DowntownAsheville.com: Involved
'Community News from the Grassroots Up' TM
PUBLISHED BY MEDIABEAR.COM

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*TODAY'S Weather | And weekly forecast. Click Here>

Ted Kennedy: "The dream shall never die" * kennedy.senate.gov

Goodbye, Teddy
Video of Sen. Edward Kennedy's plea of healthcare for all
*SEN. TED KENNEDY DIED but his dream for universal health care lives on | A passionate explanation by Sen. Edward Kennedy speaking in Montgomery County, Pennsylvania, on April 3, 2008, about why universal health care insurance for all Americans is the right thing to do now. For four-minute video, Click Here> | Sen. Kennedy will be buried Sat., Aug. 29, 2009. Visit Kennedy.senate.gov or Click Here> | ABCNews.com: Click Here> | AP.org: Click Here> | Boston.com: Click Here> | Factcheck.org: Click Here> | Newsobserver.com: Click Here> | NYtimes.com: Click Here> | Politico.com: Click Here> | Truthout.com: Click Here> | Washingtonpost.com: Click Here> | Wikipedia.com: Click Here>

 

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It's Goombay all day today
Goombay 2009! street party big on reggae
*ON AUG. 25 & 26, 2009, the free Goombay street party is open to everyone | This annual event in Downtown Asheville is sponsored by YMI Cultural Center | For Fri. and Sat. schedule of events, visit Ymicc.org or Click Here> | For Mountainx.com article, Click Here>

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Jenny Bowen hamming it up on earlier political poster

Ashvegas: Bowen not actively running, Cape seeks write-in vote
Popular Asheville blog gives local election street talk
*ASHVEGAS GIVES THE COMMON-WISDOM GOSSIP now on the street concerning Asheville City Council candidate Jenny Bowen, as well as currently seated Robin Cape, who had said she would seek re-election, then said she wouldn't, and now seems to say she wants it, sorta. | And this local blog gets it right pretty often. However, someone writing in as JBo on the Ashvegas blog says that Jenny Bowen is, in fact, running: "...Call me before you start spreading rumors. ... When I'm ready to make an announcement you'll be sure to know."| For more local political chatter at Ashvegas.squarespace.com, Click Here>

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Meet Bowen at Green Party meeting
Meet city council candidate Jenny Bowen Sept. 5
*ASHEVILLE COUNCILMEMBER CANDIDATE JENNY BOWEN will speak at Buncombe Green Party's monthly meeting | The public is invited to meet Jenny Bowen, who is running for Asheville City Council in the fall election and will speak at the Green Party meeting held 11 a.m. to 1 p.m., Sat., Sept. 5, 2009, in the Fortune Building, 727 Haywood Rd., in West Asheville. | For details, contact: Ronald at 828-582-5180 or Larry at 828-225-4347. | For Bowen's bio, Click Here>

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UNCA offers SAT prep class
Evening courses start Sept 21
*INCREASE YOUR ODDS of getting a better SAT score | Explains the University of North Carolina at Asheville: Registration is now open for the Scholastic Aptitude Test (SAT) prep class offered by UNCA's Professional Education Program. The three-week course will meet on the UNC Asheville campus. The SAT prep course will meet 6-8:30 p.m. on Mon. and Weds. evenings from Sept. 21 to Oct. 7, 2009. This course is designed to prepare students for the October 10 SAT, a standardized exam for admission to most undergraduate colleges and universities. Cost: $275, includes study materials. Registration deadline: Sept. 14; late sign-up: additional $15 fee. For more info or to register, contact UNCA coordinator Nancy Williams at 828-250-2353 or email nwilliam@unca.edu.

