Ginseng dealer sentenced to prison

A federal prison sentence handed down today for the illegal sale and transport of ginseng shows the natural resources of Western North Carolina are more than just a tourist attraction.

The conviction arose from a three-year anti-poaching investigation intended to document the unlawful take, purchase, sale and transport of ginseng and bear parts within and along the southern Appalachians by various individuals.
via North Carolina Ginseng Dealer Sentenced to Prison for Illegal Export of Ginseng Valued Over $100,000.

Ginseng and black bears, which are native to the mountains, are prized in some circles for their medicinal qualities and even culinary uses. The particular prosecution that ended today was for a large amount of ginseng transported across state lines without a license, and was investigated by the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service’s Office of Law Enforcement, with assistance from the National Park Service and Georgia Department of Natural Resources.

Ginseng is popularly used as an energy supplement, and locals can find it by searching Iwanna.com.

The Western District of North Carolina has divisional court offices in Asheville, Bryson City, Statesville and Charlotte.

Most searched items on Iwanna in 2009

A Yorkie Puppy

More than 98,000 unique items were searched on Iwanna.com in 2009. Pets, cars and recreational equipment represented the most searched terms.

The single most searched term? Dogs. With puppies close by. The most sought breed in the Asheville area? Yorkie.

The most popular car model on Iwanna.com was Mustang, followed by Jeep and BMW.

And the hottest recreational items included kayaks, canoes and campers.

Here are the Top 10 most searched items on Western North Carolina’s most popular user-generated shopping network for 2009: dogs, pets, boats, puppies, guns, jobs, kayak, campers, mustang, cars.

Failed banks yield rare auction booty

Banks that have gone belly-up during this year’s financial crisis have left behind some unique items that are being sold at public auctions, reports the business news service Bloomberg.

Business has been good,” said Penny Worley, who opened her [auction] firm in 1993. “This can be a daunting task, because there are so much and so many different things. There’s an occasional Dali. There are rare gold coins.”

via Marijuana-Reeking Tour Bus, Red Ferrari Are FDIC’s Crisis Booty – Bloomberg.com.

A rapper’s tour bus that sold at one bank auction “smelled so bad of pot after one tour that they had to completely pull out most of the interior and replace it,” an auctioneer told Bloomberg.

Hundreds of banks have failed this year, and the FDIC has recovered millions in losses by turning over assets for auction.

While you may not find a rapper’s tour bus, you will find local auctions on this page at Iwanna.com — including images of print display ads that are listed in the right-hand rail of the page.

iPhone Apps for Dog Lovers

Mashable and its readers have produced a great list of iPhone apps for dog lovers — who are some of the most loyal readers on Iwanna.com.

Man’s best friend is well catered for on the App Store with a pack of apps angled at the dog owner, ranging from functional to fun.
via 10 Best iPhone Apps for Dog Lovers.

Mashable’s Top 10 list includes training aids, park locators, first-aid apps advice and schedulers. Readers have suggested others including health and wellness apps, pet care and even one about breeds.

Over the last 30 days on Iwanna.com, users have searched more than 1,000 times for dogs and puppies. What was the most popular breed searched in the last month? Chihuahua.

Snowfall jams up gun buyback

Last weekend’s snowstorm jammed up the final gun buyback events scheduled by the Asheville Police Department in the Montford and Shiloh communities. A posting on the Asheville PD Blotter says the final buybacks for 2009 will have to be rescheduled in those neighborhoods after the new year.

Any individual turning in a gun will receive $50 for an operational handgun or long gun, and $100 for an assault rifle. Money will be paid only for guns that are fully functioning. No black powder firearms will be accepted. The program is aimed at reducing accidental injury, suicide, domestic violence and gunfire in the community.

via Asheville North Carolina.

Police destroy most of the weapons they collect at the buyback events. Some are used for APD training.  It paid out $16,000 for firearms in 2007.

Worst Car Names of All Time

Cars.com has come out with a list of the worst car names of all time.

No. 1 worst name? The Ford Aspire:

It’s pretty safe to say that many drivers’ dream cars fall under the category of sports car or luxury auto; few children hope to one day spend their commuting hours behind the wheel of a 63-horsepower subcompact hatchback. When Ford slapped the Aspire name on the back of this car, they were basically saying: “Yeah, even our car knows you wish you were driving something cooler.”

via Cars.com Selects Worst Car Names of All Time.

Iwanna seeks IT specialist

Reposting from http://www.iwanna.com/sales/ITAnalyst.html

IWANNA USA LLC in Asheville, N.C., has an immediate opening for an Information Technology Analyst with a broad skill set. Must be able to code in C# and ASP.NET for Iwanna.com, manage installations and networking, and support PC and Mac users. Position is local technical lead for distant corporate IT.  We’re looking for a team player who can think big, run with projects, and communicate well. Good salary and benefits. If you’re good at multi-tasking and troubleshooting, and like the idea of innovating with the largest user-generated shopping network in the Carolina mountains, send a resume and cover letter to yennej [at] iwanna.com.

Big contractor postpones giant yard sale

12.04.09 UPDATE: Due to threat of snow, Beverly-Grant has postponed its giant warehouse sale originally scheduled for Dec. 5. No new date has been set yet, but an inventory list has been provided. It follows this updated post.

As every family knows, the old homestead can accumulate a lot of stuff over the years.

And then you have to do something about it.

