Pay up — or else Most Buncombe County property owners have paid their taxes for 1999 (due by Jan. 5, 2000). But 7 percent of them –approximately 8,000 — haven’t, and their bills add up to $5 million that’s owed to the county, Tax Director Jerome Jones reported to the Board of Commissioners on Feb. … Read more
There’s a place I go in north Buncombe County where woodpeckers hammer and breezes knock branches together in a forest of naked poplars. On summer and fall afternoons, I often hear grouse thumping in the brush. When I stay overnight, owls punctuate the darkness with their hoots and glide through my campsite without a sound, … Read more
“My kid is a Terrific Kid at [something or other] school” is a message in the language of love — practically a universal tongue. Proud parents treasure their children, no matter what, and they’re anxious to let the world know about those children. But what if your child is sent home from school with head … Read more
Back in the late 1950s, I attended an open-air rally (in Manhattan’s Central Park) that starred Fidel Castro. His entourage stayed at a hotel on 125th Street (memory says the Hotel Theresa, but I’m not sure), and they were ridiculed by the tabloids for cooking chicken on the fire escapes, rather than eat out in … Read more
Weary of weather forecasters I am weary of the cocky, over-confident, pontifical, unprofessional weather announcers who lack the humility or courage — or perhaps the knowledge — to cite their mistakes and to explain what happened to change the normally expectable. The shame is not in making a mistake in predicting irregular natural events, but … Read more
Fertilizer for the soul When the heartwarming Chicken Soup for the Soul became a bestseller in 1994, creators Jack Canfield and Mark Victor Hansen began casting about for other demographics to explore. Now, 24 titles later (including Chicken Soup for the Teenage Soul and Chicken Soup for the Golfer’s Soul), the indefatigable duo is launching … Read more
How you feel about night court probably depends on where you’re sitting — or standing. District Court Judge Peter Roda enjoys it, from his vantage point on the judge’s bench. During the day, Roda conducts civil court — meaning he mostly rubs shoulders with other lawyers. “This is a chance to interact with the public … Read more
People entering the basement of the Buncombe County Courthouse this Monday afternoon are struggling to get their bearings. They are greeted by the sight — and sound — of hundreds of people already waiting in the lobby for their turn to appear in night court. Night court serves as an entry point for most people … Read more
Curbside recycling to include mixed paper The city wants your unwanted paper. Accordingly, the biweekly curbside-recycling program may be expanded to include mixed-paper wastes, by July 1. “On average, I get at least one call a day asking, ‘Where am I going to put my magazines?’” Waste Management Coordinator Karen Rankin, told Asheville City Council … Read more
A variety of unlikely scenes popped into my head the first time I listened to The Juggernaut Jug Band. My first vision landed me in a gorgeously ornate, 1920s-era theater. I was a child, mesmerized by the kooky, rink-a-tink sounds that filled the movie house, forming the backdrop for a dancing man named Chaplin. The … Read more
