Smoky Mountain News | October 26, 2022

Macon County takes step toward new high school

Program seeks to build outdoor communities

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WAYNESVILLE | 144 Montgomery, Waynesville, NC 28786

Council approves $55 million for Kituwah LLC investments

BY HOLLY KAYS STAFF WRITER

Following a 90-minute closed session discussion Monday, Oct. 24, the Cherokee Tribal Council voted to allocate an additional $55 million to Kituwah LLC for projects that CEO Mark Hubble promised would yield an immediate return.

“We have projects that we do not have allocations for that will pay immediately in the 10 to 12/13% range,” Hubble said. “These are not backend loaded. These are frontend loaded. A lot of the things that the tribe has been doing are very backend loaded. They’re adding value, but they’re not creating immediate dividends back to the tribe.”

By contrast, Hubble said, the proposed projects would yield immediate dividends, with Kituwah LLC paying the tribe back about 8%, or $4.125 million, the day it receives the funds. Any additional profits would be reinvested into other projects, and the additional $4.125 million would be paid out annually thereafter.

The Kituwah Economic Development Board submitted a resolution requesting that the $55 million be allocated in a lump sum, but Tribal Council balked at that request. Yellowhill Rep. David Wolfe started the conversation by asking his colleagues to table the resolution.

“I think we need to pace ourselves and spend wisely,” he said. “I know this is going to be an investment, but I think we still have to be aware of everything we’ve already passed.”

Wolfe wanted to table the resolution until Tribal Council could meet with Finance Secretary Cory Blankenship to discuss the big picture of the tribe’s finances and current projects. Blankenship had asked to schedule such a meeting in

August when the tribe was debating approval of an expanded budget request for the hotel project at the Sequoyah National Golf Course. The budget increase was approved absent such a meeting.

Tribal Council still hasn’t had that conversation, Wolfe said.

In the past two years, Tribal Council has allocated $125 million to Kituwah LLC, with $110 million of that dedicated to development efforts at a 200-acre property off Interstate 40 in Sevier County. The tribe has approved many other investments as well, including a $275 million expansion to the Valley River Casino in Murphy, $250 million to purchase casino operations at Caesars

Southern Indiana; a 30% stake in a $54.5 million hotel project in Pigeon Forge; a 49.5% stake for business arm EBCI Holdings LLC in a $650 million casino development project in Danville, Virginia; and $39 million for the new hotel at the Sequoyah National Golf Club.

Yellowhill Rep. T.W. Saunooke asked whether these investment opportunities were time-sensitive, or if they could wait for the outcome of the financial meeting. Hubble said that the projects were time-sensitive but that he couldn’t discuss specifics in open session. That led to Chairman Richard French clearing the chamber for a 90-minute closed session.

Coming out of closed session, Wolfe immediately repeated his move to table the legislation, but Hubble suggested amending the resolution to provide an initial allocation of $15 million with the remainder of the $55 million split over the next 18-24 months. Big Cove Rep. Teresa McCoy agreed with Hubble’s suggestion. Tribal Council approved her amendment to provide the initial $15 million, with Kituwah LLC allowed to draw up to $10 million quarterly thereafter for a total of $55 million.

The amended resolution passed overwhelmingly, with only Wolfe and Snowbird/Cherokee County Rep. Bucky Brown opposed.

CLAMPITT

A P ROVEN L EADER AND VOICE FOR THE C ITIZENS OF W ESTERN N ORTH CAROLINA . P ROMOTER OF P UBLIC SAFETY AND CONSTITUENT S ERVICES

Kituwah LLC CEO Mark Hubble discusses his board’s funding request with Tribal Council Oct. 24.

Jackson County man to spend life in prison after jury verdict

A 40-year-old Jackson County man will spend the remainder of his life behind bars for the repeated sexual assault of two young girls, District Attorney Ashley Hornsby Welch said today.

a jury verdict and prior to sentencing, Kenneth David Groat admitted to committing the crimes he had been charged with. They were:

counts statutory rape

counts indecent liberties

count statutory sexual offense

count attempted first-degree kidnapping

In May 2020 while out on bond, Groat began texting one of the victims. When law enforcement officers arrested him, they found in his car items such as duct tape, pepper spray, a knife, a pistol and ammunition, two ponchos and two containers filled with a total of 10 gallons of gasoline.

had threated to kidnap the victim if she told authorities about the abuse.

Many of the jurors remained in the courtroom after rendering their guilty verdicts. Several went to and embraced one of the victims following sentencing (the other victim wasn’t in the courtroom at the time).

Assistant District Attorney Chris Matheson and Assistant District Attorney Jenica Hughes, who co-prosecuted the case, said they’d never seen such an emotional reaction from jurors.

Superior Court Judge Bill Coward sen-

Waynesville man pleads guilty to sex crimes, adds time to active sentence

Timothy Connor, of Waynesville, pleaded guilty to the sexual assault of a child adding 26-41 consecutive months to his existing 19year sentence for his previous sexual assaults and kidnapping convictions.

The bravery of a child sex abuse survivor led to the Haywood County Sheriff’s Office and District Attorney Ashley Welch seeking additional charges for Connor.

In 2021, a jury found Timothy Connor guilty of first-degree forcible rape, second-degree kidnapping, second-degree forcible rape, and first-degree kidnapping. On Oct. 7, 2022, while serving his existing sentence Connor pled guilty to one

tenced Groat to serve a minimum of 89 years in prison and up to 134 years in prison.

Jackson County Sheriff’s Office Detective Daniel Peoples played a key role in the case, as did the chief investigator, Lt. John A. Beegle.

Additionally, Matheson said, AWAKE “provided great emotional support to the victims.”

AWAKE is a Sylva-based nonprofit that coordinates services for victims of child abuse.

count of indecent liberties with a child.

“Timothy Connor devastated the lives of his victims and is now being held accountable,” said Haywood County Sheriff’s Office Detective Dustin Toon. “It takes tremendous courage for survivors of abuse to come forward. Every time a survivor comes forward and seeks justice, they give hope and inspire others to do the same.”

According to RAINN (Rape, Abuse, and Incest National Network) there are over 463,000 victims of rape and sexual assault each year in the United States.

“Violence and abuse have no place in our community. We will continue to fervently pursue these offenders. If you are experiencing violence, please know that you are not alone, and it is not your fault. We stand with our survivors and victims. Our office will always be here for you when you are ready to come forward,” said Chief Deputy Jeff Haynes.

If you or someone you know is experiencing abuse, please call 911 immediately. If you prefer to remain anonymous, please call the Haywood County Crimestoppers Tipline at 1.877.922.7463 or call the National Sexual Assault Hotline at 1.800.656.HOPE (4673).

HALLOWEEN

written by Ingles Dietitian Leah McGrath

Timothy Connor

Kenneth David Groat

House GOP majority could target Social Security, Medicare

that time, various public officials had called for immediate, direct payments to the elderly and impoverished, for which the federal government would have had to come out-ofpocket in an unsustainable manner.

Roosevelt’s solution was not to issue direct payments, but instead to create a perpetual trust fund that would promise future benefits by taxing current workers.

“Today a hope of many years’ standing is in large part fulfilled,” Roosevelt said upon signing the Social Security Act in August 1935. “The civilization of the past hundred years, with its startling industrial changes, has tended more and more to make life insecure. Young people have come to wonder what would be their lot when they came to old age. The man with a job has wondered how long the job would last. This social security measure gives at least some protection to fifty millions of our citizens who will reap direct benefits through unemployment compensation, through old-age pensions and through increased services for the protection of children and the prevention of ill health.”

Not everyone cheered the New Deal-era program. However, Roosevelt had anticipated the blowback. In one of his famous “fireside chats,” he mocked detractors.

“A few timid people who fear progress will try to give you new and strange names for what we are doing. Sometimes they will call it ‘Fascism,’ sometimes ‘Communism,’ sometimes ‘Regimentation,’ sometimes ‘Socialism,” he said in June 1934. “But in so doing, they are trying to make very complex and theoretical something that is really very simple and very practical. I believe in practical explanations and in practical policies.”

Still, New Deal programs including Social Security earned Roosevelt, a wealthy, privileged New York Democrat, the sobriquet “a traitor to his class.”

Contemporary political criticism of the massive federal entitlement program manifests itself in two main ways, every few years.

BY C ORY VAILLANCOURT P OLITICS E DITOR

The life story of Hendersonville resident Marge Cullen isn’t much different than that of many other retirement-aged Americans.

Born and raised in New York, Cullen retired to Western North Carolina 12 years ago. After 40-odd years in the workforce she now relies on Social Security payments that could be in jeopardy if Republicans regain control of the House in November.

“It’s crucial, because right now I’m almost living on it,” she said. “When you’re my age, you have no earning power anymore. Physically, I really can’t work. I mean, I volunteer and things like that but I just can’t work and nobody wants to hire an old person.”

Recent statements by Republican leaders have some voters on edge, concerned about the future of entitlement programs like Social Security and Medicare.

Now, the Hendersonville Republican who wants to represent Cullen in Congress is contradicting members of his own party, downplaying the possibility that entitlement programs will end up as bargaining chips during

an impending debt ceiling showdown that could once again shut down the federal government amid an economic downturn.

A TRAITOR TO HIS CLASS

Enacted in 1935, the federal Old Age, Survivors and Disability Insurance (OASDI) program is better known by its common name, Social Security. It is primarily funded by payroll taxes paid into the system by employees, some throughout their entire working lives.

The current payroll tax rate is 6.2%, which is matched by employers and capped at the first $147,000 of income. Self-employed workers pay the full 12.4%. Medicare adds another 1.45% to each of those rates for a total of 15.3%.

Benefits are calculated based on a worker’s average monthly earnings and are indexed to reflect general changes in wages over time. Most workers are first entitled to benefits at age 62, although at a rate 30% lower than the amount available for those who reach the maximum program age, currently defined as 70.

The U.S. Social Security Administration, the independent federal agency that administers the program, says that in August 2022, more than 70 million Americans were receiving benefits, with 52 million age 65 or older. The average benefit check that month was about $1,547.

According to the 2022 annual report of the OASDI Board of Trustees, the total cost for the program in 2021 was $1.15 trillion — a substantial chunk of the U.S. annual gross domestic product of $25 trillion.

When President Franklin Delano Roosevelt first presented the plan, which also included the underpinnings of the modern unemployment insurance system, the United States was in the midst of the Great Depression.

The recent, rapid industrialization of American society had made the traditional agrarian way of life less and less common, meaning more and more people depended on cash wages for survival in the only developed nation in the world without some sort of social safety net.

When the Depression set in, 25% of Americans found themselves unemployed. At

The first is much the same as anticipated by Roosevelt, that it’s a form of socialism, or a handout. Author, philosopher and conservative icon Ayn Rand says in her 1966 essay collection Capitalism, the Unknown Ideal that such “handouts” are an immoral redistribution of wealth and that Social Security “… merely seizes income from working Americans and dispenses it to its retirees with a vague but legally unenforceable assurance that younger Americans will someday get to reach into the pockets of their kids and grandkids.” After Rand died in 1982, it was revealed that she’d collected more than $11,000 in Social Security payments before her death.

The second, more actuarial form of criticism of Social Security comes as scrutiny over the solvency of the trust fund itself. Once the program was enacted, Social Security benefits weren’t immediately disbursed, allowing the fund to build up enough reserves through taxation to sustain payments to those who were eligible.

Ida May Fuller, a legal secretary from Vermont born in 1874, received the first oldage Social Security check on Jan. 31, 1940, in the amount of $22.54. Since then, the system has benefitted from a demographic

President Franklin Delano Roosevelt (center) signed the Social Security Act in 1935.

photo

bubble, the post-World War II Baby Boom, with millions of workers paying into the trust fund but far smaller numbers of retirees receiving benefits.

When yearly trust fund revenues exceed expenditures, the excess revenue is, by law, invested into U.S. Treasury bonds. The federal government can legally borrow the proceeds from these sales. However they’re obligated to pay the trust fund back, with interest.

But that Baby Boom’s impact on Social Security didn’t truly kick in until the early 1980s, at which point the trust fund itself was running precariously low on reserves due to a variety of demographic and economic factors, including discretionary cost-of-living adjustments not based on sustainability.

By 1983, the trust fund was taking in just $89 million more than the $171 billion it was disbursing each year — a precariously thin margin. Reserves that year were calculated to be just $24 billion, or less than two months of operations.

Republican Ronald Reagan, president at the time, saved Social Security by increasing the payroll tax rate, taxing the benefit payments and raising the retirement age in phases that are still occurring today.

Those same measures, however, also diminished the purchasing power of the payments for many retirees.

Almost immediately after Reagan’s reforms the trust fund began to grow again, with yearly net fund increases rising and reserves doubling in three years. From 1983 through 2009, this pattern continued until in 2010 yearly net fund increases began to drop precipitously.

Revenues still exceeded disbursements from 2010 through 2020, but reserves weren’t growing as fast as they had been.

The fund has disbursed around $1 trillion a year since 2015, with total assets that are currently just under $3 trillion, good for nearly three years of operations.

In 2021, the fund spent more than it took in for the first time since 1981.

When Social Security revenues fall short of disbursements, the fund makes up the difference by calling in some of those reserve assets to make up the revenue shortfall.

The same demographic bubble that left the system flush with cash and assets is now in the process of bursting, slowly but surely. Retired Baby Boomers who no longer contribute to the trust fund receive benefits, while subsequent generations pay into the system.

Although Millennials are now the largest generation in the United States, the average life expectancy of Boomers has risen substantially during their lifetimes, meaning they’ll be around to collect more payments than anticipated when the first Boomers were born in 1946.

Right now, there are 2.8 workers per Social Security recipient, but by 2035, SSA trustees anticipate there will only be 2.3.

Current SSA projections say that by 2037, the trust fund’s reserves will be exhausted, although that could come sooner with economic downturns that depress the personal income from which payroll tax revenues are generated.

After that, the benefits retirees are entitled to won’t be disbursed as promised but instead as funded by whatever income the fund can collect — unless something is done before then.

THE SAFETY NET

“I had my first job when I was 16,” said Cullen, now 78. “This is what we did, especially in New York, because we didn’t have a lot of money.”

Cullen and her husband both worked during the day. At night, he attended St. John’s University, and she attended Fordham but left before completing her degree.

“We couldn’t afford both because we started having children so at that point, in the 1960s, it was more important that my husband finished college than me,” she said.

Cullen ended up working in clerical roles for many years, the last 16 of them in corporate marketing for Panasonic.

In 1992, Cullen’s husband tragically passed away; he was just 50 years old.

A few years later, Cullen was downsized and took an early retirement package at the age of 57, leaving her without a pension.

“I took that package knowing full well that at 60 as a widow I could collect his Social Security,” she said. “It was very important. Even though I still had earning power, I knew I could not go back to work making what I did because I worked my way up in that company. But it was important to me because he paid into it. I guess he had worked since he was 17 or so.”

Social Security served as an important safety net for Cullen during that time. The ability to collect her husband’s survivor benefits allowed Cullen to hold off on collecting her own Social Security benefits for a decade until she turned 70 and thus had maxed out her available monthly benefit of about $2,300.

“We both worked our whole lives, and so I felt good that I could collect something from him, that he paid into, and so that’s what I did,” she said. “Now I’m collecting my own.”

MISTAKEN OR UNAWARE

When Donald Trump won the 2016 election, the national debt stood at more than $19.5 trillion. When Donald Trump lost the 2020 election, that figure had grown to more than $27.7 trillion.

Since then, President Joe Biden has pushed the national debt up another $3.1 trillion to $30.8 trillion, an amount equal to 123% of the U.S. annual GDP.

That’s equivalent to a median income worker in Henderson County earning $32,306 a year while trying to service total debts of $39,736.

The Congressional Budget Office projects that by 2032, the annual service on the national debt will grow to $1.2 trillion, gobbling up 3.3% of the U.S. annual GDP — both larger than current yearly Social Security spending.

Republicans, including the 157 House members of the Republican Study Committee, appear to be targeting Social Security, Medicare and other entitlement

programs — rather than the runaway federal spending of the Trump administration— to get things under control.

According to a budget floated by the RSC several months ago, raising payroll taxes to prop up the program like Reagan did is “fundamentally immoral,” but removing mandated funding guarantees is not.

On Aug. 3, Wisconsin Republican Sen. Ron Johnson said he’d like to change Medicaid and Social Security from entitlement programs to discretionary programs authorized on a yearly basis. That, of course, would open up the possibility of cuts to benefit payments, or the same discretionary costof-living increases that plagued the program in the 1970s.

Either choice would be made based only upon the whims of partisan political majorities in Congress, every single year.

On Sept. 22, House Speaker Nancy Pelosi issued a statement warning of the potential for impending cuts to Medicare and Social Security.

On Oct. 11, Bloomberg News reported that Republicans will try to “extract concessions” from Democrats if they take control of the House next year, holding entitlement programs hostage while threatening another federal government shutdown over the debt limit.

On Oct. 14, during an interview with The Smoky Mountain News, Republican nominee for North Carolina’s 11th Congressional District Sen. Chuck Edwards (R-Henderson) was asked if he would support cuts to Medicare and Social Security. He didn’t say no.

Instead, Edwards made comments contradicting Bloomberg, Pelosi and Johnson, and denied even the possibility of cuts.

“I’ve talked many times with members of the Republican caucus in Washington and there is absolutely no interest from Republicans to cut Medicare or Social Security,” Edwards said. “To the contrary, we believe that we need to run a more fiscally responsible government in Washington D.C. so that we can keep the promises that we’ve made to those folks that have worked hard all their life to then count on Social Security and Medicare. There’s absolutely no appetite for Republicans to make any cuts to those programs.”

Four days after Edwards made his statement on Social Security, House Minority Leader Kevin McCarthy (R-CA) addressed the forthcoming fight over the nation’s statutory debt limit.

When asked if he’d attempt to reform entitlement programs like Social Security, McCarthy didn’t say no. Instead, he said he wouldn’t “predetermine” anything.

Edwards’ assertion that “there is absolutely no interest from Republicans to cut Medicare or Social Security” suggests he’s either mistaken about, or unaware of, his own party’s positions.

Edwards’ Democratic opponent, Buncombe County Commissioner Jasmine Beach-Ferrara, is skeptical of Edwards’ statements.

