Those who’ve seen Taylor only in nasty TV spots can have no idea how intelligent he is and how effective he can be as a politician. “You have been sat here too long for any good you have been doing. Depart, and let us have done with you.” Oliver Cromwell delivered those words to the … Read more
Washington bound: Heath Shuler thanked Jesus and his supporters during his acceptance speech at the Renaissance Asheville Hotel. photo by Jonathan Welch Once considered virtually invincible at the polls thanks to weak opponents, his considerable personal fortune and his penchant for bringing home the bacon, Rep. Charles Taylor met his match this time around in … Read more
A citizens’ guide to forests, subdivisions Making the grade: Here, slope-side grading that will become an airstrip for private jets going to and from Wolf Ridge in Madison County. photo by Pete Orthman, courtesy SouthWings The Mountain Voices Alliance, a coalition of citizen groups concerned about the environmental impacts of steep-slope development, hosted an educational … Read more
Salmo Suburbus: art by Kent Priestley Right after I got married, my wife and I moved to China for a year-and-a-half. There we ate dozens of different kinds of noodles, got food poisoning twice, traveled thousands of miles by train and saw the Gobi Desert, but I didn’t get to go fishing once. In fact, … Read more
I was a bit surprised when I read in the Citizen-Times that the Merrimon Avenue McDonald’s was slated to be knocked down and re-created. The story noted that while the new McDonald’s would sport fancy countertops and even a fireplace, the beloved Playland would be gone for good. I broke the news to my two … Read more
Words to the word-slingers Last week’s articles on free speech and its sometimes unpleasant consequences [“Say It, Don’t Spray It” and “Uncivil Discourse?“, Nov. 8] brought to mind my own experience several years ago. I was relaxing one morning at my favorite coffee shop when I was approached by a Citizen-Times reporter and photographer who … Read more
Woodfin makeover: Plans for a massive development project include shops and retail space, restaurants, business and medical space, municipal parking and 400 housing units. For years, Woodfin, a town of nearly 4,000 just north of Asheville, has been something of a redheaded stepchild among Buncombe County municipalities. Need a prison? Put it in Woodfin. A … Read more
At day’s end, it was incumbent Bob Christy who got the champagne treatment in the Buncombe County Clerk of Superior Court race. Christy, who has held the office since 1990, won handily against Don Yelton, a political outsider who ran on a platform dedicated to breaking the grip of local attorneys’ power over the clerk’s … Read more
In local races for the N.C. General Assembly, both major parties held their ground. Reps. Susan Fisher and Bruce Goforth and Sen. Martin Nesbitt, all Democrats, kept their seats. Retiring Rep. Wilma Sherrill was replaced by fellow Republican Charles Thomas, who edged out Democrat Doug Jones by about 400 votes. Statewide, however, Democrats showed slight … Read more
The new badge in Buncombe: Van Duncan. photo by Jonathan Welch Van Duncan swept to victory in the Buncombe County sheriff’s race, outpacing incumbent Sheriff Bobby Medford by 14,651 votes — almost 20 percent of the nearly 77,000 votes cast. Voter turnout for the Nov. 7 election was substantially higher than in 2002, but it … Read more
