We've said it over and over again -- coal ash is bad. It does the environment no good and it makes people sick.

Which is why when Rhiannon Fionn, the Coal Ash Queen, pitched writing a cover story last year about how Duke Energy is polluting our water with it, we said hell yes. Fionn has been covering coal ash for a long time -- so long, in fact, that she's producing a documentary about it. (You can see clips of it at this screening.)

This afternoon we got word that her CL story, titled "Charlotte is ground zero for coal ash", was named a finalist in the Environmental Reporting category of the Association of Alternative Newsmedia annual contest.

The association received over 920 entries. Judging was conducted by the all-knowing professionals in the Georgetown University Master's in Professional Studies Program in Journalism.

The winner will be announced in July. Until then, we'll dance a happy dance, and send out a hearty cheers to the other altweeklies that were nominated.

Editor’s Note: Kyle Lee passed away on March 6 at the age of 50. He worked at Creative Loafing as production/art director from 1991 to 2003 and returned for a brief stint handling art and web production in 2011-2012. We asked Ann Wicker, former CL managing editor who worked closely with Kyle for over a decade, to write a few words commemorating his time at the Loaf.

Over the last week as word spread about Kyle Lee’s death, his friends expressed shock, dismay and sadness — and an outpouring of concern for his family, especially wife Candace.

This concern was a perfect reflection of Kyle. He always thought about family and friends first.

We worked together at Creative Loafing for 10 years give or take. He was a talented graphic artist — I loved laying out newspaper pages with him. He could always make what we envisioned happen. He had a gift for design of both pages and ads, which in the newspaper business endeared him to both the editorial side and the advertising side. And that — believe me — was no small feat.

Kyle had a knack with computers and seemed to be able to make the recalcitrant machines we had back in the 1990s behave most of the time. He was also a talented guitarist and music lover. Sometimes folks who are creative aren’t practical, but Kyle could also help fix the brakes on your car.

He had a way of focusing on solutions, rather than problems, which served him well in the newspaper business and in life.

Personally, I regret that I hadn’t seen him in a while. I’d sometimes run into him at the grocery store, and we’d catch up. I will miss his warmth, his smile and his ability to connect with almost anyone.

Happy trails, dear friend.

— Ann Wicker
Associate Editor, 1991-1999
Managing Editor, 1999-2003

Good news: We’re hiring! Is this you?

Your new title: NEWS WRITER

WHO you are: A writer who’s hungry for news, eager to challenge the city you live in, with some published clips under your belt (college, etc.) who's ready to hit the ground running

WHAT are you great at: Research, combing public records, asking the right questions, writing across multiple platforms (but especially love long form), putting a face on social issues and occasionally being snarky

WHERE do you live: Charlotte or nearby. Or you at least know the city pretty well

WHEN should you send your cover letter, resume and three samples of writing: As soon as possible

WHY do you want this job: Because you want to impact the community with your writing. Oh, and you love Creative Loafing

HOW experienced are you: You've got at least one to three years of writing behind you. It's an ideal gig for someone who's about to graduate or is fresh out of college.

Email your materials to backtalk@clclt.com with the subject line: HIRE ME I'M A NEWSIE. No phone calls. Qualified candidates will be contacted about an interview.

Helloooooo, 2015! We here at Creative Loafing resolve to continue to pay attention to Charlotte, its people and their stories. In a few weeks, we'll publish our "People to Watch" edition, in which we'll feature 15 locals whom we think will make some impact on Charlotte.

And we'd love to hear your thoughts.

Farewell, 2014. As we carb up for tonight and consider all the chocolate we must throw out tomorrow, let's take one final look at the year that was, via the stories on our website.

(This list excludes the sex-y stuff. If you're interested, though, this story and this story got lots — and I mean lots — of traffic.)

1. Our big-ass list of New Year's Eve parties happening tonight in Charlotte.

2. Another big-ass list: We offered you 20 places to do brunch.

3. It's a few years old, but our compilation of the 20 greatest rock films ever made still gets lots of traffic.

“We forgot to pay our heat bill.”

No, Creative Loafing did not really forget to pay its power bill. But we editors are struck by language, especially those lines that suggest there’s more to a story than what’s confined within a few words. Who forgot to pay the heat bill? How much was it? Are there enough blankets to keep you/them/us warm?

If that line intrigues you, we welcome you to enter our third annual flash fiction contest. We’re looking for creative short stories with a fully developed narrative arc (including a climax), in 1,000 words or less.

*UPDATE*
RSVPing for this event is now closed. Thanks for your support!

We recently published a story that provides an introspective look at the struggles within Charlotte’s African-American cultural scene. The story has generated numerous discussions on social media and in social circles around the city. Now, it’s your chance to talk about where we go from here.

Welcome to our second annual reader-submitted photo contest. Last year, we launched Filtered as a way to showcase some of the Charlotte area's talented local photographers, and we're back at it again.