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'Stop Torture Now'
Asheville war resisters step up criticism Sept. 6
*ATTEND 'WNC STOP TORTURE NOW!' organizational meeting at Fine Arts Theatre | From 2:30 to 4:30 p.m., Sun., Sept 6, 2009, at the Fine Arts Theatre, 36 Biltmore Ave. in Downtown Asheville, the War Resisters League Asheville (WRLA) said it will address "ongoing illegal torture of detainees being condoned by the U.S. Government, the continued rendition flights from N.C. airports, and the relationship between Blackwater mercenaries and the U.S. military adventures in Afganistan." WRLA organizers Coleman Smith and Clare Harahan said attorney Frank Goldsmith will discuss his work of representing Guantanamo detainees, and how the public can support this work. | For details or carpooling info, contact Connie Nash at 828-884-9467.

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UNCA halts Craft Campus at old county dump
Study underway to find another site
*"THE FORMER BUNCOMBE COUNTY LANDFILL SITE has revealed significant challenges" | That's the news from UNCA, and confirmed by Buncombe County officials. | Stated UNCA: "University officials are developing a final list of possible sites to be evaluated in the next few months." | Craft Campus director Brent Skidmore added: "... Engineering studies and cost projections showed us that the landfill site was not feasible for the Craft Campus initiative." Stay tuned. | For Craft Campus info, Click Here>

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Did you have trouble getting through to Heath Shuler's Aug. 13 tele-town hall meeting about health care?
FYI: Rep. Shuler opposes health care reform
*ON AUGUST 13, HOW MANY CALL-IN CONSTITUENTS WERE LOCKED OUT when they tried to call in to participate? | Were you one of them? To let DowntownAsheville.com know, Click Here> | And do you think "Public Option" is necessary to make health care reform viable? FYI: U.S. Rep. Shuler is opposed to health care reform with the public option. For Citizentimes.com report, Click Here> | For Mountainx.com reader who says, "Come talk with us in person, Shuler," Click Here> | Will Shuler and other Blue Dogs get behind national health care reform? For Scrutinyhooligans.us commentary, Click Here> | Massive new ad campaign supports Obama's health care reform, reports Politico.com or Click Here> | In Shuler's own words on where he stands on health care, Click Here> | To give your comments about Shuler's health care position, Click Here>

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FactCheck.org exposes massive lies, misinformation by healthcare opposition
Highly regarded, non-partisan, fact-checking group sets record straight about H.R. bill 3200
*ONLY FOUR OF 48 OPPOSITION CLAIMS AGAINST THE HOUSE'S HEALTHCARE REFORM BILL H.R. 3200 ARE TRUE, says FactCheck.org, a project of the Annenberg Public Policy Center at the University of Pennsylvania | On Aug. 28, 2009, FactCheck.org released a comprehensive study that debunks a major effort by healthcare opponents who have resorted to lies and half-truths in their attempt to derail meaningful healthcare reform. | States FactCheck.org: "A notorious analysis of the House health care bill contains 48 claims. Twenty-six of them are false and the rest mostly misleading. Only four are true." | To ferret out the fact and fiction -- and to combat the outright lies -- visit Factcheck.org or Click Here>

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ASHEVILLE ARTIST PERRY HOULDITCH * MediaBear / Byron Belzak 

37th Annual Village Art & Craft Fair well-attended
*ART-LOVERS AT THE RECENT, OPEN-AIR , 37TH ANNUAL CRAFT FAIR in Biltmore Village had to hoof it in to enjoy a well-attended display of handcrafted works on the grounds of the Cathedral of All Souls Church | Of the 125 artists and artisans, 15 artists exhibited for the first time at the fair, included Asheville artist Perry Houlditch. | For 2009 fair photos and captions, Click Here>

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BELE CHERE 2009: DANCING AND ROMANCING * MediaBear / BB

31st annual Bele Chere is now history
The memories remain about the music, fun, food and people
*COMPLETE DETAILS about the much-loved, often-maligned Bele Chere is available online | This city-sponsored, three-day event is Downtown Asheville's largest free street party of the year. (It's said to be the largest in the southeast, too.) It was back to being a FREE street party; no paid entertainment this year. It appeared to be gentler, kinder, smaller event. | For festival details, visit belecherefestival.com or Click Here> | For the official guide, visit mountainx.com or Cick Here> | For 2009 Bele Chere photos, Click Here>

