When the Green Line, Asheville’s monthly environmental newspaper, decided to go weekly, all of us who worked on it got together to talk about what that would entail. How would production be affected? Would there be enough to fill a weekly? And what toll would a new ramped-up schedule take on all of us? I … Read more
I understand that Tate MacQueen, Democratic candidate for North Carolina’s 10th Congressional District seat, has asked his supporters to cut in half the contribution they were going to make to his campaign and, instead, give the remaining 50 percent of the contribution to a charity of their choice in Western North Carolina. This is the first time … Read more
remember being relieved and deeply pleased in the late 1980s, when Jeff Fobes and the WNC Greens formed and initiated Mountain Xpress’ predecessor publication, the Green Line. Asheville and Western North Carolina had lacked intensive, in-depth coverage of controversial environmental and social-justice issues.
Twenty years ago, law enforcement in Asheville and Buncombe County was unaccountable, environmental regulations were a joke and local government was a perpetual backroom deal. Mountain Xpress’ investigative reporting and commitment to community involvement helped changed all that in ways that I might not believe possible if I hadn’t seen them myself — from the … Read more
Mountain Xpress added to the vibrancy of an already out-of-control energy level around Asheville in the ’90s. Events and causes finally had a voice, and everyone pitched in to get the word out. We knew it was a successful publication because you would go through downtown on a Wednesday and everyone was reading it. It’s … Read more
Dear Jeff… It is hard to believe that it has been 20 years since you began publishing the Mountain Xpress. During that period of time, Asheville has changed a great deal and the Mountain Xpress has been a big part of that process. It is really hard to comprehend the changes that have taken place … Read more
People ask me how the Asheville of the ’90s compares to Asheville now. The easiest way for me to explain it is to tell them that, back then, if you were semi-employed (maybe a student or part-time bartender) you lived in a big Victorian house in Montford. Those who were unemployed or in a punk … Read more
With summer winding down and the start of fall less than a month away, now is the time to bask in warm evenings and enjoy summer’s plentiful bounty. Sunny Point Cafe will host a beer-and-bites party in their potager garden tomorrow evening, Thursday, Aug. 28. Proceeds from the event support local nonprofit Start From Seed.
