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January 6-12, 2021 Vol. 22 Iss. 32
Tribal members seek to reverse casino purchase Page 4 New bee species found in the Smokies Page 23
CONTENTS On the Cover: As President Donald Trump issues his final pardons before he leaves office, a Haywood County man recounts the process he had to go through to receive his pardon from President Ronald Regan to clear him from federal charges for moonshining in the 1960s. (Page 6) Cory Vaillancourt photo
News Tribal members seek to reverse Indiana casino purchase ......................................4 Opposition forms against proposed Haywood jail ....................................................9 State finds Swain jail death caused by cardiac arrest ............................................9 Health foundation member opposes masks, vaccinations ..................................10 Jackson fire chief dies from COVID ............................................................................13 WCU works to increase workforce diversity ............................................................15
Opinion A promise to keep on keepin’ on ................................................................................16
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Scott McLeod. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . info@smokymountainnews.com Greg Boothroyd. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . greg@smokymountainnews.com Micah McClure . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . micah@smokymountainnews.com Travis Bumgardner. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . travis@smokymountainnews.com Jessica Murray . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . jessica.m@smokymountainnews.com Susanna Shetley . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . susanna.b@smokymountainnews.com Amanda Bradley . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . jc-ads@smokymountainnews.com Hylah Birenbaum. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . hylah@smokymountainnews.com Sophia Burleigh . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . sophia.b@smokymountainnews.com Scott Collier . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . classads@smokymountainnews.com Jessi Stone. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . jessi@smokymountainnews.com Holly Kays . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . holly@smokymountainnews.com Hannah McLeod . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . hannah@smokymountainnews.com Cory Vaillancourt . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . cory@smokymountainnews.com Garret K. Woodward. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . garret@smokymountainnews.com Amanda Singletary . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . smnbooks@smokymountainnews.com Scott Collier . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . classads@smokymountainnews.com Jeff Minick (writing), Chris Cox (writing), George Ellison (writing), Don Hendershot (writing), Susanna Shetley (writing) Boyd Allsbrook (writing)
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A&E Dough Boys artisanal pizza opens in Waynesville ..................................................18 Life, dreams, canoes and rivers ....................................................................................21
Outdoors Highlands Biological gets creative with outreach amid pandemic ....................22 New bee species found in the Smokies ....................................................................23
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Tribal members seek to reverse casino purchase Protest resolution alleges decision was illegal, unwise BY HOLLY KAYS STAFF WRITER group of 14 tribal members that includes two sitting Tribal Council members and a former principal chief has entered a resolution aiming to reverse a Dec. 17 vote to purchase the gaming operation at Caesars Southern Indiana Casino for $250 million. The protest letter and proposed resolution claim that the decision and the meeting in which it was made violated the tribe’s Charter and Governing Document — its highest law, analogous to the Constitution in U.S. law — on multiple fronts.
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of the LLC the board would oversee. The protest also alleges that the specialcalled Dec. 17 meeting violated Section 10 of the Charter, which states that the principal chief may call such sessions only in case of an emergency. “The purchase of a business is not within the defined provisions of law as an emergency under Section 10 of the charter and as such was an unauthorized session of Tribal Council,” the protest claims. Finally, the protest alleges, the purchase violates tribal law stipulating the manner in
which casino proceeds can be spent. Section 16-C of the Cherokee Code states that half of casino revenues must go to per capita payments and the other half must be used to “support Tribal government operations, enterprises or programs; provide for general welfare of the Tribe and its members; promote Tribal economic development; donate to charitable organizations; or fund operations of local government agencies; all as the Tribal Council may deem necessary or appropriate, subject to the provisions of the various funds established in this chapter.”
In addition to slots and table games, Caesars Southern Indiana offers sports betting. Laurencio Ronquillo photo
In particular, the protest points to Section 16 in the Charter, which states Tribal Council “shall direct the management and control of all property, either real or personal, belonging to the Tribe” and that “no person shall be entitled to the enjoyment of … any monies which may belong to the tribe, unless such person shall be an enrolled member of the Tribe, and in case any money, derived from any source whatsoever, belonging to the Eastern Band of Cherokees, shall be distributed among the members thereof, the same shall be distributed per capita among the members entitled thereto.” The protesters believe that the Dec. 17 decision violated this section, because profits from the venture will not contribute to per capita payments and because the LLC board set up to oversee the gaming venture “is not controlled or in any way under the control of the EBCI and Tribal Council,” according to the resolution. Only two members of the five-member board must be members of the EBCI, and though the tribe has the right to make the initial appointments, future board appointments would be made by sitting members. However, the EBCI would own 100 percent
“Purchasing another gaming facility during a pandemic and with the knowledge that gaming facilities across the country are losing revenue is a fools errand. The Tribe’s desire for diversifying its business holdings is not accomplished by purchasing or creating the same business models elsewhere, especially in light of the current economic climate.”
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While the protest resolution argues that “nothing contained within Section 16-C permits the use of these funds for the purchase of any Casino or other operations outside the boundary of the EBCI,” the statute does name tribal enterprises and economic development as allowable uses, and the casino purchase would not be the first time tribal monies were spent for an out-of-state business endeavor. Last year, the tribe spent millions to help its existing business arm, Kituwah LLC, develop property along Interstate 40 in Sevierville, Tennessee. The protest attempts to make the case that not only is the casino purchase illegal, but that it is ultimately an unwise investment of tribal dollars. “EBCI has already identified a reduction in gaming revenue at its existing facilities,” the resolution reads. “Purchasing another gaming facility during a pandemic and with the knowledge that gaming facilities across the country are losing revenue is a fools errand. The Tribe’s desire for diversifying its business holdings is not accomplished by purchasing or creating the same business models elsewhere, especially in light of the current economic climate.” The protest points out that no specific funding source for the $130 million promised as a down payment was identified in the resolution passed Dec. 17 and argues that the 5 percent interest rate discussed to pay off debt associated with the purchase is far higher than should be expected in the current economic climate. Meanwhile Principal Chief Richard Sneed, who has championed the purchasing plan from the beginning, maintains that the project is in the tribe’s best interest and has been thoroughly reviewed and vetted by elected officials, staff and consultants alike. “My track record shows that I am here to serve EBCI tribal citizens and my faith in the validity of this project sustains despite this protest,” he said in a statement. “I am happy to speak with any tribal citizen that has concerns about this project as I fully believe it is the best next step forward in the EBCI’s larger economic diversification plan to sustain tribal programs and services in years to come.”
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The tribe has been discussing the potential purchase since Nov. 5, when Chief Sneed posted a video to his Facebook account discussing the project. On Nov. 12, Tribal Council approved a resolution authorizing Sneed to move forward with the due diligence process. On Dec. 15 the body tabled a resolution that would have allowed Sneed to enter into a purchasing agreement, ultimately approving that same resolution two days later in a purportedly open meeting that did not stream online as is typical with Tribal Council meetings and was not announced beforehand. The vote followed a separate questionand-answer session announced only on Sneed’s Facebook page after hours the previous day. It was held via Microsoft Teams and open only to tribal members. Sneed’s office asked tribal members who work as journalists not to report on the proceedings. The decision to purchase prevailed by a razor-thin vote of 49-44. Ultimately, the tribe agreed to a $250 million deal with $130 million up front from tribal monies. The remaining cost would be financed through a loan that the newly created EBCI Holdings LLC would service using casino proceeds. As a result, the tribe would own the gaming operation at Caesars Southern Indiana, but not the land — the annual lease payment for the 238-acre property totals $32.5 million. The purchase is part of the tribe’s ongoing effort to diversify its income streams in the face of looming competition for its extremely lucrative casinos in Cherokee and Murphy. The venture is expected to bring in $40 million annually in earnings before interest, taxes, depreciation and amortization, though state laws in Indiana mean that the LLC may remit only 25 percent of the profits back to the tribe each year, estimated at $3 to $5 million. Casino taxes in Indiana are hefty, with operations bringing in $150 to $600 million in gross revenue required to pay 35 percent. However, Sneed said, the overall return on investment would be 19 to 23 percent because the tribe would still own 100 percent of the LLC. Proceeds above the 25 percent remitted to the tribe could be used to purchase other commercial gaming enterprises, and the tribe could access all the LLC’s assets should it ever choose to dissolve it. The casino is up for sale as the result of a July merger between Eldorado Resorts and Caesars Entertainment. The merger created the nation’s largest casino and entertainment company, and in some states — including Indiana — the company had to sell off certain operations in order to avoid running afoul of market share laws. According to reporting from Casino.org, Caesars Southern Indiana consistently ranks among Indiana’s top five casinos based on adjusted gross revenue.
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It is unclear when the protest will be heard. Tribal Council’s Jan. 7 meeting has been moved to Jan. 14 due to surging COVID-19 numbers. In the past, Tribal Council has acknowledged protest resolutions and voted whether or not to hear them during its regular session and then scheduled a hearing for a later date. Tribal law allows “interested parties” — defined as people with a direct financial stake in the outcome of the decision or with property interests that will suffer due to the decision — to protest any decision of Tribal Council provided they do so within 10 calendar days of the decision being made. Robert Osley Saunooke, a tribal member registered as an attorney in Florida and Washington, D.C., is representing the protestors and is a protestor himself. Saunooke sent the document to Chairman Adam Wachacha on Dec. 24, as tribal offices were closed for the holidays. On that same day, Caesar’s Entertainment formally announced a “definitive agreement” to sell the operation to the EBCI. “As an enrolled member, the actions of the Tribal Council personally impact my ability to receive benefits, enjoy the ownership and control of tribal business and secure funding for programs and other services that I enjoy as a member of the Tribe,” reads a letter, signed by Saunooke, attached to the resolution. “The actions of the Tribal Council violate the oath of office taken by its members including the obligation to act as a fiduciary in protecting resources and enforcing and upholding the laws of the Tribe.” The 14 signatories also include former Principal Chief Michell Hicks, Birdtown Representative Albert Rose, Wolfetown Representative Bo Crowe, Nolan Crowe, Gaynell Crowe, Kema Crowe, Annie Owens, Albert Arch, Horace Arch, Vanessa Lawson, Dennis Junaluska, Keith Wachacha and Randy Catt. In an interview, Rose said that he disagrees with the venture on multiple fronts but that for him the most critical issue is the management agreement for the LLC. He felt like the vote was rushed and that Council members were not given enough time to absorb the final, redlined version of the document. In fact, they were handed the final version of the management agreement the same day they were asked to vote on it, he said. “When we set Kituwah LLC up, we vetted it out right there in the chambers how we wanted the board set up and what the qualifications were for the board,” he said. “I have asked for several work sessions on making amendments to the management agreement and have yet to be granted a work session to go over the management agreement.” Rose is alarmed as to how little control the tribe will have over EBCI Holdings LLC. “Tribal Council oversees every board, and this board will oversee itself,” he said. “We have no control.”
January 6-12, 2021
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Charles Miller (left) sits with longtime friend Earl Lanning behind a non-working still Miller built for Western Carolina University some years ago. Donated photo
Pardon me? Haywood man’s presidential pardon reveals systemic inequities
BY CORY VAILLANCOURT POLITICS E DITOR n a frosty Appalachian mountain morning in 1962, 22-year-old Waynesville man Charles Miller brought his car to a stop on a little-used road not far from a rushing creek in a rugged, remote section of Haywood County. Almost as soon as he got out, two Haywood County Sheriff ’s deputies who’d lain in wait appeared out of nowhere, accompanied by an agent from the Alcohol, Tobacco and Firearms Division of the Internal Revenue Service — the ATF. Miller had with him some components and tools commonly used in the production of illicit alcohol. He also happened to be in the general vicinity of an active moonshine still. “I was makin’ liquor,” he said, nearly six decades later. “But I wasn’t makin’ liquor on that still.” Regardless, Miller and a friend were arrested and five weeks later convicted on federal moonshining charges. More than two decades after his conviction, Miller received a full pardon from 6 President Ronald Reagan. Miller’s pardon
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was the culmination of a long journey from that cold spring day to that mailbox where he first learned he’d been pardoned, but his was a much different journey than that of the beneficiaries of pardons that have already come at the hands of outgoing President Donald Trump. here was this cabin, not too far from the still,” Miller told The Smoky Mountain News on New Year’s Day, 2021. “We didn’t know anything about the still being there. If we had, we wouldn’t have been there.” Miller, now 80, still has a sharp memory for detail that he portions out in distinct, contemplative, leisurely Southern Appalachian meter. “They chopped the still down, and then come back down and knocked the door off the basement of that cabin,” he said, pausing. “There was four-and-a-half gallons of white liquor in there.” A story in the April 19, 1962, edition of the Waynesville Mountaineer says it was only three-and-a-half gallons, but who’s counting? Otherwise, the story backs up the details of Miller’s account.