“I don’t believe him, because of his track record,” Beach-Ferrara said. “It’s a reality that on issue after issue after issue, he’s had the

opportunity to champion direct support that will bring relief to working families in Western North Carolina and he has instead turned his back on them.”

Indeed, Edwards has yet to appear at a legitimate General Election forum featuring all three candidates (Libertarian small business owner David Coatney is also on the ballot) after showing up to nearly a dozen in the Primary Election while calling out current Rep. Madison Cawthorn (R-Henderson) for his absences; he also took more than $1 million in PPP loans that were forgiven and then carved out a tax break for himself on the loan proceeds; and, he opposed student debt relief while failing to give that same state tax break to recipients of loan forgiveness.

“What we’ve been getting from folks like Sen. Edwards and his political allies instead is an approach that is all in favor of government spending when it benefits them, like what he did with the PPP loan, but also that prioritizes supporting oil and gas companies with record earnings during a time when they could instead be working to reduce prices for families,” Beach-Ferrara said.

‘THEY MAKE A MISTAKE’

As a longtime registered Republican, Cullen votes regularly.

“Always,” she said. “It’s my privilege.”

Cullen also relies on Medicare, which comes out of her monthly Social Security checks. An increase in Medicare’s cost, or a decrease in Medicare’s services, would have an impact on her household finances above and beyond the cuts to Social Security.

“I’d have to make adjustments, because especially now with inflation the way it is, food the way it is, my electric bill is going up; I notice every month it’s like $10 more, everything is just going up,” she said.

Beginning this coming January, 70 million Americans will see an 8.7% cost-of-living increase in Social Security payments, which is small consolation after 7% inflation in 2021 and 8.2% in 2022.

“You work your whole life to have some kind of a lifestyle so that you can enjoy it, or that you’re not afraid to go to the doctor and get medicine and things like that,” she said. “I mean, Medicare is important to older people. It’s ours. Medicare is for older people and just as they give free lunches to the younger people, you take care of the young ones and you take care of the old ones.”

Cullen has her own opinions about the entitlement program comments made by McCarthy and Johnson — fellow Republicans that she might have been inclined to support.

“What McCarthy said, first of all, I don’t think he should have said it,” she said. “But I know that other senators, Ron Johnson and all those, they’re all talking about fixing programs and this and that and I think they make a mistake when they hit the seniors.”

When asked if she’d be willing to vote in the upcoming Nov. 8 General Election for a Republican candidate that’s willing to cut Social Security and Medicare, Cullen was blunt.

“I really don’t think so,” she said. “Because that’s a part of my life.”

Committed to community

WCU grad wins national journalism award

BY HOLLY KAYS STAFF W RITER

Focused on cleaning up her inbox, Sara Stanley, a May graduate from Western Carolina University’s journalism program, was about to delete the email from the Society of Professional Journalists when she noticed her name in the preview.

She opened it and found out she’d won SPJ’s Julie Galvan Outstanding Graduate in Journalism Award.

“It sort of hit me like a ton of bricks,” she said.

The national award is given to only one journalism program graduate each year based on character, community service, scholarship, proficiency in practical journalism and contribution to their SPJ chapter. Katerina Spaskova, an associate professor at WCU in journalism and the advisor for the school’s SPJ chapter, said that she’d never submitted a Julie Galvan nomination before. But Stanley fit the description so perfectly that Spaskova decided to send in her name.

“If we consider journalists being the historians of the community and keeping community together, she embodies that,” Spaskova said. “She loves journalism, but that goes beyond just journalism. She loves being part of something.”

Stanley, 22, said that she’s always valued the news and the importance of selecting accurate and ethical outlets to get it from. As a teenager, she was inspired by the reporters who worked through breaking news and storm reports on television. She thought she might do something like that someday.

“At the start of college, I was really thinking in sort of quote-unquote cookie cutter terms,” Stanley said. “I’m going to be a journalist, I’m going to report on breaking news, I’m going to be on TV. Boom.”

But early in her college career, Stanley got involved in print journalism with WCU’s student newspaper The Western Carolinian. She started as a staff writer, moved up to junior editor and served as editor-in-chief her senior year.

Amid those increasing responsibilities, a global pandemic happened. Stanley was in her sophomore year when campus closed down and students were sent away to finish the semester from home. Instead of assigning her students to cover on-campus issues, Spaskova asked them to look for stories in their home communities — or wherever they happened to be during COVID — that could somehow relate to students. Stanley decided to write about mental health in elementary children, as well as food insecurity and free lunches during the pandemic.

These issues fascinated her, and she could sense their importance. When she came back to campus, she and a classmate, Patrick Clemons, approached Spaskova about doing an independent study class focused on data journalism — specifically on food insecurity.

Carolina Public Press had already done a lot of reporting on the topic, so the students used data from that outlet. But Stanley also wanted information from Feeding America, the country’s largest charity dedicated to ending hunger.

“She requested the data. She requested the parsing of the data. I was impressed with how she negotiated with Feeding America on getting that information and using that information for her storytelling,” Spaskova said.

Next, the students had to find sources, people with stories who could put a human face to the issue. That was hard to do — because people facing hunger are often hesitant to speak publicly about their experiences, because a raging pandemic complicated contact-making, and because student journalists frequently have a hard time getting off-campus sources to take them seriously.

But for Stanley, the human element was indispensable.

“I think during COVID we missed the personal connections with people, so I’ve tried to always add a human connection to a story,” she said. “They’re not just numbers. It’s not just an issue. There are real people that are affected. I always like to try to find as many people as possible that are willing to speak with me to add a human connection to the story.”

Ultimately, she found a homeless woman surviving on food stamps who was willing to talk with her — albeit anonymously — through a phone borrowed from Circles of Jackson County.

Stanley and Clemons each turned out an in-depth story as a result of the project, with Stanley also producing a feature on Home Base, a collaboration between WCU and Baptist Children’s Homes that aims to help students with limited family support succeed in college. In addition to the story, she turned in a successful fundraising effort, organizing a bake sale that raised $600 for the program.

“I was really proud of her in her commitment and her drive,” said Spaskova. “I don’t see that every day in students.”

When Stanley started looking toward her senior year as the Western Carolinian’s editor-in-chief, she saw another monumental task before her.

“The two years prior was during COVID, so we were working remotely. We didn’t have a printed newspaper,” she said. “There was lack of cohesion within the writers and the team, so when I came in, in 2021 as editor-inchief, my main goal was to create a team and to bring back the printed version of the newspaper.”

She spent all summer building the team and redesigning the print paper, dedicating her senior year to getting the paper stable, back on its feet and into the community.

“Her work and commitment, and with that the frustration, of getting The Carolinian back on track and getting it published, wanting to preserve that history of the university, I admired her,” Spaskova said. “She didn’t really have much support from the administration, but she made it through, and she put a lot of effort and energy in it.”

Stanley’s proud of what she accomplished during her time at Western, and grateful for the award recognizing its importance. She said the award served as a “push” toward realizing her post-graduation dreams. Right now, she’s working at a winery in her hometown of Hamptonville while also taking on freelancing work: content creation, web design and articles for the local paper, specifically relating to food insecurity, schools and the elderly population. Her goals have shifted from her freshman year dream of becoming a breaking news TV reporter — now, Stanley wants to use her reporting skills to tell stories that focus on her love of food, cooking and togetherness.

“I realized, maybe I want to seek out stories that will never be on mainstream news television,” she said. “Maybe I want to work with local newspapers to highlight amazing individuals that may never see the limelight, tell stories that may not be big enough to the entire state or the entire world, but may mean so, so much to a smaller community.”

“If we consider journalists being the historians of the community and keeping community together, she embodies that. She loves journalism, but that goes beyond just journalism. She loves being part of something.”

— Katerina Spaskova, WCU associate professor in journalism

Sara Stanley graduated from Western Carolina University in May. Donated photo

Maggie Valley gets new elk crossing signs

BY KYLE P ERROTTI

N EWS E DITOR

Folks driving up or down Soco Mountain on the Haywood County side may notice some new signage indicating elk could be in the area.

The signs along the 3.5-mile stretch of road — three going up toward the Blue Ridge Parkway and three going down toward Maggie Valley — were paid for via grants from the Rocky Mountain Elk Foundation (RMEF) and the Haywood County Tourism Development Authority (HCTDA). The signs were installed by the North Carolina Department of Transportation (NCDOT) on Oct. 11.

Joyce Cooper, co-chair of the Great Smoky Mountain Chapter of the Rocky Mountain Elk Foundation said that while the signs are great to remind visitors that elk — a great draw for tourists — can be seen in the valley, their main purpose is to prevent collisions between the animals and vehicles. Since the reintroduction of elk to the area in 2001, there have been numerous

Folkmoot to host lantern making classes

Folkmoot USA and Daydreamz Project will host two lantern making classes at Folkmoot USA, Saturday, Nov. 5, and Saturday, Nov. 19, from 1 p.m. to 3 p.m.

The Daydreamz Project is pleased to announce its upcoming partnership with Folkmoot USA. Daydreamz Project provides unique art-making possibilities for people of all ages, backgrounds and abilities, offering opportunities to explore creativity, cultures and community together. The Daydreamz Project’s goal is to make arts accessible to all. Artists work primarily with disadvantaged groups, from isolated

Cooper noted that NCDOT keeps a record of collisions on state roads, which is how the department determined the best places to put the signs. Cooper, who submitted the grants to RMEF and HCTDA, said the process took about six months, at which points they ordered the signs from TAPCO, the company that works with NCDOT on its signs. The signs themselves are 36-inch squares with continuously flashing, solar-powered LED lights.

“I am tickled to death with them,” Cooper said. “As a chapter, we’ve talked for several years about what we could do and what should be done to make the road safe for the animals and traveling public, and things came together this year.”

elders and at-risk youth, to shelter residents and people with disabilities.

“Lantern Parades are celebrated worldwide by many cultures and bring light to the winter darkness, harken seasonal celebrations, and add a sense of magic to all festivities,” said Starr Hogan, artistic director for Daydreamz Project.

On Sunday, Dec. 4, at 5 p.m., Daydreamz Project invites you to a “Lantern Stroll” starting at the Haywood Arts Council Gallery at 86 N. Main St. in Waynesville. As the darkness falls, we will light up the night with our handcrafted lanterns and LED lights. This Stroll is free and open to the public. Bring a lantern, a friend and your walking shoes to take a stroll down Main Street Waynesville to the Shelton House on Pigeon Street with Daydreamz Project and the community.

NCDOT put six signs up and down the Haywood County side of Soco Mountain to let drivers know there may be elk in or near the roadway.

Macon moves along with new high school planning

BY HANNAH MCLEOD STAFF W RITER

The Macon County Board of Commissioners and Board of Education have authorized architectural firm LS3P to submit designs for the new Franklin High School to local and state agencies for review, the next step in a multi-year process toward a new facility.

“We’re ready now,” said County Commission Chairman Jim Tate.

At a joint meeting of the county commission and school board on Oct. 18, LS3P presented the latest version of plans for the new school which expanded on the site plan laid out this summer.

Paul Boney from LS3P presented the schematic design for the school. His goals for the project are to create an energy-efficient facility that can be a driver of economic development, safe and inviting for students and faculty and a center for the community.

“These buildings are tired, most of them are older than me, and I get tired,” said Boney. “I’m telling you, there’s a way that this community can come together, and I know there are a lot of questions, I know there are a lot of answers we are searching for, but we have one common goal here and that’s for the children to be given the best education they can get to compete with other places that I know of and we’re working there. I know the facilities that we build.”

The general site plan for a new high school complex in the same location as the current Franklin High School involves a new stadium, new central buildings and demolition of existing buildings. The entire site will be relatively flat, from the entry road to the back of the main building, a big shift for a campus that is currently varied in elevation, one of many aspects that makes it difficult to navigate for anyone with physical limitations.

The new school will all be under one roof, meaning students and staff will not need to exit the structure to get to any part of the school, a move that should enhance overall security.

The single entry at the front of the school will lead directly into a secure vestibule which is adjacent to the administration offices. From there, the central corridor has access to the auxiliary and full-size gymnasiums, auditorium and cafeteria. The second floor of this main building will contain the media center and guidance offices.

Connected to the central building will be two, three-story academic wings. The bottom floor will be made up of CTE classrooms for easiest access to equipment and supplies. The second and third floors will hold academic classrooms. In between the central building and the academic wings, plans show a courtyard which will also be accessible through the cafeteria.

The new school, while on a more compact footprint than the current Franklin High, will contain an estimated 80,000 additional square feet.

“We’re packing a lot into this space, but providing a much richer experience, a much safer experience,” said Jamie Henderson of LS3P.

When architects were looking at designing the facility, safety and accessibility were two of the top concerns. Other than the single, secure entry, traffic flow of Panther Drive in the new plans is considered safer than it is at the school now.

Commissioner Gary Shields, who worked as principal of Franklin High School for 21 years, said that when he is out in the community, he gets a lot of questions like “what’s wrong with the old Franklin High School?” During the joint meeting Oct. 18, commissioners streamed a video that

showed some of the difficulties students with physical disabilities face daily when trying to navigate the school.

“Franklin High School is an old campus with old infrastructure,” Macon County English Teacher and parent Tyler Faetz says in the video. “It’s been here since the 1950s, and one population of students that has been left behind by its infrastructure are students with disabilities. It’s very difficult to navigate our campus, a number of obstructions, uneven pavement surfaces, uneven surfacing on sidewalks, so there are a number of difficulties here for students with disabilities.”

According to Brooke Keener, director of exceptional children, parents of students

with disabilities are often worried about sending their children to the high school because of how hard it is for them to get around. Parents often put it off as long as possible and some avoid it altogether.

Staff at Franklin High School have to do some intricate planning in order to help each student that needs assistance, or a unique navigation plan, move between classes. Even with that foresight, students often have to leave class early and arrive late to the next.

“I would like to give every student on campus the opportunity to choose whatever classes they would like to have,” said Franklin High School Principal Mickey Noe. “Currently our class- F

Designs for the new Franklin High School show a more compact facility with greater square footage than the current school. LS3P photo

The current Franklin High School is made up of various buildings at differing elevations. LS3P photo

Legal Aid of North Carolina debuts new website

Legal Aid of North Carolina has fully launched its new website at the existing legalaidnc.org address. Designed and developed by Charlotte-based Kelso Communications and Priceless Misc, the website features the new Legal Aid NC brand debuted earlier this year to celebrate and honor the organization’s 20th anniversary. Navigation has been updated to better tell the organization’s story and demonstrate the incredible impact the organization makes in all 100 counties of North Carolina. Most importantly, client resources and self-help materials have been reorganized to be easily accessible and searchable. The new legalaidnc.org website also makes it easier for the community to donate and get involved.

“While I am thrilled with how fresh and friendly the design of our new website is, I am even more excited by how well it will serve our clients,” said Ashley Campbell, CEO of Legal Aid of North Carolina. “Our attorneys, paralegals and staff are always happy to help, but this website will help our community educate and empower themselves.”

rooms are so spread out, it takes so much time for some of our students to get from one end of campus to the other, it just makes it really difficult and some of our students don’t have the opportunity to take some of the outlying classes.”

The total cost estimate for the project is $118,420,233. The cost of work is estimated at $73,603,998, with an additional $7 million built in for construction contingency and $10 million for cost escalation. After fees and outfitting, the new high school is totaled at just over one hundred million dollars and the stadium project is estimated at $14 million.

“Every step of the way we refine that budget and we keep you informed of where we are on the budget,” said Boney.

By unanimous consensus, the county commission authorized LS3P to submit the schematic design package for the Franklin High School and design development for the stadium to local and state agencies for review.

ELECTION DECISIONS

Part of the funding for the new high school could come in from revenue of a quarter-cent sales tax. That tax will only be levied if voters so choose. There will be a referendum on the ballot this election; early voting has already begun.

“The county, financially, in my opinion, is ready to be able to handle this,” said Tate. “There’s a large elephant in the room; y’all can hear it and smell it. There’s a big election coming up and there’s going to be some new leaders here. That’s why I’m say-

The new Get Help section of legalaidnc.org: Puts front-and-center a news carousel where clients can see important alerts and time-sensitive information like application deadlines and emergency-specific resources.

Features “one stop shop” sections dedicated to housing, domestic violence and sexual assault, healthcare access, government benefits, seniors, family law, consumer issues, employment and more.

Neatly organizes specific resources, events and links to other articles within each topic area (see the Housing section for example).

Highlights local offices, how to contact Legal Aid NC for assistance and self-help clinics where users can learn to handle certain basic legal issues without hiring an attorney.

In addition to better serving clients, the robust Pro Bono section of legalaidnc.org caters to members of the legal community across North Carolina who are looking for a way to give back. The website features a full list of pro bono programs and staff who can help attorneys, law students, paralegals and others channel their passion into projects that maximize their impact and time. The website also features opportunities for continuing legal education.

ing my opinion doesn’t really matter, but I’m telling you I’m for it, I’ve been for it for 11 years now, I’m ready to see it happen.”

Tate, who represents District I, is not seeking reelection. Running to replace him are Republican John Shearl and Independent Jerry Moore. Moore is staunchly in favor of the quarter-cent sales tax for the new high school project. Shearl told the Smoky Mountain News he will be supportive of the decision voters make on Election Day regarding the sales tax. As far as the high school project is concerned, Shearl said it is hard to be in favor of something for which he has had no part in the planning.

“There’s so much more that we have to know about this process,” said Shearl. “I have not been part of the planning for this school.”

“It worries me how hard that I’ve worked, how hard our leadership in this county has worked to try and set us up in this position to finally make this happen,” said Tate. “I hope whoever the new commissioners are moving forward will see it to fruition.”

In District II, incumbents Gary Shields and Ronnie Beale are both running for reelection and both have stated their support for the new high school, as well as the quarter-cent sales tax. Running against the incumbents to represent District II are Danny Antoine and Betty Cloer Wallace. Wallace is in favor of the tax referendum but is critical of the plans for the new high school. According to reporting in The Macon County News, Antoine has stated that he is not in favor of the quarter-cent sales tax to fund the school.

