Take an immediate right at the top of the escalator at Asheville’s Innsbruck Mall, and you’ll find yourself stepping back in time. Or so it seems at the Old Buncombe County Genealogical Society, a cozy library staffed by cheerful history buffs and crammed full with historical photos and relics, deeds, cemetery records, wedding announcements and … Read more
One hundred and one World War II veterans were milling about in the boarding area of the Asheville Regional Airport, and every one of them had a story to tell. West Asheville resident Bob Parks recalled being an Army Air Corps tail gunner stationed at Guadalcanal: “We were shot down at night, after a skip-bombing … Read more
This summer’s debate over Asheville City Council’s decision to change the city charter to allow partisan elections was a contentious one, with independents, Democrats and Republicans bickering over whether the switch would be beneficial or detrimental to local democracy. The fallout resulted in a successful petition drive to put the matter to city voters. The … Read more
The Asheville Film Festival has announced 33 films for the festival, which will take place Nov. 8 to 11 in downtown. The films include a wide range of features. There’s Art of Suicide, about a commune of four bohemian artists struggling for their big break; Intervention, a fly-on-the-wall look inside a rehab clinic that features … Read more
One-stop absentee voting is available through Oct. 6—and remember that, effective this year, you may register when you vote during the one-stop period. Visit www.buncombecounty.org/governing/depts/Election to view a sample primary ballot. Oct. 4: Asheville City Council Primary Candidates’ Forum sponsored by the Asheville chapter of the NAACP; 6 p.m. at Brown Temple CME Church (34 … Read more
The harm caused by Tasers, the conduct of local law enforcement—especially in African-American communities—and the possible creation of a citizen’s oversight board were all topics of sometimes heated discussion at an ACLU-sponsored forum on dissent held Sept. 27. The forum, at UNCA’s Highsmith Center, turned out a crowd of some 150 people. The American Civil … Read more
Digital copiers: A serious risk to sensitive info In the category of “one more thing to worry about,” comes this: Your digital copier may be putting your business, tax, personnel and other sensitive information at risk of being hacked by data thieves. Where once the only risk posed by workplace photocopiers might be some surreptitious … Read more
Political party: Democrat Occupation: Director, political outreach & education, Conservation Council of North Carolina Education: B.A. history/political science, Warren Wilson College Political experience: Finance Committee; Housing and Community Development Committee; Asheville Transit Commission; Metropolitan Planning Organization; Metropolitan Sewerage District Donors (top 3): Robin Hanes $1,000; Mack Pearsall $1,000; Scott Riviere $1,000 Endorsements: Sierra Club, Asheville … Read more
Though Mickey Hart was an integral part of the Grateful Dead, he always seemed less of a hippie than the rest of the jam-band pioneers in the group. Perhaps his otherworldly Vulcan looks account for the rift, or his collection of wildly printed shirts. But the more plausible reason is Hart’s decades-long flirtation with percussion … Read more
The Mule Skinner Grocery is a tiny hole-in-the-wall corner store, and at first, it’s an intimidating place. Three plastic lawn chairs are lined up out front, each holding someone with a story to tell and a 40-ounce beer in their hands. These are the people who you don’t read about in tourist brochures. It’s the … Read more
