Jason Sandford
Jason Sandford is a reporter, writer, blogger and photographer interested in all things Asheville.
More of what’s going around:
-The winning film from the Asheville 48 Hour Film Project will be announced at the Fine Arts Theatre on July 13. This year, filmmakers from across Western North Carolina, and beyond, competed to see who could make the best short film in only 48 hours. Asheville had 22 teams of amateur and professional filmmakers inspiring sold-out audiences at the premiere screenings at Asheville Pizza & Brewing. The winner will go up against films from around the world at Filmapalooza 2018 for a chance at the grand prize and an opportunity to screen at the Cannes Film Festival 2018, Court Métrage.
-East Fork Pottery, in partnership with The Campaign for Southern Equality and Chef Sarah Cousler, will be hosting a traditional Filipino feast served family-style at 6 p.m. on July 20 in the Remington Room at Buxton Hall. Tickets are $110 and will include a cocktail, a three-course meal, an East Fork bowl and a great time. Jasmine Beach-Ferrara, the executive director of the Campaign for Southern Equality, will talk about the work her organization is doing to end discrimination in our community and what we can do to help. All proceeds will be donated directly to The Campaign for Southern Equality. This is the first in a series of “one bowl dinners” that East Fork is planning to continue for the rest of the year. Also, this will be the last chance to enjoy some of Chef Sarah Cousler’s food out of the Buxton Hall kitchen. She’s been the sous chef there since the award-winning restaurant opened, but she’s moving on to new adventures. This is the first time she’ll be cooking food from her Filipino heritage (something near and dear to her) in Asheville. Get tickets here.
-Arson charges filed against two teens in connection with last year’s deadly fires in Gatlinburg, Tenn., have been dropped, according to the Knoxville News. The fires, which started in the Great Smoky Mountains National Park just a couple of hours west of Asheville on Nov. 23, killed 14 people and destroyed more than 2,400 business, homes and buildings in the iconic tourist town and surroundings, including Pigeon Forge and the Dollywood amusement park. Earlier this week, officials charged two juveniles with arson in connection with the blaze, was was fueled by drought conditions and 80-mph winds a few days after it started. The fire has been called the worst in Tennessee’s history. The Gatlinburg community has reacted with anger and frustration to the news that charges had been dropped, according to the Knoxville News.
-Jenna Yarosh, owner of Patton Avenue Pet Company, has announced that she’s expanding the store’s original location in West Asheville. Here’s the news:
This fall, my original store in West Asheville will be moving into a larger space… on the same property! Thanks to my absolutely incredible landlord (and now, friend!) Cynthia Roberts, we will have fresh new digs with almost 3 times as much space!
If you’ve ever been to my West Asheville store, you’ve seen the old shed with the dog & cat mural on it. This will be demolished, and a new, 4000 sq ft. structure will be erected in its place! We are so grateful that Cindy believes in us enough to take on this project!
We are so excited for all of the opportunities that this new space will bring us for West Asheville. No longer shall my first store be the smallest, unable to stock all of the wonderful products we are able to in our other locations! No longer will we have to restock the store by carting hundreds of pounds of food in from the climate-controlled shed in the parking lot!
-News obit: Nancy Marlowe, a beloved former reporter and columnist for the Asheville Citizen-Times, has died. She profiled interesting people, with a special interest in health news, for the newspaper for 25 years before retiring in 1997, according to her obituary.
-Milepost 408 Bar has opened at the new Hampton Inn & Suites in Biltmore Village. It features a new, exclusive craft brew from Catawba Brewing, Stay a While Blonde Ale.
-The Asheville law firm Roberts & Stevens, P.A. has announced that firm partner Jacqueline D. Grant is the new president-elect of the North Carolina Bar Association, according to a press release. More:
The NCBA is a statewide organization composed of more than 20,000 lawyers, paralegals and law students. Grant was elected by acclamation on Saturday, June 24, at the 2017 NCBA Annual Meeting in Asheville.
A lifelong Asheville resident, Grant is a partner and litigator with Roberts & Stevens, where she has practiced her entire career.
“I can’t think of a lawyer more deserving of this position than Jackie Grant,” said Roberts & Stevens partner Wyatt Stevens. “Jackie is a model for the rest of the bar to follow. She practices law with a level head, exceptional competence, and the highest ethical standards. She gets outstanding results for her clients and has made a positive difference in our community. We are incredibly proud to have Jackie as a member of our firm.”
Grant attended A.C. Reynolds High School in Asheville, graduated magna cum laude from Western Carolina University in 1992, and received her law degree from the University of North Carolina School of Law in 1995.
When Grant is officially installed as the 124th president of the NCBA in 2018 she will be the first female attorney from Asheville to serve in that role.
Grant served on the NCBA Board of Governors from 2010-2013. She has also served on many of its committees, including the Medico-Legal Liaison Committee, the Delivery of Legal Services Committee, which she has chaired, and the Awards and Recognitions Committee, which she currently co-chairs.
In 2016, Grant was recognized as a recipient of the NCBA’s Citizen Lawyer Award, presented annually in recognition of exemplary community service.
A committed community leader and volunteer, Grant currently serves on the board of directors of Asheville Area Habitat for Humanity and on the Western Carolina University Board of Visitors. She has previously served on the boards of Big Brothers/Big Sisters of Western North Carolina, the City of Asheville Sustainable Economic Development Task Force, the University of North Carolina at Asheville Foundation, YMCA of Western North Carolina, and YWCA of Asheville.
