Smoky Mountain News | October 7, 2020

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

October 7-13, 2020 Vol. 22 Iss. 19

Two-year delay expected for N.C. 107 project Page 4 Waynesville will resume utility disconnections Page 21

CONTENTS On the Cover: As the 2020 election draws near, The Smoky Mountain News will continue to interview all willing candidates at the local, state and federal level to give voters the information they need before casting a ballot. (Page 6) Cory Vaillancourt photo

Brian K. Noland and Catherinee Prob en RESIDENTIAL & COMMERCIAL PROFES SSIONALS noland-proben@beverly-hanks.co om (828) 734-5201 | (828) 734-9157 7 1 0DLQ 6WUHHW :D\QHVYLOOH 1&ÉŠ

FEATURED LISTIINGS

News Two-year delay expected for N.C. 107 project ..........................................................4 Gov. Cooper moves N.C. into Phase 3 ........................................................................5 Haywood school board race draws 12 candidates ................................................6 Two political newcomers run for Jackson’s District 3 seat ....................................8 Jackson voters to speak on indoor pool issue ........................................................10 Sen. Tillis fights to retain seat ......................................................................................13 Foundation provides COVID-19 testing for Macon schools ..............................20 Waynesville ends moratorium on utility disconnections ........................................21 Education News ................................................................................................................23

Opinion Pless’ behavior should worry voters ............................................................................24 A letter to cancer ..............................................................................................................25

A&E New speakeasy opens in Jackson County ..............................................................26 |

Outdoors

Jackson County Farmers Market celebrates 20 years ..........................................30

October 7-13, 2020

Georgian style Colonial house designed by renowned architect Fred L. Bissinger. Nestled in beautiful Smoky Mountain Sanctuary, this custom home features many unique FRORQLDO DUFKLWHFWXUDO È´QLVKHV WKURXJKRXW

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Outstanding 3 bed, 3.5 bath hom me located in the Laurel Ridge Country Club area.

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This masterfully design ned, custom home has a main level maste er with a walk-out deck, a dream kitchen with granite counter tops, a spacious loft area, and much more!

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Scott McLeod. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . info@smokymountainnews.com Greg Boothroyd. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . greg@smokymountainnews.com Micah McClure . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . micah@smokymountainnews.com Travis Bumgardner. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . travis@smokymountainnews.com Jessica Murray . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . jessica.m@smokymountainnews.com Susanna Shetley . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . susanna.b@smokymountainnews.com Amanda Bradley . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . jc-ads@smokymountainnews.com Hylah Birenbaum. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . hylah@smokymountainnews.com Sophia Burleigh . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . sophia.b@smokymountainnews.com Scott Collier . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . classads@smokymountainnews.com Jessi Stone. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . jessi@smokymountainnews.com Holly Kays . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . holly@smokymountainnews.com Hannah McLeod . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . hannah@smokymountainnews.com Cory Vaillancourt . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . cory@smokymountainnews.com Garret K. Woodward. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . garret@smokymountainnews.com Amanda Singletary . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . smnbooks@smokymountainnews.com Scott Collier . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . classads@smokymountainnews.com Jeff Minick (writing), Chris Cox (writing), George Ellison (writing), Don Hendershot (writing), Susanna Shetley (writing) Boyd Allsbrook (writing), Andrew Dundas (writing)

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SYLVA | 629 West Main Street, Sylva, NC 28779 P: 828.631.4829 | F: 828.631.0789 INFO & BILLING | P.O. Box 629, Waynesville, NC 28786 Copyright 2020 by The Smoky Mountain News.â„¢ Advertising copyright 2020 by The Smoky Mountain News.â„¢ All rights reserved. Reproduction in whole or in part without permission is prohibited. The Smoky Mountain News is available for free in Haywood, Jackson, Macon, Swain and parts of Buncombe counties. Limit one copy per person.

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

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Let's take a look at some basic ingredients in bread (flour, water, salt, yeast) as well as some additional ingredients that are often added, and examine their purpose in the recipe: 1. Yeast - this living organism gives bread its consistency and quality.

2. Water - or other liquids(beer, buttermilk etc.) - activate yeast and work with flour to create gluten.

3. Flour - when flour is combined with water it creates gluten (proteins) and this gives breads structure.

4. Salt - salt controls the activity of the yeast and provides flavor.

5. Sugar - though it's not necessary to use sugar to make bread, (and the sugar can be honey, granulated white sugar, or molasses or even the naturally occurring sugar/starches in flour) sugar will "feed" the yeast and accelerate the process to make the dough. Sugar can also give color to the bread and help retain moisture in the bread.

6. Fat - fats like butter, lard or shortening give moisture and flavor to bread.

7. Eggs - can be used in some bread recipes to give color, flavor and moisture.

October 7-13, 2020

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Two-year delay expected for N.C. 107 project Design team considers bringing underground stream to the surface

BY HOLLY KAYS STAFF WRITER fter years of planning, public meetings and emotionally charged back-and-forth, right-of-way acquisition for the N.C. 107 project in Sylva was set to begin in February, with construction starting in early 2023.

But that was before COVID-19 hit.

The pandemic, combined with financial shortfalls the N.C. Department of Transportation was facing even before the economy took a nosedive, has pushed the schedule back by roughly two years.

Currently, right-of-way acquisition is expected to begin in fiscal year 2022 with construction starting in fiscal year 2025, said Senior Project Engineer Jeannette White. Each fiscal year begins July 1 and ends June 30 of the following calendar year — it’s unknown at what point in each fiscal year work will begin, said White. A firmer timeline is expected following the N.C. Board of Transportation meeting Oct. 8.

While work on N.C. 107 will begin significantly later than expected, many other DOT projects in the state are experiencing much greater delays, said Western Mountains Area Communications Officer David Uchiyama.

The N.C. 107 project is faring better than most because 80 percent of the project’s construction cost is covered by bond funding, meaning that less DOT funding is required to complete it than is the case for other projects.

“Two years isn’t that much when you compare it to other projects across the state,” Uchiyama said. “There are literally thousands

Smoky Mountain News

October 7-13, 2020

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of projects smaller and bigger than r-5600 (N.C. 107) that are being pushed back at least a year or off the calendar altogether.”

The current estimated total cost of the project is $78.8 million, a 12.2 percent decrease from the $89.7 million estimate delivered in 2019. The reduction is due to improved plan details and better right-of-way information at this point in the project, but the delayed timeline will likely cause an escalation of the current estimated cost, as the price of materials and labor tends to go up over time.

“It’s very possible the cost of the project will increase,” said Uchiyama.

While actual construction won’t occur for quite a while, design work continues to move forward. Current plans are considered 75 percent complete, and while most aspects of the project are pretty well nailed down, the team is still looking at a strategy to minimize impact on a half-mile section between Pizza Hut and Lowe’s.

When N.C. 107 was widened in the 1980s, a stream that once flowed alongside N.C. 107 was encased in 6-foot pipes and buried under the road. Those pipes are now more than 30 years old and in need of replacement. Current standards would require two 6-foot pipes to route the stream, not just one.

“People have literally built their properties or their structure up against the edge of the road, and some of them are very close to this big 6-foot diameter pipe underneath the road,” said White. “So, if we take it out and replace it, we’re obviously impacting them.”

The design team is investigating an option that would reroute the stream, named Mill Creek, to flow along the backside of the properties in question instead of in the front, under the road. If the plan moves forward, property owners would be asked whether

Cory Coleman of O’Malley’s Pub and Grill speaks against the road plan during an Aug. 8, 2019, Sylva town meeting. Holly Kays photo

they prefer to let an open stream flow through their backyards or if they’d rather have the DOT contain the water in a 7-footby-7-foot culvert. Businesses that request a culvert would then go through a cost-benefit analysis in which the DOT would compare the cost of installing the culvert with the total value of the property.

“We’re really doing the best we can to minimize impacts to the community, because we all live here,” said White.

The N.C. 107 project has drawn staunch opposition from many in the community since a preliminary list of businesses that might be relocated as a result was released in early 2018, but in reality, the conflict stretches back much farther than that. Local leaders and traffic planners have long known that something would have to be done about the high volume of traffic and hodgepodge of entrances and exits on the corridor, but the problem is that there’s no easy answer.

Since the mid-90s, the DOT had been considering building a new road that would cut

through the mountains north of Cullowhee to join U.S. 74, thereby reducing volume on N.C. 107. That idea was ultimately axed in 2012 following vocal public opposition, so the DOT turned its attention to instead improving the existing road. Initial plans for that endeavor also earned widespread disapproval due to their high price tag and potential to require roughly one-sixth of Sylva’s business community to relocate.

When asked whether rerouting the stream could reduce the number of relocations, White responded that project plans have not reached final design, so “we are not quantifying that number.” Designers have not yet received a notice to proceed with the aboveground stream design. However, keeping the stream buried would cause impacts to both sides of the road due to the updated standards that require the installation of two underground pipes. Bringing it to the surface would require only a single 7-foot corridor.

“We’re hoping this will cause less impact, but we don’t actually know,” she said.

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“We extend our deepest sympathy to the family and loved ones. This is a sad reminder that COVID-19 is a serious and sometimes deadly illness. We urge all citizens to do their part by observing social distancing, wear masks and practice good hygiene,” said Health Director Patrick Johnson.

Haywood County has also had 34 new COVID-19 cases between Sept. 25 and Oct. 1, bringing the total number of people in quarantine or isolation to 84.

“We are seeing a steady number of three to six new COVID-19 cases every day. The bad news is the number in quarantine is going up as our cases are having more close contacts. This may indicate people are letting their guard down. We also see the con-

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Cooper’s Phase 3 announcement comes after what he called “Safer at home phase 2.5,” which began on Friday, Sept. 4, at 5 p.m. Phase 3 will remain effective through Friday, Oct. 23.

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Smoky Mountain News

tinued trend of people traveling to tourist spots in Tennessee and South Carolina and bringing the virus back to Haywood County,” Johnson said.

Macon County Schools is still experiencing positive cases at several of its schools while the county as a whole has 31 active cases as of Monday.

Swain County currently has 17 active cases while Jackson County has 43 people in isolation. Eastern Band of Cherokee Indians recently reported an increase in cases mostly due to family gatherings. Principal Chief Richard Sneed implored the community to stay vigilant and follow health officials’ recommendations.

There are currently 970 people in the state being hospitalized due to COVID-19.

To read the full text of Gov. Cooper’s Executive Order No. 169, which contains indepth Phase 3 provisions, visit files.nc.gov/governor/documents/files/ EO169-Phase-3.pdf To learn more about the most current state of coronavirus resources in North Carolina, visit www.nc.gov/covid19.

October 7-13, 2020

STAFF REPORTS ontinuing what he called the state’s “dimmer switch” approach to reopening, Gov. Roy Cooper announced today that North Carolina will move into Phase 3 beginning at 5 p.m. Monday, Oct. 5.

Several trends monitored by state health officials, including case trajectories, positive test rate and hospitalizations have remained steady while contract tracing efforts have increased, according to Dr. Mandy Cohen, secretary of the North Carolina Department of Health and Human Services.

Cohen said that North Carolina is now “protecting progress” in the fight against the disease, which has claimed more than 200,000 American lives this year.

At-risk populations are still safer at home, Cooper said, and face coverings remain mandatory for those over the age of 5, but Phase 3 means a number of modifications to mass gatherings outdoors.

Large outdoor venues with more than 10,000 seats can now operate at 7 percent capacity, which works out to 700 people.

Smaller outdoor venues can operate at the lesser of 30 percent capacity or 100 people.

Bars can open outdoors only, at 30 percent of outdoor capacity or 100 guests, whichever is less. Outdoor amusement parks can open at 30 percent occupancy.

“Every gathering carries the risk of spreading this disease,” Cooper said, while advising people to take precautions against the coronavirus if they do venture forth to enjoy any of the state’s outdoor entertainment establishments.

The limits on indoor gatherings – 25 people – will remain.

Cooper’s Phase 3 announcement comes after what he called “Safer at home phase 2.5,” which began on Friday, Sept. 4, at 5 p.m. Phase 3 will remain effective through Friday, Oct. 23. Further guidance from Cooper and state health officials is expected in the days before.

Haywood County Health and Human Services reported a COVID-19 death Monday from among the cases associated with the Enchanting Hair Fashions salon cluster in Canton. The individual died on Oct. 1 at Haywood Regional Medical Center.

The death certificate lists pneumonia due to COVID-19 infection as an underlying cause of death (the disease that initiated the events resulting in death). The individual was elderly and had several underlying medical conditions.

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Gov. Cooper moves NC into Phase 3 C

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Haywood school board race draws 12 candidates

Danya Vanhook

Andy Hall

Jim Francis

BY HANNAH MCLEOD STAFF WRITER dozen candidates are running to fill five open seats on the Haywood County School Board. Among them, four are current members of the board, including Chairman Chuck Francis. His opponent for chairman, Daran McAdams, recently decided to drop out of the race, though his name will still appear on the ballot.

Running for the Waynesville seat are Andy Hall, Danya Vanhook, Logan Nesbitt and current board member Jim Harley Francis, who is vice chairman of the board.

Ann Barrett, who currently holds one of two Waynesville seats, is not running for re-election.

Running for the Beaverdam District are Magnolia Brown, Danny Miller, Tausha Forney, Randy McDowell and current board members David Burnette and Ronnie Clark.

These candidates will be featured in next week’s issue of The Smoky Mountain News.

Two seats are available in both the Waynesville and Beaverdam districts.

board to assure that the needs of all of our students and faculty are met and to ensure that HCS are a diverse and inclusive place to learn and grow.

Jim Francis: I am a product of the HCS System, graduating from Tuscola High School in 1989. My father, mother and sister also attended HCS. Many of my family members have taught in our school system. My grandfather was a teacher and principal. My mother and sister were teachers in Haywood County as well. Being from a long line of educators I have a passion for education. I truly believe education is an equalizer and can give all students the opportunity to succeed in life. I am running for re-election because I want to continue to be a part of the board and to keep working on the challenges the board faces from the current pandemic, cyber-attacks and relocation of the Central Office. I also have two daughters in our school system, Katelyn a sophomore at Tuscola High School and Kallie a sixth grader at Waynesville Middle School, which means I truly have a vested interest in seeing the success of our schools. My desire is to provide the highest quality of education for all students of Haywood County.

Danya Vanhook: I’m the mom of two boys who attend HCS, and I’ve lived and served the community in Haywood County for 15 years. I’m a local attorney, former District Court Judge (2009-2011), and Maggie Valley Alderman (2011). I’ve also worked on the Haywood County Special Olympics Executive Board (2018), been an AYSO Soccer Coach (2016-17) and Mountaineer Little League Baseball Team Mom and Bookkeeper (2015-16), and I’ve been on the Haywood County Juvenile Crime Prevention Council (JCPC) since 2018.

I’m a proud product of NC Public Schools. As the Scripture says: “To whom

much has been given, much shall be required,” Luke 12:48, so I’m driven to serve our community, and I’ve demonstrated that over my history and record of service. I’m running for the Haywood County School Board to continue serving our community and to advocate for all children in Haywood County. As President John F. Kennedy said, “Children are our most precious resource.”

If elected, I have a two-point priority plan that I’ll focus on in my first 100 days in office. First, I’ll help “End the Digital Divide in Rural America” by improving access to Broadband High-speed Internet in Haywood County, because our children deserve every opportunity we can give them to succeed! Second, I’ll help “Foster Unity and End Divisive Bias” in our community by stopping the polarization of issues and helping us come together as one Haywood. After all, we are stronger together and our children deserve for us to come together for them.

Chuck Francis: I want to continue with the hard work and dedication of our school system. They have become a top school system throughout the state, and I would like to continue that progress toward becoming number one. I have a long history with HCS, I’ve been on the board now for 20 years, the chairman now for 16. I started out because I had three kids in the school system, and now they’re grown and I’m starting all over again with the grandkids as they enter the school system.

Logan Nesbitt: I am running for the school board because I have two young kids in HCS, a wife that works for HCS, and my childhood consisted of parents and grandparents that were employed by HCS. So I am just trying to be a good citizen, do my part and volunteer for the position.

Smoky Mountain News

October 7-13, 2020

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What is your connection to Haywood County Schools and why are you running for Haywood School Board?

Andy Hall: First of all, I have a son who just graduated in 2020 from Tuscola High School, and I have a son who just began seventh grade at Waynesville Middle School.

Obviously, as a parent, what is happening in our school system is of great concern to me.

My interest goes beyond just being a parent, though. As a member of this community, I want to see it thrive for years to come, and having a strong school system that operates under the premise that the needs of our students and faculty come first is a fundamental building block for the community as a whole 6 to be successful. I’m running for school

How well do you think Haywood County Schools has responded to the Coronavirus Pandemic? If applicable, what would you have liked to have seen done differently?

Andy Hall: COVID-19 has been a bad situation all the way around. There are so many unknowns, that it’s impossible to know exactly what to do at any given point in time. The school system is largely at the mercy of the mandates that come out of Raleigh, especially when it comes to scheduling. I do, however, believe that planning could have been better for distance education that began in August, especially given the fact that it was quite obvious for several months that distance learning would be a large part of getting the kids back in school.

Better safeguards could have been in place to avoid the loss of a full week due to the system being hacked as well.

Jim Francis: The Coronavirus Pandemic has been a tremendous challenge for the School Board. The board has had a multitude of meetings discussing the issue and trying to make sure we are doing what is best for our students, teachers, and staff.

The difficulty is that this is an unprecedented event and it seems like things change every time we turn around. Unfortunately, there is not a road map as to how to navigate our way through a pandemic. I feel like the current board has been very deliberate in looking at all the information that has been available at the time to make the best decisions we could. It has been very difficult because there have been so many mandates and limitations that the board has had to adhere to. I understand no matter what decision we make it will have an impact on everyone, for some it may be a good thing and for others it might not be the ideal situation. We must all work together to make the best of this situation. I feel like safety is a top priority and we need to make sure we are bringing our students, teachers, and staff back to school in the safest possible way.

There is still a great deal of concern in our community for the safety of the students and staff. We must do our best to make sure that everyone is comfortable with the transition back to school.

