http://www.mountainx.com/news/ en webmaster@mountainx.com Copyright 2009 2009-11-04T04:00:55+00:00 http://www.mountainx.com/news/2008/brews_news110504 http://www.mountainx.com/news/2008/brews_news110504#When:00:50:00Z Local beer lovers, rejoice! Yes, Highland Brewing’s Cold Mountain Winter Ale is out and about. The first batch (there will be two this year) is hitting stores now in one-liter and 22-ounce bottles (find it at Green Life, Bruisin’ Ales, Hops & Vines, Earth Fare, Appalachian Vinters, Asheville Wine Market, and Weinhaus — to name a few retail locales). Kegs of the nectar are being loaded at the bre…... 2009-11-05T00:50:00+00:00 http://www.mountainx.com/news/2008/asheville_city_council_elections_as_reported_on_twitter http://www.mountainx.com/news/2008/asheville_city_council_elections_as_reported_on_twitter#When:22:55:30Z “Manheimer gets the bear vote: Four bears currently eating candy she left on her front porch in north Asheville,” @edgymama reported via Twitter on Oct. 31, in an early election report. “Don’t Vote, Don’t Complain,” tweeted @h0zae, who added, “11.16% of Asheville Voted in the Primary? In other words 11.16% of the people in Asheville make all the decisions for you.” @h0zae also wondered, “In other news… why do business owners within city limits NOT have a vote in Asheville? Are there places where biz gets a vote?” Nov. 3, Election day: @itswendylou: good morning and happy voting day. Get out there and vote, people! Asheville peeps, if you’re not sick/in crisis mode, you’ve got no excuse — I’ll be your poll-place taxi 6:18 am @drewreisinger: Only 23 people have voted at the Board of Elections today. Not cool precinct 20, not cool. early morn…... 2009-11-04T22:55:30+00:00 http://www.mountainx.com/news/2008/see_and_be_seen_whats_new_in_the_xpress_photo_gallery http://www.mountainx.com/news/2008/see_and_be_seen_whats_new_in_the_xpress_photo_gallery#When:19:55:37Z The Mountain Xpress Photo Gallery is bursting with newly added images. Have a look — you might even see yourself: • The LaZoom Halloween tour, including a special on-the-bus performance by Now You Seem Them, by Joshua Cole. • Spookyblogapaloozananny — aka Asheville’s annual social-media shindig and awards, by Jonathan Welch. • The Runaway Circus yucks it up at a rehearsal, by Jonathan Welch. • Xpress’ Best of WNC Bash at the Orange…... 2009-11-04T19:55:37+00:00 http://www.mountainx.com/news/2008/ashevilles_election_the_latest_results_will_be_reported_here http://www.mountainx.com/news/2008/ashevilles_election_the_latest_results_will_be_reported_here#When:16:00:41Z Click here to see the results of all the municipal elections in Buncombe County. ... 2009-11-04T16:00:41+00:00 http://www.mountainx.com/news/2008/110409asheville_city_council http://www.mountainx.com/news/2008/110409asheville_city_council#When:04:00:55Z One week more for Weaverville Route Annexation agreement keeps Asheville and Woodfin out of Leicester City in talks with CTS neighbors over water lines A sweeping overhaul of Asheville's transit system won preliminary support from Asheville City Council at its Oct. 27 meeting, but concrete changes to the routes, fares and infrastructure won't come before the new year. Developed over the past two years by consultants HDR Inc. of the Carolinas with the help of Asheville city staff, a steering committee and several well-attended public-input sessions, the Transit Master Plan is geared toward making city bus routes more efficient and attractive to users and toward increasing ridership via marketing efforts. But the plan, which cost $100,000 to develop, also outlines increased city expenditures in the neighborhood of $1.2 million that may bring price hikes for bus passes. 2009-11-04T04:00:55+00:00 http://www.mountainx.com/news/2008/swannanoa_says_no_to_incorporation http://www.mountainx.com/news/2008/swannanoa_says_no_to_incorporation#When:02:21:24Z According to a full but unofficial tally by Buncombe Election Services, 61 percent of Swannanoa voters have said no to incorporation. ... 