After years of haggling, stacks of recommendations and a whole roster of committees and task forces, the Asheville City Council found itself on June 13 facing the specter of yet another Civic Center study. In response to some Council members’ concern about the cost of the options endorsed by the Civic Center Task Force, city … Read more
photo Anne Sherrill Bill Hascher spends a lot of his time in trees. It’s what he does. On a recent spring day, Hascher ascends a rope slung over a long, knobby branch of a century-old white oak. The limb is about 50 feet high — midway to the tree’s top. Hascher, who is 37, works … Read more
Fresh as it gets: James Harrelsom (at left), a chef at Over Easy Cafe, purchases fresh vittles for the eatery from a local farmer at a tailgate market in Asheville. photo by Jodi Ford Peter Marks is, in effect, in the matchmaking business. He’s the program coordinator for an Asheville-based organization that catalyzes fruitful relationships … Read more
Therapy in the garden: Pathways-Life After Cancer will hosts its third annual Garden Party and Yard Art Auction in Adelaide Key’s garden at 300 Webb Cove Rd. this Saturday, June 24, from 1 to 4 p.m., in honor of all who are living with, through and beyond cancer. The afternoon will include wine and light … Read more
So you’ve fallen in love with our beautiful mountains, and you’re ready to buy your Western North Carolina dream home. How do you choose? The answer is: carefully. Living on a mountain entails serious personal and financial risks. The 19 counties that make up WNC are in a landslide-hazard zone, and the North Carolina Geological … Read more
Pick-your-own rules Mr. Sternberg’s recent perspective of CAN, development, and zoning violations [“Stay Off the Self-Righteous Slope,” Commentary, June 7] takes a complicated issue and attempts to make it seem black and white, with good guys and bad guys (Jerry’s developer guys being the good guys, of course). In an ironic twist, he even presents … Read more
Filing period open for two county boards Two avenues for hands-on, nonpartisan governmental service at the local level are open to candidates who are ready to sign on the dotted line: the Buncombe County Soil & Water Conservation Board of Supervisors (two positions) and Board of Education (three open seats). The filing schedules for both … Read more
It was a kinder, gentler, more discreet Asheville City Council. And appropriately, the change was reflected as much in what Council members didn’t say as in what they did. How great a concession the offer represents depends on how highly one rates Asheville’s chances of winning its lawsuit against the state. At a special June … Read more
Laura Sadelson, a teacher at Mountain Area Child and Family Center in Swannanoa, with one of the toddlers she watches over. photos by Rebecca Bowe Nobody ever said raising small children was easy. But if you live in Buncombe County and you need childcare, good luck — especially if you’re poor, working your way through … Read more
Check out my pad: After being closed for nearly 15 years, the Lake Julian Family Campground is open for business. The campground has 10 lakeside campsites, each featuring a tent pad, a picnic table, a grill and fire pit. RVs are permitted, but before you try to string those Chinese lanterns, know this: No electrical … Read more