Danya Vanhook: HCS has really stepped up to the plate in its Coronavirus Pandemic Response. I’m glad that they took my advice and did what I recommended at the school board meeting on July 22, 2020, when I suggested that we begin with remote learning and transition into a Plan B, “Return to Learning” scenario. Now our administrators and staff have had 2 months from the date of that decision to put all the appropriate safety protocols in place to ensure our student and teacher safety. I’m paraphrasing Dr. Bobby Rogers when I say that I am extremely proud to be working on this issue with the great people and leaders in Haywood County. We are such a tight-knit community, and we have and are going to continue to stand up for one another, reach out to help one another, and have one another’s backs with all the issues stemming from COVID-19: such as the school system and staff providing meals and nutrition, the churches providing free internet, and private businesses such as Smoky Mountain Sk8way, providing a pri-

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ANDREINA (ANDY) HALL • Age: 50 • From: Caracas, Venezuela • Occupation: Legal Advocate and Human Trafficking Specialist

• Age: 42 • From: Franklin • Occupation: Attorney/President of the 43rd Judicial District Bar Association (7 westernmost counties of NC, including Haywood)

LOGAN NESBITT • Age: 36 • From: Haywood County • Occupation: Self-employed electrician

one step further and help end Divisive Bias by starting a Unity and Anti-Bias Committee on the school board).

I have wanted to run for school board for a long time, and with Ann Barrett retiring, and after talking with my family and close friends and doing some soul searching/praying, I decided that now is my time to run. I feel like it is my time to serve in this capacity.

Logan Nesbitt: It didn’t have an impact on me deciding to run. I came really close to running last term, but after praying about it and talking to my wife and family I decided not to. This time I had already decided I was going to run when the Facebook post hit. As far as the post, I don’t really have an opinion because I haven’t seen the study that they did, the investigation, I haven’t seen the results. I’ll just be honest. So, until I see the results of that I don’t think I’ll comment on that.

What is the number one thing you want voters to know, before heading to the voting booth, about why they should vote for you?

Andy Hall: I want people to know that having spent the past 17 years advocating for victims of domestic violence has provided me with the skills that are required to serve as an advocate for our students and faculty and that every position that I take will be

Smoky Mountain News

issues, it helps me be a better board member. I pray that I make the best decisions based on the information available at the time, for the betterment of our students, teachers, staff, and families of Haywood County.

Danya Vanhook: Dr. Nolte’s Facebook post was offensive and insensitive to Haywood County’s families and students of color (and many of us who aren’t of color), particularly in light of the racial injustices and unrest that was going on this summer and continues to this day; however, I believe that he made an honest mistake and did not have malice in his heart when he posted this, as evidenced by his immediately taking down the post and apologizing to those he hurt in any way so, ultimately, the school board made the right decision.

I found his apology sincere, and his record of non-bias compelling (in fact, his record has been one of those of anti-racism and allyship). My faith teaches me to forgive others, particularly if they repent and turn away from their sins, which he did and has done, so I am led to give Dr. Nolte a second chance, because I believe in second chances.

I’m 100 percent on board with his plan to “Foster Unity and Limit Divisive Bias,” in fact, I’ve made it the second plank of my platform (except that I am pledging to take it

DANYA L. VANHOOK

October 7-13, 2020

Did you agree with the “punishment” given to Dr. Nolte earlier this year regarding his Facebook post? Why or why not? What impact did that decision have on you deciding to run?

Andy Hall: There was no punishment that I saw. I mean, if that’s considered punishment, it’s very light punishment. I was disappointed that Dr. Nolte could be so tonedeaf regarding his use of social media.

Anyone in a position as public as he should know better. He showed very poor judgment in that situation, and it concerns me that he might show poor judgment in the future when confronted with a truly important decision, so yes, this played a role in my decision. I had been considering running, but I would say that this made me decide that it was time “4 A Change.” There is practically no outside influence on our hoard, as the members all seem to be born and bred in Haywood County. I believe that I bring a strong voice that will speak for those from other places as well as those who have lived their entire lives here.

Jim Francis: Regarding Dr. Nolte’s Facebook post, this is and was a personnel matter and because I am still a current member of the board, I am not at liberty to f discuss personnel matters. I can say that y the board does supervise the superintendent and that there are policies in place to do so. The board takes any issue brought before them very seriously with this being no exception. The board did make a statement regarding this issue and it is available for anyone that would like to read it. This issue has had no impact whatsoever on my decision to re-run for the Haywood County School Board. I do not have a platform, nor do I have an agenda, I am running to serve the people of Haywood County. I really appreciate the parents, teachers and members of the community letting me know their thoughts and feelings about the

Meet the candidates

based upon one simple premise; doing the right thing. I want them to know that the passion that I bring to my work every day will carry over into my service as a board member and that they can always count on me, to be honest with everyone involved. A positive, inclusive environment where no stone is left unturned to advocate for our students both inside and outside of the classroom will be the overarching goal that I will be working to achieve.

Jim Francis: First and foremost, I want to say “Thank You” to the voters of Haywood County for allowing me to serve them on the Haywood County School Board. It has been my pleasure and I would be very honored to continue to serve the students, teachers, and families of Haywood County. The Haywood County School Board has been through many challenges; floods, blizzards, having to close a school, cyber-attacks, the Coronavirus Pandemic just to name a few and there are still many challenges ahead. I would hope with my experience of already serving on the school board, that it would give me an advantage to face these challenges head on.

I really believe in trying to address and fix the issues and not just try to kick them down the road. I want to continue to help get our students back on grade level in addition to addressing their social and emotional health. Also, I want to work to get better funding for our teachers and employees and make sure they are being supported in the difficult tasks they are facing. I want to continue to make sure that our tax dollars are used in the best possible way for the education of our students and support of our teachers. The board has reinstated steps that were frozen for over a decade, increased the county supplement for all employees, and restructured the coaching supplement to incentivize more teacher involvement outside the classroom.

Haywood County Schools are one of the top school districts in our state. All the schools in Haywood County are graded A, B, or C (no Ds or Fs) with nationally recognized elementary schools. I would be very proud to continue to be a part in making sure we keep striving to achieve greatness. Again, I want to say thank you and I would very much appreciate the voters support.

Danya Vanhook: The number one thing I want voters to remember about me as they head into the voting booth is my name: Danya Vanhook for Haywood County School Board! Give me your vote, and I will be your voice and the voice for our kids from Waynesville to Washington, D.C. I’m not shy, and I will fight for internet and inclusivity for our kids to uplift rural America. Join me, and we can all dream, believe and achieve together!

Logan Nesbitt: Their interest is the same as my interest and that’s children. So regardless of whether it’s my child, their child, anybody’s child, I’m going to watch after our children because that’s our future.

Parents shouldn’t be concerned in the least because I will do whatever I have to do for my children and their children. As well as the faculty, employees and the parents of the HCS system.

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vate remote learning facility to and for our students and parents. I want to say a special thank you to our wonderful teachers, who have just gone above and beyond to learn how to do remote learning and do it well.

They are doing a fantastic job. Finally, thank you to all the parents for hanging in there to do the remote learning with your children.

It’s all gone as smoothly as we could have hoped, and that’s because of this unique thing we’ve got going on in Haywood County: our community. One Haywood.

And it’s going to continue to go smoothly as we “Return to Learn” on Sept. 21.

Logan Nesbitt: All in all, I think that they did a really good job. I can’t say that I was envious of the current school board members having to make the tough decisions. I would have liked to have seen the kids back in school a little bit sooner, but obviously with the governor mandates that probably wasn’t exactly possible. In my opinion, it put the parents of younger children, specifically elementary age, in a bind. Having to find childcare, taking off work, relying on grandparents etc. I don’t think I would have necessarily done anything different as far as the pandemic goes, I think it was a unique situation. All in all, I think they did a great job.

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Political newcomers run for Jackson’s District 3 seat

BY HOLLY KAYS STAFF WRITER s in the District 4 race, the ballot for the District 3 county commission seat in Jackson County is devoid of incumbents.

But unlike in District 4, both choices are firsttime candidates who have not previously served on any elected or appointed board.

Democrat Susan Bogardus beat out two Primary Election opponents for her place on the ballot, winning 42.02 percent of the vote to best second-place Cody Lewis by more than 7 percent. This will be Republican Tom Stribling’s first election, however, as he did not face a Primary Election contest.

District 3 includes the Cullowhee, Webster and Savannah precincts, and while candidates must live within the boundaries of the district, all Jackson County voters help choose the winner.

In August, Cullowhee resident Chad Jones, a conservative, announced that he would be running for the seat as well, but as a write-in candidate. However, hours before press time Jones informed The Smoky Mountain News that he was withdrawing from the race and throwing his support behind Stribling in order to prevent splitting the vote and giving Bogardus an automatic win.

The District 3 seat is currently held by Republican Ron Mau, who won it from incumbent Democrat Vickie Greene in 2016. This time around, Mau declined to stand for reelection in Jackson County and instead sought to replace Rep. Joe Sam Queen in the District 119 seat to the N.C. House of Representatives.

However, he ultimately lost that Primary Election race to former Rep. Mike Clampitt.

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The issue: The national discussion about the place of Confederate monuments in modernday America hit home this summer as the fate of Sylva’s Confederate statue became the subject of intense public discussion. What does the statue mean to you, and how do you view commissioners’ Aug. 4 decision to let it stay but to cover pro-Confederate messaging on the pedestal?

Bogardus: “I think the statue’s different for different people, and I think actually it’s sad because it’s not a very good representation of the people who actually were taken out of the hills here to go and be on both sides of the conflict, and they didn’t necessarily want either one. If you look back, most of the people in the mountains just wanted to be left alone.”

Bogardus does not view the statue as racist or as a symbol of white supremacy.

However, she acknowledges that many people do view it that way and said she does not believe it needs to remain at such a prominent location because it no longer represents 8 the makeup or circumstances of Sylva today.

Stribling: “It’s a symbol of freedom. It’s a symbol of fighting for what’s right and what’s not. There’s a bunch of things. You could go on and on and on. Mainly it’s history. It doesn’t need to be erased. It needs to be taught.

It’s heritage, not hate.”

Stribling is adamant in his view that the statue is not racist and that the current controversy is “a bunch of junk” from “a few liberal crybabies” who are “having a fit because they think it’s racist.” Stribling wants to see the statue remain unaltered, saying that the decision to cover the Confederate flag shows they “don’t know what the Confederate flag stands for.” Stribling said that northern states had slaves too — these states had outlawed the institution well before the Civil War occurred, however — and claimed that “it’s the South that freed the slaves,” though he did not state how he arrived at that conclusion.

The issue: In 2016, commissioners raised the property tax rate 32 percent after a tax revaluation delivered a much-reduced taxable property value in the county. In 2021, a new revaluation will take effect and currently values are expected to rise by more than 10 percent. Would you support decreasing the tax rate to keep the budget revenue-neutral, or would you prefer to maintain or raise the current tax rate?

Stribling: “That’s a tough question to answer. That I’m not sure of.”

Stribling said he thinks the county is in a good place financially at the moment and would not support raising taxes — unless the tax in question was a fire tax. The Cullowhee Fire Department is badly in need of greater financial support so that it can hire paid firefighters rather than relying on volunteers, thereby decreasing response times, Stribling said.

Bogardus: “I would let them go into effect and wait about two years and then reevaluate it, because then we could see what was going to happen after this pandemic. I think right now we’re not going to have enough money in our budget to do what we need to do, especially with the schools.”

The pandemic has made many things difficult to predict, so it would behoove the county to wait and see how many people are paying property taxes and how other sources of tax revenue are affected. Counties are not allowed to go into deficit, so the county must be sure it has enough money coming in to cover its bills.

The issue: COVID-19 has disrupted normal routines and expectations around the world, and Jackson County is no exception. What challenges do you foresee as Jackson County continues to grapple with the virus, and what policies would you support to spur recovery on the other side of the pandemic?

challenge for Jackson County has to do with people not being willing to travel during the pandemic.

Susan Bogardus

Tom Stribling Bogardus: “I think the tourism aspect and trying to support small businesses that are in that realm — the outdoors, the fishing and the kayaking and all those things — I think that’s really important.”

As the pandemic continues, it’s important to get out the message that people should not put off preventative and routine health care.

The community needs to bolster support mechanisms for families who are out of work due to changes in the tourism and service industries — food pantries, shelters and the like. Bogardus would like to see the county support marketing and advertising to help the county’s tourism industry rebound as quickly as possible and to examine Tuckasegee Water and Sewer Authority policies to ensure that small businesses face as few barriers as possible.

Stribling: “The way Trump runs the country, the way the economy was going before this COVID hit, it was unbelievable. The stock market was just crazy. People were buying, investing I mean, it was never like it in the history, ever, and then COVID in my opinion was released on purpose because of that.”

Until the virus is under control, it’s important for everyone to use hand sanitizer and keep their social distance. The biggest

The issue: In the General Election, Jackson County voters will be asked to approve a $20 million bond referendum to build an indoor pool complex in Cullowhee. If the referendum passes, commissioners will decide whether the project moves forward and how to pay for it. Do you support this project?

Stribling: “It’s a fantastic idea because swimming is the best exercise that you can get. It works every muscle in your body when you swim.”

Stribling fully supports the project as a boon for public health. An indoor pool would give the elderly a safe way to exercise and stay fit and would provide another constructive activity for youth to take part in.

Bogardus: “I’m hoping that people get out and make their feelings known on this. I live in Cullowhee. I would love to have a pool in Cullowhee.”

Bogardus pointed out that the county has already expended significant funds — more than $50,000 — to develop a plan for the aquatic center and get the question on the ballot. If the people vote in favor of the project, she said, there’s no reason why commissioners should not vote to issue the debt.

The issue: The N.C. Department of Transportation is planning a makeover of N.C. 107 in Sylva. What is your opinion on the project, and what can the county to do mitigate some of the negative side effects of the construction process?

Bogardus: “The county has resources that we could assist people to rearrange their property so they could still have parking and be able to stay in business. I don’t want them to go away. But how do we do that?”

The road project is needed, but it will be painful — especially since it’s coming on the heels of all the disruption caused by the pandemic. Bogardus said she would do whatever she could to help affected businesses and reduce impacts. Perhaps some businesses could be saved or impacted less by changes to rules regarding mandatory setbacks from roads and property lines.

Stribling: “It kind of goes back to the old saying, ‘You can please some of the people some of the time, but you can’t please all the people all of the time.’ It’s needed.”

Improving traffic movement along N.C. 107 is vital, even if the process is difficult.

While the work is taking place, people will have to use alternate routes such as Cope Creek Road when possible and will simply need to leave a little earlier in the morning to get to work on time.

The issue: The opioid epidemic continues to wreak havoc in Jackson County and nationwide. What can the county do to address it?

Bogardus: “There are specific functional and structural changes that happen in your brain when you’re addicted. We need to as a society accept that. Not that we can accept the people doing drugs or being addicted, but we have to accept the fact that their brain has changed. It’s not going to go back to what it was. We need to go ahead and put the

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Meet the candidates TOM STRIBLING (REPUBLICAN) Stribling, 56, has lived in Cullowhee for the past 16 years with his wife and two children who have since graduated from Jackson County Public Schools. Originally from Hawkinsville, Georgia, he attended college for two years before leaving to work in the excavation business. He owns Stribling Land Corporation, whose services include grading work and site development. Stribling has served as a church deacon, coach and youth mentor.

Reason to run: “There’s a lot of issues that have been talked about and talked about and talked about for years and years and years, and nothing has gotten done. I want to get in and I want to get some of these things done.”

Top three priorities: Seeing the indoor pool project through to completion, instituting a fire tax to better fund the Cullowhee Fire Department, improving broadband access.

SUSAN BOGARDUS (DEMOCRAT) As an “Air Force brat,” Bogardus, 63, moved all over the country growing up, but she and her husband have been in Jackson County for the past 13 years. She is a registered dietician with a doctorate in nutrition sciences, and she has one adult son. Bogardus has worked at WCU and as an organic grower at the Jackson County Farmer’s Market. She’s currently a dietician at the Cherokee Indian Hospital, also volunteering with the Cullowhee Community Garden, Community Table and Circles of Hope. She is an active member of the Jackson County Democratic Party and has served at various times as precinct chair and assistant chair in the organization.

Reason to run: “I still am interested in affordable housing and living wage jobs, and I haven’t changed my mind. I feel like there are things that can be done better in Jackson County to support both of those areas.”

Top three priorities: Improving access to affordable housing, supporting small businesses and supporting transportation planning aimed at creating a more walkable community.

The issue: It’s becoming increasingly difficult for people who work in Jackson County to own property in Jackson County due to lack of housing inventory and high prices. How would you approach this problem?

Bogardus: “It’s not affordable if you can’t pay it, and there are a lot of people here who rent who would probably buy a house if they could afford it.”

Bogardus would like to see better enforcement of health and safety standards on rental units, because too many renters live in places that are not maintained as they should be.

She would also like to bolster activity in the local Habitat for Humanity Chapter to help people who are priced out of the current market get into a house by investing “sweat equity” in addition to money.

Stribling: “It’s just tough to say because it’s not the county’s position to say, ‘We’re going to build a house for you.’”

Stribling said he would support some type of job training assistance to help people who are homeless get a job and begin to afford housing. In general, he said, people need to live within their means and realize that if they’re making $10 an hour they can’t afford a $400,000 house.

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The issue: Western Carolina University is becoming an ever-larger presence in Jackson County as a whole and in District 3 in particular. What are the challenges and the opportunities of having a 12,000-student university in Cullowhee?

Stribling: “There’s really no challenge. It’s great to have the university here.”

Stribling said that, if elected, he would look forward to communicating with university leaders to foster greater collaboration between WCU and local government. College housing has “just exploded” in Cullowhee in recent years, so there should be “no problem” with student housing at the moment.

Bogardus: “We need to have people able to

walk if they’re within a mile. There’s no reason they shouldn’t be able to do that safely and not feeling like they’re putting their lives in danger.”

Walkability and transportation are key challenges in the Cullowhee area, and Bogardus would like to see a collaboration between Jackson County Transit and WCU’s Cat-Tran that would better connect campus, Cullowhee and Sylva for people who can’t or prefer not to drive.

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October 7-13, 2020

money into preventative services, whatever cost that is.”