2009-11-04T02:21:24+00:00 http://www.mountainx.com/news/2008/4th_annual_blogger_awards_are_in http://www.mountainx.com/news/2008/4th_annual_blogger_awards_are_in#When:21:14:44Z The results from the SpookyBlogapaloozathon once again tally up the area’s best bloggers and online networkers. The awards were handed out at the Friday, Oct. 30, party at Phil Mechanic Studios. The list of winners, compliled at Blog Asheville, is below. But these weren’t the only winners: Proceeds from the party raised over $1,600 for Project AHOPE. And if you couldn’t be there on Hallows Eve-eve, you can find great photo evidence here and here. — Brian Postelle, staff writer 2009 BlogAwards winners: Best Food BlogShe Who Eats Best Craft Blog 2009-11-03T21:14:44+00:00 http://www.mountainx.com/news/2008/the_life_of_clouds_craggy_garden_sunrise_a_video_by_revpictures http://www.mountainx.com/news/2008/the_life_of_clouds_craggy_garden_sunrise_a_video_by_revpictures#When:14:19:43Z Time-lapse video shots looking down from Craggy Gardens on a sea of clouds depict their energy and feel as they roil and flow up against the mountainsides and sometimes over the ridges. Audio track by Dep, who originally hails from Weaverville, according to his Facebook page at http://www.facebook.com/depmusic   “I shot this footage on the morning of oct 30 at craggy pinnacle,” commented Bob on this week’s Video a-go-go, who asked that we post his video. (Wi…... 2009-11-03T14:19:43+00:00 http://www.mountainx.com/news/2008/buncombe_commissioners_preview_floods_and_sustainability http://www.mountainx.com/news/2008/buncombe_commissioners_preview_floods_and_sustainability#When:15:45:00Z While Ashevilleans are (hopefully) streaming to the polls on Nov. 3, the Buncombe County Board of Commissioners plan to hold its regular meeting. It’s a relatively brief agenda, but changes to the flood ordinances and a sustainability plan for the county are both on the table. The commissioners will vote on a series of changes to the county’s flood ordinances as well as a sustainability plan that advises the county to strive for LEED-certified energy efficient buildings and building up a vehicle fleet with lower emissions, among other initiatives. The county will also consider a $21 million financing partnership with the Health Adventure, which is building a new Health a…... 2009-11-02T15:45:00+00:00 http://www.mountainx.com/news/2008/video_a-go-go7 http://www.mountainx.com/news/2008/video_a-go-go7#When:13:33:30Z It’s Halloween weekend, and what better way to kick off this week’s video roundup than with a little spooky fun? Here’s a video of country singer and former American Idol contestant Kellie Pickler trying her hand at being a ghost hunter by visiting the Smith-McDowell House late at night. I’m a little surprised to see the house presented as “the most haunted mansion in Asheville”—I can’t say I’ve ever heard anyone claim it was haunted—but the night-vision shots and editing do make it look kinda creepy I guess. 2009-10-31T13:33:30+00:00 http://www.mountainx.com/news/2008/classic_cocktail_anyone http://www.mountainx.com/news/2008/classic_cocktail_anyone#When:18:56:48Z Downtown Asheville’s newest bar/eatery, Sazerac, opens today. Owners Jack and Lesley Groetsch, former managers of the Orange Peel, say that the venue is a classic-cocktail bar. Sazerac, at 29 Broadway in the space formerly occupied by Ambiance Interiors, is named after a cocktail created in New Orleans, where the Groetsches used to live. The bar leans heavily on New Orleans traditions, from the cocktail list to the cuisine, which is mostly Cajun-themed small plates.  Lesley says the focus is on the cocktails, especially those “that have in some cases gone out of style, but in some cases are rushing back into style.” Sazerac also boasts a rooftop terrace, which is pictured here. Visit http://www.ashevillesazerac.com for more information. — Gabe Chess, news intern... 2009-10-30T18:56:48+00:00 http://www.mountainx.com/news/2008/asheville_city_council_brief_oct._27_meeting http://www.mountainx.com/news/2008/asheville_city_council_brief_oct._27_meeting#When:15:51:21Z The Transit Master Plan, developed with the help of an outside consultant, a long list of stake holders and a series of public-input sessions, was adopted by Asheville City Council at its Oct. 27 meeting. But implementation of the plan’s provisions will rely on budget work by city staff and Council’s consideration of the finer points. The TMP was supported in a 6-1 vote, with Council member Carl Mumpower voting “no.” Council will begin to hear budget options at its retreat in early January. In other developments: • Council also voted unanimously to continue bus service to Weaverville through the first week of November. The five daily bus trips between Asheville and Weaverville were scheduled to end on Nov. 1 after the announcement by the state Department of Transportation that it was pulling its funding for the route and the indication by Weaverville town leadership that it was letting the service expire. Council hope…... 