Mountain Xpress 04.08.20 by Mountain Xpress

OUR 26TH YEAR OF WEEKLY INDEPENDENT NEWS, ARTS & EVENTS FOR WESTERN NORTH CAROLINA VOL. 26 NO. 37 APRIL 8-14, 2020

MOUNTAINX.COM

APRIL 8 - 14, 2020

MOUNTAINX.COM

APRIL 8 - 14, 2020

NEWS

10 BEDS SEEKING HEADS BCTDA outlines COVID-19 tourism impacts, response

NEWS

12 GET OUT OF JAIL HEALTHY Police, judges, attorneys work to reduce Buncombe jail population ahead of COVID-19

WELLNESS

15 COMPASSIONATE CONFINEMENT New county program aims to reduce harm, treat inmate addiction

GREEN

FEATURES

19 TAKING ACTION FEATURES Natalie Bogwalker on natural skill-building, plus Isa Whitaker’s community resilience efforts

PAGE 17

PUBLISHER: Jeff Fobes

While many local shops closed in late March after Buncombe County issued its COVID-19 stay-at-home mandate, gardening retailers and wholesalers were deemed essential — and business is brisk as quarantined locals with time on their hands dive into gardening.

ASSISTANT TO THE PUBLISHER: Susan Hutchinson

COVER PHOTO Getty Images COVER DESIGN Scott Southwick 5 LETTERS 5 CARTOON: MOLTON 6 CARTOON: IRENE OLDS 7 CARTOON: BRENT BROWN 8 COMMENTARY 10 NEWS 13 BUNCOMBE BEAT 13 ASHEVILLE ARCHIVES 14 COMMUNITY CALENDAR 17 GREEN SCENE

21 SERVING THE SERVICE INDUSTRY Asheville hospitality businesses rally support

21 FOOD 24 ARTS & ENTERTAINMENT 27 SMART BETS 28 MOVIES 29 COVIDTOWN CRIER

24 NO SHOW? NO PROBLEM Random Animals release debut album, focus on content creation

30 FREEWILL ASTROLOGY 30 CLASSIFIEDS 31 NY TIMES CROSSWORD

Reproduction in whole or in part without permission is prohibited. Mountain Xpress is available free throughout Western North Carolina. Limit one copy per person. Additional copies may be purchased for $1 payable at the Xpress office in advance. No person may, without prior written permission of Xpress, take more than one copy of each issue.

MOUNTAINX.COM

To subscribe to Mountain Xpress, send check or money order to: Subscription Department, PO Box 144, Asheville NC 28802. First class delivery. One year (52 issues) $130 / Six months (26 issues) $70. We accept Mastercard & Visa.

C O NTA CT U S: (8 2 8 ) 2 5 1 - 1 3 3 3 • F A X (8 2 8 ) 2 5 1 - 1 3 1 1 news tips & story ideas to NEWS@MOUNTAINX.COM letters/commentary to LETTERS@MOUNTAINX.COM sustainability news to GREEN@MOUNTAINX.COM a&e events and ideas to AE@MOUNTAINX.COM events can be submitted to CALENDAR@MOUNTAINX.COM or try our easy online calendar at MOUNTAINX.COM/EVENTS food news and ideas to FOOD@MOUNTAINX.COM wellness-related events/news to MXHEALTH@MOUNTAINX.COM business-related events/news to BUSINESS@MOUNTAINX.COM

STAFF

GROWTH SPURT

15 WELLNESS

FOOD

A-B Tech Alternative Weekly Network/ Santa Fe Tobacco Asheville Holistic Realty Asheville Pizza and Brewing Company Accounting Office Management Biltmore Estate Black Bear BBQ Bottle Riot / formerly District Wine Bar Buncombe Partnership For Children / Smart Start Calypso Restaurant Central United Methodist Church City of Asheville Employment City of Asheville Sanitation Connect Buncombe Daoist Traditions College of Chinese Medical Arts Father and Son Home Improvement Franny’s Farmacy Givens Gerber Park Green Built Alliance (WNC Green Building Council)/ Blue Horizons Project Highland Brewing Co. Ingles Markets Inc. Lenoir-Rhyne University Livewell in WNC / Live Well Mela Indian Restaurant Mellow Mushroom Mostly Automotive Inc. Nature’s Vitamins and Herbs New Belgium Brewing Organic Mechanic Pack’s Tavern Pisgah Brewing Co Range Urgent Care Ruth’s Chris Biltmore Village Ruth’s Chris Steakhouse Smoky Park Supper Club Southern Atlantic Hemp Co, Inc. / SAHAE Sovereign Kava Town and Mountain Realty 2010 Tunnel Vision Wellington Sales LLC Wicked Weed Brewing

C O NT E NT S

A&E

A special thank you to all our advertisers, who make Xpress possible.

venues with upcoming shows CLUBLAND@MOUNTAINX.COM get info on advertising at ADVERTISE@MOUNTAINX.COM place a web ad at WEBADS@MOUNTAINX.COM question about the website? WEBMASTER@MOUNTAINX.COM find a copy of xpress DISTRO@MOUNTAINX.COM WWW.MOUNTAINX.COM FACEBOOK.COM/MOUNTAINX follow us @MXNEWS, @MXARTS, @MXEAT, @MXHEALTH, @MXCALENDAR, @MXENV, @MXCLUBLAND

MANAGING EDITOR: Virginia Daffron OPINION EDITOR: Tracy Rose GREEN SCENE EDITOR: Daniel Walton STAFF REPORTERS: Able Allen, Edwin Arnaudin, Thomas Calder, Laura Hackett, Daniel Walton COMMUNITY CALENDAR & CLUBLAND: Lauren Andrews, Laura Hackett, Susan Hutchinson MOVIE SECTION HOSTS: Edwin Arnaudin, Bruce Steele CONTRIBUTING EDITORS: Peter Gregutt, Rob Mikulak REGULAR CONTRIBUTORS: Mark Barrett, Leslie Boyd, Cindy Kunst, Gina Smith, Luke Van Hine, Kay West ADVERTISING, ART & DESIGN MANAGER: Susan Hutchinson LEAD DESIGNER: Scott Southwick GRAPHIC DESIGNER: Olivia Urban MEMBERSHIP AND DEVELOPMENT COORDINATOR: Laura Hackett MARKETING ASSOCIATES: Sara Brecht, Brian Palmieri, Tiffany Wagner OPERATIONS MANAGER: Able Allen INFORMATION TECHNOLOGIES & WEB: Bowman Kelley BOOKKEEPER: Amie Fowler-Tanner ADMINISTRATION, BILLING, HR: Able Allen, Lauren Andrews DISTRIBUTION: Susan Hutchinson, Cindy Kunst DISTRIBUTION DRIVERS: Gary Alston, Russell Badger, Clyde Hipps, Joan Jordan, Angelo Sant Maria, Desiree Davis, Charlotte Rosen, Carl & Debbie Schweiger, David Weiss

OPINION

Send your letters to the editor to letters@mountainx.com.

Readers, you came through.

This month, Xpress more than quadrupled its membership count. Thanks to the following monthly contributors (and the ones who have chosen to remain anonymous) — we couldn’t do this work without your support. ONE-TIME CONTRIBUTORS

CA RTO ON BY R A N D Y MOL T O N

Build foundation for a less tourist-dependent Asheville Now we know. Nationally, one job in 10 is tourism-related. For our city as a whole, it’s one job in five. For some neighborhoods within the city, it’s one in three. Effectively, our local economy rests on two legs, property speculation and tourism. We know that these tourism-related jobs pay very badly. We can see in the Census Bureau’s data (American Community 5-year Survey tables DP03, DP04) that Asheville neighborhoods with more tourism-related jobs have more households struggling to pay rent. Combining their data with that from the Department of Housing and Urban Development shows us that while the (misnamed) area median income that we hear about all the time when it comes to affordable housing is $72,500 (HUD; 2020 Income Limits Summary, Asheville Metro Fair Markets Rent area), the actual household median income for the neighborhoods most dependent on tourism (Emma, South French Broad and Five Points) is more like $27,500. In other words, for those neighborhoods, half the jobs pay less than the city’s “living wage.” And now we see that those jobs can disappear in the blink of an eye. Of the 510,000 hospitality industry jobs in North Carolina (Bureau of Labor Statistics, state and area employment, hours and earnings, February 2020), 370,000 — nearly 75% — have disappeared in a couple of weeks. While detailed numbers for the city will take a long time to

appear, it is most unlikely that neighborhoods that are three times more exposed to these jobs have fared better than the state overall. There is no time left for debate — our local hospitality industry has shown itself to have the morals of a West Virginia strip miner. Whatever soothing arguments they may try on us in the future, their actions over the last days will be there to remind us what they are really about. Tourism must shrink as a proportion of our local economy. We have to start building the foundation on which a new, less tourist-dependent Asheville can thrive. Some of those actions will be grand, expensive strategies. Others will be neighborhood — or even family-sized. For example, if your kids are struggling with math at school, learn the elementary/middle/high school math yourself. Then, when they are stuck on a problem, you can give them the support they need, rather than try to hide your math phobia. And when they graduate, they will be that much readier for jobs in the new economy. Most importantly, by not becoming fodder for the hospitality industry, they will help increase the earnings of those left behind. — Geoff Kemmish Asheville

‘No’ to Duke Energy’s proposed rate hike I am writing to encourage all of us here in WNC to write to Duke Energy to oppose its proposed 14.3% residential rate hike.

Maria Mason Aneliese Parker E Paul Huisking Jr Linda Ray Marti Russell Carol Stanger R Sullivan Kerry Heyer Helen Hinton Patricia Fertel Bronna Shapiro David Greiner Jen Murphy Joe Accardi Kitty Meyers Blaine Greenfield Lawrence Ruffolo Edna Sprung Frances Brown Helen Conley Ken Brame Elizabeth Colton Katie Townsend Amelia Hinds Ann Gassenheimer Barbara Jaslow Randy Fluharty Jeffrey Robbins Sarah Shah Valerie Bruchon Susan Roderick Sam Ruark-Eastes Robert McKown Phoebe Walker Jerry Nelms Susan Coppin Suzanne Jones

Milissa Lang Faith Dominy Kenny McKee Sarah Campbell Peter Krull Robbie Sweetser Karen Vickers Joe Newman Mark Barrett Phil Blake Richard Boucher Leslie Kreizman Jim Samsel Barbara Steinson Paul Godfrey Jay Moye Ben Manuel gabriele marewski Edwin Eisenbeis Lark Self Storage Shaun Quirk Linda Zang Andrea Stolz Dana Troy Libby de Caetani Rachel Hylton Maryanne Rackoff Elizabeth Simmonds Erin Hillestad Sandra Wright Andrew Scotchie Abby Felder Martha Nelson Kim De Stuart Miles Patricia Hearron

Barbara J Petersen Winslow Tuttle Tony Pier Alan Rosenthal Henry Stindt Bernard Russell Franzi Charen Steven Obremski Steven Vaughan-Nichols Barton Evans David Cohen Stevie Carnation Ronnie Watkins Carrie Frye Don Silver Barbara Gulick David Terrell Clyde Byrd Christen Watts Susan & Michael Harrison Stephen Rinsler Stephen Keeble Tina White Harold Dishner Barbara Vandervate Amie Paul Phil Blake Boone Guyton Will Hackett Doris and the late Leon Galloway Michael Thompson Jim Holtzman Kelly Lockamy Christina Dickson

Become a Mountain Xpress member or make a one-time contribution at SupportMountainX.com MOUNTAINX.COM

APRIL 8 - 14, 2020

OPINION

LUNCH • DINNER CARRY-OUT • CATERING 828-298-1035

blackbearbbqavl.com

Send your letters to the editor to letters@mountainx.com.

In case you hadn’t heard, Duke Energy Progress is seeking approval from the N.C. Utilities Commission of a residential hike of 14.3% and an overall 12.3% increase. This represents a $463.6 million increase in the amount Duke can collect from its ratepayers each year. It includes $120.2 million in federal tax benefits, for a total in excess of $585.9 million. If approved, residential electric rates would rise by about $17.29 per month for a typical customer. Duke Energy’s proposed rate increases exclude any direct investment in renewable energy or energy efficiency! Duke Energy is attempting yet again to raise our electricity bills to help pay for its coal ash mess and investments in fossil fuel energy. Now is your chance to speak directly to the N.C. Utilities Commission. Since we’re all “sheltering at home,” we have time on our hands. What better way to fill that time than to take a minute to write the N.C. Public Utilities Commission a note now saying, “No way will we pay for their dirty energy and coal ash!” The deadline for comments is Monday, May 4. Where to submit comments: Email your comments to statements@ncuc.net.

The subject line of your email should include Docket Number E-2 Sub 1219. Talking points to include: • No rate hikes for dirty energy! Duke Energy should be investing in renewable energy, not natural gas. • No rate hikes for coal ash! Duke Energy defied the advice of scientists and experts for years while disposing of its toxic coal ash in irresponsible and unsafe ways — all to make shareholders a few more dollars in profit. They should bear the cost of cleaning up their own mess. • No rate hikes until Duke has a plan to shut down all coal-powered plants, stop building more natural gas plants and transition to renewable energy. For more talking points to use in your comments, please visit bit.ly/2vkeB2U. Stay safe and well. — Gail Solomon Weaverville

Bike lanes are about safety I am writing about [Jerry Sternberg’s column], “Expert Idiocy: The Gospel According to Jerry,” published in the March 11 Mountain Xpress. Specifically, [his] comment about sacrificing “traffic efficiency” with the addition of a bike lane on Charlotte Street. As a resident of the South Slope, I can tell you downtown Asheville remains dangerous for pedestrians and cyclists. Visitors and residents love Asheville’s walkable, historic downtown, but many of the city’s worst intersections for pedestrians are located downtown. Furthermore, Asheville ranks first in

the state of North Carolina for pedestrian deaths on a per capita basis. For too long, federal and state funding has favored cars over other modes of transportation. Many communities, including Asheville, have begun to invest in bike lanes and other enhancements, which make it safer for cyclists and pedestrians. These efforts are not about forcing people out of their cars or sacrificing traffic efficiency, but better balancing our transportation infrastructure to make Asheville safer for all residents and visitors — including pedestrians and cyclists. — Kenneth Walker Asheville

Safe front porch singalongs Hello Asheville neighbors: Here’s a way to share music and community spirit: Just [a few] days ago, my partner, Jim, our 7-year-old neighbor and I put together a neighborhood front porch singalong. We set up our instruments on our porch, and 15 of our closest neighbors came together to make music, get to know each other and visit — separated from each other by at least 6 feet distance. Some sat in the front yard and some on the street. Children did chalk art. Next week, we’ll have song sheets with songs suggested by our neighbors. This is a balm on frazzled nerves and great for those of us who can hardly “keep from singing.” Grateful for community and music. — Gail Ashburn Asheville

Esther Francis Joseph

Local Author & Naturopathic Doctor

PUBLISHED BOOKS • The Disciples Way • Not A Secret Just Forgotten • Memories of Hell, Visions of Heaven: A Story of Survival, Transformation and Hope Order on Biblio.com (nonprofit org.) or on Amazon.com

A new, exciting project from Esther coming soon!

