Smoky Mountain News | July 29, 2020 by Smoky Mountain News

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July 29-August 4, 2020 Vol. 22 Iss. 09

Haywood nursing home has COVID cluster Page 9 Sylva votes to take down monument Page 10

CONTENTS On the Cover: Public schools and colleges are being forced to develop plans, contingency plans and worst-case scenarios as they prepare for the influx of thousands of students over the next several weeks. (Pages 6-7)

News GOP congressional candidate calls opponent “racist”............................................4 Haywood superintendent back at work after controversial post............................8 Silver Bluff nursing home suffers severe COVID outbreak ....................................9 Sylva votes to take down monument ..........................................................................10 Without unions, N.C. police easier to fire ..................................................................12 Back the Badge rally draws big crowd ......................................................................15

Opinion Look to the stars and beyond ........................................................................................16

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July 29-August 4, 2020

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#SaveOurStages aims to aid music venues ............................................................18

Books A story about second chances ......................................................................................21

Outdoors New head rangers take over in national forests ......................................................22

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Cawthorn: Davis, Democrats are ‘racist’ BY CORY VAILLANCOURT STAFF WRITER wo congressional candidates vying to represent a district where one municipality has already passed a resolution exploring reparations for its Black community each hold radically different views on the controversial topic, and they’ve both come out swinging — foreshadowing what’s likely to be a bitter and hard-fought campaign this fall. “My opponent’s racist,” said Madison Cawthorn, Republican nominee for North Carolina’s 11th Congressional District. “White liberals are the most racist people I’ve ever met in my entire life. They define everything by race. They want people to be able to get into college with lower grades and lower school scores simply because they are African American. That’s insane. That is saying, ‘Hey, you know what? Don’t work so hard, because you’re African American, because you probably just can’t do it.’ Are you kidding me? That’s the most racist thing I’ve ever heard.” Cawthorn’s opponent, Asheville Democrat Moe Davis, issued a response illustrative of the fierce division over a longoverdue racial reckoning in the United States. “Clearly, our history is one where you can’t deny the fact that we kidnapped people and brought them here to this country and treated them like we would treat cattle. They were bought and sold. Their labor was largely responsible for building a lot of this country,” said Davis. “I think that the reparations bill that Asheville passed is just saying Asheville is going to try to treat everyone fairly and make sure that everybody gets an equal shot. If that makes me racist, then my opponent’s right — I must be a racist because I think everybody should be treated fairly.” Cawthorn and Davis do share some common ground on the contemporary issues swirling about America’s racial divide, but voters are more likely to scrutinize their differences — nuanced, or not — on what’s become an emotional conversation in a district that has a relatively low Black popula-

Smoky Mountain News

July 29-August 4, 2020

resolution passed by the Asheville City Council July 14 cites the unjust enslavement, segregation and incarceration of Black people, as well as racist housing, employment, economic development and educational practices as reasons that the city “apologizes and makes amends” for its participation and enforcement of such practices. Passed unanimously, the resolution calls on both state and federal governments to provide funding for reparations and also directs Asheville’s city manager to establish within a year a developmental process for “short, medium and long-term recommendations to specifically address the creation of generational wealth and to boost economic mobility and opportunity in the Black community.” Asheville isn’t the first to take such action. The California Assembly passed a similar bill more than a month ago — something the National Coalition of Blacks for Reparations in America has been calling for since its incorporation in 1987. Since Asheville’s resolution, a number of other municipalities have followed suit; the City of Providence, Rhode Island, took action just two days later and a task force in Durham issued a report to the Durham City Council July 23 with similar recommendations. Cawthorn first expressed his views on reparations in an essay he authored July 16 for Ben Shapiro’s conservative outlet The Daily Wire, the title of which postulates that reparations will divide instead of heal the country. “The reason why I think this is so offensive and so dangerous is because it’s saying that a generation of people, an entire civilization of people who have never owned a slave, who have never even been slaves, are now being put into this category to where they think they need to have a hand me down,” Cawthorn told The Smoky Mountain News July 25. “I have a 50 percent African American fiancé, and so my children will be biracial, and I do not want them to have the mindset that they are a victim and that they

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Republican congressional candidate Madison Cawthorn thinks reparations would divide the country. Cory Vaillancourt photo

you’re going to tell me that’s not enough? You know, I know so many incredible African American men and women who are the best of our entire country, who have risen above the hatred and things that they have to deal with,” he said. “I don’t believe that reparations are necessary because I believe America already paid the price for their freedom.” The concept of government-sanctioned reparations is not unprecedented and can be thought of as somewhat analogous to Kennedy-era Affirmative Action programs under the U.S. Department of Labor that were fostered through the 1990s by Democrats, until constitutional challenges began to chip away at their legitimacy. “As I just said earlier, the greatest people I know in this country are Black men and women who have risen above, having to go up against the difficulties they have, very similar to me and my life, growing up against the difficulties I’ve had. And you know what? They don’t want a freaking handout. They don’t want to have people say, ‘Hey, you only got into Harvard because you’re Black.’ That’s insane. That’s racist. And to any liberals that are listening to this right now, you are a racist.” nderstandably taking umbrage to the 24-year-old Cawthorn calling him a racist is Davis. “I stand on my record. I have a record. I’ll be 62 years old next week. I spent 25 years in the military. I’m the one that spent four years teaching at a historically Black college and university, at Howard. I’m the one that went three years to a historically Black university, to law school. So I’ve got seven years in the HBCU community,” he said. “My opponent was homeschooled, never went to college, never went to law school, has never worked outside of this area.” Davis retired from the U.S. Air Force as a colonel, after serving as a prosecutor in terrorist trials at the Guantanamo Bay detention camp. He also served as an administrative law judge at the U.S. Department of Labor. “One of the last decisions I wrote was Department of Labor

Moe Davis agrees with the general concept of reparations. Cory Vaillancourt photo deserve to have anything handed to them, because I think that you get what you work for in this country.” The death toll of the American Civil War, in which 360,000 Union and 260,000 Confederate soldiers died, also counts as a significant effort toward racial equality, according to Cawthorn. “That is astounding — 600,000 Americans gave their life to free slaves and

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July 29-August 4, 2020

sentence — ‘the state’s rights to slavery.’ You cannot read the same Bible that I read and think it’s OK to enslave a man.” But here’s where they veer apart again, into well-charted party positioning; Cawthorn is quick to point out — correctly so — that the majority of Confederates were Democrats. “I will tell you that the Southern Democrats — and let me emphasize, they are Democrats — they seceded from the Union and then they created a new country and they went to war with the United States of America,” he said. “I just can’t. I can’t endorse that. I can see why [Democrats] might want to erase that part of their history.” Indeed, Democrats exercised a stranglehold on power in the post-bellum South, enforcing Jim Crow laws and segregation for decades. The first post-Reconstruction governor in the core Confederacy states of Alabama, Georgia, Mississippi, North Carolina, South Carolina and Virginia came in the latter, with voters selecting Republican Linwood Holton as Virginia governor in 1970. North Carolina followed in 1973 with James Holshouser, South Carolina got James B. Edwards in 1975 and Alabama didn’t get its first post-Reconstruction Republican governor until 1986. Georgia elected current Secretary of Agriculture Sonny Perdue as governor in 2003. Davis says that social programs like the “Great Society” reform package — of which the Civil Rights Act of 1964 was part — flipped the script on political party affiliation. “I think anyone that was alive back during the 1960s like I was remembers that after LBJ and the whole Civil Rights movement, the parties basically swapped and Democrats became Republicans and Republicans became Democrats,” he said. “I hear that quite often — that all these old racist guys, they were Democrats, [but] they wouldn’t be Democrats today.” How and by whom discussions about reparations like those in Asheville, Durham and Providence should be handled shows both candidates again diametrically opposed and entrenched in party principle, with Davis favoring the pragmatism of federal standardization, and Cawthorn favoring the principle of local control. “I don’t think that the federal government should weigh in like that whatsoever,” said Cawthorn. “I will tell you that I think that state and local municipalities should be completely free. I believe in state rights. I think there’s too much centralized power in the federal government and, you know, I might disagree with what the city of Asheville did, but you know what, there’s something that we have coming up in November where people can vote. “I think it’s probably better handled at a federal level,” Davis said. “It shouldn’t be a county option on how we address this issue. This is a nationwide issue. I think it ought to be addressed uniformly, rather than depending on what city or county or state you’re in, you get a different outcome. I think the real hard question for me is what do we mean by reparations? How do we strike the balance to achieve a result that a majority of Americans would agree as an equitable resolution?”

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v. Enterprise Rental Car of Baltimore. It ended up being the largest racial discrimination verdict in the history of the Department of Labor,” he said. “It was [about] Black applicants for entry into the management training program at Enterprise.” It’s perhaps unsurprising Davis would cite that decision, which resulted in a judgement of more than $16 million against the Maryland-based federal contractor Enterprise while also demonstrating what systemic inequality looks like in legal and financial terms. Just as the concept of reparations could be compared to Affirmative Action, Davis says another model might be the Americans with Disabilities Act, passed during the administration of President George H.W. Bush in 1990. “We’re celebrating the anniversary of the Americans with Disabilities Act, which says that people with disabilities, we’ve got to give them accommodations and an equal opportunity to participate both in employment and in daily life. It’s been 30 years now that we’ve been doing that,” he said. “I remember when the ADA was first passed, we were going, ‘Oh, this is going to cost businesses money and it’s going to be a burden.’ It’s become an accepted part of life. It’s leveling the playing field for folks that have a disadvantage.” As to Cawthorn’s assertions about the Civil War, Davis downplays the idea that it was a be-all, end-all solution to the horrific treatment of enslaved Blacks in America. “When the war ended it was not like racism just disappeared,” he said. “It took on different forms, like many of the statues that we’ve been debating about here recently were put up not at the end of the war, they were put up decades later — kind of as a middle finger to the backlash from trying to treat folks equally.” The topic of Confederate imagery leads Davis and Cawthorn to an unlikely junction, where the Democrat and the Republican are both moving in the same direction. Davis said he was pleased that the National Defense Authorization Act, approved July 23, included a provision that passed the Senate with a veto-proof majority removing Confederate names from military installations. “Whether it’s naming a base, or a monument honoring Confederates, I mean, clearly the Confederates wanted not a United States, they wanted a dis-United States,” Davis said. “They wanted to leave the country. Um, so why are we honoring them?” An eighth-generation resident of Western North Carolina, Cawthorn says his ancestors fought for the Union and that he too feels Confederate imagery represents a people that waged war on the United States. “We don’t have any statues up of King George,” Cawthorn said. “Why would we build monuments to people who attack the United States of America? You read the articles of secession, the number one reason that they are going to war, and it says it very plainly, is ‘because we believe in state’s rights.’ That’s where most people say, ‘Oh, well, the War of Northern Aggression was because of states rights.’ Read the rest of the

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Colleges, universities announce plans for fall 2020 BY HOLLY KAYS STAFF WRITER n less than three weeks, classes will resume at Western North Carolina’s institutions of higher learning, and while instruction won’t rely entirely on digital learning as occurred this spring, the fall semester will be far from business as usual. Most college and university classes will use a blend of online and face-to-face learning and an amended academic calendar when the new semester begins Monday, Aug. 17, with many popular events and activities canceled for the months ahead.

Smoky Mountain News

July 29-August 4, 2020

WESTERN CAROLINA UNIVERSITY Unlike in years past, WCU students will not have a fall break or return to campus after leaving for Thanksgiving. “This schedule maximizes instructional time in the early fall and minimizes the opportunities for students, as well as faculty and staff, to travel away from campus on extended breaks. This strategy should reduce exposure to and spread of coronavirus,” said Chancellor Kelli R. Brown. “It also should align the academic calendar in such a manner as to avoid a densely populated campus in late fall and early winter, when the potential for a significant resurgence of the virus may be highest.” The last day for face-to-face classes will be Friday, Nov. 20, with classes Nov. 23-24 and final exams held online. Most classes will use a combination of face-to-face and online teaching, though courses that cannot be taught virtually — such as labs and clinicals — will be prioritized for face-to-face instruction. Face coverings will be required at all times in classrooms and other public areas. To prepare for the semester, staff inventoried each classroom to determine its capacity under social distancing guidelines, ordering new furniture and revising classroom layouts where needed. The project involved removing 3,000 pieces of classroom furniture. Social distancing will be emphasized in other aspects of campus life as well, including residence halls. Community kitchens, lounges, studies and lobbies will be locked where possible, with elevators limited to two passengers per car. No visitors will be allowed in the residence halls, except between students living in the same building, though each room may have only one guest at a time.

Haywood chooses hybrid plan for school reopenings

BY CORY VAILLANCOURT STAFF WRITER s the Coronavirus Pandemic continues to grow in both size and scope, educators across the country and the state 6 have had to make some difficult decisions on

Dining halls will serve to-go meals only with limited seating available, and a food truck on Killian Lane will accept exchange meals. The university plans to hold athletic competitions this fall, including football, but will open with decreased spectator capacity. A three-phase priority plan will determine who receives admission to home games this fall. Spring commencement ceremonies postponed due to the pandemic are scheduled for Saturday, Dec. 12, with fall commencement planned for Sunday, Dec. 13. Other events are cancelled altogether. New Student Convocation, Valley Ballyhoo, the annual Freshman Run and Mountain Heritage Days will not be held this year, though New Student Convocation may be offered virtually later this fall. Homecoming Weekend and events associated with Family Weekend are currently under review, but the annual Homecoming Parade is cancelled. The Department of Campus Activities is not planning any concerts for the A.K. Hinds University Center, Ramsey Regional Activity Center or Central Plaza. This plan may change due to shifting conditions, and updates will be posted at info.wcu.edu/fall2020.

SOUTHWESTERN COMMUNITY COLLEGE Like WCU, SCC will end in-person classes before Thanksgiving, with no fall break scheduled. A “Flex and Finals Week” after Thanksgiving will allow students to finish up pending course requirements remotely, with the last day of classes moved up two weeks to Dec. 4. While SCC will offer a range of face-to-face classes, all will have some level of online activity, and the college is ready to immediately transition to a fully virtual format should conditions warrant the move. Programs offered at the Public Safety Training Center, meanwhile, will continue to use in-person training. “We have considered a wide range of options for scheduling our fall semester, and we feel like this schedule affords us the most flexibility while also keeping our students and employees safe,” said SCC President Don Tomas. “One advantage of our current plan is that it keeps us on the same calendar as the public schools, so early college and other high school students can continue to take their college classes seamlessly.”

how to proceed. When the Haywood County Schools Board of Education got their chance to weigh in on July 22, the board approved a “cautious” plan intended to slowly transition from remote-only to in-person learning over a period of weeks. “The good news is, [Superintendent] Dr. Bill Nolte delegates responsibility, so Assistant Superintendents Barker and Putnam, they’ve been spearheading this whole project,” said Chuck Francis, chairman of the HCS board. “I think what the board

A shots of a classroom in Killian shows the results of efforts to set the stage for social distancing in WCU’s classrooms this fall. WCU photos Face coverings are mandatory indoors at all SCC campuses and locations, as well as in any outdoor spaces where social distancing is not guaranteed. Anyone who does not comply with this policy will be asked to leave campus. Hand sanitizing stations, Plexiglas dividers in high-traffic areas and increased cleaning regimens will also contribute to public safety. Most ceremonies and student life events have been postponed through the rest of the calendar year, but a drive-through commencement ceremony for spring and summer 2020 graduates is still scheduled for Aug. 8. Officials will finalize plans for fall commencement ceremonies at a later date.

