Vote postponed on Montford Commons tax incentives City ponders retooling health benefits Council considers handicapped parking changes Early next year, nearly 700 people may become Asheville residents thanks to two involuntary annexations initiated by City Council July 27. Capped? Concerned about the number of metered handicapped spaces being used to store cars, Council is considering … Read more
A proposed ordinance that would allow eco-friendly, affordable-housing developments in certain areas for considerably more density — and faster approval — met with a reversal July 22 when the city’s Planning and Zoning Commission voted it down 3-2, instead recommending a scaled-down approach. The incident has triggered a spirited debate about exactly how Asheville will … Read more
Three years ago, Robert White and his wife, Lucia Daugherty, sized up an abandoned baseball field at Pisgah View Apartments, the West Asheville public-housing complex they call home, and envisioned a beautiful communal green space. From that prodigious act of the imagination sprang the Pisgah View Community Peace Garden, which today teems with life.
There was good economic news for the area last week. Several local media outlets reported that, according to experts who spoke at the recent Asheville Metro Economy Outlook forum, the economy is on the rise after the worst recession since the Great Depression. Getting back in the black: After a painfully long period in the … Read more
“We often get referred to as throwback rap,” says Foul Mouth Jerk. “We refer to it as grumpy old man rap.” But the New Jersey native, who landed in Asheville more than a decade ago, is far from grumpy and anything but a jerk. He’s warm, personable and eager to chat about anything from politics … Read more
Here comes a different kind of summer swarm: The Beehive Collective — a grass-roots, arts-and-education group based in rural Maine — and a local “hive” called Wezeltown in Old Fort are celebrating their latest campaign through an elaborate storytelling and illustration project. Firestorm Café & Books (48 Commerce St.) will host the release party on … Read more
Even with their acoustic instruments (banjo, mandolin, guitars and a standup bass) and distinctly mountain sound, local bluegrass act Sanctum Sully feels right at home opening for jam/funk band Kung Fu Dynamite. Their grass is blue(ish): Asheville’s Sanctum Sully sounds “a little different than Tony Rice.” Photo By Briana Brough Photography "People are a lot … Read more
The Suspect: The Rocketboys The band was formed in West Texas when its members met up while attending Abilene Christian University. Their first studio EP was an immediate success, and a few of the songs were featured on the television shows Keeping Up with the Kardashians and The Real World. Paste Magazine featured the band’s … Read more
The monthly publication Bingo Bulletin believes that Mountain Xpress readers have received the wrong impression about it as a result of an article on the “Asheville Disclaimer” page. Xpress would like to make it clear that the article that appeared on page 80 of its July 21-27 edition was intended to be funny, as indicated … Read more