4 SOUTH TUNNEL ROAD • ASHEVILLE 828/

298 -650 0

FREE LENSES WITH THE PURCHASE OF ANY FRAME OFFER EXPIRES 05/08/20

SINGLE VISION STOCK LENSES ONLY. NON-STOCK LENSES WILL RECEIVE $95 DISCOUNT WITH COUPON. C ANNOT COMBINE WITH OTHER DISCOUNT S OR INSUR ANCE. SEE STORE FOR MORE DE TAILS.

APRIL 8 - 14, 2020

MOUNTAINX.COM

C A RTOON B Y IRENE OLD S

C AR T O O N B Y B R E N T B R O W N

Edney can help steer NC in right direction I am writing to urge everyone to vote for Sam Edney to represent us in N.C. House District 113. Sam is a deeply thoughtful and knowledgeable person with humanistic values who can help steer North Carolina in the right direction for its citizens to thrive. One of Sam’s priorities is to expand Medicaid, per the Affordable Care Act. How can we allow more than 500,000 of our citizens to be denied this vital coverage, especially when it is funded by the federal act and not state funds? This refusal to expand Medicaid is more damaging than ever as the coronavirus creates more need than ever. Also, Sam will work toward the adequate funding of public education in this state so that teachers and students have the facilities and materials they need for the excellent education our kids deserve. Please support the welfare of all citizens of North Carolina by voting to elect Sam Edney to represent us in Raleigh. — Ruthie Zaleon Brevard Editor’s note: Zaleon reports that she is volunteering with Edney’s campaign.

COME SEE US TODAY! Free alignment inspection with any service, just ask.

SPRING SPECIAL

Mention Ad - Get 10% off labor!

We Treat You Like Family!

BEST OF WNC VOTING OPEN THROUGH APRIL 30TH!

LOCALLY OWNED & OPERATED

BRING YOUR SENSE OF HUMOR , AND YOUR ASIAN CAR—TOYOTA, LEXUS, HONDA, ACURA, SUBARU, NO EUROPEAN MODELS

MOSTLY AUTOMOTIVE 253 Biltmore Ave. 828-253-4981 MOUNTAINX.COM

APRIL 8 - 14, 2020

OPI N I ON

chin up! VOTE FOR THE

BEST OF WNC Now through April 30

mountainx.com/bestofwnc Responsible Automotive Service & Repair

Let us help you clear the air...

We now offer Ozone Disinfecting Treatments

Completely sterilizes car interior. Great for essential workers! We can transport your vehicle for free — call us for details.

Voting Open through

April 30th!

Voted one of the BEST OF WNC for 14 years in a row. Thank you!

Call us!

255.2628

organic-mechanic.com • 568 Haywood Rd • West Asheville 8

APRIL 8 - 14, 2020

MOUNTAINX.COM

Slow down

Parenting in the age of social distancing BY EMILY HARRISON We have all day and nowhere to go. That’s my new mantra. I say it to remind myself to slow down with my kids; I say it with a smile on my face. Not as a “fake it till you make it” pep talk, but as a gentle encouragement to be more intentional with my time these days. Living and parenting in the age of “social distancing” means winging it as I’d never imagined. There’s no self-help book you can pluck off the shelves at Malaprop’s about how this kind of parenting is supposed to work. (As of this writing, you can still call in, ask for recommendations, and they’ll deliver to you.) I was talking with a neighbor (from at least 6 feet away, of course) about how fortunate we are to live in a city where we can still get outside, take walks in our neighborhood and wave to friends and neighbors from a safe distance. Earlier that day I’d been walking with my kids and had found myself saying, more times than I’d care to admit: “Hurry up. Come on. Let’s go.” But then I remembered my mantra: We have all day and nowhere to go. I slowed my pace, and after I stopped nagging — I mean, yapping — we all felt more relaxed. Please don’t tell my husband (or my mother) that I fessed up to nagging. With our usual routine having gone out the window, we’re creating our own. We start the day by getting dressed, having breakfast and taking a walk. After that we do some schoolwork. I’m not a trained teacher, but I’ve found lots of things I can still teach my kids. My third grader had already learned how to write all the letters in cursive; now I’m teaching him how to connect them to make words. Parenting tip: Schedule snack times. Why this hadn’t occurred to me earlier, I’ll never know! The constant “Can I have a snack?” has decreased in frequency by a million percent. On Monday afternoons, my kids still take their scheduled piano lessons. Brian Turner has been teaching them for over a year. But instead of going to his West Asheville studio, I’m now setting up the computer near our piano, and they’re getting virtual lessons. If you have a keyboard gathering dust in your basement or a piano that serves more as furniture than as musical instrument, I’d highly recommend brushing it off and

EMILY HARRISON reaching out to Brian (or some other teacher you may know) for yourself or your children. It’s a great way to support our neighbors financially. My friend Lindsay Pharr says the Mo Willems “Lunch Doodles” on YouTube enable her elementary-age children to keep their artistic skills sharp while she puts her toddler down for a nap. Not all screen time is created equal, of course, but a high-quality program that promotes engagement with the physical world is a resource worth considering. There are possibilities for older kids as well. Our babysitter, Lucy, reports that instead of doing homework with her friends at the kitchen table, they’re now doing it together via video chat. She says it’s helping them maintain a sense of normalcy while they keep up with school assignments. On day three of no school, my friend Samantha Erway dropped off a packet of schoolwork for my kindergartner. (We didn’t open the door, just waved to each other.) Her mom, Teena — or Grammy, as she’s known around our West Asheville elementary school — is a retired teacher who’s taking the time to send and share as many resources as she can. Having a trained, experienced teacher in our network is hugely helpful. My kindergartner stays a little more engaged in the work knowing that Grammy prepared it for him, and it reminds him (and me!) that we aren’t in this all alone. One day, books will be written about this pandemic, some by the kids who are living through it now. Writing, even nonfiction writing, requires creativity, so I’m giving my future authors (no pressure, kids) time to be bored and get creative. We are working on building “soft skills” too, like problem-solv-

ing, emotional control and integrity. Meanwhile, we continue setting limits on screen time just as we always have. For us, this means no screen time at least three-four days a week. (The American Heart Association recommends no more than one-two hours a day of screen time, depending on the child’s age.) I deleted social media from my phone after learning that Infinite Scroll was designed to hook us and monopolize our attention. If I want to connect with a friend, I call them: Chances are, they’re free, too. My friend Shelina Letzring has stopped checking the news altogether and says she’s sleeping much better. Getting good rest is essential for staying healthy, which is the biggest goal for all of us right now. Plus, the blue light from devices suppresses your natural melatonin and makes sleep much harder to come by. We don’t know how much longer social distancing will be required, which means I don’t have to pressure myself to complete a long list of tasks while I wait for a return to something more closely resembling “normalcy.” It means I can breathe deeper; I can sit and do nothing and not feel guilty about it. I can listen to the birds, think

“I slowed my pace, and after I stopped nagging, we all felt more relaxed.” deep thoughts, finish the books piled on my nightstand — and wave to my neighbors when they pass by my porch on their evening walks. Parents and caregivers, we can do this! Let’s take a collective deep sigh, say a prayer, do some yoga, whatever keeps you sane and brings you peace. The other day I let my kids take a stab at unclogging a drain; an hour later, it was clear. They thought the experience was fun and gross, two qualities that are typically big hits with young kids. Sure, I could have done it faster but, well, we have all day and nowhere to go. Asheville resident Emily Harrison is mom to two boys and serves as a guardian ad litem in Buncombe County. A member of the Children’s Screen Time Action Network, a project of the Bostonbased Campaign for a Commercial-Free Childhood, she’s also an ambassador for ScreenStrong, a nonprofit working to educate the public on the dangers of childhood screen addiction and provide solutions for families. X

Stay informed on

Local Matters

MOUNTAINX.COM

APRIL 8 - 14, 2020

NEWS

BEDS SEEKING HEADS BCTDA outlines COVID-19 tourism impacts, response

BY DANIEL WALTON

Thanks, Asheville!

1st Place Indian every year since 2006 2nd Place Hot Bar

melaasheville.com

70 N. LEXINGTON AVENUE 828.225.8880

Accounnng Oﬃce Management, Inc. 828.785.8070

79 WOODFIN PL., SUITE 205A, ASHEVILLE

“VOTE”: PROFESSIONAL & HOME

ABookkeeping Services

WORK & BUSINESS

ABest Customer Service AWoman Owned Business ASupport New Business & Entrepreneurs

Linne Warner

& Professional Team

www.Asheville-OMS.com

63 Bingham Road

Less than 2 miles from downtown

New Homes

OWN FOR LESS THAN RENT!!! Call 828-242-7303 or 828-505-2564

Spring on in for a showing today!

Homes by Wellington Sales

Visit our website at

OwnMyOwnHomeNow.com 10

APRIL 8 - 14, 2020

dwalton@mountainx.com In a normal month, said Marla Tambellini, all of the graphs she collates for the Buncombe County Tourism Development Authority point up. In March 2020, not a single one of them did. The vice president of marketing for the Explore Asheville Convention and Visitors Bureau, which manages the 6% occupancy tax collected by the BCTDA, was the bearer of unprecedentedly bad news at the authority’s April 2 board meeting. In the wake of local and state restrictions to slow the spread of COVID-19, Tambellini said, Buncombe County’s previously booming travel industry had essentially evaporated over the previous two weeks. In the first weekend of March, said Tambellini, hotels throughout the county were at roughly 90% occupancy. By March 27-28, only about 15% of rooms were filled, and the average price for those accommodations was approximately half its usual rate — $80 instead of $160. Visitors to the Explore Asheville website March 12-30 dropped by nearly 60% compared with last year’s traffic for the same period. To the board members, consultants, Explore Asheville staff and members of the public tuning in to the remote meeting held using the Zoom online platform, Tambellini remarked, “‘It’s been a year this week,’” quoting host Kai Ryssdal of the public radio business program “Marketplace.” “I think we can all relate to that right now with the devastatingly rapid pace of change that we’ve seen occurring over the past few weeks.” While acknowledging the dismal prospects for area tourism in the immediate future, Stephanie Brown, president and CEO of Explore Asheville, said the BCTDA should keep its eyes focused on the long term: “The priority is readiness for a strong and swift recovery at the end of the pandemic crisis.” (Later on April 2, a press release from Explore Asheville announced that Brown would be leaving the bureau at the end of June “for a new opportunity in the private sector.” In that release, Brown said she had been offered the job last September and did not mention the current status of the local tourism industry.)

MOUNTAINX.COM

EYES ON THE FUTURE: Stephanie Brown, Explore Asheville’s president and CEO, said the Buncombe County Tourism Development Authority should conserve its resources to ensure “a strong and swift recovery” after COVID-19. Photo courtesy of Explore Asheville WE HAVE RESERVES To ensure strength for that recovery, said Brown, Explore Asheville had canceled all paid advertising and employee travel through the end of the fiscal year, expenses totaling approximately $6.7 million. Over the same period, she added, the BCTDA should expect no additional revenue from lodging taxes. But even without that usual cash flow, Brown explained, the authority was far from broke. As of the end of March, the BCTDA’s undesignated fund balance — the “checking account” used to pay for budgeted expenses — stood at $7.2 million. Its designated fund balance, which she called a “savings account” reserved for revenue shortfalls, held an additional $4.9 million. With approximately $3.9 million in budgeted expenses remaining through June, Brown continued, the BCTDA would start the next fiscal year on July 1 with roughly $8.2 million in operating cash on hand. Of those reserves, she recommended that $3 million be kept in the wings to kick-start a new paid advertising campaign once COVID-19 travel and business restrictions had been loosened. The authority also has access to nearly $4.7 million in unbudgeted assets through its Tourism Product

Development Fund. This pool of money, supported by 25% of occupancy tax revenues, is required by state law to be spent on capital projects with the potential to generate new tourism for the county. In 2019, the BCTDA temporarily paused awards from that fund and embarked on a Tourism Management and Investment Plan to reconsider its expenditures. Tambellini noted that even with industry experts expecting the worst of the COVID-19 crisis to pass by the end of the summer, Explore Asheville still anticipated less business than usual for the remainder of 2020. She cited an Oxford Economics study projecting national tourism revenues would remain at least 15% below normal as late as December. “The real issue is people’s perception of risk, and that is going to have to be mitigated much further down the line,” Tambellini said. “I think it’s going to be slow, baby steps forward during that time period; I don’t think it’s going to be like, one day those restrictions will be lifted and everybody will be back in the marketplace.” ‘A LIGHT TOUCH’ Staff members with 360i, the marketing agency retained by Explore Asheville to manage its advertising efforts, presented early plans for how tourists might be coaxed back to visit the region. Instead of the previous tagline of “Let Your Spirit Run Free” — which 360i strategist Angie Arner admitted “isn’t quite right” under the present circumstances — a new social media campaign would be branded as “Together in Spirit.” “We’re really working to evolve that message and be sensitive and make sure that we can put that message out with a light touch,” Arner explained. She offered a “short manifesto” about the campaign, outlining how Asheville should be considered “a state of mind” instead of simply a physical destination. Arner said posts from Explore Asheville accounts would convey hope and stability to address what she identified as a “consumer pain point” of a “frustrating loss of control.” The messaging would establish “how the destination is handling the situation and supporting the economic hit to its community in a grounded, logical manner.”

