancer Journeys — Women’s Stories
The exhibit will be displayed at the First Congregational United Church of Christ’s Gallery through April 30.Moving beyond surf and garage, Seattle’s La Luz shines brightly
Released in May 2024, La Luz’s latest full-length album, News of the Universe, continues the group’s creative progression, building on what they’ve done before but always moving outward in multiple…
food
Beer Scout: Community sustains local breweries post-Helene
RAD Brewing and Mad Co. Brew House reps discuss weathering literal and financial storms.A Year in Beer: Turning over a Twin Leaf
The group encounters an unexpected open mic, new pub games and something spicy at the South Slope taproom.What’s new in food: Two WNC chefs shortlisted for James Beard Awards
Plus, the Michelin Guide comes to WNC, Asheville Proper kicks off lunch service and more Asheville food news.Dining Out for Life marks 23 years of fundraising for WNCAP
Nearly 50 local restaurants will participate in the April 24 fundraiser.
living
Appalachian Herb Collective offers free clinics and product swaps
“People are incredibly generous, especially when it comes to something horrific because they feel helpless, and this gives them the ability to help,” says Lupo Passero, owner of Twin Star…Asheville celebrates 4/20 with hemp events and infused foods
Western North Carolina celebrates 420 with HempFest, an infused fantasy brunch, Take and "Bake" Pizza and cannabis tours.Restaurant closures take a toll on WNC growers
Market uncertainty and the loss of restaurants committed to buying local products are forcing area farmers to make hard decisions.
news
Sustaining community: Laurel Community Center member reflects on Tropical Storm Helene
"Most that have lived along streams and rivers already know: We must be prepared," says Mary Kelly.Jackson County high school students build and compete in robotics
Xpress recently sat down with members of the Smoky Mountain Academic Robotics Team to learn about the group's backstory and growing success in the field of robotics.Sustaining community: Hope as resilience
Sarah Thornburg, chair of Asheville City Board of Education, shares why she is hopeful about the future of our county's two school systems.Planting the seeds for passing down farms
More than half of North Carolina’s farmers are over the age of 65. Yet, nearly 60% of farmers lack even a basic will to protect their farmland and businesses from…The music and politics behind Drew Ball
In December, Drew Ball was voted in as the newest member of the Buncombe County Board of Commissioners. Despite newfound responsibilities, Ball still plays in three bands in addition to…Warren Wilson and UNCA launch new programs aimed at climate change
Xpress recently caught up with faculty from both programs to learn more about how the two institutions are thinking about environmental studies in the wake of Tropical Storm Helene.Sustaining community: Black Mountain Presbyterian Church works to rebuild WNC
"The most hopeful things are when a family or individual’s life has been changed by the generosity I see coming into our valley," says Mary Katherine Robinson, pastor of Black Mountain Presbyterian Church.Inside the fight to conserve Richmond Hill
Conservation easement saves large parcel next to Richmond Hill Park, thwarting a decade of attempts to add large developments.The story behind a geologist’s viral tutorial
After Tropical Storm Helene, people were desperately trying to understand what had just happened to turn their mountain refuge into an unrecognizable hellscape. Geologist and landslide researcher Phillip Prince thought…Sustaining community: Support for educators is key to school success
"My multidecade vision for public education is that we become a people that praise educational attainment, uplift everyone who works in education and support students in every way possible as…‘Mass confusion’ at the Asheville VA
A flurry of legal actions and a steady stream of executive orders from President Donald Trump and large-scale firings by the Elon Musk-led Department of Government Efficiency have caused confusion…Sustaining community: Electrify Asheville-Buncombe discusses 2042 renewable energy goals
"As our grid evolves toward renewable energy, transitioning means a cleaner, more efficient environment," says Sophie Mullinax, chief administrative officer of Let's Go Electric/Electrify Asheville-Buncombe.InterBeing Festival welcomes collaboration, vulnerability and play
This year's theme — “Community: Refuge in a Changing World” — was selected long before Tropical Storm Helene's destruction. But in the storm's aftermath, the concept feels more meaningful and…Environmentalists say federal policies put forests at further risk
A crowd of about 150 people attended a forum designed to educate community members about nonprofits that focus on public resources, land and wildlife, especially given recent federal policies that…From CPP: Mission Health drama continues with accusations of ‘profit over patients’
The hospital continues to provide care, even as its every move is scrutinized by an independent monitor that ensures the health system remains in compliance with the 2019 purchase agreement…Asheville City Council OKs plan for $225M in disaster recovery funds
Asheville City Council approved a final plan on how to spend $225 million in disaster recovery funds at its April 8 meeting. Also at the meeting, water fee increases were…From CPP: WNC forest plan under pressure from storm devastation, lawsuit and Trump
The suit is the third connected to one of the two WNC national forests that the Virginia-based nonprofit legal organization has filed since early 2024.
opinion
Letter: County must return funding to local schools
"How can taking away critical funding from our schools be the solution?"Letter: Spring is time for tick prevention
"Spray your shoes with permethrin, see The Quiet Epidemic streaming free and check for ticks."Letter: Promote native plants, not bamboo
"We have lots of native shrubs, such as American holly, mountain laurel or viburnum, that would make a more biodiverse privacy screen."Work zone
Letter: Concerned for animals at WNC Nature Center
"How people take their children there for entertainment is indicative of how tragically separated most people are from natural animal behavior."Letter: Social district should encompass all of downtown
"Limiting a social district to only the South Slope area would have little to no impact on the greater downtown business district."Function junction
Letter: Speak up for urban forest and how Asheville grows
"If we don’t speak up about how we want to see Asheville grow, then others will make the decisions for us."Letter: UNCA can help Asheville’s housing crisis and save the woods
"If the 19 acres more appropriate for housing development aren’t enough, then let’s have a solution-oriented discussion about what to do next. But don’t lead with bulldozing the woods."