2009-10-29T15:51:21+00:00 http://www.mountainx.com/news/2008/102809pollution_politics_and_gender http://www.mountainx.com/news/2008/102809pollution_politics_and_gender#When:04:00:53Z The civil-justice system has its own grinding, seesaw pace, as Buncombe resident Melanie Pitrolo has discovered. In the space of four years, she has lost her case, won an appeal and prevailed before a jury — only to lose again when the judge overruled. She has filed her second and final appeal in the case, which started in 2005. In the air: Although a jury decided Melanie Pitrolo had been discriminated against when she was passed over for a job at the local air agency, District Court Judge Lacy Thornburg overruled it this past August. Pitrolo has appealed his decision. Photos by Jonathan Welch Four years ago, she initiated a discrimination complaint alleging that the Western North Carolina Regional Air Quality Agency, its board members and Buncombe County offi…... 2009-10-28T04:00:53+00:00 http://www.mountainx.com/news/2008/102809the_battle_for_swannanoa http://www.mountainx.com/news/2008/102809the_battle_for_swannanoa#When:04:00:52Z In June, state Sen. Martin Nesbitt (D-Buncombe) had something to say to his colleagues on the Senate Finance Committee. "This is about the town of Swannanoa, and I know you don't want to know anything about it, but I'm going to tell you anyhow," he said, introducing legislation to put the General Assembly's stamp of approval on incorporating the town and to set a referendum for Nov. 3. "This will be the site of the first Tiger Woods golf course in North America," he continued (incorrectly, since most of Woods' Cliffs at High Carolina Course will be in Fairview). "For those of you who've been through it, I don't know why Swannanoa isn't bigger than the city of Asheville. It's the most beautiful place you've ever seen. It's got Interstate 40, it's got sewer and water." 2009-10-28T04:00:52+00:00 http://www.mountainx.com/news/2008/asheville_city_council_approves_transit_master_plan_twitter_report http://www.mountainx.com/news/2008/asheville_city_council_approves_transit_master_plan_twitter_report#When:00:14:00Z Asheville City Council voted this evening to approve the Transit Master Plan, without yet voting how to implement it. The following twitter-based report of the proceedings, by @ashevillebus, records much of the debate. However, readers should be aware @ashevillebus represents a group that has been advocating that Council approve the master plan. (A couple tweets were sent by Xpress reporter Brian Postelle, who was at the meeting also; his tweets are identified as coming from him). Immediately after considering the master plan, Council discussed and voted unanimously to postpone for one week the cancellation of Asheville’s bus route serving Weaverville. —————————————————————- Total cost of Asheville’s Transit Master Plan is $6.1 million, with the city being asked to provide $1.2 million. The price tag for Sun service…... 2009-10-28T00:14:00+00:00 http://www.mountainx.com/news/2008/asheville_city_council_preview_oct._27_meeting http://www.mountainx.com/news/2008/asheville_city_council_preview_oct._27_meeting#When:19:06:04Z Two years in the making, the Transit Master Plan will make its big appearance Tuesday evening. The plan is intended to revamp the city’s bus routes in order to make them more efficient and to increase ridership. See the draft plan here. And while they are at it, Council members will also discuss continuing the Asheville/Weaverville bus route that is due to expire at the end of October. Also on Council’s plate is another installment in the long-running Asheville/Woodfin annexation-agreement discussion outlining the areas each party can annex in the future. On the public-hearing front, Council will hear plans for a level III, 106,646-square-foot building for an intermediate school on the same Overlook Road site that is currently home to Valley Springs…... 