Asheville Daily Planet November 2018

Turkey releases Blk. Mtn. missionary

‘Disco’ tribute?

Get down on it

See STORY, Pg. A2

— See REVIEW, Pg. B1

A-B Tech tax funds misspent, official says — See STORY, Pg. B2

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November 2018 Vol. 14, No. 12

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Festival of Lights set to sparkle

Donated photos from 2017 FESTIVAL OF LIGHTS

The 18th annual Lake Julian Festival of Lights will be open with a family Winter Walk Through Night 6-9 p.m. Dec. 1.

Admission is $5 per adult and admission is free for children under 16 who are accompanied by a paying adult. The Festival of Lights will be open to cars 6-9 p.m. Dec. 2-23.

Vehicle entry for the Festival of Lights is $10 per passenger vehicle and $25 for large vans, motor coaches and buses. Twenty percent of the proceeds are donated to Buncombe County Special Olympics, while the remaining income is reinvested to enhance the festival for the following year.

Charisma? Well, here we glow again

Q: My friends tease me, saying that I’m such an obnoxious jerk, but amazingly, everybody seems to love me. Somebody said it’s because I have charisma — like a rock star/movie star quality. Honestly, I don’t think that highly of myself. I’m interesting-looking, outgoing, funny, and relatively talented in what I do. What is charisma exactly, and can people create it?

— Weirdly Beloved Woman Want to know the answer? See ADVICE GODDESS, Page A14

The Advice Goddess Amy Alkon

Prof turns self in on ‘swamp’ sign theft

Accomplice still at large From Staff Reports

Amanda Wray, a UNC Asheville associate professor of English, was charged in early October with a misdemeanor following accusations that she stole a political sign.

Mike Summey, treasurer of the local political action committee Angry Buncombe Taxpayers, told local news reporters that he saw Wray and an unidentified woman remove a sign Oct. 5, near the intersection of Leicester Highway and Mt. Carmel Road.

Wray turned herself in about 10:25 a.m. Oct. 7 at the Buncombe County Detention Facility, after a warrant was issued for arrest in connection with stealing a political sign.

Her female accomplice, however, has not yet been located. Buncombe Sheriff Van Duncan said his unit will try to identify the woman who Summey said was Amanda Wray working with Wray.

Removing a lawfully placed political sign is a crime in North Carolina.

Summey, who is the treasurer of the Angry Buncombe Taxpayers, said he caught Wray and the other woman in the act, saying that when he saw the signs being stolen, he pulled over and confronted the women, who then ran toward a vehicle.

He added that he snapped a picture of the vehicle, which is how he was able to track Wray down with the help of law enforcement. Angry Buncombe Taxpayers paid for the signs to be made and placed throughout the county, he noted.

See SIGN THEFT, Page A7

McHenry, Brown spar over leadership, health care

By JOHN NORTH

john@AshevilleDailyPlanet.com

In the race for the 10th Congressional District seat, U.S. Rep. Patrick McHenry, R-Gastonia, and his Democratic challenger David Wilson Brown clashed over issues in the Oct. 23 finale of the election debate series hosted by the Council of Independent Business Owners Among topics that drew the debate’s biggest

focus — with Brown generally acting as the aggressor — were House leadership, tax cuts, the environment and health care.

Nonetheless, McHenry, who as deputy majority whip is a member of the House’s Republican leadership team, did question Brown vigorously on his support for Medicare for all and for his opposition to President Donald J. Trump.

McHenry said he would suppport House Majority Leader Kevin McCarthy of California to

lead the House if the GOP remains in control of it, while Brown said he would not support House Minority Leader Nancy Pelosi, asserting, “We need new leadership across both parties, more focused on the middle class” — instead of the status quo of both parties favoring large corporations.

About 140 people attended the CIBO Power Lunch at Highland Brewery in East Asheville.

The 10th District include most of Asheville.

See DEBATE, Page A6

Patrick McHenry

David Brown

A2 - November 2018 - Asheville Daily Planet

A-B Tech tax used as ‘slush fund,’ official says

Turkey frees Black Mtn. missionary facing life in prison From Staff Reports

President Donald Trump welcomed freed Black Mountain, N.C., pastor, Andrew Brunson at the White House on Oct. 13.

In turn, in a meeting in the Oval Office, Brunson thanked the president for securing his release from a prison in Turkey.

“You really fought for us,” the Black Mountain preacher told Trump, a day after Turkey released Brunson after more than two years of confinement, acording to press reports. “From the time you took office, I know you’ve been engaged.”

“I just want to congratulate you,” Trump told Brunson, according to video of the session published by C-Span and other national news outlets. “You have galvanized this country. There’s so much interest. It’s your faith, it’s your strength, what you have gone through. I know what you’ve gone through.”

“Right now, the whole world is a fan of yours,” Trump told Brunson. “The whole world is your fan and your family’s fan. ... It’s a great honor to have you back home.”

Brunson also got down on a knee after asking the president if he could pray for him.

“I probably need it more than anybody in this room,” Trump joked, prompting laughter from those gathered in the Oval Office.

Andrew Brunson Brunson placed his left hand on Trump’s right shoulder and asked God to “pour out your Holy Spirit on President Trump, that you give him supernatural wisdom to accomplish all the plans you have for this country and for him. I ask that you give him wisdom to lead this country into righteousness.”

Trump also provided some levity to the gathering when he later asked Brunson’s wife whom she voted for in the last presidential election.

She appeared to respond she voted for Trump. Andrew Brunson also responded, prompting laughter when he said, in all seriousness, that he voted for Trump by sending an absentee ballot from prison.

Trump also thanked Turkey’s president for Brunson’s release, saying political circumstances there made it difficult to pull off.

From Staff Reports A member of the Buncombe County Board of Commissioners recently revealed that the money from a controversial sales tax is not going where commissioners said it would in 2011, WLOS-News 13 TV reported Oct. 15.

County leaders told voters about seven years ago that the money from a quarter-cent sales tax increase would be used to pay for construction and renovation projects at Asheville–Buncombe Technical Community College.

Off camera, the commissioner, Mike Fryar, told News 13 he was worried this would not happen because A-B Tech was never mentioned on the ballot next to the tax. Fryar said voters believed in 2011 that the money from the quarter cent tax would go to A-B Tech.

Even then, the referendum was controversial. He said the vote had low turnout. The tax passed by a slim margin of about 500 votes.

County leaders said in 2011 that money from the tax increase would be used to pay for improvements at A-B Tech.

Fryar told WLOS that the money received from the extra sales tax goes into the county’s general fund and is, basically, the same amount the county gives to A-B Tech, making it “a wash,” with the county “not giving the school a dime,” of its own money.

Since the ballot never named A-B Tech as thge fund’s recipient, Fryar said Buncome is

Since 1970

not obligated to give money to the school, since the ballot never named A-B Tech.

“It’s the county’s money. It doesn’t belong to A-B Tech. On the ballot it showed it was for the county,” Fryar told WLOS..

Though he was originally against the tax, Fryar said he wants the Mike Fryar county to use the money in the way it said it would before the vote, without any other taxes being raised.

In response to how the quarter cent tax was being used and building plans at A-B Tech, Brownie Newman said in a statement, “I support the increase of $2 million per year for building maintenance that was discussed and recommended at our last County Commission meeting earlier this month. I look forward to reviewing the analysis of building utilization on campus as well, which will help inform the need for potential new buildings on campus.”

In an Oct. 4 story, the Asheville Citizen Times noted that “more than $15 million in tax revenue intended to pay for A-B Tech construction has instead been used to balance the county’s own budget,” the ACT noted, amounts to about 20 percent of all money generated by the tax.

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A4 - November 2018 - Asheville Daily Planet

Asheville Daily Planet — November 2018 - A5

Data shows city subsidizing Asheville hotels, mayor says From Staff Reports Mayor Esther Manheimer recently presented new financial figures that, she says, substantiate allegations long-voiced by others that the city’s flourishing hotel industry, which has resulted in growing swarms of tourists downtown, is being subsidized by local taxpayers, the Asheville Citizen Times reported Oct. 11.

The city’s latest analysis of revenue shows that hotels pay 5 percent of Asheville’s $64 million in annual property taxes, Manheimer said at Oct. 9 council meeting. She added

Flatiron Bdg. conversion to boutique hotel?

Possibility triggers concerns from tenants

that that reflects the reality that the vast majority of Asheville taxpayers are funding sidewalks, police and other services used by Esther the tourism industry.

Manheimer “What that means is the taxpayers are subsidizing the infrastructure improvements needed to help maintain the city that hosts that many people that come to it every day,” the mayor told council.

From Staff Reports

The future of downtown Asheville’s Flatiron Building, one of the city’s most recognizable structures as it has stood tall for 91 years along Battery Park Avenue, has its tenants worried.

Developer Philip Woollcott has submitted plans to the city for a major renovation to the Flatiron that would convert it into a boutique hotel. The proposal calls for redeveloping existing office space into hotel rooms. It includes the additions of a restaurant on the first floor, a “speakeasy” bar in the basement and another bar and patio on the

ninth floor and rooftop.

In a gathering Oct. 8 at nearby pub Jack of the Wood, Flatiron’s primary owner Russell Thomas told a group of tenants the building requires about $3.5 million in Flatiron upgrades, which is primarily why Building the project is being considered.

However, as was noted in the pub meeting, the conversion would require dozens of building tenants — ranging from law firms to real estate agencies to a hair salon, among many others — to find somewhere else to work.

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A6 — November 2018 - Asheville Daily Planet

Sheriff leaving Dems; cites leftward shift, anti-police stance

From Staff Reports Buncombe County Sheriff Van Duncan announced in mid-October that he officially has left the Democratic Party, registering as “unaffiliated.”

He noted that his departure was prompted by the party’s leftward shift and anti-law enforcement stance, which Duncan said he finds troubling, Duncan, 54, who is retiring at the end of November after serving as sheriff for 12 years, said part of his decision to not run again came down to the party he has been a member of most of his life shifting too far to the left.

“If I had to get down to the crux of the issue, there’s just an anti-law enforcement sentiment in the Democratic Party right now,” Duncan told the Asheville Citizen Times. “For somebody who works in the profession, I think a lot of it is based on a false narrative — not that there’s not wrongs to be righted and issues that happen that need to be corrected with law enforcement — but it’s almost like everybody gets painted with that same brush, even though they’re trying their best to do a good job for the community.”

Duncan told the ACT it’s “very demoralizing” for local police officers to work under those conditions.

“I just didn’t want to be part of that — didn’t want my name attached to that.”

A new sheriff will be elected in November and take office Dec. 3 from a trio of candidates that include Democrat Quentin Miller, Republican Shad Higgins and LibertarVan Duncan ian Tracey DeBruhl.

Duncan, who said he registered as a Democrat when he became old enough to vote, said he will make not endorse a candidate, as he does not want “to pre-load” the transition with potential conflict.

Jeff Rose, chairman of the Buncombe County Democratic Party, told the ACT on Oct. 12 that he regretted to hear of Duncan’s departure, but he also believes Duncan is conflating national events and stories with the local party, which, he contended, has not seen an extreme leftward shift.

It is “unfortunate,” Rose said, noting that Duncan “is using that as a gauge of where we are locally.”

Mid-term election set Nov. 6; sheriff’s race draws attention

From Staff Reports

Election Day 2018 is officially Nov. 6, with polls open from 6:30 a.m. to 7:30 p.m.

Early voting began Oct. 17 and ends Nov. 3.

At stake are several key positions in the state and national legislature, including the U.S. House of Representative and seats in the North Carolina House and Senate.

Other positions open include the State Supreme Court, Superior Court and District Court, as well as nonpartisan offices, including Board of Education positions.

Catching a lot of news media attention locally is the race for Buncombe County sheriff features Quentin Miller, a Democrat; Shad Higgins, a Republican; and Tracey DeBruhl, a Liberatrian. The current sheriff, Van Duncan, recently announced that he is retiring and, therefore, not seeking re-election.