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Released on his own recognizance, Miller stood trial on May 17 and was convicted on May 23 of violating five sections of Title 26 of the U.S. Code — the Internal Revenue Code — all dealing with the production and possession of untaxed liquor. Although moonshine, moonshiners and moonshining have all been romanticized in Appalachia, Western North Carolina and Haywood County lore, it was then and is still a very serious criminal matter. “The judge was Wilson Warrick, a fine fella. A very respected gentleman,” Miller said. “He sentenced us to 15 months in prison and then put us on 30 months’ probation. Charged us a $250 fine.” They even seized the car Miller was driving when he was arrested. “This wasn’t just a car,” he said. “I ordered this car direct from the factory with a full racing package. It was a 1961 Chevy Impala. It had a 350-horsepower engine in it.” The sentence was reduced to 30 months’ probation, and Miller didn’t spend a single night in jail. As a result, he didn’t have to miss a single day of work at Champion Paper’s Waynesville facility, where he’d been employed for two years and made about $60 a week. Once he completed his probation, Miller began to think about the consequences of his conviction. “I couldn’t own a firearm. That didn’t keep me from owning them, and I bear hunted for 45 years. I never did stop hunting and carrying a gun,” he said. “In the meantime, I found out that you could apply for what they call ‘relief from disability’
through the ATF and that gave you permission to own a firearm.” Miller was successful in acquiring that relief, which, he said, got him to thinking about a full pardon. The power to grant pardons for federal crimes has been part of American government since the very beginning. Section 2, Clause 1 of the Constitution’s Article II states that the president “… shall have Power to grant Reprieves and Pardons for Offenses against the United States, except in Cases of Impeachment.” Like much of the Constitution, there’s little guidance on how the power of the pardon can or cannot be used. Although courts have narrowed its applicability over the years in some ways, almost every single president has used it — some, thousands of times. President George Washington pardoned 16 people during his eight-year tenure, including two men convicted of treason during the Whiskey Rebellion. John Adams, who followed Washington, pardoned 20 people, but once the third president, Thomas Jefferson, took office the number of presidential pardons issued per president was usually above 100. Andrew Johnson, who took over as president after Abraham Lincoln’s assassination, pardoned almost all former Confederate soldiers as well as those who participated in the rebellion in other ways. At the onset of the 20th Century, most presidents pardoned somewhere in the neighborhood of a thousand people. Franklin D. Roosevelt pardoned more than 3,600. In the modern era, Richard Nixon, Gerald Ford (who pardoned Nixon), Jimmy Carter and Ronald Reagan brought the averages back down to around 500 pardons per administration. George H.W. Bush pardoned only 77 people, including several related to the Iran-Contra affair. Bill Clinton was a bit more lenient with 459, but George W. Bush’s history of pardons more resembled that of his father, with 200. Subsequently, Barack Obama brought that number back up to a level not seen since Harry Truman — nearly 2,000. Prior to his General Election loss this past November, Trump had only pardoned 27 people, including a posthumous pardon for women’s rights activist Susan B. Anthony, who was fined $100 and court costs for illegally voting in 1873. After his loss, Trump kicked off the first wave of 11th-hour pardons on Nov. 25, when he pardoned his former National Security Advisor Michael Flynn, who pled guilty to two counts of making false statements to federal investigators about conversations with the Russian ambassador. On Dec. 22, Trump pardoned 15 more people, including two of his former campaign workers, George Papadopoulos and Alex van der Zwaan. Both were convicted of lying to federal investigators during Special Counsel Robert Mueller’s Russia investigation. Several former Blackwater contractors were also given pardons related to their roles in the massacre of 14 unarmed Iraqi civilians, including women and children, in 2007. Former Republican Congressman Duncan Hunter, who pled guilty to misus-
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“To all whom these presents shall come, greeting: be it known that this day the president has granted onto Charles David Miller a full and unconditional pardon and has designated, directed and empowered the associate attorney general as his representative to sign this grant of executive clemency …” Embossed with a gold seal and signed by then-Associate Attorney General Rudolph Giuliani, the certificate marked the end of Miller’s quest. Asked how he felt when he first saw the certificate, Miller said the pardon itself hadn’t meant as much to him as the fact that he’d done the whole thing, all by himself.
Donated photo
“Trump passes them out like they’re Christmas cards. I got this pardon on my own. I did not have no help from anyone else.” — Charles Miller
“I answered 10 million questions. Some of the questions was like, ‘How many square feet’s in your house? What color is it painted? What kind of cars have you ever owned? What kind of credit cards do you have?’” he said. “I also had to give them quite a bit of my family genealogy.” One morning around that time, Miller was at home, asleep after working a graveyard shift when his wife answered a knock at their door. “It was two fellers in suits,” he said. “One of them pulled out a badge and said, ‘We’re agents of the U.S. Treasury Department, and we’d like ask you some questions about one of your neighbors if you don’t mind. We’d like to ask you about Charles Miller.’” Miller’s wife told the agents that she could indeed answer their questions — or simply wake him up, because she was married to Charles Miller and he was presently in the house, in bed, sleeping. “Shit,” the agent said, kicking the gravel beneath his feet. “I thought I was at Charles Mitchell’s house.”
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When applications for relief are received by the Office of the Pardon Attorney, the agency then instigates and directs an investigation of the petitioner. Guidelines on the OPA’s website state that generally, pardons are granted “on the basis of the petitioner’s demonstrated good conduct for a substantial period of time” after a conviction or the completion of a sentence. “I had character letters from the sheriff, two chiefs of police, those two deputies that helped arrest me, the mayor and the supervisor in my department at Champion,” Miller said. Investigators from an alphabet soup of federal agencies then began showing up, asking questions about Miller. “An FBI agent called [longtime friend] Earl Lanning out of the mill down there and talked to him about me,” Miller said. “He also talked to my foreman at the plant. The agent wouldn’t tell my foreman what this involved.” Eventually, Miller himself had to report to the FBI’s Asheville office.
s of Jan. 5, Trump hadn’t pardoned anyone else since his Dec. 23 batch, leaving his total at 70. He does, however, have almost two more weeks to use executive clemency. Rumors have since swirled that he may pardon more family members and more key members of his administration. “We hear and we read that no man is above the law, and this goes back to the Magna Carta, no one is above the law and no one should be above the law,” Miller said. The power of a president to bypass the OPA process entirely isn’t really questioned, and a Supreme Court opinion called Ex Parte Garland says preemptive pardons are indeed a thing. Those enumerations could become important as talk of pardons for Trump’s children, and even the man who signed Miller’s pardon, Giuliani, gets louder. “He’s going to pardon them for what they have done without anybody knowing what they have done,” Miller said. And then, there’s the issue of Trump pardoning himself. There doesn’t appear to be any settled law one way or the other on whether that’s possible. “How can he? How can someone pardon themselves for doing something they should have known not to do in the first place?” said Miller. If it is indeed possible for a president — and all future presidents — to pardon themselves on their way out the door for acts committed during their tenure, is that really an environment in which Americans want to live? “No,” Miller said. “I don’t.” 7
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Miller has his pardon from President Ronald Reagan framed.
January 6-12, 2021
he executive clemency process for a Haywood County millworker like Miller appears to be much different than for people like Kushner, Manafort and Flynn. “Trump passes them out like they’re Christmas cards,” Miller said. “I got this pardon on my own. I did not have no help from anyone else.” When Miller first began to pursue his pardon in 1981, he started with Asheville attorney Herbert “Hub” Hyde. “He was one of the finest federal lawyers in the country,” Miller said. “I went to him and talked to him and when I asked him about the pardon — he was kind of an elderly man — I can remember exactly what he said. He said, ‘Son, you’re talkin’ about somethin’ that’s almost impossible.’” Miller then went to Hallett Ward, Jr., a Waynesville attorney who recently passed away in October 2020. “He was the finest criminal lawyer in Haywood County,” said Miller. “He said he wouldn’t even know where to start.” Undaunted, Miller went to the U.S. Attorney’s office in Asheville, where a woman in the office told him about the U.S. Pardon Attorney. The Office of the Pardon Attorney is a division of the U.S. Department of Justice that has since 1893 administered the process by which applicants may request one of several forms of executive clemency: commutations, remissions of fines, reprieves or pardons. Applicants must wait five years after conviction or completion of sentence, whichever is greater, to ask for such relief.
“Well,” Miller’s wife said, “Mitchell lives right over there. You can leave your car parked here and just walk there if you want.” Personal investigation aside, the OPA also takes into account the recentness and seriousness the offense and the applicant’s actual need for relief, in addition to “the extent to which a petitioner has accepted responsibility for his or her criminal conduct and made restitution to its victims are important considerations. A petitioner should be genuinely desirous of forgiveness rather than vindication.” In December 1982, Miller got a letter informing him of his fate. A few days later, he received a certificate in the mail, dated Dec. 23.
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ing campaign funds over seven years to finance his extramarital affairs, also received a pardon. The next day, Trump pardoned Hunter’s wife, Margaret Hunter, who was convicted of conspiring to help her husband misuse campaign funds — including by spending $500 on a cross-country flight for the family’s pet rabbit, Eggburt. Along with Margaret Hunter’s pardon, Trump issued 25 more pardons on Dec. 23. Several of them were granted to former advisors or members of his inner circle like Roger Stone and Paul Manafort, convicted of obstruction and tax evasion, respectively. Wealthy New York real estate developer Charles Kushner was also included in that round of pardons by Trump. In 2005, Kushner was convicted on 16 counts of fraud and false statements related to illegal campaign contributions. He was also convicted of retaliating against a witness — his brother-in-law, who was cooperating with federal investigators. Kushner hired a prostitute to seduce his sister’s husband, recorded the encounter and delivered the footage to his sister. Kushner is the father of current Senior Advisor to the President Jared Kushner, and father-in-law of the president’s daughter, Advisor to the President Ivanka Trump. Jared and Ivanka’s children are likely the only Americans to have one grandfather that’s been pardoned by the other. “The feeling I’ve got is, that shows you how unfair part of your justice system is,” Miller said.
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Smoky Mountain News January 6-12, 2021
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Opposition forms against proposed Haywood jail
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State finds Swain jail death caused by cardiac arrest
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Down Home says that between 2000 and 2018, the incarceration rate increased by 133 percent against a working-age population increase of 8.4 percent over the same time frame. Those increases aren’t going away, according to both sources, and the new jail would accommodate that growth through 2045. Down Home’s press release asks Haywood commissioners to consider addressing the drivers of jail population growth instead of
Cory Vaillancourt photo
simply providing more room for inmates. In 2018, 32 percent of the jail population were pretrial detainees, and 63 percent were in for misdemeanors. A Western Carolina University study claims 85 percent of detainees show signs consistent with substance use disorder, half have symptoms of PTSD and a third may have major depression. “We need to build a rehab center,” Jackson said. A 2019 study by the National Harm Reduction Coalition says that fully half of
Haywood County residents who need substance abuse treatment don’t have access to it because they either don’t have health insurance, can’t stand the long wait time for a bed, don’t have transportation to get to a facility, don’t know of a local facility or are too ashamed to admit they need the help. Haywood Commissioners haven’t yet given full approval for the new jail, but the project appears to be moving right along; an architect could be selected any day now. Construction is expected to begin in early 2022, with the jail coming online in late 2023.
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Lomas remained in the holding cell and at 12:15 p.m. an officer observed him leaning and pushing on the cell wall before he fell backward and hit his head on a bench. The report stated that he was checked out, but no swelling, lacerations or bruising was noted on the exam and Lomas was allegedly alert. At 3 a.m. on Aug. 28, an officer contacted dispatch to say that Lomas was checked upon and was found lying on the floor and didn’t appear to be breathing. Checked further by jail staff, he was found to be in cardiac arrest and was given CPR. EMS arrived to continue working on Lomas at the jail but stopped their efforts when his pulse didn’t return. “It is suspected that decedent (Lomas) was detoxing from alcohol or that he possibly may have gotten a controlled substance from another inmate while in the general holding area. According to the jail records decedent had no health history, allergies and took no medications,” the medical examiner summary stated. The toxicology report from the state showed that the only substances detected in Lomas’ system were naloxone (an opioid overdose reversal drug) and promethazine (given to him by the nurse). “This 25-year-old Cherokee Indian male with a history of substance abuse and possible diabetes mellitus was several days into a one-week incarceration for driving under the influence and detoxification when he began exhibiting detoxification withdrawal symptoms and was placed in a special unit for observation,” the report stated. “Based on postmortem examination and investigative results, my opinion is that the cause of death is cardiomyopathy of hypertension, obesity, ethanol abuse and possible hypertrophic change in the setting of advanced hepatic cirrhosis.”
Crystalyn Jackson, who’s served several stints in prison for drugrelated crimes, speaks to the need for more recovery resources in Haywood County.
January 6-12, 2021
BY J ESSI STONE N EWS E DITOR fter a four-month investigation into the sudden death of a 25-year-old Cherokee man inside the Swain County Detention Center, the state examiner’s office has released an autopsy and investigation report for Joseph William Lomas. According to the autopsy performed at Harris Regional Hospital on Aug. 28, 2020, there were a number of factors that led to Lomas’ death, including alcohol and substance abuse, cardiovascular disease from hypertension and obesity and advanced hepatic cirrhosis. According to the state medical examiner’s report, Lomas was detained on Aug. 24 and was on a seven-day hold for a probation violation. Around 1 a.m. Aug. 27, a detention officer noted Lomas was exhibiting “unusual behavior.” “The sergeant stated that at times he was acting normal and at times he would not know where he was and would ask how he got there,” the report stated. The officer notified the jail nurse, who was not on site, and was told to monitor Lomas until she arrived. He was then placed in a holding cell upstairs where he could be monitored closely. The report states that the nurse didn’t arrive until 5 a.m. to assess Lomas’ behavior. The nurse noted that Lomas consumed alcohol heavily on a daily basis and was started on promethazine (used to prevent and treat nausea and vomiting); clonidine (used to treat high blood pressure); and triazolam (a benzodiazepine used to treat insomnia), per jail protocol.
Down Home’s press release asks Haywood commissioners to consider addressing the drivers of jail population growth instead of simply providing more room for inmates.
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BY CORY VAILLANCOURT POLITICS E DITOR Nov. 3 report by the Haywood County Sheriff ’s Office demonstrating the need for a $16 million expansion to the existing detention center hasn’t exactly met with approval from all sectors of the community. “Jail does nothing for the people in jail, which also means it also does nothing for the citizens of Haywood County,” said Hazelwood resident Crystalyn Jackson. “There’s no rehabilitation help in jail. Even if it was just a class or two, it could help get things started.” Jackson, who said she’d served three separate sentences in prison on drug-related charges, spoke at a small press conference in front of the Historic Haywood County Courthouse the morning of Jan. 4. With her were several members of the Haywood chapter of grassroots advocacy group Down Home North Carolina, which opposes the jail for a variety of reasons. Stats provided in the HCSO’s report show an increase in jail admissions from 3,352 in 2017 to 3,998 in 2019. A press release issued by
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Anti-mask, anti-vax views raise concerns Citizens question Presson’s membership on health foundation BY CORY VAILLANCOURT STAFF WRITER ne of the loudest voices against masks and vaccines during recent public comment sessions in Haywood County also serves on a nonprofit health care board that’s charged with managing more than $12 million of taxpayer money meant to support public health. Comments made by registered nurse Janet Presson at county commission and town board meetings have not gone unnoticed — letters and comments subsequently submitted to The Smoky Mountain News expressed concern that Presson continues in her role a trustee of the Haywood Health Care Foundation and have called for her removal. Now, HHF board members are being pressed for answers on apparent contradictions between Presson’s opinions/assertions and the mission statement of the board Presson serves, as well as what, if anything, should be done about them.