Projected COVID-19 impact on tourism industry revenue

COME BACK NEXT YEAR?: Marla Tambellini, Explore Asheville’s vice president of marketing, referenced an Oxford Economics study projecting U.S. tourism revenues would remain below normal through the rest of 2020. Graphic courtesy of Explore Asheville Although 360i will not employ paid advertising such as television spots for the campaign, the agency will still receive a monthly retainer of $113,000 through the end of the fiscal year for its work. That fee was reduced from $141,000 per month after the cancellation of previously scheduled advertising. DO YOU HEAR THE PEOPLE SING? Members of the public, who submitted 85 pages of written comment prior to the board meeting, had decidedly different ideas about how the BCTDA should spend its money. Without exception, every commenter asked for the board to directly support community members who were suffering financial setbacks due to COVID-19. “This is not the time to hold out to rebuild tourism,” wrote Franzi Charen, director of the Asheville Grown Business Alliance and co-owner of Lexington Avenue boutique Hip Replacements, in a representative comment. “This is precisely the time to invest everything we can in our neighbors and our locals who are suffering and in healing and helping those that the tourism empire was built on.” Neither BCTDA board members nor Explore Asheville staff made any mention of those comments during the meeting. Brown did note that her organization had donated $50,000 in advertising revenue earned from its online event calendar to the One Buncombe Fund, a county-organized rapid relief effort for individuals and small businesses. Meanwhile, BCTDA Chair Gary Froeba read a note from Jim Muth — a former chair of the authority

and current president of the Asheville Buncombe Hotel Association — saying that the ABHA was “actively pursuing a variety of options to address the crisis” and hoped to share further news the week of April 6. Muth did not submit his comment via the email address advertised for that purpose to the general public. Asheville City Council member Julie Mayfield, who serves on the BCTDA as a nonvoting, ex officio member, said the board wanted to support the community but was hampered by state law from deploying occupancy tax revenues to do so. She said the authority could be sued for misappropriation of public funds if those dollars were not used to promote the area as a tourism destination. Board member Andrew Celwyn, however, urged his colleagues to think creatively about supporting the community within legal bounds. He suggested that the BCTDA could immediately pay $3 million from its Tourism Product Development Fund to hire out-of-work creatives to make public art that would attract visitors, as well as spend $1 million to pay locals for their stories of COVID-19 resilience to use in a later advertising campaign. The board did not move forward with either proposal. Other community members called for even more drastic action. “Prove to us, the backbone of Asheville, that you aren’t f***ing vultures,” wrote Rik Schell, co-owner of Purl’s Yarn Emporium on Wall Street. “If you break the law to provide for the working people of Asheville, you’ll be hailed as heroes, believe me.” X MOUNTAINX.COM

APRIL 8 - 14, 2020

N EWS

by Virginia Daffron

vdaffron@mountainx.com

GET OUT OF JAIL HEALTHY Police, judges, attorneys work to reduce Buncombe jail population ahead of COVID-19

People confined in the Buncombe County Detention Facility have considerably more elbow room today than they did prior to N.C. Gov. Roy Cooper’s March 10 declaration of a state of emergency over the COVID-19 crisis. Since then, local law enforcement and criminal justice agencies have reduced the jail’s population by 39%. The federal Centers for Disease Control and Prevention has issued detailed guidance for correctional facilities, noting that the integration of housing, health care and food service in a single physical environment “presents unique challenges for control of COVID19 transmission among incarcerated/ detained persons, staff and visitors.” Chief District Court Judge J. Calvin Hill announced at a March 17 county press conference that as many as 50 people had been released from the county jail the previous day. On April 1, Hill told Xpress that the effort to reduce confinements to minimize the risk of an outbreak among inmates was continuing, with the jail population “as low as I’ve seen it probably in the last 10 or 12 years.” Hill stressed that public safety and victims’ interests remain primary considerations for judges. Those defendants receiving unsecured release or reduced bond amounts, he said, are facing misdemeanor charges of a nonviolent nature. “If it was a person who had a felony larceny, and nobody was hurt, and that person had failed to appear in court 10 times — normally, we might keep that person for a while. Now, we’re not doing that,” Hill explained. “We’re just unsecuring that bond to try to get the jail as sparsely populated as we can.” Judges have imposed additional conditions for release in some cases, such as electronic monitoring, according to Hill. While COVID-19 has created “an extraordinary situation,” Hill said, the pace of releases has slowed in recent days. “We are beginning now to reach that part of the jail population where these people have more serious charges. The judges have more concern about releasing them, because a lot of the charges may be trafficking in large amounts of dangerous drugs,” he said. District Attorney Todd Williams said his office had dismissed “a number of charges,” though he couldn’t 12

APRIL 8 - 14, 2020

COMMON AREA: Shared spaces and services for eating, sleeping, health care, exercise and other aspects of life create conditions for transmitting communicable diseases. Local officials have been working to reduce the jail population in Buncombe County. Photo by Virginia Daffron provide an exact figure specific to the COVID-19 emergency. Williams emphasized that his office has long advocated for pretrial release of nonviolent defendants whenever possible. “I’ve got a staff that regularly engages in reviewing and consenting to the release of folks who are not a violent public safety threat in our community,” he said. “We’re going to continue to engage with [defense attorneys] and the district court bench to ensure that our resources to hold people who are public safety threats in jail are preserved, so that when we need that resource, it’s there.” Recent modifications to local policing practices have also helped reduce the jail population.

Re-Imagine Senior Living

MOUNTAINX.COM

Christina Hallingse, spokesperson for the Asheville Police Department, said that Chief David Zack had announced changes associated with COVID-19 on March 23. The chief instructed officers that “in situations where charging is a needed outcome, it is preferred to issue citations for future court appearance,” Hallingse said. “Physical arrest should be reserved for situations where the nature of the crime or the totality of the circumstances makes it the best option,” the chief’s directive specified. According to an April 2 story in The New York Times, law enforcement officials in jurisdictions including New York, Houston and Southern California are taking similar steps to reduce

arrests and jail bookings. At the same time, the story noted, some sheriffs continue “business as usual,” including arrests for offenses such as possession of small amounts of marijuana or nonviolent felonies. Even if those individuals are held only a short time, epidemiologists said, each one has the potential to introduce the new coronavirus into the jail population. On April 2, N.C. Commissioner of Prisons Todd Ishee said during a media briefing that four inmates and four employees of the state correctional system had tested positive for COVID19. None of those infected are confined or work in Western North Carolina. While the booking process at the Buncombe jail includes a temperature check and screening questions, said Aaron Sarver, spokesperson for the Buncombe County Sheriff’s Office, no county inmate has met current criteria for testing for COVID-19, nor has any inmate been placed in quarantine due to symptoms associated with the disease. Sarver provided a list of new cleaning protocols begun March 19, which included instructions to officers to clean common surfaces such as tables, handrails, telephones, security card readers and computer workstations multiple times throughout each shift. “The big takeaway is we are a 604-bed facility, and with 390 or so [detained], we are significantly under [capacity],” said Sarver, emphasizing that Buncombe’s 13 housing units provide options for separating those who may be infected. “That’s a very important contrast with some of the jails and prisons we see that are overcrowded.” Sheriff Quentin Miller thanked Hill and Williams for their efforts to reduce the number of people in custody at the jail. “The public must understand that this is a pretrial facility, and the Sheriff’s Office is working proactively to stop it from becoming a hub for the virus,” Miller said. X

More Affordable Rental Retirement Community Givens Gerber Park is pioneering the next generation of affordable housing for 55 year olds and better with a range of one- and two-bedroom rental apartments and beautiful on-campus amenities. Residents can enjoy lunch with friends in our café or walk to nearby shops and restaurants while enjoying breathtaking views of the North Carolina mountains. We welcome you to make the most out of your next chapter at Givens Gerber Park. Contact Nicole Allen at (828)771-2207 or nallen@givensgerberpark.org to schedule an appointment. For more information, to download applications, or to view floor plans, go to www.givensgerberpark.org

BUNCOMBE BEAT

New Asheville superintendent to lead district starting June 1 Gene Freeman will begin working at Asheville City Schools on Monday, April 20, earlier than the July 1 start date previously announced, said Shaunda Sandford, chair of the Asheville City Board of Education, at the board’s meeting on April 2. Freeman and Bobbie Short — who has served three stints as interim superintendent for the district, most recently since the sudden departure in June 2019 of previous Superintendent Denise Patterson — will “co-lead” the district until Short’s final day on May 31, Sandford said. “This exciting news about Dr. Freeman’s early start dates means the transition between our district will be seamless. Additionally, if all goes well with our anticipated return date [following the lifting of N.C. Gov. Roy Cooper’s statewide closure of public schools] of May 18, Dr. Freeman will have the opportunity to greet students, visit classrooms and meet with staff and faculty this school year,” Sandford said. Freeman attended the board’s work session and meeting, though members of the media and public were not allowed to attend in person. An Xpress reporter attempted to enter the Asheville City Schools’ boardroom for the work session but was escorted to an overflow room by a police officer who cited a limitation of 10 attendees. Various school system staffers entered and exited the boardroom for different agenda items. Asheville City Council closed its March 24 regular meeting to in-person attendance by members

of the public but made an exception for media. During the work session, board members discussed a resolution to give emergency powers to Short. Board attorney Chris Campbell said via videoconference that most of the school districts his firm works with have not adopted similar resolutions drafted by the N.C. School Board Association. Although some of Campbell’s remarks were inaudible in the Facebook Live streaming format, he could be heard to say that many superintendents “did not want the broad powers that were ... in the original resolution.” During the board’s regular meeting, the emergency power resolution passed unanimously without discussion. Short told Xpress in a phone conversation after the meeting that those powers would transfer to Freeman on June 1. “It’s an insurance policy sitting in the drawer so that, if the superintendent couldn’t get [the board] together under the open meetings law and something had to get bid, there’s no question that that authority is there,” Campbell said. In an announcement sent to school families and the media after the April 2 meeting, Short also noted that the board had selected Derek Edwards as Asheville High School principal. “Since moving to the high school this past January, Mr. Edwards has done a tremendous job leading the campus as interim principal,” Short said.

Keep the stories coming! For 25 years, Mountain Xpress has delivered community news for free. It’s time to pitch in to keep Xpress strong.

— Virginia Daffron X

ASHEVILLE ARCHIVES by Thomas Calder | tcalder@mountainx.com

‘For medical purposes’ Two gallons of whiskey and a pandemic

HANDS UP: There is no known photo of Thomas Thompson. Featured is a reenactment of law officers confiscating a moonshine still. The image, circa 1920, was taken outside the courthouse in Waynesville. Photo courtesy of the North Carolina Collection, Pack Memorial Library, Asheville On Oct. 5, 1918, The Asheville Citizen reported “approximately 8,000 cases of Spanish influenza” across the state, with the majority (6,000) in Wilmington. According to the paper, Asheville city commissioners responded to the crisis by ordering the closure of all theaters and schools; churches were also required to postpone services. Meanwhile, the commissioners mandated the city’s cafés and restaurants “to serve cold drinks and ice cream in individual containers.” (For more, see “Asheville Archives: The 1918 influenza changes social norms,” Oct. 31, 2018, Xpress) In the midst of the growing pandemic, one local resident attempted to use the health crisis to aid his legal defense. Thomas Thompson, described as an “unusual sort” by The Asheville Citizen, was in court on Oct. 8, 1918, for the possession of 2 gallons of whiskey, an illegal substance in Asheville since 1907. (For more, see “Asheville Archives: Prohibitionists seek to reform Asheville, 1907,” May 29, 2018, Xpress) “Applying the maxim dealing with the necessity of making preparations for war in time of peace, Thomas Thompson believes that illness should be anticipated during the enjoyment of good health,” The Asheville Citizen

reported in the following day’s paper. Though Thompson told Judge Robert M. Wells that he had not suffered any malady since childhood, he claimed to have purchased the 2 gallons of whiskey as a preventive measure. “He was especially afraid of influenza,” the article stated. Hoping to bolster his defense, the paper wrote that Thompson “exhibited a quantity of herbs brought from Virginia as proof of the fact that the whiskey was intended wholly for medicinal purposes.” But according to the article, Judge Wells “felt that the herbs were valued chiefly because of the fact that mastication of them destroys all traces of whiskey on the breath.” Based on Thompson’s testimony, the judge also expressed “that officers might do well to seek a spring on the Weaverville road which spouts whiskey instead of water.” As punishment, Thompson’s 2 gallons were destroyed. In addition, he was fined $150 (roughly $2,566 in today’s dollar) and ordered to leave the state by 10 a.m. the following morning. To the paper’s surprise, the guilty party accepted the ruling “with a smile” and was reported to have thanked the judge, “stating that he hopes he never sees any more whiskey.” X

MOUNTAINX.COM

APRIL 8 - 14, 2020

COMMUNITY CALENDAR APRIL 8 - 16, 2020

Zeno Lancaster

WOULD LIKE YOUR VOTE FOR

BEST R EA L ESTATE L AW Y ER Closings with Zeno are well-advised, organized and sanitized for your safety!

Nanostead was established in Marshall NC in 2013 during the boom of the tiny house movement as a small scale, licensed building contractor focusing on primary tiny/small Homes and ADU’s. Please visit our website at

“Keeping Asheville Comfortable since 1993”

BullmanHeating.com

Thank you Asheville – Jennifer Bullman Jones, President

828 -658 -2468

828.649.8098

ENTER TO WIN PRIZES!

Good...Better...Bullman

vote now

BEST OF WNC 2020 X Awards

mountainx.com/bestofwnc 14

APRIL 8 - 14, 2020

MOUNTAINX.COM

For a full list of community calendar guidelines, please visit mountainx.com/calendar. For questions about free listings, call 828-251-1333, ext. 137. For questions about paid calendar listings, please call 828-251-1333, ext. 320.

nanostead.com

and visit us on Facebook + Instagram Contact us by email or call

Thanks for your vote!

CALENDAR GUIDELINES

ART THURSDAY, APRIL 9 • LEAF Global Arts: Easel Rider Crafts Live w/ Marsha Almadovar, 3PM. Online at avl.mx/71v • WCU Webinars: One Man, Two Guvnors Virtual Talkback w/ Q&A, 12PM. Online at arts.wcu.edu/virtual FRIDAY, APRIL 10 • LEAF Global Arts: West African Music, Culture & Language (Adult class), 9AM. Online at avl.mx/71v

THEATER ONGOING • Asheville Community Theatre Daily Happy Hour Stream, 5PM. Submit videos for #ACTHappyHourdaily at avl.mx/710 and watch online from 5-6PM

BENEFITS SATURDAY, APRIL 11 • Emergency Blood Drive, 5PM, The Casual Pint, 1863 Hendersonville Road, Suite 145 • The Blood Connection Blood Drive @ Sam's Club Hendersonville, 11AM-3PM. All blood donors receive $20 VISA gift card. Walk-ins welcome or schedule appt. at http:// avl.mx/71l, Sam's Club - Hendersonville, 300 Highlands Square Drive

CLASSES, MEETINGS & EVENTS • Empyrean Arts Online Live Classes (PD.) The physical studio is closed for now but we are offering some of our regular

class offerings online - Go to our website at EMPYREANARTS.ORG, create a new student account, then purchase and sign up for classes. THURSDAY, APRIL 9 • Facebook Live: History Mystery hosted by Vance Birthplace, 2PM. Online at http:// avl.mx/71d • How to Manage Employees as Coronavirus Spreads hosted by A-B Tech Small Business Center, 9:30AM. Online, pre-registration required at https:// www.ncsbc.net • Young Professionals of Asheville: April YPA Social, Virtual Wine Night, 5:30PM. Online at ypasheville.org/ ypa-events/ • Virtual Town Halls w/ Asheville Chamber: Protecting & Nurturing Your Mental Health in Times of Crisis 3PM. Online at http:// avl.mx/5al FRIDAY, APRIL 10 • Virtual Luncheon w/ state legislators, hosted by Asheville Chamber 12PM. Online at avl.mx/71w MONDAY, APRIL 13 • Virtual Bookclub w/ Swannanoa Valley Museum, 11:30AM. Online, register w/ svmvolunteer@gmail. com

FOOD & BEER FRIDAY, APRIL 10 • Lake Junaluska Curbside Easter Themed Meal Pickup, 10AM, Orders accepted through Thursday 4/9 by calling 828-4546661, facebook.com/ lakejunaluska • Weekly Zoom Guided Beer Tastings w/ The Whale AVL, Fridays at 5PM. Online at facebook.com/ TheWhaleAVL/

