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MEDIABEAR PROUDLY PRESENTS
DowntownAsheville.com: Connected
'Community News from the Grassroots Up' TM
Photo Courtesy of AdvantageWest
*WELCOME to Independent News about Downtown Asheville, North Carolina ... a diverse, urban, Southern Appalachian city ... where business bustles ... new ideas germinate ... grassroots' activism grows ... the All-American City and county seat of Buncombe ... "Anyway You Like It" ... located in the Blue Ridge Mountains ... along "America's Favorite Highway," the Blue Ridge Parkway ... a vibrant city dubbed "Paris of the South" ... the heartbeat of Western North Carolina. Click Here>
*TODAY'S Weather | And forecast. Click Here>
*AIR Quality | Ridge tops and valleys. Click Here>
*ASHEVILLE AREA Maps | Find your way. Click Here>
*13 CALENDARS of Events | What's new to do. Click Here>
*LINKS Directory | Good stuff daily. Click Here>
FEATURED NEWS
Flu Shots Available Today
$28 Flu Shot Clinic in Biltmore Square Mall
*BUNCOMBE COUNTY REMINDS CITIZENS that the Infuenza (Flu) Season is Approaching | Get your flu shots today from 9 a.m. to 4 p.m. at a Buncombe County health department temporary clinic set up in Biltmore Square Mall near Belk's. Cost: $28. | Buncombe provides info about who needs shots: Click Here> | Centers for Disease Control (CDC) offers flu basics that include how to prevent the flu and what to do if you get it: Click Here>
Karate Kids
*KARATE FOR KIDS OFFERED by Asheville Parks & Rec | The city announced it will offer "Kids Power Karate" weekly instruction for eight consecutive weeks beginning October 30, for youth ages 5-12. | For details, call Allison Dains at 828-350-2058 or Click Here>
JAMES TAYLOR ON TOUR IN NC TO SUPPORT OBAMA
17 Days to Election Day
*JAMES TAYLOR SINGS SUN., OCT. 19, 2008, IN ASHEVILLE to Support Obama | Reports the Obama campaign: "James Taylor is 'Goin' to Carolina' for Obama. This Sunday through Tuesday, please join the Campaign for Change at concerts with James Taylor happening throughout North Carolina. Change We Need Concerts will be held in Charlotte and Asheville on Sunday, Chapel Hill on Monday, and Raleigh and Wilmington on Tuesday. Learn more and get tickets now." Taylor was born in Boston, but raised in Chapel Hill and Morgan Creek, NC. Visit: http://nc.barackobama.com/NCJamesTaylor or Click Here>
*ON VOTER ELIGIBILITY and the ACORN story | "The real threats to the fabric of democracy are the unreasonable barriers that stand in the way of eligible voters casting ballots." -New York Times Editorial, Oct. 16, 2008. Click Here>
*270 ELECTORAL COLLEGE VOTES NEEDED to Win | To do the math with this interactive U.S. map, visit 270towin.com or Click Here>
*McCAIN OR Obama | Who won the final presidential debate? Click Here>
*JOE THE PLUMBER Clogs Up the Political Pipeline | Anyway you flush it out, the biggest winner during last Wednesday's presidential debate was the plumber who John McCain referenced. Previously, Joe "The Plumber" Wurzelbacher, had asked Barack Obama, who was stumping at the time in Ohio, a direct question about how the Obama tax plan will affect small business owners. Given the exposure Joe has received, he ought to immediately franchise a nationwide plumbing company and name it "Presidential Plumbing Solutions." Click Here> | But Joe, as it turns out, usually goes by the name of Sam, is not a licensed plumber, earns less than $250,000 a year, is behind in his taxes, votes Republican, and will get a tax break under Obama's tax plan. | For a Sam Six-Pack reality check, Click Here> | For the REAL Joe's take on it, Click Here>
OBAMA IN ASHEVILLE * Lisa Ringelspaugh-Irvine/MediaBear
*IN ASHEVILLE, DEMOCRATIC PRESIDENTIAL CANDIDATE BARACK OBAMA Spoke with Eloquence, Passion and Focused on Healthcare | Obama electrified Asheville on Oct. 5, 2008 as he spoke for over an hour to over 20,000 who attended the Obama political rally at Asheville High School stadium in Downtown Asheville. He was introduced by a Mission Hospitals' nurse who spoke passionately in favor of healthcare reform. Obama, in turn, focused on his vision for heathcare for all Americans. | For photos, Click Here>
ABIGAIL WASHBURN & THE SPARROW QUARTET PLAY LEAF
LEAF SOLD OUT
*FOR THOSE LUCKY ENOUGH TO HAVE TICKETS to This Weekend's Lake Eden Arts Festival (or friends dear enough to giv'em up), Click Here>
GOT FRESH LEAVES NOW?
*WANT FALLEN LEAVES DELIVERED or Want Them Removed? | Most city residents and businesses want their fallen leaves collected by the city, and the city recently released its pick-up schedule. However, for those who want fresh leaves for mulching, the city is more than happy to deliver them at no charge. For details, call 828-251-1122. | For the city's current leaf collection schedule: Click Here>
GOT OUTRAGE SATURDAY MORNING?
*880 AM RADIO HOST ERRINGTON THOMPSON Asks 'Where's the Outrage' and Offers Commentary Every Sat. at 9 A.M. for Involved Ashevillians | For archived shows, Click Here> | For his Urban News commentary, Click Here>
GOT PEACE TUESDAY AFTERNOON?
*STAND FOR PEACE AT VANCE MONUMENT Each Tues. Afternoon | Stand for peace with members of Veterans For Peace, Iraq Veterans Against the War, Western North Carolina Peace Coalition, Buncombe Green Party and sundry peace-mongers each Tues., 4:30 to 6 p.m., at Vance Monument, located at Biltmore and Patton avenues in the heart of Downtown Asheville. | ALSO, Veterans For Peace Chapter 099 holds a monthly meeting that is free and open to the public the first Thurs. of each month at 6:30 p.m. at Firestorm Cafe & Books, 48 Commerce Street, Asheville NC. | For details about Veterans for Peace in Asheville, Click Here> | For WNC Peace Coalition info, Click Here> | For directions to Firestorm, Click Here>
GOT COUPONS EVERY DAY?
*CHAMBER ANNOUNCES MONEY-SAVING SITE, SaveInAsheville.com | To download online coupons provided by local businesses and professionals, Click Here>
GOT RENEWABLE POWER SOME DAY?
*MIKE HOPPING REPORTS on the Latest News and Noise from Progress Energy | Filed on Oct. 10, 2008, the bottom line is bad: Progress Energy will keep pushing its worn out agenda of increased coal pollution and nutty nuclear in the name of electrical power. Can Asheville stop the madness? At least it can read journalist/author Michael Hopping's even-handed take ("Welcome to My World: CEAC XVI") on so-called Progress. Click Here>
FIBER FAIR LAST WEEKEND OF OCTOBER
*SOUTHEASTERN ANIMAL FIBER FAIR at the Ag Center Oct. 24, 25 & 26. | Now in its 15th year, this all-volunteer, non-profit festival group promotes the small fiber farmer, craftsperson, fiber industry and the fiber enthusiast. Typically, over 5,000 attend to enjoy featured artists, as well as workshops in spinning, felting, knitting, weaving, crochet, dying and animal care. | Visit saffsite.com or Click Here>
