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Pigeon Forge marketing plan approved

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Based on the success of tourism marketing last year, the Department of Tourism will continue to aim advertising at the demographic that city officials call their target audience: women ages 25-49 with children in their household and annual income between $35,000 and $100,000, living in 14 selected markets.

During the Pigeon Forge City Commission meeting Monday, Tourism Director Leon Downey and other officials discussed the department’s 2015 spring and summer engagement plan, which was unanimously approved by the commissioners.

Selected markets are broken into two categories, sustained and reinforcement. Sustained markets represent the most overnight travel to Pigeon Forge and include Greenville, S.C.; Asheville, N.C.; Lexington, Ky.; Cincinnati, Ohio; Charlotte, N.C.; Charleston, S.C.; Birmingham, Ala.; Louisville, Ky.; Indianapolis, Ind.; Greensboro, N.C.; Atlanta, Ga.; and Nashville.

Reinforcement markets are closer and bring less overnight travel. They include the Tri-Cities area, Knoxville and Chattanooga. Sustained markets will receive more advertising than reinforcement markets.

The decision to continue to target the demographic was based on market research. Last year the department had more than 300,000 requests for travel planners, marking a 56.6 percent increase from 2013, and the most the department has experienced to date.

Last year’s ads directed consumers to the Pigeon Forge website to find more information about the city, which is where a large portion of the requests for travel planners originated.

Tourism officials said the city’s 2014 partnership with the Hallmark television channel was fruitful, yielding about 65,000 inquiries for travel planners. Because of those results, the department intends to continue the partnership this year.

“We certainly hope we can duplicate or exceed the success from last year,” Vice Mayor Kevin McClure said at the meeting.

Advertising will be made up of 30-second television and radio commercials, as well as advertisements on gas pump televisions in some gas stations and radio DJ endorsements. Commercials will run from March 13 to June 28.

Other advertising avenues will include consumer trade print, with ads in women’s lifestyle publications.

The tourism department will also have an “amazing kid” competition, in which children may be nominated for some extraordinary action. The winning child will win a free trip to Pigeon Forge.

The competition will be promoted in schools, and the school of the winning child will receive a donation.

Tourism officials estimate that the advertising campaign will reach more than 165 million households during the months the ads run.

“You all do a really great job of coming up with ways to promote Pigeon Forge,” city commissioner Joyce Brackins said at the meeting.

The estimated cost of the engagement plan is $4.8 million, and all funds are available within the current budget.

jold@themountainpress.com

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Rate drops to lowest point in 7 years

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Posted: Tuesday, January 13, 2015 1:00 pm

Rate drops to lowest point in 7 years

Jason O. Boyd, Staff Writer

Thesnaponline.com

Unemployment in Stanly County went down for the third straight month in November, dropping to the lowest level in seven years.

Numbers released by the North Carolina Department of Commerce’s Labor and Economic Analysis Division show Stanly County’s unemployment rate now at 4.8 percent. That’s down .2 percent from last month’s 5.0 seasonly adjusted number. It’s the lowest rate on record since September 2007, when the unemployment rate was 4.6 percent.

Stanly was one of 72 counties to see its unemployment rate drop, down from the 97 counties that saw their rate lower in October. A total of 20 counties saw their rate increase in November while eight remained the same. Most of the counties that saw a rise in unemployment were seasonal locations that benefitted from the summer tourism months such as Camden (5.5 to 6.1 from October to November), Dare (5.0 to 6.5), Avery (5.7 to 6.2) and Hyde (5.4 to 6.8), which saw the biggest one-month increase in the state.

Stanly now ranks 16th among the 100 counties in overall unemployment, up from 19th in October. It’s just another positive sign after the rate reached 14.0 percent in January 2010.

“It does seem to be a little bit of a trend upward in the unemployment rate,” said Donnie Mann, director of Division of Workforce Solutions in Albemarle. “I know the drop in November can come from seasonal hiring. We’ve seen an increase in job orders in the field of retail and manufacturing. There does seem to be a trend of the economy recovering.” 

While those percentages are good news, a bigger story is the dwindling number of people actually in the workforce. While the unemployment rate continues to drop, the number of people employed has been more of a rollercoaster. In May, 30,964 were listed in the labor force. November shows 29,829, down from the 30,113 in October.

The 29,829 figure is the lowest number of members in the labor force since 29,971 were listed in April 2009. On the flip side, the 1,429 listed as unemployed in Stanly County is the lowest since September 2007, when 1,396 were unemployed.

Part of that can be attributed to the growing number of retirees moving to the area plus factors like jobs outside the county, people passing away or moving. Jobs that take residents outside of the county to places like Concord, Monroe and Charlotte for work is also a factor.

According to 2013 U.S. Census data, the population increase in the county was .1 percent, from 60,585 in 2010 to an estimated 60,635 in 2013 — a net gain of 50 people in three years.

“Those numbers are affected by retirees and relocations,” Mann said.  “As far as unemployent, they don’t have an impact on the unemployment rate, just the number of people working. 