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Civic Center manager lasts only 16 months
Search for new director underway

ACCESS ASHEVILLE



LEAF tickets available
*FALL 2009 LAKE EDEN ARTS FESTIVAL advance tickets for sale online | Advance tickets of the upcoming Oct. 15 - 18, 2009, event are required. It's one of the Asheville area's favorite annual festivals known for its world music, poetry slam, and laid-back loveliness. For details, Click Here>

Asheville downtown Master Plan approved
*ASHEVILLE CITY COUNCIL approved the controversial plan | For article by MountainXpress, entitled "Plan D," Click Here> | For a Powerpoint presentation of the plan, Click Here>

4B ... that's for me!
*MANY VOICES in support of Alternative 4B | What people think about the I-26 Connector proposal that improves quality of life by connecting Downtown Asheville with West Asheville for pedestrians and bicyclists. Click Here> | For Asheville Design Center, which proves 4B is better as a community builder, Click Here>

*TODAY'S Weather | And forecast. Click Here>
*AIR Quality | Forecast for ridges and valleys. Click Here>
*ASHEVILLE AREA Maps | Find your way. Click Here>
*GOOGLE Street Map | It's new. It's Big Brother. Click Here>
*LINKS Directory | Good stuff daily. Click Here>
*DOTS Daily | Financial wellness ideas. Click Here>

*UNITED WAY'S 211 | Connect to help. Click Here>
*POLICE Blotter | Asheville's latest arrests. Click Here>
*13 CALENDARS of Events | What's new to do. Click Here>
*ASHEVILLE'S Blog Heaven | Voice your opinion. Click Here>
*VISIT the Archives | News snapshots of 2008. Click Here>
*NATIONAL Do Not Call Registry| File a complaint. Click Here>

DOWNTOWN ASHEVILLE: View from proposed Baucatcher Overlook Park
*ASHEVILLE'S ONLY proposed mountain park: Click Here> 

*CITY ROAD CLOSINGS ONLINE to help drivers plan ahead | Drivers can try to circumvent local construction at ashevillenc.gov or Click Here>

*ASHEVILLE GREEN DRINKS weekly talks every Friday at Bobo Gallery | For those who care about going green. Click Here>

*TAKE A HIKE in the Asheville area | Download an excellent walking guide to Asheville and Buncombe County: Click Here>

*ASHEVILLE'S CATERING WIZ AND WRITER Laurey Masterton brews a few laughs | At her expense, she's brewing with a smile. Click Here>

CURRENT NEWS

Chamber's Tom Tveidt presents his 10th annual Asheville metro economic predictions, Parsec's Jim Smith promotes Republican national economic agenda
*ON JULY 15, 2009, TWO LOCAL ECONOMISTS PROVIDED THEIR ECONOMIC OUTLOOK about the Asheville area and the nation | Approximately 200 people attended the 2009 Asheville Metro Economy Outlook event. Asheville Area Chamber of Commerce's Tom Tveidt, who heads up the Asheville Metro Business Research Center, presented a number of factual slides about the local economy at the event. He said the news is not all good, and that all local economic categories have been negatively affected by the economic turndown. He said it would take a while for the local economy to improve and revealed the dramatic loss of jobs in the past year. Tveidt said, however, there are "faint hints of a bottom" concerning local unemployment figures. | Tveidt followed Parsec Financial Management chief economist James F. Smith, who lambasted the U.S. Congress for "the insane things" that it has been doing. | This was the 10th anniversary of the event for Tom Tveidt. Tveidt focused on local economic facts and analysis, while Smith primarily aired his national political and economic views, saying the federal government should shrink spending and cut taxes for which "we'll all be much better off." Smith mocked current Congressional health care reform initiatives and called the proposed spending bills to provide universal health care the wrong thing to do at the wrong time. Congress should be concentrating on the economy, not health care, said Smith. He added if the energy bill of "cap and trade" passed it would be disasterous to the economy. Smith said he thinks the current recession, which began in Dec. 2007, "is already over." He said, "Vehicle sales will pick up pretty soon." | The free event was held in Downtown Asheville at Diana Wortham Theatre. | For details, call the Chamber at 828-258-6101, visit ashevillechamber.org or Click Here> | For information about Parsec, visit parsecfinancial.com, or Click Here> | For two-minute preview video by Tom Tveidt, who says "the news is not all good" and is "a little bit wary" of the health care sector, Click Here>