2009-10-26T19:06:04+00:00 http://www.mountainx.com/news/2008/a_week_on_clues_still_sought_in_parkway_murder http://www.mountainx.com/news/2008/a_week_on_clues_still_sought_in_parkway_murder#When:18:11:38Z A week after the body of Misty Lynn Carter, 21, was found on the Blue Ridge Parkway, the Buncombe County Sheriff’s Office is still seeking clues in the case. This afternoon, investigators revealed that blunt force trauma to the head was the cause of death. Around 6:30 a.m. Monday, Oct. 19, the sheriff’s office received a call (listen below) from a motorist who found Carter’s body — at that time unidentified — a few feet from the roadway close to milepost 395 near Glenn Gap. “Initially we classified it as a ‘suspicious death,’ but it became clear this was a homicide,” Lt. Ross Dillingham told Xpress. “We put information out to media to try to identify the body.” Eventually Carter’s family confirmed her identity. She was six weeks pregnant. The crime is the first recorded killing in unincorporated areas of Buncombe County this year, and Dillingham assert…... 2009-10-26T18:11:38+00:00 http://www.mountainx.com/news/2008/ashevilles_haiti_connection_mission_manna_final_day_and_return_to_the_u.s http://www.mountainx.com/news/2008/ashevilles_haiti_connection_mission_manna_final_day_and_return_to_the_u.s#When:17:05:36Z Friday night, Oct. 23: In Montrouis, after the last clinic: “Back from Piyat — the team will inventory remaining meds, store them, pack, hoist a Prestige [Beer] and sleep well,” reports Todd Kaderabek, Mission MANNA’s point person in Asheville. This short (20 second) video from yesterday’s Piyat clinic, gives a good sense of the atmosphere. http://missionmannahaiti.posterous.com/piyat-clinic Saturday, Oct. 24: “And then, it’s off to airport in Port au Prince (there’s Colt 45 malt liquor in vending machines), check all the bags and wait,” Todd explains. “Landing in Miami is always surreal: culture shock of the developed world. At that point, all you want it to get home,” he adds. Later, Todd relays he has gotten word from Dr. Derek Dephouse that MissionMANNA’s team has arrived in Miami…... 2009-10-25T17:05:36+00:00 http://www.mountainx.com/news/2008/ashevilles_haiti_connection_mission_mannas_medical_team_preps_for_day_6 http://www.mountainx.com/news/2008/ashevilles_haiti_connection_mission_mannas_medical_team_preps_for_day_6#When:04:41:50Z Friday morning, Oct. 23: The team has returned from its two-day trek into the mountains to see several hundred kids at four remote clinics. Today, the last day of clinics, will be spent in town. Dr. Derek Dephouse reports that it rained most of last night. And returning from the mountains, they encountered mud bogs on way down, but these were not a problem for their rental vehicles, which, he notes, “are crucial to get our job done.” In the video below, shot last year at the Piyat clinic, Dephouse briefly explains the goals of Mission MANNA’s twice-annual medical visits: 2009-10-24T04:41:50+00:00 http://www.mountainx.com/news/2008/ashevilles_haiti_connection_mission_manna_returns_from_the_mountains_day_5 http://www.mountainx.com/news/2008/ashevilles_haiti_connection_mission_manna_returns_from_the_mountains_day_5#When:03:58:42Z The medical team has returned from its two-day trek, reports Todd Kaderabek, Mission MANNA’s point person in Asheville.  “The Asheville team is off mountain and back in Montrouis,” says Todd. “Looks like it was rough. They happened upon a rollover injury.” Thursday evening, Oct. 22: Dr. Derek Dephouse reports, “Many malnourished kids. It was Haiti 911 when we arrived. Very tragic.” “This little boy was found by the Mission Manna team after the truck he was riding in rolled off mountain road on the outskirts of Fond Baptiste,” explains Team member Tom Plaut. “He is a child worker and the sole supporter of his mother and siblings. He was treated by four of our doctors after one of them helped local villagers carry him a mile to our clinic site. He still may d…... 2009-10-23T03:58:42+00:00 http://www.mountainx.com/news/2008/group_proposes_riverfront_redevelopment_commission http://www.mountainx.com/news/2008/group_proposes_riverfront_redevelopment_commission#When:15:35:58Z On Wednesday, before a room full of residents who own property or businesses along the French Broad and Swannanoa Rivers, a study group unanimously voted to pursue a City Council-appointed Riverfront Redevelopment Commission. The work group, helmed by Asheville Mayor Terry Bellamy and Buncombe County Board Chair David Gantt, also included Asheville Chamber of Commerce President Rick Lutofsky, RiverLink Executive Director Karen Cragnolin, Council of Independent Business Owners Executive Director Mike Plemmons and River Arts District cofounder Patty Torno. The goal of the committee, explained Bellamy, would be to recommend policies to Asheville City Council that would encourage and guide development along Asheville’s riverfront. “My vision for the commission is one that does the same thing for the riverfront that the Downtown Commission did for downtown,” said Torno. “I’m tired of p…... 