HAYWOOD COMMUNITY COLLEGE Unlike SCC and WCU, HCC will offer a two-day fall break in October, with students returning after Thanksgiving to continue their courses through the last day of classes Dec. 15. Most programs at HCC will use a blended instruction approach that allows students to complete lecture activities virtually while offering hands-on labs in a face-to-face format that follows social distancing guidelines. The Haywood Early College will follow Haywood County Public Schools guidelines,

has done is given ourselves the opportunity to watch what happens with the numbers.” Almost all students will begin with remote learning on Aug. 17, although a press release from HCS says that Pre-K students, elementary students who were having trouble academically prior to the pandemic and some students with specialized learning plans “will have in-person learning opportunities.” After four weeks, students will have the option to transition into in-person learning at schools.

and Workforce and Continuing Education courses will be offered online where possible, with limited in-person enrollment available for select courses. “Especially in these challenging times, HCC is committed to helping students reach their educational goals,” said HCC President Dr. Shelley White. “We have many options for students who prefer to take courses online, even entire programs, and we have made modifications in our lab and hands-on programs to follow all social distancing requirements to be able to offer these programs safely on campus.” Students, faculty and staff must wear face coverings in all indoor and outdoor public areas and while meeting with others if social distancing cannot be maintained, though virtual modes of meeting and are encouraged where possible. Campus remains open for in-person services, and the public is welcome to use the disc golf course and walking trails. Use of facilities by outside groups is very limited, however. No team activities will be offered during Phase 2 of North Carolina’s reopening plan, but college leaders will continue to assess conditions and hope to add activities throughout the fall semester. As occurred in the spring, Student Life and the Student Government Association will host a variety of creative virtual activities to engage students — last semester these included a virtual lip sync battle, online trivia nights and giveaways.

“We had a work session with [Haywood Health and Human Services Medical Director] Dr. Mark Jaben, and he did an excellent job explaining the risk and the importance to childrens’ well-being of coming back to school as soon as possible, but we have to move deliberately and watch what’s happening in Haywood County with the numbers,” Francis said. The first reported cases in Haywood

S EE HAYWOOD, PAGE 8

Macon schools offer virtual option

installed at the cashier station. Parents are encouraged to send money in advance to avoid daily transactions. Everyone will be required to wear masks and will be provided to those who need them. Masks must be worn on the school busses as well. Students are encouraged to bring their own water bottles to refill at designated water filling stations. Students will be spaced out on the bus, with only one student per seat unless they are from the same household. Masks will be required. All students will be issued an iPad whether they are in class or doing remote learning. If at some point the schools are required to close due to COVID-19 spread, all students will transition to remote learning platforms.

includes in-person instruction and remote learning or Plan C, which is entirely remote learning. Plan B will include two days of in-person instruction with a teacher inside the classroom while the other three days will be spent doing remote instruction that is directly tied into class instruction, subject matter and the classroom teacher. Students who choose Plan B will be split into two groups — A group and B group. Group A will attend classes Monday and Tuesday and Group B will attend Thursday and Friday while everyone will use remote learning on Wednesdays. When determining which students are in which group, the school system will place siblings together and also consider bus routing and teacher loads when dividing them up. Plan C includes remote learning five days a week. Those students will have someone at their school who will contact them on a regular basis and will have access to subject matter teachers. Swain County has partnered with Edmentum to provide the remote learning platform for K-12 students. Parents dropping off students will have to answer three screening questions while

students have their temperature taken in the vehicle every day. Bus riders will also be screening when they get off the bus. Students who have a temperature higher than 100.4 will not be allowed to attend school. Bussed students will be placed in a safe room by themselves or socially distanced until a parent arrives to pick them up. Everyone will be required to wear a face covering. Students will be given breaks where they can remove their masks for brief periods of time. Wherever possible, students will remain 6 feet apart. Parents may choose to switch their student from Plan B to Plan C before the end of the semester by contacting their child’s school, but students can’t switch from Plan C to Plan B until the end of the semester because teacher classroom sizes and bus loads will already be set. Seating on buses will be one student per seat. Food from the cafeteria will be served to students in their classrooms. Plan A, which includes five days of inperson instruction, will only be an option when the governor’s restrictions are changed or lifted. 7

Back to school plans for Swain County Swain County will be operating this fall under a hybrid of in-person and remote learning. Parents can choose Plan B, which

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Parents of Macon County students will have to choose their child’s learning plan for fall semester by July 31. Parents can choose to send their children back to school for in-person learning or enroll their child in Macon County Schools Virtual Academy. Expectations for virtual school will be the same as in-person instruction with assignments that must be completed and graded accordingly. Staff and students attending school will have their temperature taken each morning and those with a temp of 100 degrees or higher will be sent to the “infection control” staff to get rechecked. Those with a temperature of 100.4 or higher will be sent home and expected to stay out of school for 10 days, three days without a fever or until they have a negative COVID-19 test result. In an effort to provide social distancing, only designated classes will be allowed to eat in the cafeteria; otherwise meals will be served in the classroom or other designated area. A touch-free pay system has been

room, plus under Plan B many students will be online anyway. If we go fully remote, we will be ready,” said Delph. deVille also thinks that time and resources should be spent on understanding best practices and professional development for online learning. “We’ve done some professional development, I’ve taken a four-hour class and I’m teaching a four-hour class next Tuesday, but we should learn what are best practices for remote instruction, not just here’s Google classroom and how to use it,” he said. “Instead, in my opinion, across the country we are just hoping and praying for a return to normal.” Online learning has been making its way into schools for years now. There are those who, before any pandemic arrived, have been promoting its uses, and those warning of its shortfalls. Now, there seems to be little choice. “Ironically, conservatives who have been pushing online education as a way to make higher education less expensive are now insisting that students need to be educated in person on campus, while liberals who have been suspicious of too much online teaching are now arguing that the semester should be taught online to protect health and safety,” said Campbell. “Pandemics are like wars; they tend to serve as catalysts that speed up historical changes that are already underway. Certainly, our experiences from last semester will increase the use of technology on and off campus. But I also think that even the most ardent supporters of online teaching have had to face its limitations during the pandemic.” Keeping students, teachers and staff safe while continuing to provide meaningful education in the midst of a pandemic is a novel and daunting task. Conversation and planning that includes all of those voices is paramount to finding the best solution.

July 29-August 4, 2020

BY HANNAH MCLEOD STAFF WRITER he start of this school year has been a topic fraught with debate about student needs, logistical hurdles and funding shortfalls. But, the voices and opinions of teachers seem to have been left out of the conversation when communities and schools need them most. According to a study conducted in South Korea, children 10 years and older can transmit COVID-19 as well as adults. This same study found that children under 10 years old were about half as likely as adults to transmit the disease, which is consistent with other studies. School age humans can and do transmit the disease. CDC guidelines suggest schools should not reopen for in person learning in areas with positive test rates above 5%. In North Carolina, at least for now, new cases are rising steadily. The federal government left decision making about schools to the states. North Carolina Gov. Roy Cooper announced July 14 that schools would open under Plan B, one that involves face coverings for all K-12 students, fewer children in the classroom, measures to ensure social distancing for everyone in the building, and other safety protocols. Under this plan, schools have the option to operate under Plan B or go fully remote. “There has been total abdication of leadership on this at the presidential level,” said John deVille, social studies teacher at

“To me that’s the bright line in the sand and I am prepared to fight as hard as I need to fight on behalf of my fellow teachers that if they’ve chosen to be virtual and they are being asked by the school system to return to the classroom, I will be there shoulder to shoulder with that teacher and I will fight as hard as I can for that teacher or staff member,” he said. At the university level, the UNC Board of Governors has been very clear, they want all 17 campuses to open fully and completely. According to Dr. Karl Campbell, professor of history at Appalachian State University, the decision-making process has been top-down. Faculty and staff have had very little input, and even university administrators have been told to follow directions from the Board of Governors. “It is important to see the decision to open the universities in a historical context. The University of North Carolina has traditionally been led by a bipartisan Board of Governors that included members of both political parties. That tradition ended during the last decade when the Republican Legislature took over control of the BOG and appointed only Republicans to its membership,” said Campbell. Without more funding for in-person, socially-distant, sanitary instruction teachers are focusing on best practices for online teaching. Educators just experienced a spring semester that involved the sudden and immediate transition from traditional to online schooling. Delph says they learned a lot in that time. Now, she says, is the time to expand on those tools. “It seems like we might be better off just focusing on remote learning for now. The educators I know have been preparing for the return to school, and most of them are focusing their energy on digitizing lessons. If we have everything ready to go online, we can still use those lessons in the face-to-face class-

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Teachers concerned for school safety

Franklin High School. “And I’m disappointed that Roy Cooper has outsourced, crowd sourced the most important public health issue of the past century to local school boards who are not really qualified in the arena of public health, and who are under pressure from parents, who are even less qualified to make good, informed decisions. They want to make their kids happy, they want to provide childcare, they are looking for their kids to grow intellectually.” LeAnna Delph is a member of the North Carolina Association of Educators and a Buncombe County school teacher. She is concerned that schools simply don’t have the money or resources to implement safe social distancing in classrooms, common areas, on transportation and during meal times. “It seems nearly impossible to find the funding to cover all that we would really need. We certainly have the money, but getting our state and federal governments to commit to investing it is another story. It also seems like we might be better off just focusing on remote learning for now,” said Delph. Not only can individual schools and school systems choose to be fully-remote under the plan the governor has laid out, individual students and families have the same option. “What’s going to happen is that you’re going to have teachers in school and kids in school, but even though both the teachers and the kids are in school, the kids will be receiving virtual instruction,” said deVille. He said he is worried about what his school board will do if not enough teachers are willing to come back into the classroom for in-person instruction. deVille said Macon County teachers have been surveyed about their preference for virtual or in-person instruction. He’s scared that a certain number of teachers will simply be required to come back into schools in order to fulfill a demand for live, classroom teaching.

July 29-August 4, 2020

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Nolte reinstated after investigation into controversial post BY CORY VAILLANCOURT STAFF WRITER fter being temporarily relieved of his day-to-day duties on July 13 following a controversial July 10 Facebook post, Haywood County Schools Superintendent Dr. Bill Nolte has been fully reinstated after an investigation by the Haywood County Schools Board of Education. “I think if you look at what happened, he made a mistake, we took action as a board, we took what happened very seriously, we did our investigation and found really no racism or bias,” Chairman Chuck Francis told The Smoky Mountain News July 27. During a special called board meeting held July 22, Francis read the following statement regarding Nolte’s “post on social media that could be considered offensive or insensitive.”

are terrified at coming back to work. Some have health issues. I understand that. Then you have some people who aren’t as concerned about the risk. In society today, we’ve got people that say it’s all a hoax, and then we’ve got people who say it’s terribly dangerous and everybody’s going to die. How do you wade through that? It’s going to take the whole community to come together and make that work.” Haywood’s reopening strategy is authorized as Plan B, Option F of the North Carolina Department of Public Instruction’s Guidebook for Reopening Public Schools. The process, according to HCS, will be monitored in order to determine if it’s even possible for students to return for in-person learning on Sept. 21. “We’re pretty confident that we have a lot of people who think the Plan B Option F is a viable plan,” Nolte said. “First of all, that plan is and has been for quite some time a resource that has been vetted by North Carolina Health and Human Services, by the governor, by the state Department of Public Instruction, by the state Board of Education and other people who have looked at it locally. We’ve spent

some time talking with Dr. Jaben and Patrick Johnson, and local pediatricians. That plan is not just something we drew up out of the air.” The press release from HCS says that the system “ … will transition to in-person learning when safety regulations, staffing availability, and other critical factors permit. Remote learning will be available to all students who do not choose to access in-person learning. The school system will continue to comply with all state laws, regulations, and orders.” Nolte said that administrators would begin meeting with small groups of school principals on July 23 to work out further details, and that additional information would be shared with employees, students and parents soon. The decision to adopt the plan wasn’t without dissent. During the July 22 board meeting, HCS Board Member Steven Kirkpatrick was the sole dissenter, citing a problem familiar to thousands of Western North Carolina families — the lack of reliable broadband internet access. When asked what he’d say to legislators in Raleigh about rural broadband initiatives,

Francis said it’s long past time WNC starts seeing progress on the issue. “I’d say they need to invest in the infrastructure to make that happen for these kids in rural areas,” he said. “Western North Carolina needs to be included. Industry will come with that as well. I think it would be a great thing for our kids’ future. I know there’s been a big push for it for a lot of years, but action is what we need now.” Until that happens, Francis is calling on the community to help make the school year as successful as possible. Some community leaders have already responded. During the meeting, HCS Board Member Dr. Bobby Rogers — who is also senior pastor at Dellwood Baptist Church—– said his church would offer up free internet access to any student who needed it. “As we speak, they’re installing the infrastructure to be able to get that done,” Francis said. “Bobby has also challenged other churches in the community.” Francis also said that by the end of the meeting, he’d also received messages from other church and nonprofit leaders who’d offered up similar services.