PEGGY MISCH (right): Seven decades of activism * Photo: War Resisters League Asheville

Local group protests Army hiring, travels Southeast to resist war, Carrboro update
*WAR RESISTERS LEAGUE ASHEVILLE (WRLA) explains why it protested at a local U.S. armed forces recruiting office in April and how it is connecting with other war resisters throughout the Southeast | For the latest news about the group's activities, visit warresistersleagueasheville.wordpress.com or Click Here> | FOR THE LATEST WRLA NEWS POSTED JUNE 11, 2009, based on its most recent travels to Carrboro and meeting with Peggy Misch, Click Here>

Census workers knocking on doors in Buncombe
*WONDERING WHAT THOSE FOLKS armed with hand-held computers are doing in your neighborhood? | They are US Census workers. They began their local work in the field on April 6, 2009. They are cross-checking address information and entering the data into hand-held computers. | For complete story, Click Here>

 CAMPAIGN NEWS

14 candidates file to run for mayor and city council
*FOUR CANDIDATES FILED TO RUN FOR ASHEVILLE MAYOR, and 10 candidates filed by the July 17, 2009, deadline to run for the available slots on city council | The 14 candidates who have filed to run will first face off in the Oct. 6, 2009, primary, followed by those who qualify in the Nov. 3 general election. | Challenging incumbent Asheville mayor Terry Bellamy are Shad Marsh, Denise Pendleton, and Robert Edwards. | Competing for open Asheville City Council seats are incumbent Carl Mumpower, Cecil Bothwell, incumbent Kelly Miller, Esther Manheimer, Larry D. Chastain, Ryan D. Croft, J. Neal Jackson, Gordon Smith, Cesar Romen, and Jenny Bowen. | Current city councilmember Robin Cape will not seek re-election. | Former city councilmember Holly Jones, who is now a seated Buncombe County Commissioner, has openly supported city council candidate Gordon Smith. | For details about municipal elections, visit buncombecounty.org or Click Here>

CARL MUMPOWER: "This council, in conjunction with city and police
administration, is continuing to dramatically fail in their commitment to
eliminate open air drug markets in Asheville's public housing and other
vulnerable neighborhoods."

Mumpower unglued
Mayor takes gavel to councilmember's uproar at recent Asheville City Council meeting
*CARL MUMPOWER ACTS INCREASINGLY ERRATIC IN PUBLIC as he demands to be heard and taken seriously in a council meeting as well as in his re-election bid | In the most recent Asheville City Council meeting on Aug. 11, 2009, a frustrated Asheville mayor Terry Bellamy had to end the meeting with the hit of her gavel to silence disruptive city councilmember Carl Mumpower, as he taunted the mayor at the meeting's conclusion and alluded that he would like to be physically removed from the chamber. | Anyone who has followed Carl Mumpower in 2009 would be hard pressed to deny that he continues to act more erratic in his public behavior, both in person and in his increasingly frequent and strident written public statements, in which he accuses many respected business owners and other individuals of a range of illicit or unethical behavior. | In the recent past, Carl Mumpower discussed a "deep tattoo on my identity" brought on by his time spent in the Vietnam war. Mumpower publicly confessed: "I joined the service and volunteered for Vietnam when I was seventeen. My time there, like for most, was a mixture of good and bad exposures that left a pretty deep tattoo on my identity." Mumpower, who says he is a practicing psychologist, continued: "When a person’s identity becomes largely defined by something bad that happened to them, that person ceases to be in control of their own destiny. It doesn’t matter if one is on the receiving end of sexual exploitation, combat exposures, criminal violence, racist abuse, or any other harm. Using past painful experiences as a get out of life free pass adds insult to earlier injury. In a fallen world, we all have our own personal versions of Pain-nam." | Mumpower has also publicly supported the actions of the late-Sen. Joseph McCarthy, who was known for bullying and intimidating others who disagreed with him. | For the complete commentary of "Mumpower Unglued," Click Here>

