Day: January 28, 2014
Smart Bets: Wiley Cash
"The legendary 1998 season, when Sammy Sosa and Mark McGwire competed to break Roger Maris’ home run record, serves as an impeccable backdrop for This Dark Road to Mercy, the sophomore novel by North Carolina author Wiley Cash." So wrote Max Miller in his review for Xpress — read it here: http://avl.mx/04c. When sisters Easter … Read more
Kid rock
Among the forms of musical youth are The School of Rock (both the movie and the institution where young musicians learn the finer points of shredding) and the 27 Club (rockers become legendary by not making it to age 30). Then there are talented musicians whose sophisticated playing belies the low candle count on their … Read more
Bringing the heat
For more than a thousand years, northern Asian cultures have beaten the harsh cold and brutal snow storms of winter with warming dishes such as steaming soups and stews, peppery kimchi, savory dumplings and spicy barbecue. Gathering with family and friends around the table to enjoy these foods is a cold-weather Asian tradition that has … Read more
Muddy waters
The latest round in a long-running neighborhood dispute highlights the uneasy truce between the conflicting aims of environmental protection and development. On Jan. 11, heavy rains pounded Asheville. But in Five Points, it wasn't only water coursing through the streets. The deluge sent mud and debris from the nearby AAA/Chick-fil-A construction project running down the … Read more
Greater mobility for all
In response to the last week’s letter, “Mountain Mobility Can Do More” [Jan. 22 Xpress]: There is a lack of connectability for people who do not have access to automobiles or other options in small cities and rural areas of America. There are ways to solve the local problem, in addition to expansion of the … Read more
A call for commitment
We appreciate the Mountain Xpress’ acknowledgement of unconscious bias in the recent “Big Ideas” history of Asheville (Jan. 8-15). And we accept Xpress’ offer to engage the community in “ongoing civic dialogue.” However, we believe that this dialogue must be more substantial than a brief, unsigned response in the letters to the editor section of … Read more
Connecting on I-26
I want to respond to your recent pieces on the Interstate 26 Connector [“Big Ideas,” Jan. 8 and “Connecting,” Jan. 15, Xpress]. Your first piece described the Connector as a “big idea.” I would argue that the I-26 Connector has been an idea that has not been big enough. As you implied in your second … Read more