Susan Hooper done a fantastic job staying on top of things and keeping me informed along the way! This was my first land purchase so this was a new process for me and I couldn't have asked for a better person than Susan to help me along the way! I am excited about my purchase and would recommend Susan to anyone in need of a realtor, she done a wonderful job! Thanks so much! – Houston Rogers, Canton

Hooper

Locations Serving you in Western North Carolina

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8005 NC Highway 141, Murphy, NC · 837-0460

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3533 US 441 North, Whittier, NC · 497-6211

RED ALERT: JUSTICE IS ON THE BALLOT

Republicans are trying to buy our highest courts. The current 4-3 Democratic majority in the NC Supreme Court has angered Republicans by passing rulings broadening our civil rights.

National organizations could drop millions on ads in the final days of the election. One group called “Win the Courts” was created by former Republican Congressman Mark Walker. Another group called the Judicial Crisis Network whose leader has lied about spending in high court cases is said to be funded with “dark money.”

We can’t allow the highest court in our state to become the “lapdog” of a right wing state legislature.

By casting your vote for Sam Ervin IV and Lucy Inman, you can trust them to follow the law, rule independently and keep politics out of the courtroom.

Associate Justice Sam Ervin IV is the grandson of Senator Sam Ervin, Jr. who presided over the Watergate hearings that brought down President Richard Nixon. Justice Ervin was elected to the NC Supreme Court in November 2014. Prior to that, he served for five years as a judge on the NC Court of Appeals. He’s an experienced jurist who believes that our system of government depends on the existence of a fair and impartial judicial system.

Justice Ervin’s opponent, Trey Allen, has no experience on the bench. He formed a close relationship with current Republican Chief Justice Paul Newby by serving as his law clerk from 2005-2006. When Newby became chief justice in 2021, he hired Allen as general counsel to the courts system. Most of Allen’s judicial experience has been in private practice.

Steaming ahead

With replacement complete, century-old WCU steam plant to retire

BY HOLLY KAYS STAFF W RITER

After nearly a century in operation, years of inspiring trepidation at winter’s approach and $33 million from the state legislature, Western Carolina University’s antique steam plant is approaching its final retirement. In a ribbon-cutting ceremony Friday, Oct. 21, about 100 people gathered to celebrate completion of the new facility, which is expected to come online in the next month or so.

“For decades (our facilities and maintenance staff), professional technicians led most recently by Mr. Terry Riouff, babied, cajoled, coaxed and even applied percussive therapy when needed to a nearly 100-year-old steam plant functioning well past is intended lifespan,” Provost Richard Starnes told the crowd. “They did this day in and day out, 24/7, 365 days a year. Then they turned their attention to ensuring that this new steam plant would meet the needs of the campus for another century. What a legacy they leave.”

ROAD TO REPLACEMENT

The original steam plant was completed in 1924, its boiler hauled to campus using a large team of oxen. The oldest boiler still in use today was installed in 1966, when Lyndon B. Johnson was president and Dr. Seuss’s “How the Grinch Stole Christmas” aired for the first time. The other two were

installed in 1969 and 1973.

Replacing the aged steam plant was a priority for the late Chancellor David O. Belcher throughout his time at WCU, as he and his team pushed for legislators from jurisdictions across the state to put their weight behind this non-glamorous but much-needed funding request. When state leaders came to visit, Belcher would have signs displayed on the boilers, saying things like, “This boiler was installed when Harry Truman was president.” That statement was true of a boiler that remained in use until 2016, when three temporary emergency boilers were installed to replace the 65-year-old machine that was no longer capable of reliably producing steam.

“No longer will we have to be thinking about, ‘Oh, we can’t have a cold winter. If the winter’s really cold, what might happen?’” said Chancellor Kelli R. Brown.

Several times over the years, administrators would look at the weather forecast and worry about the old plant’s ability to keep up. If it failed, they’d have to close the dorms and send the university’s 4,000 campus residents home.

“Like most infrastructure, nobody cares about it until it fails,” said Riouff, the steam plant supervisor. “The new steam plant gives us redundancy. We didn’t have that with the old steam plant.”

‘BEYOND THRILLED’

N.C. Labor Commissioner Josh Dobson was a state representative from the 85th district in Avery, McDowell and Mitchell counties when Belcher’s administration began its hard press to replace the steam plant. During the ribbon-cutting ceremony, Dobson recalled the surprise expressed by Nelson Dollar, the senior chairman of the Appropriations Committee at the time, when Dobson entered Dollar’s office after taking a tour of the steam plant, asking to make the project a funding priority. It was an unusual request because WCU wasn’t in Dobson’s district — nobody in that community could vote for him when election time came around.

But Dobson, whose wife is a WCU alumna, said that being part of a “big consequential

Judge Lucy Inman has 32 years of experience as a lawyer and judge, serving people in both large and small communities. She has served as a judge on the NC Court of Appeals since 2015. Prior to that, she served four years as a Superior Court judge. Her record shows that she always follows the law and treats every person in court equally, fairly and with respect.

Her opponent, Richard Dietz, has served on the NC Court of Appeals since 2014, but Judge Inman has many more years of experience in the courtroom.

Search for Sam and Look for Lucy on your ballot

Don Hair, manager of the steam plant construction project, gives a tour of the boiler room Oct. 21. WCU photo

Chancellor Kelli R. Brown speaks to the crowd gathered Oct. 21 to cut the ribbon on the new steam plant. WCU photo

thing” like the steam plant replacement was what he loved most about being a legislator.

“Those of us who have been doing this for a while understand the fleeting nature of politics and perhaps know that our time in the arena is limited,” he said. “We understand that most of the votes we cast will be forgotten. We understand that most of the speeches we give in time will not be remembered. But being able to be part of something like this won’t be forgotten anytime soon.”

The steam plant saga began its approach toward a conclusion in 2017, when the legislature appropriated $750,000 for the design of a steam plant replacement. Initial funding for construction came the next year, when the state budget included $16.5 million to fund the first half of the project. The second $16.5 million installment was included in the 2020 budget.

Belcher was no longer acting as chancellor when the legislature approved a budget bill with that initial funding on June 1, 2018. He was home, battling the brain cancer that would claim his life on June 17 — less than a week after the budget was codified through a veto override June 12. But he released a statement expressing his joy at seeing the project pull through.

“I am beyond thrilled that our state legislators have included significant funding to address one of the most acute and critical infrastructure needs facing our campus — our antiquated steam plant, or, as I like to call it, ‘steam museum,’” Belcher said at the time. “Obtaining the funding necessary to upgrade the steam plant was the top priority left unaccomplished when I began medical leave at the beginning of this year, and I am heartened to learn of its inclusion in the budget plan.”

Belcher’s widow, Susan Belcher, attended the Oct. 21 ribbon-cutting, all smiles at seeing her late husband’s vision come to pass.

Many other current and former elected officials were there as well, including Sen. Kevin Corbin, former Sen. Jim Davis, Rep. Mike Clampitt, Sen. Ralph Hise, Sen. Deanna Ballard and Rep. Brian Turner. Representatives from the offices of Sens. Richard Burr and Thom Tillis were in attendance, as well as Eastern Band of Cherokee Indians Tribal Council Chairman Richard French and Yellowhill Rep. T.W. Saunooke.

THE NEW PLANT

The new steam plant is a modern, twostory structure that stands adjacent to the original plant. Boilers, piping and the control room are located on the main floor above, with water pumps, water treatment equipment and compressors housed on the lower floor.

While the new facility also has its own smokestack, the original smokestack remains as a nod to university history, as does a portion of the original building. Its brick façade faces Central Drive and its large, arcing windows add a visually appealing architectural element. The building will house a lobby, administrative offices and display space for old plant equipment. The plant’s original steam whistle, used to signal the start and end of the workday, lunch break, and special events or warnings, will be installed at the new plant.

While the steam plant originally ran on coal, it’s been using natural gas since 2006. The new plant will also rely on natural gas, with No. 2 fuel oil as a backup source.

Though the new plant’s capacity of 110,000 pounds per hour is similar to the current output of 107,000 pounds per hour, the new facility will be much more efficient and reliable. The current facility is only 50% efficient at full capacity, while the new plant is expected to be 90% efficient. Original plans had called for a new steam plant capable of producing 150,000 to 170,000 pounds per hour, but university leaders ultimately decided that wasn’t necessary, construction project manager Don Hair said during a tour of the building. The university is growing, but the newer buildings are more fuel-efficient than the older ones — replacing the Scott and Walker residence halls with new construction significantly reduced fuel demands, Hair said.

“This was my top capital priority when I started working here more than 20 years ago,” said Joe Walker, associate vice chancellor for facilities management. “I knew the old plant would not last forever. Now, I can sleep better at night knowing that we have a new facility.”

A team of oxen haul the boiler to campus in 1924.

In-person early voting continues

BY C ORY VAILLANCOURT

P OLITICS E DITOR

Primary Elections in Western North Carolina will be held on Tuesday, Nov. 8, but in-person early voting is still underway.

Through Saturday, Nov. 5, sites across Western North Carolina will be open to those who want to cast their ballots in advance of Election Day. No reason is needed for those who wish to use what is called “In-Person Absentee Voting” or “One-Stop Absentee Voting,” and voters can alternatively make their selections by mail as well.

To vote early, voters must appear at the designated early voting site in their home county between those dates. Most voters don’t need to show identification, but those who are voting for the first time or the first time in a new residence might, so it’s probably best just to bring it along just in case.

Vote-by-mail ballots are still available through Tuesday, Nov. 1. Request yours by calling your county board of elections office, or by visiting ncsbe.gov/voting/vote-mail.

The last day to register to vote or to change party affiliation was Friday, Oct. 14. To check your registration, to find your polling place, or to view all the races you’re eligible to vote in, visit vt.ncsbe.gov/RegLkup.

EARLY VOTING LOCATIONS

HAYWOOD COUNTY

Haywood County Senior Resource Center, 81 Elmwood Way; Canton Public Library, 11 Pennsylvania Ave.; Clyde Town Hall, 8437 Carolina Blvd. All locations open from 8 a.m. to 7:30 p.m. Monday through Friday, and 8 a.m. to 3 p.m. on Saturday, Nov. 5. To request an absentee ballot, call the Haywood County Board of Elections at 828.452.6633.

JACKSON COUNTY

Jackson County Board of Elections, 876 Skyland Drive, open 8 a.m. to 7:30 p.m. Monday through Friday and 8 a.m. to 3 p.m. on Saturday, Oct. 29 and Saturday, Nov. 5; Cashiers Recreation Center, 355 Frank Allen Road, open 8 a.m. to 7:30 p.m. Monday through Friday, 8 a.m. to 3:30 p.m. on Saturday, Oct. 29 and 8 a.m. to 3 p.m. on Saturday, Nov. 5; Cullowhee Recreation Center, 88 Cullowhee Mountain Road, open 8 a.m. to 7:30 p.m. Monday through Friday and 8 a.m. to 3 p.m. on Saturday, Oct. 29 and Saturday, Nov. 5; Qualla Community Building, 181 Shoal Creek Church Loop, open 8 a.m. to 7:30 p.m. Monday through Friday, 8 a.m. to 7:30 p.m. on Saturday, Oct. 29 and 8 a.m. to 3 p.m. on Saturday, Nov. 5; Western Carolina University, 245 Memorial Drive, open 8 a.m. to 7:30 p.m. Monday through Friday and 8 a.m. to 3 p.m. on Saturday, Oct. 29 and Saturday, Nov. 5. To request an absentee ballot, call the Jackson County Board of Elections at 828.586.7538.

MACON COUNTY

Macon County Community Building, 1288 Georgia Road; Highlands Civic Center, 600 N. 4th St. Both locations open 8 a.m. to 7:30 p.m. Monday through Friday and 8 a.m. to 3 p.m. on Saturdays. To request an absentee ballot, call the Macon County Board of Elections at 828.349.2034.

SWAIN COUNTY

Swain County Board of Elections, 1422 Hwy. 19 South; Birdtown Community Center, 1212 Birdtown Road. Both locations open from 8 a.m. to 7:30 p.m. Monday through Friday, 8 a.m. to noon on Saturday, Oct. 29 and 8 a.m. to 3 p.m. on Saturday, Nov. 5. To request an absentee ballot, call the Swain County Board of Elections at 828.488.6463.

Dec. 15 special election to fill Tribal Council vacancies

BY HOLLY KAYS

STAFF W RITER

Aspecial election Thursday, Dec. 15, will seat new Tribal Council members to fill vacancies left by the death of Painttown Rep. Tommye Saunooke and the resignation of Wolfetown Rep. Bill Taylor, Tribal Council decided during Annual Council Monday, Oct. 24.

A filing period will open at 7:45 a.m. Monday, Oct. 31, and close at 4:30 p.m. Wednesday, Nov. 2, with the Eastern Band of Cherokee Indians Board of Elections certifying candidates by Monday, Nov. 7, Chairman Richard French said. During the filing period, prospective candidates must submit a candidate application form and pay the $500 filing fee.

Saunooke passed away Sunday, Oct. 9, while serving her 12th consecutive term in office. During Annual Council Monday, Oct. 17, Tribal Council passed a resolution honoring Saunooke for her service to the tribe. Afterward, the tribe’s elected officials took turns sharing their memories of Saunooke and gratitude for her contributions to the tribe over the years.

The same day, Chairman Richard French relayed an email he’d received from Taylor resigning his seat in the wake of a trio of criminal charges stemming from an alleged domestic violence incident Oct. 6. Taylor is charged with hitting his wife’s vehicle with his own truck as she attempted to flee a domestic dispute, allegedly disabling her car and jarring her body enough to cause physical injury. He has pleaded not guilty, with his attorney referring to the incident as an accident in comments to The Smoky Mountain News last week. Taylor’s next court date is Tuesday, Nov. 1.

Both Taylor and Saunooke were elected to serve terms ending Monday, Oct. 2,

2023. The winners of the Dec. 15 special election will represent their communities on Tribal Council through the end of that term. All 12 Tribal Council terms expire on the same date, with a General Election Sept. 7 selecting representatives for the 2023-25 term. Filing for that election occurs in March.

The resolution setting the special election passed unanimously and awaits a signature from Principal Chief Richard Sneed.

There is an Orthodox Christian Church in Waynesville

Holy Resurrection Orthodox Church is a canonical Eastern Orthodox Church meeting in Waynesville. Our services are in English, all are welcome to worship with us, and we have a special outreach to the poor and the lost, and to those who seek to love God by loving others.

Tommye Saunooke

Bill Taylor

Feds prosecute sexual abuse case in Cherokee

BY HOLLY KAYS

STAFF W RITER

is facing five federal charges

from two alleged incidents of sexual abuse of a minor on tribal lands.

to an indictment filed in the U.S. District Court in Asheville, Rachel Paige Crowe is accused of engaging in sexual acts with a boy who was between the ages of 12 and 16, and at least four years younger than her.

indictment charges her with sexual touching of the genitals, as well as penetrative and oral contact. This allegedly occurred on two separate occasions between December 2021 and April 30, 2022, in the Jackson County portion of the Qualla Boundary.

These alleged encounters account for four of the five charges Crowe faces. The fifth stems from a June 10 conversation with a special agent of the Federal Bureau of Investigations in which she allegedly said her social media contact with the minor victim was limited to accepting a friend request.

“The statement and representation was false, because as Rachel Paige Crowe then and there knew, she had communicated through Snapchat with the minor victim on multiple occasions,” the indictment reads.

The indictment was filed on Oct. 4 and entered into the system Oct. 6. It was sealed until Crowe’s arrest on Oct. 21.

Following her arrest, Crowe had an initial appearance before the U.S. District Court in Asheville at 11:10 a.m. Oct. 21. She was then booked into the Transylvania County Jail at 1:45 p.m. She remains in jail until her arraignment hearing scheduled for 11:30 a.m. Wednesday, Oct. 26. Her case is in federal jurisdiction because she is an enrolled member of the Eastern Band of Cherokee Indians and the alleged crime occurred on tribal lands.

Rachel Paige Crowe.

VOTED NO

Republicans seem to be ashamed to admit to being Republican!

Jobs: record number of jobs created.

Health: vaccinations now available to seniors on Medicare as well as a cap on prescription costs and insulin. No senior will pay more than $2,000 a year for prescription drugs.

Safety: enhanced background checks for gun purchases, renewal of the Violence Against Women Act.

Taxes: a minimum 15% tax on corporations, boosted IRS budget in order to process 2021 tax backlog.

Military: PACT Act expands VA benefits and benefits for veterans exposed to burn pits and other toxic substances.

Police: A package of bills passed the US House to Fund the Police, investing in reform efforts and to address the mental health crisis.

Infrastructure: investment in highways and bringing broadband to underserved communities.

International: strengthened NATO and supports Ukraine in the battle against Russian invasion

Families: Child Tax Credit kept families in their homes and food on the table during the pandemic.

Climate: investment in renewables projects means more jobs, rejoined the Paris Agreement. Made the largest investment in curbing carbon emissions.

Manufacturing: millions of dollars to promote microchip production by US companies.

Medicare: measures allowing the negotiation of drug prices to help seniors who struggle to buy prescription meds.

VOTING NO WASN’T ENOUGH! On 10/14, Senate Republicans introduced a bill that will roll back the drug pricing reforms in the Inflation Reduction Act, including the measures allowing Medicare to negotiate drug prices and capping annual drug expenses for seniors.

$10 million in capital improvements approved for Macon Schools

out a request for bids.

“I consider this somewhat of an emergency for Macon County,” said Tate. “They’re already missing track season this year because we can’t do it there. If we don’t start that ball rolling right now, they’re going to miss next season too. Imagine Franklin football field — what would happen if you missed half of this season because the field is in deplorable condition? This community would go berserk, and I think it needs to be a level playing field for all of our sports.”

The motion to put the Macon Middle School track project out for bid passed 4-1, with commissioner Paul Higdon dissenting.

The third project under consideration was the Highlands School soccer field. The project was not outlined in the county’s capital improvement plan or the school system’s capital outlay request. During a September school board meeting both the principal of Highlands School and the soccer coach spoke to the hazardous conditions at the school. The pair also presented a quote for $850,000 they had received earlier in the year.

BY HANNAH MCLEOD STAFF W RITER

Macon County Commissioners approved a slew of capital improvement projects totaling almost $10 million during a joint meeting with the board of education Oct. 18. However, all members were not in agreement about approving the spending.