… this board directed Dr. Nolte to meet with members of the community, hear their comments and concerns and develop a plan that would not only bring about healing but also set the framework to address inequalities as we move forward. These actions were not taken as a form of punishment nor as a political statement, but as a responsibility and duty of our elected offices. During this time an investigation took place to examine the whole of the body of work of Dr. Nolte’s tenure with Haywood County Schools, the investigation found no pattern of bias or racism. In fact, it is fair to say that Dr. Nolte’s career with Haywood County Schools has been one of exemplary service and community mindedness. Furthermore, Dr. Nolte, upon recognizing the post was hurtful to others, removed the post and quickly apologized. In our world today, the highest mark of char-

HAYWOOD, CONTINUED FROM 6

County came at the end of April, and have since grown steadily. At the end of May, there were 53 cases. At the end of June, there were 91. On July 24, Haywood County reported its first two coronavirus-related deaths. As of press time on July 28, there had been 247 cases in Haywood County. On the subject of infrastructure, Francis said that he’s happy with the job administrators like Nolte, Putnam and Barker have done in trying to make in-person learning as safe as possible through the prudent use of school facilities. “It really will revolve around how many come back to school,” he said, noting that he doesn’t expect to see anything approaching 100 percent capacity once students are able to avail themselves of the in-person option. “We’ve got to be very careful, and if things don’t improve, we’ll just have to stay on remote learning,” Francis said. The other issue that will have to be sorted out is staffing. “We’ve weighed that against what would be best for everybody,” Francis said. “That’s 8 tough. There’s going to be some people who

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After the statement was read, Board Member David Burnett moved to reinstate Nolte, effective immediately. The motion was seconded by Vice Chairman Jim Harley Francis, and passed unanimously. Board member Ann Barrett was absent, and fellow

board member Ronnie Clark joined the meeting by telephone. “I understood they wanted me to focus on developing a plan or process moving forward, and I probably would have done something very similar had I been in their shoes,” Nolte said. The plan, submitted by Nolte, details the steps he took during the investigation, which included “personal reflection, learning more about bias and meeting with people with varying beliefs and ideas about moving forward.” Included in the plan is a list of more than two dozen people Nolte spoke with, but Nolte added that dozens of others sent him emails and text messages. “I learned that we’re in a very divided society. I think probably we already knew that,

based on national news coverage. There were large groups of people from various backgrounds, various races, who told me to stop talking about the event and to move forward in a positive way. That was the majority of people that I spoke with,” Nolte said. “Some of those folks were very unhappy about the post, and some of them said they understood why I would have posted and that I didn’t mean any harm. There were certainly people on either end of the continuum. Most of them said to me, we need to be unified, we’ll be better off together.” The plan also details what actions will be taken going forward to foster unity and limit divisive bias within Haywood County Schools. “I think the plan is a good start and the thing the board wanted to make clear was that it’s not just Dr. Nolte, the board’s going to be included in the overall plan,” Francis said. Implicit bias training will be identified and implemented beginning with the superintendent and Board of Education members, according to the plan, but Francis said he hoped it would also end up being presented to teachers and students as well. A committee will also be established to advise the superintendent regarding these efforts. “The committee will include individuals from the local community and schools who have a diverse range of perspectives and experiences,” reads the plan. “School Board Policies will be reviewed to assure they promote unity and limit bias. The North Carolina School Boards Association will be used as a resource for the review. This work will begin with examining ways to address non-school displays that cause disruptions, are divisive, and hinder unity.”

Dr. Bill Nolte accepts the HCS superintendent position in July, 2018. Cory Vaillancourt photo

acter is to recognize a mistake, apologize and seek forgiveness. Tonight, Dr. Nolte has submitted the action plan as requested, and it will be attached with this announcement. He has met with members of the community, to include the Haywood County NAACP and the MLK Committee, as well as other citizens. Dr. Nolte and this board are committed to continue to review the policies of Haywood County Schools, and make changes to ensure equality and equity for all students.

A Haywood County deputy is recovering from surgery and a suspect is dead following an incident July 28 in which the suspect fired at officers responding to the call. Officers with the Haywood County Sherriff’s Office and the Canton Police Department responded to a report of a disturbance involving a person armed with a rifle on the Old Asheville Highway near Canton. When the officers arrived, the subject began to fire. The suspect was killed during the exchange after firing a bullet that struck Deputy Sheriff Eric Batchelor, who was then transported to a local hospital. Batchelor came through surgery successfully and is in stable condition. As is policy in the case of an officer-involved shooting, the N.C. State Bureau of Investigations is now conducting an investigation into the incident.

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BY CORY VAILLANCOURT Patrick Johnson, public health director STAFF WRITER for Haywood County, acknowledged how espite seemingly doing everything dangerous coronavirus can be in such setright, a long-term care facility in tings. Haywood County is now reporting 36 “When the virus gets into a long-term cases of COVID-19, spread among residents care facility, that population is already in and staff. the high-risk category,” Johnson said. “It’s awful. Since the 1990s, North “We’ve seen this in Buncombe, Henderson, Carolina has been ahead of the curve as far and nationwide. Silver Bluff worked hard to as infection control. Since Since July 13, Silver Bluff Village has seen 16 the 1990s you residents and 20 staff test positive for COVID-19. had to have at Cory Vaillancourt photo least one nurse trained in epidemiology,” said Lisa Leatherwood, administrator of Silver Bluff Village. “We have three. We implemented visiting restrictions, had state regulators visit, we tested every single person who comes in.” prevent this. We’ve been pleased with what Still, the virus made it into the facility. they’ve done.” “Silver Bluff was doing everything they Silver Bluff Village was founded in 1962 could do correctly ahead of this, and yet by Leatherwood’s grandparents; before this has still happened,” said Dr. Mark serving as administrator, she was the direcJaben, Haywood County’s health and tor of nursing for 30 years, beginning in human services medical director. “That 1987. Leatherwood’s mother was adminisreminds us that you don’t want to mess trator until Leatherwood’s husband took with this, because once it gets in it’s very the post, retiring in 2017. hard to contain.” The facility, near Bethel, contains severLeatherwood said that 85 staff members al different buildings including a skilled had been tested when Haywood County building, an assisted living building, and a conducted a mass test back in April, all negmulti-unit assisted housing unit. In total, ative. Further testing took place in May, and there’s capacity for about 196 residents, all regular screenings thereafter, but the facility with varying degrees of independence. reported its first case July 13. Leatherwood said the facility did receive “Just in terms of disinfecting they’ve some funding from the CARES Act’s been fastidious about that,” Jaben said. Paycheck Protection Program, which was “And in screening staff. They’ve not had vishelpful in trying to keep staffing levels up. itors since very early in this thing. What “We had quite a few [staff members makes this maybe larger than others is quit] when COVID first hit North Carolina, you’ve got a confined group of people in a but when we got hit, we had a few more closed space. I think the other thing it walk out,” she said. “The ones that are here, points out is the contagiousness in the prethey are very dedicated.” symptomatic stage. It’s a real eye-opener.” Employee screening continues, and

Myrtle Beach and Florida.” Johnson said other skilled nursing facilities and congregate living facilities are at risk for the same type of outbreak. “This will be the same thing in schools — a parent will get it and give it to their kids, who will bring it into school,” he said. “If everybody’s interested in keeping students and staff safe, this might be a good time to skip the vacation.” Jaben also commended Silver Bluff for their transparency. “They’ve been very straight with people, and that’s what we should be doing with this,” Jaben said. “Just the facts.” The takeaway, according to Jaben, is that even with responsible, cautious behavior, infection is still possible. “All the public health recommendations are really a package of actions,” he said. “They all come together. Doing one or the other doesn’t reduce your risk as much as doing all of them together. Even doing all of them doesn’t eliminate the risk.” Leatherwood said she’s grateful for the community’s support and understanding during the outbreak. “What keeps me going is our residents and staff,” she said. “Our families have been wonderful, their comments like, ‘we trust you,’ that means the world. When you’ve worked a full shift in PPE and you come home and see on Facebook that someone’s posted a positive comment, it just means the world. We’re going to do everything possible to get through this and get things back to normal.”

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Leatherwood’s been giving them hazard pay as well, but PPP funding also helped her find personal protective equipment, which Leatherwood said became scarce and shot up in price once the pandemic began in earnest. Since the outbreak began at Silver Bluff, quarantine and isolation wings were established, and some staff members were assigned to care for people in them, to reduce the number of people coming in and out of the wings. Test result returns have also slowed in recent weeks, with the two-day turnaround seen in May and June now longer, at five to seven days. That makes it harder to identify people in the pre-symptomatic phase of coronavirus infection, meaning they can transmit the virus before knowing they even have it. “The way it gets in is by staff, not on purpose,” Johnson said. “I think one employee brought it in early on after going on vacation and getting exposed.” Johnson’s advice to staff at Silver Bluff — and any other congregate living facility — is to exercise extreme caution in off-duty behaviors. “Be diligent to avoid bringing it in,” he said. “Don’t attend gatherings, avoid crowds. If leaving the county, be very careful. Although many people right before the start of school like to go on vacation, this might be a good time for a stay-cation. Throughout all the contact tracing we’ve been doing, we’ve been hearing words like Pigeon Forge, Hilton Head, Charleston,

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BY HOLLY KAYS STAFF WRITER final decision is likely on the fate of the Confederate statue looking out over downtown Sylva after the town board voted 3-2 July 27 to approve a resolution officially asking Jackson County Commissioners to remove it from town limits. The statue depicting an unnamed Confederate solider was erected in 1915 to honor those who fought in and supported the war effort. It sits midway up the prominent staircase connecting Main Street and the historic courthouse. While it’s a fixture of the often-photographed downtown Sylva scene, the county — not the town — owns that property. The July 27 vote occurred after the town board heard from 10 different speakers who had signed up to give public comment on the issue. Of the 10, seven made statements definitely in favor of removing the statue, while one made statements definitively in favor of keeping it where it is. However, the county’s power to move the statue is unclear. A 2015 state law provides that “an object of remembrance located on public property may not be permanently removed and may only be relocated … An object of remembrance that is permanently relocated shall be relocated to a site of similar prominence, honor, visibility, availability and access that are within the boundaries of the jurisdiction from which it was relocated.” Sylva resident Tracy Mann said that she fears tourism could suffer if the local government declines to act. People of color might decide not to spend their money in Sylva, while people looking for a green light toward racism would be encouraged. “I think it’s naïve at best to think that there’s not a racism problem in our mountain communities,” she said. “I was in elementary school when the Klan marched in Andrews. Today you can go onto Facebook and see all of the hate being spewed in our mountain communities against Black and brown people.” There’s no other way to interpret the statue than as a monument to racial injustice, because there’s no other way to interpret the Confederacy than as a movement founded on racial injustice, said Suzanne Saucier. “While there may have been soldiers who fought for their land and their property and their children, they also fought for a cause, and that cause was the Confederacy that literally wanted to preserve people as property,” she said. “The individual soldier’s motivation in this regard is irrelevant.” Sylva resident Frank Huguelet had a different perspective on the purpose of the bronze solider overlooking the town. It’s the closest thing he has to a tombstone for his ancestor John Parker, who was thrown into a mass grave after his death from dysentery in a Union prison camp. “Hundreds of men went out to fight. Thousands of ancestors are left,” said

Huguelet. “Dividing a community based on a national political movement is wrong. It’s a bad precedent to set. The majority of the people in this country want to keep it.”

A THWARTED MEETING The town board had originally planned to vote on the issue during its regularly scheduled meeting Thursday, July 23, but the meeting was cut short following an onslaught of racial slurs from unidentified attendees on the Zoom call. The disjointed sentences from an account named Adira Sahar didn’t have the cadence of a rant — rather, they came across as barbs intended to incite anger, fear or confusion. The male speaker made liberal use of a racial slur targeting Black people, claiming to have “25 child Black slaves,” and proclaiming that “Black lives don’t matter,” among other insults, slurs and profanities. Two other accounts, named Katy Kenz and iPhone — this account featured a dark silhouetted figure on a dark background — also broke in occasionally. Town Clerk Amanda Murajda ejected the three accounts from the meeting and town commissioners, visibly shaken, attempted to continue on with the agenda. However, the infiltrators weren’t done. An account that had named itself Eric Ridenour — the same name as the town attorney — began making lewd comments on the chat, and a female voice under an account named Town of Sylva began saying the names of various people in attendance in a creepy, sing-song voice. Commissioners then voted to recess the meeting, sending out a new Zoom link that same morning. However, due to concerns about being able to keep the link secure from Zoom bombers while still allowing access to the general public, the board ended up voting to finish the agenda in a special-called meeting at 5:30 p.m. Monday, July 27. At the request of the Sylva Police Department, the State Bureau of Investigation is now seeking to identify the people responsible for the July 23 incident and plans to apply any applicable charges, according to a press release from the town. Call 828.586.1911 with information about the identities of anyone involved.

A VOTE TO REMOVE On July 27, town board and staff members participated in a Zoom call, admitting those wishing to give public comment one at a time and broadcasting the video in real time using Facebook Live. Multiple speakers and town board members pointed to the July 23 incident as proof that racism is alive and well today, a reality that should heighten the urgency of removing symbols that celebrate it. “This was an act of racism that happened in our community,” said Commissioner David Nestler, who

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‘Zoom bomb’ shows shortcomings of virtual meetings Since the Coronavirus Pandemic began, Zoom meetings have become a commonplace replacement for government meetings that would otherwise take place in person. While these tools have proven essential to keeping the wheels of government turning over the past four months, they also have their shortcomings — and nothing displayed that more prominently than the onslaught of racist and sexual remarks that forced the Sylva Town Board to suspend its July 23 meeting. Visibly shaken by the incident, board members voted to recess the meeting without announcing when it would reconvene as required under open meetings laws. After the new Zoom link was sent out, board members sat on the conference call for about an hour before calling the meeting into session, and while the line was mostly silent, during that time commissioners and Board Attorney Eric Ridenour discussed whether they had to let anyone on the call who asked to join or whether they could restrict access only to those who had signed up to give public comment, so as to prevent another incident like the one that had just occurred.

“I say we either let in only those people that are signed up to speak and try it, or we have to let everybody in, and I think that’s going to be a problem,” said Ridenour. “So my advice would be we just run with everyone scheduled to speak.” Board members didn’t seem to like that suggestion, with Commissioner David Nestler saying that it “doesn’t feel right” to exclude people but that he would be “willing to live with” the decision if that’s how the board wanted to go. “Right now we’re violating the open meetings law because we haven’t let everyone on and we’re discussing things,” said Mayor Lynda Sossamon. “If we can, please wait until Amanda (Murajda) gets everyone on. Then we can have a discussion and resume our meeting.” Beth Soja, an attorney for the N.C. Press Association, said that open meetings laws make it clear that a board cannot close a meeting because it fears disruptions, and any person is entitled to attend any public meeting. However, attendees are not entitled to speak at meetings, and it is a class 2 misdemeanor to refuse to leave a meeting after disrupting it. “As we all figure out this new normal, public bodies still have to adhere to open meetings laws, but attendees who disrupt these meetings are also subject to the same laws that apply to in-person meetings,” she said.

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resolution, did not feel the issue was quite that clear-cut, with Hamilton expressing a wish for more discussion before moving ahead with a vote. “This should be a memorial to the fallen of both Union and Confederates who were not allowed a choice but were ordered to fight and serve,” Hamilton said. “They didn’t want to do it, but they were forced to do it. We can remove flags and statues all day, but until we figure out how to remove the hate in people’s hearts, nothing will ever change.” Gelbaugh said that while it is everyone’s duty to call out white supremacy and racism where they see it, the statue isn’t the source of those evils. “I don’t give a monument that kind of power,” she said. “I believe that faith and fear cannot occupy the same space, and I choose to go on my faith. And my faith tells me we can make this a win-win and we can make this be a county in which everybody feels safe and feels welcome, and that’s up to us as individuals.” Ultimately, Nestler voted to pass the resolution along with McPherson and Guiney. Gelbaugh and Hamilton were opposed. Because in Sylva the mayor votes only in case of a tie, Mayor Lynda Sossamon didn’t vote but did tell those attending that “by removing the monument, which is metal and stones, it’s not going to remove racism from our hearts. It’s only when we replace that with love that we’ll be able to move forward.” The Jackson County Board of Commissioners will likely take the up issue now. The board’s next regularly scheduled meeting is 6 p.m. Tuesday, Aug. 4.