“We’ve seen the economy strengthen and we are seeing more job openings in local manufacturing and retail. That’s a good sign we are putting people back to work.”

With the December numbers coming out within the next week, there’s a chance the unemployment rate will drop again. While it is hard to predict exactly how much of a drop there will be, Mann said the number of businesses looking for part-time and full-time help in retail alone is a good indication of where things stand.

“It is hard to predict what the numbers will show or reflect the rate,” Mann said. “We have seen a trend of improvement and I think we will see that in the December figures as well.” 

Albemarle has returned to the top of the micropolitan statistical areas for lowest unemployment in the state, beating out Boone (4.9 percent). Asheville (4.0), Durham-Chapel Hill (4.3) and Raleigh-Cary (4.3) are the only metropolitian statistical areas in the state with unemployment lower than Albemarle.

Unemployment dropped again in every neighboring county, including Union (4.4), Cabarrus (4.9), Randolph (5.0), Rowan (5.3), Mecklenburg (5.4), Davidson (5.5), Montgomery (5.8), Anson (6.6) and Richmond (7.0).

To submit story ideas, contact Jason O. Boyd at (704) 982-2121 ext. 21 or email at jason@stanlynews press.com.

Jason O. Boyd is a staff writer for The Stanly News Press. Contact him at (704) 982-2121 ext. 21 or jason@stanlynewspress.com.​


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Citadel football picks up commitments

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Citadel football coach Mike Houston said his second Bulldogs recruiting class would be heavy on defense. Three weeks before national signing day, that’s how it is shaping up.

Of 10 players who have committed to The Citadel, according to various reports, eight play defense. The committed players can sign letters of intent on Feb. 4. The Bulldogs received several commitments over the weekend, their first official-visit weekend of the year.

Here’s a rundown of players reportedly committed so far:

– Defensive lineman Kevin Graham (6-3. 255), from Rabun Gap, Ga. He also plays basketball for Rabun Gap-Nacooche High School.

– Defensive back Aron Spann (5-11, 185) from Dorman High School. He also played linebacker, wide receiver and quarterback for Dorman, and reportedly had offers from Wofford, Elon, Army and Gardner-Webb.

– Linebacker Edward Davis (6-0, 217) of Farmville (N.C.) Central High School. He played in the Shrine Bowl for the North Carolina squad.

– Linebacker Phil Davis (6-2, 200) from Hillgrove High in Powder Springs, Ga. He had 80 tackles last season despite missing five games with injury.

– Quarterback Jordan Black (6-1, 195) of Vidalia (Ga.) High School. Black rushed for more than 1,200 yards and passed for about 700 yards last season.

– Defensive lineman Attorney Gallman (6-2, 250) from Hiram, Ga.. He projects as an end or a tackle for the Bulldogs.

– Defensive end Noah Dawkins (6-1, 220) of Byrnes High School. He was named the Spartanburg Herald-Journal’s defensive player of the year after breaking the school record with 23 sacks last season.

– Defensive back Khafari Buffalo (6-2, 190) of Lakewood High in Sumter. Buffalo played in the North-South All-Star Game and had 61 tackles and three interceptions last season.

– Running back Rod Johnson (5-11, 191) of Ninety-Six High School. Johnson played in the Shrine Bowl and ran for 1,621 yards and 24 touchodwns last season.

– Defensive lineman Isaiah Hawkins (6-1, 235) of Alpharetta, Ga. He had more than 150 tackles and 14 sacks over the last three seasons at Milton High School.

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Place to play: The future of the Haw River could be in recreational tourism

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EDITOR’S NOTE: This is the final installment of three-part series.

From the heart of the Pisgah National Forest, where the Appalachian Trail teeters on the Tennessee-North Carolina state line, Hot Springs beckons.

Weary hikers and famished whitewater paddlers rejoice when they hear its light traffic echoing off the French Broad River and up the mountainous banks. Hot Springs means good food and drink, a night maybe spent in a bed, and all of it with good, friendly company.

It’s a place long-distance hikers mail extra supplies ahead, kept safe by outfitters awaiting their arrival. Shops cater to outdoor needs with camping and hiking gear. Raft and canoe businesses put in the water there.

Given the vitality in Saxapahaw and the promise of Glencoe Mill Village and mill buildings in Haw River, there’s no reason Alamance County can’t become the Hot Springs of the state’s Mountains-to-Sea Trail, says Brian Baker, Alamance County Parks and Recreation director.

“That’s not far off,” Baker said last week. “I’m from McDowell County, about 20 miles away from Hot Springs, where the Blue Ridge Parkway brought people in, and they bought things and ate in our restaurants. I think this can be a Piedmont version of that.”

Years in the making, the Haw River Trail — a 70-mile stretch of trails planned from Haw River State Park to Jordan Lake — will be almost dead center in the state’s Mountains-to-Sea Trail. The massive undertaking involves the creation of 1,000 miles of trails from Clingman’s Dome in the Great Smoky Mountains National Park to Jockey’s Ridge on the Outer Banks.