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ne week after SMN published a story about Waynesville’s proposed changes to its State of Emergency ordinance, two letters arrived decrying Presson’s service on the HHF. “Ms. Presson is an extremist, and her discredited views can have a detrimental effect on the health and lives of our residents,” Bethel resident Tom Tomaka wrote. “While she is entitled to her own opinions, she has no business helping to guide the use of public healthcare funds. Janet Presson needs to be removed from her position on the Haywood Healthcare Foundation at once.” The second, much longer letter from Haywood resident Jesse-Lee Dunlap, reiterates that Presson is entitled to her own point of view, but questions the wisdom of her continuing service on the HHF. “… it is one thing for Joe Public to get up during public comments and say whatever is on his mind, but it is quite another for a nurse, a nurse who sits on the Haywood Healthcare Foundation board, to stand up publicly and deny science,” said Dunlap. “With the power that rests in the hands of Haywood Healthcare Foundation board members, it is important that we have people on the board who rely on data to make decisions. It is obvious that Janet Presson cannot serve in this capacity and needs to be removed from the Haywood Healthcare Foundation board immediately. The wellbeing of our community depends on it.” State records show Presson has a nursing license that expires in 2022. She’s been a frequent presence on social media and at local government meetings contradicting 10 public health officials by opposing mask
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usage as well as all vaccinations. She also has a child she claims was injured by vaccination. Presson’s Facebook page is full of shared posts and memes with messaging indicating that masks don’t work, are child abuse, and should be thrown away, that businesses should have mask-free shopping hours, that people shouldn’t wear masks or vaccinate their children just to make others feel safe, and that since President Trump survived COVID-19 without a vaccine, perhaps one isn’t necessary at all. A number of Presson’s posts have been flagged by Facebook as false information, including one that supposed 90 percent of all COVID-19 diagnoses are false positives, and another proclaiming that “Your government is lying, vaccines are poison and masks are useless.” She also promoted an October 2020 private movie screening in Haywood County featuring the widely discredited views of a former physician who ushered in the modern anti-vax misinformation campaign with a fraudulent study claiming that vaccines cause autism. The Guardian newspaper calls Andy Wakefield a “disgraced anti-vaxxer,” based largely on the fact that his 1998 study published in The Lancet is now considered one of the greatest examples of medical fraud in history. Wakefield’s study was funded by attorneys who specialized in suing vaccine manufacturers. Its various defects include a small sample size, poor experiment design and unsupported conclusions based on what the British Medical Journal calls, “clear evidence of fabrication of data.” Claims made in the study were subsequently and completely refuted. All but two of the study’s 12 authors retracted it, and in 2010 The Lancet retracted the study altogether. Wakefield also lost his license to practice medicine. That movie screening wasn’t even Presson’s first attempt to pass Wakefield’s vaccine misinformation to the citizens of Haywood County. In April 2019, Presson and others hosted another movie screening at the Haywood County Public Library in Waynesville. The event got off to an inauspicious start when organizers attempted to ban members of the local media, including SMN, The Mountaineer and WLOS-TV, from recording or filming during the event. Then-Haywood County Public Health Director Patrick Johnson — who’s since retired — was also there and may have been onto something when he told SMN how he felt after the unsuccessful and unlawful attempt to prohibit recording. “Well, that bothered me from the get-go … if they didn’t want it recorded, they didn’t want the general public to know what they were going to be saying, so that concerned me,” Johnson said. What ensued was a discussion, slide pres-
entation and another Andy Wakefield movie rife with half-truths, misinformation and debunked studies by discredited former medical professionals. The information presented during the event held a façade of legitimacy, but simple research into the background of the people presenting it — Dr. Bob Sears, Dr. Christopher Shaw and former film student/Dr. Phil show producer Del BigTree — reveals disturbing credibility issues similar to those of Wakefield.
Janet Presson “There’s a pattern to the anti-vax movement and to the arguments,” Johnson said the day after the event. “In retrospect, that was a very slick anti-vax presentation. They cherry-pick little things about vaccines for some misleading suppositions.” Presson’s role in advancing dubious medical misinformation is now well-known in this community of 60,000, but judging by public response to her activism, her other role — serving as a trustee on the HHF board — isn’t. Or, wasn’t. ccording to the HHF’s website, the organization was founded in 1978 to support the county’s nonprofit hospital by fundraising. But when that hospital was sold to Duke LifePoint in 2014, HHF had to shift gears. “It is really an offspring of the Haywood Hospital Foundation, which could no longer directly support the hospital after the sale to the for-profit entity Duke-LifePoint,” said Kirk Kirkpatrick, longtime Haywood County commissioner and HHF board member since March 2019. “HHF was formed for the specific purpose to support healthcare in Haywood County by utilizing and investing the funds received from the sale of the Hospital.” Those funds — roughly $13 million —
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are profits derived from monies paid over the years by Haywood County taxpayers. That initial nugget of cash can’t be spent, but it can be invested and earn interest. In a normal year, that’s roughly $200,000 depending on market trends. Additionally, HHF sometimes receives large private donations on the order of $50,000 or more and holds some events of its own to raise money, including a golf tournament. All told, HHF gives away somewhere in the neighborhood of $350,000 a year to area nonprofits that advance HHF’s mission “ … to improve the health status of Haywood County, its individuals and families through educational programs, grants, scholarships and leadership opportunities … quality healthcare is essential to a productive life. It is our goal as a foundation to assist individuals and agencies in a number of ways, all with the ultimate goal of fostering a healthier community for our present and future generations.” More than 40 community partners, including Haywood Pathways Center, Haywood Vocational Opportunities and domestic violence group REACH benefit from this funding. In May 2019, HHF also stepped in to save the day with a $5 million pledge toward a badly-needed workforce development building at Haywood Community College that will be used to train medical professionals for high-paying jobs. Decisions on which organizations get what are made by a board of trustees. “There are a minimum of 20 board members and a maximum of 24,” Kirkpatrick said. “They serve three-year terms. New trustees are selected by the then-serving board. Candidates are nominated by the nomination committee and then selected by the board members.” The HHF board doesn’t have a board attorney per se but Kirkpatrick, an attorney by trade, says he occasionally gives his opinion as a board member on legal matters. The proceedings of the HHF board are public record, as are its finances, according to Kirkpatrick. Currently, the board is chaired by Anthony Sutton, who is also a Waynesville alderman. He’s been on the HHF board since February 2018, spending most of that time as its chair. In April 2019, Sutton nominated Presson for a spot on the board. “My knowledge of Ms. Presson at the time was that she was one of the founders of [intellectual/developmental disability services company] A Small Miracle,” Sutton said. “She’s a registered nurse. She’s also a veteran and she was and remains on the board of the Special Olympics statewide. That was the reason I made the recommendation.” urrent and former public health officials suggest it’s hard to reconcile Presson’s very public
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anti-mask, anti-vax advocacy’s alignment with the HHF’s community health mission to foster “a healthier community for our present and future generations.” Haywood County’s Health and Human Services Medical Director Dr. Mark Jaben, the local face of pandemic response, was asked last October about this apparent contradiction. “There is no scenario I am aware of where not wearing a mask is beneficial to community health,” he said. Around that same time, then-Haywood County Public Health Director Patrick Johnson shared his thoughts on the matter. “We know that wearing a mask is the best thing we have until we get a vaccine,” Johnson said. Johnson also shared anecdotes about a maskless outdoor party with 15 people that resulted in three positive diagnoses of COVID-19, and a person who traveled to a 2,000-person event in Tennessee and returned with an unwanted souvenir that they then unwittingly shared with Haywood friends, neighbors and co-workers. Most disturbingly, Johnson shared an account of what it’s like to die of COVID-19. “All of these folks have a respiratory illness. It’s people who are gasping for breath and being on a ventilator or having the ventilator removed and being a ‘do not resuscitate,’ which is what happened to one of these people,” he said. “It’s … it’s an awful way to go.” When asked if he thought Presson’s opinions were in accord with the HHF’s community health mission, Sutton instead offered HHF’s stance. “I can tell you the Healthcare Foundation is a firm believer in wearing masks and following the three W’s [wear a mask, watch your distance, wash your hands],” he said.
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Current Trustees of the Haywood Healthcare Foundation
“We are also a huge advocate of vaccinations and the COVID vaccine. We would encourage anyone at which time it’s possible to get a vaccine.” As calls for Presson’s removal from the HHF board began to emerge last week, Sutton was reluctant to endorse or denounce them publicly. “I do have a personal view on her remaining on the board, but it would have to be the full board that makes that decision,” he said. “I don’t feel comfortable speaking directly against a board member, but I can tell you personally, I believe in vaccines and I will be one of the first when I’m able to get a vaccine to get a vaccine.” Definitively, Presson has never represented herself as a member of HHF or claimed to speak on behalf of HHF during her personal advocacy. She’s also served as a national coordinator for the Defeat Autism Now! conferences and as the health editor of WNC Woman Magazine, and hasn’t claimed to speak on behalf of them, either, however Kirkpatrick said he was aware of informal chatter about how Presson’s continuing affiliation with HHF might be perceived. “There have been discussions among board members outside of meetings regarding her opinions and how they reflect on the board and how her continued service on the board may be viewed by others negatively,” Kirkpatrick said. Sutton said there was also a conversation about Presson during a meeting, shortly after she joined the board in 2019. No formal action ensued, and according to Sutton, she hasn’t been formally asked to resign. Kirkpatrick said he wouldn’t ask Presson to resign and didn’t want her opinions to be discounted even though they differ from his own. “I am always open to other viewpoints on good health and so long as her opinion does not harm or deter the entire board from working for the good health of Haywood County, I would not push for her to resign,” he said. “I myself differ in my views from Ms. Presson’s regarding wearing masks and taking vaccines. I support both but do not turn a blind eye to the possible damaging side effects of both. To me the issue is one of weighing the pros versus the cons and I weigh those out on the side of masks and vaccines until someone can change my mind with good fact-based science. The problem there is that science and the study of it constantly changes and we are always learning that what we thought was good science and good technique in the past is not as good as we know it to be now. I am sure that will continue to be the case.” Presson’s first three-year term on the Haywood Healthcare Foundation ends in April 2022. At that point the board has the choice of whether or not to renominate her. A nomination would be subject to a vote of approval by the full board. Board members can serve a maximum of three consecutive three-year terms. Learn more about the Haywood Healthcare Foundation at www.haywoodhealthcarefoundation.org.
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line services and focus efforts on what is most important.”
ELDERLY IN HAYWOOD CAN PRE-REGISTER FOR VACCINE
Ingles Nutrition Notes written by Ingles Dietitian Leah McGrath FOOD TRENDS TO LOOK FOR IN 2021 Packaging: Family-size vs personal grab-n-go - For many years we had seen the rise in "grab-n-go" beverages and personal size convenient to carry snack and food items. With "stay at home" and work at home becoming more commonplace during the pandemic, the popularity of family size packaging has reemerged as the shopper's choice. Plant-based: The term "plant-based" is still having a moment, whether it is being used as a euphemism to avoid calling a product vegan/vegetarian or as a health halo (e.g. "plant-based" potato chips) - it seems to be the term du jour on front of package marketing. From large companies more well-known for their animal products (Hormel) adding small niche "plant-based" product to their portfolio, to legacy brands like Kellogg's adding plant-based products ("Incogmeato") - everyone seems to want to throw their hat in the the plantbased ring. I'm even hearing of and seeing products that are partially plant-based like blends of meat/poultry and plant-based ingredients in frozen items and a blend of cow's milk and almond milk in the dairy section. Personal Health: Though the FDA and the FTC have publicly punished and criticized various brands and marketers for making immune boosting claims with regards to COVID19, many continue to try to carefully skirt this by using "immune supporting" or "help immune system" or "promote immune system health". I expect to see more products with this sort of (inaccurate and unproven) language this year. While it is great to see customers putting their health and food choices as a priority; it's vitally important to remember that no one food or meal is going to protect someone from COVID19 and it is crucial to follow CDC, state and health department guidance regarding wearing a mask, handwashing and physical distance. Pairing Down: As customers continue to stay home and primarily cook at home, many brands, especially on the grocery aisle like flours, soups, pastas, rice, and in the frozen section like pizzas and ice creams are discontinuing lines (they might call it streamlining) that were less profitable or popular in order to devote more processing time for high demand items. I am hearing this especially from some of our gluten-free customers.
