Good day and welcome to DKos Asheville. This is the weekly DKos Asheville Open Thread for Sunday January 14th, 2022.
This space appears each weekend to give readers a variety of links to local and regional news of interest, and open the floor for comment and discussion. Wishing all a good day from beautiful Western North Carolina.
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Mountain Express, Justin McGuire, 1/13/2023
In January 1962, The Asheville Citizen editorial board took a controversial stance. “We’re convinced it’s time to remove the Zeb Vance monument,” the paper wrote.
The board wasn’t alone in wanting to take the 75-foot-tall obelisk out of Pack Square, where it had stood since 1898. The proposal had originated with the Central Asheville Association, which had first broached the subject in 1958.
But unlike 21st-century debates over the monument — which ultimately led to its removal in May 2021 — the 1962 controversy had nothing to do with Vance’s role as a Confederate officer and slaveholder. It was about parking. The idea was to convert the public square east of the monument into an off-street parking area with 36 spaces. “Properly beautified, the area could become a show spot,” the Citizen opined. “Properly utilized, it could be a means of easing traffic flow.”
The proposal met with a chilly reception from City Council and went nowhere. But members did agree Pack Square needed some sprucing up. “Shrubbery and a fountain would make the square a real beauty spot,” Councilman William F. Algary said, according to the paper.
If that sentiment seems familiar, it should. For more than six decades, the revitalization of Pack Square has been a recurring concern for elected officials and business leaders trying to draw people to the heart of the city. Some ideas died quickly; others dramatically transformed the area into what it is today.
WSPA, Robert Cox, 1/13/2023
- Asheville Regional Airport set a record in 2022 for the most passengers served in a single year at the airport.
- More than 1.8 million passengers flew through the airport last year, a 29 percent increase over 2021.
- Traffic is up more than 160% from 2020 when the COVID-19 pandemic decimated air travel in the United States.
- Passenger air traffic at AVL is up nearly 14% from the pre-pandemic levels in 2019.
“The airport continues to be an anchor organization in western North Carolina, providing global connectivity for residents and visitors, as well as contributing to the economic vitality of the entire region,” said airport President and CEO Lew Bleiweis in a statement. “Our growth is linked directly to our local travelers’ willingness to fly from their local airport, the commitment our airline partners have made to serve our region and grow their air service, and to the increasing popularity of the area as a nationally known travel destination. Now the third-busiest airport in the state, the impact of our airport continues to expand, which is very good for our region.”
Six commercial airlines fly to Asheville Regional Airport with non-stop service to 25 airports around the country.
Mountain Express, Thomas Calder, 1/8/2023
Author — This week’s Mountain Express features archive editorial cartoons from 1923 covering subjects about Asheville’s growth at the time. The following year, that engine of growth, along with the rest of the world’s, started to break down. This archive, features thirteen cartoons by cartoonist Billy Borne.
The Great Depression (1929-1939) was an economic shock that impacted most countries across the world. It was a period of economic depression that became evident after a major fall in stock prices in the United States. [1] The economic contagion began around September and led to the Wall Street stock market crash of October 24 (Black Thursday).
Mountain Express — At this point, it’s fair to say Xpress has established an annual tradition — at the start of each year, we look back 100 years to see what issues inspired local cartoonist Billy Borne. For over two decades, beginning in 1907, the illustrator’s works regularly appeared in The Asheville Citizen, offering commentary on current events.
Local topics featured in Borne’s 1923 collection include concerns about the city’s growth, marketing efforts, tourism and hotel development. Sound familiar?
AP, 1/10/2023
You didn’t really think our old friend Madison Cawthorn could stay out of the news did you? Well, now you know.
ASHEVILLE, N.C. (AP) — New U.S. Rep. Chuck Edwards of North Carolina says the office of his predecessor, Madison Cawthorn, left Edwards’ staff unaware of pending constituent requests and government casework before Cawthorn formally left the seat.
Edwards was officially sworn-in over the weekend as a House member representing the 11th Congressional District. Edwards defeated Cawthorn, a pro-Donald Trump firebrand, in the Republican primary last May.
In a news release on Monday, Edwards asked anyone with outstanding or unfinished casework to contact his office because it lacks such information. According to Edwards, Cawthorn’s office didn’t transfer official constituent casework — standard practice for a seat transition — by a Dec. 23 deadline.
“Repeated attempts to reach Congressman Cawthorn and his staff were made over the past month, but no response or action was provided,” the news release said. Cawthorn, who won the 11th District seat in 2020 at age 25, didn’t respond to a text seeking comment Tuesday.
Cawthorn’s two years in office were marked by a series of political and personal errors, including stops by police while driving; being caught with guns at airport checkpoints; calling Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy a “thug;” and the release of videos showing him in sexually suggestive poses.
Thanks for reading and contributing. If you got a little snow, hope you were pleased. This image is from my daughter’s porch in Weaverville at 11:00 this morning.