Day: May 7, 2013
Commissioners approve revised nonprofit funding policy
In the weeks leading up to their May 7 meeting, Buncombe County Commissioners debated stringent standards that would’ve limited nonprofits ability to request county funding for years to come. But when it came time to vote today, they settled on a slight rewording of the existing policy. (Pictured: Buncombe resident Jerry Rice; photo by Max Cooper)
Asheville’s going to court: Council votes to sue state over water bill
At a special meeting tonight, May 7, Asheville City Council members voted unanimously to sue the state of North Carolina over a bill forcibly transferring the city’s water system to the Metropolitan Sewerage District. City Attorney Bob Oast cited “legal, constitutional, and practical issues” with the mandate.
Review and photos: Danny Brown and Kitty
I read somewhere once long ago about Steve Albini’s thoughts on live music. Basically, he posited, there are two kinds of artists — those who care only about the live show and use their recordings as a document of them, and, of course, vice versa. Brown falls somewhere closer to the former. It’s just him, a microphone, his DJ Skywlkr and a whole, whole lot of energy. Photos by Rich Orris
The Gospel According to Jerry
Editor's note: This is the eighth installment of Jerry Sternberg's "Life in Seely's Castle" saga. The earlier pieces are available at mountainx.com or gospeljerry.com (which also contains additional photos of the castle and its furnishings). Life in the castle ranged from the usual round of raising a family to the periodically bizarre feeling of living … Read more
Are you being served?
Grappling with their toughest budget in a decade, the Buncombe County commissioners have been debating austerity measures that would put the squeeze on many local nonprofits for the foreseeable future. And amid a still-sputtering economy, most of those groups are already struggling after years of rising demand and dwindling funding sources. “Ever since the recession … Read more
On the way to the Mississippi …
The Metropolitan Sewerage District quite literally spilled into the week’s news again, but with consequences beyond administrative policy. As David Forbes reported on April 30, “A malfunctioning pump at the Metropolitan Sewerage District plant sent millions of gallons of raw sewage into the French Broad River starting this morning.” Many readers responded on mountainx.com and … Read more
Energize local
Kudos to Xpress for the terrific April 17 issue on sustainability! I've been delighted with the recent focus on the local economy. I especially loved reading about living roofs [in The Local Economy section], which solve so many problems at once (providing natural cooling, bird habitat and buffering streams from storm runoff); and "Plotting the … Read more
