Smoky Mountain News | January 10, 2024

www.smokymountainnews.com

Western North Carolina’s Source for Weekly News, Entertainment, Arts, and Outdoor Information

January 10-16, 2024 Vol. 25 Iss. 33

Cancer battle instills sense of purpose Page 4 Sublime tribute act Badfish returns to WNC Page 22

CONTENTS On the Cover: It’s been a rough few years for Canton. First came the pandemic, then a massive flood and then the closure of its largest economic driver. Now, with reduced tax revenue and lingering emergency expenses, town officials need to consider how to balance the budget while not sacrificing services. (Page 6)

News Man’s cancer battle instills sense of purpose..............................................................4 Cherokee approves application for Clingmans Dome name change ..................8 Finance award casts further doubt on corruption claims in Haywood..............11 Landfill pond overflow, failed water quality test at Canton mill ............................12 License plate recognition cameras coming to Jackson..........................................14 Franklin approves social district ....................................................................................16 Community briefs ..............................................................................................................19

Opinion This conservative says it’s OK to disagree ................................................................20 Here’s to being woke rather than a MAGA ..............................................................21

STAFF EDITOR/PUBLISHER: ADVERTISING DIRECTOR: ART DIRECTOR: DESIGN & PRODUCTION: DIGITAL MARKETING SPECIALIST ADVERTISING SALES:

CLASSIFIEDS: NEWS EDITOR: WRITING:

ACCOUNTING & OFFICE MANAGER: DISTRIBUTION: CONTRIBUTING:

Scott McLeod. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . info@smokymountainnews.com Greg Boothroyd. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . greg@smokymountainnews.com Micah McClure . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . micah@smokymountainnews.com Jessica Murray . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . jessica.m@smokymountainnews.com Jack Snyder . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . jack.s@smokymountainnews.com Stefanee Sherman . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . stefanee@mtnsouthmedia.com Susanna Shetley . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . susanna.b@smokymountainnews.com Amanda Bradley . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . amanda.b@smokymountainnews.com Sophia Burleigh . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . sophia.b@smokymountainnews.com Scott Collier . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . classads@smokymountainnews.com Kyle Perrotti . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . kyle.p@smokymountainnews.com Holly Kays . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . holly@smokymountainnews.com Hannah McLeod . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . hannah@smokymountainnews.com Cory Vaillancourt . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . cory@smokymountainnews.com Garret K. Woodward. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . garret@smokymountainnews.com Jamie Cogdill . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . smnbooks@smokymountainnews.com Scott Collier . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . classads@smokymountainnews.com Jeff Minick (writing), Chris Cox (writing), Don Hendershot (writing), Thomas Crowe (writing)

CONTACT WAYNESVILLE | 144 Montgomery, Waynesville, NC 28786 SYLVA | 629 West Main Street, Sylva, NC 28779

A&E

P: 828.452.4251 | F: 828.452.3585

Sublime tribute act Badfish returns to WNC............................................................22 Southern rock rolls into WNC........................................................................................24

INFO & BILLING | P.O. Box 629, Waynesville, NC 28786

Outdoors Documentary highlights Haywood SAR’s lifesaving impact ................................30 Up Moses Creek: I’ll Fly a Ways ..................................................................................34

Copyright 2024 by The Smoky Mountain News.™ Advertising copyright 2024 by The Smoky Mountain News.™ All rights reserved. Reproduction in whole or in part without permission is prohibited. The Smoky Mountain News is available for free in Haywood, Jackson, Macon, Swain and parts of Buncombe counties. Limit one copy per person.

Additional copies may be purchased for $1, payable at the Smoky Mountain News office in advance. No person may, without prior written permission of The Smoky Mountain News, take more than one copy of each issue.

SUBSCRIPTIONS

Smoky Mountain News

January 10-16, 2024

SUBSCRIPTION: 1 YEAR $80

2

| 6 MONTHS $55 | 3 MONTHS $35

Burgers • Wraps • Sandwiches

Catering is Our Passion!

We Can Cater Everything from an Intimate Get-Together to a Large, Formal Gathering & Everything In-Between!

828-452-7837

~ ~ ~ ~

~ ~ ~ ~

294 N. Haywood Street

Waynesville

Hand-Crafted

Beverages

Follow Us on Facebook

Dine-In & Take-Out

32 Felmet Street (828) 246-0927 MONDAY 4-8 • TUESDAY CLOSED • WED & THURS 4-8 FRIDAY 4-8:30 • SATURDAY 4-8:30 • SUNDAY 12-8

Nutrition Facts serving size : about 50 pages Amount per Serving Calories 0 % Daily Value *

Ingles Nutrition N Notes

Total Fat 0g

0%

Regional News

100%

Opinion

100%

Outdoors

100%

Arts

100%

Entertainment

100%

Classifieds

100%

* Percent Weekly values based on Haywood, Jackson, Macon, Swain and Buncombe diets.

AREA’S BEST BURGER

34 CHURCH ST. WAYNESVILLE 828.246.6505 MON. TUES, THURS, FRI, 11-8 AND WED & SAT, 11-4 twitter.com/ChurchStDepot

facebook.com/ChurchStreetDepot

written by Ingles Dietitian Leah h McGrath

up in the What arre some ideas to keep my vegetable intake u colder months?

Answer Here are 5 suggestions:

January 10-16, 2024

Question: I’m re really good about eating vegetables in the nd when I summer when morre of them arre e in season locally an short. have my own garrden, but in the winter I know I fall s

casseroles 1. Frozen vegetables that can be added to soups, stews, casser and even sauces like tomato sauce for pasta. k or dairy 2. Bagged spinach that can be blended with fruit and milk alternatives in smoothies.

es, snap 4. Snack on vegetables like carrots, cherry/grape tomatoes, mus. beans or cucumber slices with or without a dip like hummus.

5. Remember, beans count as a vegetable! Have a bean salad, add ummus or dip beans to a soup, stew or casserole, puree and make a hummus or add to pasta or rice as a side dish.

Smoky Mountain News

toes, carr carrots, 3. Roast vegetables (broccoli, sweetpotatoes, white potatoes, s) on a sheet turnips, beets, fennel, butternut squash, Brussels sprouts) pan (sprinkle with a little olive oil and seasoning)and have as a side, with rice or pasta or use with salads.

Leah McGrath, RDN, LDN Ingles Market Corporate Dietitian

@InglesDietitian Leah McGrath - Dietitian Ingles Markets… caring about your health

3

news January 10-16, 2024

An unforeseen journey

How J.J. Singleton’s cancer battle instilled a new sense of purpose

BY KYLE PERROTTI N EWS E DITOR hallenges and trauma impact people in different ways.

For Haywood County native J.J. Singleton, who has battled cancer for about nine years now, it presented an opportunity for personal growth, growth he feels would have never otherwise been possible.

Singleton, 36, participated in sports his whole life. His dad and uncle played college football, and following suit, after playing high school ball at Pisgah, Singleton played linebacker at Brevard College. However, he suffered multiple concussions and his college career was cut short. At that point, he didn’t want to work out if it wasn’t for his sport and began drinking beer, or as he put it, “fully enjoying the college experience.” Before he knew it, he topped out at 315 pounds in early 2015. That’s when he decided to turn things around and committed to a CrossFit regimen, led by his former football coach, Brandon Holloway, who is now Pisgah’s girls’ basketball coach.

Things were really turning around. He’d lost weight, he was feeling better, and then around Memorial Day, he felt a sharp pain in his abdomen. He chose to ignore it. “Typical guy thinking.” He searched the internet for articles related to 4 his symptoms, and although cancer frequently popped up,

Smoky Mountain News

C

to work. He sought experimental treatment that was in a stage-two clinical trial. It was that or hospice, so he went for the Hail Mary.

“In a sense I got lucky,” Singleton said. “From the beginning, my doctor in Asheville wanted to combine our care with the Duke Cancer Center, so that changed everything. I Singleton got to meet golfing had a whole team there.” legend John Daly at a Since then, he’s been treating the disease as well as doctournament a few years ago. tors know how. He has endured chemotherapy every three Donated photo weeks for the last several years. Next week marks his 144th treatment. He said that while chemo gets progressively tougher to deal with, he is happy it’s working, adding that he’s seen plenty of friends with colorectal cancer for whom treatment didn’t take, and they lost their battles.

“It’s keeping me alive,” he said. “I’m still here.”

Overall, Singleton has been cut open on 10 separate occasions. The first one was at Haywood Regional Medical Center and the next nine were Mission Hospital in Asheville. During one period for 14 months after one surgery, he didn’t eat any food. He couldn’t even have a G-tube to pump food into his stomach. Instead, he got regular infusions that gave him the basic vitamins and minerals needed to survive. A surgery eventually rerouted part of his stomach so that he could eat real food again.

The treatments and surgery take a toll on him physically and mentally. He said about a week before he’s back receiving chemotherapy, a sense of dread begins welling up that grows until the day he’s in the chair. Forty-eight hours before the treatment, he stops eating solid food.

“In my experience, it’s easier to throw up the meal replacement shakes than any food in my stomach,” he said.

But Singleton said he usually gets to enjoy about two weeks during which he feels “somewhat normal.” For example, he and his father have season tickets to Virginia Tech football — the team his father played for.

“I like watching any kind of sporting event,” he said.

Singleton said that for the first several years, he felt like he didn’t want to draw attention to himself. In fact, he wouldn’t even take part in support groups, until his doctor brought up the relatively new Man Up to Cancer. Singleton thought it would just be another group that may fit his preconceived notion, but he was pleasantly surprised. It changed his view on the power of support groups.

“It was a place where we could hang out and be real,” he said. “A lot of men isolate because we think we have to be tough and handle everything. But there, you can be emotional and talk about everything that’s going wrong. I felt at home there.” he chose to ignore the red flags.

That group helped him find his voice and figure out that “I thought I’d pulled a muscle working out or someit mattered. He could make a difference. Last year, he was thing,” he said. “And then it got worse through the summer featured on “The Today Show,” and just last week he was the and my mom made me go to the doctor.” subject of a Business Insider story. Before he knew it, Singleton, just 28 at that time, had a large tumor in his Singleton was traveling to tell his story before political leadcolon, and within a week, he was under the knife. Surgeons ers from around the country and the world, as well as leaders removed about 80% of his colon, three feet of his small intesin the pharmaceutical industry. tine and several lymph nodes Through telling his story and being around his abdominal area. Doctors “There are a lot of people honest about his struggles, he found a thought they got everything. renewed sense of purpose. Singleton Singleton sought a second opinion working to make this laughed as he described how afraid of from another doctor, who agreed speaking in front of people he used to more of a chronic illness with the initial assessment. He be. underwent 12 rounds of chemotherinstead of a disease, and “I used to be uncomfortable even apy over six months just to ensure speaking up in a large group of any cancer would be obliterated. that’s like a cure to me, I friends,” he said. “Now, I’ll talk in Everything continued to look great. think that’s achievable in front of a room with 600 world leaders Follow-up scans and a colonoscopy and leaders from pharmaceutical comturned up good results. my lifetime.” panies.”

And then, just about six weeks Some events have brought him later, the abdominal pain returned.

— J.J. Singleton face-to-face with celebrities and pro“I woke up to that same throbfessional athletes. One of his favorites bing,” he said. “I went straight to has been the Cologuard Classic, an event held every February the doctor.” that pairs a colorectal cancer survivor with a PGA tour golfer The cancer was back. Tests quickly revealed that the canfor a day on the links. His first year, he was paired up with cer had moved to his abdominal wall and several lymph John Daly, a man whose golf game is as legendary nodes in that area, and it was classified as “incurable.” He as his larger-than-life personality. Last year, he tried multiple chemotherapy cocktails, but nothing seemed

F

20+ + YEARS OF SERVICE S

B k online Book li at: t

MassageW Waynesville.com m 828.456.3585 Haywood Square | 288 N. Haywood St. | Waynesville

nclmbe 103

JA UARY JANUAR Y SPECIAL 15% o f f a l l Fro g L e a p We l l ne ss p roduc t s We The event at Frog Level offers beer drinkers the chance to make their pints count. Donated photo

PLU LU US S BOGO 50% % OFF

Smoky Mountain News

WE’RE E BA ACK!

With 50+ yeaars experience in Alternattive Health, Dale & Ka ate are back to heelp with your health and wel elln ness needs

January 10-16, 2024

On Saturday, Jan. 27, J.J. Singleton will be at Frog Level Brewing for an all-day fundraiser that will have food and live music from Ben and the Borrowed Band. The event begins at 2 p.m. with live music at 6 p.m.

Throughout the day, $1 from each pint of beer sold will go to the nonprofit Fight Colorectal Cancer. Singleton said the event has been a hit the last two years, and he wanted to thank both Frog Level and folks who turned out to donate.

“It just shows that people around here care,” Singleton said. “I know people are praying for me and will say they care on social media, but to see them come hang out and donate money has been really motivating.”

news

genetic testing, that technology has come was the recipient of the first-ever Jerry Kelly leaps and bounds,” he said.

Award, which is given to “someone who In this and other advances in technology, embodies passion and commitment to advoSingleton said he maintains hope, perhaps cating for this disease.” for his own future, but more so for others But perhaps his favorite moment was who will have to endure cancer and may getting to meet Reggie Bush, whose college have a better outcome. football career at the University of Southern California is still regarded as one of the best ever.

“He was my favorite,” Singleton said. “I watched him all the time, because he was in college playing when I was in high school.”

Singleton said he’s grateful for every day and the work he gets to do to call attention to the disease that’s taken so much from him for the better part of a decade. Along with raising awareness at the highest levels, he also wants to make sure everyone knows the basic things they can do to catch cancer before it progresses, like in his case. The seemingly obvious thing is to get a colonoscopy as soon as a doctor recommends it.

Then, if anything turns up, Singleton said it’s important for a person to One of Singleton’s heroes when he was playing high school foottake charge of their own care and investigate all ball was Reggie Bush. Here’s a photo when the two met. opportunities for treatDonated photo ment.

“There are a lot of people working to The other perhaps less obvious thing make this more of a chronic illness instead people can do is get genetic testing if possible. Through testing, Singleton found out he of a disease, and that’s like a cure to me,” he said. “I think that’s achievable in my lifehas Lynch syndrome, which made him time. So if I can tell my story about my clinigenetically predisposed to colorectal cancer. cal trial experience to get more people to Had he known that when his abdomen think that way, if I can help change things began hurting, he and his doctors could for the next generation, that’s what keeps me have begun treatment much earlier.

“Even in the eight years since I’ve had the motivated.”

o f 12 p ac k Bi o - C o f f e e

F R EE L o c a l P ic k Up Av a i l a ble

Shop ffrrogleapweelllness.com | 828-4 400-7836

5

news

ver the years, Canton had lost a bit of its luster but for much of the past decade was amid a downtown revitalization that saw locally owned small businesses prosper and contribute to a suddenly vibrant Main Street.

Pre-COVID, the governing board acted with an air of empowerment. “… our board is focused on ensuring we level up on infrastructure to serve our citizens and businesses for years to come, that we develop scalable recreational offerings and that we have open conversations about economic development ideas and opportunities,” Alderwoman Kristina Proctor said in 2019.

The next year, town government dodged the brunt of the Pandemic, buoyed by skyrocketing sales tax revenues and a disconnect from the service-based economic sector that suffered most.

“We approached it very similar to the way we do every other fiscal year in terms of being ultra-conservative with our revenue numbers,” said then-Town Manager Jason Burrell on May 20, 2020.

O Canton’s post-mill budget

will be about results

January 10-16, 2024

Canton’s municipal government is still operating out of a temporary town hall. Cory Vaillancourt photo

Last year was a tough one for Canton, but this year will pose serious budgetary concerns. File photo

BY CORY VAILLANCOURT POLITICS E DITOR he Town of Canton has been through some difficult budget discussions in the past, but this year’s effort, the first to reckon with the full impact of Pactiv Evergreen’s exit from the community after more than a century, looks to be the most trying.

“Our circumstances have dictated a lot of these visioning sessions in previous years,” said Town Manager Nick Scheuer at a board retreat held on Jan. 5.

Even the location of the retreat, a glorified double-wide trailer plopped down at the town’s maintenance facility on Summer Street, is a testament to the twin tragedies that befell Canton over the course of an 18-month span.

In August 2021, as local governments still grappled with the disruptions of the Coronavirus Pandemic, a wall of water scoured its way down the tight mountain valleys that embrace the Pigeon River from its headwaters near the Blue Ridge Parkway.

Killing six and causing half a billion dollars in damages in the eastern part of Haywood County, the Green Pepper Flood of 2021 wiped out homes and downtown businesses and gutted Canton’s historic Armory, the stately Colonial Theatre, the police department, the fire department and town hall. Recovery from the flood became a full-time job for 6 town administrators and its elected board, but just as they

Smoky Mountain News

T

were starting to right the ship came another disaster — this one, human-caused.

At a budget retreat in February 2023, Scheuer revealed the substantial progress that had been made in repairing the $18 million in damage to town infrastructure. All FEMA projects had been obligated or were in the final stages of obligation. Project awards for the Armory, the Colonial Theatre, the fire department, police department and town hall had been issued. Sites for the new town hall and police department had been acquired. Renovation of the Champion Credit Union Aquatic Center had been completed.

Finally, looking forward in the aftermath of the flood, Canton was forced to look back and confront its legacy of dependence on the paper mill when officials from Pactiv unceremoniously announced on March 6, 2023, that its 115year run as the geographical and spiritual heart of Canton had come to an end.

The fiscal consequences of Pactiv’s decision were still largely unknown, but what was known was that they would be bad.

Scheuer and the board pumped the brakes on some town initiatives knowing full well that the anticipated budgetary impact of up to $3 million, against a general fund of roughly $8 million, wouldn’t truly hit until the next budget year, beginning July 1, 2024.

In 2021, with some semblance of normalcy returning, the town reiterated its commitment to infrastructure and recreation but also recognized the growth taking place. A countywide property revaluation that year drastically increased values and prompted the town to change its tax rate for the first time since 2007 — down 4 cents.

The rate cut wasn’t quite revenue neutral, but was a pyrrhic victory in that when measured against inflation, the town’s tax rate was effectively declining, all those years.

The flood year was an interregnum of sorts, but in 2022, the town again charged forward, taking care of its employees, bolstering the first responder capabilities and keeping promises about infrastructure and recreation.

Post-mill, budget cuts and fee increases are on the table, but the overarching narrative of the town’s most recent budget retreat, voiced by Mayor Zeb Smathers, was that people still want to see progress.

“We have to be very, very careful with missteps,” Smathers said. “People gave us a lot of rope in 2023. In 2024, they’re going to demand results.”

The good news is, Pactiv Evergreen did pay its 2023 property tax bill, after making a request for a dramatic downward revision in the 185-acre parcel’s assessed value. That request was quickly torpedoed by the Haywood County Board of Equalization and Review in June.

The primary issue for the town remains wastewater treatment, handled by the mill for free since the 1960s. In around 14 months, Pactiv’s contractual obligation to operate the plant will expire, leaving the town to find its own way.

Officials from across the county have been working on a solution, but don’t have one yet.

The wastewater treatment issue, thankfully, won’t have much of a budgetary impact on the town. Western North Carolina’s legislative delegation — Sens. Kevin Corbin (RMacon) and Ralph Hise (R-Mitchell), along with Rep. Mark Pless (R-Haywood) — came through with a $38 million appropriation from the General Assembly for the project.

Those funds are essentially reimbursable to the town, said Canton CFO Natalie Walker, so they won’t be deposited in the town’s investment accounts and

F

During flooding in 2021, thousands of green peppers stripped from fields upstream showed up in Canton, Clyde (pictured here) and as far as Tennessee. Cory Vaillancourt photo

Smoky Mountain News

$300,000 to pave about a mile and a half.

If the fee makes it into the budget this year, it’s likely all of it would be spent on improvements — in line with Smathers’ results-oriented strategy.

The Town of Canton will hold at least one more public discussion regarding its 2024-25 fiscal year budget, which must be passed by the board prior to July 1.

Typically, municipalities across the state hold their final public hearings on annual budgets in May or June and pass the budgets shortly thereafter.

January 10-16, 2024

don’t typically earn a lot of money, so chargScheuer wants the town to prioritize reving for the privilege isn’t always feasible enue-generating facilities. Since the flood, except on high-volume days. the Armory and Colonial have generated no That could happen at the International revenue whatsoever.

Paper Sports Complex as well, but getting “The sooner we can get those back the sports teams that use the facility to kick online, the better,” he said. in a little more for the privilege, even someAssistant Town Manager Lisa Stinnett, thing as simple as dragging the infield so the known around Canton as the “patron saint town doesn’t have to pay an employee do it, of Labor Day” for her heavy involvement in the town’s iconic celebration, offered up sev- was also mentioned. Stinnett said a meeting with the little league went well, and that the eral ways the town could cut costs for and league offered to help in any way they could. increase revenue from the town’s recreationThe facility’s batting cages may also see price al offerings. The Labor Day festival, includincreases, and teams that had been allowed ing concerts and a parade, was non-negotiable. Thought to be the oldest in the South, to use them for free may have to pony up this year. the festival is as much a part of Canton’s “We can’t give from an empty cup,” identity as the mill itself.

