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Jason Sandford

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

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More of what’s going around at midweek:

-The University of North Carolina system Board of Governors recently approved raises for the university system’s chancellors. In Asheville, UNC Asheville Chancellor Mary Grant, who was hired in January, received a nearly 16 percent pay increase that raises her base pay to $295,000, the Raleigh News & Observer reports.

Buncombe County commissioners on Tuesday gave the go-ahead to plans to re-start construction of the long-stalled Eagle Market Place residential project of the nonprofit Mountain Housing Opportunities at the corner of Eagle and Market streets, reports the Asheville Citizen-Times. The new plan raises rents on half the residential units, which were all originally set to rent at below market rates, to cover rising costs after problems with a faulty concrete slab by a subcontractor, the newspaper reports. The total cost of the project rose from $12.3 million to $14 million.

-A group of Asheville musicians are banding together for a benefit concert, Kai-palooza, on Aug. 8 at The Block Off Biltmore to help an Asheville student, Kai Lendzion, raise tuition to attend film school. Jane Kramer, Jeff Thompson, Ben Phan, Jonathan Santos and Noah Mowatt-Larsen are all performing. Cost is a $5 minimum cover/donation at the door.

-The second annual Asheville Outdoor Show returns to Highland Brewing’s meadow on Sept. 18. The free festival, which features more than 75 booths, live music, games and more, will showcase the latest trends, technologies and innovations in outdoor recreation from top companies including Columbia, Eagles Nest Outfitters, KEEN, Marmot, and others, according to a press release. The event is presented by Diamond Brand and Frugal Backpacker. Sponsors include Blue Ridge Outdoors, Highland Brewing Company, Rock 105.1, and WNC Magazine. There’s more information available online at www.diamondbrand.com/events.

Green Man Brewery is increasing production of their first-ever canned offerings, Wayfarer IPA and Sunseeker Pils, according to a press release. More:

The Asheville brewery released it’s first can, Wayfarer IPA, in March of 2016 and it’s second can, Sunseeker Pils this June. Initially branded as rotating offerings, the brewery has made the decision to continue production of these beers year-round, based on the acclaim that they have received. Both were also originally bottled, but as Green Man has introduced a can program, the style and drinkability of these beers makes them perfect candidates for the first canned options.

Marian Wright Edelman, a legendary fighter for social justice in America and founder and president of the Children’s Defense Fund, will be this year’s keynote speaker for Pisgah Legal Services’ 6th Annual Poverty Forum on Wednesday, Oct. 5, according to a press release. The Forum will be held at Diana Wortham Theatre in downtown Asheville. More:

Edelman has received more than 100 honorary degrees and many awards including the Albert Schweitzer Humanitarian Prize, the Heinz Award, a MacArthur Foundation Prize Fellowship, the Presidential Medal of Freedom, the nation’s highest civilian award, and the Robert F. Kennedy Lifetime Achievement Award.

The October event begins with a cocktail reception at 5:30 pm, and the forum follows at 7:00 pm at the Diana Wortham Theatre in downtown Asheville. Tickets are $50/person for the reception and forum, $15/person for the forum only and are available at www.pisgahlegal.org starting on August 15.

Since 1978, PLS has helped low-income people meet their basic needs, such as protection from domestic violence, avoiding homelessness, finding safe housing, and accessing health care and subsistence income. Pisgah Legal Services has 18 attorneys on staff, and relies heavily on the pro bono legal services of 300+ volunteer attorneys and the help of more than 50 office volunteers. PLS’ main service area includes six counties in WNC, with offices in Asheville, Brevard, Hendersonville, and Rutherfordton. For more information, call Pisgah Legal Services at 828-253-0406 or toll free at 800-489-6144 or go to www.pisgahlegal.org.

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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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4 Comments

  1. indie August 5, 2016

    And folks wonder why tuition has skyrocketed over the past couple decades. Faculty and admin costs are zooming.

    Reply
  2. Santa August 4, 2016

    $295,000 BASE pay? Wow! What does a Chancellor actually do? I ask as a parent struggling to put two daughters through college. This is BASE pay equals the annual tuition of, what, perhaps two dozen students? What do we get for that?

    Reply
    1. Big Al August 5, 2016

      Mainly she uses propaganda to make a factory for potters and poets look like a good deal, when what Asheville and WNC needs are degrees that turn into real jobs.

      Note how many of the local alumni who Luuuuuuvvvved their time studying Art Criticism and Gender Studies at UNCA are now waiting your table and serving your beer, while demanding a “living wage” for a job that high school dropout could do.

      Reply
    2. Nate August 5, 2016

      She runs a fucking university, people, with hundreds and hundreds of employees. It’s like running a big corporation AND being a full-time fundraiser simultaneously. The average college president’s salary is well over $400,000 per year, and her getting $295K is neither bizarre nor unprecedented.

      Also, the top three majors at UNCA are Psychology, Business Administration, and Environmental Studies. Only 6% of students major in art/art studies.

      Reply

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