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Jason Sandford

Jason Sandford is a reporter, writer, blogger and photographer interested in all things Asheville.

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Here’s more of what’s going around:

-Asheville attorney Sean Devereux met with Buncombe County commissioners about and hour and a half on Tuesday evening in a session closed to the public. The meeting is worth noting in the wake of news that federal investigators are looking into former Buncombe County Manager Wanda Greene. The U.S. Attorney’s Office has confirmed that its office is investigating Greene. Devereaux is a crackerjack criminal defense lawyer who in recent years has concentrated on white collar criminal law, with clients including executives from a building contractor involved in a federal bid-rigging investigation and various real estate developers, investors and appraisers, according to his website. Devereaux has also represented public officials, and various professionals who find themselves accused of criminal or administrative law violations, according to his website.

-The Asheville Regional Airport set a record for servicing passengers in July, the Asheville Citizen-Times reported recently. Five airlines served 100,998 passengers for the month. This year marks the third consecutive year of record passenger use of the airport, the newspaper reported.

-The Asheville Tourists hosted 184,019 fans over the course of 68 games this baseball season, the most in the team’s history, the Citizen-Times reports. The largest single-game attendance came at the Tourists’ July Fourth game, which saw 4,271 fans in attendance, according to the newspaper.

-Barrie Barton, a speaking coach and lead facilitator with Stand and Deliver Asheville, is holding her speaker’s learning lab starting Oct. 10, according to a press release. It will be exclusively for women. “Close the Confidence Gap: Speak Authentically, Present Powerfully” is a six-week speaker’s Learning lab for Asheville and Buncombe County area women and will run for six weeks, according to the press release. The cost is $350. Register here. More:

The Lab, which was originally designed for Asheville entrepreneurs who need to pitch and launch their business ventures, has grown to include participants from a wider spectrum: budding creatives, authors, professional speakers, careerists, freshly-promoted managers, and even new hires who simply want to be heard and have what they say hold lasting value and impact.

The 12 women who participate in the Fall Learning Lab will go through six weeks of speaking and presentation training with real-time feedback and woman-to-woman support. They’ll also receive pre- and post-Lab videos of themselves so they can see their progress over this short time. Through weekly personalized recommendations and a handbook for developing speeches as well as writing and editing insights for presentations, each woman will gain her own personal toolbox to calm nervousness and optimize every conversation she has moving forward. Facebook event here.

-Attorney Leah Broker has announced the opening of The Law Office of Leah Broker, P.A. in One Oak Plaza, Suite 201, in downtown Asheville. More from a press release:

Broker has been practicing law in Asheville since 1992, following graduation from The University of North Carolina School of Law. She was most recently the founding partner of Broker and Hamrick, P.A. Broker concentrates her law practice on helping injured and disabled clients throughout western North Carolina obtain much-needed Social Security disability, Medicaid and N.C. workers’ compensation benefits.

In addition to her legal practice, Broker has an established record of service to the community, including pro bono work for Pisgah Legal Services as a Mountain Area Volunteer Lawyer and on the Lawyer on the Line program of the NCBA/ Legal Aid of NC. She also serves on the boards for the Verner Center for Early Learning and the Western Carolina Medical Society Foundation.

-Big Brothers Big Sisters of Western North Carolina will be launching their most expansive recruitment drive to date this fall. It’s called “100 Mentors in 100 Days.” Here’s more from a press release:

Currently, throughout the agency’s ten-county service area, there are over 100 children waiting to be matched with a Big Brother or Big Sister, and due to a constant shortage of mentors, these kids often wait a year before they are finally matched. During the 100-day period starting August 30 and running up to Dec. 8, BBBS’ goal is to provide each of these children with a long-term friend and role model by recruiting at least 100 volunteer mentors as ‘Bigs.’

Qualifying mentors will be professionally matched with a child who shares their interests and personalities to ensure an enduring relationship that will both offer ‘Littles’ the support they need, and reward Bigs with the experience of being an integral part of that young person’s growth and success.

National research has shown that, when compared to their non-mentored peers, Littles show improved performance in school, increased self-confidence and reduced risky behaviors.

“Every time we make a match, we are changing the life of one more young person for the better,” says Big Brother Big Sister of WNC Executive Director Robin Myer, “This fall, if we recruit 100 mentors, then we will empower 100 more young people to thrive inschool and in life—and together we’ll be making a broad-based positive impact on our community as a whole.”

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Jason Sandford

Jason Sandford is a reporter, writer, blogger and photographer interested in all things Asheville.

  • 1

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