“I appreciate all the civil discourse,” said Commission Chairman Jim Tate. “We have a very healthy board right now; we don’t all agree, but we agree to respect each other and respect each other’s opinions.”

The first, a bid acceptance for the Macon Middle School locker room was identified in the capital improvement plan for completion in fiscal year 2023. The county appropriated funding in its budget in the amount of $2,640,000 and received bids for the project in September that have been reviewed by the liaison committee which works between the county commission and school board.

Three bids were received and after review, the lowest responsible bidder was determined to be Carolina Specialties Construction at a cost of $2,519,250. The motion to award the bid and authorize the county manager to enter into contract with Carolina Specialties Construction passed unanimously. Superintendent Dr. Chris Baldwin noted that the company has done work at Highlands School previously and the district had no complaints with the company’s work.

The second project concerned the Macon Middle School track. While it had not been identified in the capital improvement plan for the county, it was identified in the fiscal year 2023 capital outlay request from the school system. During the most recent liaison committee meeting, the group discussed the

— Macon Commission Chairman Jim Tate

numerous failed attempts to repair the Franklin High School track that has inhibited the school system from hosting track meets. Potential construction at FHS will further inhibit use of the track. The committee received a quote for $657,070 in 2021 from Competition Athletic Services.

“The discussions concerning the track situation have been ongoing for years,” said Board of Education Chairman Jim Breedlove. “There have been discussions concerning how to finance this, concerning grant money and the school system agreeing to use the contingency left over from Macon Middle. We also have received a grant for over $100,00 that we will designate to go into this project. So we think it’s a vital project and that’s why we put it on out capital outlay request.”

Contingency funds from Macon Middle School, of which about $600,000 remain, must be used in some form at Macon Middle. The track is regulation size, but needs the asphalt, gravel base and surface to be replaced. The school system will need to put

The liaison committee also discussed the project at its latest meeting. The primary concern for the field is poor runoff and drainage causing a flooded field when it rains and a frozen field during most of the colder months. The field needs resurfacing, ideally with AstroTurf so that it can be used yearround.

“This has not been included in our capital outlay projects prior to this, but bluntly we were not aware of the shape that this field apparently has descended into,” said Breedlove. “The board of education fully supports moving forward and trying to accommodate the request for the soccer field at Highlands School.”

“If we do not address this project right now, we’re not just missing this season, we’re missing three more seasons,” said school board member Hillary Wilkes. “So if next summer this doesn’t get done, then that means the entire school year for the next two seasons for boys and girls soccer we won’t have that field. And it’s also used daily by our P.E. teachers as well.”

Commissioner Paul Higdon referred to the commission’s decision on the projects as a “shopping spree.”

“We’ve got three items here not identified on the capital improvement plan, which is Macon Middle School Track, Highlands soccer field and the Highlands pre-K,” said Higdon. “None of those items were mentioned six months ago. And we’re looking at a $10 million expenditure for all of them. Is it prudent for us to act out of budget, out of capital improvement plans just to spend $10 million? These are all worthy projects, but the process that we’re handling these, we’ve got a sewer plant that’s malfunctioning, we’ve got a geothermal issue, is there not a reason to prioritize our spending? There is a limit to

“Imagine Franklin football field — what would happen if you missed half of this season because the field is in deplorable condition? This community would go berserk, and I think it needs to be a level playing field for all of our sports.”

Two of the four capital improvement projects are slated for Highlands School. MCS photo

what we can do, and to just sit here and casually commit $10 million tonight.”

A motion to put the Highlands soccer field project out to bid passed four to one with Higdon dissenting.

The fourth project involved an architect recommendation for the Highlands pre-K project, which was included in the school’s capital outlay request. The board of commissioners previously authorized a request for qualification for the project in May of this year, the liaison committee met to review the responses and recommended LS3P to move forward with the project. The scope of work involves the pre-K expansion and renovations to Highlands Middle School.

The combined project cost is estimated at $5.5 million. That includes the pre-K as well as building the addition to the middle school to account for the displaced classrooms with the involvement of the pre-K, as well as renovation to a very old CTE section, repurposing some interior hallways and improvements to the media center.

“If we are able to apply for and receive that renovation repair fund grant, that would reduce that by another $500,000,” said Baldwin.

The additional space would account for two 18-student classrooms for a total of 36 students. According to Wilkes, at Highlands Community Childcare Development Center there are over 60 children on the waitlist. Another childcare center in Highlands has 50 on the waitlist.

“If we can absorb 36 with an in-house preK at Highlands, that opens up those daycare facilities of varying ages,” said Wilkes.

Commissioner Josh Young and Higdon again questioned the process for approval of a project of this type.

“I don’t dispute the fact that this is needed, but I feel like the process warrants respect and I feel like it needs to be through the capital improvement plan,” Young said. “I understand it’s on there now but it wasn’t on there in March.”

Commissioner Higdon said that the boards needed to do better planning so projects like this were hashed out during the budget season.

While pre-K programs are not a required offering of public schools, it is a program they can offer and one that is shown to improve the ability of students later in their K-12 careers.

“We’re looking at the very earliest, if we start tonight, doing what we can, the first kids in the pre-K classroom will get there in August of 2024,” said Wilkes. “That’s almost two years from now. If we wait on this, we’re already so behind.”

Following lengthy discussion, the motion to enter into contract negotiations with LS3P for the Highlands pre-K project and reassess the scope of the project if the repair and renovation application fund is approved for Highlands middle School was approved three to two with Higdon and Young voting against. The board also approved the motion to submit an application for the repair and renovation fund grant for Highlands Middle School four to one, with Higdon voting against.

WCU partners with Statesville school for mentorship program

For many students at Statesville High School, stepping onto the campus of Western Carolina University was their first college experience.

To help recruit students from diverse backgrounds into the teaching profession, WCU has partnered with Statesville High School to form a program called Students to Teachers Through Educator Pathways.

“The purpose of STEP with WCU is to introduce teaching as a profession in diverse high schools where students might not have had the opportunity to see it as such,” said Jenny Stewart, WCU’s director of Student Success and STEP. “This program contributes to the College of Education and Allied Professions and WCU goals for inclusive excellence, and was designed to address the low number of students of color in teacher education programs and the teaching workforce across our state.”

The students in the program are part of a Teaching as a Profession class at their high school and made the campus visit to learn more about applying to college, student life and financial aid.

Using the Teaching as a Profession curriculum approved by the North Carolina Department of Public Instruction and specific college engagement activities, this program aims to increase the positive perceptions of teaching as a profession and college as a destination after high school.

For more information about the STEP with WCU program, contact Stewart at jstewart@wcu.edu.

Agreement assures admission for WCU students to UNC School of Pharmacy

A new partnership will assure admission for current and incoming Western Carolina University students interested in pursuing a doctoral degree in pharmacy into the University of North Carolina Eshelman School of Pharmacy.

The Early Assurance Program is a partnership between the schools that will run through 2027, with an option to renew. The program is not only a means for WCU to increase its undergraduate enrollment, but it will also allow the Eshelman School of Pharmacy to attract students from Western North Carolina.

WCU is the third UNC System school to partner with the Eshelman School of Pharmacy, joining Appalachian State University and the University of North Carolina at Wilmington.

Any WCU student can apply to the program providing they have completed at least one semester. Up to 10 applicants can be chosen per year.

They must meet all requirements, including three letters of recommendation, high school and current undergraduate performance/transcripts and a personal statement that conveys a passion for pursuing a career in pharmacy, as well as their short-term and long-term goals for their career.

Initial applications into the program will be due in January 2023. The director of recruiting from the Eshelman School of Pharmacy will be in Cullowhee Nov. 1, which is Advising Day for WCU students. She will give a presentation at 2 p.m., followed by a question-and-answer session at a yet to be determined location, Wallen said.

For more information on the Early Assurance Program, contact Wallen at 828.227.3667 or jamiewallen@wcu.edu.

SCC Milestone now accepting submissions

Submissions are now being accepted for the 2023 edition of the Milestone, the biennial art and literary review published by Southwestern Community College.

“Milestone” showcases the creative expressions of local writers and visual artists. The peri-

odical is representative of the abundance of talent in the region and seeks to foster creative potential by providing artists an opportunity to gain public awareness.

All residents of Jackson, Macon and Swain counties and the Qualla Boundary, as well as SCC students and alumni, are eligible. Only unpublished work may be submitted. Prose should not exceed 2,000 words, and poems should be limited to two pages in length. Writers may submit more than one work. All writing must be double-spaced and submitted in paper format or via email. In addition, each page must be numbered, and the author’s name, address, telephone number and email address should be included on the last page of each submission.

Visual artists and photographers may submit only black and white copies of original artwork and must also include name, address, telephone number, email address, title of work and photo caption (if applicable) on the back of each submission. Artists and photographers may also submit more than one work.

First- and second-place prizes will be awarded in three categories: poetry, prose (short story or nonfiction works) and visual arts, including photography. In addition, one cash prize will be

awarded for cover art.

Literary submissions must be postmarked by Dec. 8, 2022, and sent to SCC Milestone, Attn. Hannah Sykes; 447 College Drive; Sylva, NC 28779 or via email to milestone@southwesterncc.edu. Submissions in visual art must be postmarked by the same date and sent to the same address, Attn. Bob Keeling or via email to bkeeling@southwesterncc.edu.

HCC alumni gathering to be held Nov. 3

Are you an alum of Haywood Community College? Join for a gathering on Thursday, Nov. 3, from 4:30 until 6:30 p.m. at the Shelton House in Waynesville. The school is excited for the gathering and wants to hear what graduates have been up to. Beverages and appetizers will be served. RSVP by Oct. 28 by emailing hccalumni@haywood.edu or calling 828.627.4544.

‘Think Big Reading Room’ opens at Cullowhee Valley

Local and national dignitaries joined students and staff at Cullowhee Valley School on Oct. 10 to celebrate the opening of a new “Think Big Reading Room.” One of only five in North Carolina, the new space was made possible by the Carson Scholars Fund and the generosity of Gordon and Cheri Martin.

Dr. Ben Carson and his wife Candy founded the Think Big Reading Project in 1994 to award scholarships, promote literacy and encourage leisure reading to help students reach their full potential.

“Candy and I have made it our lifelong mission to instill the importance of reading, and we are honored to be opening a reading room in the beautiful Blue Ridge Mountains of Western North Carolina,” Dr. Ben Carson said.

Mrs. Candy Carson attended the event at Cullowhee Valley along with reading room sponsors Gordon and Cheri Martin.

“Gordon and I are honored and excited to be joining in partnership with the Think Big Reading Project to open a reading room at Cullowhee Valley School,” Martin said. “We believe acquiring a passion for reading is the basis of learning and knowledge, and a ‘Think Big Reading Room’ is the perfect environment for this love of books to happen.”

Cullowhee Valley Media Coordinator Tammy Cabe organized the project and believes it is important because the environment of the room will help students learn the value of reading for pleasure.

“My biggest hope is that kids fall in love with books and become forever readers,” Cabe said.

“We are excited and honored that Cullowhee Valley received a reading room that will be cherished for years and years to come,” Principal Holly Whisnant added. “We are so thankful to the Carson Scholars Fund and Gordon and Cheri Martin for granting this honor.”

Students from Statesville High School visited Western Carolina University in October as part of the Students to Teachers Through Educator Pathways (STEP) program, a partnership between WCU and Statesville High School to help recruit students from diverse backgrounds into the teaching profession. Donated photo

The rise of the unaffiliated voter

Early voting has started. In North Carolina and across the nation there are many close races that will likely be decided by just a few percentage points. That means the swing voters — those who don’t vote a straight party ticket but instead vote for the candidate based on their qualifications or perhaps even their personality — could very well be the difference in those tight races.

That group of nonpartisan voters is the fastest growing bloc in the country. For anyone who follows politics, it’s no mystery why this happening. The two-party system in America is broke, and many have doubts it can be fixed. The constant rancor and divisive debate are hurting the country. Hell, people now avoid talking politics at social gatherings because it’s so difficult to have a discussion on the issues without it devolving into a kind of line-in-the-sand playground fight.

A January Gallup poll found that 42 percent of Americans call themselves independents, far ahead of the 29 percent who call themselves Democrats and the 27 who say they are Republicans.

Voter registration statistics in North Carolina show more partisans and fewer independents, but unaffiliated are still the majority. In our state unaffiliated voters clock in at 36 percent, with 34 percent registered as Democrats and 30 percent registered as Republicans. However, those registering as independents are the fastest growing bloc here, just as in the rest

Vote Platt for N.C. House 119

To the Editor:

Al Platt will be a terrific N.C. 119 District representative.

Al is an upstanding, respected and successful businessman, a family man and community advocate from Brevard. If elected, Al will work hard to serve the needs of the people in Jackson, Transylvania and Swain counties. He will vote to expand Medicaid to help working families have healthcare while creating jobs and strengthening rural economies.

Al knows we don’t have a shortage of teachers, rather a shortage of people that are willing to be underpaid, overworked and disrespected. He knows how hard teachers work and how important they are to our children’s education. He believes our climate is changing, that we still have a chance to change things and leave our planet better than we found it. Al believes our democracy is important!

Al’s opponent, incumbent Mike Clampitt, has proclaimed being a proud Oath Keeper for years. He only spoke out to say he didn’t condone the Oath Keeper participation in the January 6, 2021 insurrection after his name publicly appeared on a leaked Oath Keeper membership list in the fall of 2021. Clampitt is now saying he hasn’t been a dues-paying

of the nation.

Chris Cooper, a political science professor at Western Carolina University, has studied the increase in unaffiliated voters in North Carolina and the country. He was recently interviewed by the Washington Post about this issue, and he had some interesting thoughts on how this will affect the outcome of races in this election and what it bodes for the future.

“Voters are signaling something to us. A lot of smart folks might disagree with me and say, ‘Look, so many of these are shadow partisans. Don’t worry about them. I think the voters are trying to say they may not be able to escape the two-party system, but they’re going to push back on it when they can,” Cooper told WP reporter Rhonda Colvin in an Oct. 24 story in that newspaper.

In that piece, Cooper credited unaffiliated voters — who in North Carolina get to choose which primary to vote in — with knocking controversial congressman Madison Cawthorn out of office by flocking to the polls in the primary.

“Cawthorn, of course, infamous one-term member of Congress in North Carolina, lost his own party primary. Lost it for a host of reasons, but part of that is those unaffiliated

LETTERS

member of the group for several years. It seems to me being a member, at any point, of a group like the Oath Keepers that has consistently espoused extreme conspiratorial antigovernment rhetoric since its founding should be disqualifying. Publicly distancing one’s self from the group only after a failed coup shouldn’t absolve them from the consequences of past membership.

Can we really trust Clampitt to uphold our fragile democracy? Vote for democracy. Vote for Al Platt for N.C. House District 119!

Carolyn Cagle Sylva

Conservatives’ concerns helped our schools

To the Editor.

I wholeheartedly agree with Editor Scott McLeod’s article in the October issue regarding removing politics from school boards and education in general.

However, I believe you have a case of being in the middle of the forest and not seeing the trees. When it comes to some of the more extreme measures of isolation our students where exposed to during COVID, introduction of critical race theory, transgender and sex education, these controversial issues

voters got to choose which primary they wanted to vote in, and they came in much larger than the normal numbers to vote in the Republican primary. They voted Madison Cawthorn out of office.”

Cooper noted that a much larger percentage of young voters are registering as unaffiliated. I mentioned earlier how I’m sometimes reluctant to discuss politics at informal gatherings, but Cooper thinks registering as unaffiliated can also act as a kind of “social cover.”

“As Americans increasingly, one, express dissatisfaction with the two major parties and, two, do some social covering — if you say you’re a Democrat or a Republican, you might be shut out of dating pools, you might be shut out of a job. So [choosing nonpartisanship] is a way to cover yourself, but it’s also a way to express dissatisfaction with the two major parties,” Cooper said.

What’s interesting, and Cooper mentioned this in the WP article, is that unaffiliated candidates seldom win elected office. While independents make up the largest bloc of voters, to get elected right now you have to choose a party to get in bed with. As more young people define themselves as independent, however, sometime soon that may help us get rid of the two-party system that has dominated American politics for so long.

That’s a future I hope I’m around to see.

(Scott McLeod can be reached at info@smokymountainnews.com.)

were not seen as politicizing until the liberal left got push back from more conservative constituents. Had conservatives not spoken up these policies would have been adopted universally without any qualms about politics.

I also do not want teachers looking over their shoulders while teaching history, civics, English and art. Of note, you left math out of your article. But I do want them looking over

their collective shoulders when indoctrinating our children with these controversial viewpoints when much of our population does not agree.

I am a part of that one third registered independent voters, and I look forward to The Smoky Mountain News, as I consider it one of the finest publications in WNC.

Dan Morgan Otto

Editor

Scott McLeod

Into the woods on my 43rd birthday

sound of falling

under our feet as we searched for the white blazes along the Mountains-toSea Trail. Our dog, Ringo, happily followed along, thrilled to be out of the house and into the woods.

This week I turned 43 years old and initiated a new tradition of a birthday hike. In my younger days, birthdays conjured visions of tropical vacations or dining out at a fancy restaurant. But now, I just want to embrace the simple pleasures of life, like spending time with people I love, being outside and enjoying a low-key day.

my birthday, I did not want bells and whistles or fireworks and a big party. I did not want champagne being popped or money being dropped on an expensive dinner. I simply wanted ease and connection.

This is how my birthday went down.

woke up and spent quiet time journaling. As a gift to myself, I ordered a new journal from Goulet Pen, which is one of the only companies that sells journals with the absence of lines. I’m not a fan of lines in a journal because in my opinion, they restrict flow and creativity.

Instead of setting intentions on New Year’s Day, I’ve decided to set intentions on my birthday. For 20 minutes, I sat with my thoughts, visualized what I want my life to look like over the next year, and wrote it all down.

My sister, brother-in-law and niece were in town from Washington D.C., so as everyone woke up one by one they told me happy birthday, which made me feel extremely loved. We all enjoyed a big birthday breakfast before heading out to watch my older son play soccer. It was a sunny beautiful fall day, perfect soccer weather.