SATURDAY, APRIL 11 • ASAP Farmer's Market, 9AM, A-B Tech, 340 Victoria Road WEDNESDAY, APRIL 15 • Welcome Table Free Meal, 11:30AM, Leicester Community Center, 2979 New Leicester Highway, Leicester

GOVERNMENT & POLITICS TUESDAY, APRIL 14 • Asheville City Council Meeting, 5PM. Online at ashevillenc.gov/ service/watch-livestream-of-city-councilmeetings/

KIDS ONGOING • Live Stream: Miss Malaprop's Storytime Every Wednesday, 10AM. Online at http://avl.mx/71e • Weekday Stream: Janet's Planet Online Astronaut Academy. Every weekday, 10-11:30AM. Online at http://avl.mx/71y WEDNESDAY, APRIL 8 • LEAF Global Arts: West African Drumming & Dance for Kids, 9AM. Online at avl.mx/71v SATURDAY, APRIL 11 • LEAF Global Arts: All Ages Hip-Hop, 9AM. Online at avl.mx/71v TUESDAY, APRIL 14 • LEAF Global Arts: Percussion Class using Household Objects w/ Agustin Frederic, 9:30AM. Online at avl.mx/71v WEDNESDAY, APRIL 15 • LEAF Global Arts: West African Drumming & Dance for Kids, 9AM. Online at avl.mx/71v

MUSIC • A CAPELLA SINGING (PD.) WANNA SING? ashevillebarbershop. com

SPIRITUALITY • Astro-Counseling (PD.) Licensed counselor and accredited professional astrologer uses your chart when counseling for additional insight into yourself, your relationships and life directions. Stellar Counseling Services. Christy Gunther, MA, LPC. (828) 258-3229. ONGOING • Still Point Wellness: Daily 20 Minute Didgeridoo Meditation, every weekday, 7:30AM. Online at http://avl.mx/71r • Weekly Meditations w/ Prama Institute every Wednesday, 6PM. Online at http:// avl.mx/71z • Weekly Online Stream: Jewish Power Hour w/ Rabbi Susskind. Zoom meeting every Thursday, 6PM, Online at zoom.com to sign-up for free, meeting ID: 243-738-917 Password: 464503 THURSDAY, APRIL 9 • Chabad Asheville: Virtual Torah & Tea, 11AM. Online, register at chana@chabadasheville.org SUNDAY, APRIL 12 • Easter Live Stream from the Lake Junaluska Cross & Sunrise Service, 6:45PM. Online at facebook. com/lakejunaluska • Easter Sunday w/ Jubilee Church 9:45PM. Online at https://www. jubileecommunity.org

VOLUNTEERING • Free Books through Dolly Parton’s Imagination Library! (PD.) All children under the age of five are eligible to receive a brand-new, age-appropriate book each month mailed directly to their home. Enroll online/more info at www.litcouncil.com or imaginationlibrary. com. Free. MONDAY, APRIL 13 • Stitches of Love, 7PM, New Hope Presbyterian Church, 3070 Sweeten Creek Road

WELLNESS

COMPASSIONATE CONFINEMENT New county program aims to reduce harm, treat inmate addiction Buncombe County has the most robust program in the state.” SAVING LIVES

LEADING THE WAY: With its rollout of a medication-assisted treatment program for people struggling with substance abuse, the Buncombe County Detention Facility has expanded efforts to reduce the harms associated with illicit drug use and support recovery among former inmates. Photo by Virginia Daffron

BY LESLIE BOYD leslie.boyd@gmail.com For most people with opioid addiction, a night in jail means painful withdrawal symptoms: sweats, aches, chills and digestive problems. Even those who are taking medications to help them live with addiction are routinely denied those drugs, which can alleviate the misery of detoxification and withdrawal. But for inmates at the Buncombe County Detention Facility, that changed last month. A new program allows those who are already receiving medication-assisted treatment, or MAT, to continue while incarcerated; those who haven’t been in treatment but want to start receiving medication are given that option. Going cold turkey, says Sue Polston, executive director of Sunrise Community for Recovery and Wellness, is “just pure hell. Many people say they’d rather die than go through that; medications help people deal with withdrawal and suppress cravings.” The Asheville-based nonprofit provides peer support to inmates and others. The issue, she continues, has a long history of stigmatization. “People

thought those with addiction should suffer for their sins, but I see a huge shift for the better in recent years. People are beginning to see addiction as an illness, not a moral failing.” Buncombe County officials conducted a study to find out how much of a problem opioid addiction is locally, both among the jail population and those who have been released. Coordinating data from the Sheriff’s Office, the Department of Health and Human Services and the Register of Deeds, officials were able to calculate how many released inmates have died from overdoses. In 2018, Buncombe County had 111 drug-related deaths; 88 of them involved opioids, and 46 of those people had spent time in the county detention facility. While some of those deaths occurred 10 years after release, many were within the first three months, and the first 72 hours was the most critical period, says Sarah Gayton, the Sheriff’s Office’s community integration and MAT services director. “Finding these statistics was an ambitious process, to zero in with this level of specificity,” says Aaron Sarver, public information officer for the Sheriff’s Office. But thanks to that effort, he continues, “Right now,

Like most places, Buncombe wasn’t tracking those numbers before the MAT program was established, says Gayton. That changed last summer, when questions about whether inmates were using and, if so, whether they were already in treatment, were added to the intake interview. People who self-report are given an overdose treatment kit upon release, but even more importantly, a peer support person from Sunrise Community is available to inmates for up to a year after their release. Equipping released inmates with overdose treatment kits will save lives, because people dealing with addiction tend to seek out and use substances at the same level as they did before incar-

ceration, Gayton explains. But since the body’s tolerance level has been lowered in the interim, it increases the likelihood of overdosing. “That first 72 hours is critical,” stresses Polston. “People need to be followed.” According to a study in the medical journal JAMA Psychiatry, a comprehensive MAT program in Rhode Island jails that is similar to the one implemented here resulted in significantly fewer deaths. After their release, all inmates were given overdose treatment kits, and a year later, the death toll had been reduced by nearly two-thirds. In most jails and prisons, people with addiction who are already on MAT at the time of their arrest are denied their medication because it’s considered contraband, and officials fear that inmates will traffic in it inside the jail. But this

CONTINUES ON PAGE 16

Range Urgent Care is here for you. Stuck at home? Try out our Virtual Visits! Schedule online at rangeurgentcare.com

Need to come in?

Your video visit will be credited towards your in-office visit. Check out our blog for additional measures we are taking to keep our patients safe.

Let us know how we can help! 828-412-0327

| rangeurgentcare.com MOUNTAINX.COM

APRIL 8 - 14, 2020

Asheville Holistic Realty Integrity • Creativity • Passion • Results 828-490-1510 | est. 2007 | AshevilleHolisticRealty.com Free Home Warranty. Your property CAN SELL in 14 days!

Nature’s Vitamins & Herbs [FORMERLY NATURE’S PHARMACY]

24 YE ARS

PROFESSIONAL ADVICE on CBD Oil, Supplements and Bio-Identical Hormones Top CBD Oil brands: Charlotte’s web • SunsOil • Plus CBD Palmetto Harmony Owners:

Mike Rogers, PharmD Bill Cheek, B.S. Pharm

We stock great vitamin brands including: Pure Encapsulations • Thorne Research Integrative Therapeutics Professional brands • and more!

Bring this ad in for 10% oﬀ

Professional advice since 1996 MONDAY-FRIDAY 10-4

752 Biltmore Avenue • 828-251-0094 • www.naturesvitaminsandherbs.com

APRIL 8 - 14, 2020

MOUNTAINX.COM

“We’ve tried to arrest our way out of the drug epidemic for decades, and it hasn’t worked.” — Buncombe County Sheriff Quentin Miller will change, Polston believes, as people’s attitudes toward addiction shift. Buncombe County Sheriff Quentin Miller believes MAT is a more humane and sensible way to deal with the opioid crisis. “We’ve tried to arrest our way out of the drug epidemic for decades, and it hasn’t worked,” he said in a statement. “There must be consequences for people’s actions, but part of our solution has to be providing people access to medication and treatment. We must offer people a chance to get themselves to a better place, and programs like MAT are proven to reduce recidivism.” A COST-EFFECTIVE STRATEGY According to a paper published by The Pew Charitable Trusts in 2018, less than 1% of the more than 5,000 prisons and jails in the United States, which collectively house more than 2 million inmates, allow access to FDAapproved medications — methadone, buprenorphine or naltrexone — even though medical societies, addiction experts and correctional health organizations overwhelmingly support the use of these treatments. Some jails do offer one or two of them; so far, Rhode Island is the only state that has implemented the use of all three medications in all its jails and prisons. While the reasoning behind denial is often that treatment is cost prohibitive, a report by The New England Comparative Effectiveness Public Advisory Council found that future savings in health care and incarceration expenses outweighed the additional upfront costs. In October 2018, the National Sheriffs’ Association and the National Commission on Correctional Health Care issued a report titled “Jail-Based Medication-Assisted Treatment: Promising Practices, Guidelines and Resources for the Field.” In the foreword, Jonathan F. Thompson, the association’s executive director and CEO, wrote, “Jails not only oversee individuals struggling with substance use disorders and withdrawal, but are also in a unique position to initiate treatment in a controlled, safe environment.” The report cites a Bureau of Justice Statistics finding that nearly twothirds of the inmate population meet the criteria for drug dependence or abuse. MAT can help these inmates

recover while reducing recidivism and lowering drug overdose mortality rates, the report concluded. HARM REDUCTION FIRST Even before the local program was implemented, Buncombe County had three special case managers for people with addiction and mental health issues. The jail has now hired an additional case manager; there are also volunteer opportunities that, before the COVID-19 pandemic, had involved 12-step meetings and other forms of group support (see also “Get Out of Jail Healthy,” P. 12). “They’re now looking at other ways to connect people,” says Gayton. Without state funding — $283,000 so far — this program wouldn’t be possible, she points out. “The state has invested in this, and they’re following it closely.” Buncombe County has been working on harm reduction for a while now, adds Gayton, and this program builds on those services. The county HHS has operated a syringe program since last August, in conjunction with peer support services through Sunrise Community. Programs like these improve outcomes by offering testing, sterile injection equipment, links to care and recovery options, and naloxone, a drug that almost instantly reverses the effects of opioid overdose. As part of the MAT program, inmates leaving the detention center are given an information sheet explaining basic harm reduction strategies: how to prevent overdose and where to go for treatment, as well as some needle exchanges and opportunities for communicable disease testing, notes Gayton. Even if people aren’t ready to quit, she emphasizes, these strategies can increase their chances of survival. Polston, meanwhile, believes the second benefit of the MAT program is that it will enable more people to enter long-term recovery. “People can live a normal life on these medications,” she points out. “They can go to work, parent their children, do all the things people in recovery do.” Polston herself has been in recovery from addiction for nearly seven years. “It took me 12 years to get it right,” she reveals. “Addiction is difficult to treat at best, and recovery is different for everyone. Even MAT is not the solution for everyone. Nothing is universally successful, but the good news is that recovery does happen.” X

GREEN SCENE

GROWTH SPURT

Quarantined residents rush to get growing large Homesteader and Be Prepared seed kits. “We’ve had those for years, and it’s a slow-moving product,” she says. “They’re huge collections of seeds, so some people just want to buy a whole kit just to be covered.” SPROUTING INTEREST

BUSINESS LOOKING BRIGHT: Mike Weeks, a managing partner at Fifth Season Gardening Co.’s Asheville location, tends plants to meet the store’s high demand. Photo courtesy of Kristin Weeks

BY GINA SMITH gsmith@mountainx.com Toilet paper isn’t the only product flying off Western North Carolina shelves these days. Area garden stores and nurseries can’t keep seeds and plant starts in stock as quarantined people with time on their hands look for ways to get those hands in the dirt. While many local shops closed in late March after Buncombe County issued its COVID-19 stay-at-home mandate, gardening retailers and wholesalers were deemed essential businesses. Some have opted to shutter for the time being, but many continue to operate in whatever ways they can. And for them, business is brisk. “We are seeing a lot of sales this month; all of the stores in our company have been up,” says Kristin Weeks, managing partner and co-owner of the Asheville location of Fifth Season Gardening Co., which has multiple stores throughout North Carolina and Virginia. “People are coming in and spending a lot more money; the average invoice has gone up, too. People are kind of just coming in and going for it.” KEEPING UP WITH DEMAND This enthusiasm was evident throughout March at Fifth Season

in the form of unusually barren seed display racks and greenhouse shelves after incoming shipments were immediately snapped up. Weeks says the store was even forced to sell the vegetable seedlings it sources from Banner Greenhouses in Nebo without the usual one- or two-week grow-out period. “Last weekend, we got them in on Thursday, and then we had this booming day Saturday,” Weeks recalls. “We were literally cutting the cell trays with scissors and selling them that way, which was wild. They were pretty much gone in two days.” Weeks notes that her suppliers, which also include the locally based Sow True Seed, have experienced the same buying frenzy. “They are completely swamped,” she says. “[Sow True’s] turnaround used to be about 24-48 hours for us, but now, they’re about a little over a week out.” Sow True marketing manager Kari Brayman — who has lately, out of necessity, also been helping pack orders — confirms Weeks’ assessment. “For the month of March, we’ve had at least double the amount of orders year-to-date over this time last year. So it’s all hands on deck,” she says. The most popular seeds have been what Brayman describes as “victory garden veggie staples” — things like beans, carrots, greens, tomatoes, watermelon and squash. And the business has completely sold out of its

Brayman says Sow True is seeing a lot of first-time customers, and the high demand for staple seeds suggests that many are probably new to gardening. Jeff Mast, general manager at Banner Greenhouses — a family-owned, certified organic flower and vegetable plant grower that distributes nationally to farmers, retailers, homesteaders and other buyers — has noted a similar trend. When Mast spoke with Xpress, he had just emerged from an early morning staff meeting about how to handle the recent surge in volume. “Our sales are up dramatically over last year, and

we’re having a sizable increase of new customers. This is not just regional: It’s national,” he says. “We’re talking to other seed suppliers, and this gardening boom is across the board. Anybody involved with vegetables, I think, is experiencing it.” Tomato plants, Mast adds, are Banner’s No. 1 seller, followed by lettuce. “Lettuce is very easy to grow for a homeowner, and a tomato plant can supply a family all summer long,” he says. Weeks says Fifth Season is thrilled about the influx of beginning gardeners because the company has worked to position itself as a community hub for learning and sharing knowledge. “But what’s been really challenging for us during this time is the volume of sales and trying to be mindful about distancing in the store. And we have limited staff, too,” she explains.

CONTINUES ON PAGE 18

Setting the course for clean energy

Worried about Climate Change? Action is the remedy for despair The Blue Horizons Project has many ways for you to take action in your home, business, and community to support the transition to a clean energy future.

Visit bluehorizonsproject.com to get involved.