Buncombe is split into different districts based on census data for national, state and local offices. Depending on what part of the county one lives in, certain seats and positions will be listed on one’s ballot.

Among the local candidates of District 115 in the House are Rep. John Ager, Democrat; and his Republican challenger Amy Evans.

For District 116 in the House, Rep. Brian Turner, a Democrat, is facing Republican challenger Marilyn Brown.

Three seats on the county Board of Commissioners are up for a vote.

Al Whitesides, a Democrat, representing District 1, is facing no challenger.

However, Glenda Weinert, a Republican; is facing Amanda Edwards, a Democrat, for the District 2 commissioners seat. (Ellen Frost, who now holds the seat, decided not to seek re-election.)

And Commissioner Robert Pressley, a Republican is facing a challenge from Donna Ensley, a Democrat, for the District 3 seat.

And, for the first time since 2002, judges

Quentin Shad Tracey Miller Higgins DeBruhl will be listed on the ballot with a political affiliation.

There are six constitutional amendments on the ballot that will decide issues like voter ID, control of state judicial appointments, state income tax, victims’ rights and more.

The North Carolina Republican Party is endorsing a “yes” vote on all six constitutional amendments, while the state Democratic Party is opposed to all of them.

Every seat in the House of Representatives (120 total) and the Senate (50 total) will be up for election – and almost all are contested.

The Supreme Court’s recent decision on gerrymandering means that eventually North Carolina have revised maps, but they are not in effect yet.

In the District 10 U.S. House of Representatives race, Rep. Patrick McHenry, R-Gastoia, is being challenged by David Wilson Brown, a Democrat.

In District 11, Clifton B. Ingram Jr., a Libertarian, is challenging Rep. Mark Meadows, a Republican; and Philip G. Price, a Democrat.

In District 48, Norm Bossert, a Democrat; is challenging Rep. Chuck Edwards, a Republican.

In District 49, Rep. Terry Van Duyn, a Democrat, is being challenged by Republican Mark Crawford.

In District 114, Rep. Susan Fisher, a Democrat; is facing Republican challenger Kris Lindstam.

Debate

Continued from Page A1 While McHenry has served in the House since Jan 4, 2005, Brown is an information technology consultant from Gaston County.

The district stretches from Asheville to Charlotte’s western suburbs.

At one point in the debate, Brown said McHenry should apologize for a campaign email in which Brown said the congressman “claimed I was hand-picked by Nancy Pelosi, and honestly, I’ve never met the woman. I’ve never had conversation with her staff.

“You certainly were not telling the truth on that one,” Brown told McHenry.

In response, McHenry said that if Democrats gain a majority in the House, the Democratic House members will have to choose between McCarthy, a Republican; and Pelosi, a Democrat, for speaker of the House.

As for Pelosi, McHenry added, “She ain’t going nowhere. She’s going to stick around.”

Persisting, Brown again asked McHenry if he would apologize for saying Pelosi had chosen him to run.

“Was it an insult to you?” McHenry queried.

“Yeah, it was,” Brown replied. “It’s not true.

I think the people of this district are ready for politicans that tell the truth and don’t try to make up lies to smear their opponent.”

McHenry did not respond.

Regarding President Donald J. Trump’s efforts to date, Brown said, “I think it’s been disastrous… Especially when the ultimate effect is a president who doesn’t understand basic economics.”

On the question of whether ICE (U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement) be disbanded, Brown said, “We need stronger police forces in our community.”

Yet, added, “If illegal immigration is really the threat it’s been made out to be, if we really have a problem, we’d go after it with bigger fines and more vigorous prosecutions. At all levels of our society, we benefit from having a diversity of workers.”

McHenry then said, “I voted to reauthorize ICE last year… So the absurdity about the ‘Abolish ICE’ movement is” hard to take.

“Let’s enforce our custom laws. It’s a bigger movement by the anti-law enforcement left” than many realaize” to do away with ICE. “I think it’s horrible.”

Regarding the caravan of refugees en route through Mexico to the U.S.’ southern border, the candidates were asked if they “stop them or what?”

McHenry replied, “I would stop them. I’ve voted for the president’s wall. I’d vote for enforcement of our southern border. I’d vote for more enforcement of our northern border. We need to know who comes into our country.”

Brown replied, “There’s no question that we should not let them (the caravan) pass. There’s this threat of these people coming through. The idea that there’s some threat to America is a bit overboard. Don’t let the fear-mongering” set the agenda, he warned.

“This is about people who love who we are

and want to have the kind of life” that the U.S. offers, Brown said. “America is great — that’s why people want to come here.”

On the issue of fossil fuels, Brown said, “We need to move off of fossil fuels. If we don’t, then we are dooming future generations. That’s immoral… We’re almost at the point of no return. It’s about survivability of the human race. And we can do it in a logical way. There are ways to invest to make real change.”

McHenry asserted, “I’m proud to be a champion of the solar industry. North Carolina is second biggest solar producer in the U.S. “On this day, we have a plentiful supply of natural gas. We are the Saudi Arabia of natural gas. It’s the result of hydraulic fracturing. We also have to recognize that natural gas is part of our future. That’s why infrastructure matters for our pipelines.

“Think of the coldest day in Asheville. So solar is not the total answer. We need natural gas, wind” and other alternatives.

“My work, though, and focus, has been enhancing alternative energy sources, like solar, natural gas” and other options, McHenry said.

In a segment of the debate when each candidates was allowed to ask his opponent a question, McHenry asked Brown of his assertion in a recent forum where “you said you can’t think of one thing President Trump has done. I was in the Oval Office when president brought the Black Mountain minister (Andrew Brunson) home from Turkey. The president also passed tax relief. So I would ask you…. Really?”

“Most of the things he has mentioned any president would have done,” Brown replied.

“I certainly think it was a good thing that he brought Andrew Brunson home....

“If we do not make sure that our middle class is very strong, you won’t have people to buy our goods or services. What they didn’t do when they lowered that tax rate is they didn’t eliminate loopholes, putting the burden on middle-class taxpayers to cover that huge burden because trickle-down doesn’t work.”

To the contrary, McHenry said, “If you look at small businesses in North Carolina, we did eliminate those loopholes. If you looked without a partisan lens, you’d see it’s having a strong impact.”

Further, McHenry asserted, “I also think it’s interesting that you (Brown) never answered the question of whether there’s a single thing that President Trump has done that you agree with.”

After a pause, Brown said, “Releasing Andrew Brunson was a good thing.”

In turn, Brown asked McHenry, “What is your plan to replace health care and keep preconditions?”

“Thanks for asking,” McHenry replied. “I think it’s important we let businesses or other band together, to go across state lines.

“Can you find online a price for a hospital or a health care provider? No. So let’s have price disclosure. Price competition and across state lines,” McHenry said. “But the current system of Obamacare is an absolute disaster. Let’s look at the current system and see the flaws, let’s step back and make changes in a bipartisan way” and provide a better system.

“And for those with pre-existing conditions, we have a better solution,” McHenry said.

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Asheville Daily Planet — November 2018 - A7

UNCA scores AVL names ‘green rating’ first black of 90 out of 99 city manager

From Staff Reports

UNC Asheville is growing greener this fall, with another consecutive year in The Princeton Review’s Guide to Green Colleges.

The 2018 edition was published Oct. 16 and includes 399 colleges in the unranked list.

“There are a handful of colleges in the world that include sustainability as a core value in their strategic plans. UNC Asheville doesn’t just talk the talk, it walks the walks, each and every day,” said UNC Asheville’s Director of Sustainability Sonia Marcus.

The Princeton Review chose the schools for this ninth annual edition of its “green guide” based on data from the company’s 2017-18 survey of hundreds of four-year colleges concerning the schools’ commitments to the environment and sustainability, a UNCA press release noted.

“We are proud to have published this guide since 2010, but we are particularly pleased to release our 2018 edition at this time as October has been designated National Campus Sustainability Month,” said Robert Franek, The Princeton Review’s editor-in-chief. “To all students wanting to study and live at a green college, we strongly recommend the outstanding schools we identify and profile in this guide.”

UNCA scored a “green rating” of 90 out of 99, with the guide noting the university’s sustainability committee and sustainability officer, sustainability-focused degrees, and transportation alternatives such as bike share, car share, shuttles and transit passes.

HENDERSONVILLE — Flat Rock Playhouse’s venue in downtown Hendersonville is closing at the end of the 2018 season.

Playhouse officials announced on Sept.

28 that, after a seven-year run, they are not renewing their lease at the downtown stage. They said they intend to use the money saved to make improvements to the mainstage theater in Flat Rock.

Upgrades will include new seats and carpets. A new wireless network will also be installed to improve the sound for those with hearing aids.

“It’s a system that goes throughout the floor of our playhouse that makes our plays sound glorious to those with hearing aids and cochlear implants,” Dane Whitlock, senior director of marketing and development, said.

Since making the announcement, Whitlock has left the Playhouse for a job in New York. (See adjoining stories for details.)

There are still several upcoming shows at the playhouse’s downtown Hendersonville location before the season ends, the FRP noted.

The Asheville Citizen Times reported that “Lisa K. Bryant, the FRP’s producing artistic director; and Paige Posey, president of its board of trustees; said results of a recent patron survey also showed guests ‘prefer the simplicity of one venue; as well as additional parking offered in Flat Rock. “‘For the Playhouse, it is more costeffective to manage just one venue, and we have to keep our eye on the bottom line,’ they said,” according to the ACT. The FRP was designated as “The State Theater of North Carolina” by the General Assembly in 1961.

From Staff Reports

Sign theft

Continued from Page A1 Summey said he is disappointed that the person accused in the sign theft turned out to be a university professor.

“My question is real simple. What is a 38-year-old woman with a Ph.D., that’s a college professor, doing out at 10 o’clock at night stealing political signs? What does that say to our young people? What does that say to the community about some of the people that are working down at our local university?” Summey asked, rhetorically, in an interview with Asheville’s WLOS-TV News 13.

A spokesperson for UNCA would only confirm to WLOS Wray’s employment there, and said the issue was between Wray and law enforcement, declining to comment further.

In an Oct. 6 Facebook post, Summey wrote: “Last night, just before 10 p.m., I caught two women in the act of stealing our signs. I watched them remove the signs, then rushed to confront them. Both were carrying a sign when I ask (sic) them what they were doing.

They said they were taking the signs. I told them what they were doing was theft and I intended to report them. At this point, they ran across the street to their car and quickly put the signs in the back of it. I grabbed my cell phone and quickly followed them where I made this picture of the license plate on the car as they tried to speed away.”

After filing a report with the Buncombe County Sheriff’s Office, Summey said an officer ran the tag from the photo he shot — and it came back to Wray.

Summey said he looked Wray up on

From Staff Reports

Debra Campbell, assistant city manager for Charlotte, was named Asheville’s new city manager after a unanimous vote Oct. 17 by Asheville City Council .

During the vote to hire Campbell, several council members voiced their enthusiasm for her.

Campbell, who will be the first African-American and the first woman to serve as Asheville’s city manager, will start Debra the job Dec. 3.

After the vote, she told Campbell council and the attendees who filled the council chamber for the specially called meeting that she was “blessed, honored and excited” to be named to what she called a “coveted position,” the Asheville Citizen Times reported.

After thanking council and colleagues in Charlotte, Campbell said she was pleased to be through the selection phase and now was ready to tackle “Phase II,” which, the ACT reported, “meant convincing the council to keep her. That would mean tackling the city’s very real problems, she said.”

Campbell asserted, “Asheville has a lot of positive momentum to build on, but there’s a lot of heavy lifting ahead of us to address social, economic, environmental and trust issues. I am anxious to get started.”

Facebook and immediately recognized her as one of the women who took the signs.

On her UNCA webpage, Wray states” “I am interested in language practices, looking in particular ways in which Mike Summey words have social power (to construct and deconstruct).