Afterward, my sister’s family left for the airport, while Matthew, our four kids and I set out for the birthday hike. We decided on a section of the Mountains-to-Sea Trail. It was only about a 3.5-mile hike with easy to moderate difficulty, but there were six of us plus a dog. The goal was to laugh, talk and enjoy ourselves, not necessarily to get a strenuous workout.

We achieved our goal.

On the way home, we were stopped on Lake Logan Road, only to see that a MAMA helicopter from Mission Hospital had landed at the fire department. Beside it were an ambulance and an EMT worker carrying a sheet splattered with blood. Our car fell

silent as we took in the scene, trying to process what had happened.

Further down the road, we saw a mangled motorcycle lying on its side with officers surveying the accident. No one spoke for a while, until finally we talked of hope and faith that the motorcyclist would be OK.

Observations like that bring the fragility of life into clear focus and highlight the fact that every moment matters, so every moment should be appreciated and not taken for granted.

Later, we sat and watched the kids carve pumpkins while we tried to find a worthy Halloween playlist on Spotify, which we never did, but we still had fun listening to songs like “Monster Mash,” “Thriller” and the soundtrack to “The Nightmare Before Christmas.”

When Matthew asked what I wanted for my birthday dinner, I said let’s just order pizzas for the kids and we can eat salads. Considering he and I have been eating a plant-based diet for five weeks, it’s complicated to throw something together so we called Domino’s and made salads. It was an easy and enjoyable dinner for all.

Lastly, we watched “Poltergeist,” which was one of my favorite horror movies when I was a little girl. Halfway through the movie, we paused for dessert and gifts, and I was overjoyed with the items they bought but more importantly, the love and thought that went behind the purchases.

My favorite part of a gift is the card. Maybe it’s the writer within me, but if someone puts forth the effort to relay their feelings in words and say more than “Happy birthday,” I keep the card forever. When the kids write in cards, it’s especially meaningful, and this year‘s card was no exception. Their sweet words meant everything to me.

I was smiling as I went to bed the night of my birthday. It was special and memorable in all the important ways. I also thought of the person on the motorcycle, hoping the accident had not ended in tragedy.

The older I get, the more and more I realize that life is about connection, purpose and knowing yourself well enough to do the things that truly make you happy instead of the things society has outlined as “happiness.”

Cheers to turning 43, and to many more birthdays reading cards and frolicking in the woods.

(Susanna Shetley is a digital media specialist, writer and editor for The Smoky Mountain News, Smoky Mountain Living and Mountain South Media. susanna.b@smokymountainnews.com.)

Columnist

Susanna Shetley

That’s the only way we get it right

Want to go?

Acclaimed singer-songwriter Chris Staples will perform at 8 p.m. Friday, Nov. 4, at Orchard Coffee in downtown Waynesville. Cabell Tice will open the performance. Admission is $20 per person. Tickets are only available for purchase at Orchard Coffee. For more on Chris Staples, click on chrisstaplesmusic.com.

thoughts pondered are precise and well-crafted — traits of his character that shine brightly within his musical creativity.

Smoky Mountain News: You’ve said that you constantly wrestle with being a musician. Why is that?

Chris Staples: Well, I’ve been on the fence about music since I was 16. You constantly wrestle with it. I did this morning, actually. [Laughs]. You find yourself wondering if it’s worth it. If I had some other calling, I’d go and do that. If I was really good at brain surgery, I would do that. But, the only thing I’m good at is writing music.

SMN: Well, you’re clearly good at it, because the show tonight was fantastic.

CS: I know that people care, and I don’t second guess that. But, sometimes I think about the cost — the mental cost, the physical cost — of being away from family and friends for long periods of time. It can be exhausting, and there’s a financial risk involved. But, the sacrifice and the reward to be able to do this for a living is worth it to me.

I’ve recently been going through this writing exercise, where I’m to figure out what my spiritual values are — what am I trying to achieve? I’m thinking about music, and what I’m doing from a philosophical perspective.

SMN: You’re learning to be present, to be “in the now.”

CS: This writing project, where I’ve been trying to figure out what I’m doing. Well, I figured it out. When I was a kid, I didn’t go to college. I didn’t know what I was doing, and I didn’t have any opportunities. So, I started playing music and I met people in my town [through music]. Then, [through music], I met people from the next town, and the next town after that.

It was all about making a connection. And there’s nothing like [music], where I’ve never experienced that kind of connection to so many people before. Underneath it all was the connection. Music has been the other thing that’s ever given me that kind of access to meet people and make that connection.

A conversation with Chris Staples

BY GARRET K. WOODWARD ARTS & E NTERTAINMENT E DITOR

Sliding into a chair at a table in Orchard Coffee, in the heart of downtown Waynesville, singer-songwriter Chris Staples lets a slight sigh out into the late night — one of appreciation for the moment that just flew by.

Earlier that evening, Staples, in front of a sold-out audience, held court, his trusty guitar and soothing vocal presence swirling around the cozy, intimate coffee shop. The room is filled with Staples aficionados and the curious alike, both segments mesmerized by the indie/folk shoegaze, carefree melodic attitude conjured and put forth by Staples.

Based out of Richmond, Virginia, these days, Staples was born and raised in Florida, with other stints around America, including most recently in Seattle, Washington. Away from the stage, Staples is a calming, peaceful entity, where responses to questions and

CS: Yeah. I mean, in some ways I’ve learned that the grind isn’t where I’m going, because I don’t where I’m going. Like tonight, I’m just enjoying the process every day. I’ve definitely spent time in my younger years just really focused on where I was going, and I was pretty miserable in “the moment.” And I don’t feel that anymore. I’m actually enjoying this a lot, and I have a lot of good days.

SMN: So, what that says to me is that you’ve transcended into gratitude.

CS: Absolutely. That’s been a big theme and conversation that I’ve had with my partner about life — to transform your thinking into just being grateful.

SMN: You’re actively putting gratitude out into the universe.

— Chris Staples

I want my music to be kind of like that person in your life, that friend you know who is funny, but also going through real-life experiences, where they aren’t a one-dimensional human being. I don’t want my music to be one-sided. I want it to encompass my whole personality — silly and serious, but also real and aiming to make that connection.

SMN: What is the role of the songwriter in the 21st century?

CS: I’ve thought about that a good little bit. But, I also think about comedians. It sounds like I’m veering off-topic, but I’m not. Comedians work in this realm of stigma and work in taboo subjects. And I think there’s some correlation between songwriters and comedians in that way.

People are very cautious about revealing [their true feelings and needs], and can’t talk about things like depression with their friends or whatever. And I feel like there’s this connection sometimes for people to listen to songs about all those feelings — a sad song doesn’t make a person sad; it makes people feel less alone.

Chris Staples. (Courtesy of Chris Staples)

“I’m just enjoying the process every day. I’ve definitely spent time in my younger years just really focused on where I was going, and I was pretty miserable in ‘the moment.’ And I don’t feel that anymore. I’m actually enjoying this a lot, and I have a lot of good days.”

This must be the place

BY GARRET K. WOODWARD

You want to find the truth in life, don’t pass music by

Hello from Room 307 at the Hilton Garden Inn amid the coastal community of Monterey, California. It’s 11 a.m. and I have a flight to catch from San Francisco to Atlanta later tonight. But, for now? I figured I’d wander up the along the Pacific Coast Highway, ole Route 1, en route to SFO for that 10:50 p.m. takeoff.

It’s Monday, and though most of the weekend guests, who attended the nearby music festival, are long gone, I’m hovering in my hotel room with a late checkout. Pack up my travel bag. Check last-minute emails. Chill out on the massive king size bed until I have to be crammed into the back of an airplane on a cross-country redeye flight.

And yet, with several hours to kill between the hotel checkout and the airport check-in, I figured why not take the rental car up the PCH and drift along at my own pace. Nothing like cruising along the ocean with nowhere to be for hours. Sure, gas is about $6.50 a gallon out here. But, what’s the point of working day-in-and-day-out if you can’t spend some of that dime on a carefree drive in sunny California, am I right?

Drifting out of Monterey, the affluent town quickly transitions into vast farm fields as far as the eye can see. Numerous workers walking in rows, checking on produce and water lines. Massive tractors meandering on the horizon like large insects probing the earth in search of fertile dirt for next season’s crops.

Out here, in the Salinas Valley, it’s known as “America’s Salad Bowl,” seeing as half of the nation’s lettuce and one-third of its spinach is grown here. With the blue-collar workers, it’s an odd dichotomy (though not

surprising) to see mobile home parks within eyesight of million-dollar mansions and beachside bungalows.

Sauntering up the PCH towards Santa Cruz, Route 1 slowly leaves the farm fields and slides back towards the Pacific Ocean. Just beyond Santa Cruz, the sprawling neighborhoods and four-lane traffic congestion morphs into a two-lane, somewhat quiet and desolate road as you make your way towards Davenport.

With the windows rolled down, the ocean air filled the vehicle with the scent of saltwater, the warm California sunshine kissing your skin. Later on, when I passed through Davenport, most of the beach town was empty with the hatches battened down for the year, only to reopen to the flood of tourists returning in the spring.

Hands on the wheel, eyes aimed ahead, I kept thinking about my first time visiting California. It was around this time of year, back in 2007. Just having graduated college in Connecticut, the dream was to make my way West and seek my fortune. Initially, Portland, Oregon, was in the crosshairs. I flew out to the West Coast for a road trip from Seattle, Washington, to Northern California and back.

And I remember crossing into Northern California from Oregon one morning.

Pulling off U.S. 101 near Crescent City, California, I kept looking at the compass in the rearview mirror, continually looking for the “W” and following my instinct. This was before I had a smart phone and GPS. Eventually, I stumbled across a beach. Parked the rental car, took my shoes off, and walked down to the shoreline.

Although the sun was out, there was a cloud of fog along the shoreline. And, in that moment, I could hear the sounds of sea lions barking somewhere in the haze. Soon, the sun burned off the fog, exposing this large rock about a hundred yards or so out

HOT PICKS

1A reception for the “We Will Not be Silenced: Standing for Missing and Murdered Indigenous Women” exhibition will be held from 5 to 7 p.m. Thursday, Nov. 2, at the Western Carolina University Fine Art Museum in Cullowhee.

2The Scotsman (Waynesville) will host J.J. Hipps & The Hideaway (rock/blues) at 9 p.m. Friday, Oct. 28.

3Writers Lee Stockdale and Andrew Clark will be part of “Poets in Conversation” at 3 p.m. Saturday, Oct. 29, at City Lights Bookstore in Sylva.

4The “Haunted Corn Maze” will be held from 8 p.m. to midnight Oct. 28-31 at Darnell Farms in Bryson City.

5The Folkmoot Friendship Center (Waynesville) will host Eireann’s Call (Celtic/world) at 7 p.m. Thursday, Nov. 3.

in the water, which was covered with dozens of sea lions.

Watching the sea lions, I felt such a sensation of time and place, I stripped down to my boxers and jumped into the cold ocean waters, only to pop up like a cork and emerge from my baptism into the West Coast. That freedom of the unknown and the endless possibilities of the West coursed through my body.

Skip ahead 15 years or so, and there I was, age 37, pulling over at Bonny Doon Beach. In the last of my clean clothes, I wasn’t really in beach mode sporting jeans and boots. It was early afternoon by this point, the sun radiating high above. Wandering down the rocky trail to the beach, I was alone in my pursuit of the shoreline.

I could hear the waves crashing onto the beach below, a welcoming ocean breeze pushing up the trail and wrapping itself around me. Standing on the beach, I did a 360-degree scan of my current position. Jagged cliffs rising high above. Warm sand beneath me, footsteps temporarily marking my journey from the car to the shoreline.

And, in that moment, I was 2,577 miles from my humble abode back in Waynesville. And yet, I didn’t feel any distance at all, seeing as time and place is just a figment of our imagination, for it’s all “one thing” anyhow — it’s all a dream we dream, don’tcha know?

Simply listening to the crashing waves, the sounds of the nearby birds in flight, and the lack of noise from other people or distractions, I thought of that first encounter with the Pacific Ocean when I was 22. I thought of the gratitude and surreal nature of being able to stand at the water’s edge once again a decade and a half later. And I thought of when and where the next rendezvous with this body of water might be — oh, the possibilities, eh?

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

October

Bonny Doon Beach, California. (Garret K. Woodward photo)

On the beat

Get Right Band at Boojum

Asheville-based rock/roots group The Get Right Band will perform at 9 p.m Friday, Nov. 4, in The Gem downstairs taproom at Boojum Brewing in Waynesville.

Led by singer/guitarist Silas Durocher, the ensemble also includes Jesse Gentry (bass) and drummer J.C. Mears (drums). What stands out about this band is the mere fact that

nobody around this region sounds like them.

And it’s that “all” factor which puts The Get Right Band into a league of their own. It’s surprising when you stand there watching them perform trying to figure out just how they’re able to get that much sound from a power trio.

Free and open to the public. To learn more, call 828.246.0350 or click on boojumbrewing.com. For more information on The Get Right Band, click on thegetrightband.com.

Smoky Mountain Bluegrass Festival

Rock rolls into Scotsman

Popular rock/blues act J.J. Hipps & The Hideaway will hit the stage at 9 p.m. Friday, Oct. 28, at The Scotsman in Waynesville.

Hailing from Lenoir, the power rock trio explores the endless depths of the blues, where a typical whirlwind set touches upon the likes of Stevie Ray Vaughan, Jimi Hendrix, The Allman Brothers Band, and much more.

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

Hosted by the Haywood County Arts Council, the annual Smoky Mountain Bluegrass Festival will return from 11 a.m. to 6 p.m. Saturday, Oct. 29, at the Maggie Valley Festival Grounds.

Taking the stage will be Haywood County bluegrass legends Balsam Range, live sensation Sister Sadie, and The Amanda Cook Band.

Twice named International Bluegrass Music Association “Entertainer of the Year” amid numerous IBMA awards, Balsam Range has built their reputation not only on stellar live performances, but on countless number one radio singles and albums.

Sister Sadie is a three-time IBMA “Vocal Group of the Year” and “Entertainer of the Year” (2020), and was nominated for “Best Bluegrass Album” at the 61st Grammy Awards.

The annual HCAC fundraiser, the festival brings all of the organization’s programs and artists together for a truly one-of-a-kind music-themed experience. The event will also include music-themed vendors, raffles, artist member demonstrations/artwork, a child and adult playground, and local drinks/food.

Advance tickets start at $55 per person. Children ages 12 and under are admitted free. For more information and/or to purchase tickets, click on haywoodarts.org or call 828.452.0593.

Interested in learning the dulcimer?

The Pic’ & Play Mountain Dulcimer Players will be resuming in-person jam sessions at the St. John’s Episcopal Church basement fellowship hall in Sylva. The group welcomes all beginners and experienced dulcimer players, including mountain (lap) dulcimer and hammered dulcimer players. Songs played include traditional mountain tunes, hymns, and more modern music. The group meets at 1:30 p.m. on the second and fourth Saturday of every month in the basement of St. John’s.

Pic’ & Play has been playing together since 1995. The more experienced members welcome new players, help them navigate their instruments, and guide them through some of the basics of tuning, strumming, and playing.

The mountain dulcimer, also known as a fretted dulcimer or a lap dulcimer, is a uniquely American instrument. It evolved from the German scheitholz sometime in the early 1800s in Appalachia and was largely known only in this region until popularized more broadly in the 1950s.

For more information, call Kathy Jaqua at 828.349.3930 or Don Selzer at 828.293.0074.

Balsam Range. (File photo)

J.J. Hipps & The Hideaway. (File photo)

On the beat

• Balsam Falls Brewing (Sylva) will host an open mic from 8 to 10 p.m. every Thursday. Free and open to the public. 828.631.1987 or balsamfallsbrewing.com.

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

• Boojum Brewing (Waynesville) will host karaoke at 8:30 p.m. on Wednesdays, trivia at 7 p.m. on Thursdays, The Get Right Band (rock/soul) Nov. 4 and Nick Mac & The Noise Nov. 5. All shows begin at 9 p.m. unless otherwise noted. 828.246.0350 or boojumbrewing.com.

• Currahee Brewing (Franklin) will host semiregular live music on the weekends. Free and open to the public. 828.634.0078 or curraheebrew.com.

• Farm At Old Edwards (Highlands) will host the “Orchard Sessions” on select dates. Tickets start at $25 per person. oldedwardshospitality.com/orchardsessions.

• Folkmoot Friendship Center (Waynesville) will host Eireann’s Call (Celtic/world) 7 p.m. Nov. 3. Doors open at 5:30 p.m. Tickets are $25 in advance, $30 at the door. For tickets, click on folkmoot.org.

• Fontana Village Resort Wildwood Grill will host semi-regular live music on the weekends. Free and open to the public. 800.849.2258 or fontanavillage.com.

• Friday Night Live (Highlands) will host Ezra & Katie (singer-songwriter) Oct. 28 at Town Square on Main Street. All shows begin at 6 p.m. Free and open to the public. highlandschamber.org.

• Frog Level Brewing (Waynesville) will host Mike Oregano 3 p.m. Oct. 30. All shows begin at 6 p.m. unless otherwise noted. Free and open to the public. 828.454.5664 or froglevelbrewing.com.

• Frog Quarters (Franklin) will host live music every Saturday. All shows are free and are held from 11 a.m. to 1 p.m. Located at 573 East Main St. littletennessee.org or 828.369.8488.

• Harrah’s Cherokee Casino Resort (Cherokee) will host semi-regular live music and entertainment on the weekends. For a full schedule of events and/or to buy tickets, caesars.com/harrahs-cherokee.

• Innovation Brewing (Sylva) will host “Trivia Night with Kirk” from 7 to 9 p.m. every Tuesday, Open Mic Night every Wednesday, Shane Meade (indie/soul) 4 p.m. Oct. 27, Halloween Celebration with The NeverB’s Oct. 29, Andy Ferrell (singer-songwriter) Nov. 3 and Woolybooger (blues/folk) Nov. 5. All

shows begin at 7 p.m. unless otherwise noted. Free and open to the public. innovation-brewing.com.

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

• Lazy Hiker Brewing (Franklin) will host Shane Meade & The Sound (indie/soul) Oct. 29 and Skies Of Avalon 4 p.m. Nov. 5. All shows begin at 7 p.m. unless otherwise noted. Free and open to the public. 828.349.2337 or lazyhikerbrewing.com.

will host semi-regular live music on the weekends. Free and open to the public. 828.926.9105.

