Imagine hiking almost 1,000 miles. You get to the end, take in the views ... then not long after, turn around and hike back. That’s pretty much what Scot Ward did. En route to accept an award in Boone for the feat, he stopped in Asheville to talk to Xpress.

Word had circulated in online vote counts since early this afternoon that Democratic Rep. Heath Shuler will vote against health care reform legislation. Now, he’s has made it official.

Mark ye olde calendars, ‘cause the Drive-By Truckers and Langhorne Slim will be playing in-stores at Harvest Records on Record Store Day, April 17.

Two sizable collaborative projects — a multimedia package on the Burton Street neighborhood and the seven-part series “Worldwide WNC: Locals Going Global” — get the nod from the North Carolina Press Association

The Trunk Show is an evocative and powerfully moving concert of modern dance by Moving Women. Now at N.C. Stage.

Carolyn Comeau, an Asheville woman who was diagnosed with breast cancer three years ago, made appearances in Washington, D.C., yesterday, with Democratic Party leaders

Twitter coverage of last night’s town-hall meeting; ***UPDATED WITH VIDEOS***

Asheville Chief Financial Officer Ben Durant is resigning to take a job at Elizabeth City State University, meaning the city must now conduct a nationwide search for a new budget point person while it faces a looming $3 to 5-million deficit in the next fiscal year.

There’s a good hour of extra daylight each night this weekend, and the vernal equinox (that’s the start of spring) is at the stroke of midnight on Saturday. Need any more reason to get out of the house and celebrate a bit? How about a weekend’s worth of entertainment, with no cover charge over $5.

At a press conference tonight, activists called for: excavating contaminated soil; bringing city water to the area; a congressional investigation; the state to investigate NCDENR’s role in cleanup; adding the original plant site to the federal Superfund list (while removing the Rice property from that list); and for compensation of the Rice and Robinson families.

The choral society, joined by guest soloists and a chamber orchestra, perform the famed work. It will be Musical Director Lenora Thorn’s second-to-last production with the group.

The Hurt Mountain Boys lead a night of mountain/country/roots/rock at Stella Blue on Friday.

Reviews of the newest albums by Rafe Hollister and The Leigh Glass Band (both of whom perform this Friday).

Introduced in honor of the scenic highway’s 75th anniversary this year, the Blue Ridge Parkway Protection Act would authorize $75 million to purchase properties and easements along the route. Conservation Trust for North Carolina’s Executive Director Reid Wilson testified March 18 in support of the bill, speaking before the Senate Committee on Energy and Natural Resources on the importance of saving viewsheds on the Blue Ridge Parkway.