Ironic Much? CityWiFi arrives in “Historic” H’ville Downtown Hendersonville, Inc.—a group that seeks to promote business and development in the town—recently announced that the so-called “Historic Downtown District” now offers free wireless Internet. The program, dubbed “CityWiFi,” was launched in late December, and is part of a growing trend in cities to provide incentives for … Read more
The Blue Ridge and Great Smoky Mountains are a beautiful part of this unique region. But they may represent something different to me than they do to most area residents. In my youth, I saw those mountains as a confining wall. But I encourage today’s urban youth to view them as the gateway to a … Read more
I am a resident of downtown Asheville and have been a professional singer for over 30 years. Most of my life was spent singing in smoky bars, six nights a week, inhaling other people’s secondhand smoke. Asheville is a music town filled with many musicians wishing to perform their music. Since musicians need a venue … Read more
At risk of adding more doom and gloom to Richard Fireman’s account of our environment [“A Healthy Future for Sophia,” Jan. 17], I’d like to mention lead as one of those toxic substances still in our lives on a regular basis. But fortunately, lead is also one of those substances about which people in Buncombe … Read more
Editor’s note: The Buncombe County Early College recently asked students to write an essay on the recently conducted “democracy panel” and how it affected them as individuals. Mountain Xpress chose this one for publication; excerpts from others will be presented in a future issue. The motivational speaker Zig Ziglar once said, “Our children are our … Read more
Hello, Asheville. Are you ready for the first black-American coaches to go to the Super Bowl? Is it racism to have taken this long to make it there? Is it racism to call them black coaches? Shouldn’t they just simply be referred to as coaches? Do humans need a prefix of black? Why is the … Read more
I would like to respond to the reader’s letter entitled “Grab Your Yerba, Mateys” [Jan. 24], which regarded a (not-so-favorable) review of the local band divineMAGees. And even though I did not read the original piece about the band by the paper’s columnist, Ms. Bianchi, as a local musician myself, I must throw in my … Read more
On Jan. 16, the Buncombe County Board of Commissioners voted unanimously to give Progress Energy, a for-profit company, a $1 lease on public land so they can build an oil-burning plant. Before the vote, David Gantt announced, “This is democracy!” He then thanked the [many] people who spoke against [the plant]—those of us foolish enough … Read more
Flavor: Creative ItalianAmbiance: Cool class that wouldn’t be out of place on a Manhattan side street Modesto’s owner/chef Hector Diaz at the restaurant’s wood-fired oven. photos by Jodi Ford There’s a whole lot of erratic underlining on Modesto’s dinner menu. The resultant herky-jerky effect is something like the experience of eating at Modesto, a paean … Read more
When I glanced at the cover of “The Medical Issue: To Your Health” [Jan. 17] with the attractive young babe in the surgical garb, I thought to myself: Here we go again, the local medical establishment is out campaigning again to sell their wares, useless drugs, surgery—out to sell some more diseases. And I was … Read more