While prevention is the most effective tool, it’s important for a community to offer support services for people who are in recovery. Recovering addicts need to stay busy in a constructive way, because once they get bored they often fall back into destructive patterns. Society also needs to be more forgiving of past offenses — employers should be more willing to give a chance to people who committed crimes in the past while intoxicated but are now clean.

Stribling: “They’re carrying this burden, this guilt, and that doesn’t help any. They need to be comforted, relaxed and loved.

That’s what they need.”

Stribling would like to work with the Jackson County Health Department, nonprofits and medical professionals to provide Alcoholics Anonymous-style support groups of people who are recovering from opioid addiction.

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Jackson voters to speak on indoor pool issue The aquatic center would include a competition pool as well as a leisure pool (pictured) complete with splash pad, therapy pool and nets for both basketball and volleyball. ClarkNexsen rendering

BY HOLLY KAYS STAFF WRITER ike voters across the country, Jackson County residents are electing representatives for offices ranging from congressman to commissioner, but this fall they’ll decide a more tangible question as well — whether or not the county should borrow $20 million to build a new aquatic center in Cullowhee.

“Shall the order authorizing Jackson County general obligation bonds in the max-

October 7-13, 2020

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imum amount of $20,000,000 plus interest to pay capital costs of providing indoor pool facilities and paying related costs, and providing that additional taxes may be levied in an amount sufficient to pay the principal and interest on the bonds, as adopted by the County’s Board of Commissioners on July 10, 2020, be approved?” asks the referendum question printed on the ballot.

Voters can then chose one of two simple answers: yes or no. A yes is a vote to borrow

the money and build the pool, and a no is a vote not to borrow the money and to go without a pool.

General obligation bonds are typically the least costly financing option available for potential bond projects, and the bond referendum gives voters the power to authorize the government to raise funds through the sale of general obligation bonds. Once the bonds are paid off, the tax associated with the bond goes away.

THE PLAN While Sylva has an outdoor pool and Western Carolina University makes its indoor pool available for some uses, Jackson County residents have long clamored for an indoor swimming pool all their own, with 86.4 percent of 638 survey respondents in a 2013 recreation master plan update saying that a centrally located indoor swimming pool is “important” or “very important.” A follow-up survey in 2019 saw 93.7 percent of 1,709 people say they would support an indoor pool, with 68 percent saying they’d support such a project even if it meant raising taxes.

However, those surveys polled a limited number of people, and they were distributed at county rec centers — among other locations and methods — so it’s possible that the response rate was greater among people who were more likely to be favorable to the pool question. The ballot will serve as the ultimate survey on the issue.

Bringing the question to the ballot has cost the county $55,500, including $37,900 for the Asheville-based firm ClarkNexsen to develop architectural plans and cost estimates, $2,600 for geotechnical work from Wood Engineering, $7,500 for the bond attorney fee and $7,500 for education marketing materials.

ClarkNexsen’s design calls for a 30,800square-foot two-pool complex added to the

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Dear Neighbors and Friends, We are Western North Carolinians concerned for our state and country.

We don’t agree on everything, but we all want the best for everyone.

Better healthcare. More good jobs. The best education for every child. Universal broadband. Security and safety. Freedom and, yes, justice. And more….

But mostly we want and need a President we can trust. That trust requires a President who has character and integrity.

Why? Because when the decisions are hard, seemingly impossible, it is character that guides us — be it the character gained through life experience or faith or both.

A leader is trusted to responsibly use the vast resources and expertise our democratic government provides. Trusted to make the best decisions for all Americans and our nation. Those will be the decisions that bring us together.

We trust that Joe Biden has the character and integrity to be that President.

Please, vote for Joe. We are.

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I NDOOR POOL, CONTINUED FROM 10

Election 2020 voting guide he General Election is Tuesday, Nov. 3. Here’s a quick rundown on available options and processes for voting.

First, check to ensure your voter registration information is accurate and active by visiting vt.ncsbe.gov/RegLkup/. The deadline to register to vote in the 2020 General Election is Friday, Oct. 9.

Any registered voter within North Carolina can request a ballot by visiting votebymail.ncsbe.gov. Active duty military personnel and overseas voters have different rules and deadlines and should visit www.ncsbe.gov/voting/votemail/military-and-overseas-voting.

Voters should allow at least 10 days after a ballot is requested to receive it by mail, but the deadline to request an absentee ballot is 5 p.m. Tuesday, Oct. 27.

Early voting runs from Thursday, Oct. 15 through Oct. 31.

Smoky Mountain News

October 7-13, 2020

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north of the existing recreation center. The facility would include both a leisure pool and a 25-yard competition pool.

Renderings show a leisure pool complete with a splash pad, adjustable basketball hoops, a vortex therapy pool and a volleyball net. The six-lane competition pool would include a foldable one-meter diving board and a climbing wall rising out of the pool itself, as well as seating for spectators.

The addition would also include locker rooms, a party room and renovated classroom areas at the union with the existing building.

Each pool would have floor-to-ceiling windows with views toward the southwest, an orientation that aims to keep the visual connection to the park and to optimize solar orientations.

Building the aquatic center in the proposed location would impact the current parking situation, eliminating about 75 spaces. However, 165 new spaces would be added east and south of the existing rec center to compensate.

THE COST The visual renderings are enticing, but the project won’t come cheap.

Construction is estimated at $13.7 million in 2020 dollars, with a $1.85 million cost escalation built in based on the assumption that construction will begin in June 2022 and wrap up in January 2024.

Additional fees for construction management, bonds and insurance, technology/equipment, furniture and fixtures, and fees for surveys, permitting, geotechnical work, architectural services and the like, plus closing costs, bring the total project estimate to $19.95 million.

Once built, the pool will cost an estimated $380,324 per year to operate once expected membership revenues are subtracted out.

Based on the county’s current tax values, a property tax increase of 2.22 cents per $100 of property value would cover the cost of paying the debt down over 15 years, with an increase of 0.4 cents per $100 covering operating costs. Therefore, commissioners have discussed raising the property tax rate from 38 to 40.26 cents per $100 of property value fund the pool, if the referendum passes. On a house valued at $150,000, that would amount to a tax increase of $33.90 per year and a total tax bill of $609. Once the bond is paid off, the tax associated with construction costs would go away.

Jackson County currently has the fourth-lowest property tax rate in the state, with Carteret County in Eastern N.C. claiming the lowest rate at 33 cents per $100. Not far ahead are Swain County, at 36 cents per $100, and Macon, at 37.47 cents per $100. The title of highest property tax rate in North Carolina belongs to Scotland County in south-central N.C., which charges its residents $1 per $100 of property value. If Jackson County’s tax rate increased by 2.26 cents per $100, it would move up two places to have the sixth-lowest tax rate in the state.

However, a twist in the plot is that Jackson County is currently in the middle of a tax revaluation that is expected to cause the county’s total taxable value to rise by more than 10 percent. If that happens, then the same tax rate would result in a higher tax bill for individual property owners and a revenue increase for the county. Depending on how the numbers shake out, the actual tax rate increase required to offset the cost of the pool could be lower than 2.26 cents per $100.

COMMISSIONER APPROVAL REQUIRED

The outcome also depends on commissioners’ wishes. If voters approve the bond referendum, commissioners will then have to vote to actually issue the debt — even if voters approve the bond, commissioners have the ability to vote no. The reverse is not true, however. If voters reject the referendum, commissioners will not be able to issue the debt.

When asked whether, in the case of approval from voters, the vote is likely to take place before or after the winners of next month’s election are seated, Chairman Brian McMahan said that has not yet been decided.

The current board has been generally favorable to the indoor pool concept — the body voted unanimously to place the question on the ballot — and while Commissioners Mickey Luker and Ron Mau will leave the board in December, all four candidates running to replace them said they, also, would vote in favor of the project if voters approve the referendum question.

Republican Mark Letson, who is running for the District 4 seat, said that while he supports the project he would not want to fund it by raising taxes on Jackson County residents — rather, he said, he’s support creating a new tax on second homeowners to cover the cost.

If built, the aquatics center would be open from 6 a.m. to 9 p.m. Monday through Saturday and 1 to 7 p.m. Sundays. The Jackson County Recreation and Parks Department would offer a range of payment options — a single-day pool-only pass would cost $7 for an individual, $10 for a family and $5 for a senior, while a year-long wholefacility pass would cost $435 for an individual, $515 for a family and $220 for a senior.

A variety of other membership and payment plans would be available as well.

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Sen. Tillis fights to retain seat Sen. Thom Tillis.

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Meet the candidates

October 7-13, 2020

CAL CUNNINGHAM • Age: 46 • Residence: Wake County • Occupation: Attorney, VP and general counsel of a recycling company • Political experience: Former state senator, unsuccessful campaign for U.S. Senate in 2010

THOM TILLIS • • • •

Age: 59 Residence: Huntersville Occupation: Tech/insurance consultant Political experience: Four-term N.C. House rep, first-term U.S. Senator

Conversely, Republicans are desperate to prevent that from happening, and Tillis’ seat is as important as any in the fight to maintain a hedge of their own in the legislative branch, especially if Trump loses.

Cunningham was given multiple opportunities to answer questions posed by The Smoky Mountain News over a period of more than three weeks, but was unable to find 20 minutes to talk to the voters of Western North Carolina. He failed to make himself available for a previously scheduled phone

S EE TILLIS, PAGE 14

This move-in ready home with many updates is lo ocated in the desirable Mountain Oaks Subdivision, approximattely seven miles to Main Street, Waynesville and 19 miles to Asheville. With WKUHH EHGURRPV WZR EDWKURRPV D ERQXV URRP LQ Q WKH Č´QLVKHG b basement, t which hi h iis also l plumbed l b d ffor a thi third db bath, th there th iis room IRU HYHU\RQH $Q RSHQ ČľRRU SODQ DOORZV WKH NLWFKHQ WR ČľRZ LQWR the spacious great room, complete with a vaulted ceiling and VWRQH Č´UHSODFH )HDWXUHV LQFOXGH KLFNRU\ ZRRG ČľRRUV DQG FHUDPLF WLOH ČľRRUV RQ the main level, a large island and granite countertops and in kitchen with tile backsplash, a large Master Suite with a walk-in closet, on demand hot water heater, front and back porches, and an oversized 2-car garage. Sellers are licensed North Carolina Real Estate Brokers.

Smoky Mountain News

BY CORY VAILLANCOURT STAFF WRITER here are few races in North Carolina this cycle that hold more consequence than that for the United States Senate seat currently occupied by Republican Thom Tillis.

Of the 100 seats in the United States Senate, 53 are currently held by Republicans, and 45 are held by Democrats. Two independent senators, Angus King of Maine and Bernie Sanders of Vermont, both caucus with Democrats, giving Republicans the slim but sufficient majority they used to stymie impeachment last winter, and to confirm President Donald Trump’s Supreme Court nominee, Amy Coney Barrett, in the coming weeks.

There are 35 Senate seats up for grabs this year; 12 are held by Democrats, but only two are listed as “competitive� races by The Washington Post. Republicans hold 23 of those seats, of which 12 — including that of Sen. Tillis — are considered competitive.

With the House of Representatives firmly under Democratic control — as it will likely remain after Election Day — Democrats are now hoping to capture the Senate in order to hedge against a possible victory by President Trump. Controlling both the House and the Senate would effectively tie Trump’s hands on major issues and reopen avenues to his impeachment and removal from office.

Tillis easily survived a Primary Election challenge but has angered some of his Republican base, who don’t think he’s quite conservative enough. That’s made him the underdog, despite his incumbency and Trump’s endorsement.

He’s trailed in polls since at least June.

That being said, a victory by his challenger, Democrat Cal Cunningham, would still be considered an upset and would add to the likelihood of Dems taking the Senate in November.

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Smoky Mountain News

October 7-13, 2020

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TILLIS, CONTINUED FROM 13

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call on Oct. 2, and a campaign spokesman said on Oct. 5 that Cunningham — who’s recently come under fire for sexting a political consultant who is not his wife — would not make himself available for questions.

When asked why, no response was given, however Sen. Tillis, who serves on the Armed Services Committee, the Veterans’ Affairs Committee, the Banking, Housing and Urban Affairs Committee, and the Committee on the Judiciary, availed himself of the opportunity prior to his COVID-19 diagnosis.

Smoky Mountain News: From the perspective of a United States Senator, what’s the most important issue facing North Carolina today?

Thom Tillis: Obviously the health care threat is something that we have to keep an eye on, but I think the longer-term consequences of continued shutdown — schools being shut down — when we believe that there’s a safe way to reopen, it’s a key issue.

That’s why I voted for the follow-up to this CARES Act, because we’ve got a cliff that we’re going to run over for unemployment benefits. For businesses out in the mountain areas in particular, some of the travel and tourism businesses that were first in, they’re going to be last out.

I’ve voted for the bill and Cal Cunningham said he would have voted against it. I think it’s really continuing to maintain capacity for people who are affected with COVID, but we’ve got a lot of victims of COVID who never got the virus. We’ve got to recognize that opening is a key part of getting rid of social isolation. [We’re] seeing an increase in suicides and an increase in domestic violence and child abuse. I’m not saying that all of the increases are related to COVID, but it really started spiking when COVID started spiking.

SMN: During your first debate, Cunningham made some headlines he may not have anticipated, about his hesitancy to take a coronavirus vaccine. What was it that surprised you about his response?

TT: To be honest with you, that was not even a position that I anticipated when I was preparing for the debate.

I mean, for Cal Cunningham to go on stage and say that he would be hesitant to take the vaccine, I mean, that’s an insult to the nearly 100,000 people who are enrolled in clinical tri-

als right now. These are people who are willing to take the vaccine, half get placebos, half get the vaccine and go through those trials. So that was an insult to them. And it’s also an insult to the gold standard for drug approval, the FDA and the pharmaceutical companies and the research institutions like Chapel Hill and Wake Forest, that are involved in clinical trials.

What he basically says is he doesn’t have confidence in Chapel Hill, Wake Forest and the scientific community, they’re not going to release the vaccine until it’s safe. So it’s an

“Any pledge I’ve made, any promise I’ve made, I fulfilled it when I was speaker [of the N.C. House] and I went up to Washington and I did the same thing.”

Tillis announces positive COVID-19 test orth Carolina Sen. Thom Tillis announced last week that he’d tested positive for coronavirus, joining President Donald Trump, First Lady Melania Trump and several other prominent legislative-branch Republicans in sharing the diagnosis.

On Oct. 2, Tillis said via Twitter that he felt good and had experienced no symptoms. He also issued the following statement:

N

insult to people in the clinical trials, it’s undermining the credibility of worldrenowned institutions and it could take people away from being willing to take the vaccine when we need 60 percent of the population to either have immunity from getting the virus and recovering, or by taking a vaccine. I thought it was irresponsible. I know he tried to walk it back like he does so many things.

He’s against something before he’s for it.

What he did was irresponsible.

Over the last few months, I’ve been routinely tested for COVID-19, including testing negative last Saturday, but tonight my rapid antigen test came back positive. I will be following the recommendations of my doctor and will be self-isolating at home for 10 days and notifying those I’ve been in close contact with. Thankfully, I have no symptoms and I feel well. As we all know, COVID-19 is a very contagious and deadly virus, especially because many carriers are asymptomatic. I encourage all North Carolinians to follow the recommendations of medical experts, including wearing a mask, washing hands, and practicing social distancing. For any North Carolinian who believes they were exposed to the virus or starts to display symptoms, please call your doctor, self-isolate, and get tested to protect those around you.

SMN: How do you feel about the president’s handling of the Coronavirus Pandemic?

TT: I think the president took a very important step implementing the travel ban from Wuhan and from China. Early on, he was criticized for it. Nancy Pelosi, six weeks, seven weeks later was still saying, ‘Chinatown is open in San Francisco.’ [New York City Mayor Bill] DeBlasio was saying ‘New York’s open for business.’ This is the first of its kind in our lifetimes. We haven’t had a pandemic for a hundred years. I use the comparison of a governor responding to a hurricane, and it’s every bit as unpredictable as a hurricane.

You’re going to make one decision that proves to be not the best one. You make another decision, but the last thing anybody

should be doing is criticizing any leader of any political affiliation at this time.

When we had the ventilator shortage, the president mobilized the Defense Production Act. He used that several times for personal protective equipment. The administration drove the project at warp speed to try and get a vaccine done in record time. Beginning in October, we’re going to be up to about 50 million test capacity a month, and that will spike up to 100 million. You’ve got to look at the whole. You can pick any one thing that in retrospect or in hindsight you may have done differently but that’s what’s wrong with some of the positions Cunningham took, to criticize the president for doing the travel ban.

— Sen. Thom Tillis

SMN: Perhaps the biggest difference between the two of you is experience, specifically in foreign policy. Can a challenger come in to the Senate and be prepared to deal with that aspect of American government?

TT: There are a lot of positions that make me think that he’s not qualified, but foreign policy or national security is probably first among them, which is shocking for someone who served in the Army Reserves. I mean, for Cal Cunningham to criticize President Trump for taking out General [Quasem] Soleimani, the head of the Iranian Quds force — responsible for hundreds of deaths in Iraq — for [Cunningham] to literally go to the till …

I saw an ad I hadn’t seen before saying that I would be soft on Russia and Russian bounties when the head of Central Command, a four-star Marine general, said there’s no credible evidence and that they’re continuing to look at it [and] if there is, they have to be held accountable. [Cunningham] is supporting [former vice president and current presidential candidate Joe] Biden, who has been weak on China. He’s supporting Biden who when he was in the [Obama] administration was weak on NATO, not having them pay their fair share. I think there’s a whole lot of reasons — it’s either inexperience, or it’s even worse than that. Let’s say that he does have the experience, and he’s still taking these extreme positions.

SMN: If foreign policy is among most important differences between you and your opponent, what’s the next most important one?

TT: I think it comes down to Cal Cunningham’s track record. When you’re running for the state Senate and you make a pledge not to raise taxes, and then you turn around and months later after you’re elected you raise taxes by a billion dollars at the height of a recession. I made a pledge if we got a majority at the height of the recession, that we were going to cut taxes. Cal Cunningham’s talking about supporting the Green New Deal. That’s increasing taxes, increasing regulations at a time when businesses are struggling. Cal will say anything to get elected and then he turns around breaks pledges and breaks promises. And I haven’t.

Look at my record. Any pledge I’ve made, any promise I’ve made, I fulfilled it when I was speaker [of the N.C. House] and I went up to Washington and I did the same thing.

