There are a number of cases in The Thackery T. Lambshead Cabinet of Curiosities: Exhibits, Oddities, Images & Stories from Top Authors & Artists (Harper Votager, 2011) in which the dead don't remain dead. Or aren't really dead. Or never actually died to begin with. There's Lambshead's wife, Helen Aquilus, who "died in an auto … Read more
The menu at your favorite local sushi restaurant might as well offer the "endangered species roll." Not the best marketing, but here’s the truth: Certain fish species commonly found on restaurant menus and in sushi coolers have been fished nearly to the brink of extinction. While you wouldn't dream of eating panda bear (would you?), … Read more
Redistricting cuts to the heart of our democracy. To ensure that everyone’s vote counts the same, the boundaries for congressional as well as state House and Senate districts must be redrawn every 10 years, based on the latest census data. In North Carolina, members of the General Assembly do the job, factoring in assorted geographic, … Read more
Recently, the two of us sat on Lexington Avenue reading Mountain Xpress aloud to each other. It’s something we do while we take in the goings-on in our neighborhood. We live in downtown Asheville, and while we appreciate the quirky spunk of West Asheville, the almost rural feel of Fairview, the old-school Southern charm of … Read more
First and foremost, I'd like to thank Xpress for printing the July 6 article on immigration and education [“Stymied”]. I found it to be informative. I'd also like to ask Miss Ginocchio-Silva to perhaps reconsider the kind of education she will get in our state's system, if we can infer anything from the anti-immigrant sentiments … Read more
In Rosanne Cash’s memoir, Composed, she writes, “Someone once told me to perform to the six percent of the audience who are poets.” I happen to be a poet. Though I’ve not had the privilege of seeing her in concert, while reading her New York Times-bestselling book, I felt as if she were telling tales … Read more
New food truck alert There's a new mobile sandwich unit in town. Nate Kelly has opened the Lowdown food truck with wife, Cynthia. Nate was the chef at the Usual Suspects, the ever-popular late-night hot spot that was replaced by Avenue M last year. Monday through Thursday, the truck can be found selling a small … Read more
Republicans have fired the first round in the latest edition of the political turf war that predictably erupts every 10 years in the wake of the U.S. census. And the proposed new congressional districts could make it very difficult for a Democrat to represent Asheville and Buncombe County in the U.S. House, says Roger Hartley, … Read more
I wish that I could have felt sorry for most of the protagonists in the July 6 Xpress article “Stymied.” I’m afraid I couldn’t. As an immigrant myself, who has spent a lot of money and time and endured a lot of frustration with the antiquated, complicated and convoluted U.S. immigration system, I can’t feel … Read more
The proposed new districts for Statehouse and the Buncombe County Board of Commissioners could further polarize both the legislative delegation and local voters. Released the evening of July 12, the new maps place Democratic Reps. Susan Fisher and Patsy Keever in the same district (the 114th, which now includes most of Asheville), potentially pitting them … Read more
