Business Growth Strategy

New Orleans business owners bond out several low-level offenders before Thanksgiving [Video]
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New Orleans business owners bond out several low-level offenders before Thanksgiving [Video]

MONITORING THE SITUATION. A GROUP OF NEW ORLEANS BUSINESS OWNERS PULLED TOGETHER TO MAKE THANKSGIVING DAY A SPECIAL ONE FOR SEVERAL LOW LEVEL OFFENDERS. WERE TALKING ABOUT INMATES FROM ORLEANS PARISH PRISON, AND TODAY THEIR BONDS WERE PAID. SIX MEN AND ONE WOMAN WERE RELEASED FROM JAIL TODAY SO THEY COULD GO HOME AND SPEND THANKSGIVING WITH THEIR FAMILIES. WERE TOLD ALL SEVEN WERE BEING HELD ON PETTY THEFT CHARGES WITH BONDS THAT WERENT VERY EXPENSIVE. BUT IN TOTAL, THE BUSINESS OWNERS PAID ABOUT $7,000 TO MAKE THIS POSSIBLE. AND AS YOU CAN IMAGINE, THOSE SEVEN PEOPLE WERE MORE THAN HAPPY AND THANKFUL. ITS TRULY A BLESSING TO TO BE ABLE TO BE WITH MY LOVED ONES FOR THANKSGIVING. I WANT TO SHOW JUST SHOW THEM THAT WE STILL LOVE THEM. THERES STILL TIME WE CAN REACH THEM AND WE CARE ABOUT THEM. AND THAT WAS JUST DAVID HUDSON, WHO ORGANIZED THIS INITIATIVE. BUSINESS OWNERS TOOK ALL SEVEN TO EAT RIGHT AFTER THEY GOT OUT.

Western North Carolina Christmas tree farm feeling holiday spirit [Video]
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Western North Carolina Christmas tree farm feeling holiday spirit [Video]

THANKSGIVING, THE CAROLINAS ALREADY FEEL CHRISTMASSY, ESPECIALLY AT ONE CHRISTMAS TREE FARM. OUR PEYTON FURTADO TAKES US TO HAYWOOD COUNTY AS STORM RECOVERY CONTINUES. WHEN HURRICANE HELENE HIT, IT DEVASTATED PARTS OF WESTERN NORTH CAROLINA. NOW, TWO MONTHS LATER TO THE DAY, COMMUNITY MEMBERS ARE COMING TOGETHER NOT JUST TO MAKE SURE THIS IS A MERRY CHRISTMAS, BUT TO MAKE SURE ITS A NORMAL ONE. WELCOME TO THE FARM. WERE GLAD TO HAVE YOU. THINGS ARE BRIGHT AND BUSY HERE AT BOYD MOUNTAIN CHRISTMAS TREE FARM, BUT WORKERS WORRY THAT MIGHT NOT BE THE CASE. AN ADDED RESPONSIBILITY OF REALLY BEING ON THE HORN AND BEING ON SOCIAL MEDIA. BEING ON THE INTERNET, LETTING PEOPLE KNOW THAT THEY CAN GET HERE. NORTH CAROLINA IS THE SECOND BIGGEST CHRISTMAS TREE GROWER IN THE COUNTRY, AND HOME TO THE CADILLAC OF CHRISTMAS TREES. THE FRASER FIR. IT SMELLS LIKE THOSE CANDLES THIS TIME OF YEAR IS THE TREE FARMS SUPER BOWL. WHEN I STARTED HERE, WE DID 2500 TREES IN ABOUT TWO MONTHS, AND WE WERE OPEN SEVEN DAYS A WEEK AND NOW WERE OPEN ABOUT EIGHT DAYS. AND WE DO ABOUT 7000 TREES IN EIGHT DAYS. THE TREND HAS HELPED WITH FAMILIES MAKING MEMORIES. WHILE THE MARCEL HAS PICKED OUT THEIR CHRISTMAS TREE. TWO YEAR OLD RAVEN PICKED UP HER NEW OBSESSION STICKS. DAVID AND NIKKI SAY THEY WERE COMING HERE COME HOLIDAYS OR HIGH WATER ABOUT TO LOAD UP A BUNCH OF GAS CANS AND JUST MAKE MY WAY OUT HERE BECAUSE WE HAD NO IDEA THE SITUATION. YOU WANT TO GO GET THAT HOT COCOA? AND THEY WERENT THE ONLY ONES, SO ITS A GOOD PLACE FOR US TO COME UP AND GET A LITTLE BIT OF TIME AWAY FROM THE RAT RACE AND ENJOY SOME TIME TOGETHER. WE GOT A LOT OF FOLKS FROM YOUR AREA, ATLANTA, TENNESSEE, YOU KNOW, AND THEYRE STILL ABLE TO GET HERE EVEN THOUGH THE I-40 SHUT DOWN. LOOKING AT THE FARM NOW, YOU WOULDNT KNOW IT LOST IMPORTANT EQUIPMENT AND HUNDREDS OF TREES. THINGS ARE OPENING UP, THOUGH. YOU KNOW, THINGS ARE GETTING BETTER A LITTLE BIT EVERY DAY, ESPECIALLY THIS YEAR. NORMALCY IS IMPORTANT WHEN PEOPLE COME TO BOYD MOUNTAIN. CHRISTMAS TREE FARM, THEYRE THEYRE COMING TO GET A CHRISTMAS TREE. BUT THEYRE ALSO COMING TO HAYWOOD COUNTY. THEYRE GOING TO VISIT THE SHOPS. THEYRE GOING TO EAT IN OUR RESTAURANTS. IT AFFECTS EVERYBODY AS FAMILIES FILED OUT, FRAZIER FIRS STRAPPED TO THEIR ROOFS, MEMORIES WARM IN THEIR MINDS. RECOVERY CONTINUES AS HAYWOOD COUNTY AND WESTERN NORTH CAROLINA CLOSE IN ON THE MERRY NORMAL CHRISTMAS IT DESERVES. IN WAYNESVILLE, IM PEYTON