MOUNTAINX.COM

APRIL 8 - 14, 2020

GR EEN

Keep the stories coming! For 25 years, Mountain Xpress has delivered community news for free. It’s time to pitch in to keep Xpress strong.

APRIL 8 - 14, 2020

MOUNTAINX.COM

For the time being, the shop’s approach has changed a bit for efficiency’s sake. “We kind of need you to do a little bit of research before you come in, and then we will help you arrive at your answers as quickly as possible,” Weeks says. Fifth Season staff members have developed a basic soil recipe, simple infrastructure options and other resources for beginners. And Weeks encourages shoppers to place orders over the phone or online, email or call with specific questions and consult the shop’s blog for general gardening information. She also refers customers to other resources in the community, such as Living Web Farms’ collection of video workshops. Sow True’s downtown retail space, which also normally functions as a community gardening information hub, is currently closed to the public, and the store is taking online orders only. “But we have a really robust resource on our website of planting guides and a gardening blog,” says Brayman. “Pretty much any gardening question you can think of is answered on those sections of the website.” Specific concerns can also

be addressed by email and phone as time allows. SILVER LININGS Weeks, Brayman and Mast all see the current gardening boom as a positive for the community. “The food security piece has been something that we’re hearing a lot from people,” says Weeks. “They just realize right now that having your own garden, growing your own food — not only is it therapeutic and a great activity to do when you’re home, but it just feels like an important thing to do.” “Gardening is the perfect fit for these times,” says Brayman. “It’s a time when people need to be self-reliant and try to maintain a hopeful attitude. We’re just really grateful to be able to provide the community with the tools to take care of themselves now and also to support regenerative agriculture, which is in our mission.” Mast agrees. “I think this is a good thing,” he says. “People are staying home, and it’s very rewarding to plant a plant or seed and harvest and enjoy it on your dinner table. And I hope this creates lifestyle changes for the future as well.” X

TAKING ACTION

Natalie Bogwalker develops natural skills at Wild Abundance

ROOM TO GROW: Natalie Bogwalker’s eco-homestead serves as the setting for Wild Abundance’s classes in permaculture, medicine making, carpentry and more. Photo courtesy of Bogwalker Natalie Bogwalker was born to be wild. She has a degree in ecological agriculture and spent time living in a bark hut in a primitive community where residents carried all of their water, started fire by friction and cooked all their food over open flame. “I loved living superprimitively; it fed me so much,” she says. “I saw a lot of things about contemporary life that were damaging to the earth, so I decided to share what I was doing.” After founding and running the annual Firefly Gathering festival for a decade, Bogwalker started a permaculture school, Wild Abundance, to focus on more individualized education. “[Firefly] was a great event, but I really wanted something more intimate, to see how people could undergo a transformation long term,” she explains.

Through Wild Abundance, Bogwalker and a tightknit community of neighbors and friends teach courses including homesteading, hide tanning, wild foods, medicine making and women’s carpentry (the most popular). Classes — suspended through late April due to COVID-19 but planning to resume at the end of the month — take place on a hilly, wooded eco-homestead campus featuring Bogwalker’s self-constructed cabin, gardens and fruit trees, and students can choose to camp on the property for a full immersion into a more sustainable way of life. “We are permaculture in action, a living example of the beauty and abundance of the land,” she says. For more on programs at Wild Abundance, visit wildabundance.net.

— Kay West X

NO JOB TOO LARGE OR SMALL

FATHER AND SON

Home Improvement Billy & Neal Moxley

100 Edwin Place, AVL, NC 28801 | Billy: (828) 776-2391 | Neal: (828) 776-1674 MOUNTAINX.COM

APRIL 8 - 14, 2020

Dr. Elizabeth Garbarino

be defiant VOTE FOR THE

BEST OF WNC

A Women’s Healthcare Practice Specializing in Gynecological Care

Welcoming New Patients!

Now through April 30

828.575.9562 • LivingWellWNC.com

mountainx.com/bestofwnc

GR EEN

TAKING ACTION

Isa Whitaker builds community resilience through gardening

N OW E N RO L L I N G F O R 2 0 2 0 / 2 0 21

66 years in ministr y Ages 1 – Pre-K 5 days per week • 8:30 a.m. – 12:30 p.m.

Enroll online at

centralumc.org/registration

Contact Tammy Henr y at 828.253.3316 x1318 • thenr y@centralumc.org

Take care of yourself and others 828-350-0315 SMOKYPARK.COM

soon u o y e Se awn l e h t on

DIG FOR VICTORY: As COVID-19 impacts Western North Carolina, Isa Whitaker says he’s seeing increased interest in community gardening in his role with Bountiful Cities. Photo by Luke Van Hine Isa Whitaker is up to his elbows in gardens this spring. As coordinator of Bountiful Cities’ Asheville Buncombe Community Garden Network, he manages communication, educational programming and resources such as free seed and tool libraries for more than two dozen local gardening efforts. The network ranges from small plots tended in private yards to elementary school gardens to larger neighborhood endeavors like West Asheville’s Burton Street Community Peace Gardens. And membership is poised to expand. After COVID19 began impacting life in Western North Carolina, Whitaker has seen an increase in the number of local residents interested in starting new community gardens. “Since this whole pandemic emerged, I think there are a lot of people that are out there just trying to put some seeds in the ground and get growing,” Whitaker says. He likens the trend to the victory garden movement, which encouraged citizens during World War I and World War

II to cultivate gardens in backyards, vacant lots and other available spaces. “I wouldn’t put the responsibility on a community garden to feed everybody, but they do have that potential,” Whitaker says. And, he adds, they nourish neighborhoods in other ways, “whether it’s having a safe space to go or a place you can just roam about and look at beautiful scenery.” Whitaker urges those considering starting a community garden to be sure they have plenty of hands-on support. “I often recommend for people not to take that on by themselves,” he says. “Maybe have three or four people who are sharing those responsibilities.” But initiating such a project, he says, is a worthy endeavor. “Especially in times like this — in emergency situations — it’s important for people to realize how important it is to grow our own food. Some would say it’s a rebellious or revolutionary act.” For more on the Asheville Buncombe Community Garden Network, see the “Programs” tab at bountifulcities.org.

The

Sustainability April 1, 8, 15 and 22

APRIL 8 - 14, 2020

MOUNTAINX.COM

— Gina Smith X

Series

FOOD

SERVING THE SERVICE INDUSTRY Asheville hospitality businesses rally support

BY KAY WEST kswest@mountainx.com When a natural disaster strikes a community, the local food and beverage industry is a first-responder, jumping in to feed the displaced, set up mobile kitchens, deliver meals and support fundraising events. North Carolina’s sudden statewide shutdown of in-house dining and drinking on March 17 dealt a brutal blow to those for whom service is a calling. “We’re not used to asking for help,” notes chef Katie Button. “But we need it now.” Below are some ways to extend a helping hand to the hands that serve Western North Carolina. SAVERESTAURANTS.CO On Feb. 26 (aka BC19), Button, owner of Cúrate and Button & Co. Bagels, was celebrating her inclusion as one of five Asheville chefs and restaurateurs announced as semifinalists for the 2020 James Beard Awards. Three weeks later, in response to Gov. Roy Cooper’s March 17 order to close all restaurant in-house dining, she was furloughing her employees. “The first week was all about shock,” she recalls. “Each of us was doing that thing flight attendants tell passengers: In case of emergency, put your own mask on first. Then figure out how to help others.” Button says she latched onto saverestaurants.co, the legislative initiative launched by the Independent Restaurant Coalition and a dozen high-profile industry leaders to lobby Congress for support of local restaurants. “For me, the first thing was to help figure out how to get the federal aid package for small business passed,” she says. She spread the word on social media and emailed lists of restaurant owners several times a day to join the call to action. “I’m sure they were all sick of hearing from me,” she says. The IRC developed a list of three main types of assistance restaurants need to survive. “We haven’t gotten all of them, but the expansion of unemployment benefits is the biggest thing,” Button says. “And making sure that the guideline for relief to companies with 500 or less employees

is looking at individual locations and not an entire hospitality group spread out over multiple locations. But this is just the first thing, and there is so much more to do.” To get involved, sign up at saverestaurants.co. #ASHEVILLESTRONG Catherine Campbell, owner of Asheville-based Bright Planning marketing and public relations company, makes it her business to plan ahead. So in early March, as ominous signs were looming for her food and beverage clients, she worked with them on strategies for preparing. “We were talking about things like making sure they could offer gift cards, that merchandise for sale was on their website, how to set up their parking lot for takeout and delivery if they went that route, how to whittle down their menu,” she recalls. Campbell noticed numerous social media posts from businesses announcing the intention to offer gift cards and realized there was no central, all-in-one directory to support the movement. “We knew this crisis went beyond our clients and out to the community at large, so it became a simple focus of getting all these businesses in one place and promoting that. It all kind of happened within 48 hours,” she says. She launched the #AshevilleStrong website at 7 p.m. March 14 with a form for businesses to complete to be included in the directory. She woke up the next morning to dozens of submissions. The website began with five categories and is now capped at nine, listing nearly 650 businesses as of March 30. Consumers click on their selected category, scroll through the businesses and follow the links to purchase a gift card directly from the seller. Campbell notes that submissions are vetted as thoroughly as possible to avoid scams that have popped up in the wake of the crisis. “It helps that after 20 years here, I know easily half of the businesses applying,” she says. “Our mission is simple: to help our community in a time of crisis.” Learn more at ashevillestrong.com.

DISPLAYING STRENGTH: Old Europe Pastries owner Melinda Vetro, right, displays her shop’s support of the #AshevilleStrong website, where residents can purchase gift cards to nearly 650 local businesses during the COVID-19 pandemic. Also picured, from left, are Alexis Zeigler, Hannah Mittman and Abbby Schrupp. Photo by Thomas Calder NEW BELGIUM BREWING CO. RELIEF FUND On March 13, New Belgium Brewing Co. made the tough decision to close its tasting rooms in Asheville and Colorado to be proactive about protecting employees and patrons. Two days later, says Michael Craft, the company’s Asheville community and communications ambassador, department heads brainstormed a plan via teleconference. “It felt pretty natural to try to help take care of folks who were immediately impacted, who have been serving our beer for 29 years,” he says. “So we established the New Belgium Brewing Bar and Restaurant Relief Fund to provide financial assistance to laid-off and furloughed food and beverage workers in Asheville and Fort Collins [Colo.] in the form of grants of $350 per individual.” New Belgium seeded the fund with $50,000 and invites socially distanced home drinkers and big businesses alike to log onto the site and donate.

To donate, visit newbelgium.com/ gives or text “NBBGives” to 44321. New Belgium will match donations up to $50,000. Craft points out that none of the funds will go to NBB staff who are being paid during the layoff. To apply for a grant, visit newbelgiumbrewing.submittable. com/submit. N.C. RESTAURANT WORKERS RELIEF FUND The N.C. Restaurant Workers Relief Fund has been established and will be managed by the N.C. Restaurant and Lodging Association, a nonprofit that has provided financial assistance to hospitality employees and students for more than a decade. Any hospitality employee of a North Carolina restaurant or hotel facing significant financial hardship due to a furlough or reduction in hours as a result of COVID-19 is eligible to apply. Requests can be submitted through an online application available at ncrestaurantrelief.com. X

MOUNTAINX.COM

APRIL 8 - 14, 2020

VOTED WNC’S #1 KAVA BAR & OPEN MIC

F OOD

This round’s on them Asheville ABC alters policy to assist struggling bars and restaurants

BUY BACK: A change implemented by the Asheville Alcoholic Beverage Control Board is aimed at helping businesses that placed large liquor orders in advance of the St. Patrick’s Day holiday. Photo by Cindy Kunst

We're here

to help you

CHILL THE F&#% OUT Open daily at noon Carryout orders

Credit Card Payments Only! • Make/pickup your to-go order from the sidewalk

“Folks look for any sort of holiday to go out to a bar and celebrate, and St. Patrick’s Day is one of the biggest,” says Jason Thacker, operations manager of the Asheville Alcoholic Beverage Control Board. That entity manages the sale of “spirituous liquor” to retail and mixed-beverage (bar and restaurant) customers from 10 local ABC stores, three of which are retail only. Bars and restaurants in Buncombe County had ordered accordingly for the boozy March 17 celebration; then the curtain came down via Gov. Roy Cooper’s executive order issued that afternoon closing all such establishments to customers. Thacker’s office started receiving calls immediately

• Call in your to-go order ahead of time at 828.505.8118 • Call for bulk R A C828.216.2331 OVER NEVE shipments E! mailed you RG CH Ato • Kickback AVL delivers to your home!

Delivery menu at ashevillekava.com

We got this. 268 BILTMORE AVE, AVL ASHEVILLEKAVA.COM 22

APRIL 8 - 14, 2020

MOUNTAINX.COM

TAVERN Open for Curbside Takeout & Delivery! 828-225-6944

20 S. Spruce St. • 225.6944 packStavern.com

that day from business owners fretting about having purchased all that spirituous liquor with no partygoers to sell it to. “Typically, we don’t mind taking back unopened bottles of alcohol from bars and restaurants, but we do it as a credit toward their next purchase,” Thacker says. “But no one knows when that will be, and we know they are struggling.” In response, the local ABC has agreed to buy back any liquor ordered and purchased from the board March 14-17 and apply the refund to businesses’ credit cards. “It won’t cover everything for them, but if we can help them out at all, we’ll do it,” says Thacker. Meanwhile, ABC stores remain open to retail customers, though the hours have been limited to 11 a.m.7 p.m., in part to ease the strain on workers facing a tremendous spike of shoppers. “Bars and restaurants normally account for 33% of our business,” says Thacker. “I checked sales March 24 — a week after [bars and restaurants] closed — and we were up 15%, so that is all retail customers.” He says ABC shops will keep operating through the pandemic as long as the state allows. “Judging from sales, a lot of people think we’re an essential service,” Thacker says.

— Kay West X

Growth spurt

Mother Earth Food adds new suppliers and expands customer base to meet demand When restaurants in Western North Carolina closed March 17, a window of opportunity opened for Mother Earth Food. The Asheville-based produce and grocery delivery service suddenly found itself able to fold more partners and customers into its mission: making it easier for people to eat local, organic food while supporting the businesses that provide it. “Our customer base almost tripled overnight,” says Andrea Duvall, who founded the Asheville business with Graham Duvall in 2012. “Before this crisis kicked in, we delivered about 300 bins a week. We jumped to 700 customers by that third weekend in March, and we have a waiting list of more than 600.” Mother Earth makes weekly home deliveries of bins filled with produce, dairy, eggs, baked goods, hummus, chocolate, meat and veggie proteins, coffee and more, all of it regionally sourced. The business covers Asheville and surrounding areas, including Black Mountain, Weaverville and Hendersonville, as well as Greenville and Spartanburg in South Carolina. With the uptick in demand, the delivery schedule expanded from two days to four — Wednesday through Sunday — and the ordering deadline is now 5 p.m. Monday. The Duvalls have hired more staff and plan to borrow four refrigerated vans from Buchi kombucha company to supplement their fleet of four. Mother Earth has also been able to increase the quantities of food it orders from its existing suppliers and provide a retail outlet for new partners. “So many farms and makers relied on restaurants for a lot of their business,” says Andrea. “That business is gone, but their produce is in the field. Anybody who wants to come and supply us, we definitely have the demand. We love that we can help them.” Though the home-delivery client base is capped for now at 700, Andrea says Mother Earth is working to set up drop-off sites in Asheville neighborhoods and will offer a pickup option at its West Asheville warehouse to accommodate customers on the waiting list. “Once we can drop 100-200 bins for pickup at each spot,

RUTH’S ANYWHERE

From our kitchen to your table, call ahead to enjoy your favorites at home. Prix Fixe menu starting at $40 Includes a starter, entrée & side.

