Smoky Mountain News | June 19, 2024

… with adjustments Page 4

A look at Sochan gathering in the Smokies Page 22

CONTENTS

On the Cover:

As North Carolina looks to approve its budget for the next fiscal year, there are plenty of questions, and among the most pressing concerns is what will happen once the $300 million childcare stabilization expires grants? The Smoky Mountain News explores the issue, including how it affects local parents, workers, colleges and even businesses. (Page 6) Cory Vaillancourt photo

News

Macon passes budget with adjustments......................................................................4

Months after passing away, Haywood child wins national award........................5

Childcare availability impeding economic development........................................10

Democrats claim school vouchers detract from childcare grants......................11

WCU Board of Trustees approves new CIO............................................................12

Contract awarded to replace I-40 bridges in Haywood........................................13

Opinion

You got this, you know you do......................................................................................14

A&E

Scarred but smarter: A conversation with Drivin N Cryin......................................16

Get ready for ‘Brisket, Bourbon and Beer’................................................................20

Outdoors

Sochan program grows relationship between tribe and plants..........................22

Up Moses Creek: ‘When, Wren?’................................................................................26

STAFF

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C ONTRIBUTING: Jeff Minick (writing), Susanna Shetley (writing), Adam Bigelow (writing), Thomas Crowe (writing)

The color of the egg’s shell is based on the type or b hen. Some hens produce white eggs, others brown, blu green eggshells. The color of the shell is due to the gen an egg has nothing to do with the nutrition of the conten egg itself.

Macon passes budget with adjustments

BY HANNAH MCLEOD STAFF W RITER

After several lengthy discussions, Macon County Commissioners approved the fiscal year 2024-25 budget by a split vote with a couple of last-minute changes to the proposed document.

“The fiscal year ‘25 recommended budget is probably the most important to me because it has been a decade in the making,” said County Manager Derek Roland. “This budget sets the foundation for $145 million in CIP improvements.”

Despite the final adjustments, Macon County’s total appropriations will remain at $63,704,651 as was recommended by Roland in February, with revenues to balance that. This is a decrease of just under $50,000 from last year’s budget.

The tax rate will remain at $0.27 cents per $100 of assessed property value, which means the county will maintain the lowest tax rate in the state. Despite that low rate, Macon County currently has a AA2 credit rating from Moody’s and an AA credit rating from Standard and Poor’s which allows for a debt capacity to support $70,100,000 of the $133,650,000 in education-related capital projects through the Capital Reserve Fund in the coming fiscal year.

During the June 11 meeting, the board discussed several last-minute changes to the recommended budget and eventually took a final vote.

Finance had prepared two budget ordinances for the county commission to consider approving, one that kept the Franklin fire tax as it was in the current fiscal year, at $0.0524 per $100 of assessed property value and one with an increase in that tax to $0.07 per $100 of property value. The commission approved the fire tax increase for the Franklin district by a 3-2 vote with Commissioners John Shearl and Paul Higdon dissenting.

“I would do a little different planning,” said Commissioner Paul Higdon. “Twenty-five percent of any increase in one year, that’s a big year and all of a sudden, it’s just happened. What’s to prevent all of a sudden, this happening again?”

Commissioners also reached a consensus to reduce the appropriation to senior services by $200,000 and move that money into contingency. This money was originally intended for a space-needs analysis. Now, the commissioners plan to hold that money in contingency with the understanding that they will gather more information on the immediate ADA needs at the senior services center.

The consensus on this item was 3-2 with Shearl and Higdon dissenting.

The original budget proposed two new environmental health specialists as a long-term solution to the backlog problem of well and septic permits at Macon County Environmental Health.

At first, there was consensus to keep one new position for

environmental health and move one to planning and permitting to cover the inspector position. That consensus was reached by 4-1 vote with Shearl dissenting.

However, after further discussion, the board decided to remove an additional position from environmental health altogether, including a vehicle that would have accompanied it, and keep one new position for building inspection in planning and permitting, along with a new vehicle.

This consensus was again a 3-2 vote with Shearl and Higdon dissenting.

The board also decided to fund a 10% increase in coaching supplements for the Macon County School system. This will cost $31,720 and will be taken from contingency. That money will be added to the school system’s operating budget by budget amendment at the commissioner’s July meeting.

of the old Cowee School, now the Cowee School Arts and Heritage Center. The board decided to fund the school as it has in years past for 2024-25, but moving forward it will discuss how to transfer ownership of the property. The allocation for 2024-25 is $38,375.

Commissioners also voted to remove the community funding pool from the budget, which goes to support nonprofits working in the county, but that failed, 2-3, with Shearl and Higdon the lone supporters.

After the board reached consensus on these changes and plans for the coming fiscal year, Commissioner Shearl suggested lowering the overall tax rate.

“Through this process, we’re here bouncing around numbers and trying to get this budget adopted, and we’re taking money from this and putting it in contingency,” said Shearl.

The new budget sets the foundation for $145 million in capital improvements, including the construction of a new high school. File photo

The rest of the funding for the school system will remain as proposed at $10,031,774 for operation, the first increase to operations funding since fiscal year 2019-20. This falls short of the school system’s request by $2,546,433. The increase was requested in order to fund 26 additional positions in the coming school year that were created during the COVID-19 Pandemic and funded through the Elementary and Secondary Schools Emergency Relief Fund, which is coming to an end this year.

Commissioners also discussed relinquishing ownership

“How about a real idea and give taxpayers a decrease in their property taxes. If we got half a million dollars here that we’re floating around, let’s reduce taxes and balance the budget that way.”

But with expenditures and revenues balanced at $63,704,651, the board did not consider lowering the property tax rate, which would have brought revenues below budgeted expenditures.

The final, balanced budget was approved by a 3-2 vote with Shearl and Higdon dissenting.

Months after passing away, Haywood child wins national award

BY KYLE P ERROTTI

N EWS E DITOR

Less than six months after her death at just over two years old, Charlotte Joy Norris is posthumously receiving an award for her courage in the face of a dire situation she wasn’t even old enough to understand.

enough that it required an EpiPen. On the doctor’s recommendation, they discontinued the infusions. At that point, it was only a matter of time before she developed a fatal illness or suffered organ failure.

Charlotte passed away on Sunday, Dec. 17, at 12:46 a.m. in her mother’s arms surrounded by family.

Charlotte Joy Norris will receive the award on July 13 in Salt Lake City.

Last week, Charlotte’s family — Haywood County natives now living in the Black Mountain area — announced that she will be awarded the National NiemannPick Disease Foundation’s Cora Sterling Endurance Award, to be presented in her memory at the NNPDF Family Conference in Salt Lake City on July 13. The award honors one person every year who has shined in raising awareness around the rare genealogical disease.

Charlotte was born on Oct. 29, 2021. For the first few months, everything seemed normal, but before long, it was clear to her parents that something was wrong, and subsequent testing determined that she had Neimann-Pick disease Type A, the most severe. Specifically, her diagnosis was ASMD, a genetic disorder that can cause organ failure at an extremely young age.

In late 2021, the FDA approved the use of Xenpozyme from Genzyme for both adult and pediatric patients with ASMD. After first trying another experimental compound in September, Charlotte began receiving that therapy in December 2022. A press release from the FDA noted that Xenpozyme received fast-track, breakthrough therapy and priority review designations. It also received orphan drug designation, which provides incentives to assist and encourage the development of drugs for rare diseases.

The treatment was designed not only to prolong patients such as Charlotte’s life, but to also improve their quality of life. It worked well for Charlotte until last year around September, when she began suffering allergic reactions. At first, she began to show some light discoloration on her face. Before long, she suffered a reaction bad

While she never lived long enough to understand the impact her life would have, researchers have expressed tremendous gratitude for what she offered — advancement toward treatments that may one day save the lives of children in her situation. For that, she is being awarded the Cora Sterling Endurance Award.

The criteria for the award is that the nominees must be a diagnosed individual, sibling or friend under 25 who lives in the United States. According to the NNPDF website, nominees for the award “should display a special characteristic, strength, and poise, that exemplifies their own endurance in the Niemann-Pick journey and raises awareness of Niemann-Pick disease in the community on a small or large level.”

Charlotte’s father, Kyle Norris, talked about the importance of the award, highlighting that Charlotte is the first person with ASMD to win the honor.

“We are just honored that she is continually being recognized and forever memorialized for the work she did to advance the treatment of this disease and the lives of those who are affected by it,” he said in a written statement. “Charlotte’s life had real purpose, and we are grateful we continue to see that more and more every day. It’s been six months since she passed, and we never imagined life without her, but we are proud of her and her sacrifice.”

Kyle Norris has begun a GoFundMe campaign to pay for the travel expenses — expenses that have cropped up with relatively little notice — to get to Salt Lake City. Those interested can donate at gofundme.com/f/help-us-honor-charlotteby-receiving-enduranceaward?qid=4aa65646fcd7421607b956ba095 e5e09.

File photo

Legislative infighting overshadows child care crisis

BY C ORY VAILLANCOURT

P OLITICS E DITOR

Without immediate action from the General Assembly, Pandemic-era federal grants to child care providers will run out on July 1 — plunging the state into a child care crisis that will hamper economic and workforce development, make child care more difficult to find and further burden North Carolina’s working parents already feeling the pinch from unaffordable housing and the relentless corporate greed that’s driving inflation.

“It’s just stressful to know that if we do lose the grants, that things are going to change and rates are going to go up,” said Kaylan Thomas, a Haywood County single parent of three children under the age of seven.

Thomas has an associate’s degree and brings home about $2,000 a month — if, she said, none of her kids get sick, forcing her to miss work. A rate increase would be disastrous to her already-tight budget. And, she’s not the only one.

“I haven’t really put it in perspective as far as where I’m going to have to cut,” Thomas said. “I haven’t done that yet just because it’s stressful to even think about it. I’ve just kind of put it on the back burner and not really thought about it.”

OVER THE CLIFF

The North Carolina Child Care Stabilization grants, part of President Joe Biden’s $2 trillion American Rescue Plan, brought $1.3 billion to the state’s child care providers in what the White House called the “single biggest investment in child care since World War II.”

Passed in 2021 at the height of the Coronavirus Pandemic, the grants provided child care facilities the ability to reopen and freed up parents to return to work, thereby spurring economic recovery.

The money was made available on a quarterly basis to child care programs first licensed or regulated before March 11, 2021, and can be used in a variety of ways.

Compensation support grants are intended for one-time quarterly employee bonuses of $600 per full-time staff member and $300 per part-time staff member, while base pay grants offer one-time quarterly bonuses for both full- and part-time teaching staff. Amounts vary based on the facility’s rating, from $650 per full-time teacher at one- and two-star facilities to $1,560 at four- and fivestar facilities.

Fixed cost grants are used not only for personnel compensation packages but also

According to the state’s Stabilization Grant Dashboard, the stabilization grants support more than 46,000 child care staff who in turn create a total capacity of just over 400,000 child care slots. Losing 29% of child care providers and/or child care slots means parents of roughly 100,000 children won’t be able to find care for them — even if they can afford it.

The providers that remain will likely raise weekly child care rates by at least 10%, per the survey, including those who have already raised rates in anticipation of the sunset.

The average per capita income in Haywood County is around $35,000. If the anticipated rate increases become a reality, it could cost the average parent $13,000 a year for the care of a single infant or toddler.

In April, Democratic Gov. Roy Cooper recommended adjustments to the biennial budget, including nearly $750 million for child care and early education.

Of that, $200 million in non-recurring funding was proposed to replenish the stabilization grants. $129 million was designated for the expansion of subsidies to parents in rural and low-income areas of the state, like Western North Carolina. The subsidies help parents afford child care, and help child care providers continue operating.

for facility rent and maintenance, goods and services needed to care for children, staff training, personal protective equipment, mental health support for children or employees and tuition assistance to families.

When the state’s biannual budget was passed by the General Assembly last October, state funding to continue what the expiring federal grants had started was not included.

In February, the North Carolina Child Care Resource and Referral Council conducted an email survey that was sent to roughly 5,400 child care providers across the state, asking about challenges they would likely face if the grants were to stop coming.

Of the 1,549 respondents, 88% said they’d have to increase rates, 40% of them immediately.

Two-thirds of respondents said they would expect difficulty in hiring or retaining experienced staff, half of them immediately.

Almost three in 10 respondents said they would have to close, immediately.

If all that holds true, approximately 1,500 of the remaining 5,400 child care programs in North Carolina will soon vanish, following more than 25% of the state’s child care centers that closed between 2016 and 2021.