Swannanoa residents find gratitude during grief in wake of Helene [Video]
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Home Based Business

Swannanoa residents find gratitude during grief in wake of Helene [Video]

This Thanksgiving is looking anything but traditional for many families in Western North Carolina, displaced by Helene.While the hurt burrows deep inside the hearts of many throughout the Swannanoa community, residents there are finding healing through all the help they’ve received.The holiday season comes around once every year, and this time, things look well, different.”This will be the first season I have not cooked a turkey dinner,” said Swannanoa Resident George Huling.Huling sits outside the Swannanoa Post Office, dressed as Santa Claus. He hands out donations to families in need of warm clothes, socks, and soon, hopes to also have toys.”This is still a bad, bad situation,” he said.The time of year that’s usually so merry and bright in these mountains is now dimmed by devastation and destruction.”The thought of trying to put up a tree right now is like,” Heather Pettipaw starts nodding. She lost her home in Helene.Wreckage and rubble still remain all throughout the town.”It’s going to take years to recover from what we lost here,” said Huling.There’s no doubt that the ground still looks grim.”It looks like a war zone,” said Pettipaw. “That’s the reality of it. It looks like a bomb went off here and went in all directions.”Scraps line the streets. It’s almost as though time just stopped.”Did I lose everything? The house I was living in, I can no longer stay there,” said Huling. “So yeah. But, a lot of people have suffered far worse than I have.”Now, Swannanoa Santa is out here, helping make the holidays feel a little more normal.”I’m just trying to set up a booth where the kids can come down and help me wrap presents,” said Huling. “And maybe bring some normalization back to their world.”It’s been nine weeks since Helene tormented this mountain town, and even nearly two months removed, hearts are just as heavy now as the day of the storm.”We’re grateful to be alive,” Pettipaw said. “I feel like we saved our kids– and I’m grateful for that.” Pettipaw began to cry.”If anything I have that,” she said. “My family.”It’s a shared sentiment this holiday season. It’s what most in Western North Carolina are thankful for.”I don’t need anything else,” Pettipaw said. “The rest is all material things.”