• Saturdays On Pine (Highlands) will host Laney & Friends (bluegrass) Oct. 29 at Kelsey-Hutchinson Park on Pine Street. All shows begin at 6 p.m. Free and open to the public. highlandschamber.org.

• The Scotsman (Waynesville) will host The Carter Giegerich Trio (Celtic/bluegrass) from 2 to 5 p.m. every Sunday, Chris Minick (folk/rock) Oct. 27 and J.J. Hipps & The Hideaway (rock/blues) 9 p.m. Oct. 28. All shows begin at 8 p.m. unless otherwise noted. Free and open to the public. 828.246.6292 or scotsmanpublic.com.

Oct. 27, Brian Ashley Jones Oct. 28 and Jon Cox Band (country/rock) Oct. 29. All shows begin at 8 p.m. unless otherwise noted. Free and open to the public. 828.538.2488.

• Valley Cigar & Wine Co. (Waynesville) will host a “Halloween Bash” 5 p.m. Oct. 30. All shows are at 2 p.m. unless otherwise noted. Free and open to the public. 828.944.0686 or valleycigarandwineco.com.

• Valley Tavern (Maggie Valley) will host Savage Outlaws 3 p.m. Oct. 30. All shows begin at 6 p.m. unless otherwise noted. Free and open to the public. 828.926.7440 or valley-tavern.com.

ALSO:

• Lazy Hiker Brewing (Sylva) will host Trivia Night at 6:30 p.m. every Wednesday, Old Time Jam 6:30 p.m. every Thursday and Skies Of Avalon 5 p.m. Nov. 4. All shows begin at 8 p.m. unless otherwise noted. Free and open to the public. 828.349.2337 or lazyhikerbrewing.com.

• Marianna Black Library (Bryson City) Community Jam will resume in April. Free and open to the public. 828.488.3030 or fontanalib.org/brysoncity.

• Moss Valley (Franklin) will host semi-regular live music on the weekends. Free and open to the public. Food trucks and beverages available onsite. Bring a lawn chair. Presented by Drake Software.

• Mountain Layers Brewing (Bryson City) will host Open Mic Night with Ivor Sparks every Wednesday, Scott James Stambaugh (singersongwriter) 3 p.m. Oct. 28, Shelly Garvin Vogler (singer-songwriter) 3 p.m. Oct. 29 and The Dirty French Broads (Americana) 2 p.m. Oct. 30. Free and open to the public. 828.538.0115 or mountainlayersbrewingcompany.com.

• Nantahala Brewing (Sylva) will host semiregular live music on the weekends. Free and open to the public. 828.641.9797 or nantahalabrewing.com.

• Orchard Coffee (Waynesville) will host semiregular live music on the weekends. 828.246.9264 or orchardcoffeeroasters.com.

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

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

• Salty Dog’s Seafood & Grill (Maggie Valley)

• SlopeSide Tavern (Sapphire) will host semiregular live music on the weekends. Free and open to the public. 828.743.8655 or slopesidetavern.com.

• Smoky Mountain Center for the Performing Arts (Franklin) will host semi-regular live music on the weekends. smokymountainarts.com or 828.524.1598.

• Southern Porch (Canton) will host semi-regular live music on the weekends. 828.492.8009 or southern-porch.com.

• Unplugged Pub (Bryson City) will host Blue

• Water’n Hole Bar & Grill (Waynesville) will host semi-regular live music on the weekends. All shows begin at 9:30 p.m. 828.456.4750 or facebook.com/waternhole.bar.

• Wine Bar & Cellar (Sylva) will host semiregular live music on the weekends. 828.631.3075 or facebook.com/thewinebarandcellar.

• Yonder Community Market (Franklin) will host semi-regular live music on the weekends. Free and open to the public. Donations encouraged. 828.200.2169 or eatrealfoodinc.com.

On the street

‘We Will Not be Silenced’ exhibit, reception

Ashley Tyler Evans, ‘Mothering a Movement.’

• Friends of the Greenway will host its annual arts and crafts fundraising event, FROG Fair, which will be held from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. Saturday, Nov. 5, at FROG Quarters, located at 573 East Main St. in Franklin. Vendor spaces are available. Only registration fees go to FROG. For registration forms, click on littletennessee.org or stop by FROG Quarters. frog28734@gmail.com.

• “Fiber Arts Group” will be held from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. Saturday, Nov. 5, at the Macon County Public Library in Franklin. Bring your fiber art project, share inspiration, and have fun: quilters, knitters, cross-stitch, and embroiderers. 828.524.3600 or fontanalib.org.

• “Our Mountain Music Traditions” exhibition will be showcased through Nov. 13 at the Haywood County Arts Council in downtown Waynesville. Works of art that use music as its inspiration, with a focus on bluegrass, Appalachian and mountain music. For more information, click on haywoodarts.org.

• “Cultivating Collections: Glass” exhibition will be on display through Dec. 9 in the Fine Art Museum at the Bardo Arts Center at Western Carolina University in Cullowhee. Regular museum hours are 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. Tuesday through Friday, and until 7 p.m. on Thursday. 828.227.ARTS or visit bardoartscenter.wcu.edu.

A reception for the “We Will Not be Silenced: Standing for Missing and Murdered Indigenous Women” exhibit will be held from 5 to 7 p.m. Thursday, Nov. 2, at the Western Carolina University Fine Art Museum in Cullowhee.

This exhibition is a series of photographs and sculptures that bring voice to the international Missing and Murdered Indigenous Women (MMIW) movement through the lens of the Eastern Band of Cherokee Indians, Comanche Nation, Lumbee Tribe of North Carolina, and Métis Nation artists.

“The red handprint upon our faces represents the hand that was once there to silence us. We have removed that hand and are moving forward with our voices,” said Sky Sampson, the director of the WCU Cherokee Center and organizer of this project. “We need people to listen and share the names of these women across the country. We need your help to make a change and to raise awareness. Help us take action today.”

Enjoy complimentary snacks and beverages as we listen and create a community of change and awareness around the MMIW movement.

For more information and/or to purchase tickets, click on arts.wcu.edu/wwnbs.

WNC Pottery Festival returns

The immensely popular WNC Pottery Festival will be held from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. Saturday, Nov. 5, in Bridge Park in Sylva.

Showcasing the work of more than 40 master potters from an array of states. A variety of clay art styles will be presented. The event is juried, and the lineup of potters are some of the finest in their craft.

The event has been named one of the “Top 20” events in the Southeast for November. Admission is $5. Children under 12 are free. For more information, click on wncpotteryfestival.com.

photo.

• A stage production of the “Beauty & The Beast” musical will be held at 7 p.m. Oct. 28-29, Nov. 4-5 and 11-12 at the Smoky Mountain Center for the Performing Arts in Franklin. The classic story tells of Belle, a young woman in a provincial town, and the Beast, who is really a prince trapped under the spell of an enchantress. The enchantment never ends in this romantic and beloved take on the classic fairytale. A twoact musical production presented by The Overlook Theatre Company. Tickets are $13 for students, $17 for adults. To purchase tickets or to find out more information, click on smokymountainarts.com or call 866.273.4615.

• “Calliope Shorts: Campfire Stories” will be held at 7 p.m. Oct. 27-29 and Nov. 3-5 on the Calliope Stage at the Full Spectrum Farm in Cullowhee. Admission starts at $16 per person. For more information and/or to purchase tickets, click on calliopestage.com.

• “Introduction to Comedy Improvisation” course will be held from 7 to 8:30 p.m. Nov. 1 and 8 at the Folkmoot Friendship Center in Waynesville. For more information and/or to sign up for the workshop, click on folkmoot.org/courses.

• ”Dracula: The Failings of Men” will be performed on select evenings in October at the Mountainside Theatre in Cherokee. This is an outdoor show. Kids under 12 are not recommended. Join Ada Van Helsing as she pursues something that’s part-myth, part-legend, and fully evil. Only 199 seats are available per show. Performances are Thursday through Saturday, and Monday, Oct. 31. For more information and/or to purchase tickets, click on greatsmokies.com/events.

• Haywood Arts Regional Theater in Waynesville is currently offering a wide variety of classes in the theater arts for all ages, young and old. Whether you are just starting out or want to hone your skills, HART has opportunities for you. Classes run through Nov. 4. Browse the selection of fall classes at harttheatre.org. For more information, contact Artistic Director Candice Dickinson at 646.647.4546 or email candice@harttheatre.org.

On the street

Cherokee Bonfire & Storytelling

The Cherokee Bonfire & Storytelling will be held from 7 to 9 p.m. Sundays, Mondays, Wednesdays and Saturdays through Oct. 31 at the Oconaluftee Islands Park in Cherokee.

Sit by a bonfire, alongside a river, and listen to some of Cherokee’s best storytellers. The bonfire is free and open to the public. There will be no bonfire events in September.

For more information, call 800.438.1601 or click on visitcherokeenc.com.

• “Treats on the Street” will be held from 5 to 7 p.m. Monday, Oct. 31, in the parking lot of the First Baptist Church in Waynesville. The event is in conjunction with “Trunk or Treat.” Free and open to the public.

• “Tricks for Treats” will be held from 3 to 6:30 p.m. on Oct. 29 at Mad Anthony’s/Doughboy’s Pizza in Waynesville. The event will feature a skate jam, costume contest and the premier of “Wizard Tendencies,” a video showcasing local skaters and snowboarders.

• “Contra Dance” gathering will be held at 7 p.m. Saturday, Nov. 5, at the Macon County Public Library in Franklin. Lessons will be offered at 6:30 p.m. Suggested donation of $10. No experience needed. Dances will be taught by a professional caller and accompanied by a live band. 828.524.3600 or fontanalib.org.

ALSO:

• “Halloween in the Park” will be held from 5:30 to 8:30 p.m. Saturday, Oct. 29, at the Parker Meadows Complex in Franklin. Children’s activities and more. Free and open to the public. franklin-chamber.com.

• “Downtown Trick or Treat” will be held from 4 to 7 p.m. Monday, Oct. 31, in Bryson City. Dress up and receive treats from local shops, get your photo taken, and listen to the DJ. Free and open to the public. greatsmokies.com.

• “Festival of Trees” annual charity gala will be held at 5:30 p.m. Thursday, Nov. 10, at Reflections at the Pond in Canton. Proceeds will go to the KARE House: Haywood County’s children’s advocacy center. For tickets or to make a donation, click on secure.qgiv.com/event/ festivaloftrees2022/register.

On the table

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

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

• “Take A Flight” with four new wines every Friday and Saturdays at the Bryson City Wine

• “Monster Mash on Main” will kick off at 3 p.m. Saturday, Oct. 29, in downtown Franklin. A family-friendly event. Trick-ortreat. Candy. Scary-fun music. Wear your Halloween costume. If your child has food allergies, please bring them downtown at 3 p.m. for the annual Teal Pumpkin event for non-food trinkets and treats. franklin-chamber.com.

• “Haunted Corn Maze” will be held from 8 p.m. to midnight Oct. 28-31 at Darnell Farms in Bryson City. Admission is $15 per person. Ages 8 and under are not recommended. The walk takes between 30-45 minutes. facebook.com/darnellfarmsnc.

Market. Select from a gourmet selection of charcuterie to enjoy with your wines. Educational classes and other events are also available. For more information, call 828.538.0420.

• “Uncorked: Wine & Rail Pairing Experience” will be held from 10:30 a.m. to 3 p.m. on select dates at the Great Smoky Mountains Railroad in Bryson City. Full service all-adult first class car. Wine pairings with a meal, and more. For more information and/or to register, call 800.872.4681 or click on gsmr.com.

Bishop

God forbid it ever comes to this

Every once in a while, a book gives me the willies.

“2034: A Novel of the Next World War” did more than that. It scared the hell out of me.

Here novelist Elliot Ackerman and Retired Admiral James Stavridis, who commanded ships in combat and who along with R. Manning Ancell wrote “The Leader’s Bookshelf,” which I enjoyed and reviewed a few years ago, look a decade into the future where a war between China and the United States erupts. As that conflict escalates to the use of tactical nuclear weapons, other countries — Russia, Iran, India — also become involved, each pursuing their own national interests.

Ackerman and Stavridis tell their terrifying story through the eyes of individuals: Navy Capt. Sarah Hunt, Sandeep “Sandy” Chowdhury, a U.S. deputy national security adviser with ties to India, Marine Corps pilot Chris “Wedge” Mitchell, Chinese admiral Lin Bao, and Iranian Brigadier General Qassem Farshad. Through them we meet their families, allies and enemies, military and intelligence experts, and politicians.

The co-authors not only do a fine job of fleshing out these personalities, but they also depict a face of war so often forgotten. As veterans of the battlefield know, fighting and tactics can become an unholy mess, a swamp of communications breakdowns, unforeseen possibilities, vicious disagreements among commanders serving on the same side, and brutal repercussions when mistakes are made. In the opening scenes of

the book, for instance, when Chinese military forces assault U.S. ships in the South China Sea, our commanders and politicians are stunned when the Chinese rip that flotilla to shreds. They do so not by superior seamanship, but by using cyber-attacks to disable the electronics systems of the American vessels.

Ackerman and Stavridis also capture the differences between the Communist Chinese Party and American democracy in their approaches to politics and strategic planning. Free from the constraints and disruptions in policy by elections, the CCP takes a longer and more patient view of strategy than do the Americans. The Americans walk an altogether different path. “Those qualities Lin Bao had always admired in the Americans — their moral certitude, their single-minded determination, their blithe optimism — undermined them at this moment as they struggled to find a solution to a problem they didn’t understand.”

Without giving away too much of the diplomatic maneuvering and the movement toward the use of nuclear weapons, we also see the horrific tit-for-tat approach of two super-powers at war. The philosophy goes like this: You take out one of my cities, I will take out two of yours. We watch this madness play out in the book, baffled that the adherents of any ideology could condemn millions to die for some nebulous and even ridiculous national ambition. Some readers may even say to themselves, “This could never happen.”

Maybe. Maybe not.

In fact, however, a war of sorts is already underway, only a lot of us don’t know it. A description of this global conflict is so subtly tucked away in 2034 that careless readers may miss it.

In a chapter titled “The Tandava,” which references a dance by Shiva, god of creation and destruction, Lin Bao fantasizes about

becoming a professor, far away from the halls of power and death. He imagines teaching a class to American college students about the wars fought by the Ancient Athenians and how their Golden Age had ended. When a student asks him how that fall had occurred, “If the Persians couldn’t do it, who did?” Lin Bao replies, “The end came — as it always does — from within …. Look over the ages,” he would assert, “from Britain, to Rome, to Greece the empire always rots from within.”

And on the final pages of the novel, Chowdhury, who is on his way back to the United States from India after the war has ended to help repair a devastated America, recollects part of a speech by a young Abraham Lincoln, words worth quoting in full here: “All the armies of Europe, Asia, and Africa combined, with all the treasure of earth (our own excepted) in their military chest, with a Buonaparte for a commander, could not by force take a drink from the Ohio or make a track on the Blue Ridge in a trial of a thousand years…. If destruction be our lot we must ourselves be the author and finisher. As a nation of freemen we must live through all time or die by suicide.”

“2034” is a warning to the world that in our age of globalism, high tech, and ever deadlier weapons future wars, somewhat like that waged right now between Ukraine and Russia, might blow out of control. More specifically, though subtly, it is a warning to the West and particularly to the United States that China now has the Navy and the technological know-how to fight a war against America and possibly win, particularly a war fought near its own shores. Google “can the U.S. win a war with China?” and you’ll see all sorts of data, mixed results, and a variety of predictions.

But as 2034 should make clear, the interests of both countries and certainly the world at large surely mitigate against such a conflict. If sanity has any say at all, a war employing nuclear weapons should be unthinkable.

This grim novel is also a reminder to be on guard against forces, foreign or domestic, intent on undermining our republic, to repair and rebuild the bridges between our citizens rather than destroying them. (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.)

• “Dream Workshop” will be held at 7 p.m. Oct. 27 and 7 p.m. Oct. 29 at the Marianna Black Library in Bryson City. Please join author, conference speaker, and dream facilitator Doris Snyder as she guides us to a better understanding of

828.488.3030.

fear at 5 p.m.

dreams.

how

Oct. 28, at

Jewish, Japanese, and Cherokee cultures. Seating is limited. Admission is free. Plan to get a seat early and consider a “love offering” as they’ll pass the hat for the talented guest. To learn more, call the bookstore at 828.586.9499.

Tickets

Blue RIdge

828.456.6000

Folkmoot USA or by phone 828.452.2997

folkmoot.org

WriterJeff Minick

Recipe for adventure

WNC communities embark on outdoor economy initiative

BY HOLLY KAYS OUTDOORS E DITOR

More than 130 people from 25 Western North Carolina counties met in Boone last month to talk about how best to build the region’s outdoor economy — and

over the next two years, that conversation will continue. Building Outdoor Communities, a program from Made By Mountains, aims to help individual communities foster collaboration and expertise to meet their outdoor economy goals.

“Each one of our counties is very different, and so the needs and the ways that they can advance their outdoor economy goals are all going to be very different,” said Amy Allison, director of Made By Mountains. “So we want that to come from within, but for us at Made

By Mountains, it’s going to be really great to have this kind of bird’s eye view of all 25 counties and see where there’s gaps or needs or patterns that we can see forming across the area.”

Building Outdoor Communities has so far attracted applications from 21 of the 25 counties in Made By Mountains’ service area — plus the Qualla Boundary. The remaining four counties are expected to submit theirs soon, Allison said, and the kickoff event Sept. 19-20 drew attendees from all 25 counties.

COLLABORATIVE COHORTS

Building Outdoor Communities isn’t just about helping local governments build more trails. It’s about the bigger picture of what an outdoor-based economy needs to function and how to put those pieces together.

That could include not only greenways and trails, but also infrastructure connecting downtowns to nearby trail systems, spaces for entrepreneurs to grow outdoor businesses, and workforce training opportunities.

“That’s going to attract not only those businesses, but a talented workforce for those businesses,” Allison said. “Folks want to be in communities where they have outdoor recreation opportunities.”

Though applicants are grouped by county, it’s not just county government participating in the process, or even spearheading it. In some counties, the group might be led by a municipality or a nonprofit instead — but regardless, Allison encourages a collaborative process that brings various types of community leaders to the table.

