There they were — plump, blue-black and filled with the promise of grazing delight — the first ripe blueberries from our late-season bushes. The plants of unknown variety were given to our community years ago by a friend and have become a favorite. Their flavored fruit ripens a few berries at a time for all … Read more
Some time ago, a favorite high-school teacher, Myrtle Kiker, sent me a question: “What is the best history of North Carolina — one that I can recommend to a friend who wants to know more about her new state?” I’ve been thinking about how to answer her. Two books have to be on the list … Read more
I was playing disc golf awhile back when I happened to run into a few guys I used to work with at a local restaurant. One of them had moved on to a Mexican restaurant, which he’d said he liked very much the last time we met. “How’s the Mexican place?” I asked him as … Read more
Look homeward, and save Battle Square When we have no light anymore — when huge, monolithic cubic yards of concrete condos pop up like out-of-proportion mushrooms in a small, rich bog, and when we fill up all open space with ugly, gratuitous parking structures — Asheville will no longer be a city of light. Our … Read more
Campaign Calender • MOM’s back: The local political action committee Match Our Mountains, which formed in 2003, is back in action for Asheville’s upcoming municipal elections. The group says it will endorse and financially support those candidates deemed most likely to “help strengthen Asheville’s economy and protect our environment.” MOM is a PAC with a … Read more
A state law concerning public comment in local-government meetings, enacted last year by the General Assembly, worried the Buncombe County Board of Commissioners’ Aug. 16 formal session like a celery strand snagged between molars. From the beginning of public comment to County Attorney Joe Connolly‘s low-key finale, the issue seemed to hover over the proceedings. … Read more
Don’t let the tourists get wind of this, but Asheville is one scary place. At least that’s the impression this reporter came away with after sitting through the Asheville City Council’s Aug. 16 work session. The meeting kicked off with a discussion of crime in Aston Park, then segued into a presentation on how drugs … Read more
When the fifth annual Southern Energy & Environment Expo kicks off this weekend, it will focus on both the bright prospect of regional self-reliance and on the proven synergy generated by past years’ events. “We have a huge number of resources right in front of us: wind, solar, biofuels,” organizer Ned Doyle told Xpress. “We … Read more
Here’s a list of one-hour presentations at this year’s expo. (For information on the six intensive, half-day workshops, see “Power From the People”.) Action on the Campus Learn about the emerging student activism in the Southeast addressing energy and environmental issues: tactics, plans, current efforts and future options. Advanced Building Methods In Residential Construction Marcus … Read more
On a night hot enough to legitimately imagine that Asheville lies on the edge of the Serengeti, a crowded line snakes toward the Orange Peel, waiting to see Afrobeat quintet Toubab Krewe. The band, when they appear, receives a rock-star greeting before breaking into a pulsing instrumental driven by hand drums and the gourd-bottomed harp … Read more
