Business Notepad

Celebrating women in industry “It’s their night to shine,” says YWCA Marketing DirectorAmi Worthen about the women who will be honored at the 11th annual Tribute to Women in Industry Awards Banquet on Thursday, March 21, 6 p.m. at the Renaissance Asheville Hotel. The TWIN Awards were developed by YWCA staff and volunteers to recognize […]

Notepad

A conference on global justice A free symposium titled “Examining Global Justice: A Consideration of Ethical Economics” will bring together activists, students, environmentalists and others for a daylong look at globalization issues and the global-justice movement. The conference — which will include a series of workshops plus formal presentations by a variety of speakers — […]

Notepad

Group calls for local election reform While media attention focuses on campaign-finance reform at the national and state level, Asheville Citizens for Campaign Finance Reform believes the time is ripe for our community to tackle this difficult issue here and now. To that end, CCFR will hold a 4 p.m. rally on Tuesday, Feb. 26 […]

Notepad

Walking for all of us by Lisa Watters “I want to go for a walk to clear my head. I hope that 2,157 miles will be long enough,” said Karen Grosskreutz in a letter to Mountain Xpress a few days before she began hiking the Appalachian Trail on March 20. Grosskreutz is undertaking this trek […]

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High-tech heaven? by Lisa Watters The Industry Standard, a news magazine covering the Internet economy, has rated Asheville as the number-three place in the U.S. for companies to locate if they “want to get away from it all — but still be part of the action.” That’s good news, says Dave Porter of the Asheville […]

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Canary Coalition picks up steam by Lisa Watters The Canary Coalition — formed last October to address the region’s deteriorating air quality — is quickly developing into a broad-based grassroots movement. A number of other organizations have either joined or endorsed the coalition’s efforts, including the Jackson County Chamber of Commerce, the Jackson County Travel […]

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Support Asheville’s displaced youth by Lisa Watters “Most of us cannot imagine what it is like to be young and homeless, too poor to even buy a soda,” explains 19-year-old Asheville resident Breanna Leslie. “This situation is a reality for a surprising number of young adults in Asheville, many of whom are disrespected and harassed […]

Business Notepad

A new study by Demographics Daily, an on-line publication of American City Business Journals, ranks the Asheville metropolitan area — composed of Buncombe and Madison counties — 26th in the U.S. in terms of small-business vitality. The Asheville metro area scored an overall small-business-vitality index of 138 (100 represents the national average). Defining small businesses […]

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“Keeping the dream alive.” Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. dedicated his life to seeking justice for his fellow human beings. To honor King’s legacy — the dream of a better world — a five-day birthday celebration is being staged in Asheville, running from Friday, Jan. 12. through Wednesday, Jan. 17. The Martin Luther King Association […]

Business Notepad

Biltmore Village — the 12-square-block historic district created by George Vanderbilt between 1896 and 1910, just beyond the entrance to Biltmore Estate — has been in the midst of a building boom in recent months. Happily for history buffs, most of the work has involved restoring old buildings or converting newer ones to the village’s […]

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Dollars for doers by Lisa Watters In the spirit of its namesake — a tenacious herb that persists in growing under the toughest of circumstances — the recently launched Dandelion Fund hopes to encourage and support grassroots, community-based movements struggling for social justice and change in Western North Carolina by providing monthly grants in amounts […]

Peaceful warriors

The Canary Coalition wants clean air in WNC If you’re one of the Western North Carolinians who are growing increasingly frustrated with the quality of air in our region, you’ll be interested to hear about a new grassroots organization called the Canary Coalition. “Our intention is to build a broad-based, mainstream, grassroots movement throughout the […]

The wisdom of a century

Until fairly recently, living to be 100 years old was a rarity. Now, several hundred people in this country reach that milestone every month. According to the U.S. Census Bureau, 70,000 Americans presently hold the distinction of being centenarians, up from 37,000 in 1990 — making them the fastest-growing segment of our population. To commemorate […]

Notepad

Coming next week: Business news In response to requests for more local business coverage, next week’s Notepad will be dedicated entirely to that subject. Send us your reactions and tell us if you’d like to see more business news in Xpress.. by Lisa Watters The great paper mix-up The residents of this fair metropolis were […]