“North Carolinians in rural areas, particularly in Western North Carolina, know just how challenging it can be to find affordable and high-quality early childhood education and child care to help young children thrive, allow parents to work and enable businesses to hire good employees,” Cooper told The Smoky Mountain News on June 17. “Legislators across the state and particularly from rural counties must take this seriously and make meaningful investments in child care to strengthen North Carolina’s economy, workforce and hardworking families.”  Cooper has also attempted to tie the issue of child care funding to a major expansion of private school vouchers pushed by Republicans, which will provide half a billion dollars in taxpayer money to private schools that can discriminate against students based on disability, religion or sexuality. The voucher expansion is also expected to hurt rural communities, where opportunities to utilize the vouchers are less common than in the state’s major metropolitan areas (see VOUCHERS, p. 11).

With a veto-proof Republican majority in firm control of the General Assembly, Cooper’s proposed adjustments aren’t likely to be seriously considered.

A recent legislative effort to replenish the expiring federal funds hasn’t met with much success, either.

On May 2, seven Democratic senators in the North Carolina General Assembly introduced Senate Bill 822, which among other things proposes the establishment of a child care stabilization fund that would receive $180 million annually, essentially replacing a portion of the federal funding that’s about to disappear. The bill passed its first reading four days later, was sent to the Rules Committee and hasn’t moved since.

“It certainly is pressing to some of us in the General Assembly who understand how important this F

A critical July 1 funding deadline approaches. Cory Vaillancourt photo

is,” said Sen. Natasha Marcus (D-Mecklenburg), a co-sponsor of the bill and candidate for insurance commissioner.

“But it isn’t to everyone, unfortunately. This has been an issue that we’ve seen coming. We’re about to go over the cliff here without state help to support childcare facilities in our state.”

On June 11, Marcus attended a meeting of the North Carolina Association of County Commissioners, where Senate President Pro Tem Phil Berger (R-Rockingham) made his position on fixing the problem clear.

“He told the whole room that he’s locked in a standoff with the House,” Marcus said. “The Senate and House can’t agree on what the budget should be this year, and the way he said it was, the state is not going to come in and fill the gap that has been created since the federal government ended their Pandemic-era childcare grants. He just straight up said the state is not going to fill that gap. And then he said that was temporary money that was provided by the federal government during the Pandemic and to the extent any of these businesses relied on that funding to continue, then that was a mistake on their part.”

A ROCK AND A HARD PLACE

A native of Jamacia, Jacqueline Wilson came to the United States to study at Western Carolina University, where she earned her master’s degree in special education in 2007.

For the past 11 years, Wilson’s been working in child care in Waynesville and is the owner/operator of Great Start Child Development Center on Putnam Street, which has a “superior” rating from the NC Department of Health and Human Services, a recent sanitation score of 229 out of 235, a capacity of 34 children and a waiting list with 17 more — mostly infants.

Her new facility on Country Club Drive, in the works for months, has a capacity of 22.

“It did help,” she said. “I mean, we need more, but it did help.”

Wilson used the grant money to address another problem inherent in the child care industry.

Retail workers at Target start at $15 an hour, but the average wage of a child care professional in North Carolina, according to ZipRecruiter, is $14.85 an hour — 30% below living wage level for a single adult with no children, per calculations by the Massachusetts institute of Technology.

That wage is lower in rural areas like the mountain west because Wilson’s child care rates aren’t necessarily a reflection of what parents are willing to pay, but rather what they’re able to pay; poverty rates here are higher than national and state averages, and poverty is more likely to affect women as well as Black, Hispanic and Indigenous people above all others. Since most parents can’t afford an additional enrollment fee on top of the monthly rate, Wilson says, she doesn’t bother trying to charge them.

have a tough time finding quality staff like Thomas, and she doesn’t want to raise rates because parents won’t be able to pay. But she doesn’t think she’ll have to close her Putnam Street operation or her new Country Club Drive facility, either.

“Well, with me opening this center, it might help some,” Wilson said. “I’m going to use this center to subsidize the payments for all the staff, so I won’t make any money here. Like, not a penny.”

But she will add some much-needed volume to the child care system in Haywood County, even as other child care establishments do close. Stats from DHHS say that as of Dec. 31, 2023, there were 27 child care providers in the county with a total capacity of 2,037 children.

As of June 30, 2023, those providers had collected more than $5.9 million in Child Care Stabilization grants.

Thomas and her three children qualify for a state subsidy that makes her monthly child care payment just $144, as opposed to an amount that would be greater than her monthly take-home. The subsidy is especially helpful for Thomas because she’s currently working towards her bachelor’s degree in early childhood education.

“We’re full,” Wilson said. “We already have three kids waiting to get in there, and we’re not even open yet.”

The expiration of the Child Care Stabilization grants couldn’t come at a worse time for Wilson, for her employees or for the children of Haywood County. She plans to open during the first week of July, shortly after the grants expire.

Most entrepreneurs like Wilson operate their child care facilities on a business model that leaves little room for instability.

Wilson paid cash for the Putnam Street building, so she doesn’t pay rent, but she does spend about $5,000 a month for utilities, upkeep and food. The 11 staff she employs there cost her about $30,000 a month, for a total overhead of roughly $35,000 a month.

Her monthly child care rates are in line with statewide yearly averages, starting at $960 a month for infants, $860 a month for ages 1-2, $760 a month for ages 2-3, $630 a month for ages 3-6 and $560 a month for school-aged children six or older.

If, at capacity, she has an equal amount of children from each age group, Wilson could expect to bring in about $25,600 a month in child care fees from the Putnam Street facility — less than she needs to meet expenses and earn a living.

The math can work if she has more infants and young children under her staff’s care; however, they require more staff supervision; the staffing ratio for older kids is one staff member for every 13, but for infants, it’s one to five.

“A lot of daycares won’t keep the infants because you have to have that ratio,” she said.

Once the grants ramped up in 2021, Wilson was receiving around $7,000 a month, a critical bridge to solvency.

“The grant money made it possible to pay staff, to increase their salary,” said Wilson, who added that she’d also used the grants to offer health insurance and 401k matching. “Salaries went from, say, $11 an hour up to $15 an hour during COVID because we wanted staff to stay.”

One of Wilson’s staff members is Kaylan Thomas, whose three children all attend the Great Start facility on Putnam Street. As both a child care provider and consumer, Thomas could be looking at both a pay cut and a child care rate increase if the General Assembly doesn’t come up with a solution before July 1.

“It actually breaks my heart a little bit,” Thomas said. “Not only as a parent, but as a teacher, I see it — I’m not the only parent that that needs that and as an employee, having that grant money, we could potentially have more income. It makes me sad to know that they could possibly not [replenish grant funding].”

Wilson said she doesn’t want to cut pay because she’ll

Find child care near you

For working parents, finding quality child care has always been a chore — clickbait internet ads, irrelevant search results, inconvenient locations, inadequate schedules or unaffordable weekly rates — but it’s about to get more difficult. If you’re looking for a place to send your little ones that meets your needs and theirs, the North Carolina Department of Health and Human Services has got you covered. Visit the comprehensive NCDHHS child care facility database to learn more about licensed providers in your area that could meet your needs at ncchildcare.ncdhhs.gov/childcaresearch.

“I’m doing it to better my future, but also for my babies because that’s going to be a totally different pay scale,” she said. Cooper’s proposed budget adjustments include $26 million for the WAGE$ program, an education-based supplement for child care workers earning low pay, and the Senate Bill currently languishing in the rules committee would allocate $10 million to pay operators like Wilson so that child care providers like Thomas could, regardless of income, receive free child care for their own children while actively employed in a licensed child care facility in North Carolina. But as that Senate Bill is currently going nowhere, neither is Thomas’ child care bill.

Things will likely be different for Thomas once she finishes her studies in fall 2025. Until then, she, like thousands of other parents across the state, remains between a rock and a hard place.

“I’ll probably just ride it out until I get my degree,” Thomas said. “I mean, at this point, I’m in it for the long run.”

R EMEMBER N OVEMBER

Much has been made of North Carolina’s back-to-back “top state for business” designation by CNBC in 2022 and 2023, but less notice has been given to a report by international nonprofit network OxFam, which ranked the state as the worst in which to be a worker.

The child care situation can only add to OxFam’s concerns about wage policy, worker protections and the right to organize.

Even the reliably pro-business, pro-Republican North Carolina Chamber of Commerce — which since 2016 has donated more than $260,000 to General Assembly Republicans but just $30,500 to Democrats — now finds itself at odds with Republican inaction on child care.

A recent report issued by the U.S. Chamber of Commerce Foundation in partnership with the N.C. Chamber Foundation says that child care is a “two-generation” workforce issue and that employee turnover in conjunction with absenteeism costs the state $5.65 billion a year — even more than the notorious HB2 “bathroom bill” debacle that cost the state $3.76 billion (see ECONOMIC DEVELOPMENT, p. 10).

“I think we do need to find a way to plug this hole, as

the advocates say child care workers are the workers behind the workforce,” said Sen. Julie Mayfield (D-Buncombe). “If we don’t support that workforce and those businesses, we’re going to be losing people out of the primary workforce, in droves.”

Mayfield added that she’s not aware of any dissention on the Democratic side.

Attorney General Josh Stein, the Democratic nominee for Governor, told The Smoky Mountain News that solving the child care crisis will be a priority if he’s elected, much like it’s been for Cooper.

“We need adequate child care because parents need to work and kids need a safe

place to grow and learn. The General Assembly allowing these centers to close is bad for business, bad for our children and bad for our future,” he said last week. “As Governor, I’ll work to keep qualified early childhood educators in the classroom and to make child care more affordable and accessible for families across North Carolina.”

Stein’s General Election opponent, Republican Lt. Gov. Mark Robinson, said through spokesman Mike Lonergan that the blame for the situation lies squarely on Stein, who Lonergan said “sat on his hands” as a global public health emergency caused “draconian” lockdowns that forced experienced child care workers to seek other employment.

“While ultimately this decision rests in

the hands of the General Assembly, the lieutenant governor and his team will continue to monitor legislative developments,” Lonergan said. “Regardless of the outcome of the short session, should he become governor, Mark Robinson wants to turn North Carolina into a destination state for life by creating a culture that will do more to support women and families that choose life, including improving foster and childcare, adoption and more.”

During a June 18 House appropriations committee meeting, members unanimously approved proposed Republican changes to the budget, including $135 million in non-recurring funds for the Child Care Stabilization grants.

“The amount that advocates and business leaders are telling F

According to an email survey of child care providers, rates will likely go up and facilities may have to close. Cory Vaillancourt photo

us is needed to sustain childcare services in NC for just one year is $300 million,” said Buncombe County Democratic Rep. Lindsey Prather. “Even knowing this budget isn’t going to pass the Senate (as they’ve made clear), House Republicans still aren’t willing to put in the money needed to keep families and workers supported.”

Rep. Caleb Rudow, Prather’s Buncombe County Democratic colleague, agreed that it was too little, too late, and that if there’s no agreement by July 1, some child care facilities may close in the meantime, waiting for money that may never come.

But there may be a last-minute solution if Republicans can’t find common ground on the competing budget adjustment proposals.

Sen. Kevin Corbin (R-Macon) represents the eight western counties and also chairs the Senate’s health and human service committee, which oversees a $7.7 billion budget.

“To me, this is very important,” Corbin said. “That funding not being there will hurt rural counties.”

He said the Child Care Stabilization grants were his number one ask, to the tune of $300 million, but he agrees that it’s unlikely the House and Senate will come together to pass a budget before July 1.

Corbin said he wouldn’t rule out running the Child Care Stabilization grant funding as a standalone bill, independent of stalled budget negotiations between his chamber and the House.

Kaylan Thomas, the Haywood County mother of three and a child care professional herself, said she’s registered to vote, she votes regularly, and she plans to vote in November. When she does, she’s going to remember how the General Assembly could have helped her — and other working parents like her — but chose not to.

“My voice is going to be heard,” she said. “Even though I’m just one person, I know that there’s other people out there that feel the same way and are going to do the same thing.”

‘A two-generation workforce issue’

Child care availability impeding economic development

HANNAH MCLEOD STAFF WRITER

Stakeholders around Western North Carolina recognize the end of COVID-era child care stabilization funding and the broader lack of available child care resources as a multilayered impediment to economic development. A new report on the issue backs that position up with data showing the state of North Carolina could be losing billions annually because of the shortfall.

