Speed racer for kids: One out of five children in Buncombe County live in poverty. These kids, say organizers of the Saturday, Sept. 13, Asheville Grand Prix fundraiser, may not have access to warm clothing, adequate health care or nutritious meals. They’re also at risk of dropping out of school, joining a gang, getting involved … Read more
Photo By Jonathan Welch Roman’s Take Out: There’s a new lunch spot in Fairview: This summer, Roman Braverman opened Roman’s Takeout at 913 Charlotte Highway. The menu features salads, sandwiches and Hickory Nut Gap Farm burgers, including one dressed with a house-made avocado-dill ranch. Roman’s (pictured above) is open weekdays, 11 a.m. to 4 p.m. … Read more
We are so biotech: To jump-start growth in a promising sector of the economy, the North Carolina Biotechnology Center has awarded a $100,000 grant to an Asheville-based consortium. “Natural products from across North Carolina hold enormous potential for opening new avenues of treatments in human health and creating jobs throughout North Carolina,” says Annice Brown, … Read more
We have a free front seat at one of the great melodramas, replete with Roman tragedy, Greek pathos, bathos and raw comedy. The opening scene takes place in City/County Plaza in the ancient village of Asheville. Many worshippers and mystical witches are dancing around a beautiful magnolia tree that they have imbued with a special … Read more
Entering Zambra, you could get the feeling that the place is the brainchild of a mad Spanish admirer of Captain Nemo. The light is low; the decor mixes classical arches and modern curves; old pipes, complete with pressure gauges, jut up from the winding bar. Given its location, running alongside Walnut Street and partially under … Read more
The removal of an on-air personality at Asheville’s WPVM, a low-power station at 103.5 FM, and the subsequent resignation of the station’s manager has roiled some station volunteers and has the executive director of WPVM’s parent organization defending his decisions in running the station. Can you hear me now?: The downtown-Asheville studio of WPVM, a … Read more
Though the first soulful strains of world-music quintet Ba Man Bia are recognizably passionate and raw, their instruments—other then the upright bass plucked by Trevor Stoia—are a far cry from the guitars and drum kits of typical bands. But Ba Man Bia, formed in January of this year, is anything but typical. The group, a … Read more
Despite Mr. Ferguson’s recent one-page diatribe on incorporation for Swannanoa [“At What Price?,” Commentary, Aug. 13], [incorporating] does make sense for the community for several reasons—none of them self-serving. It is almost touching to hear Mr. Ferguson vow never to sell any portion of those vast acres. But what about his heirs, or [what] if … Read more
I was disappointed to learn that the “short list” of recent applicants to fill the Buncombe County Planning Board vacancies is loaded with real-estate agents, a second-home developer, a mortgage broker and construction contractors. I believe the commissioners should strive to eliminate all appearance of conflict of interest within the membership of the Planning Board … Read more