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I talk about the three things that we can take personal responsibility for — we can wash our hands regularly, we can social distance and go out when only when it’s necessary and we wear a mask. I wear a mask out of respect for you and your life. And I hope that you would choose to wear a mask.

Mark Robinson: Absolutely not. As far as shutting down businesses, making a mask mandate, those things go against the fundamental principles in our state and our country of individual liberties. They want folks to wear a mask and that should be up to individuals if they want to wear a mask.

He also made a huge misstep and stepped over people’s constitutional rights when they shut down churches and didn’t allow churches to assemble. That was one of the most egregious things of this entire debacle. And it got to the point where, you know, they actually had to file suit against the governor so the people would have their first amendment rights to assemble peacefully for the purposes of practicing their religion.

The worst part of all of it has been the virus has been most deadly for the elderly and the places where the elderly are most vulnerable. We’ve seen nursing homes, and I have not seen the governor do anything on that end, as far as protecting nursing homes, stepping up, making sure that we put things in place where nursing homes are protected across the board. Take a look, a good strong look at nursing homes that maybe are not in the best of shape.

SMN: Polling suggests Cooper will likely win re-election. Let’s say that happens. How do you plan to influence Gov. Cooper or the General Assembly as we move forward in managing this pandemic?

MR: All of the things that we just mentioned, we want to avoid. Number one, violating people’s constitutional rights. Number two, we want to allow business owners — and here’s the big thing — if we allow them to operate their businesses freely, they will take care of their employees and their customers. Gyms

Mark Robinson

Meet the candidates YVONNE HOLLEY • Age: 68 • Residence: Raleigh • Occupation: Retired procurement contract specialist with N.C. Department of Administration • Political experience: Four-term N.C. House rep

MARK KEITH ROBINSON • • • •

Age: 51 Residence: Colfax Occupation: Manufacturing Political experience: First campaign

can do it. Bars can do it. Theaters can do it.

Restaurants can do it. I have faith that North Carolinians can do that. Apparently, our governor does not. I think that’s the message that needs to be taken to our General Assembly.

YH: We need to find better and more ways of trying to safely open up things. And I think a lot of things have become a lot safer. I’ve been to restaurants and getting carry out and I see them in business again, and I think that’s great. I like some of the outdoor-ness of what people are doing. I see more people walking and doing things riding bicycles and doing that a lot of outdoor activities and a lot of family stuff that they wouldn’t have been doing before. So there’s some positives that come out of this that I’d like to see continue. I would love for us to help the small businesses more and help them get back on their feet.

SMN: Another topic we didn’t discuss back in January and February that’s since gotten a lot

SMN: When people talk about the value of Black lives, often you’ll hear the complaint that abortion is the biggest killer of Black people in this nation. Do you agree with that?

MR: It’s odd that many of these folks on the other side of the aisle lament about the numbers of Black men that are murdered by police officers every year, [but then] mock us for calling attention to the fact that Planned Parenthood historically was created to all but wipe out the Black race and that most of their clinics, some 78 percent of their clinics, are located in minority neighborhoods. They mock us for pointing this out, for standing up for Black lives as they are being taken on the

S EE LT. GOV., PAGE 18

Smoky Mountain News

The Smoky Mountain News: When we last spoke during the Primary Election, COVID-19 wasn’t even a thing. Are you satisfied with the way Gov. Roy Cooper has handled the pandemic?

Yvonne Holley: I couldn’t be more proud of Gov. Cooper. The move that he made was based upon science and trying to save the lives of people in North Carolina. And it was not an easy decision to make. We have not been hit nearly as hard as some of the other states and other places because of his leadership and erring on the side of life, as opposed to just opening everything up.

Yvonne Holley

of ink is police reform and the Black Lives Matter movement.

YH: First of all, black lives matter. As an African American, I’m very proud of the young people who have taken up the mantle to fight for civil rights and justice. Racism and these indiscretions didn’t just start with the police. It’s been the policing and the ability to video tape that has brought it to people’s attention, but we kill more Black people through health care. Look at the numbers just COVID has brought out. When this COVID is over, and that moratorium on evictions is lifted, we’re going to see homelessness we’ve never seen before, and we need to address it.

I put a bill in trying to get some state funding to help with rents and foreclosure money to make sure that people who got hit by this pandemic and lost their jobs don’t lose their homes. It was ignored by the Republicans and wouldn’t even come out of committee, which really disappointed me. I do know there’s been some federal money that has been allocated for this, but it is nearly not enough. We have problems statewide not just in urban areas, but rural areas as well.

MR: There is absolutely no reason for us to be calling for this massive amount of police reform. It is ridiculous. When you look at the numbers, when you look at the number of times that police officers come in contact with citizens on a daily basis in this nation, compared to the amount of times that those things have come to violence or death our police departments in this state and our municipalities do a wonderful job and those numbers are very small. There’s no reason for us to be calling for this massive amount of police reform.

Of course, we’re going to have incidents that need to be evaluated. We’re going to have incidents like George Floyd, where the police officer, it appears he was completely in the wrong. We need to handle those things and they need to be properly adjudicated. People need to be properly punished. But there’s no reason for us to have these massive calls for police reform. The police don’t need to be under a microscope because of these small incidences of violence that we see. What we really need to be doing in my opinion is we need to be partnered with the police.

October 7-13, 2020

BY CORY VAILLANCOURT STAFF WRITER ven though it’s largely a ceremonial post, North Carolina’s lieutenant governor has an important role in state government — especially when the governor is from the other party.

Lt. Gov. Dan Forest, who is now running for governor, has spent the last four years exerting influence in the legislature and championing a number of conservative causes that Democratic Gov. Roy Cooper doesn’t support. That’s a stark contrast from Forest’s first four years in the position, when fellow Republican Pat McCrory served as governor and the two worked closely.

Forest’s run — announced back in January, 2019 — leaves the seat open this November, and candidates from both parties emerged in droves for the Primary Election.

Democrats fielded six, including Asheville Sen. Terry Van Duyn and Raleigh legislator Yvonne Holley. Holley prevailed in the primary, but Van Duyn did well enough to call for a runoff.

She didn’t, telling The Smoky Mountain News on March 10, “The poll that we did indicated that I’d have to raise significant money, and to take more money out of my community didn’t make sense to me. I just feel that it’s no longer the highest and best use of those investments.”

That cleared the way for Holley to focus on her Republican opponent, Greensboro gun rights advocate Mark Robinson, who avoided a runoff by beating eight other Republicans including then-Sen. Andy Wells and current State Superintendent of Public Instruction Mark Johnson.

Much has been made of the fact that Holley and Robinson are Black — thereby guaranteeing that for the very first time North Carolina will have a Black lieutenant governor. However, their respective political philosophies are yet another reminder that the Black vote isn’t as homogeneous as some would like to believe.

Ultimately, the legacy of North Carolina’s next lieutenant governor will be more about who’s governor than about the political leanings of the winner, but they’ll still have to deal with pandemic management, calls for police reform, and every other issue state government takes up during its normal course of business, during a very abnormal time.

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Holley, Robinson vie for Lt. Gov. post

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· BY JONATHAN AUSTIN · usan Austin was 56 when she saw an ad on television about how women should be doing self-exams to see if they can find lumps in their breasts.

“It was October and a breast self-exam commercial came on, because it was Breast Cancer Awareness Month,” she said. “I got up right then. I went to the shower and did a breast check.”

She found a lump. She’d had her annual mammogram, but now, there it was; a large lump in her left breast. “I didn't have to press deeply, it was obvious. It was a very large lump. It stuck out in my breast, and felt like a wart,” she said.

Fear gripped her. She knew her mother had dealt with breast cancer, and a friend had died when her breast cancer could not be controlled with standard treatment. “It was very scary. My knees were weak,” she said.

I’m Susan’s husband. That day she told me what she found. We agreed that she needed to immediately address her concern.

“I called my doctor, and he scheduled an appointment for me to come in,” Susan said. “He agreed I had a lump, and sent me to get an ultrasound mammogram at Haywood Regional Medical Center. He was supportive but said we needed to wait for the results.”

“They also did a needle biopsy in outpatient surgery, and the results were that I had breast cancer. It was in the left breast and in the lymph nodes under my armpit, which meant a stage 3 diagnosis, because it had spread,” she said.

“Within a week I was in surgery to have that left breast and the lymph nodes removed. Initially the right breast wasn't involved,” Susan said. “Afterward I was in pain, and I was saddened.”

It felt like an important part of her life had been cut away.

“I healed well, then I began six months of chemotherapy and then 28 days of radiation treatment,” she said.

The doctors at the radiation center in

Smoky Mountain News

October 7-13, 2020

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Clyde selected a specific mix of chemo for Susan. It was called ‘The Red Devil.’

“Nobody ever tells you how the Red Devil is just the hardest chemo,” Susan said. “That’s when I lost my hair. My hair was coming out, so a friend cut it all off.”

In support, I also shaved my head.

Susan and I were equally bald. However, mine began growing in again, while her head remained bare.

The solution, as every woman who has had chemotherapy knows, is to get a wig.

“There’s a place in North Asheville, a wig store for cancer patients, and I picked out a wig that resembled my natural hair,” Susan said.

Nonetheless, there is no denying the mental impact of everything: surgery, weakness, fear, losing your hair. “It’s depressing, because I knew I was bald,” Susan said.

Susan still had her right breast and had received a knitted prosthetic to put in her bra to simulate the missing left breast. “The prosthetic has a funny name, knitted knocker, made by a group of women who understand what is missing and want to provide some solace,” she said.

Yet Susan still felt awkward, onebreasted, out of balance. She also feared the return of cancer.

“I had a conversation with my surgeon about taking the other breast, because that would mean no more breast cancer.

I thought I still had a target on my chest.

My children told me I didn’t need them anymore, if I wanted to get rid of the one that remained,” she said. “Jonathan and everyone were supportive of me doing what I felt I needed to do,” she said.

So that's what we did.

“But I miss my breasts,” Susan said. “I

don’t feel comfortable. I think I was 12 when I got a bra, and I was in my upper 50s when I had my cancer surgery. It was not easy to decide to have the other one removed, but I came to believe it was the best thing to do,” she said.

Susan knows the surgery saved her life, and she is forever thankful to the doctors and support staff who accompanied her through the battle.

She also has advice for women of all ages. “Do a breast check, every month, because it can arrive fast and furious. I had mammograms once a year, but this just popped up. Take care of yourself.

Check your breasts.”

Editor’s note: For the complete version of this article, visit www.smokymountainnews.com/rumble/item/29961.

The Team Digital Media Specialist Susanna Shetley (from left), SMN News Editor Jessi Stone, Graphic Designer Jessica Murray, and Staff Writer Hannah McLeod

Rumble is a weekly e-newsletter created by women, for women and about women. It is published by The Smoky Mountain News and delivered to your inbox each Thursday. The goal is to offer readers a beautifully curated email that will inspire and motivate women to live their best lives.

By hearing the challenges and successes of other women, we hope you will find an opportunity to live, love, learn and grow in your own unique way.

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Want to know more about newsletter advertising, sponsored content or advertising on this page email Susanna Shetley at susanna.b@smokymountainnews or call 828.452.4251

LT. GOV., CONTINUED FROM 17

SMN: Earlier this year, counties across the state passed so-called “Second Amendment sanctuary” resolutions despite calls for gun control by some. What are your feelings on red flag laws?

YH: I’m definitely for red flag laws which are for when people are in crisis. When you have a family member or someone who’s going through a mental health crisis and they are in trouble, that is where a judge will make the decision about how to handle that situation. It’s not intended to permanently take your guns away. It’s when you are in this cri-

“There is absolutely no reason for us to be calling for this massive amount of police reform. It is ridiculous.”

— Mark Robinson

“Both my wife and I are products of our great public schools and universities, as well as my children. Both of my parents were lifelong teachers right here in these mountains. So I know personally that strong public schools are the backbone of our community” -Joe Sam Queen

— Yvonne Holley

same thing will be done if we do this, these red flag laws. People will go down and make erroneous claims against gun owners, they’ll have their guns taken away by a gun-grabbing sheriff, and there’s no telling when they’ll be able to get those guns back. It’s funny that the people want to have red flag laws are also the people who want to defund the police.

@Smoky MtnNews

In the State House Joe Sam will, • Work to increase funding for local schools, especially early childhood education • Raise teacher pay and give school staff the resources they need • Improve access to our community colleges allowing everyone to get the workforce training they need • Support our great universities, the engines of a 21st century economy

Smoky Mountain News

SMN: No matter who wins, North Carolina will for the very first time have a Black lieutenant governor come January. What does that mean to you?

MR: It means a lot to me. It’s, not only the knowledge that I am building a legacy for myself and my family, but it’s also about changing the narrative in this state — in this nation — that the Republican Party is the party of freedom and true equality and always has been. The conservative principles that we believe in, that our party believes in, are what we adhere to in order to move forward and to support progress in this state. I think it means a great deal. It will definitely push back against the narrative that the Republican Party is the party of old, rich white men, which is definitely not true. We saw that during the Republican convention, and I think by winning this seat, we can prove it.

YH: I’m a child of the sixties and I fought for civil rights all my life. I am disappointed that we are having to relive some of the same battles that I fought as a young person. I would be honored and privileged to be the first African American to be lieutenant governor, but that’s not why I chose to run. I am the most competent and capable person for the job. Experienced and ready for the job. I just happen to be African American.

October 7-13, 2020

sis, let’s take a look at what we can do to keep you from harming anybody else plus yourself.

And that to me is what red flag laws are. A lot of times when you are not thinking rationally, and there’s domestic abuse and that weapon is there, there’s a tendency to use it and act upon an emotion in a rage, or unrest within yourself where you aren’t thinking as clear as you would otherwise. So I do believe that there’s a place for red flag laws, a definite place for red flag laws and it should only be done by the court system. It should not be “Oh, go get his gun because he looked at me wrong.” that’s an abuse of the system.

MR: My opponent claims that she’s for the Second Amendment. I don’t necessarily believe that. She’s a champion of what we call “red flag laws.”

Red flag laws will be used to violate the constitutional rights of gun owners across this state, across this nation, and they’re a nogo. We see that now. We have protective

“First of all, black lives matter. As an African American, I’m very proud of the young people who have taken up the mantle to fight for civil rights and justice.”

JOE SAM QUEEN IS WORKING FOR OUR SCHOOLS

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street. They mock us for standing up for Black lives in the womb. So we have to wonder who it is that’s actually concerned about Black lives.

YH: Health care is health care and a woman’s right to make her personal decision about her body and to have access to quality care is critical. A lot of these facilities are located in communities of people who don’t have the funds to get the private doctor to do it or to serve them in that kind of way. Black women need access to affordable quality health care, period.

orders that people can get. If we’re being honest with ourselves, we see the way protective orders are abused every day in this country, against people where people go down and file false protective orders against people, and people are put out their own homes and their own apartments over false protective orders and thrown into all types of situations. The

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Foundation provides COVID-19 testing for schools

BY HANNAH MCLEOD STAFF WRITER n Aug. 21 the Highlands Cashiers Health Foundation announced it would fund a weekly COVID-19 testing program for Highlands School, Summit Charter School and Blue Ridge School.

Highlands School and Summit Charter school began offering testing the week of Sept. 14. The testing will continue on a weekly basis through Dec. 18, as long as schools continue in-person learning.

“We knew that there was a scarcity of testing in the area, and we were just trying to figure out what was the best way for us to fill that need,” said Dr. Richard Ellin, HCHF board member and chairman of the program. Ellin said that the group came up with the idea of using their resources to test at schools and decided this was a great way to move forward.

“We thought that, number one, if we could put a program together where we could test everyone on a weekly basis, that would be sufficient so that if there were significant disease in the community we would know about it sooner than later and the schools could make informed decisions

about whether they could continue in-school learning or not,” Ellin said.

According to Ellin, the board also thought the regular testing would be reassuring to faculty, staff and parents. The foundation inquired with principals at Highlands School and Summit Charter school in Macon County, as well as Blue Ridge School in Jackson County and got a positive response about testing from those principals.

Mountain Park Urgent Care administers the molecular PCR tests and results are generally back within one to three days. Parents must give permission for their child’s participation in the testing program.

As of Sept. 28, Principal Brian Jetter of Highlands school said 13 of 65 staff members had opted in for testing, and the parents of 67 out of 347 students had opted in for testing.

“I do expect it the number accepting testing] to grow, I hope it will grow, and I think that even if it doesn’t grow, that’s about 20 percent of the total numbers. Even that provides a service,” said Ellin. “For example, the first week we did testing there were no positives. We tested about a total of 115 people

between the two schools, and there were no positives. So that’s very reassuring. It’s unlikely, not impossible, but unlikely there is a significant prevalence of disease among the 80 percent we didn’t test, given that there were no positives in the 20 percent we did test.”

According to Dr. Ellin, testing at this level is effective. He said it is better than not doing any testing, though it is not as effective as testing a greater percentage.

“We feel that testing 20 precent is significantly better than not knowing anything,” Ellin said.

At a Macon County School Board Meeting Sept. 28 John deVille, a Macon County Schools teacher, made a request to the school board that MCS not return to inperson learning until the local positivity rate is 3 percent or less, MCS employ more rigorous COVID-19 testing in schools and provide N95 masks regularly to all students and staff who with to use them.

“I made those requests specifically to protect the health of our students, the health of the faculty and staff, and to protect the health of our community,” said deVille.

At the meeting Chairman Jim Breedlove

Charlotte man arrested for soliciting minor

without incident. Haywood County Sheriff’s Office charged Hartsell with Solicitation of a Minor by Computer. Hartsell was placed in the Haywood County Detention Center under a $50,000 secured bond.

limited capacity.

Macon County has determined that to keep community spread minimal, the main building will remain closed, but the gymnasium will open on a scheduled basis for recreational sports programs. Cleaning and sanitizing will occur before and after scheduled activities of commonly used entrance and exit doors and other high-touch surfaces like seating, equipment, and restrooms. Showers and water fountains will remain closed.

The multi-use room will be open for one

William Ray Hartsell, 27, of Charlotte, was arrested in Haywood County on Sept. 23 by the Haywood County Sheriff’s Office Criminal Investigative Division.