GORDON SMITH: Opening the door to progressive ideas * gordonforasheville.com

Gordon Smith runs for City Council, gives monthly talks
*COME MEET CANDIDATE GORDON SMITH and hear what he has to say each month at the Wedge in the River District | Smith, a child and family therapist, has become well known in the Asheville area as a thoughtful, articulate activist with a pragmatic, progressive, grassroots bent. At Gordon Smith's most recent presentation on June 11, 2009, he explained why he is running for office. For the transcript, Click Here> | His next presentation at the Wedge is scheduled for July 16, 2009. The public is invited to attend. For more details about his campaign, visit gordonforasheville.com or Click Here> | Smith is founder of ScrutinyHooligans.us, Asheville's most popular political blog. To visit ScrutinyHooligans.us, Click Here>

ON THE BEAT

*ANNUAL 2009 WNC GREEN BUILDING COUNCIL CATALOG  in print AND online | To read the new 2009 directory online (and save some trees), visit wncgreenbuilding.com or Click Here> | For past issues online, Click Here> | For details about the Council, visit wncgbc.org or Click Here>

RAPID RIVER MAGAZINE IS THE REGION'S OLDEST AND
MOST WIDELY READ ARTS AND CULTURE MONTHLY

*Rapid River Magazine reports artfully | Click Here>

*MountainXpress is Asheville's powerful weekly | Click Here>

*WNC Woman touches hearts and minds | Click Here>

*Asheville Purple Pages' is colorful and gay | Click Here>

*WNC Magazine tells it beautifully | Click Here>

*FINDING YOUR WAY IN ASHEVILLE  in 2009| Local author Cecil Bothwell released his updated popular guide of the Asheville area. | Visit Malaprops on Haywood Street or buy online at braveulysses.com or Click Here>

ASHBIZ.COM
THE BUSINESS OF ASHEVILLE

Free online SBA seminars
*ASHEVILLE S.C.O.R.E. PRESENTS business seminars for a fee as well as online Small Business Administration seminars for free| For details, Click Here>

*ASHEVILLE #41 Best Place | To live and launch | Click Here>
*ADVANTAGEWEST | Attracting business to WNC | Click Here>
*ASHEVILLE AREA Chamber of Commerce  | Active | Click Here>
*HUB | A catalyst for business collaboration | Click Here>
*MOUNTAIN BizWorks | Helping new businesses succeed | Click Here>
*REAL ESTATE Weekly | Articles and listings | Click Here>
*S.C.O.R.E. | Seasoned expert help | Click Here>

MUSIC AND MORE

SHOPPING ASHEVILLE
Featuring Local Businesses and Organizations

*NEW, MONEY-SAVING COUPONS AVAILABLE ON CHAMBER'S NEW WEBSITE, SaveInAsheville.com | To download online coupons provided by local businesses and professionals, Click Here>

FOR MORE IDEAS AT SHOPPINGASHEVILLE.COM, Click Here>

HISTORICAL ASHEVILLE

*URBAN Trail | History worth walking | Click Here>
*HISTORIC Downtown | Architecture | Click Here>
*GROVE Arcade | Architectural Tour | Click Here>
*PHOTO Tour | of Downtown Asheville |  Click Here>

FOOD NEWS

*RESTAURANTSAsheville.com | Only unique restaurants in Asheville listed, such as Rosetta's Kitchen. | To find your favorite place, Click Here>