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introduced the resolution to remove the statue. “Nobody can deny that racism exists here any longer. It is recorded in the minutes of an open meeting. It is time that as a community we acknowledge this and we work to fix it. People in our community need to stop telling people of color that racism doesn’t exist here.” Kelly Brown, a leader of the effort to remove the statue, concurred with that sentiment. “After last week’s event, my speech is just very simple,” he said. “If we want to continue to say that racism doesn’t exist in this community, then we are totally being blind.” The majority of the board agreed with Brown’s perspective that removing the statue would be a positive move toward making Sylva a more inclusive and welcoming place. “Until justice means the same thing for all people, regardless of labels, I will continue to support this relocation,” said Commissioner Greg McPherson. “We have to face this now. No more bigotry. How long do we have to glorify the myth of the lost cause? How long must we look at that statue and be reminded of the darkest part of our past?” “The future of our town is our youth,” said Commissioner Ben Guiney, “and our youth understand this is something that can no longer be tolerated in our public space.” “It represents a particular group’s heritage, and that group’s heritage has been put up on a pedestal above all else in Sylva, and that’s wrong,” said Nestler. “There’s no two ways about it. This vote is about putting that history in its proper context.” However, Commissioners Mary Gelbaugh and Barbara Hamilton, who voted against the

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Public records laws complicate law enforcement transparency BY HOLLY KAYS STAFF WRITER espite the complexity of discussions surrounding reform and accountability in American law enforcement, it’s likely that many issues would disappear if it were possible to consistently follow two simple rules: Hire only good cops and fire all bad cops. “Character is hard to train,” said Haywood County Chief Deputy Jeff Haynes. “It’s either there or it’s not. If you hire people of integrity, you can train skills.” Sometimes, though, a bad cop finds his or her way onto the force, and in North Carolina, they’re easier to get rid of than in other parts of the country. As a right-towork state, North Carolina does not have collective bargaining and therefore its police chiefs and sheriffs do not have to contend with police unions when attempting to fire someone. “The county sheriff does not have to disclose any information about why an employee is dismissed,” said Haywood County Sheriff Greg Christopher. “The sheriff only needs to advise the employee their employment service is no longer needed.”

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July 29-August 4, 2020

As elected officials, county sheriffs have complete control over hiring and firing decisions in their departments. The process is different in municipal police departments, but it’s still fairly straightforward, said Sylva Police Chief Chris Hatton. If an officer is involved in a deadly force situation, he or she is immediately suspended with pay. This serves both to allow the State Bureau of Investigations to thoroughly investigate the incident and to allow the officer to deal with any psychological issues resulting from the incident. Many officers die by suicide following deadly force incidents, he said. If cleared, the officer can come back to work. If not, he or she can be fired and even charged criminally. There’s also a disciplinary process that can culminate in firing for officers who exhibit more mundane forms of poor job performance, such as arriving late and slacking off on the job. “Things do happen, and when they do we definitely have to make sure we have all systems in place to make sure bad cops don’t get to continue being cops, or go free,” said Hatton. “Nobody hates a bad cop more than a good cop.”

PERSONNEL RECORDS DIFFICULT TO RELEASE What happens when the cops at the top decline to deal with abusive behavior on the force? The whole world saw what happened in Minneapolis on May 25 when Officer Derek Chauvin placed his knee on the neck of George Floyd for eight minutes and 46 seconds, causing Floyd’s death. But what the world was not allowed to see prior to that deadly day were the 16 conduct complaints that had been filed against Chauvin in his 19 years with the Minneapolis Police Department. According to the Minneapolis-based Star Tribune, the file

cation. The government must also provide the date and general description of the reasons for each promotion and the date and type of each dismissal, suspension or demotion for disciplinary reasons. In case of dismissal, a copy of the written decision including the basis for the dismissal must be provided. However, most of the personnel file is unavailable to the public, including most disciplinary records. There are some exceptions, however. A judge can order a record opened, and in the case of county and municipal employees the governing board can release such information if it finds that the release is “essential to maintaining public confidence in the administration of city services or to maintaining the level and quality of city services.” The law is even more restrictive when it comes to another type of record key to understanding law enforcement actions — body cams and dash cams. A 2016 state law provides that these recordings can be released to the public only by court order.

RESTRICTIONS IMPACT TRANSPARENCY

Haywood County Sheriff Greg Christopher. included a complaint lodged in August 2007 by a woman who said Chauvin and another officer pulled her from her car, frisked her and put her in the squad car after pulling her over for going 10 miles over the speed limit. The records were released after Floyd’s death and Chauvin’s subsequent firing and arrest, but even so were heavily redacted, the Star Tribune reported. One has to wonder what might have happened had those complaints been made public years earlier. Would one of the non-lethal incidents in the file have turned the public eye on Chauvin years before 2020 arrived? Would he have lost his job before the day he encountered George Floyd sitting in a parked car outside the Cup Foods corner store? In many states, personnel records are some of the most closely guarded files in government, and North Carolina is no exception. The list of information about public employees subject to public records requests is finite, and includes the person’s age, date of hire, contract terms, current title and position, salary history and the date and type of each promotion, demotion, transfer, suspension, separation or other change in position classifi-

N.C. Press Association President Eric Millsaps, who is also the regional editor for the Hickory Daily Record, said he’s found these laws quite frustrating over the 36 years he’s worked for newspapers in North Carolina. Many newspapers have been forced to resort to court action to get records that he believes should be easily available. “Here is what I wish elected officials and government employees embraced about public records: When you take the money of the taxpayer, you are accountable to them,” he said. “And taxpayers have the right to know how and where the money is spent. We also should know how the people we pay to represent us and carry out government duties behave in our employ.” This point of view has some support among Western North Carolina politicians. “I personally think that every profession should be accountable and those sunshine laws ought to apply to everybody,” said Rep. Kevin Corbin, R-Franklin, who currently represents District 120 in the General Assembly and is running for the District 50 Senate seat. “They certainly apply to us as elected officials. Everything that we say or do, email or text message, is something you can ask for, and I think that’s the way it should be. We shouldn’t be able to shield things from the public.” Karl Gillespie, a Macon County Republican who is running to fill the District 120 seat Corbin is vacating, expressed agreement with that point of view. “I think accountability applies at all levels of government,” Gillespie said. “I think that’s what keeps our government in check as far as accountability, so I very much am one for ‘opening the books,’ if you will. The voters are entitled to that and we need to provide that to them.” But the debate is not quite that simple, said Andy Hansen, assistant professor of criminology and criminal justice at Western Carolina University.

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Sylva Police Chief Chris Hatton. “Sharing relevant information with the public in a timely manner is vital for accountability and transparency. However, there are disagreements regarding what information is relevant and when it should be released,” he said. “For instance, are unfounded use of force complaints from decades ago relevant to a current incident

The law is even more restrictive when it comes to another type of record key to understanding law enforcement actions — body cams and dash cams. A 2016 state law provides that these recordings can be released to the public only by court order.

LIMITATIONS SERVE A PURPOSE

Christopher said that he understands the arguments in favor of increasing the availability of personnel records but doesn’t think it would be a good idea in all cases. Some officers end up with a lot of complaints against them, and that’s not always because they’re terrible officers. “I spent nearly 30 years on the (N.C.) f Highway Patrol and investigated literally hundreds of complaints and found some to be very valid — and they were dealt with

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y l where excessive force is alleged? Timing can be tricky because the public generally wants information such as body cam footage released immediately, while investigators have a duty to protect those accused of misconduct and do not want to prejudice the pool of potential jurors.”

accordingly, including firings — but also a lot of people who just maybe got stopped or were issued a citation, or sometimes even a warning ticket would come back and they did not appreciate the fact that a trooper or an officer had stopped them for any reason.” Christopher said he could support a limited loosening of restrictions on personnel records, especially related to complaints that had been investigated and found to be valid, and especially when the deputy in question had been found guilty of a similar violation before. “I can see where if someone asked that kind of a question we at least tell the complainant that this has occurred before,” he said. Both Christopher and Hatton said they have at times felt that the public records laws prevented them from effectively telling their side of the story in a given incident. “If somebody files a complaint with me, I can’t say, ‘I investigated this complaint and I gave this officer a written reprimand for their file,’” said Hatton. “I can’t tell people that, but what I can tell them is, ‘We looked at that. We handled that internally.’ I have to be really careful about what I tell people.” “Sometimes it would be very good for us to be able to say, ‘He’s never had a complaint,’” Christopher added. However, he said, while it’s important to keep deputies accountable for their actions, it’s also important to avoid throwing the proverbial baby out with the bathwater. Law enforcement is a difficult career, and in recent years recruitment has become especially challenging. In 2017, Christopher’s office calculated that it costs the department $25,000 to train a new deputy from the time they’re hired until the time they’re ready to patrol solo. So, while firing a deputy is sometimes the only reasonable course of action, it’s always preferable to address issues through training and remediation when possible. “I’ve been part of lots of groups, and it’s my absolute life’s honor to be a police officer,” said Hatton. “I don’t know any other group I’ve been part of, even in the nonprofit world, where so many good, solid, ethical people are in the same place. It’s just the truth.” Staff writer Cory Vaillancourt contributed to this report.

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mer congressman who resigned his 11th District seat in March to become President Donald Trump’s chief of staff. “Sheriff Robbie is just such a great friend to me and you know what, even if he wasn’t a good friend to me, I wanted to come and back up the guys who defend all of us,” said Hendersonville Republican Madison Cawthorn. During the event, Cawthorn presented Holland with a challenge coin and a letter expressing goodwill, both given to him by President Donald Trump during a recent visit.

“I think we all recognize that most of our law enforcement officers are sincere. They certainly don’t do it for the money or the fame or the recognition.” — Rep. Kevin Corbin, R-Franklin

“They put a bulletproof vest on every single day,” said Cawthorn. “They’re going into harm’s way and I want to honor them and make sure they know that there are people and there are elected officials who have their back.” Although the overwhelming majority of local police funding is locally generated, Cawthorn said if there was anything he could do from a federal level once elected, he would. “If I can get more funding for more training for them, of course I will,” he said. “It keeps them safer and keeps us safer. As I

said on stage, I will have their back until the day I die.” Cawthorn’s opponent, Asheville Democrat Moe Davis, also spoke at the rally, defying notions that the “back the badge” movement was a partisan issue solely supported by conservatives. “Clearly it was predominantly Republican, but there were a lot of Democrats that thought it was important to let law enforcement know that we’re behind them,” Davis told The Smoky Mountain News later. “I agree that by and large, law enforcement, they’re part of the community. They’re your neighbors. They’re your friends. They’re here to protect and serve everybody. I think it’s important to be there and be seen and let them know that we’ve got their back.” Davis was one of the first people to graduate from Appalachian State University with a degree in criminal justice, and also graduated from the North Carolina Justice Academy as a law enforcement instructor before beginning a long career as an attorney in the U.S. Air Force. He said that if elected, he’d advocate for something akin to the Law Enforcement Assistance Administration, a federal agency under the U.S. Department of Justice that was established as part of President Lyndon Johnson’s War on Crime and abolished under President Ronald Reagan in 1982. “There are some things that the LEAA did that I think are worth looking at again,” said Davis. “One of those is providing federal funding for training for law enforcement. Something like the G.I. bill that we have for our veterans. If we could help fund training for current law enforcement and provide educational opportunities while they’re currently serving or after they leave, I think that would be something we could do from the federal level to help improve policing.” 15

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BY CORY VAILLANCOURT STAFF WRITER rally hosted by Macon County Sheriff Robert Holland in downtown Franklin July 25 drew hundreds of law enforcement officers and spectators as well as a who’s who of Western North Carolina elected officials and candidates, all with one simple message: “We’ve got your back.” “We have people in every profession that say and do things they shouldn’t do, and unfortunately, we’ve had a very few law enforcement people — one in particular in Minneapolis that killed a guy — very unfortunate, very wrong,” said Rep. Kevin Corbin, R-Franklin, who is currently a candidate for N.C. Senate. “But there’s been a real backlash towards even good police officers, and I think we all recognize that most of our law enforcement officers are sincere. They certainly don’t do it for the money or the fame or the recognition.” Corbin, along with Franklin Republican Sen. Jim Davis, District Attorney Ashley Welch and every member of the Macon County Board of Commissioners attended the event as a show of support. “I appreciate the effort that was made to put this thing together,” said Karl Gillespie,

a Macon County commissioner and candidate for Corbin’s House seat who also spoke at the July 25 rally. “We are very fortunate in Macon County that our community as a whole is very supportive of our police officers,” Gillespie explained. “We’ve got a sheriff that will tell you right off the bat that we’re not perfect. While we don’t have some of the same issues that they have in other areas, I think it’s just as important for us to gather and show our support, and that’s what we did today.” Crowd size estimates seemed to center around 500 people, making it the largest of recent events in Western North Carolina. From the podium, Holland reiterated several times that profiling all police officers based on the behavior of the worst of them was unwarranted. “Right now, law enforcement is feeling like people are looking down on them for the actions of a few others,” he said later. “We’re not those officers. We’re not the bad apples. We wanted to give people an opportunity to show how much they cared about us and as you can see, they came forward and we had a tremendous turnout.” Waving flags and holding signs, the crowd marched from Franklin’s Town Hall down Main Street, accompanied by several jeeps, motorcyclists and a large Lenco BearCat — an armored vehicle used by the Jackson County Sheriff ’s Office for dangerous standoffs. When they arrived at the gazebo, they heard from Holland, Welch, Davis, Corbin, Gillespie and Michaela Blanton Lowe. She is the widow of Trooper David Shawn Blanton Jr., who was shot to death at age 24 during a routine traffic stop on Interstate 40 in 2008. His killer is currently serving his 10th year of a life sentence. They also heard from a pair of candidates hoping to replace Mark Meadows, the for-

July 29-August 4, 2020

Large Franklin gathering shows support for law enforcement

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‘We’ve got your back’

Macon County Sheriff Robert Holland (left) speaks at a back the badge rally in Franklin on July 25. Cory Vaillancourt photos

Opinion

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Look to the stars and beyond