Proctor said.

Hamlett called the upcoming fete “a mainstay” of Canton’s culture since 1906 and felt it would be The Pactiv Evergreen paper mill and a demonstration of resilience its environs look much different today to continue offering the festithan when this photo was taken on val to residents and tourists.

March 9, 2023. Cory Vaillancourt photo “I would like to see it hold as much footing as it’s had in the past, within the budget constraints,” he said.

Of the five options presented by Stinnett, Mayor Pro Tem Gail Mull voiced support for keeping the two-day format because culling it to one day wouldn’t really save very much money. Typically, one day would be free, the other ticketed, although admission was charged for both days last year. It appears likely that there will be a price increase for both days this year.

One thing Canton water customers can Stinnett said that hometown favorites and internationally acclaimed bluegrass sen- count on is another rate increase, although sation Balsam Range had been holding dates that shouldn’t come as a surprise and isn’t for the fest. The board tentatively decided to really related to Pactiv Evergreen’s departure. There was a significant rate increase use the other day for up-and-coming acts last year; per state law, water and sewer rather than another big-name headliner. funds must be self-sufficient, meaning they Labor Day, however, wasn’t the only can’t be bailed out from the town’s general place Stinnett looked to increase revenues fund revenues or fund balance if revenue and decrease costs. comes up short.

The town is exploring the possibility of Bolstering the town’s aging-but-improvrunning its own prepackaged concessions at ing water infrastructure will require at least the CCU Aquatic Center. Food trucks are a 3% increase this year, probably the first of sometimes hard to attract because they

many.

The final item that could be included in this year’s budget isn’t new, nor was it popular last time it was tried. This year could be different.

There are currently 13 gravel roads within the town of Canton, and all the other roads consistently took a pounding from semi-truck traffic associated with the mill. In 2018, Smathers said that by far, the majority of calls he fielded as mayor were about potholes.

Now that mill-associated traffic has decreased, perhaps for good, it might be time to revisit a vehicle registration tax.

State law allows for up to $30 per vehicle to be assessed, payable when renewing license plates. The first $5 can be used by the town for any purpose. The next $5 must be used for public transportation, if the town has such a system (it doesn’t). The rest must be used for roads.

Back in 2018, the town held a public hearing on the proposed tax, where residents made clear that they wanted better roads but didn’t want to pay for them. One man who said he owned six cars claimed he could somehow afford them but could not afford a $30 annual fee on each of them.

The proposed fee, which Burrell estimated at the time would raise approximately $60,000 a year, failed. But it did nudge Canton down the road of expending more of its Powell Bill funds. Passed in 1951, the Powell Bill allocates a small sum from the General Assembly to municipalities for road improvements each year, but it’s never enough given the amount of work to be done and the astronomical cost of paving.

A few years back, the town spent around

news

won’t earn interest.

Another General Assembly appropriation, $4 million unrestricted, hasn’t arrived yet but will, and will earn interest. Walker said she wants to be as conservative as possible in utilizing the money to plug budget holes, hopefully over a period of years.

With that mindset, the board is now looking to craft a fiscally responsible annual budget for the coming year.

“We’re going to be facing budget cuts that we’re paying for, but I’m hoping we can give the people what they want and what they deserve,” said Alderman Ralph Hamlett.

That will involve strategic prioritization, pinching pennies and tweaking pricing to make up for the revenue shortfall caused by Pactiv Evergreen.

During the Jan. 5 retreat, which is the initial public stage in budget drafting process, town administrators and board members floated ideas on how, exactly, they might accomplish that. An obvious initial reaction was to make further cuts to budget items that were reduced in the immediate wake of Pactiv’s announcement last year.

The community promotions budget, used by the town to purchase small sponsorships or advertisements for local organizations, will likely be halved.

The town’s façade matching grant program, begun almost a decade ago under Burrell, had been budgeted at $50,000 but was likewise halved last year, and may be zeroed out altogether this year. Smathers said the town could always make a specific appropriation through budget amendment for the right business, but Hamlett expressed the hope that the program, seen as a boost to economic development, would be revisited in the future.

One area of the budget that won’t likely see cuts is public safety, which saw a 2% increase last year and took on increasing importance as the Pigeon River slipped its banks and roared through downtown.

Many WNC municipal governments couldn’t keep up with the rate of pay increases over the past 20 years, leading to costly turnover of employees. Walker said Canton’s police need a minimum of an 8% raise to make the department competitive.

The board agreed on a 1% or 2% raise initially, floated the idea of giving a partial raise this year before the next budget takes effect and vowed to remain flexible while continuing to prioritize employees.

“When we tighten the belt,” said Alderman Tim Shepard, “I want that to be the last notch we have to go to. That being said, the other thing I would like to see is not starting new things but buttoning up some of the projects we have ongoing.”

Those projects are many.

The Rhoda Street project will roll out in January, equipment for the all-abilities playground has been delivered but not installed and further improvements at the town’s vaunted Chestnut Mountain Park will take place throughout the year, but flood-damaged facilities — town hall, police, fire, Camp Hope, the Armory and the Colonial — are all still in varying stages of completion.

7

January 10-16, 2024

news

Cherokee approves application for Clingmans Dome name change

BY HOLLY KAYS According to the resolution Tribal Council passed, “This is one of our top priorities as we go to D.C. I think OUTDOORS E DITOR Crowe and Hill have already drummed up significant supit’s very important,” he said in Council. “We’re also working ribal Council members stood to show their unanimous port for the name change, including from the governments on getting a meeting scheduled with the superintendent [of support Thursday, Jan. 4, for a resolution they hope will the Smokies, Cassius Cash] to make sure that there’s a lot of of all seven far western counties and Buncombe County, 18 result in a name change for Clingmans Dome, the highmunicipalities within those counties, the Cherokee folks talking about this issue. But again, this is not great — I est point in the Great Smoky Mountains National Park.

Speaker’s Council and the Tennessee General Assembly. In think this is awesome, the work that you guys are doing. So “We’ve spent a year and a half preparing for this 2022, N.C. Attorney General Josh Stein awarded Hill and thank you for that.” moment,” Lavita Hill, who together with Crowe the Attorney General’s Dogwood her follow Eastern Band of Cherokee Award for their work toward the name Indians tribal member Mary Crowe has change. been advocating for the name change Members of the Clingman family have since 2022, told Tribal Council. “With a also become “enthusiastic supporters” of strong leader advocating for indigenous the name change, the resolution said. rights in the Department of Interior, now “He told me that he was ashamed of is the time to act.” his name because of the history that’s Clingmans Dome was named after foraround it, and I told him, ‘No, don’t be mer U.S. Senator Thomas L. Clingman folashamed of that, because it was given to lowing an 1859 survey by Swiss-born you,’” said Crowe, relating a conversation geographer Arnold Guyot. Before that, it she had with Clingman descendent Tom was known in Cherokee as Kuwohi, which Clingman. “We can’t change the past, but means “mulberry place.” It was a special we can work towards the future. And so I place to the Cherokee, visited by medicine told him, ‘Hey, you know what? You can people who prayed and sought guidance bring back hope to that name in supportfrom the Creator, and later used as a ing this effort.’” refuge by Cherokees resisting removal on Though the name has yet to be the Trail of Tears. The place also appears changed, efforts to revive recognition of in traditional Cherokee stories. the mountain’s place in Cherokee culture Crowe and Hill take issue with the The highest point in the Great Smoky Mountains National Park, Clingmans Dome rises to 6,643 feet have already borne fruit. In 2022, the park name “Clingmans Dome” not just because it above sea level. Kristina Plaas photo held its first Kuwohi Connections Days, usurped the much older, longer-used name offering educational programming and Kuwohi, but also because Clingman, a supporter of slavery, The U.S. Board on Geographic Names, which is under the traditional knowledge sharing for EBCI youth. On the day of fought for the Confederacy during the Civil War. He left his each event, the road to Clingmans Dome is closed from midU.S. Department of Interior’s U.S. Geologic Survey, will Senate seat in 1861 to join the rebel army, rising to the rank night to 1 p.m. to allow students to experience the place in make the final decision. Once the application is submitted, of brigadier general. its full natural beauty. In 2022, there were two days of proboard staff will prepare a case brief summarizing the issue In July 2022, Tribal Council unanimously passed a resolu- and look for local acceptance by seeking input from county gramming in the spring and three in the fall. Last year, there tion calling for an application to be prepared requesting that governments, federally recognized tribes, the National Park were three Kuwohi Connections Days. the U.S. Board on Geographic Names, which has jurisdiction Service, the N.C. Board on Geographic Names and the “As stewards of Great Smoky Mountains National Park over place names in national parks, consider changing the history, we are charged to ensure we share holistic underTennessee Geographic Names Committee before presenting name. The resolution the body passed last week authorizes standings of how people explored, used and lived this space the proposal for a final decision.

Principal Chief Michell Hicks to officially submit the applicabefore the establishment of the park,” said Smokies The board meets monthly and is made up of representation that has since been prepared. spokesperson Emily Davis. tives from federal agencies who serve two-year terms.

Hicks, on whose desk the resolution now sits awaiting She noted that Superintendent Cassius Cash currently According to a USGS spokesperson, most proposals take ratification, said he is all in on seeing the name change serves as an advisor to the U.S. Board on Geographic Names. about eight months from submission to final decision, but through and congratulated Hill and Crowe on their hard “We look forward to participating in the name change especially significant proposals like that regarding work to get it this far. proposal process,” she said.

Clingmans Dome could take a year or more.

T

Tribal Council disciplines former cannabis board member Smoky Mountain News

BY HOLLY KAYS STAFF WRITER former Eastern Band of Cherokee Indians official and cannabis board member accused of soliciting favors from a contractor that was negotiating a contract with the tribe’s cannabis enterprise will pay a fine and face a ban on future appointments to tribal positions, Tribal Council decided in a vote Thursday, Jan. 4.

Only two members of the 12-member council declined to vote in favor of the resolution, and they did so because they felt the penalty wasn’t strong enough.

“I want to abstain from this vote,” said Painttown Rep. Dike Sneed. “I don’t want 8 to take part in setting precedents for

A

somebody committing this crime and such a small fine. It’s a smack on the wrist for what was done, so I don’t want any part of it.”

The resolution formally accepts and adopts the Office of Internal Audit and Ethics investigation containing the allegations against Jeremy Wilson, who during the timeframe in question was appointed as the tribe’s governmental affairs liaison and sat on the board for Cherokee Medical LLC, which is now known as Qualla Enterprises LLC. It also fines him $4,000 and prohibits him from being appointed to any position within tribal government or to any enterprise, board or commission of the tribe for five years from Aug. 3, 2023, when the

Internal Audit and Ethics report was released. Additionally, he and any business entity of which he is a principal is banned from entering into any contracts for goods or services with any entity, enterprise, board or commission of the tribe, also for five years from the report date.

Text messages sent by Wilson were central to the report’s conclusion that Wilson had solicited gratuities and favors from cannabis contractor Sovereign Solutions Carolina, which later contracted with Qualla Enterprises for professional services in launching the tribe’s cannabis business. These texts included May 12, 2022, messages to SSC’s principal that thanked him for “the help,” said Wilson had “got some debt paid down,” and promised that “you’ll get your money’s worth out of me.” A June 4, 2022, message asked “if the financial assistance is still in play” and said, “I really don’t mind paying you back through profits made from work-

ing with your team down the road.”

In a September interview with The Smoky Mountain News, Wilson said that, despite what the reported text messages imply, no favors were exchanged. Noting that the report includes only portions of selected messages and not entire conversations, he said he had fallen on hard times and turned to the SSC principal, who he considered a personal friend, for emotional support and advice.

When asked for comment on Council’s recent decision, Wilson said he was “disappointed,” because an identical resolution introduced in September, prior to the seating of the newly elected Council, had been withdrawn.

“This has been inaccurate, one-sided and personal from the beginning,” he said. “However, a decision was made, and it is done. I gave everything to make that project happen, so I wish it the best.”

The resolution now awaits action from Principal Chief Michell Hicks.

news

pamelapennywilliams.group@a allent ta ate.com • (803) 528-5039

January 10-16, 2024

Pamela Penny P Williams

RESIDENTIAL & COM MMERCIAL BROKER ASSOCIATE

2032 Camp Branch h Road, Waynesville, NC 28786

$599 9,900 3 BR/3..5 BA

4.97 ACRES • 7,923 sq ft 276 Weelm Wa Way Franklin, NC $1,499,990 Luxury, multi-generational dream home boasting 4 master bedrooms with private ensuites and second living quarters with separate kitchen, living area, bedroom, and laundry. Luxury RV pad with powerr,, waterr, and septic on 600 ft of Te Tessentee Creek frontage. Vacation rentals allowed.

$400 0,000 3 BR//2 BA

Smoky Mountain News

661 Nellie John Drive, Clyde, NC 28721

2117 Old Clyde Road, Clyde, NC 28721

$318 8,500 BR/2 2 BR/ /2 BA 9

10

Smoky Mountain News January 10-16, 2024

news

Finance award casts further doubt on corruption claims in Haywood

H

or about $472 per person.

“Some places are like $2,000 to $3,000 a person,” said Dan Mullinix, a partner with Gould Killian who presented the June 30, 2023, audited financial statements.

“Your opening statement said our reputation basically precedes us,” Commissioner Tommy Long told Mullinix during the meeting. “You come in Haywood County and our finance department has a lot of this stuff already laid out in good order, so I appreciate that.”

Commission Vice Chair Brandon Rogers followed up on Long’s statement.

“It’s one thing we don’t have to worry about is our finance department. It seems year after year we get these reports, and it’s always good,” Rogers said.

Commissioner Terry Ramey didn’t comment on the award or the audit report from Gould Killian during the meeting — a departure from statements he allegedly made while running for office.

In June 2022, the county finally received an offer on a troublesome parcel of land originally intended for recreational use. Purchased in 2007, the parcel languished through the Great Recession. Commissioners went on to spend more than $460,000 to enhance the parcel’s market attractiveness, including site work to bring some of it out of flood-prone areas.

The agreed-upon sales price was $1.8 million, which basically allowed the county to break even on the deal, but Monroe Miller, a close friend of Ramey and self-appointed “government watchdog” claimed without evidence that the county had actually spent more than $6 million on the parcel, which would have resulted in a huge loss.

Ramey parroted these claims during his campaign, and according to Miller brought up “multiple instances of expenses” that he said Rogers could not explain.

During an Oct. 3, 2022, commission meeting, before Ramey was elected, Rogers said it was all a waste of staff time.

“We’ve asked for the evidence to be brought forward,” Rogers said at the time. “No evidence has been brought forward as of yet. I would like to see that evidence if you’ve got it, Mr. Miller. Before I waste a lot more of our county staff ’s time, if he can bring the evidence forward, we’ll set up a meeting.”

Haywood County’s Community and Economic Development Director David Francis subsequently proved all of Miller’s claims to be false, except for a $17,000 expenditure that had been misclassified. The final cost to the county for the parcel ended up around $1.6 million.

“I’ve seen you struggle with accounting and legal issues for over a decade,” Francis told Miller in a 2022 email itemizing the county’s spending on the parcel.

The award for transparency, as well as the county’s most recent audit, both seem incongruent with claims of financial irregularities allegedly made by Miller and Ramey during meetings at the Buttered Biscuit restaurant in 2022.

Ramey did not respond to a scheduling request for a phone interview but did provide a statement denying the allegations and asking for proof.

Rep. Mark Pless (R-Haywood) confirmed to The Smoky Mountain News on Jan. 8 that both Miller and Ramey approached him after one of the restaurant meetings, alleging without evidence that the county was somehow concealing an additional $4.4 million in spending on the parcel.

“Terry Ramey was the one telling us,” said Pless, who as a former Haywood County commissioner was familiar with the issue.

news

BY CORY VAILLANCOURT POLITICS E DITOR aywood County’s Finance Department has a long history of stellar performance, but a national award for excellence in financial reporting bestowed on the department late last year calls into further question claims of fiscal irregularities allegedly made by a Haywood County commissioner and one of his closest allies.

The Certificate of Achievement, from the Government Finance Officers Association, was presented to the county finance department and Director Kristian Owen in October 2023 and is the “highest form of recognition in governmental accounting,” according to an attached letter.

Founded in 1945, the GFOA award program recognizes state and local governments that “go beyond the minimum requirements” to prepare financial statements that “evidence the spirit of transparency and full disclosure.”

“Every year, we submit our financials to be scrutinized by an independent third-party examiner that looks through them for clarity, transparency and following the guidelines,” Owen said. “We have actually won this award — I looked back — every year since the late 90s.”

The award was noted by Haywood County commissioners during their regular meeting on Jan. 2, just after the county received another clean bill of fiscal health from its auditing firm, Gould Killian, for its financial statements ending June 30, 2023.

Notably, the total assessed value of all property in the county surged from $7.4 billion in 2014 to $9.9 billion in 2023.

Over that same period, total primary government debt decreased dramatically, from $61.4 million to $29.7 million, producing a net debt-to-assessed-value ratio of 0.3%,

January 10-16, 2024 Smoky Mountain News 11

news

Landfill pond overflow, failed water quality test prompt new violations at Canton mill

BY HOLLY KAYS OUTDOORS E DITOR hile mountain residents were busy preparing for Christmas, the Pactiv Evergreen paper mill in Canton that until May 2023 employed more than 1,000 of them was racking up a pair of new environmental violations. These violations are related to toxic wastewater discharge and an overflowing landfill leachate pond.

W

The Canton mill works through the night during its last weeks of papermaking in May 2023. Max Cooper photo

OVERFLOWING LANDFILL LEACHATE

next day revealed that the leachate had overflowed the westernmost pond in two areas. One area was about 40 feet wide, and the other about 24 feet wide.

“The ground was saturated in these areas,” the violation document states.

“Gray staining/residue was observed on the ground.”

According to National Weather Service data, nearby Waynesville received 0.84 inches of rain over the weekend before the inactive pumps were discovered Monday

F

Smoky Mountain News

January 10-16, 2024

The first violation, issued Dec. 12, followed a release of leachate from the mill’s Landfill No. 6 leachate ponds that was first noticed on the morning of Monday, Dec. 4 — after going on for an unknown amount of time. “[Pactiv Evergreen employee] Mr. Willis stated that upon arriving to the site [Monday morning], the high-level alarm was activated and that both leachate pumps were in the off position and were not pumping leachate,” reads the violation document, issued by the N.C. Department of Environmental Quality Division of Waste Management.

An inspection DWM conducted the

morning.

Leachate is the liquid formed when rainwater filters through the waste stored in a landfill. As it flows past buried wastes, it draws out the chemicals and constituents they contain. The resulting liquid is toxic and must be handled carefully.

In its violation notice, the DWM said that Pactiv Evergreen had violated two provisions of the state’s environmental code: one that mandates leachate be contained on site and treated prior to discharge, and another stating that any permitted facility receiving solid waste must comply with the conditions of that permit.

These violations could result in an administrative penalty of up to $15,000 per day, and responsible parties could also incur enforcement actions such as penalties, injunction from operating the landfill or “any such further relief as may be necessary to achieve compliance.”

The violation document directed Pactiv Evergreen to contact the division’s hydrogeologist to determine requirements for a soil sampling plan that will assess the impact of the leachate release. The mill must also implement a procedure to inform personnel “in a timely manner” of pump failure or pumps being turned off, and it must operate its leachate collection in accordance with its operations and maintenance manual.

No further records have been filed following the initial violation notice.

We are now offerinng more availabilityy.

C ll or bbookk online Call l blueridgemassage-wnc.com

828.246.9155 977 N Main St 12

Waynesville NC 28786

Donated photo

news

Haywood nurses completes five-week intensive course Sarah Banks, Emily Jenkins, Kelly Martin-Hicks, Abigail Clark, Heather Koonce and Sarah Keener at Haywood County Health and Human Services Agency have successfully completed the N.C. Credentialed Public Health Nurse Course. Led by Public Health Director Sarah Banks, the team has demonstrated commitment and excellence in advancing their knowledge and skills in public health nursing.

The course, designed as a five-week program, provides participants with access to current evidence-based fundamental public health and public health nursing information. It plays a crucial

DISCHARGE FAILS TOXICITY TEST, AGAIN

Smoky Mountain News

meted to 8.8 young at a 45% concentration.

In the September test, the one that triggered this latest notice of violation, at 45% concentration the water fleas averaged zero young.

Despite this startling result, the mill was able to exceed permit requirements in follow-up tests conducted in October and November, which were required due to the failed test in September. In both tests, reproduction was uninhibited at a 95% effluent concentration and only slightly impacted at 100%.

“When determining if a civil penalty needs to be issued, DWR staff averages the follow-up test chronic values,” Oleniacz explained.

So, despite the trio of failed tests in March, June and September last year, the mill will not pay any fines as a result.

