Uncategorized (page 1486)

I had a conversation with a couple of my neighbors tonight. They’re both HIV-positive. One refuses to officially work so he can be eligible for public assistance with his monthly $1500 pharmaceutical bills. The libertopian solution, as we all know, would get rid of lobbyists for the insurance and pharmaceutical…

Mark and Deborah Kuhn had a run-in with the police for flying a flag upside-down as free-speech commentary about the state of the nation. A few days later, Jonas Phillips was booked for brandishing his free speech on a highway overpass. In both cases, a large number of…

It looks like Asheville’s fire department has a case of the gimmes. The Asheville Fire Fighters Association IAFF Local 865 announced their endorsement of the candidacy of incumbent City Councilman Bryan Freeborn. Their reasons are: * He pushed for a 2% matching 401(a) retirement for firefighters who voluntarily opted out of Social…

Last night the Buncombe County Commissioners received a report on the county’s efforts to become more energy-efficient. General Services Director Greg Israel said he was able to offset the annual 11% increase in energy costs through implementing green building measures. Reportedly, Israel has saved the county millions of dollars…

The Buncombe County Commissioners are still learning the ropes about zoning. They’ve established that spot zoning is not permissible, but Commissioner David Gantt continues to ask, for the sake of the viewing audience, for distinctions between the different zonings.  Buncombe County Zoning Administrator Jim Coman explained the not-so-self-evident basics. Now…

Dennis Justice resigned as webmaster for the Henderson County Republican Party. His reason, basically, is that he cannot support Charles Taylor in another run for Congress, a race Justice feels Taylor will surely lose. Furthermore, he finds Taylor’s “non-response,” to the question of whether or not he intends…

The Citizen-Times reports that Broughton Hospital will (temporarily) lose $1 million in federal funding. The cut is intended to hold the institution accountable for a second incidence of improper care. In actual terms, it could represent another small dereliction of government’s number-one responsibility. Following the asphyxiation of Anthony Dewayne Lowery by…

Buncombe County recently enacted countywide zoning. The county commissioners are now scheduled to hear zoning requests #54-#69 at their next meeting. They will also consider two amendments to the zoning ordinance. The extended meetings are an annoyance to Chairman Nathan Ramsey, a Republican who voted against zoning and keeps…