What you say has great potential to contribute to or to interrupt social norms, and students in my classes can expect conversation about everyday strategies for using language to address social oppressions. I consider writing an important tool for critical thinking and creativity, but also I see the ability to write effectively and appropriately for different situations to be a most valuable and marketable skill within and byond the university. My research interests involve oral history, feminism, public scholarship, rhetorical practices of consciousness, visual rhetoric, professional writing, research methods and creative nonfiction.”

According to state statute, Wray’s actions are “a Class 3 misdemeanor for a person to steal, deface, vandalize or unlawfully remove a political sign that is lawfully placed under this section.”

The penality for a Class 3 misdemeanor

FRP to close HVL venue after a seven-year-run

Playhouse executive leaves for N.Y. job after 4 years at helm

From Staff Reports

FLAT ROCK — Flat Rock Playhouse’s Dane Whitlock, senior director of marketing and development, sent an email on Oct. 8 to the Daily Planet and others in the media, noting that he has accepted a job in New York and would be departing soon.

In his email, Whitlock said, “Hi all!

Need to share a little news with you...

“After four amazing years here at the Playhouse and WNC, I have decided to take a job offer in NYC. This will be my last week Dane Whitlock here at the State Theatre of NC. “I’ve copied Matthew Glover and Olivia Palmer, who will be your major points of contact going forward. They will make sure that you are kept up to date on all things FRP. It’s been a pleasure working with each and every one of you. And thank you for your continued support. Cheers. Dane.”

When contacted at his FRP email address on Oct. 17, a message stated: “Hi there!

Thank you for your email. I am no longer with Flat Rock Playhouse, as I have taken a position at a PR firm in NYC.”

Special photo by KAYLA DOEBLER

Above are some “Drain the Swamp” signs still standing in West Asheville. in North Carolina is a maximum of 20 days in jail and a $200 fine.

Wray’s case will be heard in court on Dec. 4.

The Asheville Citizen Times reported on Oct. 8 that Summey’s PAC has spent “several thousand dollars” on the “drain the swamp” signs this year. About 100 of the 600 signs installed have been vandalized or stolen, he told the ACT. The ACT added, “As news of Friday night’s sign theft spread on social media, supporters of Angry Buncombe Taxpayers called for Wray’s dismissal from UNCA. Others, including Summey, said that the sign proves ‘liberal bias’ in institutions of higher learning — a common conservative critique of academia.”

The ACT quoted Summey as adding, “If these are the people teaching our young people, no wonder some of them are growing up conflicted.”

In letter to the editor that appeared in the Oct. 20 print edition of the Asheville Citizen Times, David Shipp wrote: “This professor is obviously scared of something (a responsible government?).

She committed an act that is not only against the law, but is also antithetical to UNCA students, faculty cohorts and her university position. UNCA, another government entity, owes it to all N.C. citizens to get rid of her and prosecute to the fullest extent of the law. Not to mention that the students at NCA need to see the caliber of the professors UNCA is hiring.”

A8 — November 2018 - Asheville Daily Planet

The Daily Planet’s Opinion

People vs. bears? Time to let common sense prevail

T

he issue of bears coming into contact with human beings seems to be increasingly in the spotlight in the Asheville area and we are pleased to see the outpouring of grief in the news media from so many residents who harbor sympathy for the right of the bears to co-exist with us, as peacefully as possible.

The most recent torrent of opinions was expressed following an incident in Swannanoa. For instance, Asheville’s Robert S. Gray and Cecil Givens wrote in a letter to the editor appearing recently in the Asheville Citizen Times that it amounted to “the senseless killing of a mother bear who was defending her cubs from perceived danger.”

The incident involved Toni Rehegness, a 75-year-old woman, who was walking with her dog near her northeast Swannanoa home at 10:30 p.m.

Sept. 18. Her dog started barking and a female bear reportedly attacked her and the dog. She suffered serious but non-life-threatening injuries in the attack. Following treatment at a local hospital, she was released.

In the aftermath, the adult bear and her three cubs were trapped over the Sept. 21-23 weekend, according to the Wildlife Resources Commission.

The mother bear’s three cubs were healthy and old enough to be independent, so they were relocated to a remote area, the WRC noted, while the mother bear was euthanized to protect human safety and to keep her cubs from one day doing something similar.

The presence of trash in the neighborhood and the dog’s hostility toward the bear played a role in leading to the attack, Colleeen Olfenbuttel, the WRC’s black bear and furbearer biologist, told the news media.

Since the bears were here before us, we, along with the WRC, encourage residents to be respectful and accepting of the bears — and to keep one’s distance and not provide temptation via unsecured garbage or irresponsible food storage — even food for pets or birds outside.

In short, leave the bears alone. They will move on when the food is gone.

Good news for New Bern? Sparks’ new novel

C

HAPEL HILL — Some good news for New Bern September’s flooding from Hurricane Florence brought such bad news to New Bern and its neighboring cities, towns and communities.

There is a little bit of good news for New Bern this month.

The town’s best-selling author, Nicholas Sparks, is releasing a new book, “Every Breath.”

All of Sparks’s 20 novels have been regulars on The New York Times Best Seller lists, often at No.1, making him one of the world’s most successful writers of what some call commercial fiction. Others say simply that he writes love stories.

The new book, like almost all Sparks’s books, is set largely on the North Carolina coast, beginning at Sunset Beach and nearby Bird Island close to the border with South Carolina.

There is an African connection in Nicholas Sparks’s new book: Tru Walls, a white safari guide from Zimbabwe, formerly Rhodesia, comes to Sunset Beach to meet his biological father.

In 1990, the 42-year-old Tru, as Sparks explained to me on UNC-TV’s North Carolina Bookwatch, “arrives in North Carolina, a little bit of a mystery why, but it’s for personal reasons, and he’s there for about a week, and he’s staying at a house on Sunset Beach while he works on this personal business. Lo and behold, there’s a woman next door who’s a little younger than Tru, but not too young, and she’s there for the wedding of one of her girlfriends. Her boyfriend kind of stood her up for this week at the beach, and so she’s alone and he’s alone, and it’s a Nicholas Sparks novel.”

Given that it is a Sparks novel, we should not be surprised that Tru meets this woman,

D.G. Martin Hope Anderson, a 36-year-old nurse from Raleigh.

In Sparks’s books the main characters always have to meet. As he told me, “You always have to have a way that the characters first meet, and you kind of want it to be at least somewhat original and something, and that gets challenging when you’re trying to think of originality in terms of film or television or other books.”

He explained how he brought Tru and Hope together for the first time. “You want to have something that feels fresh and original. So in this case [Hope’s] dog runs over the dune as he’s trotting down the beach chasing birds, sees a cat, goes over the dune, car squeals, and our hero Tru kind of goes over there to see if the dog’s okay. The dog’s okay, probably bumped a little, but he’s shaking, but he seems okay. So he carries the dog back over the dune to the beach for the woman because she was so far down the beach he wasn’t sure that she’d seen the dog. He’s got her dog. Well, she has to talk to him. Why do you have my dog? Why are you holding my dog? What happened to my dog? And, of course, then they have to walk back together.”

Hope is in a long-term relationship with Josh, a self-centered orthopedic surgeon.

Nevertheless, after this chance meeting, she and Tru immediately fall into a deeply passionate love affair.

See MARTIN, Page A10

Letters to the Editor

TDA should spend its funds for extra police, not for ads

A

lthough hotels and short-term rentals don’t directly cause gentrification, the hotel tax does, by increasing housing demand via national advertizing.

Thus, as long as STRs can operate underground and escape the tax, they are not harmful, but as soon as the monopoly cartel catches them and makes them pay, they are; since feeding the TDA advertizing monster attracts the gentrifying hordes, as an “attractive nuisance.”

So I suppose that since local government can’t repeal the hospitality tax, the main tool we have to defund the TDA is by zoning out or generally interfering with any business that pays the tax.

This means supporting anti-STR regulation, but opposing much enforcement, since it is paying the ad tax that causes gentrification and underground STRs don’t until they get caught.

When I raised beef cattle it was the same way I suppose, I wasn’t causing heart attacks as long as I could avoid the Cattlemen’s Association monopoly checkoff fee.

It’s the monopoly cartel dues that are the killers, not the industry itself.

Also, If the TDA wants more police, or any police, they should fund police instead of ads, since property tax is for welfare.

Alan Ditmore Leicester

Quentin Miller offers best pick for sheriff, reader says Last month’s Daily Planet front-page article about the sheriff candidates set the stage for the election.

Buncombe County voters have an important decision to make about which candidate for sheriff will best provide the leadership and experience to insure ongo-

ing public safety.

Managing a $39 million budget, overseeing the county jail, supervising and training deputies, interacting with state and federal agencies, and responding to community concerns are important parts of this difficult position.

Of the three men running, former Asheville Police Department Sergeant Quentin Miller is most qualified to be Buncombe County sheriff. He has 36 years of police experience in the U.S. Army and the local APD. Mr. Miller graduated in advanced law enforcement and administration training. His work in developing community programs is well known.

Quentin Miller seeks a positive future for Buncombe County that includes regular cooperation with other agencies to combat the opioid epidemic, to provide de-escalation training to officers and to increase the safety of all students and adults. He is the best man for a hard job.

Frank Fox Asheville

Dems urged to stop bashing Trump, start extolling values I seem to find myself in the minority in today’s national Democratic Party.

I disagree with the tendency of most Democrats (including political candidates for Congress and those in the news media) to constantly bash Donald Trump over his obnoxious personality and his divisive comments.

As very-conservative “Morning Joe” Scarborough has said on his MSNBC show, when Democrats talk negatively about Trump, it just makes his supporters angrier and more protective of him, while corroborating their paranoid belief that the Democrats and the liberal part of the media are out to get Trump.

See LETTERS TO THE EDITOR, Page A10

The Candid Conservative

Why aren’t progressives progressing?

“Selfishness is not living as one wishes to live; it is asking others to live as one wishes to live.”

— Oscar Wilde

The Problem

L

ooking back, there’s little doubt that my generation’s pivot point was Vietnam. It was an engagement fraught with misspent nobility.

Losing what we could have won made it an unarguable tragedy.

Another vexing Vietnam legacy was the minting of a generation of anti-American narcissists who grew up to be anti-American narcissistic progressives.

Other than the fact most of them seem to have moved to Asheville, how’s that a problem? Because the artificially entitled offspring of the greatest generation are remarkably constrained in their understanding of the real world. People who thus skip their course in Reality 101 are dangerous.

Welcome to today’s America and a central reason we’re surrounded by accelerating craziness.

Forget finding yourself A lot of silly notions came out of the Vietnam era anti-everything movement.

Few held more hidden harm than the suggestion it was important to “find yourself.”

This bit of psycho-mumbo-jumbo rapidly

Carl Mumpower became a license to indulge one’s baser instincts as an imagined path to nirvana.

Drugs, people as sex toys, responsibility avoidance, and self-absorption may be fun, but they are more often a path to addiction than enlightenment. Fast forward to today, and some 40-plus years later this false narrative has become a cultural pillar.

Hate to break it to the thus dedicated, but Mother Nature is clearly antagonistic to the mission of selfish pleasure as a stand-alone agenda. Life is hard, and the assignment is clear. You have to build yourself – not find yourself.

If you’ve been wondering why so many people buy into the relentless “something for nothing” entitlement promises of the left, “find yourself” illusions are a major factor. Having inevitably failed in that assignment, there is a growing willingness to embrace the fantasy government can fulfill the charge.

We forget that nobody creates a cage for the benefit of the occupant.

See CANDID CONSERVATIVE, Page A10

Asheville Daily Planet — November 2018 - A9

Commentary

Will the new Supreme Court be Trumpist?

J

ames Buchanan, as president, was a free-wheeling, iconoclastic, vacillating, white supremacist Northerner.

Yeah, a lot like Donald Trump.

And he made one gigantic misjudgment about the Supreme Court – one that Trump seems to be making now.