This most recent violation, issued Dec. 22, 2023, brings the mill’s total since May 2021 up to 20. According to The Smoky Mountain News’ review of the extensive regulatory record, Pactiv Evergreen has thus far paid just shy of $51,000 in penalties levied as a result of these violations.

The most recent penalty, issued by the Division of Air Quality Oct. 23, 2023, fined the mill $9,101 for five air quality violations it incurred in a trio of incidents occurring between December 2022 and July 2023. The July incident, previously unreported by SMN, was a semiannual report showing that the mill’s particulate matter emissions monitoring system was nonoperational for too much time during the first half of 2023, which is “indicative of improper operation and maintenance.”

A violation was issued in August.

January 10-16, 2024

The second violation, issued Dec. 22, 2023, is a more familiar story for anybody who has been following the mill’s repeated environmental failures. For the third time in a row, the shuttered paper mill has failed a quarterly test that gauges the toxicity of discharge from its wastewater treatment plant. But because it passed followup testing in all three instances, it won’t pay any fines.

“To determine whether they will be issued a civil penalty, DWR staff averages the two follow-up test values,” said Laura Oleniacz, public information officer for the N.C. Department of Environmental Quality Division of Water Resources.

“Canton Mill failed their quarterly tests in March, June and September, but the averages of follow-up tests met the permit limits, so no civil penalties will be issued.”

The mill’s wastewater discharge permit requires it to perform quarterly testing using the water flea, a tiny aquatic invertebrate, as an indicator of water quality. If the creatures die off or reproduce more slowly in an environment composed of 90% wastewater plant discharge compared to a control group of discharge-free water, the plant fails the test.

The mill has failed each quarterly test since March 2023, with worse results each time. In that first test, water flea survival was impacted at a concentration of less than 45%, well below the 90% requirement, with water fleas in the 45% concentration averaging 22.2 young compared to an average of 30.9 young in the control group. In the June test, the average plum-

role in supporting the agency’s commitment to fostering a robust and inclusive public health workforce.

“The successful completion of the NCCPHN Course is a significant achievement for our Public Health Team,” said Sarah Banks, Public Health Director. “This accomplishment reflects their dedication to advancing public health knowledge and reinforces our collective commitment to maintaining a high standard of healthcare services for our community.”

The NCCPHN Course aims to equip participants with the foundational knowledge, skills, attitudes and judgments associated with the roles and functions of governmental public health nurses. By enhancing participants’ ability to apply the public health lens to their nursing practice, the course empowers them to integrate both medical and public health models into their daily work.

13

news

DIESEL MECHANIC PROGRAM

License plate recognition cameras coming to Jackson

Classes Start 8/12/24

Learn h Le how to diagnosse & repair diessel engines using thhe latest equuipment Reggister it onlline

Smoky Mountain News

January 10-16, 2024

185 Freedlander Drive www.haywood.edu du

Don’t livve wiith pain, we have sollutions.

WE AR RE ACCEPTING G NEW PA ATIENT T TS

Call Us to Make an Appointment Today.

289 Access Road, Waynesville · 452-4343 74 Eastgate Drive, Sylva · 586-8950 188 Georgia Road, Franklin · 349-4534 49 McDowell Street, Asheville · 254-7716 35 NC Hwy 141, Murphy · 835-8389

Dr. William Banks

Dr. Robert DelBene

Dr. T Tyyler May

Dr. Robert Przynosch

Dr. Dennis Dawson

Dr. Matt Davis

smokymountainfootclinic.co om 14

MEDICARE PROVIDERS & MOST OTHER INSURANCES ACCEPTED

BY HANNAH MCLEOD STAFF WRITER he Jackson County Sheriff ’s Office is poised to deploy several cameras around the county with automatic license plate readers in an attempt to combat crime more efficiently.

“It’s been a very beneficial system for us,” said Farmer. “It’s an excellent tool for law enforcement.”

The Jackson County Sheriff ’s office had Flock cameras before Sheriff Doug Farmer came into office in 2022. However, while the department had the cameras in its possession, they were not being used. Farmer is putting those cameras to use and is now asking the county commission to approve the purchase of two more.

Flock cameras are used mainly to identify vehicles in traffic — a license plate recognition platform used by law enforcement agencies. The cameras are deployed in communities or on roadways and can scan license plates as they pass by.

“Whether it be an Amber Alert, whether it be a senior, Silver Alert, a Blue Alert, as we had this weekend, we can program those LPRs to read for those plates that are coming through,” said Farmer. “Most of them [function in] one direction so we had to think of where we’re wanting it to pick up at.”

According to Farmer, some departments share access to these cameras across agencies. This means that the Jackson County Sheriff ’s Department already has access to Flock cameras being used in other counties around North Carolina and beyond. Farmer plans on sharing access to the cameras in Jackson County so that other agencies in turn will share with Jackson.

But the cameras can detect a lot more than just license plate numbers.

According to Farmer, the vehicle fingerprint search allows the department to program in cars, their color, bumper stickers, roof racks, and anything else that makes the car unique.

“One of the recent cases we had with a gentleman that we were searching for, that would have been beneficial to have those deployed because there were a lot of stickers that we could have placed in there that were on that vehicle that would have let us know where he was at and we could’ve tracked him to his location,” said Farmer. “And matter of fact that is how they tracked him to the location he was at when he was captured.”

In addition to the fingerprint search, there is also a map-based interface available in the system.

“We don’t have that, and we probably wouldn’t utilize that,” Farmer said. “In bigger cities they would utilize that.”

Officers can also program in plates and vehicle details and receive real time notification if there is a hit on any of the department’s cameras, or other shared cameras they have access to.

“Whatever officers you have assigned to those cameras, as soon as that tag hits or that vehicle hits it automatically goes out to

T

those officers, they know where it’s at in real time,” said Famer. “So we can respond and pick up that vehicle or if it’s an alert or what not try and get that vehicle stopped or if it’s a senior alert or something like that we can try to intervene and try to get to that.”

Farmer plans to mount a couple of the cameras permanently and have others that are mobile.

North Carolina recently passed legislation that allows law enforcement to use the cameras on state right of way, where previously this was not possible. Farmer said he hopes to eventually be able to track entrances and exits to Jackson County and the Cashiers area especially.

“That would be beneficial because if you have a bank robbery, you have an assault or something, you have a homicide and you’re trying to find where the suspect went out of town or what direction they’re traveling, it’s very beneficial,” said Farmer.

While the location of the cameras will be confidential, the devices are visible.

Commissioner Mark Jones told the sheriff during his presentation on Jan. 2 that he would like to know which counties or municipalities have the Flock system, which ones Jackson County would be reciprocating with, and whether that created positive feedback.

“We’ve probably got 100-125 agencies that share their Flock cameras with us currently,” Farmer told Jones. “Maybe more than that right now.”

The department will sign five-year contracts with Flock and pay the company on an annual basis. While Farmer did not have the complete quote in hand during his presentation to the commission on Jan. 2, the total contract is estimated to cost the county between $50,000 and $60,000.

Farmer made it clear that his department is not trying to spy on anyone, and that the cameras are not an invasion of privacy.

However, the American Civil Liberties Union disagrees with the latter. In part because of the data sharing capabilities, as well as data retention and constant surveillance, the ACLU has said the Flock camera system is “contributing to the creation of a centralized mass surveillance system of Orwellian scope.”

Last year, it was estimated that Flock cameras are already in use across 2,000 towns and cities in at least 42 states. In October, a Wake County Judge blocked Flock Safety from installing more cameras until the court could hear additional arguments from both Flock, and the North Carolina Alarm Systems Licensing Board. The board brought the case to the court claiming that Flock has been operating without a license for several years. However, Flock Safety contends that they are not an alarm system and therefore should not be under the jurisdiction of the North Carolina Alarm Systems Licensing Board.

The Jackson County Commission did not vote on a budget ordinance to pay for the cameras at the Jan. 2 meeting but will likely do so in the coming weeks.

news January 10-16, 2024

Smoky Mountain News

15

news

Franklin approves social district

BY HANNAH MCLEOD STAFF WRITER he Town of Franklin will be the latest municipality in North Carolina to implement a social district after the town council unanimously voted to adopt the ordinance during its first meeting of the new year.

“The Town Council was aware that there could be support for, and opposition to, the social district and are knowingly moving forward to provide new experiences and opportunities for citizens and visitors to Franklin,” said Town Manager Amie Owens in a press release.

A social district is a designated area where people can

implement the concept. However, when Sylva approved the ordinance for a social district in February 2022, the town started with a test period during which the social district was limited to weekends. During this time the town studied both the economic impact of the social district as well as its effects on policing and incident reports in the downtown area.

After six months of this limited social district, Sylva officials found no increase in police calls, and expanded the hours of the social district to seven days per week.

“We’ve checked statistics for this time frame compared to last year’s same time frame and there’s no increase in police calls,” Sylva Police Chief Chris Hatton told the Sylva Town Board at the time. “We checked everything, including traffic accidents in the district.”

The Town of Franklin is working to develop a list of all businesses that will participate. There are six establishments downtown with ABC permits that would be able to utilize cups in the district — JR Chophouse, Gracious Plates, Outdoor 76, Las Margaritas, Motor Company Grill and Lazy Hiker. Other businesses may allow drinks to be carried into their stores and will be required to have signage that indicates participation in the social district.

There are still several steps that must be completed before the social district goes into effect and it is estimated that these steps will take at least three to four months.

The town must register with the ABC Commission in Raleigh, design branded cups and put sigThe social district in Franklin will run along Main Street from town hall to Lazy Hiker Brewing. File photo nage in place.

The town itself will pay for legally consume alcoholic beverages. Social districts are cups and signage and is currently soliciting quotes for the However, when Town Manager Amie Owens and regulated by the North Carolina Alcoholic Beverage supplies. When Sylva implemented its social district, sigCouncilman David Culpepper made a presentation to the Control Commission and were approved by the legislanage that marks the boundaries of the district cost about county commission in November to request use of the ture in 2021. Proponents of social districts believe they $3,500. properties, the item was tabled due to a lack of motion help contribute to economic development by attracting Once preparation is complete and the social district is from any commissioner. Commissioners did not discuss citizens and visitors to downtown areas which increases approved by the ABC Commission, it will go into effect the social district or the use of county property. foot traffic and provides new revenue opportunities for for all participating businesses. Hours of operation for The squares downtown will remain alcohol-free at all restaurants and retail businesses. the district will be noon until 9 p.m. Monday through The municipality in which a social district is located Sunday. At all other times, unless a permit has been “Education will be provided to those must display clear signage that indicates the geographical obtained for a special event, consumption of alcohol on area of the district, including entry and exit points. It sidewalks and in public areas is prohibited.

ABC permitted establishments and must also design branded cups that are permitted out“Education will be provided to those ABC permitted merchants within the social district doors and include the language “Drink Responsibly — Be establishments and merchants within the social district 21.” during the next few months to ensure that when the disduring the next few months to There are currently 38 municipalities that have social trict does go live, all will be prepared,” said Owens. “An ensure that when the district does districts in the state with Sylva being the closest one to operations plan and educational materials are being Franklin. developed and will be shared with the public online and go live, all will be prepared.”

Franklin has been considering the social district since available in hard copy as part of the implementation of the town council held its retreat in February of last year. the social district.”

— Amie Owens, Franklin Town Manager Since that time, the town has garnered public input and Special events that take place within the social district received generally positive feedback from both residents in the downtown area will have the option to request that and local businesses. the social district be suspended during the event by times and individuals who are observed taking their Some opposition to the social district came from checking a box on the street closure application. Town marked cups into these areas will be subject to fines. county commissioners in November when they decided Council will then consider that request at the same time Some opponents of social districts cite a concern for not to allow the town to use county property in the social as the street closure; no additional step is required. increased crime or public intoxication as reasons not to

Smoky Mountain News

January 10-16, 2024

T

16

district. The town had wanted to include the brick area adjacent to the courthouse, as well as both Gazebo and Clock Tower squares in the district. Both squares are natural connectors from Iotla and Phillips streets and offer multiple seating options.

Because the town leases the gazebo from the county and the lease agreement states that alcohol consumption is not allowed on the property, the town needed to get county approval to amend the lease. Additionally, Clock Tower Square is county property and the county needed to approve its use in the social district.

• Tires • Brakes • Alignment • Tractor Tires

FREE

ESTIMATES

HaywoodBuilders.com 100 Charles St. WAYNESVILLE

news

WAYNESVILLE TIRE, INC.

Authorized Motor Fleet Management Maintenance

M ONDAY-F RIDAY 7:30-5:00 • WAYNESVILLE P LAZA 828-456-5387 • WAYNESVILLETIRE . COM

January 10-16, 2024 Smoky Mountain News 17

news

WAYNESVILLE OF FFICE 74 North Main Street | (828) 634-7 7333 At allentate.com, enter e the address into the searcch bar for details on any pro operty.

4 BR, 5 BA A, 3 HB

January 10-16, 2024

$3,900,000 | 4047356

4 BR, 1 BA A, 2 HB

$856,500 | 3927972

3 BR, 2 BA

3 BR, 3 BA

$825,000 | 4061096

3 BR, 3 BA

$599,500 | 4073112

4 BR, 3 BA, 1 HB

$949,000 | 4064973

3 BR, 2 BA

$744,000 | 4077490

4 BR, 2 BA

$500,000 | 4060021

Smoky Mountain News

$659,000 | 4072697

3 BR, 3 BA, 1 HB

$1,200,000 | 408597 72

3 BR, 2 BA

$425,000 | 4086420

18

3 BR, 2 BA

$394,000 | 4088754

2 BR, 2 BA

$349,000 | 4096309

CALL TODAY (828) 634-7333 3

Community Almanac

Smoky Mountain News

MLK celebration at WCU Western Carolina University’s Martin Luther King Jr. celebration will begin Monday, Jan. 15, with its annual Unity March.

Those looking to participate can attend a poster-making session at 10 a.m. in the Hinds University Center multipurpose room. The march, which is sponsored by Alpha Phi Alpha fraternity, will begin at 11 a.m. at the fountain in the center of campus.

Other MLK events during the month include: • Monday, Jan. 22 – “Self-Care in Advocacy for Equity and Inclusion: Sustainable Models for Leaders.” This event will be hosted by Enrique Gomez, associate professor in the Department of Chemistry and Physics. It will take place at 2:30 p.m. in the U.C. Theater.

“Civil Conversations Series: Social Equity” will take place at 5:30 p.m. in the U.C. Raleigh room. This is a civil dialogue event with the topic of social equity. Participants will have the opportunity to have a moderated conversation with others who may have different points of view than their own. It is hosted by the Center for Community Engagement and Service Learning.

• Tuesday, Jan. 23 – Tabling: “Women Behind the Movement,” hosted by Greek Student Engagement and Development, will take place at 11 a.m. near the fountain.

Tabling: Voter Registration, hosted by the Center for Community Engagement and Service Learning, will be Western Carolina University will host a from 11 a.m. to 2 p.m. at the fountain. series of events celebrating the life and Leadership reception – David Walton, director of the legacy of Martin Luther King, Jr. Donated photo Global Black Studies program, will host a keynote presentation titled “The Civil Rights Movement as a Youth Movement.” It will take place at 5:30 p.m. in the U.C. Grandroom.

• Wednesday, Jan. 24 – “Music Behind the Movement” will be hosted by WCU’s Inspirational Gospel Choir at 4 p.m. in the UC Theater.

• Thursday, Jan. 25 – The Global Black Studies program, Inspirational Gospel Choir and Sigma Gamma Rho sorority will host “A Seat at the Table.” This will be a round table discussion led by student leaders on what it means for all voices to be heard and how to take up space at the table. Student leaders will host a space where all students can have an open discussion about topics of equity, inclusion and leadership on the WCU campus. It will take place in the U.C. Cherokee room. Food will be provided.

• Friday, Jan. 26 – Civic Engagement: Scotts Creek Community Cleanup. In partnership with the Jackson County NAACP and Liberty Baptist Church, the Center for Community Engagement and Service Learning will host a MLK Day of Service 2-4 p.m. Volunteers will participate in a Scott’s Creek area cleanup in a historic black neighborhood. Transportation will be provided.

HRMC to host Medicaid registration events

Calls for more donations amid blood shortage

Haywood Regional Medical Center and Haywood County Health and Human Services are hosting two free Medicaid registration events in late January and early February. Community members will be able to verify their eligibility and apply for benefits.

The first event will be held 5-8 p.m. Jan. 30 at the Waynesville branch of the Haywood County Public Library.

The second event will be held 5-8 p.m. Feb. 1 at the Canton branch of the Haywood County Public Library.

Attendees are asked to bring their latest bank statement, social security number, driver’s license or ID and a pay stub, as these items will be required for the application process. Anyone already receiving Medicaid benefits need not attend these events.

Transportation to either event can be arranged through Haywood County Transit by calling 828.565.0362.

Expanded eligibility started Dec. 1 and adults 19-64 who are earning up to 138% of the federal poverty line (singles earning about $20,000 per year or families of three earning about $34,000 per year) may now qualify.

The American Red Cross is experiencing an emergency blood shortage as the nation faces the lowest number of people giving blood in 20 years.

The Red Cross blood supply has fallen to critically low levels, and blood and platelet donors are urged to make a donation appointment to help alleviate the shortage and help ensure lifesaving procedures are not put on hold.

Over the last 20 years, the number of people donating blood to the Red Cross has fallen by about 40%. When fewer people donate blood, even small disruptions to blood donations — such as the nearly 7,000-unit shortfall in blood donations the Red Cross experienced between Christmas and New Year’s Day alone — can have a huge impact on the availability of blood products and dramatic consequences for those in need of emergency blood transfusion. Blood products are currently going to hospitals faster than blood donations are coming in, and in recent weeks, the Red Cross has had to limit distributions of type O blood products — among the most transfused blood types — to hospitals.

To make an appointment, download the Red Cross Blood Donor App, visit redcrossblood.org or call 1.800.RED.CROSS (1.800.733.2767).

The Red Cross and the National Football League are partnering this January, during National Blood Donor Month, to urge individuals to give blood or platelets and help tackle the emergency blood shortage. Those who come to give blood, platelets or plasma in January will automatically be entered for a chance to win a trip for two to Super Bowl LVIII in Las Vegas. For details, visit redcrossblood.org/superbowl.

Nantahala Health Foundation welcomes new members, officers Nantahala Health Foundation recently welcomed three new volunteer board members, expanding its membership from 12 to 15. New board members are Clarissa Ashe of Sylva, Ann Lukens Murphy of Murphy, and Paul Worley of Murphy.

In addition, Graham County School Superintendent Angie Knight of Robbinsville was re-elected secretary of the health foundation. Jane Kimsey of Franklin, was elected treasurer. Roger Plemens of Franklin, was reelected as vice chair.

Lisa Leatherman, of Franklin, one of the original members of the board, was reelected for a second year as chair.

19

“It is an honor to have served as a founding member — and now chair for a second year — of Nantahala Health Foundation,” Leatherman said.

“The opportunity to partner with nonprofits, agencies, local governments and community leaders in the six westernmost counties in Western North Carolina to influence the health and well-being of fellow citizens is humbling and motivating.”

Remaining board members are Alison Cochran of Bryson City, Ollin Dunford of Forest Hills, David Garrett of Whittier, Debbie Mauney of Brasstown, and Barbara “Sunshine” Parker of Sylva.

Library announces new designation The Canton Branch of the Haywood County Public Library has announced it has been designated as a Family Place Library, the first in North Carolina. Family Place Libraries is a nationwide program in 32 states and over 500 libraries.

Family Place Libraries become vital centers for early learning, parent engagement, family support and community connectivity, ensuring that children get the best start in life.

People can join the Canton Branch for two five-week programs every year, designed for young learners and their caregivers.

During each program week, a community specialist will be present for caregivers to connect with and receive guidance on various topics, including early literacy, health and nutrition and behavioral intervention.

Children and their adult caregivers can also enjoy the Early Learning Space at the Canton Branch, a specially designed space for families to interact, read and play, and where adults will find a curated collection of parenting books available for checkout.

Community garden seeks new gardeners The garden is a 1.3-acre space located at 65 South Painter Road in Cullowhee. It consists of 28 garden plots, each measuring approximately 15 by 30 feet. Plot adopters agree to use only organic means to grow their vegetables and to donate half of what they grow to help address food insecurity in Jackson County. Last year the gardeners donated over 800 pounds of fruits and vegetables to places like the United Christian Ministries, the Community Table, and individuals dealing with food insecurity.

There is no cost in adopting a garden plot, and gardeners have access to tools, watering cans and almost everything they need to have a garden.

They also have access to the greenhouse where they can start their spring plants. They are responsible for buying their seeds and/or starter plants, for maintaining their gardens, and keeping track of what they donate and how much.

Returning gardeners have the option of retaining their plots from the previous year, but every year a few plots become available.

People interested in adopting a plot can get an application by emailing Claxton at gardenmanager@jacksonnc.org.

