Category Archives: Winston-Salem

More Retail Vacancy

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My wife just called me from the Harper Hill Commons shopping center at the corner of Country Club and Peace Haven Roads.  She informs me that the Starbucks that had been located there is closed and the Dewey's Bakery shop that had recently opened there is also closed.  I'd read that the Starbucks was going to close but Dewey's closure surprised me. I checked the Dewey's website and they list Harper Hill Commons as one of their holiday locations so it sounds like it was only planned as a temporary location all along.  I'd say it's a sign of the times that Dewey's could find temporary space in a relatively new and upscale location like Harper Hill, and of course it's not a good sign that both the Starbucks and Dewey's locations now sit vacant.

If It’s Good Enough for the White House…

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The big news in the world of online geeks is that WhiteHouse.gov has gone the way of blogs. I'm sure much of the excitement stems from bloggers feeling vindicated after years of being denigrated and belittled by everyone from their siblings to the main stream media.  After all, if it's good enough for the office of the President then it's gotta be good enough for them, right?

Who knows if the White House blog will end up doing anything meaningful, but I'm a firm believer that public officials can do a much better job of communicating with their constituents if they utilize every means available and blogs are very effective tools to consistently get information out directly to constituents.  Heck, I feel so strongly about this that four years ago I offered to host a blog for any Winston-Salem or Forsyth County official who wanted to start a blog.  The only person that contacted me was Vernon Robinson, and he posted one or two items but then it kind of died off.  Still, I'm prepared to help any public official who feels the need to follow the White House's lead.  So I'll re-submit the offer: any public official in Winston-Salem or Forsyth County who wants a blog just give me a shout. I'll be happy to help.

The City’s Eyesore is a Man’s Treasure

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The city leader's of Winston-Salem would like to have the ability to use eminent domain to take at "fair market value" properties that they consider eyesores and then either raze it or rehab it as affordable housing.  I have real problems with eminent domain being used in this way because there have been cases in some cities where people have lost homes that they were living in because the city took them using eminent domain because they wanted the land for an office building or some other use.  To me this is plain un-American.

Another problem is that city governments are made up of people, civil servants, who are as apt to make mistakes as any other group of people.  When they have the power to tear property down, well, at some point they might tear down the wrong property as highlighted in this story from Detroit.  

Sure there are eyesores and negligent owners out there, but they should be dealt with using the already existing channels that the city government has at its disposal, like fines or condemnation.  I don't think we should punish owners who keep their properties in a habitable state, but that we or our government finds not so attractive state.  Remember, one man's trash is another man's treasure.

North Carolina Gets $52.3 Million from HUD. Good News for Winston-Salem Officials’ Eminent Domain Dreams?

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Today I received a press release from Senator Burr's office announcing that North Carolina had received $52,303,004 from the federal Department of Housing and Urban Development's Neighborhood Stabilization Program.  According to the release "North Carolina may use this grant to assist individuals in purchasing foreclosed homes, acquiring and rehabilitating abandoned homes, establishing land banks for foreclosed homes, demolition of blighted properties, or redevelopment of vacant or demolished structures.  All NSP funds are required to benefit individuals or families at or below 120 percent of area median income (AMI) and at least 25 percent must be targeted at those living below 50 percent of AMI.  Funds awarded under this grant must be used within 18 months." 

You may recall that Winston-Salem officials recently met with our local delegates to the statehouse because they want to be able to use eminent domain to buy blighted properties and refurbish them to provide affordable housing, and they are asking our delegates to push for laws that will allow the city to do just that.  Now that the state has this grant money in hand I'm wondering if that push for a new law will gain even more traction? 

It’s Relative

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Yes, yes it's cold outside.  We're all whining about it and the weather folks keep droning on about it, but when you think about it we could be a lot worse off.  Don't believe me?  Well, in MinneSOta it's so cold that if you spray hot water into the air it instantly crystalizes.  Here's the video proof…now quit your whining.