As president-elect in 1857, Buchanan badly wanted the issue of slavery to be over and done with before he took office. At the time, a lawsuit had made its way to the Supreme Court, Dred Scott v. Sanford, in which a slave in Missouri wanted his freedom because his master, a U.S. Army surgeon, had held him in free states. The unwritten rule at the time was, “Once free, always free,” but Missouri courts had ruled him still a slave.

Five justices on the Court wanted to decline consideration, but Chief Justice Roger Taney, with Buchanan’s encouragement, wanted to use the case to decide the issue of James Buchanan slavery.

Taney wrote an astounding opinion. He reasoned that since, at the time of the Constitution, blacks “were regarded as beings of an inferior order, and altogether unfit to associate with the white race, either in social or political relations, and so far unfit that they had no rights which the white man was bound to respect.” He said that blacks never were and never can be citizens, so Dred Scott had no standing to sue for his freedom.

Six other justices concurred. All seven on the winning side were Southerners or were “doughfaces” appointed by Southern presidents. The Court was blindly partisan.

Taney’s opinion was exactly what Buchanan wanted. He thought the American people would accept the Court’s decision as final, and so the slavery issue would go away.

He was wrong, so very wrong. Instead, the American people recognized the Supreme Court as nothing but partisan politicians in black robes. And we got the Civil War. Partisan politicians in black robes. That’s not how the Founding Fathers intended things to go. They intended checks and balances, separation of powers, an independent judiciary that makes impartial judgments.

Brett Kavanaugh gives conservatives a 5-4

Lee Ballard edge on the Court. But the question before us now is not about conservatives and liberals.

It’s about Trump and Trumpism. Will our Supreme Court be independent, or will it be sucked into Trump’s orbit – like the Republican-controlled Congress has been?

I have no doubt that Trump will try to muscle the Court, like Buchanan did. But will he be successful?

Republicans will hold the Senate, where his soulmate, Mitch McConnell, shares his contempt for tradition and rules. The Senate will not just be compliant; they will be complicit in efforts to gain partisan power. And Congress has frighteningly broad powers to restructure itself – and the other two branches.

However, if Democrats take the House of Representatives, congressional pressure on the Court will be mostly neutralized.

Ultimately, everything will lie with the Court. Make no mistake: the five conservatives on the Court are really, really conservative. It’s expected that the new Court will do the usual conservative things, like siding with the rich and corporations over ordinary people.

They won’t repeal Citizens United v. FEC. But will they be Trump Republican partisan?

Nobody knows. If we see them stifling

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For more information, call (828) 252-6565.

Send mail to: Letters, Asheville Daily Planet P.O. Box 8490, Asheville, NC 28814 Send e-mail to: letters@ashevilledailyplanet.com

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Mueller findings, for example, we will hear Dred Scott’s name called a lot. Like Roger Taney’s Court in 1857, our Court will have no legitimacy.

And Trump will replay Buchanan. Slits in our national fabric will widen. Most Americans will be enraged. And this animosity could find its way into the Court itself, with justices sniping publicly.

After the Dred Scott decision, Justice Benjamin Curtis, one of the two dissenters, resigned from the Court, the only justice ever to do so.

That’s exactly the atmosphere that a partisan

judiciary engenders.

James Buchanan got what he wanted in the Supreme Court, and the country got the Civil War. Now Trump has what he wants with Kavanaugh. He expects a nodding majority.

What will he get? And what will happen to us?

Footnote: CBS News ranked the 45 U.S. presidents. James Buchanan was #44, next to last. Donald Trump was ranked #45.

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A10

November 2018 - Asheville Daily Planet

Letters to the Editor

Continued from Page A8 Rather, as Joe suggests, Democrats need to focus on communicating their values to the people and telling the people how the federal government can be a positive force for good in our society and make life better for all Americans.

They don’t seem to realize that most Americans agree with them that we need to protect the safety-net programs such as Social Security, Medicare, Medicaid, Food Stamps, College Student Loans, and Unemployment Insurance Benefits.

These are winning issues that we should constantly be talking about, not trashing Trump.

Stewart B Epstein Rochester, N.Y.

EDITOR’S NOTE: Epstein, a retired college professor of sociology and social work, taught at West Virginia University and Slippery Rock University.

Climate change issue solved? Trump so wrong

So now President Trump who claims to know everything about anything has solved the issue of climate change, saying “I don’t know if it’s man-made” (it is) and implying “It will take care of itself.”

The president also believes that scientists have a “political agenda,” so he would have to see them to decide if they are being truthful about their findings on climate change.

My take on this?

President Trump will say anything and

Candid Conservative

Continued from Page A8

Misery Inc.

Speaking of progressives, I had firsthand opportunity to observe a number of participants in this year’s Blue Ridge LBGTQ Pride event. Amidst the rainbow capes, banners and costumes, something was missing.

It’s exhilarating to have center stage with like-minded people – but a fix is not the same thing as being happy. An artificially induced smile cannot conceal the mirror of our true condition – the eyes. This event sheltered a lot of unhappy, angry, anxious and confused eyes.

That’s Asheville in general – though we live in paradise, there is an army of unhappy people here. Might that be why so many fuel their lives with alcohol and drugs?

As a personal view, the LBGTQ movement, like the NAACP, misplaced their sincerity credentials long ago.

Both were started with a worthy agenda of righting wrongs. Time has shifted that course to anger, resistance to honest dialog and a refusal to consider any other thinking but their own.

Closed systems die reluctantly but certainly.

Free yourself?

With nature’s clear preference for two genders, functioning on the edges is tough.

Whether it’s through genetics, choice, training, fear, confusion or conviction – it’s never easy.

In a world where so many women are trying to be men; so many men are trying to be women; and so many other people are trying to invent a new option, “free yourself” has become another misguided but popular script. Just ask Facebook. As of last count they are up to 71 gender identities.

Ironically, one of the fastest ways to lose yourself is to turn inward and free yourself.

That’s narcissism and it is the psychological equivalent to being sucked into a giant vacuum cleaner.

Martin

Continued from Page A8 How Hope resolves her competing feelings for Tru and Josh is the thread that guides the book to a poignant conclusion 24 years later at another North Carolina beach.

Sparks’s publishers say that “Every Breath” is in the spirit of “The Notebook,” which is in contention this month for designation by PBS’s Great American Read as “America’s Best Loved Novel.”

In both “The Notebook” and “Every Breath,” the lovers’ early encounters

If turning inward is a misery accelerator, may one suggest Asheville is well on the way to shifting from a “Cesspool of Sin” to a “Cesspool of Misery?”

Don’t be yourself either

Closely akin to the folly of “find yourself” is “be yourself.”

Please, whatever you do, don’t be yourself. Most people’s inner self is so dark, dank and disgusting that if everyone could magically “be yourself” tonight, most of us would be dead by Christmas.

The Bible tells us that evil comes from within, not without. Experiences affirms it.

People don’t get hooked on drugs, shoot someone with a gun, or beat a child to death because of the drugs, gun or child.

People do bad things out of their own internal programming, choices and fictional permission to “be yourself.”

Please - don’t be yourself. This struggling world needs you to be something much better.

Solutions

No matter how personally comfortable you are with the notion of these three “all about me” life approaches, it doesn’t take a rocket scientist to see that very few people can pull them off.

Look around. Is it not fascinating how so many folks have become comfortable indulging whatever crazy impulse they have whenever and wherever they wish? Is it possible that having a higher social bar for personal behavior is necessary to keeping many of us from self-destructing?

Those interested in a better course can start with a simple truism – whatever you are practicing is what you are becoming.

Want to be a devotee of the 7-Deadly Sins – pride, greed, lust, envy, gluttony, wrath, and sloth? Practice and you will excel. Want to be a devotee of the 7-Virtues – faith, hope, charity, fortitude, justice, temperance and prudence? Same deal.

Isn’t it funny how those “find yourself,” “free yourself” and “be yourself” life pro-

involve fiery and total passion. They are separated, and each woman is deeply involved with another man. Sparks brings them together again years later as older, even infirmed, people still deeply in love.

Whether or not “Notebook” is designated America’s Best Loved Novel, its fans should love “Every Breath.”

• D.G. Martin hosts “North Carolina Bookwatch,” which airs at noon Sundays and at 5 p.m. Thursdays on UNC-TV.

do anything to divert attention from the upcoming FBI investigation results.

Hopefully those findings will lead to the impeachment or resignation of this inept, shallow, TV-personality-turned-president and put this great nation back on track.

Herb Stark Mooresville

U.S. reaching its tipping point with mobs, abortions

America has reached a dangerous point in its history. The danger from within is as bad, or worse, than the danger from without.

We neglected to teach our children America’s History and the History of our LORD, the creator of Heaven and our beloved Earth.

The result of that is a very ungodly America. With very little to no knowledge

grams seem to circle toward the 7-Deadlies far more often than the 7-Virtues?

That can be explained quite simply – the things that are easy in life are usually bad and the things that are good are usually hard. Which do you prefer, walking downhill or climbing?

It comes down to this. God gives us the raw material for life and the liberty to chose our own course. The world as we know it sends a lot of confusing signals that make freedom of choice as much of a burden as a blessing.

That makes the easy road, the safe road, the conformity road, and the escaping road very appealing. But like the highways of Asheville, one will find those paths increasingly crowded and constricted.

It’s never too late to flip your burger toward better choices. Anyone suggesting they have a better plan is toxic.

In closing

A few Sundays ago, I had a chance to give the message at a church where the pastor was recovering from surgery. Always an honor.

One of the things shared was that fear and worry were the two most reference sins in the Bible. God wanted us to know that evil sneaks in the backdoor more often than busting through the front.

In the congregation was a 95-year-old lady whose car had caught fire the week before as she pulled into the church parking lot. It was scary and close.

She came up at the end of the service and thanked me for the message. “I let that experience frighten and get on top of me for a few days,” she said with a bright smile.

“I really needed to hear what you shared today. Now I think I can put that behind me

of God, the Holy Bible, or of His moral rules of behavior.

Now we see masked mobs attacking their fellow Americans praying, or going to voting places. We see leaders suggesting harassment of Republicans and their families where ever they can be found. All this while the police are not allowed to arrest the unlawful evil doers.

Even Hillary, twice presidential candidate, believes their side is civilized.

However, a nation that murders innocent unborn babies, is not a civilized nation. It is a murderous nation in God’s eye.

Because of that, and other ungodly abominations, God will destroy America and the world.

Most man-of-God now believe that the end of time could occur any day, now that Israel exists as a nation as prophesied. But God decides when!

Manuel Ybarra Jr. Coalgate, Okla.

and get on with things.”

This special lady was not willing to be defined by her trauma or her fear. At ninety-five she was still choosing to rebuild and move forward. May one suggest that is a big reason she is ninety-five?

In a hard world it is always wise to search for those who have figured out how to tackle the tough parts in a better way. Instead of turning inward and trying to find yourself, free yourself or be yourself maybe what you need are some better role models.

I found one of mine in church the other day.

• Carl Mumpower, a psychologist and former elected official, is chairman of the Buncombe County Republican Party. He can be reached at drmumpower@aol.com.

LETTERS The Asheville Daily Planet invites Letters to the Editor of 200 words or less. Please include your name, mailing address, daytime telephone number and e-mail address.

For more information, call (828) 252-6565.

Send mail to: Letters, Asheville Daily Planet P.O. Box 8490, Asheville, NC 28814 Send e-mail to: letters@ashevilledailyplanet.com

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Asheville Daily Planet — November 2018 - A11

Entertainment

Faith Notes

‘The game is afoot’

Send us your faith notes

Please submit items to the Faith Notes by noon on the third Wednesday of each month, via email, at spirituality@ashevilledailyplanet.com, or fax to 252-6567, or mail c/o The Daily Planet, P.O. Box 8490, Asheville, N.C. 28814-8490. Submissions will be accepted and printed at the discretion of the editor, space permitting. To place an ad for a faith event, call 252-6565.