20

Opinion

Smoky Mountain News

This conservative says it’s OK to disagree I

GOP once knew what honor meant To the Editor: I recently finished reading Liz Cheney's book “Oath and Honor.” Liz Cheney represented Wyoming in the U.S. House of Representatives from 2017 to 2023. She held the third-ranking position in House Republican leadership from 2019 to 2021 and served our nation honorably in other vital capacities, not the least of which, as vice chair of the Select Committee (at then-Speaker Nancy Pelosi's request) to investigate the Jan. 6 attack on the United States Capitol. For accepting what she considered an honor and her duty, she sacrificed her seat in Congress and has been receiving death threats ever since.

It's a well-written book, encompasses 368 pages and contains quite a bit of American history, much of which Cheney's family seems to have made a significant contribution to. It's a hard book to put down once you start.

I was reminded that Thomas Jefferson was the first president to take the oath of office in Washington, D.C., on March 4th, 1801. Four years earlier, President George Washington had handed power to President John Adams (both Federalists), but this was the first time the presidency had passed from one party to another. Those who observed that occurrence well understood how miraculous it was for power to change hands absent the “confusion,

And going back to 1968, one good thing back then was that over 70% of Black kids were born to two-parent families.

Somehow today you can’t point this out without being called racist, which is not dissimilar to how Patrick Moynihan was vilified when he produced his 1965 report on the state of the Black family in which he expressed his concern that the Black two-parent-intact rate had dropped to 70%. It had been even higher during the worst of the Jim Crow era. In 2020 it was 37%.

Here is where critics of conservatives label us racist because we think intact Black families are a good thing.

Really? Has it gotten to the point where if you advocate for intact Black families you want to return to Jim Crow? Ridiculous. We know that any kids, black or white, brought up by two-parent families do better than Guest Columnist those from single parent homes, yet to say so can get you labeled racist or patriarchal or misogynist or anti-feminist, or whatever, but we all know it’s true. Or perhaps you don’t. If so, can we not discuss our differences without categorizing and calling names?

We have become so divided in this country that it has become a cliché to say so. Consequently, it’s hard to know where to start. What I long for is a time when we can stick to our principles and yet be willing to learn from each other, and perhaps change our minds.

I suggest some ground rules:

Steven Crider

wish to respond in a general way to the two columns on the Opinion page of the Dec. 27-Jan 2024 edition of The Smoky Mountain News — to Scott McLeod’s and to guest columnist Rob Schofield’s.

I know that Scott McLeod welcomes contributors who disagree because he and I disagree politically yet he’s allowed me to contribute articles as a guest columnist. On the other hand, I am certain we both agree that it is good to have a place where important issues can be discussed without disrespect. I hope with him that SMN can be that place.

And so in that spirit I turn to the article by Mr. Schofield.

As with Scott McLeod, I suspect that Mr. Schofield and I would have different opinions about many political issues.

I fancy myself a conservative. The conservatism I adhere to is the one defined by Sir Roger Scruton as “the love of home.”

And so for me, the word nostalgia is not derogatory or delusional or denialist but instead it’s family, faith, forgiveness, cheerfulness, good humor, peace, purpose — something that might be better described as tradition; i.e., that which has been adhered to by the multitude of people who don’t happen to be walking about right now (to paraphrase G. K. Chesterton).

After all, the idea that things are always in general getting better, an idea popularized by Hagel and Marx, has its critics, me among them. For instance, if things were always improving, why have so many civilizations come and gone?

Moreover, if today’s society is always better than what preceded it, then was the antebellum Southern slave society the highest peak of civilization to that point? That’s hard for me to believe.

1. No labels. Listening instead of labeling. No more words ending with, “–ism,” “-ist,” “-ic,” or “-ia.”

2. No more adherence to ideology.

3. Humility first.

We need people who disagree with us and who are willing to engage with us. When I argue for my side with people who agree with me, I become further entrenched in my own opinions. Since over the course of my life I’ve been wrong about 90% of the time, why would I want to strengthen my ignorance? One thing I love about my wife is that she disagrees with me on many issues. She’s also right 90% of the time.

There’s a character in Anthony Trollope’s “Barchester Towers,” a Mr. Arabin, who when asked what he thinks, says, “It is the bane of my life that on important subjects I acquire no fixed opinion. I think and think and go on thinking; and yet my thoughts are running ever in different directions …”

Sounds pretty wishy-washy for a conservative, but I am Mr. Arabin. I guess that even for my firmest-held opinions, I’m only 52% to 57% certain. Maybe I’m just a weirdo, but I suspect most other people can relate.

In conclusion, I’m uncertain what I’m after except to express a viewpoint that differs from many of the guest columnists to The Smoky Mountain News. And I want to support Mr. McLeod and his efforts to provide a platform for different opinions. Maybe I’ve only stirred up my critics. I didn’t mean to. I’m sure I could have expressed myself more clearly.

I want to be a part of an effort to reduce the division in our country starting with my neighbors in WNC. (Steven Crider is retired physician who lives in Waynesville. He can be reached at crittersteve@gmail.com.)

LETTERS villainy and bloodshed” that usually accompanied transfers of power.

Some of us recall such peaceful transfers: Truman to Eisenhower, Eisenhower to Kennedy, Johnson to Nixon, Ford to Carter.

President Ford had lost his voice so his concession was read to President Carter over the phone by Ford's Chief of Staff, Dick Cheney (Liz Cheney's father). The concession read: "As one who had been honored to serve the people of this great land — both in Congress and as President — I believe that we must now put the divisions of the campaign behind us and unite the country once again in a common pursuit of peace and prosperity. May God bless you and your family as you undertake your new responsibilities."

As Liz Cheney reminds us, from George Washington in 1801 until January 2021 (220 years) every American president had fulfilled his solemn obligation to safeguard the peaceful transfer of power.

Donald Trump changed all that and practically the entire Republican Party, by their active participation or by their silence, and with unconscionable indifference, helped and allowed him to do it and thus far, held unaccountable. Do we who live in WNC hear any voices in the Republican Party rise to condemn the former president for his behavior or speech? At the town, county, state or federal level, do we hear one word of condemnation

from the party responsible? No, not a peep.

In a just world a man who mobilized a violent assault on his own Capitol attempting to overturn an election he knew he'd lost would have no political future in a free society.

We believed (erroneously, it appears) that our system of laws, of checks and balances, our constitutional system, would constrain Trump. Such is not the case. Donald Trump

has repeatedly attacked the judiciary and ignored the rulings of dozens of courts.

Anyone who seeks to hold Trump accountable for his many crimes, they and their families are immediately subjected to death threats by deplorable people claiming they’re only trying to "make America great again.”

Donald Trump's actions violated the law and the oath he swore to

Here’s to being woke rather than a MAGA

the Constitution. Those of us who serve (or served) in uniform took a similar oath. I took it five times and served under six presidents.

In November 1800, John Adams wrote to his wife, Abigail, after he had spent his first night in the White House. The letter read, in part, “May none but honest and wise men ever rule under this roof.”

Donald Trump is not such a man and history will not be kind to those who took an oath to protect our way of life but support a twice impeached former president facing

four criminal indictments across four states (91 total charges) who seems bent on destroying the country he swore to protect.

Our country cannot survive such a man.

“Oath and Honor” is the title of Liz Cheney's book. The Grand Old Party once knew what taking an oath meant, respected and considered honor of vital importance, and highly valued the rule of law. I will dare to hope they will find the courage to do so once again —very soon.

David L. Snell Franklin

Chris Cox

S

THANK TH HANK TO T OO OUR UR YO OU DONORS YOU Because off you, iin the B h 20 2022-20 22 2023 66 from academic year we w awarded $308,96 h l hi to 425 curriculum i l more than h 70 scholarships and continuing education students.

Smoky Mountain News

think people have the right to bear arms with sensible limitations.

I am fine paying taxes to support things for the common good. I am OK with a “safety net” or social programs for “the least of these” who may be unable to provide for themselves for some period of time. I’d rather my tax money go to support hungry children or paying teachers than to corporate welfare.

Oh, I am also pro democracy. I am in favor of our constitutional republic. I support elections and the peaceful transfer of power, even when elections do not go the way I wish.

I am not in favor of gerrymandering or any attempt by anyone in power to undermine an election. I am not in favor of any initiative or attempt to make it more difficult for any American to vote.

These days, this is the resume of a radical, I guess. We get hung up on our differences and forget that there is one thing both sides have in common, and that is really the only thing that does give me hope.

The popularity of Trump — especially in the beginning — is that he was the ultimate “outsider.” His campaign was not just against Democrats, but against the entire “same old same old” two-party political system, which includes “establishment” Republicans.

That is why even today as we are ramping up toward the primary season leading up to the election in November, none of his challengers can get anywhere near him.

They represent politics as usual, and he is still running as the ultimate outsider, albeit one facing 91 felony counts in four separate indictments.

It’s also why he continues to run neck and neck with President Biden in the polls.

Biden is a career politician if there ever was one. Detractors think he is too liberal, which is ridiculous. He’s about as centrist as it gets. If he were a real liberal, we would have seen a serious push for universal healthcare over the last four years. We would have seen him use his office as a bully pulpit to address our gun drunk culture.

When Trump loyalists charge that Biden couldn’t have gotten 81 million votes because they didn’t see any of his supporters wearing Biden T shirts or waving Biden

advocate for democracy.

Furthermore, the party that has aligned itself so lockstep with evangelical Christianity remains foursquare and rock solid behind a candidate who posted this touching Christmas Day message on Truth Social, his favorite social media platform: “Merry Christmas to all, including Crooked Joe Biden’s ONLY HOPE, Deranged Jack Smith, the out of control Lunatic who just hired outside attorneys, fresh from the SWAMP (unprecedented!), to help him with his poorly executed WITCH HUNT against “TRUMP” and “MAGA.” Included also are World Leaders, both good and bad, but none of which are as evil and “sick” as the THUGS we have inside our Country who, with their Open Borders, INFLATION, Afghanistan Surrender, Green New Scam, High Taxes, No Energy Independence, Woke Military, Russia/Ukraine, Israel/Iran, All Electric Car Lunacy, and so much more, are looking to destroy our once great USA. MAY THEY ROT IN HELL. AGAIN, MERRY CHRISTMAS!” I’ll give this rant no more attention or consideration than it deserves except to say this. You may not see a Biden flag flying from my vehicle this year, but I will show up this fall and vote for him. I’ll vote for Biden for the same reason I don’t burn my house down when the kitchen sink springs a leak.

Before we have any chance of fixing our Republic, we have to see if we can keep it first.

(Chris Cox is a teacher and writer who lives in Haywood County. jchriscox@live.com.)

January 10-16, 2024

everal months ago, I was having lunch with a friend and the topic of politics came up, specifically how bitterly polarized and angry the country has become in the last ten years.

“Honestly, do you think there is any hope of this ever getting any better?” he asked.

I’ve been thinking about that question ever since. You see, these days, I am part of a group that is considered the enemy by about a third of the country, literally tens of millions of people, who remain absolutely and unwaveringly loyal to former President Donald J. Trump, regardless of what he says or does or howColumnist ever many felony counts he is facing.

He once famously proclaimed, “I could stand in the middle of Fifth Avenue and shoot somebody and I wouldn’t lose any voters.” He has spent the last several years proving it.

This is what passes for “conservative” now. You see, the problem is that I am woke.

I’m a liberal. A progressive. A bleeding heart. A socialist. A globalist. Choose your favorite epithet.

The odd thing is that I generally think of myself as a moderate rather than a radical. I have a few core values that shape my worldview.

I support public education. I don’t think anyone should lose everything they have because they get sick, or that anyone should die because they cannot afford a procedure that could save them if only they could afford it.

I am fine with capitalism, but I am also pro-union and pro-working class. I believe that 40 years of trickle-down economics has been a massive failure, destroying the middle class and redistributing the wealth to the top one percent.

I believe in science and actual research and data. I am pro critical thinking.

I believe in equal treatment and opportunity for all people, regardless of ethnicity, gender, sexual orientation or anything else. I

flags from our vehicles, what they fail to understand is that most of us have endured elections for many, many years voting against dangerous candidates rather than voting enthusiastically for someone in whom we wholeheartedly believe.

You think the system is lousy? We do, too. It is rife with corruption and in a stranglehold of lobbyists and special interest groups. The system is broken. You think so.

We think so. And that explains not only the popularity of Trump, but also the campaign of Bernie Sanders in 2016.

Americans on all sides are fed up with politics as usual. I don’t know a single person who is excited about the prospect of voting for Biden a second time.

On the other hand, it would be nice if we could find a viable outsider who was not equal parts huckster, gangster and narcissist, someone capable of understanding what all Americans are hungry for — a genuine leader, someone who could lead the effort to reform the system and bring real change to the election process.

Ironically — and frighteningly — the Trump movement can no longer be viewed as an outsider campaign. Whether the Republican establishment likes it or not, the party belongs to him now. It has become a party of grievance, of retribution, of pettiness and of lies.

Most disturbingly, it has become a party willing to subvert the Constitution in order to win elections. The party that for generations has made such an ostentatious display of its patriotism is no longer much of an

If you would like to donate to the HCC Foundation, contact: Executive Director Hylah Birenbaum, Ex 828.627.4544 hebirenbaum@haywood.edu

haywood.edu/foundation 21

22

A&E

Smoky Mountain News

When the dance gets hot Badfish will play Asheville Jan. 17.

Donated photo

Sublime tribute act Badfish returns to WNC

BY GARRET K. WOODWARD ARTS & E NTERTAINMENT E DITOR ack in 2001, while students at the University of Rhode Island, bassist Joel Hanks and drummer Scott Begin had been kicking around the idea of doing a oneoff tribute concert to the music of Sublime — one of the most iconic American rock acts of all-time.

“Sublime’s music and Bradley Nowell’s voice — and lyrics in particular — are singular in the landscape of all the other reggae/ska revival band of the [1990s],” Begin said. “The [musical] chemistry of [Sublime] is also very unique and instantly identifiable. It’s very clear to me that they were just playing from their musical influences with ease. There seems to be no forced attempt to sound too much like any other artist or really any pretention at all.”

Formed in Long Beach, California, in 1988, Sublime was a fiery juggernaut of sound and scope, this whirlwind blend of reggae, punk, ska and soul, all with a thick thread of hard rock sensibilities. Although the band disappeared following the tragic death of Nowell at age 28, the musical message of compassion and camaraderie crafted by Nowell and his bandmates continues to reverberate into the

B

cosmos.

With Sublime, there was this keen, honest sense of self, of genuinely channeling the power of music for the greater good, to bring one and all together to shake off the monotony and melancholy of daily live in the presence of sweaty, heartfelt melodies — the eternal quest for freedom of the individual in a society filled with harsh rules, bogus expectations and often-bleak outcomes.

And in an ode to a beloved Sublime melody, Hanks and Begin formed Badfish.

Taking place at the Ocean Mist bar in Matunuck, Rhode Island, the April 2001 performance was a resounding success, one where the duo now had this opportunity placed before them to possibly take the gig further and farther that they ever could have imagined. Lead vocalist/guitarist Patrick Downes joined the ensemble in 2007.

“Where Badfish shines is the emphasis on replicating the intensity, dirt and heart that the music of Sublime embodies,” Downes said. “And what’s most surprising is how intricate the composition of Sublime songs [are].

They feel so easy, catchy and natural. But, when you start to pick them apart there’s so many twists and turns — the songs go on a journey unlike any other band I’ve listened to.”

In its almost quarter-century together, Badfish has risen into the upper echelon of nationally touring tribute acts. This isn’t just a

Want to go?

The premier Sublime tribute act, Badfish will hit the stage at 8 p.m. Wednesday, Jan. 17, at The Orange Peel in Asheville.

Dale & The Zdubs and Damn Skippy will kick things off. Doors open at 7 p.m. Tickets are $20 in advance, $25 at the door. The show is ages 18 and over.

For more information and/or to purchase tickets, click on theorangepeel.net/events.

crowd is another band member in a way.

Usually it feels like we’re all on the same journey together and that’s a great symbiotic kind of experience.”

Peeling back the layers of Sublime, it can be a real challenge, albeit a welcomed one, to nail down the musical essence of a band known for whiplash tempo changes and intricately-crafted tunes, all the atop a staggeringly high-bar of raw energy and authentic attitude presented in the live realm.

“Over the course of Sublime’s output, the sound of the band changes pretty drastically over [its] three major [albums],” Begin said.

“As a drummer, I’m trying to evoke the feel of the particular record that I’m playing. The early stuff and the later stuff have different sound and feels. It’s all flexible of course, but it gives us a fun challenge to really dial in the ‘era’ of the particular Sublime song we’re playing.”

Coming into the new year, Badfish is doing something that’s been in the wings for many years — releasing its own original music. band rolling through “the hits.” This is a trueStarting with the latest single, “High With to-form musical homage to a catalog of songs You” (featuring Little Stranger), the group will and a live stage presence that remains a culcontinue to roll out fresh numbers as 2024 tural touchstone for generations of Sublime unfolds. fans.

“We are lifelong musicians. No matter “We’ve always approached the show with a what we are playing, we love music — writing, [few] goals — do the music justice, no cosperforming, listening. Music is movement,” tuming or trying to look like the band, put on Downes said. “We’ve grown so many great a show that blows people away,” Begin noted. relationships and have had so many crazy Onstage, Badfish is a celebration of music nights with our fans over all these years and — of storied legend and eternal lore — as for us to take all that collective energy and put both sides of the microphone find themselves it into our own words and sounds to give back in this undulating two-way musical conversaout is an honor in itself.” tion.

Even this many years later, the mem“We’ve always approached the show with a bers of Badfish hold a deep sense of [few] goals — do the music justice, no appreciation for what they get to go costuming or trying to look like the band, night in and night put on a show that blows people away.” one, where one thing remains true — Scott Begin and in abunance — gratitude.

“There’s a raw honesty to [Sublime],” “We’ve always struck a great balance between delivering the expected version of the Begin said. “At one moment, it’s like [Bradley’s] giving you this genius advice from songs and giving ourselves some leeway to on high and the next moment it’s like you’re stretch out or jam at times — we try to allow the last two people at the end of the party havmoments for us to employ that same philosoing a hazy 3 a.m. conversation — as a musiphy in the way we feel Sublime did,” Begin said. “The vibe of the crowd is so important to cian, having that effect on a listener is like the holy grail.” how we’re all interacting onstage, it’s like the

HOT PICKS

BY GARRET K. WOODWARD

“Sudden illumination, sudden awakening or simply kick in the eye”

P

Vero Beach is on the Atlantic Coast of Florida. Garret K. Woodward photo

Southern rock act The Log Noggins will perform at 8 p.m.

Friday, Jan. 12, at Lazy Hiker Brewing in Sylva.

A special book reading and signing of Adrian Harley’s debut novel, “Many Drops Make a Stream,” will be held at 3 p.m.

Saturday, Jan. 13, at City Lights Bookstore in Sylva.

Rock group Spiro Funk Apocalypse will perform at 8 p.m.

Friday, Jan. 12, at The Scotsman Public House in Waynesville.

4 5

Regional country/rock act The Jon Cox Band will perform at 8 p.m.

Friday, Jan. 12, at the Unplugged Pub in Bryson City.

traveled and faces encountered. Meals devoured with gusto and images/words processed from an array of digital ways and means. It’s nothing and everything and everything in-between. It’s meaningless and meaningful. No matter, just be kind, eh? Be kind and say yes to the curious unknowns that lie just around the corner, eager to surprise you in due time.

Circling back down the beach towards the wooden steps below Mulligan’s, the wind was now at my back, my stride opening up more, my pace quickening with a joyful haste of movement and freedom only felt in this singular activity that is running, especially running with nowhere to necessarily be for the rest of the morning.

Back up the wooden steps, but not before one more quick glance at the mighty Atlantic. Waves of sapphire flares crashing into ancient earth. Howling winds and raindrops sliding down the waterproof jacket.

Jog back down Beachland Boulevard. Small puddle splashing with sandy running shoes.

Vehicles of affluence and prestige zoom by headed somewhere, anywhere.

Stop at the next intersection. Sigh for one glorious second before continuing on — a good, deep sigh of gratitude and grace amid a world seemingly gone mad. Walk across the parking lot of Vero Insurance as a shortcut to the Sea Turtle Inn. Knock on the door of Room 4. Await the smiling face inside to let you back in the humble abode. The girl from Goldsboro who arrived in my life almost a year ago.

Pack up the travel bags and crank over the engine of the rental car. Pull out of the parking space and head west for Winter Haven. Beloved faces to be seen and held soon. Some of the faces unknown to me, only to soon become fast friends of kinship and happenstance, stories shared and memories created. Onward.

Life is beautiful, grasp for it, y’all.

Wine i Port Beer Cigars Champagne Gifts Areas Best Wine Selection

RETAIL WIINE NE TA ASTINGS STINGS & WIINE NE DIINNERS NNERS DOWNTOWN WAYNE Y SVILLE

EVENTS

Celtic Sunday ys W/The Carter Giegerich Trio - 2-55 pm Incredible Celtic Folk - Every Sunday Relaxation along with your Guinness! n

TRIVIA TUESDA AY YS Every Tuesday 7:30pm-9:30ppm

FREE TO PLAY Gift Certificate prizes for 1st & 2nd place teams

Thursday, January 11th Rene Russel Americana • Rock • Classic Rockk 7pm - 9pm

Friday, d January 12 2th Adamas Entertainment Presentss Spiro Nicolopoulos Blues Apocalyppse Southern Soul • Rock • 8pm - 11ppm w/ Allman Bros Tribute to 11:00 pm

Smoky Mountain News

ard emotions.