“Those are the projects where we’re really going to be able to move forward faster, when everyone’s there and everyone has a voice,” she said.

Based on information in the applications, Made By Mountains divided the counties into three cohorts. Each group will complete a seven-month program together with other communities that are at a similar stage in developing their outdoor industries.

“Some communities are a little bit more advanced, so they may already have a recreation plan. They may already have a brand

around outdoor recreation for their community,” Allison said. “And there’s other communities that are still getting a working group together.”

The first cohort, made up of the counties with the most advanced outdoor economies, has already started work. Called the acceleration cohort, it includes Burke, McDowell, Mitchell, Rutherford and Wilkes counties.

Most counties in the far western portion of the state are in the middle group, called the planning cohort, and will start their sevenmonth course in the spring. They include Haywood, Swain, Clay, Graham, Surry, Watauga and Yancey counties, as well as the Qualla Boundary. The third group, dubbed the initiation cohort, includes Macon, Cherokee, Buncombe, Polk, Caldwell, Avery, Alleghany and Alexander counties. It will begin next fall. Jackson, Transylvania, Madison and Henderson counties have yet to submit an application but have expressed interest, Allison said. These counties will be placed into either the planning or initiation group.

PLANNING TO PLAN

The program features monthly sessions designed to help participants understand infrastructure needs, economic impact analysis, community branding, data collection strategies, sustainable destination tourism and other topics important to successfully building an outdoor economy. As part of the program, they’ll work with researchers from Appalachian State University to gather the data they need to further their goals.

“Whether that’s applying for a grant or going in front of their county commissioners to make a case, all these communities are going to need that data to help them move these ideas forward,” Allison said.

Jeremy Hyatt, secretary of operations for the EBCI, said that learning about data gathering and planning document creation is what he most hopes to get out of the program. Cherokee has plenty of outdoor assets and infrastructure, he said, but it doesn’t have the planning documents it needs to move forward.

“This is where the rubber meets F

World-class mountain biking trails wind throughout Western North Carolina. Burke Saunders photo

Steven Reinhold photo

Attendees at the Building Outdoor Communities kickoff lean in during a workshop session. Made By Mountains photo

the road for us,” he said. “This is what we need most, more than anything. We need help from experts on how to put all this together, create Cherokee as an outdoor destination. That’s ultimately our goal.”

should function going forward.

Smith’s initial priority for the program is to get a better handle on the current state of Haywood’s outdoor economy.

“Before we go anywhere, we need to figure out where we are first, then measuring the economic impact of our current outdoor, recreation facilities, amenities is important,” he said.

This will be a “data-driven” process, Smith said, focusing on how to capture the economic impact of the recreation assets the county already has. For example, regarding the new Chestnut Mountain Nature Park, the course will help Haywood’s recreation leaders understand how many people are visiting the park and where they’re going once they leave.

“Based off of that, we can see this park generates this much economic impact in the community,” he said. “From that we can make assumptions that if we added this many miles of trail, it would have this much economic impact in the community.”

In addition to rallying partners within the community, the program will also give county groups the chance to learn from other communities going through the same process.

Send off the Capitol Christmas Tree in style

Help send the Capitol Christmas Tree on its journey from Western North Carolina to Washington, D.C., with a trio of events planned Nov. 5-6 in Fletcher, Murphy and Cherokee.

The red spruce, named “Ruby,” will be harvested from the Pisgah National Forest in early November, with a harvest celebration to follow 3 to 5 p.m. Saturday, Nov. 5, in the expo building of the WNC Agricultural Center in Fletcher. Attendees will be among the first to see the tree before it starts its trip to D.C., signing banners on the truck and sending good wishes to all the communities set to host the tree along the way. Visitors can walk

Talk trout in Sylva

through an interactive display of North Carolina’s four national forests and learn about each forest’s ecosystems and employees, and more than 25 partner organizations will offer family-friendly games and U.S. Capitol Christmas Tree merchandise.

The series of community celebrations will continue the next day, with Ruby stopping 1 to 3 p.m. Sunday, Nov. 6, at the Cherokee County Courthouse in Murphy, then 6 to 8 p.m. that same day at Oconaluftee Island Park in Cherokee. As the tree continues its trek from the mountains to the coast, it will stop in Marion, Newland, Boone, Newton, Mount Airy, Troy, Asheboro, Kinston and New Bern.

For more information, including a full event schedule, visit uscapitolchristmastree.com.

The folks at Made By Mountains are “good allies” to get there, Hyatt said.

“We want to learn the stuff we don’t know,” he said. “I don’t know how to put it any other way.”

Though the Qualla Boundary and remaining participants in the far western region won’t officially start the program until spring, they’re already building momentum toward the effort. In Cherokee, Hyatt has helped put together a working group including representation from the tribe’s commerce, fish and game, historical and recreation departments, and he’s also hoping to bring in someone representing health and medical interests.

In neighboring Haywood County, program lead Ian Smith, director of Haywood County Recreation and Parks, is working with a group of 14 people. Members represent the town and county governments of Haywood’s various municipalities, multiple tourism and commerce organizations, the N.C. Wildlife Commission, recreation boards and more.

“I think the biggest advantage of doing this is it brings the stakeholders within in our county to the same table,” said Smith.

The Haywood County workgroup had its first meeting last week, and that went well, Smith said. The focus was understanding everybody’s goals and expectations for the program and outlining how the group

“We’ll have the ability to lean on other counties that are in a similar spot as we are, since we’ve all been identified as being at this range of development phase,” Smith said.

AN ONGOING EFFORT

The Building Outdoor Communities program runs only two years in total, but Allison sees it as the first step of an ongoing process to support WNC communities as they “connect the dots between trails and economic development.”

“The program will continue, but it will just take a different shape once everybody’s off the ground and running,” she said.

The end result, she said, won’t be just about greener communities with more trails and gear shops, but about healthier economies with more opportunities for working age adults and their families.

“What I want to see is Main Streets that have all of their businesses full,” she said. “I want to see kids in communities feel like they can stay after they graduate from high school and college because there’s job opportunities there, and just for our communities to continue to see the value of the natural assets that surround us and the opportunities for those to continue to promote the culture that we all love in Western North Carolina — and continue to retain workforce so if people want to stay in the area, stay close to their families, they can work and have careers in their communities.”

The Sylva chapter of Trout Unlimited will hold its regular monthly meeting 6:30 to 8 p.m. Tuesday, Nov. 1, at the United Methodist Church in Sylva.

Chapter volunteers will provide a meal, and the evening will include raffles for fishing gear and lots of fishing talk.

tu.sylva.373@gmail.com.

Help restore the Murphy River Walk

Help get rid of invasive plants along the Murphy River Walk and Canoe Trail during workdays 2 to 4 p.m. Mondays, Oct. 31 and Nov. 7.

The group will use hand tools to cut invasive shrubs like Chinese privet and then treat the stumps. No prior experience is needed, with tools and training provided. Sign up at mountaintrue.org.

Tommy Penick

N.C. detects third chronic wasting disease case

A third deer in North Carolina has tested positive for chronic wasting disease, an always-fatal nervous system disease that affects cervids like deer and elk.

Harvested by a bow hunter in Surry County, the deer was located about 10 miles away from the previous positive detections in Yadkin County, which occurred in December 2021 and August 2022. Because the new detection is so close to the previous two, surveillance areas and regulations related to chronic wasting disease will not change at this time.

Though the detection is disappointing, it’s an encouraging sign that the N.C. Wildlife Resources Commission’s efforts to engage sportsmen in testing deer are working, said Wildlife Management Division Chief Brad Howard. Now more than ever, he said, the Wildlife Commission needs cooperation from the sporting community to test as many hunter-harvested deer as possible and to safely dispose of deer carcasses.

“Deer hunters must be vigilant and mindful of carcass disposal,” he said. “The last thing we want to do is inadvertently move it to a new location in the state. We continue to stress to don’t give it a ride.”

To dispose of deer carcasses, hunters should bury the remains at the harvest site whenever possible. Alternatives include double-bagging the remains for disposal at the nearest landfill or leaving the deer on the ground where it was harvested.

Though the disease does not affect people, it is highly transmissible between deer and spreads via saliva, urine and feces when the deer is alive, and through carcass parts once it’s dead. Because the disease takes a long time to reach its fatal conclusion as it spreads through the nervous system, causing spongy holes in the brain, infected deer can appear healthy.

To learn more about chronic wasting disease and the Wildlife Commission’s response, visit ncwildlife.org/cwd.

Meet the mole salamander

Wiggle into the world of mole salamanders 1 to 3 p.m. Saturday, Oct. 29, at the N.C. Arboretum in Asheville.

During this program, attendees will learn how the Arboretum worked with research scientists, landscape architects and others to craft the Willow Pond, an important habitat that is now home to a breeding population of mole salamanders, which are a species of special concern in North Carolina. Participants will use dip nets to search for mole salamanders and other amphibians that call Willow Pond home.

Free, with a suggested donation of $12. Register at registration required at secure.ncarboretum.org/5220/5224.

Fish and Wildlife considers endangered status for bog turtle

The U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service says that the southern population of the bog turtle, which lives in Southern Appalachian bogs, might warrant listing under the Endangered Species Act. The finding, based

population might qualify as a distinct population segment and warrant ESA listing.

on evidence presented in a petition the Center for Biological Diversity submitted kicks off a more in-depth review of the turtle’s status.

Bog turtles live in wetlands and are easily recognizable by their orange-yellow cheek spot and diminutive size, with the shell typically growing to just 4.5 inches long. They are North America’s smallest turtle. The southern population lives in a variety of rare wetland types in Georgia, North Carolina, South Carolina, Tennessee and Virginia. The USFWS found that the petition presented “substantial scientific or commercial information” that the southern

Bird flu detected in Wake County

A backyard chicken flock in Wake County has tested positive for High Path Avian Influenza, marking the disease’s return to North Carolina two months after the state achieved HPAI-free status.

The flock, containing fewer than 100 birds, was culled to prevent spread of the disease. Other backyard flocks near the infected one will be contacted as part of the N.C. Department of Agriculture and Consumer Service’s ongoing surveillance. Earlier this year, the disease was found at nine poultry farms in Johnston and Wayne counties, but this is the first confirmed positive in a backyard flock.

The detection is unfortunate, but not surprising, said State Veterinarian Mike Martin — the department had previously gathered evidence that the virus remained in North Carolina’s resident population of wild birds and in migratory waterfowl.

“Because we know this virus is in our resident wild birds and migratory birds, the threat of high path avian influenza is

In 1997, the southern population was listed as threatened due to similarity of appearance, a special status offering limited protection under the ESA. That designation addressed threats stemming from poaching for an illegal turtle trade, which is a significant threat to the turtle. Additional threats to the species include limited availability and loss of mountain bog habitats due to drainage, conversion to other uses and degradation due to changes to water flow or plant communities resulting from human impacts on the landscape.

Under the ESA, citizens can petition the USFWS to make changes to the ESA list, and the agency works to deliver findings on these petitions within 90 days of receipt. However, favorable findings represent a relatively low bar, requiring only that the petitioner provide information that the petitioned action may be warranted. Next, the USFWS will conduct an in-depth status review and analysis to arrive at a 12-month finding on the turtle’s status.

For more information, visit regulations.gov/docket/fws-r4-es-2022-0042.

statewide and likely will remain so through the fall and winter,” he said. “This virus continues to put our poultry population at high risk. This latest HPAI positive flock reinforces the need to be extra vigilant.”

Commercial operators and backyard flock owners alike should follow strict biosecurity measures, including keeping birds enclosed without access to wild birds or other domestic flocks.

Warning signs of HPAI include lethargy; decreased appetite; lower egg production or soft-shelled and mishappen eggs; swelling of the head, eyelids, comb and wattles; purple discoloration of the wattles, comb and legs; difficulty breathing, runny nose and sneezing; twisting of the head and neck, stumbling, falling down, tremors and circling; and greenish diarrhea.

According to the U.S. Centers for Disease Control, HPAI is low risk to people and not a food safety threat, but it is highly contagious among birds. Report sick or dying birds to your local veterinarian or to the NCDACS Veterinary Division at 919.707.3250. Learn more at ncagr.gov/avianflu. For questions about HPAI and wild birds, visit ncwildlife.org.

The bog turtle is North America’s smallest turtle.

Jonathan Mays/N CWRC photo

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Hike with Haywood

From Waterrock Knob to Woody Cemetery, the five hikes offered through the Haywood County Recreation Department in November offer a diversity of challenges and destinations.

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On Saturday, Nov. 5, Phyllis and Steve will guide a hike from Soco Gap to Waterrock Knob. This is 9.2 miles but can be done as a one-way hike, either up or down — just let the guides know. It has an elevation gain of 1,934 feet, and the full distance should be considered a difficult hike.

Vickey will take hikers to Wayah Bald from Wilson Lick Ranger Station for a total round-trip hike of 6 miles and elevation gain of 1,500 feet. This is a moderately challenging hike to an old fire lookout tower with stunning views of the Little Tennessee Valley.

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On Friday, Nov. 18, Kathy and Steve will lead a 6.2-mile, moderately challenging hike on the Lakeshore trail to Woody Cemetery.

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On Sunday, Nov. 13, Kathy will lead an easy 2.6-mile hike to the lower falls at Graveyard Fields, with an elevation gain of just 427 feet.

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On Wednesday, Nov. 16, Phyllis and

On Saturday, Nov. 19, Jamie will take hikers to the Mt. Sterling Fire Tower. This is the only true fire tower remaining in the eastern U.S. and a challenging hike of 7 miles.

All hikes are $10. Sign up at bit.ly/haywoodrec.

Fair to support Franklin greenway

Friends of the Greenway will hold FROG Fair, its annual fall arts and crafts fundraiser, 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. Saturday, Nov. 5, at FROG Quarters in

day will

frog28734@gmail.com.

Mountains in moderate drought

Despite significant overnight rain Monday, Oct. 17, Western North Carolina has slipped farther into drought over the last week.

In its latest update Thursday, Oct. 20, the N.C. Drought Advisory Council placed eight WNC counties in moderate drought, with an additional 25 counties in three pockets across the state rated abnormally dry.

Haywood, Jackson, Swain, Macon, Clay, Graham, Cherokee and Buncombe counties are now in moderate drought as of conditions 8 a.m. Tuesday, Oct. 18 — the first time in the past year this region has reached that level of dryness. According to the N.C. Forest Service, small fires in the mountains are getting harder to control as dry duff

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such as leaf litter builds up. Cheoah has received only 0.1 inches of rain this month — its driest start to October since 2016, a year of rampant wildfires in the mountain region.

During moderate drought, people should minimize nonessential uses of water. Communities should implement public awareness and educational outreach programs emphasizing the need to conserve water; participate as appropriate in regional and local coordination for water resource management; project water needs and available water supply for a 90-day period; assess vulnerability to the drought conditions and adjust water usage to prolong available supply; and inspect water delivery system components for leaks and efficient operation.

Drought updates are released at ncdrought.org every Thursday based on data collected as of 8 a.m. Tuesday.

Puzzles

Cash receives recognition for leadership on race

During a special ceremony Friday, Oct. 21, Great Smoky Mountains National Park Superintendent Cassius Cash received a major award from the National Parks Conservation Association.

The award, named for the first National Park Service director Stephen Tyng Mather, each year recognizes a federal employee

gram to bring people of different experiences together to discuss difficult issues with the park as common ground to share, understand and heal.

“It is an absolute honor to be recognized by the National Parks Conservation Association,” Cash said. “The recognition of ‘Smokies Hikes for Healing’ is particularly special to me as it highlights appreciation of our national parks for the distinctive benefits they provide as a brave space for discussing uncomfortable topics during a difficult time in our country’s history. I am humbled that others found these hiking experiences powerful, healing and worth repeating across our public lands.”

During the hikes, trained facilitators joined groups on park trails, leading thought-provoking, open and honest conversations about the ills and impacts of racism in our country. Hikers who start out as strangers bond together, and leave the experience equipped with tools and ideas to practice antiracism in their communities.

who risked his or her career for the principles and practices of good stewardship in the national parks during the previous calendar year. Cash was named the award winner for 2021, but the ceremony and announcement were delayed due to the COVID-19 pandemic.

Cash received the award in recognition of the Smokies Hikes for Healing program that he created in 2020 following the murders of George Floyd, Ahmaud Arbery and Breonna Taylor. Cash, who is the park’s first Black superintendent, designed the pro-

The program was offered despite a federal government mandate in place at the time barring use of federal funds for some types of diversity trainings.

“Amid a global pandemic and nationwide reckoning with systemic injustice, Superintendent Cash harnessed the power of our public lands to help communities come together and heal,” said National Parks Conservation Association President and CEO Theresa Pierno. “His Hikes for Healing program serves as an example for other conservationists and national park advocates to follow, and I count myself among them.”

Forest Service proposes restoration project

A pair of upcoming meetings will present a proposed restoration project for the Pisgah National Forest, 5:30 to 7:30 p.m. Wednesday, Oct. 26, at the Hot Springs Elementary School Gymnasium in Hot Springs, and 5 to 7 p.m. Thursday, Oct. 27, at the Pisgah District Office in Pisgah Forest. Written comments will be accepted through Nov. 5.

The Grandfather, Appalachian and Pisgah Restoration Project is focused on two key themes: reducing wildfire risk and restoring fire-adapted forests. Reducing the risk of high-severity wildfires will help protect resident communities and forest resources while making forest ecosystems more resilient. Restoring and maintaining fire-adapted forests will help protect species and ecosystem services where fire has a natural, recurring role.

The project is a response to the Pisgah Restoration Initiative, a collaboratively developed initiative to reduce wildfire risk, restore fire-adapted forests, treat non-native invasives and provide clean and abundant water across the landscape and jurisdictional

boundaries. Proposed activities include prescribed burning, fire line construction, fuel breaks, stand improvement, thinning and woodland management. Comments received during the scoping process will identify issues for study in the environmental analysis and help develop locations for prescribed burning and vegetation management.

Guests can drop in at any time during the events to receive an overview of the proposal and provide input. The schedule of meetings also included a virtual presentation Oct. 24 and an in-person session in Nebo Oct. 25.

