It’s time to put up or shut up. The powers that be are coming to the table on the I-26 Connnector project, for what is likely the last chance for the community to end its hand-wringing over the controversial highway. The much-talked-about design forum is scheduled for July 21-22 at Asheville’s Renaissance Hotel; its aim … Read more
With the Interstate-26 Connector design forum looming on the near horizon, Asheville City Council took a last opportunity to thank those agencies that plan to participate, and to urge the N.C. Department of Transportation to consider all the possibilities emerging from the forum. At their July 11 meeting — a short and sweet one, with … Read more
People are never satisfied for very long. For some, that all-too-familiar bar crawl — hunting up some good live tunes, or a memorable encounter of any kind — may satisfy, for a while, the relentless urge for The New. But eventually that, too, grows old. So if an ideal night out did exist, what would … Read more
I spent some time marveling in a public place the other afternoon. And I was not alone in this activity. Eventually, I found myself in the company of three other people, all of whom verbalized their wonder with the same phrase: “How did he do that?” One gentleman in the group had his own theories. … Read more
Since age 12, Will Kimbrough has fronted his own rock bands, survived several record deals, served as a sideman for other recording artists, and become a much-in-demand Nashville session guitarist. Now 36, Kimbrough has just released a CD of his own songs on his own label — a coup he views as a kind of … Read more
For decades, the coal trains have rumbled through Asheville every few days , hauling 5,000 tons of the fossil fuel from the mines of West Virginia to the Carolina Power & Light plant by Lake Julian. And for decades, CP&L chemists have analyzed a bagful of coal samples scooped each day from the conveyor belts … Read more
After a series of afternoon interviews, the Buncombe County Board of Commissioners did their part last week to flesh out the newly constituted WNC Air Quality Agency. At the commissioners’ July 11 meeting, they appointed Asheville physician Dr. Lewis E. Patrie to a four-year term on the agency’s board. They also appointed Alan McKenzie to … Read more
Reaching out Agencies serving victims of domestic violence sometimes seem to be fighting several battles at once — struggling to eradicate the abuse even as they try to get the word out to victims about where to go for help. That’s why Helpmate, the only Buncombe County-based agency providing comprehensive services for women and children … Read more
To many of its customers (and even some employees), Wal-Mart is all heart, all sweetness, all light. Wal-Mart is a good neighbor. Wal-Mart hires local managers. Wal-Mart sells cheap. All good news, at least at the local level. After all, as of March 2000, Wal-Mart had become the nation’s largest private employer, with some 900,000 … Read more