Leah McGrath, RDN, LDN
Smoky Mountain News
Beginning Jan. 6, Haywood County residents over the age of 75, who have not already been included in a previous vaccination group, may begin pre-registering for COVID-19 vaccine appointments. As Haywood County prepares to move into the next phases of vaccine distribution, the health department is asking for residents to pre-register so staff can develop a list of those interested in being contacted when vaccines are available. Initially, there will not be enough vaccine doses available to vaccinate everyone who will want to be, but this list will provide a starting point to begin scheduling as vaccines arrive. Register at www.haywoodcountync.gov/ vaccine or call 828.356.2019. This registry system is not for people in long-term care facilities or who work in healthcare and have already been contacted about vaccination. Long-term care residents and staff, including residents age 75 and older, are in the state’s Phase 1A and are currently receiving vaccinations through a federal vaccination partnership with CVS and Walgreens pharmacies. People living and working in these facilities are being contacted by facility administrators to schedule their appointments. Haywood County Public Health and local hospitals are continuing to provide the COVID-19 vaccine to individuals identified in Phase 1A of the state’s rollout plan. This priority group includes frontline health care workers at most risk of direct exposure to COVID-19. People in this group who are eligible to receive the vaccine are being contacted by their employers to schedule their appointments. There is no cost to the patient when receiving the COVID-19 vaccine through Public Health. Appointments are only for Haywood County residents. The COVID-19 vaccine requires two shots that are spaced several weeks apart. Those who pre-register will be contacted to schedule the initial appointment and an appointment for a person’s second vaccination will be scheduled when they receive their first shot. For more information on vaccine prioritization plans: https://files.nc.gov/covid/documents/vaccines/ncdhhs-vaccine-infographic.pdf
January 6-12, 2021
BY HOLLY KAYS STAFF WRITER he COVID-19 death count in Jackson County nearly doubled over the holiday season, increasing from 10 as of Nov. 25 to 18 as of Jan. 4. One of the lives lost was that of 66-year-old Darrell Woodard, a fixture in the community who led the Savannah Fire Department as chief for 36 years. After he passed away Dec. 29, family members created a Facebook group in his memory, and it has since filled with posts remembering him as kind, courageous, family-oriented and humor-loving, written by friends and loved ones full of disbelief that he could be gone so soon. “Everyone involved with Jackson County N.C. Emergency Management would like to send our deepest condolences to the family of 701 Chief Darrell Woodard and the Savannah Fire Department,” reads a Dec. 30 statement from Jackson County Emergency Management. “You are in all of our thoughts and prayers during this difficult time.” As of Jan. 4, Jackson County had logged 2,419 COVID-19 cases since the pandemic began — a 77 percent increase from the 1,366 cases confirmed Nov. 25. Equivalent to 551 cases per 10,000 residents, that’s the highest rate of the seven western counties. By comparison, Swain County is currently reporting 508 cases per 10,000, Macon County 433 cases per 10,000 and Haywood County 374 cases per 10,000. However, the picture shifts somewhat when looking at cases per 10,000 residents in the past 14 days. Swain County leads the pack with 116, then there’s Macon with 96, Jackson at 88 and Haywood at 82. Those figures all come from the state’s COVID-19 dashboard, because as of Dec. 24 Jackson County Department of Public Health stopped maintaining its local COVID-19 dashboard to rely solely on the state dashboard instead. According to a Dec. 23 press release, the local dashboard was created at the beginning of the pandemic, when “access to local data wasn’t easily accessible, robust or thorough.” The state website has become much more comprehensive since that time, though it still lacks many of the data breakdowns offered by the local site. “Case investigation, case management, contact tracing and vaccine administration has reduced the capacity of JCDPH staff to support the Jackson County, NC COVID-19 Data Dashboard,” the press release said. The department decided to forgo updating the local dashboard in an effort to “stream-
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Oh My Yurt! · BY JESSI STONE · olitude is extremely underrated. It’s something I don’t get enough of but for whatever this year has had me craving more of it. As 2020 is coming to a close, I kept coming back to the desire to escape, recharge and find quiet so I could evaluate my progress this year and make plans for 2021. Then one of my friends posted a picture on Instagram of their view from Sky Ridge Yurts outside of Bryson City. It was beautiful and serene, and I could be surrounded by these amazing mountains but with heating, a king size comfy bed and a hot shower. I reached out to Melissa Little at Sky Ridge and she had a yurt available the night of Dec. 26. Perfect! I packed my overnight bag, my hiking gear and stopped by the store for all my favorite munchies and a bottle of champagne. Determined to make the most of my one night of solitude, I got to the yurt at 3 p.m. I made myself at home, popped the champagne, set out my snacks, listened to some music, burned some relaxing essential oils and read a book. No dogs to distract me, no husband playing guitar, no to-do list, no dishes or clothes to be washed — just sunshine, acoustic tunes and solitude. As the sun went down over the mountains, I took a hot shower, put on my pajamas and a face mask and pulled out the 2021 planner I had purchased. I reflected on 2020 — my accomplishments as well as my disappointments — and I made goals for 2021. It's a myth that only introverted people enjoy solitude; actually, it’s the extroverts that probably need it. So many of us don’t even know what to do with ourselves if we don’t have an itinerary. We’re afraid to be bored. We’re afraid to be still. We’re afraid to be left alone with nothing but our own thoughts — so much so that many of us don’t even know what we believe, how we feel or what we want to ac-
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complishment in our lives. But if there was ever a time we need to find solitude, it’s now! Things aren’t going to magically get better in 2021. As Dr. Dara says in her column this week, nothing will change if we don’t change. We have to be willing to take a look inside to analyze what’s working and what you need to let go of if we want anything to
had the mountain ranges surrounding me, the full moon shining bright overhead through the sky dome, and a warm and comfy king size bed all to myself. The next morning I woke up with the sun, brewed some coffee (provided by Sky Ridge) and had time to meditate, do a yoga video and get ready for a solo hike before checking out at 10 a.m.
change in 2021. It starts with taking care of our own physical, emotional and mental health. Solitude is a great place to start because it allows you to listen to yourself. It clears the mind, builds confidence, sparks creativity and makes you more productive in the future. It reduces stress and anxiety. It gives you more perspective and empathy. But solitude is something you have to consciously plan. My friend Margaret said she goes on vacation by herself for one week a year to recharge. I hope to make it a weekend priority once every quarter. That’s why I loved staying in the yurt. I had clean surroundings with plenty of sunlight coming through the windows, I
We’re so fortunate to live in this part of the world and have so many natural resources and outdoor adventures in our backyard. Even though I was only an hour from home, I was able to completely disconnect for 24 hours. So if you’re looking for somewhere to escape while staying close to home in Western North Carolina, I highly recommend Sky Ridge Yurts just off Highway 19 before you get to Nantahala Outdoor Center. During COVID-19, they offer a no-contact check in process and you literally don’t have to talk to or see anyone else on your trip. Editor’s note: For the complete version of this article, visit www.smokymountainnews.com/rum ble/item/30530-oh-my-yurt
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BY HOLLY KAYS STAFF WRITER estern Carolina University’s workforce has gotten a lot more diverse in the past 20 years, but there’s still room for growth in racial and ethnic minority representation among faculty and staff. As of Sept. 30, 10.6 percent of the university’s 1,603 employees were racial or ethnic minorities, more than double the 4.9 percent on the payroll in 2000. At 12.9 percent, representation was higher among the 565 faculty members, while 9.3 percent of the university’s 1,038 staff identified as a racial or ethnic minority.
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WHEN LOCAL DEMOGRAPHICS MEET NATIONAL
Hispanic, 1.1 percent are Asian, 9.1 percent are Native American and 2.2 percent identify as two or more races.
GRAPPLING WITH SALARY AND LOCATION While overall population data is helpful for comparison’s sake, it reflects only each group’s share of the total population, not its share of those who hold the degrees or certifications necessary for a given position. However, data for the period from Oct. 1, 2019, to Sept. 20, 2020, showed that WCU received an abundance of interest from qualified minority applicants — 26.4 percent of qualified applications came from these groups, far more than the 17.3 percent expected availability. That share slimmed markedly as the hiring process progressed, the data show. A
While minority hiring still falls below the Department of Labor target, women are currently making up more than their expected 50.1 percent share of WCU’s workforce, accounting for 51.2 percent of employees as of Sept. 30.
you’re expecting a metropolitan area, that’s not it. Sometimes I talk to folks and they think we’re closer to a metropolitan area than we are.” Location is also a factor for veteran hiring. “When they realize our exact location and that we’re not in close proximity to a military base, that has caused some people to withdraw and drop out of searches, just because there’s obviously a significant benefit to veterans to have access to a military base for various reasons,” Causby told trustees. Salary is often a deterrent we well. The University of North Carolina System has for years been lobbying the state legislature for salary increases that would allow it to better recruit and retain the top-tier faculty members it needs to maintain its reputation. However, UNC System employees have not had a salary increase in two years and have not received an increase equivalent to that of other state agencies in three years. “If someone is a top candidate and they’ve got a lot of opportunities across the country, sometimes they’re going to selfselect out because of salary,” Causby said in an interview.
POSITIVE TRENDS Despite these challenges, WCU’s minority hiring figures compare favorably to those of nearby institutions of higher learning and to similar universities in the Appalachians. At WCU, 12.9 percent of 565 faculty members are members of a racial or ethnic minority, far higher than the 7 percent at Appalachian State University and just below the 13.6 percent at UNC Asheville. Closer to home, minorities comprise 3.3 percent of faculty at Haywood Community College, 4.8 percent at Southwestern Community College, 1.9 percent at Brevard College and 4.2 percent at Mars Hill University. Looking beyond state lines, 11.3 percent of faculty members at East Tennessee State University come from racially diverse backgrounds, as do 10.2 percent at Eastern Kentucky University and 11.9 percent at Morehead State University. Virginia’s
Radford University edges WCU slightly, at 13.8 percent. Causby said that WCU has made a concerted effort to boost diversity through improved networking and recruitment. Because current data show that the share of minority applicants gets cut in half between the beginning and end of the hiring process, the idea is to increase the number of minority applicants in the initial stages to give the university a better chance of landing near its target by the final stages. “It’s really important on that front end to make connections,” said Causby. While minority hiring still falls below the Department of Labor target, women are currently making up more than their expected 50.1 percent share of WCU’s workforce, accounting for 51.2 percent of employees as of Sept. 30. That’s up from 49.6 percent in 2019, largely due to the fact that females comprised 58.6 percent of the 162 new hires made between Oct. 1, 2019, and Sept. 30, 2020. However, said Causby, female representation has generally been good at WCU in recent history, hovering between 49 and 51 percent for the past two decades. Unlike that of racial and ethnic minorities, female representation tends to improve throughout the hiring process, growing from 41.7 percent of qualified applicants to 51.3 percent of those seriously considered and 51.6 percent of those interviewed. Causby noted that, while race, gender, veteran status and disability are the four categories that the Department of Labor pays attention to when evaluating diversity, diversity is not limited to those four dimensions alone. “I don’t want this to imply this is the only thing we consider when talking about diversity as an institution, because obviously it’s much larger than that,” he told trustees. Overall, said Causby, the trend at Western is a positive one. “We’ve had a few dips here and there, but overall that number has continued to grow,” he said. “The key point is as we go forward we’ll continue to find ways to make slow and steady progress.” 15
Smoky Mountain News
candidate is considered qualified if his resume contains the basic job requirements outlined in the advertisement. A candidate is labeled as “seriously considered” only if she also possesses the preferred qualifications for the job. While 26.4 percent of qualified applicants were minorities, only 18 percent of seriously considered candidates identified as such. The share fell further at the interview stage. Only 13.4 percent of interviewed candidates were minorities, though that proportion grew slightly when it came to hiring, with 14.8 percent of hires in the October-toSeptember period identifying as a racial or ethnic minority. Multiple factors contribute to the decreasing participation of minority candidates through the hiring process, said Causby. Salary and location are two of the biggest. “They may apply for 10 or 12 jobs and then when they start looking at exactly where it’s at, some people self-select out because of that,” Causby said in an interview. “While I think this is a wonderful place to live, if you’re expecting Atlanta or
While it still falls below a target set by the U.S. Department of Labor, ethnic and racial diversity among the workforce at Western Carolina University has more than doubled over the past two decades. WCU graphic
January 6-12, 2021
Those figures fall significantly below the 17.3 percent target set by the U.S. Department of Labor. WCU’s workforce also has lower-than-expected levels of military veterans and people with disabilities. In 2020, 1.4 percent of workers were veterans and 2.5 percent reported having a disability, compared to expected availably for those groups of 6.4 percent and 7 percent, respectively. The expected availability figure is based on the percentage of people in the search area who have the basic education qualifications for any given position. About two-thirds of university positions hire based on a national search, while the remaining jobs rely on the local labor pool. “In most cases our racial/ethnic minorities for those specific groups are overrepresented compared to our local population,” Cory Causby, WCU’s Associate Vice Chancellor for Human Resources and Payroll, told the Board of Trustees’ Academic Affairs and Personnel Committee Dec. 3. “Really the underrepresentation comes in when we start looking at statewide or national data, where the overall representation is very different from our local area.” For positions that involve a national search — this includes all faculty positions and any professional-level staff positions — national data is used to determine expected availability. Regional data is used for grounds, custodial and other types of positions that tend to rely on the local workforce. As of Sept. 30, 3.3 percent of WCU employees were Black, 1.9 percent were Hispanic, 2.6 percent were Asian, 0.7 percent were Native American and 2.1 percent identified as two or more races. By comparison, according to U.S. Census data from July 2019, 13.4 percent of the national population was Black, 18.5 percent was Hispanic, 5.9 percent was Asian, 1.3 percent was Native American and 2.8 percent identified as two or more races. In Jackson County, meanwhile, census data shows that 2.4 percent of residents are Black, 6.2 percent are
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WCU works to increase workforce diversity
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Opinion
Smoky Mountain News
A promise to keep on keepin’ on
After Trump, table is set for dictator To the Editor: “Incitement of discontent or rebellion against a government, or any action (especially in speech or writing) promoting such discontent or rebellion.” That is Webster’s least complicated definition of sedition and what, in my modest opinion, the President of the United States, 18 states attorney generals, at least 126 congressmen and women, and a multitude of enablers who eagerly signed on to Trump’s ill-advised, short-sighted, half-baked and very, very dangerous endeavor to overturn a free and fair election, are guilty of. Armed only with consistently debunked conspiracy theories, unsubstantiated and frivolous allegations of widespread voter fraud and the shock of having to accept the short end of the voters’ choice, these men and women enthusiastically sold out their country and intentionally violated their oaths of office in exchange for power and personal gain. This cannot be allowed to stand unchallenged. These men and women must be charged and held accountable for their misguided adventures that have damaged our country immeasurably and left many Americans permanently distrustful of the essential institutions that have held our nation together and reinforced our democratic form of government for over 200 years. Zeynep Tufekci stated recently in TheAtlantic.com that Trump’s attempted
Supreme Court and others that were heard by GOP judges appointed by the Republican president and approved by the Republican-controlled U.S. Senate. After a few emails back and forth, my tone became more terse than usual. I told her that one can have any opinion one wants, but facts are vastly different than opinions. Our conversation ended with her calling me “rude” and declaring our email exchange over. Again, this interchange never strayed from civil, which in itself is unusual — though much appreciated — in political discussions. Editor So I was prompted to write this column. Yes, there are many who will write me off as a liberal and say that my opinion is totally without merit merely for stating the fact that there is no credible evidence of election tampering of a magnitude that would change the outcome of the presidential election, not a shred. For those who would dispute my claim, here’s a follow-up question: do I also get criticized for saying that my confidence in the integrity of the election means that I also believe without question that Madison Cawthorn is my congressman, that Kevin Corbin, Mark Pless, Mike Clampitt and Karl Gillespie, Republicans all, are the valid state senator and representatives
Scott McLeod
How does one best express gratitude? That thought kept coming up as I sat down to write a column for this week’s paper. After the rush of a holiday season that was so different, I found myself in our quiet mountain house on an unseasonably warm and sunny day pondering the year to come with more than a little excitement. This is going to be another memorable year, and I can’t wait to push forward. But how do I thank those who helped get me to this state of mind, this knowledge that we — this newspaper and this company — can perhaps foster conversations and dialogue that could help our part of the world in 2021? An email exchange on Monday with a reader was just the catalyst I needed. She offered, in a very civil manner, to correspond with the writer of a letter to the editor and provide evidence contrary to the position he had taken. In this case, the letter writer had said Donald Trump’s efforts to overturn the election were dangerous to our democracy. The woman who sent me the Monday email disagreed with that conclusion, and in fact emailed a link to a laundry list of reports and stories from media sources that were claiming the election was indeed fraught with widespread voter fraud, that Trump had actually won. She held strong to this belief on Monday, Jan. 4 — two months from Election Day — despite the fact that around 60 lawsuits making such claims have been thrown out, including one that came before the
LETTERS coup may have seemed “buffoonish” but he’s “writing the playbook for stealing elections.” It seems to me we cannot just simply dismiss (like it was an aberration) the reality that Trump has wide support in a political party desperately obsessed with retaining power no matter the cost, however grave the loss, even if that sacrifice is democracy itself. Trump’s presidency has revealed chinks in the armor of our Constitution, severe vulnerabilities in our system of checks and balances and critical, deep-rooted flaws in our approach to law and order. Most importantly, this president has inadvertently (and most certainly unwittingly) uncovered a harsh truth about the United States of America. Our institutions (at least in their present form) cannot stand up to such an onslaught that unprincipled and disreputable men like Trump can create. We may have escaped a disaster — this time. This time we elected a totally incompetent, mentally unstable con man unencumbered by rational sensibilities. However, a smarter, more capable authoritarian of sound mind (one less unhinged) and supported by a more dedicated and determined political party hell-bent on destroying democracy — a closer election coupled with the same apathetic and divided electorate — and we’ll have the elements comprising the perfect storm forming a fully realized dictatorship. Next time we will not be so lucky. David L. Snell Franklin
for those of us in this area of Western North Carolina? They won, fair and square. Those who view the entire world through the lens of politics seldom see clearly, no matter the issue or which side you’re on. A few minutes on Facebook will prove that. As a media source, it is our duty to provide readers with fact-based reporting on the news pages and opinions — like this one — on our editorial pages, and to invite those who disagree with me or our other writers to also send us their letters and columns. We’ll publish them as long as they aren’t libelous or in poor taste (profanity-riddled diatribes or personal attacks on private citizens or businesses). But this column is really about gratitude. I want to thank those who disagree with us — like the reader with whom I had the email exchange — and those who see value in what we do. As 2020 came to a close, it means a lot that so many readers and advertisers are still with us. I’m so appreciative that so many have made financial contributions to The Smoky Mountain News this past year. We couldn’t do what we do without your support. How do we say thanks? We keep doing what we’ve been doing — working hard to provide a credible forum for a discussion of the important issues facing this region — while at the same time promising to always look for ways to do our jobs better. Onward. (Scott McLeod can be reached at info@smokymountainnews.com.)
