Cash, Orbison salute finishes with a bang
‘Dirty Dancing’ remake flops
— See REVIEW, Pg. B1
Swing dance film proves ravishing
— See REVIEW, Pg. A3
See REVIEW, Pg. B1
LLE I V HE AS ASHEVILLEʼS GREATEST NEWSPAPER
June 2017
An Independent Newspaper Serving Greater Asheville www.ashevilledailyplanet.com FREE
Vol. 13, No. 07
Utility accused of running ‘dog and pony show’
By JOHN NORTH
john@AshevilleDailyPlanet.com
Duke Energy was accused of launching a local joint energy task force that amounts to little more than “a dog and pony show” during a May 5 meeting of the Council of Independent Business Owners at UNC Asheville’s Sherrill Center. CIBO member Mac Swicegood voiced the criticism during a questionand-answer peMac riod that followed a Swicegood presentation by Duke Energy’s Jason Walls. “Now you’ve got a task force comprised of Brownie (Newman), who’s in the solar panel business; and Julie (Mayfield), who’s trying to stop everything, and you’re stuck in the Jason Walls middle,” Swicegood told Walls, who is also a member of the three-person unit. “It’s like a dog and pony show.” Newman, who lives in the Montford
AHS conductor, prized intern bid adieu
community, founded — in 2015 — a new solar energy company, Headwaters Solar. He is chairman of the Buncombe County Board of Commissioners. Mayfield, who lives in West Asheville, is co-director of MountainTrue and a member of Asheville City Council. MountainTrue battles for area environmental and conservation causes. In a state hearing, MountainTrue was a key opponent to Duke Energy’s plan to replace its coal-fired generator in South Asheville with two new 280-megawatt combined cycle natural gas-fired electric generating units with fuel oil backup. At the same hearing, Swicegood spoke strongly in favor of Duke’s proposal. Duke eventually received approval to proceed with the two natural gas generators. In responding to Swicegood’s verbal joust, Walls said, “Personalities aside, I think we have a lot of the right people around the table... Brownie and Julie, each, were appointed by their respective political bodies, and I was appointed by Duke.” He added, “I’m going to resist you’re saying ‘dog and pony show’ because I don’t think that’s a very nice phrase… So I think we have a real opportunity to make real progress....” See ‘DOG AND PONY SHOW,’ Page A9
Wedding his appetite
Q: I have this disturbing pattern. I’ve dated three different guys, each of whom said he didn’t want to get married, wasn’t ready, whatever. But then, the next girl they met…BAM! Walking down the aisle. Why am I marriage boot camp, but never the one the guy marries? — Aisle Seat It’s depressing when the only place you’re ever “registered” is at the DMV. There’s a reason you suspect your experience is a meaningful pattern, and it’s the same reason people think they see the Virgin Mary in their toast. Our minds are meaning-making machines. We evolved to
The Advice Goddess Amy Alkon
be deeply uncomfortable with uncertainty — probably because an uncertain world is a more dangerous world. Say a man hands you some blue liquid in a glass. You’re all, “Hmmm…should I drink that or take it home in case I ever need to dissolve a dead body in the bathtub?” We figure out what things are by looking for patterns — ways that the things match up to things we’ve encountered before. So, regarding that blue liquid, yes, Drano is blue, but it isn’t sold in a martini glass and garnished with a tiny paper umbrella. See ADVICE GODDESS, Page A11
Special photos by EAKIN HOWARD
A conductor and an intern conductor of the Asheville High School Band were honored during the “Hello Spring” concert on May 18 at AHS. Above (from left) are Emily Talley and Sarah Maccio. Talley is shifting jobs at AHS after many years with the band, while Maccio is moving on to another school after serving as an intern. Talley termed Maccio the best band conductor intern in recent school history and much-loved by the band members. Talley conducted the AHS Wind Symphony in “O Magnum Mysterium” and “Arabesque.” Maccio conducted the Wind Symphony in “Inglesina.”
Opponents of APD’s $1M request pack hearing; demand spending elsewhere From Staff Reports
Asheville City Council chambers were filled to overflowing May 23 with a big and vocal crowd opposing additional funding for the hiring of 15 new police officers. A $1 million request, sought by Asheville Police Chief Tammy Hooper, would finance the addition of more officers with the aim of reversing the 17 percent jump in violent crime, mostly in the downtown district. In response, activists, protesting under the slogan of “$1 Million for the People,” say the funds, instead, should go to public transit or anti-poverty programs. The hearing on the APD issue lasted more than two hours, as mostly opponents
— and a few proponents — voiced their viewpoints, often passionately. The hearing was the last opportunity to comment on the budget before council’s vote on June 13. The Rev. Amy Among the speakers, Cantrell the Rev. Amy Cantrell, the protest organizer, told council that she is giving it a petition — with 903 signatures “and climbing” — that says “we need more community. That community creates safety, and not expanding police.” See APD, Page A9