Piece by piece, our portion is coming together. More than 10 miles of trails exist near Glencoe, in Shallow Ford Natural Area near Elon, Red Slide Park in Haw River, and Swepsonville River Park. More sections are planned for Saxapahaw this year, and trails from Glencoe running southeast by Stony Creek Reservoir and into Haw River are under construction.

Almost every year, the trail adds new easements for future trail sites from private landowners.

Weeks ago, the N.C. Department of Environment and Natural Resources announced it’s hired a consultant to help complete a master plan of the ambitious trail. At the same time, the nonprofit Friends of the Mountains-to-Sea Trail is compiling a hiker’s guide with local attractions, lodging and restaurant guides on the trail.

That group says as many as 10 hikers per year are already completing the statewide journey by following country roads where trails haven’t been built. In Alamance County, those are roadside stretches roughly following N.C. 87 on its diagonal slash from north to south.

 

EVEN WITHOUT A finished trail, some are investing in the Haw River’s future.

Years before modern efforts for the trail, George and Jerrie Nall began the refurbishment of Glencoe Mill Village. After purchasing and restoring a Holt family home, they saw opportunity in riverside land. They purchased the land that became Glencoe Paddle Access, dedicated in 2007 for their late son, Dr. Steven Nall.

“We immediately started working to get that property because we didn’t want someone else to get control of it” with different purposes for it, Jerrie Nall says. “We held onto it knowing we wanted it to be used by the people. We could see in the future that recreation departments would want it.”

The Nalls had already spearheaded and established the Textile Heritage Museum in the picturesque mill village, commemorating the technology and culture that brought life to Alamance County and much of North Carolina.

They’ve since encouraged friends to donate to the trail as they continue investing the mill village. Though tight-lipped about the details, Jerrie Nall described extensive investments in a project called “North of Charleston.” The area below the museum is being refurbished as an attraction the couple hopes will be the village jewel.

“We are bursting at the seams,” Jerrie Nall says with a gleam in her eye. “Glencoe is ready to pop!”

Why the Haw River? George Nall said it’s about seeing possibilities for future generations.

“It’s important: We’re maintaining it for youth, not only now, but in the future, so children and families can walk along the trails and see the river and learn about nature,” George Nall said. “If someone doesn’t take the time to think through things in advance, it’s gone. If you don’t plan ahead for good things to happen, children and parents won’t have those things in the future. … Jerrie and I get emotional about it because it’s a very important thing.”

This year, the city of Burlington jumped onboard with plans for a $500,000 nature center in the mill’s former dye house. Recreation and Parks Director Tony Laws is awaiting word of a federal grant application and is in negotiations with large private donors for the project.

The irony that the nature center will be located in the 5,000-square-foot dye house, which once helped poison the Haw River, isn’t lost on him. The center will teach about wildlife habitats here and contain a classroom area for programming.

Everyone looks to Saxapahaw, with the hugely successful Haw River Ballroom, Eddy Pub, and Saxapahaw General Store serving gourmet food, as the model. Even other states envy the transformation.

Now, people are waiting for a restaurant in Glencoe, possibly the final puzzle piece in refurbished mill buildings already housing artist studios and a preschool center.

“Saxapahaw is the model for what trail towns can be,” Baker says. “Glencoe is on its way to becoming another one of those spots.”

 

TEN YEARS AGO, Joe Jacob was through with the paddling business. He’d sold his previous business and was relocating to Saxapahaw to write a book.

Then the bug bit again. Mac Jordan, the spark behind Saxapahaw’s development, convinced him that putting people on the river would breathe life back into the community. Jacob bought six canoes and founded Haw River Canoe and Kayak.

“I’ve never really done much marketing. It just happened,” Jacob says.

Creative trips like moonlight paddles and women’s retreat paddles, including wine, chocolate and massages, brought people onto the river who normally wouldn’t sit in a boat. It also built word-of-mouth and grew the company. In 2012, Jacob expanded to Bynum, south of Saxapahaw, with the Bynum Outpost, offering similar paddling experiences on a different section of the Haw.

This spring, he will set down roots in northeastern Alamance County at the Grove Winery outside Gibsonville. The Upriver Outpost should open in March.

“The river’s so different in all three locations, and that makes it neat. But the other thing: the politics are so different” when you’re on the river, Jacob says. “If the whole county is interested in the river, that perhaps could provide the political will that makes people say, ‘This is something special and important to our county,’ and give us the economic reason to take care of it.

“Conservation is good for business.”

Last year, Haw River Trail visitors in Alamance County numbered 270,000. That could be the tip of the iceberg if the Haw River and opportunities here continue to be promoted, Baker and others believe.

“The river can absolutely be more a part of our economy. But more importantly, it can be part of our identity,” Baker says.

The Haw River is what makes Saxapahaw, Jacob says. In 20 or 30 years, he hopes that will be said for all of Alamance County.

