October 2009

It takes a jerk of the upper body to actually break the heavy, sound-proof door loose and gain access to the room behind it. Inside, Dennis Jones is getting ready to host his first live performance of the day.

By his early 20s, Laura Ellington’s son had exhausted the typical options for people with a mental illness: short-term hospital stays, a day program, medications, psychiatric sessions, group and indiv

Joshua Warren remembers in great detail his most fascinating encounter with a ghost. A large swirling blue-gray mist was just inches from his face.

Maria Rusafova and Jakub Markulis’ home seems to float in the woods. From one angle, the towering red oaks and maples thriving just inches from the structure appear to lift the cube into the canopy with their trunks and elbowy limbs. Steel, rich with a mottled patina of rust, wraps the exterior and frames soaring windows that reach 35 feet into the sky.

Sometimes, as a visitor, you hear a glowing anecdote about a town and think, surely this person is just painting an idyllic picture of the place they call home.

As cool temperatures descend on Western North Carolina, folks are heading to the hills for the best views of autumn foliage.