Thus, we booked an inexpensive flight on Allegiant and headed south for the family reunion. Snowflakes and a harsh, whipping winter wind walking across the airport apron for the ramp onto the plane. Swap that weather for 70-degree temperatures and a soothing sun. If anything, I was just happy to see Sarah smiling again and looking forward to something besides somber holiday feelings.

Trotting along the shoreline of Vero Beach, a euphoric sense of self and of place washed over me. Although I aim to always be present and be aware of a moment (any moment at-hand) as it is occurring in real time, I doubled down to snap a few mental images of how the wind and raindrops felt against my skin, how loud the waves were rolling in from the great beyond and how pleasant it was to be lost in thought — all alone and in a fluid motion of pace and rhythm, my stride remaining steadfast since middle school.

Visions of the massive nature of 2023 for me, you and all of us, now silent and tucked away in some overflowing shoebox in the closets of our collective memories. Miles

1 2 3

January 10-16, 2024

eering through the window blinds of the motel room, the sunshine felt yesterday afternoon was long gone and now replaced by an early morning haze of clouds and a slight drizzle. Lacing up the running shoes and zipping up the waterproof jacket, I headed out and began my run.

Exiting the Sea Turtle Inn parking lot, the rest of Vero Beach, Florida, was either still in bed (many hungover from wild-n-out Friday night shenanigans) or simply didn’t want to trek around the picturesque beach town in the cold rain — freezing to the natives, but somewhat warm and welcoming to someone like myself from the mountains.

Pushing along Beachland Boulevard, the sounds of my shoes splashing happily through small puddles and passerby vehicles of affluence and prestige. Chugging by Mulligan’s Beach House Bar & Grill and down the wooden steps to the shoreline. Waves of sapphire flares crashing into ancient earth.

Howling winds and raindrops sliding down the waterproof jacket.

A week earlier, my girlfriend, Sarah, and I were in Charleston, South Carolina, for the final day of 2023. The sheer spectacle of rock acts Futurebirds (at the Charleston Music Hall) and Hiss Golden Messenger (Charleston Pour House) as the ball was dropping way above the Mason-Dixon Line in Times Square.

The official end of the holiday season, at least for this go-round. A blur of Uber rides zipping around the old port city, across bridges of grandeur and innovation, ducking down centuries-old streets of cobblestone and ghosts of the past in the rearview mirror. Massive mansions of old money families and high-end hotels/inns, all within a stone’s throw of The Battery and Charleston Harbor.

By early afternoon on Jan. 1, it was a celebratory New Year’s pint of Guinness at The Griffon, a longtime English-style pub in the heart of the French Quarter. College football on the glowing box in the corner. Thousands of dollar bills taped, stapled or glued to the interior walls from floor to ceiling, countless names of folks who sauntered in by chance or on purpose, eventually meandering to

somewhere else in the endless ether of this universe of ours.

And almost one full week into the New Year, Sarah and I were now on the Atlantic Coast of Florida. After the immense sadness and lingering gloom of the recent holidays due to the passing of her father after a bout with terminal brain cancer, it was decided to head down to The Sunshine State to see her brothers (all four of them) with the five siblings together for the first time since the passing of their mother in 2022.

Two of the brothers reside in and around Winter Haven, Florida. One is based in Dallas, Texas, the youngest still on the family farm outside of Goldsboro, North Carolina.

Sarah looked at the opportunity to reconnect with them in-person as a sort of serendipitous moment of happiness and renewed focus of who she is and where she came from amid a fog of grief and haphaz-

Folkmoot USA will present Larry & Joe at 7 p.m. Thursday, Jan. 18, at the Folkmoot Friendship Center in Waynesville.

arts & entertainment

This must be the place

Saturday, January y 13th Celtic Road Jam • 4pm - 6pm

ScotsmanPublic.ccom • 37 CHURCH STREET • DOWNTOWN WAYNESVILLEE @thescotsmanwaynesville h lle

M-Th:4PM-12AM Fri-Sat:12PM-12AM Sun:11 1 AM-12AM

23

arts & entertainment

On the beat

Southern rock rolls into WNC Asheville-based rock act The Log Noggins will perform at 8 p.m. Friday, Jan. 12, at Lazy Hiker Brewing in Sylva.

The three-piece progressive southern rock band will also perform at 7 p.m. Saturday, Jan. 13, at Lazy Hiker Brewing in Franklin.

Embedded in their southern roots are strains of fusion, blues, progressive rock and much more. The group’s take on composition, melody and chord structure contains hints of everything from The Allman Brothers Band to John Scofield.

Both shows are free and open to the public. For more about The Log Noggins, go to thelognoggins.com.

The Log Noggins will play Sylva Jan. 12. File photo

Larry & Joe will play Waynesville Jan. 18.

Donated photo

January 10-16, 2024

Folkmoot welcomes Larry & Joe

• Angry Elk Brewing (Whittier) will host semiregular live music on the weekends. All shows are free and open to the public.

828.497.1015 or facebook.com/angryelkbrewingco.

Smoky Mountain News

• Balsam Falls Brewing (Sylva) will host an open mic from 8-10 p.m. every Thursday.

Free and open to the public. 828.631.1987 or balsamfallsbrewing.com.

24

• Blue Ridge Beer Hub (Waynesville) will host a semi-regular acoustic jam with the Main Street NoTones from 7-9 p.m. every first and third Thursday of the month. Free and open to the public. For more information, click on blueridgebeerhub.com.

• Blue Stage (Andrews) will host semi-regular live music on the weekends. 828.361.2534 or gm@thebluestage.com.

• Boojum Brewing (Waynesville) will host music bingo 7 p.m. Mondays, karaoke at 8:30 p.m. Wednesdays, trivia at 7 p.m. and semi-regular live music on the weekends. All shows begin at 9 p.m. unless otherwise noted. 828.246.0350 or boojumbrewing.com.

• Cowee School Arts & Heritage Center (Franklin) will host semi-regular live music

For its first performance of the 2024 season, Folkmoot USA will present Larry & Joe at 7 p.m. Thursday, Jan. 18, at the Folkmoot Friendship Center in Waynesville.

The duo of Grammy-nominated bluegrass and old-time star Joe Troop (from Winston-Salem) and Joropo maestro Larry Bellorín (Monagas, Venezuela), these virtuosic multi-instrumentalists fuse their respec-

tive Appalachian folk and Venezuelan traditions on the harp, banjo, cuatro, fiddle, upright bass, guitar and maracas.

Doors open at 6 p.m. Tickets are $22 per person. Delish, the Venezuelan food truck, will be serving onsite prior to the concert. For more information and/or to purchase tickets, click on folkmoot.org.

To learn about Larry & Joe, go to larryandjoe.com.

on the weekends. For more information and/or to purchase tickets, click on coweeschool.org/music.

p.m. unless otherwise noted. Free and open to the public. 828.454.5664 or froglevelbrewing.com.

tickets, click on highlandermountainhouse.com.

• Currahee Brewing (Franklin) will host “Music Bingo” 7 p.m. Thursdays and Ray Ferrara (singer-songwriter) Jan. 13. All shows begin at 7 p.m. Free and open to the public. 828.634.0078 or curraheebrew.com.

• Frog Quarters (Franklin) will host live music from 11 a.m. to 1 p.m. Saturdays. Free and open to the public. Located at 573 East Main St. littletennessee.org or 828.369.8488.

• Farm At Old Edwards (Highlands) will host the “Fireside at the Farm” sessions on select weekends. For more information, click on oldedwardshospitality.com.

• Folkmoot Friendship Center (Waynesville) will host Larry & Joe (Americana) 7 p.m. Jan. 18. For a full schedule of events and/or to purchase tickets, click on folkmoot.org.

• Fontana Village Resort Wildwood Grill will host semi-regular live music on the weekends. Free and open to the public.

800.849.2258 or fontanavillage.com.

• Frog Level Brewing (Waynesville) will host its weekly “Tuesday Jazz Series” at 5:30 p.m., Community Drum Circle Jan. 11, Harry Frenchmen Jan. 12, Doug & Lisa Jan. 13, Dirty French Broads Trio Jan. 19 and Bald Mountain Boys Jan. 20. All shows begin at 6

• Happ’s Place (Glenville) will host semi-regular live music on the weekends. All shows begin at 6 p.m. Free and open to the public. happsplace.com or 828.742.5700.

ALSO:

• Harrah’s Cherokee Casino Resort (Cherokee) will host Styx (classic rock) 9 p.m. Jan. 19. For a full schedule of events and/or to buy tickets, caesars.com/harrahscherokee.

• High Dive (Highlands) will host semi-regular live music on the weekends. highlandsdive.com or 828.526.2200.

• Highlander Mountain House (Highlands) will host a Sunday Bluegrass Residency noon to 2:30 p.m. and Tyler Ramsey (singer-songwriter) Jan 25 (admission is $25 per person).

For more information and/or to purchase

• Highlands Performing Arts Center will host semi-regular live music on the weekends.

For tickets, click on highlandsperformingarts.com.

• Innovation Brewing (Sylva) will host “Trivia Night w/Kirk” from 7-9 p.m. every Monday and semi-regular live music on the weekends. All shows begin at 7 p.m. unless otherwise noted. Free and open to the public. innovation-brewing.com.

• Innovation Station (Dillsboro) will host “Music Bingo” on Wednesdays and semiregular live music on the weekends. All events begin at 7 p.m. unless otherwise noted. Free and open to the public. innovation-brewing.com.

• Lazy Hiker Brewing (Franklin) will host Karaoke on the second/fourth Friday of the month and The Log Noggins (southern rock) Jan. 13. All shows begin at 7 p.m. unless otherwise noted. Free and open to the public.

828.349.2337 or lazyhikerbrewing.com.

• Lazy Hiker Brewing (Sylva) will host “Music Bingo” 6:30 p.m. Mondays and The Log

On the beat Wayne Ebinger photo

Noggins (southern rock) Jan. 12. All shows begin at 8 p.m. unless otherwise noted.

Free and open to the public. 828.349.2337 or lazyhikerbrewing.com.

• Meadowlark Motel (Maggie Valley) will host semi-regular live music on the weekends. All shows begin at 7 p.m. unless otherwise noted. For more information and/or to purchase tickets, click on meadowlarkmotel.com or call 828.926.1717.

• Mountain Layers Brewing (Bryson City) will host an “Open Mic w/Frank Lee” Wednesdays, Scott James Stambaugh (singer-songwriter) Jan. 12, Zip Robertson (singer-songwriter) Jan. 13, Bird In Hand (Americana/indie) Jan. 19 and Alma Russ (Americana/indie) Jan. 20. All shows begin at 6 p.m. unless otherwise noted. Free and open to the public. 828.538.0115 or mountainlayersbrewingcompany.com.

Country, rock at Unplugged Pub Regional country/rock act The Jon Cox Band will perform at 8 p.m. Friday, Jan. 12, at the Unplugged Pub in Bryson City.

The Asheville singer-songwriter rolls through an array of classic country gold and

rock melodies. Known as “high-energy outlaw music,” Cox is a rising voice in Western North Carolina.

Admission is $5 at the door. For more information, call 828.538.2488.

Open call for Highlands Cashiers Players

• Quirky Birds Treehouse & Bistro (Dillsboro) will host Open Mic Night at 7 p.m. Tuesdays and semi-regular live music on the weekends. Free and open to the public. 828.586.1717 or facebook.com/quirkybirdstreehouse.

• Rathskeller Coffee Haus & Pub (Franklin) will host semi-regular live music on the weekends. Shows begin at 8 p.m. Free and open to the public. 828.369.6796.

• Salty Dog’s Seafood & Grill (Maggie Valley) will host “Karaoke w/Russell” every Monday and semi-regular live music on the weekends. Free and open to the public.

828.926.9105.

• Santé Wine Bar (Sylva) will host semi-regular live music on Sundays. Free and open to the public. 828.631.3075 or facebook.com/thewinebarandcellar.

• Satulah Mountain Brewing (Highlands) will host semi-regular live music on the weekends. 828.482.9794 or satulahmountainbrewing.com.

All plays listed will begin production at least five weeks prior to opening night.

For more information, click on highlandscashiersplayers.com.

• Smoky Mountain Center for the Performing Arts (Franklin) will semi-regular live music on the weekends. All shows begin at 7:30 p.m. unless otherwise noted. For more information and/or to purchase tickets, click on smokymountainarts.com or 866.273.4615.

ALSO:

• Southern Porch (Canton) will host semiregular live music on the weekends.

828.492.8009 or southern-porch.com.

• Stecoah Valley Center (Robbinsville) will host semi-regular live music on the weekends. All shows begin at 7:30 p.m. unless otherwise noted. For more information and/or to purchase tickets, call 828.479.3364 or click on stecoahvalleycenter.com.

• The Ugly Dog Pub (Cashiers) will host semi-regular live music on the weekends.

828.743.3000 or theuglydogpub.com.

• The Ugly Dog Pub (Highlands) will host “Bluegrass Wednesday” at 6:30 p.m. each week. 828.526.8364 or theuglydogpub.com.

• Unplugged Pub (Bryson City) will host Karaoke w/Lori Jan. 11 (free), Jon Cox Band (country/rock) Jan. 12, Rock Holler Jan. 13, Jay Dee Gee Jan. 18, Macon County Line Jan. 19 and Mile High Band (classic rock/country) Jan. 20. All shows are $5 at the door and begin at 8 p.m. unless otherwise noted. 828.538.2488.

• Valley Cigar & Wine Co. (Waynesville) will host semi-regular live music on the weekends. Free and open to the public.

828.944.0686 or valleycigarandwineco.com.

• Valley Tavern (Maggie Valley) will host semi-regular live music on the weekends.

All shows begin at 6 p.m. unless otherwise noted. Free and open to the public.

828.926.7440 or valley-tavern.com.

Smoky Mountain News

The Highlands Cashiers Players will hold open auditions for its 2024 season at 2 p.m.

Sunday, Jan. 14, at the Performing Arts Center in Highlands.

All interested local residents, experienced or otherwise, are invited to audition. This is a first for HCP and is an attempt to involve a broader spectrum of the community in it productions.

The HCP motto remains “good plays, well done,” but of equal importance is to provide a stage for local citizens to both develop and display their theatrical talent.

Three productions (“Squabbles” staged 3/28-4/7, “Always a Bridesmaid” staged 5/9-5/19 and “The Lifespan of a Fact” staged 8/229/1) will be cast beginning with this process and all 15 roles are open.

Participants will be given a short portion of script to read and the part(s) in question will be reviewed with them by the director. Experienced actors are asked to bring a theatrical resume and all auditionees should bring a recent snapshot on regular paper.

Data sheets will be compiled so that all auditionees are identified both for these and future plays. You are encouraged to discuss the rehearsal schedule with the directors as well as any concerns or questions that you might have.

Please remember, if you don’t see a part that is right for you, but are still interested in local theater, please come and introduce yourself anyway. The knowledge regarding your availability may allow the HCP to choose a more suitable play for its 2025 season.

• Orchard Coffee (Waynesville) will host semi-regular live music on the weekends.

828.246.9264 or orchardcoffeeroasters.com.

• SlopeSide Tavern (Sapphire) will host semi-regular live music on the weekends.

All shows begin at 7 p.m. unless otherwise noted. Free and open to the public.

828.743.8655 or slopesidetavern.com.

January 10-16, 2024

On the stage

• Nantahala Brewing Outpost (Sylva) will host semi-regular live music on the weekends. All shows begin at 8 p.m. unless otherwise noted. Free and open to the public.

828.641.9797 or nantahalabrewing.com.

begin at 8 p.m. unless otherwise noted.

Free and open to the public. 828.246.6292 or scotsmanpublic.com.

arts & entertainment

Jon Cox will play Bryson City Jan. 12.

• Sauced (Waynesville) will host semi-regular live music on the weekends. Free and open to the public. 828.246.9585 or saucedwnc.com.

• Water’n Hole Bar & Grill (Waynesville) will host semi-regular live music on the weekends. All shows begin at 9:30 p.m.

828.456.4750 or facebook.com/waternhole.bar.

• The Scotsman (Waynesville) will host a “Celtic Jam” 2-5 p.m., Spiro Funk Apocalypse (rock/funk) Jan. 12, Shane Meade (indie/soul) Jan. 18 and The Marshall Brown Band Jan. 19. All shows

• Whiteside Brewing (Cashiers) will host semi-regular live music on the weekends.

All shows begin at 6 p.m. unless otherwise noted. 828.743.6000 or whitesidebrewing.com.

25

arts & entertainment

On the table

On the beat

• “Flights & Bites” will be held starting at 4 p.m. on Thursdays and Fridays at Bosu’s Wine Shop in downtown Waynesville. For more information on upcoming events, wine tastings and special dinners, click on waynesvillewine.com.

Spiro Funk Apocalypse will play Waynesville Jan. 12.

Tom Farr Photography

• “Take A Flight” with four new wines every Friday and Saturdays at the Bryson City Wine Market. Select from a gourmet selection of charcuterie to enjoy with your wines.

Educational classes and other events are also available. For more information, call 828.538.0420.

Smoky Mountain News

January 10-16, 2024

• “Uncorked: Wine & Rail Pairing Experience” will be held from 11 a.m. to 3 p.m. on select dates at the Great Smoky Mountains Railroad in Bryson City. Full service all-adult first class car. Wine pairings with a meal, and more. There will also be a special “Beer Train” on select dates. For more information and/or to register, call 800.872.4681 or click on gsmr.com.

26

The Scotsman gets the funk Popular Asheville rock group Spiro Funk Apocalypse will perform at 8 p.m. Friday, Jan. 12, at The Scotsman Public House in Waynesville.

A collaboration of some of the finest musicians in the region, Spiro Funk Apocalypse is fronted by Spiro Nicolopoulos, a highly-skilled guitarist/vocalist known for his work in The Paper Crowns and other local acts.

The show is free and open to the public. 828.246.6292 or scotsmanpublic.com.

SNOW REPO ORT 13 of 18 8 Slopes Op pen 3 Aerial A i Lifts i 2 Su urface Liftss 40 to 56 5 Inch Ba ase WEEKDAYS: Y 9:00AM – 10P PM WEEKEND DS: 8:30AM – 10PM

On the wall

• After school art for middle school youth will be held from 3:30-4:45 p.m. on Thursdays beginning Jan. 11 at the Waynesville Public Library. The program will be held for six weeks. Class size limited to 10. Instructor will be Luba Petrova, founder/director of the Waynesville Art School. For more information and/or to signup, click on haywoodcountync.gov/recreation.

• Waynesville Photography Club meets at 7 p.m. every third Monday each month on the second floor of the Haywood Regional Health & Fitness Center in Clyde. The club is a nonprofit organization that exists for the enjoyment of photography and the improvement of one’s skills. They welcome photographers of all skill levels to share ideas and images at the monthly meetings. For more information, email waynesvillephotoclub@charter.net or follow them on Facebook: Waynesville Photography Club.

Mast General Store

Pamela Reece & Betina Morgan

Friends of Haywood Co. Animal Shelter

Dale & Joey Reece

Skyland Camp & Resorts

Bethel Rural Community Organization

Smoky Mountain Dog Bakery

The Dog House

Smokey Shadows Lodge

Blue Mountain Chiropractic

Karen Hollingsed & Soul Sisters

Church Street Depot

Times Square Bagels

Hart Theatre

Waynesville Tire Co.

Ron Breese

Woof Street Bistro

Tim Burleson, Frontier Photography

“Spark of the Eagle Dancer” gives visitors a glimpse into this vast collection built over 47 years and features work by 83 artists of various tribal affiliations.

To learn more about the exhibition and reception, please go to arts.wcu.edu/spark.

The Fine Art Museum is open from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. Tuesday through Friday and 10 a.m. to 7 p.m. Thursday.

• The Haywood County Arts Council (Waynesville) will offer a wide range of classes, events and activities for artisans, locals and visitors. The HCAC gallery is open seven days a week from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. and 11 a.m. to 4 p.m. Sundays. For more information and a full schedule, click on haywoodarts.org.

• Jackson County Green Energy Park (Dillsboro) will be offering a slew of classes, events and activities for artisans, locals and visitors. For more information and a full schedule, click on jcgep.org.

• Southwestern Community College Swain Arts Center (Bryson City) will host an array of workshops for adults and kids. For more information on the upcoming classes and/or to sign-up, click on southwesterncc.edu/scclocations/swain-center.

ALSO:

• Dogwood Crafters in Dillsboro will offer a selection of upcoming art classes and workshops. For more information and a full schedule of activities, click on dogwoodcrafters.com/classes.html or call 828.586.2248.

