Our promised rain has barely dampened the sidewalks here, but perhaps another few hundredths are coming before it all moves east and the temperatures (supposedly) plummet. As it's already 62 here, I'm ready.

Happy Easter, #Asheville
#NCwx

RE: https://kolektiva.social/@firestorm/116346370857505543

Our city's independent bookstore needs your help!

My local anticapitalist, antifascist, LGBTQIA+ friendly, anarchist, super ultra crunchy, cooperatively owned, and self described "radical bookstore" is falling on tough times.

Hurricane Helene was a doozy y'all, a ton of small businesses like this are closing with no plans on reopening. The FEMA payments meant to help Asheville and WNC are being bogged down in a bunch of red tape, so many of us haven't seen a dime of them yet, even though some of it is earmarked to help small business. And, although tourism is coming back (and we're very very open for business!) the shock to the system was just too big for a lot of folks.

I've seen long-standing cornerstorne-of-the-neighborhood places just like this wink out of existence without any warning, only to be replaced by exploitative, soul-sucking corporate owned chains run by people who don't even live or pay their taxes in our community. I don't want to keep seeing this happen to the town I grew up in.

These are good people who provide an essential service to our city: being some of the loudest, most outspoken defenders of our human rights, and providing civic minded reading material you won't find anywhere else.

They sell books other people don't want you to read, and that generally means those are books you're obligated to read.

Also, they once hosted the backroom of their bookstore out as a viewing space for a no-budget student film I helped make like a decade ago and they were real cool about it so-long-as everyone we invited to the screening bought a coffee or a book. Do you think Barnes & Nobel would do that? Would Amazon?

Check 'em out! Buy a banned book! Become a sustaining member of one of the best independent bookstores around!

https://firestorm.coop/

#Asheville #WNC #HeleneRecovery #Helene #SmallBusiness #LocalBusiness #ShopLocal #Bookstodon

Tree outside says here.. have some pinkys

#asheville
#nature
#photography

You have GOT to be kidding me.

Mission Hospital in #Asheville snagged the 95 extra beds the state was awarding to the area, even after countless failures of HCA to effectively run this system.

We had 3 other systems vying for these beds, and at least 100 people at the community meeting when we got to talk about which group should be awarded the beds.

This is the worst possible outcome.

#HCA #MissionHospital

https://avlwatchdog.org/despite-multiple-safety-sanctions-mission-hospital-receives-state-approval-to-add-95-more-beds-in-asheville/

The #Asheville Indivisible group is estimating our #NoKings protest on Saturday at 11,000-12,000 people. It was massive.

And it has been completely buried by so much of our media.

#USPol although it was many more places than just here.

Protesters turn out for local ‘No Kings’ protests

Millions of people across the country, including here in our region, took part in ‘No Kings’ protests Saturday.About…
#NewsBeep #News #Topstories #asheville #brevard #Charlotte #city #Clemson #downtowngreenville #Greenville #Headlines #Hendersonville #King #million #nokings #Pendleton #people #protest #protesters #protests #Rally #Spartanburg #TopStories #upstate #Waynesville #westernnorthcarolina
https://www.newsbeep.com/458774/

15 Years Later, Cúrate Is Still Defining Asheville Dining

A lot can change in 15 years—just ask chef Katie Button. “I think about our first cocktail menu. At this point it’s like, ‘Oh my gosh, did we really have that vanilla martini?’” she laughs. Button is the chef and founder of th…
#dining #cooking #diet #food #Dining #Asheville #Cúrate #jamesbeardfoundation #KatieButton #neighborhoodrestaurant
https://www.diningandcooking.com/2574947/15-years-later-curate-is-still-defining-asheville-dining/

#NoKings #Asheville

Just two of the many, many signs here today. People are sick and tired of the chaos.

Protest.

Vote.