The arrest came several weeks after an online investigation to identify child predators.

Detectives arranged a meeting inside Haywood County where Hartsell was taken into custody

Macon community center reopens Macon County’s Robert C. Carpenter Community Building will begin to open under

stop voting and will follow all proper social distancing and cleaning guidelines. For more information about one-stop voting, please contact the Macon County Board of Elections here: http://maconnc.org/board-ofelections.html Outside facilities including ball fields, parks, and outdoor spaces are open to the community so long as they are following social distancing guidelines including wearing a mask, maintaining social distancing, and frequent handwashing and sanitizing.

Exit 100 off U.S. 74

Smoky Mountain News

October 7-13, 2020

O

said Superintendent Chris Baldwin would look into it.

According to Dr. Ellin there are three main obstacles to more widespread testing.

Funding and the availability of tests play a major role.

“Even if funds were freely available, I’m not sure that we would have access to the number of tests that we need to test everyone on a weekly basis,” said Ellin.

The third obstacle is the lack of sufficient community acceptance of both widespread testing, and even that the virus is a problem in the first place.

“I’ve spoken with principals about where they think resistance is coming from, why they think when offered free testing every week only 20 percent have chosen to take advantage of it. They say they think a lot of people don’t want to know. Because if their kid tests positive or they test positive, that means isolating, it means potentially losing income, not being able to go to work,” Ellin said. “They also feel that some of it is political. It’s no secret that we live in a relatively conservative, right leaning area, and we all know what the politics of COVID have become.”

20

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Jim Moore rejoins the DA’s office

“For the last 20-plus years our family has lived on a small horse farm in the Ironduff community,” Moore said. “When time allows, I love to play golf, hunt and, most importantly, spend time with my family.”

Moore and Welch both worked as ADAs until former DA Mike Bonfoey retired in 2013 and they both decided to run to replace him.

Jim Moore Welch, a Republican from Macon County, won the election in a landslide in 2014, against Moore.

Moore ran as a Democrat for the DA seat in 2014 and also appeared on the Democratic ticket in the 2018 primary election for Clerk of Court, but he was defeated by fellow Democrat Hunter Plemmons.

However, when Moore ran decided to run for District Court Judge in the 2019 primary, he did so as a Republican, but still lost out to Republican Kaleb Wingate.

A

District Attorney Ashley Hornsby Welch announced Thursday that Jim Moore has joined the 43rd Prosecutorial District as an assistant district attorney.

For Moore, it’s a return to familiar legal terrain. A trial attorney in Western North Carolina for 34 years, 17 of those years were spent as an assistant district attorney.

Though based in Macon County, Moore will work across the seven-county district as needed.

“Jim is an exceptional attorney with a vast amount of experience as a prosecutor,” Welch said. “I’m delighted to have him back on board in the 43rd Prosecutorial District.”

District Court Judge Monica Leslie swore in Moore on Thursday in Macon County Superior Court.

The district has an office in each of the seven counties and, with the addition of Moore, 43 employees, including 14 prosecutors.

Moore and his wife, Connie, met in law school, and have three children, ages 32, 30 and 21. The couple have been working together on Main Street in Waynesville.

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AT TIC KETS AND INFORMATION

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an enterprise fund separate from the general fund, with a balance of around $3 million.

There was concern that without the threat of disconnection hanging over their heads some customers would simply refuse to pay and build up large balances that would eventually come due. Alderman Anthony Sutton expressed support for the measure at the time, bit also emphasized the importance of payment arrangements for residential customers.

“It needs to be very clear that they’re not going to get [utility service] for free,” said Sutton. “They do have to pay it eventually.”

Indeed, state statute prohibits waiving fees or bills, so customers who couldn’t or wouldn’t pay their bills during the grace period must now do so.

“Customers are eligible for a payment plan to catch up on utility costs accrued during the effective dates of Gov. Roy Cooper’s executive orders — March 31st through July 29th, 2020,” reads Lyvers’ release. “If a payment plan has not already been requested, please contact the Finance Office at 828.456.3515 to enroll in a payment plan and avoid disconnection of service.”

The release also notes that assistance with paying overdue utility bills may be available from the Haywood County Health and Human Services Agency for those who qualify, or from local charities.

* M A G G I E VA L L E Y *

October 7-13, 2020

BY CORY VAILLANCOURT STAFF WRITER policy adopted by the Town of Waynesville that was designed to alleviate financial hardship during the early stages of the Coronavirus Pandemic is about to end, and town officials want to be sure no one’s caught by surprise.

“The Town of Waynesville will return to standard utility billing and payment practices beginning November 2, 2020, which means customers in arrears and not participating in a payment plan will receive notices about their past due balances and the earliest possible date their service could be interrupted,” reads a release issued by Autumn Lyvers, the town’s new finance director.

Back in March, aldermen voted to suspend billing-related water and electric shutoffs for its residential customers.

“If there is one thing that worries me more than the thought of catching the coronavirus it’s the damage this is doing to the pocketbooks of our citizens,” Alderman Jon Feichter told The Smoky Mountain News at the time.

The water fund is an enterprise fund, meaning it’s separate from the town’s general fund. When the provision was enacted, the fund had a balance of more than $2.2 million. The town’s electric fund is the same —

ile So un ds Pre sen t The Gr ey Ea gle & Wo rth wh news

Moratorium on Waynesville utility disconnections to end

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Education

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18th for social mobility and 25th overall in regional universities, public and private, in the South.

The listing of ninth as a regional best value is especially telling, as the university’s previous ranking of 14th did not fully reflect NC Promise, which reduces the cost of tuition to $500 per semester for North Carolina residents and $2,500 per semester for students from out of state.

SCC to host state debate In September, students in Dr. Bucky Dann’s Social Problems class hosted debates featuring candidates for national and local office.

Following the Sept. 24 event featuring candidates for Jackson County Board of Commissioners, students will now delve into statewide issues in preparation for a debate between Joe Sam Queen (D) and Mike Clampitt (R), candidates for N.C. House of Representatives, Dist. 119. That debate will take place at 7 p.m. on Oct. 8 on Southwestern’s Jackson Campus.

Due to COVID-19 and related statewide restrictions, the public will not be able to physically attend. Instead, SCC will provide live streaming video at livestream.com/southwesterncc/nchouse119.

The final debate of this campaign season will be at 7 p.m. on Oct. 22 featuring Kevin Corbin (R) and Victoria Fox (D) - candidates for N.C. Senate, District 50.

Register for fall at HCC Registration is still open at Haywood Community College for classes this fall. Online courses for an eight-week session will start in October. Choose from classes such as art and biology to humanities and music. Work from the safety of your home while saving money on your education.

According to Wendy Hines, HCC Vice President of Instruction, “HCC has increased our eight-week offerings this fall to assist students with their educational journey. A variety of courses are being offered to meet individual student needs and interests. We’re offering these courses online to allow students to be enrolled in college while balancing their family and work demands.”

Classes start on Oct. 13. For more information, call 828.627.2821, email hcc-advising@haywood.edu or visit www.haywood.edu.

WCU offers beginning German class Western Carolina University’s Office of Professional Growth and Enrichment will be offering a five-week online beginning German language course Oct. 12 through Nov. 13.

“This is a self-contained, conversation-based beginning German course designed for adults and built around high-quality, original electronic materials,” said instructor Dr. Will Lehman, associate professor of German at WCU. Lehman designed the electronic materials himself and they are available to students at no additional cost. Topics to be covered include: formal and informal introductions, origins and hometowns, shopping, traveling, eating, clothing and colors, among others.

The cost for registration is $79. For more information and to register, visit learn.wcu.edu/language or call 828.227.7397.

Stuff the Bus for Jackson schools Heroes 2 Legends Wrestling is partnering with Jackson County Public Schools, the Jackson County Rescue Squad and Dr. Clifford Mault Family Medicine to bring “Staff The Buss 2020” to the Jackson County Rescue Squad in Sylva.

Last school year, while 1 in 35 school-aged students in Jackson County experienced homelessness, many others were on the brink of losing their homes if not for the support of community organizations just like this one. The Stuff The Bus program uses money donated to purchase needs that include: hygiene products, clothing, school supplies, and food, while also helping families in need reach out to other programs in the county for more long-term stability.

Doors open at 5:30 p.m. and the bell time is at 6:30. All tickets are $5 at the door. Seating is first-come, first-serve.

SCC gets funding for Nurse Aide program Enrollment in Southwestern Community College’s Nurse Aide program just got a lot more affordable.

The North Carolina Community College’s System has recently awarded grant money to support students enrolled in the Nurse Aide Program at SCC. The North Carolina Targeted Assistance Program (NCTAP) is a state grant program designed to increase enrollment for high-demand occupations.

This year, the grant will be providing scholarships to eligible students in SCC’s Nurse Aide program to cover costs for their spring 2021 tuition.

SCC’s Nurse Aide program prepares students to become certified nursing assistants (CNAs).

CNAs help care for physically or mentally ill, injured or disabled individuals in hospitals, nurs-

23

Perry recognized as top professional

ing and personal care facilities and mental health settings. Working under the supervision of nurses, CNAs perform much-needed daily tasks such as serving meals, making beds and helping patients eat, dress and bathe.

For more information on the Nurse Aide program, contact Conner at d_conner@southwesterncc.edu or by calling 828.339.4459.

WCU to delay spring semester start Western Carolina University has announced plans for the 2021 spring semester that include delaying the start of classes by two weeks, eliminating the traditional weeklong spring break and providing an abbreviated midterm break.

Instruction for spring 2021 will continue to be offered through a blend of face-to-face, online and hybrid course delivery. An abbreviated mid semester break has been scheduled to coincide with the Easter holiday, with no classes to be held Thursday, April 1, through Monday, April 5. The last day of classes for the spring semester is Friday, May 7, followed by final exams Saturday, May 8, through Friday, May 14.

Spring commencement ceremonies are tentatively set for Friday, May 14, and Saturday, May 15, although those dates are subject to change.

WCU in top listings of universities The annual U.S. News & World Report rankings of colleges and universities for 2021 places Western Carolina University firmly in an upper echelon of institutions of higher education.

WCU is among the top 10 in two categories — 10th among public universities in the South and ninth as a best value university in the South. The university also is listed as 13th best for veterans,

April Perry, an associate professor in the College of Education and Allied Professions at Western Carolina University, has been named to the Standout Blue Ridge Class of 2020 by the Carolinas’ chapter of the Cystic Fibrosis Foundation.

The 15 honorees exemplify leadership qualities, are active in volunteer roles and have excelled in their chosen profession and community, with those selected deemed among the most prominent, influential and successful in Western North Carolina. As an honoree, Perry will participate in opportunities to network with her fellow class members, learn more about cystic fibrosis, help spread awareness about the disease and raise critical funds for research, drug development, and care and support programs.

“I feel incredibly honored to be selected as a Standout young professional for the Western North Carolina region,” Perry said. “The Cystic Fibrosis Foundation is doing amazing work and research to help those in need in our community. I’ve learned so much about CF through this experience, and I’m excited to continue to bring awareness to others.”

Perry will be formally recognized for her achievements during a virtual celebration on Nov. 5.

• With the wrap up of Summer Learning and the beginning of a new school year, Marianna Black Library thanks this year’s participants for the Imagine Your Story Summer Learning Program of 2020. Congratulations to two well accomplished readers — Daingr Rowlan, 8, and Oskar Rowlan, 5 — they are this year’s top reader and received grand prizes for Summer Learning.

ALSO:

• Southwestern Community College is launching an “Enroll Anytime” selection of classes this semester. Students can earn as much credit as they can fit into their schedules, and new sections begin every week from Sept. 8 through Nov. 2. All classes end on Dec. 4. A complete list of course offerings is available at www.SouthwesternCC.edu.

• Lisa Leatherman, Nantahala District Manager for Duke Energy Carolinas, has begun serving as Chair of the SCC Foundation Board.

Leatherman, who has helped the SCC Foundation raise more than $22,000 since 2015, recently secured an additional $5,000 from the Duke Energy Foundation toward the New Century Scholars (NCS) program.

24

Opinion

Smoky Mountain News

Pless’ behavior should worry voters W

Sign drove me away from Waynesville To the Editor: Simply put, I’m a Texas tourist (airline pilot on leave of absence) who was on my first trip to the Hendersonville area in our motorhome. This morning, my wife of four decades mentioned Waynesville for about the fifth time, and I decided a convertible cruise down the parkway with lunch and shopping in Waynesville was in order.

On the outskirts, I was treated to the spectacle of a “Trump For President” sign with an added stinger to give it a little more white nationalist zest: “Hillary For Prison.”

Short story short, I refused to stop.

KayCee had in mind an afternoon of browsing storefronts, giving our credit cards a workout — I can’t say my credit cards since she’s a retired attorney and title companies owner — but instead was relegated to sulking.

Individual expression is sure a delicate issue: any citizen can legally post some offensive icon on private property; but, visitors confronted with such are empowered to blacklist commerce in response.

I just didn’t want the day to pass without sharing my tale: that one strategically placed banner warded off at least one visitor, today. Like Crawford Ranch — it is south of our private airport in Texas and was designated prohibited airspace — years ago, Waynesville is now a big blacked-out spot on

threats that he would “f*%@ the system.” An advisory board wrote a letter stating he exhibited “willful and deliberate misconduct which resulted in termination of your employment.”

Obviously, Pless is giving folks the ole razzle dazzle about how he came to no longer be employed by the county. Why the dishonesty? It’s as if he’s ashamed of the termination and rumors of sexual harassment surrounding his career in emergency services.

A reasonable person might inquire that if Pless is not qualified to be employed by the county, then why is he serving the county in the commissioner capacity?

The same man has been accused of domestic violence. His wife filed a domestic violence complaint and Guest Columnist restraining order in 2008. According to Mrs. Pless’ own words, Commissioner Pless was having an affair with a member of their church which led to multiple physical altercations. Her report states he grabbed her by the throat, slammed her to the bed. When questioned about the nature of this incident he downplays it as “the little domestic thing.” Am I to conclude that domestic violence and misogyny go hand in hand?

Someone needs to stand up, say something. I guess I’ll be the one. This is atrocious behavior for an elected leader. With his controversial background, Pless has no place in local government. The unconscionable conduct in both his personal and professional life along with his blatant disdain for the

Heather Hyatt Packer

hen our government leaders deliberately mislead or lie to us, there is no immediate consequence. We would never hire or retain an employee who lacks personal integrity or responsibility, yet we seem to accept that the lack of integrity in political leadership is the norm — even at the local level.

It is no secret Haywood County Commissioner Mark Pless — who is running for a state House seat in District 118 — is problematic. Not only has he vehemently opposed harm reduction efforts in our community but has lambasted our homeless population and often makes gross distortions of the truth.

Pless habitually claims he’s never been given facts, information and studies on these subjects — when he has in fact received the materials. He offers no feasible solution to these problems.

Instead he refuses to acknowledge science-based evidence that addiction is a disease. Pless, a salesman, says addiction is a “choice.”

Pless has openly sparred with constituents who disagree with him. He has bullied — primarily females — and is disrespectful during meetings and through email exchanges. He has attempted to “humiliate” residents through social media shaming. A person with seemingly no ability to manage his impulses has no place in public service. That's right, Mark. You're a public servant. Your position exists to serve the people, not the privileged.

In a June 2020 interview, Pless claimed he left his paramedic job in 2003 because of PTSD issues. Yet in the same article, evidence shows the contrary. Pless quit after having a verbal altercation with another county employee in which Pless made

LETTERS our North Carolina map.

Stay healthy and safe, all.

Andy Shane Granbury, Texas

Sign stealers should be denounced To the Editor: Trump tends to project onto others what he is planning to do or has done. When he says that Democrats can’t win the election without cheating, what he really means is that he needs to cheat to win. We have seen this being before our eyes with Trump and Republicans dismantling of the Postal Service to hinder delivery of mail in ballots, removal of voting locations in a number of states controlled by Republicans, and various forms of voter suppression.

It would appear that some local Republicans are making their contribution to cheating. Someone is pulling up Biden/Harris signs around the county. In some cases stealing signs from the same location repeatedly.

One case involved someone going onto the porch of a home to steal a Biden banner. The Democratic Party Headquarters has been vandalized with candidate signs being stolen and even the U.S. flag being taken.

These would appear to be from folks aligned with the party of “law and order” who

female gender leaves me to wonder how someone like this has the arrogance to run for public office?

There is a real and worthwhile conversation taking place in our community regarding harm reduction, addiction and the non-housing issue. Unlike Pless, there are superstars in Haywood County who tirelessly serve those in need, create opportunities for change, and deliberately move towards an end which will ultimately serve us all.

We need a leader who truly lives mountain values. Simply put, mountain values to me include a sense of dignity and empathy that have been built by brave frontier men and women who endured troubled times through hard work and helping their neighbors. We need a leader who doesn’t send snarky emails suggesting he’ll “bring the homeless to your doorstep.” We need a leader who serves everyone — not just his base. We need a leader who doesn’t equate human worth to property ownership. We need a leader who not only proclaims himself a Christian (as if that somehow is an association with rightness) but in effect acts like a Christian.

Jesus might find himself caring for those in Frog Level that Pless so execrates at public meetings. We need leaders who embraces servant leadership with a clear sense of duty and guides by example.

Vote with thoughtfulness at the poll this November. Take a stand for Haywood County. Restore honor to the Haywood County Board of Commissioners.

(Heather Hyatt Packer is a performance artist and podcast host who lives in Waynesville.

Reach her at heatherhyattphoto@gmail.com.)

don’t see unethical or criminal behavior as a problem. If these vandals are not Republicans, the Republican Party should denounce them.

JoAnne McElroy Waynesville

Democrats want to take away rights To the Editor: I noticed in your Sept. 30 edition that all your letters to the editor are nothing but political ads catering to the socialist left. Also they contain many lies.

The Republicans are not gunning for our Social Security. Demanding that benefits of any kind should only go to legal inhabitants

of this country is only common sense. All illegals break the law and therefore are criminals.

Saying that the Democrats aren’t gonna take our guns away is a flat-out lie! They openly advocate taking our guns and abolishing the Second Amendment. That’s what Kamala Harris said last week.

When it comes to destroying the ACA, it should be destroyed. There’s nothing affordable about it and it’s the cause of many people being uninsured because they cannot afford the high premiums.