Cawthorn’s judgement should worry us To the Editor: I am worried. Our newly elected congressman Madison Cawthorn contests what he has tweeted about as the right to a free and fair election. As he stated: “the right to vote is the cornerstone of our Republic.” The behavior of the president is wrong and breaks election law and our newly elected, uninformed and immature congressman insists his behavior needs to be supported. What will he do when he is making decisions as a lawmaker? Will he take his oath of office to “support and defend the Constitution” seriously or see it as a means to profit his personal agenda? We have heard it over and over, the President disrespects the rights of U.S. citizens. The “Contestor-in-Chief ” seems unstable and wants to change the past to suit his damaged ego. America has spoken. I admit I am not happy with Madison Cawthorn’s victory. Can I contest it please? Mary K Buranosky RN, CDR USNR-ret Whittier
Folkmoot’s future is in good hands To the Editor: Arts organizations have had an extraordinarily challenging time during the pandemic, and it’s been no different for Folkmoot.
As the Folkmoot’s Executive Director from 2015 until last August, I want to express my gratitude to the community and our staff as we collectively transformed North Carolina’s International Folk Festival from a single, annual summer festival into a year-round arts and cultural organization. The Folkmoot family has had regrettably few chances to work together since early in 2020, so I write this letter in part to retrospectively thank staff, volunteers and donors for all of their efforts. Over the last several years, Folkmoot built new arts and cultural programs, rehabilitated the Hazelwood School, developed building rentals in that space, launched Camp Folkmoot, Mootenanny, Folkmalt, and the Cherokee World Games and reinvigorated the core summer international festival with participatory programs. It was a tall order, but with a small, but devoted and mighty staff, volunteers, and lots of loyal donors, we accomplished so much for the community! I have no doubt that if it weren’t for the pandemic, Folkmoot’s growth would have continued at a great pace. Thank you. I’m also grateful for the staffers and volunteers who have helped along the way, always accepting big tasks and grand ideas, with the intent of making our community culturally vibrant and a more accepting place for all people. If you know any former Folkmoot workers, you can rest assured that they are organized, creative and resourceful. Many of them have gone on to other things during the pandemic and I know that whatever they do, they will make their new affiliations stronger because of what
Feeedom ins’t free
Heather Hyatt Packer
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fessional experience in cultural programs and festivals and will bring a new energy and excitement to the work. If you’d like to reach out to him, please send him an email: glenn@folkmoot.org. Glenn will appreciate hearing from you. Happy New Year and stay healthy! Angeline Schwab Waynesville
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they learned and achieved at Folkmoot. Thanks again to the community for your support and for sharing with me how important Folkmoot has been to you. My experience as executive director has transformed my life and the life of my family as well. Now, please join me in welcoming Folkmoot’s new Executive Director, Glenn Fields, to the helm. He has considerable pro-
someone other than themselves first. In times of crisis, many tend to increase selfcentered acts such as hoarding toilet paper. We’ve witnessed it time and time again since last March. As the proverb reminds us, pride comes before the fall. Whether it’s right or wrong, I’m leaning towards the latter, that Americans view themselves as masters of their own fate which is deeply rooted in “manifest destiny.” On video, I can hear a woman in the audience of a Waynesville town meeting screaming, “God doesn’t want me to wear a mask.” I guess she received a memo that missed the rest of us. The nature of America’s founding was a negative act of bond breaking. It reflects our character as a people and forms the way we associate freedom with defiance. What we see as sacrificing sovereignty, other nations see as strengthening or unifying. A certain group of Americans loathe anyone they see as entitled, spoiled or selfish yet have zero self-recognition that their behavior is often just that. A request to do anything becomes a point of attack. There’s no room for compromise with people who are so wrapped up in themselves that they exercise zero concern for family, friends, neighbors, co-workers or strangers because it impedes on their fantastical definition of being “American.” Freedom comes with responsibility. A symptom of low emotional intelligence is being self-absorbed. Practicing care and concern for others is not an act of weakness. It is noble. This indulgent, defiant behavior is serving no purpose. There’s a difference between “obedience” and “defiance.” No one is asking you to submit to an unreasonable list of demands. It is natural to some extent to put yourself first, but at some point self-care becomes a nasty selfishness. There is nothing in the Constitution that mentions you are to have every single thing you ever want. To even think that way is completely unrealistic. In the words of The Rolling Stones, “you can’t always get what you want,” again, a lesson many toddlers are taught. A truly troubling feeling is to know our health and wellbeing hinge on a group of capricious conspiracy theorists who buy into illusory truths. It is only through mutual concessions that America will defeat coronavirus. Compromise is not only necessary, but it is our means of survival. If not, our population will be decimated. This is a test of character. A test that, by and large, we’re failing.
January 6-12, 2021
here’s a lot of discussion about freedom, rights and patriotism when discussing coronavirus restrictions. Americans today have no idea what it means to make sacrifices for the greater good nor they do seem interested. We’re in the throes of a national crisis. Coronavirus is very real. Many in our community have lost their lives or face long-term health problems. Yet a large number of residents are still in denial, though I’m not sure it’s denial. It’s defiance. Eighty years ago our grandparents and great-grandparents were asked to make sacrifices. During World War II, Americans were asked to limit consumption of everything from gasoline Guest Columnist to sugar to toothpaste. Citizens were given ration books and waited in long lines to get a weekly allotted half pound of sugar. Encouraged to eat leftovers due to food shortages, they were told to “lick their plates clean.” They were asked to take fewer showers. Dress warmly so they were not burning too much heating fuel in the winter. People were thrown off trains and planes to make room for servicemembers — and guess what? No one complained. Instead, ingenuity thrived. People rallied together for something bigger than themselves. And now we romanticize that era, calling those folks the “golden generation,”,when America was at her best! And now we’re people being asked to wear a mask, wash their hands, recognize a reasonable social distance and stop eating out in restaurants. Stay home. Don’t gather in large crowds. Yet residents of our own county are showing up unmasked at government meetings essentially throwing temper tantrums like toddlers. Is this patriotic? No. Frankly, it’s an embarrassment. Real “patriots” have values like honor, integrity and commitment. Always. Patriotism isn’t slapping a sticker on your car, being antagonistic and in the end acting like a petulant child. Every time I walk into a grocery store, I spot a significant number of unmasked people who make challenging eye contact as if they’re daring someone to confront them. They have no sense of sacrifice, donation or altruism. They lack the willingness to put
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Craving a pie? Located inside Mad Anthony’s Taproom in Waynesville, Dough Boys Pizza & Wings offers an array of specialty and made-to-order artisanal New York style pies. The ‘Black Balsam’ pie (above) is filled with cupped pepperoni, red onion, jalapenos, goat cheese, balsamic reduction drizzle and topped with fresh Parmesan. (photos: Garret K. Woodward)
Proof is in the pie Dough Boys artisanal pizza opens in Waynesville
BY GARRET K. WOODWARD STAFF WRITER rabbing a seat inside Mad Anthony’s Taproom in downtown Waynesville one recent evening, Benji Boessel and Alex Tinsley can’t help but gaze around at the other tables. “When you put yourself out there, you’re putting your reputation on the line every day,” Tinsley said. “We’re having so much fun doing this. To look around and see the people enjoying what we’re doing is such a high for us — we’re fueled by that.” Passionate members and contributors to the business and social circles of Haywood County, Boessel is the president of White Fox Studios in Frog Level, while Tinsley is the coowner of Clean Sweep: The Fireplace Shop in West Waynesville. Tinsley was also the execu-
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tive chef at the former Gateway Club, and at Balsam Mountain Preserve. What the duo has been up to in recent months is Dough Boys Pizza & Wings. Situated in the former kitchen of Mad Anthony’s, this brand new artisanal pizza spot is meant to not only complement the popular taproom, but also bring forth a different approach to handmade pizza in our backyard. “Benji and I are best friends, and we have this great group of friends, where we all travel together, see new places. And we’d always scout out the great pizza joints wherever we went,” Tinsley said. “Then, we’d come back home and couldn’t really find that New York style of artisan pizza we love around here. So, we started making our own at home and when we’d all hangout.” During the quarantine and shelter-in-place last spring, the group of friends huddled together and stayed in their small social bubble. While doing so, they had to find ways to pass the time together, so they kept experimenting with pizza formulas: different doughs, ingredients and cooking approaches. “We messed around with the dough for a long time,” Tinsley said. “There’s something about people falling in love with baking bread and the work that goes into making something with your hands — this intricate process of stretching the dough and making sure everything is just right.”
Dough Boys Pizza & Wings is located at 180 Legion Drive in Waynesville (inside Mad Anthony’s). Operating hours are 4 to 9 p.m. Tuesday through Saturday and noon to 8 p.m. Sunday. To make an order, call 828.246.9249, email straightpie@gmail.com or visit www.doughboyspizza.us.
Initially, there was talk of simply running a brick oven and pizza pickup window out of the White Fox Studios. But, when the kitchen became available at Mad Anthony’s, Dough Boys jumped on the opportunity to lease the space — a partnership that felt seamless, perhaps almost serendipitous. “It’s a beautiful relationship — we handle the back of the house, they handle the front,” Boessel said. “Businesses have to change and evolve to survive in these times, and this is a way to do just that.” Purchasing a full-size industrial pizza oven,
Dough Boys had to carefully hoist and pivot the massive piece of equipment on a pallet jack from Clean Sweep (normally used to move heavy woodstoves). Once in place last fall, they began to invite friends and family over to try out test runs of artisanal pizzas currently on the menu. “It’s wild to see your friends come in for pizza five days a week, but what’s really amazing is seeing those new customers coming in three to four times a week,” Boessel said. “In good times and in bad times, you still have to eat, and pizza is one of those unique dishes that is communal — it brings people together.”
Mad Anthony’s returns On Tuesday, Dec. 15, the same day Dough Boys Pizza & Wings had its grand opening inside Mad Anthony’s Taproom, the beloved Waynesville craft beer bar reemerged after months of being closed due to the pandemic. “We didn’t want to reopen until we felt safe enough for our staff, our families and our customers in this time of Covid-19,” said Mad Anthony’s co-owner David Young. “We hunkered down when we didn’t know week-to-week what the restaurant restrictions would be with the shutdown.” Normally, Mad Anthony’s would have its 50 taps of local, regional and national ales ready to pour. But, the reopening will consist of 25 to 30 rotating taps (15 online as of press time), with the other half of the bar counter being dedicated to craft cocktails in the spring. “Though we’re a long way from ‘normalcy,’ it is symbolic for us to have the taps running again, to see people come in and enjoy themselves,” Young noted. “And as long as people keep following the mask rules and behaving — and I feel safe enough to leave work and go home to my wife — we’ll keep doing this.” www.madanthonys.bar.
Lava Lake in Big Sky, Montana. (photo: Garret K.
This must be the place One hundred years from this day, will the people still feel this way t was somewhere around the the second mile of my New Year’s Eve jog that I realized that day marked exactly five years since I began my running streak. Known as “The Streak,” it began on Dec. 31, 2015. That was 1,828 days ago. Yep. Crazy, right? It all started in the Greenpoint neighborhood of Brooklyn, New York. I was
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up there to spend New Year’s Eve with some of my best friends from college (and of all time and space). As a lifelong runner, I would normally run a couple days in a row then mix it up with some mountain biking or hiking. But, while in New York City, I only really had running to do for exercise. So, I ended up running several days in a row. I hadn’t done that since I ran D-1 track and field at Quinnipiac University (Connecticut). I felt great running every single day, to which I mentioned to my father (also a lifelong runner) that I had run a week straight.
