‘Chasing Rainbows:’ A show that sparkled
Downtown melée involved 20 people
— See REVIEW, Pg. B1
— See Story, Pg. A4
Coal ash spill cited at Skyland — See Story, Pg. A4
ILLE V E H AS ASHEVILLEʼS GREATEST NEWSPAPER
January 2016
Vol. 12, No. 2
An Independent Newspaper Serving Greater Asheville www.ashevilledailyplanet.com FREE
The concert that never was ....
Photo courtesy of FLAT ROCK PLAYHOUSE
A show, “Barbra and Frank: The Concert That Never Was,” was performed in December at Flat Rock Playhouse’s downtown Hendersonville venue. It featured two performers (above) portraying Barbra Streisand and the late Frank Sinatra. A review appears on Page B1.
Going scold turkey
The Advice Goddess Amy Alkon
Q: I have a bad temper, and I’m trying to change. Now when I’m mad, I leave the room to compose myself. Recently, my boyfriend said something that really upset me. Taking a break allowed me to calmly explain that he’d hurt my feelings. He apologized, and I could tell he truly felt bad — much worse than if I had raged on him. Can you explain this? — Formerly Volcanic
Want to know the answer?
See ADVICE GODDESS, Page A6
100-plus jobs at Mission up in air
From Staff Reports More than a hundred doctors and nurses at Mission Health in Asheville learned that their jobs could be in jeopardy after Mission indicated — just before Christmas — that it might sever ties with the company that employs them. Citing concerns about access to care and costs — now that the provider has been acquired by an “out-of-area, for-profit entity,” Mission told the workers that the hospital is looking at alternatives to extending a contract with AllCare Clinical Associates, which is a provider of anesthesia services. The action reportedly was taken swiftly after the nonprofit Mission was made aware that AllCare would be acquired by Surgery Partners. Both are for-profit entities. In a statement, Mission Health President and CEO Ron Paulus said the company is looking at alternatives, including employing its own doctors and nurses, which would sidestep AllCare altogether. Noting that the company already is posting the jobs, Mission said in a statement, “It is likely that we will not continue our agreement with them (AllCare) past April 30.” See MISSION, Page A7
Cellist files a discrimination complaint against symphony
From Staff Reports Months after she was baptized as a Seventh-Day Adventist, a professional South Carolina-based cellist has filed a lawsuit, claiming she later was terminated from her longtime job with the Asheville Symphony Orchestra because of her religious beliefs. Jacqueline Taylor, formerly a tenured principal cellist with the group for 22 years, lost her job after requesting not to work on her Sabbath, according to her civil rights complaint in U.S. District Court for the Western District of North Carolina. The vast majority of similar civil lawsuits never reach trial, Asheville lawyer Grant Osborne told local news media. Meanwhile, four counts in Taylor’s complaint already have been dismissed.
The complaint names four defendants: ASO Executive Director David Whitehill, and three ASO board members, William Gettys, Irene Stoll and Jack Anderson. Taylor was baptized as a Seventh-Day Adventist on Jan. 4, 2014. The faith observes the Sabbath during the 24-hour period from sunset Friday through sunset Saturday. In March 2014, the ASO failed to grant Taylor an excused absence or offer an accommodation for her “firmly held religious belief and practices,” the complaint notes. Later, she was terminated and “lost a source of income, suffered irreparable damages to her professional career and experienced emotional distress.” See CELLIST, Page A7