News-Record.com

The business-friendly think tank N.C. Free shut down last fall. Dome reported that here.

So I guess an e-mail that came in earlier this week shouldn't have surprised me:

ROCKINGHAM, N.C., Jan. 19 /PRNewswire/ -- It was announced by Iron Horse Auction Company, Inc. that the assets of NC FREE (NC Forum for Research and Economic Education) are being offered via an online only, internet auction. The auction is being broadcast on Proxibid.com for the convenience of buyer's world wide.

For more than 25 years, the NC Forum for Research and Economic Education provided political analysis for North Carolina politicians. At one point, NC FREE was the leading provider for unbiased political education to America's leading industries. The organization was dissolved by its board of directors because its funding was ceased. Now, more than 250 lots of TV production and webcasting equipment and office furniture will be sold.

The assets are located at Iron Horse Auction Company Inc.'s Sales Facility at 174 Airport Road in Rockingham, NC. Buyer's can view these items January 19th and January 20th from 9:00 a.m. -- 4:00 p.m. The online auction will end Wednesday, January 21st at 3:00 p.m. EST.

I kept hearing that there was some hope to revive the thing, but this strikes me as rather final. Outside of the ideological questions the group encountered late in its run, seeing them go by the wayside is kind of a shame if only because their Almanac of North Carolina Politics (a compendium of stats and analysis written for state elections) tended to be useful.

For those looking for a good last minute deal on office furniture and LCD projectors, click here. The auction has been extended two days due to the snowy weather this week.

El Pueblo, a fairly potent lobbying/activist organization that takes up issues on behalf of the Latino community, has a new executive director. From a news release:

On March 1, 2008, the Board of Directors named Antonio (Tony) Asion as the new Executive Director of El Pueblo, Inc. El Pueblo is a statewide, nonprofit public policy and advocacy organization dedicated to strengthening the Latino community of North Carolina.

As the new Executive Director, Asion will supervise a staff of fifteen who work in programs in the areas of health, education, leadership development, advocacy, Public Safety, youth and culture.

Asion's first priority will be to work with both the Latino and non-Latino community to highlight commonalities, differences, and the benefits of working together to overcome the fear and misunderstanding each has of the other. Together with El Pueblo's accomplished Collaborative Leadership Team and El Pueblo's continued commitment to allied coalitions with other organizations statewide, Asion will lead, coordinate, and collaborate to achieve this goal.

Originally from Cuba, Asion received his Master's degree in Criminal Justice from Wilmington College in Delaware. He is a retired State Trooper from Delaware and was most recently the Deputy Director of El Pueblo. Tony also served as Public Safety Director, tackling such issues as DWI prevention, child passenger safety seat usage and gang prevention among the Latino community.