Abortion is not health care; when you kill a human you are not caring for that human.

Abortion is plain murder. Only in the case that the mother’s life is in danger should abortion be considered. Abortion is not a right, it is a misguided court ruling based upon lies by the plaintiff and should have been repealed the day she admitted to lying.

Where it comes to drilling for oil, the writers of that letter should immediately stop driving their car and stop using anything that is made from petroleum or that’s being brought to them in vehicles using petroleum based fuel.

That’s 99

Trump just doesn’t care

Trump’s re-election important for U.S.

deplete innocent people of pride, immunity and strength.

As hated as you are, you are equally powerful. Only the most severe treatments can maybe, possibly, hopefully destroy you. Treatments that make your victims sick, weak, sad, amnesic.

Treatments that do not dance in harmony with the perfection and intention of the human body.

In the end, though, here you are. So instead of wasting energy despising you, wanting to spit on you, I will turn away from you, for now. I will focus on the ones who are battling you, fighting to feel well enough to enjoy dinner with family, a walk on a beach or an afternoon with grandchildren.

We’ll get you one day, cancer. It may not be today. It may not be tomorrow.

But, one day, we’ll get you.

Sincerely, Susanna About a year after her initial breast cancer diagnosis, my mom went into remission. She fought breast cancer with everything in her and won. The following months were full of joy and bliss. Sadly, she was soon thereafter diagnosed with multiple myeloma, another type of cancer.

There wasn’t a direct correlation between the two types of cancer, but my mom’s depleted immunity from chemo left her with little to fight the multiple myeloma.

Two years later, in August 2016, she lost the battle.

We can’t understand the trajectory of a person’s journey on earth. I will never understand why my mom’s life took a devastating turn, which left her loved ones grieving and heartbroken. When she became very sick, she told me all she wanted was to live long enough to see my oldest son start middle school. At the time of her death, he was a second-grader. He started middle school this year.

Though she wasn’t here on earth to send him off, we felt her cheering him on from afar.

The strength with which she battled both cancers will inspire me forever. Grief changes a person. It makes one wiser and more grateful. As one of my favorite writers, Elizabeth Gilbert, said, “It’s an honor to be in grief. It’s an honor to feel that much, to have loved that much.”

This column was written in honor of Breast Cancer Awareness Month and originally appeared in Rumble, The Smoky Mountain News enewsletter, published every Thursday morning. Rumble is a newsletter created by women, for women and about women. If you would like to subscribe, you can do so at https://bit.ly/33yoU1B.

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To the Editor: “I hope they both die” are words expressed by some lefty Trump haters when they heard that President Trump and the first lady tested positive for the COVID-19 virus. This attitude is no surprise because the name calling, scandal tattling, mocking, dredging up of prior comments and false accusations are what we are subjected to from some supporters on both sides.

Now we are at a point in this election cycle where it is time to pin down what really counts in choosing a President of the United States. To my mind it is tested leadership ability, straight talk, promises made and kept, a believable concern for all of the American people, creating prosperity and finding solutions to problems. I expect a President to be active and engaged while full of energy, spirit and patriotism.

One who will maintain our social order, national security, law and order, individual liberties and constitutional freedoms. These qualities are what we have now in President Donald Trump and his re-election ensures these characteristics will continue in our President of the United States.

Shirley Slaughter Cashiers

ne nondescript day in May 2013 we had Sunday lunch plans. The morning had been a frenzy of cleaning and parenting my two little boys. I was excited to get out of the house so someone else could cook and serve me food.

When my parents arrived, I sensed something was awry when they walked through the door. They exchanged knowing looks. My dad guided the boys outside to play. My mom took my hand and led me into a bedroom. She Columnist seated herself and patted the space beside her. I sat down. Her face wore an expression of concern.

“What is it? What’s wrong?” I asked.

“I have breast cancer,” she responded looking me point blank in the eyes.

The flowers on her dress started swirling. The boys’ laughter drifted through the window. The ceiling fan clicked as it went round and round.

I could not conjure words.

The following months were a blur of chemo appointments, radiation and surgery. I carried around constant guilt about my busy schedule preventing me from accompanying my mother to appointments, but she always eased my nerves by saying it made her happier knowing I was a hardworking mommy taking care of her little angel boys. She always told me to focus on my own life and she would worry about her health.

We lifted her spirits by staying busy and ensuring the grandkids were with her as much as possible.

We made sure she rested and ate well. She was tired and sick, but she was steadfast in her quest to overcome the illness. It was during this time I wrote the following letter”

Dear Cancer, At first glance you are merely a word, six black letters on a white page, seemingly harmless and irrelevant. But, you and I both know the truth. You are an evil word, one that trembles from the mouth with tears streaming and panic pulsating.

You are a parasite that claws deep into the breasts, lungs, pancreas, ovaries, blood, skin, brain. But you do more than scrape away the healthy cells that were so carefully created. You take away mothers and fathers, sisters and brothers, daughters and sons. You

Reading Soothes the Soul

October 7-13, 2020

To the Editor: I recently received a mailer from the Trump campaign purportedly to tell the truth about what Trump has accomplished. However, several of Trump’s accomplishments were omitted in the brochure.

One is Trump’s support of Saudis, including selling bombers to Saudi Arabia. The Saudis have taken sides in the Yemen civil war and have used these aircraft several times to bomb cities and ports of Yemen.

It is estimated that more than 100,000 have been killed in Yemen including more than 12,000 civilians.

In March 2019, both the House and Senate passed a resolution to end U.S. support of the Saudi war effort. It was vetoed by president Trump. Because of the Saudi bombing, the United Nations warned that 13 million Yemeni face starvation, many of them children. However, Trump continues to supply Saudis with planes and military aid.

Saudi pilots, you will remember, were involved in the 9-11 bombing of the World Trade Center in New York. Nearly 3,000 people lost their lives. Amid the tears and grief that marked that day, Trump appeared in a news conference in which he declared his feelt ings, “one of my buildings, I believe, is now the tallest in downtown Manhattan.” A total lack of concern or compassion for the death and grief of that day.

We Americans have an election coming soon in which we can cast ballots for President. We can vote for someone who, perhaps, cares about our welfare and well-being. Or we can vote for someone who doesn’t care a fat Cheeto about whether we live or die.

Paul Strop Waynesville

A letter to cancer O

Susanna Shetley

percent of goods, by the way. Electric vehicles still need fossil fuel to generate the electricity needed. And they pollute a lot more over their entire lifespan. So, stop using anything fossil fuel related like a car, phone, laptop, TV, clothing, furniture, etc. Otherwise you admit being a hypocrite!

A vote for Democrats is a vote against your freedom and your rights!

Gino De Neef Franklin

828.452.4251 susanna@mtnsouthmedia.com

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A&E

Smoky Mountain News

The dark side of Mill Street New speakeasy opens in Jackson County Cecelia White and Don Panicko, co-owners of Dark Moon, a speakeasy now open within the White Moon café. Caitlin Penna photo

BY GARRET K. WOODWARD STAFF WRITER rossing the threshold of the White Moon café in downtown Sylva, one is immediately drawn in by the scent of culinary delights and unique beverages. But, against the back wall is a nondescript door. There’s no sign on it, nor is there any indication that the entryway serves any more of a purpose than a broom closet.

Turning the doorknob, you’re soon pulled into Dark Moon, an intimate and intricate speakeasy. Underneath the dim lighting, there’s an array of quality spirits and wines, cheeses and meats, as well as an extensive handcrafted cocktail menu.

“We wanted to create a small European style, big city bar,” said Don Panicko. “The concept is to create a flow around Sylva, where you either start or end your night at Dark Moon. It’s about the connectivity between all of these great dining and nightlife spots in downtown.”

Alongside his wife, Cecelia White, the young couple has seemingly doubled-down on the strong business and community roots they’ve grown in the two-and-a-half years since White Moon opened its doors. With Dark Moon, it’s about bringing forth the artistic talents of White and Panicko, who each come from elaborate backgrounds of creativity and pursuits.

“We care so much about the environment we’re creating, and I think that elevates the experience for everyone who comes in here,” Panicko said. “We like to go to new places and pay attention to all the little subtleties. It’s about traveling and collecting experiences, and being influ“We care so much about enced by those places — if I see something really good the environment we’re and clever at a spot, it sticks creating, and I think that with me.”

With the speakeasy setelevates the experience ting, Panicko finally gets to dive deep into his passion for for everyone who comes handcrafted cocktails, a skill in here.” set he picked up while living and working in the New York — Don Panicko City restaurant/bar scene.

“I enjoy coming up with all of these different kinds of craft cocktail recipes, carefully measuring out everything and making sure Dark Moon is located in the back of White everything is perfect in presMoon café at 545 Mill Street in Sylva. Hours entation and taste,” Panicko for Dark Moon are 5 to 11 p.m. Tuesday said. “There’s no cutting corthrough Saturday. White Moon operates from ners with our craft cocktails 8 a.m. to 3 p.m. Tuesday through Friday and — your Tuesday drink will 9 a.m. to 2 p.m. Saturday and Sunday. taste the exact same as your www.whitemoonnc.com or 828.331.0111.

Saturday drink.”

A Charlotte native, White attended the prestigious Fashion Institute of Technology (FIT) in New York City, while Panicko (hailing from California) worked his way up through the service industry in The Big Apple. Both found their way to Western North Carolina on separate journeys, ultimately crossing paths in Asheville.

With White working in apothecary goods and Panicko headlong into woodworking in Asheville, they soon discovered the harmonious mountain town of Sylva. Fast-forward a few years and now they have two businesses open and thriving within the community.

In terms of the current pandemic and state mandates, all safety protocols are being followed. Dark Moon will offer limited capacity seating, as is already the case with White Moon. And even though Dark Moon was conceived before the shutdown (and constructed in recent months), White and Panicko were steadfast in keeping their vision alive, now coming to fruition.

“We’re all in uncharted territory right now as business owners, but we knew we needed to adapt and not standstill — we needed to evolve and ensure our survival,” Panicko said.

“We didn’t close a single day during the shutdown,” White added. “We survived for months simply barricading the front door and taking online orders.

And what’s really great is that during that time, the local community started to catch on to what we’re doing — we’re very appreciative that people love and appreciate us.”

C

Want to go?

arts & entertainment

This must be the place

BY GARRET K. WOODWARD

You’ve got to get up to get down

A

Upslope Brewing in Boulder, Colorado. Below: Will Baumgartner. (photos: Andrew Wyatt)

& Chaka Khan (and written by Stevie Wonder), The Pamlico Sound succeeded in their mission to remind folks that we are — indeed — all in this together, and we’ll get through this, so long as we never forget that simple, yet complex, notion.

“During ‘all this,’ I’ve seen people become more tender and considerate to each other, where they acknowledge each other as human beings who are hurting and are healing,” Baumgartner said. “And I think people are thinking more in that way, and in turn are attracting more people to them. I just hope that it helps push us into a better space.”

Following the show, attendees carefully exited the parking lot and cranked up the engines aimed for destinations unknown.

Marked off spaces were cleaned up and sanitized. The warm sunshine of the early evening had now transitioned to darkness, a crisp breeze signaling the end of summer and the ushering in of fall.

Packing up their gear, The Pamlico Sound felt rejuvenated in their creative purpose and personal passion: the sacred act of live performance.

“There is a way through ‘all of this,’ which is being part of something bigger, but also being aware of your individual self, and how it all fits into the universe around us,” Baumgartner said. “When I was onstage tonight, I know that my primary role in life hasn’t been crushed — it’s just thriving in a different way.”

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

October 7-13, 2020

pproaching the backside parking lot of Upslope Brewing Company in Boulder, Colorado one recent evening, I was immediately greeted by the new normal when it comes to live music.

With 25 marked off spaces set up in the vacant lot facing the loading dock, we were told what the house rules and state mandates were for social distancing in a public setting. Six feet apart. Masks on. Only mingle with those you arrived with. Wash your hands if using the port-o-potty.

One by one we were walked by a staff member to our pre-assigned space, sat down and applied the free hand sanitizer sitting on top of the makeshift keg table at each spot.

To order a craft beer, scan the QR code on the keg table, choose your beverage and await your fulfillment.

For many in attendance, this was their first live music experience since March, before “all of this” and the daily existence of unknowns and limitations of what one can and cannot do in society, all in the name of consideration and public health.

Going through their sound check, The Pamlico Sound erupted from the loading dock stage. An endless array of joyous faces, howling instruments and colorful vibrations, the ensemble dusted off six months’ worth of seeing live music on a TV or computer screen. This was happening, and in real time.

And dammit, that sensation and unfolding scene before our eyes was surely missed.

“I’ve been trying to spread positivity anyway I can,” said Will Baumgartner (aka: “The Reverend EverReady”), front man for The Pamlico Sound, at the set break. “People right now? It’s a combination of they’re struggling and they’re kind of learning things about themselves, these ways of adapting to unexpected situations and so on.”

Their first performance since March, the band rolled through a mixture of classic cov-

ers and original numbers. It was a whirlwind blend of funk, soul and psychedelic rock, which remains at the core of influences for Baumgartner.

A native of Nags Head, North Carolina, Baumgartner grew up soaking in the sights and sounds that echoed from the nearby late-night bars and nightclubs. A resident of Colorado for the last 22 years, he continues to bring a true sense of southern hospitality to the western frontier.

“Our music is meant to create movement and connectivity,” Baumgartner said.

“People will usually dance a lot at our shows, but nobody really knows what to do in this current live music environment. I know they’re having a good time because they’re smiling, and maybe in the second set they’ll dance in their space once they’ve had enough Upslope beer.”

Not long into the second set, the primal urges that resides within each of us took over. Foots tapped wildly as bodies soon emerged from camping chairs and began to gyrate. It was a familiar feeling to move to a beat, this motion once cherished and radiated often, now a foggy memory of the “before times.” In an odd way, it felt like we were getting away with something moving about in our space.

Throughout the night, Baumgartner & Co. radiated this sense of pure fun and rollicking freedom from behind the microphone. Powerhouse vocals pushing into the heavens. A horn section that tugged at our hopeful hearts and curious souls. They intrigued our deepest emotions of human connection and rhythm: the fundamental foundation of funk, soul and rock music.

“Where we stand right now is sort of unprecedented for most people,” Baumgartner said. “But, at the same time, you sort of look within yourself for a universal thing that can carry us through the loneliness and disconnect we’re all currently experiencing.”

Ending the night with the iconic 1974 single “Tell Me Something Good” by Rufus

Smoky Mountain News 27

arts & entertainment

On the street Goose.

The Smoky Mountain Event Center in Waynesville will host a drive-in concert series with Yonder Mountain String Band (bluegrass/jam) Oct. 7, Papadosio (jam/rock) Oct. 9-10, Goose (jam/rock) Oct. 17, Pigeons Playing Ping Pong (jam/rock) Oct. 24 and The Marcus King Trio (rock/jam) Oct. 27.

All shows begin at 6:45 p.m. Gates open at 6 p.m. Social distancing and Covid-19 protocol will be in place. More shows will be announced in the coming weeks.

Hosted by the Asheville Music Hall, tickets are available at www.ashevillemusichall.com.

Smoky Mountain News

October 7-13, 2020

• Elevated Mountain Distilling Company will host semi-regular live music on the weekends. Free and open to the public. www.elevatedmountain.com.

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Drive-in concert series

• Frog Level Brewing (Waynesville) will host semi-regular live music on the weekends, Western Carolina Writers w/Stuart Stroud, Jesse Frizsell & Nick Mac Oct. 9, Mojomatic Rockin’ Oct. 10 and Arnold Hill (rock/Americana) Oct. 23. All shows begin at 6:30 p.m. Free and open to the public. www.froglevelbrewing.com.

• The Ghost Town in the Sky parking lot (Maggie Valley) will host a drive-in concert series with St. Paul & The Broken Bones (soul/rock) on Oct. 29. All shows begin at 7:30 p.m. Gates open at 6 p.m. Hosted by The Grey Eagle and Worthwhile Sounds, tickets are available at www.thegreyeagle.com.

• Lazy Hiker Brewing (Franklin) will host The Natti Love Joys (jam/soul) Oct. 9 and Shane Meade & The Sound Oct. 17. All shows begin at 7 p.m. www.lazyhikerbrewing.com.

• Lazy Hiker Brewing (Sylva) will host Will James Oct. 10 and Shane Meade & The Sound Oct. 16. All shows begin at 7 p.m.

Free and open to the public. www.lazyhikerbrewing.com.

• The Maggie Valley Festival Grounds will host a drive-in concert series with Jason Isbell & Amanda Shires (rock/Americana) Nov. 5 and Keller Williams & Friends (jam/acoustic) Nov. 13. All shows begin at 7:30 p.m. Gates open at 6 p.m. Hosted by

The Grey Eagle and Worthwhile Sounds, tickets are available at www.thegreyeagle.com.

“Smokies Scenic Preserve”

by T. Pennington.

• Nantahala Brewing (Sylva) will host semiregular live music on the weekends. Free and open to the public. www.nantahalabrewing.com.

• The Smoky Mountain Event Center in Waynesville will host a drive-in concert series with Mt. Joy (Americana/indie) Oct. 3, Yonder Mountain String Band (bluegrass/jam) Oct. 7, Papadosio (jam/rock) Oct. 9-10, Goose (jam/rock) Oct. 17, Pigeons Playing Ping Pong (jam/rock) Oct. 24 and The Marcus King Trio (rock/jam) Oct. 27. All shows begin at 6:45 p.m.

Gates open at 6 p.m. Hosted by the Asheville Music Hall, tickets are available at www.ashevillemusichall.com.

ALSO:

• The Blue Ridge Heritage Craft & Quilt Exhibit will be held through Oct. 31 at the Haywood County Arts Council on Main Street in Waynesville. www.haywoodarts.org.

• 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.

• 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.

www.smokymountainnews.com

FUR fall fundraiser Take a chance and be a winner in the Feline Urgent Rescue (FUR) of Western North Carolina’s fall fundraisers.

Enter to win an exquisite T. Pennington print of “Smokies Scenic Preserve” at Newfound Gap. This beautifully framed colored-pencil landscape print has a retail value of $595.

Tickets are $10 each or three for $20 and are available for purchase at T. Pennington Art Gallery on Main Street and the Animal Hospital on Depot Street, both in Waynesville. All proceeds go for the medical expenses of the kitties at the sanctuary.

