Welcome to DKos Asheville
EST 2/13/2011
This space appears each weekend to share links to news and opinion from Asheville and Western North Carolina. The floor is open for comment and discussion. Wishing all a good day from this beautiful part of the world.
“Daily Kos fights for a progressive America by empowering its community and allies with information and tools to directly impact the political process.”
This week’s edition includes two stories on recreational marijuana sales at the Eastern Band of Cherokee Indians’ Qualla Boundary, a 93% vote by nurses at Mission favoring a strike, progress toward changing Clingman’s Dome to it’s traditional Cherokee name of Kuwohee, a City Council candidate profile and a new downtown festival that you can attend today, featuring the Asheville Symphony from 7:00-9:30pm.
Ninety-seven percent of nurses voted in favor of authorizing a strike at Mission Hospital in Asheville over Labor Day weekend. This display of unity does not guarantee a strike will occur, but gives the union’s bargaining team the authority to call a strike if deemed necessary.
This vote has the potential to give the union much more leverage in its negotiations with HCA, the Tennessee-based for-profit hospital chain that acquired the hospital’s parent company, Mission Health, in 2019.
The bargaining team is currently considering a one-day strike. The team must provide the hospital with a 10-day work stoppage notice if the team decides a strike is the only way to move negotiations forward. As long as a new contract is not ratified, the strike vote is current.
The next bargaining session between the union and HCA is scheduled for Monday, Sept. 9.
“We’re hoping that when we go to the bargaining table on the 9th, that HCA sees how serious our nurses are about protecting our patients and our community,” Terri Wilson, a nurse at Mission Health and member of the union’s bargaining team, told Carolina Public Press. “We hope that they have made some movement, and we can come to an agreement on a contract that works for everyone, and that a strike does not have to happen.
After years of discussion, multiple referendums and the establishment of a massive, vertically integrated cannabis industry, this week the Eastern Band of Cherokee Indians will open its marijuana dispensary for recreational sales on the Qualla Boundary, making it the first to open in North Carolina despite the drug being illegal in the state.
The Great Smoky Cannabis Co. will open for adult-use purchases at 10 a.m. on Sept. 7 at 91 Bingo Loop Road in Cherokee, North Carolina. The dispensary will only be accepting customers age 21 and older with a photo ID.
The opening of adult-use sales comes after the Eastern Band held a series of referendums on the issue, eventually approving the sale of recreational marijuana in September 2023. The effort has come with the launch of an expansive independent cannabis farm and regulatory system. Members of the Eastern Band grow, process and sell the product all within the Qualla Boundary, the Eastern Band’s sovereign territory in the far-western counties of Western North Carolina, bordering the Great Smoky Mountains National Park.
The effort is 'geared around' generational wealth, tribe members and employees say.
CHEROKEE – On an overcast August morning, Aaron Queen and Avery Wilnoty pick a trellis off the bright green cannabis stems and flowers on the Cooper’s Creek farm owned by the Eastern Band of Cherokee Indians.
Once Queen and Wilnoty cut the plants, the cannabis is put on a small truck and taken across the 13-acre farm, where it is processed, trimmed and packaged for sale. Some of the plant is processed into a distillate, tested and then sent to the Great Smoky Cannabis Co. Dispensary about 9 miles away to be converted into products like cannabis infused chocolates, beverages and cereal bars.
It’s the lifecycle of the estimated 165,000 cannabis plants on the farm and is key to the massive marijuana play being made by Qualla Enterprises, an Eastern Band-backed company that has created North Carolina’s first medical and recreational marijuana market despite the drug’s illegal status in the state.
To develop their own marijuana company, the project has required the creation of a vertically integrated “seed to sale” market on the Qualla Boundary, the Eastern Band’s sovereign territory in the far-western counties of WNC, bordering the Great Smokies.
CHEROKEE, N.C. – An application to restore the name of Clingman’s Dome, in the Great Smoky Mountains National Park, to its original Cherokee name, Kuwohi (mulberry place), will be heard by the U.S. Board on Geographic Names (BGN) soon.
A spokesperson for the U.S. Geological Survey told the One Feather that the application is scheduled to be on the docket of the BGN meeting on Wednesday, Sept. 18, 2024.
Lavita Hill and Mary “Missy” Crowe, both members of the Eastern Band of Cherokee Indians (EBCI), started this effort in 2022 and have gotten widespread support for the initiative.
Hill told the One Feather on Thursday, July 18, 2024, “We are so proud to have pulled together support from all across the political spectrum for the Kuwohi name restoration. This was never about attacking Thomas Clingman. Rather, we have strong Clingman family support. This was always about recognizing the historical significance of Kuwohi to the Cherokee people.”
Kim Roney and I convene at an outdoor picnic table on the side of BattleCat Coffee Bar in West Asheville.
“This is one of my favorite spots for hiding out,” she says as we begin our conversation — the third in Xpress’ limited series, “On the Record,” in which I meet with individual Asheville City Council candidates, listen to their album of choice and discuss the local arts scene. Unlike my previous two exchanges with Tod Leaven and Kevan Frazier, who are new to politics, Roney currently serves on Council and is seeking reelection.
Her musical selection is Rodriguez’s 1970 album, Cold Fact. The only problem is the Wi-Fi is spotty outside, so we’re having a hard time getting the music to start.
Roney lifts her phone toward the coffeehouse window immediately behind us, but the issue persists. Meanwhile, I ask her about the album’s significance within her life. To my surprise, I learn she and a handful of other Asheville-based musicians toured as Rodriguez’s backup band in 2009.
“I played keys but also the string parts,” she says. “And we didn’t have horn players, so I played the horn sections on keys — which is not ideal.”
From the city’s storied past as a turn-of-the-century boomtown to its current status as a hub of creativity and innovation, the festival aims to celebrate and preserve the unique heritage that makes Asheville a beloved destination. This year, organizers will commemorate the 100th anniversaries of the Jackson Building, J.A. Wilson Building, and Battery Park Hotel; The 105th anniversary of the Basilica of St. Lawrence & Mount Zion Baptist; and the 115th anniversary of the Legal Building. Boomtown FestAVL will immerse attendees in the rich narrative of a city that has continually evolved while honoring its roots.
The festival will bring together an array of artists, musicians, and storytellers, creating an immersive experience that highlights the city’s diverse cultural tapestry. Attendees can look forward to a dynamic lineup of main stage performances, interactive workshops, heritage exhibits, and trail tours that highlight Asheville’s architectural marvels, pioneering figures, and stories of resilience. Join us for an unforgettable celebration that bridges the past and present, fostering a deeper connection to Asheville’s vibrant legacy.
The event is free with RSVP. For more information and a full festival lineup, visit BoomtownFestAVL.com.
Andrew Ellington’s last name holds particular importance in Asheville, and he aims to do right by it.
The Asheville native and great-nephew of architect Douglas Ellington — whose designs during the city’s economic boom in the 1920s include Asheville High School, City Hall and First Baptist Church — has made a mark in the music industry, including as a talent buyer for some of the top venues in Austin, Texas. More recently, he’s stayed busy as a talent agent, representing such hip-hop royalty as GZA, Rakim and Jadakiss, and has broadened his scope by working with such multiday events as SXSW, Austin City Limits Festival and Atlanta’s Imagine Music Festival.
Currently splitting his time between Asheville and Austin, Ellington has created what he calls “a melting pot for all my worlds” with the inaugural Boomtown Arts & Heritage FestAVL, which takes place Friday through Saturday, Sept. 6-7, in Pack Square Park.
Thanks for reading and sharing your thoughts, wishing all a fine weekend.
”Be safe out there” Lamont Cranston
