Two good concerts coming to Marshall

The Madison County Arts Council will be hosting Hot Rize, featuring Tim O’Brien, Pete “Dr. Banjo” Wernick, Nick Forester and Bryan Sutton, for the band'sonly shows in Western North Carolina at The Madison County Arts Center in Marshall. There will be two shows on Sunday, October 2, at 2:30 & 7:30. For tickets visit www.madisoncountyarts.com or call (828) 649-1301. These shows will be part of a special fundraising week for the Arts Council. Also that week MCAC and Harvest Records will present Bonnie “Prince” Billy in Marshall. Bonnie “Prince” Billy, the stage name for Will Oldham, will play at 8 pm on Oct. 5 at Marshall High Studios. Tickets are $15 in advance and $18 at the doors.

Rabid fox release from Buncombe County

Buncombe County Department of Health officials have confirmed that a fox found dead in Black Mountain has tested positive for rabies. The dead fox was found in the area where a woman was bitten on Saturday. Rabies is easily transmitted among wild animals and unvaccinated pets, so the public has been alerted to watch for any animal that may be behaving strangely such as acting aggressively, stumbling or foaming at the mouth. If such an animal is seen in the Black Mountain area, residents are asked to take children and pets inside and call the Buncombe County Sheriff’s office at 250-6670. Rabies is not unusual among wildlife; however it’s important that steps be taken to prevent exposure to the disease among humans and pets. In North Carolina rabies is most common in raccoons, skunks, and foxes, but has also been found in dogs, cats, horses, cattle, bats and other animals. The Buncombe County Department of Health makes the following recommendations to prevent the spread of rabies: * Vaccinate your pets regularly according to North Carolina Law. * Keep children and pets away from wild and strange animals. Don’t try to feed, touch, or play with a wild animal. * Don’t allow pets to run at large. * Secure garbage in containers with tight-fitting lids, and take them out in the morning of pick up, not the night before. Coyotes and other wildlife will scavenge trash. * Feed pets indoors or remove food when your pet is finished eating outside. Wild animals are attracted to pet food left outdoors. * Avoid contact with bats. If you find a bat during daylight hours, it is most likely unhealthy and should not be touched. * Keep bird-feeder areas clean, and use bird feeders that keep seed off the ground. Foxes are attracted to small animals congregating on the ground. If you frequently see foxes, remove all feeders. * Close off crawl spaces under sheds, porches, decks and homes. Some wildlife may use these spaces to rest or to build their dens. Rabies is a disease caused by a virus that is spread through the saliva of an infected animal. When contracted by humans, rabies is fatal unless early treatment is sought. There is no cure once symptoms develop, so immediate treatment is important to prevent the disease. If bitten by any animal, clean the wound thoroughly (for at least 10 minutes) and then contact your doctor or Buncombe County Department of Health at 250-5109. For concerns about possible rabid animals within the City of Asheville residents should call the Asheville Police Department at 252-110. Residents in Buncombe County should call the Buncombe County Sheriff’s office at 250-6670.

'Support the Troops" campaign at SECU

State Employees’ Credit Union (SECU) has launched its second annual statewide holiday campaign --“SECU Supports the Troops”-- to benefit North Carolina’s National Guard and Reservists deployed throughout the world.

For the project, SECU will collect “wish list” items for soldiers and provide “gifts from home” during their tour of duty. Collection boxes for “wish list” items will be placed in each of SECU’s branches for members and those in the community who wish to participate in this exciting effort. Canisters will also be provided on the teller counters for those who wish to give a monetary donation to help ship the supplies to the troops.

“Wish list” items may be dropped off at local SECU branches through Oct. 31.

Weaverville's branch is located on North Main Street next to the post office.

If It's Special going out of business

If It's Special, a unique gift shop in downtown Weaverville, is closing soon. The owner is retiring, and all merchandise is drastically marked down.

Bins for recycled cooking oil available

The Cooking Oil Recycling (COR) Program of Buncombe County is a unique pilot project to recycle used cooking oil into biodiesel and keep oils and greases out of the waste water system. Funded by the Biofuels Center of North Carolina, the COR Program is a collaboration between the Metropolitan Sewerage District (MSD) of Buncombe County, Blue Ridge Biofuels, and Green Opportunities. A new website, www.cookingoilrecycling.org, provides the public with information on the program as well as the location of cooking oil recycling bin locations. The first of 35 recycling bins are located at the Buncombe County Landfill and at the new River District Recycling Center behind the old silo off West Haywood Road through the Hatchery Studios parking lot.