FRP to offer ‘Hound of the Baskervilles’

From Staff Reports

Saturday, Nov. 3

HALLOWEEN 5K RACE, 10 a.m., Reems CreekBeech Presbyterian Church, 4 Sugar Cove Road, Weaverville. The church will hold a 5-kilometer foot race. Registration will be held be held from 9:30 to 10 a.m. All who are registered will receive a T-shirt. After the race, cider, cake, pizza by the slice and other treats will be for sale. A prize also will be awarded for the best inidvidual costume and best couple’s costume. To register, which costs $20, visit www.rcbpchurch.org. Registration also will be open before the race.

Sunday, Nov. 4

“RECLAIMING DEATH” DISCUSSION, 9 a.m., Felix Building, First Congregational United Methodist Church, 1735 Fifth Ave. W. and White Pine Dr., Hendersonville. The church is inviting all to its weekly Adult Forum, which will be on “Reclaiming Death” and led by Michele Skeele.

Regarding the program, the church noted, “Contemplating a ‘good death’ can be an important aspect of living fully. We are empowered to create end-of-life experiences that enrich our families and communities. Our options to create meaning as we leave these bodies are as varied and rich as we are.” Skeele, a therapeutic music practitioner, is on the board of the WNC Chapter of the Funeral Consumers Alliance, a national advocacy organization..

Monday, Nov. 5

SCIENCE OF MIND 101 COURSE, 7 p.m., Center for Spiritual Living, 2 Science of Mind Way, Asheville. Barbara Waterhouse will present “Science of Mind 101” on Mondays through Dec. 17. A love offering will be taken.

Wednesday, Nov. 7

CRUSADE, 9 a.m., Shackford Hall, Lake Junaluska Conference Center, Lake Junaluska.

The Keep Your Ear to the Mouth of God Cru-

The Rev. Barbara Waterhouse sade,” Treadwell Evangelistic Empowerment Ministries Inc., will be held all day and continuing through Nov. 10. Attendees will go with up to the mountains to encounter God in this soul-saving, restoration, miracle, healing and deliverance crusade. It will feature host Apostle Alber “Trevy” Treadwell, Apostle Steve and Pastor Debbie Brockwell, Apostle Ron and Pastor LaVerne Spears, Apostle Mary McKoy and Bishop Eddie and Lady April Hightower. To register, call (910) 689-6479, or email treadwelleem@gmail.com.

Friday, Nov. 9

SOCIAL JUSTICE MOVIE NIGHT, 7-9:30 p.m., 1 Sandburg Hall, Unitarian Universalist Congregation of Asheville, 1 Edwin Place, Asheville. The UUCA will screen a yet-to-be-announced film.

After the screening, a discussion will be held. All are welcome and admission is free.

Friday, Dec. 7

HOLIDAY CONCERT, 7 p.m., Unity of the Blue Ridge, 2041 Old Fanning Bridge Road, Mills River.

The annual Unity Holiday Concert will feature music of the holiday season by pianist Richard Shulman and the Unity Band, vocalist Kat Williams, the Rev. Darlene Strickland, senior minister; and others. For tickets, which are $10, visit https:// www.brownpapertickets.com/event/3741820.

FLAT ROCK – “The Hound of the Baskervilles,” which will be featured this month on the Flat Rock Playhouse Mainstage, “promises audiences a thrilling, hilarious and nimble retelling of the classic crime novel by Sir Arthur Conan Doyle starring the iconic Sherlock Holmes and Dr. Watson,” the FRP noted in a press release.

In the production, three actors work in tandem to portray more than 15 characters with lightning-fast precision and delightful comedic timing.

Whirling through the fog-shrouded moors of England, “The Hound of the Baskervilles” recounts the tale of an attempted murder interwoven with the local legend of truly fearsome and supernatural beast.

The production will open at 8 p.m. Nov. 2 and run through Nov. 17. Performances will be offered on Wednesday and Thursday at 2

Special photo TREADSHOTS

From left are Preston Dyar, Larry Daggett and David Lind.

and 7:30 p.m., Friday at 8 p.m., Saturday at 2 and 8:00 p.m., and Sunday at 2 p.m. Adult tickets are $22-$54 and children’s tickets (ages 17 and under) are $19. For tickets, visit www.flatrockplayhouse.org.

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Cut Cutto toSize Size

PRESBYTERIAN CHURCH

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A12 — November 2018 - Asheville Daily Planet

4 commissioners’ candidates joust during debate

By JOHN NORTH

john@AshevilleDailyPlanet.com

Four candidates squared off over two seats on the Buncombe County Board of Commissioners during a candidates debate hosted by the Council of Independent Business Owners early morning on Oct. 5 in UNC Asheville’s Sherrill Center.

The debate participants include Amanda Edwards, Democrat, vs. Glenda P. Weinert, a Republican, seeking the District 2 seat vacated by Ellen Frost, who is not seeking re-election; and Donna Ensley, a Democrat vs. incumbent commissioner Robert Pressley, a Republican, for the District 3 seat.

In her opening statement, Edwards said she is a first-time candidate, a Weaverville resident, and has had executive careers at the Literacy Council, the Red Cross and now at A-B Tech.

Wineart began her opening statement with a quote from the late President Ronald Reagan, “We can’t spend ourseves rich,” which was from a State of the Union address in which Reagan offered a rousing condemnation of the problem with the federal deficit.

Weinart noted that “I have been a smallbusiness-owner since the early ‘90s” and that that experience will make her a savvy commissioner.

“It’s time for common sense,” she said.

“Its time for a practical approach in running our county.”

Weinart added, “If you want different outcomes, you have to make changes.”

Ensley noted that she “has lived here 31 years” and has “worked in the nonprofit sector... My career in nonprofit helped me learn the ropes of community investment.”

She also pointed out that, for the “last part of my career, I spent with MANNA FoodBank.” (MANNA bills itself as a nonprofit that links links the food industry with more than 200 partner agencies in 16 counties of Western North Carolina.

Edwards said of herself, “So when I retired, I was looking at what to do next. Where to be of service? I believe the skills I bring to strategic development” could help the county.

In his opening statement, Pressley said, “I’ve lived in Buncombe County for 59 years. I have been married to my wife Jeana for 34 years. I have children and grandchildren.

“I feel blessed for what I have and want to bring that blessing to the county....

“What do I want? To bring transparcency back to the county.”

Pressley noted that fellow Republican Commissioner Mike Fryar “was complaining about corruption in the county government (for years), but nobody listened,” referring to the administration of long-time County Manager Wanda Greene.

“When I got in (office), along with (Republican) Commissioner Joe Belcher, she (Greene) was indicted within six months.”

He added, “I’m a business-owner. You’d better know how to work a budget if you’re going to be a county commissioner.”

CIBO chief Buzzy Cannaday asked six or seven prepared questions before the session was opened to a question-and-answer period with the audience in general.

For the first question, he noted, “Recently there’s been a discussion at a county level to investigate the sherriff’s department’s actions.” He then asked each candidate to comment on that statement.

Weinert said, “I think oversight for any department” is important “because with that department. … there are always risk assessments that need to be done. People need to have clarity. We have internal committees within the county.”

However, Weinert added, “I do not think

Amanda Edwards Glenda P. Weinert having a citizen group is necessarily thebest way” to proceed.

Ensley said, “I actually don’t believe a citizens group is the best answer… The only way I’d be in favor of a citizens group is if they have been trained… Most people don’t understand.... I’d hope we’d have transparency at all levels within the sheriff’s department. But I’d use that as a last gasp” step.

Pressley responded, “I don’t think we should override them. Citizens outside have no idea, really, as to what’s going on” in the sheriff’s office. “You’re only as good as the team you put around you.”

Edwards said, “My comments have earned me support of police benevolent association.”

Cannaday then asked, “With the recent financial allegations in the county, what areas would you have investigated under a forensic audit?”

Ensley replied, “What we’re seeing is unbelievable. I really think we need to look at forensic auditing in every phase of what’s going on. Look at the nepotism policy. … I’ve just been flabbergasted with the money being spent… So I think we need a forensic audit of every phase….”

Pressley said, “We need a forensic audit.

We’re having one done. The FBI is doing one now. The thing is, a forensic audit could cost us millions of dollars. I think once the FBI is done, we will know everything. I’m for a forensic audit, but the FBI is doing a lot of it themselves.”

Edwards said, “I’d first like to challenge that we assume our problems are with Wanda Greene. .. Her behavior made it possible for her to move ahead…. Let the FBI do their job, before we move forward.”

Weinert said, “Initially, the audit process that we’re under needs to be allowed to be completed. It’s my understanding the field work is being done…. That (the auditor process), and along when the FBI work is done, we’ll know better how to proceed.”

“Would you allow SROs (student resource officers) to be located at all county schools?” Cannaday asked.

Pressley replied, “We’ve got 22 elementary shcools and only four SROs. We already had an SRO at the higher schools.

“I don’t care what the day is, I want my kids and grandkids to be safe in the schools.

“We need to apply for the grants” to finance the hiring of more SROS, he said.

“I believe in getting the grant money.”

Edwards said, “At the age of 16, I was held hostage at my school in West Virginia.

I support keeping our schools safe. That would include having more mental health counselors.”

Weinert said, “I think the safety of our children should be paramount. Unfortunately, it’s gotten to the point where having SROs are necessary to provide that safety… The unforuntane reality is there’s a limited supply of money… I believe we have to support SROs and that we have to create a long-term sustainable plan.”

Ensley said, “I think it’s not an either/ or but a both/and approach — bringing in mental health-providers into our schools, while we also bring in SROs. It’s a prob-

Donna Ensley Robert Pressley lem not just here but a long-term systemic problem across our nation.

“We need to look at how we’re going to improve our schools now,” Ensley noted.

“Do you favor broadening the allowed uses to allow manufactured homes in all districts to help affordable housing?” Cannaday queried.

Edwards said, “I think it’s certainly one way the situation can be addressed. As long as we inform people that they won’t be building equity, as in a traditional home.”

Weinert said, “One of the situations we are faced with is affordable housing... One thing I can say about manufactured homes is they’ve changed in their quality. And no options should be ignored.”

Enlsey noted, “This is an opportunity to provide something that’s affordable to many. The length of time a mobile home exists now is a lot longer than it used to be.

From the situation of providing multiple ways for people to access affordable housing, we need to look at multiple ways.”

Pressley said, “My first home was a mobile home trailer. Back then, it wasn’t called a mobile home. It was a trailer.

(The crowd laughed). Today, people can’t afford… This right here, affordable housing. A manufactured home has less than a garbage can of waste in it. The thing is we can do multiple things with mobile homes — and give our young people a chance to own their first home.”

At that point, CIBO asked each candidate to ask his or her opponent one question.

Edwards asked Weinert, “On what do you base your statement that the sheriff is in charge of enforcing immigration?”

Weinert replied, “I stated that based on the sheriff being in charge of law enforcement in the county. … It is the sheriff’s office and the APD’s responsibility to enforce the laws.”

Weinert then said to Edwards: “Recently, (commissioners’) Chairman (Brownie) Newman asked for a vote without a discussion.” She asked what Edwards thought about that way of running board meetings.

Edwards replied, “First, let me say I’ve been a lifelong Democrat. But at the end of the day, it’s about doing the right thing for Buncombe County” — and that she did not feel that was a good way to handle issues.

Next, Ensley asked Pressley, “When (county manager) Wanda Greene decided to retire and everyone decided to just advance Mandy Stone — what was your rationale for advancing Mandy Stone?”

In response, Pressley said, “Uh, that’s good,” apparently meaning Ensley had asked him a good question.

Continuing, Pressley said, “We knew when Wanda Greene had retired, that the ship had to continue to sail.

“Mandy Stone (the three Republicans all voted for Mandy Stone to come in. It was unanimous” for the board as a while,” he added, as “all seven (commissioners, including the four Democrats) voted for her.... She had been so cooperative.”

At that point, Pressley asserted, “If we’re going to sell facts, let’s finish the story.”

