WNCW-FM 88.7, the local National Public Radio Station for Western North Carolina, will lose its state funding, it appears.

The North Carolina General Assembly, which for many years funded public radio at both state universities and at a small handful of community colleges within the N.C. Community College System, including Isothermal Community College in Spindale, which holds WNCW&squo;s FCC license, appears ready to withdraw that funding.

Charlotte and Raleigh university stations lost their funding years ago, and now the three remaining state-funded public radio stations at North Carolina&squo;s community colleges, WNCW at Isothermal, WSGE at Gaston College near Charlotte, and Public Radio East at Craven Community College in New Bern, appear to be about to lose theirs.

The North Carolina Senate has voted to strip funding for all three stations from the State Appropriations Bill. The N.C. House appears to be leaning toward following the Senate&squo;s lead, particularly in light of recent news that state tax revenues were far below expectations.

Dana Whitehair, WNCW&squo;s general manager, said WNCW will be campaigning in coming months for increased membership, business underwriting, and donations.

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New media developer Kiveo, LLC announces it has opened an office at 133 Trade St. in downtown Tryon. Kiveo specializes in social media solutions such as iphone and Facebook applications, online entertainment such as games and quizzes, as well as web projects and product marketing tools.

&dquo;We are also happy to work with individuals who have their own ideas for mobile applications. We are approved Apple developers so we can submit completed applications for distribution through the iTunes store,&dquo; says Sally Outlaw, vice president and creative director of the company.

Founders include Miles Phillips, Jeremy Edgell and Briley Hooper, formerly of Synergy Point, and Sally Outlaw and Basil Irving of the local Tryon firm Blaze Realty Group. Kiveo says it enables companies to maximize their brand exposure by offering results-driven, clear, simple and focused mobile and social networking solutions. They can be reached at 866-812-3402 or www.kiveo.net.

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Josh Halford, 21, a lifelong resident of Green Creek, has announced that he is the first 360clean franchisee in Western North Carolina.

Halford recently attended a seminar at FranchiseMart in Spartanburg, S.C., and decided that 360clean is a great fit for his goals and objectives.

&dquo;I believe 360clean has the potential to excel in the commercial janitorial industry because of the quality of people, products, and performance,&dquo; said Halford.

The Western Carolina territory for 360clean is spearheaded by Tom Morris, an area representative. Halford will begin training at the end of July and he and his fianc´e, Amber Nelson, will begin operating the business in August.

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Carole Spainhour, a local elder law and estate planning attorney, has been named as one of the &dquo;Best Lawyers in North Carolina, 2009&dquo; in an article by &uot;N.C. Magazine&uot; in the May/June 2009 volume.

The list was compiled by Woodward/White, publishers of the &uot;Best Lawyers in America&uot; referral guide to the legal profession. An attorney is chosen for inclusion in the list based solely on the confidential vote of their peers.

Spainhour has practiced in the &uot;High Country&uot; for 13 years. Since 2004 she has been a part time resident of Saluda and has several clients in the area. She is also licensed in South Carolina and is associated with the law firm of Love, Thornton, Arnold and Thomason in Greenville, S.C.

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Mountain BizWorks announced today that Shaw Canale has been named the organization&squo;s new chief executive officer. Canale succeeds Greg Walker-Wilson, who left his position last month to serve as a volunteer in Columbia, South America.

Canale brings a wealth of experience to the position. Between 1997 and 2007, she was the executive director/CEO of Cascadia Revolving Fund, a certified double bottom line Community Development Financial Institution (CDFI) serving urban and rural entrepreneurs in Washington and Oregon.

For 20 years, Mountain BizWorks has been assisting small business owners in Western North Carolina. In 2008, Mountain Biz-Works provided its services to 988 entrepreneurs (65 percent were low-income, 61percent were women, 22 percent were racial or ethnic minorities). Those individuals created 159 businesses and expanded 310 businesses. In turn, those businesses created 292 jobs and sustained 780 jobs.

Mountain BizWorks is a not-for-profit organization with offices in Asheville, Hendersonville, and Sylva. For more information on Mountain BizWorks, visit www.mountainbizworks.org.

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&dquo;Art Trek Tryon: Foothills Open Studios&dquo; is almost here, and area businesses are expecting increased traffic.

The first-time event is Saturday, July 25, 10 a.m. to 6 p.m. and Sunday, July 26, noon to 6 p.m. Forty artists in Polk County and Landrum will open their studios and private galleries to the public free of charge. An exhibit of each artist&squo;s work opens at the Upstairs Artspace on Friday, July 24, with a preview party from 5 to 8 p.m. The Upstairs is the event developer and its chief sponsor.

This is a community-wide happening covering a large geographical area that includes Tryon, Saluda, Columbus, Landrum, Mill Spring and Green Creek.

Area businesses such as restaurants, shops, galleries and gas stations are getting ready.

&dquo;We expect &squo;trekkers&squo; to spend time in our towns shopping, dining and getting to know us better,&dquo; says Gary Corn, president of the Upstairs. &dquo;The event should grow until thousands of people are coming to the county for this particular weekend.&dquo;

&dquo;The merchants are 100 percent behind this,&dquo; says Mary Prioleau of Tryon House. &dquo;I plan to stay open late on Friday and donate a percentage of the weekend&squo;s proceeds to the Upstairs so they&squo;ll keep doing the &squo;trek.&squo;&dquo;

A brochure with map and driving directions is available at the Upstairs, the sponsors, artists&squo; studios and other locations. For more information call 828-859-2828.

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Edward Jones Financial Advisor Jay Geddings of Columbus recently received the Winner&squo;s Circle Award for his outstanding sales and service efforts over the past year.

&dquo;When you work for a firm that is known for its outstanding service,&dquo; Geddings said, &dquo;it&squo;s quite an honor to be singled out for your service record.&dquo;

James D. Weddle, Edward Jones&squo; managing partner, added, &dquo;Jay is an outstanding member of the Edward Jones team who personifies the ideal financial advisor, someone who is 100 percent dedicated to serving the financial needs of his clients. I am very pleased to present this well-deserved award.&dquo;

Geddings was one of only 492 of the firm&squo;s more than 12,000 financial advisors to receive the Winner&squo;s Circle award.