“What the economic development practitioners are now understanding is that issues with child care have now been elevated to the same level as issues with housing availability,” said Rich Price, chief marketing and strategic partnerships officer at Western Carolina University. “They are two of the biggest impediments to economic growth and economic sustainability, in both the region, and the state.”

A new report from the United States Chamber of Commerce Foundation (USCCF) highlights child care as a “two-generation workforce issue — essential to supporting the workforce of today and developing the workforce of tomorrow.”

the state itself $1.36 billion annually in lost tax revenue.

“It’s not just child care, it’s not just a mom and dad issue anymore,” said Price. “It has fully emerged into a workforce development challenge for employers throughout our region.”

When Haywood Community College President Shelley White and her team had to make the difficult decision to keep the college’s child care center open at the start and height of the pandemic, she saw how early education is a workforce development issue.

“Families that were in critical frontline roles in healthcare and those other essential roles needed to continue working, and they needed child care,” said White. “That’s helped me to see the importance of continuing to provide this valuable resource to our community, and that it is certainly a workforce issue that families have to have access to high-quality, affordable child care.”

have had to use other funding sources.

“For us, it’s almost like robbing Peter to pay Paul,” Dills said. “If we have to have these materials in preschool, we have to have them. If we have to pay the staff this rate, we have to do that. I have Title I or other funds that I can lean on, but then that impacts our overall operating budget at elementary schools for other students.”

But Dills is also cognizant of the mindset behind funding preschool, which she said is that “you are getting students better prepared for school, so they don’t need as much extra academic support throughout their elementary and middle school years.”

Both HCC and JCPS will be raising rates for private pay families in the coming school year. HCC’s cost will go up by $100 over the course of six months, and JCPS will increase costs by $50.

N Main St

NC 28786

In North Carolina today, the supply of child care falls short of demand with an average of over five families competing for every one available licensed child care slot statewide. Among parents with children under the age of six, 81% pay for child care and families in the state spend an average of $633 per month, according to the Chamber report.

Information from the Office of State Budget and Management places that cost even higher among infant child care costs, with families in North Carolina spending an average of $10,596 per year, or $833 per month. These costs contribute to 45% of parents of young children declining or leaving workforce training and 34% of mothers and 20% of fathers leaving the workforce altogether.

“If families are facing the true probability of not being able to identify adequate child care, then a dad or a mom, some family member, is very likely to remain out of the workforce to provide care for those children,” said Price, who also directs economic development and regional partnerships at WCU. “And in a time where we know that the number of available jobs exceeds the available workforce in Western North Carolina, the more people that are removed from actively seeking work, it really puts a strain on businesses, both large and small.”

When North Carolina Child Care Stabilization grants became available during the pandemic, the Regional Center for the Advancement of Children, located on HCC’s campus and operated by the college, was eligible to receive the funding.

“When we first started receiving them, it was during the pandemic, and there was really a crisis at that time related to pay for employees,” said White. “We, along with many other centers, adjusted our pay rates using those funds to be able to retain and recruit teachers.”

Over in Jackson County, the public school system runs a blended early education model, accepting students whose families qualify for the NC pre-K state initiative and child care subsidies, as well as those who don’t qualify and can pay privately. Because the school system accepts those private pay spots, it was also eligible for the stabilization grants. JCPS also chose to use the grants for staff pay, providing quarterly bonuses.

“We chose not to increase the pay just because we felt like that would be hard to pull back from if we had to when the stabilization grant went away,” said Laura Dills, executive director of federal programs and elementary education.

In addition, JCPS used the fixed-cost portion of grant funds to pay for equipment needs.

According to White, rates at the Regional Center for the Advancement of Children would have to go up whether stabilization grants continued or not, to keep up with associated operational costs.

“Operating a child care center is challenging in many ways and it’s never going to be a for-profit center. It’s not supposed to be, in my opinion,” said White. “I think we do well to balance, break even, but our Board of Trustees has remained committed to operating the center. It’s very important to our community.”

At JCPS, it’s not quite as simple.

“The possibility of the stabilization grants going away is not necessarily what caused us to increase our rate. But if I could rely on it to consistently increase employees’ salary to $15 per hour instead of doing the bonus route, then I would definitely have leaned on it.”

In the coming year JCPS private pay pre-K rates will increase from $600 to $650 per month, but, Dills says, they need closer to $700 or $750 per month to fund the program adequately. Part of this is because the NC preK reimbursement is only $473 per student per month, which does not keep up with operating costs.

“I think looking at expanding NC pre-K eligibility and increasing the reimbursement rate for NC pre-K to be closer to some of the subsidy rates would be a good starting point,” said Dills.

According to Price, another paramount starting point is helping people understand the unique role that child care plays in economic and workforce development.

According to the Chamber report, child care issues result in an estimated $5.65 billion annual loss for North Carolina’s economy.

“There are vacancies in every sector right now that are specifically due to child care issues,” Price said. “There’s a strong correlation between the lack of availability of child care — particularly that of early childhood, infant and toddler childcare — and a mom or a dad being able to go out and participate in the workforce.”

That child care-related employee turnover and absenteeism is estimated to cost North Carolina employers $4.29 billion per year, and

“We changed over some of our playgrounds from wood chip mulch to a certified rubber mulch that’s certified safe for children, it doesn’t decompose and have to be replaced as frequently as the wood chip mulch,” said Dills. “We’ve gotten a variety of new and exciting supplies for classrooms, different manipulatives for math or science centers … we tried to grow and improve the classroom so that the kids have more learning options and teachers have more materials and supplies.”

Almost all those materials and supplies would have been impossible to acquire without the stabilization grants. Dills said that many of the resources they were able to bring into the program could have taken a decade or more to save for, by which time needs and regulations often change. That, or they would

“The role that the university and other economic developers around the region play is to really try to elevate this and escalate this to a true economic impediment, because that’s when people take notice,” said Price.

As leaders in the WNC child care world, White and Dills are both hopeful that the General Assembly will settle the issue.

“Everybody is sad that the stabilization grant goes away, if it does, because it has been a revenue source that has greatly impacted the programs that qualify for it,” Dills said. “It will leave a gaping wound. But it’s an opportunity for us as a state to step up and do what we probably should have been doing for a while.”

Democrats claim school vouchers detract from child care grants

BY KYLE P ERROTTI

N EWS E DITOR

As the July 1 budget deadline for Child Care Stabilization grants approaches, it appears the Republican-led North Carolina House and Senate are struggling to agree on how to spend the $30 billion or so taxpayer dollars slated for the upcoming fiscal year.

Perhaps the hottest topic in the new budget is whether $500 million should be included to provide vouchers to help families pay for private school for their children. While Republicans claim that including that money would be a massive win for school choice, Democrats argue that it provides a means for taxpayer dollars to go toward religious educational institutions normally attended by children from wealthier households.

Ultimately, Democrats argue that the money could be better spent — for example, $300 million of that money could fill the gap in child care stabilization grants that are set to expire at the end of this month (see CHILD CARE CRISIS, p.6).

Democratic Gov. Roy Cooper hasn’t been shy in letting legislators and residents know about the serious issues he has with the proposed voucher money, and it seems likely he will veto any budget that includes it.

“They [private schools] don’t have to tell taxpayers what they teach, how their students perform, which students they will reject or whether students even show up at all,” he said in a March press conference. “That is a reckless, reckless waste of taxpayer money.”

Meanwhile, some Democratic legislators have outright said the money for vouchers should instead go toward child care.

A May 30 NC Newsline story quotes the House and Senate Democratic leaders, Rep. Robert Reives (D-Sanford) and Sen. Dan Blue (D-Raleigh) as saying Republicans’ priorities in those two areas are backward.

“Rather than ensuring that every child in North Carolina has access to high quality education and child care, they’re funneling taxpayer dollars into private school vouchers,” said Blue.

That story notes that Reives said the federal grant money has been a “lifeline” for working families and the business community, helping ensure child care centers continued to function and working parents could balance work and family life.

“With that money ending, now the state needs to step up and bridge the divide,” he said. “But instead, the focus of this session

so far has been to subsidize private school education for millionaires.”

“In this building, we have had our priorities backward,” Reives added. “How much more of an impact would hundreds of millions of dollars for child care centers have on our state than handouts to wealthy families for private school tuition.”

“It’s a ridiculous, to me, supposition, that what we need to do is take care of the wealthiest of us,” Reives concluded. “I think that responsible people here — corporations agree with this, the NC Chamber agrees with this, wealthy people agree with this. But for some reason, we decided that we’re going to prioritize our top 1% economically and just tell the other 99% figure it out as you go.”

However, Sen. Kevin Corbin (RMacon) strongly disagreed that there’s some kind of binary choice between any two potential budget items.

“It’s easy to make comparisons and pit this part of the budget against that part,” he said. “The process is politically charged and always has been, but I don’t pit one item in the budget against the other, even though that might make for interesting conversation.”

To wit, Corbin said he supports both the $300 million for child care stabilization grants and the $500 million for school vouchers, although he was more passionate about the funding for child care stabilization grants.

While Corbin was less enthusiastic about the school vouchers, saying simply “it’s a thing in the budget” that he supports, Rep. Mike Clampitt (R-Swain) strongly supported the vouchers, called “opportunity scholarships.” However, he did note that he thought those vouchers may work to the benefit of urban areas more than rural districts like the one he represents.

“Because of the nature of these locations, there will be more of the opportunities in the urban areas because of more availability of schools in those areas, but it does still give people opportunities here,” Clampitt said.

Clampitt noted that he doesn’t like the framing of the vouchers and the child care stabilization grants as a binary choice either, although he did concede that tough decisions will have to be made.

“The media initially reported a $1.6 billion surplus for the state, but that’s closer to $1 billion,” he said. “Since we didn’t meet those projections, we’ll have to think about some of these things.”

Mike Clampitt. File photo

Kevin Corbin. File photo

WCU Board of Trustees approves new CIO

On Friday, June 14, Western Carolina University’s Board of Trustees approved Chris Williams’ selection as its chief information officer. Williams, who comes to WCU after spending the last nine years as the IT director for Student Affairs at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, will begin his new position Monday, June 24. Since graduating from UNC Chapel Hill in 1999, Williams has spent the last 25 years working his way up the ladder, while also continuing his academic journey to prepare himself for future advancement. Last year, he completed his MBA with a concentration in information systems at UNC Wilmington. He recently completed the NC Certified Government CIO program at UNC Chapel Hill.

career journey, or their journey though academics.”

For Williams, a native of Robbins, the work he was doing was enjoyable. But it was no longer challenging. He found himself desiring something more complicated.

After applying for the WCU opening, Williams eventually saw the university’s IT annual report. His interest piqued.

“It was just amazing,” he said. “At one point, I thought, ‘Why do they even need a CIO?’ The team appeared to be mature, and they were doing such great work. It was just really exciting. I felt like I had written so much of the content that was in there. I had that connection to begin with prior to my first interview.”

Those accomplishments, Williams said, helped prepare him for his move to WCU as the CIO.

“It’s a huge honor,” Williams said. “It happened to come at the right time when I was ready for the next step in my career. I’ve been at UNC Chapel Hill my entire career, all 25 years, plus four years as an undergrad. I honestly never thought I would leave.

“When this opportunity came along, it was the first time I had to think creatively about not staying at the same place forever. Ultimately, what it means to me is a chance to go somewhere new where I can add value, be supported by peers, team members, the campus, to really do good work. WCU is a community where IT is appreciated and where I’m hoping I’ll find ways to support other students on their

Still, Williams wondered if his initial impressions might wane once he arrived in Cullowhee for his in-person interview. Would he no longer be interested?

“Every single thing I looked for, I was proven wrong,” he said. “I was satisfied that this place is really a community where people are supportive. They really operate as a family. That’s an aspect of my job I really value. It makes me excited to want to go to work every day and to serve the community. That’s what it felt like, that this is a community where I could be accepted and supported and be successful. Moving my family to the Cullowhee area, I needed to know that I was going to be happy in the role and to be successful. Both of those things, they just knocked it out of the park.”

Williams described himself as self-driven. One of the

things he takes pride in is his ability to problem-solve, whether it’s an IT-related issue, or something unrelated.

Upon coming to WCU, Williams looks forward to building relationships across campus while realizing that it will take time. What he hopes is that the campus community sees IT as a partner.

Williams said, “I knew Western was the right place for me when Chancellor [Kelli R.] Brown stressed that she fosters a collaborative family culture with student success and academic excellence as primary goals. That is an area that I champion daily.”

