There are more than 500 homeless people in the city, according to an annual count done by local homeless-service agencies, Homeless Coalition officials announced yesterday. Amy Sawyer, the city’s Homeless Initiative Coordinator, noted that the count, down from last year, does not reflect the full population, which is expected to rise with tightening economic conditions.
“A vale of humility between two mountains of conceit.” You may have heard that expression describing the position of North Carolina and its relationship to Virginia and South Carolina. You may even have heard some North Carolinians claiming this “valley of humility” as something we should be very proud of. And maybe we should be. … Read more
Certain photographic images are circulated so widely that, over time, they achieve iconic status. At the local level, Skip Metheney‘s photos of the deluge of muddy water tearing through his neighborhood during heavy rainfalls have become so well-known that they’re often reprinted in grass-roots propaganda highlighting problems associated with steep-slope development. Backyard blunder: This still … Read more
This black smoke pouring from the stack at Asheville Mortuary Services, a crematorium on Thompson Street near Biltmore Village, has caught the attention of some neighbors who complain that smoke and ash from the burning bodies has become a nuisance. Ashes to ashes?: A recent afternoon at Asheville Mortuary Services. Photo By Jason Sandford The … Read more
Former President Bill Clinton barnstormed North Carolina Friday, March 28, and ended his daylong, seven-city tour at Asheville High School’s gymnasium, where he told a cheering crowd of about 2,000 people why he thought Sen. Hillary Clinton, his wife, is the best choice for president. Photo By Jason Sandford After an introduction by state Rep. … Read more
My e-mail in box frequently receives outraged, sorrowing communications concerning the state of Stonehenge in England and the Hill of Tara in Ireland. Both have been important cultural markers in my personal spiritual journey, and I’ve been awed and privileged to spend time at each of them. Both are now endangered, say the e-mails, by … Read more
Michael Ian Black knows about pain. Maybe not the paycheck-to-paycheck pain of the blue-collar worker, or the heartache of a tragedy-drenched life, but it’s a real pain all the same. And it’s a refreshingly postmodern kind of pain at that. Black, like so many cable-generation celebs, knows the pain that comes with constantly being asked, … Read more
If we had another band name, it would be ‘Normal,’” jokes Matt Call, front man for local pop group Lewis. As it is, “We don’t have that whole indie appeal, which makes it tough. We’re not hanging things from our nipples. We’re just four normal guys.” What is normal? According to this local rock group, … Read more
