Up in smoke: The death of tobacco in WNC
- Volume 22
- / Issue 31
Cover Design Credit:
Scott Southwick
Cover Photography Credit:
Courtesy E.M. Ball Collection, Special Collections, Ramsey Library, UNC Asheville
Since payments for the “tobacco buyout” ended in 2014, many farmers across the Southern Appalachians
have faced both the challenge of replacing lost revenue and, at a deeper level, a kind of identity crisis.
arts
UNCA hosts solo exhibition of paintings by retired professor Virginia Derryberry
The exhibition, Private Domain, remains on display at S. Tucker Cooke Gallery, on the first floor of UNCA’s Owen Hall, through Friday, March 4.Smart bets: Moon Hooch
METAL opens for the untamed instrumental band at The Mothlight on Tuesday, March 1.Jane Kramer celebrates her return to Asheville with a new album
The song “Truck Stop Stars” from her new album, Carnival of Hopes, is about a woman leaving a mountain town to cross the U.S. “To me, it foreshadowed my own…Smart bets: Up Jumped Three
The modern jazz trio plays Isis Restaurant & Music Hall's upstairs lounge on Sunday, Feb. 28.Swannanoa native Reed Turchi returns home for album release party
“A lot of people make a blues connection to that music, but what I'm attracted to in all of that is the groove,” says Reed Turchi. Hooks and melody are…Smart bets: Rhiannon and the Relics
Pre-teen fiddler Rhiannon Ramsey and her bandmates play Fletcher's The Feed and Seed on Friday, Feb. 26.Conscious party: The Vagina Monologues benefits Helpmate
Popular play The Vagina Monoluges covers "all the weird things we have to go through as women," according to show organizer Allison Taylor. Her cast of local volunteers talks gender…Smart bets: The Highway Q.C.’s
Frontman Spencer Taylo and his bandmates bring their soulful singing to The Double Crown on Thursday, Feb. 25.
food
Local caterers go creative
Local catering companies are creating memories by using culinary and cocktail ingenuity.Local buzz: Yaupon tea takes the Asheville stage as a native source of caffeine
A black tea made from the yaupon holly, the only known caffeinated plant indigenous to North America, is creeping onto Asheville store shelves and coffee shop menus.Beer Scout: Shave and a haircut … cold pints!
The Local Barber and Tap provides haircuts and old-fashioned shoeshines along with a taproom pouring local craft brews.Small bites: A dozen local bands play for Food Connection
Food Connection's largest fundraiser of the year is a music sampling of Western North Carolina; Catawba Brewing Co., serves up a beer-filled brunch to take the edge off winter; The…
living
Mission Health helps expand national bone marrow transplant registry
To save a life, Julia Killen endured six hours with each arm stuck with two needles that drew cells from her bone marrow. While the process involved some discomfort and inconvenience,…
movies
Screen scene: Local film news
Two documentaries on extreme runners and the Tarahumara Indians, plus a benefit screening for Homeward Bound of WNC.
news
Underwater rock farming, anyone? Ashevillean grows coral reefs off Florida coast
When most people think of farming, their thoughts turn to rows of neatly planted produce or herds of beefy cattle, but likely not to what Tim Birthisel, proprietor of Terra…Local colleges adopt more holistic admissions policies
A year ago, Natalie Izlar felt herself drowning in responsibilities. “It was really stressful, because we were told colleges were looking at our extracurricular activities as well as our GPA…Smoke and mirrors: the death of tobacco in WNC
Few crops have been as central to North Carolina’s economy and culture — or as controversial — as tobacco. Historically, its high market value and the relative ease of growing…Do the legislative shuffle
As a result of a 2013 lawsuit from Mecklenburg and Durham County voters, hundreds of Buncombe County residents are changing representation between the 10th and 11th Congressional Districts.
opinion
Letter writer: ‘Hail, Caesar!’ should have been ‘Pick of the Weak’
"Along with the other local movie critics, Ken raved about the worst movie I have ever seen in my entire life, and that covers about seven decades."Smile for the body camera
Letter writer: Is Blue Cross intentionally denying medication to its customers?
"I suspect this is a deliberate practice designed to deny BCBSNC customers the medications they need while their appeals are processed. In the meantime, Blue Cross saves huge sums of…The Gospel According to Jerry: High times at the Sky Club
"Perhaps the most exciting event ever to take place at the Sky Club was when Robert Mitchum came to town to star in Thunder Road. The whole town was star-struck,…Confessions of a liberal college professor
"The mean-spirited abuse hurled at college students and professors alike reflects a dying political paradigm coupled with a fear of the young."Churchin’ state