Also enter to win a handmade quilt pieced

and donated by FUR volunteer Maggie Hickle. This vibrant quilt is made from Kaffe Fassett’s pattern and fabric and measures 59”x62”. Tickets are $5 each or five for $20 and are available at the Smoky Mountain Dog Bakery on Main Street in Waynesville.

The quilt is on display at the Mast General Store on Main Street in Waynesville thru Oct. 15. Then, it will be on display at Smoky Mountain Dog Bakery Oct. 16-Oct. 31.

The winners will be drawn for both fundraising items on Oct. 31. You don’t need to be present to win.

Feline Urgent Rescue of WNC is nonprofit, state certified facility.

All cats are spayed/neutered, vaccinated, tested and microchipped before adoption. To learn more about FUR, visit www.furofwnc.org or www.facebook.com/furofwnc.

On the shelf

Jeff Minick

R

tists, physicians, forensics experts, geneticists, and genealogists who from buttons, breastplates, shards of pottery, the foundations of buildings, and human remains bring the past more vividly alive than ever before.

From the skeleton of a male colonist examined in Church & State, for example,

••• Cold weather is coming on, and just as some of us relish hearty meals — stews and casseroles — after the salads and sandwiches of spring and summer, so too do some readers enjoy fat books to while away the dark evenings when Jack Frost rakes his icy fingers across the fields and forests of these mountains.

To compliment the colonial and Revolutionary War theme of this review, let me point book lovers to New England and the novels of Kenneth Roberts, many of which I read 30 years ago.

Though Roberts may be little remembered by many today, in the middle of the twentieth century his historical novels about the early history of our country were best sellers. Arundel, Northwest Passage, Lydia Bailey, Oliver Wiswell, Rabble in Arms, and more: all focused on the men and women of the eighteenth century.

What makes these novels particularly impressive is Roberts’ ability to dig up, as do the archaeologists of Jamestown, the history of early America. He heavily researched the material found in all of these novels, and matched that material to entertaining characters, both fictional and real.

If you have high school students who enjoy reading and want to learn some history, I highly recommend these books.

(Jeff Minick reviews books and has written four of his own: two novels, Amanda Bell and Dust On Their Wings, and two works of nonfiction, Learning As I Go and Movies Make the Man. minick0301@gmail.com.)

Writers Night Out In this time of COVID-19, the NC Writers’ Network West is not holding face-to-face meetings. However, the group is gathering once a month on Zoom.

Writers Night Out will be hosted by Glenda Beall at 7 p.m. Friday, Oct. 9.

The featured writer for October will be well-published poet Scott Owens from Hickory. Owens was a regular instructor at Writers Circle around the Table in years past where he taught how to improve or how to begin writing poetry.

Owens’ latest poetry book, Breaking, has been published by Main Street Rag and will be launched the week before he reads at Writers Night Out. After Owens’ reading, writers and poets are invited to participate in the open mic.

Members of NC Writers Network West will receive invitations to this Zoom event. For those who are not members, contact glendabeall@msn.com and you will receive information for joining and reading at open mic that evening.

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Smoky Mountain News

the team deduced the following: “knees and feet together and hands over the pelvis suggest this individual was shrouded; this individual has robust arms and legs; coffin staining and nail patterns indicate that the coffin was hexagonal-shaped and had a gabled lid; tooth analysis suggests this individual repeatedly held needles and an awl in his mouth.

Could he have been a tailor by trade?”

The Rediscovery Team, including other forensic anthropologists and photographers, knows that “every skeleton has a unique bone biography. Critical information gained in the field can provide information about age, sex, ancestry, stature, level of physical activity, and sometimes injuries sustained in life. This forensic evidence, coupled with historical records, can often answer questions about the characteristics of an individual or even their identity.”

In addition to such fascinating details, Church & State reminds us that here in Jamestown in 1617-1618 burgesses from the colony met in the choir of the church of the time. In that year and in that place “the foundations of our nation’s democratic experiment were laid, including the right of individuals to enjoy and securely possess private property; the rule of law, enshrining the fundamental principle of our government, and all democratic governments, that no one is above the law; and finally, the establishment

of representative government based on the maxim that governments of free people rely on the consent of the governed.”

Church & State is a powerful reminder of our past, of the intertwined races and cultures in the American story, and a reminder, too, that we Americans are one people. As Dave Givens told me, “This place is our home, regardless of what race you are.”

The same could be said for all of America. Whatever we think of our country — whether we cherish its ancient values and virtues, or whether we wish to make repairs — we should at least love and care for our home.

October 7-13, 2020

ight after Labor Day, my friend John and I traveled to Virginia’s Historic Triangle: Jamestown, Williamsburg, and Yorktown. A paper for which I write had commissioned me to do some pieces on each place, and though I had visited there earlier in my life, that was long ago.

Those three days I spent living in the seventeenth and eighteenth centuries left me buoyant and in love again with America.

The two museums I visited in Jamestown, the time I spent shambling around Williamsburg, and the guided tour I took of Yorktown: all reminded me, as did Writer the docents, of the complicated history of our country, of the many individuals — black and white, Native Americans, and other peoples, men and women — who have over the centuries built our country. The living also inspired me — the guides, the sweet clerk at the Griffin Hotel, the waitresses and waiters in various restaurants like Ken’s Deli, the Cheese Shop and Culture Café in Williamsburg, and the Mobjack Bay Coffee Roasters and Petite Café in Yorktown, and the other tourists I met. All were cheerful, upbeat, and in several cases, went above and beyond in being helpful and friendly.

At Jamestown, I was fortunate enough to interview Dave Givens, Head Archaeologist of that historic site. For well over an hour, he spoke with John and me, and then led us in the rain to the ruins of the church, pointing out sites along the way where digging into the past would soon resume. Here was a man passionate about his work and whose team, Jamestown Rediscovery, has added much to the vast collection of objects and human remains taken from this soil.

Which brings me to my weekly review.

Jamestown Rediscovery has recently issued Church & State: The Archaeology of the Foundations of Democracy (Jamestown Rediscovery Foundation and Preservation Virginia, 2020, 102 pages, $19.95). In this beautiful collection of reader-friendly prose and vivid photographs, Dave Givens and his associates reveal the meticulous work and the use of technology that go into the ongoing recovery of items from our past. Here we meet not only archaeologists, but also scien-

You Just Might Find What You Weren’t Looking For!

arts & entertainment

Digging into history: a visit to Jamestown

Come On In and Look Around ...

274 S. MAIN ST. WAYNESVILLE 828.246.6570 WAYNESVILLEYOGACENTER.COM

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Outdoors

Smoky Mountain News

A vendor displays a bounty of plants for sale during a pre-COVID farmers market. Donated photo

Two decades and counting Jackson County Farmers Market celebrates 20 years

BY HOLLY KAYS STAFF WRITER ack in the 1990s, Karen and Johnny White were in a nomadic phase of life, spending several months traveling the country in search of a place to call home.

Time after time, they found themselves most drawn to small towns with vibrant farmers markets.

“While we fell in love with Western North Carolina, they didn’t have a farmers market, so we wanted to add that to the place that we lived,” said White, who now lives in Oklahoma.

The Whites moved to a small farm in Cullowhee in 1998, where Karen began work-

B

ing as a nutritionist at Western Carolina University. A couple years into the move, her desire for a local farmers market was still there, so Karen wrote a memo addressed to a list of 12 different people, including Christy Bredenkamp, who at the time was the horticulture extension agent for Jackson County.

In the memo, dated June 23, 2000, Karen wrote that the previous week she’d been driving through Waynesville and noticed “a half dozen trucks parked in a parking lot with fresh produce and honey in the backs and people hanging about in front.” Jackson County could have something like that, she said, and she hoped that recipients of the letter might be willing to help pull it off.

THE EARLY DAYS The idea took hold. By September, the Jackson County Farmers Market had launched in the Sylva parking lot that abuts what is now Bridge Park — the same place it’s still held now, 20 years later.

“Of course when you first start, you never know how things are going to unfold, and certainly farmers markets have been attempted before and have failed,” said Bredenkamp, who is now director of the Macon County Extension Center. “I’m happy to say this one did not, and has succeeded and carried on for 20 years.”

Ron and Cathy Arps were longtime vendors with the market, joining in the market’s first years and participating continuously for 15 more before retiring at the end of the 2017 growing season. In the early days, said Cathy, the market was a far cry from the organized, bustling affair that exists today. Twenty years ago, selling extra produce for money was something of a foreign concept in this area — if you had extra, you’d just give it to your neighbor. Shopping at a farmers market wasn’t a thing people did.

“In the beginning it was definitely kind of your social break,” she said. “You did all that work so you could sit there for three hours and talk to each other and trade stuff and go home.

But then it really did grow. It became a thing that people did both for local produce and for the social scene of the farmers market.”

“It was fun,” Bredenkamp said of those early days. “There were no fees, no management, no rules or regulations really. The only rule we had was we had to grow something to sell it.”

Bredenkamp helped launch the organization, heading it up for four years before turning it over to White and the vendors in 2004.

Susanna Patty became the first official market

manager in 2007 and served through, when it was still a loose, informal organization. White remembers going to the bank with Patty to open the market’s first business account, and Arps remembers that Patty was initially paid for her efforts with vegetables rather than with cash.

Jenny McPherson was the market’s next leader, did much to grow the market over the years that she remained in the position. The average number of vendors grew from the handful of five or so that had appeared in the early years to between 20 and 30 depending on the season, and in 2011 the market began moving indoors for the winter rather than ceasing operations until spring. A board of directors was established and the organization became more formalized. It also worked to make the market a welcoming place for lower-income people, in 2012 becoming the first farmers market west of Asheville to accept SNAP benefits as payment for produce. It wasn’t just about shopping, either — the market would often include live music as well as activities for kids.

A CONTINUING STORY The version of the farmers market that the most recent market director, Lisa McBride, encountered when she took the job in 2017 was miles removed from the informal social gathering of small-time growers that White first mobilized in 2000, and she worked to advance the organization even further.

The farmers market is no longer limited to summer, to Saturday or to Sylva. Rather than moving indoors for the winter, the Saturday market now remains outside at Bridge Park year-round — though with slightly shortened hours — and during the growing season a Wednesday evening market that was initially held at Bridge Park as well is now offered in

In a 2004 photo, Cathy Arps helps a customer at the vendor station she and her husband Ron ran for 15 years. Donated photo

Steve Whyman sits with his nursery plants during a market day in 2004.

Donated photo

Lisa McBride, who has served as director of the Jackson County Farmers Market since 2017, left her post last week in order to pursue a new venture.

McBride is working to launch WNC Farm to Table, an online ordering system for locally grown food in Jackson and surrounding counties. She was unable to fulfill her role as director while also successfully heading up her new project, but she said she’s grateful for the years she spent leading the farmers market and for how quickly she was able to feel at home in her new town after joining that community.

“It’s home,” she said of Jackson County. “Honestly that position made so much of a difference in it becoming home for me.”

McBride’s departure will mark the beginning of a new era for the farmers market, which will not immediately look for a new director. Instead, board members will divide the day-to-day tasks of running the market.

Finances have been tight lately, especially in the wake of COVID-19, said Board Chairman John Bubacz. By refraining from hiring a new director, the board hopes to save enough money to get the market through this difficult chapter. The board plans to revisit its decision about leadership of the organization before the next growing season begins.

All parties came to a mutual agreement this would be the best move, said Bubacz, and the board is supportive of McBride’s decision to give her full attention to her new venture.

“We want to see Lisa be successful and are happy to see her working fulltime on her endeavor because it’s 100 percent in line with the goals of the market,” he said.

The farmers market currently operates 9 a.m. to noon Saturdays at Bridge Park in Sylva and 3:30 to 6:30 p.m. at Innovation Station in Dillsboro. In November, Saturday hours will be 10 a.m. to 1 p.m. and the Wednesday market will cease until April.

GSMA releases butterfly-centric 2021 calendar The official 2021 Great Smoky Mountains Association wall calendar, featuring stunning macro photography of butterflies and moths found in the Smokies, is now available for purchase.

The 11-by-11-inch calendar was inspired by Butterflies and Moths of the Smokies, a field guide published by GSMA in 2019. The field guide features more than 200 colorful images and covers behavior, life cycles, food plants, conservation and location information on some of the 73 butterfly and 27 moth species that live in the park.

“There were some images that were so good that they ended up in both the book and the calendar, but there are some images that are in the calendar that didn’t make the book,” said GSMA Senior Publications Specialist Karen Key. “I wanted these two to be companions. They’d make a great gift set for a butterfly lover.”

Designed by Key and edited by Just Get Outdoors adventure travel company founder Elizabeth A. Domingue, the calendar features images by Domingue, as well as photographers John Flannery, Warren Lynn, and Sharon Mammoser. Along with the photos are facts about the pictured species, as well as about the typical timing of blooms, migration and fall color.

The wire-bound calendar retails for $11.95 in Great Smoky Mountains National Park visitor center bookstores and online at www.smokiesinformation.org.

CBD Questions?

Pharmacist Answers.

October 7-13, 2020

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pandemic, though with substantial operational changes that, while they make the experience safer for everybody, also make it less enjoyable for those who find the social aspect one of the market’s biggest draws.

“We have to keep people moving,” said John Bubacz, chairman of the market’s board. “It used to be standing around in groups, talk and hug. We brought chairs and everyone would sit around. Now there’s no stopping. There’s no free samples anymore.

Everyone keeps moving, do your shopping and get on out. We look forward to getting back to where we can be more social.”

It’s been a tough year for the farmers market, as it’s been for countless organizations in countless ways, but with 20 years under its belt, the Jackson County Farmers Market has survived its share of challenges.

“I’ve always been so proud of that market,” said Bredenkamp. “At times there were conflicts between customers or vendors, but that market has just started and slowly grew, and they really took off.”

White said that she’s “thrilled” to hear that the market she helped create is still going strong and hopes to see it continue for years to come.

“It’s kind of an intimate thing to exchange food that goes to sustain another person and their family, so to have that relationship in your community brings a deep sense of connection and contentedness,” she said. “It’s just a bigger picture of wellbeing.”

Market sees leadership change

outdoors

downtown Dillsboro in an attempt to expand the market’s reach. The market has also increased its outreach to low-income people through the Double Your Bucks program that went into effect last spring thanks to collaboration with MountainWise. The program provides matching funds on food purchases made with SNAP benefits, up to $20.

The market is now a genuine destination for shopping and produce, but the social aspect still looms large, as it has since the beginning.

“It’s something people go to because it’s a Saturday morning getting together and seeing people and knowing the farmer and knowing who makes their product,” said McBride. “The relationship part is huge.”

COVID-19 has, of course, made that type of face-to-face interaction much more difficult. The market has continued through the

828.452.2313 479 Dellwood Road Waynesville Vendors and shoppers mingle during a more recent but preCOVID market day. Donated photo

facebook.com/kimspharmacy

31

outdoors

Outdoor ed program welcomes preschoolers West Ashville’s Largest Open Air Music & Food Venue Outdoor Stage Outside Dining Patio Live Music | Amazing Eats

Every Friday in October, 3-to-5-year-olds and their parents are invited to participate in the Knee High Naturalist outdoor education program from 10 to 11 a.m. at the Mountain Retreat and Learning Center in Highlands.

Paige Engelbrektsson, education specialist for the Highlands Biological Foundation, will lead this program combining stories, walks and activities, covering a different seasonal activity each week. Adults must attend the program with their children, and all who participate must be prepared to spend the hour outside rain or shine.

The program is free, but attendance is limited to 10 people each session, so registration is required at 828.526.2623. A quiet space with Wi-Fi and power is available for any older children who must accompany their younger siblings. All attendees age 2 and older must wear face masks.

Physical distancing and facility sanitization will also be used to prevent the spread of COVID-19.

Budding naturalists participate in outdoor-themed crafts during the 2019 Knee High Naturalist session.

Highlands Biological Foundation photo

Outdoor Economy Conference goes online The third annual Outdoor Economy Conference will take place entirely online, but instead of occupying a single day it will instead span an entire month.

Sessions will be held noon to 4 p.m. every Thursday in October, with the theme being “The Future of Outdoors.” The conference will bring together outdoor leaders from around the country to advance five timely topics and ensure a better future for the outdoor economy, and for the people and places that it serves.

Those five topics include “Healthy Communities Through Recreation,” “Growth Through Diversity, Equity and Inclusion,” “Outdoor Innovation and Entrepreneurship,” “Next Generation Outdoors” and “Building Outdoor Communities.”

In addition to presentations, the online format will include ample networking time with peers and presenters alike. Attendees will have access to all conference materials for six months and can purchase an all-access pass or a-la-carte session tickets.

Learn more at www.outdooreconomy.org.

Smoky Mountain News

October 7-13, 2020

Retired Wildlife Resources director wins lifetime achievement award

32

743 HAYWOOD RD WEST ASHEVILLE ISISASHEVILLE.COM 828.575.2737

Gordon Meyers, retired executive director of the N.C. Wildlife Resources Commission, has received the Association of Fish and Wildlife Agencies’ top honor in recognition of his 30-year career with the Commission.

Myers received the AFWA’s Seth Gordon Award during a virtual ceremony Sept. 14. He retired from the executive director’s position earlier this year, with Major Cameron Ingram taking over the post on Aug. 1.

During his career, Meyers has continually thrived on new challenges, leading construction of the agency’s headquarters building — the first LEED-rated state building — and serving on many state, regional and federal councils, resulting in “myriad conservation outcomes and lasting partnerships along the way,” according to an AFWA press release.

“His leadership within North Carolina has improved policies, practices, and leadership within the agency; forged strong partnerships with federal leadership that led to alignment on challenging issues; and successfully advocated for conservation and recreation funding,” the release continues.

Meyers was one of 11 people honored during the awards ceremony, and the only person from North Carolina to receive an award.

Panther Top Fire Tower will remain closed this fall Due to COVID-19 concerns, the Panther Top Fire Tower on the Tusquitee Ranger District of the Nantahala National Forest will not open this fall.

Join the Wolf Howl Friends of the WNC Nature Center will host four evening events in October and November that will feature opportunities to learn about red wolves, gray wolves and coyotes.