Comment online using the “Comment on Project” button at fs.usda.gov/project/?project=62992. Hard copy comments can be sent to Nicholas Larson, Pisgah National Forest, 109 East Lawing Drive, Nebo, NC 28761. Comments must be postmarked or received by Nov. 5.

For more information about the events, email nicholas.larson2@usda.gov. Additional details about the GAP Project are available at fs.usda.gov/project/?project=62992.

Cassius Cash stands with NPCA President and CEO Theresa Pierno. NPCA photo

B USINESS & E DUCATION

• The Environmental Leadership Club at HCC will host a STEM Speaker Series from noon-1 p.m. Thursdays Oct. 27 and Nov. 10. Speakers Baker Perry, Tanya Poole and Tommy Cabe will each give a 30-minute presentation and answer questions for 20 minutes. For more information contact Susan Roberts sroberts@haywood.edu or 828.565.4218.

• The Franklin Chamber and First Bank will host a Lunch and Learn Seminar on “Identity Theft and How to Protect Yourself” noon-1 p.m. Tuesday, Nov. 1, The workshop is free. To register, call the chamber at 828.524.3161.

• Haywood Community College Alumni Gathering will be held 4:30-6:30 p.m. Thursday, Nov. 3, at the Shelton House in Waynesville. RSVP by Oct. 28 by emailing hccalumni@haywood.edu or calling 828.627.4544.

• A Socrates Cafe Discussion Group will meet for the first time 7-9 p.m. Monday, Nov. 7, at the Appalachian Tea Company, 300 Everett St., in Bryson City. Thereafter the meeting will be held on the first Monday of every month. For more information call Rick Wirth 614.209.1561 or Matt Huett 917.755.6075.

• Join Balsam Mountain Trust and learn to leave the leaves in fall 3:30-4:30 p.m. Tuesday, Nov. 15, at the Waynesville Branch of the Haywood County Public Library. Ideal for all ages. For more information call 828.356.2511 or email lisa.hartzell@haywoodcountync.gov.

FUNDRAISERS AND B ENEFITS

• A fundraiser to support Ukranian humanitarian relief will take place 6-9 p.m Monday, Oct. 31, at the Maggie Valley Country Club. Proceeds will support the work of BombTechs Without Borders. The event is Gatsby-style, tickets are limited, $100 tickets include hors d’oeuvres, one drink ticket, a raffle ticket and a donation to Bomb Techs Without Borders. To RSVP for the fundraiser, email marilynlawson054@gmail.com or mail a check for tickets or donations to Grace Church in the Mountains 394 N. Haywood St., Waynesville, NC 28786, Attn: Ukraine Fundraiser; memo line: Ukraine Fundraiser.

• Friends of the Greenway will hold its Fall Arts & Crafts fundraising event FROG Fair 10 a.m.-4 p.m. Nov. 5, at the Town Bridge in Franklin. For more information, email frog28734@gmail.com.

• Festival of Trees, annual charity gala in support of Haywood County Children’s Advocacy Center, will take place at 5:30 p.m. Thursday, Nov. 10, at Reflections at the Pond, 489 Wood Lily Drive, in Canton. To purchase tickets visit https://secure.qgiv.com/event/festivaloftrees2022/register/.

H EALTH AND WELLNESS

• Yoga at the library will take place 6-7 p.m. Thursday, Oct. 27, in the Macon County Public Library Living Room. Bring your own mat. Contact Kristina Lynn Moe at know@fontanalib.org or 828.524.3600.

CLUBS AND M EETINGS

• The Canton Branch Creative Writing Group meets 10:30 a.m.-noon on the second and fourth Tuesday of the month. For more information, email Jennifer at jennifer.stuart@haywoodcountync.gov or call 828.356.2561.

• Swain County Genealogical Society will hold a meeting at 6:30 p.m. Nov. 3, at the Swain County Regional Business Education and Training Center, 45 East Ridge Drive in Bryson City. Free and open to the public. Peter Koch will give a presentation entitled “Migration of The Scots-Irish to Western North Carolina.”

AUTHORS AND B OOKS

• Storyteller Donal Davis will perform at 7 p.m. Wednesday, Nov. 16, at the Folkmoot Friendship Center Queen Auditorium. The event is presented by Blue Ridge Books and Folkmoot USA. Tickets are $15 in advance and $20 at the door. Visit Blue Ridge Books in store or by phone at 828.456.6000 or Folkmoot USA at 828.452.2997 or at folkmoot.org.

K IDS & FAMILIES

• There will be fun for the whole family 2-4 p.m. Saturday, Oct. 29, at Cruso UMC, 11653 Cruso Road in Canton. Everyone is welcome. There will be treat bags, games, food and prizes.

• Treats on the Street will take place 5-7 p.m. Monday, Oct. 31, on Main Street in Waynesville, in conjunction with a “Trunk or Treat” event in the First Baptist Church parking lot. Contact Beth Gilmore 828.456.3517, ext. 2122.

• Downtown Trick or treat will take place 4-7 p.m. Monday, Oct. 31 in Bryson City. Dress up and get treats from local shops, get your photo taken and listen to the DJ. Contact Swain County Chamber of Commerce 828.488.3681.

• Join Dana Miller from Haywood County Soil and Water Conservation for Constellations in a Jar 3:30-4:30 p.m. Thursday, Nov. 3, at the Waynesville branch of the Haywood County Public Library. Create constellations in a jar to take home and enjoy. Ideal for elementary-aged children. For more information, or to register, contact Lisa at lisahartzell@haywoodcountync.gov or call 828.356.2511.

• Move and Groove Storytime takes place 10:30-11 a.m. every Thursday, at the Canton branch of the Haywood County Public Library. Exciting, interactive music and movement story time ideal for children 2-6 years old. For more information contact Ashlyn at ashlyn.godleski@haywoodcountync.gov or at 828.356.2567.

• Mother Goose Storytime takes place 10:30-11 a.m. every Wednesday, at the Waynesville branch of the Haywood County Public Library. Ideal for children from birth to 2 years old. For more information, contact Lisa at lisa.hartzell@haywoodcountync.gov or call 828.356.2511.

• Wiggle Worms Storytime takes place 10:30-11 a.m. every Tuesday, at the Waynesville branch of the Haywood County Public Library. Ideal for children 2-6 years old. For more information contact Lisa at lisa.hartzell@haywoodcountync.gov or call 828.356.2511.

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

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

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

A&E

• Karaoke takes place at 7 p.m. every Friday at the Meadowlark Motel in Maggie Valley. Call 828.926.1717 or visit meadowlarkmotel.com.

• Paint and Sip at Waynesville Art School will be held every Thursday, Friday and Saturday from 7-9:30 p.m. To learn more and register call 828.246.9869 or visit PaintAndSipWaynesville.com/upcoming-events. Registration is required, $45.

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

• Contra Dance will take place at 7 p.m. Saturday, Nov. 5, in the Macon County Public Library Living Room. Lessons will take place at 6:30 p.m. Suggested donation $10, no experience needed.

F OOD AND D RINK

• Food Truck Boot Camp will take place Nov. 7-10, at multiple locations in Cherokee, North Carolina. For more information contact Laura Lauffer at 828.359.6926 or lwauffe@ncsu.edu.

• BBQ and Live Music takes place at 6 p.m. every Saturday at the Meadowlark Motel. Call 828.926.1717 or visit meadowlarkmotel.com.

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

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

• Take a trip around the world with four different wines every Friday 11 a.m.-8 p.m. and Saturday 11a.m.-6 p.m. at the Bryson City Wine Market. Pick from artisan Charcuterie Foods to enjoy with wines. 828.538.0420

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

CLASSES AND PROGRAMS

• Dogwood Crafters Co-op will host the workshop “Chrismon Ornaments” 10 a.m.-3 p.m. Thursday, Oct. 27, at the Dillsboro Masonic Lodge. Register to attend by Oct. 20 by calling Dogwood Crafters at 828.586.2248. Cost is $12.

• Community dance classes for all levels and ages will take place this fall, September through November at the Wortham Center for Performing Arts. For more information and tickets visit stewartowendance.com/classes or worthamarts.org/classes.

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

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

• Uptown Gallery, 30 East Main St. Franklin, will be offering Children’s Art Classes Wednesdays afternoons. Adult workshops in watercolor, acrylic paint pouring,

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

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

ART SHOWINGS AND GALLERIES

• “Thursday Painters” group will be held from 10 a.m.3 p.m. on Thursdays at The Uptown Gallery in Franklin. Free and open to the public. All skill levels and mediums are welcome. Participants are responsible for their own project and a bag lunch. 828.349.4607 or pm14034@yahoo.com.

Outdoors

• The annual Brook and Beast Feast will return at 6 p.m. Friday, Oct. 28, at the Smoky Mountain Event Center in Waynesville, raising money for Haywood Community College fish and wildlife management technology students. Tickets are $15 in advance or $20 at the door, and free for kids 12 and under. For more information, contact Shannon Rabby at 828.627.4560 or srabby@haywood.edu.

• A program on mole salamanders 1-3 p.m. Saturday, Oct. 29, at the N.C. Arboretum in Asheville. Free, with a suggested donation of $12. Register at registration required at secure.ncarboretum.org/5220/5224.

• Help get rid of invasive plants along the Murphy River Walk and Canoe Trail during workdays 2-4 p.m. Mondays, Oct. 31 and Nov. 7. The group will use hand tools to cut invasive shrubs like Chinese privet and then treat the stumps. No prior experience is needed, with tools and training provided. Sign up at mountaintrue.org.

• The Sylva chapter of Trout Unlimited will hold its regular monthly meeting 6:30-8 p.m. Tuesday, Nov. 1, at the United Methodist Church in Sylva. Chapter volunteers will provide a meal, and the evening will include raffles for fishing gear and lots of fishing talk.

tu.sylva.373@gmail.com

• A mountain bike skills club will meet at Hazelwood Elementary School in Waynesville after school on Wednesdays through Nov. 2. Coaches from Kid Cycle Club will help participants improve their basic bike skills starting Wednesday, Oct. 12, with the club meeting weekly 3-5 p.m. Limited loaner bikes and helmets are available. Sign up at bit.ly/haywoodrec.

• Friends of the Greenway will hold FROG Fair, its annual fall arts and crafts fundraiser, 10 a.m.-4 p.m. Saturday, Nov. 5, at FROG Quarters in Franklin. frog28734@gmail.com

• MountainTrue is accepting orders for its 6th annual Fall Native Tree Sale Fundraiser through Sunday, Nov. 6. Place orders at mountaintrue.org/event/2022-fallnative-tree-shrub-sale.

Announcements

DRINKING PROBLEM? Call Alcoholics Anonymous 24/7 (828)254-8539 Find a meeting near you today: AAwnc80.com, AA.org/ meeting-guide-app Sobriety is a call or click away. (828) 254-8539 info@ ncmco.net

Auction

SMITH RIVER LAND AUCTION. Henry Co., VA. 1,244+/- acres with 20,500’ of Prime Smith River Frontage. These prime building and recreational tracts will be offered in 17 tracts, ranging from 18+/- acres to 144+/acres, on November 17, 11 AM at Chatmoss Country Club – Martinsville, VA. The section of the Smith River north of Mitchell Bridge is known as the big trout waters! Property Location: 2900 Mitchell Road, Ridgeway, VA will put you in the middle of the property. For information, visit woltz.com or call Woltz & Associates, Inc. (VA#321), Real Estate Brokers & Auctioneers 800-551-3588.

Employment

COMPUTER & IT TRAINING PROGRAM! Train

ONLINE to get the skills to become a Computer & Help Desk Professional now! Grants and Scholarships available for certain applicants. Call CTI for details! 1-855-554-4616

The Mission, Program Information and Tuition is

located at CareerTechnical.edu/consumer-information.

THE JACKSON COUNTY DEPARTMENT

Of Social Services is recruiting for a Community Social Services Assistant. Duties primarily involve transporting foster children for a variety of purposes such as visits with parents, medical appointments, counseling, education, or training. Candidates for this position should be highly dependable, adaptable, have the ability to lift children and car seats, have completed high school, interact well with children, and have a valid NC driver’s license with a good driving record. The starting salary is $28,078.19. Applicants should complete an application for Jackson County which is located at www.jcdss. org and submit it to the Jackson County Department of Social Services, NC 28779 or the Sylva branch of the NC Works Career Center. Applications will be taken until October 28, 2022.

THE JACKSON COUNTY DEPARTMENT

Of Social Services is recruiting for an Adult Services Social Worker. This position investigates reports of adult abuse and neglect, provides case management for at-risk adults, and clients receiving Special Assistance In-home services. This position also provides ongoing

case management for guardianships, payeeships, individual and family adjustments, in-home aide services, and case management of substantiated adult protective service cases. Other duties include general intake and community outreach services. Requires limited availability after hours and on weekends as-needed. The starting salary is $43,558.50, if

a four year degree in a

Preference will be given to applicants with a Master’s or Bachelor’s Degree in Social Work and experience providing Social Work services. Applicants should complete an application which is located at www. jcdss.org and submit it to the Jackson County Department of Social Street, Sylva, NC 28779

or the Sylva branch of the NC Works Career Center. Applications will be taken until October 28, 2022.

SHUTTLE BUS DRIVER Green Way Shuttles is a professional student transportation company. We are currently hiring PartTime Shuttle Bus Drivers. Drive local! Responsibilities: Transporting College Students from the College/University campus to off campus housing. Which is 15 minutes each way. Transporting College Students from off campus housing back to the College/University. Fueling the bus. Ensuring the bus is properly maintained. A CDL with Passenger Endorsement and Airbrakes is Required. (636) 577-1919 cheilandgws@yahoo. com

MEDICAL BILLING

Train Online! Become fessional online at CTI!

ready to work in months!

Call 866-243-5931. (M-F 8am-6pm ET)

Pets

PITBULL TERRIER MIX, BROWN&WHITE, ED 3 year old, handsome boy who is happy, friendly, and very active. Loves to play. Asheville Humane Society (828) 761-2001 adoptions@ashevillehumane.org

BLACK MALE CAT, ARTU 10 year old, sweet house-panther; loves toys and high places. Sometimes lap cat, sometimes independent. Asheville Humane Society (828) 761-2001 adoptions@ ashevillehumane.org

Real Estate

844-213-6711

Automotive

AUTO INSURANCE

STARTING AT $49/ MONTH! Call for your fee rate comparison to see how much you can save!

Call: 833-472-0580

Entertainment

HUGHESNET SATELLITE INTERNET – Finally, no hard data limits! Call Today for speeds up to 25mbps as low as $59.99/ mo! $75 gift card, terms apply. 1-844-416-7147

Health/Beauty

ATTENTION OXYGEN THERAPY USERS! Inogen One G4 is capable of full 24/7 oxygen delivery. Only 2.8 pounds. FREE information kit. Call 866579-0885

DENTAL INSURANCE

PUBLISHER’S NOTICE

All real estate advertising in this newspaper is subject to the Fair Hous ing Act which makes it illegal to advertise ‘any preference, limitation or discrimination based on race, color, religion, sex, handicap, familial status or national origin, or an in tention to make any such preference, limitation or discrimination’. Familial status includes children under 18 living with par ents or legal guardians and pregnant women. This newspaper will not knowingly accept any ad vertising for real estate in violation of this law. All dwellings advertised on equal opportunity basis.

Rentals

TIMESHARE CANCELLATION EXPERTS. Wesley Financial Group, LLC Over $50,000,000 in timeshare debt and fees cancelled in 2019. Get free informational package and learn how to get rid of your timeshare! Free consultations. Over 450 positive reviews. Call

From Physicians Mutual Insurance Company. Coverage for 350 plus procedures. Real dental insurance - NOT just a discount plan. Do not wait! Call now! Get your FREE Dental Information Kit with all the details! 1-844-4968601 www.dental50plus. com/ncpress #6258

ATTENTION: Oxygen Users. Gain freedom with a portable oxygen concentrator. No more heavy teed lowest prices. Oxygen Concentrator Store 844-866-4793

Home Improvement

BEAUTIFUL BATH UPDATES In as little as ONE DAY! Superior quality bath and shower systems at AFFORDABLE PRICES! Lifetime warranty & professional installs. 833987-0207

ELIMINATE GUTTER CLEANING FOREVER! LeafFilter, the most advanced debris-blocking gutter protection. Schedule a FREE LeafFilter estimate today. 15% off Entire Purchase. 10% Senior

& Military Discounts. Call 1-877-649-1190

SAFE STEP. North America’s #1 Walk-In Tub. Comprehensive lifetime warranty. Top-of-the-line installation and service. Now featuring our FREE shower package and $1600 Off for a limited time! Call today! Financing available. Call Safe Step 1-855-931-3643

REPLACE YOUR ROOF With the best looking and longest lasting material – steel from Erie Metal Roofs! Three styles and multiple colors available. Guaranteed to last a lifetime! Limited Time Offer - $500 Discount + Addi-

tional 10% off install (for military, health workers & 1st responders.) Call Erie Metal Roofs: 1-855-5851815

WATER DAMAGE TO YOUR HOME? Call for a quote for professional cleanup & maintain the value of your home! Set an appt. today! Call 833664-1530 (AAN CAN)

Legal, Financial and Tax

STOP WORRYING! SilverBills eliminates the stress and hassle of bill payments. All household bills guaranteed to be paid on time, as long as appropriate funds are available. Computer not necessary. Call for a FREE trial or a custom quote today. SilverBills 1-866-530-1374

DO YOU OWE OVER $10,000 To the IRS or State in back taxes? Our

tax bill or zero it out completely FAST. Let us help! Call 877-414-2089. (AAN CAN) (Hours: Mon-Fri 7am-5pm PST)

This and That

VACATION HOME HELPER Whether planning, building, or operating a DIY vacation home rental, Vacation Home Helper can assist owners in establishing 5-star properties; start strong, stay competitive! In-home Customized Consultations, Integrity Checks, Home Assessments + more. 15+ years experience. Request an Info Packet to learn about all services: VacationHomeHelper@ yahoo.com

Wanted to Buy

TOP CA$H PAID FOR Old Guitars! 1920-1980 Gibson, Martin, Fender, Gretsch, Epiphone, Guild, Mosrite, Rickenbacker, Prairie State, D’Angelico, Stromberg. And Gibson Mandolins / Banjos. 877589-0747

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