Don’t let this happen to you: You’re sitting on your front porch, nursing your favorite cold beverage and admiring that freshly mowed lawn — when, suddenly, you remember that your real work is far from done. That is to say, summer’s almost here, and you’ve yet to realize your promise to your significant other that … Read more
A century ago, the Chautauqua — a sort of high-brow Lollapalooza — was a not-to-be-missed event. These open-air, education-and-entertainment extravaganzas once rolled from town to town throughout the country, setting up tents for as much as a week in any given city (though, even during their heyday, Asheville enjoyed only one such event — and … Read more
Whether you’re an earth-sciences scholar or a material girl scouting new glitter, an upcoming show at the Colburn Gem & Mineral Museum offers a wealth of attractions. Let’s start with a brief geography lesson: Minerals are natural, inorganic, solid constituents of the earth’s crust; in other words, anything that’s not animal or vegetable. Gems are … Read more
When Ratdog played the Thomas Wolfe Auditorium on June 2, I was prepared to encounter some manner of drugs and free love — and Dead-sure I’d see hippies of all ages at the downtown venue. And indeed, I found all of this — along with, more importantly, new insight into what rock ‘n’ roll is … Read more
So it’s the 21st century, and no doubt, you think you’ve heard it all — every style and sub-style of music there is to hear, from watered-down classical to teeth-baring punk, at every place from gourmet grocery stores to back-alley dives to mega-concert stadiums. You’ve heard it, and moved on — been there and done … Read more
Water rates going up On June 6, the Buncombe County Board of Commissioners reluctantly approved a 4-percent increase in water rates. The Regional Water Authority, which recommended the increase, faces yet another year of reduced consumption — meaning reduced revenues — Asheville Director of Water Resources Tom Frederick explained. Since the drought of 1998, the … Read more
If you like to bat around conspiracy theories on JFK’s assassination, the Oklahoma City bombing and the “illegal” United Nations, then Craig Roberts is your man. Roberts — a retired Oklahoma cop-turned-writer — airs regularly on Ken Bagwell‘s local talk show, “Heads Up, America” (on radio station WTZY), serving up his conservative-edged thoughts on a … Read more
Judging by the sentiment at a June 6 public hearing on Asheville’s new operating budget, most city residents seem to approve the proposed tax hikes — and, maybe more importantly, the improvements they will pay for. There was standing room only at the hearing, as a dozen folks paraded to the lectern and praised the … Read more
Wanted: your junk mail You open your mailbox. Peering into the dark recesses, you glimpse … could it be? Maybe someone really does love you! But no, it’s only another mountain of that modern scourge, junk mail. The news is not all bad, however, because Asheville residents will soon be able to toss all that … Read more
Just try telling someone how to get to Ridge Road. Five of them exist in Buncombe County — three in Enka alone. Anyone who’s ever attempted to help a hapless tourist get from Biltmore Avenue to Merrimon Avenue, an obvious segue to jaded Ashevilleans, knows that not all our road names in these parts make … Read more