“I’m incredibly excited to welcome Chris Williams to the role of CIO for WCU,” Brown said. “Chris joins us with over 25 years of experience in the higher education IT field and I am confident he will provide a wealth of knowledge and innovative ideas to the IT team and the university as a whole. His work in the UNC System will also be a tremendous asset for WCU. Chris and his family are thrilled to get involved with the WCU community and make this region their new home.”

“I knew Western was the right place for me when (WCU) Chancellor (Kelli R.) Brown stressed that she fosters a collaborative family culture with student success and academic excellence as primary goals. That is an area that I champion daily.”

— Chris Williams

He is moving with his wife, Nicole, and 12-year-old son, Alex. Williams said he and his wife spend a lot of time supporting Alex and his love of playing football, whether it’s tackle leagues during the school year or 7-on-7 leagues in the spring.

Outside of that, they enjoy spending time on their boat on the weekends with friends. Williams also gets joy from working on things, which he will get to do while setting up their new home.

“The thing that really stood out to me that I’m excited about is fishing with my son, the mountain views, being able to go hiking,” Williams said. “There’s so much to do just in the area that doesn’t require stores and businesses. We all will be looking forward to the Western football games. We already have friends who are connected to some of the teams [WCU plays] planning to meet us at games. So, we already feel like we’re at home.”

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Chris Williams was approved as Western Carolina University's new chief information officer by the WCU Board of Trustees Friday, June 14. WCU photo

Contract awarded to replace I-40 bridges in Haywood

The N.C. Department of Transportation recently awarded a contract to replace the two bridges on Interstate 40 over Beaverdam Road.

Zachry Construction Corporation earned the $33 million contract as the lowest qualified bidder. The contract allows construction operations to begin as early as July 8, and the contract calls for completion in April of 2028.

The two bridges will be replaced with a single arched structure over Beaverdam Road. The 63-year-old bridges are experiencing deterioration and increased maintenance costs. NCDOT crews have conducted more

than 30 full-depth concrete repairs on the bridges over the last two years. The new structure will provide safe and efficient travel for decades into the future.

The general traffic management plan retains two lanes of traffic in both directions for the duration of construction. The only exception would be during a 60-hour span during traffic shifts with vehicles utilizing a single road closure. NCDOT and the contractor anticipate little-to-no traffic delays during construction.

For real-time travel information, visit drivenc.gov or follow NCDOT on social media.

Franklin FUMC hosts bazaar auction

When it comes to staying the course, First United Methodist Church (FUMC), Franklin has a long history of supporting those in need in Macon County (and beyond) through its mission projects and fundraisers.

As a kickoff to this year’s 35th bazaar, FUMC has added another component and shopping opportunity to benefit mission funding: the Bazaar Auction.

The auction will be held on from 5:30-7 p.m. Friday, June 28, in Memorial Hall at First United Methodist Church, in Franklin located at 66 Harrison Ave.

In addition, the community is invited to come out the night before, Thursday, June 27, starting at 6 p.m., to preview items in the auction prior to the Mountain Voices Concert that starts at 7 p.m. in the sanctuary.

From items for recreation to services and trips, from household items to family treasures, the Bazaar Auction has something for everyone, and all proceeds received will be designated for missions.

Cherokee museum receives $385,000 grant

Museum of the Cherokee People has been awarded a major spring grant from the Cherokee Preservation Foundation. The $385,000 grant will support the Museum’s goals to update its public facility, built in 1976, by providing critical funding for architectural schematic drawings for its offsite collections facility, the services of an owner’s representative, capital campaign consultant, strategic plan consultant and a mini redesign of the Museum’s lobby.

The project is aligned with Cherokee Preservation Foundation’s goals to bolster economic development supporting the Eastern Band

of Cherokee Indians and enhance downtown Cherokee’s cultural district. Addressing the Museum’s aging and outdated infrastructure ensures the safety and wellbeing of Museum staff, guests and the object and archival material collections in its care. By improving the visitor experience in the Museum’s public facility through increased exhibition and programming space and updates to its main galleries, the Museum will tell the Cherokee story as Cherokee people, creating a welcoming, illuminating and engaging space for Cherokee people and visitors to the Qualla Boundary.

Artistic and cultural demonstrations by the Museum’s Atsila Anotasgi Cultural Specialists are included in admission and take place from 10 a.m. to 3 p.m., Mondays and Fridays.

You got this, you know you do

One of the best things about marriage is the abundance of opportunities for continuous learning. For example, I did not know until today that you are never really on vacation until you put on a swimsuit.

We are in Cincinnati for the Memorial Day Weekend series between the Reds and the Dodgers, my favorite team since childhood. Last October, about five minutes — no, really, it was five minutes — after the Dodgers signed international baseball superstar Shohei Ohtani to a contract large enough for him to buy the state of Texas if he wanted to, I rushed over to Stubhub and bought tickets about eight feet behind the Dodger dugout on the third-base side.

We are so close to the field that I thought I might be called on to pitch on Friday night when the Dodger bullpen imploded and the Reds kicked our butts, 9-6, despite the fact that the Dodgers had nearly twice as many hits in the game. Never mind. We’ll get ‘em tomorrow night!

Tammy is not the world’s biggest baseball fan, but she’s a great sport and indulges me by wearing glittery Dodger decals on her cheeks like she’s going to a baseball rave. She also bought us matching Dodger shirts so we’d look “cute” for the inevitable barrage of selfies to document our vacation.

During the games, she becomes reacquainted with the dormant “little league baseball mother” within and shouts out charmingly vague phrases of encouragement to various Dodger players.

“What’s this one’s name?” she asks, as catcher Will Smith strides toward the batter’s box.

“Will Smith,” I say. “He’s our catcher and clean-up hitter.”

“Do a good one, Will!” she shouts, causing a trio of teenagers directly behind us to giggle. “You know you got

Don’t weaken floodplain ordinance

To the Editor:

The following comments relate to the ongoing discussion about changing the Macon County floodplain ordinance to allow fill to be added. The answer to the added fill question should be a resounding “no” for reasons that I will cite below.

I have worked many years as a design engineer, with river experience from drought to flood. For the past 42 years, I have lived in close proximity to the Little Tennessee River at the north end of the county and have seen multiple flood events, including that caused by Hurricane Ivan, which brought the river onto N.C. 28 and Rose Creek Road near my home, not to mention the devastation and tragedy in the Gold Mine Community.

An understanding of what a floodplain is, and what a flood plain does, is necessary to this discussion. A floodplain is an area of approximately uniform elevation, adjacent to a river, that is normally above water level, but during a flood, allows excess water to spread out over a large area. It might be grassland or it might be wooded. In any case, it acts as a buffer during a flood, mitigating the downstream damage.

What use should be made of a floodplain? Agricultural and recreational uses are ideal,

this!”

Will does got this, but his screaming line drive is snagged by the Reds centerfielder against the wall, ending our rally. It’s just that kind of night.

But we do look cute, and you can’t win them all.

In between games on Friday and Saturday afternoon, we find other things to do, exploring Cincinnati, sampling the locally famous ribs and ice cream, strolling the streets and parks, and making notes of things we want to do before we head north to Indiana on Sunday to visit family.

On Saturday afternoon, while we are back at the hotel regrouping after lunch, Tammy begins fiddling around in her suitcase, which is stuffed with 58% of all the clothes in her wardrobe, for her swimsuit, or at least one of them.

“Going for a swim?” I ask.

“I doubt it,” she says. “I might just go and lay out by the pool. Or maybe I’ll jump in for a minute. I just don’t feel like I am on vacation until I put on a swimsuit.”

“How’s that again?”

“I said, ‘it’s not really a vacation until you put on your swimsuit.’ I mean, have you felt like YOU have been on vacation?”

I have been married long enough to automatically include the traditional 10-second waiting period before speaking on such matters so that I can evaluate the wisdom of whatever I might be about to say.

“Yes, I guess so,” I say, like an attorney about to lay out my

where structures are minimal and flood damage negligible. Campgrounds and mobile home parks are reasonable, where vehicles can be moved to safer grounds when flooding is imminent, although I have seen propane tanks and trailers floating downstream during Ivan. Pollution from engine oil, transmission fluid, anti-freeze, liquid propane and more is a secondary, but very real, result of having vehicles vulnerable to flood waters.

Building permanent structures in the floodplain is unwise and should be a no-brainer, yet this continues to occur.

What happens when fill — even a small amount such as an access road, a structure pad or a berm — is added to a floodplain? Flood water, which would have spread out, is blocked and added to the downstream rush, increasing the river volume and damage to downriver property. It is another example of human intervention causing a disruption to nature’s normal actions, to our own detriment. Most restrictive regulations came into being for valid reasons, usually involving the health, safety and well-being of all of us. We see attempts at a national level to gut or eliminate regulations which get in the way of personal or corporate greed for more wealth. Macon County’s floodplain ordinance serves a valid purpose in protecting us all. Do not weaken it.

Doug Woodward Franklin

case. “I’m not at work. I’ve got a room on the 20th floor in the Hilton in a major American city. I’m eating in Yelp-recommended restaurants. I’m going to an immersive Monet exhibit. And, oh yeah, we’re seeing two games between the Dodgers and the Reds. Vacation, yes, it checks out.”

“Even though you haven’t put on a swimsuit yet?”

“Even so,” I say.

“I guess it takes all kinds,” she says.

“It certainly does, my love.”

After a little foray down by the pool, we head back up to the room to get ready for the Monet exhibit a couple of blocks away. Immediately afterwards, we’ll meet Tammy’s Aunt Robin and Uncle Dee Jay, who’s been a Dodgers fan as long as I have, for dinner before tonight’s game.

“Do you think we’ll win this one?” she asks as we are putting together our matching Dodger outfits for the remainder of the day.

I tell her I do. We’ve got Walker Buehler on the hill, back recently after a long recovery from Tommy John surgery. Prior to that, he had been one of our very best pitchers, and he looked sharp in his last start.

She evaluates this assessment, maybe. It is difficult to gauge whether she really believes me, or whether I might as well have been speaking in another language, which, in a way, I have.

Get you a good one, Walker. You know you got this.

Now that Tammy’s had her swimsuit on, we are finally on vacation.

(Chris Cox is a writer and teacher who lives in Clyde. For much more of his writing, check out his Substack at chriscox157.substack.com.)

GOP bows to Trump’s immigration edict

To the Editor: Politics Trumps responsibility.

I apologize to readers for the terrible pun, but I could not help myself. In recent days, we have heard much criticism from all over the political spectrum of President Biden’s recent executive order concerning capping the number of daily asylum seekers accepted at our border.

For years, there has been outcry from the American electorate, also from all over the political spectrum, that representatives and senators were abdicating responsibility and not doing their job because they refused to seriously consider, formulate or vote for comprehensive immigration reform. Those of us who take the issue seriously were dismayed with both Democrats and Republicans for being unable to work together to find compromise towards policies that would, if not solve, at least notably improve the unworkable situation at our borders.

What occurred in May 2024 transformed dysfunction into a clear abdication of duty. Republicans and Democrats worked together on a compromise that neither side loved, but could live with. They outlined the policies and were ready to vote. For the briefest of moments it looked like an immigration bill

LETTERS

that took a few initial steps towards reform would be passed.

And then Mr. Trump spoke. He let Republicans know that he did not want them to vote for the bill, even though, and maybe especially because, it actually represented a bit of progress towards immigration reform.

Instead of voting for a bill their fellow Republicans had worked hard to cobble together, Republican congresspersons turned their backs firmly on their Democratic colleagues and tanked the bill. They chose politics over the responsibility of working together to solve national problems, which happens to be their job.

Instead of doing what was in the best interest of U.S. citizens and our country, they followed their leader like lemmings into the sea. (Some might say as a result that Mr. Trump is a real leader … they did what he asked. But his leadership always seems to take us towards lack of accomplishment and chaos).

In my view, the actions of Republicans in Congress were akin to a “Heil Trump” response. Or maybe a low bow to their “Fearless Leader.” They are not doing the work they were sent to Washington to accomplish and their behavior takes us just a bit closer to tyranny.

Judy LeRoy Robinson Sylva

Columnist

Chris Cox

A conversation with Drivin N Cryin

BY GARRET K. WOODWARD

ARTS & E NTERTAINMENT E DITOR

In the annals of American rock music, few storied bands have withstood the test of time and endured with such integrity and grit as Drivin N Cryin. Formed in Atlanta, Georgia, in 1985, the group is quickly approaching its 40th anniversary, another milestone along its melodic road of life, legend, lore and legacy — still rockin’, still rollin’.

