The mayors of North Carolina’s 26 largest cities released a list of “shovel-ready” projects Friday, saying the construction of roads, public buildings and other infrastructure projects would create 100,000 jobs. Asheville’s list of ready-to-go infrastructure ranged from a $4 million Hendersonville Road sidewalk project to $80,000 for bike racks and lockers. Upgrades to city parks […]
Tag: economy
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Biz: The pinch that stole Christmas?
If economists and retail analysts are to be believed, this holiday shopping season is setting up to be a grim one, thanks to a baleful economy and a precipitous drop in the Consumer Confidence Index, which hit an all-time low in October and is not expected to improve much, if at all, by Christmas. Still […]
The Biz: A living reminder
“I remember eating corn bread and milk every night for dinner.” Such was the snippet of secondhand conversation surreally overheard recently. The speaker, a resplendently dressed elderly woman, was having lunch with her daughter outside a Grove Arcade eatery. It was one of those perfect autumn days, warm with a cool breeze, the city skyline […]
Asheville City Council preview: Oct. 7 special meeting
On what was supposed to be an off week for City Council, it will convene nonetheless in a special meeting to address concerns over local gasoline supply and, more ominously, the potential impacts to the city from the current financial-market meltdown.
Shuler votes ‘no’ on $700 billion bailout plan
Though it’s not over, Rep. Heath Shuler cast a ‘no’ vote on a $700 billion bailout plan on Sept. 29 that supporters say is necessary to stem the economic crisis caused by the implosion of the U.S. financial industry.
Building your business in tough times
For businesspeople who’d like to stave off the economic downturn (at least a bit), an upcoming program at the Asheville Area Chamber of Commerce just might be the ticket.
Water: wishes and wallets
When the mercury hit 90 in June, my green tin roof popped and pinged. The sound sent me reaching for a glass of ice-cold tea, though if I were more Southern belle and less teetotaler, I might have called for a fan and a mint julep. If I were more hip, I’d demand a mojito, […]
Asheville Metro Economy Outlook July 2008
Two economists delivered an annual assessment of the Asheville metro area’s economy on July 23, 2008. Despite the longest-running financial panic in the U.S. since the Great Depression, Asheville and its strong health-services and tourism sectors continue to see sustained economic growth, two economists said Thursday night. Tom Tveidt, director of the Asheville Metro Business […]
Economists: Asheville’s economy keeps on chugging despite national downturn
Despite the longest-running financial panic in the U.S. since the Great Depression, Asheville and its strong health-services and tourism sectors continue to see sustained economic growth, two economists said Thursday night.
Hard times come again
It is, perhaps, a sign of the times: “People are asking us for food more than money or anything else,” says Amy Sawyer, coordinator of Asheville’s Homeless Initiative. “We’re seeing more families, more children, less of the habitually homeless. Some of them still have jobs, and things were tight before, but now they can’t pay […]
Asheville Regional Airport in peril?
Flown recently? No? Join the club. Millions of potential passengers are grounding themselves these days. Their reasons include poor service, too-frequent flight disruptions and dubious security measures that produce interminable waits. Meanwhile, a souring economy and soaring fuel costs are only adding to the travel industry’s woes. That could spell trouble for the Asheville Regional […]
Buncombe Commissioners
Unison Engine Components has been in Asheville for 59 years. Now owned by corporate giant General Electric, the jet-parts manufacturer is in the midst of a $28.5 million expansion, adding 200 jobs to the company’s Sweeten Creek Road plant. Most of the jobs will start at $16 an hour and will include extensive benefits. Up, […]
Buncombe Commissioners
County awards $1.4 million incentive grant
Chamber of Commerce sets up Web site in Mandarin Chinese
In an attempt to reach a booming market, the Asheville Area Chamber of Commerce has set up an economic-development Web site — in Mandarin Chinese.