Smoky Mountain News

• Gallery Zella (Bryson City) will be hosting an array of artist receptions, exhibits and showcases. The gallery is open from noon to 5 p.m. Wednesday through Saturday. For more information, click on galleryzella.com or call 517.881.0959.

‘The Struggle Within Us’ by Bob Proctor (Choctaw Nation of Oklahoma).

Animal Hospital of Waynesville

January 10-16, 2024

Western Carolina University is delighted to announce its recent exhibition “Spark of the Eagle Dancer: The Collecting Legacy of Lambert Wilson” will now be extended through June 28 in the Fine Art Museum at WCU in Cullowhee.

It is the museum’s hope that with the exhibition remaining open, it will give people in and around Western North Carolina and beyond the opportunity to experience one of the Fine Art Museum’s most visited exhibitions and allow people to be inspired by Wilson’s collection.

In conjunction with the exhibition extension, the museum will also host a new program series titled Spark Talks that invites the WNC community to learn from exhibiting artists about their artwork, process, and the relationships they formed with Lambert Wilson. Dates will be announced shortly regarding this programming.

The exhibit features works of contemporary Native American art from the collection of one of Western North Carolina’s most notable art enthusiasts, the late Lambert Wilson.

He devoted his life to supporting and encouraging Native artists, amassed an

extensive collection of objects during his lifetime, focusing primarily on artists of the Eastern Band of Cherokee Indians, Cherokee Nation and sovereign nations of the Southwest.

This exhibition brings together a selection of baskets, pottery, carving, painting, photography and more that tell the story of the relationships Wilson built and the impact that he made by dedicating himself to this remarkable collection.

arts & entertainment

‘Spark of the Eagle Dancer’ extended

27

arts & entertainment

“One of the main reasons I chose Habitat is how much love and support they give the community.”

– Future Habitat Homeowner Jessica Garnes

Your support helps local families afford stable, safe homes.

Smoky Mountain News

January 10-16, 2024

Learn more & donate at haywoodhabitat.org.

28

On the shelf

Thomas Crowe

F

we’re treated to “An Evening of Poetry and Music” at St. John’s Episcopal Church and ending the day with an open mike event over coffee and hot chocolate at Malaprop’s Bookstore & Cafe. She also writes about another local author, John Parris, who wrote a column in the Asheville Citizen-Times for many years.

“Every Sunday, my father and I sat

Duncan also takes us on a visually descriptive ride along the Blue Ridge Parkway before taking us back home in the chapter “Those Golden Years,” where she reminisces about her youthful years and describes her homeplace thusly: “Mountains surround the McDowell County home that my husband, Steve, and I share with our daughter, Annie. The woods are dense with oaks, poplars, dogwoods, and pines, and the air is pungent with the scent of galax. Evening comes early here in the shadows of the trees, and even on summer days, the breeze off the creek in front of our house is cool. I often think back on those golden years of good friends, blue skies, colorful autumn leaves, and a cool nip in the air.”

But there are many more specifically detailed and engaging stories in Julia Nunnally Duncan’s new book, especially if you are not from here and are looking for a picture of rural Appalachia over the years. Or as Duncan writes in the Introduction to the book: “The memories of all we have loved — a place, family, and lifelong experiences — are never dead. And, I, too, believe it is worth our while to gather these memories and treasure them. I hope the reader will find my gathering of such memories enjoyable and compelling.”

(Thomas Rain Crowe is an internationally published author, editor and translator of more than 30 books, including the multi-award winning nonfiction nature memoir “Zoro’s Field: My Life in the Appalachian Woods” (2005). He lives in the rural enclave of Tuckasegee in Jackson County.)

Adrian Harley will present their debut novel,

Many Drops Make a Stream

Saturday, January 13 at 3 p.m.

828/586-9499 • more@citylightsnc.com 3 EAST JACKSON STREET • SYLVA

2023 Must Readds

Your Hometown Bookstore since 2007 Yo

Magazi a nes & New e spapeers

428 HAZELWOOD Ave v.

Waynesville • 456-600 00 MON-FRI 9-5 | SAT 9-3

Smoky Mountain News

together and read the Asheville CitizenTimes. After we perused the funnies, we found John Parris’ column ‘Roaming the Mountains’ that told of the mountain people and their traditions,” she writes.

On other trips to Asheville and environs, she visits the Old Fort Cemetery in Old Fort and the large statue of the marble angel that’s referenced in Wolfe’s novel “Look Homeward, Angel” and, then, to the historic Battery Park Hotel in downtown Asheville.

Another favorite chapter for me was the one she writes about Cherokee, reminding me of my boyhood years in Graham County and my Cherokee friends who lived on the Snowbird Reservation there:

“When I was a girl, my parents and I would drive two hours to Cherokee in the mountains for a summer weekend getaway. This was the 1960s, offering a main drag of small gift shops that sold deerskin and elkskin moccasins, feathered headdresses, toy bow and arrow sets and Oconaluftee Indian Village crafts.”

January 10-16, 2024

or those of you who don’t know her, Julia Nunnally Duncan is an awardwinning freelance writer and author of 11 books of nonfiction, fiction and poetry who is a native of Western North Carolina whose hometown is Marion. I have known her for years through her work in literary magazines and, of course, her books.

In her new book of essays “All We Have Loved,” which is inspired by her childhood, her family and her hometown and dedicated to her recently deceased mother and brother, we get a vulnerable and detailed slice of smalltown Southern Writer life. Everything from a mother’s offering of snow cream after a rare blizzard, her husband’s training of a red-tailed hawk, her great-grandmother’s wedding ring that conceals a troubled marriage, and a rural life filled with crows, copperheads, hornets, horses, and even a lynx. But all these storied themes and more are offered by Duncan to bring forward the universal themes of family love and the attachment to a place. In this sense, “All We Have Loved” is an intimate portrait of a woman’s life spent in Western North Carolina, with its unique culture and traditions.

Written like a conversation with friends and family members in a quiet cafe over cappuccinos or spiced chai, Duncan’s stories bring back memories of my own life growing up in small rural towns here in the Smokies with our outhouses and woodstoves.

Memories that also include sharpening a pocketknife with a whetstone that I always carried around with me, as did her father until recently, but like her father still keeping it handy. And her stories about her grandmother’s vegetable garden and the one that Julia grows now every year, reminding me of almost 50 years of my own vegetable gardens. “Today when I work in my roses or plant my vegetable garden, I think about Mama Davis and hope I can live up to the legacy she has left me,” she writes.

One of my favorite chapters — “The Years Flow By” — takes me back to my younger years and my love for the writing of Thomas Wolfe. Duncan takes us on a trip to Asheville and to Wolfe’s Old Kentucky Home on North Market Street, and then to the Montford Historic District and Wolfe’s burial site at Riverside Cemetery, after which

arts & entertainment

An portrait of an Appalachia upbringing

Harley debut novel launch There will be a special book reading and signing of Adrian Harley’s debut novel, “Many Drops Make a Stream,” at 3 p.m. Saturday, Jan. 13, at City Lights Bookstore in Sylva.

Harley is an almost-lifelong North Carolinian and a fantasy-fiction aficionado. They are an editor of research by day and a writer, also by day. They go to bed early. They have short stories in OFIC Magazine and multiple anthologies from Duck Prints Press. “Many Drops Make a Stream” is their debut novel.

They live in Sylva with their husband and a perfectly reasonable number of cats.

To reserve copies of “Many Drops Make a Stream,” please call City Lights at 828.586.9499.

your friendly, local blue box — smoky mountain news 29

30

Outdoors

Smoky Mountain News

Backcountry guardians

An image from the “Safe and Found” documentary shows the Haywood County Search and Rescue Team in action.

Over the years, East has participated in dozens of rescues, but a 2018 incident with an unhappy ending was perhaps the most personally impactful. Rescuers spent a week searching for missing Ohio woman Susan Clements only to find her body less than a mile from Clingmans Dome in the Great Smoky Mountains National Park. The experience struck a chord with East, who had recently lost her own mother. It was core to her 2021 book, “Chasing the Smokies Moon.”

In summer 2022, Gayheart attended one of East’s book readings in Waynesville. After the event, the two met for beers at Frog Level Brewimg. Gayheart told East that she and Wallis were starting a film production company and wanted to do some pro bono work related to preventative search and rescue.

“They really wanted to highlight, just kind of focus on, a singular search and rescue team to use as the background of the story,” East said, “and then to highlight some of the searches that we have been involved in either in this county or in the instance of Susan Clements in the [Great Smoky Mountains National] Park to, through storytelling, show people what can happen to those who least suspect it and how you can avoid becoming that next search.”

The project that would later be titled “Safe and Found” was born.

PAYING IT FORWARD

The film isn’t about wagging fingers in the faces of those who have already found themselves in compromising situations. Rather, it’s about telling their stories and drawing out

BY HOLLY KAYS lessons that viewers can take with them next time they hit the STORY TO TELL OUTDOORS E DITOR trail. And, as a pro bono project, it’s also about raising Rescuing someone who’s lost in the wilderness is no easy money and awareness for the SAR team’s nonprofit partner, task. Between on-the-ground searchers, command center staff the WNC Wilderness Safety Fund. and any aerial support the effort requires, a rescue operation “We’re looking for people to walk away with a better can involve dozens of people. Responders must have intimate understanding of what could happen to them,” said team knowledge of the trails and terrain, rock-solid training to carry member and Wilderness Safety Fund founder Bill out a methodical search and high-level outdoor skills and Zimmerman. “Because everybody thinks, ‘This wouldn’t hapstamina to keep from becoming a rescue liability themselves. pen to me, I’ve heard those stories on TV,’ but all the people s 23-year-old David Crockett opened his eyes to day two Perhaps most importantly, they must have a willingness to involved in these have just been normal hikers, and things of sub-freezing temperatures in the snow-covered Shining help. The Haywood County SAR Team, whose members are happen. Things just happen. So we want them to walk away Rock Wilderness, he had no idea that, seven years later, respected throughout the region for their skills and impressive with, ‘OK, now I have a better understanding, so I want to be he’d be telling his story on film. He wasn’t even sure he’d surrecord of successful missions, is an all-volunteer crew. better prepared.’” vive the next day.

Zimmerman established the Wilderness Safety Fund in “I knew that there was 0% chance that we’d be found alive,” Members give their time away for free and supply their own gear, typically valued at around $1,000.

2020 to strengthen the shoestring on which the SAR team Crockett said in the trailer for “Safe and Found,” a film high“It’s not always easy,” said team member Nancy East. “We operates. The inspiration, he said, came from a 2019 incident lighting the Haywood County Search and Rescue Team that have an app on our phone that squawks at us when we have in which he hopped into a truck with other SAR volunteers premieres next week. something we have to go out and respond to. It’s never at an responding to an incident only to realize they didn’t even have Crockett’s story, which unfolded after a wrong turn on a opportune time. It’s never convenient. But it is a calling. I can’t a gas card to fill the truck’s tank. day hike nearly cost him and his hiking companion their lives, imagine ignoring that call.”

He formed the nonprofit as a tool to accept is one of three tales of high-profile rescue efforts donations toward the SAR program, hoping to woven into the one-hour film from Charlotte-based raise money for gear, equipment and training for Jester Wallis Productions. The documentary will be the existing team and to eventually expand the rosshown publicly for the first time during an event ter of services to develop and equip specialized from 2-5 p.m. Saturday, Jan. 20, at the Haywood squads such as swiftwater, drone and dive teams.

Community College auditorium in Clyde.

The first four years have proven successful.

In a Nov. 22, 2023, episode of “Beyond the Subjects are often surprised to discover there’s no Trail,” the podcast he does with Julie Gayheart, the bill coming in response to the rescue effort, and other half of Jester Wallis Productions, filmmaker they’re always grateful. With the Wilderness Safety Austin Wallis said he wants the film to be enterFund in place, rescuers can slip them a card with taining, but also educational. In addition to the stoinformation about how to express their gratitude ries of those on the receiving end of rescues, the financially, should they wish to. In addition to movie is packed with footage of the SAR team in allowing the team a reserve fund for emergencies, action and interviews with the team members donations have funded several vital trainings and themselves. key pieces of equipment that allow the team to “You’re going to see what happens when people expand its impact. A recently purchased titanium are coming to find you and those processes, and basket equipped with a mountain bike tire and a that excites me because that’s the educational comdisc brake now makes carrying people out of the ponent,” Gayheart agreed in the podcast. “That is backcountry much easier. Swiftwater what’s going to make people think, ‘Okay, do I have enough clothing? Okay, do I have enough food?

The SAR team carries out a winter training exercise in Middle Prong Wilderness. rescue gear and training allowed the Haywood SAR photo team to help search for the missing Can I get warm?”

Jester Wallis Productions photo

A

Documentary highlights Haywood SAR’s lifesaving impact, shows hikers how to stay safe

A

F

after Tropical Storm Fred in 2021, and two new drones make it easier to search large areas, even when helicopters aren’t available or can’t fly.

Zimmerman recalls one recent incident when the team was looking for a woman who was lost near the Blue Ridge Parkway.

As the crew prepared for a full-scale search, the drone operator noticed a hat on the aerial feed.

“I said … ‘Let’s go from here, across the hat, directly below the hat and see what we find,’” said Zimmerman. “And there she was.”

have spent more than 7,000 hours responding to calls for help. Currently, the SAR team has 41 members, plus a cadre of Carolina Mountain Club members who are specially trained to help search.

“One hope I had for the whole [premiere] event … is that people come away with a greater appreciation for the time and the effort, energy, dedication, the cost that goes into rescuing people, and that that is being done by volunteers who are taking their own time, equipping themselves,” said WNC Wilderness Safety Fund board member Kevin FitzGerald.

High-angle rescues involving ropes and steep drops are some of the most technically challenging to pull off.

Haywood SAR photo

Over the past five years, the tightknit SAR team has been busy, responding to anywhere between 21 and 31 incidents each year with annual averages for volunteer hours per incident fluctuating between 36 and 67 hours. Since 2019, SAR volunteers

Appalachian Farm School returns to Sylva An eight-week training course for anyone interested in operating an agriculture-based business will kick off Monday, Jan. 15, at Southwestern Community College in Sylva. After the in-person first meeting, the class will function as a hybrid course.

The Appalachian Farm School is a pioneering program aiming to teach participants the business aspects of farming so they can be successful doing what they love. Topics include: business planning, farm evaluation, goal setting, marketing, pricing, understanding the numbers, rules and regulations, resources and funding options.

Sessions will be offered 5:30-8:30 p.m. each Monday Jan. 15 to March 4 in SCC’s Burrell Building. Free, with registration required with Marne Harris at m_harris@southwesterncc.edu or 828.339.4211.

Smoky Mountain News

THEY CARRY IT WITH THEM

The David Crockett rescue happened in January 2017, now seven years in the rearview. But those it touched were affected forever. East, an avid adventurer who has been outside in all types of weather, said she had “never been so cold in my life.”

Zimmerman recalls how the thermometer read 6 degrees when he got back to his truck after the last night of searching. And Crockett is filled with gratitude for the life he gets to keep living after the SAR team saved it. East knows this, because since the rescue she and Crockett have forged a friendship. That’s a common outcome of these more intense rescues, she said, and it’s the personal connection that drives her to answer each subsequent call for help.

“What registered for me with the interviews we did in February [for the documentary] was the mindset that each and every team member has,” Wallis said in the podcast. “They literally carry their gear with them everywhere … They’re literally carrying gear with them, but they’re also figuratively carrying that mindset with them, wherever they go, knowing that at any point the call could come, and they drop what they’re doing, and they go and help.”

Marne Harris (left), director of Southwestern Community College’s Small Business Center, picks blueberries with former Appalachian Farm School student Cindy Anthony, who owns the Thomas Berry Farm in Cullowhee. SCC photo

January 10-16, 2024

“I think that was the first find we’ve had with a drone, and since then we found a couple runaway juveniles,” said Cody Parton, assistant emergency management coordinator and assistant SAR coordinator for Haywood County Emergency Services.

Until September 2023, the SAR team had been under the auspices of the Haywood County Rescue Squad. But now they’re under Haywood County Emergency Services, which has proven a better fit organizationally.

“It made more sense because we’re a dotted line to the sheriff ’s department, because they’re responsible for any kind of missing persons in the county,” Zimmerman said. “So we’re more like a specialty team extension of what they would do.”

outdoors

Watch the premiere of “Safe and Found,” a documentary featuring the Haywood County Search and Rescue Team, during an event that starts at 2 p.m. Saturday, Jan. 20, at the Haywood Community College auditorium in Clyde.

The film shows what it’s like to serve on this all-volunteer team in the most remote areas of Western North Carolina, shares how to stay safe while hiking and features accounts from people the team has rescued and from a daughter who lost her mother to a hiking accident.

The doors will open at 2 p.m., giving attendees a chance to meet the film creators and collaborators and members of the SAR team.

Merchandise from film partners Wim Schalken of Hiker Medals and Heidi Nisbett of Sketching Summits will be available for purchase. The film will start at 3 p.m., followed by a 4 p.m.

Q&A with its creators, collaborators and members of the SAR team.

Free, but RSVPs are requested due to space constraints. Attendees are invited to support the SAR team through donations to the WNC Wilderness Safety Fund. Learn more or register at safe-and-found.com.

See the film

31

The U.S. Forest Service has released its final analysis and draft decision for the Nantahala Mountains Project, which will touch more than 800 acres over a 24,943acre project area.

The project is focused on re-establishing key characteristics of these forests’ former state, including species composition, structure, pattern and ecological function, operating on the assumption that ecosystems are most resilient when they have high ecological integrity.

“The Nantahala Mountains Project is a well-rounded restoration effort with many components all moving toward a healthier, more resilient Nantahala National Forest,” said Nantahala District Ranger Troy Waskey.

“We’ll be supporting wildlife, restoring native tree species, and improving trail access for more sustainable recreation.”

Waskey noted that the project will begin with some strategic tree and vegetation removal, including a carefully designed timber harvest followed by planting native trees that wildlife prefer.

“By allowing more sunlight to get to the forest floor, we’re creating patches for native plant communities to thrive,” he said.

Smoky Mountain News

January 10-16, 2024

outdoors

Forest Service releases 800-acre Nantahala restoration plan

Barbara Ballentine. Donated photo

Sunlight falls on a wildlife opening in the project area.

USFS photo

“These new openings create a young forest, which helps insects, birds like the goldenwinged warbler and larger animals who depend on these newly created habitats to find food and nesting sites.”

The Southern Environmental Law Center, an organization that has often been critical of Forest Service projects, believes the final plan is an improvement over earlier iterations.

“While we are still evaluating the project EA [Environmental Analysis], we are encouraged that the Forest Service has dropped plans to log the existing old-growth forest at Kit Springs,” said Sam Evans, senior attor-

includes a more protective zone of 100 feet.

The project also includes plans for creating two stream crossings that will reduce road runoff. These crossings will provide fish passages that connect enhanced stream habitat benefitting southern brook trout.

The Jan. 3 release of the final project analysis and draft decision initiated a 45-day objection period, during which people and organizations who have previously commented may file objections before the decision document is signed. For more information on this project and the objection period, visit fs.usda.gov/project/nfsnc/?project=610 88.

Learn bird talk

Explore Rattlesnake Lodge

Find out how birds talk to each other during a program offered at 6:30 p.m.

Monday, Jan. 15, at the Cowee School Arts and Heritage Center near Franklin.

Barbara Ballentine, Ph.D., an associate professor of biology at Western Carolina University, will speak on “Bird Talk: An Exploration of Avian Communication.” The beauty of birdsong is one of the joys of nature, and this talk will explore how songs are learned and performed, why the quality of a male’s repertoire can affect his mating success, and how birds use song-matching and countersinging in territorial disputes.

Birds communicate through visual signals too, such as bright-colored feathers and aggressive wing-waving. Understanding how birds produce and use signals to communicate provides insight into their lives.

The program is offered as part of the “Where We Live: Nature, History and Culture” series. The Cowee Center is located at 51 Cowee School Road.

The Carolina Mountain Club has started a new hiking initiative, called Leisure Hikes, with the next event scheduled for 10 a.m. Saturday, Jan. 20, on the Mountains-to-Sea Trail in Asheville.

The group will meet in the back parking lot of the Folk Art Center and carpool 7 miles to Bull Gap Trailhead for a 3-mile, 600-foot ascent hike on the MST to see the remains of a swimming pool, stables and other features at Rattlesnake Lodge, stopping for lunch at the lodge site before returning to the trailhead.

Leisure hikes are designed for beginners, youth or anyone looking for a shorter, more leisurely club hike. Bring hiking poles if you have them. To reserve a spot, email lfsands@gmail.com.

Environmentalists make the case for housing

Hear the case for building more housing from an environmental perspective with a webinar offered 5:30-6:30 p.m. Monday, Jan. 22, from MountainTrue.

Healthy communities exist within the context of a healthy environment, and currently both are threatened. The program will introduce 32 MountainTrue’s newest program, Neighbors for

ney and leader of the National Parks and Forests Program at SELC. “That wasn’t the only problem with the proposal, but the change suggests that the new proposed plan amendments for mature and old growth conservation are already having an impact in the Southern Appalachian Mountains.”