Is this a fit Commander-in-Chief? To the Editor: The first duty of our Commander in Chief, Donald Trump, is to protect the people of these United States. He took an oath to perform this most basic of duties. Over a 135,000 American have died as a result of the Covid virus. The family of each person lost to this pandemic can rightly ask: if Donald Trump had done his job would my loved one still be alive? Owners of struggling and failed businesses and their workers can rightly ask: If Donald Trump had done his job, would the business and its jobs still exist? The doctor in an overrun Arizona or Texas hospital could rightly ask: If Donald Trump had done his job would I have to decide who gets a ventilator today? Grieving parents of soldiers killed in Afghanistan can rightly ask: If Donald Trump had read his Presidential Daily Briefing, would my son or daughter still be alive? Donald Trump’s failure of leadership has become appallingly apparent to anyone who dares to look. In the early days of this pandemic our Commander in Chief said that this “Chinese” virus would magically go away. When that did not happen, he said it was not his problem; the individual states and their governors would have lead the fight. When that did not work, he blamed the WHO (World Health Organization) for the failure. Seven months into this fight we are still short of PPE and testing is still a problem. Just

the solar system. According to NASA, it takes about 6,800 years to complete its path around the sun. Seeing this unique comet is a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity, but only if you’re in a good spot and it’s the right time of day. The location of the comet is between the horizon and the lower right of the Big Dipper. This is what spawned our weekend goose chase. Once Matthew told me about Neowise, I wanted to see it. Heck, I’d never even seen a shooting star, much less a comet. I was willing to get up early, stay up late, whatever it took to catch a glimpse of a giant dusty snowball. One Sunday morning, we awoke 80 minutes before sunrise and drove to the Junaluska overlook on the Blue Ridge Parkway. We waited and waited. And while we saw a stunning sunrise and observed the birds arising for the day, we did not see Neowise. It could Columnist have been the haze or maybe we should have gotten there earlier. Nonetheless, we didn’t see it. We tried again that night. Even though it was Sunday and we both had to work Monday morning, we drove to the parkway well after 10 p.m. to ensure it was dark enough. At the Waterrock Knob parking lot, we settled on the ground and observed the sky. Millions of stars pierced the black night, resulting in a beautiful light show. I felt small compared to the galaxy before me. We still didn’t see Neowise due to its position on

Susanna Shetley

I’ve been looking at the stars a lot lately. It started several weeks ago. It was 10:18 p.m. on a Sunday. We were driving the parkway, windows rolled down, Van Morrison on the radio. My boyfriend, Matthew, looked over and squeezed my knee. “We’re going to find it,” he said. A goose chase then ensued as we searched for the comet, Neowise. Matthew likes astronomy. He took a course in college and was hooked. In contrast, my eyes tend to be fixed straight ahead or downward in a book or journal. Stargazing is a pastime toward which I’ve traditionally felt indifference. I can find the Big and Little dippers, but that’s about it. Like most people these days, I’m sure you’ve been watching the news. Among pandemic information, political banter and speculation over the state of our economy, you may have heard a short blip about the comet Neowise. Astronomers discovered the comet, formally known as C2020 F3 NEOWISE, this March. The acronym stands for the NASA mission that spotted it, for the Near-Earth Object Wide-field Infrared Survey Explorer. The goal of the mission was to find as many near-Earth asteroids as possible, especially ones that could be hazardous to our planet. This is when they spotted Neowise. On July 3, the comet was closer to the sun than the orbit of Mercury and close to breaking apart. The sun heated up much of the comet’s icy makeup, erupting in a large debris trail of dust and gas. At three miles across, Neowise is fairly large in size and made up of material 4.6 billion years old, from the origins of

LETTERS to be clear, the United States has more cases and deaths by far from this virus than any other country on the planet. Donald Trump’s failure to lead goes far beyond this pandemic. Once the leader of the free world, the United States has now withdrawn from virtually all international organizations and he has nothing but praise for autocrats around the world. The Russians and Chinese have rushed in to fill this vacuum to the great detriment of the United States. While Donald Trump defends dead Confederate generals and holds up someone else’s Bible in front a church, we can only hope that his “leadership” is not again tested. Louis Vitale Franklin

Stop using MLK defense To the Editor: Heather Hyatt Packer would have Haywood County’s School superintendent resign for posting a meme on his Facebook page she views as “racially insensitive.” To support her opinion that Dr. Bill Nolte is undeserving of the post he apparently otherwise successfully holds, she summons forth the words of Martin Luther King Jr. King said many things in his quest for civil rights, Ms. Packer, including (if memory serves): “I have a dream that one day my children will be judged by the content of their character rather than the color of their skin.”

the horizon, but I saw a shooting star and felt an overwhelming sense of calm. It won’t be the last time I look to the night sky as a reminder we’re all part of a bigger story. Matthew and I have five kids between us. About a week after our initial attempt, four of the kids wanted to join us on another quest to find the comet. The six of us again drove to Waterrock Knob parking lot, put blankets on the ground and looked as hard as we could. Although we still didn’t see Neowise, we had fun giggling and pointing out other constellations, stars and planets. The following day a friend told us about his experience viewing the comet. He suggested 9:50 p.m., after sunset but before total darkness. We were looking for it too late in the evening. He also recommended binoculars. That night, we loaded up and went to a peak out in Jonathan Creek. It took some searching and the use of binoculars, but guess what? There it was, an actual comet blazing across the sky. It was far and it was faint, but we all saw it, even my eight-year old. It was well worth the two-week wild goose chase. We’re currently on vacation at Ocean Isle, and I’ve been looking at the stars each night. There is something breathtaking about the night sky above the sea. Probably for the rest of my life, I’ll look to the Big Dipper and smile thinking of all the nights we hunted for Neowise and finally found it. In life, it’s often other people who pick us up when we’re down or teach us something new. There’s a lot I love about Matthew, but his curiosity about the solar system is toward the top of my list. As someone who can easily fall into melancholy, it’s nice to have a mate in life who gently lifts my chin and says, “Look at the stars.” (Susanna Shetley is a writer, editor and digital media specialist for The Smoky Mountain News, Smoky Mountain Living and Mountain South Media. sussanna.b@smokymountainnews.com)

Following that speech and for the last 50odd years (thanks to Affirmative Action and equal opportunity practices) countless American citizens have been judged and deemed worthy solely on their gender or the color of their skin, up to and including how the next vice presidential candidate for the Democratic Party will be chosen. So please, Ms. Packer, stop using the MLK defense. David L. Snell Franklin

Have you been sprayed by Duke? To the Editor: Duke Energy, through a contractor, has started aerial spraying of herbicides over the rights-of-way for their transmission lines, the lines supported by large steel towers. Here in Oak Grove, this means that three routes are subject to the defoliants: the line which runs over Lakey and Bradley creeks into the Cowee Community, up Goshen Creek and down Greens Creek in Jackson County; the line which crosses the Little Tennessee River at Deans Island and runs up Tellico Creek to Wesser Gap, crossing the Appalachian Trail and descending into the Nantahala Community; and finally, the line which parallels N.C. 28 and the Little Tennessee before veering toward Bryson City. Were you notified prior to the spraying operation? We were not, yet Duke’s own

instructions state: “In developed and maintained areas, we typically notify property owners a minimum of three days prior to the start of planned vegetation maintenance work. We usually notify customers with a door hanger, but we may also call, send a letter or knock on your door. Sometimes notification includes a combination of these methods. We’ll also provide a point of contact in case you have questions or concerns about the work being done. If our attempts to notify a customer are unsuccessful, work will proceed without further direct notification.” What chemicals are being used in this operation? We have observed containers labeled IMAZAPYR, METHOD, and TRICLORPYR. The safety data sheets warn of not allowing human contact with the airborne mist or allowing it to enter surface water. But, the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency approved these herbicides. They must be safe. Wait. Look again. According to the Natural Resources Defense Council, who made a two-year investigation of EPA approval of pesticides (and herbicides), the EPA used a regulatory loophole to approve 65 percent of 16,000 pesticides that pose a threat to public health. Aerial spraying of herbicides has only been used by Duke for the past 3 1/2 years, since 2016. Go figure. Have you come into contact with the spray while it was airborne, or on grass, vegetables or fruit where it has come to rest? Have you experienced skin or eye irritation? Have your crops or fruit been damaged by drift from the prescribed ROW zone? Has

your drinking water source been contaminated? In the past, right-of-way vegetation management of transmission lines has been a ground operation, much safer for Duke customers in proximity to this ROW, but not now. Be aware. Be safe. Stay out of the way of active spraying and airborne drift. Aerial herbicide application is happening right now. See a doctor, of course, if your body has been impacted, but also call the regulatory agency to report any contamination of crops, gardens, water or trees outside of the ROW: Dwight Seal, Western District Manager, N.C. Dept of Agriculture and Consumer Services 939.733.3556. Doug Woodward Franklin

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To the Editor: As the Mayor of Franklin, I represent every man, woman and child in the town, regardless of partisan politics or religion. No, I was not at the Back the Blue March on Saturday. Yes, I was at both of the Black Lives Matter marches. There is a difference. The Back the Blue turned political and to some extent religious. The BLM was about bringing social change to systemic racism. For those who are saying I do not support law enforcement, I will put my law enforcement and military credentials up against any of the elected officials or candidates who spoke Saturday. I have taught many law enforcement students as a certified laws enforcement training instructor by the N.C. Criminal Justice Education and Training Standards Commission. I hold the Advanced Law Enforcement Certificate from the N.C. Sherriff ’s Education and Training Standards Commission. I am a graduate of the FBI National Academy and a Certificate of Achievement in Criminal Justice Education from the University of Virginia School of Continuing and Professional Studies. I have a bachelor’s degree in criminal justice from WCU and an AAS from SCC. So, I resent being accused of not backing law enforcement because I did not attend the Back the Blue march. I did not feel it would be appropriate of me to take part due to the partisan nature of it. I support our military. I am an OCS graduate and a member of the Retired Reserve. For those of you who believe I am some kind of liberal, socialist, Marxist, I have a DD214. For the record, I do not believe in the violent protests taking place in our nation at the moment, but I also understand the frustration of those who are protesting. I survived the Civil Rights movement. I trained with the National Guard in riot control. I have seen firsthand and experienced the abuse of power. I was not contacted to speak and if I had, I feel it would have been inappropriate for me to do so. The town did cooperate with traffic, allowing the use of the Gazebo and making sure it was in good shape, and this morning emptying the trash cans. This was not a town event. For those wanting me out of office, you will have your chance in November 2021. In the meantime, I will continue to serve every resident and visitor of Franklin, regardless of race, religion or politics. I will not pander to hate and fear. There is way too much of that now. In the meantime, I will continue to be a mayor who believes in the Constitution. Bob Scott Franklin

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To the Editor: “He has erected a multitude of new officers and sent hither swarms of officers to harass our people …” “He has affected to render the military independent of and superior to the civil power.” These words were among the charges against tyrant King George III in declaring independence from England in 1776. History repeats itself. These charges have come alive today in the tyrannical actions of our would be king, Donald Trump. To quote further from our Declaration of Independence: “Governments are instituted among Men deriving their just power from the consent of the governed.” No governor of any state or mayor of any city, has given consent to Trump’s sending his storm troopers to invade their cities. These storm troopers have unlawfully beaten, gassed and detain demonstrators in Portland, Oregon, violating their constitutional rights. To quote from the First Amendment to our Constitution: “Congress shall make no laws .... abridging the right of people peaceably to assemble and to petition the Government for a redress of grievances.” The Fourth Amendment states: “The right of people to be secure in their persons … against unreasonable searches and seizures, shall not be violated.” Donald Trump’s use of storm troopers is in flagrant violation of our First and Fourth amendments. Please note Trump is only targeting states and cities with Democratic governors and mayors. His unidentified military force is creating urban warfare designed to convince Americans that Democrats are out-of-control rioters and anarchists. Trump is posturing as a lawand-order president. His use of this tactic is designed to sway voters to reelect him and his Republican supporters in November. Do we still believe in the values expressed in the Declaration of Independence and our Constitution? Our Founders fought and died in the Revolution to secure this government for future generations of Americans. At the conclusion of the Constitutional Convention, Benjamin

Franklin was asked “What kind of government do we have?” Franklin replied, “A republic, if we can keep it.” This question has yet to be determined. What would our Founding Fathers do? Margaret Abel Franklin

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“Our role as local, independent venues is an important part of the community, where our shows here bring in upwards of 500 people each night.”

Jane Kramer and Matthew Smith performing at The Grey Eagle on July 26. (photos: Garret K. Woodward)

— Russ Keith, owner, The Grey Eagle

THE SHOW MUST GO ON ‘Save Our Stages Act’ now in the hands of Congress

BY GARRET K. WOODWARD STAFF WRITER tanding in front of a microphone on Sunday evening, singer-songwriter Jane Kramer looked out onto the small, socially-distant crowd inside The Grey Eagle Music Hall in Asheville. Each table of patrons were several feet from the next table. Though masks covered the faces, the smiles and laughter could not be contained. “What a beautiful occasion to play music in front of people — I can’t tell you how much I missed this,” Kramer noted between songs, making light of the moment all in attendance reveled in. In the midst of the Coronavirus Pandemic and economic shutdown, the live music industry was the first to close, and will arguably be the last to reopen. Though small showcases are slowly returning to the stage, the live music business as a whole will not reappear for many more months, perhaps years, according to industry experts and health officials. “When all live music stopped in March, I figured we would be open in some capacity for larger events by now,” said Russ Keith, owner of

The Grey Eagle. “But, the [case] numbers [and state mandates] aren’t allowing for it, and I don’t see it getting better. At this point, I don’t see us opening back up to normal shows and a full calendar schedule until at least next year.” During a normal year, The Grey Eagle plays host to over 350 performances from local, regional, national and international acts. The venue’s calendar has been pretty much wiped clean until next spring, with patio shows and the occasional limited capacity indoor gig dotting the schedule. “Venues like The Grey Eagle are the heartbeat of a community and what it means to be part of an arts and cultural experience,” Kramer said. “These independent venues offer an intimacy between an artist and the audience that can’t be replicated. And what we’re starved for right now as a society is human connection, something that these stages provide — we can’t lose that.” In the wake of the shutdown, The Grey Eagle (as with most venues) had to get creative to find new avenues of revenue to keep the lights on and the bills paid. Live streaming of performances has helped, so have donations and fundraising through online merchandise purchases. The Grey Eagle has even offered “The Golden Ticket,” which is a raffle (currently happening) for a chance to win a ticket for a year of free concerts at the venue. “Right now, we’re just going month-bymonth. And we’ve been lucky to have such great

Want to help? Supported by the National Independent Venue Association (NIVA), the “Save Our Stages Act” is currently making its way through Congress in an effort to get passed. The bill is aimed at supporting and preserving beloved independent music venues across the country who are currently facing harsh financial obstacles in the face of the current pandemic and shutdown. To learn more about #SaveOurStages and to sign the online petition, please go to www.saveourstages.com. As well, The Grey Eagle #SaveOurStages Golf Tournament will be held at noon Sunday, Aug. 30, at the Omni Grove Park Inn golf course in Asheville. The cost to play is $125 per person or $500 for a team. To register for the tournament, go to www.thegreyeagle.com and click on the “Calendar” tab (scroll down to Aug. 30).

support from the community thus far, but that can only last so long,” Keith said. “We’ve already lost one great Asheville music venue to these financial strains with The Mothlight [closing last month] — they probably won’t be the last one to disappear from our scene.” On a national level, there are big strides being made to ensure the survival of independent music venues. Titled the “Save Our Stages Act,” the Congressional bill was introduced by Sen. Amy Klobuchar (D-Minnesota) and Sen. John Cornyn (R-Texas), which is also being championed by the National Independent Venue Association (NIVA). If passed, the bill would provide six months of financial support for venues and their employees. “Our role as local, independent venues is an important part of the community, where our shows here bring in upwards of 500 people each night,” Keith said. “All of those [concertgoers] eat at the local restaurants and breweries, and stay at the hotels nearby — that’s a huge economic weight we won’t be able carry moving forward if we can’t get the help we need to be able to stay afloat and eventually reopen.” Finishing up her set, Kramer set down her guitar and thanked the audience. Exiting the stage, she put on her mask and headed to the lobby to sell some merchandise and sign a few albums. Though sincere and genuine, the interactions are purposely at an arm’s-length. Kramer is grateful for the opportunity to once again step onstage, and do so within the hallowed walls of The Grey Eagle. “Independent venues are the cornerstone of the Asheville music and art community,” Kramer said. “And for me, as an independent musician who makes my living playing shows, it’s these smaller venues across the country that give artists like myself a platform and a chance to perform and grow as a musician — these venues are vitally important to my quality of life and everyone’s quality of life.”

