1) Mother Earth News Fair April 12
The Mother Earth News Fair is a family-friendly sustainable living event that features 200 hands-on workshops and demonstrations from experts on real food, organic gardening, homesteading, renewable energy, green building and remodeling, DIY projects, small-scale livestock, green transportation, natural health and related topics. Featured keynotes include Ed Begley Jr., Joel Salatin, Sandor Katz, Sylvia Bernstein and Jere Gettle. Also on the gorunds are hands on children’s projects, heritage-breed livestock, an alternative fuel vehicle display, vendor, livestock and craft demonstrations and local and organic food offerings. This will take place from 9 a.m.-7 p.m. on April 12 and 9 a.m.-6 p.m. on April 13 at the Western North Carolina Agricultural Center in Fletcher. Tickets are $15 for one day passes and $20 for the weekend until Feb. 11 when tickets will increase to $20 and $25. Prices at the gate will e $25 and $30. Children 17 and under get in free.
2) Leslie and Blaha Perform Feb. 2
The Hayes School of Music’s Faculty Performance Series will feature trombonist Drew C. Leslie and tuba player Christopher J. Blaha in a Feb. 2 performance at Appalachian State University. Piano accompaniment will be provided by Bair Shagfaron, Susan Slingland and Keith McCutchen. The program begins at 2 p.m. in Broyhill Music Center’s Rosen Concert Hall. Admission is free. The program is comprised of “Fantasy for Trombone and Piano” by Sigismond Stojowski, “Suite No. 1 for Tuba and Piano, ‘Effie Suite'” by Alec Wilder, “Conversations for Trombone and Piano” by Raleigh Dailey, “My Funny Valentine,” by Lorenz Hart and Richard Rogers, “Sonata for Trombone and Piano” by George Frederik McKay, “Sonate fur Tuba and Klavier” by Paul Hindemith and “Silent Streets” by David Uber.
3) Deadline to Submit Public Comments on Insurance Company Requests to Raise Homeowners Insurance Rates is Jan. 31
Insurance Commissioner Wayne Goodwin reminds North Carolinians that the deadline for the public to submit comments on the insurance companies’ request to raise homeowners insurance rates is Jan. 31. The insurance industry, represented by the North Carolina Rate Bureau, has requested a statewide average increase of approximately 25 percent for homeowners insurance. Written public comments should be emailed to 2014homeowners@ncdoi.gov or mailed to: NCDOI, Attn: Bob Mack, Property & Casualty Division, 1201 Mail Service Center, Raleigh, NC 27699-1201. The deadline for submitting written comments is Jan. 31. For people who would like to weigh in on the rate requests in person, there will be a public comment session on Friday, Jan. 24, from 9:30 a.m. to 4 p.m. in the Jim Long Hearing Room of the Dobbs Building, 430 N. Salisbury St., Raleigh. As of Jan. 20, the Department of Insurance had received more than 2,000 emailed or mailed written comments. The rate filing will be reviewed by Department of Insurance experts to determine what, if any, rate adjustments are warranted. If the Department of Insurance and North Carolina Rate Bureau cannot agree on rate changes, Commissioner Goodwin will call for a formal hearing in which both parties would present their cases for any rate adjustments. The filing is available for public review on the Department of Insurance website. To view the entire filing, go to http://pserff.ncdoi.net/pc.html and enter the Serff Tracking Number NCRI-129361028.