According to reports from the Charles George V.A. Medical Center in east Asheville, norovirus cases have been confirmed in several patients in the facility’s Community Living Centers. Noroviruses are “a group of related, single-stranded RNA, non-enveloped viruses that cause acute gastroenteritis in humans,” says the U.S Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.
The city of Asheville is still warning residents with discolored water not to use it for cooking or drinking. The reddish, dirty color is due to repairs on a broken water main. The city says the number of homes affected is decreasing, but murky water remains in parts of the north, east and west areas of its service.
In this week’s Elitist Bastards Go To The Movies podcast, Mountain Xpress film critics Ken Hanke and Justin Souther review: The Eagle, Justin Bieber: Never Say Never, Just Go with It, Company Men, Barney’s Version, Gnomeo & Juliet and The Illusionist. They also chat about The Mummy’s Hand (1940) and The Mummy’s Tomb (1942)—this week’s Thursday Horror Picture Show—and The Hours (2002)—this week’s Asheville Film Society screening. And to top off the tank, they guess about the quality of Unknown, I Am Number Four and Big Mommas: Like Father Like Son.
Rep. Heath Shuler bucked national trends when he won re-election last year. In the new Congress, the conservative Democrat voted against the repeal of healthcare reform, voted to extend the Patriot Act, co-sponsored anti-abortion legislation that originally sought to redefine rape, and has had high-profile disagreements with the Democratic leadership. Shuler talks about all these issues — and more — with Xpress.
Thank Clapton for the appearance of Barney’s Version (starts Friday at Fine Arts) this week, because the remaining local openers are not exactly an enthralling prospect. In fact, it’s the sort of selection that causes it to look like this might just be the weekend to look into those mahjong lessons you’ve been putting off for far too long.
