Day: February 26, 2013
Dear county commissioners
Editor's note: The following collection of letters comes from Rachel Reeser, a third-grade teacher at Isaac Dickson Elementary School, and a few of her students. According to Reeser, the students “completely voiced their own opinions. They had an assignment to write a letter to county commissioners, but were able to choose what stance they took … Read more
Banning human anatomy
I have a few concerns after reading the Jan. 31 mountainx.com article, “Moffitt Proposes Ban on Public Female Toplessness.” (See http://avl.mx/qi.) To Rep. Tim Moffitt and all those he represents, especially Mayor Terry Bellamy and all Asheville City Council members who signed the letter asking people to avoid a rally: First of all, with all … Read more
Nullify the “no nipple” bill
N.C. House Bill 34, the bill proposed by Reps. Rayne Brown and Tim Moffitt, was inspired by the GoTopless protests in Asheville. The bill received national attention after being introduced recently by the NCGA House Judiciary Committee. The goal of the bill is to make it illegal for women to expose any part of … Read more
Wear it well
It’s always exciting when a new, independently owned business opens in Asheville. Especially when it involves jewelry, or rustically cool boots, or luxe dresses, or crisp new denim. Three boutiques, between them featuring all of these, are changing the landscape of local style. Rugged but refined Secondhand store Goodwill has been the winner, year after … Read more
Coffee for a cause
Pisgah Legal focuses on the essentials; the nonprofit offers free legal assistance to low-income people with housing, health-care and safety needs. True to form, Pisgah Legal wants to connect with Asheville over an essential part of most mornings — a cup of coffee. Java for Justice gets the word out about the firm’s services while … Read more
Lets mind wander to wondering thought
Instrumental music leaves your imagination to itself; the sounds are free to lope and form images without the tired sagas imposed by the refrains of grocery-store songs. At a Feb. 3 concert at St. Matthias' Church, Asheville flutist and Pan Harmonia founder Kate Steinbeck encouraged this kind of personal free association as she introduced a … Read more
That’s real fraud
The plan of Republicans in North Carolina to enact voter-ID laws is pure smokescreen designed to divert our attention from the very real and systematic vote fraud perpetrated by Republicans [“Is Voter ID Worth the Burden,” Feb. 6 Xpress”]. The state's grossly gerrymandered districts — engineered in 2010 by Republicans funded by shadowy state and … Read more
Smart Bets: HoveyKraft with Lil Panda and Logos
Local musician Ben Hovey (aka HoveyKraft) is a one-man band in the suavest sense of the word. His "musical adventures fusing EDM with soul, dub, jazz, hip-hop, and world music have taken him from Ultra Music Festival in Miami, to Earthdance in San Francisco, to Burning Man and beyond," says press for the Saturday, March … Read more
The business of art
Andy Warhol said that “good business is the best art.” Many local artists add that having business skills under your belt is what makes a creative living truly sustainable. One such artist is Asheville-based potter Anja Bartels. A self-taught hobby potter, she decided to pursue a formal pottery education a few years ago after working … Read more
