Chance operation

It was at a Black Mountain College celebration at Lenoir-Rhyne University where poet and musician Ted Pope met the writer Michael Rumaker. “He gave one of the most energetic readings,”…

William Tyler is a guitarist. He’s a guitarist so skilled and adaptable that his mastery of the instrument can’t help but define him. The evidence of the 34-year-old’s talent abounds…

The Ice House has been gone for a few weeks now, leaving behind only a smokestack and a dirt lot. The building had been a hub for transients, neighbors in…

During a decade as Trio Solisti, the group (violinist Maria Bachmann, cellist Alexis Pia Gerlach and pianist Jon Klibonoff) has earned the accolade of "the most exciting piano trio in…

New(ish) local band Ouroboros Boys (made up of former members of Ahleuchatistas and Blind Boy Chocolate & The Milk Sheiks) calls itself "weird surf." The group explains, "We are an…

Austin, Texas-based psych-rockers Black Angels have been recognized by style magazines like Esquire and NYLON. But "Don't Play With Guns," the new single form the band's new album, Indigo Meadow,…

Who doesn't love a good story? "Storytelling is not just for kids," says press for the Do Tell Festival. "This is intelligent entertainment for all ages, by some of the…

The Sweeten Creek Stop-and-Go gets another new Thai restaurant.

That big, golden circle on Asheville's Horizon? It's not the sun — it's a doughnut, a yeasty paczki (pronounced punch-key) filled with apricot and chili pepper caramel sauce, to be…

Anthony Cerrato celebrated his restaurant's first birthday in March. With a year behind him, he hopes to expand on Strada's Italian menu with a new tapas concept that pulls from…

Compare a bottle of Pisgah Pale Ale from February with one from April, and you'll notice a difference on the label. A small green circle is absent from the latter.…

Olive oil is one of those slippery beasts that spans all price ranges. Middle-of-the-road olive oil will get the job done, but there's nothing quite like a drizzle of high-end…

Edible park springs to life The Dr. George Washington Carver Edible Park got its start in 1998 and gained momentum as the concept of urban gardening took off. A few…

Speaking as a graduate student in counseling at the Center for Graduate Studies o f Asheville-Lenoir-Rhyne University, my degree should be seen as an investment in the local economy, as…

About seven years ago, the Regional Water Authority of Asheville, Buncombe and Henderson County fell apart. The creation of what had been an historic agreement involving the three governments, ongoing…

Last week, Asheville City Council members approved fee changes that could pump more than $2 million into the city coffers. Today, April 3, Council dives deeper into the city’s budget…

On a clear day, you can’t see forever in Shining Rock, and pollution is the cause.

Start From Seed, a local nonprofit that provides birth services in Buncombe County, will host a benefit screening of the new documentary Birth Story: Ina May Gaskin and the Farm…

Former Asheville Police Department evidence-room manager William Lee Smith has pleaded guilty to a federal charge for embezzling $10-$30,000 in drugs from the evidence room, according to a statement from…

At an awards ceremony held in Chapel Hill on March 21, the North Carolina Press Association announced the winners of its 2012 News, Editorial & Photojournalism Contest — and Mountain…

As the national same-sex marriage debate hold the floor of the Supreme Court, Buncombe County had its own microcosmic pivotal moment over the question of domestic partner benefits — for…

Pastor Ogden, you are a hypocrite [“What's Next, Polygamy Benefits?” March 27 Xpress]. You and many other Christians are so quick to fervently oppose legalizing gay marriage without also expressing…

In response to Rev. Keith Ogden's March 27 letter regarding the current “dangerous” homosexual legislation, here are some reasons we should oppose Marriage Equality [“What's Next, Polygamy Benefits?” Xpress]. Being…

Why don't we just stop pretending that the citizens of Asheville have any say whatsoever in what happens here? City Council meetings that are supposed to encourage comment and input…

In response to the state budget proposal, the North Carolina Student Power Union finds it necessary to remind Gov. Pat McCrory, state budget director James “Art” Pope, and the members…

Why is it that some religious folks are bent on inserting themselves (and their particular beliefs) into the business of government or civil matters, such as equality for all taxpaying…