The Grey Eagle in the River Arts District of Asheville.

(photo: Garret K. Woodward)

This must be the place

arts & entertainment

BY GARRET K. WOODWARD

Cast your dancing spell my way, I promise to go under it t was odd and surreal feeling to be watching live music this past weekend. As you probably read on the opposite page in this newspaper, I was on assignment for the #SaveOurStages initiative and how it being (or not being) passed in Congress will greatly affect the music industry moving forward. That aside, I found myself constantly looking around at the absurdity of the scene unfolding before my eyes. No, there wasn’t some huge crowd of folks. And yes, stringent measures were adhered to in order to ensure the safety of the handful of people in attendance. And yet, I couldn’t help but constantly think about this “new normal” we currently find ourselves in, and what that will mean for the one thing that I’m most passionate about in my life and career: live music. While seated at my table for two at The Grey Eagle, I scanned the room at the halfdozen other tables with masked people sitting quietly and happily enjoying this extremely rare occasion to see a performer onstage and not through a computer screen or from an online archive. And I began to wonder what our musical landscape would look like if places around Western North Carolina like The Grey Eagle (The Orange Peel or The White Horse, for example), these independent bastions of art and sound, were to disappear as a result of financial struggles faced in the midst of the Coronavirus Pandemic. Where else would up-and-coming local musicians be granted an opportunity to get their start, to actually perform and hone their skills in front of people? Where would artists and bands from other parts of the country (or the world) be able to find footing in cities and towns they’ve never played before? Where would you be able to host

fundraisers for a slew of local and regional causes that include that all-important factor in getting bodies through the door, which is live music? The answer is nowhere else. Independent music venues are the bedrock of the music industry. It’s where it all begins for artists. And, most importantly, these beloved venues are usually the cultural beehive of a community, where the creative identity of a certain place is radiated outward from these locations around the corner or across town. Personally, I’ve always championed the independent music venue. I realize their worth as a priceless asset to a community and its arts scene, this pillar of a town whose influence is a true ripple effect into the rest of the local economy. They’ve always been the setting where I’d fall head over heels in love with my new favorite band on some random night. Or where I’d do a backstage interview with a rising act, knowing damn well this person or group will someday be headlining arenas, and yet how lucky are we to see them early in their career in such an intimate setting, eh? Following The Grey Eagle show, I spent most of the drive back to Waynesville marveling at the mere fact that was my first live show since March 14. Over four months without being in the presence of live music. For some, that may not seem like a big deal. But, for someone like myself, that is pretty much an eternity (more so a personal hell) to go that long without a show. March 14. Songs From The Road Band at the Wicked Weed Funkatorium in the South Slope district of Asheville. Even at that point, most of us in the Western North Carolina music scene knew that show would probably be the last gig in the city for the foreseeable future. There was an uneasy sense in the Funkatorium of what our livelihoods and daily existence would look like once the last song was played and we all headed into the eventual shelter-in-place and economic shut-

down of our communities. But, even in that mindset, those watching SFTRB soaked into the singular and universal healing power that is live music. The instruments and voices onstage hummed as we let our minds drift into a headspace of love and compassion. Skip ahead some four months and here we stand, seemingly with more questions than answers compared to where we were in the spring. The Grey Eagle show was a small toe dip into a larger pool of unknown factors and situations that will continue to reveal themselves as we try and responsibly navigate what live music can be, and will look like, pushing ahead. So, for now, don’t lose sight of your favorite local venue or local band. Every penny donated or spent on merchandise keeps not only these entities stable, it also

keeps the fire burning within to create and promote art and music in your backyard for all to see, hear and embrace. Beyond that? Well, the outlook for a (possible) full recovery of the live music scene looks to be somewhere in mid-2021 (or 2022 by some estimates). In essence, nobody really knows. But, I remain optimistic. The urge to perform and the need to witness it will forever be part of our DNA as human beings. If anything, this “whole thing” has emphasized why we have such a hunger for live music. It feeds and nurtures us in times when the world seems dark and bleak. It also holds us up in times of happiness and pure joy — it’s the glue that connects all of our cosmic, melodic souls. Life is beautiful, grasp for it, y’all.

July 29-August 4, 2020 Smoky Mountain News

—

Songs From The Road Band on March 14 in Asheville.

arts & entertainment

On the street Smithsonian traveling exhibition The Macon County Public Library, in cooperation with North Carolina Humanities Council, will host “Water/Ways,” a traveling exhibition from the Smithsonian’s Museum on Main Street (MoMS) program. “Water/Ways” will be on view through Aug. 24 at the library in Franklin. The exhibition explores the endless motion of the water cycle, water’s impact on landscape, settlement and migration, and its impact on culture and spirituality. For more information, visit www.fontanalib.org or call 828.524.3600. The library is open by appointment from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. Monday through Friday. • Currahee Brewing (Franklin) will host Amongst The Trees at 7:30 p.m., Aug. 1. Free and open to the public. www.curraheebrew.com. • Elevated Mountain Distilling Company will host The Darren Nicholson Band 7 p.m. Aug. 1. Free and open to the public. www.elevatedmountain.com.

Smoky Mountain News

July 29-August 4, 2020

• Lazy Hiker Brewing (Franklin) will host Isaac Corbitt 7 p.m. July 31 and Tea 4 Three 8 p.m. Aug. 8. For more information

and a complete schedule of events, click on www.lazyhikerbrewing.com.

IBMA winner to play Maggie

• Smoky Mountain Center for the Performing Arts (Franklin) will host Grains of Sand Band (classic hits/oldies) 7:30 p.m. Aug. 1. Tickets start at $15 per person. www.greatmountainmusic.com. • There will be a free wine tasting from 2 to 5 p.m every Saturday at The Wine Bar & Cellar in Sylva. 828.631.3075. • The “Haywood County Medical Exhibit: 1870-1950” will be held at The Shelton House in Waynesville. The showcase will run through October. Admission is $7 adults. $5 students. Children ages 5 and under free. Admission includes Shelton House. 828.452.1551 or www.sheltonhouse.org.

Darren Nicholson.

ALSO:

• The next “Dillsboro After Five: Wonderful Wednesdays” will be held from 3:30 to 7 p.m. July 29 in downtown. Start with a visit to the Jackson County Farmers Market located in the Innovation Station parking lot. Stay for dinner and take advantage of late-hour shopping. Bring the family and enjoy small town hospitality at its best. For more information, call 828.586.2155 or visit www.mountainlovers.com.

Acclaimed Americana/country act The Darren Nicholson Band will perform at 7 p.m. Saturday, Aug. 1, at Elevated Mountain Distilling Company in Maggie Valley. Nicholson is a Grammy Award nominee and a recipient of numerous International Bluegrass Music Association’s Awards, including “Entertainer of the Year” (2014, 2018) and “Album of the Year” (2006, 2017).

SummerVoice Camp The next installment of the Voices in the Laurel “SummerVoice Camp” will be held from 10 a.m. to noon July 27-31 on the Zoom platform. This session will be for rising first to fifth graders and will feature special guests, games, recreation, arts, crafts, and so much more. Voices in the Laurel is an authentic program that focuses on providing young people quality choral education in fun and innovative ways. Voices in the Laurel is a Haywood County-based nonprofit choir for young people ranging from first through 12th grade from Haywood, Buncombe, Jackson, Macon, and Swain counties under the direction of Martha Brown. www.voicesinthelaurel.org.

Artist grants now available Artists in all disciplines are eligible to apply for grants to support their professional and artistic development through a partnership of the North Carolina Arts Council and Asheville Area Arts Council, Haywood County Arts Council, Arts Council of Henderson County, Tryon Fine Arts Center, Rutherford County Recreation, Cultural, and Heritage Commission and the Transylvania Community Arts Council. Artist Support Grants will be distributed to eligible applicants by Haywood County Arts Council in the following counties: Buncombe, Haywood, Henderson, Polk, Rutherford and Transylvania.

He has appeared countless times on WSM’s Grand Ole Opry at the Ryman Auditorium, CMT, GAC and many of the world’s most famous venues and networks. Currently, he records and tours as a full-time, founding member of Balsam Range with all sorts of collaborative efforts each year. The show is free and open to the public. www.elevatedmountain.com. Applications for the grants are available www.haywoodarts.org/grants-funding. The deadline is Sept. 30. Grants will range in awards from $500 to $1,000. Emerging or established artists are encouraged to apply to support a range of professional and artistic development including the creation of work, improvement of business operations or expanding capacity to bring work to new audiences. Artist fees are also allowable expenses. For information or questions, contact Leigh Forrester, executive director of the Haywood County Arts Council, at www.haywoodarts.org or 828.452.0593.

Cashiers Designer Showhouse The annual Cashiers Designer Showhouse will be held Aug. 5 through Sept. 5 at 144 Cove Drive in Highlands. Interior designers representing the Southeastern region will not only bring trending design to Cashiers, but will again create the magic that is the Cashiers Designer Showhouse. Leading area landscapers are involved in redefining the areas surrounding the home and in turn creating serene and evocative late summer mountain gardens for showhouse strolling. Throughout the week, showhouse attendees will admire the work of the talented designers; enjoy a variety of workshops, book signings and panel discussions from beloved creatives across the country. Admission is $30. For more information, click on www.cashiershistoricalsociety.org/showhouse.

On the shelf

Jeff Minick

from a well-to-do family who has abruptly left school and runs away from home. He

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shows up believing he’s Micah’s son from his mother’s days in college, and though Micah eventually disabuses him of that notion — yes, he had dated Brink’s mother, but that was all — Brink takes a liking to Micah. When Micah urges the young man to return his mother’s desperate phone calls, and tells him either to call his mother or leave the house, Brink disappears again. In these pages Tyler offers her readers her usual wide array of gifts: her keen observations of human beings, her humor, and her emotional insights. More than any other novelist I’ve read, Tyler takes her readers into the work world of her characters. Here we follow Micah as he visits the home of his clients, helping them with modems and routers, broken printers and hacked laptops, and in one case, locating a notebook of passwords for a woman whose deceased grandmother left her expensive electronic devices but with no means of access. We also briefly visit Cass in her class-

room of fourth-graders, where Micah has gone to repair a Wi-Fi connection. He listens in as Cass tries to explain to the reluctant children why caroling in a nursing home is important. Speaking of the elderly, Cass says, “They remember something that happened when they were, say, nine years old — same age as you all are now — but nobody else alive remembers it too. You don’t think that’s hard? You’ll be singing to a roomful of broken hearts, I tell you. Try thinking of that when you decide you don’t want to bother doing it.” That phrase — “a roomful of broken hearts” — is what first captures Micah’s own heart, and comes into play again at the end of the novel when Micah says to Cass, “I’m a roomful of broken hearts.” Redhead by the Side of the Road is a story about second chances. It reminds us that while we often take a wrong turn, we also possess the ability to reverse direction and return to the right path. Through Micah we also come to realize that we have the power, when we have the insight to bring it into play, of seeing ourselves in a different light. When Micah realizes he is missing some of the nuances in the people around him, he thinks, “Sometimes when he was dealing with people, he felt like he was operating one of those claw machines on a boardwalk, those shovel things where you tried to scoop up a prize but the controls were too unwieldy and you worked at too great a remove.” By the end of the story, Micah finally scoops up the prize. Highly recommended. (Jeff Minick is a writer and teacher. minick0301@gmail.com)

July 29-August 4, 2020

friend in a book club to which I once belonged disliked Anne Tyler’s novel, Saint Maybe. “I’ve read other novels by her,” she said, “and her characters are always eccentrics.” Her comment brought a smile then and brings one now. Most of us, I suspect, are eccentrics, at least in our private lives. We all practice idiosyncrasies that others would find humorous: the man who wants his sandwich sliced into two triangles rather than rectangles; the priest who, winter or summer, always wears Writer sandals; the director of an oil company who daily at lunch pays a pianist to tickle the ivories; the woman who owns a hundred pair of shoes. Were someone to film a day in my life, I am convinced I would spend most of the time watching it on the floor, rolling with laughter. In her latest novel, Redhead by the Side of the Road (Alfred A. Knopf, 2020, 178 pages) Tyler zooms in on Micah Mortimer. Like so many of Tyler’s characters, Micah lives in Baltimore, where he is the superintendent of a small apartment building and the owner of Tech Hermit, his freelance computer fix-it business. Here’s a guy whose rigid habits and routine make the rest of us who like order and regularity look like the kings and queens of chaos. On each day of the week, Micah cleans a certain part of his apartment, even when everything is spick-and-span. He indulges in other quirks as well. When he drives his car, for example, he imagines himself being watched by “Traffic God … a fleet of men in shirtsleeves and green visors who frequently commented to one another on the perfection of Micah’s driving. ‘Notice how he uses his turn signal even when no one’s behind him,’ they would say.” And when he cooks or cleans, he often talks to himself with a foreign accent. Though Micah’s sisters are a wild bunch — the scene of them gathered for a party had me laughing aloud — and though they are all married, Micah, who is in his early forties, has never walked down the aisle. When Redhead by the Side of the Road begins, we find him in a relationship with a schoolteacher, Cass Slade, who believes she is about to be evicted from her apartment for sheltering a cat. Michael’s disengagement and lack of empathy for her distress put their relationship on rocky ground. When he can’t figure out how he has hurt Cass, he thinks as so many men do of women: “He hated it when women expected you to read their minds.” Further complicating Micah’s life is the arrival of Brink Adams, a college freshman

arts & entertainment

A story about second chances A

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National forests welcome new leadership New district rangers start TROY WASKEY When Waskey first enrolled at Virginia work on the Nantahala, Tech, it was to pursue an education in architectural engineering, but halfway through his Appalachian districts college experience the former Boy Scout BY HOLLY KAYS STAFF WRITER n the midst of a summer characterized by coronavirus-related disruptions on top of the closing of the public comment phase for the Pisgah-Nantahala National Forest’s much-awaited forest management plan, two new hires have taken the reins in key leadership positions overseeing management of these public lands. Troy Waskey’s first day of work as the new district ranger for the Nantahala Ranger District of The Nantahala National Forest was July 8, and on July 20 Jen Barnhart took on the district ranger role for the Appalachian Ranger District in the Pisgah National Forest. Waskey replaces Mike Wilkins, who retired last year after 40 years with the Forest Service, including 29 years as district ranger on the Nantahala National Forest. Barnhart, meanwhile, will replace Richard Thornburgh, who held the post from January 2018 until January 2020, when he left for a job in the Forest Service’s legislative affairs office in Washington, D.C. Waskey and Barnhart have taken different paths toward their eventual arrival in Western North Carolina, but those routes have intersected and paralleled each other along the way. The two new hires knew each other long before taking on their current roles, having both earned degrees in natural resources recreation with a minor in forestry from Virginia Tech, which is also Wilkins’ alma mater. They graduated just one year apart and occasionally found themselves in the same classrooms on their way through the program. Both are now 40 years old and coming to WNC for their second district ranger position.