“It’s the ambiance. What would Asheville be without its river? People come to Saxapahaw, are drawn to it, because it’s not Raleigh, New York or Dallas. It’s this little old funky town with good food, good music, and a lot of things to do with kids, and a lot of it’s free. The river’s all part of that,” Jacob says. “New York City has its Central Park. Hopefully, we’ll have the Haw River corridor.”

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Baker & Taylor Adds Reservation Tool to KnowledgePoint Platform

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CHARLOTTE, N.C., Jan. 12, 2015 /PRNewswire/ — Baker Taylor, the premier worldwide distributor of digital and print books and entertainment products, is expanding collection management control and helping teachers use resources more efficiently. Through its education brand, KnowledgePoint, Baker Taylor has incorporated a reservation feature into its lending platform that will enable teachers to reserve digital titles for students in advance.

This new reservation tool is part of Baker Taylor’s commitment to working with schools to provide high-quality materials for students and helping schools with their transition to utilizing digital materials for teaching and learning. Teachers in K-12 schools using KnowledgePoint will now be able to efficiently schedule and manage the availability of digital titles for their students.

“This new tool gives teachers an assurance that the books and materials required to help students learn will be available to them when needed,” said Dottie Coven, Vice President of Learning and Educational Platforms at Baker Taylor. “By continuously listening to client feedback, we’re able to identify specific requests, such as a reservation capability, and enhance our services and products to better meet the needs of schools, teachers and students.”

KnowledgePoint’s new reservation capability facilitates access to library and classroom collections, allowing educators to quickly identify available texts, and assign them to reading groups for a specific time period. KnowledgePoint also allows teachers to upload student rosters, assign reserved texts to reading groups and track student progress on assignments from a single online portal.

Baker Taylor’s KnowledgePoint provides schools with the core tools necessary for managing and developing their collections and raising student literacy, including: digital asset management, digital acquisition and assessment. Districts can customize each school’s collection and empower school leaders seeking flexible and powerful ebook solutions to reach students in the classroom and beyond.

About Baker Taylor
Baker Taylor, Inc. is the premier worldwide distributor of books, digital content and entertainment products. The company offers cutting-edge digital media services and innovative technology platforms to thousands of publishers, libraries, schools and retailers worldwide. Baker Taylor also offers industry-leading customized library services and retail merchandising solutions. Charlotte, N.C.-based Baker Taylor is majority owned by Castle Harlan Partners IV, L.P., an institutional private equity fund managed by Castle Harlan, Inc., a leading private equity investment firm. For more information, please visit www.baker-taylor.com.

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NC State hands No. 2 Duke its 1st loss in 87-75 upset

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Kyle Washington hopped on a courtside table to celebrate amid a crowd of North Carolina State fans jumping around at midcourt. Anthony “Cat” Barber posed with fans taking selfies amid the chaos.

The Wolfpack had turned No. 2 Duke’s latest visit to Raleigh into yet another party — complete with ending the Blue Devils’ unbeaten start.

Trevor Lacey scored 21 points and N.C. State shot 55 percent to beat Duke 87-75 on Sunday, knocking off one of the last three undefeated teams in the country.

“Today we just all put it together and we just played as a team,” Lacey said. “When we play like this, we’re a good team.”

N.C. State (12-5, 3-1 Atlantic Coast Conference) knocked down shots all day — some wide open after defensive breakdowns — and made 10 of 16 3-pointers. Defensively, the Wolfpack ran constant double teams at preseason All-American Jahlil Okafor to slow Duke’s big man.

The Wolfpack dominated a second-half stretch with seven straight scoring possessions to build a 19-point lead — Duke’s biggest deficit all season by far — then turned away the Blue Devils’ late comeback.

It marked the second time in three seasons that an unbeaten Duke team visited Raleigh and headed to the locker room as the rowdy home crowd stormed the court to celebrate afterward.

The Blue Devils (14-1, 2-1) were No. 1 and 15-0 when it happened two years ago. Now top-ranked Kentucky and No. 3 Virginia are the nation’s last unbeatens.

“Were we as tough as we needed to be? No,” coach Mike Krzyzewski said. “Does that mean we’re soft? No. We’re a good team. We need to learn to play at that level. You’ve got to be in these things to learn it.”

Okafor finished with 23 points and 12 rebounds, but the Blue Devils shot 37 percent and just couldn’t keep up when N.C. State’s offense got rolling.

Ralston Turner scored 11 of his 16 points after halftime, including two straight 3s to break open a tie game. And BeeJay Anya added a career-high 14 points to lead a strong effort from the Wolfpack’s big men, whose development has been a big focus of Mark Gottfried’s staff.

“We got the ball inside and our big guys were productive,” Gottfried said. “I think any time with any team … the more productive guys are around the basket, it opens everything up on the perimeter.”

Quinn Cook scored 18 points for Duke, which missed 20 of 27 3-pointers and couldn’t make it through a pair of instate ACC road games unscathed this week. The Blue Devils had a tougher-than-expected win at Wake Forest on Wednesday.

