With a laugh, Shuford feigned surprise that the Staples office-supply building swept the voting among bad examples. The good, the good-or-bad and the ugly: The Atlanta Bread Company and the Medicine Shoppe topped a recent poll of Merrimon-area residents for best design, while CVS Pharmacy and the Medicine Shoppe finished first and second in the … Read more
Get high: Every U.S. state has its highest point, from Delaware’s paltry 450 feet above sea level to Alaska’s mammoth Denali, which pierces the clouds at 20,030 feet. Falling somewhere in between is our own Mount Mitchell and its crown of blighted firs, at 6,684 feet. Well, file this one under “obsessions”: An organization called … Read more
Vehicle: A comfortable 12-seat van that whisks cruisers from brewery to brewery. Price: $32 per person for locals, discounts for large groups. $37 for tourists, or $70/couple. What’s Included: Three hours of tours, beer samples, souvenirs, snacks and bottled water – not to mention a designated driver! Contact: For more details, call 545-5181 or visit … Read more
First you notice one or two metallic-green-and-copper beetles here and there. And then they’re everywhere, hundreds of munch-tanks devouring the petals of your prized rosebush or the green leaves of your peach tree. But before you reach for the industrial-grade bug killer, consider these safer options. When I first discovered beetles in my grape arbor … Read more
Professor Fred Hobson of UNC-Chapel Hill has written about the image of the “savage South.” Talking with him set me thinking about why so many observers, from Colonial times until today, have characterized our region as being more violent than other parts of the United States. Many reasons have been suggested, and the institution of … Read more
Reality pales by Hanke’s comparison I wanted to take a moment to express my appreciation for the work of Ken Hanke, and to make sure you understand what a treasure you have in this man. I am not a rabid movie fan. At least, not of current films, although like most cinema buffs, I have … Read more
Paving the way for pets All aboard: From left to right, Patricia Paravalos, with dog Penny and grandson Danny Stinson, and Patricia Norman with Molly. photo by Rebecca Bowe Patricia Norman moved to Asheville’s Battery Park Apartments 18 months ago, accompanied by Molly, her 5-year-old Yorkshire terrier. A former resident of public-transit-savvy New York City, … Read more
“I grew up here: I went to private school here, I was a cheerleader, I rode in the Christmas Parade. … I’ve been really disappointed in this city, in how it’s treated me since I’ve become homeless.” — homeless woman Billie Riddell Asheville native Billie Riddell had run out of gas. She is homeless, and … Read more
photo by Roxanne Turpen Journalists depend on many sources to do their work; a few are so essential that it would be hard to function without them. Maggie Burleson is one of those. As Asheville’s city clerk for the past 11 years, she has helped guide a long line of Mountain Xpress reporters through the … Read more
“It appears to me that the Higginses have tried to make something better that was rundown.” — Council member Jan Davis. A long-running fight over a parking lot on Arlington Street was finally resolved at the Asheville City Council’s July 25 formal session. It was yet another case pitting a small business against the surrounding … Read more
