The controversy over public-radio station WNCW took another twist this month, with two major developments that could affect the overall direction of the station. General Manager DeLane Davis turned in her resignation on Dec. 12, and an interim manager is now running the popular station, licensed by Isothermal Community College in Spindale. That same day, … Read more
Once again, a new year looms — and once again, I look back and realize that I haven’t achieved half the things I set out to over the past 12 months (or the past 10 years, for that matter). When my college recently sent me an alumni questionnaire asking for a list of significant accomplishments … Read more
A zoning controversy pitting residents against a big retail project landed in front of the Buncombe County commissioners last week. Although it’s the kind of battle that’s become almost commonplace within the Asheville city limits, the county typically doesn’t face the same type of heated controversies — even in the two townships that have land-use … Read more
Veteran Asheville City Council watchers know all about the cushions. Only three padded chairs are available to the public during Council meetings, and they’re quickly snatched up by those in the know. This may seem like a trivial matter, but formal Council sessions have a tendency to drag on into the night — testing both … Read more
From Tom English‘s point of view, having city officials tell him the Siberian elm next to his house probably won’t come down in a winter storm is like saying the Titanic could never sink. Earlier this year, he looked at the twisted, 16-inch-diameter tree that leans toward his North Asheville home and thought about the … Read more
Timber sale withdrawn It could be just another aspiring garage band out of Athens, Ga.: Velvet Covert Snail. But it seems that this one really is a snail (Inflectarius subpallitus, to be exact), and it’s alive and well in Western North Carolina. In fact, the prognosis for the snail’s well-being just got rosier: On Nov. … Read more
Twenty years ago, if you lived in Western North Carolina and had a sudden urge for good Mexican food, your only options were a few mom-and-pop places like Dolores and Jose’s in West Asheville, just off the intersection of Interstate 240 and Haywood Road. These days, you don’t have to travel far at all to … Read more
