Big band, swing event offers bedazzling scene
Delay granted on S. AVL apartments
— See REVIEW, Pg. B1
— See STORY, Pg. A7
Mount Mitchell snowfall? 66” — See STORY, Pg. A2
ILLE V E H AS ASHEVILLEʼS GREATEST NEWSPAPER
February 2016
Vol. 12, No. 3
An Independent Newspaper Serving Greater Asheville www.ashevilledailyplanet.com FREE
I-26 work gets earlier start date
Salmon Rushdie to speak at UNCA
I-40 interchange in Black Mountain also accelerated
From Staff Reports
The initial construction date for part of the I-26 Connector through Asheville has been advanced — by a year, the North Carolina Board of Transportation revealed on Jan. 7. In addition, the board said it also will accelerate work to build a new Interstate 40 interchange in Black Mountain. What’s more, the board said it has added several Asheville projects to the state’s long-term plan, which include building bicycle facilities to McDowell Street, between downtown and Biltmore Village; and to Broadway Street, between Interstate 240 and U.S. 19-23. The state Transportation Improvement Program updates were made possible through additional funding approved in the state’s 2015-16 budget. For instance, more than $200 million in gas tax and vehicle fee revenue that had gone to programs, such as the State Highway Patrol, was shifted instead to the Department of Transportation in the budget. Also, legislators increased vehicle fees. Construction now is projected by the TIP to begin in 2023 on the portion of the I-26 Connector to run between the I-240/Patton Avenue interchange in West Asheville northeast to U.S. 19-23 near Montford. Work on that section, which would include a new crossing of the French Broad River north of Bowen Bridge, had been scheduled to start in 2024. However, the new date, like virtually every project in the TIP, is subject to change, given that funding problems and planning issues often alter DOT schedules. See I-26, Page A7
Shove hurts
Q: I’ve spent hundreds of dollars on a relationship coach, who instructed me to cut off all sex and even all contact with the guy I was dating until he agreed to marry me. I knew he loved me and wanted to marry me; I just wanted him to do it faster. Sadly, my ultimatum to him blew up in my face; he is done with me. My roommate, who thought the coach’s advice was terrible, just moved in with her guy, despite his being kind of
Photos from Wikipedia
Salmon Rushdie (above right), one of the most celebrated writers of this era, will give a free public talk at UNC Asheville’s Kimmel Arena, beginning at 7 p.m. Feb. 18. His lecture is titled “Public Events, Private Lives: Literature + Politics in the Modern World.” His 1988 novel, “The Satanic Verses,” inspired in part by the life of Muhammad, drew a highly publicized negative review from Iran’s Ayatollah Khomeini (top left), who issued a fatwa ordering Muslims to kill Rushdie. Many attempts were made, but all failed. A story appears on Page A2.
The Advice Goddess Amy Alkon
a commitmentphobe. Her approach was to just be loving and patient with him and give it some time (about a year). She said she realized that she had the option to bail if the waiting became too much. I’m confused. Men supposedly don’t get hints. Why doesn’t saying what you want work to get the guy? — Direct And Dumped
Want to know the answer?
See ADVICE GODDESS, Page A6
Council votes to replace Columbus Day with Indigenous Peoples’ Day in Asheville
From Staff Reports
Asheville City Council voted unanimously on Jan. 12 to adopt Indigenous Peoples’ Day as a replacement for Columbus Day locally. The proclamation states that Asheville was built on the homelands and villages of native people who lived in the area before the Americas were settled. Sage Dunston, and other members of the Eastern Band of Cherokee Indians, attended the Jan. 12 council meeting to observe the proceedings. “I think this is within the color and spirit of Asheville, such a tolerant and inclusive place, to celebrate the contributions of Cherokee,” Dunston told WLOS-TV (News 13) afterward. Indigenous Peoples’ Day will be celebrated on
the second Monday of every October, which is also Columbus Day. The change had been proposed by Councilman Gordan Smith, who is a candidate for the District 1 seat on the Buncombe County Board of Commissioners. Smith wanted the day to celebrate Native American contributions, a release from his election campaign stated. Columbus Day, now observed on the second Monday in October, “has been widely condemned by Native Americans and allies for celebrating domination, oppression and colonialism,” Smith’s release noted. Those groups say Columbus Day also incorrectly reinforces the idea that the famous navigator discovered North America, the release said. See INDIGENOUS, Page A7