The final EA was developed in accordance with the newly revised Nantahala and Pisgah Forest Plan, which was finalized last year. This plan includes stricter guidelines for protecting waterways than the old plan did. The previous plan, which was finalized in the 1990s, placed a buffer of 30 feet around streams and rivers. The new plan

File photo

More Neighbors WNC, and discuss part of the solution to both crises.

Free. Sign up at mountaintrue.org/event.

run or a collection of clips, with a Show off on snowboard single length limit of one minute.

Over the next two months, snowboarders are invited to film their best moves at Cataloochee Ski Area and submit them for The Cat Classic, a premiere and contest slated for Saturday, March 9, at Salty Dog’s Seafood and Grill in Maggie Valley.

Filming must take place between Jan. 1 and Feb. 24 at Cataloochee and may be a

A snowboarder catches some air. File photo

To enter, tag @TheCatClassic on Instagram or email thecatclassic@gmail.com. Cash and prizes will be awarded for first, second and third places in each division —including $100 to the top male and female rider ages 15 and up and $100 to the top male and female rider 14 and under.

outdoors

Volunteers pose for a photo after a day on the trail. Friends of Panthertown photo

Pitch in with Panthertown

Lake Junaluska was one of many WNC landscapes captured by George Masa. George Masa Photo.

Friends of Panthertown will host a trail workday 9 a.m. to 2 p.m. Saturday, Jan. 20, meeting at Salt Rock Gap Trailhead. No previous trail work experience is necessary. Tools are provided. Sign up at panthertown.org/contact. Learn more at panthertown.org/volunteer.

Go hiking

File photo

Prong Shelter Wednesday, Jan. 24. Led by Jamie and Ruffin.

Registration is $10 per hike. Sign up at haywoodcountync.gov/recreation.

Database collects George Masa photos A new database cataloguing the work of renowned Smokies photographer, Japan-born George Masa, is now available online.

A labor of love from accountant-turned-photographer Angelyn Whitmeyer, the database now includes 1,800 unique images, including collections from the Pack Library, Ramsey Library, Highlands Historical Society, Western Carolina University and Great Smoky Mountains Association. Contributions of personal collections were also instrumental in creating the database.

View the database at georgemasaphotodatabase.com. Whitmeyer encourages anyone who knows of additional images that could be included to reach out to her at angelyn@georgemasaphotodatabase.com.

OPEN TO THE PUBLIC

January 10-16, 2024

Explore winter in the mountains with a trio of upcoming hikes led by Haywood County Recreation and Parks.

• A moderate 6-mile hike will explore the Buck Springs Trail from U.S. 276 Wednesday, Jan. 17. Led by Phyllis and Vickey.

• A 4.5-mile hike will traverse the Lovers Leap Loop Saturday, Jan. 20. Led by Jamie and Phyllis.

• An easy 4-mile hike will go to Kephart

Courtesy of E. M. Ball Photographic Collection, D.H. Ramsey Library, Special Collections, University of North Carolina - Asheville.

- WINTER HOURS -

Sun, Thu, Fri 11am - 5pm | Mon - W We ed Closed | Sa at turda ayy 11am - 8pm

Experience a Casual C l, Relaxing Atmospphere Plungers show off their costumes during the 2023 event in Canton. HWA photo

Ready for the Plunge?

The 12th annual Plunge Benefit-t-t-ting Kids in the Creek and Environmental Education will take place 11:30 a.m. to 1 p.m. Saturday, Feb. 10, at the Lake Junaluska Pool in Waynesville.

The depth of the plunge is a personal choice, ranging from a dip of the toe to full immersion off the diving board, and costumes are encouraged. Prizes will be given for best costume, top individual fundraiser and team fundraisers.

Youth activities will be on hand throughout the event.

The cost to participate is free for youth under 18, $35 for adults or free by raising sponsorships. All proceeds go to Haywood Waterways Association’s Kids in the Creek and environmental education programs. Walk-ins welcome. To register or donate, visit goplunge.org. For a hard copy registration form, contact Haywood Waterways at 828.476.4667 or info@haywoodwaterways.org.

Perfe fect ffo or all walks o of liffe, from families to golf groups to ladies who lunch. We We pride ourselves o on using fresh ingredientss from our gardens and supporting local farmers. The dettails are prior p ittyy.

1819 Countr y Club Dr. | Maaggie Val a ley, NC | Ma g g ieVa l l e yClu b .co m

Smoky Mountain News

Dinner Ser vice, Saturday eveninggss beegginning at a 5pm.

33

outdoors

Up Moses Creek

BY B URT KORNEGAY

I’ll Fly a Ways

t takes something special to draw me out of Moses Creek — there’s so much here to see and do and write about. But on Dec. 16, maybe sensing the long nights of winter closing in, I got in my son Henry’s pickup and, driving down to where the valley opens up at NC 107, we turned up the Tuckasegee River, passed Aunt Sallie’s granite monument on the right, and made a left into Tuckasegee Trading Company. It was the annual holiday hoedown hosted by storeowners Wanda Herren and Nikki Young, and we had to search for a parking spot. Becky was already there.

The “venue” was the storeroom in back, where among 50-pound bags of feed and seed Darren Nicholson and two musician sidekicks, Kevin Sluder and Richard Foulk, were putting down toe-tapping licks. John Henry drove steel, sleigh bells jingled, and souls crossed over as the trio played ballads, carols, hymns and old-time tunes to a bluegrass beat.

Santa was there too, the greeter at the door, though the closer I looked, the more I thought I saw behind the mass of white facial hair the features of a distant cousin who lives in Sylva.

Was that you, Tom Frazier?

Henry said another Santa once told him that Sylva kids ask for video games and Barbies, but that out Tuckasegee way it’s rifles and fishing Burt (left), Becky and Henry Kornegay stand with rods. Before I could ask our Santa if “Santa” during the Tuckasegee Trading Company’s he hears the same, he spied kids comannual hoedown. Marianna Coyle photo ing, and gave them a hoedown-worthy welcome: “Hoe, hoe, hoe!”

I tipped the canoe over and, while upside Becky reminded me that when Henry down underwater, took a few seconds to was a toddler sitting awestruck on Santa’s make sure I was in the correct “set up” posilap, he managed to squeak out, “I … I … I tion and tight in the saddle. Then, with a hip want axe … and a BB-gun!”

The three of us sat on a pallet of dogfood snap, I rolled up. What a feeling of success!

But then — blinking water out of my eyes — bags. But not for long. The right tempo what a shock to see two women on horses started, and Becky pulled me up to polka. staring down at me! A naked man had just Limbered up, and then hearing the band lay rolled up in front of them in a canoe! Even into Rocky Top, memories of my clogging the horses were rolling their eyes. days of yore swept me out onto the dance After a moment, Alliseen broke the floor, where, breathing hard, I doublesilence, “Doesn’t this road go through?” stepped to the top. Since it wasn’t I barely got out, “No, it stops at the Tennessee, I sang the chorus this way: house,” before she said, “Thank you!” and “Rocky Top Tuckasee—.” spurred her horse back down the drive, her Darren climbed too. He played banjo on friend close behind. the balls of his feet, and the faster the music After the hoedown, Henry and I were went, the higher he rose on his toes. driving home when he said, “There’s a bald I was walking back to our family pallet eagle!” and pointed over the steering wheel. when I recognized one of the women dancThe bird was flying down the river flaring its ing — and I bet she recognized me — white tail as if to say, “This way to Moses although it’d been years. Call her “Alliseen.”

Creek.” We followed, and while keeping my The first time we met was on a summer eyes on the eagle, a song that Darren played afternoon, and I was in the pond below the came to mind, “I’ll Fly Away.” But for me the house trying to roll my whitewater canoe. chorus went like this, “Before I die, halleluWhitewater canoes come with a stiff foam jah, by and by, I’ll fly a ways.” saddle, and, while straddling it, you hold on

I

Smoky Mountain News

January 10-16, 2024

B pZgm fr ]Zn`am^k mh l^^ maZm Û gZg\bZe bg]^i^g]^g\^ bl ihllb[e^ bg k^mbk^f^gm'

34

Visit AceYourRetirement.org for: • 3-minute online chat with a digital retirement coach • Free personalized roadmap based on your retirement goals • Free tips to start boosting your retirement savings now

Puzzles can be found on page 38 These are only the answers.

with your knees and jam the balls of your feet against foot pegs in back—because in rapids that boat is gonna buck. If you tip over, you roll the canoe back upright to avoid a long swim, like kayakers do. Rolling a canoe is hard, and I practiced in the pond.

The afternoon being hot, and Becky and I living in the middle of the woods, I simply stripped and got in the saddle. I didn’t know Alliseen and her friend were riding horses my way up our long wooded drive. They didn’t know about the pond — or roll practice.

WNC Calendar COMMUNITY EVENTS AND ANNOUNCEMENTS • The Jackson County Farmers Market meets every Saturday November through March 10 a.m. to 1 p.m. and April through October 9 a.m. to noon at Bridge Park in Sylva, 110 Railroad St. Special events listed on Facebook and Instagram.

• The Jackson Arts Market takes place from 1-5 p.m. every Saturday at 533 West Main St. in Sylva with live music and an array of local artists.

• Learn about Civilian International, a service organization helping local communities dedicated to serving those with intellectual and developmental disabilities, during a meeting at 6:30 p.m. Monday, Jan. 22, the Comfort Inn in Sylva, at 1235 E. Main St. For more information contact Donna Jackson at the4jacksons@northstate.net.

B USINESS & E DUCATION • Cataloochee Ski area will offer two field trips on snowmaking Tuesday, Jan. 23, and Tuesday, Feb. 13.

The program is designed to offer STEM, science and math principles within a two-hour period and will include a lecture, guided tour and visual experience looking at the world of snowmaking. The program is open to six adults and 12 youth, with online registration required by Saturday, Dec. 23. There is no cost, but the field trip does not include a lift ticket. Learn more or register at cataloochee.com/programs/adult.

FUNDRAISERS AND B ENEFITS • Jackson Neighbors in Need will host its annual fundraiser, Charlie’s Challenge, at 6 p.m. Saturday, Jan. 27, at the fellowship center in Sylva’s First Baptist Church. The even includes entertainment by Darren Nicholson, a meal by Chef Randy from Harrah’s Cherokee Casino Resort, and an opportunity to help keep our Jackson County neighbors warm through the cold winter season. RSVP for the event at tinyurl.com/charlieschallenge or call Ruth at 828.506.8827.

H EALTH AND WELLNESS

n All phone numbers area code 828 unless otherwise noted. n To have your item listed email to calendar@smokymountainnews.com information visit MyHaywoodRegional.com/medicaid or call 828.407.1054.

• The Pollinators Foundation and The Share Project host weekly Happy Hour Walks 5-6:15 p.m. on Tuesdays at Lake Junaluska. The group meets at the Labyrinth. For more information visit thepollinatorsfoundation.org or contact Marga Fripp at margacfripp@gmail.com 828.4224.1398.

• Mountain Area pregnancy Services and the WIC Breastfeeding Peer Counselor work together to provide a casual support group for prenatal and breastfeeding individuals from 1-2 p.m. on Tuesdays at Mountain Area Pregnancy Services, 177 N Main St. Waynesville, NC. All are welcome, registration is recommended. For more information, please call 828.558.4550.

CLUBS AND M EETINGS • The Western Carolina Cribbage Club meets every Monday at 6 p.m. An eclectic group of young and old, male and female. The group supplies boards, cards, pegs and are always willing to help those still learning the finer points of the game. For more information contact kei3ph@bellsouth.net.

• Knit Night takes place at 5:30-7:30 p.m. every second Tuesday of the month at The Stecoah Valley Center. The event is free and open to the public. RSVP is recommended: 828.479.3364 or amber@stecoahvalleycenter.com.

• Sylva Writers Group meets Wednesday mornings at City Lights Books. If interested contact sylvawriters@gmail.com.

Smoky Mountain News

ing services from 10 a.m. to noon Families may sign up for a 30-minute time spot at the children’s desk or by calling 828.524.3600.

• On Jan. 11 and 25 the Macon County Public Library will have Gayle Weiss volunteering to listen to children read to her from 10 a.m. - 12 p.m. Families may sign up for a 30-minute time spot at the children’s desk or by calling 828.524.3600.

• On Tuesday Kelly Curtis will offer reading services to families from 3:30-5:30 p.m. at the Macon County Public Library. Families may sign up for a 30-minute time spot at the children’s desk or by calling 828.524.3600.

• Next Chapter Book Club Haywood is a fun, energetic and highly interactive book club, ideal for individuals with intellectual and developmental disabilities. The group meets every second and fourth Monday of the month. For more information, email Jennifer at jennifer.stuart@haywoodcountync.gov or call 828.356.2561.

• Storytime takes place at 10 a.m. every Tuesday at the Macon County Library. For more information visit fontanalib.org or call 828.524.3600.

• Toddler’s Rock takes place at 10 a.m. every Monday at the Macon County Library. Get ready to rock with songs, books, rhymes and playing with instruments. For more information visit fontanalib.org or call 828.524.3600.

• Culture Talk takes place at 2 p.m. on the first Wednesday of every month at the Macon County Public Library. Travel the world from inside your library. This event features guest speakers and food sampling from the location being discussed. For more information visit fontanalib.org or call 828.524.3600.

• Art afternoon takes place at 3:30 p.m. on the first Thursday of each month at the Macon County Public Library. For more information visit fontanalib.org or call 828.524.3600.

• Silent Book Club takes place at 6:30 p.m. on the third Thursday of each month at the Novel Escape Bookstore (60 E Main St, Franklin). Bring your own book and whatever makes you feel cozy and enjoy a quiet, uninterrupted hour of reading amongst friends.

AUTHORS AND BOOKS

• There will be a four-week series on the Pelvic Floor beginning at 5:30 p.m. Mondays, Jan. 22 through Feb. 12, at Heavily Meditated Wellness, 483 Main St. in Canton. Mats are provided; wear warm comfortable clothing. Class limited to eight attendees. Cost is $60 for the 4-week series. Walk-ins $20, class recordings included in fees. For more information, or to register, call Annallys at 505.438.9109.

• A Novel Escape presents “How to Choose More Books You Love,” at 6:30 p.m. Jan. 26 at the Novel Escape Bookstore (60 E Main St, Franklin), a free, interactive workshop that will teach you about your reading identity, how to branch out in your reading and how to find more 5-star books. Space is limited; reservations are recommended.

• There will be a four-week series on the Pelvic Floor beginning at 1 p.m. Wednesdays, Jan. 24 through Feb. 14, at the Folkmoot Center, 112 Virginia Ave. in Waynesville. Bring a mat; wear warm comfortable clothing. Cost is $60 for the 4-week series. Walk-ins $20, class recordings included in fees. For more information, or to register, call Annallys at 505.438.9109.

• Bookstore Date Night will take place 7-9 p.m. Feb. 16 at the Novel Escape Bookstore (60 E Main St, Franklin). Enjoy a memorable evening with your loved one at the bookstore. Tickets are $50 for two people and includes a semi-private candlelit table, dessert for two, sparkling non-alcoholic beverage, and an activity to do together. Space is limited. To reserve contact the bookstore at 828.369.9059.

• Haywood Regional Medical Center will host two Medicaid registration events from 5-8 p.m. Tuesday, Jan. 30 and Thursday, Feb. 1. The Tuesday event will be held at the Waynesville branch of the Haywood County Public Library and the Thursday event will be held at the Canton branch of the Haywood County Public Library. Attendees are asked to bring their latest bank statement, social security number, driver’s license/ID and a pay stub as these items will be required for the application process. Transportation to either event can be arranged through Haywood County Transit by calling 828-565-0362. For more

• On Mondays, beginning Jan. 8, the Macon County Library will host Lady Violet, a King Charles Spaniel service dog, for children to practice their reading skills. Children who feel nervous reading aloud to an adult tend to feel more comfortable with a pet or a service animal. Sign up for a time to read with Lady Violet or to one of the library’s reading friends at the children’s desk or call 828.524.3600.

KIDS AND FAMILIES

• On Jan. 10 and 24, Teresa Falzone will offer read-

A&E

• There will be a lunchtime contra dance from noon to 1 p.m. Wednesday, Jan. 10 and Jan. 17 at Bridge Park in Sylva. No partner or experience required. All are welcome.

• Folkmoot Live will host Larry and Joe, a VenezuelanAppalachian folk fusion duo at 7 p.m. Jan. 18 at the Folkmoot Friendship Center. For more information visit folkmoot.org.

• Paint and Sip at Waynesville Art School will be held every Thursday, Friday and Saturday from 7-9:30 p.m.

To learn more and register call 828.246.9869 or visit PaintAndSipWaynesville.com/upcoming-events.

Registration is required, $45.

• Mountain Makers Craft Market will be held from noon to 4 p.m. the first Sunday of each month at 308 North Haywood St. in downtown Waynesville. Over two dozen artisans selling handmade and vintage goods.

Special events will be held when scheduled. mountainmakersmarket.com.

FOOD AND D RINK • Roll Up Herbal Bar, a mobile cocktail bar, will be stationed at Frog Level Brewing for Cocktail every Monday in January, serving non-alcoholic beverages from 2-8 p.m.

• “Flights & Bites” will be held starting at 4 p.m. on Thursdays and Fridays at Bosu’s Wine Shop in down-

35

Visit www.smokymountainnews.com and click on Calendar for: n Complete listings of local music scene n Regional festivals n Art gallery events and openings n Complete listings of recreational offerings at health and fitness centers n Civic and social club gatherings town Waynesville. For more information on upcoming events, wine tastings and special dinners, click on waynesvillewine.com.

• A free wine tasting will be held from 6-8 p.m. every Thursday and 2-5 p.m. every Saturday at The Wine Bar & Cellar in Sylva. 828.631.3075.

• Take a trip around the world with four different wines every Friday 11 a.m. to 8 p.m. and Saturday 11a.m. to 6 p.m. at the Bryson City Wine Market. Pick from artisan Charcuterie Foods to enjoy with wines.

828.538.0420 • Cooking classes take place at the McKinley Edwards Inn from 6-8:30 p.m. on Thursday nights. To reserve your spot call 828.488.9626.

CLASSES AND PROGRAMS • Chess 101 takes place from 3:30-4:30 p.m. every Friday in the Canton Branch of the Haywood County Public Library. No registration required, for more information call 828.648.2924.

• Wired Wednesday, one-on-one technology help is available at 3-5 p.m. every Wednesday at the Canton Branch of the Haywood County Library. For more information or to register, call 828.648.2924.

• Uptown Gallery, 30 East Main St. Franklin, will be offering Children’s Art Classes Wednesdays afternoons. Adult workshops in watercolor, acrylic paint pouring, encaustic and glass fusing are also offered.

Free painting is available 10 a.m. to 3 p.m. every Monday in the classroom. A membership meeting takes place on the second Sunday of the month at 3 p.m. All are welcome. Call 828.349.4607 for more information.

Outdoors

• A turkey shoot will be held 9 a.m. Saturdays at the American Legion in Waynesville, continuing weekly through mid-April 2024. Breakfast food will be available for sale, with cash prizes offered. The event is weather-dependent. The American Legion is located on 171 Legion Drive in Waynesville.

• Homeschool students can visit Cataloochee Ski Area in Maggie Valley at discounted rates during Homeschool Days, offered 9 a.m. to 4:30 p.m.

Tuesdays from Jan. 9 through the end of the season.

Rates are $34 for lift pass only, $53 for lift pass and rental, and $69 for pass, rental and lesson. For more information visit cataloochee.com.

POLITICAL CORNER • The Swain County Democratic Party WhittierCherokee precinct will meet at 7 p.m. Monday, Jan. 15, via Zoom. Agenda items include recruiting a precinct chair and planning for the 2024 elections. For more information or the Zoom link, email maryherr2017@gmail.com or call 828.497.9498.

Market WNC PLACE Legals

MarketPlace information:

The Smoky Mountain News Marketplace has a distribution of 16,000 copies across 500 locations in Haywood, Jackson, Macon and Swain counties, including the Qualla Boundary and west Buncombe County.

Visit www.wncmarketplace.com to place your ad!

Rates: • • • •

•

• • • • • •

$15 — Classified ads that are 25 words, 25¢ per word after.

Free — Lost or found pet ads. $6 — Residential yard sale ads.* $1 — Yard Sale Rain Insurance Yard sale rained out? Call us by 10a.m.

Monday for your ad to run again FREE $375 — Statewide classifieds run in 170 participating newspapers with 1.1+ million circulation. (Limit 25 words or less) Boost Online — Have your ad featured at top of category online $4 Boost in Print Add Photo $6 Bold ad $2 Yellow, Green, Pink or Blue Highlight $4 Border $4

Note: Highlighted ads automatically generate a border so if you’re placing an ad online and select a highlight color, the “add border” feature will not be available on the screen.

