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Jason Sandford

Jason Sandford is a reporter, writer, blogger and photographer interested in all things Asheville.

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More of what’s floating around, including an impending decision on the Asheville water system, and much more:

-Asheville City Councilman Gordon Smith said Monday night that the N.C. Supreme Court decision on control of the Asheville water system may come on Friday, the date of the court’s next filing and the last of this year. The state’s high court heard arguments in the case back in the spring. In 2013, the N.C. General Assembly approved legislation mandating that control of the water system move from the city of Asheville to a regional water authority. The city went to court, and won a decision before the state Court of Appeals overturned it.

-Chris Rock is coming to Harrah’s Cherokee Casino on May 25. Tickets are on sale Friday. Call 1-800-745-3000 or visit Ticketmaster.com.

-Demolition is well underway on a large warehouse on Lyman Street in the River Arts District that was painted by a group of mural artists earlier this year. Much of the outer wall that’s covered in art has been left intact.

-Daggits Pawn Shop at 476 Haywood Road in West Asheville is going out of business, according to a big sign draped on the front of the business.

-Across Haywood Road from Daggits, the building that’s home to Color TV & Friendly Pawn is under contract to be sold. The building was put up for sale earlier this year.

-Word on the street is that Asheville restaurateur and Chef Reza Setayesh may be getting back into the restaurant business. He’s apparently been eyeing the former Barleycorn restaurant location on Haywood Road. Setayesh first opened Rezaz in 2002 in Biltmore Village. Locals flocked to the upscale eatery for his delicious Mediterranean food. He went on to open Enoteca next door to Rezaz, and then Piazza in Fairview. Setayesh sold Rezaz to two long-time employees last year to focus on helping his children’s music career. More as I get it.

-After three decades of service to public radio audiences in Western North Carolina, WCQS Music Director Dick Kowal has announced he will retire at the end of April 2017, according to a press release. Here’s more:

Dick joined WCQS in 1986 when it was still a fledgling station. In the years since, the station has become an essential arts and culture resource for the region.

Reflecting on his career Dick said, “For more than 30 years I’ve had the enormous opportunity to share some of the world’s greatest and most inspiring music with an appreciative, inquisitive and ever-growing audience. I’ve also been fortunate to work, as either an interviewer or audio engineer, with hundreds of the artists and performers who make Western North Carolina the culturally rich area that it is. The music and the people have enriched my life beyond measure.”

-A new restaurant called Pete’s Pies opens Friday in downtown Asheville in the Lexington Avenue courtyard, in the former Creperie Bouchon space. Check out the Mountain Xpress story about Pete’s Pies.

-Sky Zone trampoline park is opening in February, according to the Asheville Citizen-Times.

-The third annual “Winter’s Tune: Music to Warm an Appalachian Night” concert will be held at 7 p.m. on Friday, Dec. 9 in Broyhill Chapel, according to a press release. More:

Tickets are $15 in advance and $18 at the door. Advance tickets may be purchased at www.LunsfordFestival.com. The event will showcase songwriters from Madison County and raise awareness and funds for a local preservation organization. The concert is presented by Mars Hill University’s Liston B. Ramsey Center for Regional Studies.

Featured performers include Joe Penland, Brooke and George Buckner, Andy Buckner, Hannah Furgiuele, Ashley Heath, Nikki Reid, and Pierce Edens. Furgiuele, who is program coordinator for the Ramsey Center, said this year’s Winter’s Tune will feature a mix of genres. Penland, known for his singing of old love songs, also is a prolific songwriter who draws inspiration from his home in Madison County. He says, “I think the majority of people here in the mountains have created a poem or song in their lifetime.”

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Jason Sandford

Jason Sandford is a reporter, writer, blogger and photographer interested in all things Asheville.

  • 1

2 Comments

  1. Barry Summers December 7, 2016

    Jason – I’m hearing that the Supreme Court opinion on the Asheville water lawsuit has been delayed yet again. Not likely to come out until Dec. 21st, if then.

    Reply
  2. David December 6, 2016

    Oh man, I hope Reza opens in West Asheville and I hope he brings persian food with him!

    Reply

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