That time has come for Beverly-Grant, the second-generation, family-owned business in Asheville that is the largest general contractor in Western North Carolina. Its warehouse is bursting at the seams and in order to free up some much needed space, it has scheduled a giant yard sale for Dec. 5.

“Our company has been in business for over 50 years and naturally we have accumulated a lot of excess construction materials and tools over that time,” a company spokesman said. “We are selling items that might be of use to other builders.”

Building materials and tools for sale include lumber, lighting, trim, brick, block, tile, trailers, saws, fasteners, slate, and more. You can see pictures here.

You may recognize Beverly-Grant from some of its work. It designed and built the Laurel Park Medical Centre in Hendersonville and CBS featured one of Beverly-Grant’s current projects, CooperRiis Wellness Center, on a recent Sunday Morning News show. The business is a member of the Western North Carolina Green Building Council.

The construction warehouse sale, originally scheduled for Saturday Dec. 5th, has been postponed until a later date TBD. It will be at 92 Thompson Street in Asheville.

The inventory list includes (updated Dec. 4):

Used mop sink with faucet $50
Poplar/Pine lumber $0.25/ft
Oak lumber $0.50/ft
2×6 tongue and groove decking $1.50/ft
3×6 tongue and groove decking $1.50/ft
Aluminum Clad Windows $100 each
Fiberglass columns w/ capitals $50 per column
Door Frames $10 each
Button caps $5/box
Bolts $0.50 each
Nails $5/box
Handicap Shower Seats $20 each
Come-a-longs $5 each
Simpson Hangers $1 each
Doors $10 each
Attic Stairs $75
Hardwood Flooring $800.00 LOT
Cedar Closet Lining $15/box
Wood Brackets $1 each
Large Simpson hangers $1 each
Florescent Light fixtures $1 each
Stainless Steel Sink $25
Grout pump $50
DeWalt Saw $25
Air Compressor $30
2 Sets back hoe forks $150/pair
Decorative Tile $150 LOT
Anchor bolts $1 each
Low flow smoke detector $20 each
Louvers $25 each
Huge louver $75
Garage door $150
Large Medical Center doors $100 each
Misc. Cabinet Palettes $25/palette
Cypress balusters $1/piece
50 year Shingles $25/square
PVC Plumbing Fittings $1 each
HPS Light Fixtures $1 each
Rock $250 LOT
Pre-Cast Architectural Concrete $10/piece
Brick $0.10/brick
24 gauge Metal Siding $500 for the lot
Slate Shingles $500/palette
Scaffolding $5/piece
Slate Tiles $1/tile
Patio Furniture $50
Radial Arm saw $50
Sears Radial Arm saw $25
Timber connection plates $5 each
Fan $5
Yard Edger $75

Asheville builder makes the best of a bad situation

Opportunities often spring from the misfortune of others in tough economic times. But innovative solutions can also spring from financial setback.

A case in point is Asheville builder John Erwin, who will run an unusual auction this weekend to sell one of his larger, newer houses to spare damage to his business and credit rating.

“While the economy has crushed the short-term real estate market here in Asheville it has also devasted the construction industry–which is where we earned our living. As a result we have to get out from under the payments on this nearly-new home (only 6 years old).”

via Beautiful Asheville Home in Financial Distress

The take-notice part of this short sale is the starting price of $118,500 — for a 2100 square feet, 4BR and 2.5BA home with cherry hardwood floors and a nice back deck.

Home prices have plummeted lately due to the deflation of the housing bubble, which was brought on by loose credit, but it’s hard not to see a lot of room for value in this low starting bid. And Erwin’s hope is that it brings enough interest to get him the best out of a bad situation. (Disclosure: He’s advertising the sale on Iwanna.com.)

What’s the market value of Erwin’s home?

– Buncombe County tax records value the property at $264,280.
– Trulia.com lists the market value as $224,500
– Zillow’s “zestimate” is $266,500
– Cyberhomes says it’s worth $249,900.

You can read more about the auction here: www.beautifulashevillehouse.com

Don’t expect to move in anytime soon, however. Erwin’s bank must approve the highest bid; so, like with any short sale, the process could take some time to complete. Short sales can take six months or longer to complete.

Erwin gets props for his innovative auction concept — which may keep the sale away from the courthouse steps, where foreclosures are usually finalized.

Meanwhile, Wall Street roars. The DJIA crossed 10,170 today for the first time in a year. And the unemployment rate (officially announced at 10.2% last week, but 17.5% when including Americans who have given up looking for work) continues to rise alongside foreclosures and bankruptcies.

In the comments below, tell us what you’re doing to make lemonade out of lemons in this economy.

Asheville: One of the best places to work, if…

Asheville gets props from financial website Mint.com for being the best place in America to work…

…if you’re a claims adjuster.

The Mint Blog rates Asheville as tops in the Claims Adjuster salary category of Business and Financial Operations — at $87,410 annually. Anybody know of any claims adjuster job openings?

Not happy with your present salary? Wondering what city holds the gold at the end of the rainbow? We’ve done the research for you.

Follow the Money: The Best and Worst Places to Work by Average Salary | MintLife Blog | Personal Finance News & Advice.

In a nutshell: If you’re a graphic designer, don’t work in Florence, Alabama. And if you’re a surgeon, move to Panama City, Florida.

And if you’re looking for a job in the Carolina mountains, try the Iwanna classifieds.