(828) 398-6200 26 All Souls Crescent, AVL

BOX TO TABLE: Mother Earth Food owner Andrea Duvall follows safety guidelines while packing boxes for home delivery. Courtesy of Mother Earth Food we can add all of those and more,” she explains. “My goal is to feed the community as much as we can, as well as we can, especially at this time.” To learn more about Mother Earth Food, visit motherearthfood.com.

— Kay West X

Hey Y’all, is Locally owned & operated since 2001

Do you need Corona comfort food? Well look no further dude! We’ll put you in a mellow mood! Open daily for curbside carryout or delivery!

We might even let you stare at our patio for free if you ask nice... ☺ 11:00am-8:00pm, 7 days per week

50 Broadway • Asheville, NC (828) 236-9800 • mellowmushroom.com/asheville MOUNTAINX.COM

APRIL 8 - 14, 2020

ARTS & ENTERTAINMENT

NO SHOW? NO PROBLEM Random Animals release debut album, focus on content creation

TIGER KINGS: Random Animals guitarist Mikey Domanico describes the writing process of the band’s debut album, The Climb, as a true team effort. “Much of the lyrical content derives from more of an almost meditative state, rather than hyperfocusing on a particular issue,” he says. “Some of the songs certainly have more of an intentional message, but all in all, I’d say this collection of songs is up to the listener’s interpretation.” Photo by Tom Farr

BY EDWIN ARNAUDIN earnaudin@mountainx.com In a pre-COVID-19 world, Ashevillebased indie/soul rockers Random Animals were all set to headline The Mothlight on Wednesday, April 8, with an opening spot from fellow local eclectic soul stars, King Garbage. While the state-mandated closure of music venues has indefinitely delayed that performance, the impetus for the gathering — celebrating the release of the band’s sharp debut LP, The Climb — will hold steady with the record becoming available as planned.

The

Sustainability Series

April 1, 8, 15 and 22

APRIL 8 - 14, 2020

The eight-song collection of original work is the product of nearly four years of collaborations among the tightknit quintet, most of whose members play in other bands in town (including The Get Right Band, Supatight and the Diamond River Band) and work day jobs. Due to these numerous responsibilities, Random Animals was treated more as a side project for several years, but as the musicians continued to add original material and play shows, they all became more invested. “Our motivations as a band have evolved quite a bit since we started playing,” says guitarist Mikey Domanico. “Initially, the motivation was to get two 90-minute sets worth of material together so that we could start gigging. In the formation of the group, we spent rehearsals learning a lot of covers and figuring out creative ways to stretch original tunes. I’d say now it’s more about being intentional with songwriting and more focused on creating content that we’re proud of.” For The Climb, Domanico says he or Geoff Happel (guitar/vocals) would bring songs with lyrics — some of which they co-wrote — to the rest of the Random Animals. From there, “everyone in the band helped get songs to the finish line,” with Tyler Mack (bass/ vocals) writing the bulk of the vocal harmony parts and JC Mears (drums) contributing a substantial number

MOUNTAINX.COM

of structural and rhythmic ideas. Meanwhile, keyboardist Matt Powers, who Domanico feels has “the best ear in the group,” served as the band’s editor, “helping clean up ideas and making sure things weren’t clashing.” The process took over a year, during which Random Animals improved their live dynamic, learning how to, as Domanico puts it, “play off of each other, make room for each other and write together.” Over that stretch, they also landed the after-party set following The Dungeon Family (Big Boi, Cee-Lo Green and friends) at Salvage Station in April 2019, a show that Domanico identifies as the band’s second-biggest accomplishment. In the top spot, however, is completing The Climb, which he notes couldn’t have been done without

recording engineer/mixer/co-producer Ted Marks. “He’s been a friend of ours for a while, and we knew he did great work,” Domanico says. “He was able to work with our budget [and] was incredibly patient and positive throughout the whole process.” With no live shows for the time being, Random Animals is shifting its focus to content creation, including additional new music. Videos for “Pull Apart” and “Light of the Moon” are currently available via the band’s social media pages and will soon be joined by a third video from The Climb. The ensemble’s goal is to establish an online presence, without which Domanico believes “you really can’t be a successful band” in the modern market. “This was kind of a plan for us prior to COVID-19,” he says. “But now it’s looking more and more like it’s our only option for several months.” The Climb is available via Spotify, iTunes, Soundcloud and other popular streaming services. X

Record stores still spinning Despite the current lack of local venues in which to perform their work and sell merchandise, Asheville-area musicians continue to release new music — and the city’s record stores are adapting to get physical copies to fans. While Static Age Records owner Jesse McSwain stopped hosting live events on March 13 and closed the store’s retail space and bar three days later, he and his colleagues shifted to curated curbside pickups, individual browsing appointments and mail-order records, but for the past week have solely offered parcel deliveries via email at staticage.nc@gmail.com. “Our live music calendar was especially exciting these coming months, but we expect the venue to be closed through June,” McSwain says. “Like many businesses globally, our ability to pay staff, rent or bills has come to a halt due to these necessary safety measures, and there is real danger of closing permanently. We hope to reopen when it is appropriate, but this seems contingent on some sort of financial aid. We remain optimistic that Asheville’s unique small businesses can recover from this crisis through creative support and we can all move forward with a greater sense of community and compassion.” Over at Voltage Records, owner Jonathan Rhoden was hoping to offer curbside service and allow customer appointments for regulars and small groups, but with the county and state-ordered closure of all nonessential businesses, the store closed and likewise turned to online sales. “In the over 17 years we’ve been open, we’ve never sold online, preferring to keep everything in-store so that our customers know that the ‘good stuff’ isn’t being held back,” Rhoden says. The shop has records posted on Discogs and continues to purchase LP collections. Sellers may contact Rhoden through Facebook or email at voltagerecords@live.com. As for Harvest Records, owners Matt Schnable and Mark Capon made the difficult decision to close “for an indefinite amount of time” on March 27, ceasing its curbside pickup and mail-order services. But the store’s modest Discogs account remains active and customers can email Schnable and Capon with specific purchase requests at harvestrecords@gmail.com. “We are doing this in accordance with Buncombe County’s ‘Stay Home, Stay Safe’ policy and also simply for the best interest and safety of our community,” they say. “As soon as we know when we’re going to reopen, we’ll be blasting that message to the public everywhere we can. In the meantime, please be safe and smart.” X

MOUNTAINX.COM

APRIL 8 - 14, 2020

A &E

by Alli Marshall

allimarshall@bellsouth.net

KEEPING THE SOUND ON

Streamside Music and NewRootz Studio offer online concert series

NEW ROOMS: As concerts move online and the energy exchange of the live show is on hold, musicians are learning to connect with listeners in alternative formats. “It’s way different, getting used to not talking to anyone and coming as you are,” says saxophonist Jason Hazinski, who has performed livestreamed concerts with Chalwa, pictured, at Highland Brewing Co. Photo courtesy of the band The Streamside Music house concert series had been running on the outskirts of Asheville for most of a decade when the COVID-19 outbreak occurred. As host Sally Sparks witnessed her musician friends lose their gigs, “I thought, what if we could take the listening room experience and present it to people … online, to connect people and try to get some income for musicians?” she says. Sparks teamed with Paul Huemiller (Dream Guitars), Clint Bernard (Unitarian Universalist Church of Asheville’s Acoustic Journeys) and Ryan Reardon (Asheville Music School) to create an online concert series called Keep Music Live Project. Meanwhile, NewRootz Studio, a private recording facility in the Asheville area, had produced albums by such local bands as reggae collective Chalwa and instrumental funk outfit Blinding Standstill. Engineer J Ferris previously considered expanding the business’s reach, “but with everyone else jumping online and doing their streams, we were like, ‘We’ve got to launch it now,’” says Jason Hazinski, a member of Chalwa. Hazinski came on board to help with administration, from building a website to coordinating with bands in need of online opportunities. “We’ll have our own stream on IamAVL,” Hazinski notes, referring to the local livestreaming video service mentioned in last week’s issue. At interview time, NewRootz was partnering with Highland Brewing Co. to continue livestreaming concerts from its taproom stage. (This and recording at NewRootz are currently on hold during the 26

APRIL 8 - 14, 2020

MOUNTAINX.COM

Stay Home-Stay Safe order, but archived footage is available to viewers.) “Right away … we had three or four bands hit us up,” Hazinski says. Initial NewRootz shows were with The Snozzberries and Dirty Dead, each of which received around 2,000 views and yielded generous donations. Streamside’s first concerts were by Al Petteway, Shane Parish and Trio Sefardi, with jazz guitarist Sean McGowan slated for Friday, April 10. All of the artists involved with that series agreed to avoid a paywall. “Just because somebody lost their income, we don’t want to say, ‘You can’t be with us,’” says Sparks. “Those who can kick in some money to these musicians, great.” Aside from the virtual aspect, there are major differences between livestream concerts and live shows. There’s the need to treat the room as a sacred space in order to protect the equipment and prevent exposure to COVID-19 — a concern even with a limited number of people accessing the studio. And there’s the shift from an in-the-flesh audience to a computer screen. “There’s a huge benefit to interacting … you can read comments [from] the feed,” Hazinski says. “It’s way different, getting used to not talking to anyone and coming as you are.” “It’s important for people to be in a live situation and know other people are tuning in,” Sparks says of streaming concerts. “People really enjoy seeing their friends on the chatroom while they’re listening to the show.” Learn more at newrootzstudio.com and streamsidemusic.wordpress.com. X

SMART BETS by Edwin Arnaudin | Send your arts news to ae@mountainx.com

Museum From Home

‘Old Lovegood Girls’ by Gail Godwin “A looong winding female friendship taking us through the (can it be 6?) decades since [the 1950s],” famed author Margaret Atwood tweeted of Old Lovegood Girls, the latest novel by Gail Godwin. “As always, wry, beady-eyed, acute.” Godwin, a three-time National Book Award finalist, grew up in Asheville and Weaverville — including attending the all-girls Catholic school St. Genevieve-of-the-Pines, where she started keeping a diary. Asheville’s landmarks have made their way into many of Godwin’s books. Old Lovegood Girls, the author’s 17th novel, is about writers Feron Hood and Merry Jellicoe, who are “paired as roommates in 1958 at Lovegood Junior College for Girls,” according to a press release. Godwin’s return to subjects of female friendship, intellectual development and the passing of time are likely to be welcome distractions during this time of social distancing and homebound activities. Consider preordering it from your favorite local bookstore: It goes on sale May 5. Author photo by Jolanta Drozd-Kaminski —Bet by Alli Marshall

With their doors temporarily closed, art institutions around the world are offering complimentary digital access to their exhibitions and programs — including multiple Western North Carolina institutions. The Asheville Art Museum (ashevilleart.org/museum-fromhome) has made its collection virtually available, along with “I Spy” games and downloadable coloring sheets for kids (and adults). Black Mountain College Museum + Arts Center (blackmountaincollege.org/ museum-from-home) has extended its current exhibition, Question Everything! The Women of Black Mountain College, through Aug. 15 and added a digital portal. And the Smith-McDowell House Museum (wnchistory.omeka.net/exhibits) has a pair of virtual exhibits: 1918 vs. 2020: Epidemics Then & Now in WNC and Hillbillyland: Myth & Reality in Appalachian Culture. Photo of Cherry Blossoms by Mark Peiser (1980, blown and torch-worked glass) courtesy of the Asheville Art Museum

Valravne “There’s no better time to be making weird, loud, chaotic noise than while the world is burning and everyone is at home with nothing better to do than to check it out.” Thus speaketh Valravne, a solo black metal project based in Asheville whose self-titled debut was released on March 19, just as music venues were closing and touring artists were returning home from the road. While the anonymous one-man band’s roots are in punk rock with a tangent into country music, he’d always enjoyed metal but rarely played it until a battle with depression in late 2018 and early 2019 left him “utterly obsessed with black metal in particular.” The resulting album was entirely self-made, written and recorded at his in-house Clean Sheets Studios. Penultimate track “Nero,” which Valravne describes as “somewhat about, or at minimum inspired by, the experience of watching the world and still playing music,” feels especially relevant in the current musical landscape. valravne.bandcamp.com. Album cover designed by Hanna Kimmel

Climbing Every Mountain Since 2016, the traveling multimedia project Transilient has candidly documented transgender and gender-nonconforming people “in their day-to-day lived realities using only their voices.” The project aims to “humanize, educate and destroy the assumption that trans folks are solely defined by their physical experience and their oppression.” The latest efforts to emerge from its dedicated members is Climbing Every Mountain, a documentary series that focuses on the need for mental and medical health care for transgender and nonbinary people, specifically those in Appalachia. The set of five videos debuted on Transgender Day of Visibility (March 31), and its third installment features Asheville resident Aurora Gantz, a nonbinary queer artist described as “particularly dedicated to tea, nature and growth. They love connecting to community and themselves through vulnerability, care and intention.” avl.mx/71p. Photo of Gantz courtesy of Transilient

MOUNTAINX.COM

APRIL 8 - 14, 2020

MOVIE REVIEWS

Hosted by the Asheville Movie Guys EDWIN ARNAUDIN earnaudin@mountainx.com

BRUCE STEELE bcsteele@gmail.com

The Wild Goose Lake HHHHS

DIRECTOR: Yi’nan Diao PLAYERS: Ge Hu, Lun-Mei Kwei, Fan Liao FOREIGN FILM/CRIME/DRAMA NOT RATED With The Wild Goose Lake, Chinese writer/director Yi’nan Diao (Black Coal, Thin Ice) cements his reputation as a filmmaker who uses every cinematic tool at his disposal. His Hitchcockian tale of gangster Zenong Zhou (Ge Hu) on the run from both sides of the law after accidentally killing a cop features consistently crisp cinematography, energetic storytelling via frequent edits to new locations and fresh camera angles, and expertly staged action sequences. Reminiscent of Ridley Scott’s Cormac McCarthy-penned The Counselor, with its pulpy, flashback-friendly narrative, unsavory characters and wildly creative, Takashi Miike-like death scenes — including one with an umbrella that has to be seen to be believed — the film’s core strength remains its steady stream of engaging visuals. From police in light-up sneakers converging on a crime scene to a nighttime visit to a zoo, every shot has purpose and is packed with artistry, down to the seemingly simple administration of a bandage. 28

APRIL 8 - 14, 2020

In such a thoroughly engaging cinematic milieu, The Wild Goose Lake’s somewhat convoluted narrative can easily be forgiven, as can the stuffiness of Zhou’s initial scenes with the potentially untrustworthy Liu Aiai (Gwei Lun-mei). Despite these hiccups, Diao leans on his immense directorial gifts to such a successful extent that his film could be about a box of stolen teddy bears and it would still be top-notch entertainment. REVIEWED BY EDWIN ARNAUDIN EARNAUDIN@MOUNTAINX.COM

And Then We DancedHHHH DIRECTOR: Levan Akin PLAYERS: Levan Gelbakhiani, Bachi Valishvili, Ana Javakishvili FOREIGN FILM/DRAMA/ ROMANCE NOT RATED And Then We Danced, aka Call Me By Your Georgian Name, is a solid tale of first gay love told amid the intriguing backdrop of the Eastern Bloc country’s traditional dance scene. The attraction of so-so legacy dancer Merab (Levan Gelbakhiani) to talented

MOUNTAINX.COM

newcomer Irakli (Bachi Valishvili) is evident and believable early on and plays out in consistently honest terms under the guidance of writer/director Levan Akin. The copious risks that the young men take by exploring their feelings for one another in the country’s conservative, modern-day capital of Tbilisi escalate the immediacy of their romance, though such stories have been told numerous times to similarly successful degrees, complete with compelling heterosexual side stories. What sets And Then We Danced apart, however, is its passionate documentation of Georgian dance and the next generation’s struggles against close-minded gatekeepers who are determining the art form’s future. Add to these scenes well-developed looks at Merab’s family life and the multigenerational hardships that pursuing dance as a career incurs, and the film becomes more of a poignant exploration of dedicating one’s life to art, with a nicely charted love affair on the side, than merely the latter.