January 6-12, 2021
BY GARRET K. WOODWARD
Park between Hays and Salina, Kansas. In search of a place to run after driving hundreds of miles on Interstate 70, a blazing sunset and a single soul moving along the vast lake and surrounding grasslands. The Katy Trail in Missouri, Virginia Creeper Trail and countless routes along the Appalachian Trail (Pennsylvania, Tennessee, North Carolina, etc). And those wild and wondrous trots through the festival grounds of Bonnaroo, FloydFest, MerleFest, DelFest, and dozens of others. North Country runs where my beard froze in temperatures hovering around -15 below zero. Splashing through puddles during the pouring rain of a spring afternoon in Haywood County. Sweltering hot jogs in the scorching Tampa sun, not to mention those Mexico jaunts with a severe tequila hangover. My furthest point, physically and emotionally, in 2020, was the Cascade Creek trail to Lava Lake. Big Sky, Montana. A moment that will reside deeply forever. It was just a few months ago when I found myself sitting on a rock overlooking this serene body of water (pictured), the Spanish Peaks surrounding the lake upwards of 10,000 feet. When I reached the lake, I just stood there in awe and in silence. I thought a lot about those beloved faces long gone from this planet and now part of the ether. I thought of the life I once knew when I lived out there in 2008. I thought of the life I currently inhabit some 2,000 miles away in Western North Carolina. I thought of the ancient waters, dirt and rock before my eyes. And I thought about how incredibly beautiful nothing and everything is, all at once. Back down to the trailhead, I trotted along and returned to my ole rusty, musty truck. Taking off my running shoes, I walked across the dusty parking lot and put my feet in the nearby river. Cracking open a cold one, I saluted the world around me with a sincere sense of gratitude. All of those thoughts and questions pondered amid thousands of miles jogged by foot, by the sheer will to keep going come hell or high water, to never give up and chase after the unknown horizon. The innumerable memories created, solidified and cherished within the walls of my sentimental and joyous memory. Onward. Life is beautiful, grasp for it, y’all.
arts & entertainment
Woodward)
He goes, “That ain’t nothing. I’ve done over 300 days in a row.” I go, “Oh yeah? I think I could beat that.” In his competitive tone he replied, “You’ll never break that streak, boy.” Game on. I only had one rule: you have to run at least one mile a day to count as a legitimate run. Five years in, I’m averaging about three or more miles each day. I vividly remember those first 100 days in a row, onward to the first full year, which broke my dad’s streak record. Once I silenced the old man, I didn’t want to stop. I liked running every day. It was something to look forward to, that one chunk of time where I would be alone, away from my smart phone, writing assignments and other distractions — this true Zen zone of sorts. Nowadays, it’s become such a huge part of the core of my life, this thing that truly fuels my heart and soul, physically and emotionally. On New Year’s Eve, as I closed up the fifth year of “The Streak,” I did a fourmile route around Waynesville, just coasting along at an ideal rhythm, lost in thought, with the only sounds being my breathing and shoes shuffling along the road. There were those runs on backroads and big cities from Maine to California, Montana to Florida. Mountaintops and trail runs in the Rockies, Adirondacks and Great Smokies. Down through Bourbon Street in New Orleans and over the Brooklyn Bridge during the midday rush. Beach jogging along the Gulf Coast in Texas, Tybee Island, Georgia, and St. Augustine, Florida. The white sands and blue waters of Cancun, Mexico. Oceanside in San Diego and Damariscotta, Maine. Downtown Denver, Baltimore, Albany, Boston, Atlanta and Lexington. Battlefields and riversides. Early mornings and late evenings. Snowstorms and heavy rainfall. Headwinds and icy sidewalks. Days when I could barely muster the energy to lace up my shoes. Days when I couldn’t wait to get out the door. The desolate red clay country roads of Southwest Georgia, the winding Palmetto Trail in Upstate South Carolina, and that icy cold morning in the high desert of Wyoming just as the fog lifted and the day began. And there was that serendipitous moment of stumbling upon Wilson State
Smoky Mountain News 19
On the street arts & entertainment
Celebrate Scottish poet Robert Burns
A work by Dominick DePaolo.
Smoky Mountain News
January 6-12, 2021
Haywood art studio tour The Haywood County Arts Council invites all Haywood County studio artists to participate in the annual Haywood County Studio Tour scheduled for June 26-27, 2021. The Haywood County Studio Tour is a two-day, self-guided, free event in which Haywood County artists open their studios to the public. To participate, the studio must be in Haywood County. Artists may choose to open their Haywood County studio or to join with another studio host. The HCAC will act as a
liaison between artists needing a host site and studios that have space for additional artists. The artist/studio application and policies for participation may be found on the Haywood County Arts Council website or picked up from HCAC Gallery & Gifts at 86 North Main Street in Waynesville. Email completed forms to artist@haywoodarts.org or mail to P.O. Box 306, Waynesville, NC 28786. The deadline for the completed studio tour application is Friday, Feb. 5, 2021. The Haywood County Studio Tour Exhibit Opening Reception is on Friday, June 4, 2021, if feasible. The HCAC will follow the NC Governor’s mandates regarding COVID. www.haywoodarts.org.
• Balsam Falls Brewing (Sylva) will host an open mic from 8 to 10 p.m. every Thursday. Free and open to the public. www.balsamfallsbrewing.com.
Waymores Jan. 22. All shows begin at 7 p.m. unless otherwise noted. For more information and a complete schedule of events, click on www.lazyhikerbrewing.com.
• Elevated Mountain Distilling Company will host semi-regular live music on the weekends. Free and open to the public. www.elevatedmountain.com.
• Nantahala Brewing (Sylva) will host semiregular live music on the weekends. Free and open to the public. www.nantahalabrewing.com.
• Frog Level Brewing (Waynesville) will host semi-regular live music on the weekends. Free and open to the public. www.froglevelbrewing.com.
• The “New Year’s Market” will be held from 9 a.m. to 3 p.m. Jan. 9 at the Canton Armory at 71 Penland Street. Over 30 vendors and food available onsite. Handmade crafts, wall art, native crafts, home decor, woodworking items, chakra healing, and much more.
• Lazy Hiker Brewing (Franklin) will host Dirty Dave Patterson Jan. 9 and David Flowers Jan. 16. All shows begin at 7 p.m. unless otherwise noted. For more information and a complete schedule of events, click on www.lazyhikerbrewing.com. 20 • Lazy Hiker Brewing (Sylva) will host The
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• There will be a free wine tasting from 6 to 8 p.m. every Thursday and 2 to 5 p.m every Saturday at The Wine Bar & Cellar in Sylva. 828.631.3075.
Scots all over the world celebrate the birth of Robert Burns, national poet of Scotland, on or near his birthday on Jan. 25. This year the Taste of Scotland Society of Franklin invites visitors and townspeople to celebrate the life, poetry, and songs of the Ploughman poet on Saturday, Jan. 16, at First United Methodist Church in Clayton, Georgia. Burns was largely noted for saving old melodies by adding new words to wellknown tunes. Burns was beloved by many common folk for writing poetry in Old Scots language that everyday people used. In 1786, he published his first volume of poetry, Poems Chiefly in the Scottish Dialect. His poetry proved to be an immediate success, and he became very popular. Some of his famous poems included “Auld Lang Syne,” “To A Mouse,” “A Man’s A Man For That,” “Tam o’Shanter” and “Ode to a Haggis.” Doors open at 5 p.m. with dinner at 6 p.m. Tickets are $35 for adults and children 12 and under cost $15. The guest speaker is slated to be George McClellan, the director of the Burns Club of Atlanta, Georgia, and the director of the
Robert Burns. Robert Burns Association of North America. The Jacobites By Name will once again be the musical entertainment. For more information, email Merrilee Bordeaux at merrilee.bordeaux64@hotmail.com.
‘It’s a Small, Small Work’ exhibit The Haywood County Arts Council annual show, “It’s a Small, Small Work,” will be showcased through Jan. 9 at the HCAC Gallery & Gifts in Waynesville. The 2020 exhibit will feature 47 artists and almost 300 individual works of art for sale. The show provides a unique opportunity for budding artists to exhibit their work, as well as the opportunity for more seasoned artists to test their boundaries. All pieces submitted are exactly 12” or smaller in every dimension, including base, matting, and frame. All artwork is for sale, priced at $300 or less, and must have been created in the last two years. Commission will be the gallery’s usual 60 percent (artist) to 40 percent (HCAC) split. The Haywood County Arts Council’s small work show was launched in 2008 to demonstrate that original artwork is affordable and fun. Most businesses, homes and apartments can accommodate smaller works of art — and the show promotes buying local and regional work to help support artists in Western North Carolina. For more information, www.haywoodarts.org or 828.452.0593.
On the shelf
Jeff Minick
elementary and secondary school he developed that talent, and it stood him in good stead whether writing reports or submitting a business plan to a bank: “And when I began to work in aerospace, being an engineer who could write a reasoned and logical
••• So I made this New Year’s Resolution to read some older books this year, and I’m still making my way through Ivanhoe, but four days ago I set Sir Walter Scott’s classic novel aside to reread Thornton Wilder’s “Our Town,” which I taught several times to students. Though it doesn’t classify as an old book by my standards — the play was first performed in 1938 — I needed to review the script for another article I was writing. Though some readers may find “Our Town” dated or its values old-fashioned, it speaks loudly to us in our time of pandemic and political animosity. The play reminds us of the importance of family and neighbors, of common sense, and of what it means even today to be an American. If you’ve never read this play or seen it performed, I highly recommend it to you. And at the end of the last act, one of the main characters, Emily Webb, also reminds us to pause now and again, and look for the beauty beyond our stressful lives, the mystery of what it means to be a human being on this globe swirling through space. Next book for review (I hope): Michael Walsh’s Last Stands: Why Men Fight When All Is Lost. (Jeff Minick reviews books and has written four of his own: two novels, Amanda Bell and Dust On Their Wings, and two works of nonfiction, Learning As I Go and Movies Make the Man. minick0301@gmail.com)
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report got me early career notice.” His mention of this skill at different times in the book struck me forcefully, because I have long advocated that in our “age of communication” we need to teach our young people to write better. Lantz’s story is also quintessentially American. Here’s a guy who wasn’t afraid of hard work — in engineering school he held two jobs and fell asleep during one of his exams — and who after studying possibilities dared to take risks. Small business entrepreneurs of all backgrounds could learn some lessons from his description of the early days of the Blue Hole Canoe Company: the importance of a company logos, the value of personal contacts, marketing tactics, writing a monthly newsletter, dealing with bankers, and even the design of T-shirts. Most importantly, perhaps, Lantz illustrates the vital role of passion in undertaking any business enterprise, a belief in one’s self and in the product. He also writes honestly of his failures, both in his personal life and in his business. In “Hitting Rock Bottom,” where he describes running another car off the road while illegally trying to pass a truck carrying
chickens, he uses that incident as a sort of metaphor for his failing company. His descriptions of negotiations at this time, where he describes himself as “Naïve Bob,” might also offer some lessons to small business owners. In addition to his various skills, Lantz also brings humor to these pages, poking fun at himself more than others, and making the reader smile when he describes overturning a canoe or trying to convince his paddling instructor Dottie Adams that he is at the intermediate level rather than a beginner. On the back cover of his book, Lantz explains, “Calling out ‘Lean Downstream!’ is the same as saying ‘Survive!’” The Blue Hole Canoe Company didn’t survive, but Bob Lantz did. In fact, having read his book, I’d say he did a whole lot more. He triumphed.
Library letter exchange program The Jackson County Public Library in Sylva is starting The Library Letters Exchange. For those interested in exchanging letters with a pen-pal from the Poughkeepsie Public Library in Poughkeepsie, New York, sign-ups will run through Jan. 16. This program will rekindle (or just kindle) a love for the handwritten letter and “snail” mail. The Library Letters Exchange is free and all participants will receive a welcome kit full of cool stationery and accessories to get started. Register today to find new connections with fellow book lovers. To register, call the library at 828.586.2016 to register. The Jackson County Public Library is a member of Fontana Regional Library (www.fontanalib.org).