A juggernaut of sound and scope, DNC is a sonic muscle car of swagger and grace, all fueled by lead singer/guitarist Kevn Kinney’s old soul poetic lyrical aptitude — this highoctane blend of hard rock, punk, metal and indie-folk stylings.

Founded by Kinney and bassist Tim Nielsen, DNC is currently rounded out by the thunderous roar of drummer Dave V. Johnson and the searing licks of lead guitarist Laur Joamets.

The key to DNC’s longevity was (and remains) grinding it out on never-ending tours throughout the decades. Taking the stage in sticky floor bar rooms, majestic theaters, backyard barbecues, massive festivals and seemingly every setting in-between, the quartet remains a bastion of what it truly means to be an honest, intrinsic artist in a modern world of dilution and distraction.

Catching up with The Smoky Mountain News backstage following a raucous gig at The Grey Eagle in Asheville, Kinney and Nielsen dug deep into what it means to not only still be performing together, but also the purpose and passion behind one of the most beloved rock acts in the Southeast and beyond.

Smoky Mountain News: What does it mean to you to have people still show up and love what you do some 39 years into this?

Kevn Kinney: Well, it’s an ebb and flow. We’re not a showbiz band. We’re a different kind of thing. We’re just regular, normal, good people. We’re everyday people. We don’t have a lot of pizzazz. And when we tried to have pizzazz, people didn’t like it.

You know, you start off with something that’s genuine. And you wind up trying to appease people — to keep your record deal or to do whatever to be famous, to be better than the Joneses.

You’re like, “What’s Soul Asylum doing? What’s Collective Soul doing?” What’s everybody doing? How do we rate up against them? Are they bigger on the charts?

And then, eventually, you kind of go, “Wait a minute — it’s art.” It’s like saying, “There’s no better painting than the painting over there.” It’s art. You can’t say that. There’s a time when art becomes commercial. It’s pop art. You can’t compete with it and you’re never next in line.

It’s never about whether you’ve been around long enough. It’s just that people either get your art or they don’t. They either like the way you paint or they don’t like the way you paint. You can’t manipulate that.

SMN: So, how do you measure success then?

KK: Well, success, to me, would be tonight. I thought it was a really honest, good, fun show. I didn’t put on any airs and everybody was happy. We’re just playing music and you guys

Want to go?

rock act

Drivin N Cryin will hit the stage at 8 p.m. Saturday, June 22, at The Grey Eagle in Asheville.

are paying to see it, to see us practice. [Laughs].

I mean, when we played “Build A Fire” tonight, it felt just like we did in the old days. It’s art. It’s a time machine. Music is a time machine. And I live in it. I don’t judge. I don’t know where I am, I just dive into it [onstage]. We’re scarred, but smarter.

SMN: When you look back at the history of the band, it’s wild to see how much has happened and how much time has passed.

Tim Nielsen: It’s hard to think about how long we’ve been doing this. But, we were onstage last night in Chattanooga, [Tennessee], and I feel like we’re better than we’ve ever been and we really understand and appreciate what we’re doing more than we ever have.

It’s such a crazy world and the fact that we get to get up there and melt faces for two hours in a packed bar? That’s a blast. I feel fortunate that we get to do this — that we’re still playing music and that people are still celebrating the music we made years ago.

SMN: Well, I would surmise that part of why the band’s still cranking the way it is all these years later is that you still enjoy making music and jamming together.

TN: Yeah. But, I don’t think we came to that epiphany until probably [12] years ago or something. And me, personally, saying, “Hey, you know, I’ve been doing this my whole life. Maybe this is what I’m supposed to be doing.”

Maybe this is what I’m supposed to be doing and I’m going to go for it. Let’s enter-

Doors open at 7 p.m. The show is all ages. Standing room only. Tickets are $20 per person. For more information and/or to purchase tickets, go to thegreyeagle.com.

tain people and entertain ourselves.

SMN: What does it mean to you to still be out there doing it?

TN: I don’t think musicians are supposed to retire. I think they just keep going until they keel over. It means a lot [to still be playing]. I want to keep doing it. I’ve never been to Asia. I’ve never been to Australia. We’ve hardly been to the West Coast. So, there’s lot of places in the world where we’re a brand-new band.

SMN: And being a band that’s still out there making an impact.

TN: We kind of just relate to the human quality. We’re real and we sing about real stuff. Hardworking middle-class people — that’s who we are. Not to be cliché or like Bruce Springsteen or whatever, but those guys are all bajillionaires, so that doesn’t really count for them anymore.

SMN: What has a life playing music taught you about what it means to be a human being?

TN: Just to appreciate things and appreciate friends. Don’t take anything for granted. Be kind to each other. Bringing joy to people. Life is hard for a lot of us. So, if we can bring a little joy into the world and make people forget what’s on the news or whatever, what’s going on in the world, is a crazy thing to be a part of. We go out there and play in these little towns. In the middle of nowhere in Georgia, South Carolina and North Carolina. We’re out there and these people are great — and the music connects all of us.

Legendary

Drivin N Cryin will play Asheville June 22. File photo

This must be the place

BY GARRET K. WOODWARD

live on Sugar Mountain, with the barkers and colored balloons’

Hello from the Merritt Parkway in southcentral Connecticut. It’s bumper-tobumper traffic and has been since we skirted New York City and headed east. Exit 60 is Hamden, Connecticut, a town that I called home during my years attending Quinnpiac University.

Hop off the parkway and take a left onto Dixwell Avenue towards Hamden. While sitting at that intersection, it dawned on me that I hadn’t been here in about 11 years or so. Before that? A random stop in 2009, but more so 2007 when I graduated with my degrees in journalism and history and took off to the West to be a writer.

That intersection also sparked numerous memories, many of which of the small community school along this route heading south towards the city of New Haven. While a senior in college, I picked up a work-study gig as an after-school teacher for inner-city kids between third and sixth grade, most of whom would be in their late 20s by now. Tick-tock the clock continues to go, eh?

Turn onto Evergreen Avenue and stop in

HOT PICKS

1

The annual “Concerts on the Creek” music series will present classic rock/R&B act The V8s at 7 p.m. Friday, June 21, at Bridge Park in downtown Sylva.

2

Rising singer-songwriter and multi-instrumentalist Alma Russ will hit the stage at 9 p.m. Saturday, June 22, at The Gem downstairs taproom at Boojum Brewing in Waynesville

3 Stecoah Valley Center (Robbinsville) will present Wood Wire & Clay (Americana/bluegrass) at 7:30 p.m. Saturday, June 22.

4

The “Brisket, Bourbon & Beer” fundraiser for REACH of Haywood County will take place from 5:30-9 p.m. Thursday, June 20, at the Shelton House in Waynesville.

5

A special stage production of “The Gods of Comedy” will be held at 7:30 p.m. June 21-22, 27-29 and 2 p.m. June 23 and 30 at the Haywood Arts Regional Theatre in Waynesville.

front of the old three-story home that myself and four college cronies inhabited our senior year (2007). The house was (and remains) nothing special, whether it be by curb appeal or physically wandering around inside the dwelling. It looked like someone was currently living at the address as seen by the vehicle parked in the driveway.

Dirty window shades pulled down in the fading sunshine. Just another extremely overpriced college house in a small New England town. Creaky floors and dusty windows. Temperamental air-conditioning. Old refrigerator only stocked with condiments and cheap beer. Ancient washer and dryer in the dank basement. Small rooms and big dreams of what may emerge following graduation.

I hadn’t seen the house pretty much since the last day I lived in it. I was the last person to leave out of the five of us roommates. After

or it’s too hard to focus in while standing so far away on the horizon of my current intent. Late August 2006. That first day moving in. Excitement in high demand. We were finally off campus. Out of the dorms and into a real home. And one that wasn’t owned and operated by our parents. Toss a case of beer into the fridge and start cracking the cold suds. Fill our respective rooms with trinkets, band posters, black lights, incense and handme-down furniture.

Somewhat finished with unpacking, time to head to Side Street Bar & Grill on Dickerman Street. Jumbo hot wings and draft beer. Football on numerous TVs. Familiar collegiate faces also back in town for senior year. Each of us hailing from other small towns in New York, Massachusetts, New Jersey, Maine, Vermont and points elsewhere. Drinks hoisted high in unison. Drinks accidentally and joyously spilled in the heat of the moment and of reconnection. Everything seemed unknown and in our favor. Only time would tell how it all played out.

Visions of Friday night house parties and Saturday nights at the clubs in downtown New Haven. Enormous keg gatherings at our humble abode. One in particular held over a hundred or so college students if memory serves right. One of our roommates worked for the local liquor store, so we always got discounts on cheap kegs of Keystone Light, Busch Light and Bud Light. If it was cheap, we drank it.

After-parties in my attic room, seeing as it had a balcony and the best functioning A/C in the entire house. That, and I also had a record player that worked, the vinyl sounds of Chicago, Led Zeppelin, Steppenwolf and Crosby Stills Nash & Young echoing loudly out of the speakers. The room packed like a sardine can. Loud conversations.

I packed up whatever was left in my attic room into the back of my (now long gone) 1998 Isuzu Hombre, rev up the engine and turn onto Interstate 91 North to I-90 West to I-87 North to Plattsburgh, New York, to my folks’ farmhouse some 4.5 hours away.

My girlfriend, Sarah, was riding shotgun in my Toyota Tacoma. It is now June 2024. Almost exactly 17 years since this old house was in the rearview mirror, the Isuzu Hombre pulling out of the driveway on Evergreen Avenue for the last time, the nose of the vehicle aimed into the unknown cosmos of what lies beyond youthful transgressions, late-night study sessions and thoughts — perhaps hopes and fears — for what actual adulthood may reveal itself to be in due time. Hold steady and get ready for the ride to begin.

Gazing across the disheveled property, with a lawn in need of mowing and garbage bags in need of being picked up, a flood of memories appeared across my field-of-vision. Some seventeen years ago from this launching point. Feels like a million years ago. Feels like yesterday. And yet, it also feels like it never really happened. This foggy dream of a past I either don’t remember that well in hindsight

Myself explaining the history of the bands noted in this paragraph to someone asking me what this music was and what’s the story behind it? Foreshadowing to my life’s path, I suppose.

The old desk in that attic room where I’d type away wildly on whatever I was writing about. The old desk, which was more like a table platform for a bedroom with a chair I found on the side of the road, where I decided I wanted to make a go of it as a writer. My first published assignments from the college newspaper, the QU Chronicle, and from a magazine I’d worked for the summer prior back home in the North Country, State of Mind Music. Both publications are now gone and have been for years. But each set the tone and trajectory of where I stand today, happily. Snap out of the trance of Memory Lane when Sarah asks if there’s a nice spot around here where we can get lunch and maybe a beverage. It’s been a long drive from Western North Carolina, an even longer drive ahead to the North Country, only to circle back in a week or so to our Waynesville apartment. Some of the nicer restaurants aren’t open yet. But, Side Street Bar & Grill is. Onward. Life is beautiful, grasp for it, y’all.

The house on Evergreen Avenue in Hamden.

Garret K. Woodward photo

• Bevel Bar (Waynesville) will host We Three Swing at 8 p.m. every first Saturday of the month and semi-regular live music on the weekends. 828.246.0996 / bevelbar.com.

• Blue Ridge Beer Hub (Waynesville) will host Doug & Lisa June 28. All shows begin at 5 p.m. Free and open to the public. 828.246.9320 / blueridgebeerhub.com.

• Blue Stage (Andrews) will host Jack Barksdale (singer-songwriter) 8 p.m. June 22. 828.361.2534 / thebluestage.com.

• Boojum Brewing (Waynesville) will host Karaoke Night every Wednesday, Trivia Night 7 p.m. Thursdays, Alma Russ (Americana/folk) June 22 and Imij Of Soul (Jimi Hendrix tribute) June 29. All shows are located in The Gem downstairs taproom and begin at 9 p.m. unless otherwise noted. 828.246.0350 / boojumbrewing.com.

• Bryson City Brewing (Bryson City) will host Outlaw Whiskey (classic rock/country gold) June 22 and Second Chance (rock/country) June 29. All shows begin at 7:30 p.m. Free and open to the public. 828.538.0085 / brysoncitybrewing.com.

• Folkmoot Friendship Center (Waynesville) will host “Summer Soiree” July 11. 828.452.2997 / folkmoot.org.