No. 7 LSU Takes Down No. 20 NC State For Pink Flamingo Championship [Video]
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No. 7 LSU Takes Down No. 20 NC State For Pink Flamingo Championship [Video]

In its first ranked matchup of the season, No. 7 LSU (8-0) remained undefeated and took down No. 20 NC State (4-3), 82-65, to win the Baha Mar Pink Flamingo Championship.Its hard to focus this time of year and I thought the two games we played here told us a little bit more about ourselves, said Coach Kim Mulkey who earned her 99th victory as LSUs head coach Wednesday; She will go for 100 on Sunday when LSU hosts NC State. It helped us get better. Were ready to be home and enjoy our day off for Thanksgiving tomorrow and then get ready for Sunday.After shooting a season-low 33-percent from the field in Mondays win over Washington, LSU was hot in the championship game at 53-percent, including a 7-14 performance from beyond the arc.This game will humble you one minute and then it will be the highest of highs the next minute, Coach Mulkey said. It wasnt any different – just one of those nights.Aneesah Morrow earned her sixth consecutive double-double of the season with a 20 point, 15 rebound outing, earning Pink Flamingo Championship MVP honors. Kailyn Gilbert, who made LSUs game-winner Monday against Washington, had 12 points, 4 rebounds and 4 assists Wednesday and earned All-Tournament honors.She (Morrow) plays with a motor, Coach Mulkey said. She never stops hustling. She never stops rebounding. She never stops just going hard.Mikaylah Williams bounced back after not scoring on Monday. Against NC State she had a game-high 24 points on 7-14 shooting (4-7 3FG).Shayeann Day-Wilson tied a career-high with 9 assists on the day to match her career-high and set a season-high for the Tigers. Flaujae Johnson added 16 points on 5-7 shooting to continue her impressive junior campaign. Saniya Rivers led NC State in the contest with 21 points on 8-19 shooting and added 2 assists. LSU was dominant on the board, outrebounding NC State by 20. The Tigers also won the game on the inside with a 28-18 edge on points in the paint.The Tigers are back home on Sunday to face NC Central for the annual autograph game.NC State jumped out with an early 9-4 lead over the Tigers in the first quarter. Turnovers continued to be an issue for LSU, as the Tigers turned the ball over 5 times in the first 7 minutes of the contest. LSUs offense found its groove late in the first and the Tigers were able to take a 17-14 lead with notable buckets by Williams, Johnson and Morrow. The contest was knotted at 17-17 as both teams entered the media timeout. The Tigers found more offensive success in the first quarter, and went on a 6-2 run to hold a 5 point, 24-19 lead over the Wolfpack to end the first period of play. Johnson and Morrow both scored 6 points in the quarter, and Johnson was a perfect 3-3 from the field. LSU was extremely efficient from the floor, and shot a staggering 62.5 percent in the first 10 minutes of the game. Williams grabbed an offensive rebound and was fouled on the putback shot to get to the foul line, where she converted both free throws to give LSU the first points of the second quarter. NC State made back-to-back three pointers to cut the Tiger lead to 3 points, but Morrow dropped a post layup to restore the two possession lead. The Tigers continued to build on the lead with points from Morrow and Kailyn Gilbert, and led by as much as 13 in the quarter. At the half, LSU led NC State 42-29. The Tigers were dominant on the glass in the first half, and out rebounded the Wolfpack 25-6, 18 of which came on the defensive end of the floor. Offensively, Morrow and Williams paced the Tigers with 12 and 11 points, respectively. LSU was 17-30 from the field and went a perfect 6-6 from the foul line in the opening half. LSUs bench also played a critical role in the first half, and contributed to 13 of the Tigers 42 points, whereas LSU was able to bottle up NC States bench and allowed 0 bench points in the first half. Williams kept her foot on the gas and dropped a three pointer from the top of the key to give LSU their first points of the half. Morrow grabbed her 10th rebound of the contest for her 7th double-double of the season. LSU jumped out to a 14 point lead early in the third quarter and had an impressive sequence that included a Williams layup, a three pointer and steal. The run forced an NC State timeout, and LSU was in the drivers seat midway through the third period. Gilbert provided a corner three to extend the Tiger lead to 13 and put her in double figures on the day. Johnson scored a buzzer beater at the end of the third on an acrobatic layup to give LSU a 61-49 lead with one quarter to play. Both teams struggled to get offense going to start the fourth quarter, as the first points of the fourth were not scored until 8:21, when Johnson converted two free throws after a shooting foul. LSU remained stout on the defensive end, and forced NC State into multiple tough shots and turnovers throughout the quarter. LSU maintained a steady offensive attack in the fourth to close out the Pink Flamingo Championship, with clutch buckets from Johnson and Shayeann Day-Wilson late in the contest. The Tigers were stable on both ends of the floor in the dwindling minutes of the game to secure the lead and the victory, and got to the foul line often. The Tigers were able to dribble the ball out to reach the final, 82-64.