January 6-12, 2021
ne fond childhood memory involves a yellow fiberglass canoe and the Yadkin River. My dad, one of my younger brothers, and I took to those waters several times, and when I was a teenager, my brother, a friend, and I made several overnight trips without adult supervision, camping on islands, cooking over an open fire, and pushing off again the next day. When I was in my thirties, a friend gave me his battered, old aluminum canoe, which he had dubbed “The Gray Goose,” and my wife, my children, and I took that out several times on the rivers and lakes of Western North Writer Carolina. Later, I sold that canoe for a song when I moved from Waynesville to Asheville, a sale I’ve since regretted. Though now long canoe-less, I have thought about renting one of these craft and once more paddling down some river. Like several other such adventures, I keep putting this one off, but as the years pile up so too does the pressure to hit the water once last time. In Lean Downstream!!! The Whole History From Beginning to End of the Blue Hole Canoe Company (Paddlers Press, 2020, 231 pages), Bob Lantz fired up the memories of my time spent with a paddle in my hand. In this book, he tells readers of his own adventures on the water, why and how he transitioned from aerospace engineer to founder of a canoe construction company, and his later work for Disney in Orlando and as a teacher in a community college in Tennessee. Though I skimmed or skipped large portions of the middle of this book, which focuses on topics like canoe design and building materials, real river rats might revel in Lantz’s descriptions and the challenges he faced from the blueprints to the final product. What most interested me instead were his accounts of his personal life, his struggles to make a go of his various enterprises, and his views on education. An example: Near the beginning of Lean Downstream!!! Lantz tells us that when he left for college in Georgia, he could write clear, solid prose. Though he describes this ability as a talent, somewhere through his
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Life, dreams, canoes and rivers O
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In lieu of in-person programming, Outreach Education Specialist Patrick Brannon has been busy creating virtual science experiences for students and teachers. WCU photo
Virtual nature Highlands Biological gets creative with outreach amid pandemic BY G EOFF CANTRELL CONTRIBUTING WRITER n a typical school year, Highlands Biological Station serves nearly 10,000 students through more than 250 programs for 50-plus schools across the mountain region. This was not a typical school year. With “stay home, stay safe” orders in place and even the great outdoors temporarily shut down during the early stages of the COVID-19 pandemic, Western Carolina University’s 23acre research and learning facility in Highlands had to find new ways to meet the community’s conservation and educational needs. Now in its 93rd year, the Highlands Biological Station includes the Highlands Nature Center; the William Chambers Coker Laboratory and other teaching labs, classrooms and dormitories; and the Highlands Botanical Garden, which features a network of publicly accessible trails and boardwalks. “These are trying times. Canceling programs
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and closing doors is a bitter disappointment, but not unexpected given the uncertainties we’ve all faced,” said Jim Costa, the station’s executive director and professor of evolutionary biology at WCU. “But one lesson from this unprecedented situation is just how adaptable and creative humans are, and how we rise to the occasion.” Proof of that creativity lies in the many ways staff found to fill the void created by the suspension of workshops, classes and field trips. In the spring, outreach education specialist Patrick Brannon received requests for programs on topics similar to those typically addressed by the station, such as wildflowers, frogs, birds and emerging insects. “During this time, many teachers are struggling to provide activities for their stu-
Executive Director Jim Costa and his team have worked to adapt their outreach strategies in the face of the pandemic. WCU photo Education Specialist Paige Engelbrektsson (right) has been busy creating virtual garden tours and learning activities for families to do at home. WCU photo
Learn more For more information about virtual program offerings at the Highlands Biological Station, including correlations to state curriculum, visit www.highlandsbiological.org/nature-center/outreach. To schedule a program, contact 828.526.4123 or pbrannon@email.wcu.edu.
dents at home,” Brannon said. “Since I cannot visit them in person, I am, like many others, trying to continue to ‘visit’ their classrooms via the internet.” Brannon created weekly installments of his newly envisioned “Science Short Shows,” sending them to teachers and also making them available to the public at large on YouTube. Brannon also produced at-home video versions of some of his programs for elementary and middle school students, beginning with segments on frogs and snakes.
He published these on YouTube as well. Brannon and staff have had requests from as far away as Raleigh and are continuing to provide virtual programs through 2021. Paige Engelbrektsson, nature center education specialist for the Highlands Biological Foundation — the station’s nonprofit organization — has been sharing virtual tours of what is currently blooming in the botanical garden and on the grounds. “No matter what else is happening in our world at the moment, seasonal changes and beauty still occur in our mountains that are worth sharing,” Engelbrektsson said. “Being able to lead nature tours and allow visitors to experience that through technology is a wonderful opportunity that can be accessed by anyone, anywhere, and it’s important we do what we can to help students stay in touch with the outdoors and encourage at-home learning.” Along with Winter Gary, communications and events coordinator for the foundation, Engelbrektsson posted ideas for daily fun and learning activities for children on the station’s Facebook page as part of a “Nearby Nature” series. “Teachers have been extremely appreciative of these resources, which maintain a sense of normality in their lesson planning. These lessons are even more relevant when our students are outside exploring their backyards,” said Jennifer Love, the STEM (science, technology, engineering and math) coordinator for Macon County Schools. “Nothing can replace the experience of walking through the garden, seeing the animals at the nature center or having a guest scientist visit your classroom. But the schools certainly appreciate everyone who is going above and beyond to make this experience as normal and meaningful as possible.” The virtual lessons model hands-on activities and nature observation, with a focus on topics that not only tie into the North Carolina Standard Course of Study but are accessible to almost anyone when they walk out their door, Love said. The station also was able to host researchers during the summer, including undergraduate students and recent graduates who were scrambling to find internship opportunities after their summer plans were canceled due to the pandemic. Four volunteer research interns from four different universities worked on projects including bird banding, sorting aquatic insects under a dissecting scope and measuring trees as a part of a vegetation survey. In all, the students volunteered more than 580 hours during the summer and fall. “I’m proud of the Highlands Biological Station staff — I know all this can be demoralizing, but I’m so appreciative of their resilience and determination to keep our momentum going,” said Costa. “I know it’s making a difference to the station, WCU and the broader community.” (Geoff Cantrell is a staff writer in Western Carolina University’s communications office.)
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BY JONATHAN AUSTIN their eggs from mold and moisture. They CONTRIBUTING WRITER make a little cell, fill it with pollen for their recently documented bee species has larvae to eat, then lay an egg and seal the been identified living in the Great cell up with cellophane. Smoky Mountains National Park. “Now, cellophane-cuckoo bees cheat the Will Kuhn, director of science and system, like a cuckoo bird. They sneak into research at Discover Life in America, said the bee, Epeolus inornatus, was found during two observations off Baskins Creek Trail, located just outside Gatlinburg. “We collected this back in 2019. A pair of observations logged in We had a 2019 marked the first time this newly study going, recognized species, the cellophane-cuckoo sampling for bee, had been observed in the Great Smoky insects at a Mountains National Park. Donated photo couple of different places in the park after the 2016 Chimney Tops 2 Fire,” Kuhn the nests, cut a little hole in a cell’s cellosaid. phane wrapper, lay their own egg, reseal Researchers were looking to see “if the and leave, all without collecting any food fire was having long-term effects on the biofor their larvae. The cellophane-cuckoo bee diversity, looking for turnover in the plant egg hatches first and eats its host’s egg and life, which would result in turnover in all the delicious pollen the cellophane bee insects,” he said. left for its larvae.” “The Baskins Creek area was pretty The bee was identified by Thomas M. much burned to the ground,” he said. Onuferko, of the Department of Biology at Discover Life in America is a nonprofit York University in Toronto. It was one of 15 whose main project, the All Taxa newly recognized bees of its genus Biodiversity Inventory, is dedicated to catadescribed in a scientific paper published in loguing every single species within the May 2018. Great Smoky Mountains National Park’s Kuhn said the cellophane-cuckoo bee is 816-square-mile boundary. known to pollinate only two plants. One is a The newly described bee species, given relative of the blueberry called the farklethe common name “cellophane-cuckoo berry, and the other one is the turkey oak, bee,” was observed in the park on June 28, which is a type of red oak. 2019. Kuhn posted images of the bee to So far, the ATBI has identified 1,028 iNaturalist, an app and website that shares species in the park that have never before data with experts around the globe. been seen on earth. However, the cello“The world expert on this genus, who phane-cuckoo bee belongs to the larger had actually recently named this particular group of 10,411 species the inventory has bee species, identified it for us,” Kuhn said. identified that may have been seen other “We noticed we didn’t have it on our list of places before but had not been previously park species. It’s probably been here before, documented in the park. The bee in queswe probably just hadn’t detected it,” he tion is found across the Southeastern said. United States from Texas to New England. The new bee is called the cellophaneIn all, the ATBI has logged 21,080 unique cuckoo bee because it is a kleptoparasite — species in the park. a creature that habitually robs food from That number is likely to grow. Kuhn animals of other species — of the cellosaid his group “already has several other phane bee. species that we need to confirm, that seem “Cellophane bees are solitary bees, not to be other new species records for the social, like honey or bumble bees,” said park. We have a backlog of, particularly, Kuhn. “Lady cellophane bees dig little nests insect material, waiting for their secrets to in the ground for their larvae. They paint be revealed.” the walls of each little cell with this glue-like (Jonathan Austin is the editor of Smoky stuff that dries like cellophane to protect Mountain Living Magazine.)
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New bee species found in the Great Smokies
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Learn the basics of home butchery Get a crash course on butchery during a class offered online 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. Tuesday, Jan. 19. Ross Flynn of Left Bank Butchery and N.C. Choices’ Lee Menius will walk participants through a live demonstration. The twohour training is geared toward home consumers and novice meat cutters with little to no meat cutting experience interested in breaking down a carcass in their home kitchen. The class will include proper safety and handling, home set-up and tools, and a stepby-step breakdown of a pig carcass into its most basic cuts for consumers to safely store and eat. The basics of grinding and sausage making, cutting tips for what to do when you’ve lost your way, and practical storing and wrapping will also be covered. Nomenclature will be compared across species, so this demonstration is not just limited to hog producers. Free through N.C. Cooperative Extension of Madison County. Register at www.eventbrite.com/e/butchery-basics-forhome-consumers-tickets-131381630995.
January 6-12, 2021
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Former Parkway, NPS leader dies of COVID Former Blue Ridge Parkway Superintendent and National Park Service Director Gary Everhardt passed away at 86 years old on Sunday, Dec. 27, following a battle with COVID-19. He died just four days after his wife of 60 years, Nancy Everhardt, who was often found by her husband’s side and was actively engaged with her adopted NPS family. The Everhardts are survived by two children, Karen and Phil. “Gary had a profound impact and lasting legacy on America’s national parks,” said NPS Deputy Director Shawn Benge. “His dedication to the National Park Service mission and service to the American public will be remembered for years to come.” Born July 8, 1934, in Lenoir, Everhardt graduated from N.C. State University in 1957 with a degree in civil engineering. After graduating, Everhardt began an engineering career in the National Park Service and rose through the ranks to become superintendent of Grand Teton National Park in 1972. President Gerald Ford appointed him the ninth director of the agency in January 1975, and he served through the end of the Ford Administration. In 1977, he returned to the field as superintendent of the Parkway and served for 23 years through his retirement in 2000. As NPS director, Everhardt led America’s Bicentennial planning and cele-
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tive programming and visitor services. Under his leadership, NPS saw its first national symposium on urban recreation, first national conference on scientific research, first Native crafts sales program in the parks and first international park publication, PARKS. At the Blue Ridge Parkway, Everhardt championed significant projects to make the Parkway safe and accessible for visitors, expanded ranger-led programming, constructed new trails, supported the addition of arts destinations like the Asheville Folk Art Center and Blue Ridge Music Center and invested in growing partnerships between the park and local communities. Gary Everhardt (back row, right) is pictured with his wife His long list of awards Nancy and children Phil and Karen. Donated photo includes the Department of the Interior’s highest bration, added more than 30 million acres honor, the Distinguished Service Award, — primarily in Alaska — to the National which he received in 1985. The headquarPark System, doubling its acreage, and overters of the Blue Ridge Parkway is also saw significant advancements in interprenamed for him.
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A volunteer takes a break to admire Granny Burrell Falls from above. Krista Robb/Friends of Panthertown photo
Pitch in with Panthertown Friends of Panthertown is hosting some trail work days this winter, and all are invited to come pitch in. Scheduled workdays are Saturday, Jan. 16, and Saturday, Feb. 20. No previous trail work experience is necessary. Participants will get a guided tour of the valley and meet others who also love Panthertown. To sign up, visit wwww.panthertown.org/volunteer.
Homeschoolers and families can get lower rates at Cataloochee Ski Area in Maggie Valley this winter. On Tuesdays through the end of the season, students presenting homeschool credentials can get lift tickets for $25 and combined lift and rental for $35. The rate for lift, lesson and rental is $50. The package is good for day skiing from 9 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. Likewise, Wednesdays are family days at Cataloochee. Every non-holiday Wednesday through the end of the season, children 17 and under will receive a free lift ticket when accompanied by a parent purchasing a full price adult day lift ticket. Not valid with any other program or discount. Regular rental and lesson rates apply.
January 6-12, 2021
Ski Cataloochee for less
Race the slopes Smoky Mountain News
Thursday night ski and snowboard races start Jan. 7 at Cataloochee Ski Area in Maggie Valley and will continue weekly through Feb. 25. Open to everyone 18 and older, the races will be held every Thursday starting at 7 p.m., with registration available from 6 to 7:30 p.m. Racing ends at 8:30 p.m. or after all racers have had two runs, whichever comes first. Awards will be given immediately following racing to the top male and female racers for the night, as well as for the top overall team. To participate in team racing, groups must include at least one female with three members of the team attending each race and a maximum of four team members. Courses will be set as a modified GS course and members will race for the better of two runs. Helmets and goggles are
required, with helmets available for rental. Cost is $15 for racing only and $35 for racing plus a night lift ticket good from 6 to 10 p.m.
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Josh Kelly (left) will lead this class on winter tree ID. Donated photo
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Get to know your trees An online class covering the basics of winter tree identification in the Southern Appalachians will be offered noon to 1 p.m. Tuesday, Jan. 19. Josh Kelly, public lands field biologist for MountainTrue, will lead the class, which will cover the terms and concepts needed to
successfully identify area trees regardless of experience level. The class will include a presentation and time for questions and answers. Free. Register at www.mountaintrue.org/event/virtual-winter-tree-id-workshop.
Arboretum shifts to winter hours January 6-12, 2021
Starting Monday, Jan. 11, the N.C. Arboretum in Asheville will resume its normal winter hours of 8 a.m. to 7 p.m., with the entrance gates closing at 6 p.m. The facility had been operating on extended hours due to its annual Winter Lights event, which ends Jan. 10. The Education Center remains closed at this time, but the Baker Exhibit Center will continue to operate from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. daily, and the gift shop will be open from 11 a.m. to 4 p.m. Bent Creek Bistro is closed through spring and trees in the Bonsai Exhibition Garden will be in winter storage through May.
Arboretum lights earn national recognition
Smoky Mountain News
The N.C. Arboretum’s Winter Lights event was ranked No. 5 in USA Today’s list of ‘10 Best Readers’ Choice Awards’ Best Botanical Garden Holiday Lights category. The ranking was determined through
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Puzzles can be found on page 30 These are only the answers.
Rebecca Ayres photo
votes from the public. Reimagined this year as a drive-through event due to COVID-19, the display is open from 5:30 to 10 p.m. daily through Jan. 10. Entrance gates close at 9:30 a.m. Advance tickets are $25 per car. Buy online at www.ncwinterlights.com. The event is the Arboretum’s biggest fundraising event of the year.