• Frog Level Brewing (Waynesville) will host Bemi June 21, The Maggie Valley Band (Americana/indie) June 22, Stomperkitty 3 p.m. June 23, Mike Oregano 5:30 p.m. (singer-songwriter) June 25, The Never B’s June 28, PrideFest (10 a.m. to 4 p.m.) June 29, Tricia Ann Band (country/rock) June 29 and Rich Manz Trio (classic rock/acoustic oldies) 3 p.m. June 30. All shows begin at 6 p.m. unless otherwise noted. Free and open to the public. 828.454.5664 / froglevelbrewing.com.

• Lazy Hiker Brewing (Franklin) will host Tim Atkins (blues/soul) June 22 and Blue Jazz (blues/jazz) June 29. All shows begin at 7 p.m. unless otherwise noted. Free and open to the public. 828.349.2337 / lazyhikerbrewing.com.

• Mountain Layers Brewing (Bryson City) will host Zip Robertson (singer-songwriter) June 21, Ron Neill (singer-songwriter) June 22, Bridget Gossett (singer-songwriter) 5 p.m. June 23, Bird In Hand (Americana/indie) June 28, Mountain Gypsy (Americana) June 29 and Terry Haughton (singer-songwriter) 5 p.m. June 30. All shows begin at 6 p.m. unless otherwise noted. Free and open to the public. 828.538.0115 / mountainlayersbrewingcompany.com.

• Nantahala Outdoor Center (Nantahala Gorge) will host Christina Chandler (singersongwriter) 3 p.m. June 20, Whitney Monge (soul/rock) June 21, McKinney (rock/blues) June 22, Blue (folk/blues) 2 p.m. June 23,

Americana at Marianna

The Summer Music Series will continue with an evening of old-time and traditional music by Susan Pepper & Sarah Songbird Burkey at 7 p.m. Thursday, June 27, at the Marianna Black Library in Bryson City. Together, the duo presents traditional mountain ballads and folk songs as well as sprinkle in traditional-inspired original compositions. This pair delight in sharing a song and storytelling tradition with deep roots and meaning in this region.

Pepper is an authentic tradition-bearer, a cultural broker bridging the gap between generations of musicians past and present. According to Pepper, she sings, “as a way to remember and honor past generations and to draw on the strength of their songs and stories as we travel forward.”

Her philosophy is that music (melody, rhythm, lyrics) is something that should captivate, inspire and fill people up. With a master’s degree in Appalachian studies, Pepper has worked in many capacities with the Junior Appalachian Musicians program and continues to lead workshops in tradi-

tional music, ballad singing and storytelling. She is also a co-producer and featured performer in the Appalachian music film “The Mountain Minor.”

Burkey’s family has called Appalachia home for over 300 years. She considers herself to be of this land rather than from it. To Sarah Elizabeth, singing comes as naturally as breathing, earning her the name “Songbird” two decades ago, when she began singing the old ballads in public.

Burkey believes that, “The ballads bond us to those we learned them from. Through that bond, the stories of their lives live on as we tell their stories and sing.” She has worked on 17 albums and sung on numerous film soundtracks

This program is free and open to area residents and visitors. Other performances scheduled for the series include Grannies Mason Jar July 11, Kelli Dodd with “Kelli Sings Dolly” July 25 and Celtic Roads Aug. 8.

For more information, call the library at 828.488.3030 or visit fontanalib.org/brysoncity.

Maggie Valley Band returns to Frog Level

The Maggie Valley Band will perform at 6 p.m. Saturday, June 22, at Frog Level Brewing in Waynesville.

A blend of old-time mountain, Americana and psychedelic indie-folk music, the Haywood County group is fronted by siblings Whitney and Caroline Miller.

The duo has gone through several changes since they first set out on their melodic adventure several years ago.

But, what remains is the unbreakable bond of sisterhood, something that’s become a stronghold — and strong suit — in what it will take to break into the next level of their promising careers.

The show is free and open to the public. For more information, go to themaggievalleyband.com. 828.454.5664 or froglevelbrewing.com.

‘Concerts on the Creek’

The Town of Sylva, Jackson County Parks and Recreation Department and Jackson County Chamber of Commerce are proud to present the 15th season of the annual “Concerts on the Creek” music series.

Classic rock/R&B act The V8s will hit the stage at 7 p.m. Friday, June 21, at Bridge Park in downtown Sylva.

Most of The V8s have been playing in various bands (often together) since 1975. The outcome is one good-time party band. Classic, danceable tunes delivered from old school musicians with feel.

On any given night, the band will deliver their smokin’ hot versions of songs by artists such as Otis Redding, Wilson Picket, Sam & Dave, Johnny Rivers, Van Morrison and many more.

“Concerts on the Creek” are held every Friday night from Memorial Day through Labor Day. Everyone is encouraged to bring a chair or blanket. These events are free, but donations are encouraged. Dogs must be on a leash. No smoking, vaping, coolers or tents are allowed. There will be food trucks on site for this event.

For more information, call the chamber at 828.586.2155, visit

mountainlovers.com/concerts-on-the-creek or go to the “Concerts on the Creek” Facebook page.

Bryson City community jam

A community jam will be held from 6-7:30 p.m. Thursday, June 20, at the Marianna Black Library in Bryson City.

Anyone with a guitar, banjo, mandolin, fiddle, dulcimer or anything unplugged is invited to join. Singers are also welcomed to join in or you can just stop by and listen. The jam is facilitated by Larry Barnett of the Sawmill Creek Porch Band.

The community jams offer a chance for musicians of all ages and levels of ability to share music they have learned over the years or learn old-time mountain songs. The music jams are offered to the public each first and third Thursday of the month — spring, summer, fall.

This program received support from the North Carolina Arts Council, an agency funded by the State of North Carolina and the National Endowment of the Arts.

For more information, call 828.488.3030.

The Maggie Valley Band will play Waynesville June 22. File photo

Susan Pepper will play Bryson City June 27. Donated photo

On the beat On the wall

Ready for classic rock, country gold?

Haywood County rock/country act Outlaw Whiskey will perform at 7:30 p.m. Saturday, June 22, at Bryson City Brewing in Bryson City.

Formed in Haywood County seven years ago, Outlaw Whiskey has emerged as a popular band in Western North Carolina and greater Southern Appalachia. A blend of original country and rock songwriting amid a bevy of cover tunes from the likes of Lynyrd Skynyrd, Waylon Jennings, Johnny Cash and other marquee acts, the essence of the group is musicianship and fellowship.

In March, Outlaw Whiskey was recognized as “Band of the Year” (New Country: 50 & Over Category) by the North America Country Music Association, Int’l (NACMAI) for the second year in a row. Mike Holt took home “Male Vocalist New Country” and Gerald Scott was awarded “New Country Rising Star Song” for the melody “Dirt In Your Hands.” Free and open to the public. 828.538.0085 or brysoncitybrewing.com.

Indie, folk rolls through WNC

Rising singer-songwriter and multiinstrumentalist Alma Russ will hit the stage at 9 p.m. Saturday, June 22, at The Gem downstairs taproom at Boojum Brewing in Waynesville. Russ will also hit the stage at 8 p.m. Friday, June 28, at Lazy Hiker Brewing in Sylva.

Melissa McKinney (singer-songwriter) 3 p.m. June 27, Asheville Junction (Americana) 3:30 p.m. June 27 (Hemlocks grand opening), Pioneer Chicken Stand (Americana/rock) June 28, Shane Meade (singer-songwriter) 2 p.m. June 29, Asheville Junction (Americana) June 29 and Blue (folk/blues) 2 p.m. June 30. All shows behind at 5 p.m. unless otherwise noted. Free and open to the public. 828.785.5082 / noc.com.

• Pickin’ In The Park (Canton) will host Rewind (band) & Appalachian Mountaineers

Mountain Artisans showcase

Based out of Western North Carolina and with her unique brand of “patchwork music” (country, folk and Appalachian styles pieced together), Russ enjoys playing guitar, banjo and fiddle.

Russ was also a contestant on “American Idol” Season 16. Her most recent album, “Fool’s Gold,” was recorded in an abandoned church in the West Texas desert while Russ was on a national tour.

Both shows are free and open to the public. For more information on Russ, go to almarussofficial.com.

(dancers) June 21 and Brothers Rathbone (band) & Balsam Mountain (dancers) June 28. Shows are 6-9 p.m. at the Canton Rec Park located at 77 Penland Street. Free and open to the public. cantonnc.com/pickin-inthe-park.

• Pickin’ On The Square (Franklin) will host Asheville Junction (bluegrass) June 22. All shows begin at 6 p.m. at the Gazebo in downtown. Free and open to the public. franklinnc.com/pickin-on-the-square.html.

• Find more at smokymountainnews.com/arts

• “June Makers Market” will be held from 11 a.m. to 4 p.m. Saturday, June 29, in The Lineside at Frog Level Brewing in Waynesville. Local arts/crafts vendors and more. Free and open to the public. 828.454.5664 or froglevelbrewing.com.

• Nantahala Outdoor Center (Nantahala Gorge) will host a “Summer Artisan Market” from noon to 5 p.m. the second Saturday of the month (May-September). Free and open to the public. noc.com.

ALSO:

• “Art & Artisan Walk” will be held from 5-8 p.m. every third Thursday of the month (May-December) in Bryson City. Stroll the streets in the evening and discover handcrafted items, artwork, jewelry, pottery, antiques and more. Look for the yellow and blue balloons identifying participating businesses hosting artists. greatsmokies.com.

• “Art After Dark” will be held from 6-9 p.m. each first Friday of the month (MayDecember) in downtown Waynesville. Main Street transforms into an evening of art, live music, finger foods, beverages and shopping as artisan studios and galleries keep their doors open later for local residents and visitors alike. The event is free and open to the public. For more information, go to downtownwaynesville.com.

• “Spark of the Eagle Dancer: The Collecting Legacy of Lambert Wilson” will run through June 28 in the Fine Art Museum at Western Carolina University in Cullowhee. The showcase features works of contemporary Native American art from the collection of one of Western North Carolina’s most notable art enthusiasts, the late Lambert Wilson. This exhibition brings together a selection of baskets, pottery, carving, painting, photography and more. To learn more, go to arts.wcu.edu/spark.

• Marianna Black Library (Bryson City) will host an adult arts and crafts program at 1 p.m. every second Thursday of the month. Ages 16 and up. Space is limited to 10 participants. Free and open to the public. To register, call 828.488.3030 or email vroberson@fontanalib.org.

• CRE828 (Waynesville) will offer a selection of art classes and workshops at its studio

The annual Mountain Artisans “Summertime” Arts & Crafts Show will be held from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. June 28-29 in the Ramsey Center at Western Carolina University in Cullowhee. Dozens of local artisans. Admission is $5 for adults with children under 12 free. Concessions available and free convenient parking. For more information, go to mountainartisans.net.

located at 1283 Asheville Road. Workshops will include art journaling, watercoloring, mixed media, acrylic painting and more. For a full list of classes, go to cre828.com. For more information on CRE828, email dawn@cre828.com or call 828.283.0523.

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

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

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

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

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

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

• Cowee School Arts & Heritage Center (Franklin) will host semi-regular arts and crafts workshops. For more information, go to coweeschool.org/events.

Outlaw Whiskey will play Bryson City June 22. Garret K. Woodward photo

Mountain Artisans is a beloved WNC tradition. File photo

Alma Russ will play WNC this month File photo

On the stage

HART presents ‘The Gods of Comedy’

A special stage production of “The Gods of Comedy” will be held at 7:30 p.m. June 2122, 27-29 and 2 p.m. June 23 and 30 at the Haywood Arts Regional Theatre in Waynesville.

Written by the comedic genius Ken Ludwig behind such plays as “Lend Me a Tenor” and “Moon Over Buffalo,” “The Gods of Comedy” is a modern-day farce that transports the ancient Greek gods to the 21st century with uproarious results. Ludwig’s sharp wit and clever writing guarantee a night full of laughter.

On the street

‘Brisket, Bourbon & Beer’

The “Brisket, Bourbon & Beer” fundraiser for REACH of Haywood County will take place from 5:30-9 p.m. Thursday, June 20, at the Shelton House in Waynesville.

Gather on the lawn of the Shelton House in Waynesville to enjoy a savory brisket dinner and your choice of a mint julep cocktail, beer or wine. VIP guests will be treated to a private, high-end bourbon tasting and will receive a keepsake rocks glass.

Live music by indie/folk singer-songwriter Rene Russell and Motown/soul ensemble Amos & Friends. General admission is $75, with VIP admission $100.

