Asheville resident Craig Sloan was just drifting off to sleep last Aug. 19 when helicopters with their lights off began buzzing low overhead, and he heard what sounded like gunfire and percussion grenades. For a moment, Sloan wondered whether prisoners had broken out of the nearby Buncombe County Jail. Stepping outside, he looked toward City/County … Read more
Self-portrait by Scott McMahon The photos on the wall at Tryon’s Upstairs Gallery share a basic methodology with the ones you took at summer camp. (Remember that DIY pinhole camera?) But the range of philosophies presented nudges the show into an entirely new light. The element of unpredictability makes each photo an adventure: Curated by … Read more
“The closest I’ve come in recent times to expeditions into the wilderness are day hikes off the Blue Ridge Parkway or hours of stealth on the herony banks of Beaver Lake, a ten-minute walk from my front door,” says local author David Brendan Hopes in his latest book, Bird Songs of the Mesozoic: A Day … Read more
On a sunny spring day in West Asheville, eight musicians are busting out of the garage where they’ve been practicing for the last six months. Not busting because of their sheer numbers — I’m talking about wailing solos, fierce grooves and a funkified dreamscape of sound. They play saxophone, French horn, guitar, bass, keys, wood … Read more
Sometimes, strange forces drive a food critic. Terry Ruscin, a former advertising executive, now makes his living from what he calls “gastro-snobbery” – and he blames what he calls his “persnickety, overly critical and downright ruthless” outlook regarding culinary matters on the position of the stars. “You see,” Ruscin recently told Xpress, “I am a … Read more
Celebrity waiters: CarePartners Mountain Area Hospice is holding its annual fundraising gala this Thursday, April 21, at Crest Pavilion. It’s a most special occasion — the organization’s silver anniversary — and to celebrate, the organizers are pulling out all the stops. For $100, guests will be feted with an evening of fine food and dancing, … Read more
Hold onto your shovels: The door to the world of gardening here in Western North Carolina is opening. It’s called spring — and whether you’re a new gardener, new to the area or simply looking for renewal, there’s an abundance of information and plants at your fingertips. Scan the outdoor-activity and gardening sections in the … Read more
To date, no civilian casualties have been reported in connection with urban-warfare training exercises in American cities. But there have been some close calls — many of them in North Carolina. And at least one death has resulted from Robin Sage, a guerrilla-warfare simulation that takes place in 14 counties surrounding Fort Bragg, the home … Read more
When Asheville and Buncombe County officials and staffers huddled with Army representatives in 2002, they signed a secrecy agreement. But what does the state’s open-meetings law have to say about the meeting itself?” As far as Xpress has been able to determine, those attending the meeting did not include a quorum of any local governmental … Read more