“These two games just taught us that we can lose,” sophomore Matt Jones said, “if we don’t bring our game every day.”

—

TIP-INS

Duke: Jones started over Amile Jefferson in Duke’s first lineup change this year. … Jones’ 3 with 1:37 left got Duke as close as 76-69 late. … Duke had never trailed at halftime or by more than six in any game before Sunday.

N.C. State: This marked the first time since 1992 that N.C. State played consecutive games against top-five opponents. The Wolfpack lost at No. 3 Virginia on Wednesday. … N.C. State shot 58 percent after halftime. … The largest lead came at 72-53 on Lacey’s 3 with the shot clock winding down at the 5:43 mark. … Freshman power forward Abdul-Malik Abu had eight points and eight rebounds.

SWAT TEAM

N.C. State came in ranked 12th nationally with 6.1 blocks per game. The Wolfpack swatted 10 against the Blue Devils, four apiece from Anya and Washington.

UNFRIENDLY CONFINES

Duke has now lost four of five in PNC Arena, including a 2010 loss to the Wolfpack — again, with a court-storming celebration. Duke also lost to Mercer here in last year’s NCAA tournament opener. “I’ve never won here,” said Cook, Duke’s lone scholarship senior. “I’m 0-3. It’s just a bitter taste in my mouth about this building.”

UP NEXT

Duke hosts Miami on Tuesday.

N.C. State plays another rivalry game, hosting No. 18 North Carolina on Wednesday.

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ACC basketball night in review: NC State throttles Duke, deals Blue Devils …

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N.C. State dominated Duke to hand the Blue Devils their first loss.

Trevor Cooney dominated from the outside to help Syracuse win its conference opener.

That, plus a look at Tuesday’s schedule, in the ACC night in review.

N.C. State

One single game isn’t going to get the Wolfpack into the NCAA tournament, especially one played in the confines of PNC Arena. But the Wolfpack’s impressive 87-75 showing against previously unbeaten Duke won’t hurt come March, either.

N.C. State hurt Duke from the perimeter (10 3-pointers) and in the post (a 40-26 edge in the paint). It only committed 10 turnovers and blocked 10 shots.  It got beat up by Jahlil Okafor (who doesn’t), and got hurt a bit by Quinn Cook. But aside from those two the Blue Devils shot just 10 of 41 from the floor.

The Wolfpack (12-5, 3-1 ACC) faced a trying three-game stretch early in conference play. It lost to Virginia on the road in a largely competitive showing, then handled Duke at home. It makes Wednesday’s date with North Carolina in Raleigh a bit of a bonus, and it’s anyone’s guess how well the Wolfpack and the Tar Heels (who rallied to beat Louisville) reload their respective muskets after impressive triumphs.

N.C. State doesn’t have a perfect profile; its 0-3 record away from Raleigh is a concern. But it showed a noteworthy peak on Sunday, and that’s bound to count for something.

Trevor Cooney, Syracuse

The veteran Orange guard scored a career-high 28 points and made seven 3-pointers to lead Syracuse to a 70-57 defeat of Florida State.

That’s not insignificant on a team level, either. Syracuse’s entire roster had made seven 3s in a game only twice in its first 15 contests — 10 against Colgate on Dec. 22, and seven against Long Beach State on Dec. 28.

2

Unbeaten teams left in ACC play. Syracuse (12-4, 3-0) joined Virginia (15-0, 3-0) as the only teams to escape the second weekend in January without a loss in league play.

62.5

Percent shooting from 3-point range for N.C. State in its victory over Duke. The Wolfpack was 10 of 16 from the outside, with Trevor Lacey (5 of 7) and Ralston Turner (4 of 7) taking most of those shots.

Virginia Tech at Louisville (7, YES): Louisville’s Montrezl Harrell faces the school he originally signed with as the Cardinals (14-2, 2-1) look to bounce back from their first ACC loss as they play host to Virginia Tech (8-7, 0-2).

Wake Forest at Syracuse (8, ACC Network; Channel 3 in Syracuse): The Orange goes for its seventh consecutive victory as Wake Forest (9-8, 1-3) pays a visit to the Carrier Dome.

Clemson at Virginia (8, ACC Network; ESPN3 in Syracuse): Two of the ACC’s three slowest-paced teams tangle as the Tigers (9-6, 1-2) travel to Charlottesville to meet the Cavaliers (15-0, 3-0).

Miami at Duke (9, ESPNU): Yes, Duke just lost at N.C. State. But it has claimed 41 consecutive ACC games at Cameron Indoor Stadium, and the Blue Devils (14-1, 2-1) will try to extend that streak against Jim Larranaga’s Hurricanes (11-4, 1-1).

Contact Patrick Stevens anytime: Email | Twitter

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The new struggle for colleges

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Manatee School District suspends investigator Troy Pumphrey

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Knight Cities Challenge finalists announced

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When the John S. and James L. Knight Foundation put out a call last year for new ideas to make the 26 communities where the foundation invests better places to live and work, more than 7,000 people answered.