The story follows Daph, a young and nervous classics professor, who accidentally summons Dionysus, the god of wine and revelry and Thalia, the muse of comedy, to help them out of an academic jam.

What ensues is a rollercoaster ride of mistaken identities, magical mishaps and divine intervention that will have you laughing from start to finish. Anyone who has ever felt overwhelmed by life’s unexpected twists will find humor and comfort in Daph’s predicament.

To make reservations, call the HART Box Office at 828.456.6322 or go to harttheatre.org. HART Box Office hours are Tuesday-Friday from noon to 5 p.m. HART is located at 250 Pigeon St. in Waynesville.

• Comedian Henry Cho will perform at 7:30 p.m. Saturday, June 29, at the Smoky Mountain Center for the Performing Arts in Franklin. Tickets start at $20 per person. 866.273.4615 / smokymountainarts.com.

• The Comedy Zone at Harrah’s Cherokee Casino will host Southern Momma through June 26. Doors open at 6 p.m. Dinner and drinks will be served from 6-7:45 p.m. For more information and/or to purchase tickets, go to cherokeecomedyzone.com/events.

ALSO:

• Peacock Performing Arts Center (Hayesville) will host semi-regular stage productions on the weekends. All shows begin at 7:30 p.m. on Fridays and Saturdays and 2:30 p.m. on Sundays unless otherwise noted. For more information and/or to purchase tickets, go to thepeacocknc.org or call 828.389.ARTS.

• Highlands Performing Arts Center will host semi-regular stage productions on the weekends. For more information, a full schedule of events and/or to purchase tickets, go to highlandsperformingarts.com.

The primary mission of REACH of Haywood County is to help victims of domestic violence become thriving survivors. REACH offers emergency shelter as a safe place for families seeking refuge from an abusive home — a place to heal and begin a new life. With support from REACH, they begin the process of moving on and getting established in a new life free of violence.

• Classic Wineseller (Waynesville) will host the Mount Eden Vineyards Wine Dinner 6:30 p.m. June 25 (call for reservations) and a wine tasting with Freedom Beverage 3-4:30 p.m. June 29 ($10 per person, no reservations required). 828.452.6000 or classicwineseller.com.

• “Flights & Bites” will be held starting at 4 p.m. on Thursdays and Fridays at Bosu’s Wine Shop in downtown Waynesville. As well, there will be a special summer wine tasting w/small plate at 6 p.m. June 12 ($30 per person) and rose wine dinner June 17-18 ($78 per person). For more information on upcoming events, wine tastings and special dinners, go to waynesvillewine.com.

• “Take A Flight” with four new wines every Friday and Saturdays at the Bryson City Wine Market. Select from a gourmet selection of charcuterie to enjoy with your wines. Educational classes and other events are also available. For more information, call 828.538.0420.

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

In recent years, as home values soar and affordable housing is harder to find, it has become much more difficult for victims to create a safe and peaceful new beginning for their families. Stays at the REACH shelter have become longer as survivors struggle to move into their own home.

To confront this issue, the REACH board is committed to raising new funds that will be used to help our clients move on by addressing the upfront hurdles of renting a new home.

Tickets may be purchased online at reachofhaywood.org or by calling 828.456.7898.

• First United Methodist Church will host its Bazaar Auction from 5:30-7 p.m. Friday, June 28, at 66 Harrison Ave. in Franklin. Live/silent auction, music, light refreshments and fellowship. 828.524.3644.

• Grumpy Bear Campground & RV Park (Bryson City) will host a “Native American Show” 6 p.m. on Saturdays. Free and open to the public. Donations encouraged. 828.788.2095 or grumpybearcampground.com.

Stecoah Drive-About Tour

The annual “Stecoah Arts & Crafts Drive-About Tour” will be from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. June 28-29 at featured studios in Bryson City, Stecoah and Robbinsville. With their studios open to the public, the self-guided driving tour highlights artisans who have built a livelihood with their creative talents. Media include pottery, beeswax lanterns and pillar candles, original paintings/drawings, fiber, quilts, photography, artisan cheeses and more.

The tour includes: Wehrloom Honey, Hunting Boy Wood Carving, Marie’s Lavender Farm, The Shed Gallery, Junk N’ Style, The Ceramics Art Club, Local Handmade Pottery and Gallery Zella. For more information, go to stecoahvalleycenter.com.

Wehrloom Honey is part of the Drive-About tour. File photo

‘The Gods of Comedy’ will be at HART through June. Donated photo

Rene Russell will play Waynesville June 20. Wayne Ebinger photo

Sebastian Junger on death, visits and physics

Every once in a while, I find myself engrossed in a book that suddenly delivers my ignorance to me on a silver platter. Most of what I read can be easily swallowed and digested, but then along comes that book, almost always non-fiction, whose subject matter is as unfamiliar to me as poulet au vinaigre is to my palate. A talented writer will keep me at the table, but the exotic fare leaves me gobsmacked and mystified.

Contrary to what some may think, this confusion can be exhilarating. Ignorance comes to me as a charmer, fresh-faced and innocent, like some sparkling young people I know. He pats me on the shoulder, offers a kind smile and gently says, “Now, now. Don’t take it so hard. The world’s a damn complicated piece of machinery, and you can’t comprehend, or even know, everything.”

All of these things happened when I recently read Sebastian Junger’s “In My Time of Dying: How I Came Face-to-Face with the Idea of an Afterlife” (Simon & Schuster, 2024, 176 pages).

Readers are likely familiar with Junger through books like “The Perfect Storm,” “War” and “Tribe.” He’s also a war correspondent, known for his work in places like Afghanistan. Throughout “In My Time of Dying,” Junger recounts various moments when his life seemed dependent on a roll of the dice, mostly in combat.

But it was on a quiet New England morning in 2020 when Death knocked at Junger’s door, entered the foyer, and slammed into the 58-year-old via a ruptured aneurysm. Rushed by ambulance to Cape Cod Hospital, Hyannis, which was an hour away, Junger quickly became the focal point of a “Code Crimson,” which is hospital jargon for patients faced with life-threatening hemorrhaging. As we read his blow-by-blow account of the battle to save his life — he remembered some details, he reconstructed others after his near-miraculous recovery — Junger continually compliments the doctors, nurses, and other staff who fought for him. Those of us reading this odyssey of pain and confusion can only hope and pray that if we, or our loved ones, experience some equally dire medical crisis, we’ll land in such compe-

tent hands as these.

During Junger’s near-death encounter — according to one doctor, he was 10 to 15 minutes from expiring — his father appeared to him. “He’d been dead eight years,” Junger writes, “but there he was, not so much floating as simply existing above me and slightly to my left …. ‘It’s okay, there’s nothing to be scared of,’ he seemed to be saying. ‘Don’t fight it. I’ll take care of you.’”

Casimir Liszinki and several others. If I’m reading him correctly, Junger is attempting to find in the theories of these physicists a possible connection to life after death. On his website he describes this part of the book as a “rational inquiry into the ultimate unknowable mystery.” Rational his argument may be, but my ignorance of physics also makes it unknowable.

The Wikipedia entry on Sebastian Junger casually and bluntly reports, “He is an atheist,” which helps explain his employment of rational inquiry as a tool for digging into an unknowable mystery. Here he and I part ways, for I lack the faith necessary to be a devout atheist.

Interestingly, at the very end of “In My Time of Dying,” Junger’s rationalism makes room for sentiment and romanticism. Here he describes a camping trip taken in his younger years with his father, who had never slept outof-doors. He realizes today how much his father trusted him on that outing, “how much he must have loved me.” He then concludes:

Once home again, Junger can’t get this encounter with his father out of his head. He investigates other near-death experiences, what the survivors saw and heard on the journey away from their physical selves. Several of these cases are quite remarkable, such as that of Pam Reynolds, who in 1991 essentially had her blood chilled, and her heart and breathing artificially stopped, for surgery on a brain aneurysm. When she woke, she reported conversations among the surgical team and spoke of meeting several dead relatives.

But these were not the incidents that baffled me. No — it was Junger’s references to quantum physics I had trouble wrapping my head around.

Junger’s father was a physicist, and a brilliant man, but the physicists discussed here were leaders in that field, like Max Planck, Ludwig Boltzmann, Erwin Schrödinger,

‘And So I Run’ reading at City Lights

“We’re all on the side of a mountain shocked by how fast it’s gotten dark; the only question is whether we’re with people we love or not. There is no other thing — no belief or religion or faith — there is just that. Just the knowledge that when we finally close our eyes, someone will be there to watch over us as we head out into that great, soaring night.”

No believer in God would so casually dismiss the comforts that faith may bring, yet Junger’s sentimental turn here expresses the deep human need for comfort of some kind when face-to-face with the mysteries, and for some, the terrors, of death.

(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.)

Local author Anne Jobe and editor Christine Reed will host a special reading at 3 p.m. Saturday, June 22, at City Lights Bookstore in Sylva. Jobe is one of the authors in “Blood Sweat Tears,” a collection of short stories by women, hikers and runners about the experience of being in a female body on trail.

Jobe's story, “And So I Run,” is a reflection of how she approached aging in a 50+ female body with curiosity and vitality by spending time in nature and nurturing body and mind as she prepared for Outdoor 76's Naturalist Trail Run. The event is free and open to the public. For more information, call the bookstore at 828.586.9499 or click on citylightsnc.com

Writer Jeff Minick

Word from the Smokies

Sochan gathering program grows relationship between tribe, park and plants

BY HOLLY KAYS

S PECIAL TO SMN

“ There’s some legends and stories about this particular area, this place we’re at right now,” said Tommy Cabe, who is the forest resource specialist for the Eastern Band of Cherokee Indians and a member of the Tribe, looking out over the vibrantly green forest floor surrounding a tiny stream that flows across Chimney Tops Trail.

The same could be said of locations throughout Great Smoky Mountains National Park, a stunning landscape that has been home to Cherokee people for countless generations, long before the park was created and before the first European sailor ever made berth in North America. As the colonial era unfolded and the United States of America was established on land already occupied by diverse native nations, European colonists and the U.S. government pushed the Cherokee onto ever-smaller pieces of their original territory until 1838, when the US Army commenced a campaign to forcibly gather and remove Cherokee people to Oklahoma on the deadly Trail of Tears. Still, some Cherokee people escaped removal or managed to return. Today their ancestors, now known as the Eastern Band of Cherokee Indians, occupy a remnant of the original territory adjacent to the park’s southeastern boundary.

That history has imbued many tribal members with a well-earned distrust of the federal government. But a historic partnership between the Tribe and the park, now in its sixth year, is helping to heal those wounds. In

2019, the two parties signed an agreement to issue tribal members permits to gather sochan (Rudbeckia laciniata), a culturally and nutritionally important native plant also known as cutleaf coneflower or green-headed coneflower. Five years later, both the Tribe and the National Park Service are calling the program a success.

“I’m really thankful that finally the Department of Agriculture and Department of Interior are starting to understand and listen to Indigenous cultures and create these opportunities for Indigenous people to showcase some of their traditional models and merge some of that traditional knowing into science,” Cabe said.

Under the agreement, tribal members can apply for a permit to harvest up to one bushel of sochan leaves per week — for personal consumption only, no selling — during the spring harvest season. Harvesters use a bright orange tote bag to gather leaves and may, with some exceptions, collect them within 328 feet (100 meters) of any official park trail or road. Afterward, they fill out a form that reports how much they gathered and from where. Later in the season, park service staff return to these gathering sites to assess how the harvest impacted the plants’ health.

“The results of that have all been positive,” said Tom Remaley, inventory and monitoring branch chief for the park. “We have seen no difference between the sites that are gathered and the ones we have in our control plots.”

This data has led to some changes in the program. The 2019 agreement was good for five years, so this year the harvest continues under an updated five-year agreement. The harvest season has shifted forward — it now runs May 15 to June 30, as opposed to March 1 through May 31 initially — the number of permits has increased from 36 to 50, and less intensive monitoring is required.

Sochan, a relatively common plant in the park, occupies a special place in Cherokee culture. The young shoots are some of the first green plants to come up in the spring. Cherokee harvesters gather only these new leaflets, emerging from the top of the stalk, and separate them from the stem with the flick of a thumb. Cabe usually lets his thumbnail grow a bit longer than usual in preparation for a gathering trip. The harvested leaves are then blanched and fried in animal fat. In the days before refrigeration and stocked grocery stores, those nutrient-packed leaves were a welcome source of nourishment after a long winter.

