Sometimes newspapers get in the news because something written to fill up a block of space is a little strange. Today’s top story in the Citizen-Times rued the lack of diversity in voter turnout for Asheville’s municipal primary. Only 577 of the city’s 6773 registered African-American voters, only 23 Hispanics, and only 203 people younger than 25 showed up at the polls. A total of 21,851 people voted. Was the article insinuating that more minorities on the ballot would have brought minorities to the polls? Or was it subterfuge to finagle “the other” party into counterproductive behaviors?

In case it is not clear what “the other” party is, WWNC talk show host Matt Mittan was complaining Tuesday about the Citizen-Times’ coverage of a drive for district elections. District elections would gerrymander the county in a manner currently favorable toward Republicans. The newspaper made no reference to party affiliation when it said only one commissioner supported the change (Nathan Ramsey, the lone Republican on the board). The report also included a statement from “Asheville resident Max Haner,” who is the immediate past chair of the Buncombe County Democrat Party.

Another article, questioning the legitimacy of the Carolina Stompers, a group organized to promote Republican values, referred to that organization’s “racially charged” comments about a Democrat fundraiser. The group correctly “charged” that the Democrats had named the dinner after a white supremacist.

The same article challenged a paid television commercial the Stompers had aired showing footage of Council Candidate Elaine Lite dancing around a magnolia tree in a pagan ceremony. Some have alleged that it was support for Lite that caused Cecil Bothwell, the local icon of journalism, to lose his job with the Mountain Xpress Friday. The Mountain Xpress, in turn, is picking on the three non-Progressive council candidates for not properly showing “paid for by the committee to elect” tags on all their ads; particularly in the local conservative paper, The Asheville Tribune.