Waste cooking oils are one of the major causes of costly sewer maintenance in Buncombe County. These sewer overflows are a potential threat to the environment and take up valuable resources of the local budgets for public works.

By placing public recycling bins across Buncombe County, the COR Program seeks to keep waste oils out of the sewers and divert them to Blue Ridge Biofuels for processing into biodiesel. MSD was the first major purchaser of biodiesel in Buncombe County. and has been using biodiesel in its fleet of 85 vehicles for over seven years.

Thermo Fisher to add 110 jobs

Great news for the area. The company announced an expansion of jobs in late 2009 as well.

Here's the release from the Asheville Chamber of Commerce:

In conjunction with the Economic Development Coalition for Asheville-Buncombe County, Thermo Fisher Scientific announced its plans to expand operations in Asheville, with the creation of 110 new positions within the next seven months. These new positions strengthen the company’s significant presence in Buncombe County, with 580 employees in its Aiken Road plant in Weaverville, over 200 employees in its technical customer service center in Biltmore Park and additional sales and service professionals throughout the region.

Thermo Fisher Scientific, a global leader in serving science, set roots in Asheville over 25 years ago. Locally, the company manufactures ultra-low temperature freezers among other products supplied to pharmaceutical, biotech, and research institutions. These new positions will support the manufacture and assembly of high-efficiency cooling pumps, used to control temperature in a variety of Thermo Fisher Scientific products.

The continued growth and performance of the Asheville facility has strengthened its reputation both within the corporation and throughout its industry. Company CEO Marc Casper noted his visit to Thermo Fisher’s “flagship laboratory equipment facility in Asheville, North Carolina” in an April 2011 earnings call. The executive praised local leadership for their implementation of PPI (Practical Process Improvement) and Lean initiatives which allowed the team “to grow site capacity to keep pace with customer demand, while averting typical expansion costs.” Excess site capacity and performance of existing workforce were influential in attracting the new product line to Asheville.

The company was also selected in 2011 as the first E3 manufacturer in Buncombe County, a testament to its pursuit of continuous improvement. The E3 program, facilitated by NC State University’s Industrial Extension Service, emphasizes Economy, Energy and Environment, joining community resources with state and regional agencies to assist manufacturers in becoming more sustainable. Thermo Fisher Scientific’s interest in becoming a zero-landfill manufacturing facility made the company a logical addition to North Carolina’s E3 community.

“We’d like to offer our thanks and congratulations to Jeff Powers, director of manufacturing operations, and the employees of Thermo Fisher Scientific here in Buncombe County. Their dedication to world-class quality, environmental sustainability and continuous improvement yields a more skilled and productive workforce, a more profitable enterprise and more secure employment in the long-term for Buncombe County,” said K. Ray Bailey, EDC chairman.

Chairman of the Buncombe County Commissioners, David Gantt, commented, “Thermo Fisher Scientific is a Fortune 500 employer with operations in over 40 countries worldwide. We’re grateful to local company leaders and staff for their strong work ethic and competitive spirit that brought this opportunity home for the citizens of Buncombe County.”

For additional information on Thermo Fisher Scientific and job opportunities with the organization, please visit thermofisher.com.

Friends of the River Awards

The Land-of-Sky Regional Council presented “Friends of the River” Awards on August 30, 2011 at the 34th Annual “Friends of the River” Dinner in Asheville. These awards recognize individuals, private organizations, civic groups, and/or public agencies in Buncombe, Henderson, Madison, and Transylvania counties who have made significant contributions toward the enhancement or restoration of the French Broad River as a cultural, economic, natural, or recreational resource.

Rob Pulleyn was one of six recognized for his efforts to preserve historic buildings and revitalize communities along the river especially his effort to renovate the old Madison High School into art studio Madison High Studios.

In 2006, the old Marshall High School, which had served students in the town since 1925, was scheduled to be demolished. However, protests from the residents of Marshall, a petition drive that gathered 3,000 signatures, and a fundraising effort led to a different outcome. The funds raised were used to pay for a structural analysis of the building and buy prominent ads in the local newspaper urging county commissioners to save the valuable community resource.

The renovation took nine months and required a total investment of almost $2 million. Today, Marshall High Studios is at 80% occupancy. The rehabilitation project not only saved a valuable structure, but also ignited the community's passion for its historic architecture, serving as a catalyst for other renovation projects, new business development and a more positive community image.

Also recognized were the Henderson County Erosion Control Program, the Black Mountain Greenways Commission, Transylvania farm Everett Farms, RiverLink volunteer Denise Snodgrass and Forrest Westall for his lifelong efforts to address point and non-point sources of pollution in the French Broad River Basin and entire state.