AVAILABLE VIA FINEARTSTHEATRE.COM (FA) GRAILMOVIEHOUSE.COM (GM) PISGAHFILM.ORG (PF) And Then We Danced (NR) HHHH (GM) Bacurau (NR) HHHH (GM) Beanpole (R) HHHS(FA) Corpus Christi (NR) HHHH (GM, PF) Extra Ordinary (R) HHHS(FA) Fantastic Fungi (NR) HHHH (FA, GM, PF) Incitement (NR) HHHS(GM) Once Were Brothers: Robbie Robertson and The Band (R) HHHH (FA, GM, PF) The Roads Not Taken (NR) Javier Bardem and Elle Fanning star in the latest drama from Sally Potter. Available starting April 10 (FA) Saint Frances (NR) HHHH (GM, PF) Slay the Dragon (PG-13) HHHH (FA) Sorry We Missed You (NR) HHHHS(FA, GM) The Times of Bill Cunningham (NR) A new documentary about the legendary New York photographer. Available starting April 10 (GM) The Whistlers (NR) HHHH (FA, GM) The Wild Goose Lake (NR) HHHHS (Pick of the Week) (PF, GM) The Woman Who Loves Giraffes (NR) HHHHH (FA, GM) Zombi Child (NR) S(GM)

REVIEWED BY EDWIN ARNAUDIN EARNAUDIN@MOUNTAINX.COM

Slay the Dragon HHHH

DIRECTORS: Chris Durrance and Barak Goodman PLAYERS: Ari Berman, David Daley, Margaret Dickson DOCUMENTARY RATED PG-13 This documentary has a clear point of view: Gerrymandering is snuffing out representative democracy and is the source of everything vile about current U.S. politics. One case in point, taken up in some detail, is the 11th Congressional District in North Carolina, from which most of Asheville was ejected in 2011, prompting the retirement of Rep. Heath Shuler and the election of Rep. Mark Meadows. If, on the other hand, you think Meadows won fair and square, the current makeup of the U.S. Supreme Court is dandy, voter ID laws are justified and drawing voting districts to perpetuate the power of a single party is a fair tactic, then you might want to skip Slay the Dragon. Directed by skilled television documentarians Chris Durrance (“Frontline”) and Barak Goodman (“American Experience”), Slay the Dragon traces the RedMAP project of the Republican State Leadership Committee, which succeeded in flipping numerous state legislatures from Democratic to Republican control in

2010. This change allowed new GOP majorities in many states to redraw safe legislative districts, empowering the party to push through state laws targeting unions, access to the polls, transgender rights, gun control and other matters, even when majorities of their states’ citizens opposed such laws. The film packs a lot into its first two-thirds, elucidating and connecting the issues clearly (with clean, illuminating graphics) and with interviews of movers and shakers from both sides of the issue. Its particular focus is young activist Katie Fahey, who founded Voters Not Politicians, a grassroots effort to pass a ballot initiative to eliminate gerrymandering in Michigan. The last third of the film is less compelling, as it slides into a rut of trying to build the narratives of Fahey’s campaign and a parallel U.S. Supreme Court case (about gerrymandering in Wisconsin) into suspenseful storylines. Informed viewers will already know the outcome of both, but even if you don’t, far too much time is spent leading to the unsurprising results. It’s like the filmmakers were so happy with all they’d accomplished up to that point that they decided viewers couldn’t absorb any more. No matter — it’s still a worthy and informative effort and may make Democrats chew their fingernails to the quick, watching recent history unfold. REVIEWED BY BRUCE STEELE BCSTEELE@GMAIL.COM

Zombi Child S DIRECTOR: Bertrand Bonello PLAYERS: Louise Labeque, Wislanda Louimat, Katiana Milfort FOREIGN FILM/FANTASY NOT RATED The only “zombie” in Zombi Child is Clairvius Narcisse, a real Haitian who allegedly escaped from zombified slavery. Narcisse is said to have worked mindlessly in the cane fields of Haiti for as long as 18 years after having been drugged into a faked death and zombielike existence by vodou (aka voodoo) practices. It’s a potentially fascinating story, but Zombi Child has nothing to add to that bare premise. The film begins in the cane fields in 1962, and checks in with Narcisse in extended segments, wandering languidly in an eternal dusk, but the real focus is the present day at an elite girls high school in France. There, Fanny (Louise Labeque) writes florid letters (heard in voiceover) to her unseen boyfriend and listens to mind-numbing lectures about French history and literature, which are staged in tedious detail. Fanny also befriends Melissa (Wislanda Louimat), a Haitian girl whose parents were killed in the 2010 earthquake. The duo and three other girls form a clique, and they wander the school at night and talk and have faintly rebellious thoughts. After an hour and a half of switchbacks between spooky Haiti and dullsville Paris, the not-surprising connection between the storylines is revealed, kicking in an absurd and incoherent finale that doesn’t actually resolve anything. Zombi Child is from acclaimed French writer-director Bertrand Bonello (Nocturama; Saint Laurent), who tosses in nods to colonial exploitation, cultural appropriation, the slave trade, racism and other themes, recalling neglected textbooks no one has ever bothered to crack open. But any grand statement Bonello is making can be constructed only in the viewers’ imagination because there’s nothing conclusive or especially observant on the screen. Instead, we’re stuck with a bunch of underdeveloped, unengaging characters leading unremarkable lives until the sputtering movie just drives everyone off a cliff. If Parasite has taught us anything, it’s that culturally intelligent movies that offer trenchant critiques of society don’t have to be oblique and dull. It’s one lesson the schoolgirls in Zombi Child don’t learn. REVIEWED BY BRUCE STEELE BCSTEELE@GMAIL.COM

Join the

Asheville Movie Guys

for the next Movie Discussion!

SORRY WE MISSED YOU Rent Ken Loach’s powerful, timely drama now at fineartstheatre.com, then tune in as the Asheville Movie Guys, Bruce C. Steele and Edwin Arnaudin of AshevilleMovies.com, discuss the film and take your questions via livestream comments and email.

Mon., 4/13, 7pm Via Facebook Live

facebook.com/AshevilleMovieGuys Do you want an email reminder prior to each Asheville Movie Guys night? Send an email with ‘Asheville Movie Guys’ in the subject line to ashevillemovies@gmail.com There is no charge for this event. Patrons are encouraged to consider making a one-time donation of $5 or more to Mountain Xpress at mountainx.com/ community-supported-journalism

Asheville Movie Guys “Why are they publishing this Crier rubbish?” you may be asking. We certainly are. The rest of this edition of Mountain Xpress can’t help but show the tough times WNC is facing. Here’s one little spot in the paper where we offer a bit of levity, to possibly brighten someone’s day, poking a bit of fun at the outrageousness of it all.

HAVING A BALL The Orange Peel will soon offer a “Stay Out of My Bubble” series of concerts. With a special dispensation from the Buncombe County Health Department, the Peel will provide personal plastic spheres to each attendee, with a maximum capacity of 42 people. “The added benefit of the hamster balls is that there is none of that awkward personal contact with strangers that happens so often at concerts,” says project manager Stacy Zemumm. “However, we are still working out some wrinkles. In beta-testing we had participants get overturned and bounce out the door. We had to recover one guy all the way down the hill at Sovereign Kava.” The venue is adding a decontamination chamber in the basement of the building for donning, doffing and sanitizing the spheres. A series of giant tubes are being installed around the venue to handle the zorbing ball traffic. The tubes offer cardio for concertgoers, churning up to the main floor and along the walls and ceilings to move about freely. “Bubble boys and girls can even get access to the restroom through the tubes,” adds Zemumm. “But once you get there, you’re on your own.”

THE FORCE IS STRONG WITH R2-DUI Asheville-area breweries’ home delivery services hit a snag yesterday when a beer delivery drone was taken into custody for operating while intoxicated. On Thursday evening, an airborne device, from a brewery that will not be named, was navigating down Haywood Road, box of bottled beverages in claw. It was on descent and nearing its destination when, according to police reports, it “began swerving out of its lane, knocking into multiple mailboxes and scraping vehicles.” As officers pursued, the drone reached its landing zone with a spectacular crash through a flower bed, sending the family cat sprinting, and skidded to a stop at the front door. “I guess it’s technically an FUI,” says Asheville Police Department officer Carl Winslow III, who made the historic arrest. “I’m also tickled to report that the beer arrived undamaged and that the customers were wise enough to wait a few minutes before opening their bottles. That’s the real miracle here.” The pilot of the drone, Chesley “Glummy” Glumsandwich, has not been formally charged, but sources close to him have claimed that on the evening in question he was “ranting on Twitter about The Lighthouse being the greatest movie of all time” and “posting elaborate tea party tableaus on Instagram, starring his pet hamsters.” MOUNTAINX.COM

APRIL 8 - 14, 2020

FREEWILL ASTROLOGY ARIES (March 21-April 19): Moses did forty years’ worth of hard work in behalf of his people, delivering them out of slavery in Egypt. Yet God didn’t allow him to enter into the Promised Land. Why? At the end of his travails, he made a minor mistake that angered God beyond reason. Petty? Harsh? Very much so. I’m happy to say that your fate will be very different from Moses’. Some months from now, when your labors bring you to the brink of your own personal version of the Promised Land, not even a small error will prevent you from entering and enjoying it. And what you do in the coming weeks will help ensure that later success. TAURUS (April 20-May 20): Built in the third century B.C., the Colossus of Rhodes was a monumental statue of the Greek sun god. It stood in the harbor of the island of Rhodes and was called one of the Seven Wonders of the Ancient World. Alas: An earthquake struck the area 54 years after it was finished, knocking it over and smashing it into fragments. Three centuries later, many of the chunks still lay scattered around the harbor. I offer this as a teaching story, Taurus. If there are any old psychological ruins lying around in your psyche, I encourage you to conduct an imaginary ritual in which you visualize throwing those ruins into a big bonfire. Clear the slate for the new beginnings that will be available once the COVID-19 crisis has settled down. GEMINI (May 21-June 20): “Argue with anything else,” writes author Philip Pullman, “but don’t argue with your own nature.” Amen! That’s always good advice for you Geminis, and it will be especially crucial in the coming weeks. A certain amount of disputation and challenging dialogue with other people will be healthy for you, even an effective way to get clarity and advance your aims. (Don’t overdo it, of course.) But you must promise never to quarrel with or criticize your own nature. You should aim at being a radiant bastion of inner harmony and a powerhouse of self-love. Do whatever’s necessary to coax all your different aspects to work together in sweet unity. CANCER (June 21-July 22): Like many Cancerians, painter Marc Chagall cultivated an intimate relationship with his dreams and fantasies. His fellow artist Pablo Picasso remarked, “When Chagall paints, you do not know if he is asleep or awake. Somewhere or other inside his head there must be an angel.” Being a Crab myself, I know how essential it is for us to be in close connection with reverie and the imagination. Every now and then, though, there come occasions when the demands of the material world need our extra, focused attention — when our dreamy tendencies need to be rigorously harnessed in behalf of pragmatism. Now is one of those times. LEO (July 23-Aug. 22): Is there an influence you’re ready to outgrow, Leo? Are there teachers who have given you all they have to offer and now you need to go in search of new founts of inspiration and education? Have you squeezed all possible value out of certain bright ideas and clever theories that no longer serve you? Are you finished with old sources of excitement that have lost their excitement? These are the kinds of questions I encourage you to ask yourself in the coming weeks. It’ll be a favorable time to celebrate the joyful art of liberation — to graduate from what might have been true once upon a time and prepare for the wide-open future after the COVID-19 crisis has mellowed. VIRGO (Aug. 23-Sept. 22): Your words of power in the coming days are simple: deep, low, down, below, dig, dive and descend. I invite you to meditate on all the ways you can make them work for you as metaphors and use them to activate interesting, nourishing feelings. There’ll be very little worth exploring on the surface of life in the coming weeks, Virgo. All the hottest action and most valuable lessons will be blooming in the fertile darkness.

