Buncombe County Commissioner Elected NCACC President

Buncombe County Commissioner David Young was elected president of the North Carolina Association of County Commissioners (NCACC) on Saturday, August 18th, during the NCACC’s 100th Annual Conference in Cumberland County.

Statewide Burning Ban

The North Carolina Division of Forest Resources (NCDFR) has initiated a state wide burning ban and has cancelled all burning permits.

Where Is Your Will Stored?

Where we store our important papers is extremely important--they need to be in a safe place yet readily accessible by family members in an emergency.

Septic System 101 – Maintaining Your Septic System

Learn how to maintain your septic system at this workshop.

Zeugner Center Now Open

The Zeugner Center will re-open its indoor pool for open swim, lap swim & water exercise starting September 4.

Be a Foster Parent! Classes Start September 4

Free classes start September 4 - see what it's all about.

Special Olympics Instruction Starts in September!

If you have a child with special needs age eight years or older, let them join in the fun of Special Olympics!

Pet Picture of the Week - Adopt Me, Please!!!

This week we are featuring an Asheville Humane Society animal that needs a loving home.

Recipe of the Week - Pastel Cup Cakes

Congratulations to Stacy House of Oakley for her Pastel Cup Cakes recipe!

No doubt about it. Olive oil is one of the healthiest fats around.

But you'll kill the health benefits if you overheat it. It can become rancid and generate toxic chemicals. One solution: Instead of heating the oil in the pan, just spritz some on your veggies, meats, or taters before cooking them.

Tastes Bad, Too
It's fairly easy to overheat both olive oil and cold-pressed canola oil, because they have relatively low smoking points (the point at which they begin to burn). You'll know if you've overheated the oil, because it leads to that burned, charcoal flavor. Yuck.

Different Temps, Different Tastes
Semirefined sesame oil, peanut oil, grape-seed oil, and virgin olive oil may be your best choices for cooking, because they contain mainly unsaturated fat and have relatively high smoking points; all of the oils can be heated in excess of 400° Fahrenheit. Extra-virgin olive oil starts to burn at about 320° Fahrenheit. Unrefined canola and sunflower oils are even more delicate, burning at about 225° Fahrenheit.

Once an oil has been overheated, you end up canceling out the major benefits. But treat the oils right and they'll treat your body right, too.

Source:  realage.com

Keep your pet happy by following these steps recommended by the Humane Society of the United States:

• Make sure you pet wears an identification tag to enable him to be returned to you if lost.
• To prevent animal behavior problems, make sure you enroll your new puppy or dog in behavioral training classes and visit www.petsforlife.org.
• Animal behavioral problems can be health related. Make sure your pet has a complete medical exam by a veterinarian at least once a year.
• Prepare for disasters. Make sure you have a plan for your pet in the even of a hurricane, tornado, fire or flood.
• Plan for you pet's future in case something happens to you and visit www.hsus.org/petsinwills for more information.
• Learn how to avoid dog bites, and how to prevent your dog from biting, by going to www.NoDogBites.org.
• Have a heart, be smart and make sure your pet is spayed or neutered. The Spay/Neuter Clinic of Buncombe County offers discount prices. The costs are:
  
  
  • Female Dog -- $55
  • Male Dog -- $55
  • Female Cat -- $50
  • Male Cat -- $35

 To schedule an appointment, call the clinic at 252-2079.

Find out how you can make a difference! Sessions include nine week seminars on cultural diversity and community building:

• Designed around the small group experience.
• Designed for a mix of ages and races within each small group.
• The session consists of presentations and small group discussions based on curriculum designed specifically for the group.
• Each session features locally relevant information.
• A celebratory pot luck supper will be held for all participants at the conclusion of each session.

Nine sessions will be held:

September 11 – November 6, 2007
Tuesday Evenings 7pm – 9pm
Unitarian Universalist Church of Asheville
1 Edwin Place at Charlotte Street

Registration Fee: $20

Register online at www.buildingbridges-asheville.org or on site at MAHEC’s Thomas Bacon Lecture Hall at 6:30 pm at the first meeting. For more information, call 828-777-4585.

Find out how you can make a difference!

First and foremost, they use 75-80% less energy than incandescent bulbs. This means that for every CFL bulb you use, you'll be helping to prevent approximately 600 pounds of harmful emissions from entering the environment. Or to put another way, if every American home replaced just one bulb with a CFL bulb, the pollution reduction would be equal to taking nearly one million cars off the road. Combine that with an annual operating cost of only $2.60 per bulb, and you can begin to understand what all the fuss is about.

Source: Ribbon Nutrition: How many light bulbs does it take to change the world?

Buncombe County Government Offices will be closed on Monday, September 3, 2007 for Labor Day.