switched to the natural resources program. “I realized very early on that the Forest Service was the right niche for me, just because it had the balance of the full spectrum of natural resources management all the way from wilderness management to active forest management, so the diversity of what the Forest Service has to offer really appealed to me,” said Waskey, a native of Richmond, Virginia. A program of the U.S. Department of Agriculture, the Forest Service is tasked with embracing a philosophy of multiple use, meaning that it must manage its lands to allow for everything from mining and timber harvest to biking and hiking to protection of sensitive ecosystems. That wide array of focuses and priorities means Forest Service managers inevitably find themselves working with a diversity of visitors and stakeholders. While Waskey knew even as a student that he wanted to pursue a career in the Forest Service, he also knew those careers were difficult to launch, so he worked to gather every bit of experience possible. While in school, he spent a couple summers with the Student Conservation Association, leading trail crews of high school students on public lands in Pennsylvania and California. Right out of college he got picked up by the Appalachian Trail Conservancy, where he worked for about three months before a former professor who had left for a Forest Service job on the White Mountain National Forest hired Waskey as a seasonal forestry technician. “I think those early experiences just showed me people’s love and dedication for these public spaces,” said Waskey. “To me now as a manager, I don’t take lightly the pub-

Clockwise from top: Jennifer Barnhart enjoys an outdoor adventure with her husband and two children. Barnhart explores a winter landscape. Troy Waskey conducts a prescribed burn. Waskey and his family get acquainted with the Nantahala National Forest. Donated photos lic trust that is vested in me to manage these lands for public benefit.” The White Mountain job was his first “big break” in pursuit of a Forest Service career, and the experience “really sealed the deal” in his resolve to make it in that field. But Waskey knew that landing a permanent position with the Forest Service was a difficult proposition, so he decided to improve his chances by going back to school, earning a master’s degree in outdoor recreation management from Arizona State University. After graduation, Waskey got a job in the recreation and lands program on the Carson National Forest in New Mexico. In 2013, he achieved his longtime dream of sitting in the district ranger’s seat when he was hired to the Monongahala National Forest in West Virginia. “I would sum it up in one word: relationships,” Waskey said when asked about the lessons he’d learned from his time in West

Virginia. “It’s not enough to manage for output. It’s much more about managing for relationships and positive outcomes. You’re not going to please everybody all the time — you’re foolish to think that. But I was able in West Virginia to bring a lot of diverse stakeholders to the table, and by communicating often and candidly I felt like it helped me as a ranger become more well-rounded and allow equal opportunity for various perspectives.” Those seven years in West Virginia allowed Waskey to refine his leadership skills, but eventually he wanted a change of venue. The Nantahala job was an “amazing opportunity” to manage a busy ranger district with a robust array of recreation offerings, he said. Things are starting off kind of slowly due to the pandemic, but Waskey said he looks forward to getting to know his district, and the people in it. In the meantime, he’s spending plenty of time exploring the mountains with his wife and 13-

Speak on the future of Chestnut Mountain

year-old daughter, with a baby boy joining the family soon. “I’m coming in on the heels of a previous ranger who was here for 29 years, so I was 11 years old when he took the job,” said Waskey. “Right now I’m really happy to kind of observe and really get to know the area and the district staff. That’s a big focus for me.”

JEN BARNHART

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there taking a district resource specialist position with Virginia State Parks, where she found herself in charge of resourcerelated issues throughout the south-central portion of the state. She then moved back to Pennsylvania for a job as outdoor recreation planner for the Appalachian Mountain Club, where she worked with local governments and members of the public on a trail planning project affecting 13 Pennsylvania counties. That’s when Barnhart finally got picked up by the Forest Service. “It took a while,” she said. “You apply anywhere you can, and I was really fortunate and got to go to the Kisatchie (National Forest) in Louisiana.” Barnhart spent four years down there, in her capacity as district recreation program manager dealing with everything from OHV trails to hunting to mountain biking. “I’m always a big proponent of everyone’s got their niche of what recreation needs they love to do, and one is not better than the other,” she said. “I think everyone should have that avenue of distressing from regular life and getting out to their national forests to enjoy their public land.” Barnhart’s next post was on the Sumter National Forest in South Carolina, where she experienced the complications of managing a wilderness area straddling three different states. She stayed there until 2016, when she got her first chance to serve as a district ranger after being hired to the White Mountain National Forest in Maine and New Hampshire. She saw Pisgah as a positive move professionally, but also viewed WNC as good place to raise her two young children and for her husband to advance his career. The White Mountains are in some ways a “sister forest” to the Pisgah, she said. They’re both astoundingly beautiful, and they both draw high levels of diverse use. She comes to WNC with the lessons learned in New England fresh on her mind, and those lessons can be boiled down to a single-sentence guiding principal that can be traced back to her earliest days at Virginia Tech. “Relationships with people are key to success in being able to manage the land to meet our mission for the Forest Service,” she said. “My top priority is building relationships and making those connections.”

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Barnhart’s love of the outdoors began at a young age. She grew up in rural southcentral Pennsylvania close to the Appalachian Trail and numerous state lands, and at 16 she began working at one of her local state parks. That’s when she knew that she wanted to be a land manager someday. However, Barnhart quickly learned that a career in natural resources would always come with a heavy human element. “My professors there (at Virginia Tech) said right off the bat if you’re going to be in the field of natural resources because you think that you’ll be out in the woods and not communicating and connecting with people, then you’re wrong,” she recalled. Throughout her career, that advice has rung true. Human dynamics is “a big component” of any land management task, she said. Like Waskey, Barnhart left college desiring a career with the Forest Service but knowing that such positions are often hard to come by — in fact, the process would take her 10 years. She earned a master’s degree in natural resources and science management at the University of Minnesota and then began working in the nonprofit sector. “For me, probably one of my strengths is I do have the perspective of nonprofit conservation organization rather than just a federal government employee,” she said. Such organizations play an important role in land management decisions, and having a firsthand understanding of their goals and perspectives has gone a long way to make her a better manager, said Barnhart. After finishing grad school, Barnhart went to work as a backcountry caretaker for the Green Mountain Club in Vermont, from

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An online forum at 7 p.m. Wednesday, July 29, will seek public input to help shape plans for the Chestnut Mountain project in Canton. The Southern Appalachian Highlands Conservancy has acquired 448 acres along U.S. 19/23 just east of Canton and plans to transfer the property to the town for use as a nature park. The property will permanently protect clean water and forested habitat in an important wildlife corridor, and its easy-to-access location presents possibilities for future outdoor recreation amenities.

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Hike series to feature discussions about racism, diversity intentional in addressing racism and race Great Smoky Mountains National Park relations. Superintendent Cassius Cash will lead a Groups will follow Centers for Disease series of small-group hikes through the park Control and Prevention guidance to prevent with the dual purpose of enjoying the great the spread of COVID-19, including social outdoors and facilitating open conversadistancing and wearing face covering when tions about diversity and racism. appropriate distance cannot be maintained. “National parks have long provided a To apply for the hikes, visit www.smokplace of healing, and I believe the setting of this mountain sanctuary is a powerful space to bring us Superintendent Cassius Cash poses with a together to engage in crucial group of participants in his 2016 Smokies conversations,” said Cash. Centennial Hike 100 Challenge. NPS photo “This year has brought a lot of uncertainty and fear that tends to draw people to their corners. Through this opportunity, I’m inviting everyone to step out and have real conversations about the history of racism locally and globally. In learning about our past, we open the doors to our future.” ieshikesforhealing.org. A set of starter The series, called Smokies Hikes for guidelines and questions will be available Healing, will allow up to 10 people to join in on the website for those interested in leadfor each of the eight hikes planned in locaing their own conversations about racism tions across the park from August through along Smokies trails with friends, strangers December. During the hikes, a facilitator or colleagues. Everyone is invited to join the will lead each group in a thought-provoking conversation virtually through a digital discussion about race by first establishing platform on the site where hike participants an environment that is trusting and safe for can share their stories, realizations and individuals to recognize the long-standing commitments. ills associated with racism and how these The Great Smoky Mountains have carried over into today’s society. Association assisted with creative developFacilitators will equip participants with ment of the program and website, and tools and ideas about how to identify biases Friends of the Smokies provided additional through a deeper level of self-awareness and financial support. reflection so that participants can become

Hike Frying Pan A rewarding hike to Frying Pan Tower along the Blue Ridge Parkway in Haywood County will commence at 8 a.m. Saturday, Aug. 8, led by guides Jennifer Shuping and Betty Green. The 1.4-mile excursion includes 377 feet of elevation gain for a final elevation of 5,305 feet atop a fire tower offering astounding views of the surrounding area. The hike is free and part of an ongoing series offered by Haywood County Recreation and Parks. To register, call 828.452.6789.

Shake off the pandemic blues Alarka Expeditions has launched the Pandemic Blues Series, which features four different outings into the great outdoors along with the option to purchase a T-shirt featuring the Alarka logo “with ‘tour dates’ on the back like the concert T-shirts of old,” according to the course description. Outings included in the series are: n Friday, Aug. 7. Alarka Laurel: A Deep Map of a Wild Place. The excursion includes 6 miles of moderately difficult hiking through dynamic high-elevation spruce bog in the Cowee Range. n Tuesday, Aug. 11. Power of Place. Poet and author Brent Martin will lead this workshop exploring how to make time at

home more meaningful and life-enhancing, including readings and field exercises in Cowee Valley totaling 2-3 miles of easy walking n Saturday, Aug. 22. A Literary Field Guide to Southern Appalachia: Readings and Explorations. The group will meet outside and explore the wilds with a collection of poetry, prose and art celebrating the Southern Appalachians in hand. The workshop will be held in Cowee Valley with very little walking, mostly observation. n Tuesday, Sept. 1. Five Miles of Silence. The group will embark on a moderately difficult hike on the Bartram Trail in Macon County, completing the miles in utter silence with scheduled breaks for observation and a chance to compare notes at the end of the day. For more information or to register, visit www.alarkaexpeditions.com.

July 29-August 4, 2020 Smoky Mountain News

The environmental community has been celebrating since the U.S. House of Representatives passed the Great American Outdoors Act July 22, sending the landmark legislation to the desk of President Donald Trump, who is expected to sign it into law. If enacted, the legislation will provide dedicated funding to reduce the National Park Service’s deferred maintenance backlog and fully fund the Land and Water Conservation Fund. For years, the Park Service has experienced chronic underfunding including a reduction in staffing and a growing backlog of nearly $12 billion in needed repairs — all while dealing with record visitation. The legislation will dedicate up to $9.5 billion over five years to address the highest-priority repair needs. “You cannot overstate the importance of this bill and what it will mean for national parks, public lands and communities across the country,” said Theresa Pierno, president and CEO for the National Parks Conservation Association. “This is the largest investment our country has made in our national parks and public lands in more than 50 years, and it comes not a moment too soon.” In Fiscal Year 2018, the Blue Ridge Parkway had a deferred maintenance backlog of more than $500 million but receives only $15 to $20 million each year for maintenance work. In the Great Smoky Mountains National Park, more than 75 percent of the park’s deferred maintenance needs were associated with its 384 miles of roads, totaling $186 million. The Foothills Parkway needs $44 million and Newfound Gap Road requires $22.8 million. The bill will also provide $900 million per year to the Land and Water Conservation Fund, which for 50 years has protected land for parks, wildlife refuges and recreation nationwide. The program is funded using a portion of revenues from offshore oil and gas royalty payments but has seen trouble in recent years, with the program lapsing for six months between September 2018 and March 2019 after Congress failed to pass reauthorizing legislation in time. The program was permanently reauthorized last year, but advocates have been working to see the program receive full funding as well, as revenues had been diverted since the fund’s 1964 creation. “This is a historic victory over 50 years in the making for communities across the country that benefit from the economic, cultural and recreational value of America’s public lands and close-to-home recreation,” said Tom Cors, spokesperson for the Land and Water Conservation Fund Coalition and director of government relations for lands at The Nature Conservancy. The bipartisan bill passed the Republican-controlled Senate on June 17 with a vote of 73-25 before moving on to the Democrat-controlled House. That body passed it July 22 with a vote of 310-107.

outdoors

Congress passes legislation to fund parks, conservation

outdoors

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Much of the trash was plastic bottles, plastic bags, Styrofoam and aluminum cans, but larger items, including a shopping cart and two car tires, were also removed. “I was surprised to see so many cigarette butts,” said Renée Lenz, a Haywood Waterways volunteer. “I just don’t understand why more people can’t put trash where it belongs, in the trash can.” Most trash found in streams travels with rain through storm drain systems, where it is dumped in the nearest waterway, untreated and unfiltered. Haywood Waterways started the Adopt-A-Stream program in 2009 to address litter issues. Jana Plemmons (left) and Since then, over 1,700 volunteers have removed 29 tons of trash from Les Taylor collect trash Haywood County streams. along Richland Creek and To join the Adopt-A-Stream proShelton Branch. HWA photo gram, which allows individuals and organizations to take responsibility for cleaning litter from individual stream help remove 500 pounds of trash from sections, contact Christine O’Brien at chrisRichland Creek along the Waynesville tine.haywoodwaterways@gmail.com or Recreation Park greenway trail and Howell 828.476.4667, ext. 11. Grants from the Mill Road. Tennessee Valley Authority and Town of It was the largest group of volunteers Waynesville supported the cleanup. since the stream cleanups started in 2009. Haywood Waterways Association saw its biggest group of litter pickup volunteers ever when 22 people showed up July 11 to

Camp out in Cullowhee

July 29-August 4, 2020 Smoky Mountain News 26

Volunteers show up big for creek cleanup

A family campout at the Cullowhee Recreation Center will be offered July 31 - Aug. 1. The event is offered through Jackson County Parks and Recreation, with a cost of $20 per family. Register at www.jcprd.recdesk.com.

Tremont will move forward with fall programming

Puzzles can be found on page 30 These are only the answers.

