Here’s the good news: If you’re on city water, you’re OK for now. The bad news: If you’re not, there’s no telling how long you may be affected by the region’s ongoing drought. Oh, and one more thing: Conserve, conserve, conserve. Thirsty? The North Fork Reservoir, Asheville’s primary source of drinking water, has dipped enough … Read more
Ethanol comes to WNC Western North Carolina has officially jumped on the ethanol bandwagon. The Asheville-based Blue Ridge Biofuels is now peddling the alternative fuel from a brand-new pump at the Kounty Line Exxon on Airport Road in Arden. Corny, but cheap: An alternative-fuel blend called E85, which is 85 percent ethanol, is now available … Read more
You may think you know what to expect at this Saturday’s Asheville Holiday Parade—it’s the same every year, right? They’ll be dancin’ in the streets: The Asheville Holiday Parade kicks off at 2 p.m. on Saturday, Nov. 17. Photo By Jonathan Welch Wrong. “We have more creativity than we’ve ever had” exhibited at this year’s … Read more
After drawing crowds downtown and selling out multiple shows, the fifth annual Asheville Film Festival came to a close on Sunday, Nov. 11. The festival honored veteran actress Tess Harper (Loggerheads, Crimes of the Heart) with a career-achievement award. Celluloid heros: Awards-ceremony M.C. Matt Mittan mans the mic while Xpress movie critic and festival judge … Read more
A Maxwell Street resident known for railing against Greenlife Grocery’s use of that street has been barred from Asheville city buildings without a prior appointment—and an escort. Reid Thompson, who for the past few years has hounded City Council to enforce rules regarding the unloading of delivery trucks across the street from his house, received … Read more
New businesses start up in Asheville and throughout Western North Carolina on virtually a daily basis. But when it comes to new banks? That’s typically a much rarer event, thanks to a host of issues—primarily regulatory hurdles, market demands and the fact that banks have to raise millions of dollars in capital funding before they … Read more
For those who sleep in on Saturdays, Wait Wait … Don’t Tell Me!, National Public Radio’s weekly news quiz show, keeps an appropriate tempo. Wiseacres such as Paula Poundstone and Mo Rocca riff on current events while host Peter Sagal walks contestants through three-question rounds of quizzes, with the prize being the voice of Carl … Read more
At 18, Jennifer Thornburg is already getting yelled at outside chicken restaurants, swaying school policy and making a name for herself in the activist community. A few months back, peta2, the youth arm of People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals, bestowed an Outstanding Activist Award on Thornburg after she interned for the group last … Read more
“My whole life, I’ve been kind of an outsider because of this dual citizenship,” says Jimmie Griffith, front man of Boone-based bossa nova-influenced trio, Banana Da Terra. Easy listening: This Boone-based trio makes groovy Latin music for the masses. Just imagine: As the child of a Brazilian mother and an American father, the musician grew … Read more
While environmentalists’ discussions tend revolve around how to avert catastrophic climate change, the business world is slowly starting hatch plans for adapting to the looming repercussions of an altered climate. Wired earth: On a tour of the National Climatic Data Center, staffer Carmella Watkins introduces “the magic planet,” an educational tool that creates a visual … Read more
