One view on the long, twisted road to making the APD evidence room audit public, and how it changed Asheville Above: District Attorney Ron Moore talking to press June 19, beside the 15-volume audit of the APD evidence room. Honestly, I never expected the day would come. There, on a

The city’s current tack amounts to exploiting artists’ work while ignoring them and pushing societal homogeneity. There’s a better way. Photo by Zen Sutherland. “It’s a waste of time debating the merits of illegal graffiti,” says Gus Cutty, a local muralist and street artist, but that has not stopped the argument from

Low pay poses a major threat to Asheville and it’s long, long past time to stop pretending otherwise Art by Nathanael Roney, commissioned for the Asheville Blade. If a culture of juggling several jobs just to pay the bills wasn’t enough, if our fair city joining major metropoli on a

One of the organizers of Asheville’s Stonewall events writes about why the spirit of a riot 45 years ago is still needed in Asheville today. Above: A pride rally in Asheville, early 2000s. Why is Stonewall important? And why should Asheville commemorate the event as it truly was? That is, as a

Asheville’s current approach to diversity is like putting a bandage on a dirty wound. A better way will require a more politically and economically powerful black community — and the city truly addressing some hard history. Above: African-American owned businesses in downtown, before the East End neighborhood was devastated by

Behind downtown’s shortened and disappearing benches is a struggle about the future of the city’s public space By David Forbes On Walnut Street, there exists a particularly odd bench, one that attracts comments from locals and tourists alike. It’s clearly supposed to be, well, a bench, but it’s far too

Above: locals protesting Gov. Pat McCrory’s appearance at Moogfest on April 24 . Photo by Scott Owen. Our latest opinion column is from leftist activist and former mayoral candidate Martin Ramsey, who attacks what he sees as an attitude of “stay-in-your-placeism” from political decision-makers in Asheville and elsewhere. By Martin

By David Forbes The Asheville Citizen-Times reported this morning that Asheville Council member Cecil Bothwell was charged with driving while impaired. Bothwell, driving a friend’s car, was pulled over last night by a state trooper with a blood alcohol level of .10. Bothwell, in a brief phone interview, admitted “I

UPDATED June 24: I’m happy to announce Miss Mousie & the Rigmarole and Andrew J. Fletcher will play our June 29 shindig! It’s been a busy first few months for the Asheville Blade, with investigation, in-depth analysis, sparking a major public dialogue, sharing powerful stories and pursuing a new way to

Logo designed by Wendy Lou I want to thank everyone for the immense support you’ve given the Asheville Blade over the past weeks and months. I believe it shows a real hunger for hard-hitting news and sharp perspectives on our city and its times. Now I’m asking you to back