News Juxtaposition

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JournalWeirdUpdate
I just received my daily email news update from the Winston-Salem Journal and their lead headline is the crash of a Charlotte-bound US Airways flight into the Hudson River in New York.  Not to make light of that story, which hopefully will find that no one was seriously injured since early reports seem to indicate that the plane seemed to stay atop the water until rescue boats could get to it, but it's what's under the headline and the accompanying photo that was kind of jarring.  It's this sentence: "Also, Midfielder Michael Lahoud of Wake Forest went as the No. 9 pick, to Club Deportivo Chivas USA, based outside Los Angeles."  That's followed by the link to the "Full Story" which is the airplane crash story. (Click on the picture to the left to see what it looked like).

It looks like the wrong description was attached to the headline, which is too bad for Lahoud since it's a happy occassion for him.  It's also a tad confusing because until you click through to the story you think maybe he was on the plane or something.  Why else would he be mentioned?  I suspect that what happened was that the MLS draft story was the lead until the plane crashed and they had to do a last minute switch and forgot to change the description.

But let's end on a positive: kudos to the Journal for highlighting two of Wake's soccer players getting drafted.  All too often the Deacon soccer program is forgotten despite being a national powerhouse.

Abasto

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This is kind of cool: I just read a press release about a new business-to-business magazine being launched by Hispanic Marketing Consultants here in Winston-Salem and targeted to Hispanic store owners and at the bottom I see that a buddy of mine is their contact for buying ad space.  Danny Gelatt is a good guy and we've mixed it up on the tennis courts over the last couple of years.  Here's the scoop on Abasto:

The idea for Abasto magazine came from entrepreneur Dan Calhoun, principal of Hispanic Marketing Consultants. "Our company has worked with a lot of Hispanic business owners who work very hard and have been successful. But we found that there was a knowledge gap for them, one that prohibited them to grow their businesses into greater profitability. First and foremost, our job is to give them the essentials of best business practices that they can apply to their companies. 

"But we also paid attention to the fact that many manufacturers and distributors of Hispanic foods have not had a way to communicate efficiently to this large and growing Hispanic population of business owners," Calhoun continues. "These groups have been virtually untapped — and now this magazine becomes the platform to connect. It's a perfect way to accelerate sales to this significant audience." 

For more information, contact Francisco Camara at editor@abasto.us or 877.817.3674. To discuss advertising opportunities, contact Danny Gelatt at dannyg@abasto.us or 877.817.3674.

BB&T’s CEO Elected to the Board of Federal Reserve Bank of Richmond

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BB&T's new CEO has been elected to the board of the Federal Reserve Bank of Richmond.  From the announcement:

BB&T Corporation (NYSE: BBT) today said that Chief Executive Officer Kelly S. King has been elected to serve on the nine-member board of directors of the Federal Reserve Bank of Richmond. 

King was elected to a three-year term as a "Class A director" by the stockholding member banks of the Fifth Federal Reserve District, which is served by the Richmond Fed. 

"This is certainly an honor, but also an important responsibility, particularly during these difficult times," said King, who succeeded John Allison as chief executive officer on Jan. 1. "Monetary policy is critically important. As a representative of BB&T, I'm looking forward to doing whatever I can to contribute to a meaningful dialogue around the economic issues facing us." 

Oughbamanuts: Krispy Kreme Giving Away Doughnuts on Inauguration Day

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Krispy Kreme announced that they are giving away doughnuts next Tuesday.  What was that day again?  Oh yeah, some dude's officially starting his new job.  From the press release:

"Krispy Kreme is taking the inaugural festivities nationwide," said Ron Rupocinski, executive chef for Krispy Kreme. "We're inviting our fans in cities across the country, including Washington, D.C., to commemorate this historic day with a favorite American treat." 

The Inauguration Day promotional offer is good for one doughnut of choice per customer on Jan. 20. No purchase is necessary. To find a participating store near you, visit http://www.krispykreme.com/storelocator.html.