NOTICE OF ADMINISTRATION Case No.2023 E 000774 Cameron Lee Rogers, KDYLQJ TXDOL¿HG DV WKH $GPLQLVWUD WRU RI WKH (VWDWH RI Christopher Shawn Rogers RI +D\ZRRG &RXQW\ 1RUWK &DUROLQD WKLV LV WR QRWLI\ all persons having claims DJDLQVW WKH (VWDWH WR SUHVHQW WKHP WR WKH XQGHUVLJQHG RQ RU EHIRUH Apr 10 2024 RU WKLV QRWLFH ZLOO EH SOHDGHG LQ EDU RI WKHLU UHFRYHU\ $OO SHUVRQV LQGHEWHG WR VDLG (VWDWH SOHDVH PDNH LPPHGLDWH SD\PHQW Administrator 100 Playground St Waynesville NC 28786

NOTICE OF ADMINISTRATION Case No.2023 E 000593 :LOOLDP 5 5HYHOV KDYLQJ TXDOL¿HG DV WKH )LGXFLDU\ RI WKH (VWDWH RI Betty -HDQ %XUFK¿HOG 6XWWRQ RI +D\ZRRG &RXQW\ 1RUWK &DUROLQD WKLV LV WR QRWLI\ DOO SHUVRQV KDYLQJ FODLPV DJDLQVW WKH (VWDWH WR SUHVHQW WKHP WR WKH XQGHUVLJQHG RQ RU EHIRUH Apr 10 2024 RU WKLV QRWLFH ZLOO EH SOHDGHG

LQ EDU RI WKHLU UHFRYHU\ $OO SHUVRQV LQGHEWHG WR VDLG (VWDWH SOHDVH PDNH LPPHGLDWH SD\PHQW Fiduciary 9740 Cruso Rd. Canton, NC 28716

NOTICE OF ADMINISTRATION Case No.23 E 789 6DPXHO $QGHUVRQ KDYLQJ TXDOL¿HG DV WKH $GPLQLVWUD WRU RI WKH (VWDWH RI Margaret Hood Anderson RI +D\ZRRG &RXQW\ 1RUWK &DUROLQD WKLV LV WR QRWLI\ DOO SHUVRQV KDYLQJ FODLPV DJDLQVW WKH (VWDWH WR SUHVHQW WKHP WR WKH XQGHUVLJQHG RQ RU EHIRUH Apr 03 2024, or WKLV QRWLFH ZLOO EH SOHDGHG LQ EDU RI WKHLU UHFRYHU\ $OO SHUVRQV LQGHEWHG WR VDLG (VWDWH SOHDVH PDNH LPPHGLDWH SD\PHQW Samuel Anderson, Administrator 8150 Shore Dr Apt 312, Norfolk, VA 23518 NOTICE OF ADMINISTRATION Case No.2023 E 000766 &\QWKLD 5 5LFNPDQ KDYLQJ TXDOL¿HG DV WKH 7KH ¿GXFLDU\ LV IXOO\ DXWKRUL]HG E\ WKH ODZV RI 1RUWK &DUROLQD WR UHFHLYH DQG DGPLQLVWHU DOO WKH

p: 828.452.4251 · f:828.452.3585 classads@smokymountainnews.com www.wncmarketplace.com

Painting America c

www.smokymountainnews.com

Announcements FOR SALE )RRG *UDGH %DUUHOV 3ODVWLF 0HWDO +DQGOHV IRU *DUGHQ 7RROV $OVR D 9DULHW\ RI 1HZ 3DLQW IRU 6HOO 3OXV 0RUH &DOO 7RGD\ :DOWHU McConnell 828-5075671

SURJUDPV KHOS YHWHUDQV ¿QG ZRUN RU VWDUW WKHLU RZQ EXVLQHVV &DOO

Auto Accessories

FALCON R 2021 168HP MOTORCYCLE 5 miles RQ LW 6HH ZZZ H[WUHPHPRWRUVDOHV FRP IRU PRUH LQIR MDQJHOR # \DKRR FRP

Business Opportunities

NEW AUTHORS WANTED! 3DJH 3XEOLVKLQJ ZLOO KHOS \RX VHOI SXEOLVK \RXU RZQ ERRN )5(( DXWKRU VXEPLVVLRQ NLW /LPLWHG RIIHU :K\ ZDLW" &DOO QRZ

Home Goods GOT AN UNWANTED CAR? '21$7( ,7 72 3$75,27,& +($576 )DVW IUHH SLFN XS $OO 6WDWHV 3DWULRWLF +HDUWV¶

PREPARE FOR POWER OUTAGES TODAY :LWK D *(1(5$& KRPH VWDQGE\ JHQHUDWRU 0RQH\

Note: Yard sale ads require an address. This location will be displayed on a map on www.wncmarketplace.com

36

DVVHWV EHORQJLQJ WR WKH (VWDWH RI Sandra Kay Rhinehart RI +D\ZRRG &RXQW\ 1RUWK &DUROLQD WKLV LV WR QRWLI\ DOO SHUVRQV KDYLQJ FODLPV DJDLQVW WKH (VWDWH WR SUHVHQW WKHP WR WKH XQGHUVLJQHG RQ RU EHIRUH Mar 7, 2024, or WKLV QRWLFH ZLOO EH SOHDGHG LQ EDU RI WKHLU UHFRYHU\ $OO SHUVRQV LQGHEWHG WR VDLG (VWDWH SOHDVH PDNH LPPHGLDWH SD\PHQW 7KH ¿GXFLDU\ LV IXOO\ authorized by the laws of North Carolina to receive and administer all the assets belonging to the estate 92 Sellers Rd Clyde, NC 28721

January 10-16, 2024

WNC MarketPlace

'RZQ /RZ 0RQWKO\ 3D\PHQW 2SWLRQV 5HTXHVW D )5(( 4XRWH ± &DOO QRZ EHIRUH WKH QH[W SRZHU RXWDJH

Land For Sale RV/TINY HOME LOTS FOR SALE Tiny Home /RWV IRU VDOH N N HD (DFK ORW FRPHV ZLWK ZDWHU SRZHU DQG VHSWLF UXQ WR HDFK ORW /RFDWHG LQ )UDQNOLQ 1& *R WR RXU ZHE VLWH IRU GLUHFWLRQV DQG PRUH LQIR ZZZ 7LQ\0RXQWDLQ(VWDWHV FRP 7LQ\0RXQWDLQ(VWDWHV# JPDLO FRP

Medical

ATTENTION: VIAGRA & CIALIS USERS! A FKHDSHU DOWHUQDWLYH WR KLJK GUXJVWRUH SULFHV 3LOO 6SHFLDO 2QO\ JXDUDQWHHG &$// 12:

DIAGNOSED WITH LUNG CANCER? You PD\ TXDOLI\ IRU D VXEVWDQWLDO FDVK DZDUG HYHQ ZLWK VPRNLQJ KLVWRU\ 12 REOLJDWLRQ :H¶YH UHFRYHUHG PLOOLRQV /HW XV KHOS &DOO

DENTAL INSURANCE )URP 3K\VLFLDQV 0XWXDO ,QVXUDQFH &RPSDQ\ &RYHUDJH IRU SOXV SURFHGXUHV 5HDO GHQWDO LQVXUDQFH 127 MXVW D GLVFRXQW SODQ 'R QRW ZDLW &DOO QRZ *HW \RXU )5(( 'HQWDO ,QIRUPDWLRQ .LW ZLWK DOO WKH GHWDLOV ZZZ GHQWDO SOXV FRP QFSUHVV

ATTENTION OXYGEN THERAPY USERS! ,QRJHQ 2QH * LV FDSDEOH RI IXOO R[\JHQ GHOLYHU\ 2QO\ SRXQGV )5(( LQIRUPDWLRQ NLW &DOO

HEARING AIDS!! +LJK TXDOLW\ UHFKDUJHDEOH SRZHUIXO $XGLHQ KHDULQJ DLGV SULFHG OHVV WKDQ FRPSHWLWRUV 7LQ\ DQG 1($5/< ,19,6,%/( GD\ PRQH\ EDFN JXDUDQWHH

Hayw y ood Co. Real Estate Agents

Pets TORTOISESHELL CAT, PERIDOT 6-yrold girl; sweet, mellow, relaxed, and cooperative. Gets along with dogs. Diabetic; easily managed w/diet and insulin. Asheville Humane Society (828) 761-2001 publicrelations@ashevillehumane.org SHEPHERD MIX DOG, BLACK &TAN— SHAMROCK 6-yr-old sweet boy, ~45 lbs.

Likes hiking and playing but also relaxing and hanging out.

Asheville Humane Society (828) 761-2001 adoptions@ashevillehumane.org

BROOKE

PARROTT

brooke.parrott@allentate.com

828.734.2146

&MMFO 4JUIFS REALTOR

Real Estate Announcements

(828) 734-8305 ellen.sither@allentate.com

PUBLISHER’S NOTICE $OO UHDO HVWDWH DGYHUWLVLQJ LQ WKLV QHZVSDSHU LV VXEMHFW WR WKH )DLU +RXVLQJ $FW ZKLFK PDNHV LW LOOHJDO WR DGYHUWLVH µDQ\ SUHIHUHQFH OLPLWDWLRQ RU GLVFULPLQDWLRQ EDVHG RQ UDFH FRORU UHOLJLRQ VH[ KDQGLFDS IDPLOLDO VWDWXV RU QDWLRQDO RULJLQ RU DQ LQWHQWLRQ WR PDNH DQ\ VXFK SUHIHUHQFH OLPLWDWLRQ RU GLVFULPLQDWLRQ¶ )DPLOLDO VWDWXV LQFOXGHV FKLOGUHQ XQGHU OLYLQJ ZLWK SDUHQWV RU OHJDO JXDUGLDQV DQG SUHJQDQW ZRPHQ

SFR, ECO, GREEN

TO ADV AD DV VE ERT RTISE

828.506.7137

IN THE NEX XT T ISSUE

828.452.4 4251

Amy@IJBproperties.com

ads@smokyymounttainneew ws.com

18 S Pack Square, Asheville, NC 28801 www.wncmarketplace.com

January 10-16, 2024

WNC MarketPlace

37

CALCULATING CHARACTERS ACROSS 1 Pet doc 4 "Come again?"

8 Treats maliciously 14 Tennis player Borg 19 Narcissist's problem 21 Actress Andress 22 Ate, as prey 23 Football Hall of Famer Bronko 24 Arrive on wheels 25 Frankie or Cleo of song 26 Start of a riddle 29 Noise in a comic book gunfight 30 Exotica singer Sumac 31 "The Human Stain" novelist Philip 32 Cure-all 37 Race of people in an H.G. Wells novella 39 Some sorority letters 40 Donations to the destitute 44 Riddle, part 2 48 Like much greasy food 49 See 83-Across 50 Corp. leader 51 Skip over, as a vowel 52 World War II film, when tripled 53 Charged bit 55 Place -- (be active on eBay, say) 57 Cheap cigar 58 Riddle, part 3 63 Simile middle 66 Chaney of film 67 Song-belting Merman 68 On a pension, maybe: Abbr.

69 Military draft gp.

70 Riddle, part 4 75 ZZ Top album whose name is Spanish for "The Crazy One" 76 Hamm and Farrow 77 Neither's partner 78 Tingly feeling 82 Totally tired 83 With 49-Across, touter of green eggs and ham 84 "Yes" vote 86 Early arcade giant 87 End of the riddle 93 -- -Flush (bathroom brand) 94 Architect I.M. -95 Made angry 96 Florida fruits 97 R&B great Marvin 99 Not at all new 100 Golf club 102 Riddle's answer 111 Stalin-era labor camp 112 Polecat's kin 113 Urge against 114 Muscat native 115 Do over 116 Office squawker 117 Fender dings 118 Mimics a mad mutt 119 Helper of Frankenstein 120 Inventor Whitney DOWN 1 "--, vidi, vici" 2 "The Keep" novelist Jennifer 3 Forum wear 4 Angel's instrument 5 Drunk 6 Writer Gogol 7 Third-largest city in Israel

8 Ride a wave 9 Eighth-brightest star in the sky 10 Like a hajji's religion 11 Second-largest city in Oklahoma 12 Charles Lamb's alias 13 Bay Area California city 14 Equivalent of A sharp 15 Lee Tracy's "Bombshell" co-star 16 Like praiseful poetry 17 Gossipy Barrett 18 Bakersfield-to-Boise dir.

20 Letters before 39Across 27 Swiss watch brand 28 Clueless 32 Fizzle sound 33 Sleek, informally 34 Hair removal brand 35 Top squad 36 Mooer's mouthful 38 On the -- (fleeing) 39 "-- say more?"

41 Actresses Vivien and Janet 42 In -- res (mid-plot) 43 Clay pigeons to be shot, informally 45 Three x three 46 Frozen spear 47 Eats away at 53 "Were -- it all over again ..."

54 "It can't be!"

55 One of the Three Musketeers 56 Nickname for singer Justin, with "the" 57 Derisive smile 59 One of the three Furies

60 R&R alone 61 "-- boy!"

62 Pisa's river 63 Nuclear trials, for short 64 Class of antimicrobial drugs, in the British spelling 65 Actress Sorkin who once hosted "America's Funniest People" 71 Like animals that don't roam 72 So-called "fifth taste" 73 Apartment near the super's, perhaps 74 Mesh well 79 Piquancy 80 Ontario tribe 81 Cat's warning 83 Pittsburgh footballers 84 "Chances --" 85 "Catch my drift, bro?"

86 Pie-mode link 88 1974 CIA parody film 89 More lacteal 90 Not cardinal, as a number 91 Plundering 92 Writer Sabato 98 Patronage 99 "-- Loompa" 101 Half-diameters 102 Journalist Brit 103 Zing 104 Lucy Liu's "Kill Bill" role 105 Insect traps 106 Exploiter 107 Mongrel mutt 108 Frilly material 109 Shrine figure 110 Moore of "G.I. Jane" 111 Shrine figure

ANSWERS ON PAGE 34

7KLV QHZVSDSHU ZLOO QRW NQRZLQJO\ DFFHSW DQ\ DGYHUWLVLQJ IRU UHDO HVWDWH LQ YLRODWLRQ RI WKLV ODZ $OO GZHOOLQJV DGYHUWLVHG RQ HTXDO RSSRUWXQLW\ EDVLV

Rentals TIMESHARE CANCELLATION EXPERTS. :HVOH\ )LQDQFLDO *URXS //& 2YHU LQ WLPHVKDUH GHEW DQG IHHV FDQFHOOHG LQ *HW IUHH LQIRUPDWLRQDO SDFNDJH DQG OHDUQ KRZ WR JHW ULG RI \RXU WLPHVKDUH )UHH FRQVXOWDWLRQV 2YHU SRVLWLYH UHYLHZV &DOO

Automotive FREE AUTO INSURANCE QUOTES )RU XQLQVXUHG DQG LQVXUHG GULYHUV /HW XV VKRZ \RX KRZ PXFK \RX FDQ VDYH &DOO

ING 1HZ 6WXGHQWV 2QO\ &DOO 3UHVV )LQDQFLDO $LG $YDLODEOH IRU WKRVH ZKR TXDOLI\ 2QOLQH &RXUVHV GRANTHAM UNIVERSITY - 2QOLQH 'HJUHH 3URJUDPV 0DVWHUV %DFKHORUV $VVRFLDWHV )OH[LEOH VFKHGXOHV $IIRUGDEOH WXLWLRQ (QJLQHHULQJ %XVLQHVV +HDOWK 6FLHQFH 0,/,7$5< )5,(1'/< 7R OHDUQ PRUH FDOO 0RQ )UL

Entertainment FOR HIGH SPEED SATELLITE INTERNET Shop Z $ 9LDVDW ([SHUW 1HZ &XVWRPHU 'HDOV ,Q <RXU $UHD 1DWLRQZLGH 6HUYLFH 1HZ 6HUYLFH )RU

Classes/ Instruction

DIRECTV SATELLITE 79 6HUYLFH 6WDUWLQJ DW PR )RU PRV )UHH ,QVWDOODWLRQ &KDQQHOV $YDLODEOH &DOO 1RZ )RU 7KH 0RVW 6SRUWV (QWHUWDLQPHQW 2Q 79

ONLINE PHARMACY TECHNICIAN TRAIN-

DISH TV )RU &KDQQHOV +LJK

6SHHG ,QWHUQHW )UHH ,QVWDOODWLRQ 6PDUW +' '95 ,QFOXGHG )UHH 9RLFH 5HPRWH 6RPH UHVWULFWLRQV DSSO\ 3URPR ([SLUHV &DOO 1815

Home Improvement

SECURE YOUR HOME :LWK 9LYLQW 6PDUW +RPH WHFKQRORJ\ &DOO WR OHDUQ KRZ \RX FDQ JHW D SURIHVVLRQDOO\ LQVWDOOHG VHFXULW\ V\VWHP ZLWK DFWLYDWLRQ

DON’T PAY FOR COVERED Home Repairs $JDLQ $PHULFDQ 5HVLGHQWLDO :DUUDQW\ FRYHUV $// 0$-25 6<67(06 $1' $33/,$1&(6 '$< 5,6. )5(( 2)) 3238/$5 3/$16 &DOO 877-707-5518 MonGD\ )ULGD\ DP WR SP (67

BCI - WALK-IN TUBS. %&, :DON ,Q 7XEV DUH QRZ RQ 6$/( %H RQH RI WKH ¿UVW FDOOHUV DQG VDYH &$// IRU D IUHH LQ KRPH FRQVXOWDWLRQ

SUDOKU Here’s How It Works: Sudoku puzzles are formatted as a 9x9 grid, broken down into nine 3x3 boxes. To solve a sudoku, the numbers 1 through 9 must fill each row, column and box. Each number can appear only once in each row, column and box. You can figure out the order in which the numbers will appear by using the numeric clues already provided in the boxes. The more numbers you name, Answers on 34 the easier it gets to solve the puzzle!

38

www.smokymountainnews.com

January 10-16, 2024

WNC MarketPlace

WATER DAMAGE TO YOUR HOME? &DOO IRU D TXRWH IRU SURIHVVLRQDO FOHDQXS PDLQWDLQ WKH YDOXH RI \RXU KRPH 6HW DQ DSSW WRGD\ &DOO $$1 &$1 ELIMINATE GUTTER CLEANING FOREVER! /HDI)LOWHU WKH PRVW DGYDQFHG GHEULV EORFNLQJ JXWWHU SURWHFWLRQ 6FKHGXOH D )5(( /HDI)LOWHU HVWLPDWH WRGD\ RII (QWLUH 3XUFKDVH 6HQLRU 0LOLWDU\ 'LVFRXQWV &DOO

REPLACE YOUR ROOF :LWK WKH EHVW ORRNLQJ DQG ORQJHVW ODVWLQJ PDWHULDO ± VWHHO IURP (ULH 0HWDO 5RRIV 7KUHH VW\OHV DQG PXOWLSOH FRORUV DYDLODEOH *XDUDQWHHG WR ODVW D OLIHWLPH /LPLWHG 7LPH 2IIHU 'LVFRXQW $GGLWLRQDO RII LQVWDOO IRU PLOLWDU\ KHDOWK ZRUNHUV VW UHVSRQGHUV &DOO (ULH 0HWDO 5RRIV 1815 REPLACEMENT WINDOWS. ,167$//(' DQ\ VL]H

/DERU DQG ZLQGRZ LQFOXGHG ZLQGRZ PLQLPXP /LIHWLPH ZDUUDQW\ 0DLQWHQDQFH )UHH )UHH (VWLPDWH +$77(5$6 :,1'2:6 +DWWHUDVZLQGRZVDQGGRRUV#JPDLO FRP

SAVE YOUR HOME! $UH \RX EHKLQG SD\LQJ \RXU 0257*$*(" 'HQLHG D /RDQ 0RGL¿FDWLRQ" 7KUHDWHQHG ZLWK )25(&/2685(" &DOO WKH +RPHRZQHU¶V 5HOLHI /LQH QRZ IRU +HOS

Legal, Financial and Tax $10K+ IN DEBT? %H GHEW IUHH LQ PRQWKV 3D\ D IUDFWLRQ RI \RXU GHEW &DOO 1DWLRQDO 'HEW 5HOLHI

SAVE BIG ON HOME INSURANCE! Compare 20 $ UDWHG LQVXUDQFH FRPSDQLHV *HW D TXRWH ZLWKLQ PLQXWHV $YHUDJH VDYLQJV RI \HDU &DOO 0 ) DP SP &HQWUDO BEHIND ON YOUR MORTGAGE PAYMENTS? 7KUHDWHQHG ZLWK IRUHFORVXUH" 'HQLHG D ORDQ PRGL¿FDWLRQ" /HW XV KHOS &DOO WKH +RPHRZQHU 5HOLHI /LQH WR VSHDN ZLWK D PRUWJDJH VSHFLDOLVW

www.wncmarketplace.com

Great Sm Smokies mokies

STORAGE ST S TORAGELLLCLCL Call 828.506 6.4112

greatsmokkiesstorage e.com 434 Champion Drive, D Canton, NC 287 16 21 Hollon Cove R Rd, Waynesville, Waynesville NC 28786

January 10-16, 2024

WNC MarketPlace

39

40

Smoky Mountain News January 10-16, 2024