On Monday, the foundation announced its list of 126 finalists in the first Knight Cities Challenge, 10 of which come from the Miami area. Other cities represented include Akron, Ohio; Charlotte, North Carolina; and Detroit, Michigan.

Participants came up with a range of ideas including dinner parties that bring residents together to shape the future of their cities and competitive video gaming street arcades that reinvigorate public spaces.

The Miami finalists are:

▪ Connective Tissue Plan and the Miami Department of Public Life by Gehl Studio (submitted by Matthew Lister): Creating the nation’s first Department of Public Life to promote a more inclusive, connected, walkable Miami.

▪ Future Museum Park: An Iterative Placemaking Experiment submitted by Rebecca Mandelman): Involving the public in the creation and design of Museum Park through interactive experiments to help developers understand the wants and needs of the community.

▪ Guagua App (submitted by Armando Ibarra): Creating a single platform for private jitneys and minibuses to provide inexpensive, on-demand, door-to-door transportation that fills substantial gaps in the local transit system.

▪  Made in Dade (submitted by Eric Burnard): Matching entrepreneurs and inventors with local manufacturers who can produce their goods to create a positive environment for talented creators while stimulating the job market.

▪ Multimodal, Linear Park by loCl (submitted by Malik Benjamin): Building a linear park along the Florida East Coast Railway from downtown to the Little River residential and business district.

▪ PlaceMaking Agency/Lab (submitted by Eric Burnard): Establishing a new creative agency focused on building a cultural identity in neighborhoods and helping developers and entrepreneurs build ideas based on those cultural foundations, to create stronger neighborhood ties.　

▪ SmartPARCS @ North by Miami Dade College (submitted by Lenore Rodicio): Improving Internet access in underserved communities by creating a community park system around Miami Dade College that will provide free WiFi hotspots and encourage community engagement.

▪ The Talent Development Network by The Talent Development Network (submitted by Steven Rojas Tallon): Helping talented Miamians stay in the city by connecting students with employers in seven target industries through a collaboration between all major academic institutions in the city.

▪ Wild Planting for a Fruitful Future by PlantMatter (submitted by Tiffany Noe): Strengthening Miami by providing residents with free fruit trees to plant in public spaces for all to share – turning the streets into a veritable edible park.

▪ The Science Barge by CappSci (submitted by Nathalie Manzano-Smith): To promote sustainability by creating the Science Barge, a floating, urban sustainable farm and environmental education center powered by renewable energy

Participants were asked to focus on at least one of three drivers of success: talent, opportunity and engagement.

Winners, who will receive a share of $5 million, will be announced in spring 2015.

“The challenge has introduced us to a host of new ideas and people who want to take hold of the future of their cities,” said Carol Coletta, Knight Foundation vice president for community and national initiatives in a release. “Through these new connections we hope to grow a network of civic innovators to take on community challenges and build solutions together.”

For more information, visit KnightCities.org.

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South Carolina, Clemson bolstering defenses with big linemen

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South Carolina’s plan to add more pass rushers to the 2015 recruiting class includes bringing in former Shrine Bowl defensive end Devante Covington.

Covington, a 6-3, 230-pounder at Georgia Military JC, hasn’t been talked about much in relation to the Gamecocks’ 2015 class, but his coach confirmed last week that the Gamecocks still want him and his commitment remains firm.

“All my conversations have been they want him and he’s on track to graduate in May and that’s where he wants to be,” said Georgia Military’s Bert Williams. “I don’t know anything different. They were always engaged with him.”

Covington first signed with USC in 2013 out of Richmond County High School in Rockingham, N.C. He played for the North Carolina Shrine Bowl team along with teammate and current Clemson offensive lineman Tyrone Crowder. Covington also had offers from Clemson, Tennessee, East Carolina, N.C. State, Wake Forest and Georgia Tech while in high school.

This past season, Covington had 39 tackles with 14 tackles for loss and 5 sacks. His commitment gives the Gamecocks 27 for the 2015 class, including five defensive ends.

Defensive lineman Christian Wilkins (6-5, 305) of Suffield, Conn., an Under Armour All-American and regarded as one of the top defensive tackles in the country for the 2015 class, announced a commitment to Clemson last week. Wilkins made an official visit to Clemson on Nov. 21. He also made official visits to Stanford, Penn State, Boston College and Ohio State. He gives Clemson 24 commitments in the 2015 class, including three grayshirts who joined the program this semester.

In other recruiting news:

Defensive back Toure Boyd (6-1, 193) of Chaffey (Calif.) JC, never thought he’d get the chance to return to the Southeast to play college football. That opportunity is now just a phone call away from USC. Boyd was contacted by Gamecocks secondary coach Grady Brown last week and his transcript is being vetted by USC admissions.

If all checks out, and Boyd said it should, he’s expecting an offer from the Gamecocks this week.