The Great Smoky Mountains Institute at Tremont will “with cautious optimism” resume field programs in the fall after having canceled many spring and summer programs due to the coronavirus. Some of these programs fit naturally with new social distancing guidelines, such as a three-day backpacking adventure for women planned for Oct. 8-11. From start to finish, the three-day backpacking adventure in Great Smoky Mountains National Park takes place outdoors. Chances of contracting the virus are greatly reduced when outdoors, according to many health experts, and the program’s smaller number of participants similarly lowers the chances of spreading the virus. One-person tents spaced out in large backcountry campsites will ensure separation, as will the way meals are served. What sets Tremont programs apart from other backpack trips offered in the region, according to Tremont naturalist Elizabeth Davis, is that every facet is educational. From acquiring skills in the most comfortable way to pack one’s backpack to soaking up the natural and cultural history of the Smokies, to learning about camping

A previous women’s backpacking group poses for a photo. GSMIT photo technologies such as stoves and water filters, it all takes place under the tutelage of experts like Davis who will co-lead the trip. This fall Tremont will also be conducting a photography workshop, hiking programs, and numerous courses through their Southern Appalachian Naturalist Certification Program. To register for fall programs, visit www.gsmit.org/program/calendar. While Tremont plans to move forward with these programs at this time, developments in the coronavirus outbreak may require schedule changes.

WNC Calendar n All phone numbers area code 828 unless otherwise noted. n To have your item listed email to calendar@smokymountainnews.com

BUSINESS & EDUCATION •Southwestern Community College will hold a drive-through commencement ceremony for spring and summer 2020 graduates on Saturday, Aug. 8, on the Jackson Campus. The ceremony will run from 10 a.m.-1 p.m. following a traffic pattern leading up to the front of the Balsam Center for diploma cover presentation. •Haywood County Community College Small Business Center will hold Business Planning Virtual Learning Series. The next program, on Aug. 3-4, will be Dynamite Marketing on a Firecracker Budget. Attendees are encouraged to register for the webinars that best meet their current small business needs and availability. Visit SBC.Haywood.edu or call 828.627.4512.

A&E • Currahee Brewing (Franklin) will host Amongst The Trees at 7:30 p.m. Saturday, Aug. 1. Free and open to the public. www.curraheebrew.com. • Elevated Mountain Distilling Company will host The Darren Nicholson Band 7 p.m. Saturday, Aug. 1. Free and open to the public. www.elevatedmountain.com. • Lazy Hiker Brewing (Franklin) will host Isaac Corbitt 7 p.m. Friday, July 31, and Tea 4 Three 8 p.m. Saturday, Aug. 8. For more information and a complete schedule of events, click on www.lazyhikerbrewing.com. • Nantahala Brewing (Sylva) will host live music semi-regularly on the weekends. Free and open to the public. www.nantahalabrewing.com. • Mountaintop Art & Craft Show (previously the Village Square show) will be held from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. Aug. 29-30 in downtown Highlands at K-H Founders Park (Pine St.) from. The FREE event features regional potters, jewelers, woodworkers, fine artists, etc. For more info call (828) 787-2021. Sponsored by Highlands Mountaintop Rotary. If the event is canceled due to Covid-19, visit www.mountaintopshow.com for a virtual craft show. • The annual Cashiers Designer Showhouse will be held Aug. 5 - Sept. 5, at 144 Cove Drive in

Smoky Mountain News

Highlands. Admission is $30. For more information, click on www.cashiershistoricalsociety.org/showhouse.

attend the online forum, use the Zoom link https://zoom.us/j/92912508471. To learn more about the project, visit https://bit.ly/3f5fKMV.

• Artists in all disciplines are eligible to apply for grants to support their professional and artistic development through a partnership of the North Carolina Arts Council and Asheville Area Arts Council, Haywood County Arts Council, Arts Council of Henderson County, Tryon Fine Arts Center, Rutherford County Recreation, Cultural, and Heritage Commission, and the Transylvania Community Arts Council. Artist Support Grants will be distributed to eligible applicants by Haywood County Arts Council in the following counties: Buncombe, Haywood, Henderson, Polk, Rutherford, and Transylvania. Applications for the grants are available www.haywoodarts.org/grants-funding. The deadline is Sept. 30. Grants will range in awards from $500 to $1,000. For information or questions, contact Leigh Forrester, executive director of the Haywood County Arts Council, at www.haywoodarts.org or 828.452.0593.

• A family campout at the Cullowhee Recreation Center will be offered July 31 - Aug. 1. The event is offered through Jackson County Parks and Recreation, with a cost of $20 per family. Register at www.jcprd.recdesk.com.

• The Macon County Public Library, in cooperation with North Carolina Humanities Council, will host “Water/Ways” a traveling exhibition from the Smithsonian’s Museum on Main Street (MoMS) program. “Water/Ways” will be on view through Aug. 24 at the library in Franklin. The exhibition explores the endless motion of the water cycle, water’s effect on landscape, settlement and migration, and its impact on culture and spirituality. For more information, visit www.fontanalib.org or call the Macon County Public Library at 828.524.3600. The library is open by appointment from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. Monday through Friday.

FOOD & DRINK • There will be a free wine tasting from 2 to 5 p.m every Saturday at The Wine Bar & Cellar in Sylva. 828.631.3075. • Bosu’s Wine Shop in Waynesville is offering lunch on Saturdays, “Lunch with us” from 11 a.m. to 3 p.m. featuring fresh seasonal menu with outdoor seating weather permitting. 828.452.0120 or www.waynesvillewine.com. • Bryson City Wine Market offers flights from 47 p.m. on Fridays and from 2-5 p.m. on Saturdays. Flight of four wines for $5. • Secret Wine Bar is hosted by Bosu’s in Waynesville on Fridays from 5 to 9 p.m. Contact for more information and make reservations. 828.452.1020. • A free wine tasting will be held from 1-5 p.m. on Saturdays from 1 p.m. to 5 p.m. at Bosu Wine Shop in Waynesville. 452.0120 or www.waynesvillewine.com. Bosu’s will host a Cocktails & Lunch on Saturday’s. Serving house-made champagne cocktails from 10 a.m. to 6 p.m. www.waynesvillewine.com

• A hike to Frying Pan Tower along the Blue Ridge Parkway in Haywood County will commence at 8 a.m. Saturday, Aug. 8, led by guides Jennifer Shuping and Betty Green. The hike is free and part of an ongoing series offered by Haywood County Recreation and Parks. To register, call 828.452.6789. • Alarka Expeditions has launched the Pandemic Blues Series, which features four different outings into the great outdoors along with the option to purchase a T-shirt. Outings included in the series are: Friday, Aug. 7 Alaska Laurel: A Deep map of a Wild place; Tuesday, Aug. 11 Power of Place; Saturday, Aug. 22 A Literary Field Guide to Southern Appalachia: Readings and Explorations; Tuesday, Sept. 1 Five Miles of Silence. For more information or to register, visit www.alarkaexpeditions.com.

CLASSES AND PROGRAMS • The next course offered by Concealed Carry Academy will be held from 8:30 a.m. to 5 p.m. Saturday, Aug. 22 at Dellwood Baptist Church, 115 Hall Drive. Cost of the course is $100 per person. For registration or more information call 828.356.5454.

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Outdoors

• An online forum on the future of Chestnut Mountain will be held 7 p.m. Wednesday, July 29, in order to seek public input to help shape plans for the Chestnut Mountain project in Canton. To

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GOVERNMENT MEETINGS • The Maggie Valley Board of Aldermen will conduct a Public Hearing at 6:30 p.m. Tuesday, Aug. 11, in the Maggie Valley Pavilion located at 3935 Soco Road. The purpose of the hearing is to gather comments about the initial zoning of property recently annexed by the Town of Maggie Valley.

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Legal Notices INVITATION TO BID, Mountain Projects Inc is requesting bids for the construction of two homes to be built in the Camp Bethel Inc development, Jonathan Creek Township, Haywood County, NC. Bids will be considered in two ways: Either 1: General Contractors interested in building one or both projects from start WR ÂżQLVK RU &RQWUDFWRUV interested in bidding on individual aspects of the SURMHFW )UDPLQJ 5RRIing, Plumbing, Electrical, +9$& HWF ZLWK ZRUN EHing overseen by Mountain Projects Inc. as the General Contractor. Printed to scale drawings of the proposed plans are available as well as .pdf copies of WKH SODQV )RU D IXOO H[SODnation of any information needed to pursue bidding on this project please contact: Joey Massie by email at jmassie@mountainprojects.org or call at 828-421-8837. Please let your interest to bid be known by Tuesday, August 11th.

PARAPLANNER/CLIENT SERVICES ASSOCIATE C.E. Wealth Group, LLC is looking for a motivated, responsible individual to perform day-to-day operational procedures for our growing ďŹ nancial services business. The primary responsibility of the Paraplanner/Client Services Associate will be to assist our Financial Planner(s). This includes, but is not limited to, processing new business and handling service requests directly with clients, researching securities, assisting with putting together ďŹ nancial plans, preparing various reports, etc. for the Financial Advisor and client review meetings, follow up on outstanding client questions, execute trades in client accounts (Series 7 required), keep CRM updated and assist with other projects as requested. This position is located in Franklin, NC. Essential Duties & Responsibilities Client Services: â&#x20AC;˘ Manage and resolve client service issues in a timely manner â&#x20AC;˘ Provide customer service to clients for beneďŹ ciary change requests, loans, bank changes, address changes, etc. â&#x20AC;˘ Maintain client database â&#x20AC;˘ Maintain and organize all client ďŹ les and records (electronic and/or paper) New Business Implementation: â&#x20AC;˘ Accurately prepare all necessary paperwork for the implementation of insurance and/or investment products, including having all forms signature ready for the client and advisor â&#x20AC;˘ Review issued policies and investment contracts for accuracy and prepare for delivery â&#x20AC;˘ Quickly learn and maintain a thorough understanding of available zresources through our Broker/Dealer Core Competencies: â&#x20AC;˘ Excellent written and verbal communication skills â&#x20AC;˘ High degree of ďŹ&#x201A;exibility to deal with a variety of situations â&#x20AC;˘ Ability to handle multiple tasks at the same time â&#x20AC;˘ Working knowledge of ďŹ nancial services and life insurance industry â&#x20AC;˘ Extreme attention to detail â&#x20AC;˘ Very strong technology skills (Word, Excel, etc.) â&#x20AC;˘ Client Service skills â&#x20AC;˘ Experience with CRM database management (ACT/Redtail) Required Education and Experience: â&#x20AC;˘ Associateâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s or Bachelorâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s degree â&#x20AC;˘ Two to four years insurance/ďŹ nancial services experience â&#x20AC;˘ Life, Accident and Health licensed (preferred) â&#x20AC;˘ Series 6 and 63 required. Series 7, 66 preferred â&#x20AC;˘ Strong organizational skills

Resumes should be submitted to the attention of Carl Edwards via email to carl@cewealth.com or by fax to 1-866-397-1203. Securities and advisory services oďŹ&#x20AC;ered through representatives of Lincoln Financial Securities, member SPIC. C.E. Wealth Group, LLC is not an aďŹ&#x192;liate of Lincoln Financial Securities. LFS-3077588-050720.

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REFORMULATED CEREAL ACROSS 1 Had mercy on 7 Good-sized combos 13 Dilettante 20 Fictional detective Lupin 21 Tiger cat 22 Model oneself after 23 Cereal invented by actor William? 25 Reference showing an urban area 26 Downed food 27 Lathering up 28 Electrojet bit 29 Hoppy drink 30 Vocalist Della 33 Utter a fib 34 Airheaded 36 "Mack the Knife" singer Bobby 38 Cereal that's more than enough? 41 Cereal that turns kids into imps? 43 Cassini of fashion 44 Baby hooter 46 "Nope" 47 Judo room 50 Attended, as an event 53 Nut's partner 55 Large burden 59 Very skilled 61 Vintage auto 62 Cereal endorsed by firstyear athletes? 65 Even chance 67 Willy with a chocolate factory 69 Turkish commander 70 Sushi fish 71 "-- gratia artis"

72 76 77 78 79 80 82

86 88 89 90 91 94 95 97 99 101 105 111 112 114 115 116 117 118 121 122 125 128 129 130 131 132

Cereal flavored with really hot peppers? 95-Across' rank: Abbr. Young male, in many rap songs -- -tac-toe Big name in fables Look upon Cereal that makes people want to create graphs and tables? "-- -di-dah!" Challenger Actor Morales Maui, e.g. Guy who "was here" "My Fair --" Foe of Grant Cow catcher "Hud" co-star Patricia Cereal that helps to heal broken legs? Cereal that looks like it's been polished? "Tin Cup" co-star Rene "The Chosen" novelist Chaim -Neither here -- there Buying binge Parseghian of football "-- y plata" (Montana motto) Sprinkler of plants Rescue crew VIP Lava emitter Cereal with hidden crib sheets? Stoats with white coats Public tribute Actor Danny Ilie of tennis Stopped slumbering

133

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DOWN 1 Vast desert 2 For now 3 Slumbering 4 Chili's color 5 Propyl ender 6 Lions' lairs 7 Finnish, e.g. 8 Rocker Ric 9 Old soda brand 10 Big African antelope 11 Kid who challenges gender stereotypes 12 Rds. 13 Hunting lures 14 Despot Idi 15 Except 16 Muckraking Nellie 17 Hedy of old Hollywood 18 Latin "and others" 19 Be contrite 24 Clu of "McQ" 28 "Any problem with that?" 31 Some sailboats 32 Sushi fish 35 1990s exercise fad 36 Cell stuff 37 Hate 39 Shul attendee 40 Sousing sort 42 Positive number, e.g. 45 Office furniture 47 Like potential sweethearts 48 Aromatic 49 Actress Alba 51 Latest info 52 Sound a horn 54 Actor Hemsworth 56 River from Lake Erie 57 Saw to a seat

58 60 63 64 66 68 73 74 75 81 83 84 85 87 92 93 96 98 100 101 102 103 104 106 107 108 109 110 113 117 119 120 123 124 125 126 127

Remove moisture in by whirling Having many bunches of feathers Klutzes Examined in order to rob Less cheap Uncluttered Singer Phil Lie languidly On -- with Big name in polling Brick ovens So very Not be inert Award winner, e.g. Winter Games gp. Positive vote Prefix with resort Demonstrate Sit-ups sculpt them "Scream" director Wes -- borealis Holy songs Got to one's feet Anxious Ribbed, as fabric Liberally Doe or cow Brief brawls Merited fate Individuals Deck wood Nutritional amts. Op. -Tennis' Ivanovic Old TV's "-- Na Na" Spy gp. "You there!"

ANSWERS ON PAGE 26

PUBLIC NOTICE Beginning August 17, 2020, Mountain Projects, Inc. will close the HUD Section 8 Waiting List in Jackson County.

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SUDOKU Hereâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s How It Works: Sudoku puzzles are formatted as a 9x9 grid, broken down into nine 3x3 boxes. To solve a sudoku, the numbers 1 through 9 must fill each row, column and box. Each number can appear only once in each row, column and box. You can figure out the order in which the numbers will appear by using the numeric clues already provided in the boxes. The more numbers you name, Answers on 26 the easier it gets to solve the puzzle!

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Articles inside

Books

Without unions, N.C. police easier to fire

Opinion

Sylva votes to take down monument

Back the Badge rally draws big crowd

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Silver Bluff nursing home suffers severe COVID outbreak

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