He then asked Ensley, “I represent District. 3. What would you do different from

what I’ve done in the last three years to make District 3 a better place?”

Ensley replied, “I believe, as you do, that we are here to serve the entire county.

My goal and reason for running is that, as a commission, we’d work together to lay out a strategy as to where we want to be 10 years from now ... 20 years from now. Where we’re equally distributing our resources across the county.”

The meeting concluded with about 15 minutes of questions to the candidates from audience members.

Sidney Bach asked, “Obviously if Ms. Weinert is elected as a Republican candidate, it will shfit the dynamics of the commission” because she is a Republican — and if Pressley is re-elected it would give the Republicans a 4-3 dominance over the Democrats.

To that end, Bach asked, “With a $3 million budget to oversee ... given the mishandling of our taxpayer funds... if you’re in the majority, what specific action would you take to avoid a recurrence of the horrible fraud and stealing that’s gone on, with apparently nobody watching the store?”

Weinert replied, “First and foremost, I think we need to look at how we establish our internal controls.

“I quite frankly think if we don’t look at how we spend our money. … We can’t continue (to have spending oputpace revenues).

“How do we go back and honor those who have worked hard for the county? But we have to implement a roadplan.”

Ensley said, “I will implement policies to avoid a repetition of Greene situation... I’d change the distribution of authority.... I’d have outsiders looking in to advise our county commission on what’s going on. We need outside oversight... We need to restore oversight in every way, beginning with the budget.”

Pressley said, “Having been a county commissioner, I’ve got an advantage over the other three up here. We’ve already changed 43 or 45 policies. As any business-owner would know, if you don’t pay attention to what’s going on,” big problems will crop up.

“I mean we’ve restored a lot” of confidence in the county government. “We’re getting ready to hire a new finance director... These policies have already been put in place... Can it happen again? Yes. But I guarantee those people in there now will do everything they can from happening again,” Pressley said.

Published monthly by Star Fleet Communications Inc. JOHN NORTH Publisher

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Asheville Daily Planet — November 2018 - A13

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A14 - November 2018 - Asheville Daily Planet

Advice Goddess

Continued from Page A1 A: There are certain people throughout history that you just know had charisma. Moses, for example: “Hey, fellow Jews, just follow right behind me as I take a jog into the sea.”

Charisma is the Pied Piper of personality traits — a mix of personal magnetism, likability, and powerful presence that leads people to flock to and follow a person who has it. This can have creepy and even deadly results when the charismatic person is a cult leader, but evolutionary researchers Allen Grabo and Mark van Vugt believe that charisma evolved to be a cooperation booster. Their research suggests it is a “credible signal of a person’s ability” to inspire a group of people to unite behind him or her so they can collectively solve some problem that would stump them individually.

Looks are an element of charisma. Being tall, good-looking, and physically stronger than your peers, as well as appearing healthy, are correlated with charisma, note Grabo and van Vugt. That said, though it’s helpful to be a ringer for Gisele Bundchen, you can more closely resemble a hamburger bun in a bikini and still be mad charismatic. Accordingly, the researchers observe that “anecdotal evidence” suggests that having “particularly unique” features — “such as Abraham Lincoln’s elongated face or Rasputin’s piercing eyes” — may amp up charisma “as a result of their attention-grabbing ability.”

The good news — for anyone who lacks height, hots, or eyes that burn a hole in people -is that how a person acts appears to be the main driver of charisma. And though some people are naturally (that is, genetically) equipped to be more charismatic through their set of personality traits, there are charismatic behaviors that anybody can learn and practice (or, perhaps in your case, engage in more often).

The behaviors that drive charisma are those that reflect a combination of “high power and high warmth,” explains business coach Olivia Fox Cabane in her research-based book “The Charisma Myth: How Anyone Can Master the Art and Science of Personal Magnetism.”

Most people probably believe that charisma comes simply out of speaking powerfully — Martin Luther King-ing it rather than mumbling their message. Actually, listening powerfully -- tapping into how somebody’s feeling, engaging with it emotionally, and empathizing — is essential to having charisma. Connecting in this way drives what people experience as warmth, which Cabane sums up as “goodwill” — the sense that another person cares about them and their well-being.

And sorry, but you can’t just fake the look of someone who’s listening (nod, nod, nod, eye contact, eye contact) while you’re all up in your to-do list or formulating the brilliant thing you’re going to say next. You’ll think you’re hiding your inattentiveness, but little bits of your body language will always sell you out.

Charismatic body language comes out of the antithesis of nervousness — being comfortable in your skin, having a sort of high-powered calm. That’s reflected in slower speech (rather than squirrel-like chit-chattering), the confidence to take pauses while speaking, and breathing from your diaphragm instead of taking shallow gulps of air. (For the basics on speaking more powerfully, read speech therapist and pathologist Morton Cooper’s “Change Your Voice, Change Your Life.”)

Slower, expansive body movements are another mark of the charismatic, in contrast with the herky-jerkyness of the perpetually uneasy — those who always seem on the verge of making a run for it. However, there’s a caveat to all of this walking and talking advice: If you’re insecure and self-loathing, you can’t just plaster some alpha-girl body language on top of that.

Not credibly, anyway. You’ve got to put in the work to fix your foundation. (See my “sciencehelp” book, “Unf*ckology: A Field Guide to Living with Guts and Confidence.”)

Finally, consider that it takes a strong person to be open about their weaknesses and failures.

Counterintuitive, I know. But people don’t relate to greatness. They relate to other people who show how human and imperfect they are.

Cabane explains that “drawing attention to your vulnerabilities” ultimately enhances your

power.

In other words, instead of always working hard to look good, you’ll amp up your charisma by making intermittent efforts to look bad -- like by confessing, “I’m socially awkward. Always have been. I’m really bad at leaving conversations at parties — to the point where I wish a meteorite would crash through the ceiling so I could make my escape.”

Jenny from the flock

I hit it off with this guy I met on Match. com. We’ve been dating for a month and slept together twice. He said he’d delete his Match profile because things were going so well, so I deleted mine. Recently, a mutual friend told me he’d just gone on Tinder. I’m super upset, and though we didn’t have the exclusivity talk, it seemed implied.

— Dumbfounded Okay, so it seems he didn’t quite get around to mailing out the formal invitations to the funeral for his freedom.

Now, the guy may be an out-and-out lying cad, cooing commitment-y things to you that he never intended to follow through on. However, it’s also possible that he was legit enthusiastic in that moment when he offered to delete Match — confusing the buzzy high of a love thing that’s brand-new with a love thing that’s really right.

Neuroscientist Wolfram Schultz discovered that things that are new to us — people, relationships, pleasure-producing substances — activate our brain’s reward circuitry and its chemical messenger boy, dopamine, in a way things we’re used to do not. (That very first bite of chocolate cake is always the tastiest, most chocogasmic.)

In fact, Schultz’s research suggests that “novel rewards” may be two to three times more dopamine-elevating than delishy stuff we’ve previously experienced. Basically, once we’ve tried something, even if we really, really enjoyed it the first time (hot diggity!), it becomes less motivating to us (kinda lukewarm diggity).

This motivational downshift comes out of how dopamine neurons are, in a sense, fortuneteller cells; they predict how rewarding things or situations will be. Dopamine, contrary to what countless books and articles contend, is not a “pleasure chemical.” It does not generate a heroin rush-type euphoria. It’s stimulating. It drives wanting and seeking, motivating us to explore new stuff that might enhance our ability to pass on our genes.

After dopamine calculates the difference between the initial high a thing gave us when it was new and its current level of more meh rewardingness, it can push us to go out and chase

the initial high — seek some new provider, and then another and another: “Sure, I could have a stable adult relationship — or I could continue my groundbreaking research into The Tramp Stamps Of Tinder.”

This is not an excuse for this guy’s lack of forthcomingness but a possible explanation for why he said he’d delete Match but then signed right up for Tinder. It’s also possible the powerful human fear of regret is at play. Going exclusive with you would mean waving bye-bye to the rest of womankind. It’s possible that he and his penis feel the need for a second opinion.

The problem from your end is that your

wanting to go exclusive with him is the dating version of the impulse purchase. A month in, you don’t have enough information to judge his character, see whether he’s boyfriend-grade, and see whether there’s, uh, brand loyalty.

You should be just starting to see who he is and reserving judgment — much as you’d like to believe that he’s a wild dude seeking domestication, kind of like a lion knocking on the door of the zoo: “Got any vacancies, chief?”

• (c.) 2018, Amy Alkon, all rights reserved. Got a problem?

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A16 — November 2018 - Asheville Daily Planet

Entertainment & Calendar of Events

Special Section PULLOUT

Asheville Daily Planet — November 2018

‘Disco’ tribute: It was ‘burn, baby, burn!’

Fiery show ‘burns that mother down’

‘18 Xmas Jam set Dec. 7-8; lineup unveiled From Staff Reports

By JOHN NORTH

john@AshevilleDailyPlanet.com

H

B1

ENDERSONVILLE— For one weekend only, the pitch for downtown Hendersonville was “Boogie on down to Funkytown,” circa the late 1970s.

In a giant leap back in time, the tribute show “Disco,” part of the Music on the Rock series, ran Oct. 4-7 at Flat Rock Playhouse’s Hendersonville stage.

About 200 people — filling threefourths of the seats — attended the Oct. 6 performance. Some wore bell bottoms and/or polyester outfits from the era.

Special photo courtesy of FLAT ROCK PLAYHOUSE Under a large disco ball attached to the ceiling, revolving and pulsating with light The “Disco” vocalists (from left) are Phillip Brandon, Ebony Blake, Labeams, the show began with KC & The Vance Colley, and Ta-Tynisa Wilson.

Sunshine Band’s 1975 classic “Get Down Blake, LaVance Colley, Phillip Brandon The Sunshine Band’s 1975 disco classic Tonight” — and ended with Donna Sumand Ta-Tynisa Wilson.

“That’s the Way (I Like It).” mer’s 1978 smash “Last Dance.”

Blake was most recently seen at the The audience cheered for more music, Audience members were encouraged to FRP in “70’s Summer Nights” and “The but the house lights were turned up and dance on the open floor area in front of the the vocalists and band bowed and waved Music of Lionel Richie & Diana Ross.” group — and many did, with great enthuColley previously appeared in “A Motown — and left the stage permanently. siasm, throughout much of the show.

Christmas” and is a featured singer with Earlier, an FRP promotion touted the After performing “Last Dance,” the Scott Bradlee’s “Postmodern Jukebox.” show as promising “a lively evening of four fronting vocalists waved and smiled The band members, all of whom have carefree fun and entertainment.” as they left the stage briefly, teasing the played in previous FRP shows, included Attendees would be treated to discoaudience, as the band remained.

Matthew Glover, keyboard one and era song hits that, the FRP noted, “will The crowd responded with a standing music director; Bill Altman, guitar and have audiences doing ‘The Hustle’ and ovation and pleaded for an encore. music director; Paul Babelay, drums; jumping on that ‘Soul Train’....

Within 30 seconds the vocalists reAndrew Rogelberg, keyboard two; and “‘Disco’ will showcase the music of turned with broad smiles and launched Daniel Iannucci, bass.

The Bee Gees, Kool & the Gang, the into a rousing rendition of Sister Sledge’s Village People, KC and the Sunshine The Hues Corporation’s 1973 classic 1979 megahit “We Are Family.”

“Rock the Boat” was a huge favorite in Band, Donna Summer, Gloria Gaynor The song triggered a number of audithe first set, but other memorable first-set and more! ence members on the dance floor to link songs included “Get Down Tonight,” “I’m “Rather than just ‘Stayin’ Alive,’ arms around one another’s shoulders in So Excited,” “Don’t Leave Me This Way,” audiences can expect to catch the ‘Night Fever’ and ‘Get Down On It’ in ‘Celebra- “Don’t Stop Til You Get Enough,” “Love an apparent spontaneous show of both to Love You,” “Car Wash,” “Le Freak,” tion’ of this vivacious, infectious, and celebration and of the spirit and unity of remarkable musical genre.”

