◆ Writing for left917

left917

20 pieces


Josh Owen · Oct 2, 2026
No Town Races. Plenty on the Ballot.

Boone's council and mayor wait until 2027. The rest of the ballot does not.

Josh Owen · Oct 1, 2026
The High Country Haint List.

Haunted trails, ghost tours and a live Rocky Horror shadowcast. Everything spooky between here and Oct. 31, updated as the flyers go up.

Birdie · Sep 30, 2026
Lily's Moved the Tables, and Boone's Punks Showed Up

Destructo Disk, Ellie K, and Admiral turned Lily’s Snack Bar into the all-ages punk room Boone keeps saying it doesn’t have.

Josh Owen · Sep 28, 2026
WASU and the last humans picking the next song

College radio is one of the last places where a human picks what plays next. Inside WASU with director Dave Blanks and the students deciding what 90.5 plays.

Birdie · Sep 25, 2026
Dolly, by Birdie

Big hair, bigger heart. Birdie draws Dolly.

Josh Owen · Sep 24, 2026
What Council Did With the Walk at Boone

Boone's apartment rules are built for anybody. The Walk at Boone was built for beds, and council wasn't bending the rules to fit.

Josh Owen · Sep 23, 2026
The Walk at Boone Got Smaller. Council Votes Tonight.

The application council takes up tonight is not the one the Planning Commission recommended denying, 6-0. Landmark filed a revision dated Aug. 24. It reached the public last Friday.

Josh Owen · Sep 21, 2026
If Voting Goes Sideways, There's a Number for That

888-OUR-VOTE connects High Country voters to a real person, not a recording, when something's wrong at the polls.

Storm Bliese · Sep 21, 2026
Say Hello to Storm

The Culture beat's newest byline introduces themself, what they’re into, and what to expect from them.

Josh Owen · Sep 10, 2026
The Manager You Didn't Vote For

You didn't vote for the boss who runs Boone day to day. A search for a permanent one is still happening, and it's the second time in a year.

Josh Owen · Sep 8, 2026
Recess Won't Let Skateboarding Die in Boone

A DIY ramp behind an old high school turned into a decade-long push with three mayors and four town managers. Recess, Boone's skate shop, is almost through round two.

Josh Owen · Sep 4, 2026
The Mask Never Comes Off

Tom Hardy won't admit he's Frankie Pulitzer. The record makes the case anyway.

Josh Owen · Aug 31, 2026
Dead Man’s Bones

Death doesn’t have to be scary.

Josh Owen · Aug 27, 2026
The Jones House Railing Comes Off for the Music

The last show of the summer is Friday, and the porch railing comes off so the bands can play. Two Civil War maples out front are being held up with cables. Keeping all of it protected takes more unpaid work than anyone would guess, and the commission that does it has empty seats.

Josh Owen · Aug 26, 2026
Boone Golf Club Wants Houses on the 9th Fairway

The owners want to sell. Their own filing says the land is worth more as housing than as a golf course. The latest plan keeps all 18 holes and puts about 90 units on the practice range, the old 9th fairway, and two acres off Kellwood Drive. Council hears it informally tonight.

Josh Owen · Aug 22, 2026
Page-Turnable

Three new book sellers turned up in the High Country this summer. Not one of them is selling you a screen.

Josh Owen · Aug 20, 2026
The Document That Decides What Gets Built Next Door

One book in Boone decides how tall a building gets and how many bathrooms go in a four-bedroom. A developer asked to be let out of ten of its rules. The Planning Commission recommended denial, unanimously. The decision is Town Council's.

Josh Owen · Aug 13, 2026
Who's Actually Running This Town?

The mayor gets the photo. Two council seats never saw a ballot. And the job that actually runs Boone has been filled on a temporary basis since December.

Josh Owen · Aug 5, 2026
Thank you, Glen

The Once soundtrack was playing on our first date and again for our first dance. Sadly, the world lost Glen Hansard last week.

Josh Owen · Jul 13, 2026
New champions on the mountain: the 2026 Highland Games heavy-athletics winners

Dee McGillivray and Kyle Lillie topped the heavy athletics as the Games hit 70, rain and all.