WNC Calendar COMMUNITY EVENTS & ANNOUNCEMENTS • The “New Year’s Market” will be held from 9 a.m. to 3 p.m. Jan. 9 at the Canton Armory, 71 Penland Street. Over 30 vendors and food available onsite. Handmade crafts, wall art, native crafts, home decor, woodworking items, chakra healing, and much more. • The Jackson County Public Library, The Department on Aging, and The Department of Social Services are collecting new blankets for people in need. New hats, scarves, and gloves can also be donated. Items can be dropped off at Jackson County Public Library's Atrium, the Jackson County Department of Aging's front desk and the front desk of The Department of Social Services. Items should be new and in their packaging. Blankets and other items will be available for those in need through January 15 at the three locations listed above. For more information, call the library at (828) 586-2016. The Jackson County Public Library is a member of Fontana Regional Library (www.fontanalib.org). • On Monday, Jan. 18, the Jackson County NC chapter of the NAACP, along with Reconcile Sylva, Down Home NC, Change NC and Indivisible Common Ground WNC will be co-sponsoring a march and rally honoring Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. The rally will take place at Bridge Park, in Sylva, starting at 2 p.m. All are invited to attend, masked and following safe distancing. Hand signs only (no sticks) and for safety reasons, no dogs. For more information, contact Lianna Costantino at 828.331.8688.
POLITICAL CORNER • The January meeting for the Swain County Democratic Party Whittier-Cherokee precinct will be held at 6 p.m. Tuesday, Jan. 12 via Zoom. The agenda will include discussing new officers and plans for 2021. For more info or to request a link, call 828.497.9498.
A&E
• The Jackson County Public Library in Sylva is starting The Library Letters Exchange. For those interested in exchanging letters with a pen-pal from the Poughkeepsie Public Library in Poughkeepsie, New York, sign-ups will run through Jan. 16. To register, call the library at 828.586.2016 to register. The Jackson County Public Library is a member of Fontana Regional Library (www.fontanalib.org).
•This year the Taste of Scotland Society of Franklin invites visitors and townspeople to celebrate the life, poetry, and songs of the poet Robert Burns on Saturday, Jan. 16, at First United Methodist Church in Clayton, Georgia. Doors open at 5 p.m. with dinner at 6 p.m. Tickets are $35 for adults and children 12 and under cost $15. For more information, email Merrilee Bordeaux at merrilee.bordeaux64@hotmail.com. • Lazy Hiker Brewing (Franklin) will host Dirty Dave Patterson Jan. 9 and David Flowers Jan. 16. All shows begin at 7 p.m. For more information and a complete schedule of events, click on www.lazyhikerbrewing.com. • Lazy Hiker Brewing (Sylva) will host The Waymores Jan. 22. All shows begin at 7 p.m. Free and open to the public. For more information and a complete schedule of events, click on www.lazyhikerbrewing.com. • Balsam Falls Brewing (Sylva) will host an open mic from 8 to 10 p.m. every Thursday. Free and open to the public. www.balsamfallsbrewing.com. • Nantahala Brewing (Sylva) will host live music semi-
n All phone numbers area code 828 unless otherwise noted. n To have your item listed email to calendar@smokymountainnews.com regularly on the weekends. Free and open to the public. www.nantahalabrewing.com.
ART SHOWINGS AND GALLERIES • The Haywood County Arts Council annual show, “It’s a Small, Small Work,” will be showcased through Jan. 9 at the HCAC Gallery & Gifts in Waynesville. • A display of 50 powerful paintings showcasing the most remote and wild corners of the Canadian Arctic is on display through Jan. 3 at the N.C. Arboretum in Asheville. Entrance to the exhibit is free with the arboretum’s standard $16 parking fee. Face coverings are required for visitors age 5 and older. • The Haywood County Arts Council invites all Haywood County studio artists to participate in the annual Haywood County Studio Tour scheduled for June 26-27. The artist/studio application and policies for participation may be found on the HCAC website or picked up from HCAC Gallery & Gifts at 86 North Main Street in Waynesville. Email completed forms to artist@haywoodarts.org or mail to P.O. Box 306, Waynesville, NC 28786. The deadline for the completed studio tour application is Friday, Feb. 5. The Haywood County Studio Tour Exhibit Opening Reception is on Friday, June 4, if feasible. The HCAC will follow the NC Governor’s mandates regarding COVID. For more information visit the Haywood County Arts Council website at www.haywoodarts.org.
ARTS GROUP MEETINGS • Due to COVID-19, NC Writers’ Network-West is not holding face-to-face meetings, but are instead gathering once a month on Zoom. At 7 p.m. Friday, Jan. 8 Writers Night Out will be hosted by Glenda Beall, and our guest will be Karen Luke Jackson. Those wishing to attend WNO may contact glendabeall@msn.com to receive the Zoom link.
Smoky Mountain News
Day. To complete the challenge, participants must walk, run or hike 60 miles by March 1. Registration ends Feb. 1, but earlier registration means more time to log the miles. The basic cost to join is $25, with Level 2 registration priced at $50 and Level 3 registration at $100. All proceeds help support SAHC’s ongoing land and water conservation efforts. Sign up at appalachian.org/event/sahcs-winter-hiking-challenge60-miles-in-60-days/ • The Southeast Regional Fruit and Vegetable Conference, typically held each year in Savannah, Georgia, will be offered virtually this year Jan. 5-7. For more information, visit www.seregionalconference.org, or call 877.994.3842. • Cataloochee Ski Area will continue to offer its Afterschool Ski & Ride Program in 2021, using a sevenweek format that will begin the week of Jan. 5. Cost is $110 for lesson only, $130 for a lift ticket and $50 for equipment rental. Space is limited, and sign-ups end Jan. 2. Learn more or sign up at cataloochee.com/programs/afterschool-programs.
Visit www.smokymountainnews.com and click on Calendar for: n n n n
Complete listings of local music scene Regional festivals Art gallery events and openings Complete listings of recreational offerings at health and fitness centers n Civic and social club gatherings • The Assault on BlackRock trail race is set for Saturday, March 20, next year, and proceeds will benefit the Southwestern Community College Student Emergency Fund. Registration is $25 in advance or $30 on race day. The Student Emergency Fund proceeds will benefit helps SCC students who encounter unforeseen financial emergencies. Register at www.ultrasignup.com.
• A series of horticulture classes aimed at home gardeners will be offered in the New Year through Haywood County Cooperative Extension. Planned sessions are: Jan. 19, Vegetable Gardening; Feb. 17, Lawn & Weeds; March 2, Introduction to Home Food Preservation; March 18, Landscaping with Native Plants; April 13, Pruning Trees & Shrubs. Classes, taught by extension agents and experienced Master Gardener volunteers, will last for approximately two hours and be held via Zoom until face-to-face training is possible. Sign up by emailing mgarticles@charter.net. Cost is $10 per class.
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• Learn about efforts to restore Bryson City’s Island Park with an online presentation at 1 p.m. Tuesday, Jan. 12. Tony Ward, Western Region Program Coordinator for MountainTrue, will discuss his role in the project, which is a partnership between Bryson City, the Tuckasegee River Alliance and MountainTrue. Sign up at mountaintrue.org/event.
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• A six-week winter sports program aimed at women who learn better with female instructors will be offered on Wednesdays from Jan. 13 through Feb. 17 at Cataloochee Ski Area in Maggie Valley. Women on Wednesdays will begin each week with a two-hour clinic starting at 10 a.m., with the opportunity to practice afterward through 4:30 p.m. Cost is $110 for lessons only, with an option to pay an additional $60 for a lift ticket and $40 for equipment rental. Sign up at www.cataloochee.com or contact 828.926.0285 or info@cataloochee.com with questions. • The Southern Appalachian Highlands Conservancy has issued a challenge to complete its 60 miles in 60 days Virtual Hiking Challenge, kicking off New Year’s
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RESIDENTIAL BROKER ASSOCIATE —————————————
(828) 400-4825
amandawilliams@beverly-hanks.com
Keller Williams Realty - kellerwilliamswaynesville.com • The Morris Team - www.themorristeamnc.com • Julie Lapkoff - julielapkoff@kw.com • Darrin Graves - dgraves@kw.com
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RE/MAX Executive - remax-waynesvillenc.com • • • • • • • •
remax-maggievalleync.com The Real Team - TheRealTeamNC.com Ron Breese - ronbreese.com Landen Stevenson- landen@landenkstevenson.com Dan Womack - womackdan@aol.com Mary & Roger Hansen - mwhansen@charter.net Juli Rogers - julimeaserogers@gmail.com Amy Boyd Sugg - amyboydsugg@gmail.com David Willet - davidwillet1@live.com
WNC Real Estate Store • Melanie Hoffman - mhoffmanrealestate@gmail.com • Thomas Hoffman - thoffman1@me.com
TO ADVERTISE IN THE NEXT ISSUE
www.ronbreese.com
828.452.4251 | ads@smokymountainnews.com
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Billie Green - bgreen@beverly-hanks.com Michelle McElroy- michellemcelroy@beverly-hanks.com Brian K. Noland - brianknoland.com Anne Page - apage@beverly-hanks.com Jerry Powell - jpowell@beverly-hanks.com Catherine Proben - cproben@beverly-hanks.com Ellen Sither - ellensither@beverly-hanks.com Mike Stamey - mikestamey@beverly-hanks.com Karen Hollingsed- khollingsed@beverly-hanks.com Billy Case- billycase@beverly-hanks.com Laura Thomas - lthomas@beverly-hanks.com John Keith - jkeith@beverly-hanks.com Randall Rogers - rrogers@beverly-hanks.com Susan Hooper - shooper@beverly-hanks.com Hunter Wyman - hwyman@beverly-hanks.com
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CROSSWORD
AUTO SUGGESTION ACROSS 1 Halo sporter 6 Nest nuggets 10 Had no being 15 "Vamoose!" 19 "I wanna try!" 20 Cameo, e.g. 21 Lend -- (pay attention) 22 Poi source 23 Participants in a guided discussion 25 Longtime kids' nature magazine 27 Spanish for "bear" 28 McDonnell Douglas jet 30 Refuge 31 Thelma's cohort, in film 34 Use an entryway 35 Velvet or Hallow ender 36 -- hop (jitterbug) 37 14- to 18-year-old in a British youth association 40 Source copy: Abbr. 42 "BTW" part 43 You, in Berlin 44 Road given a no. 46 Pop-rock singer Simpson 50 Kind of sheet metal 54 Border illumination on some smartphones 57 Mini-whirlpools 58 What bran provides, to Brits 60 Grads.-to-be 61 Basso Pinza 62 Outfits anew 64 "No" voter 65 "-- culpa!" 66 Slender nails 67 Large cosmological aggregate
71 75 76 77 82 83 84 86 87 90 92 93 94 95 96 98
104 107 109 110 111 113 114 115 117
122 123 124 125 126 127 128 129
Imams' God U.S. tax org. Berlin article Ejected lava Waste time Party game "-- not lost" 1980s TV's Remington 1966 Wilson Pickett hit The "I" of 75-Across Show up for Farm female Abbr. for those with only one given name Mil. unit Tooth anchor First extended stay on the International Space Station Spiny plants With 103-Down, didn't know at all Radio knob Loin steaks Put in order Writer Franz "Y" athlete Annual Arizona football game New York City fashionindustry agency whose name is apt for this puzzle Shoe fillers Conical tent Comics' Kett "Peachy!" Sommer of Hollywood Lauder of fragrances Asian nation Garish
DOWN 1 TV title alien 2 Natal lead-in 3 Yukon maker 4 Avian-based skin care product 5 To a smaller degree 6 Botch it up 7 "Sheesh!" 8 Biochemical sugar 9 Erma Bombeck's "The Grass Is Always Greener Over the -- Tank" 10 Alert 11 Actress Ortiz 12 Pick up on 13 1998 Winter Olympics city 14 Nonkosher 15 More direct 16 -- terrier 17 Curved 18 Sweet white wine 24 Word after film or play 26 Frank topper 29 Musician Brian 31 Vowel, e.g. 32 Bull leather 33 Capsizes 35 Ending for major 38 Conn. hours 39 Compulsion 41 Inferior mags 45 Someone -- problem 47 Tony winner Minnelli 48 Writer Blyton 49 Huge heads 51 More, in music 52 "Psycho" co-star Janet 53 Dog in "The Thin Man" 54 Bidding site 55 Common battery type
56 59 63 65 66 68 69 70 71 72 73 74 78 79 80 81 83 84 85 88 89 91 94 97 99 100 101 102 103 104 105 106 108 112 113 116 118 119 120 121
Infuriated "What You Need" rock band Injured-arm supporter Actor Paul Yahoo Left the bed Kin of a tulip Once, once Mater lead-in Yahoo Rearmost It lingers in the mouth -- annum Bodily band Benes on "Seinfeld" Investigates Annul Author Haley A lot like Rub oil on Wowed Future louse Bismarck is its cap. Realm of Oedipus PalmPilot, e.g., in brief -- Tower (Paris sight) Agenda part Like an oval or rectangle See 107-Across -- latte Disney's "Little Mermaid" Streamlet Become a parent to Fence "door" Swiss painter Paul Really small Berlin article Water, to Somme folks "Inc." cousin -- latte
ANSWERS ON PAGE 26
PUBLISHER’S NOTICE All real estate advertising in this newspaper is subject to the Fair Housing Act which makes it illegal to advertise ‘any preference, limitation or discrimination based on race, color, religion, sex, handicap, familial status or national origin, or an intention to make any such preference, limitation or discrimination’. Familial status includes children under 18 living with parents or legal guardians and pregnant women. This newspaper will not knowingly accept any advertising for real estate in violation of this law. All dwellings advertised on equal opportunity basis. GOT LAND? Our Hunters will Pay Top $$$ to hunt your land. Call for a FREE info packet & Quote. 1-866-309-1507 BaseCampLeasing.com ATTENTION SENIORS 62+! Get a Reverse Mortgage Loan to access tax free cash & no monthly mortgage payments as long as you live in the home. Retire with more Cash! Call 888-704-0782
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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 26 the easier it gets to solve the puzzle!
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January 6-12, 2021
WNC MarketPlace
WAYNESVILLE OFFICE 74 North Main Street | (828) 634 -7333 Get details on any property in the MLS. Go to beverly-hanks.com and enter the MLS# into the quick search.
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Smoky Mountain News
2BR, 2BA, 1HB $239,000 | #3681754
January 6-12, 2021
3BR, 1BA $239,000 | #3692959
CALL TODAY (828) 634 -7333 31
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Smoky Mountain News January 6-12, 2021