“Shake Your Groove Thing,” “Bad Girls” the disco fans for their beloved music.

Indeed, “Disco” featured four talented and “Superfreak.”

As the crowd continued to cheer, the fronting vocalists, including Ebony band launched into a final encore, KC & See “DISCO,” Page B7

T

he Warren Hayes 2018 Christmas Jam will feature Phish bassist Mike Gordon and contemporary-jazz instrumentalist Marco Benevento; Dave Grohl and friends; and Gov’t Mule, among others, on Dec. 7-8 at the U.S. Cellular Center in downtown Asheville.

Other highlight performers will include Jim James, Grace Potter and Eric Church.

The 30th annual event, now expanded into a two-night showcase, will benefit the local area Habitat for Humanity.

Grohl and unspecified “friends” will perform his 23-minute prog-rock epic, “Play,” at the all-star show.

Also featured will be Dark Side of the Mule (the Pink Floyd tribute act from Haynes’ band, Gov’t Mule), Jamey Johnson, Marco Benevento and Joe Bonamassa round out the line-up, which also includes special guests Audley Freed, Fred Eltringham, Jen Gunderman, Jimmy Vivino, Joanne Shaw Taylor, Mike Barnes, Robert Kearns and Ron Holloway, among others.

“I can’t believe that it has been 30 years since myself and a few friends held a small event in a local club so we could all play together around the holidays and donate a small amount of money to charity,” Haynes said in a statement.

“Never in our wildest dreams did I, or anyone in attendance that night, expect that our little show would evolve into the event that it has, taking place over two nights at the arena where I saw so many great shows as a teenager. It’s gone from being a local event to an international one and we couldn’t have done it without the help of all the great artists, bands, and musicians that have donated their time through the years. I am thrilled and humbled that so many incredible musicians are going to help celebrate this milestone. This is truly going to be the biggest and best Christmas Jam yet.”

See XMAS JAM, Page B7

‘Lost Chord’ songs to be given salute From Staff Reports he Lost Chord, an Asheville-based Moody Blues tribute band, will perform at 8:30 p.m. Nov. 21 at Isis Music Hall in West Asheville. Doors open at 7 p.m.

The concert, saluting the 50th anniversary of the release of the Moody Blues’ iconic album, “In Search of the Lost Chord,” will feature a rendition of every song on the album.

“In Search of the Lost Chord” was the group’s third album and the first “on which the Moody Blues discovered drugs and mysticism as a basis for songwriting and came up with a compelling psychedelic creation, filled with songs about Timothy Leary and the astral plane and other psychedelic-era concerns,” according to AllMusic Review’s Bruce Eder.

T

Special photo by FRANK ZIPPERER

The Lost Chord will salute the 50th anniversary of the release of the Moody Blues album, “In Search of the Lost Chord,” in a tribute concert at 8:30 p.m. Nov. 21 at Isis Music Hall in West Asheville.

B2 — November 2018 - Asheville Daily Planet

Life is short.

Dance in the right shoes!

Folk-rock music icon Bob Dylan will perform in concert at 8 p.m.

Nov. 2 at the Thomas Wolfe Auditorium in the U.S. Cellular Center in downtown Asheville.

Website photo

Calendar

of

Please submit items to the Calendar of Events by noon on the third Wednesday of each month, via e-mail, at calendar@ashevilledailyplanet. com, or fax to 252-6567, or mail c/o The Daily Planet, P.O. Box 8490, Asheville, N.C. 288148490. Submissions will be accepted and printed at the discretion of the editor, space permitting.

To place an ad for an event, call 252-6565.

Thursday, Nov. 1

“FROST-NIXON” STAGE PRODUCTION, 7:30 p.m., N.C. Stage Co., 15 Stage Lane, downtown Asheville. The N.C. Stage Co. will present its production of “Frost-Nixon” through Nov. 4. The Nov. 1-3 shows will begin at 7:30 p.m., while the Nov. 4 show will begin at 2 p.m. Regarding the production, N.C. Stage noted, “British talk-show host David Frost has become a lowbrow laughingstock. Richard M. Nixon has just resigned the United States presidency in total disgrace over Vietnam and the Watergate scandal. Determined to resurrect his career, Frost risks everything on a series of in-depth interviews in order to extract an apology from Nixon. The cagey Nixon, however, is equally bent on redeeming himself in his nation’s eyes. In the television age, image is king, and both men are desperate to out-talk and upstage each other as the cameras roll. The result is the interview that sealed a president’s legacy.”

The New York Times said of the original movie of the same name, “Structured as a prize fight between two starkly ambitious men in professional crisis, ‘Frost/Nixon’ makes it clear that the competitor who controls the camera reaps the spoils.” N.C. Stage noted that the show contains “discretionary content — adult language.” For tickets, visit www.ncstage.org or call 239-0263.

AUBREY LOGAN CONCERT, 8 p.m., The Foundation Performing Arts Center, Isothermal Community College, Spindale. Aubrey Logan will perform in concert. She is best-known for her unique swing-tinged, trombone-laced pop performances with the band Postmodern Jukebox.

“Logan captivates audiences with her nothingheld-back, multi-octave vocals,” a Foundation promotion noted. For tickets, visit FoundationShows.org, or call 286-9990.

“THE HOUND OF THE BASKERVILLES” SHOW, 8 p.m., mainstage, Flat Rock Playhouse, Flat Rock. “The Hound of the Baskervilles” will be performed through Nov. 17. Regarding the show, the FRP noted, “ This adaptation of the classic crime novel written by Sir Arthur Conan Doyle featuring the detective Sherlock Holmes is a fast-paced, wild ride through the fog-shrouded

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moors of England. Three actors portray over 15 characters with lightning fast precision in this highly praised thriller.” Showtimes vary. For tickets, which are $20-$52 call the box office at 693-0731 or visit www.flatrockplayhouse.org.

Friday, Nov. 2

BLINDSIDE PERFORMANCE, 7 p.m., Diana Wortham Theatre, Pack Square, downtown Asheville. The Blindside show will be performed.

For tickets, visit Ticketmaster.com, visit the TWA box office or call the box office at (800) 745-3000.

DOUBLE-FEATURE, 7:30 p.m., second stage, Hendersonville Community Theatre, 229 S. Washington St., downtown Hendersonville. A double-feature — “The Love Talker” and “A Ghost Story” — will be performed through Nov. 4. The Nov. 3 show is at 7:30 p.m. — and the Nov. 4 show is at 2 p.m.. Regarding the shows, the HCT noted, “‘The Love Talker,’ an eerie and sensual play set in an age when strange spirits walked the earth and magic was all around. In ‘A Ghost Story,’ two hikers, Oswald and Hackett, seek shelter from a winter blizzard in an isolated Maine cabin.” For tickets, visit hendersonvilletheatre.org, or call 692-1082.

BOB DYLAN CONCERT, 8 p.m., Thomas Wolfe Auditorium, U.S. Cellular Center downtown Asheville. Iconic folk-rock singer-songwriter Bob Dylan and His Band will perform. Dylan has received Grammy, Academy and Golden Globe awards, as well as the Presidential Medal of Freedom and the Nobel Prize for Literature. For tickets, visit the box office, visit online at Ticketmaster.com or call (800) 745-3000.

Monday, Nov. 5

COUNCIL CONVERSATIONS, 6-7 p.m., Ebenezer Baptist Church, 2557 Chimney Rock Road, Hendersonville. Hendersonville City Council will be holding the third in its Council Conversations series of five community meetings. The meeting’s host will be Councilman Jeff Miller.

The meetings are intended to improve communications between council and Hendersonville residents. City Manager John Connet and staff will be in attendance to help answer questions or provide information. “The council has made it a priority to meet with our citizens to discuss our vision for the community and receive feedback about what we are doing well and what we can improve on,” Hendersonville Mayor Barbara Volk was quoted as saying recently in the Hendersonville Lightning newspaper. “We believe the best way to do this is to get out of City Hall and meet our residents in or near their neighborhoods.”

The meetings will be limited to one hour.

See CALENDAR, Page B3

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Asheville Daily Planet - November 2018 - B3

Website photo

Kris Kristofferson will perform in concert at 9 p.m. Nov. 9 in the Event Center at Harrah’s Cherokee Casino Resort in Cherokee.

Calendar of Events

Continued from Page B2

Tuesday, Nov. 6

WORLD AFFAIRS COUNCIL LECTURE, 7:30 p.m., Manheimer Room, Reuter Center, UNC Asheville. “The New Silk Road: China’s Influence and Expansion Into Africa” will be addressed

by Lina Benabdallah, an assistant professor of politics and international affairs at Wake Forest University. Her research has been quoted in The Washington Post and The New York Times and she is a contributing editor to “Africa Is a Country.” She is an executive board member of the Chinese in African/Africans in China network.

Admission is $10 for the public and free to members of the WAC and UNCA students.

Friday, Nov. 9

STEVEN STILLS & JUDY COLLINS CONCERT, 8 p.m., The Peace Center, Greenville, S.C. Folkrock-music icons Steven Stills and Judy Collins will perform in concert. For tickets, call (800) 888-7768 or visit www.peacecenter.org.

KRIS KRISTOFFERSON CONCERT, 9 p.m., Event Center, Harrah’s Cherokee Resort. Kris Kristofferson & the Strangers will perform in concert. For tickets, visit Ticketmaster.com, visit the TWA box office or call the box office at (800) 745-3000.

Saturday, Nov. 10

THE HIGHWAYMEN TRIBUTE CONCERT, 8 p.m., The Foundation Performing Arts Center, Isothermal Community College, Spindale. The Highway Men: A Musical Salute will perform the music of the trio that included Willie Nelson, Waylon Jennings and Johnny Cash. For tickets, visit FoundationShows.org, or call 286-9990.

THE WILLIS CLAN CONCERT, 7:30 p.m., Smoky Mountain Center for the Performing Arts, 1028 Georgia Rd., Franklin. The Willis Clan — 12 brothers and sisters from Tennessee who have become regulars on the Grand Ole Opry — will perform in concert. For tickets, which are $21 and $26, visit www.greatmountainmusic.com.

ASHEVILLE SYMPHONY ORCHESTRA CONCERT, 8 p.m., Thomas Wolfe Auditorium, downtown Asheville. The ASO will perform “Masterworks 2: Mozart,” under its new conductor, Darko Butorac, and featuring Adele Anthony on violin.

Wednesday, Nov. 14

ROY ORBISON HOLOGRAM CONCERT, 7:30 p.m., Concert hall, The Peace Center, Greenville, S.C. The Hologram Tour, featuring the late Roy Orbison, will be performed. For tickets, call (800) 888-7768 or visit www.peacecenter.org.

Thursday, Nov. 15

“TEATRO” BROADWAY TRIBUTE CONCERT, 7:30 p.m., Flat Rock Playhouse’s downtown Hendersonville venue, 125 S. Main St., downtown Hendersonville. The tribute show “Teatro” will be performed at 7:30 Nov. 15 and at 2 and 8 p.m. Nov. 17. Regarding the show, the FRP

noted, “Often billed as theatre’s first supergroup, ‘Teatro’ will take you on a musical journey through the greatest songs of Broadway. With extensive credits on Broadway and London’s West End, the phenomenally talented men of Teatro are sure to delight and entertain. ‘Teatro’ has had the extraordinary pleasure of performing in concerts throughout England and the United States, as well as in Egypt, the United Arab Emirates, Romania and Scotland, among others. In addition, Teatro has had the unbelievable honor of performing for, and personally meeting, Her Majesty The Queen of England. Do not miss this Western North Carolina debut!” For tickets, which begin at $35, call the box office at 6930731 or visit www.flatrockplayhouse.org.

