Chuck Davis has been dancing his way around the world for more than 30 years. During his Navy days, he spent his furloughs driving long hauls to see Roland Kaye and his Latin American Ensemble perform in D.C. And before he knew it, the budding performer was smitten with all forms of the genre. Today, … Read more
With this semi-regular column, roving A&E columnist Allison Frank will endeavor to uncover what’s simmering under the surface of the local arts scene — worthy (and often quirky) people, places and events that haven’t yet flared up to capture widespread attention. Are you aware of such an entity? Ms. Frank welcomes suggestions and comments. She … Read more
Blake be with you As the night progresses, the audience is caught within the reverie of memories, transported from their surroundings into the Hopes netherworld, where memory prevails and poetry is spoken as truth. UNCA’s Laurel Forum is filled with a mixture of students, retirees and the artsy types who faithfully flock to this sort … Read more
When asked to prove her talent to Mountain Xpress readers recently, straight-talking storyteller Susan Klein was quick to refuse. “People sometimes say, ‘Well, can you tell me a three-minute story?’ — I don’t do those,” she rebuked, in motherly fashion, reluctant to waste a good tale on a phone interview. “It’s an art form. So … Read more
When cold winds dip down from the north, hinting that food will soon become scarce, the Indiana bat leaves its summer roost and heads to the mountains to hibernate. Outside its chosen grotto, the bat joins others, swarming into the air from dusk to dawn as it seeks a mate and feeds on insects to … Read more
Roosting in dead and dying trees known as snags, these creatures work their tiny bodies under the loose bark, as a shelter against bad weather. But such trees are hard to come by in recently logged areas. Studies by the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, however, suggest that the bat may be more adaptable than … Read more
Determining the fate of the floundering WNC Regional Air Pollution Control Agency should be a joint decision involving both the city and county, not a unilateral one, Asheville City Council members say. At their March 28 meeting, Council members ultimately decided to write a formal letter urging the Buncombe County Board of Commissioners to confer … Read more
Animal Services Advisory Board is a circus sideshow Bored with Seinfeld reruns? Does the movie fare look bleak? Come on over to the old Carolina Power and Light building across from Three Brothers Restaurant, where — on the first and third Monday of each month — the Advisory Board to the Animal Shelter (recently mysteriously … Read more
[Editor’s note: Our search last year for a “skeptical reporter” turned up some memorable applicants — perhaps none more so than Richard E. Koon, M.D. While we chose to hire another journalist (two, actually) for the staff position(s), we were so intrigued by Dr. Koon’s background and writing samples that we invited him to submit … Read more
A winning “wedge” issue — but for whom? “We haven’t got a single Democratic candidate for governor who feels the way we do about the lottery,” complained my anti-lottery, liberal-Democrat friend after church one recent Sunday. “And it looks like all the Republican candidates are against the lottery-like us.” “So,” he asked, “what are we … Read more