2009-10-22T15:35:58+00:00 http://www.mountainx.com/news/2008/ashevilles_haiti_connection_missionmanna_medical_team_heads_into_the_mounta http://www.mountainx.com/news/2008/ashevilles_haiti_connection_missionmanna_medical_team_heads_into_the_mounta#When:03:46:18Z Wednesday night, Oct. 21: “The Asheville Mission MANNA medical team should be camped 2,500 feet above the Caribbean by now, nestled under the same stars as you, but a world away,” reports @missionMANNA staff member Todd Kaderabek from Asheville. Todd has stayed home in this trip. “Who knows about connectivity,” he adds. Prior to leaving for the two-day mountain trek, the team had prepped, doing tasks like filling bags of AK-1000 (akamil) for the mountains. Team doctor Derek Dephouse explained shortly before leaving, “The kids are usually sicker and have greater need, if that is possible. The team is fired up and ready to go.” His last word was: “Off to the moun…... 2009-10-22T03:46:18+00:00 http://www.mountainx.com/news/2008/i-26_connector_alternative_4b_gets_back_to_its_roots http://www.mountainx.com/news/2008/i-26_connector_alternative_4b_gets_back_to_its_roots#When:16:41:40Z When the Asheville Design Center first proposed the idea of I-26 connector alternative 4B, the idea was to run the highway beneath Patton Avenue as a way of separating highway and local traffic and to encourage a boulevard connection from West Asheville to downtown (shown in the illustration here, provided by the ADC). But when the North Carolina Department of Transportation returned with their version of the plan, the design had been flipped, with the connector flying over Patton Avenue. Now, the department says it will reconsider a design that has I-26 back below Patton. “This was big for us,” says ADC representative Alan McGuinn. “I would say the DOT is certainly working with us to make 4B the best it can be.” McGuinn noted that 4B had lost some community support after it had been changed by DOT consultants, who initially said they could not design I-26 beneath Patton Avenue and still maintain federal highway standar…... 2009-10-21T16:41:40+00:00 http://www.mountainx.com/news/2008/102109asheville_city_council_hat_in_hand http://www.mountainx.com/news/2008/102109asheville_city_council_hat_in_hand#When:04:00:55Z Montford Commons developer asks city for $9 million loan Reid Center progesses URTV gets 90-day extension while Council explores problems When it was approved in 2007, the Montford Commons development plan earned praise for putting mixed-use development in an area of urban blight and for realizing elements of the city's Greenway Master Plan relating to that part of town. But Vincent James from Frontier Syndicate LLC told Council at its Oct. 13 meeting that project funds are coming up short due to limits on the types of infrastructure that can be paid for with Housing and Urban Development grants. The project needs financing from the city to the tune of $9 million to proceed, he told Council. "The project will not succeed without the help of the city and the county," James said. That $9 million figure isn't written in stone, he noted, explaining that the city can help determine the p…... 2009-10-21T04:00:55+00:00 http://www.mountainx.com/news/2008/102109asheville_general_election_voter_guide http://www.mountainx.com/news/2008/102109asheville_general_election_voter_guide#When:04:00:53Z In a typical election season, the Xpress voter guide would simply feature the six Council and two mayoral candidates that are on the ballot for the Asheville general election. But things are more complicated this year. Three days after the primary's 7,113 ballots were cast, fourth-place finisher Kelly Miller bowed out of the race. Since the Buncombe Board of Elections had not yet certified the primary totals at the time of Miller's departure, it determined that Carl Mumpower and J. Neal Jackson, who placed fifth and sixth in votes, would move up to fourth and fifth place, and that seventh-place finisher Ryan Croft would now be the sixth name on the ballot. (The top three slots were cleanly taken by Cecil Bothwell, Gordon Smith and Esther Manheimer.) Then there's incumbent Robin Cape, who is mounting a write-in bid for reelection. Although there are six names on the ballot for Counci…... 2009-10-21T04:00:53+00:00