Wolf Howl programs 6 to 8 p.m. Oct. 16 and Nov. 6 will be geared toward adults, and kid-friendly Junior Wolf Howl programs for families will be held 6 to 8 p.m.

Oct. 9 and Oct. 30.

The programs will begin indoors with a presentation on these elusive creatures, followed by an outdoor trek to the Nature Center’s wolf habitats for a howling session.

The programs are planned in lieu of the annual Hey Day and Howl-O-Ween events, which will not be offered this year due to large crowds. To ensure a safe and Red wolf. Donated photo enjoyable experience, ticket quantities for the Wolf Howl events are limited. Prices for the Junior Wolf How range from $10 to $18 and Adult Wolf How prices are $20 to $35. Purchase tickets at www.wildwnc.org/events.

A grant aiming to help farmers markets and local food hubs is accepting applications through Oct. 22.

A total of $750,000 in federal funding is earmarked for North Carolina through the COVID-19 Emergency Aid for Farmers Market Operators and Local Food Hubs Program. Funding is meant to assist with losses from reduced numbers of vendors, plus offset additional expenses associated with offering personal protective equipment, hand sanitizer and handwashing stations, and added COVID-19 educational materials. Eligible categories for emergency aid include, but are not limited to, labor, technology or software upgrades, infrastructure enhancements, COVID-19 education materials, PPE and test kits.

The deadline represents a quick turnaround but is in line with the federal government’s goal of distributing funds quickly. Two meetings to help with application questions are scheduled for 10-11 a.m. Wednesday, Oct. 7, and 7-8 p.m.

outdoors

Farmers market grant accepting applications Thursday, Oct. 8. To join, visit https://bit.ly/2GrzsGY or call 1.984.204.1487 and enter Conference ID 144 849 187 followed by the # key.

The COVID-19 pandemic resulted in serious

and substantial impacts on the food supply chain, including farmers markets and local food hubs across North Carolina. Statewide there are more than 250 farmers markets, more than 160 roadside stands and 20 U.S. Department of Agriculture registered food hubs.

For more about COVID-19 aid for farmers markets and food hubs, visit www.ncagr.gov/disaster/documents/COVID-19.htm.

facebook.com/smnews

DONATE

The pool and water park at the Waynesville Recreation Center are closed through Sunday, Oct. 11, for maintenance work.

The pool will reopen at 7 a.m. Oct. 12, and the water park will follow at 1 p.m. Other facilities at the Waynesville Recreation Center will remain open throughout the pool closures.

Luke Kinsland, 828.456.2030 or lkinsland@waynesvillenc.gov.

SHOP VOLUNTEER

Tree-related classes abound at the Arboretum Adult education classes at the N.C. Arboretum in Asheville will celebrate trees this month, with classes covering tree identification, bonsais and creative sketching techniques to capture the essence of trees.

Both in-person and online options are available. Learn more and sign up at www.ncarboretum.org/education-programs/adult-education-classes.

October 7-13, 2020

Waynesville pool closed temporarily

Now Open with Limited Hours 268-267

A visitor to the Great Smoky Mountains National Park died Tuesday, Sept. 29, following a cardiac event in Cades Cove.

Ima M. King, 82, of Knoxville, experienced cardiac distress at the visitor contact station and bookstore area near Cable Mill. Rangers responded to the report at 2:31 p.m., and bystanders and rangers both performed live-saving measures including CPR and use of an AED. However, King remained unresponsive and was pronounced dead at 3 p.m.

WALNUT VILLAGE SHOPPING CENTER 331 Walnut Street Waynesville

Get a handle on kudzu A free seminar on controlling kudzu will be held online 10 a.m. to 11:30 a.m. Thursday, Oct. 15.

Participants in this Zoom meeting will learn how kudzu was introduced and spread in the U.S., names and plant descriptions for kudzu, various ways to use it, its economic and ecological impacts and various control strategies.

The program is offered by Macon County Cooperative Extension. Register at www.eventbrite.com/e/controling-kudzu-tickets- 121561823687. Contact Christy Bredenkamp with questions at clbreden@ncsu.edu.

Smoky Mountain News

Woman dies in Cades Cove due to cardiac distress

Call or visit our website for updated info

828.246.9135 haywoodhabitat.org 33

Sign up for nature-based learning outdoors

A new subscription-based program from the Great Smoky Mountains Institute at Tremont aims to connect families through naturebased activities and learning.

Weekly Wonder is a remote program designed for families with children in grades K-8. Each week, the program will engage families through new videos of nature-based challenges and activities as well as shared online livestream experiences.

“Weekly Wonder is refreshingly different from anything else out there but remains true to our field-tested learning model,” said Tremont Education Director John DiDiego. “We hope this program will bring the magic of the Tremont experience where it is needed most now — in homes and communities across the country.”

Sign up at www.gsmit.org/adultsand-families/weekly-wonder.

Revolutionize your eating habits

Smoky Mountain News

October 7-13, 2020

A series of online classes this fall titled “Med instead of Meds” will show how to protect against chronic illness by eating the Med Way, with sessions offered 5:30 to 7 p.m. Mondays, Oct. 12 through Nov. 16.

Five family and consumer science extension professionals from across Western North Carolina will collaborate on the series. Eating the Med Way has been proven to protect against chronic illness and in some cases may even result in decreasing medications for blood pressure, high cholesterol or diabetes.

Weekly Zoom meetings will include a presentation featuring one or two simple Med steps complete with tips and hacks, a live cooking demonstration and a Q&A, along with follow-up emails including printable handouts, recipes and links to recording cooking demos. A closed Facebook group will provide offline challenges and activities.

Register by Oct. 9 at https://bit.ly/33jGV3V.

34

Learn to fly fish

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

An eight-week fly fishing course will begin Oct. 26 in Haywood County.

Tommy Thomas and Ray Sugg will teach the course, which will be held 4 to 6 p.m. eight consecutive Mondays at the Folkmoot Center in Waynesville.

The $50 course cost includes the course book, with tools and materials provided. Class size is limited to 15. Register with the Haywood County Recreation Department at 828.452.6789.

Race a trout The annual Trout Race in support of Haywood Waterways Association will be held virtually this year, slated for 5 p.m. Sunday, Oct. 11.

Entries are $5 apiece or five for $20. The trout will be released to “swim” down Jonathan Creek toward the finish line, with an array of prizes including a Tommy Thomas bamboo fly rod, Publix gift cards worth $200 or $300, a youth bike, rain barrel, cash prizes and more.

For prize updates or to view the race, visit the Haywood Waterways Association event on Facebook.

All proceeds will support Haywood Waterways’ work to protect and improve Haywood’s sreams, rivers and lakes.

Purchase entries online at haywoodwaterways.org/membership-donations-and-conservationgoods. For more information, call 828.476.4667 or email info@haywoodwaterways.org.

WNC Calendar COMMUNITY EVENTS & ANNOUNCEMENTS

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

• The Jackson County Board of Health will hold a mixed virtual regular meeting at 6:30 p.m. Monday, Oct. 12, in the Conference Room at the Skyland Services Center (876 Skyland Drive). Citizens are invited to make written or oral comments. Written comments will be accepted by email before 4 p.m. on Monday, Oct. 12, at publichealthinfo@jacksonnc.org.

Call 828.587.8255 and request to be added to the virtual meeting to provide oral comment during the meeting.

• The NC Writers Network West is gathering once a month on Zoom. Writers Night Out will be hosted by Glenda Beall at 7 p.m. Friday, Oct. 9. Members of NC Writers Network West will receive invitations to this Zoom event. For those who are not members, contact glendabeall@msn.com.

• Dogwood Health Trust will hold its first annual meeting, virtually, from 3:30 to 5:30 p.m. Wednesday, Oct. 28. The Annual Meeting is open to the public and will cover updates about Dogwood’s work over the past year. To learn more, visit www.dht.org.

• Lazy Hiker Brewing (Sylva) will host Will James Oct. 10 and Shane Meade & The Sound Oct. 16. All shows begin at 7 p.m. Free and open to the public. For more information and a complete schedule of events, click on www.lazyhikerbrewing.com.

• Papertown Winter Market will take place from 10 a.m. to 3 p.m. on Saturday, Nov. 7 at Bethel Christian Academy in Canton. Admission is free. Vendors are welcome, the cost is $40 for a table and chair at the Market. Contact Jessica Jones at 828.734.9733 for further details.

• The Blue Ridge Heritage Craft & Quilt Exhibit will be held Oct. 2-31 at the Haywood County Arts Council on Main Street in Waynesville. www.haywoodarts.org.

BUSINESS & EDUCATION • Southwestern Community College is hosting two virtual job fairs this fall. A general job fair will be held from 1-4 p.m. Wednesday, Oct. 14. Visit www.southwesterncc.edu/career-services/events-and-job-fairs.

• Western Carolina University’s Office of Professional Growth & Enrichment will be offering an online High Impact Leadership Certificate from Monday – Friday, Nov. 9-13, with live instruction, activities and interaction. The program will be held from 9 a.m. to 4 p.m. each day with breaks throughout. The registration fee is $849. The nonprofit rate is $649. Register at pdp.wcu.edu or call 828.227.7397.

• Western Carolina University’s Office of Professional Growth and Enrichment will be offering a live online Digital Marketing & Public Relations Certificate program Sept. 18 – Nov. 6 from 9 a.m. – 3:30 p.m.

Registration fee for the full program is $640, individual workshops are $119 each. Register at pdp.wcu.edu or email jcthompson@wcu.edu.

HEALTH AND WELLNESS • A series of online classes this fall titled “Med instead of Meds” will show how to protect against chronic illness by eating the Med Way, with sessions offered 5:30 to 7 p.m. Mondays, Oct. 12 through Nov. 16. Five family and consumer science extension professionals from across Western North Carolina will collaborate on the series. Register by Oct. 9 at https://bit.ly/33jGV3V. • Waynesville Yoga Center presents “Calm Kids Yoga,” a 30 day at-home yoga program. The program will take place from Oct. 19 – Nov. 17 with Zoom calls at 5:30 p.m. on Monday, Oct. 19 and Tuesday, Nov. 17. Register at www.waynesvilleyogacenter.com.

• The Maggie Valley Festival Grounds will host a drivein concert series with Jason Isbell & Amanda Shires (rock/Americana) Nov. 5 and Keller Williams & Friends (jam/acoustic) Nov. 13. All shows begin at 7:30 p.m.

Gates open at 6 p.m. Tickets are available at www.thegreyeagle.com.

• The Smoky Mountain Event Center (Waynesville) will host a drive-in concert series with Yonder Mountain String Band (bluegrass/jam) Wednesday, Oct. 7, Whitey Morgan (outlaw country/rock) Saturday, Oct. 10, Pigeons Playing Ping Pong (jam/rock) Oct. 24 and The Marcus King Trio (rock/jam) Oct. 27. All shows begin at 6:45 p.m. Gates open at 6 p.m. Tickets are available at www.ashevillemusichall.com.

• The Ghost Town in the Sky parking lot (Maggie Valley) will host a drive-in concert series with St. Paul & The Broken Bones (soul/rock) on Thursday, Oct. 29. All shows begin at 7:30 p.m. Gates open at 6 p.m. Tickets are available at www.thegreyeagle.com.

• Nantahala Brewing (Sylva) will host live music semiregularly on the weekends. Free and open to the public. www.nantahalabrewing.com.

• 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.

828.452.1551 or www.sheltonhouse.org.

• Kids at HART program will offer classes in acting, directing and musical theatre dance. Registration is currently underway. Classes will run through Nov. 16.

Register at www.harttheatre.org.

FOOD & DRINK • The Mountain Retreat and Learning Center will host a hands on Cooking Class and Dinner with Wine Class at 3 p.m. Saturday, Oct. 17. The class will be hosted by Chef Sandra Stefani. Visit www.themountainrlc.org/mountain-meal or call 828.526.5838.

ART SHOWINGS AND

A&E

• Frog Level Brewing (Waynesville) will host Western Carolina Writers w/Stuart Stroud, Jesse Frizsell & Nick Mac 6:30 p.m. Oct. 9, Mojomatic Rockin’ 6:30 p.m. Oct. 10 and Arnold Hill (rock/Americana) Oct. 23. Free and open to the public. www.froglevelbrewing.com.

GALLERIES • An art exhibit featuring works inspired by the American red wolf is on display at Buckner Gallery in Waynesville through Oct. 9. All pieces displayed are for sale, with at least 45 percent of proceeds benefiting the Defenders of Wildlife red wolf fund. The gallery is located at 20 Galloway Street in Waynesville.

Smoky Mountain News

FILM & SCREEN • The WCU Bardo Arts Center will host a screening of Picture a Scientist with a special interview following the documentary with the film’s co-directors, Sharon Shattuck and Ian Cheney. This free documentary will be streamed at 7:30 p.m. Tuesday, Oct. 13 and 4 p.m.

Sunday, Oct. 18. The film can be watched on a browser through a mobile device or computer, or through the EventiveTV app on Roku and other similar streaming services. Learn more and pre-order your free ticket at arts.wcu.edu/pictureascientist.

Outdoors • The third annual Outdoor Economy Conference will take place entirely online over the next month. Sessions will be held noon to 4 p.m. every Thursday in October, with the theme being “The Future of Outdoors.” Learn more at www.outdooreconomy.org.

• Every Friday in October, 3-to-5-year-olds and their parents are invited to participate in the Knee High Naturalist outdoor education program from 10 to 11 a.m. at the Mountain Retreat and Learning Center in Highlands. The program is free, but attendance is limited to 10 people each session. To register, call 828.526.2623.

• Friends of the WNC Nature Center will host four evening events in October and November that will feature opportunities to learn about red wolves, gray wolves and coyotes. Wolf Howl programs 6 to 8 p.m.

Oct. 16 and Nov. 6 will be geared toward adults, and kid-friendly Junior Wolf Howl programs for families will be held 6 to 8 p.m. Oct. 9 and Oct. 30. Purchase tickets at www.wildwnc.org/events.

• An online series of agriculture workshops for kids ages 8 to 11 will take place at 4 p.m. on the second Thursday of each month. The first session is slated for Thursday, Oct. 8. Register at www.eventbrite.com/e/aghope-tickets-118197077641 or contact Heather Gordon of Jackson County Cooperative Extension at heather_gordon@ncsu.edu.

• Rachael Newcomb, conservation outreach associate for Mainspring Conservation Trust, will discuss the latest Mainspring happenings during a meeting of the Nantahala Hiking Club slated for 7 p.m. Friday, Oct. 9, via Zoom. For more information about the meeting, call 828.524.3600.

• The Carolina Mountain Club will hold its final Quarterly Saturday Trail Maintenance Workday of the year on Saturday, Oct. 10. The group will meet in Asheville at 8:30 a.m. and return by 3 p.m. To volunteer, contact Les Love at lesrlove55@gmail.com or call 828.658.1489. For more information about CMC activities, visit www.carolinamountainclub.org.

• The annual Alzheimer’s Association Walk to End Alzheimer’s will be held Saturday, Oct. 10. The Alzheimer’s Association is encouraging participants to walk as individuals or in small groups on sidewalks, tracks and trails across Buncombe and surrounding counties. To register as a walker or team captain, or to learn more about becoming a sponsor, visit act.alz.org/Asheville.

• The annual Trout Race in support of Haywood Waterways Association will be held virtually this year, slated for 5 p.m. Sunday, Oct. 11. Entries are $5 apiece or five for $20. Purchase entries online at haywoodwaterways.org/membership-donations-and-conservationgoods. Call 828.476.4667 or email info@haywoodwaterways.org.

35

Visit www.smokymountainnews.com and click on Calendar for: n n n n

Complete listings of local music scene Regional festivals Art gallery events and openings Complete listings of recreational offerings at health and fitness centers n Civic and social club gatherings • A free seminar on controlling kudzu will be held online 10 a.m. to 11:30 a.m. Thursday, Oct. 15. The program is offered by Macon County Cooperative Extension.

Register at www.eventbrite.com/e/controling-kudzutickets- 121561823687.

• Haywood County Recreation and Parks is offering an 8 week course on fly tying with instructors Tommy Thomas and Ray Sugg. Class will begin on Oct. 26. Cost is $50 and includes the course book. To register, call 828.452.6789.

HIKING CLUBS • The Nantahla Hiking Club will take an easy 2-mile hike with very little elevation change in the Coweeta Lab area on Sunday, Oct. 11. The club will meet at Smoky Mountain Visitors Center at 1:00 p.m. Call leader Katharine Brown, 421.4178, for reservations. Visitors and dogs on a leash are welcome.

• The Nantahala Hiking Club will take a moderate 6mile hike to Mingus Mill on Saturday, Oct. 17. The club will meet at Bi-Lo at 9 a.m. Call Leader Gail Lehman, 524.5298, for reservations.

• The Nantahala Hiking Club will take an easy 3-mile hike to Jones Creek on Sunday, Oct. 18. The club will meet at Westgate Plaza at 2 p.m. Call leader Kathy Ratcliff, 526.6480, for reservations.

• The Nantahala Hiking Club will take a moderate 5mile hike from Jones Gap on the NC Bartram Trail to a spur trail up White Rock Mountain on Saturday, Oct. 24.

The club will meet at 145 Main St., #1 Nails in Highlands at 9 a.m. Call Leader Robin Lurie, 954.632.7270, for reservations.

WNC PLACE

Market MarketPlace information:

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

Visit www.wncmarketplace.com to place your ad!

Rates: • • • • • • • • • • • •

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

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

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

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

Announcements

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Employment

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

36

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WNC MarketPlace

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8QLYHUVLW\ ORFDWHG LQ &XOORZKHH 1& 7KH ELG opening will occur at the date, time and location indicated below: Bid Opening Date â&#x20AC;&#x201C; October 21, 2020 Bid Opening 7LPH Âą 30 ('7

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Amy Boyd Sugg

Haywood Co. Real Estate Agents

Broker/ REALTOR

828.558.1690

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98 99 101 102 107 109 110 111 114 116 126 127 128 129 130 131 DOWN 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 17 18 19 24

This, in Lima Island of southern Japan Totals End of the riddle Wheat or cotton grown to sell, e.g.

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86 87 88 89 90 91 92 94 95 96 100 102 103 104 105 106 108 112 113 115 116 117 118 119 120 121 122 123 124 125

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