Blue Ridge Times-News, August 7, 2013 Having won a year-long moratorium on biomass facilities in Transylvania County, a Pisgah Forest-based nonprofit is now looking for more sustainable ways local governments and businesses can turn “waste into wealth.” People for Clean Mountains, which galvanized citizens against a proposed garbage-fueled electric plant in Penrose, is hosting a meeting … Read More
American Bookseller’s Association, July 29, 2013 On the heels of press reports that Amazon has drastically lowered the price on many hardcover titles, on Monday, July 29, the Board of Directors of the American Booksellers Association and CEO Oren Teicher criticized President Obama’s decision to hold his jobs speech this week at an Amazon facility in … Read More
The River Reporter, July 24, 2013 Electrifying rural America and bringing universal telephone access to its citizens were enormous undertakings in the past century. Now, we who live in rural America face the challenge of building a new telecommunications infrastructure that brings the potential to facilitate economic growth, job creation, and to enhance our way of … Read More
Santa Barbara View, July 23, 2013 Back from a three week excursion to the Balkans and Russia, I didn’t imagine Santa Barbara would share much in common with one of the largest structures inside of the Kremlin Walls; but I was wrong. The vast shopping mall, called GUM (pronounced ‘goom,’ not ‘gum’) with its 794 foot … Read More
Politico, July 16, 2013 The success — so far — of the anti-Wal-Mart effort that is unfolding just blocks from the Capitol is providing a legislative road map and psychological boost to opponents of big-box stores around the country. The battle over Wal-Mart in D.C. last week quickly rose to the national stage, with major media … Read More
Columbia Star, July 12, 2013 For many years, Forest Acres residents who needed a socket wrench, nails, or plumbing parts had to travel to the impersonal big box hardware stores on Two Notch Road or Garner’s Ferry. With the opening of the Falcon Ace Hardware at 2085 North Beltline Drive, those days are over. Brandon Clarke, … Read More
Moyers & Co., July 11, 2013 One of the primary arguments against allowing big box stores — such as Walmart, Lowe’s, Target and Best Buy — to set up shop in small towns is that they take customers away from local family businesses that have existed in the community for years. Using high-volume sales — versus … Read More
Truthout, July 7, 2013 Controversy around big-box stores like Walmart, Target, Lowes and Home Depot is nothing new, but communities are getting smarter about tackling these corporate giants — sometimes against considerable odds. In Cape Cod and a handful of other areas across the country, the Economic Impact Review is becoming a vital tool for handling … Read More
The New Republic, July 6, 2013 The main branch of the McAllen, Texas, public library is a sleek modern space, with a circular fountain out front, an art gallery, an interactive touch wall in the children’s section, and long orange benches that look like something out of Kubrick. It’s no surprise the building has won major … Read More