Eastern Band of Cherokee Indians Forest Resource Specialist and tribal member Tommy Cabe points to the “turkey foot” portion of the sochan plant, which is harvested and eaten after being blanched and fried. Photo provided by Smokies Life, Holly Kays.

The lush forests within Great Smoky Mountains National Park, like this one through which Eastern Band of Cherokee Indians Forest Resource Specialist and tribal member Tommy Cabe walks, contain a diverse assemblage of plants that Cherokee people have long used for food and medicine. Photo provided by Smokies Life, Holly Kays.

But to Cabe, these plants are more than just food.

“These are our non-human relatives,” he said. “These are a part of us.”

Interaction with the landscape that nurtured his people is a spiritual experience, Cabe said, and existing within that landscape is about relationship, not conquest. On every gathering trip, he holds a ceremony to thank the plants for their provision before collecting a single leaf of sochan. Though he has chosen not to gather during this trip to Chimney Tops Trail, he still brought along a tobacco pouch “to honor this relationship and this opportunity.”

Sochan doesn’t grow in isolation. Against the burbling of a small stream, Cabe points out the other plants with which it shares this patch of earth — stinging nettle, blackberries, black cohosh, Solomon’s seal.

“Right here, you’ve got a pharmacy,” he said.

might be sustainable, and now the park service has started a new research project to more closely evaluate how harvest might impact populations in the Smokies. Tribal members working under research permits are conducting a traditional harvest on these research plots, for which researchers previously collected baseline data. Study results are expected in two or three years; a ramp-gathering agreement could follow.

Before European settlement, Cherokee people maintained a close relationship with the land now called Great Smoky Mountains National Park that included cutting trees, gathering plants, and using fire—an active, hands-on approach with the land’s long-term health in mind.

Restoring access for tribal members to nurture this ongoing traditional connection is the most important outcome of these gathering agreements, Remaley said, “but the second most important thing to me is to

Eastern Band of Cherokee Indians Forest Resource Specialist and tribal member Tommy Cabe discusses the importance of sochan in Cherokee culture and the relationship tribal members maintain with the plant.

Cabe is appreciative of the trust now building between the Tribe and the park service, and he hopes to see tribal members someday have access to even more of this woodland pharmacy. In a few years, the coveted wild onions known as ramps (Allium tricoccum) might join sochan on the list of plants for which tribal members can receive gathering permits. When the Tribe first made the request that led to the 2019 agreement, it asked the park service to approve gathering for both sochan and ramps, but the park decided to pursue sochan first. Ramps are much less common in the park, and poaching is a problem.

“We also didn’t have a lot of data on the extent of the populations,” Remaley said. “We needed to do a little internal data gathering for that, so we put that one on pause.”

The park service has been collaborating with the Forest Service to study harvest plots on both tribal and Forest Service lands, gauging how harvesting impacts these populations when the traditional Cherokee method — cutting the bulb rather than pulling it out — is used. Early results this year indicate traditional harvest

really foster a relationship between the park and the Tribe. Just working together, being out in the field together, talking and getting their perspective has been a really positive experience for both of us.”

For Cabe, it’s vital that relationship is not limited to people with official tribal government positions like his. In the Cherokee community, everybody has something to contribute.

“There are people in our culture who have their ‘PhDs’ in being Cherokee,” he said. “They have a knowing about these plants that will never get taught in the academic world. That still exists in our community.”

That kind of knowledge can help ensure better stewardship of this unique landscape, and preservation of Native gathering practices, for generations to come.

Holly Kays is the lead writer for the 29,000member Smokies Life, a nonprofit dedicated to supporting the scientific, historical, and interpretive activities of Great Smoky Mountains National Park by providing educational products and services such as this column. Learn more at SmokiesLife.org or reach the author at hollyk@smokieslife.org.

Photo provided by Smokies Life, Holly Kays.

HBF continues ‘Appalachian Apothecary’ lecture

The Highlands Biological Foundation (HBF) continues its Zahner Conservation Lecture series at 6 p.m. on Thursday, June 20. Registered Herbalist Patricia Kyritsi Howell will take the stage to discuss “Appalachian Apothecary: Herbs of Yesterday and Today.” Following the lecture, attendees will have the opportunity to enjoy a small reception.

Big Atlas weekend is coming

Birders around the state are encouraged to grab their binoculars, guidebooks, hiking boots and best birding friends for a weekend of non-stop “atlasting” from June 28-30.

North Carolina, along with states from New York to Puerto Rico, are participating in the fourth annual Big Atlas Weekend for birders of all skill levels to connect with the Atlas and win prizes.

The Blue Ridge Mountains are famous for their botanical diversity, which includes many plants with a long history of medicinal use by Indigenous peoples, enslaved Africans and European colonizers. Even more remarkable is the fact that many of these plants still play an essential role in modern health care. Drawing from her years as a practicing herbalist, Patricia Kyritsi Howell will share stories about their historical uses and explain what recent research confirms about their healing properties.

All are invited to participate in HBF’s free Zahner lectures, which will be held at the Highlands Nature Center (930 Horse Cove Road) on Thursdays through Aug. 15. To preview HBF’s full Zahner lecture lineup, visit highlandsbiological.org. The Highlands Nature Center is part of the Highlands Biological Station, a multi-campus center of Western Carolina University.

Filing period opens

Candidate filing has begun for Swain Soil and Water Conservation District Supervisor.

This is a nonpartisan office that will appear on the ballot in November. Although the district has three elected Soil and Water

Conservation District Supervisors (out of five supervisors total), only one seat is up for election this year.

Candidate filing for this office will last through noon on July 5 and will be from 8 a.m. to 5 p.m. on weekdays except July 4. Candidates must be at least 21 and must reside in Swain County.

The North Carolina Bird Atlas is a state-wide community science initiative to map breeding and overwintering birds in North Carolina so scientists can better understand resident birds and the habitats they need. This is the final two breeding seasons of the North Carolina Bird Atlas and volunteers are needed. Last summer, 171 North Carolina atlasers participated in the weekend and spent 582 hours identifying 173 species, recording 12,575 breeding behaviors, averaging 7.4 checklists per person with a total of 1,192 checklists.

The goal is to get birders to visit as many priority areas as possible to confirm what birds are breeding and where. There will be a virtual kick-off event from 6-8 p.m. on June 28, where participants will learn more about atlasing and the challenges for the weekend. Challenges and prize opportunities will span all skill levels from beginner to veteran atlasers.

Participating is simple: start any time after Friday at 6p.m., stop at least one minute before midnight on Sunday, June 23, tag the North Carolina Bird Atlas when posting to Instagram and Facebook to inspire others.

Here are this year’s challenges:

• Submit nocturnal checklists (between 20 minutes after sunset and 40 minutes before sunrise).

• Submit a newly coded or upgraded species in a priority block.

• Submit atlas checklists in an incomplete block. Check the status of blocks here. Make sure to tag atlas-related photos on Facebook (@ncbirdatlas) and Instagram (@ncbirdatlas). The winners of each atlasing challenge will get a prize from Cornell’s Bird Academy. Eligible checklists must be complete and submitted to the North Carolina Bird Atlas portal in eBird between 6 p.m. June 28 and 11:59 p.m. June 30.

Dedication set for viewing platform

The Friends of the Greenway and the Franklin Bird Club invite the public to the dedication of the Barbara McRae Memorial Viewing Platform on 2 p.m. Sunday, June 23.

The platform is located just behind the Dog Park at the lower parking lot at Big Bear

Park on Main Street.

Guests can park at FROG Quarters or Mainspring Conservation Trust lots and walk under the bridges to the platform.

Barbara McRae had an integral presence in both organizations.

“Our goal is to share with the community the opportunity to enjoy the wetlands as she saw them,” reads a press release for the event.

House finch. Wikimedia commons photo

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Up Moses Creek

BY B URT KORNEGAY

‘When, Wren?’

Editor’s note: An incomplete version of this column ran in last week’s paper by mistake. This is the full version of last week’s “Up Moses Creek” column.

Finally, we can go out the back door again. For a month we made a front door detour around an unplanned construction project on the back porch.

We first noticed something a-buildin’ there when the yard wrens started to fly in with pine needles, moss and leaves and shape them into a nest. The nest was inside a basin of Becky’s gardening tools on a shelf beside the door. Her trowel’s wood handle served as the entrance lintel.

For the wrens it was a convenient spot, protected under the roof. But once the female laid her eggs — five little white ones with reddish speckles — our back door goings and comings became inconvenient. “Go around!” she scolded. Her nest had only one opening. Our house had more than one.

Meanwhile, the male, perched on a garden post, sang, “I’m here! I’m here! I’m here!” We’d seen the wren pair build nests in years past, including in the clothespin bag on the line, and in one of my canoes, but the way the male sang this time, you’d think he’d never been a parent-to-be before. With his tail pointed down and his beak pointed up, he sang with his whole body, “I’m here!” He sang the sun up and the sun down, while his mate peered out of the nest and brooded the eggs.

Although the eggs were laid in April, our front door detour lasted a February month: 14 days for incubation and 14 for the hatchlings to fledge. Snakes and raccoons didn’t find the morsels — easy to reach on the shelf — and a prowling tomcat didn’t spot the mother and leap.

I looked in from time to time when the female was away, and each time I’d see that she’d nudged the eggs into a new configuration, as if she were stirring a pot to make sure the contents received equal heat.

On the 14th day, I found that what had been a cluster of perfectly formed and distinct eggs was now a confused pile of pink pot bellies with skinny necks ending in yellow beaks flanked by dark bulges — the still-closed eyes — and topped with cowlicks of down.

The ungainly contraptions seemed to know just one thing — how to gape for food. At first, they even gaped when my face appeared at the door, showing me their blaze-orange mouths.

Both parents came almost nonstop after that with caterpillars dangling from their beaks. Butterflies too. We saw one wren knock down a tiger swallowtail and beat it until its buttery wings lay tattered on the ground. Then it carried the limp body to the young to nourish their growing wings.

Fourteen days from hatching, the chicks were fully formed and feathered. Their glistening eyes were open, black and wild. They filled the nest to overflowing, and when the parents came with food, they craned their beaks —

“Me first!”

I craned my neck too, eager to see the moment of first flight. But at sight of me, the young ones squeezed back in lay still. I ate a sandwich, then, looking again, yelled back into the house —“They’re gone!”

Although the nest was packed with young birds just a sandwich ago, now it was completely empty. Not even a feather remained. Yes, the young were gone — but not fargotten. To judge by the pepperbush in the yard — its leaves shaking with noisy commotion — the whole family was inside. Suddenly, a youngster appeared on a nearby rock wall. The mother was there in a flash dangling a caterpillar to draw the stray back into the bush.

Later, I happened on the fledglings as they emerged one by one from under the bush. They hopped innocently across the gravel drive like little feathery Adams and Eves in Eden. One stood over a big black ant and, cocking its head, gave it a significant look. Another watched in dumb wonder as the parents strafed an approaching chipmunk—its introduction to the fallen world.

The family disappeared into the woods after that, and then Becky and I were away on a canoe trip. But, home again, and 31 days after the April fledging, we were in the back yard and noticed a wren flying in and out of the end of one of my canoes, stored upside down on a rack in the shelter. Peering in with a flashlight, I saw a nest. Then four gaping yellow beaks rose into sight.

Burt and Becky Kornegay live in Jackson County.

A beautiful wren. File photo

Market PLACE WNC

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Legals

NOTICE OF ADMINISTRATION

Case No.24-E-285

Iris Lorraine Schott,

Ancillary Executor of the Estate of Lester Gerald Schott, Jr. County, North Carolina, this is to notify all persons having claims against the Estate to present them before Aug 29 2024, or in bar of their recovery.

Ancillary Executor c/o Thomas M. Caune II 1009 East Boulevard Charlotte, NC 28203

NOTICE OF ADMINISTRATION

Case No.24E305

Laura K Dilallo, having -

the Estate of Nicholas A Dilallo County, North Carolina, this is to notify all persons having claims against the Estate to present them before Sep 19 2024, or in bar of their recovery.

Ancillary Administrator 370 N. Main St., STE 310 Waynesville, NC 28786

NOTICE OF ADMINISTRATION

Case No.2024 E 000324

Michael Grosso, havingutor of the Estate of Philip Carmen Grosso

North Carolina, this is to notify all persons having claims against the Estate to present them

before Sep 05 2024, or in bar of their recovery.

Executor 32 Amber Drive Horse Shoe, NC 28742

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