“I’d have to consult with my family, but I’m pretty sure it’s going to be a go,” Boyd said. “To me, I feel like, why not? Even if there is stuff for me to look at and stuff for me to weigh out, I feel like this is an opportunity that came out of nowhere for a reason.”

Boyd grew up in Birmingham, Ala., and would have attended Hoover High School had he not moved to Rancho Cucamonga, Calif., at the age of 14. He still has family in Birmingham, including his father. He will have three years to play two.

“I’ve always loved the SEC,” Boyd said. “I’ve always thought it was the superior conference. I can’t pass up something like that, a chance to get to the league.”

Boyd has offers from Utah, Arizona, Washington State, Southern Miss, Georgia State and Texas State. This season, he had He 80 tackles with two interceptions, 10 passes broken up, 2 forced fumbles, 2 recovered fumbles and 4 blocks. He also scored a touchdown.

The Gamecocks also have made contact with defensive back Treston Decoud (6-3, 205) of Northwest Mississippi JC. He’s a Louisiana native who has offers from East Carolina, Toledo, Utah State, Fresno State, Louisiana-Lafayette and Western Kentucky. He decommitted from Utah State in December.

DB Jeremiah Dinson of Hialeah, Fla., is still considering a visit to USC, but the date has not been set. Dinson remains committed to Kentucky. He will visit Florida and Auburn this month. He’s choosing between USC and Louisville for his final visit Jan. 30.

DB Maurice Smitherman of Adamsville, Ala., will visit Texas Tech on Jan. 16 and USC on Jan. 30. He has been committed to Mississippi State and visited there last month. Smitherman said he’s feeling more solid with his commitment to the Bulldogs but does want to take those other two official visits.

USC continues to keep up the interest in DB Rashard Causey of Fort Lauderdale despite his longstanding commitment to Florida Atlantic. Causey said Gamecocks secondary coach Grady Brown was on hand for his state championship game in December. “He’s just waiting on me to make that call. They’ve been recruiting me since I was a sophomore, so I’ve built a good relationship with coach Brown and some of the South Carolina coaches and some of the players. My best friend Skai (Moore) goes there, so I get all the scoop about what’s going on and what it’s like there.” Causey said he’s aware the Gamecocks lost two of their defensive back commitments and now it’s up to him to push the issue with the Gamecocks. “Nothing has changed for me for South Carolina,” he said. “I’ve always loved them from the beginning because they were one of the first big schools to recruiting me. That’s on my call to make the visit because they want me. That’s my call to make on when I want to visit the school.” Causey said he hopes to set an official visit with USC after talking with his parents. He said he’s also considering Tennessee and Georgia.

USC commitment DB Damon Arnette of Fort Lauderdale, Fla., was offered by Michigan last week and set an official visit with the Wolverines for Jan. 16. He visits USC on Jan. 23 and Ohio State on Jan. 30.

DE Arden Key of Atlanta decommitted from USC for a second time last week, but he had a message for USC fans via Twitter. “South Carolina still #1 on my board. Nobody knows my situation,” Key typed. He now plans to take his scheduled official visits to LSU, Miami, USC and Auburn.

USC has jumped into the race for Wake Forest transfer OL Cory Helms (6-4 305). He was a freshman All-American center in 2013 and played guard this season. He will have two years to play at his next stop. Helms is a native of Alpharetta, Ga., and he drew interest from USC in high school but got no offer. He was offered by the Gamecocks on Sunday and will take an official visit Jan. 30. He’s going to visit Texas AM this weekend and he has Penn State set for Jan. 30.

OL Patrick Allen of Reisterstown, Md., is interested in taking an unofficial visit to USC but has not decided on a date. He’s looking primarily at USC, Tennessee, Georgia, Oklahoma and Notre Dame.  He’s a former Georgia commitment. Allen has taken his five official visits to Georgia, Oklahoma, Michigan, Tennessee and Arkansas. There is no favorite.

DE Quandeski Whitlow of Opelika, Ala., has seen Florida come hard after him in recent weeks but his coach said Whitlow’s commitment to USC remains solid. “He’s telling me he’s firmly committed to South Carolina,” coach Brian Blackmon said. “This is a kid that’s never been out of Opelika, so he may take visits to other places. I don’t know if he’ll end up doing that or not, but what I’m hearing from him is he’s still firmly committed to South Carolina.” Blackmon said he talked with Gamecock recruiter Kirk Botkin and assured him further of Whitlow’s commitment to the Gamecocks based on what Whitlow told him. “You know social media makes everybody nervous,” the coach said. “They all want attention and what it does is make the people he really likes nervous.” Whitlow is scheduled to visit Louisville this weekend, USC on the 23rd and Florida on the 30th. This season, Whitlow finished with 50 tackles, 17½ tackles for loss, 5½ sacks and 27 quarterback hurries. “He’s a tall, long rangy kid,” Blackmon said. “He has incredible speed and quickness off the ball. He’s a great pass rusher.”

