3 ramps have been closed. It's to enable construction of the I-26 Connector. I'm not a huge fan of NCDOT, but in planning for construction of the connector they do seem have tried to mitigate the impacts to I-26, I-240 & Patton Ave. At least they are almost finished with the I-26 work down to Hendo!
Electing @jamie.agerforcongress.com in NC-11 in November will show that even in the face of partisan gerrymandering across NC by the state GOP, we can still elect an authentic candidate who truly has the best interests of the citizens of WNC as his mission.
We should be talking about BOTH, because members of the Mar-a-Lago Mafia have made millions off of the stock market, including oil futures, using insider info about tRump's plans for on-and-off again actions during the Iran war. That kind of grift trickles down & hurts everyone else in our economy.
Just don't tell anybody. It'll be our little secret.
It really depends on your group's food prefs & what sort of vibe you're looking for. A great balanced lunch spot with a varied menu & good bar selections is Twisted Laurel along Pack Square. For a lite lunch, try Brü Gastro Café on Biltmore. Somebody mentioned White Duck Tacos, which is always good.
Am I the only one who thinks the name of the woman behind this week's national bible reading event, Bunni Pounds, sounds like the name of a porn star or drag queen?
www.politico.com/news/2026/04...
Photo: Donald tRump, shown here with his handmaid.
With them it's all about "God and Guns!", until someone uses the gun, then it's just about God.
Parental rights? Parents who want to keep their trans children safe from depression or committing suicide are told by the State they can't give their own children life-saving hormone treatments. The right-wingers say they want government to stay out of people's lives - except to enforce their rules!
That area is starting to look better than it did before the flood, although there are some empty lots now.
Who in their right mind can read screeds like this and not realize that tRump has lost the oars to his boat?
Senator Ossoff is right that the flawed Citizens United ruling by SCOTUS has fueled corruption in American politics at levels not seen since at least The Gilded Age. It has afflicted both parties, although the Mar-a-Lago Mafia has truly mastered the Art of the Steal. We are paying for it every day.
Sometimes Mountain Xpress mentions them. Khan also has a page on one of those other social media sites that many of us abandoned (the one from Meta that sort of rhymes with histogram). 😁
You may have a good point. If we go back to an infamous one from Nottingham: Philip Mark (or Marc), High Sheriff from 1209 to 1224, was known for cruelty & extortion, & was even singled out in the Magna Carta. He was supposedly the inspiration for the Sheriff of Nottingham in the Robin Hood tales.
Was in-line with most Asheville food, so not dirt cheap, but not outrageous either. Very good quality and presentation for a pop-up, too.
I'm not sure what's the cause & what's the effect, but this speaks to the increasing separation of the police from the people they are paid to "protect". They drive armored SUVs. They wear military-style uniforms with bullet-proof kevlar vests & high-power weapons. Not our neighborhood cops anymore.
Chicken karaage with Japanese arugula
Yellow curry butter potato wedges
Kobocha korokke croquettes with katsu
And some more pics of the amazing food! Khan does his pop-ups at various places in Asheville. If this food looks good, be sure to catch his next one (but plan for a long line).
Broiled salmon belly on a rice ball
Chicken thigh yakitori
Yamaneko pop-up at Good Hot Fish in Asheville
Chef Khan Kogure did a pop-up of his Yamaneko (Mountain Cat) Japanese izakaya (pub/street food) concept today at South Slope's Good Hot Fish in Asheville. The line was half-way down the block at one point, and for good reason: yummy food! So nice of Chef Ashley Shanti to share her space.
MAGA & RFK Jr oppose mRNA-based vaccines because they believe they either contain embedded nano-chips or re-program our DNA so that we'll blindly follow the orders of Democratic Socialists.
I'm trying to figure out what makes the MAGAts blindly follow tRump. My guess: they swallowed "stupid pills".
There are many places in the US today, including most of Texas, that appear more like Gilead in The Handmaid's Tale than like a modern, pluralistic, democratic society. But within those same places there's drug addiction, teen & out-of-wedlock pregnancy, domestic & gun violence, divorce. Hypocrisy!
If you haven't been there in the last year or so, a great little distillery opened up in the downtown (near Hillman Brewery). The food at the distillery is really good. I can recommend the Brussel Sprout Caesar salad and the Sweet Potato Burrito (can be done as a bowl, too): www.modernalchemist.com
Most of us can agree the one thing tRump is actually good at is convincing everyone he's unstable.
#MissionAccomplised
Meanwhile, the Republicans were busy privatizing the bus company, awarding the lucrative contract to one of their cronies. The bus drivers are all non-union, part-time, paid minimum wage & provided no benefits. And the bus only stops at private religious schools receiving taxpayer funding.
Personally, I prefer the Gospels of Peter, Paul & Mary.
youtu.be/Ld6fAO4idaI?...
It's where the help goes in the middle of the night to get junk food when the boss has been up all night posting to Truth Social about destroying civilizations or jailing his enemies and they need to entice him to bed with the promise of fat and sugar.
The Pope isn't supporting Iran developing a nuke. He's opposed to all nukes. Corrupt regimes can be brought down thru other means besides killing their leaders & dropping bombs (which so far has proven pretty ineffective anyway). tRump's playbook is always about threats. He's basically a mob boss.
Right-wing White Christian Nationalists worship a different Jesus: Commando Christ. It's Old Testament hellfire & brimstone channeled into New Testament Christ. It's false scripture. The only strength of force Jesus spoke of was love. The only time he lost his temper was with corrupt money changers.
Still, there are far too many INDs & even some DEMs who aren't comfortable with a woman, a LGBT+ person or even a PoC when it comes to the presidency. If it was just about qualifications or the person's character, there would be no question. I guess we'll see soon enough if 2028 brings about change.
The double standard between DEM & GOP candidates could not be more clear. I'm amazed Tony Gonzales (GOP Congressman from Texas) resigned this week over his affair. It was only because of Eric Swalwell's resignation putting more pressure on him. Look at Ken Paxton still in the GOP Senate race.
Cool cat sidewalk chalk drawing from Knoxville TN Chalk Walk April 11, 2026.
Speaking of chalk art: downtown Knoxville TN holds an annual Chalk Walk chalk drawing contest (it was last week, see pic). Some professional artists participate, but also community groups & an area for kids to draw. Would be great if Asheville would do this either in Pack Square Park or in the RAD.
I would love it if by 2028 we are past that point. But if we can't seem to elect a qualified woman, let alone one who is also a PoC, then Americans' narrow-mindedness likely precludes a LGBTQIA2S President anytime soon, too. I'm still amazed a bi-racial man was elected. It may have caused backlash.