BALLET FOLKLORICO DE MEXICO PERFORMANCE, 7:30 p.m., Concert Hall, The Peace Center, Greenville, S.C. Ballet Folklorico de Mexico, comprised of 76 folk dancers, will perform. For tickets, which are $15-$55, call (800) 888-7768 or visit www.peacecenter.org.

Friday, Nov. 16

BELLAMY BROTHERS CONCERT, 7:30 p.m., Smoky Mountain Center for the Performing Arts, 1028 Georgia Rd., Franklin. The Bellamy Brothers will perform in concert. Regarding the duo, the SMCPA noted, “For more than 30 years, the Bellamy Brothers have been the unassuming picture of consistency in country music, crafting honest, heartfelt songs that connect with millions of listeners around the world. Even more remarkable is the fact that they’ve remained relevant in a genre that has become increasingly enamored with style over substance and fleeting celebrity over artistic vision.”

For tickets, which are $25, $30 and $35, visit www. greatmountainmusic.com.

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Saturday, Nov. 17

ASHEVILLE SYMPHONY ORCHESTRA CONCERT, 8 p.m., Thomas Wolfe Auditorium, downtown Asheville. The ASO will perform “Masterworks 3: Gershwin” under its new conductor, Darko Butorac, and featuring Aaron Diehl on piano. For tickets, visit ashevillesymphonyorchestra.org.

PETER YARROW CONCERT, 8 p.m., Diana Wortham Theatre, Pack Square, downtown Asheville. A concert featuring Peter Yarrow will pay tribute to the iconic 1960s folk-music trio of which he was a member — Peter, Paul and Mary.

Sunday, Nov. 18

DORRANCE DANCE PERFORMANCE, 3 p.m., Concert Hall, The Peace Center, Greenville, S.C. Dorrance Dance, an award-winning dance company that aims to honor and expand America’s original art form — tap dance — will perform.

For tickets, which are $35-$55, call (800) 8887768 or visit www.peacecenter.org.

See CALENDAR, Page B6

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B4 — November 2018 — Asheville Daily Planet

Asheville Daily Planet — November 2018 — B5

B6 — November 2018 — Asheville Daily Planet

The Bellamy Brothers will perform in concert at 7:30 p.m. Nov. 16 at the Smoky Mountain Center for the Performing Arts in Franklin.

Sat., November 17th

Website photo

Calendar of Events Continued from Page B3

Monday, Nov. 19

COUNCIL CONVERSATIONS, 6-7 p.m., Henderson County Health Sciences Center, Room 2003, Sixth Avenue West, Hendersonville. Hendersonville City Council will be holding the fourth in its Council Conversations series of five community meetings. The meeting’s host will be Councilman Jerry Smith.

The meetings are intended to improve communications between council and Hendersonville residents. City Manager John Connet and staff will be in attendance to help answer questions or provide information.

Wednesday, Nov. 21

performed through Dec 22. Regarding the show, the FRP noted, “If you loved A Flat Rock Playhouse Christmas in 2017 you will not want to miss this all-new production in 2018! Come enjoy your favorite holiday songs as we journey through the streets of a bustling city all the way to the winter wonderlands we dream of at Christmas. Featuring an all-star cast from all over the U.S.A., Studio 52 students, The Flat Rock Playhouse Chorus, dancers from Pat’s School of Dance and children choirs from the surrounding four counties. This new production will be sure to dazzle your whole family this holiday season!” Showtimes vary.

For tickets, which are $17-$55, call the box office at 693-0731 or visit www.flatrockplayhouse.org.

See CALENDAR, Page B7

MOODY BLUES TRIBUTE SHOW, 8:30 p.m., Isis Music Hall, West Asheville. The Lost Chord, an Asheville-based Moody Blues tribute band, will perform in concert. Doors open at 7 p.m. The show, saluting the 50th anniversary of the release of the Moody Blues’ iconic album, “In Search of the Lost Chord,” will feature a rendition of every song on the album.

Saturday, Nov. 24

JOHN BERRY CHRISTMAS CONCERT, 7:30 p.m., Smoky Mountain Center for the Performing Arts, 1028 Georgia Rd., Franklin. Singer-songwriter John Berry will perform in concert. Regarding Berry, the SMCPA noted that he “has a new outlook, a new address and a new beginning... His annual Christmas tours brighten the holidays for thousands, as does his electrifying rendition of ‘O’ Holy Night.’” For tickets, which are $25, $30 and $35, visit www.greatmountainmusic.com.

Wednesday, Nov. 28

“IT’S A WONDERFUL LIFE” PRODUCTION , 7:30 p.m., N.C. Stage Co., 15 Stage Lane, downtown Asheville. The N.C. Stage Co. will present its production of “Live From WVL Radio Theatre: It’s A Wonderful Life” through Dec. 16. Wednesday through Saturday shows are at 7:30 p.m. Sunday matinees are at 2 p.m. Regarding the show, the N.C. Stage Co. noted, “This fresh adaptation of the film is set in the fictional studio of WVL Radio Theatre, which is struggling to stay on the air one snowy winter’s night. The professional voice actors are unable to get to the studio, but the show must go on—and so a small but intrepid band of employees manages to create the story’s dozens of characters and scenes using just their voices and some everyday household items for sound effects.” For tickets, visit www.ncstage.org or call 239-0263.

Thursday, Nov. 29

“A FLAT ROCK PLAYHOUSE CHRISTMAS” SHOW, 8 p.m., mainstage, Flat Rock Playhouse, Flat Rock. “The Hound of the Baskervilles” will be

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Asheville Daily Planet - November 2018 - B7

Calendar

Continued from Page B6

Friday, Nov. 30

Disco photo collage courtesy of FLAT ROCK PLAYHOUSE

Entertainers clockwise from top left are KC & The Sunshine Band, the BeeGees, Kool & the Gang and actor John Travolta in a scene from the 1977 film “Saturday Night Fever.”

‘Disco’

Continued from Page B1 Besides “Last Dance,” memorable second-set songs included “Disco Inferno,” “You Should Be Dancing,” “Ring My Bell,” “Knock on Wood,” “Funkytown,” “Hot Stuff,” “September” and “I Will Survive.”

Besides the top-notch vocals and stellar backup musicianship by the band, the show’s highlights included excellent choreography and stage-craft by the vocalists, along with occasional background information they provided on the genre of music and some of the most famous disco singers.

Another positive was the projection of pictures of the performers on the walls behind the band during performances of that particular entertainer’s hits.

A disappointment was the sparsity of songs by the Bee Gees. However, given the talents of the vocal quartet in singing more mainstream disco songs, avoiding attempts at renditions of more of the quirky and high-pitched songs of the Bee Gees may have been wise, as they are so difficult to perform.

Another glaring omission was the absence of the O’Jays’ much-beloved 1976 disco classic, “Love Train.”

A particularly funny bit in the show was when one of the vocalists asked the others on stage to name the place that was the “most far out” in which each had performed.

Xmas Jam

Continued from Page B1 Haynes also announced two corollary events: Xmas Jam By Day shows will occur throughout Asheville and “feature special collaborations alongside some of the best local musicians plus the annual art show,” while Before The Jam, Lend A Hand will allow “fans, staff and artists [to] come together and volunteer to help build the houses made possible by Christmas Jam donations.”

Pre-sale tickets, including a limited amount of discounted two-day passes and VIP/travel packages, are available, as are general tickets.

Gov’t Mule, The Avett Brothers, Phish’s Trey Anastasio and Margo Price appeared at the 2017 Christmas Jam. Previous performers include the Allman Brothers Band, Jackson Browne, Coheed

HOLIDAY CONCERT, 7:30 p.m., The Foundation Performing Arts Center, Isothermal Community College, Spindale. The Foundation’s annual Holiday Concert will be performed by the Symphony of Rutherford County. For tickets, visit FoundationShows.org, or call 286-9990.

“NUNCRACKERS” CHRISTMAS STAGE PLAY, 7:30 p.m., Main Stage, Hendersonville Community Theatre, 229 S. Washington St., Hendersonville. The HCT will perform “Nuncrackers” through Dec. 16. Regarding the plot, the HCT noted, “Mount Saint Helen’s nuns are putting on a Christmas show, which is an original ballet based on ‘The Nutcracker.’ The show is filled with the traditional ‘nunsense humor’ and oneliners that have made the ‘Nunsense’ shows so popular.” Showtimes are 7:30 p.m. Fridays and Saturdays and 2 p.m. Sundays. For tickets, visit hendersonvilletheatre.org, or call 692-1082.

CALIDORE SRING QUARTET CONCERT , 8 p.m., Unitarian Universalist Congregation of Asehville, 1 Edwin Place, North Asehville. The Calidore String Quartet will perform. for tickets, visit www.AshevilleChamberMusic.org or call Sarah McAllinn at 575-7427.

Monday, Dec. 3

COUNCIL CONVERSATIONS, 6-7 p.m., Henderson County Chamber of Commerce, 204 Kanuga Road, Hendersonville. Hendersonville City Council will be holding the fifth — and last — in its Council Conversations series of five community meetings. The meeting’s host will be Councilman Steve Caraker. The meetings are intended to improve communications between council and Hendersonville residents. City Manager John Connet and staff will be in attendance to help answer questions or provide information.

Special phto courtesy of FLAT ROCK PLAYHOUSE

A pulsating and spinning purpleviolet glow disco ball, composed of cubes with shiny streaks of light and shards of crystals, rotates around in circles, reflecting light rays above the “Disco” tribute show in “Funkytown,” aka Hendersonville.

Three of the singers volunteered St. Petersburg, Russia; Dubai, UAE; and Iceland.

Not to be outdone, one singer blurted out that he had played in ... “Funkytown,” as the group launched into a rousing version of Lipps Inc.’s 1979 disco classic, “Funkytown” triggering energized and amusing antics from the dancing audience members.

& Cambria, Sheryl Crow, Peter Frampton, Dave Matthews, Steve Miller Band and Bob Weir.

Haynes, an Asheville native, first organized the event in December 1988, with the line-ups and overall scope expanding over the past three decades. The singer-guitarist has partnered with Asheville Area Habitat for Humanity for the past 20 editions, raising over $2.3 million for the organization.

The following is the Warren Haynes’ 2018 Christmas Jam Lineup (in alphabetical order): • Dec. 7 — Dark Side of the Mule, Grace Potter, Jamey Johnson, Marco Benevento and Mike Gordon.

• Dec 8 — Dave Grohl and Friends play “Play,” Eric Church, Gov’t Mule, Jim James and Joe Bonamassa.

Thursday, Dec. 6

“THE NUTCRACKER” PERFORMANCE, 9 a.m., Diana Wortham Theare, Pack Square, downtown Asheville. The Asheville Ballet will perform its entire production of the holiday classic “The Nutcracker” for local schoolchidlren. Seating is limited. For reservations, call or email Ann Dunn, director, at 215-3728 or adunn@unca.edu.

Sunday, Dec. 9

“DON QUIXOTE” BALLET PERFORMANCE ON FILM, 3-5 p.m., Bardo Arts Center, Western Carolina University, Cullowee. The BAC Sunday Cinema Series will feature the Bolshoi Ballet in Moscow — filmed on April 10, 2016 — performing Miguel de Cervantes literary classic “Don Quixote.” Regarding the production, WCU noted, “Inspired by heroic stories of brave knights, Don Quixote of La Mancha and his faithful servant Sancho Panza set out on an adventure to meet his ideal woman, Dulcinea. Cervantes’ hero comes to life in the Bolshoi’s critically acclaimed staging of this exalting performance.Single tickets are $15 for adults, $10 for seniors (ages 65 and older) and WCU students and faculty, and $5 for students. To reserve tickets, call 227-ARTS or visit bardoartscenter.wcu.edu.

Saturday, Jan. 19

AIR SUPPLY CONCERT, 7:30 p.m., Event Center, Harrah’s Cherokee Resort. The duo Air Supply will perform in concert. For tickets, visit Ticketmaster.com, visit the TWA box office or call the box office at (800) 745-3000.

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B8 - November 2018 - Asheville Daily Planet