USC OL commitment Christian Pellage of Brooksville, Fla., has picked up a Florida offer and will take his official visit to Gainesville this weekend. He will visit USC on Jan. 23.

It’s clear Clemson’s top choice for its remaining secondary scholarship for 2015 is Mark Fields Jr. of Cornelius, N.C., who will visit Jan. 16 and currently lists Clemson as his favorite. But the Tigers are keeping in touch with former Louisville commitment DB Kareem Orr of Chattanooga, Tenn., just in case. “I talked to coach Brooks, and Clemson is trying to get me up on a visit,” Orr said.  “I feel good about Clemson. I might visit there.” Orr believes Ohio State is about to offer, and that was one of his favorite programs growing up along with Texas and Florida. Also, his good friend Vonn Bell is a starting defensive back for the Buckeyes. He’s also waiting to hear from Miami on a possible offer. Orr has visited Oklahoma and will visit Arizona State on Jan. 16. Orr is focusing on Clemson, Ohio State, Oklahoma, Mississippi State, Arizona State and Miami at this point.

Shrine Bowl WR JJ Arcega-Whiteside of Dorman is a Stanford commitment and is still waiting to hear from the school about being accepted. If he is accepted, he said he will no doubt go to Stanford. He is also hearing from USC, Georgia Tech and Wake Forest. He talked with Steve Spurrier Jr. and Sean Elliott and was told if things don’t work out at Stanford, they would be interested in talking with him more seriously. He will make his official visit to Stanford on Jan. 16 and hopes to find out then if he’s going to be accepted. He has not scheduled any other official visits.

Former Clemson signee ATH Jae’lon Oglesby of Daniel may be headed to SMU, according to sources. Oglesby played at Fork Union Prep, Va., this past season. He planned to enroll at Clemson this month, but the Tigers withdrew their offer for reasons which have not been made public.

ATH Denzel Johnson of AC Flora is now drawing the interest of N.C. State. The Wolfpack have not offered, but he has set a visit to Raleigh for Jan. 30. Johnson talked with Clemson coach Dabo Swinney on New Year’s Day and was told the Tigers still haven’t decided if they like him for receiver or defensive back. He said he’s heard nothing new from USC. Johnson has taken an official visit to Towson and is scheduled to visit Clemson on Jan. 16 and Georgia Southern on the 23rd.

WR Tavin Richardson of Byrnes is down to Central Florida, Louisville and Kentucky. Nebraska, which he has visited officially, no longer is involved. There is no favorite and all three are pushing hard, according to Richardson. He has visited Central Florida officially and will visit Louisville on Jan. 16 and Kentucky on Jan. 23.

Shrine Bowl DL Eurndraus Bryant of Fort Dorchester plans to take an official visit to Georgia. He also plans to set a visit date with East Carolina. Georgia Southern has been showing him the most interest, but Georgia has been coming on of late.  

Blythewood LB Hassan Belton will take an official visit to Missouri on Jan. 23. He was South Carolina’s defensive MVP in the Shrine Bowl.

RB Joe Blue of Dillon, a former USC signee who attended Georgia Prep this fall, is deciding between S.C. State and Coastal Carolina.  

Chapin OL Stephen Haralambis has committed to Charleston Southern and will take an official visit Jan. 16. Air Force and Army are also recruiting him and pushing for visits.

Myrtle Beach LB/DE Marcus Chestnut committed to Newberry and WR Latrell Nieves of Colleton County committed to Marshall.

DE Rasool Clemons of South Aiken announced a decommitment from Virginia on Sunday. He committed to the Cavaliers in August over Tennessee and LSU.

Basketball

De’riante Jenkins, the 6-6 former Lake Marion football and basketball standout who is now living in Orlando, Fla., and focusing on hoops, attended Clemson’s last home game against North Carolina and right now it all looks good for Clemson with Jenkins.

“There was no commitment, but I’m very close, very close,” Jenkins said. “On a scale of 10, I’d give it an eight. I’ve been going to Clemson since the 7th grade for summer camps and it’s always felt like home. It’s in the ACC and I will be playing against future pros every night. Coach Brownell’s style of basketball is really cool. He sounds like a guy who is pretty hard on you and expect a lot out of you. He told me the program is needing help. They are building a new stadium and all that.” Jenkins also has offers from Houston, East Carolina, South Florida and Virginia Tech. USC and N.C. State have also shown interest of late. He was at USC for the UNC Asheville game and he said the Gamecocks have been talking to his AAU coach. “I’m still waiting to see what they (USC and N.C. State) are going to do,” Jenkins said. “I could have a decision in January, and if not it will be in the summer.” Jenkins averaged 15 points and 5 rebounds per game last season.

Baseball

USC picked up a 2016 commitment from LHP Josh Gregory (6-0 185) of Gaffney on Sunday, according to John Whittle of TheBigSpur.com. Gregory attended a USC camp Saturday and was offered Sunday. He also considered the College of Charleston. Gregory is USC’s 14th commitment for 2016 and the second left-handed pitcher for the class.

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