APRIL 8 - 14, 2020

LIBRA (Sept. 23-Oct. 22): Before the COVID-19 crisis arrived, were you ensconced in roles that were good fits for your specific temperament and set of talents? Did you occupy niches that brought out the best in you and enabled you to offer your best gifts? Were there places that you experienced as power spots — where you felt at home in the world and at peace with your destiny? Once you’ve meditated on those questions for a while, Libra, I’ll ask you to shift gears: Meditate on how you’d like to answer similar questions about your life in the future. Once this crazy time has passed, what roles will be good fits for you? What niches will bring out the best in you? What will be your power spots? SCORPIO (Oct. 23-Nov. 21): “Fen” is a word that’s not used much these days. It means a marsh or a boggy lowland. Decades ago, Scorpio poet Marianne Moore used it in a short poem. She wrote, “If you will tell me why the fen appears impassable, I will tell you why I think that I can cross it if I try.” In my opinion, that’s an apt battle cry for you right now. You shouldn’t be upset if people tell you that certain things are impossible for you to do. You should be grateful! Their discouragement will rile up your deep intelligence and inspire you to figure out how you can indeed do those things. SAGITTARIUS (Nov. 22-Dec. 21): “Goodness alone is never enough,” wrote author Robert A. Heinlein. “A hard, cold wisdom is required for goodness to accomplish good. Goodness without wisdom always accomplishes evil.” I think that’s an interesting thought for you to consider during the coming weeks, Sagittarius. If you want your care and compassion to be effective, you’ll have to synergize them with tough intelligence. You may even need to be a bit ferocious as you strive to ensure that your worthy intentions succeed and the people you love get what they need. CAPRICORN (Dec. 22-Jan. 19): Are there any ways in which you have been wishy-washy in standing up for what you believe in? Have you shied away from declaring your true thoughts and feelings about important issues that affect you and the people you care about? Have you compromised your commitment to authenticity and integrity for the sake of your ambition or financial gain? In asking you these questions, I am not implying that the answers are yes. But if in fact you have engaged in even a small amount of any of those behaviors, now is an excellent time to make corrections. As much as possible, Capricorn, focus on being trustworthy and transparent. AQUARIUS (Jan. 20-Feb. 18): Physicist Edward Teller believed there is no such thing as “exact science.” And in his view, that’s a good thing. “Science has always been full of mistakes,” he said. But he added that they’re mostly “good mistakes,” motivating scientists to push closer toward the truth. Each new mistake is a better mistake than the last and explains the available evidence with more accuracy. I suspect that you’ve been going through a similar process in your personal life, Aquarius. And I predict that the good mistakes you’ve recently made will prove to be useful in the long run. PISCES (Feb. 19-March 20): Few astrologers would say that you Pisceans are masters of the obvious or connoisseurs of simplicity. You’re not typically renowned for efficiency or celebrated for directness. Your strength is more likely to be rooted in your emotional riches, your ability to create and appreciate beauty, your power to generate big dreams and your lyrical perspective on life. So my oracle for you this time may be a bit surprising. I predict that in the coming weeks, your classic attributes will be very useful when applied to well-grounded, down-to-earth activities. Your deep feelings and robust imagination can be indispensable assets in your hard work on the nuts and bolts.

MOUNTAINX.COM

MARKETPLACE

BY ROB BREZSNY

REAL ESTATE & RENTALS | ROOMMATES | JOBS | SERVICES ANNOUNCEMENTS | CLASSES & WORKSHOPS | MIND, BODY, SPIRIT MUSICIANS’ SERVICES | PETS | AUTOMOTIVE | XCHANGE | ADULT Want to advertise in Marketplace? 828-251-1333 landrews@mountainx.com • mountainx.com/classiﬁeds REAL ESTATE HOMES FOR SALE 3/2 HOME FOR SALE 1+ acre, northwest country setting, over looking bass pond, furnished, 15 minutes from downtown Asheville $335,000. Or rent for $1,600 per month. Call 828-380-6095

RENTALS HOMES FOR RENT HOME FOR RENT Cozy cabin, 1 bedroom, furnished, 15 minutes northwest of downtown Asheville, short or long term rental, $1,000 per month. Call 828-380-6095.

SHORT-TERM RENTALS SHORT TERM/VACATION RENTAL Great for relocations, short term assignments, local events, etc. $1600/month, $700/ week, $175/day, 2 day minimum. Weaverville area, 15 minutes to Asheville. 828-231-9145

ROOMMATES ROOMMATES NEED A ROOMMATE? Roommates.com will help you find your Perfect Match™ today!

EMPLOYMENT GENERAL EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR OF EBLEN CHARITIES The Board of Directors is actively seeking an Executive Director to lead Eblen Charities, an Asheville, North Carolina non-profit that has been serving our community since 1991. For details visit www. eblencharities.org FULL-TIME POSITION- SPA MANAGER & RECEPTIONIST, MOUNTAIN TECH A-B Tech is currently taking applications for a Full-Time position Spa Manager and Receptionist, Mountain Tech. For more details and to apply: https://abtcc.peopleadmin.com/ postings/5338 RESIDENTIAL COACH PRN Black Mountain Academy is seeking PRN Residential Coaches to work at our therapeutic boarding school supporting adolescent males with Level 1 (high-functioning) Autism Spectrum Disorders (ASD) or who have social challenges, anxiety, and difficulty in traditional academic settings. The ideal candidate has experience with this population of students, is student-centered in their approach, and is flexible. Duties include, but are not limited to, facilitating routines, assisting with meal preparation, service and adventure activities, some cleaning, and data entry. All candidates must be 21 years old or older. Please see our website for more information about the school, www. theblackmountainacademy.com. Interested candidates, please send your resume and cover letter to jobs@theblackmountainacademy. com. TROLLEY TOUR GUIDES If you are a "people person," love Asheville, have a valid Commercial Driver's License (CDL) and clean driving record you could be a great Tour Guide. Full-time and seasonal

part-time positions available. Training provided. Contact us today! 828 251-8687. Info@ GrayLineAsheville.com www. GrayLineAsheville.com

SKILLED LABOR/ TRADES EVERGREEN COMMUNITY CHARTER SCHOOL SEEKS FACILITY MANAGER The Facility Manager is responsible for a large variety of facility maintenance and repair duties throughout the school buildings and grounds. Max salary $41,399.90. Visit www. evergreenccs.org for details.

RESTAURANT/ FOOD EXPERIENCED LINE COOK ***$1,000 Hiring Bonus*** Ardenwoods is looking for an experienced line cook. Full-time hours, flexible schedule, 4 day work week, paid holidays, vacation, and sick time. Culinary degree and Serv-Safe certification a plus but, not required. Great team environment and benefits package! Apply in person any day of the week between 8:30 am - 4:00 pm. 2400 Appalachian Blvd., Arden, NC 28704 www. ardenwoodsretire.com

SERVICES AUDIO/VIDEO DISH TV $59.99 For 190 Channels + $14.95 High Speed Internet. Free Installation, Smart HD DVR Included, Free Voice Remote. Some restrictions apply. 1-855380-2501. (AAN CAN)

CAREGIVERS COMPANION • CAREGIVER • LIVE-IN Alzheimer's experienced. • Heart failure and bed sore care. • Hospice reference letter. • Nonsmoker, with cat, seeks live-in position. • References. • Arnold, (828) 273-2922.

COMPUTER COMPUTER ISSUES? GEEKS ON SITE provides FREE diagnosis REMOTELY 24/7 SERVICE DURING COVID19. No home visit necessary. $40 OFF with coupon 86407! Restrictions apply. 866939-0093

FINANCIAL AUTO INSURANCE STARTING AT $49/ MONTH! Call for your fee rate comparison to see how much you can save! Call: 855-569-1909. (AAN CAN) SAVE BIG ON HOME INSURANCE! Compare 20 A-rated insurances companies. Get a quote within minutes. Average savings of $444/year! Call 844-712-6153! (M-F 8am-8pm Central) (AAN CAN) STRUGGLING WITH YOUR PRIVATE STUDENT LOAN PAYMENT? New relief programs can reduce your payments. Learn your options. Good credit not necessary. Call the Helpline 888670-5631 (Mon-Fri 9am-5pm Eastern) (AAN CAN)

HOME LOOKING FOR SELF STORAGE UNITS? Looking for self storage units? We have them! Self Storage offers clean and affordable storage to fit any need. Reserve today! 1-855-617-0876 (AAN CAN)

LEGAL NEED HELP WITH FAMILY LAW? Can't Afford a $5000 Retainer? Low Cost Legal Services- Pay As You Go- As low as $750-$1500- Get Legal Help Now! Call 1-844-821-8249 MonFri 7am to 4pm PCT (AAN CAN) https://www.familycourtdirect. com/?network=1

HOME IMPROVEMENT HANDY MAN HIRE A HUSBAND • HANDYMAN SERVICES Since 1993. Multiple skill sets. Reliable, trustworthy, quality results. Insured. References and estimates available. Stephen Houpis, (828) 280-2254.

ANNOUNCEMENTS ANNOUNCEMENTS BECOME A PUBLISHED AUTHOR! We edit, print and distribute your work internationally. We do the work… You reap the Rewards! Call for a FREE Author’s Submission Kit: 844-511-1836. (AAN CAN) NOTICE OF UNCLAIMED PROPERTY The following is a list of unclaimed and confiscated property at the Asheville Police Department: electronic equipment; cameras; clothing; lawn and garden equipment; personal items; tools; weapons (including firearms): jewelry: automotive items; building supplies; bikes and other miscellaneous items. Anyone with a legitimate claim or interest in this property has 30 days from the date of this publication to make a claim. Unclaimed items will be disposed of according to statutory law. For further information, or to file a claim, contact the Asheville Police Department Property and Evidence Section, 828-232-4576. NOTICE OF DISPOSITION The following is a list of unclaimed and confiscated property at the Asheville Police Department tagged for disposition: audio and video equipment; cameras; clothing; lawn and garden equipment; personal items; tools; weapons (including firearms): jewelry: automotive items; building supplies; bikes and other miscellaneous. All items will be disposed of 30 days from date of posting. Items to be auctioned will be displayed on www.propertyroom.com.

LEGAL NOTICES RECENTLY DIAGNOSED WITH LUNG CANCER AND 60+ YEARS OLD? Call now! You and your family may be entitled to a SIGNIFICANT CASH AWARD. Call 844-269-1881 today. Free Consultation. No Risk. (AAN CAN)

CLASSES & WORKSHOPS CLASSES & WORKSHOPS HARK! COMMUNITY CHOIR SPRING SEASON BEGINS APRIL 6TH Enjoy singing? Join Hark! for an eight -week session of non-auditioned, all-voices-welcome choir. All songs taught by ear. Weekly 2-hour classes with Community song leader Yuri Woodstock. Register @ www. WeRingLikeBells.com Contact: jupitercommunitychoir@gmail. com NOW ENROLLING SPRING CLAY CLASSES AND SUMMER CAMPS AT ODYSSEY CLAYWORKS Come experience the love of clay! Classes and workshops for all ages! Sign up at odysseyclayworks.com today! odysseyclayworks@gmail.com 828-285-0210

MIND, BODY, SPIRIT BODYWORK TRANSFORMATIONAL MASSAGE THERAPY Frank Solomon Connelly [FaceBook] So: with all this craziness [by the way, the opposite of fear is Faith/Hope] going on; I wanted to remind everyone that I do House-Calls. I come to your nice Clean space, with my very Power-Filled, Mother Nature based Immunity System [and I will never violate anyone! If God/Goddess tells me I am infected; I will Quarantine {but not until then}!] to help you connect to that same God/Goddess filled connection to help you overcome fear/tension and return to KNOWING God/Goddess's Got This! And! I only charge $60 for a 1.5 to 2 hour, deeply transforming, massage :) Give me a call at (828) 707-2983, and I will do what I can to Help You feel more at Peace. :) Thank You! (828) 707-2983 Creator_of_Joy@Hotmail.com, FB: shorturl.at/qxT07

HEALTH & FITNESS ONE-STOP-SHOP FOR ALL YOUR CATHETER NEEDS We Accept Medicaid, Medicare, & Insurance. Try Before You Buy. Quick and Easy. Give Us A Call 866-282-2506 (AAN CAN)

AUTOMOTIVE AUTOMOTIVE SERVICES CASH FOR CARS! We buy all cars! Junk, high-end, totaled – it doesn’t matter! Get free towing and same day cash! Newer models too! Call 1-866-535-9689 (AAN CAN)

ADULT ADULT VIAGRA & CIALIS! 60 pills for $99. 100 pills for $150. FREE shipping. Money back guaranteed! Call Today 1-844-879-5238 (AAN CAN)

T H E NEW Y O R K T IM E S C R O S S W O R D P UZ Z L E 1

18 20 23

40 44

46 49

55 59

ACROSS

1 E-cigarette output 6 Something to shift into or stow 10 Hershey’s Kiss covering

14 Best competitive effort 15 Coach Reid of the 2020 Super Bowlwinning Chiefs

16 Garnish for a Corona 17 Dance with a kick 18 Strategy used in basketball and football

edited by Will Shortz 20 German appliance brand 22 Maker of tarts and tortes 23 Wis.-to-Ga. direction 26 Cyclops and others 28 Hog’s heaven 29 “Sunset Boulevard” actress Gloria 31 Figure in cellphone plans 33 Exclamation of surprise 35 Touch lovingly 39 Dweller along the Bering Sea 40 “That’s going to leave a mark!” 42 Big name in little trucks 43 Prank involving yanking underwear 45 “Paper Moon” Oscar winner 47 Major city of westcentral Syria 49 Behaves improperly 50 Butter square 53 Turn the dial to a radio station 55 ___-crab soup 56 What an acrobat needs to be

Puzzle by Tracy Gray 58 Buzzards Bay, for one 60 “Water Lilies” painter 62 Birds with effervescent voices 67 Struggling with a decision 68 Fast-swimming shark 69 Outdo … or a hint to entering four answers in this puzzle 70 Party goodies 71 TV actor/director Ken 72 Kind of language used by sailors

DOWN 1 Household device with a hose, informally 2 Before now 3 Paella cooker 4 “Srsly?!” 5 20 quires = 1 ___ 6 Stare at, as another’s eyes 7 ___ Gay (W.W. II bomber) 8 Either 1 in “1+1”

No. 0304

9 Bread with seeded and unseeded varieties 10 Hartz collar target 11 Sounds from a 28-Across 12 “Good to go here!” 13 Skeptical 19 Profile posting, for short 21 “Young Frankenstein” character who asks “What hump?” 23 Extremely muscular, in slang 24 Cut, as lumber 25 “Just be quiet already!” 27 Middle X or O 29 “Major Barbara” playwright 30 Stuffed to the gills 32 Memory triggers, for many 34 All the rage 36 He was raised by Cain 37 Diamond-shaped ray 38 Pizzeria in “Do the Right Thing” 41 Winner of 11 Tonys in 2016

44 Goose : gaggle :: ___ : mob

54 Long-stemmed mushroom

46 One of three on an oyster fork

57 It’s breath-taking

48 20 Questions category

61 Jimmy Eat World music genre

59 Numbers for Noah

63 Single-stranded genetic molecule

50 Diplomatic agreements

64 Smoked fish

51 Shining

65 Trail mix bit

52 Bejeweled head ornament

66 Use a nanny cam, say

ANSWER TO PREVIOUS NY TIMES PUZZLE

G R A B

R A T E

A D O G

H E L P S

I S E E M

P A I R S

M I N U S S I G N

M O A N E D

H O T A F A S Y O U G O A N D O A K G G P S E

Y S L G O P D R A W S I N

O R A P L A N T A W M O P O M R I S E E N A T S

N O T A I L

K A T Y D I D

P R E M I E R S

D E P P E L T R O H R B E O N B A

K O S T O B D S A P U R T E O E T U S N H E A D G

A N T I

T O O L

K E L L I

I D Y L L

S U L U

O R L Y

think positive VOTE FOR THE

BEST OF WNC

Now through April 30 mountainx.com/bestofwnc MOUNTAINX.COM

APRIL 8 - 14, 2020

MOUNTAINX.COM